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Relationship between power supply output and charge rate (?)
I have a power supply question. Im asking for a friend, but I dont know the answer either. I already searched through the first three pages of this forum and couldnt really find anything addressing power supplies specifically:
Whats the relationship between the output capability of your power supply (Amps) and the rate you charge your batteries at? I see most of the common power supplies range from around 12A to 25 or maybe 30A. So then, one of the power supplies I use is 12A. I charge my LiPo flight packs through my Triton EQ around 1Canywhere from about 2A to around 4A depending on which pack I am charging.
Since the highest I charge at is 4A, a 12A power supply is more than enough, right?
I could charge another pack (or two) at 4A and still a 12A supply would be enough, right?
So then, as long as your charge rate is equal to or less than the power supplys output, you should be good to go, right?
My other power supply is 25A. But its just a spare and I dont use it much. Then, it would be good to charge, for example, FIVE 5000mAh battery packs at 1C (5A) each, right? That should be WAY more power supply than most people would EVER need, right?
Or, do you need your power supply to be some X% over your charge rate because of loss or something?
Thanks if you can explain.
Think in term of watts.
A 12V 25A power supply is 300 watts.
Most chargers are 80% plus effecient so 80% of 300 = 240 watts.
A 3S LiPoly charges to 12.6V
240 / 12.6 = 19Amps.
Thus if the charger is rated at up to 20Amps and the power supply is 12V and 25A then you could charge a 3S at up to 19Amps.
Thread on power supplies
As Charles say you need to think in power not just current and so you have to consider the voltage that is needed e.g.
Charging a 3S (12.6V fully charged) battery at 5A takes about 12.6 x 5 = 63W (plus a bit for inefficiency) so a 12V 12A (144W) power supply would be plenty.
Charging a 10S battery at that same 5A would take 42 x 5 = 210W (plus a bit) and that same 12V 12A power supply wouldn't be nearly enough.
Thanks a log guys for taking the time. For some reason, I can't quite wrap my head around it, though I do understand and follow the math. I'll study up on the link to the other thread. Looks like that'll explain it all too (as you already have).
As the previous posters point out, you must include voltage as well as current. Steve's second example of charging a 10S is a good illustration.
To charge a 10S you need 42 volts, but most power supplies deliver 12 volts or so. There is a circuit in the charger to boost the voltage, but it isn't free. It requires more current - Amperes.
So, once again, it is power (Watts), not just Amps.
I think I've got it.
To find out "how much" power supply (and/or charger) you need, you need to know the capacity and Voltage of your batteries and what rate you want to charge them at (usually 1C). The higher the capacity (mAh) and/or the number of cells ("S", Voltage), the more Watts you will need in a charger (or power supply).
Looks like the Watts limit on power supplies is much higher than the Watts limit on chargers (then, you can run multiple chargers off one power supply if it will handle it).
For example, my power supply is rated to 12V, 25A. This works out to 300W available (call it 240W for a 20% loss as suggested earlier in this thread).
More importantly though, my charger is a Triton EQ which is good only to 50 Watts.
So then, given the 50W limit of my charger, I can charge a 1S battery up to 11,900mAh at 1C (50W / 4.2V = 11.9 x 1000 - 11,900mAh). Or, I an charge a 2S battery up to 5,950mah at 1C. Or, I can charge a 3S battery up to 3,970mah at 1C. Etc., etc. The larger the "S" of the battery (Voltage), the lower the cieling on the charge rate becomes (and the more impractical the charger becomes as you get larger batteries exceeding the Watts output of the charger).
Most of my stuff is 2S, 3S and 4S from 1,800mAh to 2,200mAh, but I do have a 6S 3,300mAh battery that I cannot charge at 1C because of the 50W limit of my charger. The best it will do is about .6C (50W / 25.2V = 1,984mAh / 3,300mah = .6).
Probably for the majority of pilots, a 50W limit on their charger is adequate, but I bet as electrics become more and more popular more and more people will need chargers with more power (Watts). IE the Hyperion stuff.
Eureka. I've got it.
I know it's simple math, but something I haven't really had to think about before (until I was asked by a local R/C club member).
Thanks guys!
Last edited by KRProton; Jun 20, 2011 at 10:28 AM.
Follow-up question:
When calculating the Voltage and current to determine the Watts necessary from your charger or power supply, do you use the nominal Voltage (3.7V/cell) or the fully-charged Voltage (4.2V/cell)?
For example, does a 6S 3,300mAh battery require 73 Watts (3.7V x 6 x 3.3mAh), or 83 Watts (4.2V x 6 x 3.3)?
Thanks again!
Wattage consumption of a charger is always greater than wattage output. Most chargers are ~70-90% efficient. To determine size of power supply needed, divide max wattage that you need on output of charger by ~.7. If you know the DC-DC converter efficiency of your specific charger, use that number but allow for a little headroom.
I your specific case, 83 watts / .7 = ~120 watt power supply.
As Charles indicates, power consumption will be less than max most of the time but power supply will need to accommodate maximum power output as this is the power required by the charger toward the end of CC mode when all cells approach 4.2 volts. Some chargers (iChargers, and perhaps others) require even more power as the output at the charge terminals is actually greater than 4.2 volts per cell to account for charge lead IR losses.
When in doubt, go bigger. As power supplies in the form of harvested server supplies are silly cheap, there's really no reason to skimp.
Perhaps refer back to my first responce post #2
As Mark says server power supplies are cheap. My everyday ones are IBM 235s which I run in series for 24 volts but with a 12V tap also. I have been using them for years and they run many hours per week. I have HP server power supplies which are 55 amps. however I rarely need that many amps at home and at the field I use two 125Ah deep cycle batteries.
Allow plenty of room for growth when you pick a power supply. I bought a Pyramid 5A continuous/7A peak PS a few years ago when it had plenty of capacity to charge my few 3S 2100mah LiPos one at a time at 1C.
Now, I own more electric models, and with the high charge rates possible with some LiPos, the Pyramid I have isn't enough. It cuts off due to overheating even when charging several batteries in a row at 3.5 or 4A.
I'm not much of an electronics guy, but I think with all the great info here, I'll be able to upgrade to a server type power supply soon.
Good flying,
Getting into an extremely powerful server supply is very easy. There are a few 'off the shelf' options that are already 'converted' for those that do not want to perform the conversion.
IMO, here's the more rewarding (and far cheaper) way:
1) Peruse this thread and pick a few part numbers that match your current and possible future power requirements.
2) Go to eBay (or favorite search engine) and perform search on the various part numbers and procure one from a reputable seller.
3) Perform modification as detailed in the appropriate thread linked in the above thread and verify proper operation of power supply with a DMM after conversion.
4) Plug charger into your newly modified power supply and charge happily ever after.
Thanks for the help.... you must be one of those resourceful and helpful folks here! I will take your advice.
Good flying,
Thanks again everybody.
I'm not shopping for a charger or power supply today. I was just trying to sort the math to answer a question for another member in my local R/C club. I've got it all figured out now. To that end, I wrote this...if nothing else just to help me retain the information better (I know it's extremely elementary, but writing it down helps me remember--and maybe somebody else!)...
I know this has been covered time and again in other posts and forums (and links in other posts and forums), but just for fun I thought I'd take a stab at it my self—that is explaining how to figure out—"power-wise," how much charger to purchase for charging LiPo batteries. Anyone out there feel free to correct me where necessary...
(This does not take into account other factors such as number of charge ports, input capability (AC, DC), etc. I'm just talking about the critical numbers here.)
You have to know three things:
1. The rate at which you want to charge the batteries.
2. Your battery pack's Voltage when fully charged.
3. The power, or "Watts" required to charge your battery at the desired rate.
1. Charge Rate:
The charge rate, or the rate at which electrical current flows into your battery is expressed in Amperes, or "Amps" (usually just "A"). So the rate you should use depends on two factors; 1) How long you want to wait for the battery to charge, and; 2) The size, or "capacity" of your battery.
Concerning the time, this is already pretty much decided for you—or at least strongly recommended. It's best for those of you new to LiPos to charge at a current flow rate (again, "Amperes," "Amps" or just "A") that is equal to the battery's capacity. Were the battery fully discharged, mathematically it would take one hour to charge. This charging rate equal to the battery's capacity is called a "1C" charge rate because it's one "times" the battery's capacity. Simply, if you have a 1,800mAh battery, a 1C charge rate would be 1,800mA, or 1.8 Amps (1.8A).
Note that we never fly our batteries until they are completely drained, so a 1C charge rate should actually take less than an hour to fully charge. And some LiPos can be charged as quickly as 30 minutes (2C) or even in fifteen minutes (4C)! But charging LiPo batteries this fast is best left to experts because it can be dangerous, not to mention potentially reduce the life of your battery. Most LiPo batteries will be "happiest" if charged at that 1C rate that will take about one hour.
Okay, now we know that for our 1,800mAh battery we need a charger capable of charging at a rate of at least 1.8A.
2. Battery pack's fully-charged Voltage:
