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The Madness of King George
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The Madness of King George is a 1994 British biographical historical comedy-drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own play, The Madness of George III. It tells the true story of George III of Great Britain's deteriorating mental health, and his equally declining relationship with his eldest son, the Prince of Wales, particularly focusing on the period around the Regency Crisis of 1788–89. Modern medicine has suggested that the King's symptoms were the result of acute intermittent porphyria, although this theory has more recently been vigorously challenged, most notably by a research project based at St George's, University of London, which concluded that George III did actually suffer from mental illness after all.[3]
|The Madness of King George
Original theatrical release poster
|Directed by
|Nicholas Hytner
|Produced by
|Screenplay by
|Alan Bennett
|Based on
|The Madness of George III
by Alan Bennett
|Music by
|Andrew Dunn
|Edited by
|Tariq Anwar
|Distributed by
|The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release date
Running time
|110 minutes[1]
|United Kingdom
|Box office
|$15.2 million[2]
The Madness of King George won the BAFTA Awards in 1995 for Outstanding British Film and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Nigel Hawthorne, while also being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The movie also won the Best Art Direction and was nominated for additional Oscars for Best Supporting Actress for Mirren and Best Adapted Screenplay. Helen Mirren also won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress and Hytner was nominated for the Palme d'Or.
In 1999, the British Film Institute voted The Madness of King George the 42nd greatest British film of all time.
The film depicts the ordeal of King George III whose bout of madness in 1788 touched off the Regency Crisis of 1788, triggering a power struggle between factions of Parliament under the conservative Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger and the reform-minded Leader of the Opposition Charles James Fox.
At first, the King's habits appear mildly eccentric, and are purposely ignored for reasons of state. The King is seen as being highly concerned with the wellbeing and productivity of the United Kingdom, and continually exhibits an encyclopedic knowledge of the families of even the most obscure royal appointments. In fact, the King is growing more unsettled, largely over the loss of America. The King's eldest son George, Prince of Wales, aggravates the situation, knowing that he would be named regent in the event the King was found incapacitated. George chafes under his father's repeated criticism, but also hopes for regency to allow him greater freedom to marry his Catholic mistress Mrs. Fitzherbert. George also knows that he has the moral support of Fox, who is eager to put across an agenda unlikely to pass under the current administration, including abolition of the slave trade and friendlier relations with America. Knowing that the King's behavior is exacerbated in public, the Prince arranges for a concert playing the music of Handel. The King reacts as expected, interrupting the musicians, acting inappropriately towards Lady Pembroke, Lady of the Bedchamber, and finally assaulting his son.
The King's madness is treated using the relatively primitive medical practices of the time, which include blistering and purges, led on particularly by the Prince of Wales' personal physician, Dr. Warren. Eventually, Lady Pembroke recommends Dr. Francis Willis, an ex-minister who attempts to cure the insane through new procedures, and who begins his restoration of the King's mental state by enforcing a strict regimen of strapping the King into a waistcoat and restraining him whenever he shows signs of his insanity or otherwise resists recovery.
Meanwhile, the Whig opposition led by Fox confronts Pitt's increasingly unpopular Tory government with a bill that would give the Prince powers of regency. Meanwhile, Baron Thurlow, the Lord Chancellor, discovers that the Prince was secretly and illegally married to his Catholic mistress. Thurlow pays the minister to keep his mouth shut, and himself tears out a record of the marriage from church rolls.
The King soon shows signs of recovery, becoming less eccentric and arrives in Parliament in time to thwart passage of the Regency bill. Restored, the King asserts control over his family, forcing the Prince to "put away" his mistress. With the crisis averted, those who had been closest to the king are summarily dismissed from service, including Dr. Willis. During conversations with Pitt, the King appears more at ease and in control of himself. He is less antagonized by America, but also shows signs that his insanity remains. A final message states that the King likely suffered from porphyria, noting that it is an incurable chronic condition and is hereditary.
- Nigel Hawthorne as King George III
- Helen Mirren as Queen Charlotte
- Ian Holm as Francis Willis
- Amanda Donohoe as Lady Pembroke, Lady of the Bedchamber
- Rupert Graves as Colonel Greville
- Geoffrey Palmer as Doctor Warren
- Rupert Everett as George, Prince of Wales
- Jim Carter as Charles James Fox, Leader of the Opposition
- Julian Rhind-Tutt as Frederick, the Duke of York
- Julian Wadham as a William Pitt the Younger, Prime Minister
- Anthony Calf as Lord Charles Fitzroy
- Adrian Scarborough as Fortnum
- John Wood as Lord Chancellor Lord Thurlow
- Jeremy Child as Black Rod
- Struan Rodger as Henry Dundas
- Janine Duvitski as Margaret Nicholson
- Caroline Harker as Mrs. Fitzherbert
- Roger Hammond as Baker
- Cyril Shaps as Pepys
- Selina Cadell as Mrs. Cordwell
- Alan Bennett as a backbench MP whose speech is interrupted by everyone running out to see the King
- Nicholas Selby as Speaker
Title changeEdit
In adapting the play to film, the director Nicholas Hytner changed the name from The Madness of George III to The Madness of King George for American audiences, to clarify George III's royalty. A popular explanation developed that the change was made because there was a worry that American audiences would think it was a sequel and not go to see it, assuming they had missed "I" and "II". An interview revealed: "That's not totally untrue," said Hytner, laughing. "But there was also the factor that it was felt necessary to get the word King into the title."[4]
Filming locationsEdit
Principal photography took place from 11 July to 9 September 1994. The film was shot at Shepperton Studios and on location at:[citation needed]
Box officeEdit
The Madness of King George debuted strongly at the box office.[5] The film grossed $15,238,689 from 464 North American venues.[2]
Critical responseEdit
The film received largely positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 93% "Certified Fresh" score based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 7.83/10. The site's consensus states: "Thanks largely to stellar all-around performances from a talented cast, The Madness of King George is a funny, entertaining, and immensely likable adaptation of the eponymous stage production."[6]
Reviewing the film for Variety, Emanuel Levy praised the film highly, writing: "Under Hytner's guidance, the cast, composed of some of the best actors in British cinema, rises to the occasion... Boasting a rich period look, almost every shot is filled with handsome, emotionally charged composition."[7]
John Simon of the National Review wrote- "The Madness of King George III has survived the transfer from stage to screen, and emerges equally enjoyable on film." Simon praised all the leading actors and most of the supporting cast with the exception of Jim Carter's portrayal of Fox which he said lacked charisma.[8]
Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic wrote- "For those who, like myself, were disappointed in the play, the film contains pleasant surprises, all of them resulting from differences between the two arts."[9]
Awards and honoursEdit
Academy AwardsEdit
- Best Actor (Nigel Hawthorne) – Nominated
- Best Supporting Actress (Helen Mirren) – Nominated
- Best Adapted Screenplay (Alan Bennett) – Nominated
- Best Art Direction (Ken Adam, Carolyn Scott) – Won
BAFTA AwardsEdit
- Best Film (David Parfitt) – Nominated
- Best British Film (David Parfitt) – Won
- Best Direction (Nicholas Hytner) – Nominated
- Best Actor in a Leading Role (Nigel Hawthorne) – Won
- Best Actress in a Leading Role (Helen Mirren) – Nominated
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ian Holm) – Nominated
- Best Adapted Screenplay (Alan Bennett) – Nominated
- Best Film Music (George Fenton) – Nominated
- Best Cinematography (Andrew Dunn) – Nominated
- Best Production Design (Ken Adam) – Nominated
- Best Costume Design (Mark Thompson) – Nominated
- Best Editing (Tariq Anwar) – Nominated
- Best Sound (Christopher Ackland, David Crozier, Robin O'Donoghue) – Nominated
- Best Makeup and Hair (Lisa Westcott) – Won
Other awards and nominationsEdit
- Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (Helen Mirren) – Won
- Palme d'Or (Ncholas Hytner) – Nominated[10]
- Best Actor (Nigel Hawthorne) – Won.[11]
- Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Film (Nicholas Hytner) – Won
- Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Screenplay (Alan Bennett) – Won
- Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Technical/Artistic Achievement (Andrew Dunn) – Won
- Goya Award for Best European Film (Nicholas Hytner) – Nominated
- London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Film of the Year – Won
- London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actor of the Year (Nigel Hawthorne) – Won
- London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actress of the Year (Helen Mirren) – Nominated
- London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Screenwriter of the Year (Alan Bennett) – Won
- London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Technical Achievement of the Year (Ken Adam) – Won
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films – Won
- Writers Guild of America: Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published (Alan Bennett) – Nominated
- Writers' Guild of Great Britain: Film – Screenplay (Alan Bennett) – Won
See alsoEdit
- ^ "THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 23 January 1995. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ a b "The Madness of King George (1994)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ What Was The Truth About The Madness Of George III?
- ^ "PROFILE : Life on an Artistic Carousel : Nicholas Hytner, director of 'Miss Saigon' and 'Carousel,' and 'Madness of King George' on film, is the hottest British import. Is he ready for America's Pop Icon Machine?". LA Times. 8 January 1995. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
- ^ Natale, Richard (3 January 1995). "New Year Box Office Starts Off With Bang Movies: At $15.5 million, `Dumb' stole the show during the long holiday weekend. But many other movies filled the seats as well". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
- ^ "The Madness of King George (1994)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
- ^ Review: 'The Madness of King George'. Retrieved on 2016-10-08 from https://variety.com/1994/film/reviews/the-madness-of-king-george-2-1200439660/.
- ^ Simon, John (2005). John Simon on Film: Criticism 1982-2001. Applause Books. p. 450-451.
- ^ Stanley Kauffmann at rottentomatoes.com
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Madness of King George". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
- ^ "Empire Awards Past Winners - 1996". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2003. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
External linksEdit
- The Madness of King George on IMDb
- The Madness of King George at Box Office Mojo
- The Madness of King George at Rotten Tomatoes
- Mikkelson, Barbara & David P. "The Madness of King George" at Snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages.


