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Vision and Values
Our Vision Statement:
Nurture ~ Inspire ~ Challenge
Our school provides inclusive opportunities in a secure environment, embracing an exciting and creative curriculum which allows all children to become confident, happy and self-motivated learners.
- A school where all pupils are nurtured, inspired and challenged.
- 'Pupil Voice' is warmly encouraged.
- Building Learning Power permeates the curriculum.
- Wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities.
- An imaginative curriculum, enhanced by creative teaching.
- Happy children who adopt a love of life-long learning through a creative curriculum taught by inspiring practitioners.
- Welcoming and approachable staff.
- Communication that is timely and informative.
- Formal and informal opportunities to share children's work and discuss progress.
- A hard working community that shares the same goals of ensuring that all pupils
- Children who are resilient, can persevere when the 'going gets tough' and are collaborative learners.
- Energising, motivating colleagues.
- Commitment to ongoing professional development.
- Encouragement to be creative.
- A friendly and appreciative community.
We expect all members of the school community to treat each other with respect, to communicate clearly and to work together to build a positive education environment for all.
In January 2019, Frith Manor became a 'Rights Respecting School' in conjunction with UNICEF UK. Please refer to the tab at the right of this page to find out more details.


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- España: Recibe en 48h, envíos gratis a partir de 60€ - Europe: Receive in one week, free delivery above 100€
Long dress with v-neckline. Front waist knot and front leg opening. Back opening with zip.
True size fit: - Order your usual size.
Tallaje normal:- Pide tu talla habitual.
Photo street: Mireia (171cm) is wearing size S.Photo studio: Carla (163cm) is wearing size XS.
Standard measurement chart
97% Satin polyester 3% Elastane
Important: any import duty or extra charges on reception of the goods should be settled by the customer. Orders to the Canary Islands may take longer than expected (between 3 - 10 labor days) and can be stopped by customs. Please send us your DNI at firstname.lastname@example.com every time you make an order.
Check our policy.
Designed in Barcelona, made in Badalona (Spain).
Rachid is a self-made entrepreneur who migrated to Spain from his home country. Here he stablished his first factory, but had to be close it during the financial crisis. He never settles, so he has been able to rebuild it thanks to our dresses.