Battery packs have the "nominal," or average Voltage printed on the label. But another factor we need to know to determine "how much" charger is required is the battery's Voltage when it is fully-charged. To know this, first we have to know how many individual battery cells make up the battery pack. Sometimes the number of cells is also printed on the label—"2S," "3S," "4S," etc. (By the way, "S" means that the separate cells making up a battery are wired together in "series," adding the Voltage of the cells to each other. A 3S battery is 3 individual cells wired together to make a single battery pack.)
But if the number of cells is not on the label, it's easy to figure out. Divide the battery's nominal Voltage (always printed on the label) by the nominal Voltage of a single LiPo cell which is 3.7V. So, if the label on your battery reads "11.1V," divide 11.1V by 3.7V to end up with 3. Now you know you have a 3S battery. Don't worry, if you're new to this, eventually you'll just know that a 7.4V battery is 2S, an 11.1V battery is 3S, a 14.8V battery is 4S, etc.
Once you know the number of cells, multiply that by the Voltage of a fully-charged cell which is 4.2 Volts.
Okay, for our 11.1V (3S) battery now we know we need a charger capable of charging at least 12.6V. (Sometimes though, the specifications for a charger might state only how many cells it is capable of charging—not necessarily the Voltage—"charges 1 – 6 cell LiPos").
So, now we know the charge rate required and we know the number of cells, or the Voltage required. But there is one more, easy, final calculation to determine the last of three criteria to look for in a charger: We need to find out how much "power" the charger must be capable of delivering. This "power" is expressed in Watts.
Volts x Amps = Watts
Let's do an example:
If we want to charge our 3S 1,800mAh battery @ 1C, how much Watts must our charger be capable of delivering?
12.6V x 1.8A = 22.7 Watts.
We need a charger capable of charging 3S batteries (12.6V) @ 1.8A that can also deliver at least 22.7 Watts!
Now, you might be wondering, if the specifications state that a charger can charge 3S battery and 1.8 Amps, then why do we need to confirm that it has enough Watts? Well, sometimes the specifications state "charges 3S, 2A," but sometimes it cannot do both at the same time because it doesn't provide enough Watts. It may be able to charge a 3S battery, but maybe only at 1 Amp (12.6 Watts). Or, maybe it can charge at 2 Amps, but only at 4.2 Volts (8.4 Watts). That's why you also need to confirm the charger's output power in Watts as illustrated above.
Here are some of the specifications for a Great Planes Triton EQ charger:
AC Input Voltage: 110V 60Hz - 240V 50Hz (detachable AC cord)
DC Input: 11-15.0V DC, with large alligator clips
Number of Outputs: One, banana jacks
Battery Types, # cells:
1-14 NiCd, NiMH
1-6 LiPo, Li-Ion, or LiFe (3.6, 3.7 or 3.3V cells)
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12V Pb (2V per cell)
Fast Charge Current: 0.1-5.0A (1C maximum for lithiums)
63W max DC, 50W max AC
As noted in the specifications, the Triton EQ will charge a 1 to 6-cell LiPo, and can charge up to 5 Amps. It can handle 63 Watts if connected to a DC power source or 50 Watts if charging from your AC wall outlet. Note again though, since its maximum Watts output (from an AC wall outlet) is limited to 50 Watts, the largest 6S battery it can charge at 1C is about 1,980mAh (50W / 25.2V (6S) = 1,980mAh). Put another way, even though the charger is specified to 6S, 5A, it will NOT charge a 6S 5,000mAh battery at 1C because 25.2V x 5 Amps = 126 Watts, but the charger is good only to 50W (if charging from a wall outlet). Again, this is why you need to calculate the Watts requirement for the battery you will be charging and compare it to the Watts output of the charger you are considering—don't go by just the number of cells and the current.
In the case of the 3S (11.V) 1,800mAh battery we were using as an example, the Triton EQ will certainly do the job. Given the 50W limit it could handle a 1C charge rate for a 3S (12.6V) battery up to 3,970mAh in size—anything larger than 3,970mAh will be less than a 1C charge rate. However, when shopping for chargers you might also consider any larger batteries you could be charging in the future should you become more involved in the hobby someday flying larger planes.
This is just a guess on my part, but for most people (50%, 80% ???), a charger capable of 6S, 5A, 50W will be suitable for all of their batteries. On the other hand, the more and more threads and posts you read about batteries and chargers, the more demand you see for chargers and power supplies capable of 100 Watts or more.
One last, very minor calculation: This is for modelers using a separate, DC power supply that they can plug into their AC wall outlet to power their battery charger. If using a separate, DC power supply, you have to figure in an amount of loss, or inefficiency when considering the Watts output required from a power supply. Most agree this factor is approximately 20% loss (or 80% efficiency). So, if we're looking for a charger capable of 25 Watts (to round the 22.7 Watt figure required from the charger), you'll need a power supply capable of at least roughly 31 Watts. Using our 80% efficiency factor, 25 Watts (required) / .8 = 31 Watts. This means we'll need a 31 Watt power supply to get 25 Watts from our charger if using a separate DC power source.
Last edited by KRProton; Jun 23, 2011 at 07:21 PM.
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Great going guys ! Wonderful that you are trying to motivate your wives to join. It is the other way round for me. My husband who is otherwise a sporty kind is not a great fan of biking. Trying to convert him while being a newbie myself. I would love to ride with my 8 year old son. So since you guys have done a lot of research on women s bikes, may be benefit from your knowledge pool ? Looking for a bike which I can do some city riding with, plus some lighter mountain trails on weekends. We have recently moved to Denver. I am 5 feet and thick set. Any recommendations ? Thanks in advance.
Great going guys ! Wonderful that you are trying to motivate your wives to join. It is the other way round for me. My husband who is otherwise a sporty kind is not a great fan of biking. Trying to convert Un while being a newbie myself. I would love to ride with my 8 year old son. So since you guys have done a lot of research on women s bikes, may be benefit from your knowledge pool ? Looking for a bike which I can do some city riding with, plus some lighter mountain trails on weekends. We have recently moved to Denver. I am 5 feet and thick set. Any recommendations ? Thanks in advance.
Maybe your spouses envision skin tight, lycra racer types and get scared away. Try casual riding. A commute to grab groceries for dinner or an ice cream cone. The food tastes better when brought home by bike (IMO) and we are healthier doing it. Good conversations can be had as well (not to mention we save gas.)
No big agenda... just ride.
Good luck.
Organise a romantic scavenger hunt on her birthday or Valentine's day. As the clues and locations get more and more romantic, have the final leg of the journey involve a bike ride to the location where her present/romantic dinner/jewellery is waiting. Make the location somewhere exciting to her like a very expensive restaurant or a private air strip so she is so excited about the potential adventure ahead that she doesn't think twice about getting on the bike. She will love the journey because of the excitement.
When you get to your location ask her if she enjoyed the ride. When she says yes, tell her that the bike is her present and gloat about the fact that you got her to ride with you and she enjoyed it.
Her facial expression should change at this point. You should then smile your last smile, and make sure it is smug.
Glad I went with my decision - just wish I could get out there and ride! An hour or so after we brought the bike home we went for a family ride - guess I was too slow for my 8-year-old son - he passed me, then swerved in front of me and suddenly stopped, and I crashed. Something punctured my foot/ankle and knicked my tendon and haven't been able to walk (let alone ride a bike) since then. Hopefully the wound will heal by the end of the summer! Just thank God my son was not harmed - and my new bike didn't suffer any damage!
Easy. Just get a new wife or a new girlfriend...er...riding partner...
Best of luck, icul8. I'm recovering after 2months off my bike. No fun being injured.
Three things helped my wife, who is not technically inclined, become a better and more interested cyclist:
1. Riding a tandem. It allows us to ride together at the same effort.
2. Riding a fat bike. It gives her confidence and makes her feel like she can take on any terrain.
3. Going single speed. No gears/shifting to worry about.
The summer after we got married we went shopping for a bike.... Wound up buying a Trek mountain bike... Tried to ride a couple times and then the bike sat idle until three years ago when our oldest daughter outgrew her 20" wally world special and passed it down to her sister... rather than buy a new bike I looked to see if she could fit on the Trek as she wanted something "with gears and stuff". It was a little big but she did ok and grew into it. At least now the bike is getting some use - albeit not as much as it could.... I don't like the girls riding the bike trail by themselves even though they are now 15 and 11. Just too many goofy people around these days. It's hard to make the time to take a ride anymore...
I am so fortunate that when my wife and I met, she was riding every evening with a group in Cincinnati. I was from Columbus. We hooked up and rode a lot in the early years of marriage. Now, she is riding a lot with me to get back in shape. So... I bought her a new bike a few days ago and she is more enthusiastic than ever.
Does your wife know how to ride? If not, I can understand her hesitation, as it's harder to learn when you're older. But if she's just not showing interest, it could be because she's afraid of riding in traffic or some other scary thing.
Find some quiet, easy rail-trails either near home or in a nice, scenic area, and see if she would be interested in sight-seeing with you...atop a bike saddle. In other words, don't make bicycling the focus of the event. Once she has experienced the breeze in her hair and the sun on her face, chances are, she will be hooked. Then you'll never be able to take a "real" ride by yourself again because she'll always want to tag along :(
For me the key to getting my wife interested has been two factors: (1) Taking interest in her interests (which generally encourages her to take interest in yours) (2) letting her interest level increase at her pace (pushing doesn't help.)
