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In his first work of fiction since his Nobel Prize-winning "Disgrace," this "New York Times" Notable Book and bestseller is the story of a woman's life as a mother, sister, lover, and writer that is also a profound and haunting meditation on the nature of storytelling.
Author Notes
J.M. Coetzee's full name is John Michael Coetzee. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1940, Coetzee is a writer and critic who uses the political situation in his homeland as a backdrop for many of his novels. Coetzee published his first work of fiction, Dusklands, in 1974.
Another book, Boyhood, loosely chronicles an unhappy time in Coetzee's childhood when his family moved from Cape Town to the more remote and unenlightened city of Worcester. Other Coetzee novels are In the Heart of the Country and Waiting for the Barbarians. Coetzee's critical works include White Writing and Giving Offense: Essays on Censorship.
Coetzee is a two-time recipient of the Booker Prize and in 2003, he won the Nobel Literature Award.
(Bowker Author Biography) J. M. Coetzee's books include "Boyhood", "Dusklands", "In the Heart of the Country", "Waiting for the Barbarians", "Life & Times of Michael K", "Foe", & "The Master of Petersburg". A professor of general literature at the University of Cape Town, Coetzee has won many literary awards, including the CNA Prize (South Africa's premier literary award), the Booker Prize (twice), the Prix Etranger Femina, the Jerusalem Prize, the Lannan Literary Award, & The Irish Times International Fiction Prize.
(Publisher Provided)
Reviews 3
Booklist Review
Although it's billed as a novel masquerading as a biography, some readers may speculate that Coetzee's newest is a biography posing as a novel, or even lectures formed into fiction (six portions were previously published separately). The format is instantly intriguing. Elizabeth Costello is a near-elderly Australian novelist who remains best known for an early work in which she appropriates James Joyce's Ulysses character, Molly Bloom. Coetzee tackles problems of writing, literature, philosophy, and family through eight lessons, most of which center on a lengthy formal address. In Realism, Costello travels to Pennsylvania with her son to receive an award; Coetzee slyly enumerates conventions of realistic storytelling even as he guides Costello through interview, debate, and a lecture in which she declares, The word-mirror is broken, irreparably. In The Novel in Africa, Costello lectures on a cruise ship with an old acquaintance, Emmanuel Egudu, a Nigerian expatriate novelist. Egudu's talk takes center stage, even as Costello demands to know why there is no African novel worth speaking of. In later lessons, Costello speaks passionately about animal rights; hears her sister, a nun, deride the humanities; and gives a speech she is not sure she believes, claiming writers who explore evil may not survive uncontaminated. Coetzee may be exploding the genre, but Elizabeth Costello has real novelistic force. Our pleasure is watching this fascinating woman wrestle with intellectual issues as if they are life-and-death matters--and being convinced, in the end, that they are. --Keir Graff Copyright 2003 Booklist
Publisher's Weekly Review
Even more uncompromising than usual, this latest novel by Coetzee (his first since 1999's Booker Prize-winning Disgrace) blurs the bounds of fiction and nonfiction while furthering the author's exploration of urgent moral and aesthetic questions. Elizabeth Costello, a fictional aging Australian novelist who gained fame for a Ulysses-inspired novel in the 1960s, reveals the workings of her still-formidable mind in a series of formal addresses she either attends or delivers herself (an award acceptance speech, a lecture on a cruise ship, a graduation speech). This ingenious structure allows Coetzee to circle around his protagonist, revealing her preoccupations and contradictions her relationships with her son, John, an academic, and her sister, Blanche, a missionary in Africa; her deep, almost fanatical concern with animal rights; her conflicted views on reason and realism; her grapplings with the human problems of sex and spirituality. The specters of the Holocaust and colonialism, of Greek mythology and Christian morality, and of Franz Kafka and the absurd haunt the novel, as Coetzee deftly weaves the intense contemplation of abstractions with the everyday life of an all-too-human body and mind. The struggle for self-expression comes to a wrenching climax when Elizabeth faces a final reckoning and finds herself at a loss for words. This is a novel of weighty ideas, concerned with what it means to be human and with the difficult and seductive task of making meaning. It is a resounding achievement by Coetzee and one that will linger with the reader long after its reverberating conclusion. (Oct. 20) Forecast: This is not the most accessible of Coetzee's novels, but it is an important addition to the author's body of work and heady reading for those who enjoy novels of ideas. Most of the book's chapters have been published separately, two as part of the nonfiction volume The Lives of Animals (Princeton, 1999). (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
A brilliant technique: Coetzee purports to disclose the life of a distinguished Australian through eight speeches she gave. No wonder he's won two Bookers. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
ExcerptsTHERE IS FIRST of all the problem of the opening, namely, how to get us from where we are, which is, as yet, nowhere, to the far bank. It is a simple bridging problem, a problem of knocking together a bridge. People solve such problems every day. They solve them, and having solved them push on. Let us assume that, however it may have been done, it is done. Let us take it that the bridge is built and crossed, that we can put it out of our mind. We have left behind the territory in which we were. We are in the far territory; where we want to be. Elizabeth Costello is a writer, born in 1928, which makes her sixty-six years old, going on sixty-seven. She has written nine novels, two books of poems, a book on bird life, and a body of journalism. By birth she is Australian. She was born in Melbourne and still lives there, though she spent the years 1951 to 1963 abroad, in England and France. She has been married twice. She has two children, one by each marriage. Elizabeth Costello made her name with her fourth novel, The House on Eccles Street (1969), whose main character is Marion Bloom, wife of Leopold Bloom, principal character of another novel, Ulysses (1922), by James Joyce. In the past decade there has grown up around her a small critical industry; there is even an Elizabeth Costello Society, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which puts out a quarterly Elizabeth Costello Newsletter. In the spring of 1995 Elizabeth Costello traveled, or travels (present tense henceforth), to Williamstown, Pennsylvania, to Altona College, to receive the Stowe Award. The award is made biennially to a major world writer, selected by a jury of critics and writers. It consists of a purse of $5o,ooo, funded by a bequest from the Stowe estate, and a gold medal. It is one of the larger literary prizes in the United States. On her visit to Pennsylvania Elizabeth Costello (Costello is her maiden name) is accompanied by her son John. John has a job teaching physics and astronomy at a college in Massachusetts, but for reasons of his own is on leave for the year. Elizabeth has become a little frail: without the help of her son she would not be under taking this taxing trip across half the world. We skip. They have reached Williamstown and have been conveyed to their hotel, a surprisingly large building for a small city, a tall hexagon, all dark marble outside and crystal and mirrors inside. In her room a dialogue takes place. 'Will you be comfortable?' asks the son. 'I am sure I will she replies. The room is on the twelfth floor, with a prospect over a golf course and, beyond that, over wooded hills. 'Then why not have a rest? They are fetching us at six thirty I'll give you a call a few minutes beforehand.' He is about to leave. She speaks. 'John, what exactly do they want from me?' 'Tonight? Nothing. It's just a dinner with members of the jury. We won't let it turn into a long evening. I'll remind them you are tired.' 'And tomorrow?' 'Tomorrow is a different story. You'll have to gird your loins for tomorrow, I am afraid.' 'I have forgotten why I agreed to come. It seems a great ordeal to put oneself through, for no good reason. I should have asked them to forget the ceremony and send the checque in the mail.' After the long flight, she is looking her age. She has never taken care of her appearance; she used to be able to get away with it; now it shows. Old and tired. 'It doesn't work that way, I am afraid, Mother. If you accept the money, you must go through with the show.' She shakes her head. She is still wearing the old blue raincoat she wore from the airport. Her hair has a greasy, lifeless look. She has made no move to unpack. If he leaves her now, what will she do? Lie down in her raincoat and shoes? He is here, with her, out of love. He cannot imagine her getting through this trial without him at her side. He stands by her because he is her son, her loving son. But he is also on the point of becoming - distasteful word - her trainer. He thinks of her as a seal, an old, tired circus seal. One more time she must heave herself up on to the tub, one more time show that she can balance the ball on her nose. Up to him to coax her, put heart in her, get her through the performance. 'It is the only way they have,' he says as gently as he can. 'They admire you, they want to honour you. It is the best way they can think of doing that. Giving you money. Broadcasting your name. Using the one to do the other.' Standing over the Empire-style writing table, shuffling through the pamphlets that tell her where to shop, where to dine, how to use the telephone, she casts him one of the quick, ironic looks that still have the power to surprise him, to remind him of who she is. 'The best way?' she murmurs. At six thirty he knocks. She is ready, waiting, full of doubts but prepared to face the foe. She wears her blue costume and silk jacket, her lady novelist's uniform, and the white shoes with which there is nothing wrong yet which somehow make her look like Daisy Duck. She has washed her hair and brushed it back. It still looks greasy, but honourably greasy, like a navvy's or a mechanic's. Already on her face the passive look that, if you saw it in a young girl, you would call withdrawn. A face without personality, the kind that photographers have to work on to lend distinction. Like Keats, he thinks, the great advocate of blank receptiveness. The blue costume, the greasy hair, are details, signs of a moderate realism. Supply the particulars, allow the significations to emerge of themselves. A procedure pioneered by Daniel Defoe. Robinson Crusoe, cast up on the beach, looks around for his shipmates. But there are none. 'I never saw them afterwards, or any sign of them says he, 'except three of their hats, one cap, and two shoes that were not fellows.' Two shoes, not fellows: by not being fellows, the shoes have ceased to be footwear and become proofs of death, torn by the foaming seas off the feet of drowning men and tossed ashore. No large words, no despair, just hats and caps and shoes. For as far back as he can remember, his mother has secluded herself in the mornings to do her writing. No intrusions under any circumstances. He used to think of himself as a misfortunate child, lonely and unloved. When they felt particularly sorry for themselves, he and his sister used to slump outside the locked door and make tiny whining sounds. In time the whining would change to humming or singing, and they would feel better, forgetting their forsakenness. Now the scene has changed. He has grown up. He is no longer outside the door but inside, observing her as she sits, back to the window, confronting, day after day, year after year, while her hair slowly goes from black to grey, the blank page. What doggedness, he thinks! She deserves the medal, no doubt about that, this medal and many more. For valour beyond the call of duty. The change came when he was thirty-three. Until then he had not read a word she had written. That was his reply to her, his revenge on her for locking him out. She denied him, therefore he denied her. Or perhaps he refused to read her in order to protect himself. Perhaps that was the deeper motive: to ward off the lightning stroke. Then one day, without a word to anyone, without even a word to himself, he took one of her books out of the library. After that he read everything, reading openly, in the train, at the lunch table. 'What are you reading?' 'One of my mother's books.' He is in her books, or some of them. Other people too he recognizes; and there must be many more he does not recognize. About sex, about passion and jealousy and envy, she writes with an insight that shakes him. It is positively indecent. She shakes him; that is what she presumably does to other readers too. That is presumably why, in the larger picture, she exists. What a strange reward for a lifetime of shaking people: to be conveyed to this town in Pennsylvania and given money! For she is by no means a comforting writer. She is even cruel, in a way that women can be but men seldom have the heart for. What sort of creature is she, really? Not a seal: not amiable enough for that. But not a shark either. A cat. One of those large cats that pause as they eviscerate their victim and, across the torn-open belly, give you a cold yellow stare. There is a woman waiting for them downstairs, the same young woman who fetched them from the airport. Her name is Teresa. She is an instructor at Altona College, but in the business of the Stowe Award a factotum, a dogsbody, and in the wider business a minor character. He sits in the front of the car beside Teresa, his mother sits at the rear. Teresa is excited, so excited that she positively chatters. She tells them about the neighbourhoods they are driving through, about Altona College and its history, about the restaurant they are headed for. In the middle of all the chatter she manages to get in two quick, mouselike pounces of her own. 'We had A. S. Byatt here last fall,' she says. 'What do you think of A. S. Byatt, Ms Costello?' And later: 'What do you think of Doris Lessing, Ms Costello?' She is writing a book on women writers and politics; she spends her summers in London doing what she calls research; he would not be surprised if she had a tape recorder hidden in the car. His mother has a word for people like this. She calls them the goldfish. One thinks they are small and harmless, she says, because each wants no more than the tiniest nibble of flesh, the merest hemidemimilligram. She gets letters from them every week, care of her publisher. Once upon a time she used to reply: thank you for your interest, unfortunately I am too busy to respond as fully as your letter deserves. Then a friend told her what these letters of hers were fetching on the autograph market. After that she stopped answering. Flecks of gold circling the dying whale, waiting their chance to dart in and take a quick mouthful. They arrive at the restaurant. It is raining lightly. Teresa drops them at the door and goes off to park the car. For a moment they are alone on the pavement. 'We can still abscond,' he says. 'It is not too late. We can get a taxi, drop by the hotel to pick up our things, be at the airport by eight thirty, take the first flight out. We will have vanished from the scene by the time the Mounties arrive.' He smiles. She smiles. They will go through with the programme, that barely needs to be said. But it is a pleasure to toy with at least the idea of escape. Jokes, secrets, complicities; a glance here, a word there: that is their way of being together, of being apart. He will be her squire, she will be his knight. He will protect her as long as he is able. Then he will help her into her armour, lift her on to her steed, set her buckler on her arm, hand her her lance, and step back. There is a scene in the restaurant, mainly dialogue, which we will skip. We resume back at the hotel, where Elizabeth Costello asks her son to run through the list of the people they have just met. He obeys, giving each a name and function, as in life. Their host, William Brautegam, is Dean of Arts at Altona. The convenor of the jury, Gordon Wheatley, is a Canadian, a professor at McGill, who has written on Canadian literature and on Wilson Harris. The one they call Toni, who spoke to her about Henry Handel Richardson, is from Altona College. She is a specialist on Australia and has taught there. Paula Sachs she knows. The bald man, Kerrigan, is a novelist, Irish by birth, now living in New York. The fifth juror, the one who was seated next to him, is named Moebius. She teaches in California and edits a journal. She has also published some stories. 