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Rio-Games-hopeful Andrew Yorke may be the future of Canadian triathlon. But he's definitely got a future planning the future of cycling in Headwaters. Sitting down with him was quite the ride, spanning life-saving health diagnoses, four-day cycling itineraries, and how mellow music makes him anything but.
Orangeville saved your life.
In 2008 after a long period of worsening health, the Headwaters Hospital finally diagnosed me with a staph infection and an epidural abscess. Surgery at St. Mikes, twenty-six staples in my back, a month on an IV… I thought I'd never race again.
Here we are, eight years later and you're currently ranked to qualify in the Olympic Games.
Well, my final race is May 15. I'll need two top finishes: I have one currently and am ranked to qualify, but then I'm going to have to be selected by Canada for a spot. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Andrew was named to the Canadian Olympic Triathlon Team]
What drew you to triathlon?
I liked riding my bike and enjoy being outside. I was competitive and racing against other people drew me to it. And the town of Caledon got behind me as I improved to racing nationally and internationally.
Headwaters, Caledon — they're tailor-made for long, endurance sports. Running, skiing…
Well, yeah! Cross-country is huge up there. There is a definitely some sort of a distance and a cardio connection. The terrain definitely attracts that kind of people. You've got the Bruce Trail, the Rail Trail, there are so many places to run.
Is there a particular place where you tell people, "If you really want to have a beautiful ride, here is where you should go?"
A lot of the time people want a challenge so they come to Caledon because there are hills. A lot of the roads in North America are on a grid system; north, south, east, west. There is not a lot of tactical skill needed to road bike. When you come to Caledon there's still the grid system — so you don't get lost — but there is switch back climbs (roads that zig-zag up instead of climbing straight up.). And on top of that are great dirt roads. Dirt riding on a modified road bike is exploding in popularity right now because there is no cars on those roads.
I'd say we do about 50% of our riding on dirt roads. And most people that come to Caledon see the dirt roads but don't think about cycling down them. But surprisingly, they are technically a bit more challenging, but a lot more fun. You see more, you get away from the city and people. You can stop in any of the small towns, get a coffee or food. You don't need to be someone who is a hard core athlete. You can get on your bike and go riding for an hour. And go town to town.
What a fantastic idea: the Headwaters cycle trail.
You've got to make a link between various municipalities. You could start, in say, Niagara/ Hamilton. It seems far but it is only 100 km from Caledon. You could do a ride and start in Hamilton, then head towards Melville, they have beautiful riding, they have Rattlesnake Park. That would be your halfway point, and then you could ride into Caledon and make some stops along the way. From there you could spend a couple days and then end up at Georgian Bay. It's like a four day ride, maybe 220 km. Someone who isn't that into cycling could do it over four to five days; someone who is into cycling could do it in a day or two.
On your Canadian Olympic Team bio it says, "Always listens to the same two songs on race day." Is it jinxing you to say what those songs are that you play?
That is true! I normally listen to Pulmonary Archery by Alexisonfire, and then stuff like Bon Iver which is very mellow and chill. And that will still get me as pumped up as the hardest music.
It allows you to get in touch with your emotions and race off that. It's been a big part of my performance. If I can't get in touch with that, it's not like I am going to have a bad race… but I if I can I know that something good is going to happen.

subset: commoncrawl


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Lord Oakeshott tabled yesterday's question in the House of Lords using the 300-year-old right of parliamentary privilege to disclose details of the draconian gagging order.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lord Oakeshott said: "I'm very concerned the whole story should be out there, should be properly investigated and we should all learn the lessons of the collapse."
His decision to raise the issue in parliament led to the disclosure that the former chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland was having an affair with a senior colleague when the bank collapsed.
In a move hailed by politicians as a "victory for freedom of speech", Sir Fred, a married father of two, agreed to lift a super-injunction he had secured to prevent the publication of details of the extra-marital sexual affair.
Senior MPs and politicians want to know whether Sir Fred's relationship might have contributed to the collapse of RBS. They are now urging the Financial Services Authority to investigate it as part of a forthcoming review. The affair might also have breached severe corporate governance rules, they believe.
Details of the injunction, so strict that it prevented Sir Fred from even being identified as a banker, were disclosed by Lord Stoneham in a question during a debate in the Lords on Thursday morning.
Lord Stoneham, speaking on behalf of Lord Oakeshott, said: "Every taxpayer has a direct public interest in the events leading up to the collapse of the Royal Bank of Scotland.
"So how can it be right for a super-injunction to hide the alleged relationship between Sir Fred Goodwin and a senior colleague? If true, it would be a serious breach of corporate governance and not even the Financial Services Authority would be allowed to know about it."
Less than five hours later, Mr Justice Tugendhat, sitting at the High Court in London, varied the injunction to allow reporting of Sir Fred's name, but not details of the alleged relationship or the name of the colleague said to be involved.
"The main point is that this is an injunction relating to a sexual relationship," the judge said.
Sir Fred, nicknamed "Fred the Shred" for his cost-cutting management style, presided over the collapse of Royal Bank of Scotland, which needed a £20 billion bail-out by the taxpayer. He left with a pension of £700,000 a year and a lump sum of nearly £3 million. After a public outcry, he agreed to reduce his payout by £342,000 a year. He has been married for more than 20 years and he and his wife Joyce have two children.
The draconian injunction was disclosed by John Hemming, a back-bench Lib Dem MP, on the floor of the Commons last March. He did not reveal details of why it was obtained. Since then allegations that Sir Fred was using the gagging order to keep an affair secret have appeared on the internet along with the identities of a series of other celebrities who have secured similar court orders.
Politicians said yesterday that the public deserved to know the details of Sir Fred's injunction because of the potential impact it may have had on the bank's collapse.
Mr Hemming called for the FSA to investigate the relationship as part of a review into the failure of the bank.
He said: "There is no doubt that there are potential conflicts of interest and when something has gone as badly wrong as this has they should be looked at. This should be part of the FSA's review process. The Royal Bank of Scotland code of conduct states that "personal relationships of any form have to be declared".
Sir Fred obtained a super-injunction which forbade even the description of him as 'a banker' [Photo: PA]
Speaking outside the chamber, Lord Oakeshott said: "I'm not interested in footballers' sex lives, but Royal Bank of Scotland was the biggest collapse in corporate history. It cost taxpayers billions and thousands of people their businesses and their jobs. You could not conceive of something more in the public interest than knowing the full facts leading to that collapse."
The FSA declined to comment on whether it would investigate the relationship.
The Royal Bank of Scotland's code of conduct recommends that staff inform management about any relationships that pose a potential conflict of interest. It is not known whether Sir Fred disclosed details of the alleged relationship to the board, and RBS declined to comment.