My wife had never considered herself to be athletic, at all. As we got older (mid-30's) she started going to the gym, more out of a sense of duty than anything else. Made some general progress in terms of health, but nothing great. After I got back into cycling seriously, she began to want to ride a little, so I bought her the best bike she would let me spend the money for. That was about age 50. When she said that she wished she could ride more, I suggested getting her a bike that would be better, more comfortable, to ride. That was in February of last year, just after she turned 53.
Now at age 55, we ride about 100 miles a week (weather/schedule permitting, we go the the gym when the weather stinks or we're pressed for time), she's dropped 30 lbs, and she trained for and rode a 150 mile MS ride with me this past summer.
I just relearned how to ride a bike. (I had it down as a kid but my mother thought it was too dangerous yada yada.) I had tried in my mid-twenties and again last summer when I was almost 51 but it didn't click until about 2 1/2 weeks ago. What motivated me to stick with it enough to kind of get it? I had to have a bike that I loved and that was small enough I felt comfortable about falling off of it. In my case, that was an Avigo Knockout which is a very pink 18" BMX bike. A lot of women start out on bikes that are too large for them. Guys seem to be fine with riding a bike that barely allows them to touch the balls of their feet to the ground but women I know- especially in my age group and older- prefer to be able to stand flat-footed. That might mean a 20" bike or a 24" or a 26" with a smaller frame and the seat slammed all the way down but unless she feels safe and the process is approached with patience on all sides, there's no chance of her moving up to something she can ride alongside you on because she won't be on a bike at all.
The other big factor was not wanting to be left behind or, as I put it, part of a mixed relationship between someone who rides and someone who doesn't. (It really helped that I'm a volunteer mechanic in a not for profit shop and saw plenty of happy couples and women who had learned or relearned to ride at an ahem advanced age.) He rides everywhere all the time and has ridden for years so it would be quite a while- if ever- before I could keep up with him if he went all out. Luckily, he has no problem riding in circles or going very damned slow while I'm learning and becoming more comfortable.
I moved up from the 18" BMX bike to a Trek 830 with 26" wheels and a 16 1/2" frame. A mountain bike is great because I love climbing- so far- and it makes me feel strong and powerful to be able to ride on uneven surfaces. I still am not comfortable going very fast downhill and the other day I realized it's because I'm worried about losing control of the bike and being injured and having no way to pay the resulting medical bills. So I'll be riding the brake a lot until January 1st but I'm out there and, more importantly, *we're* out there together.
since this post, my wife bought a used Marin San Rafael (hybrid). It has been good for her, and she's accompanied our 5-yr old cycling-addict kid to school a bunch of times, and even gone on a few rides on her own! We also bought a tandem and rode together as a couple a few times (fun) and as an entire family (w 2 kids).
I'm letting her progress at her own pace and it's great. She even mentioned buying a second bike (road bike) and uttered the word "clipless".
Counterpoint tandem bikes put the stoker in the front in the comfy seat , so the best one on the bike..
so the getting Left Behind, doesn't happen..
Similar issue here- not just with cycling, but activity and doing stuff in general. So I made the decision a long time ago, that if my wife didn't want to do anything, I was still going to have a life, so I've spent a lot of hours hiking, biking, exploring, etc., on my own and with other friends.
My daily rides are mostly solo.
My weekend rides are randonneuring rides, usually on a tandem. A female friend from the local club has stoked for me for the last 18 months or so.
I wanted to get my wife a little more involved in cycling other that around the block a few times with her Walmart special, so I bought an older tandem. We took our first ride this afternoon, around the block a few times and she loved it. We need to make a few adjustments on the bike to make ourselves as comfortable as possible for future rides. I think a tandem is a good move to get your partner into cycling.
Start bringing your cycling buddies to your house especially those shapely, younger ones of the opposite sex. Start wearing tight lycra jerseys and shorts and hanging out more with them. It's just a matter of time before she wants to join in the rides just to make sure your hands are on the handlebars and on the ladies.
If she doesn't have any interest in cycling, then don't force it. Just gotta accept it and move on to a hobby she will for sure enjoy. Buying designer handbags and shoes, and dining at 5 star restaurants.
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My wife rides sometime with me, it is usually not far and we ride upright bikes. It is much easier to get someone to ride a single speed cruiser in street clothes than get them to ride a road bike with all the proper clothing. If you go to the top bicycling cities in the world, you will see 95% of the people are riding upright bicycles in street clothing.
I just went out and got a vintage bike for my wife without asking and I never bother her, I wait for Sunday breakfast out and say "you think we should ride?" If she feels like it we ride and she is always happy after.
I ride 5 to 6 times a week about 15 to 30 miles at a time all year round, I dont expect my wife to do anything like that.
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- School and college qualifications and curriculum and Curriculum and qualifications
- Published:
- 12 September 2014
- Last updated:
- 27 November 2014, see all updates
GCSEs will be graded 9 to 1, with 9 being the top grade. New GCSEs in English language, English literature and maths from September 2015.
Exams regulator Ofqual today (Friday, September 12) confirms how grading will work when new GCSEs are awarded for the first time.
New GCSEs in English language, English literature and maths will be taught in schools in England from September 2015, with students getting their results in August 2017.
The new GCSEs will be graded 1 to 9, with 9 being the top grade. Ofqual has consulted on proposals for how standards should be set for them, and how the grading scale should work.
Chief Regulator Glenys Stacey said:
How grade standards are set is an extremely important issue, and we were very encouraged by the quantity and quality of the responses to our consultation.
We have given them a great deal of consideration, and can now confirm how things will work when the three new GCSEs are awarded in 2017.
We are being quite clear that the approach in that first year will draw heavily on statistical evidence to make sure that there are clear 'anchor points' from the old system to the new.
This will make sure that the year group of students are not disadvantaged, or advantaged, because of the introduction of the new qualifications, and will provide some certainty about what to expect at this time of significant change.
The approach will mean:
- Broadly the same proportion of students will achieve a grade 4 and above as currently achieve a grade C and above
- Broadly the same proportion of students will achieve a grade 7 and above as currently achieve an A and above
- For each examination, the top 20 per cent of those who get grade 7 or above will get a grade 9 – the very highest performers
- The bottom of grade 1 will be aligned with the bottom of grade G
- Grade 5 will be positioned in the top third of the marks for a current Grade C and bottom third of the marks for a current Grade B. This will mean it will be of greater demand than the present grade C, and broadly in line with what the best available evidence tells us is the average PISA performance in countries such as Finland, Canada, the Netherlands and Switzerland
- The new maths GCSE will be tiered, with grades 4 and 5 available through both tiers
Glenys Stacey said:
We do need to caution against direct comparisons and overly simplistic descriptions of the approach. For example, it is not right to say simply that a new grade 4 will equal a current grade C. The read across is at the bottom of each grade, so that broadly the same proportion of students will get 4 and above as currently get C and above. A subtle but important difference.
From our formal consultation and conversations with teachers and parents, we know some people may not have fully comprehended our plans for grade 5 and international comparisons. To try and clarify this, it is not about putting in place any direct links or ties to any grades set elsewhere. Rather, where grade 5 sits within the grading scale will place it above a current grade C, and broadly in line with what the best available evidence tells us is the average performance of 16-year-olds in high performing countries.
Beyond 2017, our aim will be to maintain the standards set in that first year of awarding. We will continue with the approach we currently use – statistical evidence used to help examiners make judgements on where to set grade boundaries. We will improve this approach by developing a national reference test to provide additional statistical information.
We have produced a set of postcards with more information on new GCSEs, AS and A levels.
Setting Grade Standards Consultation: Analysis of consultation responses
PDF, 868KB, 63 pages
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Board paper on setting grade standards for new GCSEs in 2017 (PDF, 1.28MB, 97 pages)
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Published: 12 September 2014
Updated: 27 November 2014
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is expected to rest a number of first-choice players for the trip to West Brom.
The Reds boss has next week's Europa League final against Sevilla to consider and he is again likely to make a raft of changes.
Last weekend against Watford the German made eight changes and is likely to do much the same again.
Striker Danny Ings, out since October after cruciate knee ligament surgery, could feature, as could youngster Sergi Canos after he returned from an impressive loan spell with Brentford.