subset: commoncrawl


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Minutes after the christening, a gust of wind causes Princess Elizabeth to grab her hat as perfectly good English cider drips from the christening bottle. Unpublished photo Jeff Ethell collection – Simonsen copyright. This negative was found in the Smithsonian collection by Jeff Ethell, 1986.
By Clarence Simonsen with Dave O'Malley
On 26 March 1942, His Majesty King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth [now known as the Queen Mother] paid a formal visit to the early production line of Avro Lancaster Mk. I bomber aircraft being built at Yeadon, England. In their honour, a single Lancaster with serial number R5489* was given the name of George while another, serial number R5548, was named Elizabeth**. Unfortunately, both Lancasters had a typical short life with the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command as George, flying with No. 44 Squadron RAF, crashed on approach to RAF Waddington on 16 August 1942. Just four months later, on 28 December, the Lancaster known as Elizabeth, then with 97 Squadron RAF, exploded on the ground at RAF Woodhall when a photoflash flare accidentally went off. The first similar Royal visit to a United States Army Air Force base came on 13 November 1942, when the King and Queen toured RAF Thurleigh, home of the 8th Air Force's 306th Bomb Group. A second Royal visit to an American base was conducted by the couple on 25 May 1943, this time a fighter unit of the 8th A.F. – the 78th Fighter Group based at RAF Duxford.
Both Lancaster R5489 George and Lancaster R5548 Elizabeth were destroyed in England (see fates at end of story) during operations, but because of this, the Royal Family and RAF had fear of the propaganda that might be made if a similarly named aircraft was shot down over German-held territory or worse, captured. Photo via 97 Squadron Association Website
RAF Thurleigh, the long-time home of the USAAF's 306th Bomb Group, was situated 5 miles north of Bedford in Bedfordshire. The 306th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force was activated on 1 March 1942, at Salt Lake City, Utah. Having trained up on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, the air echelon departed for England on 1 September 1942. They flew their first combat mission on 9 October 1942 and the last on 19 April 1945, for a total of 341. RAF Thurleigh airfield was the first base in England to be handed over completely to the USAAF, giving them full sovereignty and control of the field. The 306th stayed longer than any other Eighth Air Force combat unit at any single base and longer in England than any other Eighth Air Force combat unit.
The 306th had many bombers with creative nose art that became part of Group history, but the one named Rose of York surpassed them all. On 5 May 1944, the 367th Bomb Squadron of the 306th Bomb Group received a new Boeing Seattle-built B-17G Flying Fortress, with serial number 42-102547. It was assigned to the tender care of Master Sergeant Edward S. Gregory, from Salt Lake City, the birth city of the bomb group.
In mid-May of 1944, the B-17G received her first nose art name – Princess Elizabeth – painted in red block letters by Ed Gregory and Assistant Crew Chief Mark Madsen. The nose art had been requested by the first combat crew which was comprised of Captain Perry E. Raster (Pilot), Lt. Talmadge E. McDonough, Captain Stephen Tanella, Lt. William E. Pleasant, Lt. Marion J. Northway, Sgt. Eugene E. Kelly, Sgt. George G. Roberts, Sgt. Herman Shore, Sgt. William E. Landrum, Sgt. Donald F. Urban, and Sgt. Watson R. Vaughn.
M/Sgt. Ed Gregory in front of an orderly room at Thurleigh, England, summer of 1943. The 306th Bomb Group was stationed in England, at the same base, longer than any other group in the 8th Air Force. Ed, a crew chief with the 306th Bomb Group, was assigned responsibility for the care and maintenance of B-17G (42-102547) a.k.a. Princess Elizabeth, The Princess, and finally Rose of York. Photo from Ed Gregory via Clarence Simonsen
Two photographs of Boeing B-17G (serial number 42-102547) painted as Princess Elizabeth. The big Boeing completed 13 bombing missions over Nazi occupied Europe before her christening as Rose of York. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
When bombardier Stephen Tanella finished his tour early, he was replaced by Marion Northway. For some reason, unknown to Northway, the name Elizabeth was ordered removed by Eighth A.F. Command. Northway flew four missions with the nose art name The Princess: 21 June 1944 to Berlin, Germany, 22 June to Ghent, Belgium, 25 June to Joigny, France, and 28 June to Laon, France.
The reason for the name removal started in early June 1944, when a rumour began that the Royal Family and 18-year-old Princess Elizabeth were coming to visit the American base at Thurleigh. Suddenly the idea came to M/Sgt. Gregory to request that the real Princess Elizabeth christen her own B-17 which carried her name. At first, the idea moved slowly up the military hierarchy until it reached King George VI, who approved the idea but wanted the nose art name changed to be less explicitly the name of the Princess.
The name change was due to the possibility that the B-17 might be shot down and that the German propaganda machine would benefit as they had when the B-17 bomber named Murder Incorporated was shot down on 26 November 1943. In the 1930s and 1940s, journalists used the term "Murder Incorporated" to refer to a collection of contract killers who worked for organized crime in the United States. Members of Murder Incorporated committed untold numbers of murders under orders from people in the mob; these murders were designed to protect the interests and secrecy of organized crime. When the B-17 bearing this name was shot down, the Nazi propaganda machine went to work, even stating that the crew were all convicted gangsters and murderers sent over to kill German women and children. This is why the 8th A.F. Command was so sensitive about bomber nicknames and ordered the name change. M/Sgt. Gregory removed the name Elizabeth and painted The Princess, but this was also rejected by the King.
The Nazi propaganda machine made hay from the shooting down of B-17 Murder Inc., claiming that they were convicted gangsters and killers sent to murder innocent German citizens. Photo from Berlin newspaper of the day via Ken Williams of Murder Inc. crew
To avoid further problems, His Majesty the King picked the new nose art name – Rose of York. Before his accession to the throne in December 1936 (due to the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII), King George VI was the Duke of York and his wife [the Queen Mother] was the Duchess of York, thus his daughter, became "his" – Rose of York.
In late June, the B-17G was scrubbed clean by M/Sgt. Gregory and his ground crew. The nose art name and bomb silhouette mission marks were removed, which had recorded 13 missions as Princess Elizabeth and The Princess. The new nose art names, with a large white rose, were painted on each side of the aircraft nose by an enlisted man from the 367th Squadron whose name is still unknown.
This photo of Rose of York shows her with absolutely pristine nose art and, on the other side, a small scaffold with someone clearly sitting on a platform, leading the editor to postulate that this is a photo of the B-17 actually undergoing painting of the nose art on her starboard side. This is also confirmed when another look reveals the flat board-like device attached to the chin turret's twin machine gun barrels which was used as a striker plate for the bottle of English cider used to christen the Fortress. This shows us that Rose of York is being prepped for the ceremony. Photo: USAF
The big day arrived on 6 July 1944, when Lt. Gen. James H. Doolittle, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Elizabeth arrived in a formal motorcade of big black Daimler cars. M/Sgt. Ed Gregory presented Princess Elizabeth with twenty-four white roses to begin the ceremony. The Princess then swung a bottle of English cider against a striking plate attached to the gun barrels of the chin turret and the Rose of York was officially named in honour of Princess Elizabeth. During the ceremony, the B-17G's crew was standing in a row, five on each side of the bomber nose. Princess Elizabeth was then introduced to each of the crew members. The event ended when Capt. Perry Raster (Pilot), Lt. Talmadge McDonough (Co-pilot), Capt. William Pleasant (Navigator), T/Sgt. George Roberts and M/Sgt. Ed Gregory climbed aboard Rose of York and departed from the base. The Rose of York was flown to nearby RAF Molesworth, home of the 303rd Bomb Group, where the bomber was parked and the crew went for lunch. While the crew were having lunch, many photos were taken which, over time, led some historians to write the christening took place at Molesworth. [The 303rd Hell's Angels website indicated that in fact the Princess' motorcade later made an appearance at Molesworth. – Ed]
A special Royal luncheon was held at the Senior Officers' Mess at Thurleigh, where Princess Elizabeth was presented with a thermos of American ice cream made from the base ice cream machine. The Royal party moved on to RAF Kimbolton, home of the 379th Bomb Group, where Princess Elizabeth was introduced to a second B-17G crew – nose art "Four of a Kind".
The 18-year-old and very composed Princess Elizabeth chats with famed U.S. Army Air Force General James Doolittle at the beginning of the Rose of York christening event. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
Rose of York and her crew await the Princess and the christening. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
With cameras popping away, the young Elizabeth is escorted by the 306th commanding officer, Colonel Claude Putnam, to the B-17 dedicated to her. In front stand the members of Captain Perry Raster's crew, the crew at that time assigned to Rose of York. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
The Rose of York and her crew are turned out perfectly as the full Royal Family now joins the Princess. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
With English cider splashed across the tarmac and dripping from the cloth bag holding the broken bottle, Princess Elizabeth and 306th commander Colonel Claude Putnam review the ship and her crew. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
Bouquet of appropriately coloured white roses in hand, Princess Elizabeth shakes the hand of Sgt. Eugene Kelly. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
The King, accompanied by his daughter Princess Elizabeth, chats with 306th Bomb Group commander Putnam and members of the Rose of York crew. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
Standing at the left is the Group's commanding officer, Colonel Claude Putnam. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
British and American royalty. Princess Elizabeth, her father King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and General Jimmy Doolittle. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
A grainy but nice close-up of the Rose of York nose art with the Princess and the King. Two things are evident here – the nose art was very professionally done and the Princess was a very beautiful young lady at 18 years. Photo via the author
With a USAAF photographer ducking under a wing to get a good angle, the Princess and Colonel Putnam leave the scene. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
The full Raster crew of Rose of York pose with their "Fort". Given the uniforms they are wearing, this is likely taken the day of the christening. However, the striker plate against which the cider bottle was smashed has been removed from the barrels of the chin turret's machine guns. In front, left to right: Eugene Kelley (Engineer), George Roberts (Radio Operator), Don Urban (Ball Turret Gunner), Herman Shore (Waist Gunner), Bill Landrum (Ball Turret Gunner), Watson Vaughn (Tail Gunner) Back row, left to right: Unknown (this guy doesn't appear in other frames taken of this grouping, but he could possibly be Ed Gregory), Percy Raster (Pilot), Talmadge McDonough (Co-pilot), William Pleasant (Navigator), Marion Northway (Bombardier), and Steven Tanella (previous Bombardier). Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
The scene at RAF Molesworth later in the day as 303 Bomb Group aircrew gather for the visit of the Royal Family – once again in front of Rose of York (her tail letter "F" can clearly be seen, as well as her serial 2-102547). The wind sock shows a strong wind blowing – the same wind that earlier nearly blew the hat off the young Princess Elizabeth (see opening colour image). Photo via 303rd Bomb Group "Hell's Angels" website
The Royal Family, accompanied by RAF and USAAF brass (including General Jimmy Doolittle), arrives at RAF Molesworth to review the operations of the Bomber Group stationed there. The Royal Family made this visit as part of a series of visits that day to operational bomber bases in England including RAF Bomber Command and USAAF Eighth Air Force bases. Photo via 303rd Bomb Group website
On 6 July 1944, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) and then-Princess Elizabeth visited the 303rd Bomb Group at U.S. Army Air Corps Station 107, Molesworth, England, which continues as a U.S. base today and home to units of the U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command, and NATO. Notables in the photo in addition to the Royal Family are General Jimmy Doolittle, 8th Air Force Commander, Colonel Kermit Stevens, 303rd Bomb Group Commander, and Red Cross ladies. The long-lost photo, recently found at what is now RAF Molesworth, was almost certainly sent home by an American airman who helpfully annotated for his family the VIPs in the photo, such as "King" – and interestingly, "Jay Schwarz." Standing stiffly at attention in the photo, Private Jacob "Jay" Schwarz and an unidentified sergeant were no doubt staged and "just happened to be in the Red Cross Club" when the royal party arrived at 4:15 p.m., according to the clock above the bar. Photo via 303rd Bomb Group website
Princess Elizabeth meeting another Boeing B-17 crew, possibly at RAF Molesworth, as she is walking with Colonel Kermit Stevens, commander of the 303rd Bomb Group stationed there. This image created some confusion for the Vintage News editor as the crew lined up in front of Rose of York is wearing combat flight gear including parachutes and flight suits. Rose of York started the day at RAF Thurleigh and then flew to RAF Molesworth, but the author does not indicate that the Princess went to Molesworth. Photographs from that same day show her meeting the Raster crew at RAF Thurleigh in front of Rose of York, wearing dress uniforms. We know it is the same day as Elizabeth is wearing the same clothing but, because she is not carrying a bouquet, this must be later in the day's events when the motorcade drove to RAF Kimbolton or possibly Molesworth. The editor found a Pathé newsreel clip, which includes scenes from this very day, showing that she did in fact meet another B-17 crew, but one dressed differently from both the Rose of York crew and the Four of a Kind crew. It shows Four of a Kind with engines running and implies that she was introduced to them before they took off. If you check out this video you will see that the crew is wearing similar flying gear. We are still confused by these events however. This picture indicates that one of three things happened – either she met another crew at RAF Thurleigh or she met this crew standing in front of Rose of York at RAF Molesworth, or Rose of York flew on to meet her again at RAF Kimbolton. Photo via 303rd Bomb Group website
Busy Princess! The Royal entourage meets yet another B-17 crew – this time at RAF Kimbolton with the ground crew of B-17 Four of a Kind (serial number 43-37777) which clearly took its name from the last four digits of its serial number. Looking at the caps and uniforms of this group, they are not Four of a Kind's flight crew, but rather the Fort's crew of maintainers led by M/Sgt Glen E. Korthouse. Photo from B-17 Groups of the 8th Air Force in Focus by Martin Bowman
At the time of the christening at Thurleigh, a guest reporter by the name of Guy Byam was covering the event for his 9 p.m. broadcast on the BBC radio. Guy Byam was a seasoned and courageous war reporter who saw action with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, where he was wounded and invalided for future military service after surviving the sinking of the ship Jervis Bay. He joined the BBC's War Reporting Unit in April 1944. Since then, he had flown with the RAF during an attack on the Tirpitz, and parachuted into Normandy with British paratroopers on D-Day, 6 June 1944, just a month before the christening. When he jumped from the aircraft he carried a "midget" recording device which was revolutionary for the time. This was the first time a war correspondent could record the sounds of war from the battlefield. A couple of months after the christening, Byam jumped with British paratroopers into Arnhem. Click here for a recording of Byam jumping into Normandy on D-Day with British paratroopers.
On 3 February 1945, the famous Rose of York was one of 35 B-17 Fortress bombers of the 306th Bomb Group that attacked Berlin. This was mission number 50 for Rose of York, mission 63 for the B-17G bomber in all her titles. For this special occasion, the redoubtable Guy Byam flew as a passenger, making a broadcast recording on the BBC midget recording device, meant to be heard on his 9 p.m. BBC evening program. In a last radio report from Rose of York, pilot Capt. Vernon Daley Jr. stated he was leaving the French coast with two engines out but with the aircraft still under control. The B-17G Rose of York, her crew and Guy Byam were never seen again.
In tribute to the lost crew a new B-17G of the 306th Bomb Group became The Ghost of Guy Byam. The idea originated from Ed Gregory but the name was never painted on the B-17G. Should the remains of the B-17G "Rose of York" be located on the sea bottom, it is possible the sounds and report by Guy Byam can be recovered on the record made by the BBC recording device. Truly a "Ghost of Guy Byam"?
In September 1984, seven 8th AF veterans attended Buckingham Place and met Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. They presented her with an original oil painting of the B-17G "Rose of York".
Still wearing their dirty clothing, BBC War Correspondents Stanley Maxted (left) and Guy Byam tell their stories of Arnhem at Broadcasting House on 27 September 1944. Byam, along with the crew of Rose of York (not the crew from the christening), were lost on a bombing mission to Berlin. Lost were: Vernon Daley (Pilot), Joe Carbine (Co-Pilot), Paul Becker (Navigator), Bob Crede (Bombardier), Reisel Horn (Engineer / Top Turret Gunner), Pofirio Marquez (Radio Operator), George Petrillo (Ball Turret Gunner), Silvio DeZolt (Waist Gunner), Okey Coplin (Tail Gunner), Guy Byam (BBC press) Photo: RAF
306 Bomb Group Fortresses on a mission to bomb Germany. This is typical of the tail markings for a 306th Fort. Photo: National Archives via the United States Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB Alabama.
A photograph of a Rose of York crew bomber jacket at the 8th Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia. This jacket depicts Rose of York as she was on the day of the christening without the red and yellow 306th Bomb Group common markings as seen in the previous photo. Photo: © Kevin "Elvis" King, divemasterking2000 on Flickr
Another crew jacket from Rose of York, perhaps from a later crew as the tail markings now conform to the common design as seen in the photograph above. The image from the 306th Bomb Group website shows Rose of York flying through heavy flak which, in the end, destroyed her. Photo via 306th Bomb Group website
Rose of York lives on again: Army Air Force Lieutenant Joseph Couris (ret), New Hampshire Air National Guard Technical Sergeant Frank Stephens, Staff Sergeant Kevin Johnson, and Airman First Class Alyssa Stansfield pose for a group photo in front of a Boeing KC-135R aerial refuelling tanker at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire, 9 September 2009. The tanker recently was affixed with replica nose art to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the christening of the original Rose of York and the bravery and selfless service of all of her crew members, including her first Aircraft Commander and New Hampshire resident Joseph Couris. In 1944 Joseph Couris was stationed at Thurleigh Royal Air Force Base near Bedford, England serving as a B-17 Aircraft Commander in the 306th Bombardment Group, 367th Bombardment Squadron of the U.S. Eighth Army Air Force. Tech. Sgt Stephens and Staff Sgt. Johnson designed the decal and all three unit members installed the nose art onto the tanker. Photo: 157th Air Refueling Wing NHANG
Rose of York returns to Great Britain. Photographer Fergal Goodman captured New Hampshire Air National Guard KC-135R Rose of York at RAF Leuchars, Scotland, 12 September 2009. Photo by Fergal Goodman
A close-up of NHANG KC-135R Rose of York's artwork... not as complete and polished as the original. Photo by Fergal Goodman