'You and she had quite a tête-à-tête says his mother. 'Good- looking, isn't she?' 'I suppose so.' She reflects. 'But, as a group, don't they strike you as rather... 'Rather lightweight?' She nods. 'Well, they are. The heavyweights don't involve themselves in this kind of show. The heavyweights are wrestling with the heavy weight problems.' 'I am not heavyweight enough for them?' 'No, you're heavyweight all right. Your handicap is that you're not a problem. What you write hasn't yet been demonstrated to be a problem. Once you offer yourself as a problem, you might be shifted over into their court. But for the present you're not a problem, just an example.' 'An example of what?' 'An example of writing. An example of how someone of your station and your generation and your origins writes. An instance.' 'An instance? Am I allowed a word of protest? After all the effort I put into not writing like anyone else?' 'Mother, there's no point in picking on me to fight with. I am not responsible for the way the academy sees you. But you must surely concede that at a certain level we speak, and therefore write, like everyone else. Otherwise we would all be speaking and writing private languages. It is not absurd - is it? - to concern oneself with what people have in common rather than with what sets them apart.' The next morning John finds himself in another literary debate. In the hotel gymnasium he bumps into Gordon Wheatley, chairman of the jury. Side by side on exercise bicycles they have a shouted conversation. His mother will be disappointed, he tells Wheatley - not entirely seriously - if she learns that the Stowe Award is hers only because 1995 has been decreed to be the year of Australasia. 'What does she want it to be?' shouts Wheatley back. 'That she is the best,' he replies. 'In your jury's honest opinion. Not the best Australian, not the best Australian woman, just the best.' 'Without infinity we would have no mathematics,' says Wheatley. 'But that doesn't mean that infinity exists. Infinity is just a construct, a human construct. Of course we are firm that Elizabeth Costello is the best. We just have to be clear in our minds what a statement like that means, in the context of our times.' The analogy with infinity makes no sense to him, but he does not pursue the issue. He hopes that Wheatley does not write as badly as he thinks. Realism has never been comfortable with ideas. It could not be otherwise: realism is premised on the idea that ideas have no autonomous existence, can exist only in things. So when it needs to debate ideas, as here, realism is driven to invent situations - walks in the countryside, conversations - in which characters give voice to contending ideas and thereby in a certain sense embody them. The notion of embodying turns out to be pivotal. In such debates ideas do not and indeed cannot float free: they are tied to the speakers by whom they are enounced, and generated from the matrix of individual interests out of which their speakers act in the world - for instance, the son's concern that his mother not be treated as a Mickey Mouse post-colonial writer, or Wheatley's concern not to seem an old-fashioned absolutist. At eleven he taps at the door of her room. She has a long day before her: an interview, a session at the college radio station, then, in the evening, the presentation ceremony and the speech that goes with it. Her strategy with interviewers is to take control of the exchange, presenting them with blocks of dialogue that have been rehearsed so often he wonders they have not solidified in her mind and become some kind of truth. A long paragraph on childhood in the suburbs of Melbourne (cockatoos screeching at the bottom of the garden) with a sub- paragraph on the danger to the imagination of middle-class security A paragraph on the death of her father of enteric fever in Malaya, with her mother somewhere in the background playing Chopin waltzes on the piano, followed by a sequence of what sound like impromptu ruminations on the influence of music on her own prose. A paragraph about her adolescent reading (voracious, unselective), then a jump to Virginia Woolf, whom she first read as a student, and the impact Woolf had on her. A passage on her spell at art school, another on her year and a half at post-war Cambridge ('What I mainly remember is the struggle to keep warm'), another on her years in London ('I could have made a living as a translator, I suppose, but my best language was German, and German wasn't popular in those days, as you can imagine'). Her first novel, which she modestly disparages, though as a first novel it stood head and shoulders above the competition, then her years in France ('heady times'), with an oblique glance at her first marriage. Then her return to Australia with her young son. Him. All in all, he judges, listening in, a workmanlike performance, if one can still use that word, eating up most of the hour, as intended, leaving only a few minutes to skirt the questions that begin 'What do you think...? 'What does she think about neoliberalism, the woman question, Aboriginal rights, the Australian novel today? He has lived around her for nearly four decades, on and off, and is still not sure what she thinks about the big questions. Not sure and, on the whole, thankful not to have to hear. For her thoughts would be, he suspects, as uninteresting as most people's. A writer, not a thinker. Writers and thinkers: chalk and cheese. No, not chalk and cheese: fish and fowl. But which is she, the fish or the fowl? Which is her medium: water or air? This morning's interviewer, who has come up from Boston for the occasion, is young, and his mother is usually indulgent towards the young. But this one is thick-skinned and refuses to be fobbed off. 'What would you say your main message is?' she persists. 'My message? Am I obliged to carry a message?' Not a strong counter; the interviewer presses her advantage. 'In The House on Eccles Street your lead character, Marion Bloom, refuses to have sex with her husband until he has worked out who he is. Is that what you are saying: that until men have worked out a new, post-patriarchal identity women should hold them selves apart?' His mother casts him a glance. Help! it is meant to say, in a droll way. 'Intriguing idea,' she murmurs, 'Of course in the case of Marion's husband there would be a particular severity in demanding that he work out a new identity, since he is a man of - what shall I say? - of infirm identity, of many shapes.' Eccles Street is a great novel; it will live, perhaps, as long as Ulysses; it will certainly be around long after its maker is in the grave. He was only a child when she wrote it. It unsettles and dizzies him to think that the same being that engendered Eccles Street engendered him. It is time to step in, save her from an inquisition that promises to become tedious. He rises. 'Mother, I am afraid we are going to have to call a halt,' he says. 'We're being fetched for the radio session.' To the interviewer: 'Thank you, but that will have to be all.' The interviewer pouts with annoyance. Will she find a part for him in the story she files: the novelist of failing powers and her bossy son? At the radio station the two of them are separated. He is shown into the control booth. The new interviewer, he is surprised to find, is the elegant Moebius woman he had sat beside at dinner. 'This is Susan Moebius, the programme is Writers at Work, and we are speaking today to Elizabeth Costello,' she commences, and proceeds with a crisp introduction. 'Your most recent novel,' she continues, 'called Fire and Ice, set in the Australia of the 1930s, is the story of a young man struggling to make his way as a painter against the opposition of family and society, Did you have anyone in particular in mind when you wrote it? Does it draw upon your own early life?' 'No, I was still a child in the 19305. Of course we draw upon our own lives all the time - they are our main resource, in a sense our only resource. But no, Fire and Ice isn't autobiography. It is a work of fiction. I made it up.' 'It is a powerful book, I must tell our listeners. But do you find it easy, writing from the position of a man?' It is a routine question, opening the door to one of her routine paragraphs. To his surprise, she does not take the opening. 'Easy? No. If it were easy it wouldn't be worth doing. It is the otherness that is the challenge. Making up someone other than yourself. Making up a world for him to move in. Making up an Australia.' 'Is that what you are doing in your books, would you say: making up Australia?' 'Yes, I suppose so. But that is not so easy nowadays. There is more resistance, a weight of Australias made up by many other people, that you have to push against. That is what we mean by tradition, the beginnings of a tradition.' 'I'd like to get on to The House on Eccles Street, which is the book you are best known for in this country, a path-breaking book, and the figure of Molly Bloom. Critics have concentrated on the way you have claimed or reclaimed Molly from Joyce, made her your own. I wonder if you would comment on your intentions in this book, particularly in challenging Joyce, one of the father figures of modern literature, on his own territory Another clear opening, and this time she takes it. 'Yes, she is an engaging person, isn't she, Molly Bloom - Joyce's Molly, I mean. She leaves her trace across the pages of Ulysses as a bitch on heat leaves her smell. Seductive you can't call it: it is cruder than that. Men pick up the scent and sniff and circle around and snarl at each other, even when Molly isn't on the scene. 'No, I don't see myself as challenging Joyce. But certain books are so prodigally inventive that there is plenty of material left over at the end, material that almost invites you to take it over and use it to build something of your own.' 'But, Elizabeth Costello, you have taken Molly out of the house - if I can continue with your metaphor - taken her out of the house on Eccles Street where her husband and her lover and in a certain sense her author have confined her, where they have turned her into a kind of queen bee, unable to fly, you have taken her and turned her loose on the streets of Dublin. Wouldn't you see that as a challenge to Joyce on your part, a response?' 'Queen bee, bitch...Let's revise the figure and call her a lioness, rather, stalking the streets, smelling the smells, seeing the sights. Looking for prey, even. Yes, I wanted to liberate her from that house, and particularly from that bedroom, with the bed with the creaking springs, and turn her loose - as you say - on Dublin.' 'If you see Molly - Joyce's Molly - as a prisoner in the house on Eccles Street, do you see women in general as prisoners of marriage and domesticity?' 'You can't mean women today. But yes, to an extent Molly is a prisoner of marriage, the kind of marriage that was on offer in Ireland in 1904. Her husband Leopold is a prisoner too. If she is shut into the conjugal home, he is shut out. So we have Odysseus trying to get in and Penelope trying to get out. That is the comedy, the comic myth, which Joyce and I in our different ways were paying our respects to.' Because both women are wearing headphones, addressing the microphone rather than each other, it is hard for him to see how they are getting on together. But he is impressed, as ever, by the persona his mother manages to project: of genial common sense, lack of malice, yet of sharp-wittedness too. 'I want to tell you,' the interviewer continues (a cool voice, he thinks: a cool woman, capable, not a lightweight at all), 'what an impact The House on Eccles Street made on me when I first read it in the 1970s. I was a student, I had studied Joyce's book, I had absorbed the famous Molly Bloom chapter and the critical orthodoxy that came with it, namely that here Joyce had released the authentic voice of the feminine, the sensual reality of woman, and so forth. And then I read your book and realised that Molly didn't have to be limited in the way Joyce had made her to be, that she could equally well be an intelligent woman with an interest in music and a circle of friends of her own and a daughter with whom she shared confidences - it was a revelation, as I say. And I began to wonder about other women whom we think of as having been given a voice by male writers, in the name of their liberation, yet in the end only to further and to serve a male philosophy. I am thinking of D. H. Lawrence's women in particular, but if you go further back they might include Tess of the D' Urbervilles and Anna Karenina, to name only two. It is a huge question, but I wonder if you have anything to say about it - not just about Marion Bloom and the others but about the project of reclaiming women's lives in general.' 'No, I don't think there is anything I would want to say, I think you've expressed it all very fully. Of course, fair's fair, men will have to set about reclaiming the Heathcliffs and Rochesters from romantic stereotyping too, to say nothing of poor old dusty Casaubon. It will be a grand spectacle. But, seriously, we can't go on parasitizing the classics forever. I am not excluding myself from the charge. We've got to start doing some inventing of our own.' This is not in the script at all. A new departure. Where will it lead? But alas, the Moebius woman (who is now glancing at the studio clock) does not pick up on it. 'In your more recent novels you have gone back to Australian settings. Could you say something about how you see Australia? What does it mean to you to be an Australian writer? Australia is a country that remains very far away, at least to Americans. Is that part of your consciousness as you write: that you are reporting from the far edges?' 'The far edges. That is an interesting expression. You won't find many Australians nowadays prepared to accept it. Far from what? they would say. Nevertheless, it has a certain meaning, even if it is a meaning foisted on us by history. We're not a country of extremes - I'd say we're rather pacific - but we are a country of extremities. We have lived our extremities because there hasn't been a great deal of resistance in any direction. If you begin to fall, there isn't much to stop you.' They are back among the commonplaces, on familiar ground. He can stop listening. We skip to the evening, to the main event, the presentation of the award. As son and companion of the speaker he finds himself in the first row of the audience, among the special guests. The woman to his left introduces herself. 'Our daughter is at Altona,' she says. 'She is writing her honours dissertation on your mother. She's a great fan. She has made us read everything.' She pats the wrist of the man beside her. They have the look of money, old money. Benefactors, no doubt. 'Your mother is much admired in this country. Particularly by young people. I hope you will tell her that.' All across America, young women writing dissertations on his mother. Admirers, adherents, disciples. Would it please his mother to be told she has American disciples? The presentation scene itself we skip. It is not a good idea to interrupt the narrative too often, since storytelling works by lulling the reader or listener into a dreamlike state in which the time and space of the real world fade away, superseded by the time and space of the fiction. Breaking into the dream draws attention to the constructedness of the story, and plays havoc with the realist illusion. However, unless certain scenes are skipped over we will be here all afternoon. The skips are not part of the text, they are part of the performance. So the award is made, after which his mother is left alone at the rostrum to give her acceptance speech, entitled in the programme 'What is Realism?'. The time has arrived for her to show her paces. Elizabeth Costello dons her reading glasses. 'Ladies and gentle men,' she says, and begins to read. Excerpted from Elizabeth Costello by J. M. Coetzee All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Table of Contents
|Lesson 1 Realism
|p. 1
|Lesson 2 The Novel in Africa
|p. 35
|Lesson 3 The Lives of Animals
|p. 59
|1 The Philosophers and the Animals
|Lesson 4 The Lives of Animals
|p. 91
|2 The Poets and the Animals
|Lesson 5 The Humanities in Africa
|p. 116
|Lesson 6 The Problem of Evil
|p. 156
|Lesson 7 Eros
|p. 183
|Lesson 8 At the Gate
|p. 193
|Postscript: Letter of Elizabeth, Lady Chandos
|p. 227