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Have you thought about that the watermelon has the colors of the Gospel? Let's leave for last the beautiful flower from which it grow. That represents Heaven. But we have all sinned and no sin will enter Heaven. What can we do? Here is the story.
Black Seeds – Sin
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world. Because of their disobedience we are born with a sinful nature. There is no one righteous, not even one. Sin separates us from fellowship with God. The black seeds in the watermelon remind us of our sin. But God loves us and has provided a way for us to be saved.
Genesis 3:1-5; Romans 3:9-24; Galatians 5:17-2
Red Center – Jesus' Blood
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
Jesus is God's great Gift to the world. He came to restore our fellowship with God.
Jesus died on the cross for you and me, to save us from sin. There is no other way of salvation. To be saved we have to repent from our sins and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The red center in the watermelon makes us think of salvation through Jesus' blood shed for us.
1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 5:8; 6:23; Acts 4:12; John 1:12; 3:16
White Core – Clean Heart
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8
When we repent from our sins and confess them to God, He forgives us. Jesus' blood cleans us from our sins. He takes away the darkness of sin, and leaves our heart white and pure. The white core of the watermelon speaks of a clean heart. When we are saved through the blood of Jesus we turn from sin and live a holy life. The Bible calls it being sanctified. Now, our heart's great desire is to serve God.
Psalm 51:7,10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 10:8-11; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 12:14
Green Rind – Growth
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18
The green color of the watermelon rind represents growth. When we receive the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ, we need to grow as God's children. Prayer and reading the Bible, God's Word, helps us grow in Christ.
2 Timothy 2:1-15; 3:14-17; Colossians 3:1-17
Yellow Bloom – Heaven
My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? John 14:2
The watermelon grows from a beautiful yellow bloom. This golden color makes us think of the streets of gold in heaven, and the marvelous home that Jesus is preparing for all who love Him. Everything will be wonderful in heaven. Our hope as Christians is that Jesus is coming back to take us to our heavenly home. Jesus is coming soon!
Revelation 21:1-5; 22:1-7, 20; John 14:1-6
Jesus is our only hope. All who receive Him are given the right to be sons of God.
Here is a file to print the posters and the information: The Watermelon Gospel


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Epilepsy Lifestyle has joined together with Fundraising Stamps to help raise vital funds to enable us to continue funding epilepsy monitors/solutions for local children and adults. For every kilo of stamps collected £11 is donated to us here at Epilepsy Lifestyle. And it couldn't be easier, all you have to do is cut any stamps from your envelopes which can either then be sent to us here at Epilepsy Lifestyle, or you can order your own freepost envelope via the Fundraising Stamps website.
Get involved here.


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Blueshape CVTR1M 1 Channel Portable Charger for V-Mount Batteries
This compact, easy to use single position charger comes in a Cordura zipper pocket, making it an ideal accessory for travel. The unit provides a 3A charging rate for the single battery position.
No need for any additional adapter: just plug the AC power cord provided and go! A high current charger, CVTR1M can apply a fast charge without damaging the cells: a BV090 battery is fully recharged in about 2hrs 30min. Pre-charge feature gently primes deeply discharged batteries in preparation for fast charging.
- Input: AC 100-240V 47-63Hz
- Output: DC 16.8V 3.0A
- Charging current: 3.0A
- Size: 80 x 180 x 190mm (7.48" x 7.08" x 3.15")
- Weight: 1.0Kg (2.21lbs)


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My computer is running Windows 7. Recently, I received a bunch of updates to Windows and Office which I have installed, except for KB4074598. Whenever I tried to install it, either automatically or manually, it returned error 80073701. I have tried to reset Windows Update components but it didn't solve my problem.
Do anyone know how to resolve this?


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The Bureau of Labor Statistics summed up all the state jobs reports Friday, and it shows Connecticut was one of only nine states that added enough jobs in April that the agency's economists are confident the growth is more than just noise in the data.
While 30 states added jobs in April, the growth was small enough in 21 of them that it's not statistically significant.
The places that were adding jobs fastest in April were Colorado, Hawaii, Missouri and Nevada.
Still, Nevada has a much longer way to go than Connecticut to return to economic health. It has the highest unemployment in the nation, at 9.6 percent.
Even though Connecticut's unemployment rate, at 8 percent, sounds worse than the nation's 7.5 percent, the BLS, which is the collector of the data, says because of the small sample size of the survey, those two numbers have no statistically significant difference.


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Saturday, 28 March 2009
Martha Stewart website. it fills me with inspiration. It saddens me that we have no magazine in the uk that is the equivalent. The photography is stunning. anyway fortunately for us over here in the uk, where is it is difficult to buy Martha Stewart living, there is a fantastic website which has everything that one can find in her numerous publications. Here is a little bit of Easter baking to whet your appetite. All of the recipes can be found on the martha stewart website.
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Apple's wants the iPhone to be the next major gaming platform, a fact the company isn't making any bones about. This mission is reflected in the company's latest hire–one Richard Teversham, the senior director of business, insights and strategy for Xbox's European division.
Apple has never been known for gaming devices, a fact to which the mid-90s Pippin can sadly attest. With more than 9,000 games now available for download via the iTunes App store, however, such stigmas may become a thing of the past.
The real question here, I think is whether this hire also signals an improvement in the gaming capabilities of the company's computers. The last couple of Macbook refreshes have seen a push toward increased graphic capabilities, but when it comes to titles, the Mac OS is still far behind the PC.


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Office Ecology
As an adult of mild autistic persuasion, I feel I'm positioned to both experience and articulate my experiences in work roles and the workplace. Naturally, I also have opinions.
Ideally, wherever adults congregate to create something as part of a mutual endeavor, there will be a relatively equal measure of contribution and eliciting the contributions of others. Therein, you have the best solutions to choose from, more than one mind might manage to produce in the same span of time.
It might be argued, as we are of the natural world, that bio-diverse polycultures have an edge over monocultures when it comes to survival. Various plant species sport different chemical resistances to pests and disease, and display varied aptitudes in sensing and making the most of the environment. In combination this can serve to limit the spread of unwelcome influences.
Also present in nature are matriarchal and patriarchal social systems of order, for example in primate social groups. We see many examples of individual organisms thriving in a predator or parasitical relationships with their target species as with the large cats or the tiniest Cordyceps fungi.
My opinion of office environments, from my particular neurological perspective, is that they are functionally a harbor ecosystem teeming with potential action and interactions, populated by tribes of islanders with all the aforementioned qualities.
The office ecosystem itself at best creates inputs to stabilize the continued functioning of the system including location, security, and income, whilst managing external inputs like threat of disaster and competition. Those seep through mediated channels enough to keep the system from becoming static, fostering evolution of the system's processes.
Enter the human element.
From my perspective I recognize that you can bring the human in from the wild, but that you cannot take the wild out of the human. Without preexisting social or tribal bonds, at best a working team is a hairy (or hairless as the case may be) collection of individuals.
Ritual and working procedures are often codified in a document known as the Employee Handbook.
This particular collection of tribal rules necessarily is designed to both cut across cultural and biological individualism, organize the playing field, impose or encourage a working hierarchy, and protect the business from the consequences of codifying procedure at all.
Now a quality I envy is the ability to influence with unspoken communications. This is a fantastic skill to have, and in most people it is arguably inborn or certainly learned by proxy from an early age. It is a skill that can coax a reluctant lover to bed, compel men to leave home and hearth to war, or win a place of privilege. It's also useful for skirting or subverting the Employee Handbook whilst minimizing the risks of being caught out.
Alas within office ecosystems we have an imposed hierarchy, which can frustrate individuals of varied persuasion and ambition. In that scenario I begin to see attempts at consolidating influence, position oneself closer to power (seeking power by association) and establishing the modern equivalent of fiefdoms in the workplace with the overt or tacit support of the 'monarch' or office management who themselves might see benefit in the misdirection such politics provide.
I wonder at the varied proportions of work activity to political activity, and if it is in our evolutionary history somewhere to curry favor, or seek power by proxy.
Perhaps it is a form of modern de-evolution, or entropy playing out as a natural force in our workplace, unmediated by a higher form of human ambition, that is, the survival of our species.
What I am sure of is that a ratio of work action to political action exceeding say, thirty percent at most, unless honorably managed, confuses collective focus enough to destabilize forward economical progress, and discourages clever problem-solving.
Inevitably the system crashes eventually as drag mounts on a once-agile entrepreneurial environment.
What is your office ecosystem's characteristics, and how do you rate its odds for survival?


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With the unveiling of Tim DeLaughter's new act Preteen Zenith upon us this weekend, it seems more than fitting that we opened up a copy of The Observer from this week in 2000 and found that The Polyphonic Spree had just played their first show, opening for Grandaddy and Bright Eyes at the Gypsy Tea Room.
So, for this edition of This Week In Dallas Music History, we reflect back 11 years, on the Zac Crain penned piece that would be the first words written about the band's look and sound.
"Everyone was wearing what appeared to be matching choir robes -- which made perfect sense, since the sound from the stage sounded as if it should be coming our of the stained-glass windows of a church more often than not," wrote Crain.
According to the piece, The Polyphonic Spree was huge, but it wasn't even half the size of its current incarnation. And, oddly enough, a lot of the crowd split before Bright Eyes and Grandaddy took the stage. But, whatever; The early aughts were weird times, man.
Hit the jump to see the whole story.
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Can't stand the sight of words printed on paper? He's a link to the story in the Observer online archives.