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Nijigen Cospa announces their Kantai Collection goodies for Wonder Festival 2014 (Winter)
This year's winter edition of the bi-annual figure event known as Wonder Festival is just a week away and anime and video game merchandise makers Nijigen Cospa has announced their Kantai Collection line-up for the event.
This Kongou-class parka will be sold during the event and it will feature the four Kongou-class battleships, Kongou, Hiei, Kirishima and Haruna. This parka will come in three sizes, M,L and XL ands will cost 8,500 yen. This parka is limited edition and only 300 of them will be sold for the event.
Nijigen Cospa will be conducting pre-orders for the Twin 12.7cm Gun Ring and the Kantai Collection Admiral Pocket Watch during Winter WonFes.
Twin 12.7cm Gun Ring is made of silver and comes in the sizes, 15,17, 19, 21, 23, and 25. The ring is scheduled for release mid-April 2014 and will cost 12,960 yen.
Kantai Collection Admiral Pocket Watch meanwhile measures 30cm in diameter and is made out of brass. This pocket watch is scheduled for release April 30, 2014 and will cost 9,720 yen.
Another WonFes pre-order will be the Wo-class Aircraft Carrier Parka. These parkas are based on the scary Wo-class Aircraft carriers which attack players in the game. These parkas come in S, M, L and XL sizes and will cost 11,880 yen. These parkas are scheduled for release mid-May 2014.
The 12.7cm twin gun shoulder bag will also be up for pre-orders during Winter WonFes. It is scheduled for release mid-May 2014 and will cost 6,624 yen.
Wonder Festival 2014 (Winter) will be held at the Makuhari Messe Hall on February 9, 2014. There will be an entrance fee on 2,000 yen.
Read more on the Wonder Festival through this link: http://sgcafe.com/tag/wonder-festival/
Read more on anime and video game-related merchandise here on SGCafe!
Also join in on the community's discussions at http://forums.sgcafe.com
Source: Animate


text: Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles charts, "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. R… Read More


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Galveston, O Galveston! (cue the Glen Campbell song) In case you missed Part 1, check out my time at Anna and Greg's wedding in Houston here! Always cheaper to fly... read more →
Howdy, ya'll! ;) We are back from Houston in Calgary and happy to be home - despite the amazing trip away in Texas and Mikey's quick turn-around soon for the... read more →
Hey you guys! Long time no blog, right? But perhaps you're used to that by now? :) I'm a bit hit and miss lately in terms of blogging but I... read more →
Home again. It's good to be back, despite the very late arrival in Calgary and quick turn-around for work on Monday! The sailing trip was...full! We experienced rain for 4... read more →
Hey guys! I am back from two back-to-back river trips and a short camping stint with friends that I can't wait to tell you about! First up, we had another... read more →
Hey guys! I hope you had great weekends and are ready for a productive and focused, great week ahead; I know I am as I focus on choosing joy and... read more →
Perched on a couch in our hotel room in Vegas, I'm contemplative. I spent a lot of time soaking up the rays poolside yesterday, writing in my journal and reflecting... read more →
Hey guys! Well, we are back in Calgary...for 4 days. ;) It's been a whirlwind of a summer and Mikey and I are grateful to be living these adventures full... read more →
This post was written almost 3 weeks ago! But I'm just now sharing it due to internet issues while traveling and being off the grid for those full 3 weeks... read more →
Hey guys! Well, I am back from the wilderness and jumping back into life in the big city...that's how Calgary feels compared to the remote but beautiful area of Anahim... read more →


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Sunday, Aug 30th 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
@ St. John Vianney Youth Lounge
In collaboration with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, St. John Vianney hosts Quarterly Blood Drives.
Our next blood drive is Sunday, August 30 in the Activity Center Youth Lounge. We are in need of over 200 donors for each of our blood drives. Can we count on you?
Appointments are served first. To make your appointment click here or call the Parish Life Office at 281.497.1555. Walk-Ins are Welcome.
Hosted by Parish Life, Knights of Columbus and Social Ministries
Download event iCal
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Get to the Point!
Speaking, writing and presenting concisely and clearly
Knowing what matters
- Winning and losing your audience and readers – dos and don'ts.
- A clear message is brief and pointedly put.
- Concentrating on the essentials.
Dramatic composition
- Captivating your audience and readers – even with factual information.
- Effectively deploying linguistic devices and dramatic means.
Statement, presentation and discussion
- The three phases of your successful contribution: opening, body and skilful conclusion.
- Clearly structuring, polishing and effectively staging (short) speeches.
- Finding the appropriate arguments quickly and easily.
- Building a convincing argumentation.
- Championing your own point of view.
Successful short presentations
- Seizing the opportunities to score points.
- Being persuasive in just sixty seconds (elevator pitch).
Writing clearly and concisely
- Writing emails and texts so that people want to read them.
- Conveying your concerns in a clear and compelling way.
- Less is more: how to convince with concise texts.
- Creating effective texts systematically and without losing time.
Optimising your presentation
- Please bring along your presentation sequence (max. 5 charts) on your notebook to the workshop for practice.
Optimising your business texts
- Bring along, e.g. letters, emails, memos, circulars, position papers and decision papers (max. 2-3 pages) for editing.
Online Learning Platform
Once you have registered, you will be able to access your online learning platform, including extra materials for consolidating what you have learned.
- You will learn to distinguish between what is trivial and what is important and to focus on the core content.
- You will learn to develop your texts and arguments clearly, precisely and to the point – in a straightforward way and without meaningless phrases.
- You will learn about tips and tricks to structure and develop interesting and motivating speeches and texts that grab the attention of your audience and readers.
- You will learn to convey your message so that it actually reaches your audience and readers.
- You will communicate more effectively and efficiently.
- You will express yourself in a more active, more focused and thus more effective way.
Practice-proven exercises, speech and writing tasks, participant presentations with individual feedback from trainer and group.
On the basis of typical speaking and writing situations and concrete questions from participants, we will develop individual strategies for using words and language in a concise, focused and convincing manner.
Who should attend
Experts and managers who want to argue their concerns / stand their ground more effectively in future by impressive speeches and pointed (short) presentations as well as clearly structured and concisely formulated texts.
Further recommendations for "Get to the Point!"
Success Through Effective Communication Skills
Persuasion and Influence: Speak Up and Convince!
The Power of Nonverbal Presence: Using Your Body Language & Voice to Influence
Transfer coaching available!
more information here
- Customised for your needs
- On-site for multiple employees
- Save time and travelling expenses
Price on request.Request
Questions about a booking?
Auch als deutschsprachiges Training buchbar:
Bringen Sie es auf den Punkt!
2. day: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
The stated participation fee includes a group lunch per full seminar day, refreshments during breaks and extensive course handouts. The participant must settle accommodation costs directly with the hotel. Regarding the booking of the hotel, you will find a reservation form in your online learning platform.


