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The alula is a hinged flap found at the base of the wings of most brachyceran Diptera. The alula accounts for up to 10 per cent of the total wing area in hoverflies (Syrphidae), and its hinged arrangement allows the wings to be swept back over the thorax and abdomen at rest. The alula is actuated via the third axillary sclerite, which is a component of the wing hinge that is involved in wing retraction and control. The third axillary sclerite has also been implicated in the gear change mechanism of flies. This mechanism allows rapid switching between different modes of wing kinematics, by imposing or removing contact with a mechanical stop limiting movement of the wing during the lower half of the downstroke. The alula operates in two distinct states during flight—flipped or flat—and we hypothesize that its state indicates switching between different flight modes. We used high-speed digital video of free-flying hoverflies (Eristalis tenax and Eristalis pertinax) to investigate whether flipping of the alula was associated with changes in wing and body kinematics. We found that alula state was associated with different distributions of multiple wing kinematic parameters, including stroke amplitude, stroke deviation angle, downstroke angle of incidence and timing of supination. Changes in all of these parameters have previously been linked to gear change in flies. Symmetric flipping of the alulae was associated with changes in the symmetric linear acceleration of the body, while asymmetric flipping of the alulae was associated with asymmetric angular acceleration of the body. We conclude that the wings produce less aerodynamic force when the alula is flipped, largely as a result of the accompanying changes in wing kinematics. The alula changes state at mid-downstroke, which is the point at which the gear change mechanism is known to come into effect. This transition is accompanied by changes in the other wing kinematic parameters. We therefore find that the state of the alula is linked to the same parameters as are affected by the gear change mechanism. We conclude that the state of the alula does indeed indicate the operation of different flight modes in Eristalis, and infer that a likely mechanism for these changes in flight mode is the gear change mechanism.
1. Introduction
Insects achieve their remarkable manoeuvrability and control through changes in their wing kinematics; yet the wings are passive structures with no internal muscles. Instead, all of their control inputs operate through the exquisitely intricate wing hinge (figure 1a). A combination of some 20 accessory muscles manipulate the wingbeat by acting upon the hardened, articulated pieces of cuticle called sclerites that form the wing hinge. The functions of certain of these sclerites and accessory muscles have been studied in detail, but there is still no consensus on exactly how the wing hinge operates during a typical wing stroke [3]. Pfau [4] has proposed that the operation of the dipteran wing hinge is associated with a gear change mechanism in which the wing hinge elements articulate differently in the different gears, thereby altering the wing kinematics. Although our understanding of other aspects of the operation of the wing hinge has since changed [5,6], the wingbeat of many higher Diptera does indeed appear to involve a gear change mechanism [1,7]. The presence of a gear change mechanism has sometimes been questioned [3], but recent electrophysiological recordings of the steering muscles have provided indirect evidence for this in Calliphora [8].
The gear change mechanism involves the mechanical interaction of two sclerites: the radial stop, which is a projection emerging from the wing ventral to the radial vein, and the pleural wing process, which is a thoracic sclerite formed by the dorsal end of the pleural plate [2]. These two sclerites do not appear to make contact at all during a normal wingbeat in Calliphora [1], but the radial stop is sometimes observed to engage with the pleural wing process during the lower half of the stroke. When this occurs, the pleural wing process acts as a mechanical stop, limiting the downward movement of the wing [2]. The pleural wing process of Calliphora has two grooves on its surface, and the sclerites appear to engage in one of three principal gears [1], according to whether the radial stop is engaged in the anterior or posterior groove of the pleural wing process (figure 1c,d), or is not engaged at all (figure 1b). The precise details of the gear change mechanism appear to vary across species [2,6]. In Eristalis, for example, the pleural wing process has only one groove [2], which might suggest the existence of two, rather than three, distinct modes in this species.
In Calliphora, the three distinct modes are each associated with different wing kinematics [1]. In particular, Nalbach [1] found that the stroke angle at the end of the downstroke was tri-modally distributed in tethered Calliphora. Stroke angle at the end of the downstroke is highly correlated with stroke amplitude in flies, which tend to vary the position of the lower, rather than upper, turning point of the stroke cycle in order to vary stroke amplitude [9,10]. The gear change mechanism seems therefore to be intimately tied up with changes in stroke amplitude. Gear changes in Calliphora are also associated with delayed supination at the end of the upstroke, and may well involve other changes to the wing kinematics that were not measured by Nalbach [1]. Nalbach [1] reported that gear change appeared to be used mostly during fictive turns in tethered insects, with the inside wing operating with the radial stop and pleural wing process engaged on the downstroke with a reduced stroke amplitude. Stroke amplitude is considered a key variable in determining flight forces [9,11]; so the reduced stroke amplitude associated with the gear change mechanism would be expected to result in reduced aerodynamic forces.
Switching between the different gears is apparently controlled by the axillary muscles, with the muscles of the first axillary sclerite capable of producing the required changes to the operation of the wing hinge [1,2]. However, the third axillary sclerite has been found always to move during gear change; so the muscles of the third axillary sclerite are also likely to be involved in gear change [1]. This conclusion is supported by electrophysiological recordings and high-speed film of tethered Calliphora, which showed distinct changes in the stroke amplitude and deviation angles associated with the firing pattern of muscles actuating the first and third axillary sclerites [8].
Previous work on the wing hinge mechanism has been limited to tethered flight, because of the difficulty associated with making observations of the wing hinge or electrophysiological measurements in small free-flying insects. The functional significance of gear change therefore remains unknown in relation to the control of body kinematics. Most wing kinematic parameters vary in a continuous fashion, which makes them ill-suited to identifying the operation of a particular flight mode in free flight. However, Walker et al. [12,13] recently observed that a hinged flap found near the base of the wing in the drone fly, Eristalis tenax L. operated in one of two binary states during free flight. This flap, called the alula, is a prominent feature of the wings of most brachyceran flies, and accounts for up to 10 per cent of the wing surface in hoverflies (figure 2). Microscopic examination of the wing hinge reveals that the state of the alula is controlled directly by the third axillary sclerite (figure 3). We therefore hypothesize that the state of the alula during flight indicates the position of the third axillary sclerite, and can consequently be used to identify operation of the gear change mechanism itself. In this paper, we use high-speed digital videography of free-flying hoverflies (E. tenax and Eristalis pertinax, Scopoli) to investigate whether the two states of the alula are associated with different modalities in the wing kinematics, and with differences in body kinematics.
2. Material and methods
2.1. Experimental set-up
Eristalis tenax and E. pertinax hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) were wild-caught in Oxford. The hoverflies were stored in a cooler at 12°C and fed on sugar solution. All insects were flown within three weeks of capture. Individual hoverflies were released inside a 1 m diameter opaque acrylic sphere, in which they were allowed to fly freely. A typical flight consisted of slow forward flight punctuated by rapid saccades, which are fast manoeuvres characteristic of dipteran flight [11,14,15]. We also observed hovering behaviours, fast forwards flight and backwards flight. Individuals varied greatly in their behaviour: while some were content to fly continuously around the sphere, others would only fly intermittently and had to be encouraged to fly by tactile stimulation. Maximum flight speed was up to about 1 m s−1, with maximum horizontal accelerations approaching 1g. These values are similar to those measured for hoverflies, including E. tenax flying freely in the wild [16,17]. The data therefore cover a wide gamut of flight performance, although we do not necessarily expect to have explored the flight envelope fully.
Four Photron SA3 cameras (Photron Ltd, Bucks, UK) with 180 mm Sigma macro lenses were used to film the hoverflies, recording at 3800 frames per second with 768 × 640 pixel resolution. Four portholes were cut in the upper part of the sphere and were covered with 0.175 mm clear sheet polyester to allow viewing by the cameras. An LED light source was fixed to the inside of the upper surface of the arena to encourage hoverflies to fly below it in the region visible to the cameras. Illumination for the cameras was provided by two synchronized 200 W infrared pulsed lasers (HSI-5000, Oxford Lasers Ltd, Oxford, UK), each of which was routed through split liquid light guides before being collimated by a large Fresnel lens. This provided extremely bright back-illumination, while the 20 µs pulse duration eliminated motion blur and prevented overheating of the insect. The wavelength of the laser (805 nm) was far beyond the range of the visible spectrum for Eristalis (upper limit: 600 nm [18–21]) and the laser frequency (3800 Hz) was in any case several orders of magnitude greater than the flicker fusion frequency of Eristalis (ca 160 Hz [22]).