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Published at Friday, July 06th, 2018 - 09:42:05 AM. Bedroom. By Geraldina Sauer.
Even though this is a small bedroom, it has been beautifully decorated. We like its cozyness and the way everything fits without making it feel cramped. The modern bed is complemented by vintage-inspired bedding and decorative pillows. It's been placed in front of the window, leaving enough space for other essentials as well. The bedroom has a rich color palette complemented by various patterns and textures.
This master bedroom is also quite simple in terms of interior décor. The room is slightly dark and this, in combination with the warm, earthy colors chosen for the décor, result in a very relaxing and cozy atmosphere. The simplicity of the lines, the beauty of the details and the rich textures all contribute to an overall simple and sophisticated look.
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wild, wild West
In light of the readily verifiable standard setting advances made by the Cayman Islands with respect to all crimes anti-money laundering and tax transparency, a recent outburst from Senator Dorgan on the floor of the Senate erroneously describing the Cayman Islands as a "tax secrecy" jurisdiction, seems politically and factually out of touch.
Is this an isolated error explained away by inadequate briefing and misplaced reliance on the statements of Attorney General Morgenthau (whom the Senator is happy to quote) or is it indicative of something more sinister?
Certainly the Senator's tirade seems consistent with the strange, but continuing public relations negativity to which Cayman remains subject, even though that negativity has no basis in fact or law. Perhaps we can connect the dots between this ill-founded outburst and recent comments of Mr Jeffrey Owens, Head of the OECD Tax Division, who says he fully supports the use of illegally obtained or stolen financial information from financial firms in order to track down tax cheats.
"What we don't condone", says Mr Owens with impressive moral authority, "is tax payers who do not comply with their obligations".
He is seemingly oblivious to the well-established principle of tax law that renders a tax liability in one jurisdiction unenforceable in another and the illegality involved when an OECD member country pays an unlawful bribe to a bank officer to gain protected information in stark violation of an individual's right to privacy.
But tax evasion was off the table in the Cayman Islands a decade ago and even the Swiss are a mere referendum away from the understanding that tax evasion is wrong. So what now are the ramifications of the New World Order suggested by Mr Owens?
Of course there is nothing wrong with progressive thinking, even if inspired by left wing European anarchists, but before we tear down the rule of law in any area we, and those who might unwittingly jump on the same bandwagon, need to better understand what exactly replaces it. On this important point Mr Owens seems strangely silent. Is it then the case that we condone, in place of the rule of law, the outright illegality suggested by the OECD? Is it right that he now suggests the outright violation of criminal law in countries where private rights are protected is acceptable, provided this violation meets with the objectives of an international body?
If that is the case where exactly do we find the basis of this new OECD philosophy? Interestingly, we find nothing in support of illegal conduct in the constitution of the OECD, which the original framers wisely felt should be limited to the promotion of economic well being of member and non-member states and which is, perhaps understandably, silent on the subject of renegade lawlessness. If then, as it seems, the OECD as an organisation has been hijacked and cannot lawfully follow its own objectives, what is the prospect that its policies should follow recognised legal principle either?
To find the root of much of what is now occurring we must look back to the 1998 OECD Report on Harmful Tax Competition. Here we find described a vision of an alternative world of which Lewis Carol would have been proud. It is a world envisioned by the OECDs socialist-inspired belief in one global high rate of tax fixed by a universally omnipotent mad hatter which seeks to render all tax competition unlawful. Everyone is entitled to their own deranged vision. What is more troubling is the recent evidence that apparently the OECD does not regard itself as constrained to achieve its objectives by means that the rest of us regard as lawful.
Evidently hamstrung in the pursuit of its objective, with the troublesome distinction between lawful tax avoidance and unlawful tax evasion, the OECD seeks firstly to evade the distinction altogether by introducing the principle of "escaping taxation". This new and nebulous concept is apparently of application at any time an otherwise lawful arrangement does not meet with the philosophy of the relevant government with respect to the redistribution of wealth.
The problem with this approach for the right minded is that it replaces a code or set of rules with entirely subjective thinking. The essence of legal tax structuring is that the rules are certain and enforced by the courts. This blurring of the rule of law involves an erosion of fundamental rights that should concern law abiding people not just in the Cayman Islands but everywhere. And we need to know with whom the OECD is aligned, because we now know from Mr Owens' utterances that in pursuit of its objectives, the OECD does not regard itself as in any way constrained by the application of recognised criminal law.
The OECD notion that tax competition is harmful is itself entirely subjective and is based on the belief that individuals or corporations must pay the highest rate of tax without the right to lawfully mitigate or reduce taxes even though legitimate provisions of domestic law to do so are available. This philosophy ignores the well-established principle that the right to any property, income or indeed tax revenue is a fundamental of a properly functioning legal system. Decent laws in decent places establish the rules whereby a competitor in the marketplace can, provided he does not induce a breach of contract, obtain market share at the expense of an existing supplier.
But according to the OECD, tax revenues "lost" by mobile capital and labour being attracted to more tax-competitive jurisdictions (consequent upon the sovereign right of an independent nation to fix its own tax laws and rates) is a "harm" against which any high tax jurisdiction is entitled to be protected. So the OECD claims:
"That it is therefore worth exploring the possibility of addressing harmful tax competition using a wide range of nontax 'measures'".
Although it has taken some 12 years for the OECD to come out in favour of illegality in the pursuit of its objective, we now have a clear indication that from the outset the OECD regarded the word 'measures' as entirely supporting illegal and abusive conduct.
And we see the same approach underlying the OECDs suggestion that any jurisdiction which conducts financial activities with a lack of "substantial presence" should be regarded as a "tax haven" and "harmful" regardless of the tax transparency in effect in the jurisdiction and the absence of tax evasion. But this too is no more than a blatant attack on the rule of law. If the structuring of offshore hedge funds, private equity or structured finance vehicles complies with the laws of the various jurisdictions through which they inevitably operate, then they are necessarily lawfully conducting business.
The fact that they do not resemble in form or operational function, a car manufacturing plant in Detroit with 5,000 people under one roof should not be regarded as an appropriate basis of criticism. It goes without saying that you cannot structure over US$3.6 trillion of hedge fund investment from vehicles in the Cayman Islands for the benefit of institutional investors and to their satisfaction on the basis of full transparency and with fully audited accounts and reporting function without the activities from subscription to investment to audit to regulation and reporting being substantial.
The marketplace considers these vehicles to be real and justifies the fees paid. What we are left with from the OECD is the troubling suggestion that the laws and accounting principles which apply to these vehicles should count for nothing and that these financial arrangements amount to a "tax scam" simply because the economic activity does not conform to a highly subjective view of what the OECD and apparently, Senators Dorgan and Levin think economic activity should look like.
Thinking of this sort is increasingly endemic in Europe and indeed underlies the EU attack on what was a well-regulated fund management industry in the City of London. It was perhaps amusing to some that the OECD were encouraged to represent this left wing dogma as policy when the Cayman Islands was the target. It is less amusing now that the bull's eye sits on the City of London, and the UK veto having been lost, threatens also to exclude the United States from EU fund management.
What is harder to understand is why US Senators should be seen to support an approach that detaches itself from legal precedent and principle and who therefore align with the extreme socialist anti-rule of law dogma that propels the OECD. It may be convenient in blame-deflecting political speeches that seek to support amendments to domestic US tax policy to ignore fully functioning treaties between the United States and the Cayman Islands that have been negotiated in good faith, executed and implemented, and indeed to ignore legitimate provisions of US tax law that provide for tax deferral.
But in detracting from the application of recognised legal principle and therefore the rule of law, certain persons in the United States are becoming worryingly European and it's not, therefore, just the public of the Cayman Islands who need to be concerned.
If the rule of law is eroded in this manner what exactly is suggested to replace it?
Highly subjective and arbitrary solutions cobbled together outside of a recognised legal framework on a case by case basis do not provide sufficient certainty to an economy to promote the essential element – investor confidence. The non-arbitrary and non-prejudicial operation of rule of law is an essential that underpins investment and economic development and provides certainty for tax structuring in any developed economy.
If we move from that premise to a place where the rules are subjective (and whether it is the OECDs thinking about what constitutes inappropriate corporate behaviour in relation to the legitimate structuring of tax affairs, or any other abusive exercise of executive authority) we will find that thus eroding the fundamental principles governing economic activity, legal relationships and the rule of law will have far reaching unanticipated and negative consequences.
It is a mistake to disrespect or erode the rule of law without having a superior system developed to replace it. As any bondholder in GM or shareholder in BP will tell you as yet, none has been suggested.