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Learners will explore spacecraft radio communications concepts, including the speed of light and the time-delay for signals sent to and from spacecraft. Learners measure the time it takes for a radio signal to travel to a spacecraft using the speed... (View More) of light, demonstrate the delay in radio communication signals to and from a spacecraft, and devise unique solutions to the radio-signal-delay problem. In an extension, learners are asked to calculate the distance the spacecraft traveled. All NASA spacecraft missions have a telecommunications system and use radio waves to transmit signals. The context for this activity is sending a command to the New Horizons spacecraft telling it to take a picture of Pluto. Includes teacher background, adaptations, and student data sheets. (View Less)
Materials Cost: $1 - $5 per group of students
This is a lesson about the path of one xenon ion through an ion propulsion engine. Learners will focus on what a single xenon ion sees and does as it goes through the reactions and processes that provide the ion jet propulsion engine's thrust. They... (View More) will learn to adopt an informed, experimental method for use in a later lesson. A tightly-scripted slide-by-slide presentation is provided. Preconceptions are discussed. This is activity 4 of 5 in Structure and Properties of Matter: Ion Propulsion. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free


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Selecting your vehicle's make, model, and year allows us to display only parts and items specific to your car's model and year.
Part# G200072
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Part Type: (P) High Performance, designed to improve performance
Years: 1961-1973
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2018 LeMans Catalog Page: 431
Make sure you lock your timing into place with ARP's distributor stud kit. Available in black oxide or stainless steel—both with vibration-resistant J-form threads.