The cameras were calibrated using custom-written software running in Matlab (Matlab v. 7.4, The Mathworks Inc., Natick, MA, USA) to produce jointly optimal estimates of the camera parameters and the spatial coordinates of points on a two-dimensional calibration grid in a range of positions and orientations [12,13].
2.2. Automatic reconstruction of wing and body coordinates
In total, 854 video sequences from 36 hoverflies were selected for analysis, which included all sequences in which both wings were visible for one or more wingbeats in all four cameras. The full dataset includes a total of 26 236 wingbeats. A fully automated shape-carving procedure was used to reconstruct the positions of the body and the wing outlines, similar to the hull reconstruction technique described by Ristroph et al. [23] but with certain modifications to allow us to measure wing twist. We used background subtraction and automatic thresholding to isolate the hoverfly body in each camera view, and used a shape-carving algorithm to calculate the voxels corresponding to the body. We identified the wings by using the shape-carving algorithm to calculate the voxels corresponding to the wings and body together, and then removing those voxels that had already been identified as belonging to the body at the previous step. This sequential procedure ensured that information was not lost when the wing was occluded by the body in one or more camera views, as would occur if the silhouettes of the wings alone were used to identify the position of the wings. The voxels corresponding to the wings do not have the same thinness as the real wings, unless the wing chord happens to be perpendicular to one of the image planes [23]. We therefore used the wing voxels to identify the outlines of the wings in the original images, and used the shape-carving algorithm on these outlines to produce a three-dimensional outline corresponding precisely to the leading and trailing edges of the wing.
2.3. Measurement of body kinematics
Measurements of the body kinematics were made using a right-handed, body-fixed axis system (figure 4). The origin of the axis system was fixed at the centre of volume of the body voxels. The x-axis pointed anteriorly and was defined by the major axis of the body, calculated using principal components analysis on the body voxels. The y-axis was defined as the axis parallel to the line joining the wing bases (figure 4). We measured the position and orientation of the body axes relative to laboratory coordinates, using a sequence of Euler angles measuring azimuth, elevation and bank angle, in that order. We then smoothed our measurements of position and orientation using a quintic smoothing spline, with a tolerance factor calculated from the residuals of fitting a third-order Butterworth filter with a cut-off frequency of 80 Hz for the body parameters and 800 Hz for the wing parameters. The 80 Hz filter frequency was selected to minimize contamination of the body kinematics by the wingbeat.
We used our quintic splines to calculate the linear velocity and Euler angle rates of the body in laboratory coordinates, and transformed these to obtain the linear velocity and angular velocity with respect to the body axes [24]. Positive angular velocity about the x-axis indicates roll to the right; positive angular velocity about the y-axis indicates nose-up pitching motion; positive angular velocity about the z-axis indicates yaw to the right (figure 4). We then used central finite differences to estimate the linear and angular accelerations with respect to the body axes, although as the body is rotating, these are not equivalent to the total acceleration experienced by the insect [24]. Note that negative accelerations do not necessarily imply a slowing down of the insect; for instance, a large negative acceleration in the x-axis can also result if a hoverfly is flying backwards at an increasing speed.
2.4. Measurement of wing kinematics
We define all of the wing kinematic parameters with respect to the stoke plane, rather than with respect to the body axes. For each half stroke, the stroke plane is defined as the plane including the position of the wing base and the position of the wing tip at each stroke reversal. The stroke plane angle is defined as the inclination of this plane with respect to the long axis of the body, and is signed positive when the stroke plane tilts nose-down.
The motion of the wing is not strictly planar; so the instantaneous position of the wing tip is defined relative to the wing base by a pair of spherical coordinates. These spherical coordinates are known as the stroke angle (measured within the stroke plane) and the deviation angle (measured normal to the stroke plane). Stroke angle is signed positive when the wing tip is anterior to the wing base (figure 5a); the deviation angle is signed positive when the wing tip is dorsal to the wing base (figure 5b).
The local angle of incidence is defined at any location along the wing as the angle between the line joining the wing leading and trailing edge, and the projection of this line onto the stroke plane (figure 5c). This angle is always measured relative to the anatomical ventral surface of the wing, and so is normally less than 90° on the downstroke and greater than 90° on the upstroke. We also summarized the changes in angle of incidence along the wing by estimating the linear component of the twist distribution from the regression of angle of incidence against distance along the wing.
The stroke angle, deviation angle and local angle of incidence vary continuously through the stroke but summary measurements can be defined for each of these variables on every half stroke. The stroke amplitude is defined as the absolute difference in stroke angle between the two extremes of each half stroke. The timings of supination and pronation were defined as the times at which the angle of incidence halfway along the wing reached 90° at the end of each downstroke and upstroke. These times were measured relative to the timing of stroke reversal and were normalized by the wingbeat period. Other summary parameters were measured by recording the orientation of the wing at the middle of each half stroke. We used this to define the mid-stroke stroke angle, mid-stroke deviation angle, mid-stroke twist distribution and mid-stroke angle of incidence (measured halfway along the wing).
2.5. Measurement of alula state
The alula itself could not be tracked automatically because its proximity to the body meant that it was partially occluded from view at certain stages of the stroke. Earlier analysis had shown that the state of the alula could be categorized in a binary fashion [12]. The state of the alula is most apparent at mid-upstroke, and we therefore recorded the state of the alula at mid-upstroke, according to whether it was flipped or flat with respect to the rest of the wing. We did this manually for every wingbeat, to give a dataset totalling 26 236 wingbeats for which we had measurements of body kinematics, wing kinematics and alula state.
The wing and body kinematics data that we collected in this study were optimized for investigating complete flight manoeuvres and are therefore at slightly lower spatial resolution than wing kinematic data that we have collected previously for single wingbeats [12]. In order to investigate the kinematics of the alula itself in the greatest possible detail, we additionally analysed the motion of the alula with respect to the wing for a different dataset for E. tenax, previously described in Walker et al. ([12]; 43 wingbeats from six individuals). We used manual tracking to measure the angle of the alula relative to the wing chord at 25 per cent of wing length, signing the angle positive when the alula was deflected dorsally with respect to the wing.
2.6. Microscopic examination of the alula
In order to investigate the anatomy and mechanics of the alula and its connection to the wing hinge, we examined two E. tenax under a light microscope, having first anaesthetized them using CO2 and cooling. The insects were pinned through the wings and thorax with the wings in a position similar to that adopted at mid-downstroke. We manipulated the alula hinge and third axillary sclerite using a seeker to investigate the operation of the alula.
3. Results
3.1. Wing kinematics and alula state
In total, the alula was flipped in 41.4 per cent of the 26 236 recorded wingbeats, combining results from the left and right wings to give n = 52 472 (figure 6). We conclude from this that flipping of the alula is not merely an occasional feature of extreme manoeuvres, but is routine during normal flight. The proportion of wingbeats in which the alula was flipped varied markedly between individuals: in some individuals, the alula was flipped on almost every wingbeat, while there were five hoverflies that did not flip their alula on any wingbeat. These five individuals were all engaged in fast forward flight, and had comparatively few recorded wingbeats. Flipping of the alula was most common in male E. tenax, which might reflect reported differences in flight behaviour between the sexes, such as the greater proportion of time spent in hovering or chasing behaviours in males [16]. However, we observed no obvious qualitative differences in the general flight of males and females in the flight arena.
There are obvious differences in the distribution of several of the summary wing kinematic parameters when the data for each wing are categorized according to whether the alula was flipped or flat. These differences are most apparent in respect of stroke amplitude. For example, the mean stroke amplitude is 14° lower on the downstroke when the alula is flipped, compared with when the alula is flat (figure 7a); a similar pattern is observed on the upstroke. Stroke amplitudes greater than 120° were only ever observed when the alula was flat, while amplitudes less than 70° occurred only when the alula was flipped. This implies that the state of the alula indicates some change in the physical apparatus of the wing hinge that limits stroke amplitude. This conclusion is strengthened by considering only the subset of wingbeats in which the alula changes state from one wingbeat to the next: when the alula changes state from flat to flipped, there is usually an accompanying decrease in the stroke amplitude from one wingbeat to the next (figure 8). The opposite change in stroke amplitude is observed when the alula changes state from flipped to flat. Most of the wing kinematic parameters varied similarly according to the state of the alula on both the downstroke and upstroke. However, the mid-stroke angle of incidence and the timing of rotation at the end of the half stroke only showed an effect on the donwstroke (figure 7b–e).