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May 20, 2017 | The Westin Huntsville | Huntsville, Alabama
I first met Stephanie and Nick two summers ago when I photographed Stephanie's sister's wedding. As I was documenting Melissa and Brandon's day, I remember seeing Steph and Nick together and thinking to myself that they shared something really special. Fast forward a year later and I received the sweetest email filled with so much excitement from Steph telling me that Nick proposed and they wanted me to photograph the wedding. I can't begin to tell you how honored I felt after reading her email. For me, being asked to document such an important day in a couple's life is the greatest compliment and demonstration of trust I could receive. And my heart was so happy at the thought of spending more time with a family I'd already grown to know and love.
Stephanie and Nick chose the beautiful Westin hotel for their ceremony and reception. Kris with Kris Clark Designs worked her magic again to transform one of the ballrooms into an intimate and elegant ceremony site and then quickly flipped the room into a breath-taking reception space complete with majestic candelabras and dreamy draping which was all highlighted by the event lighting talents of Metropolitan. Thankfully, Steph chose an indoor wedding because 5 minutes into the ceremony the sky opened up, the thunder boomed and the lighting flashed outside of the hotel. If the saying that rain on your wedding day is a sign of good luck is true then these two have a very blessed marriage ahead of them!
Nick and Steph, I love how you bring out the best in each other. The joy that you both were feeling on your big day was evident to everyone. I know that you will have a happy and healthy marriage, even without the "rain on your wedding day" wives tale. You both, along with your families, will always hold a special place in my heart.
venue: The Westin Huntsville
event & floral design: Kris Clark Designs
bride's dress: Low's Bridal & Formal
bridesmaid dresses: Lulu's
hair & makeup: Courtney Kracke
event lighting & disc jockey service: Metropolitan
videography: Awaken Films
catering: The Westin
cakes: Batter Up Cake Bakery
paper goods: Frost Printing


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Uni Care Hospice, Inc. Uni Care Hospice, Inc.
Here's a sample of our volunteer opportunities:VIEW AS
Mission Statement
Mission Statement To enrich the lives of our patient's, families and community by providing compassionate, quality end of life care through our support and resources. Uni Care Hospice honors every patient's right to comfort, dignity and self-respect. We are here to support our patients and families at a time in their life when control over one's health has diminished. You are not alone through this journey. From all of us at Uni Care Hospice it is a privilege and honor to care for all those we serve. Professional Care with Personal Compassion
Welcome to Uni Care Hospice
Uni Care Hospice is a non-profit organization providing compassionate care that focuses on all aspects of a patient's life and well-being: physical, social, emotional and spiritual. Uni Care Hospice incorporates a hospice interdisciplinary team that includes the patient's physician, hospice physician, registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, volunteers and other support staff.


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We did manage to get off as early as possible; I picked Lori up just after school ended, and we were off. It was a beautiful clear day for our drive, though the trees still seemed mostly green.
Stopped at an herbs and collectibles shop along the way whose name I've now forgotten. The place was adequate, but didn't have much that really interested me. I considered picking up some Shoofly Pie mix, but decided against it. We did pick up some ginger snaps that were not terribly tasty.
We got to the B&B at about 5:30, much earlier than usual. We then went back down to Brookville to eat at the Gold Eagle restaurant. This was not as pleasant an experience as our previous visit; the waiter was new and not so adept, and the food didn't seem as good as the last time we'd eaten there.
The leisurely dinner meant that we got back for the parlor conversation at the B&B about 9:30, later than we intended. But that didn't matter much, because the presidential debate was playing on the radio, and so no one was talking. I decided that I wanted to relax, so I left the debate and went up and read in bed.
Breakfast was mixed fruit, and a casserole with eggs, Italian sausage, spinach, and cheese. Very tasty.
Lori and I took a short hike up to the Forest Cathedral area of the forest. It was a nice time for us to walk and talk together.
After that, we wanted to find a new restaurant to eat at, since our plan involved mostly familiar restaurants. We looked for the Cooksburg Cafe for a bit, but didn't realize that it was a minor joint near the river that we were familiar with. We ended up at the Farmer's Inn, where we had once had a horrible buffet dinner. Our food this time was decent but undistinguished.
We spent a while at the Farmers' Inn petting zoo. I actually enjoyed it; I don't remember getting to see coyotes or wolves in the flesh before. (They were not pettable.)
We'd hoped to play some miniature golf that afternoon, but we declined to play the Farmers' Inn's courses, and the Wet and Wild park was not doing any business. We ended up not getting any miniature golf in.
We stopped by MacBeth's Discoveries to pick up our new cut-work lampshade. I'm not sure how to describe this, but trust me, it's very pretty.
The sky was overcast most of the day, but this seemed to really bring out the colors of the leaves. The reds and golds really leapt out at times.
We went to the Sawmill Art Centers, where Lori was bitterly disappointed in finding nothing to covet, went to Seneca Point to see the hillsides of autumn color (but not up the fire tower as we usually do, because it was quite windy and cool), and went back to the B&B for a bit of rest..
In the evening, we went to dinner at the Wayside Inn, which looks undistinguished outside, but very pretty inside, with very good food. I didn't completely enjoy my steak, but that might just be me being grouchy from being stressed with work before the trip; I felt that way a lot this weekend.
We got back to the campfire just after most folks had gone inside. It was a fairly nice conversation, but I still went inside early.
Breakfast featured fabulous baked apples and a couple of quiches. The ham quiche was tasty, but I found the vegetable quiche a bit too watery for my taste.
At the B&B, we got flyers for a Cider Pressing and Tasting at a winery about 20 miles away (near Brockman), so we went off to that. When we were there, the cider pressing was basically a bunch of guys in jackets standing around a kid cranking on a cider press. We tried a few of the wines, and found none of them particularly tasty.
We then ate lunch at a restaurant called Dutch Pantry, in the hopes of getting interesting Pennsylvania Dutch food. Unfortunately, my meatloaf was pretty tasteless, (though it got some points for interest for being served on top of stuffing), the peas tasted like they came from a can, and the apple fritters we had for dessert had little taste but "sweet".
The drive there, though, was spectacular, with lots of gorgeous hillsides of brilliant colors. It certainly justified the trip, even though the destinations did not.
We drove through more gorgeous leaves to get to Tall Oaks' "autumn fest" (with a worried detour to get gas in Russell City). There again, Lori was disappointed in her shopping. For my part, I had very low expectations that were perfectly met; I brought along a Perry Mason book and gave each shop a brief going-over and then read on a bench while Lori took her time.
After that, our last destination was the Flickerwood Winery in Kane, where we had bought some nice sweet red wines on our previous trip. We got there and back with fewer navigational errors than last year, and were fairly quick while there.
We made one final stop at a herb emporium (where again I made my initial look-see and then sat in the car reading and listening to a boogie-woogie show on the radio that we'd heard in Flickerwood Winery), then started the drive on home.
For dinner, we stopped at the 322 BBQ in Brookville, which I had first tried a month previously. The sandwich was reasonably tasty, but the meal was far too much food for either of us. If we're not very hungry, a single sandwich & sides for the two of us might be reasonable next time.
I think that we really hit the leaves just right, at least for me. I've come to the conclusion that what makes me say "Ooh!" most about autumn leaves is not frequency of color, but contrast. A single brilliant red-orange tree against a backdrop of green trees will impress me more than a hillside of red/orange/yellow/brown. And this year really showed that off well; the trees were a bit more green than usual, but that really showed off the trees well. It was beautiful.


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The Best Three Photography Landscape Filters
Polarizing effect
There are a lot of photographers who continually capture beautiful landscapes and they are nothing short of breathtaking and many of these props often accomplish such amazingly nice results because they pay attention to the scene, compose the image well and know when a filter can enhance the effect of make the scene that much nicer.
These photographers rarely go out into the field without some filters and most of the time their filters basically add up to three main ones, each for a different effect.
1. Polarizing filter: This filter basically eliminates all reflections whether they are found on water, on glass, rocks and even from the sky. You have often looked at the afternoon sky and noticed how much glare or "haze" is present making the scene unusable.
"A polarizing filter or polarising filter is often placed in front of the camera lens in photography in order to darken skies, manage reflections, or suppress glare from the surface of lakes or sea. Since reflections (and sky-light) tend to be at least partially linearly-polarized, a linear polarizer can be used to change the balance of the light in the photograph." WIkipedia
These filters will get rid of any glare much like the top of the line sunglasses which feature these same polarizing elements.
Can you do this on Photoshop? Neither Photoshop or other digital editing software can get rid of reflections without having a major effect on the original.
Neutral density filter
2. Neutral Density filters: These filters "extend" the time needed to capture a good image when the shutter speed alone will not suffice.
"In photography and optics, a neutral density filter or ND filter is a filter that reduces or modifies the intensity of all wavelengths or colors of light equally, giving no changes in hue of color rendition. It can be a colorless (clear) or grey filter. The purpose of a standard photographic neutral-density filter is to reduce the amount of light entering the lens. Doing so allows the photographer to select combinations of aperture, exposure time and sensor sensitivity which would otherwise produce overexposed pictures." Wikipedia
As it allows less light to hit the lens it allows for the photographer to get really creative and obtain results that would not otherwise be possible without them.
They are great for getting shots of moving water when you basically want to "slow" the movement" and by doing so it allows moving water to look like a slow moving "cloud" or mist. Often giving the appearance of dreaminess and calmness.
Be aware that they come in ranges from 1 to 10 and the higher the number the darker its is thus the less light it will allow to hit the lens.
3. Graduated Neutral Density filters are those that are darker or sometimes colorized in a portion of it like the top half. They are mainly used to reduce light to one portion of the scene while leaving the rest of the scene as is.
They are great for shooting landscapes where the sky is prevalent thus allowing for more detail to become visible in the clouds.
Some are specially made for just shooting sunsets and dawns where the horizon is the brightest part of the scene.
So instead of capturing a silhouette you can capture the entire breadth of colors in the whole scene.
Graduated neutral density filter
Plan on using any or all of these filters on your next landscape shoot?
Can you duplicate any of these effects with a digital manipulation program, no you cannot. Not even close.
You can digitally add some reflections but they never look as real as the real thing.
You may make an entire image darker or lighter, you may even make parts of an image lighter or darker, change the contrast and so on, even add some color but the effects are never the same as when you capture the image "live" in the first place .
- Introduction to Filters for DSLRs - Digital Photography School
What filters should I buy for my DSLR lenses? The 'filter' question is another of the common ones that I'm asked these days (along side the 'which lens should I buy' question. It's a slightly tricky question because the answer will depend upon the t
© 2015 Luis E Gonzalez