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Sam Jones
December 17, 2012
The Church of England's split over female bishops has deepened after an Anglo-Catholic clergyman announced he was not taking up his post as a bishop because of his opposition to the idea.
Father Philip North, who is team rector at the parish of Old St Pancras, in north London, was appointed bishop of Whitby in October, despite local disquiet over his stance on women in the ministry.
He said he had decided to withdraw following last month's General Synod vote, in which the church narrowly voted against approving legislation that would introduce the first female bishops.


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Written on: 23/03/2006 by Brownfamily2005 (3 reviews written)
Good Points
Good points - pool, funstars, beach, caravan accommodation, lake area, arcade, security, parks, small fair, shop variety, chip shop taste!!
Bad Points
Bad points - chalet accommodation isn't exactly top notch..
General Comments
We love primrose valley. Windsors family room is the best place to be with older children, and Jesters for the younger. The funstars are always in a good mood and provide a great experience and excellent entertainment. We usually go around July time, with our 15 and 17 year old children who meet new people and HATE coming home. I'd recommend Primrose Valley to anybody.


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Part of the beauty of collaborative research projects is the
sharing of information and expertise. Every day at base camp, researchers and students from around the world exchange ideas. We assist each other day in and day out, sharing our thoughts and experiences in the lab, in the field and over the dinner table: the best way to assess species abundance over mee goreng. And even after the longest, hottest days trekking through the jungle helping me to
find elephant poo, our invaluable research assistants who are local Orang Sungai traditional fishers, catch fish and giant river prawns for communal meals. So while we can share everything with our colleagues and friends with open minds and hearts, why all around us is there evidence of an inability to share our planet with wildlife?
The elephants we are tracking are squeezed into a small,
isolated patch of secondary forest. All day and night trucks laden with tonnes of oil palm kernels roar down the road through the reserve, honking loudly to scatter the elephants. Crowded along the riverbank feeding, they stand in the hot sun unable to enter the water as tourist boats circle like vultures and a ferry belches black smoke into the air. Litter is strewn about and some of the elephants attracted by the strange aromas swallow plastic. The group starts to cross the river to reach another tiny forest fragment on the opposite bank. But mothers cannot cross. Their young are too small to brave the water. Women and children are usually the first to be evacuated in an emergency but in this conservation emergency, it appears that elephant mothers and calves are not spared.
Outsiders can preach against palm oil until they are black and blue. If it were possible, consumers could boycott products (which are innumerable and in some cases, unlabelled). But these actions are unlikely to have any real impact on the palm oil industry, entrenched here in the economy and society, with diversified interests, eager buyers the world over and every reason to continue refusing to share. Would you share if by sharing you might have fewer homes, jobs, schools, playing fields and mosques for yourself, your family and your community? Moreover, would you share if the reward for not sharing was billions of dollars in your bank account?
The value of arguments in favour of sharing space with elephants is in the eye of the beholder. For example moral arguments or even economic rationales based on the tourism revenue or ecosystem services provided by elephants might be deemed priceless by conservation scientists but worthless by planters who are reaping the benefits of habitat conversion or locals who are scared because an elephant has wandered past their homes (an elephant who incidentally has nowhere else left to go).
Arguably, as the logging and palm oil industries began here relatively recently in the 1980s, an equilibrium between man and elephant in Malaysia existed up until very recently. For example, in Machang, peninsula Malaysia, villagers had not seen crop raiding elephants for the past fifty years but with accelerated logging over the past few years incidents of human elephant conflict have been reported this year.
It might take forever to understand all the complex social, economic, cultural and scientific complexities of the conservation dilemma posed by palm oil but the elephants don't have that much time. At the end of the day, what they need is for us to just to share, to give and take rather than just taking and taking and taking. Giving some habitat and resources back to the elephants and other wildlife would not mean the end of multibillion dollar industries such as timber or palm oil. The future of profits and employment would be just as secure. The only difference would be that we would share this secure future with unique wildlife found nowhere else on earth.
The problem is not that there isn't enough to go around. It's that we're not sharing what is available. What will it take to persuade us to share?
- Stephanie Hing
Select a blog
Every month one of the pieces held in ZSL's Library and at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo will feature here as Artefact of the month.
Get the latest on ZSL's conservation work in Asia.
Find out more about life in our B.U.G.S exhibit
A new Open Access journal for research at the interface of remote sensing, ecology and conservation.
See the latest ranges, updates and special offers from our exciting new online shop.
Excerpts from ZSL's award winning members' magazine.
A blog for lovers of ZSL London Zoo. Bringing you amazing animal facts and exclusive access to the world's scientific oldest zoo.
Discover more about the UK's biggest zoo with our fun blog posts!
Join the ZSL Discovery and Learning team as they venture out of the zoo and in to the wild.
Catch up on our latest Conservation Blogs
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo's elephant keepers give an insight into the daily goings on in the elephant barn.
Read about conservation of tigers in Asia.
One man is boldly going where no other ZSL videographer has gone before - the land of Mountain Chicken Frogs.
From the field, to the lab, catch up with the scientists on the cutting edge of conservation biology at ZSL's Institute of Zoology.
The Wildlife Wood Project has been working in Cameroon since 2007 to encourage better wildlife management in logging concessions.
Updates from penguin conservation expeditions to Antarctica
Amur leopard conservation blog
Meet ZSL Whipsnade Zoo's latest (and leggiest) arrival, a baby giraffe!
Follow the ZSL Biodiversity and Palm Oil team, based in Bogor, Indonesia.
The Chagos marine reserve, designated in 2010 and currently the world's largest no take marine reserve, is a sought-after spot for marine research.
Science blogs
Follow ZSL conservationists studying desert baboons in Namibia.


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Massachusetts has long been a leader in the fight against global warming, and the state has made major progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But Massachusetts must go even further to cut carbon emissions to the level scientists say is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
Fortunately, the tools and technologies to rapidly cut carbon emissions are at our fingertips. Cool Solutions, a report from the Environment Massachusetts Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group, describes ten game-changing opportunities to reduce emissions in the areas of renewable energy, building design, and transportation. Together, these "game-changers" will help Massachusetts cut its global warming emissions to at least 45% below 1990 levels by 2030, putting the state on track to meet the target of 80% emission reductions by 2050 required under the Global Warming Solutions Act.
This document profiles Massachusetts-based companies and projects that are embracing each of the ten innovative, game-changing trends identified in Cool Solutions. The businesses profiled here are just a handful of the thousands of Massachusetts companies making a difference in the fight against global warming while creating jobs and boosting the state's economy.
According to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, clean energy companies employ more than 88,000 people in Massachusetts — an increase of 28,000 jobs since 2010.1 Those figures don't include Massachusetts residents working in other sectors that contribute to reducing carbon emissions, such as public transportation, non-motorized transportation, and green architecture. A strong commitment to cutting Massachusetts' carbon emissions will help ensure that clean tech companies continue to grow.
For most categories, it was relatively straightforward to find Massachusetts companies leading the way in implementing these game-changing technologies. For offshore wind, a technology that has not yet taken root in Massachusetts but for which there is ample potential off our shores, we profile Rhode Island businesses that are taking part in the nation's first-ever offshore wind farm near Block Island, as well as a Massachusetts-based cooperative aiming to capture the benefits of offshore wind for local residents.
Together, these companies and projects are showing that fighting global warming and growing Massachusetts' economy go hand in hand. Our state officials should support policies and programs that enable game-changing companies like these to thrive.
1: Solar Photovoltaics
Nexamp is a fully integrated solar company that designs, builds, owns, and operates solar energy facilities throughout New England. Founded in 2008 by two U.S. Army captains and hometown friends, Nexamp's more than 50 megawatts of installed solar and more than 35 megawatts under asset management make it one of the largest commercial solar providers in the Northeast.
2: Offshore Wind
Deepwater Wind
Members of Deepwater Wind's executive team have been developing clean energy projects for most of their careers. Between 2005 and 2007, team members traveled to Europe to see the development of the offshore wind industry. Offshore wind in Europe currently supports 75,000 jobs, a number expected to grow to 178,000 by 2030.
3: Energy Storage
Sparkplug Power
Sean Becker, an avid outdoorsman and environmentalist, founded Sparkplug Power in 2009 to provide "cheaper, more efficient, and more reliable" energy storage options. Becker says he has always been interested in protecting the environment and preserving clean air and water. He received his undergraduate degree at Cornell University before joining the Navy, where he received training in engineering. In the Navy, Becker ran gas turbine engines and managed the propeller systems during the construction of a new destroyer.
4: New Energy Efficiency Tools
Next Step Living
Geoff Chapin founded Next Step Living in 2008 to address the 21 percent of U.S. carbon emissions that come from residential energy use. The company's mission is to provide homeowners with resources to lead more sustainable and comfortable lives by adopting energy-efficient solutions. The company has expanded since its founding to serve Connecticut and New York in addition to Massachusetts, and recently introduced a new product aimed at the commercial sector, the EcoThermal Filter System.
5: Renewable Heating and Cooling
Boston Solar
Boston Solar was founded in 2011 by college roommates Romain Strecker and Daniel Mello Guimaraes, who met at Davidson College in North Carolina. The company began physical operations in 2012 out of Strecker's kitchen in Lynn, primarily as a solar installer working in eastern Massachusetts.
Download full version (PDF): Cool Innovators
About Environment Massachusetts
Environment Massachusetts is a citizen-based environmental advocacy project of Environment America. We believe there's something special about Massachusetts—something worth protecting and preserving for future generations. Whether it's the gentle current of the Charles River, the waves crashing off Cape Cod, or the rustle of leaves as you walk through your local forest, Massachusetts's natural wonders enrich our lives in countless ways.
Tags: Environment Massachusetts, MA, Massachusetts


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Gibson's ready to unleash City hell
Toffees star eager to repeat heroics and pile pressure on Mancini's Blues
FIT-AGAIN Darron Gibson is out to inflict more misery on Manchester City after finally putting his troublesome thigh problem behind him.
The Derryman (left) came through all but 17 minutes of Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Arsenal, ending a three-month spell on the sidelines.
Last January, the midfielder notched his first Everton goal to give David Moyes' men a 1-0 win over the Eastlands outfit -- a result he'd love to see repeated today.
However, along with Everton and Stoke City, Roberto Mancini's champions are one of just three Premier League sides still unbeaten at home this season.
And Gibson is in no doubt as to the magnitude of the test ahead.
"It would be brilliant to end their run at home. They're probably the best team in the league at the minute but you always want to play against the best teams. I think if we play the way we've been playing and the way we played last year against them then we could get a result," he said.
"I don't think they've been as good as they were last season but it's still early on. But they're still up at the top and they're not playing as well as they could be, so that shows you they're a great side.
"To be one of three teams not to have lost at home says a lot about us at the minute. We're playing really well, so hopefully we can keep it going and, if we can keep playing the way we're going, I think we can beat anyone."
The Blues may well have beaten Arsenal but for some wayward finishing and a harshly rejected penalty shout when Mikel Arteta's lunge on Steven Pienaar went unpunished by referee Michael Oliver.
For the most part, Moyes' men outshone the Gunners at their own game.
For Gibson, however, most important was coming through with nothing other than a few minor aches and pains.
"It was nice to be back," he confessed. "It's been a long time coming to be fair, a lot of hard work in the gym, but I was really pleased to be involved again.
"My thigh felt good. I came off with a knock on my foot but it's fine, I'll be alright for Saturday.
"It was a bit frustrating but I think it was probably good in a way not to get 90 minutes in, just to make sure my thigh was alright.
"I've been training hard with the physios and the fitness coaches for the last six weeks, so it shouldn't be too long before I'm back to full match fitness.
"It's been hard and I had a few setbacks which made it harder. Seeing the team playing so well and not being involved was hard to take but I'm glad to be back in now.
"I had a few problems with my thigh before I actually got injured and I knew I needed to get it sorted out. Hopefully this time it is."
Gibson was also thankful to the Everton faithful for their support -- both on the night and via messages on the social networking site, Twitter.
"It was nice," he said when asked about the rousing reception he received ahead of kick off. "I've been getting it on Twitter for 12 weeks, fans asking when I was going to be back and that, so it was nice to hear the cheer.
"I think we were unlucky not to get more from the game. We didn't have the best of starts and it took us a while to settle in. But once we got settled, we created chances and we just didn't take them.
"We've got a tough run of games coming up but I think we're playing well and we're creating chances. If we weren't creating chances, it would be worse. If we can keep everyone fit and keep playing the way we're playing, I think we'll do alright."
Gibson's team mate Phil Jagielka has also hailed the Derryman's return and describes him as "the complete midfielder".
"We have been a little bit light in that area over the last few months, so it is nice to have him back," Jagielka said.
"He learnt his trade at Manchester United. He's composed and has a good range of passing.
"He's not afraid to tackle or head, so he is pretty much the complete midfielder. He's a character as well and good to have around the dressing room."