Data from the left and right wings are highly correlated; so in testing for the statistical significance of these effects, we took the mean for both wings and categorized the data into three groups: both alulae flipped; both alulae flat; one alula flipped and the other alula flat. Statistical analyses of these time-series data are also confounded by autocorrelation. For example, a hoverfly with a high stroke amplitude on one wingbeat would usually have a high stroke amplitude on the next. We therefore used a first-order autoregressive model [25] to test whether the mean of each of the summary wing kinematic parameters varied according to the state of the alula, controlling for video sequence number in the model. The autoregressive model includes an additional parameter that attempts to control for the effects of autocorrelation [26], which we estimated using a maximum-likelihood method. Testing the statistical significance of the autoregressions independently for each of the 16 summary wing kinematic parameters greatly inflates the overall risk of falsely rejecting a true null hypothesis (i.e. committing a type I error). We therefore used a false discovery rate method to control the expected proportion of false positives at the 5 per cent level in determining whether a particular variable was significant [27].
The autoregressive models indicated that 14 of the 16 parameters were significantly associated with the alula state, after correcting for the false discovery rate (table 1). Only the mid-upstroke angle of incidence and the timing of pronation at the end of the upstroke were not significantly associated with the state of the alula. We calculated the effect size for each wing kinematic parameter by dividing the difference in the model coefficients for cases where the alulae were both flipped or both flat by the standard deviation of the parameter (figure 9). Although most of the parameters were significantly associated with the alula, the effect size varied considerably. Stroke amplitude, mid-downstroke angle of incidence, timing of supination, mid-stroke stroke angle and mid-stroke deviation angle had the largest effect sizes, while stroke period, wing twist distribution and stroke plane had comparatively smaller effect sizes.
The changes in the wing kinematics observed through the wingbeat provide further insight into how the wing kinematics vary according to the state of the alula. Stroke angle, deviation angle and angle of incidence all show clear differences at certain stages of the wingbeat according to the state of the alula (figure 10). The stroke reversal at the end of the downstroke occurred at a reduced stroke angle when the alula was flipped, whereas the stroke reversal at the end of the upstroke occurred at approximately the same angle, regardless of the state of the alula (figure 10a). This explains the reduction in stroke amplitude and decrease in mid-stroke stroke angles seen in the summary wing kinematic parameters in figure 9. The deviation angle is defined to be zero at the start of each half stroke, but for the rest of the wingbeat, there is an increase in the deviation angle when the alula is flipped, resulting in a flatter wing tip path, lying closer to the stroke plane (figure 10b). The mid-span angle of incidence shows less of a difference according to the state of the alula, but when the alula is flipped there is a noticeable increase in the angle of incidence from mid-downstroke through to early upstroke (figure 10c).
3.2. Association between body kinematics and alula state
Symmetric angular accelerations of the body about the pitch axis, and symmetric linear accelerations of the body along the x- or z-axes (figure 4), are all expected to be correlated with symmetric changes in the wing kinematics. Asymmetric angular accelerations about the yaw or roll axes, and asymmetric linear accelerations along the y-axis (figure 4), are all expected to be correlated with asymmetric changes in the wing kinematics. Figure 11a–c compares the pitch, x- and z-axes accelerations for wingbeats when the alulae were flat on both wings, or flipped on both wings. Figure 11d–f compares the yaw, roll and y-axis accelerations for wingbeats where the alula was flipped on only the left or the right wing. The distributions of several of these body kinematic parameters vary according to the state of the alulae, most noticeably the acceleration along the x-axis (figure 11b) and roll angular acceleration (figure 11e), although the effect sizes are small compared with those observed for the wing kinematics (figure 7).
In order to analyse statistically the effects of the alula upon symmetric body accelerations, we categorized the data into the following groups: both alulae flipped; both alulae flat; one alula flipped and the other alula flat. For analysing asymmetric accelerations, we categorized the data as follows: left alula flipped and right alula flat; right alula flipped and left alula flat; both alulae in the same state. The data were analysed using the same autoregressive model as for the wing kinematics (§3.1), once again controlling the false discovery rate at the 5 per cent level (table 2). Symmetric flipping of the alulae was associated with decreased acceleration along the x-axis (figure 11b), and increased acceleration along the z-axis (figure 11c), but was not associated with any difference in pitch acceleration (figure 11a). Because the z-axis points downward (figure 4), the differences in linear acceleration associated with flipping of the alulae are both indicative of a reduction in the flight forces produced by the insect. Asymmetric flipping of the alulae was associated with yaw and roll angular accelerations, but not with linear acceleration along the y-axis (table 2). Both the roll and yaw accelerations increased in the direction of the flipped alula (figure 11d,e), which is again suggestive of a decrease in force production of the wing with the flipped alula.
3.3. Alula kinematics
In order to investigate the detailed kinematics of the alula, we analysed the motion of the alula with respect to the wing for a higher resolution dataset for E. tenax, previously described in Walker et al. [12]. The alula rotates continuously relative to the rest of the wing, and momentarily passes through angles as high as 70° even on wingbeats during which it is not flipped owing to inertial forces (figure 12, black line). The alula reaches angles greater than 90° on wingbeats during which it is flipped (figure 12, red line), and this high angle is sustained through much of the upstroke following supination (figure 12, compare red line with black line). Although the difference between the two states of the alula becomes most pronounced at supination, the transition between states appears to occur at mid-downstroke. The blue line in figure 12 represents wingbeats for which the alula was not flipped, and had not been flipped on the preceding wingbeat. The red line represents wingbeats for which the alula was flipped, and had been flipped on the preceding wingbeat. The black line represents wingbeats for which the alula was flipped, but had not been flipped on the previous wingbeat. The shaded area around each line denotes the width of the 95% confidence interval for the mean. The black line is statistically indistinguishable from the blue line at the start of the downstroke, but changes so that it is statistically indistinguishable from the red line by the middle of the downstroke. This, then, is the moment at which the alula switches from one state to the other. A corollary of this conclusion is that the angle of the alula during the first part of the downstroke depends upon whether it was flipped or flat during the preceding upstroke. Our treatment of the alula as a binary variable, classified based on its state during the upstroke, is also justified by these results.
3.4. Actuation of the alula
The alula is deflected upwards when the wings are held in their resting position over the thorax and abdomen (figure 13). The third axillary sclerite is the main sclerite involved in wing retraction, and microscopic examination of the alula hinge reveals that there is a clear connection between the alula and the third axillary sclerite (figure 3). The main hinge line connecting the alula to the rest of the wing is extremely flexible and malleable but the alula itself is non-planar and has concave curvature, providing natural rigidity. The proximal region of the alula cuticle is folded upon itself to form a raised protrusion. The third axillary sclerite is fused to a sclerotized region of the second anal vein and a flexible section of cuticle extends from this fused joint to form a socket for the raised protrusion of the alula. Manipulation of the flexible cuticle complex causes the alula to rotate about the flexible hinge and to flip up, with only minimal force required to achieve the effect. There is no evidence that the alula is bistable, and instead its flipped position appears to be maintained through the constant application of force by the third axillary sclerite.
4. Discussion
4.1. Operation of the alula
We have shown that the state of the alula is associated with pronounced differences in the distribution of several key wing kinematic parameters, including stroke amplitude, stroke deviation angle, mid-downstroke angle of incidence and timing of supination (figure 9). Although the distributions of these parameters overlap for the two states of the alula, the tails of the distributions do not overlap, such that very high or very low values of the key parameters are always associated with one or other state of the alula (figure 7). Changes in the state of the alula from one wingbeat to the next are also associated with immediate changes in the wing kinematics: on average, stroke amplitude decreases by 6.8° between wingbeats when the alula changes state from flat to flipped (figure 8). We expect these differences in wing kinematics to be associated with differences in the aerodynamic forces; so it is not surprising that the state of the alula also predicts aspects of the body dynamics (figure 11). In general, flipping of the alula seems to be associated with reduced aerodynamic force production. The alula itself is actuated by the third axillary sclerite (figure 3). We therefore conclude that changes in the state of the alula indicate changes in flight mode in hoverflies, involving movements of the third axillary sclerite.