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Professor Li He has been the head of the Oxford Thermofluids Institute (2008-2011) and the acting director of Rolls-Royce University Technology Center in Heat Transfer and Aerodynamics (2008-2010). He is the Oxford Co-director of the Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Gas Turbine Aerodynamics, jointly established with Cambridge and Loughborough universities.
Li received BSc (1982) and MSc (1984) at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a Ph.D degree (1990) at Cambridge University. After his doctorate study, he worked initially as a research associate at Whittle Laboratory and later as the Rolls-Royce Senior Research Fellow with the Girton College at Cambridge. He joined in Durham University as a lecturer in 1993 to start the MEng computational fluid dynamics course there, was promoted to a Reader in Engineering in 1998, and appointed in 2000 to the Chair of Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, the post he had held before taking up the RR/RAE Chair at Oxford from January 2008. While at Durham, he had been the Head of Thermo-fluids and the School of Engineering Director of Research.
Li's main research interest has been in Computational Fluid Dynamics with emphasis on unsteady aerodynamic/aero-elastic and heat transfer phenomena in turbomachinery. He is also involved with experimental work for validating novel advanced computational methods/modelling and understanding complex flow physics and modelling requirements. He has directed research projects in unsteady flows and aeroelasticity and consulted for several major gas turbine/aeroengine and steam turbine companies in Europe, US and Asia.
He has been a review organiser and committee member for several international conferences. External editorial services include:
He is Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Fellow of Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).
At Oxford, Li currently lectures on Fluid Mechanics (Y2), Heat and Mass Transfer (Y2), Aircraft Flight and Propulsion (Y4) and teaches Computational Fluid Dynamics course module (Y2). He has taught several M.Eng courses in Durham University in the thermo-fluids areas, including Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Turbomachinery and Computational Fluid Dynamics.


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Pakistan, China to launch satellite to monitor CPEC projects
Pakistan and China have signed an agreement for the launch of a special satellite to monitor the development of the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
In this regard an agreement was signed between Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and the China Great Wall Industry Cooperation (CGWIC) for the development and launch of the "Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS-1) System in June 2018.
The agreement would also transfer space technology to Pakistan and the PRSS-1 is yet another flagship project between China-Pakistan relations after CPEC. The CPEC is a collection of projects worth $46 billion currently under construction.
Pak-China relations : The bilateral cooperation between the two countries in space domain would open new vistas of socio-economic and scientific cooperation, giving boost to the historic bilateral cordial relations in other fields. It would also help Pakistan in national security arena by strengthening border security and surveillance apparatus.
The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a collection of projects currently under construction at a cost of $46 billion. It is part of China's regional transnational 'One Belt One Road' (OBOR) initiative and its Maritime Silk Road project that connects large patch of Asia and Eastern Europe.
It is intended to rapidly expand and upgrade Pakistani infrastructure, as well as deepen and broaden economic links between Pakistan and the People's Republic of China. It will link Kashgar in Xinjiang province of China to Gwadar deep sea port close to Pakistan's border with Iran.
Funding of the poject :
The projects would be financed by heavily-subsidized concessionary loans at an interest rate of 1.6% that will be dispersed to the Government of Pakistan by the Exim Bank of China, China Development Bank, and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
If all the planned projects will be implemented, the value of those projects would be equal to all foreign direct investment in Pakistan since 1970, and would be equivalent to 17% of Pakistan's 2015 gross domestic product.
Advantage for China :
Currently, nearly 80 per cent of China's oil is transported by ship from the Strait of Malacca to Shanghai, a distance of more than 16,000 km, but once Gwadar begins operating, the distance would be reduced to less than 5,000 km.
Moreover the location of Gwadar Port is strategically important as it lies close to the Strait of Hormuz (near Iran), a key international oil shipping lane. The port can also be used by the Chinese Navy for military purpose.
CPEC will develop Kashgar in to a trade terminus connencting the isolated and underdeveloped Xinjiang province to rest of China and other Asian countries.
Various land locked energy rich Central Asian countries are keen to connenct themselves to the infrastructure networks of CPEC as it will give these countries easy access to the Indian Ocean.
Advantage for Pakistan :
The corridor project will create some 700,000 direct jobs between 2015–2030 and add up to 2.5 percentage points to the country's growth rate.
Infrastructure projects under the aegis of CPEC will span the length and breadth of Pakistan and eventually link the Pakistani city of Gwadar and Xinjiang province of China via a vast network of highways and railways.
As part of infrastructure projects worth approximately $11 billion, an 1,100 kilometre long motorway will be constructed between the cities of Karachi and Lahore.
The Karakoram Highway between Rawalpindi and the Chinese border will be completely reconstructed and overhauled.
Over $33 billion worth of energy infrastructure will be constructed by private consortia that will alleviate Pakistan's chronic energy shortages, which regularly amount to over 4,500MW, and have shed an estimated 2-2.5% off Pakistan's annual GDP.
Concern for India : India has been protesting the corridor's passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir ever since the project was kicked off by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Islamabad last year as it passes through the Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) which may impact the security of the nation.


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Currently, 30 states have adopted marriage amendments.
- Only 5 states have neither a statute nor a constitutional provision prohibiting same-sex "marriage": Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Rhode Island.
- Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Vermont are the only states that have legalized same-sex "marriage." Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Iowa legalized same-sex "marriage" are as a result of high court decisions: Goodridge (MA), Kerrigan (CT), and Varnum (IA). New Hampshire and Vermont legalized same-sex "marriage" as a result of legislation. Same-sex "marriage" is also legal in the District of Columbia.
- New York's high court, the Court of Appeals, ruled in 2006 in Hernandez v. Robles that despite the lack of an explicit definition of marriage in New York, only the union of a man and a woman is a legal marriage, and this limitation is constitutional.


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Small Wildlife Garden Ideas
The first rule of wild flower gardening is to grow what is native to your region. The flowers featured here are native to the Eastern Deciduous Forest Region, which consists of the East Coast, extends into the Midwest and excludes the Coastal Plains.
Although you'd probably rather kill weeds than cultivate them, you can actually create a beautiful garden with wild flowers.
Learn how to distinguish your beard tongue from your evening primrose and the best flowers to plant in spring, summer and fall.
Desert Bloom
Early Spring Blooming Wildflowers
The following flowers are best planted in early spring when the first hints of warm weather reveal themselves.
BEARDTONGUE: A dozen or more species of beard-tongue dot the Eastern Forest region in various places, mostly in the south and west. This is a smooth, shiny plant with lavender flowers that arise in pairs or clusters near the tops of the branches. There is a pair of small leaves below each cluster. These perennials require full sun and average moisture.
BLUE PHLOX: This perennial - recurring on a yearly or continual basis - is adorned with beautiful blue flowers. It is native to rich, moist, deciduous woods throughout the region. It can spread by seed or by stolons (a horizontal branch from the base of the plant that produces new plants). Plant in a partially shaded area that receives average moisture.
BULBOUS BUTTERCUP: Perhaps the showiest of the buttercups, this flower carpets low fields, meadows and pastures with pure golden yellow. Bulbous buttercups grow wildly in mountainous areas, but are easy to introduce to the garden. They are one of the earliest to bloom and need full sunlight and average moisture.
DEVIL'S BIT: The small, white flowers of devil's bit, or blazing star, are clustered in showy spikes, and unlike other members of the lily family, have male and female flowers separated on different plants. Interestingly, this plant was once used medicinally for separate male and female ailments. Be sure to specify male plants for your wild flower garden, as they have the more attractive flower clusters. Devil's bit needs full shade in a mild climate that receives average moisture.
GOLDEN RAGWORT: The long, leafy stems of golden ragwort, another spring member of the aster family, may be two or more feet tall, and bear many small but colorful heads of yellow flowers. These are excellent plants for early color in the woodland garden. Plant in a fully sunlit area that receives above-average moisture.
SHOOTING STAR: With its fleshy basal leaves and cluster of white flowers at the end of a long, flowering stem, this is an easily recognized inhabitant of rich, moist woodlands with basic or neutral soils. Easily cultivated, shooting star can provide a stunning addition to a spring wild flower garden where moisture is average and there is semi-shade.
VIOLET WOOD SORREL: Although some violets are rather weedy, this one with its bright 1/2-inch violet flowers provides colorful patches to the spring garden. The three-lobed, shamrock-like leaves are easily recognizable in spring, and again in the fall, when a second minor flowering period occurs. The violet wood sorrel needs partial shade and average moisture.
Attrack Garden Wildlife
Wild Autumn Beauty
About half of all fall wild flowers belong to a single plant family - aster. This family has two kinds of small, specialized flowers that occur in clusters of various sizes, shapes and forms. About a third of fall wild flowers are annuals (completing their life cycles within a year) that can be grown from a seed, making them easy to cultivate in your garden.
EVENING PRIMROSE: Closely related to sun-drops, which bloom in early summer, the biannual evening primrose is taller and blooms in fall or late summer. As the name implies, the flowers of evening primrose usually open after sunset. These easily cultivated plants require full sun and average moisture.
FIREWEED: The bushy plants of fire-weed have slender stems, narrow leaves and small, pale blue or pale pink flowers. They are somewhat hard to see if there is a lot of other vegetation. However, they are often the first thing to come up in an area after a fire and are then quite conspicuous. These cosmopolitan plants are known around the world in northern latitudes. In the Appalachians, they are found as far south as North Carolina. Plant in full shade that receives average moisture.
SPOTTED JEWEL WEED: Each tuliped flower of this plant dangles on a slender stalk and is pollinated by hummingbirds whose long beaks and tongues can reach the nectar in the sharply bent spur at the base of the flower. The yellow-orange flowers can add quite a splash of color to your garden. If the brown skin of a ripe seed is peeled away, it reveals a turquoise blue, which accounts for the plant's name. This plant requires partial shade and a moist environment.
CARDINAL FLOWER: This plant, with its bright crimson flowers, is pollinated by hummingbirds and is one of the showiest wild flowers. It thrives in moist open areas, especially throughout Eastern North America and is easily grown from seed. Plant it in a fully sunlit area that is exposed to above-average moisture.
COMMON MORNING GLORY: This plant - with its large, heart-shaped leaves - typically has big purple flowers, but can have pink, white and blue ones as well. A weedy, naturalized annual, the common morning glory apparently escaped from cultivation in early Colonial times. It is now a common sight in all cornfields, gardens and along roadsides throughout the region. Plant in a completely sunlit area that takes in average moisture.
OBEDIENT PLANT: The closely flowering spikes with showy colors of white, purple and rose have made this a popular garden plant for many years. The name comes from the way the individual flowers can easily be bent and arranged. This plant needs full sunlight and average moisture.
AGERATUM: The perennial ageratum, or mist flower, has long been cultivated as a garden flower. A distinctive characteristic of this type of flower is the absence of petals. Its long flower heads contain only light blue disc flowers, but is a beautiful addition to a garden. Plant in a partially shaded area that has exposure to average moisture.