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Date: 1 October 2010
Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA) at Lancaster University is currently seeking art or design-led proposals for a prestigious £10,000 award to create an artwork for the new LICA eco-building on campus.The LICA building is being constructed to the BREEAM 'outstanding' standard, and will be the first Higher Education building in the UK to reach such strict environmental targets for construction. LICA combines the academic groups of Art, Design, Film, Music and Theatre Studies, as well as the three public arts: Peter Scott Gallery, Nuffield Theatre and Lancaster International Concerts. It also hosts the research group ImaginationLancaster.
The timber-framed building, set alongside woodland at the north end of campus, will be the public face of LICA, with a stage for the nationally and internationally recognised work produced at Lancaster University. The 5,000 square metre environmentally friendly timber building will be wrapped in translucent cladding which will filter varying degrees of light into the interior. The main accommodation includes three interlinked performance spaces, art and design studios and open-plan offices. The facility will be launched publicly in Spring 2011.
To mark this exciting development, LICA are seeking art or design-led proposals for a £10,000 award to create an artwork for the approach to the building. The work should respond sensitively to the location and environment around the building, which includes a small wooded area, and could potentially utilise the body of water in front of the building, over which visitors enter the foyer. Applications are welcomed from a diverse range of practices including sculpture, digital, interactive, sonic and land art. Shortlisted proposals will form an opening exhibition in the building itself, and a final work will be selected for commission.
Deadline for applications: 1 October
Building details ands site plan are available at:
For more details, including how to apply, contact:-
Julia Carradus
Admin Manager, Public Arts
Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts
Lancaster University, LA1 4YW
News website: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/estates/projects/current_projects.htm#LICA
Associated departments and research centres: Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts


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Northern Ireland weather alert as gales down trees and power lines
Wild weather caused major disruption across Northern Ireland yesterday as gale force winds of up to 80mph battered our shores.
The north coast area was worst affected by the storms, although fallen trees caused headaches for motorists in every county.
The Gilford Road in Portadown, the Craigdarragh Road in Helen's Bay and the Kings Road in east Belfast were among the routes closed for a time when they became blocked by fallen trees.
Police also asked motorists to avoid the Middle Tollymore Road in Newcastle when trees came down, and the Lisnahunshin Road in Rasharkin was closed by a fallen power line.
Stenaline sailings between Belfast and Cairnryan were cancelled and other sailings were subject to major delays.
The ferry crossing between Ballycastle and Rathlin Island had to be cancelled as conditions were too hazardous, with mountainous seas and high winds.
In the north west, ferocious gales caused schools to be evacuated and bridges to be cordoned off, leading to traffic gridlock across the region.
Lisnagelvin Leisure Centre in the Waterside was closed after gusts of wind caused substantial damage to its roof.
Some 628 pupils from Lisnagelvin Primary and Nursery Schools had to be sent home at lunchtime yesterday because of falling debris.
The principal of Lisnagelvin Primary School, Colin Torrens, said they took the decision after police officers produced a large piece of jagged perspex which had been blown into the nursery school yard.
The Peace Bridge across the Foyle was also closed yesterday for
the first time since its completion in June for health and safety reasons.
Trees and shrubs were felled by the winds in Derry at Nixon's Corner, Northland Road and Strand Road opposite the Derry city council offices.
In Co Donegal, gusts of 90mph were recorded sweeping across Malin Head.
Helen Rossington, a forecaster with Meteogroup, said the strongest winds in Northern Ireland were in exposed areas, but gusts in Belfast managed to reach around 60mph.
"Today it will be quite breezy, but not as bad as Thursday," she said.
"Gusts will be towards 40mph with wind and showers from the north west.
"There could be sleet and hail over higher ground and the maximum temperature will be around 9-11C.
"There will be widespread frost overnight into Saturday, with temperatures down to 1C."
Up to 4cm of snow is expected to fall on the hills today and the Met Office has issued a yellow severe weather warning for Northern Ireland, urging people to "be aware" of ice.
Belfast Telegraph


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MMA Fighter Gets Knocked Out In Just 3 Seconds! [Video]
Check out this video in which an MMA fighter gets knocked out in just 3 seconds. Yeah, just a great kick to the back of the head and all those months training for this fight meant nothing. Nice job dude!
You can see this awesome knock out below:
Subscribe to 600 ESPN El Paso on


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Original: https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/12/31/someone-is-selling-a-star-wars-shooting-gallery-game-for-9-999.aspx
You think your unopened copy of Shadows Of The Empire might be worth a good bit of cash, eh? Well, it's got nothing on X-Wing Aces Target Game apparently.
X-Wing Aces Target Game is a shooting gallery game from that has the player point a machinegun at TIE fighters made with flashlights on a paper background of the Death Star. Not exactly faithful to the film, but one seller is trying to sell it for nearly ten thousand dollars.
Here's a vintage commercial of the game in all its cheesy glory.
(Please visit the site to view this media)
Our Take
That's not how the Force works.
Choose from 1000's of games to play for free http://xtragames4free.com


text: Exit this Survey HOAC Venturing Feedback * 1. Do you understand what the Venturing Officers Association (VOA) is and what the VOA can do for your Crew? * 2. Have you attended a monthly VOA meeting? Yes No Other (please specify) * 3. What activities can you name that the VOA puts on? 1 2 3 4 5 * 4. What are your favorite Crew activities/events? 1 2 3 4 5 * 5. What kind of activities would you like to see the VOA put on that you may not be able to do within your Crew? 1 2 3 4 5 * 6. How likely would you be to attend a VOA sponsored event? 1 – 10 (10 being MOST likely) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Local Skiing/Snowtubing Local Skiing/Snowtubing 1 Local Skiing/Snowtubing 2 Local Skiing/Snowtubing 3 Local Skiing/Snowtubing 4 Local Skiing/Snowtubing 5 Local Skiing/Snowtubing 6 Local Skiing/Snowtubing 7 Local Skiing/Snowtubing 8 Local Skiing/Snowtubing 9 Local Skiing/Snowtubing 10 Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) 1 Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) 2 Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) 3 Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) 4 Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) 5 Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) 6 Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) 7 Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) 8 Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) 9 Destination Ski Trip (i.e. Colorado) 10 Water Park Water Park 1 Water Park 2 Water Park 3 Water Park 4 Water Park 5 Water Park 6 Water Park 7 Water Park 8 Water Park 9 Water Park 10 Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) 1 Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) 2 Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) 3 Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) 4 Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) 5 Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) 6 Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) 7 Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) 8 Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) 9 Indoor Climbing (i.e. Ibex) 10 Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) 1 Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) 2 Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) 3 Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) 4 Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) 5 Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) 6 Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) 7 Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) 8 Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) 9 Outdoor Climbing (i.e. Bartle/Naish) 10 Venturing Banquet Venturing Banquet 1 Venturing Banquet 2 Venturing Banquet 3 Venturing Banquet 4 Venturing Banquet 5 Venturing Banquet 6 Venturing Banquet 7 Venturing Banquet 8 Venturing Banquet 9 Venturing Banquet 10 Pool Party at Camp Pool Party at Camp 1 Pool Party at Camp 2 Pool Party at Camp 3 Pool Party at Camp 4 Pool Party at Camp 5 Pool Party at Camp 6 Pool Party at Camp 7 Pool Party at Camp 8 Pool Party at Camp 9 Pool Party at Camp 10 Float Trip Float Trip 1 Float Trip 2 Float Trip 3 Float Trip 4 Float Trip 5 Float Trip 6 Float Trip 7 Float Trip 8 Float Trip 9 Float Trip 10 Shooting Sports Shooting Sports 1 Shooting Sports 2 Shooting Sports 3 Shooting Sports 4 Shooting Sports 5 Shooting Sports 6 Shooting Sports 7 Shooting Sports 8 Shooting Sports 9 Shooting Sports 10 Triathlon Triathlon 1 Triathlon 2 Triathlon 3 Triathlon 4 Triathlon 5 Triathlon 6 Triathlon 7 Triathlon 8 Triathlon 9 Triathlon 10 Bike Trip Bike Trip 1 Bike Trip 2 Bike Trip 3 Bike Trip 4 Bike Trip 5 Bike Trip 6 Bike Trip 7 Bike Trip 8 Bike Trip 9 Bike Trip 10 Haunted Trails Haunted Trails 1 Haunted Trails 2 Haunted Trails 3 Haunted Trails 4 Haunted Trails 5 Haunted Trails 6 Haunted Trails 7 Haunted Trails 8 Haunted Trails 9 Haunted Trails 10 Winter Trail Winter Trail 1 Winter Trail 2 Winter Trail 3 Winter Trail 4 Winter Trail 5 Winter Trail 6 Winter Trail 7 Winter Trail 8 Winter Trail 9 Winter Trail 10 BSA High Adventure BSA High Adventure 1 BSA High Adventure 2 BSA High Adventure 3 BSA High Adventure 4 BSA High Adventure 5 BSA High Adventure 6 BSA High Adventure 7 BSA High Adventure 8 BSA High Adventure 9 BSA High Adventure 10 Any VOA Event Any VOA Event 1 Any VOA Event 2 Any VOA Event 3 Any VOA Event 4 Any VOA Event 5 Any VOA Event 6 Any VOA Event 7 Any VOA Event 8 Any VOA Event 9 Any VOA Event 10 * 7. What Social Networks are your favorite ways to communicate? Facebook Twitter Tumblr Instagram Google + Youtube Other (please specify) * 8. Please check those activities, tours, projects, and seminars that you would suggest the VOA plan as part of its program for the year. Airport tour Auto maintenance Automobile plant/dealership Backpacking Barbecue party Beach party Bike hike Block party Bowling Buy a car, how to Camping trip Canoeing Car wash Career clinic Cave exploring Child care Civil defense Climbing/rappelling College or university visit College panel discussion Communications Community cleanup activity Conservation project Cooking Court session Cruise, sailing Cycling/mountainbiking Dance Diet and nutrition Disabled citizens, assistance to Drug abuse/alcoholism Egg hunt for children Emergency preparedness Family picnic Family sports day Fashion show Fire safety First-aid training Fishing Geocaching Gourmet cooking Government official Halloween party Ham radio Hiking trail cleanup History, study the town's History, trace family Hobby smorgasbord Holiday party Horseback riding Hunter education Ice-skating party Industry, local Intercrew activities Job interviewing skills Leadership skills Lifesaving, swimming Military base trip Morality, ethics Mountaineering Movies Music listening Newsletter writing Orientation flight Orienteering Outdoor living history Pancake breakfast/supper Parents' night Part-time jobs clinic Photography Physical fitness Planetarium Plants and wildlife Play, produce a Power station Progressive dinner Project COPE Public speaking Recognition dinner Recycling center Shooting sports meet River rafting Road rally Sailing Saving money Scholarships Scuba diving Senior citizens, assistance to Skating Slide show, plan a Snow sports weekend Spaghetti dinner Sports medicine Sports safety Sports tournament State capitol, visit Summer jobs clinic Swim meet Swim party Television station Tennis clinic Train trip United Way, support the Watercraft Water sports Weather bureau Wilderness survival Winter camping trip Winter sports Other (please specify) Submit response >>