The alula itself is a prominent feature of the wings of most brachyceran flies, and accounts for up to 10 per cent of the wing surface in hoverflies (figure 2). Nevertheless, it has received scant attention in the biomechanics literature, typically being noted only as an anatomical feature [28]. Weis-Fogh [29] briefly mentioned flipping of the alula in hoverflies, and hypothesized that as it was controlled by means of an axillary muscle it might therefore be used for yaw control. However, the proximal part of the wing where the alula is located generates minimal aerodynamic force in hovering or slow forwards flight, because its relative velocity is low [30]. It therefore seems likely that any aerodynamic function of the alula will only be realized in fast forward flight, when the relative velocity of the wing base is comparatively high. Fast forward flight is characterized by high stroke amplitude, and under such conditions, the alula is held flat to the wing (§3.1; figure 7a). We therefore propose that the primary aerodynamic function of the alula is to increase the surface area of the wing during fast forward flight, and that its hinged design is important in allowing the wings to be held over the thorax and abdomen when the insect is at rest (figure 13). We suggest that the alula is flipped during flight manoeuvres, not necessarily for any aerodynamic reason, but rather because the third axillary sclerite that actuates it for the purposes of wing retraction is also involved in flight control.
4.2. The alula and gear change in flies
One possible mechanism for the changes in flight mode that we have observed in Eristalis is the so-called gear change mechanism of flies. Most previous work on gear change has been done with Calliphora [1,4,7,8], and interspecific differences in the detailed morphology of the wing hinge lead us to expect that there will also be interspecific differences in the operation of the gear change mechanism. In particular, the presence of only one notch on the pleural wing process of Eristalis [2] suggests that there might only be two possibilities for its interaction with the radial stop: engaged or disengaged (figure 1). We therefore predict that there might only be two principal gears in this species, when compared with the three that are thought to exist in Calliphora [1]. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to use the information on gear change that is available from Calliphora to test whether a similar gear change mechanism might be associated with the different flight modes linked with the two states of the alula in Eristalis.
The involvement of the third axillary sclerite in gear change in Calliphora is supported by kinematic and electrophysiological evidence [1,8]. We have shown that small movements of this sclerite cause flipping of the alula (figure 3) and have also shown that the state of the alula is associated with differences in the observed distributions of wing and body kinematics in Eristalis. Although there are distinct shifts in the distribution of the parameters according to the state of the alula, there still remains a large overlap between the respective distributions. This is to be expected considering the action of the steering muscles at the wing hinge: the first and third axillary muscles control the modes in the gear change mechanism, but the basalar muscles modify the wing kinematics within the modes [8]. In the remainder of this section, we show that the specific differences in wing kinematics that we have observed, and the detailed timing with which they occur, are consistent with almost all of the properties of the gear change mechanism that have been reported previously for Calliphora (table 3).
Nalbach [1] reported that the frequency with which different gears were used by tethered Calliphora was extremely variable among individuals, with some never engaging the radial stop with the pleural wing process (figure 1). This is true also of the frequency of alula flipping in Eristalis (figure 6). It is unclear why such differences between individuals occur: with the exception of a few hoverflies that consistently flew at high forward speed with high stroke amplitude and with the alula flat, there were no clear qualitative differences in flight behaviour between those hoverflies that had their alulae flipped for most wingbeats and those that had them flat. This intrinsic variability in flight behaviour highlights the importance of using large sample sizes when investigating insect wing kinematics, and may explain some of the inconsistencies that exist between the results of different workers studying the wing hinge (Sarcophaga [2]; Calliphora, Eristalis, Tipula [6]; Calliphora [1]).
The gear change mechanism has already been correlated with changes in certain wing kinematic parameters, particularly stroke amplitude and deviation angle (Calliphora [1,8]). When the radial stop and pleural wing process are engaged, a reduction in the stroke angle at the end of the downstroke results in reduced stroke amplitude: we have found precisely the same result in conjunction with flipping of the alula (figure 10a). The stroke deviation angle is also increased relative to the stroke plane when the alula is flipped, resulting in a more nearly planar wing tip trajectory (figure 10b). Similar changes in stroke deviation angle are associated with changes in the firing pattern of the muscles actuating the third axillary sclerite, which have been explicitly attributed to gear change [8]. These effects are observed on both the downstroke and the upstroke, which is not surprising because the end of one downstroke is the start of the next upstroke, and both measurements therefore share information between consecutive half strokes.
Nalbach [1] found that when the radial stop and pleural wing process were engaged in Calliphora, there was a qualitative delay in the timing of supination, measured as the time when the wing rotates past 90° relative to the stroke plane. In our measurements with Eristalis, we found that supination occurred earlier when the alula was flipped (figure 7d and table 1). It is unclear why the direction of this effect should be different between our results and those of Nalbach [1], especially given the consistency in other respects, but it may be that subtle differences in the morphology of the wing hinge between Calliphora and Eristalis account for this [2]. In addition, whereas our insects were observed in free flight, Nalbach's data were collected in tethered flight, which may elicit different behaviours [1]. In any case, it is clear that changes in the timing of supination are associated with both flipping of the alula and with gear change.
If we examine the precise timing of changes in the wingbeat kinematic parameters that we have observed, then a consistent picture emerges (figure 14). Nalbach [1] found that the radial stop contacts the pleural wing process in certain flight gears, and observed that this contact occurred from mid-downstroke through to early upstroke in Calliphora: the alula also changes state at mid-downstroke (figures 12 and 14). Furthermore, it is possible to explain all of the associated changes in the summary wing kinematic parameters in terms of changes in wing trajectory that occur during the same phase of the stroke. Specifically, these changes can be attributed to differences in the position of the wing tip at the end of the downstroke, and to differences in the angle of incidence of the wing from mid-downstroke to early upstroke. For example, when the alula is flipped, there is a decrease in stroke angle at the end of the downstroke. This obviously results in a reduction in stroke amplitude and mid-downstroke stroke angle, but will also result in an increase in stroke deviation angle and stroke plane angle, on account of the curvature of the wing tip trajectory (figure 15).
It is at least as important to note that two wing kinematic parameters were not significantly associated with alula state, namely the mid-upstroke angle of incidence and the timing of pronation at the end of the upstroke (figure 7c,e and table 1). The timing of the interaction between the pleural wing process and the radial stop provides a straightforward explanation of why these two parameters are not associated with the state of the alula (figure 14). If the radial stop contacts the pleural wing process, then it does so from mid-downstroke through to early upstroke (Calliphora [1]). The timing of pronation and the mid-upstroke angle of incidence are measured outside this time period and they are therefore not affected by the gear change mechanism.
If gear changes have any functional significance, then we would expect to see differences in body kinematics associated with gear changes, and hence with changes in the state of the alula. Nalbach [1] noted that radial stop and pleural wing process were most commonly engaged on the inner wing during fictive turns in tethered Calliphora. The state of the alula is significantly associated with accelerations in four of the body's six degrees of freedom; x- and z-axes linear acceleration, and yaw and roll angular acceleration (figure 11 and table 2). During asymmetric manoeuvres, the alula was typically flipped on the inner wing, while during symmetric manoeuvres the flipping of both alulae was associated with backward or downward acceleration. In each case, the direction of the effect is consistent with there being a reduction in the aerodynamic forces on a wing when the alula is flipped.
We have already established that the aerodynamic effects of the alula are likely to be small in hovering or slow forward flight [30]. We therefore hypothesize that the observed changes in the aerodynamic forces are due to associated changes in wing kinematics, rather than to the aerodynamic effects of the alula. Stroke amplitude is certainly a key factor in determining aerodynamic force [9,11], and its reduction when the alula is flipped would produce the expected changes in the aerodynamic forces and body kinematics. Other wing kinematic parameters are almost certainly important too, but it is difficult to ascertain their relative contribution to the aerodynamic forces, particularly as changes in these parameters are all highly coupled.