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No surprise, since leaving the DC Court of Appeals ruling in place would mean setting the precedent that a President can't use the recess-appointment power at all except during, y'know, recesses. The only real eyebrow archer in this move is that the White House didn't ask for an en banc review first:
The Obama administration wants the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that President Obama's recess appointments were unconstitutional.
U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled in January that his appointments of three members to the National Labor Relations Board were not valid because the Senate was not technically in recess.
The NLRB said Tuesday that it has decided — in consultation with the Department of Justice — not to ask for an en banc review of the case by the same court, but is instead filing a petition for certiorari with the United States Supreme Court for review of the decision.
Why not go for the en banc review, which the NLRB and the Obama administration had as an option? After all, the agency all but declared after their loss in January that they didn't feel bound by the decision. Any delay of final adjudication allows them to continue that charade and operate as if they had a legal quorum in other cases, daring potential plaintiffs to file suit to invalidate rulings that disadvantage them. If they wait long enough, the reappointment of the three board members might clear the Senate and make the whole issue moot — at least in regard to the NLRB.
Perhaps the unanimous ruling — and stern scolding delivered in it — convinced White House lawyers that the rest of the DC circuit might be loathe to reverse the decision, or just that their odds didn't look good. Even if the full circuit moderated the decision to allow for more circumstances in which a President can use recess-appointment power, they'd be unlikely to moderate it to the extent that it would help the NLRB in keeping its quorum. An en banc loss, especially one that upheld the initial ruling in full, might also pressure the Supreme Court to sign off on most of their findings.
I'd expect the Supreme Court to take this case immediately and perhaps accelerate the review. Otherwise, these cases will clog court calendars for months while plaintiffs seek injunctions for rulings that never should have been made. While this is a significant constitutional question, it doesn't involve a lot of technical issues that require long consideration.


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Hurricane Chris Chirping About Dorrough! "Who Is That Scum Of The Earth. Thats Boo Boo Rap" + Going To Carry On The Torch For Louisiana, While Lil Wayne & Lil Boosie Are Locked Up [Audio]
"Hurricane Chris gets down with MiSS Ls to talk on "Unleashed" and even has words for Dorrough (Ice cream Paint Job), who claims he failed to acknowledge him on the hit single "Halle Berry"," - MisslS
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After a day at the water park, stay off the leather car seats.
A Minnesota woman picking her 11-year-old nephew up from an amusement park allegedly forced him to ride in the trunk of her Lexus, because he was wet from a water ride and she didn't want him to ruin the seats.
Susan Marie McCarty was charged with child endangerment over the incident, just after she picked the boy up from the Valleyfair park in Shakopee, Minn., the Star Tribune reported.
Witnesses said they saw the boy's sister close the trunk and his grandmother and McCarty climb into the car. When the witnesses didn't see the boy get back out, they wrote down the car's license plate number and called the police.
After police stopped her, McCarty admitted to putting the boy in the trunk.
The boy's sister and grandmother told police that they felt uncomfortable about the boy riding in the trunk but didn't question McCarty's decision.
The boy himself was was excited to ride in the trunk, his sister told police, confirming that she closed the trunk once he was inside. She said the back seat console was folded down, leaving a small space so that he could get some air.
McCarty could face up to a year in prison and a $3,000 fine if convicted of child endangerment.


text: Strong, furios, fast these are perfect words for describing the character of this song. Very energic and dynamic music which will make You hyperactive and crazy in a way . So, if You are a person who like rage, tension and adrenaline this is for You. It is perfect for action movies or dynamic presentations


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5 dead in German plane crash
BERLIN (AP) — A small plane crashed in western Germany just minutes before it reached its destination, killing three adults and two children and injuring three other children, authorities said Wednesday.
The single-engine Piper Piper PA-32 crashed Tuesday evening in a field in the Dortmund area.
Authorities told the dpa news agency it was on a return trip from Germany's north coast and was only about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from its destination of an Arnsberg airfield when it crashed.
The 59-year-old pilot, a 72-year-old woman, her 15-year-old grandson, as well as her 34-year-old daughter and the daughter's 5-year-old son, were all killed, police said. All were from the Arnsberg area.
Two of the daughters' other children, aged seven and four, were found injured outside the plane, and her 16-month-old infant was pulled out of the wreckage. All three were being treated in a local hospital but no immediate details about their injuries were available.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.


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As the summer season gets into full swing, so has the Warwick Public Library's Adult Summer Reading Challenge.
But without a list of pre-approved books to choose from, finding a good book to read can be overwhelming. Jen Eibel, reference librarian at Warwick Public Library, is here to help. Together with her fellow reference librarians, Eibel has compiled a list of the best books to read this summer.
Here are six options that Eibel says are the librarians' best picks for summer reading.
1. "The Other Typist" by Suzanne Rindell
This debut novel from Rindell follows the story of Rose, a typist in the New York Police Department trying to navigate New York City as a woman in the 1920s. That world becomes even more confusing when a glamorous new female employee, Odalie, joins the department and brings Rose into her world. Eibel describes the novel as "an addictive psychological suspense story with an unreliable narrator."
"Rindell has created a page-turner that will keep you up all night," said Eibel.
2. "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves" by Karen Joy Fowler
Fowler, the New York Times best-selling author of "The Jane Austen Book Club," tells the story of the Cooke family in her latest novel. Eibel describes the book as a unique story about a family dealing with secrets and the narrator, Rosemary, accepting her unconventional upbringing at the same time. "Funny and heartbreaking all at once," said Eibel.
3. "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman
The popular sci-fi author of novels such as "American Gods" and children's classics such as "Coraline," has released his first adult novel in a decade. "A haunting fable about childhood innocence and the power of friendship," said Eibel.
This novel will appeal to fans of the supernatural and science fiction, telling the story of the narrator's attempt to recover the memories from his childhood about spirits, witches and the events that almost destroyed his family.
4. "Beautiful Day" by Elin Hilderbrand
Nothing seems more appropriate for a summer day than a novel about a wedding weekend on Nantucket. "With a gorgeous setting, colorful characters and a blend of humor and drama, it's the perfect beach read," said Eibel.
Following a set list of details from the bride's late mother, the Graham and Carmichael families have gathered together for what should be the perfect wedding in the latest novel from Hilderbrand. While it appears the soon-to-be newlyweds are happy, the other members of their family are not in the same boat and drama unfolds.
5. "Love with a Chance of Drowning" by Torre DeRoche
DeRoche's memoir is the perfect mix of a love story and travel dairy. Eibel describes the book as "a charming and offbeat memoir" about DeRoche's decision to leave land behind and follow the man she loves on a sailing trip across the Pacific, despite her fear of the ocean.
"Fun for fans of armchair travel and romance," said Eibel. "Or for those seeking inspiration to add a little adventure to their lives."
6. "Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II" by Mitchel Zuckoff
"An unforgettable tale of courage and sacrifice, bound to appeal to fans of adventure and survival stories," said Eibel of this non-fiction book describing three separate military plane crashes on Greenland's ice cap in 1942. A U.S. Cargo plane crashed into the ice cap on Nov. 5, 1942, followed days later by the B-17 performing the rescue mission. A third plane on a second rescue mission vanished during a storm.
Zuckoff, author of "Lost in Shangri-La," tells the story of the nine survivors and ties the story to modern days, describing an expedition to find the missing plane and its passengers.


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- AltCar Auto Show
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Auto Show: 2012 La Auto Show
2014 Kia Sorento: LA Auto Show
- 2014 Sorento features 80-percent new or redesigned parts.
- There's a new 3.3-liter V6 engine option.
- Stiffer body improves ride and handling.
Making its North American premiere in Los Angeles is the 2014 Kia Sorento midsize crossover SUV. Strictly speaking, this is really a mid-generation refresh--an update done partway through a model's life cycle to keep buyers interested. But with 80 percent of the seven-seater 2014 Sorento's parts either brand new or redesigned, including the chassis and cabin architecture, it's essentially an all-new model.
Kia promised more passenger space for both the second and third row of seats. And the new Sorento also brings a new top-of-the-line trim level: SX Limited (SXL).
There's a brand-new all-aluminum engine that comes standard with the top-level SX trim or optional on LX or EX models. It's a 3.3-liter V6 engine that produced 290 hp and 252 lb-ft of torque. Both the V6 and standard 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine (which produces 191 hp and 181 lb-ft), are available with either front- or all-wheel drive.
A new chassis improves torsional rigidity by 18 percent, which has big benefits for the ride and handling. And here's a first for the Sorento: Kia now offers 19-inch wheels. The 2014 model also offers the same Flex Steer system as the new Forte.
This is also the first of Kia's upcoming products to offer a blind spot warning system. Also on the options list are the UVO voice-controlled infotainment system, programmable power liftgate and illuminated door pockets.
The redesigned 2014 Sorento reaches Kia showrooms in the early part of next year, with pricing still to be announced. For comparison, a front-wheel drive 2013 Sorento LX starts at $23,150--and we expect pricing for the new model to be similar. At the LA show, Kia said that the Sorento will "remain true to Kia's value DNA."
What it means to you: While technically a refresh, 80 percent of the parts in the 2014 Kia Sorento SUV are either brand new or redesigned. With a new V6 engine option, improved ride and handling, and new features like blind-spot detection, the 2014 Sorento may be worth waiting for.
See more LA Auto Show news.