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Private equity investing, namely, venture capital transaction services provided for communications based industries
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El Dorado (Kan.) Butler County C.C. four-star cornerback Maurice Gray became part two of what could be a impressive three-piece Grizzly puzzle for Oklahoma State late on Tuesday afternoon.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder cornerback made up his mind, deciding to head to Stillwater and turning down offers from Iowa State, Arizona State, Middle Tennessee, Troy, Kansas, Kansas State and Ole Miss.
Earlier in the afternoon on Tuesday, word leaked that Butler County four-star defensive tackle Swanson Miller was heading to Stillwater with Gray. And if things hold true to form, Gray and Miller will be joined by another four-star teammate, running back Beau Johnson.
Article Continues Below
"I'm a Cowboy," Gray, the nation's No. 27 player, said. "It's just where I felt most comfortable at. I'm going to sign with OSU tomorrow around 2 p.m. Everybody around here is excited. We've already got Swanson, and I'm pretty sure Beau's going to come with us, too."
Johnson, who is back home in Georgia, is expected to pick between OSU, Kansas and Ole Miss. Most believe the final decision for Johnson will come between the Cowboys and Jayhawks, but Gray said the Rebels have made a strong push for Johnson the past few days.
Gray, however, couldn't be more excited about his decision to become a Cowboy. He said he built an "amazing" relationship with his lead recruiter Joe DeForest.
"I have been talking to coach DeForest every week, and he's a great person," Gray said. "I loved all of the coaches at Oklahoma State, but coach DeFo, he's an amazing guy."


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Dr. Wendie Berg, Ph.D., from the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) in Lutherville, MD, and colleagues examined the reliability with which experienced breast imagers were able to detect and interpret lesions on sonography, and shared their results in two RSNA papers.
The readers in this study had passed the qualification tasks for participating in the ACRIN 6666 trial, which is the study of screening breast ultrasound in high-risk women. Berg is the lead investigator for the trial, which got under way in March 2004. As of mid-November, 2,562 out of 2,808 women have been enrolled in ACRIN 6666.
"This entire trial almost didn't get off the ground because of concerns over operator dependence in breast ultrasound," Berg explained. "So these two papers are going to address two different aspects of this issue."
From the ACRIN 6666 enrollees, 10 women with known breast lesions were selected and scanned during one 12-hour session. In addition to being ACRIN-approved, the 11 readers had performed and interpreted 500 breast sonograms in the prior two years. The radiologists had also performed the ultrasound scans and documented lesions based on size, location, features, palpability, and BI-RADS final assessment.
"We considered only lesions that were identified by at least two investigators and used the consensus description as the gold standard," Berg explained. The average scan time for each patient was 31 minutes, ranging from 25 to 42 minutes.
According to the results, 88 unique lesions were identified and the mean lesion diameter was 6.7-mm. Eight lesions were palpable. Of the 968 possible detections, 535 or 55% were made by the readers. As a group, the detection rate ranged from 49% to 66% with 36% of lesions seen by only two to three investigators.
"We looked at what features contributed to lesion detection. Dimension and size were dominant characteristics that played into this with very small lesions, under 3 mm, being very difficult to detect," Berg said.
She offered an example of a 4-mm lesion that was small and deep within the breast. It was seen by 63% of the readers. However, these readers were divided on whether the lesion was a complicated cyst with a BI-RADS 3 or a simple cyst with BI-RADS 2.
Larger lesions were more consistently detected with the readers' detection rate coming in at 97% for lesions 11 mm or larger and 86% for lesions 9.1 mm to 11 mm. The detection rate ranged from 18% to 67.6% for lesions ranging from 3 mm to 9 mm.
The mean size of lesions detected by no fewer than seven investigators was 8.6 mm. The authors found that the likelihood of detection increased by 12% per mm increase from 3 mm to 13 mm.
The group found that "whether the lesion was a cyst or solid mass did not affect detection. We also looked at distance from the nipple � and that did not seem to factor into it. In general, except for one investigator, fatigue did not appear to play a significant role," Berg said.
The group had recently submitted a paper for publication in which the same readers tested their skills in a phantom model and achieved a much higher detection rate of 79%, including smaller lesions, she said.
"We found that consistent detection with lesions less than 11 mm in diameter was problematic with handheld ultrasound even when performed by experienced breast imaging radiologists who have been trained�. Obviously this has potential implications for screening with ultrasound," Berg concluded. "We really require detecting cancers less than or equal to a centimeter in size and that's right about the threshold where we start to see consistent performance."
In a second study, Berg's group evaluated whether these same radiologists could reliably interpret lesion characteristics. The same materials and methods were employed as in the previous study.
"This is obviously a parallel study. The purpose of this analysis was � to examine among these experience breast imaging radiologists performing whole-breast ultrasound the reliability of description of lesion size, lesion location, palpability, BI-RADS features, and BI-RADS final assessment, particularly by lesion."
The images and descriptions were reviewed and lesions were matched across all investigators. Again, only lesions seen by two investigators were included. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Kappa statistics were used to measure agreement on lesions features compared to consensus.
Again, 88 unique lesions were identified with a mean size of 7.8 mm. The ICCs came in at more than 0.7 for "clock-face" location, distance from the nipple (using the width of the transducer as a guide), and individual lesion diameter, indicating very high reliability. The Kappa values came in as follows:
Palpability: 0.70 (92% agreement)
Special cases (including cyst, intraductal mass, scar): 0.74
Shape: 0.75.
Echogenicity: 0.49
Margins: 0.67 (94% agreement)
Orientation: 0.75
Posterior features: 0.51
BI-RADS final assessment: 0.56
Finally, clinically significant disagreement between readers was found in only 8.5% of the interpretations. The most extreme disagreement in lesion size was a case of a calcifying fibroadenoma that measured up to 27 mm, but was called at 9 mm by another observer.
Berg's group concluded that amongst trained breast imaging specialists, agreement was good for BI-RADS feature analysis and very good for lesion location and size.
"There was high reliability for lesion diameter and location, which was better than expected," Berg said. "If one considers screening, or even any kind of whole-breast ultrasound, you are obviously going to find incidental lesions that we'd consider 'probably benign.' The fact that the recording of the diameter and location of the lesion was consistent is certainly encouraging. We need that information to allow for follow-up and appropriate management if the lesion should grow."
At the 2004 RSNA meeting, Berg presented the results of a study on ultrasound interpretation skills. In that paper, the authors found that radiologists who scanned patients themselves (versus relying on a technologist) turned in a substantially better interpretive performance. Those who interpreted more ultrasound exams per week also turned in better results.
By Shalmali Pal
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
November 28, 2005
Related Reading
US-guided optical breast imaging separates benign from malignant tumors, October 13, 2005
Breast US readers need more practice with postop changes, December 22, 2004
Breast imagers fare better with hands-on approach to screening ultrasound, December 17, 2004
Copyright � 2005 AuntMinnie.com