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Henry Louis Gates, as I remarked a while back, has started emailing everyone in sight a series of "surprising facts' about African-Americans," heaven knows why. So it occurred to me maybe from time to time I should publish my own list of surprising or little known facts. Today's little known fact [little known only to the handful of Americans who do not regularly read the Bible] is the real meaning of the phrase "mark of Cain." As the expression is used in common discourse, it usually refers to some sort of mark of evil, a sign that a person is bad. But that is almost exactly the opposite of the original meaning, which, as all of you surely know, can be found in Genesis 3:12-15.
After Cain slays his brother, Abel, God drives him from his home and curses him, saying "a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. [3:12] And Cain said unto the Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear. [13] Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face shall I be hid; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. [14] And the Lord said unto him, Therefore, whoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." [15]
So the mark of Cain is actually an early version of one of those suburban signs that say "these premises protected by Vanguard Home Security System." "Vengeance is mine," as the Lord sayeth elsewhere. [Romans 12:19]
What on earth made me think of this? you may wonder. Well, Susie had a bad time last night with her broken shoulder, and I got up to help her, rearrange her blankets in the reclining chair in which he is forced to sleep, and make her some breakfast. Before making her coffee, I turned on the TV, and as it would happen, it was on a channel that was screening James Dean's famous movie, East of Eden. What is the very next verse of Genesis? "And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden." [16]
Monday, February 4, 2013
Posted by Robert Paul Wolff at 7:04 AM
2 comments:
- Unknown said...
I'm sorry Susie is in such misery with her shoulder. Please give her my best wishes for recovery to a time when it will all seem like a bad dream.
- February 4, 2013 at 11:10 AM
- Robert Paul Wolff said...
Thank you so much. We are soldiering on.
- February 4, 2013 at 11:35 AM
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Statistical highlights of the fifth One-dayer between India and Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
# Tiwary's brilliant innings of 65 is his second highest in ODIs, next only to the 104 retired not out against the West Indies at Chennai on December 11, 2011.
# Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the second Indian player and the fourth overall to aggregate 2000 runs or more against Sri Lanka in ODIs. The top run-getters against Sri Lanka are Sachin Tendulkar (3113), Inzamam-ul-Haq (2265), Saeed Anwar (2198) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2041).
# Dhoni (58 off 38 balls) has posted his 16th fifty against Sri Lanka - his 46th in ODIs.
# Dhoni batted with a strike rate of 152.63 - his highest against Sri Lanka when he has scored 50 or more.
# Dhoni has averaged 60.02 against Sri Lanka - 2041 runs in 55 ODIs. His tally includes two hundreds.
# Pathan and Dhoni were associated in a seventh-wicket partnership of 77 - India's highest against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, outstripping the 63 between Robin Singh and Ajit Agarkar at Colombo, SSC on July 1, 1998.
# Lahiru Thirimanne has posted his fourth half-century in ODIs - his second against India.
# Thirimanne's superb 77 off 96 balls is his career-best in ODIs, eclipsing the 69 off 63 balls against South Africa at Johannesburg on January 22, 2012.
# Thirimanne's fifty is his first in a losing cause.
# Irfan Pathan's average of 76.00 - 76 runs in four innings, three times not out - is his best in an ODI series.
# Irfan Pathan (5-61) has registered his second instance of five wickets in an innings in ODIs - his best ever figures are 5 for 27 against Zimbabwe at Harare on August 29, 2005.
# Pathan is the first Indian bowler to concede 60 or more while claiming five wickets in an innings in an ODI.
# Pathan has become the third Indian bowler to take five wickets or more against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in ODIs. Ashish Nehra had claimed 6 for 59 on August 9, 2005 and Harbhajan Singh - 5 for 56 on September 14, 2009. Both performed the feats at Colombo (RPS).
# Pathan (29 not out + 5-61) has been adjudged the Man of the Match for the seventh time in ODIs - his third against Sri Lanka.
# Lasith Malinga became the fourth Sri Lankan to complete 200 wickets or more in ODIs, joining Muralitharan (534), Chaminda Vaas (400) and Sanath Jayasuriya (323).
# Malinga's marvellous feat of completing 200 wickets in 127 ODIs is the fastest by a Sri Lankan bowler and the seventh quickest in ODIs.
# Tillakaratne Dilshan has registered his ninth duck in ODIs - his fourth against India.
# Three bowlers have captured eight wickets each in the just concluded series - Pathan (ave.26.37), Perera (ave.31.25) and Malinga (35.50).
# Jeevan Mendis (72 off 88 balls) has posted his maiden fifty in ODIs.
# Thirimanne and Mendis were involved in a stand of 102 for the sixth wicket - Sri Lanka's sixth century stand against India.
# Gautam Gambhir has posted his ninth fifty against Sri Lanka - his 33rd in ODIs.
# In the course of his above half-century, Gambhir has completed his 5,000 runs in ODIs, aggregating 5077 at an average of 40.94 in 135 innings.
# Gambhir (5077) has become the ninth Indian batsman to make 5,000 runs or more in ODIs. He has joined Sachin Tendulkar (18,426), Sourav Ganguly (11,363), Rahul Dravid (10,889), Mohammad Azharuddin (9378), Virender Sehwag (8238), Yuvraj Singh (8051), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (6908), and Ajay Jadeja (5359).
# Gambhir took 135 innings to reach 5,000 runs - the joint second quickest by an Indian batsman in ODIs. Sourav Ganguly had achieved the distinction in 126 innings and Mahendra Singh Dhoni 135.
# Virat Kohli, with 296 runs (ave.74.00), including two centuries, is the leading run-getter in the just concluded series - a record in a bilateral series between India and Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, obliterating the 284 (ave.56.80) by Yuvraj Singh in 2008-09.
# Kohli has received his second Player of the Series award.
# Gambhir and Tiwary have added 110 - India's third highest for the fourth wicket against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.
# Suresh Raina has registered his fourth duck against Sri Lanka - his ninth in Limited-Overs Internationals.
# India's superb series victory by 4-1 is their second by such a margin in a bilateral series in Sri Lanka. India had won by a similar margin against Sri Lanka in the 2008-09 series in Sri Lanka.
# India have won three series in a row in Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka - by 3-2 in 2008; by 4-1 in 2008-09 and by 4-1 in 2012. They have now won five bilateral series in a row against Sri Lanka in ODIs.
# Rohit Sharma could manage just 13 runs in five innings at an average of 2.60 - the least number of runs scored by a recognised batsman (No.1 to 7) in five innings for India. Only three batsmen have scored less than Rohit in five innings in a series/competition - the dubious distinction for recording least number of runs in five innings was achieved by Romesh Kaluwitharana - 7 runs in five innings (ave.1.40) in the Asia Cup 1996-97.