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- Individual approach
- Refferences of completed projects are available
- Suitable for any budget
- Free initial consultation
When designing your landscape, you need to come up with a list of all your needs and desires. This is important as it will give you an idea of how your landscape and yard should be used. The user and site analysis will enable you to come up with a theme for the form and style of design. Once you have a functional diagram, you can the use it to locate the site's activity space and to develop a conceptual plan from the diagram. The other step involves a final design that is made of planting and landscape details necessary for installation.
Throughout the process of designing your landscape, there are 10 things that you should consider:
Understanding the site. This will help you choose the activity location and the plant selection
Remember user. You need to consider your need and want
Use a form/style theme. This will help you determine the shapes and organize the spaces
Create & link spaces. You need to designate the activity areas and link them with the elements
Consider plant functions. This is important for the user and the environment
Structure the plants. You can do this using massing & layering technique
Highlight key points. These include focal points and transition areas
Pay attention to details. Consider the colors, materials and surface texture
Consider time for growth as well as plant maintenance
You need to carry out a thorough inventory and analysis of your site so as to determine the environmental condition for plant growth and the best way for use of the site. You need to consider factors such as soil topography, soil type and the regional climate. The nutrients and moisture that will be available to the plant will be affected by the soil type. If you need help in carrying an inventory of the soil of with the entire landscaping project, you can contact Landscape Design Pro Team in Bentley, MI through 888-279-6002.


text: Sijun Forums :: View topic - vista [img] Log in to check your private messages Sijun Forums Forum Index >> Gallery/Finished Work View previous topic :: View next topic Author Topic : "vista [img]" Wyatt TurnermemberMember #Joined: 18 Oct 2000Posts: 501Location: Everett, WA, USA Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2001 12:45 am Here is another vista to examine. crit if you wish. y@ Back to top LightmemberMember #Joined: 01 Dec 2000Posts: 528Location: NC, USA Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2001 1:56 pm Cool. a little blurry.. feels like it was grown in 3d Back to top Wyatt TurnermemberMember #Joined: 18 Oct 2000Posts: 501Location: Everett, WA, USA Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2001 3:09 pm nope! no 3D, just me and Photoshop. Another examination of trees. From memory... _______________________________ y@ http://eighthdecay.get.to/ Back to top g:techmemberMember #Joined: 11 May 2000Posts: 195Location: Beaverton, OR Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2001 6:35 pm Hi, Wyatt! I dig your stuff. Never critqued it before, though! I like the colors, but my eyes are wanting a focal point for the image. They're naturally drawn the the center/horizon area, but they're left hanging! All that's there is a blurry, undefined horizon... they wanted to see something there! They're YEARNING for some visual interest, there! hehhe. But anyway, keep churning out the cool stuff! See you around, Wyatt! peace, ------------ Back to top EviLToYLeTmemberMember #Joined: 09 Aug 2000Posts: 1216Location: CA, USA Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2001 9:56 pm I just think the leaves need more color variation and perhaps a bit more definition Back to top Wyatt TurnermemberMember #Joined: 18 Oct 2000Posts: 501Location: Everett, WA, USA Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2001 2:47 pm good comment, this image went somewhere, and the ending of it was not my intentions. I felt it's done, and I had no direction with this. it is what it is a study of light and foliage layering. well just my result. on to better things. y@ Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Sijun Forums Forum Index -> Gallery/Finished Work All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Digital Art----------------Digital Art DiscussionWork in ProgressGallery/Finished Work Miscellaneous----------------Random MusingsArchive : Sep99 - Dec00 You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Powered by phpBB © 2005 phpBB Group


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Moderators: Zupponn, Killer Karetsu, Moronstudios
Warhead wrote:my head burns with War.
Natalya wrote:IVhorseman wrote:Front-page the shit out of this.
This battle was incredibly awesome.
I think I liked the kitchen one more. I mean, a mime robbed a McDonald's. Wat the fuck. That was awesome in a BrikWars way.
Also, Stat Cards, yes please!! Anything you have in .psd or .PNG or .jpg format would be awesome. I am making a BrikWars Stats application for Android phones, and I would love to include your materials, with your permission of course.
Natalya wrote:I'm mostly interested in the units themselves and their cards. Rebel Alliance guy for example, I can just put that card in the application. For licensed themes like Star Wars though, intentionally mis-spell their names if you don't mind.
Force --> Farce
Rebel Alliance --> Rabble Alliance
The Sith --> The Shit
Lightsabre --> Beam Sabre
Gungans --> Dungan Jaw-Jaws
This is to avoid trademark violations.
Natalya wrote:Wtf is going on in this thread?
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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
On Thursday, the Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce hosted its second business "Blender" of the summer, this time at the Youngstown Yacht Club on the shores of the lower Niagara in Youngstown.
In the photos, visitors partook in leisurely sailboat rides and mingling on the YYC grounds. Town of Porter Supervisor Merton Wiepert, who had the winning ticket in the "Blender's" 50-50 raffle, is shown Chamber of Commerce President Jennifer Pauly, and Michaila Raby, daughter of the chamber's Suzanne Raby, who went on her very first sail that afternoon. (photos by Terry Duffy and Aaron Dey)


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News and media
|Remove Type: Media
|Remove Year: 2013
|Remove Region: Africa
An energy infrastructure road map for Africa
Although sub-Saharan Africa is well endowed with fossil fuels and renewable resources, they are largely untapped due to institutional and infrastructural barriers to efficient use, the World Energy Congress was told on 17 October. The region's limited ability to improve its energy system and related services significantly affects social and economic development, as seen in […]
Posted on 17 October 2013
South African achievements recognised
The South African National Energy Association (SANEA), the WEC country committee, has recognised outstanding endeavours in energy at an awards ceremony last month (22 August). SANEA has hosted the awards since 2008 for six consecutive years. This year the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) has chosen to collaborate with SANEA in recognising South […]
Posted on 23 September 2013
Africa Energy Indaba gave resounding support for women in energy and skills development
– by Monique Tsang and Celine De Canha The role of women in energy and the need to boost energy skills received resounding support at the 5th Africa Energy Indaba, the World Energy Council's annual African regional meeting, held during 18–21 February in Johannesburg. At the event the South African Minister of Energy, Ms Dipuo Peters, gave her commitment […]
Posted on 11 March 2013
World Energy Council survey reveals the top issues on Africa's energy agenda
JOHANNESBURG – Energy poverty, energy-water nexus, large-scale hydropower, and regional interconnection are what Sub-Saharan African energy leaders consider as the top issues driving the African energy agenda this year, according to the 2013 World Energy Issues Monitor published by the World Energy Council (WEC). The study also reveals that African energy leaders are worried that […]
Posted on 19 February 2013
New World Energy Council report identifies the critical issues holding back the transition of the global energy sector
NEW DELHI – Continued uncertainty in the future direction of climate frameworks, political instability of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, energy price volatility, and the global economic recession are what energy leaders consider as the top 'insomnia' issues driving the world energy agenda this year, according to the 2013 World Energy Issues […]
Posted on 7 February 2013
Africa Energy Indaba: bigger and better
This month's Africa Energy Indaba will be bigger and better than ever. The Indaba, to take place from 19 to 21 February in Johannesburg, is the WEC's annual African regional meeting. The event is expected to attract more international and African participants, both in the form of speakers and delegates. Organisers expect conference attendance to […]
Posted on 1 February 2013


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The EQUINOX Series has been designed for the serious coin & treasure enthusiast
looking to upgrade to a high performance detector, without the high cost. Its
also suitable for the new detectorist, having several pre-set modes for
different detecting locations.
The EQUINOX Series features Minelabs all new Multi-IQ simultaneous
multi-frequency technology and combines fast recovery speed with depth in any
ground type and features low latency wireless audio.
Detect Modes Park | Beach | Field | Gold
Custom Search Profiles 8 (2 per Detect Mode)
User Profile Button Yes
Operating Frequencies (kHz) Multi, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40
Noise Cancel Auto | Manual (-9 to 9)
Ground Balance Auto | Manual
Sensitivity 125
Target Volume 025
Threshold Level 025
Threshold Pitch 025
Target Identification 50 segment notch discrimination | Ferrous: -9 0 |
Non-ferrous: 1 40
Target Tones 1, 2, 5, 50
Tone Break Ferrous | Non-ferrous
Tone Pitch Ferrous | Non-ferrous
Tone Volume Ferrous | Non-ferrous
Depth Indicator 5 levels
Length 1440 mm (56.7")
Weight 1.34 kg (2.96 lbs)
Standard Coil 11-inch Double-D Smart coil with skidplate (waterproof to 3m/10')
Audio Output In-built loudspeaker 3.5mm (1/8") headphones (included)
Bluetooth compatible WM 08 Wi-Stream compatible
Headphones (included) Bluetooth and aptX Low Latency headphones (non
WM 08 (included) Yes
Display Monochrome LCD with backlight
LCD Backlight Low | Medium | High | Off
Battery In-built rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Battery Runtime Approx. 12 hours
Waterproof Waterproof to 3m/10-feet
Key Technologies Multi-IQ | 5F?8 | Wi-Stream | Bluetooth | aptX Low Latency
Other Accessories USB Charging cable (1.5A), Multi Language Screen protectors
Software Upgradeable Yes, via USB connection (Windows and OSX)
Warranty 3 years control box and coil


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Port Louis Marina
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DB Rashad Roundtree of Evans, GA remains open regarding his recruiting with no favorite and no top five at this time.
He has been to Ohio State, Georgia and Auburn for visits and will return to Georgia this month for Dog Night.
He said Georgia has been showing him the strongest interest.
He is still hearing from Clemson and USC and likes both programs. He plans to visit both before he makes his decision which won't come until after his season. Roundtree camped at USC last summer and has never been to Clemson.
As he makes his rounds, Roundtree is judging the schools on a simple criteria. "Just how well I fit with the program and how I feel about the coaches and players," he said.
Roundtree had 97 tackles and 4 interceptions last season.
Some of his other offers include Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Duke, Michigan, Virginia and Georgia Southern.
Catch Phil Kornblut every night on SportsTalk and get more of his statewide recruiting news at SportsTalkSC.com and on Twitter @SportsTalkSC.
Roundtree still holding interest in Clemson and USC
DB Rashad Roundtree of Evans, GA remains open regarding his recruiting with no favorite and no top five at this time.


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Division MVP: Russell Wilson. Raise your hand if you thought the Seattle Seahawks rookie would become the best quarterback in the NFC West and the No. 1 reason Seattle would challenge for the NFC West title. OK, you can put your hand down now, Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. You were perhaps the only analyst I can recall being bullish enough to go all-in for Wilson entering the regular season.
Both the Hawks and the 49ers are tied for the lead in selections with 11. There's only 3 Cardinals, all on defense, and only one Ram, on special teams.
Coach of the year will likely be Carroll, and Schneider got his pick for Executive of the year. And Russell got MVP from the guy that knows the division best Hopefully the first of many.