Neither pitch angular accelerations nor y-axis linear accelerations were significantly associated with the alula state. Decreasing stroke amplitude, by reducing the stroke angle at tip reversal at the end of the downstroke, should cause the flight force to shift back, generating a pitch down acceleration [9], but it is possible that such effects may be negated by the other change in the wing kinematics, in particular the changes in angle of incidence and the timing of supination, which are also important in flight control [31,32]. Diptera typically have little control over sideslip forces, with respect to the body [33]; so it is unsurprising that the gear change mechanism would produce no noticeable change in the y-axis accelerations.
4.3. Functional significance of flight modes
There is an increasing body of evidence to support the notion that Diptera use different modes of wing kinematics to enable different modes of flight [1,8,15,16,34]. In Eristalis, at least, it appears that the state of the alula acts as an indicator of flight mode, and more specifically may reveal the action of the gear change mechanism. Our data suggest that gear change is routinely used by Eristalis in the course of the manoeuvres they execute in normal free flight. Gear change might also have useful implications for elastic storage, by altering which components of the wing hinge absorb energy at the end of the downstoke [1]. Perhaps more importantly, the gear change mechanism may allow flies to switch rapidly from one set of kinematics to another between consecutive wingbeats, and might well be associated with the generation of saccades. Fast saccadic manoeuvres are characteristic of the flight of most flies, and the ability to switch quickly between different flight modes would be of particular ecological relevance to hoverflies such as Eristalis that hover to defend territories and therefore need to switch rapidly to high accelerations to intercept intruders or potential mates.
This research was funded by the European Research Council under the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement no. 204513 to G.K.T. The high-resolution video data described in Walker et al. [12] were collected under EPSRC/MoD Grant GR/S23049/01 to A.L.R.T. and G.K.T. G.K.T. held an RCUK Academic Fellowship and a Royal Society University Research Fellowship during the course of the research leading to this paper. We thank members of the Oxford Flight Group for constructive input to this manuscript, and thank the Oxford Silk Group for use of the light microscope.
- Received September 12, 2011.
- Accepted October 21, 2011.
- This journal is © 2011 The Royal Society


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Difference between revisions of "Jean-Nectaire (Kovalevsky) of Saint-Denis"
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[[Image:Kovalesky-Maximovitch.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Consecration of Bishop Jean-Nectaire by St. [[John Maximovitch]]]]
[[Image:Kovalesky-Maximovitch.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Consecration of Bishop Jean-Nectaire by St. [[John Maximovitch]]]]
Evgraph Kovalevsky
Evgraph Kovalevsky in St Petersburgon 8 April 1905of and Maxime and Pierre Kovalevsky . He -with Vladimir Lossky the Brotherhood of St Photius 1925. He was ordained a priest of the Moscow Patriarchate in 1937the Archimandrite Louis-CharlesWinnaert, he the Orthodox Church Metropolitan Sergius, the locum tenensMoscow, '''' . on
Revision as of 14:42, July 11, 2005
Bishop Jean-Nectaire, the first hierarch of the Orthodox Church of France (1966-1970) was born Evgraph Kovalevsky in St Petersburg, Russia, on 8 April 1905.He was the brother of the deacon and musicologist Maxime Kovalevsky (1903-1988) and the historian Pierre Kovalevsky (1901-1979). He was co-founder with Vladimir Lossky of the Brotherhood of St Photius (1925) and the French Orthodox Theological Institute, Saint-Denys (1944). He was ordained a priest of the Moscow Patriarchate by Metropolitan Eleutherius (Bogoyavlenky) in 1937. Upon the death of Archimandrite Irenée (Louis-Charles) Winnaert, he was placed in charge of the newly formed Western Orthodox Church established by Metropolitan Sergius, the Patriarchal locum tenens of Moscow. The Holy Synod of the Church of Russia conferred upon him the title Doctor of Divinity in 1952. In 1966, he was tonsured by Archbishop John Maximovitch, given the monastic name of Jean-Nectaire, and installed as the first Bishop of Saint-Denis in the modern era, making him the hierach of the Western Rite diocese now known as the Orthodox Church of France. He authored numerous articles and books, one of which was published in English as A Method of Prayer for Modern Times (Praxis, 1993). He reposed on 30 January 1970.

subset: commoncrawl


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The brand new simple dating application Tinder Dating Site continues to be throughout the news these days, therefore I planned to learn personally what the big deal was was all about. So, I downloaded the application and loaded up. It's much like the Twitter of dating.
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Poofah wrote:Incidentally, have you ever Reflected a Lift-Off/Burrow/Dive? Reflection has a lot of quirks.
You can solo her with a flayer youngling through some slightly interesting mechanics.
Toothbreaker - Tends to always open with Sons of the Root so start the opening round with a spell reflect. After a bit of damage bouncing back and forward between you he goes down pretty fast spamming Triple Snap.
Siren - Opens by creating a sunny day which ends up being a good thing so save the spell reflect for the 2nd round when Photosynthesis gets cast to get the 5 round sun-enhanced self heal going and then again just pummel it down with Triple Snaps or Rampage.
Brood of Mothran - First round is usually to poison you and then second is to burrow but save your spell reflect until the round where it'll emerge from the burrow (not the submerged "miss" round). Since SR can't reflect burrow after the first round it defaults back to the last thing that was reflected which is Photosynthesis while at the same time blocking all burrow damage. On top of that, burrow and reflect have the same cooldown so now that you've synced them up you can dps it down, avoid burrows and keep up a perma-HoT.
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Lou DiGiusto
Lou has provided training to literally hundreds of corporate and agency executives for including The Ad Club, Genentech, Novartis, Texas Capital Bank, the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), the American Advertising Federation (AAF), University of North Florida MBA Program, and many advertising agencies and public relations firms throughout the country. Lou has also coached dozens of public figures and celebrities.
Lou served as a marketing communications consultant and coach for clients such as Wal-Mart, The Scotts Company (Miracle-Gro Brands), The National VFW Foundation and WWII Memorial, Minutemaid, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, Skinner Management Corporation, University of Florida, Nova Southeastern University and American Forests. Lou also served as the Legislative Coordinator for the American Association of Advertising Agencies in Florida.
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These ergonomic needles are slightly shorter than the average interchangeable needle tip (these tips are 4" long!), making them ideal for knitting comfortably with a shorter, 16" circular needle. The flawlessly tapered points are perfectly smooth and the easy-on-the-hands square structure of these needles guarantee a pleasurable knitting experience no matter what the project.Each set comes in a fabric case with see through vinyl and contains 5 pairs of needles in US sizes 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. This set also comes with 2 cords to make a 16" circular needle, 1 set of size markers, 4 end caps and 2 cord keys.You can also view all Knitter's Pride Cubics Special Interchangeable Needle Set Needles.
We provide endless possibilities for you including yarn, knitting gifts, needles, kits, sale yarn, free knitting patterns, and more!Jimmy Beans Wool is Your Local Yarn Store... Online!


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- $392.75
Managerial Accounting for Managers 3e is geared towards professors who love Garrison's market-leading managerial accounting content but prefer to approach their course by eliminating the debits and credits coverage. The Noreen solution includes the managerial accounting topics such as Relevant Costs for Decision Making, Capital Budgeting Decisions, and Segment Reporting and Decentralization, however, the job-order costing chapter has been extensively rewritten to remove all journal entries. Furthermore, the chapters dealing with process costing, the statement of cash flows, and financial statement analysis have been dropped to enable professors to focus their attention on the bedrocks of managerial accounting--planning, control, and decision making.
McGraw-Hill's Connect Accounting offers a complete digital solution combines all the great features of Connect Accounting, along with access to an online version of Managerial Accounting for Managers 3e, so that students can easily refer back to the text for review and guidance. This media rich eBook links directly to tutorials and online resources and offers additional functionality like taking notes and highlighting key passages for reviewing later.
Contained within Connect Accounting is McGraw-Hill's adaptive learning system, LearnSmart, which is designed to help students learn faster, study more efficiently, and retain more knowledge for greater success. In addition, Interactive Presentations deliver learning objectives in an interactive environment, giving students access to course-critical content anytime, anywhere. Guided Examples provide students with narrated and animated, step-by-step walkthroughs of algorithmic versions of assigned exercises.
This item is Non-Returnable.
- Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
- Publish Date: March 2015
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Moderators: Three Stars, dagny, pfim, netwolf
The Steelers often play down to the level of the opposition.
Kaizer wrote:The Steelers often play down to the level of the opposition.
raiders by negative 14
TheHammer24 wrote: I was watching some NFL Countdown this morning, and they showed a number Sanchez errors that I think an elite QB could have taken advantage for big plays against us. That's my biggest concern -- our blitzing schemes are designed for bad QBs, and the Mannings of the NFL eat us alive. Regardless, Here We Go Stillers.
Fire0nice228 wrote:if anyone can provide a feed come gametime I would appreciate it..
Bioshock wrote:Raiders 34
Steelers 28
Dickie Dunn wrote:That was a good catch. Stupid scab refs.
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Careless anchoring adds to stress on otherwise healthy coral reef. Not only
the anchor but the chain as well destroys live corals.
Image ID: reef3194, NOAA's Coral Kingdom Collection
Photographer: David Burdick
Category: Coral Reefs/Stress Anchor Damage/
• High Resolution Photo Available
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The U.S. military fights wars overseas, but the country has another military to fight a different kind of war at home: wildfires.
Charlie Brown is an air tactical supervisor for the Bureau of Land Management. Brown and his pilot control the airspace above a fire and lead in the slurry bombers to drop retardant or water on a blaze.
But before he was an air supervisor, for about 18 years he was a smoke jumper.
The smoke jumpers are like the special forces. A plane drops them off at a fire, and the jumpers have enough supplies to be self-sufficient for the first 24 to 48 hours of the fire, alone in the wilderness with their fiery enemy.
While jumpers operate as individuals, hot-shot crews the infantry operate as a team and go in and fight the large fires that make the news, Brown said.
Theyre machines going through the forest, he said.
Brown originally was part of a hot-shot crew, but he knew he wanted to be a jumper as soon as he saw them.
The jumpers usually respond to smaller fires, and they do whatever it takes to contain a fire, Brown said.
Brown lived in Durango but was stationed in Alaska as a smoke jumper when the Missionary Ridge Fire broke out. He had a home on the ridge that managed to survive the blaze.
I was busy on our fire, but I wish I could have come down and helped, he said. It was eating at me that this was my community, and I couldnt help.


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Beverly Hills Hotel bans Brit-Brit but can't lure Brangelina
Posted March 17, 2008 by Zak Patten
You'd assume the Beverly Hills Hotel, with its location and price tag (our sister site TripAdvisor lists an average nightly price of $662) would be a good place for celebrity-spotting. And you'd be right, unless you were looking to see Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, or Angelina Jolie.
Yes, the BHH is now instructing its staff to ask the Lucky singer to keep on driving the next time she's on a bender and needs a place to crash, at least according to Entertainmentwise. While the exclusive property surely appreciates the media coverage paparazzi-magnet Britney provides, it realizes other guests may want to enjoy their stays sans the tantrums, meltdowns, and assorted disasters that trail the former Mrs. Federline wherever she goes. Unfortunately, according to a hotel source, Britney still won't stay away from the place.
In a separate situation, Digital Spy reports Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have decided to take a detour around the Beverly Hills Hotel themselves. "Brangelina" are skipping out on a charity event they were scheduled to co-host with Pitt-ex Jennifer Aniston, apparently out of respect to the former Friends star.
Good old Hollywood. Britney isn't welcome but won't stop going while Pitt and Jolie have been invited, but won't show up.


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MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — The sister of a federal agent wounded in an attack in Mexico said Wednesday she hoped the lawsuit filed by her brother and the family of an agent who was killed will force the government to answer their questions.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila were attacked on Feb. 15, 2011, in their armored sport-utility vehicle near San Luis Potosi, Mexico, shortly after picking up some equipment from another agent. Zapata died and Avila was seriously wounded.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Brownsville names nearly two dozen defendants, among them the agents' supervisors, the company that armored their vehicle and gun shops that allegedly sold two of the weapons used in the attack. It claims Zapata and Avila never should have been sent on the dangerous mission, their armored SUV was flawed and at least two of the guns used in the attack were bought in the United States and eventually smuggled to Mexico.
"The complaint really is seeking accountability for those people to come forward and not let this happen again," said Magdalena Villalobos, Avila's sister. She said that with the two-year anniversary of the attack fast approaching, the government had failed to answer many of the families' questions.
Zapata and Avila had driven from Mexico City to San Luis Potosi to pick up equipment from another agent from the Monterrey office. Shortly after beginning their return trip, the pair was ambushed by armed men. Zapata parked the vehicle, but when he did so the automatic door locks unlocked. Gunmen pried open the door and in their struggle to close it, the agents partially lowered the window, which allowed their attackers to fire inside.
BAE Systems, a U.S. subsidiary of the U.K.-based global defense contractor that outfitted the armored Suburban, is named in the lawsuit. The case alleges negligence in not deactivating the feature that automatically unlocks the doors.
Brian Roehrkasse, spokesman for BAE Systems, said Wednesday the company had not yet been served with the lawsuit.
"We are evaluating the allegations and have no comments at this time, except to note that we are not the vehicle manufacturer and do not make the door locking mechanisms," he said in an email.
The lawsuit names four of the agents' supervisors and alleges negligence for putting the agents in harm's way.
The highway Zapata and Avila traveled on "was known to be patrolled and controlled by a dangerous criminal organization," the lawsuit said. Less than a month before, the U.S. government had sent a notice to all U.S. embassy employees that there was a travel restriction in place and they should not travel in the prohibited areas.
"Despite opposition by Avila and despite having full knowledge of the dangers present with the package pick-up, Mexico supervisors instructed Avila and Zapata to proceed with the directive," according to the lawsuit.
A diplomatic courier service offered a secure option to move the equipment rather than sending two unescorted agents to get it, the lawsuit says.
Barbara Gonzalez, an ICE spokeswoman, said the agency doesn't comment on pending litigation as a matter of policy.
"The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement family continues to mourn the loss of Special Agent Zapata," Gonzalez said. "We honor his sacrifice and those of his brothers and sisters in the law enforcement community who have perished in the line of duty."
Julian Zapata Espinoza, one of those allegedly involved in the attack, is awaiting trial on murder and attempted murder charges in federal court in Washington, D.C. Zapata Espinoza was allegedly a member of the Zetas cartel who Mexican authorities say mistook the agents' Suburban for rivals.
The lawsuit says some of the weapons used in the attack made it to Mexico even after federal investigators had opened an investigation against some of those involved in illegal weapons purchases. Several people from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also are named.
Three weapons believed used in the attack have been recovered, though information has only been released on two of them, according to federal court documents.
One was a 7.62 mm AK-47 style Draco handgun that federal authorities traced to a straw purchase by Otilio Osorio from a Texas gun shop. Osorio and his brother were sentenced to prison on weapons charges. Another was an AK-47-style semi-automatic assault rifle bought from JJ's Pawn Shop in Beaumont in another straw purchase and passed into Mexico by Manuel Barba, who has also been sentenced to prison.
But Jim Hedrick, owner of JJ's Pawn Shop, said Wednesday that his store made a legal sale and the gun was later resold.
"All of our paperwork was checked and all of it was legal," Hedrick said. He had not seen the lawsuit.
Osorio, Barba and the pawn shop are among those named as defendants in the lawsuit.
In a procedural notice to the government filed last year, the agents' lawyers sought $25 million for Zapata's family and $12.5 million for Avila. No figures were included in the lawsuit filed Tuesday.


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Britain: Sussex and Cotswolds gardens a bracing change from SoCal
While California gardens wither under a blistering sun, the green English countryside forms a backdrop for blooming gardens that delight the eye. English gardens differ from California gardens in many ways, including their long histories, their diverse styles based on centuries-old gardening traditions and perhaps, most strikingly, their color. On a recent a tour I led that took in English gardens at their peak, we spent most of eight days in the countryside of Sussex in southeastern England and the Cotswolds in west-central England where we visited some of the world's best-known public gardens as well as some wonderfully intimate private gardens. Here is a sampling of what we saw.
-- Nan Sterman
Copyright © 2018, CT Now


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Posted 29 May 2012. PMN Crop News.