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As Orphan Black approaches the halfway point of its fifth and final season, airing on Saturdays at 10/9c PM, here's a reminder of why BBC America's cloning drama is one of TV's most consistently clever shows.
1. Its episode titles quote Darwin, Bacon, Eisenhower, and more.
Each season of Orphan Black takes its episode titles from a particular author or piece of writing. Season one's episode titles reference Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species; season two's episode titles are all Francis Bacon quotes; season three's episode titles borrow from Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address; season four's episode titles draw from the works of feminist scholar Donna Haraway; and season five's episode titles are all quotes from the Ella Wheeler Wilcox poem "Protest."
2. Aldous Huxley's classic 1932 sci-fi novel, Brave New World, is a recurring motif.
This one shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, since Huxley's novel is renowned for the way it explores the scientific possibilities (and ethical implications) of human cloning. Anyway, Huxley himself is honored most overtly in the name of one of the show's most menacing villains, scheming scientist Dr. Aldous Leekie, portrayed by Max Headroom himself, also known by his proper name Matt Frewer.
3. The H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr. Moreau is another frequent reference point.
Because it's a book about a very questionable scientist doing a series of very questionable genetic experiments: Soooo Orphan Black.
4. The show also draws from Greek mythology.
In Orphan Black, the scientific initiative pioneering the creation of female human clones is called "Project LEDA." In Greek mythology, Leda is a Spartan princess seduced by Zeus after he adopts the form of a swan. She later gives birth to two eggs — one containing a pair of mortal twins, the other containing a pair of divine (or God-like) twins. So it's easy to read Project LEDA's name as an elegant classical reference to the idea of duality at the heart of human cloning.
5. But the writers dip into mainstream pop culture, too.
The season one episode "Effects of External Conditions" actually references both Pygmalion, the classic George Bernard Shaw play, and Steel Magnolias, the famous '80s tearjerker starring Sally Field and Daryl Hannah. As we noted in our episode recap at the time, these stories were chosen because they're "acute examples of female identity issues in popular fiction that beautifully echoed the themes of this episode."
6. Sarah and Felix's adoptive mother, the mysterious Mrs. S, is based on punk icon Patti Smith.
The show's co-creator Graeme Manson told Maria Doyle Kennedy, who plays Mrs. S, that Smith was the "original inspiration" for her complicated and controversial character. "She's a huge beacon for me, so that sealed the deal," the actress told TVLine.
7. One of Orphan Black's smartest characters is based on a real-life scientist who works on the show.
In Orphan Black, Cosima Niehaus is a pin-sharp former Ph.D student who always feels driven to find out the truth. In real life, Cosima Herter is an equally intelligent (continuing) Ph.D student who verifies the show's scientific elements. Describing her Orphan Black consulting, Herter tells us: "I'm a resource for [the show's] biology, particularly insofar as evolutionary biology is concerned. I study the history and the philosophy of biology, so I do offer some suggestions and some creative ideas, but also help correct some of the misconceptions about science. I offer different angles and alternatives to look at the way biological science is represented, so (it's) not reduced to your stereotypical tropes about evolutionary biology and cloning, but also to provide some accuracy for the scripts."
8. And I.R.L. (In Real Life) Cosima says the show's premise isn't as far-fetched as you might think.
"I think that the possibilities for the kinds of science that are being represented [on the show] are not fictional," she says. "I think some of the things that make these things fictional are the fact that there are actual clones running around, but the capacity or the potential or the research to create such an event is not fiction." Intriguing, right?
9. Let's not forget that the show's writers are fond of a clever one-liner.
10. Oh, and there's an interesting fan theory regarding the show's title.
In Richard Greene's (100% unofficial) book Orphan Black and Philosophy: Grand Theft DNA, he argues that the show's title refers to orphans hidden "in the black" when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the U.K. in the '80s. It's a plausible one, to say the least.
Have you spotted any clever references in Orphan Black? Let us know in the comment sections below.Read More


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Help make history.
The Shepparton Motor Museum & Collectibles relies on the generosity of its donors. With your help we continue to grow the collection to attract new visitors and preserve our motoring history.
The Museum also welcomes offers of loan of vehicles and other items of interest.
We are always looking for additional material for the collection, but, unfortunately we cannot always meet every offer due to space restrictions and display priorities.
All offers of loan and donation are taken into consideration and assessed by
the Museum committee and we endeavour to respond to offers as quickly as possible.
Any donations of significant artefacts would be greatly appreciated.
The museum houses significant artefacts and accepts donations as a key part of expanding its collection and making sure our history is preserved for future generations.
If you would like to offer a donation or loan to the Shepparton Motor Museum & Collectibles please fill in the form below or contact us if you have any questions.
To help us with your offer please describe the item you would like to offer for
loan or donation and provide as much information as possible and please include a couple of photos.
The type of information you may include are Make and model (if a vehicle), Current condition, any relevant history relating to the individual vehicle, the class of model, any relevant history of a person connected to the item and at least one photograph of the vehicle or item in its current condition.


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Christian Living
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God Eats Pop Corn
by Teresa Ortiz
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The air is cool—the wind blows softly—the dogs are asleep on my lap. Finally, there is peace, a moment to myself.
As I flip through the Bible, I say "the Bible", because it's not "my Bible". Strange as it may seem, there is a difference.
In my Bible, I know where everything is. I can open it to the book I want just about every time—give or take a few pages. My Bible is the one I use everyday. It has my personal notes, my thoughts, and my prayers written on its pages—a textbook and journal all in one. I even know what side of the page I will find the verse I am looking for. I know it well, too well.
On the other hand, "The Bible", is a Bible that sits in my library of Bibles and is handy when mine is not close by. It is foreign to me, however, and I don't know where to find anything. Before I open it, I examine it and then open up to where I think I should be. To my surprise, I am way off. If there is anything that bothers me, it's not knowing exactly where each book of the Bible lands based on the size alone. The other problem with this is it seems so generic; a big book filled with many little books—just words on a page. It is unfamiliar, too unfamiliar.
Still flipping, I decide I want to read the book of Philippians—a book on brotherly love. Four chapters packed with wisdom, encouragement and a beautiful picture of the humility of Jesus.
Just one problem; it's not where it's supposed to be! Nevertheless, going to the Table of Contents is out of the question and it's not because I'm stubborn, I'm just testing my memory:
What was that I learned when I first tried to memorize the books of the Bible?
After staring down at the pages a moment, it comes to me: God Eats Pop Corn.
G = Galatians
E = Ephesians
P = Philippians
C = Colossians
Thank you, Jesus! All I had to do was find Galatians and I was there. Now I'm ready to read. The cool breeze had a calming affect, making it easy to close my eyes for a quick prayer.
Not only was this Bible not my Bible, it was also a different translation—thus being twice unfamiliar. The translation I was reading is called, "The Message"—a reader's version, also known as a paraphrase. It is designed for people who have never read the Bible before and want to get the "gist" of the message. In many ways, it reads like a novel--extremely unfamiliar, surprisingly refreshing.
These are Paul's words to the Philippians:
"If You've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human. Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion." Philippians 2:1-8
Wow! Very refreshing—the words jumped up at me so fast, I almost choked.
"Forget about yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand."
It doesn't say it that way in my Bible. Mine says, "Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." (NKJV)
I get it. Don't be selfish, think of others as well. So how often do I do this? And is it only after I take care of myself first? Surely, Jesus thought of himself last. In my mind, I know this. In my theology and scripture memorization I know this, but how long do I forget about myself to help others? Is it long enough?
Suddenly, I realize I have so much more to learn. As I close my eyes and ponder this amazing find in the Bible, I drift off to sleep. I'm not sure how long I slept with my dogs cuddled on my lap, but when I woke, my desire to renew my mind with a fresh reading of God's word was stronger than ever before. I am thankful for the unfamiliar and the sweet conviction of the Holy Spirit which brings me to a place of humility before my Lord Jesus as I am washed clean by the water of His word.
There is that saying, "what I don't know can't hurt me." Nonetheless, this is an example of the reverse and I have been reminded that what I know, can and will hinder me.
Sometimes when we are too comfortable, we become complacent. We have confidence in what we know, and it cripples us.
In all this I must disagree with the idea that "The Message" translation of the Bible is only good for new believers or people who want to get the gist of the message.
I am convinced that it is also good for those of us who have read and reread the Bible—especially for those of us who have a special one we call our own. You know who you are.
For all those who read the "word for word translations, it will be hard to read at first. It was for me, but once I set aside "what I know" and sat with an open heart to read the unfamiliar, the Holy Spirit had access to the deeper parts of my spirit.
I desire to have a teachable spirit, one that is open to the new things God has for me. The word of God is alive and active, it convicts, encourages, and challenges those of us who claim to follow Jesus.
I have a renewed sense of awe and wonder for God's word. I don't ever want to lose those warm-fuzzy feelings of when I first fell in love with my Savior.
I always want to remember that God Eats Pop Corn.
© Teresa Ortiz 2008
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TiVotivolovers is for TiVoholics - TiVo users and fans, or anyone curious about TiVo. If the links on the community's info page can't answer your question, then someone in the community probably can. I also try to post links to any TiVo related news that I come across, so it is a good way to keep current with the world of TiVo.
James Burkejamesburke is a new community for fans of James Burke, author and TV host. Mr. Burke is famous for his fascinating take on the history of science and technology, and the interactions therein with the growth of society. You may know him from his TV series Connections, The Day the Universe Changed, Connections2, Connections3, or After the Warming, or his books Connections, The Day the Universe Changed, The Axemaker's Gift, The Pinball Effect, The Knowledge Web, Circles, or Twin Tracks.
Magdalen Hsu-Limagdalenhsuli is a community for fans of the talented singer-songwriter, Magdalen Hsu-Li. Magdalen has been compared to Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, and other talented female musicians. Her moving lyrics and powerful voice make her a musical force to be reckoned with.
Eyrie Productions, Unlimitedepu is a community for fans of Eyrie Productions, Unlimited. USENET's largest producer of quality fanfiction since 1991! EPU is known for stories such as Undocumented Features, Hopelessly Lost, Gods Willing, Street Fighter: Warrior's Legacy, and Neon Exodus Evangelion. ludo fore putavimus
Pacific Media Expopmx is a community for Pacific Media Expo - which was held for the first time on May 29-31, 2004 in Anaheim, CA. PMX was founded by former Anime Expo staffers to be more than the traditional anime convention, it is an Asian media convention - covering music, anime, live action film, and even Japanese Wresting. PMX is the first convention to stage full scale concerts, using the Anaheim Arena. PMX is planned to be an annual event.
Central MA and Worcester SinglesWorcester, MA is semi-affectionately known as Wormtown - hence, wormtownsingles. It is a nascent singles community for Worcester and the surrounding central MA area.
While I'm at it, a reminder that I have some filters and if you're on my friends list and want to see posts in those filters, ask me. See my user info for details.