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Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
And as you see I want to split the network in two different zones (using 3 NICs in the router, one for internet in, and then the one for each zone), one for the LinuxMCE-network including one core, and to begin with 2 Media Directors, an the other zone for gaming and work computers.
1. If I understand it correctly I will have to put a static IP on the core from the router, and then enable DHCP on the core for the MDs, correct? And will this setup give internet on the HTPCs?
2. Today I'm using a Windows Home Server as the medialibrary, what is the best way to make the movies that I have on this server available for the LMCE, I love the accessability over the net trough WHS's Livenode system, can I use a WHS-box as fileserver for the movies? Can LMCE read the content of it?
2.5 When using the "copy DVD" function, is it possible to set the fileserver as the destination? Is this a hard thing to do?
3. How big a harddrive will I need in the MDs when using network-boot?
4. Anyone know if the norwegian digital-ground-TV-(riks-TV) system will work witn LMCE, the same way the system on the demo-video works? And are there any supported TV-cards that have a better input for this then composite?


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A study released today quantifies how quickly the digital universe is growing.
The world's information is doubling every two years, with an astonishing 1.8 zettabytes being created and replicated in 2011, according to IDC.
That's a whole lotta blog posts, e-mails, MP3s and photos to fit into a virtual shoebox.
That much information — equal to 1.8 trillion gigabytes pocketed in 500 quadrillion files — is roughly the same as:
Every person in the United States sending three tweets per minute for 26,976 years non-stop.
More than 200 billion two-hour high-definition movies. Grab a bucket of popcorn because it would take a movie lover 47 million years to finish that film festival.
The amount of data that could fill 57.5 billion 32GB iPads. (For those of you curious, IDC says that number of Apple tablets could be used to construct a wall 4,005 miles long and 61 feet high, extending from Anchorage to Miami).
IDC also estimates that at this rate, some 7.9 zettabytes will be generated in 2015.
David Reinsel, IDC"s group vice president for storage and semiconductors, said the accumulation of all this information amounts to "Big Data" waiting to be mined.
"Fact is, there is value just waiting to be discovered, and that is where Big Data comes in — extracting the value from all this stored content," Reinsel said.
The study, sponsored by IT company EMC Corp., is the latest to quantify the tsunami of data that washes over our lives. Last year, the two companies estimated 2010 would generate 1.2 zettabytes of digital information. And in December 2009, Chronicle reporter Benny Evangelista highlighted a study that showed U.S. households in 2008 consumed a mind-boggling total of 3.6 zettabytes of information — about 10,845 trillion words.
Today's findings cover the vast wealth of information that is not only created and stored somewhere, but also "transient" data we typically do not store, such as digital TV signals for shows we watch but don't record.
With the digital universe growing at such an accelerated rate, IDC highlighted the monumental consequences of storing, managing and securing all that data.
The study found that over the next decade, the number of servers globally will grow by a factor of 10, the amount of data managed by data centers will expand by a factor of 50 and the number of files they'll have to process will increase 75-fold. Yet, IDC says, the number of IT workers worldwide who have to handle all that data will barely double.
The driving forces behind the growth of the digital universe: technology and money. Smart phones, tablets and a range of devices certainly are helping people create, manage and store data. But in addition, since 2005 annual enterprise investments in the cloud, hardware, software, services and staff to create, manage, store and generate revenue from information have increased 50 percent to $4 trillion.
Other findings:
Although cloud computing accounts for less than 2 percent of IT spending now, nearly 20 percent of the information will be "touched" by the cloud by 2015 — that means somewhere in a byte's journey from originator to disposal. it will be stored or processed in a cloud.
So much data remains vulnerable to hackers and thieves. IDC, estimates only about half the information in the digital universe that should be protected, is.
"People are still too lackadaisical about protecting their information, individuals and corporations," Reinsel said. "This is simply unacceptable."


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The Bible is highly complex and includes a plurality of theologies, not all of which align. Some of these differences even reflect dramatic shifts. Many Old Testament authors assumed, for example, that there were gods other than Yahweh (Ps 82:1; 95:3). This had to be corrected (Isa 45:20–21; Jer 16:20; Ps 135:15–18). Another dramatic shift concerned the very possibility of salvation. Ancient Israel believed that everyone, good or bad, goes to Sheol after death, a sort of dark, watery place of rest (Gn 37:35; Nm 16:30). Not so, we find in late Old Testament texts that proclaim resurrection and union with God (Wis 3:1–9).
Other texts offer a variety of images that do not reject previous notions but still cannot cohere to each other. Some texts, for example, imagine a spiritualization of the whole creation (Rom 8:19–23), while others anticipate the destruction of the universe, to be replaced by another (2 Pt 10–13).
Today's readings offer a competing vision, a decidedly apocalyptic one. Our first reading from Daniel describes tribulation, escape for the elect and resurrection from the dead. Daniel's message is, hold on and stay faithful. We will be the victors, but it will get ugly before it gets beautiful. In Mark's Gospel, Jesus foretells persecution, sacrilege, wars and great suffering "such as has not been from the beginning of God's creation" (13:19). In today's Gospel reading this same vision becomes more cosmic: "The sun will be darkened...the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken." While Jesus announces that only the Father knows the time, he also assures his listeners that "this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place."
Did these predictions come from Jesus' own mouth, or are they a product of Mark's church under persecution? What do we make of Jesus' unfulfilled prediction that all these apocalyptic events would happen during his current generation? Why would Mark include this almost two generations later? And what does all this mean for us?
We might begin by recognizing that the various incompatible visions within the Bible need not be problematic. The variety of images invites us into an array of access points to the divine mystery. They can inspire different spiritualities that collectively enrich the church, and they can help us individually engage our spiritual lives most fully.
The biblical reflections on the sacredness of creation heighten my experiences of awe and wonder, and they inspire me to look for God's presence there. When I take life too seriously, I am challenged and freed by thinking of a universe that is passing away. I think my heart is big enough to realize that I am both a resident alien in this world (1 Pt 2:11) and commissioned to "promote the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you" (Jer 29:7). In another vein, I can recognize, as Paul did, that I am nothing (2 Cor 12:11)—what freedom!—and that I am loved deeply as a child of God and heir with Christ himself (Rom 8:16–17)—what dignity!
The images help us engage the mystery but should not be identified with it. It would be a mistake to imagine apocalyptic texts as if they were newspaper headlines from the future. Instead of thinking that Jesus erred in his apocalyptic prediction, we might realize that not only Mark's generation needed to hear it, but ours as well. An apocalyptic vision helps us recognize that God's forces are fighting for us. It inspires us not to give up when we are overwhelmed and tempted to quit. It helps us yearn for Christ with that ancient plea, Maranatha, "Come Lord Jesus."
As Pope John Paul II once said: "Let us pray that the heartfelt prayer of the church, 'Come Lord Jesus,' will become the spontaneous plea of every human heart. We can never be satisfied by the things of the world. Our hearts yearn for the promised blessings still to come."


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – MIT women's swimming and diving team was back in the pool for its first dual meet of 2012 this afternoon against Colby College in the Zesiger Center Pool. The Engineers had no problems with the Mules as they won every event but one to take a 237-57 win.
Junior Anna Kokensparger (Omaha, Neb.) won three individual events and was also part of a winning relay for MIT. She started the day off by teaming with sophomores Katelyn Rossick (Middletown, Md.), Christy Rogers (Bend, Ore.) and Calley Murphy (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) to capture the 400 Medley Relay in a time of 4:00.22.
Kokensparger captured her first individual event in the 200 Fly, touching first with a time of 2:11.00. She then went on to win both the 50 Fly and 200 IM events, taking the 50 Fly in 26.42 and the 200 IM in 2:10.64. Finishing in second in the event for MIT was freshman Whitney Loo (Huntington Beach, Calif.) who turned in a season best effort of 2:19.03.
Freshman Emily Ryan (Indianapolis, Ind.) continued her strong first season with a pair of wins for MIT. She took her first in the 1,000 Free, besting the field by over 23 seconds with her effort of 10:20.33. She later came back to capture the 100 Free as well, clocking a 54.53.
Junior Elise Stave (Chapel Hill, N.C.) swept the diving events as she also picked up a pair of first-place finishes for the Engineers. She started with a score of 233.65 to take the 1-meter event, and then finished with the 3-meter title with a final score of 226.30.
Rossick was in on three wins as well for MIT, taking part in the victorious 400 Free and 400 Medley Relay teams, anchoring the 400 Free Relay squad that posted a winning time of 3:41.68. She also took home the win in the 200 Free, turning in a time of 1:58.46.
In the 200 Back event Rogers turned in a winning time of 2:09.29 that led a 1-2-3 sweep for the Engineers that included Rossick and freshman Jane He (Yardley, Pa.).
MIT will be back in the pool tomorrow as well as it travels to Springfield College for a meet against the host Pride and Coast Guard at 1:00 p.m.