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INTO eNews
July 12 2014
Dear frends. Its a couple of months since our last eNews. As usual there is so much happening. We can only touch the surface in this newsletter. The best way to get an idea of the day to day happenings around the globe is to subscribe to the INTO Twitter feed and/or the INTO Facebook page.
If you are an employee of one of our member trusts you may find it more useful to receive our Member's newsletter. If you would like to have your subscription changed to the INTO Members' newsletter please email the email@example.com
Thank you all for your continued interest and support in this worldwide movement of National Trusts. .
Thanks to all of you for what you do.
Sincerely, The INTO team.
English Way to Santiago de Compostela, September 15 - 20 Its getting closer!
Oliver Maurice has developed a plan in partnership with our Galician member for Executive Committee and Secretariat members, their friends, and spouses to walk approximately 130 kms (the English Way) from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia September 15th through the 19th. The walkers will use this walk as a fundraising opportunity in support of INTO programs. Following the walk the INTO Executive Committee will hold its annual face to face meeting and a public seminar. INTO members are most warmly invited to join us on this walk. This will be an amazing experience. For more information email: email@example.com
THIS IS YOUR LISTING. INTO member organisations may post advertising for Volunteers, for Training opportunities and Employment opportunities. You may submit these positions using a special form located in the Members Only section of the INTO website. We strongly urge you to take advantage of this INTO members' service to advertise these opportunities.
The positions posted below are a sample of positions that INTO hopes to fill. Your positions can be posted on the INTO website and in the next newsletter.
Assistant Webmaster
INTO is in need of an Assistant Webmaster. The successful applicant can be located anywhere in the world provided she/he has adequate high speed internet connection. Applicant should have a working knowledge of WordPress and WordPress site administration. Knowledge of HTML and PHP languages would be a great asset. The Administration language of the INTO site is English. This volunteer …
Read more.
Website Translator (French)
This is an INTO position. This is a long-term position. The Website Translator can work from any location that provides reliable internet connection. The successful candidate will have good writing and editing skills in English and French. Content of the INTO website, eNews and social media is translated originally using Google Translate, but then requires review and edit before being …
Editor (English Language) for Taiwan Environmental Information Association
This is a Volunteer position for the Taiwan Environmental Information Association. We are based in Taipei, Taiwan, but you can work from anywhere in the world. Here at TEIA, our working language is Mandarin Chinese. As a member of INTO and an environmental NGO concerning both global and local environmental issues, we are working to provide more information in more …
Website Translator (Spanish-speaking)
This is an INTO position. This is a long-term position. The Website Translator can work from any location that provides reliable internet connection. The successful candidate will have good writing and editing skills in English and Spanish. Content of the INTO website, eNews and social media is translated originally using Google Translate, but then requires review and edit before being …
Caribbean Conference of National Trust in Barbados a great success!
The following are papers present at or about the conference.
HISTORIC CARIBBEAN NATIONAL TRUST CONFERENCE A RESOUNDING SUCCESS "The best conference I've ever been to!" "Today was the most memorable day of my life!" "What an experience!" These were just some of the excited comments at the end of the historic first Caribbean Conference of National Trusts which just concluded at the Savannah Beach Hotel, the Garrison, Barbados. The conference …
The National Trust Movement.
A movement that can change our future by caring for and about our past. All of us involved in INTO are fortunate in so many ways. We are fortunate because we are involved in the biggest conservation movement in the world. The biggest and in my mind the most successful and most positive. We are part of a global movement …
Taking inspiration from Octavia Hill
Towards the end of her life, Octavia Hill wrote: "New circumstances require various efforts; and it is the spirit, not the dead form, that should be perpetuated. When the time comes that we slip from our places, and they are called to the front as leaders, what should they inherit from us? … We shall leave them a few houses, …
1st Caribbean Conference of National Trusts, Barbados May 2014
As we come to the close of the 1st Conference of Caribbean National Trusts, I'd like to thank and congratulate the Barbados National Trust for taking the initiative to bring us all together and for creating an experience which has far exceeded our expectations. We saw in this occasion the opportunity to strengthen the ties between the National Trusts of the Caribbean, …
Moving on from the meeting we have established a Caribbean Region section on the INTO website complete with a map of the region and a discussion forum to facilitate collaboration and the sharing of knowledge in this exciting region.
INTO Caribbean Region
INTO MEMBERS: VISIT AND JOIN IN THE REGIONAL FORUM News from the Caribbean Region
A new National Trust for the Czech Republic
Tomorrow we have the honour of joining festivities to mark the launch of the Czech National Trust (CNT) at the Reform Club in Pall Mall, London. Inspired by the example of the National Trust in the UK, the CNT has been established to connect and strengthen the many branches of the Czech heritage sector in order to increase awareness of …
Our US/ICOMOS Intern shines a light on her experiences.
Half Way Point!
I am officially half way finished with my internship with INTO, and hopefully more than half-way finished with my case studies. This last week brought in more research, and a huge thank you to all the organizations that are answering my questions and participating in the case studies for the "INTO Action" programme. On Monday, I took the trip to …
Learning to Network
This week has been a rather calm week compared to the last four weeks of my internship. This week has been a combination of deskwork and networking. Monday was an exciting day of meeting and greeting people. I had the opportunity to shadow Catherine as she gave her INTO presentation to a group of Russians visiting the British Council. The …
16th ICNT in Cambridge 2015
2015 Conference in England
16th International Conference of National Trusts: Understanding the role and purpose of the Trust movement in the 21st Century INTO, working closely with our partners, the National Trust and the University of Cambridge, is delighted to announce that the 16th International Conference of National Trusts will take place in Cambridge, UK, from 7-11 September 2015. Since the establishment of the …
Cambridge, the morning after the night before ... 7 February 2014
A wonderful sunny day in rural Cambridgeshire today - a real tonic in itself after the rains and storms of previous few days - and the transport chaos in London on Thursday night. But more importantly an opportunity to visit Wimpole Hall, one of the main venues of the 2015 International Conference of National Trusts and to talk more about …
It is now 9 months since the Entebbe Declaration was signed. It seems a good time to remind ourselves of the commitments we all made when signing the document.
The Declaration calls for Global Action to Protect and Promote Tangible and Intangible Heritage, especially within the Least Economically Developed Nations.