Check Fields for Alfalfa Weevil Populations
Source: University of Minnesota Press Release. www.extension.umn.edu
St. Paul, Minnesota (May 1, 2012)--A mild winter and early spring has sparked speculation on what may happen with different insects, such as alfalfa weevil, around the region. Alfalfa weevil is one of Minnesota's early-season insect pests. It can reduce hay yields.
This single-generation per year insect normally affects alfalfa around the timing of the first cut for hay, although the actual timing varies from year to year as influenced by temperatures.
Daily temperatures are recognized as playing a significant role in how fast insects develop. Scientists have developed models for insects capable of causing large-scale economic losses. The models are referred to as degree day (DD) models. They use the daily average temperature and the experimentally determined lower developmental threshold temperature.
This knowledge is used to estimate the rate of physiological development and to forecast egg hatch and other biological events. They tend to be more accurate in predicting biological events than calendar dates, though not always.
An alfalfa weevil predictive model has been available for many years. University of Wisconsin Extension summarizes the model at www.soils.wisc.edu/uwex_agwx/thermal_models/alfalfa.
Alfalfa farmers who become familiar with the model will gain insight about when weevils, particularly the larvae, are most likely to be feeding. The goal of these models is to alert the crop manager to the need for timely field checks and to avoid missing an infestation.
Field observations from southern Minnesota indicate that the overwintering adult weevils began moving into alfalfa fields the week of April 15. The adults are there to feed and females to lay eggs in stems. The models would suggest that early larval hatch is underway and checking fields to determine population levels would be wise.
These early checks can provide an indication as to whether infestations at the field level are significant enough to warrant early cutting or insecticide treatments. Early cutting to avoid foliage loss is preferable when timing permits so beneficial insects that naturally suppress weevils are conserved.
As crop managers monitor alfalfa and weevil development, remember that warmer temperatures will accelerate development; cooler temperatures will slow it down. Moisture stress may also interact in the plant-insect relationship. If plants are not actively growing due to stress, the feeding injury can be significantly increased.
Using as many of the available tools as possible will help crop managers better understand the timing of biological events in the fields and lead to better management decisions.
More educational information for on forage crops can be found at www.extension.umn.edu/forages.
Phillip Glogoza is a crops educator with University of Minnesota Extension.


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Our Planet : Climate Change and the Cryosphere
Description: Our Planet is a periodical magazine published by the United Nations Environment Programme. This issue is devoted to melting ice as a result of global climate change.
Date: May 2007
Creator: Lean, Geoffrey
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Partner: UNT Libraries


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Morning Five: 05.10.13 EditionPosted by rtmsf on May 10th, 2013
- In yesterday's M5, we linked to an LA Times article exploring how new USC head coach Andy Enfield is taking to his new environs in Hollywood. What's been forgotten amid all the buzz surrounding Enfield is the school that allowed him to become a household name in the first place — Florida Gulf Coast. According to the Fort Myers (FL) News-Press, new head coach Joe Dooley has been adjusting to the job through a whirlwind of recruiting trips, a national search for an assistant coach, and getting to know his returning players. One interesting idea put forth in the article is that Dooley appears to be looking at graduating seniors with another year of eligibility as a quick solution to gather some quick elite-level talent. It's not a bad thought, especially considering that the brand recognition of FGCU is likely to give the program a number of marquee non-conference games next season, a nice selling point for players at bigger schools who might be looking to trade down for one year.
- Mike DeCourcy is back with his Starting Five column this week, and he took some time out from his trip to the British Isles to tackle several interesting subjects: notably, Andrew Wiggins, Andy Enfield, and our favorite, RTCing. On the subject of Wiggins and where he thinks he's headed (or should head) next season, he couldn't have been more politically savvy, writing 200 words on the "prediction" without actually answering his own question! With respect to Enfield, he gives the new USC head coach a puncher's chance at making Trojans basketball a hot ticket, but we're in agreement with him that the focus of the school on football makes it a very tough place to become truly relevant. Finally, he also attacks the practice of RTCing as a "massive potential liability," and of course he's right on that point — but it's also incredibly fun for the students involved, and love it or hate it — ahem, we fall in the love category — it's one of the few unique traditions that college basketball can claim as its very own, and we hope that it remains part of that fabric of the sport for as long as we're around.
- Yesterday's transfer news includes a couple of good players looking to take advantage of the graduate exception to play their final season immediately at their new location. Florida State forward Terrence Shannon announced that he will enroll at VCU for his last campaign, giving Shaka Smart's already-talented Rams a big and athletic post player who can team up with Juvonte Reddic and Treveon Graham in an outstanding frontcourt next season. Out west, Arizona State's Evan Gordon has been granted his release and is rumored to be considering a transfer closer to his home in Indiana for his last season. The obvious choice for Gordon would be Tom Crean's Hoosiers, given that older brother Eric played in Bloomington a few years ago, and the personnel losses that IU faces this offseason. As players around the country move toward graduation and recognize the immediate value of this exception, we expect to see quite a few more of these free agency situations before the month is out. Somewhere up in Wisconsin, Bo Ryan just kicked his dog.
- One of the best movies of all-time is the documentary Hoop Dreams, a Chicago prep basketball saga that follows the high school careers of William Gates and Arthur Agee through their many ups and downs. Both Gates and Agee have reached middle age by now, but they remain quasi-celebrities by virtue of their affiliation with the movie and the raw reality of the stories they told. The Dagger's Jeff Eisenberg tells the story of William Gates, Jr., Gates' son, who as a high school senior at Samuel Clemens High School in San Antonio, just recently accepted a scholarship offer to play Division I basketball at Furman. Anyone who struggled with the disappointments that the elder Gates suffered after blowing out his knee in Chicago two decades ago has to love this story of a family's redemption. Great piece of work here.
- Finally, in a sad testimony of just how far the industry of journalism has fallen (and the end seemingly nowhere in sight), the New York Daily News laid off longtime college basketball scribe Dick "Hoops" Weiss. A mentor to many in the business and a true gentleman admired by everyone privileged to have met him at MSG or one of his 40+ trips to the NCAA Tournament, we surely hope that he will find a comfortable landing spot somewhere else. It's a shame that someone so influential to the game of college basketball for nearly a half-century can be thrown out like yesterday's news, but as we've said many times before, the modern era of reporting and sports writing seemingly will not stop itself in its vulgar race to the very bottom.


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Eagletarian has gone second generation today, as Allison Domowitch -- a lawyer, lifelong Eagles fan, ocassional blogger, and daughter of Paul Domowitch -- provides a legal perspective on the Michael Vick saga.
Now that I've had a few days to reflect on the events of the last few days with regard to the Eagles' signing of Michael Vick, I've formed a more decisive opinion on the issue than I had when the news first broke last Thursday night.
Michael Vick's actions were flat-out despicable. It literally brings tears to my eyes to think about the things he and his dog-fighting cohorts did to those poor animals. While I wouldn't put him up there with the likes of child molesters and rapists, I have a unique sympathy for animals (we own two beagles, including one we adopted from Animal Welfare) and an accompanying disgust for people who mistreat them. Dogs are completely dependent, to the point of unconditional loyalty, on the people who take care of them; they have no defenses or alternative options if those same caretakers abuse them. I have no respect for someone who beats his wife, but at least she is physically capable of leaving the situation. Thus, any person who mercilessly beats, tortures or murders a defenseless animal is a special kind of disgusting.
Vick served 18 months of a 2 year sentence in Leavenworth for those actions. We can sit here all day and debate the finepoints of the judicial system in this country, but for all intents and purposes Michael Vick has satisfied his punishment for crimes committed in the eyes of the law. It remains to be seen whether he has been rehabilitated, and we may never know whether he is truly sorry beyond mere regret for the death of his career. Nevertheless, given precedent in the NFL to allow other felonious athletes to be reinstated after serving their punishment, my personal repulsion at his crimes does not justify his situation being treated any differently.
Maybe it's just the underlying defense attorney in me, but I believe that once you've paid your debts and served your time, you shouldn't be continually punished by the rest of the universe. Either keep them in jail or let let them be truly released from punishment. "But," you might argue, "my job wouldn't hire me back if I committed a violent felony, so why should his?" I understand this argument, as the state bars to whom I must report would certainly not be so forgiving of its lawyers. However, being a professional football player is not a job that inherently requires honesty and morality as does the practice of law or medicine. Whether or not you believe these well-paid athletes should be better role models, their job description is essentially to show up and play ball. Vick is not the first nor the last in an absurdly long line of wifebeaters, sexual deviants, drug abusers, animal abusers, drunk drivers, and general douchebags that play professional sports in this country. As shocking as his crimes were, even more shocking to me has been the uniquely harsh reaction that his return has received compared to these other criminals.