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Contributed by: Diane Siniard
Name: James Johnston Pettigrew State Served: North Carolina Highest Rank: Brig-Gen Birth Date: 1828 Death Date: 1863 Birth Place: Tyrrell County, North Carolina Army: Confederacy Promotions: Promoted to Full Colonel (12th SC Inf) Promoted to Full Brig-Gen Biography: Brigadier-General James Johnston Pettigrew was born on the shores of Lake Scuppernong, in Tyrrell county, N. C., July 4, 1828, at "Bonarva," the home of his father, Ebenezer Pettigrew, representative in Congress. The family was founded in America by James, youngest son of James Pettigrew, an officer of King William's army, rewarded by a grant of land for gallantry at the battle of the Boyne. Charles, son of the founder, was chosen the first bishop of North Carolina. Young Pettigrew was graduated at the State university in 1847, with such distinction that President Polk, who attended the commencement, accompanied by Commodore Maury, offered the young student one of the assistant professor ships in the observatory at Washington. He held this position until 1848, when he began study for the profession of law, which he completed under his distinguished relative, James L. Pettigrew, of South Carolina. After traveling in Europe two years he entered upon the practice of his profession at Charleston, and in 1856 was elected to the South Carolina legislature. In 1859 he again visited Europe and sought to enter the Sardinian service during the Italian war, but was prevented by the early close of that struggle. Returning, he took an active part in the military organization of Charleston, and became colonel of the First regiment of rifles of that city. During the early operations in Charleston harbor, he was in command at Castle Pinckney, and later on Morris island. On account of some disagreement about the admission of his regiment to the Confederate service, he went to Richmond and enlisted in the Hampton legion, but in May, 1861, received a commission as colonel of the Twenty-second North Carolina infantry. With this regiment he was engaged in constructing and guarding batteries at Evansport, on the Potomac, until the spring of 1862. He was then, without solicitation and over his objections, promoted brigadier-general, and assigned to a brigade which he led to the peninsula. At the battle of Seven Pines, July 1st, in which his brigade lost heavily, he was severely wounded in the shoulder, and while lying unconscious on the field was captured. He was confined as a prisoner two months, during which he asked that his rank might be reduced so that he could be more easily exchanged. But without this sacrifice he returned to the service, and while yet an invalid was assigned to command at Petersburg, and a new brigade of North Carolinians was formed for him. He operated with much skill and gallantry in North Carolina in the fall of 1862 and spring of 1863, defended Richmond against Stoneman's raid, and then accompanied Lee to Pennsylvania, his brigade forming a part of Heth's division, A. P. Hill's corps. The conduct of his men on the first day of the battle of Gettysburg was magnificent, and their loss was terrible. General Heth being wounded, Pettigrew took command of the shattered division, and on the third day led it in the immortal charge against the Federal position on Cemetery hill. A remnant of his brave men gained the Federal lines, but were crushed back by sheer weight of lead and iron. At Gettysburg his brigade suffered the greatest loss in killed and wounded of any brigade in the army, over 1,100 out of a total of 3,000. Though painfully wounded in the hand, Pettigrew kept the field, and was on duty during the painful retreat which followed. On the morning of July 14th, Heth's division reached the Potomac at Falling Waters, and while Pettigrew was receiving orders from Heth to remain there in command of the rear guard, a body of about forty Federal cavalrymen, who had been allowed to approach under the error that they were Confederates, dashed recklessly into the Confederate troops, demanding surrender. General Pettigrew's horse took fright and threw him to the ground. Rising he drew his pistol, and was about to take part in the skirmish, when he was shot and mortally wounded. He was borne tenderly across the river and to a hospitable home at Bunker Hill, Va., where he yielded his life with Christian resignation, July 17, 1863. Source: Confederate Military History, vol. V, p. 337


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Printing press services have gone through rapid changes in the last decade. With latest software and printing press technologies, Business Card Printing Service is now much more affordable and come with many interesting features. With the latest technologies it is now possible to incorporate wide variety of features into a business card. With increase in completion, one now avail cheap business card printing services.website
mezzanine safety gates
Commercial Water Heater
These were portable and also could be preserved for long periods. However, ls ter, the size of these tablets were reduced so that they could be easily carried. Woodden printing types were also invented by Bi Sheng, but their use was preffered less as compared to the clay ones which gradually rubbed off their existence. This had a problem also that is, their surface became rough and uneven when they were soaked in ink.
For plates there are different materials used. This also includes paper (often preferred by low scale printing companies), though it produces a lower-quality product. An excellent material for plate is the aluminium. This is preferred for pre press activity by all industry standard printing companies. This is an expensive material for pre press. Probably, this is also a reason why low scale companies cannot provide the required quality.
The epson wokforce 610 can also be trusted to print in bulk and with its trademark automation technology; it can be trusted to print with little or no human supervision. All that needs to be done is to turn it on, load the paper and que the job to be done. This is contrary to the usual practice of having to oversee a printing job. Moreover, it manifests the level of sophistication unlike other devices as shown by its cutting – edge automation capabilities.
Digital Printing is a very popular method as it is effective in reducing the time to complete a print. Moreover, there is no need of using any films or plates here; the digital file is transferred to the printing press, with the help of a computer. As this is a fast process, customers use it to help meet their deadlines and schedules.


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A DBA or user informix can create the following procedures in a database:
- username.sysdbopen
- public.sysdbopen
- username.sysdbclose
- public.sysdbclose
- username: Operating System User
The owner name is not ignored when you create sysdbopen() and sysdbclose() procedures in non-ANSI databases, so youcan create these procedures for specific users in non-ANSI databases.
The following procedure creates a table oltp_stat, sets the role to oltp and PDQ priority to 10 for user oltp_user ina database:
- create procedure oltp_user.sysdbopen()
create table oltp_stat(userid int, connect_time datetime year to second);
set role to oltp;
set pdqpriority 10;
end procedure;
The following procedure creates a table public_stat, sets the role to others and the PDQ priority to 1 for the PUBLICgroup in a database.
- create procedure public.sysdbopen()
create table public_stat(userid int, connect_time datetime year to second);
set role to others;
set pdqpriority 1;
end procedure
You can clean up any activities started by sysdbopen() in sysdbclose(). For example, if you had created some tables in sysdbopen(), you can drop those tables in sysdbclose().
The following procedures drop the tables created by the sysdbopen() procedures given above:
- create procedure oltp_user.sysdbclose()
drop table oltp_stat;
end procedure;
create procedure public.sysdbclose()
drop table public_stat;
end procedure
A DBA or user informix can set the environment variable IFX_NODBPROC to any value, including 0, to prevent the execution of sysdbopen() and sysdbclose() procedures. When you set up sysdbopen() and sysdbclose() procedures, youcan set the environment variable IFX_NODBPROC and execute the procedures to test if the procedures work as expected. You need to unset the environment variable IFX_NODBPROC after testing.
For more information, see information on sysdbopen() and sysdbclose() in the IBM Informix Guide to SQL: Syntax
Suma Vinod