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Reeves, William ( c 1680 ?? - 1751 NC)
Reeves, William
Reeves, William
SummaryFather: Unknown
Mother: Unknown
Birth: c1680
Birth Source: Age approximate based upon children's ages.
Death: before November 1751, Granville County, North Carolina
Death Source: Will recorded in Granville County, NC
Spouse1: Unknown
Spouse2: Margaret Burgess (Maiden name undocumented and based upon conjecture.)
NarrativeChildren of William Reeves and unknown wife:
- William Reeves, Jr., b. c1710
- James Reeves, b. c1713
- Isaac Reeves, b. c1719
- Malachi Reeves, b. c1720
- Benjamin Reeves
- Sarah Reeves, b. c 1722, m. Robert Hicks
- Elizabeth Reeves?, b. c1730 m. Hodges
- Mary Reeves?, b. c1730 m. Carpenter
- Burgess Reeves, b. 1746
- Anna Reeves?
- Olive Reeves?
William Reeves was in Chowan Precinct of North Carolina in February 1718 when he was referenced as an adjoining landowner in a deed involving Robert Hicks. After Bertie County was formed from Chowan in 1722, he appears many times in those records and in Edgecombe County land transactions after it was created from portions of Bertie in 1732.
The following are just a few of the numerous transactions recorded pertaining to William Reeves principally in Edgecombe and Granville counties.
- In 1733, a petition requesting that the seat of government not be moved to the lower part of the Cape Fear River (from Edenton) was signed by William Reeves along with numerous other citizens. Instead, they suggested a place in the center of the Province somewhere between the Tar and Neuse River.
- William Receives (sic Reeves) purchased 200 acres from John Span, both of Bertie Precinct, for land on the south side of the Moratock River and the north side of the Great Quankey Creek, March 10, 1738. Mal. R. Reves signed as a witness. Land was originally part of patent granted to Robert Wood on July 24, 1724 and appears to be the same land conveyed by James Reeves to Laurence Sympcock in 1737.
- William Reeves was referenced in deed from Joseph Ballard (Chowan Precinct) to Jonathan Mulkey (Edgecombe Precinct), for land on the south side of the Roanoke River in Plumbtree Island adjoining the Goose Pond and William Reeves, January 25, 1738/9.
- William Reves is referenced in a deed from Paul Harrelson to John Hardy, both of Edgecombe County, land on the Great Creek, adjoining Spann, and which was part of a patent originally issued to William Reves, Jr. for 400 acres on July 9, 1738, April 9, 1741.
- On August 8, 1739, William Reeves of Edgecombe County sold 230 acres on the north side of the Morratock River at the fork of Turbefield's Run to Robert Harris for 40 pounds. This deed was recorded in Bertie County.
- The Executive Council ordered that patents be issued to William Reeves for 400-acre tract and a 100-acre tract on the Great Creek in Edgecombe County, June 7, 1739.
- William Reeves was on a list of jurymen for Bertie and Edgecombe County in 1740.
- William Reves witnessed a deed from Peter Bruce to Isaac Reeves, both of Edgecombe County, for 100 acres on Marsh Swamp, August 14, 1740.
- William Reeves of Edgecombe County sold land to Robert Hicks, "mariner" of Northwest Parish, Bertie on April 13, 1741. The 30 acres located in northwest Parrish, Bertie on the north side of the Roanoke River sold for 3 pounds.
- He received a grant in Granville County from Lord Granville for 200 acres in Granville County on both sides of Fishing Creek, March 25, 1749. Sworn Chain Carriers were Malachi Rieves, William Rieves and Dan Weldon, Surveyor.
- Wm. Reeves was referenced as an adjoining landowner in patent issued to Ralph Hedgepeth on both sides of the Great Creek, April 11, 1745.
- William Reves witnessed a deed form John Haywood to John Gordon, both of Edgecombe County, February 18, 1746.
- William Reves witnessed a deed from Joseph Brewer to John McKinnie, both of Granville County, for 200 acres on the south side of the Great Quankey Creek and the plantation where McKinnie now lives, August 11, 1747.
- William Reves witnessed a deed from John McKinnie to James Reaves, both of Edgecombe County, for 200 acres on the south side of Great Quankey Creek, October 14, 1747.
- On January 11, 1750 in Granville County, William Reves sold 220 acres to Ralph Hedgpeth, witnessed by Thos. Good and W. Turner.
- William Reves, Sr. sold to James Reves, Jr. (Jr.?) land on the north side of the Great Quankee Creek, adjoining the said James. Witnessed by William Reves, Jr., and John Reves, December 31, 1750.
SourcesDeed Records of Edgecombe County, NC
1751 Will of William Reeves, Sr.
Contributors to this page: Beverly
Page last modified on Friday 06 of May, 2016 17:35:26 CDT by Beverly .


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Howdy Hounds!
My honey is sick. Weird GI symptoms as well as the makings of a nasty cold. I'd like to fix him some nice comfort food tonight. He often neglects fluids when ill, so there's that to consider. Otherwise, I think he'll be up for pretty much anything.
Thanks y'all. Have a great Monday!


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U.S., Russia Disagree on Syrian Consequences if No Deal
The United Nations confirmed that chemical weapons were used against Syrian civilians, but did not assign responsibility. Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Paris to rally support for a U.S.-Russia agreement that would force Syria to remove or destroy all chemical weapons by mid-2014. Gwen Ifill reports.
Aired: 09/16/13
Expired: 12/31/69


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A polynomial-like map of degree d is a holomorphic map (MathWorld) f: U' → U such that every point in U has exactly d preimages in U', where U, U' are open sets isomorphic to disc and U contains U' in its interior.
Let f : U' → U be a polynomial-like map. The filled Julia set Kf of f is defined as the set of points in U' that never leave U' under iteration.
The Straightening Theorem Let f : U' → U be a polynomial-like map of degree d. Then f is hybrid equivalent (quasi-conformally conjugate) to a polynomial P of degree d. Moreover, if Kf is connected, then P is unique up to (global) conjugation by an affine map.
In particular, a hybrid equivalence implies that corresponding Julia sets are homeomorphic (MW). This theorem explains why one finds copies of Julia sets of polynomials in the dynamical planes of all kinds of functions. If f is polynomial- like of degree two and its Julia set is connected then f is hybrid equivalent to a polynomial z2 + c for a unique value of c. This may also be true for other families of polynomial-like maps of degree large than two, as long as the resulting class of polynomials has a unique representative in each affine class. See [1] for details.
Example A The obvious example is an actual polynomial P of degree d, restricted to a large enough open set. You see quadratic Julia set J(-1) here. Open sets U, U' are enclosed by the Γ, Γ' equipotential curves and Γ = P(Γ'). The triple (P|U' , U', U) is a polynomial like map of degree two.
The theory of polynomial-like mappings of A.Douady and J.Hubbard explains why the very particular family of polynomials is important for the understanding of iteration of a much wider class of functions namely those that locally behave as polynomials do.
Example B.1 Consider the cubic polynomial Pa(z) =
z3 - 3a2z - 2a3 - a.
For all value of a, the
critical point ω2 = -a is a
fixed (superattracting) point. For a = - 0.6 the critical point
ω1 = a escapes to infinity.
The open set U is enclosed by the equipotential curve
Then the preimage of Γ under P is
a figure eight curve Γ'. This curve bounds
two connected components U' and V.
U' is the component that contains the critical point
ω2 with a bounded orbit,
U' maps to U with degree two, i.e. every
point in U has exactly two preimages in U'.
Example C Let f(z) = π cos(z)
is an entire transcendental function, U' is the open simply connected
U' = { |Im(z)| < 1.7, |Re(z)+π| < 2 },
and U = f(U'). Since U' contains only one critical point ω = -π, it follows that f maps U' to U with degree two. Hence the triple {f|U', U', U} is a polynomial-like of degree two. Since the critical point -π is fixed under f, the largest component (around -π below) is homeomorphic to the filled Julia set of Qo(z) = z2.
[1] Nuria Fagella The theory of polynomial-like mappings - The importance of quadratic polynomials