While INTO as an organisation can promote this agenda on a global scale, the real work in promoting these values must fall to our member organizations in their respective countries. Please take a moment to reread the Declaration and ask yourselves what you have accomplished in this regard and what you can do further to advance these ideals.
Copies of the Entebbe Declaration are posted on the website in English, Chinese and Spanish on the Campaigns page.
Future editions of our eNews will be available in French, Spanish and Chinese. If you wish your subscription to be changed to one of these languages please send an email to: firstname.lastname@example.com
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When I returned home after six months in West Africa, my first thought was not: "Allah be praised! A flushing toilet!" it was: "By Christ we're an ugly lot. Is this what happens when cousins marry?"
Yet we aspire to that Miss Universe/Warnie/Neighbours ideal, of endless fun in the sun, sparkling locks and white polo shirts with a fake insignia. What is it with us Aussies? Do we not realise there's a world of people out there far more attractive than we?
If you ask any Australian who the best looking people in the world are, they'll always shout: "The Swedes! Don't forget the Swedes!" You'll then hear a long rant about the gloriousness of their near-naked women, their enlightened healthcare system and education, not to forget their abundant saunas, blond furniture and opportunities for group sex. If it's not the Swedes, then it's the Finns, the Danes or the Norwegians, which are usually put forward as the nationality most likely to cop a feel from an Aussie.
To be honest, impossibly tall, blonde, tanned people leave me cold. And – dare I say it – frighten me a little. To elevate the Swedes as better looking than us all is the obvious answer. So I've compiled my own list, which I can't make up my mind is incredibly PC or incredibly offensive. Enjoy.
10. Indian: This has nothing to do with the fact that every Indian person I meet thinks I am gorgeous, and will tell me about it repeatedly. It all starts with the hawk-like nose, then moves on to the profuse tresses of blue-black hair, then the dusky skin. As for the paler-skinned Indians, some will still have blazing dark eyes and dark lips. Rrraow.
As for the physique – the women are like little hourglasses, with big shoulders and boobs. In fact I thought, 'at last, I've found a place they all look like me, except shorter and better looking!' And the men are rangy. Many of them have long hair. Some are beturbanned. I don't need to say any more.
9. Malaysian: OK, so this covers a number of different races, but there has been enough waves of migrants sweeping throughout the centuries, to make a delicious rendang of velvety eyes, perfect red/brown skin and black hair.
I've been there countless times and have had a good chance to let my lecherous glance sweep over a few specimens. In Singapore I had the most BEE-YOOTIFUL student called Fadly, who would present a show on the Malay channel over there. This man was so picturesque that every time he'd walk past the office, all my workmates would down tools to reflect upon his otherworldly beauty. Harps would play, fireflies would dance and four-leafed clovers would burst into bloom in his wake. I gave him all A's. As any red-blooded female would.
8. Malian: All the tribes over there are ridiculously handsome, but I'll put in a special vote for the Tuareg, who have dark honey-coloured skins and GREY EYES. Imagine coming across this in the middle of the desert. Then imagine him wrapped up in a towering indigo-blue headscarf, so only a pair of burning, weathered eyes are showing. Then a billowing white boubou, silver jewellery and a rifle, a machete or even a bandolier. SO. FABULOUS.
7. Lebanese: The most amusing thing about the War on Terror is the alerts for 'men of Middle-Eastern appearance.' This always makes me think "Oooh – where – is he single?" I include them for the big-nose-and-lustrous-hair factor, two traits high on my list of admirable features (I distrust people with too-small noses). There are many men and women 'of Middle-Eastern appearance' in my 'burb, and they all make me gnash my teeth with envy.
6. Dutch: I suppose I should include some uber-whiteys here. I can tolerate the Dutch, because they amuse me. All those dairy products, bread, cream sauces and comics must be agreeing with them. And they come from a different, more northern race than my plain Anglo-Celtic one, which means cheekbones, long legs and fair eyebrows, which can be quite attractive.
5. Chinese: I'm not a huge fan of tiny little people (for fear of trampling them accidentally), but when I finally got to the People's Republic, I found they come in all shapes and sizes, all of them appealing to the eye. The ruddy cheeks of the tribes in Yunnan Province! The porcelain-skin of Shanghai matriarchs! The swarthy, longhaired gents in suits in Beijing! Phooey to Tiger Leaping Gorge, Shangri-La and other touristy shite – visitors should prepare to feast their eyes upon the local eye candy.
4. Japanese: Although my friend Keiko has warned me off all Japanese men, I'd like to put in a vote here for Junichiro Koizumi and Chairman Kaga. I think any Japanese man with long-ish hair should be placed upon a pedestal and worshipped accordingly. Japanese women are not unpretty as well. I think it's the cheekbones-and-almond-eyes factor, as well as the sweeping kimono and dramatic obi.
3. New Zealand: I'm not thinking of the amusingly-accented people from the same gene pool as myself, I'm thinking of the Maori (last time I checked, not a nationality). Large, barrel-chested people with facial tattoos make me want to hit myself repeatedly over the head with a mallet like the wolf in a Tex Avery cartoon. And again, we return to the honey-brown skin and dark tresses, thuck icksint and proud posture.
2. Ghanaian: As well as the beautiful West African skin, the Ghanaians have heart-shaped faces and the most elegantly-shaped heads on the continent. Combine this with a deep red wax-print toga, huge gold jewellery and a slow stroll and it's thumbs up all round. In fact I've run out of thumbs! Don't get me started on the accent. Divine.
1. Senegal: OK I have a bit of a sad fixation with this part of the world, but every single person in this country is good looking, regardless of age, race or severity of handicap. I say that with no exaggeration. They are truly gods.
The most obvious thing is the skin. You know when you put a 70% Lindt block over a pan of gently simmering water? Then, as you stir it into glossy swirls, you wish you could become tiny like Alice and just dive straight in, with your slavering jaws wide open? Well Senegal is something is like that.
Not only do they have spectacular skin, they are all about 7 feet tall. Someone called me a 'midget cheese' when I was there (but my French is dodgy, so they could have been saying 'get out of my way you fat colonial overlord' for all I know).
They dress in bright, unbelievable fashions, including pink overalls, bonnets and t-shirts with 'nobody knows I'm a lesbian' written on them (the men) and towering starched headscarves, giant decorated sleeves like pyramids and petticoats made of string bags (the women). Some even dye their gums blue with indigo! They all get away with it.
And the hair! It's stunning! Why is it that every black woman I've ever known complains bitterly about her hair? It's like this lifelong obsession. WHY LADIES. You can do anything with the African hair. You can tie it in long braids, or put it in cornrows. You can make it look like a sunburst. You can make spirals in your own scalp. You can even straighten it then coiff it up, so it looks like a breaking wave. I LONG to have hair like a breaking wave.
However, most Senegalese men keep their hair cropped short and close to the scalp, which gives me tingles just thinking about it. With a richly embroidered boubou, bright yellow babouche and silver bangles, our number one spunkiest nationality wins hands down.
I think this post says less about good-looking people, and more about what a colossal perve I have become in my spinsterhood, non?