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The 100MG CBD OIL is a sublingual and vapeable oil that is vegetable glycerin based, infused with pharmaceutical-grade cannabidiol (CBD). This low dosage of CBD has been used to been used by consumers suffering from a lack of focus, stress, anxiety, and depression.


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What is wrong with "eat less, move more"? Most of us are familiar with this mantra as weight-loss advice. However, a new consensus statement from the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) contends that this energy-in-energy-out framework isn't really so simple.
The problem lies in that consuming fewer calories and burning more through physical activity doesn't always translate well to weight management. That is not to say that the framework of energy balance—negative energy balance for weight loss; positive energy balance for weight—is wrong. At some level, it's right; however, several factors come into the equation.
During a Saturday morning session of Experimental Biology (#EB2012) in San Diego, Calif., researchers discussed the topic of this complexity and promoting a new paradigm on energy balance.
Energy balance is not just about addition of diet and exercise; each affects the other, so that changing one changes the others, explained Jim Hill, professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, and new recipient of the W.O. Atwater Lectureship awarded by the American Society for Nutrition.
What must be appreciated is the body's system of active regulation, he said.
"It's not just a little man in your head that," he said, adding that the body may rely on a 'set point' or 'settling point' type of system that attempts to balance energy, energy stores, glucose, glycogen, fat stores, and temperature.
"You might argue that up to the 1970s, the system worked pretty well," Hill said. "This whole system is based on inherited factors. If you look at what's really changed since the 70s, it's really the environmental factors. We don't have to hunt and kill our food anymore. We go to the supermarket and fill our carts. We also sit in some form of fashion every day."
Obesity, a problem of overwhelmed "active regulation"
Most of these environmental influences are designed to increase energy intake. It becomes more difficult to avoid overeating and underactivity. These influences, summed up, overwhelm active regulation and the body's energy balance system. Then the body's physiology adjusts.
Are there things in the food supply that cause to eat more? Are they influences that affect our brains and nervous system? Hill said that however they may affect us, it is still through energy balance. He said he "laughs every time" he sees studies questioning whether the rise of obesity epidemic is related to energy intake or expenditure.
"Diet and physical activity interact," he said. "Please don't ask if it's diet or physical activity. The answer is 'yes'."
What wrong with diets? No matter which diet, Hill said, the results are always the same: Body weight may increase, may not change, or may decrease. The inconsistent outcomes may be because of poor compliance, physical activity, metabolic rate differences, or food intake adjustments. Eventually, what goes wrong is that environment affects behavior so strongly that over time that people are gaining a little weight. They don't gain a lot, but they gain about a pound or two a year with some push back from their active regulation systems.
One way to combat the obesity epidemic is by encouraging an environment more like that of a half a century ago, Hill said. How the old order Amish live today is a good example.
"The Amish walk 18 thousand steps a day. They don't have spandex or a gym membership. That explains about 400 to 600 calories a day. A typical person in the U.S. walks only five to six thousand steps a day," Hill said.
Hill suggests preventing weight gain with small steps—or, more specifically, 2 thousand steps daily.
"We have a poor ability to maintain weight loss, but we have a better ability to prevent weight loss," he said. "This is why we started a movement to move. Two-thousand steps a day is not going to create weight loss, but might prevent weight gain."
What role can small changes play in an environment where we need bigger systemic changes? Hill argues that it will "set the table" for bigger change. Another factor may be that it may help to improve performance or "reset" active regulation.
"Our biology works best at high levels of physical activity. Obesity is in the 'unregulated zone.' When physical activity increases, you enter 'regulated zone'. Physical activity may help the 'regulatory system' work better."
Stealth health
Until bigger changes can be created in the environment, Hill is a fan of "stealth health" strategies for reducing obesity. That is, finding ways of encouraging better energy in, energy out balance without the public noticing.
For example, Hill explains, at Disney parks and at Starbucks, drinks are now made with low-fat milk. Does anyone notice the difference? What about portion sizes? Would anyone notice a 5 percent reduction at restaurants?
Another idea Hill proposed was that of regulation of school drop offs—so that they would be 500 steps away from the school. Would it be so far that the children would notice a difference?
The implementation of these "stealth health" strategies would increase physical activity and reduce overeating. Combined with teaching children energy balance skills, it could reduce childhood and overall obesity.
What also may be important is to combine both diet and physical activity guidelines for society? But how can this be achieved when studies show that energy balance is such a dynamic versus static process?
Learn more about the questions raised about energy balance at Experimental Biology from the American Society for Nutrition's cover page story in Nutrition Notes Daily.


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Licensee: Renuma.
Tension between two departments was resolved by using insight from Relational Proximity® measurement. Data enabled the senior teams to understand the underlying causes of their difficulties and begin to address them. After a single intervention, the participants put in place a number of actions to enable them to work more positively together.
The directors of these two departments recognised that the state of their groups' relationship was affecting the organisation's ability to function effectively. There was tension at all levels.. The directors had previously tried to resolve the situation but there had been very little change. Renuma was commissioned to bring clarity to the situation and enable the senior teams to collaborate.
The relationship between the departments was measured and the analysis used to prepare an improvement workshop for the directors and senior teams. The results of the Relational Proximity® survey indicated that one department felt misunderstood by the others and unfairly blamed when things didn't go well. Both sides agreed that their objectives were fundamentally misaligned.
Workshop participants identified from the data the issues they particularly needed to work on and Renuma used a number of exercises to build mutual understanding and collaborative behaviour. The first session of the workshop was used to develop empathy between the departments, which enabled them to begin to hear each other's challenges 'as if for the first time' as one participant put it. Having built a stronger foundation, the rest of the workshop focused on developing shared purpose between the participants and identifying a number of immediate actions that would enable the departments to work better together.
The workshop brought a sustained change in the relationship, with one of the directors commenting a year later that 'things have definitely changed – your intervention loosened the ground to have "good conversations" and share resources'. The strength of the project was in enabling participants to vocalise their differences and challenges using a common vocabulary – the use of data initiated a more practical and less emotive conversation than they had previously managed to have. The workshop identified that much of the tension they were experiencing originated outside the two departments and this insight helped them to start planning collaboratively.


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EBay PowerSeller Boycott Extended
I haven't weighed in on the EBay boycott with a heavy-handed opinion yet, because frankly, I haven't used the system enough recently and researched the proposed changes to really say what the changes are and how they'd affect the normal occasional user, or someone like me. I can tell you now from some recent experiences, though, that I'm personally not particularly pleased with the removal of the Negative Feedback option - I guess it's as they say: you don't know what you've got till it's gone.
Here's been the story thus far: EBay decided to change the system so that if conflicts during the sales process arise, sellers will be required to file tedious complaints with eBay's Security & Resolution Center. EBay sellers became angered over the auction giant's planned changes to feedback system. So angered that they decided to 'strike' (that is, not sell or list anything) during the whole five-day week of February 19-25.
It was widely reported that the decrease in sales and listings reached a measurable percentage for the week - 3%. The problem with this measureable percentage was that it coincided with a week containing a national American holiday, and thus was easily explainable to be partly due to that, instead of the strikage by the top sellers. Several Mashable tipsters sent us an article the other day in the USA Today saying that the decrease in listings had reached lowered levels of 13%, or down to 13 million items.
Given the differing reports, we're not sure if it's because of the dubious nature of the numbers (the 3%) or that the strike is effective but still eliciting no response from EBay (the 13%), but word is from AppScouts'