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Speech on Labour's 'Croydon Promise' document
07/10/2014 18:42:00......Posted by Mario Creatura
Last night I gave a speech discussing Labour's 'Croydon Promise' document. You can watch it here or read the transcript below:
The motion
This Council welcomes 'The Croydon Promise Growth for All' document, and it's commitment to deliver jobs, training, affordable housing, improved leisure facilities and transport for local people.
The speech
In June this year, Martyn James, the beloved and only butchers we had in Coulsdon town shut down. It came as a surprise to us all: residents, Councillors, businesses – many loyal customers over many long years. A few weeks ago we received some great news: the superb Bashford & Co. butchers announced that they would be opening in exactly the same spot. A local company, grown in Sanderstead and expanding to Coulsdon, is a local success story. It typifies the energy that lies within Croydon's entrepreneurs, and is exactly the sort of enterprise that should underpin any 'Croydon Promise'. One that all of us in this chamber should sign up to for our borough to reach its fullest potential.Economic development is a complex and ever evolving process, but with nearly 380,000 residents depending on us it is essential that we all pull in the same general direction to get it right.For me, 'getting it right' means getting the infrastructure right. The town centre, and the borough as a whole, is changing faster than ever before. GLA projections indicate that the population in every single ward in Croydon will increase annually at least until 2041. Using 2011 as a baseline, Fairfield is projected to have the highest increase in population: an growing 27.7% next year, rocketing by 138.9% in 2040. Let me put the challenge in context: Fairfield's population will be going from 16,636 residents to 39,750 by 2040. Broad Green will increase by 48.6% in the same period, and in third place my own ward of Coulsdon West projected to rise from around 13,000 people now to nearly 19,000 residents in 2040 – an increase of just over 40%.Housing, schools, roads, hospitals. All of these and more are vital to get right over the coming years. This is why I'm pleased that so much of the work of the last Conservative administration made it into 'The Croydon Promise' pamphlet. Featuring heavily in the document are the developments of Cane Hill, Lion Green Road and the new supermarket on the site of the Red Lion pub – all in my ward. I'm grateful that the new administration is following our lead in acknowledging how important it is that district centres like Coulsdon town flourish and the vital role they will all play in getting the whole of the borough working at its maximum economic potential.It is absolutely vital to get housing right. As well as the 650 permitted for Cane Hill, there's potentially 450 additional houses earmarked for Purley. A senior Labour Councillor infamously remarked he wanted to concrete over the south of the borough, well it appears he certainly meant it! The proposals for business improvement districts in Purley and Coulsdon are to be welcomed, following the work of the Conservative administration successfully supporting BIDs in the town centre and New Addington. Indeed our excellent Parliamentary Candidate for Croydon South Chris Philp is already closely working with the Purley business community to get the Purley BID set up and I'll be ensuring Coulsdon is next on his extensive 'to do' list for the south of the borough.All in all, I welcome what is ostensibly our joint vision for Croydon's future: a 'Croydon Promise' to carry on the good work, the legacy, of the previous Conservative administration. I look forward to working with my colleagues opposite to ensure residents and businesses in the south of the borough, as well as the north, get their voices heard.Developing London's largest borough is not going to be easy, there is no magic formula and there'll be tough choices, but along the way I hope we'll all be encouraged by tales of industrious Croydonians, and Coulsdon businesses like Bashford & Co.
Illegal discharge on Cane Hill
02/01/2019 07:32:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
A resident recently got in touch having spotted an illegal discharge into a cattle grid at the bottom of Cane Hill Drive. They also reported that there is a constant breach of the 8:00 noise restriction as the sweeper is in full operation from 7:00am.
I've been working with the Council to get to the bottom of both these complaints.
The site manager has been contacted and as the road sweeper is vital to mitigate dust on site the Council has recommended that they clean the areas where there is no residential impact earliest in the morning before moving onto other areas later.
The manager has also been asked to investigate the 'illegal discharge' and I hope that now we're out of the Christmas period that we'll have a swift resolution to the issues.
If you spot anything like this where you live, then please do contact the Council's construction enforcement team.
Damaged parking pole
27/12/2018 13:26:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
I've reported to the Council a damaged parking pole about 50 tards east of the Woodplace Lane Rail Bridge. It looked like it was hit by a vehicle.
The highways inspector has said they'll investigate and get it sorted as soon as possible.
If you see anything like this, then please use the Council app or contact information to report it.
Speed limit sign knocked down
24/12/2018 11:42:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
A speed limit sign has been knocked down at the Croydon/Surrey border on Woodplace Lane, opposite the stables.
I've reported this to the Council who tell me they'll investigate and get it sorted as soon as possible.
If you see anything like this, then please use the Council app or contact information to report it.
Dust and mud on Cane Hill
19/12/2018 13:48:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
The builders on Cane Hill are doing an excellent job, and the community is thriving. But there have been some issues with their dust mitigation measures and I've been working with the Council to get these up to scratch.
There have been clear issues with mud being tracked from the construction areas to surrounding roads and the Council has noted the lack of wheel washing facilities on the spine road which has resulted in construction dirt and debris from vehicles which is being tracked onto the main vehicle and pedestrian thorough-fares. In addition the road sweeper was not clearing the road areas effectively.
The Planning Enforcement team have contacted the site requiring the following measures to be employed:
A further site visit will be carried out to ensure these measures have been employed.
If there are continued issues regarding this matter residents should please contact the pollution team direct using the contact details below:
Tel: 020 8760 5483 9-5
Out of hours emergency 020 8726 6000 and press option 4
Email: email@example.com
Lights on Coulsdon Town footbridge repaired
18/12/2018 07:40:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
After a lot of pushing by residents, Residents' Associations and councillors, I'm really pleased that the bridge has finally been repaired so that all the lights are now working.
With the dark mornings and evenints it's important that we all feel safe when walking around the neighbourhood, with most of the lights out of action for so many weeks that wasn't the case.
Thank you to everyone who helped to lobby to make this happen.
Would Labour apologise to the vulnerable residents it's been letting down?
03/12/2018 23:43:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
Tonight the Conservatives put forward a motion for debate at the Council meeting:
This Council needs to do more to protect its most vulnerable residents – and apologises to all those it has let down to date.
A simple question, and you would think they'd be able to answer. Throughout the evening many of my councillor colleagues had raised serious cases of vulnerable people being let down by the Council:
There were numerous other worrying examples shared, and to their credit many of the Labour Cabinet members offered public apologies for the failure in service.
It's this that made what followed so disappointing. Here was my speech, opening the debate this evening:
Tonight we have heard dozens of examples of this Labour Council failing our most vulnerable residents.
We've heard about small businesses closing saying it's due to a lack of support from the Council, hurting our district centres and destroying the livelihoods of many of our residents.
We've heard that since 2015 Labour have not finished one, single affordable or Council house – with many hundreds left stranded on the housing waiting list.
We've heard about elderly, vulnerable residents, living among their refuse, left to rot for months on end and when they ask for help with their assisted collection they are ignored for weeks at a time.
We've heard that immunisation of our young people is among the worst in London. We know that health visitors have such huge caseloads that they aren't able to support the many vulnerable families who need their support. Out of 6000 babies born in Croydon every year, 858 will experience physical abuse, 720 will have parents with mental health problems and 1320 will experience parental separation.
We all know about Ofsted's damning children's services report which revealed in its update just last month that this Council is still suffering from 'drift and delay' - leaving vulnerable children in worrying circumstances for far too long.
Madam Mayor, it's not just children. We know that when vulnerable adults try to access the contact centre for support, they are often left unaided and unacknowledged.
Earlier this year Council had to pay out thousands of pounds to 'a young man with complex needs' for 'failure to provide suitable respite care' which caused him and his carer 'extreme distress.'
Throughout the complaint, the Social Care Ombudsman was 'concerned by the Council's lack of engagement'. It took a total of 12 weeks for the Council to respond to his enquires. Then when the Ombudsman drafted a report, the Council failed to respond to that! He said: 'this was particularly concerning given the significant failings identified by the investigation and the resultant injustice to a young man with complex disabilities and his carer.'
This is not an isolated case. There were 226 other complaints made this year alone.
Now, this motion asks Labour to accept what they have already accepted via the Ombudsman – that they must to more to protect our most vulnerable residents – and it asks that they apologise to those they have let down to date.
I hope – I sincerely hope – that the Labour speakers following me are going to be humble, that given the mountain of evidence presented this evening, that they will accept that an apology isn't an unreasonable request, and that it's the least our residents deserve.
Madam Mayor, I sadly support this necessary motion and hope Labour does too.
Cllr Newman, the Labour Leader of the Council, was next up to speak - at least in theory. What followed was a shouted and intensely negative set of ad hominem attacks. An angry, rambling rant the likes of which I've never experienced in my over four years of being on the Council. He was incoherent, he was illogical, he was frankly embarrassing. Despite Labour Cllrs Collins, Butler and Avis apologising to varying degrees during the meeting, despite all the factual evidence listed throughout the evening by my colleagues and by me (including the legal pay-outs demanded by the Ombudsman), Cllr Newman and his Labour councillors seemed incapable of accepting themselves culpable for the shocking service they are offering our residents.
Labour voted against our polite, considered and factually accurate motion. A tremendous shame.
I'll post the link to the footage as soon as it's up so you can see for yourself and make your own judgement about how the debate progressed.
With a temper tantrum like the one we saw tonight, and the denial that seems to be gripping our Labour Council, I fear that our most vulnerable residents are far from getting the support and the services that they deserve.
Superb scouting send-off for Steve
16/11/2018 22:44:00.......Posted by Luke Clancy
Great send-off tonight for Steve French, District Scout Commissioner at Royal Russell School.
From Christmas 2018 Steve is stepping down from role and Greg Cook takes over as DC in Croydon.
Steve says the role has been challenging but very rewarding over the past 10 years and trusts everyone will continue to give Greg all the support that was previously given to him.
You can find more about what the famous and well-regarded scouting movement does locally here: www.croydonscouting.org.uk
Coulsdon Town paint markings
13/11/2018 17:56:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
The worn paint markings in the town centre have been causing some concern, and I've been on a mission to get them re-painted. As ever, never an easy process...
Some years ago a decent investment in the public realm of Coulsdon high street was made, and the standard tarmac approach to road maintenance was forgone in favour of some nice granite stone slabs. The standard road markings were applied using the usual paint, but the two do not work together as well as in other parts of the borough. This has lead to much easier than expected wear and tear, so the point where road markings are barely visible. In the case of the zebra crossing outside Tesco's, this is clearly dangerous, but it also affects driving and parking behaviour up and down the road.
The Council is recommending using a sprayed on paint as opposed to the usual thermoplastic paints – something that they use extensively in Westminster. The Council is working hoping to do a test initially to see how effective the treatment is and are intending to use the forthcoming closures in Malcolm Road to facilitate this – the entry point adjacent to Waitrose. This will likely take place 19-23rd November.
Hopefully this trial will be a success and the markings can be re-applied soon after.
Remembrance Sunday
11/11/2018 22:54:00.......Posted by Luke Clancy
"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers."
The Remembrance Service at Croydon Minster and the wreath-laying in the Town Centre was very well-attended event this year, at the centenary of the ending of the First World War.
It was great to see so many members of the armed forces and uniformed groups who marched from North End, and the wreaths that were laid to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Pay-to-use cash machines
30/10/2018 18:24:00.......Posted by Mario Creatura
I've sent versions of the below letter to the CEO of both Govia Thameslink Railway and Network Rail after learning that there is apparently to be a network-wide rollout of pay-to-use cash machines at stations across Croydon. I've also sent on to the MD for Cardtronics UK. I'll update with a reply as soon as I received one.
I am writing as a councillor in the London Borough of Croydon, for the ward of Coulsdon Town.
Over the last few weeks cash machines in stations across the borough have started to charge residents for the withdrawal of funds - £1.99 per withdrawal. These include those at East Croydon station and South Croydon station.
Govia Thameslink Railway have reportedly told commuters that the decision was taken by an organisation called Cardtronics, and that all cash machines on all stations will be pay-to-use by the end of October 2018. Croydon Council has informed me that these machines are on land owned by Network Rail.
It is reported that Croydon has more pay-to-use cash machines than any other London borough. These machines particularly affect those on low-incomes as they are likely to have a relatively small amount of money in their account. The news that this is to become standardised across the network is therefore deeply concerning.
Those on low incomes rely heavily on cash to manage their finances. The Citizens Advice Bureau revealed that despite a third of all cash machines in 2011 being pay-to-use, 'almost 97 per cent of UK cash withdrawals at UK cash machines were made free of charge, demonstrating our understandable reluctance as a society to pay to access our own money.'
In January this year the Government introduced rules which say that all surcharges for using credit and debit cards should be halted.
With this in mind, I would appreciate your answers to the following:
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Kind Regards,
Cllr Mario Creatura, Coulsdon Town
And to Cardtronics:
Govia Thameslink Railway have reportedly told commuters that the decision was taken by your organisation, and that all cash machines on all stations will be pay-to-use by the end of October 2018. Croydon Council has informed me that these machines are on land owned by Network Rail. Statements from Cardtronics say that this hike is due to rental increases, but LINK claim this only accounts for 1.5p per transaction, significantly lower than the £1.99 being charged.
With this in mind, I would appreciate answers to the following:
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