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Erwann just posted a screencast on how the recently released OpenSolaris 8.11 new Time Slider feature works.
This is a neat excuse to try the new OpenSolaris release out, get your live cd at the download page, if you want to install it and don't have an spare machine you can use VirtualBox to set up a virtual machine and play around with it.
By the way, for the curious hackers the time slider code is available through src.opensolaris.org.


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USA: Ford elects Sir John Bond to board of directors
Sir John Bond, group chairman of HSBC Holdings plc, has been elected to the Ford Motor Company Board of Directors, William Clay Ford, Jr., chairman of the board, announced yesterday (13/07/00). "Sir John adds a tremendous amount of global perspective to the board, particularly in key areas where Ford is strategically growing its business," Bill Ford said. "His innovative leadership in the international banking industry will be invaluable as we accelerate the transformation of our business to a consumer-focused company."
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Monday, February 1, 2010
What does "Digital to analogue conversion" mean?!
My response:
Glad you asked, the shot was originally taken on a digital camera (Canon 10D). About I month ago I had my favourite digital shots converted to 35mm Slides via GammaTech.com. They have special machines to convert digital images to slides, I did this because:
1. I had problems with digital storage (I lost some of my best digi shots due to bad hard drives and unrecoverable dvds/cds *
2. I just thought they were cool.
Once you have them in 35mm format, you can use a DayLab Slide printer, or my case - a polaprinter. What this does is print your 35mm shot on Polaroid film.
I choose extremely expired film because I was curious to see the effects. The Polaroid film I used for this series was about 7+ years expired.
* I know people people go on about the integrity of digital forms eg dvds and hard drives. Unfortunately I personally have not found this to be case. I have had 2 hard drive crashes and lost a couple of DVDs that caused the loss of some of my most cherished digital shots. Note: I am not railing against digital photography, l as i still shoot digital from time to time.
at 12:23 PM
Labels: 669 film, chairity, parahanga, polaprinter
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Central Iowa Healthcare (CIH) was faced with high costs and loss of market share, largely because its 125-bed hospital was out of date and inefficient. CIH decided to build a new hospital and ambulatory surgery center (ASC). In separate engagements, CIH worked with GE Healthcare Partners to help design both facilities to optimize the patient experience while maximizing operational efficiency. This collaborative effort included the application of robust, proprietary simulation modeling from GE Healthcare Partners to test different design strategies.
Soon after celebrating its 100th birthday, CIH (formerly Marshalltown Medical and Surgical Center) decided to build a new hospital and ambulatory surgery center (ASC). In separate engagements, CIH worked with GE Healthcare Partners to help design both facilities to optimize the patient experience while maximizing operational efficiency.
This collaborative effort included the application of robust, proprietary simulation modeling from GE Healthcare Partners to test different design strategies. The simulation enabled CIH to evaluate different approaches in a risk-free environment before making significant investments to implement solutions.
Once the simulation was complete, GE explored the model's output in iterative working sessions with CIH leadership, helping to align the organization's commitment around a strategy and action plan. As a result of the engagements, CIH avoided millions of dollars in construction and operating costs while improving patient throughput and thereby enhancing revenue.
CIH, headquartered in Marshalltown, mirrors many rural Iowa communities in experiencing a trend toward declining inpatient days. At present, fewer than 60 of the 125 licensed beds are staffed regularly. The excess capacity has led to sub-optimal patient flow management, including:
A GE review of market leakage and regional trends showed no reason to expect inpatient days to grow. Meanwhile, CIH executives were concerned about patients going to other, newer facilities. "People recognize when a building has aged," says John Hughes, CEO. "Things they can see, touch and hear affect their perceptions about the quality of care.
"In our area, there are hospital and healthcare options in every direction within an hour to an hour and a half. People who aren't happy with our amenities have the option to get in a car and go somewhere else. Those with the means and ability to travel easily are the ones you lose first, and we've seen some of that."
Todd Burch, COO, observes that surrounding hospitals tend to be significantly newer: The CIH hospital wasbuilt in 1914 and expanded about every 25 to 30 years. "The last update to our building was to add a cath lab and clinic space in 2007," Burch says. "The hospital space itself really hasn't been touched since 1976. The space is old and outdated, and we have lost market share because of it. We're in a service area with a patient base that suggests we should be a $120-million-a-year hospital, and today, after growing significantly in the last two years, we're at $76 million net revenue."
To help optimize care facilities, GE Healthcare Partners leverages its proprietary Hospital of the Future simulation to test different design options and gain insights to the impacts on patients, clinicians, capacities and costs. The simulation model is built to mimic the actual behavior of the facility, considering factors such as patient volume, patient pathways, the nature and duration of procedures, admit/discharge patterns, and much more. The model is then used to quantify the effects of changes in the parameters and of different facility layouts and configurations.
The simulation for the ASC, performed late in the construction phase, led to changes CIH considered worth making despite relatively high cost. "Along the main corridor, separating the check-in/checkout rooms from the ORs, we had a wall of administrative offices," says Burch. "Based on the simulation, we turned those offices into check-in/checkout rooms, so that prime real estate is now used for patient care and generating revenue."
Another critical insight came from simulating how patients would actually flow through the space. "If youdraw something on paper, it's one thing," Burch says. "Actually seeing the lines of transport come to life really makes a difference.
"We had planned for all patients to enter through one particular door. Through the simulation, we found thatwas going to create a bottleneck right behind the door in the main hallway. We realized we needed to open up a second door and use that as another entrance. By doing that, we shifted a significant portion of the volume closer to the rooms the patients would use, and ultimately closer to the ORs they would use. We rerouted the traffic more appropriately."
Pleased with the ASC simulation, CIH leaders engaged GE Healthcare Partners early in the hospital construction process, before the architectural design had progressed beyond block diagrams. The collaborative effort aimed to identify the appropriate number of beds of each type, create a high-level layout, and define the sensitivity of the recommendations to changes in assumptions.
CIH was intent on an optimally efficient facility after operating for years in an oversized and inefficient space. Hughes observes, "We have walls where we don't want walls. We have cramped spaces that aren't built for the equipment we use today. We have areas where our people walk significant distances. Old windows, the size of areas, the amount of space we have to heat and cool – all those things add up to high costs, limitations on our staff's ability to deliver the quality care they would like, and a less than optimal patient experience."
Sized at 38 beds, the new hospital will be highly efficient, Hughes and Burch agree. "I can safely say the savings will be in the millions per year, just because of the way we can staff, the way we can heat and cool, and the efficiencies with which we'll be able to operate," Hughes says. "We expect some volume growth, as well. In some areas today, our patient throughput is sub-optimized and there's not much we can do about it. We lose patients because we're unable to accommodate them. That won't be the case in the new facility."
Keeping the facility below 50 beds also substantially affects reimbursements. Under Medicare/Medicaid rules for Provider-Based Rural Health Clinics, hospitals with fewer than 50 beds are exempt from the reimbursement cap for clinic visits – CIH will be able to receive reimbursement that better reflects its actual cost of care.
Working in a right-sized facility will require staff to work in new and more efficient ways. To that end, CIH has launched a two-year initiative to implement Lean methodology. "Every process will have to change as we transition to a new building," says Burch. "Everything that worked in the existing building will be substantially or completely different when we move into the new space. Lean is becoming the way we do work, standardizing processes across the organization. That will continue as we reduce our bed count in preparation for moving to the new building."
On one project, the hospital's Environmental Services department redesigned its workflow for cleaning medical/surgical rooms, cutting the time required from 45 minutes to 15. Other projects focused on reducing turnaround time for troponin tests for emergency patients suspected of having heart attacks, and bypassing the emergency room for patients identified in the field as having heart attacks and delivering them directly to the cath lab.
The reduction in the hospital bed count will save CIH more than $20 million in construction costs and save millions more per year in operating expenses.
Hughes found that the benefits of the GE approach reached beyond the purely financial. "I like the thoroughness," says Hughes. "They made it very easy for me to create confidence in our board. They needed to understand the logic that went into the conclusions. Being heavy on the data side with pretty logical conclusions created an easy trail for the board to follow.
"In addition, what it did and will continue to do is help everybody get on the same page. Everybody had ideas about how much capacity we needed, and those ideas varied widely. This engagement took out all the guesswork and all the anecdotal information. Once we're aligned on the same page, we can all pull in the same direction pretty quickly."
CIH is now working with an architect on the final design of the hospital project, to include an inpatient tower, two medical office buildings and ancillary buildings. The new inpatient tower is scheduled to open in 2018.
The GE team members knew what they were doing," Hughes says. "They're easy to work with. They were very accommodating. It was a good experience overall, and we were pleased to engage them."
Burch sums it all up concisely: "The return on investment is exponential."


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Rupert Murdoch Needs Some Schooling on Shale Gas & Climate Change
Rupert Murdoch needs some schooling on shale gas and climate change (perhaps not surprisingly). A couple days ago he tweeted:
Climate change very slow but real.So far all cures worse than disease. Shale gas huge breakthrough for US. Half carbon of coal and oil.— Rupert Murdoch(@rupertmurdoch) July 11, 2012
Backing into this:
There's a big difference in terms of carbon emissions between shale gas and conventional natural gas sources. While it's true that conventionally-sourced natural gas has a significantly lower carbon footprint than coal and oil—not quite half the emissions, in the latest assessments—due to the greater difficultly in obtaining shale gas the emissions are considerably higher. Depending on who's done the calculations, shale gas has similar emissions to coal or even higher. While that may lessen over time, due to future technological changes, it's not the case today or in the near future. Shale gas simply isn't a climate-friendly fuel, even compared to coal and oil. And that doesn't even go into other potential threats to communities, water supplies, etc. from fracking.
Suffice it to say that characterizing every climate cure as worse than the disease is equally boneheaded (even just on the basic of logic alone), as is the notion that climate change is occurring very slowly. While on a daily human timescale climate change may appear slow, viewed in an appropriately distanced perspective current human-influenced climate change is happening incredibly quickly.
As at least one follow up tweeter said, Murdoch apparently has been reading his own papers too much.
@rupertmurdoch reading your own papers too much: climate change happening fast and cures are obvious: pick renewables and stop deforestation— Paddy Manning (@gpaddymanning) July 14, 2012


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Esthetics Institute of N.E.
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E.I.N.E., Inc. is a nationally accredited career oriented educational institution dedicated to excellence in the teaching of permanent Electro-Epilation and Skin Care - the Science of Results. Our goal is to provide high standard classroom and hands-on clinical training, which will enable graduates to start a rewarding career in the field of electrolysis and esthetics. Click here to learn more.


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Forget something during Black Friday/Cyber Monday? Check out the Week of Deals!
Member Since: November 24, 2009
Country: Finland
Finnish, English, Swedish
Python, C++ and a few others. I write VHDL for a living even though it is not an actual programming language.
Tampere University of Technology (MSc in EE)
I've been interested in the PSoC chips for quite a while now, but never got around to buying a dev board due to high shipping costs. This demo, the discount and Sparkfun's reasonable shipping costs to Europe made me buy FreeSoC2 now. Fun times ahead.
Thanks for the info. I've never noticed the phenomenon before.
360p is unwatchable :(
This is a nicely engineered piece of hardware, but i must agree. A few years ago, when building something like this from scratch would have been quite a challenge for me, I would have been very excited about this product, but still not $70 (+VAT 24%) interested.
The breakout board is not that expensive, $5 with the headers: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8276
Me too. Instead on tinkering with it tonight I have to look for an adapter :/
How is this better than a white cane?
Wow, nice pics! I want to go there too. shakes piggy bank
Think positively: that's better than no Micro Center near you at all. Greetings from Europe.
"Upon learning this, we have corrected the issue by tying the TEST pin to IOVDD as suggested by VSLI."
The company is called VLSI not VSLI.