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I am planning to spend a week in the Cotswolds in March/April 2010. Can someone please tell me:
1. Will it be freezing cold and wet or might I get a bit of sunshine?
2. Will the ground be snow covered or lush and green?
3. Will the trees be bare or have leaves?
4. Will the spring flowers be out yet?
5. Which villages would be central to the area to use as a base?
6. Will there be a lot of tourists about at that time of year?
I would like to find a warm, comfortable B&B and stay there for 7 nights, taking day trips by car to visit the various towns, villages and beauty spots in the area.
My hobby is very much photography, so seven days indoors while it pours with rain outside would be my idea of hell
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A week in the Cotswolds
I am planning to spend a week in the Cotswolds in March/April 2010. Can someone please tell me:
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I'll have a go.
1. Might be all of these things.
2. Might be either of these.
3. Some will.
4. Early bulbs, croci, daffodils should be.
5. Flanner will be along shortly to advise you, I'm sure.
6. Possibly, when is Easter next year? Shouldn't be heaving with them though.
Have you been to the UK before? Weather here, like Easter, is a moveable feast. We've had winters with no snow and then snow in June. If you want guaranteed good weather, wrong country at wrong time of year. Could be fantastic though...
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March/April covers a wider range of weather than almost any other time in England. But:
1. Will it be freezing cold
Very unlikely
and wet
Sometimes. Sometimes not
or might I get a bit of sunshine?
Almost certainly. Also, practically certain to be times there's not much sun
2. Will the ground be snow covered
99% likely not at all. 1% likely for a couple of hours in March
or lush and green?
Yes-ish. March grass isn't that lush. Countryside here's never bleak: but
or muddy
3. Will the trees be bare or have leaves?
Yes. To both Changes hourly from March to end April (when almost everything's out)
4. Will the spring flowers be out yet?
We're WAY beyond daffs (which are fully out by March 1, St David's Day. Why else would they be the national flower of Wales?) By April the garden's chocker
5. Which villages would be central to the area to use as a base?
Distances are pretty short.If you don't need public transport, the usual recs are Chipping Campden, Burford, Northleach, Stow, Tetbury and whichever I've forgotten. Crucial thing isn't centrality: it's being able to walk back from the pub at night and having a few places to eat. So it's towns (which we define as 4,000-6,000 pop, and a charter dating from 1400 or earlier)
6. Will there be a lot of tourists about at that time of year?
No. Except for the weekend of March 14 in pubs (Mothering Sunday, when you can't get a Sunday lunch anywhere), the next two weekends if they're fine and sunny - but only on the footpaths, where on a busy day you'll pass at least five people in a three-hour walk - and over Easter weekend (April 2-5) in the tourist traps.
Otherwise, 95% of the Cotswolds just don't get tourists, and 100% don't get any before 11 or after 5. The "crowds of tourists" crap comes from those tourists who only ever go to tourist traps - where, amazingly, they see other tourists.
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Many thanks for your kind responses. I love that sense of humour. I am still chuckling
stfc: I have been to the UK a number of times. I lived in London for 2 years in the 60s and I have been visiting the UK annually for the last 6 years (my daughter lives in Surrey). I usually visit in about August/September but my daughter wants me there very early next year in order to be rid of me before the summer
My memory of March/April conditions is 40 years old and a little hazy. I remember visiting Castle Combe 40 years ago but otherwise I am unfamiliar with the Cotswolds.
Thanks for the heads-up regarding Easter. I will do my best to give that a miss. My preference would be for the last three weeks in April (one week with my daughter, one week in the Cotswolds and one week in the Lake District) but my daughter will dictate the actual timing and I may have to settle for the last three weeks of March (I remember March as being coldish in London).
Flanneruk: Thanks for your valuable information. It is so useful to get advice from the resident expert on the area. I will start researching accommodation in the towns that you have suggested.
My travelling companion is heavily into photographing quaint cottages (preferably with thatched roofs) so it would be nice to know the best places to find these. Also some recommendations on nice gardens to visit would be appreciated.
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For thatched cottages visit Great Tew and stop at St. Michael and All Angels...nice wall paintings.
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Oh - I'm looking forward to your plans for this trip. I remember the planning/posting for your trip to Scotland (last year?)
This one seems much slower/low key.
Since you'll have a car, Burford or Chipping Campden would be good choices. Both are still village-y but large enough to have a choice of pubs/restaurants/shops.
But really - you could stay anywhere. You say you prefer a B&B - but for a week, have you considered renting a flat or small cottage? It would be cheaper for the two of you and you'd have tons more space.
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In England spring comes much earlier than in the northern half of the US. Freezing temps are very unlikely as is snow (these are unlikely there even in midwinter never mind March/April).
You may get some chilly temps and I'm sure will get some rain - but winter weather would be a real surprise. At that time of year I wouldn;t even take a winter coat - but a lighter weight jacket and some sweaters for layering if necessary. But you will need comfy waterproofed walking shoes and a sturdy folding umbrella.
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Yelpir, thanks. Your questions seemed black and white which is why I asked whether you had been here before. Clearly you are familiar with our weather.
If you are a keen photographer, then you will have ample opportunities to display your skill in April. Spring and autumn here offer a huge range of lighting conditions, but you sometimes have to seize the moment. It wasn't until I had spent time in the Middle East, where it is either blazingly light or dark, that I began to appreciate the conditions here. But be prepared for wet weather.
My wife and I spend a few days away, in the UK, walking, every November. We're off to the Lake District next week. We've had, what, two really wet days in five years? Your plan sounds excellent, hope you have a great time.
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Ok, folks, based on your kind advices I have been busily researching the Cotswold area and holiday cottages in particular. It has been long and hard as I alway seem to have unusual requirements that don't match what is available. By far the majority of cottages have double beds and finding one with twin beds is like trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack. Finally I have had to settle for cottages with two bedrooms, which is stretching my budget somewhat. I fancy a cottage on a farm somewhere in the Stow-on-the-Wold area. I love the idea of waking up at the crack of dawn and wandering around the farmyard of a working farm, camera in hand. I have not yet found what I am looking for but I will let you know when I do. If anyone can save me some time by pointing me in the right direction, I would be most grateful. I have already put in probably 80 to 100 hours of searching.
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here are two good agencies:
Some examples at moderate rates w/ either 2 bdrms or 2 beds:
http://www.cottageinthecountry.co.uk/properties/C045 (this one has 1 bdrm/2 beds, looks really nice, and is VERY inexpensive)
You may not find one on a working farm -- but just about ANY Cotswold cottage is w/i walking distance of farms.
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Thanks, janisj. Great minds think alike. I fell in love with Turkey Cottage the minute I saw it. I sent the link to my friend in Australia and she liked it to. I immediatedly logged on to book it but in that 24hr period someone else jumped in and booked it for our dates. Unfortunately our flights are already booked so we are unable to change our dates. I am still considering swopping the week in the Cotswolds with the week in the Lake District so that we can get Turkey Cottage. What is preventing me is the long drive to the Lake District on the morning that I land at Heathrow. I would prefer the shorter drive to the Cotswolds for that day.
Thank you for all the other links. I will start investigating them now
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I am not an expert here, but just a thought on getting to the Lake District on your first day. What if you took a train or bus to one of the towns/cities closer to the lakes and picked up your rental car there and then returned it to Heathrow at the end of your trip?
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You could fly up to Manchester, or take the train to Manchester or Liverpool. From either it is a short distance to the Lakes. There are other places you could fly to - but they wouldn't have the choice of car hire companies that you'd find in the two cities.
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Getting from LHR to NW England is a real pain.
It's a sod of a drive, and the trains are a bugger (you need to change tubes to get to Euston from LHR, or get a just airports style car: the bus to Watford doesn't run any more.)
The simplest thing is to fly to MCR (or GLA) from LHR, then hire a car to get to the Lakes. You CAN get a bus to Reading, then a train to Carnforth or wherever (same-platform change at Stafford). But as janisj says, hiring a car at Carnforth or Penrith or wherever might be tricky.
There are few times I'd disagree with someone recommending you go to Liverpool. But, thanks to the absurd way Heathrow's mismanaged by the rapacious Spaniards currently allowed to get away with the best argument against private ownership anywhere in the world, it's almost impossible to get to the World's Greatest City (TM) from the World's Major Airport.
That's why the Cotswolds - which are, sadly, practically Heathrow's ornamental gardens (the crack of dawn round here is more about a million contrails coming in from the Americas and Asia than about cows mooing) - make so much better sense to start a holiday off in.
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I have carefully considered the option of heading for the Lake District first by plane or train or coach, but it introduces complications that I would rather not have to deal with right now. Thanks for the excellent suggestions, though. I have narrowed the Cotswolds cottage choice down to two:
1. Stow on the Wold Cottage in Stow-on-the-Wold and
2. Woodbine Cottage in Donnington.
Has anyone stayed in either of these two cottages so that I can get a recommendation?
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haven't stayed there but donington - the home of donington ales - would be like being in paradise (well, a bit).
we stayed in ch campden last w/end through campden cottages if you need still more options...flew back from spain for family get together and despite wind and rain it was great to get some real weather. more importantly, excellent meals, esp lunch at the Golden Ball in Lower Swell (a Donington house of course). It's maybe 15 yrs since i tasted it which is why i'm still swooning. left there thinking we should have stayed a week so am envious of you. all that walking, all those villages...temple guiting, bourton on the hill, naunton, swells, even slaughters...sigh...
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I'm back to this thread after a bit of an absence. I have not been idle, though. The plan is as follows:
Land Heathrow early morning April 10th. Pick up hire car and head for the Cotswolds. Spend seven nights in Woodbine Cottage in Donnington. On April 17th drive up to the Lake District. Spend seven nights in Fellcroft Cottage in Ambleside. Saturday April 24th drive back to Heathrow and drop off the car.
Woodbine Cottage was booked through Cottages Direct and Fellcroft was booked through Heart of the Lakes. Both agencies were chosen because of their excellent range of cottages and the fact that they allow for online payment by credit card.
That first day driving from Heathrow to Donnington will need a bit of filling, as we can't get into the cottage until 3:00pm so I figure to pass through Bath and spend some time in Castle Combe on the way. Any other suggestions along the road?
Also any suggestions re car hiring in or near Heathrow would be appreciated.
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Donnington is just outside Stow-on-the-Wold. LHR > Bath > Donnington would be a hellacious drive off a long haul flight -- or even if you weren't flying in. I know you are very used to the driving, but I definitely would try to avoid a slog on your arrival day.
I'd find something else to see/visit more enroute. (Actually I'd avoid driving that day completely - but I know you won't go w/ that idea)
Depending on your interests -- Windsor, or Oxford, or Blenheim/Bladon, or just walking around Burford/Bourton-on-the/Stow and/or the Slaughters makes more sense than going all the way to Bath and back.
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There have been considerable comments on this forum in regard to driving after a long haul flight, and the consensus is that it's not a good idea. If I remember correctly you are from South Africa and, if so, that's a bear of a flight. If coming from Europe, you'll be fine;otherwise do as janisj suggests and only travel as far as Oxford/Blenheim or Woodstock. Trying to take in Bath,Castle Comb and then driving to Donnington after landing at LHR is neither a good plan nor safe one. I realize you can't change your flights, but please reconsider your options once you arrive.
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No way I'd drive, either.
Why not stay in Bath (get there by bus or train) your first night and pick up the car the next day?
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Is there anywhere near the Cotswolds that one could coach to from Heathrow and where one could pick up a hire car for the last bit? Bath, maybe?
Last trip on the day I arrived I took a coach to Taunton, picked up a car there and then drove to Lynmouth. I stopped a lot along the way to take pictures and arrived quite late.
In April there is only a 1 hour time difference between South Africa and the UK, so there is no jet lag involved. I usually sleep pretty well on planes (I usually sleep pretty well almost anywhere ) so I tend to arrive at Heathrow feeling fresh and raring to go.
A possible compromise might be to drive straight from Heathrow to Donnington, park the car and explore Stow-on-the-Wold on foot until we can get into the cottage.
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"A possible compromise might be to drive straight from Heathrow to Donnington, park the car and explore Stow-on-the-Wold on foot until we can get into the cottage."
That would be the best solution of all. Or you could also pop over to the Slaughters or Bourton or Burford. Plus you'll want to do some grocery shopping in Stow as well.
LHR is about the best/easiest place to collect a car. 2nd best would be in Oxford -- but that would involve a train(s) and/or bus to get to Oxford and then a taxi to whichever rental company you choose.
There really isn't anyplace else that makes sense.
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There's a bus every half hour (no booking really needed: there's a slight saving if you do, but hardly worth the hassle of worrying about missing the one you've booked) from T5 and from the central LHR bus station to Oxford. You then probably need a taxi: the most driver-friendly car hire location is Hertz at Kidlington, about 3 miles from the city centre. Avis and Budget both have depots a half-mile, OK-ish, walk from the main bus station, but both then require you to deal with central Oxford traffic.
The other more or less Cotswolds place with car hire and painless access from LHR is Bath, though buses from LHR are every 90-120 minsish.
The railway station handiest for Stow is Moreton in Marsh, though car hire there is tricky, there may well be line closures this coming March or April (meaning the "train" to it turns into a bus at Oxford), and to get to it means a bus from LHR to Reading station or the Heathrow Connect train to Paddington
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Thanks for the help, folks
janisj: good tip about the grocery shopping. Yes, we will definitely need time in Stow to stock up.
flanneruk: thanks for the bus info. I will check out car hire companies in Oxford and Bath. Last time when I took the bus to Taunton, Enterprise agreed to pick me up at the bus station and drive me to their offices. They even dropped me back at the bus station at the end of the hire. Perhaps I can persuade them to do it again
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