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Old School informed GURPS Dungeon Fantasy gaming. Basically killing owlbears and taking their stuff, but with 3d6.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Drop-In Gaming: Megadungeons, Rails, and Sandboxes
My Sandbox Failure - Not a Good Fit For a "Once a Month Drop in / Drop Out" Campaign
I threw in a comment there, but I'll expand a bit here.
One reason I think a notionally pure "sandbox" doesn't work so well in a drop-in game is that you need time to interact with the environment. The players must be able to engage with the environment regularly, with a cumulative impact, and engage on a larger scale.
It doesn't work so well if you're exploring the Eastern Wastes or taming a small area of Krail's Folly but can't make it to the next game. It's hard to do something that is multiple sessions worth of work if you're playing once a month, nevermind if you miss a month here or there due to scheduling conflicts.
Well, it can, in that Gygaxian "STRICT TIME RECORDS MUST BE KEPT" kind of game with everyone on different time lines, but seriously, tracking that is like project management. If you want a simpler approach, it's easier if time just flows along and missing a session means missing a chance to do something.
A sandbox can work, if it's the right size.
A megadungeon is the right kind of environment. Well, so is any other small-ish, bounded or limited sandbox. It can be a big dungeon, like Jeff Rient's Wessex game from a couple years back.
One reason a big dungeon works well is the whole cumulative and immediate nature of exploration. There is stuff to do right now, so no sandbox project is bigger than a single session on its own. But they can all add up. A large change in the play area in a sandbox can mess your plans up -"Sorry, Mirado and Rul cleared that hex you started clearing while you were out with the flu last month." "Oh . . . I'll start a new project I guess." A large change in a megadungeon is typical - "Sorry, Mirado and Rul cleared that level out last week." "Okay, I head to the stairs to level 3."
I'd also recommend starting and stopping at a convenient end point. I use town and enforce the need to return to town before the session ends. This allows swapping PCs by the same player or adding or removing players without any disruption or gonzo "suddenly, a wizard beams in and the dwarf and gnome disappear!" stuff. You can easily make the PCs all part of a loose grouping and easily explain a new PC in a way that a wilderness sandbox makes trickier.
It's also easier to restock plausibly without messing up the PC's plans. It's also easier to let one-time trips go in without essentially changing the sandbox in some way that throws off the folks not devoting steady play time to the game.
In short, I'd say for a drop-in game, a megadungeon is really useful if you want a sandboxy experience.
But what about rails? Can't I just plunk a dungeon of the week in front of the players? Yes, absolutely you can. Train to Adventure, next stop, Dungeon of the Week! This is our final stop, everyone please vacate the train. It's totally fine. We did that for three sessions in Erik Tenkar's game, and it was really fun. It just means more prep session to session for the GM than doing one big megadungeon. My original plan for my current DF game was dungeon-of-the-week, but a megadungeon turned out to be so much easier . . .
(PS - we'll be exploring a megadungeon soon in Erik's game . . . )
2 comments:
We do a drop in G+ game just about every Saturday. It's not quite a dungeon-of-the-week because we often do two or more sessions in one dungeon. It works because all the dungeons are near a town. I kinda prefer the multiple dungeon approach since it adds a bit more variety than a single dungeon would. I think many people assume that "Sandbox" means "Hexcrawl".ReplyDeleteReplies
Yeah. I mean it a bit more broadly. I think if you've got an open play area and people can set their own goals on a broader scale, the amount of GM prep goes up and the amount of player cooperation and time investment also goes up.Delete
With a dungeon, the scale is necessarily smaller, and "we cleared three rooms on level 3" is a good trip in a way that "we made some small progress on exploring the southern jungle and then had to come back in case the group changes before next time" isn't. A big sandbox needs more time.


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Cameraman Reported Released From Guantanamo
BBC News cites an al-Jazeera report that Sami al-Hajj, an al-Jazeera cameraman, has been released from Guantanamo. No explanation has yet been given for the decision to release Hajj after more than six years of captivity. More here.
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Solicitors in England and Wales
There are nine different types of authorised person able to provide different forms of regulated legal services in England and Wales.
This language ('authorised person'; 'regulated legal services') may sound a little artificial, but precision here is important. This is for two reasons. First, not all of those authorised persons are what we might think of as 'lawyers' – for example, chartered accountants are authorised under legal services regulation as they can conduct the legal activity of 'probate' (looking after a person's affairs when they have died). Second, and as we discussed above, you do not have to be a qualified or regulated 'lawyer' to give certain types of legal advice.
The nine forms of authorised person are:
- solicitors;
- barristers;
- chartered legal executives;
- licensed conveyancers;
- patent attorneys;
- trade mark attorneys
- costs lawyers;
- notaries; and
- chartered accountants.
In this course, we are going to focus on solicitors. You may have also heard of paralegals. In England and Wales, the title of 'paralegal' is not regulated by the laws on legal services or by the legal services regulators. Paralegals do a wide a variety of different types of legal work for the employers they work for, from the very simple (photocopying, basic office administration) to the highly complex and specialist.
Solicitors are the most numerous of the qualified lawyers in England and Wales. Data from their regulator, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, shows that as of August 2016, there were 136,701 practising solicitors in England and Wales.
Solicitors work in a variety of settings. Around four-fifths (80%) of them work inside law firms (in 'private practice'), and around one-fifth (20%) work 'in house' (for an employer that is not a law firm – for example, for a business, or a charity, or the government). One of the biggest changes in legal services over the last 20 years is the rise in the number of solicitors working 'in house' (where this figure has more than doubled).
Law firms
There are just over 10,000 law firms in England and Wales. A firm might consist of a single solicitor providing advice on the high street to the local community (conveyancing [selling and buying property], family law work etc.); or they might consist of thousands of lawyers with the world's largest companies for clients in offices across the globe. Not everyone who works in a law firm is a solicitor. There may also be barristers, legal executives, paralegals and others (secretaries, document specialists, business development experts, IT specialists etc.).
Historically, law firms operated as partnerships. Today, a number of law firms remain traditional partnerships (with profits being shared equally or in other ways among the law firm partners, and with the liability of the partners being open ended or limited by law) but others have become 'Alternative Business Structures' (with non-lawyers being able to act as managers or owners of those entities).
© University of Birmingham


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Sylvia Alimena is one of those individuals who is lucky enough to wake up every morning and look forward to going to work.
"Orchestral music is my love," said Alimena, music director and conductor for the McLean Orchestra. "So to be able to conduct and play is double the happiness for me."
Alimena first picked up a French horn at the age of 9. She eventually began taking private lessons and when she was 15, she was awarded a full scholarship to study under Arthur E. Goldstein, formerly of the Chicago Symphony. She then went on to study music at Boston University where she was a student of Harry Shapiro of the Boston Symphony. She has been playing professionally since 1980, and has been a French horn player for the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. since 1985. Today, playing the French horn for the National Symphony Orchestra is still her primary job.
In 1990, Alimena got her first taste of conducting when she was asked to take over as conductor for Brass of Peace, a scholarship program for high school students. She then went on to serve as musical director for the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra for 14 seasons. She was hired to be the conductor and musical director for the McLean Orchestra after wowing its Board of Trustees with her performance as a guest conductor four years ago.
"We did a search for a year," said Paul A. Frank, past president of the McLean Orchestra Board of Trustees. "Every concert was a different music director and she really impressed us."
Frank, who is vice president of 1st Service Bank in McLean, said that he believes Alimena's passion and talent ushered in a new era for the McLean Orchestra.
"It was a profound change," said Frank. "Sylvia changed the artistic quality of the orchestra and has done a wonderful, wonderful job."
Frank and his fellow board members are nothing short of effusive when singing the praises of Alimena. Phil Chung, president of the Board of Trustees, said that Alimena has "taken the orchestra upward with regard to its artistic side."
"Sylvia is hitting it right in stride, so artistically we are doing really well," said Chung.
Frank said that he has been impressed with Alimena's ability to bring out the best in the musicians.
"She also brought in a few people and augmented our ranks," said Frank. "She strengthened the sections and has also tackled the more difficult pieces."
As a past president and a member of the Board of Trustees, the quality of the McLean Orchestra is of great importance to Frank.
"My view has always been that I'm not interested in going out and raising money if our goal is mediocrity," said Frank.
The volunteer musicians in the McLean Orchestra are chosen through a rigorous audition process.
"Frankly it's a difficult one because the level of the orchestra is so high now that we're bringing in really talented people," said Alimena.
THIS WEEK Sylvia Alimena begins her fourth season as conductor and musical director for the McLean Orchestra. However, this year has particular significance because it marks the orchestra's 35th anniversary season.
"I think it's going to be a really joyful year," said Alimena. "We have a lot of music that everybody wants to hear, some great soloists and some opportunities to have fun while being at a concert."
To celebrate this special year, the McLean Orchestra will present an array of concerts designed to revisit the past and look ahead to the future. The season will kick off on Sept. 9 with a regional premiere of Joan Tower's "Made in America " which is "a celebration of the American spirit." This concert will also feature mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Bishop.
"The regional premiere is a big thing for the orchestra," said Frank. "There are lots of orchestras that could have been selected to do this."
The season will continue with two holiday concerts on Dec. 9 and 10, featuring the "Trumpeter's Lullaby," Handel's "Messiah," and Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." The Dec. 10 concert will also be geared to young children.
"On Dec. 9 we're also having a holiday pops concert where we are inviting chorus members from churches around McLean to come in and sing along," said Alimena. "We'll be featuring everyone's favorite holiday pieces."
AFTER THE HOLIDAYS, the orchestra will perform what Alimena refers to as "War Horses — big, meaty pieces that people like to hear over and over again."
However, Alimena predicts that the April 28, 2007 "Night at the Movies" will be the most fun event of the season.
"It's a tribute to motion pictures which premiered in the season of the orchestra's inception, so 35-year-old films," said Alimena. "We chose all PG films because we are hoping to bring in as many whole families as we can."
During the first half of the concert, the orchestra will perform music from motion pictures that came out in during its first season in 1971 and 1972. For the second half, the orchestra will perform music from one of the six featured movies — "Summer of 42," "What's Up Doc?" "Return of the Pink Panther," "Cabaret," "Poseidon's Adventure" and "Man of La Mancha." The audience will decide on the movie by casting their votes.
"It's just part of getting everybody included," said Alimena. "I thought it would show that music can be fun and going to the orchestra can be fun."
The final concert of the season also involves audience participation. Audience members will select the concert program by voting on-line for their favorite piece from the McLean Orchestra's first season.
"Frankly, it's a great milestone for any orchestra to make it that long," said Alimena. "It's the 35th anniversary and we're focusing on creating as many opportunities as possible to include the community … it's a really big year and we want to show off how great the orchestra is."