I never in a million years expected Philadelphia to be the city in which Vick would land. However, football is a business like any other, and Andy Reid and Joe Banner and Jeffrey Lurie are businessmen trying to improve their product. From a football perspective, this may prove to be genius or it may blow up in their faces, but regardless it is their job to try to craft that football product in whatever way they can. I'm highly disturbed that many fans are treating the Eagles' front office as if they themselves were in Virginia partaking in these crimes. Vick may be a horrible person, but he was absolutely going to be signed by some team -- it's not like the Eagles plucked him off the streets to give him a second chance that he wouldn't have otherwise had. Ninety-nine percent of the Eagles detractors hadn't said a word about his reinstatement until he came here, which seems a tad hypocritical. I'm hardly saying these former fans should run out and get No. 7 jerseys, but it seems rather extreme to abandon a team that they've been following for decades over what essentially boils down to a personnel decision.
I suspect that if Vick pans out on the football field, the complaints will die down- we're Eagles fans for God's sake; we're as faithful as they come. My initial reluctance over this signing was that he can't possibly be worth the $1.6 million price tag (and the PR nightmare that this decision has proved to be). But frankly, my skepticism is slowly fading as I deliriously think of all of the offensive weapons that will adorn the field this season. Any time Vick is on the field, he'll be a threat in some way, shape or form, and that constant looming threat has to at least have some advantage. I'll put my concerns aside and let his performance speak for itself in the coming weeks. After all, the legal system has concluded its judgment, so why shouldn't we?
To read our earlier post from today's practice, click here.


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Set in Toronto, a romantic tale which revolves around Rahul Seth, a Westernized, young dot.com millionaire, and his unconventional relationship with the beautiful and wild Sue Singh. Rahul is devastat... more
Release DateU.S.Bollywood, Hollywood was released on
Friday, August 29, 2003 Release
On DVDTuesday, November 8, 2005
Released; Now Available Buy | Rent Now
Cast more cast
Rating MPAANot Available
Set in Toronto, a romantic tale which revolves around Rahul Seth, a Westernized, young dot.com millionaire, and his unconventional relationship with the beautiful and wild Sue Singh. Rahul is devastated after the untimely death of his beautiful, pop artist, blonde girlfriend Kimberly. To make matters worse, he is under extreme pressure from his family to get engaged to a good Hindu girl before his sister's upcoming wedding. Lest one forgets, according to the popular Hindu adage, 'the best cure for a broken heart is marriage'. Desperate, he hires the services of the gorgeous Sue, a local escort girl, to pretend to be his fiancée during the ten days of celebration, leading up to his sister's marriage ceremony. While Rahul is the scion of a typically successful NRI family, Sue is the daughter of a humble car mechanic and--professionally speaking--is one of the highest paid escorts in Toronto. They enter into the relationship as opposites. However, during this fateful period of much song, dance and merriment, Rahul and Sue's relationship slowly transcends that of employer and employee. With her passion for life, Sue manages to break through Rahul's hardened exterior to reveal a sensitive man who is not as emotionally dead as he would like to believe. In turn, Rahul's strong personality and advice enables Sue to see her parents in a more positive light.
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Allen Lessels' UNH Notebook: Central grad O'Neill among football captainsBy ALLEN LESSELS
New Hampshire Union Leader
May 03. 2013 12:45AM
DURHAM -- Seamus O'Neill, the University of New Hampshire's all-Colonial Athletic Association starter at left tackle, has added another chore to his football duties and one-upped his father and uncle in the process.
UNH coach Sean McDonnell announced on Thursday morning, in advance of Saturday's Blue-White game in Cowell Stadium that ends the spring football session, that O'Neill had been picked by the team as one of three captains of the 2013 edition. He joins running back Chris Setian and strong safety Manny Asam. All are seniors.
"I was surprised," said O'Neill, a former standout at Manchester Central. "We have a lot of great guys and a lot of great leaders on this team and to be chosen out of all of them, it's a great honor."
McDonnell likes the leadership group.
"All three have worked very, very hard in this program," he said. "O'Neill came in from New Hampshire not heavily recruited. We saw him in high school in two sports being a very good player and a very good leader. I think he's grown as he's been here in the football program."
O'Neill started five games as a redshirt freshman and has been a fulltime starter the last two seasons.
"Manny brings a heckuva lot of energy," McDonnell said. "Kids magnetize to him. He's a high motor guy. And Setian is probably the best story of all. He's a true (recruited) walk-on and he's earned a full scholarship. He does it in the weight room and he does it in the classroom. He's a hard, tough, UNH type of kid. I'm excited for all three kids."
ONeill was third team all-CAA as a sophomore and followed his father, Brian, and uncle, Matt, as a first-team pick in 2012. Brian, a defensive lineman, made the team in 1984 and 1985 and Matt, a center, in 1992.
Seamus was also cited by the CAA for his academic work last fall.
"I told him last fall that's something his uncle and I were never able to accomplish," Brian O'Neill, the deputy director of the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, said with a laugh on Thursday afternoon. "When he called to tell me he'd been pick as captain this morning, I said. 'You're just rubbing it in now.' . . . We're so proud of him. I think he's going to be great in that leadership role."
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O'NEILL has been rehabilitating from off-season shoulder surgery and the other two captains are banged up as well. None will participate in Saturday's 12:30 scrimmage. Wide receivers R.J. Harris and Jimmy Giansante and offensive linemen Mike Coccia and Rob Bowman are among the other starters who are recuperating from injuries or surgery and will sit out Saturday's game as well.
The hotly contested competition for the starting quarterback job between Andy Vailas, a junior-to-be out of Bedford and Bishop Guertin of Nashua, and sophomore Sean Goldrich continues, McDonnell said. "Both of them have been great in the spring," McDonnell said. "Both of them can win in this league. We've just got to figure out which one is going to be the starter. The competition will probably go into fall camp."
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CAMERON LYLE, the senior thrower on the track and field team out of Timberlane of Plaistow, plans to go to the America East competition this weekend at Binghamton University to cheer on his teammates.
Lyle, whose story went nationwide and beyond last week, gave up the final competitions of his collegiate career when he had the opportunity to donate his bone marrow to a 28-year-old man stricken with an aggressive cancer and in dire need of it. Lyle was a rare match through the National Marrow Donor Program.
He spent the end of last week in Massachusetts General Hospital and is back at school and doing well, said UNH track and field coach Jim Boulanger, but is limited in what he can do as he recuperates from the procedure.


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Anyone here do it? If so, how much of a discount? Or is this a bad practice?
No announcement yet.
Discounts for a first show at a new venue
new posts
Discounts for a first show at a new venue* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
My cover band
HARD WORK BEATS TALENT WHEN TALENT DOESN'T WORK HARDTags: None
we do sometimes (i try not to anymore) but i reiterate again and again. "first time in" rate. We did this recently at a college bar. They had a great night, loved the band and our pay went up to our "above average" rate. Plus we got a few more dates on the books.
While I generally agree with this, the "difficult" part is simply walking away; something you must be prepared to do if you try this approach.
It's very difficult to get them to bump your pay. Once they know they can get you at that rate, that's the rate they'll keep you at. I don't recommend it.
I have done it on a few rare occasions with the duo under the following circumstances:
- The discount was ~16% based on a firm one-time-only agreement.
- We knew that we would impress, bring a good crowd & be a great fit for the venue/existing clientele.
- Confident that the place had an existing revenue stream that could support our fee.
- We were perfectly willing to walk away, should they refuse to come up to our minimum after the first gig. I'm a firm believer in leaving some business on the table (eg pikers).
So far we're about 50/50 between the walk-aways and the places that kicked in.____________________________________________
The Homebrews!http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-rupertamp
"The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair." -Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
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My cover band
- May 2007
- 1195
As a general rule, I try not to discount the first gig. However, there are those situations where it is appropriate. I am making a discount proposal to a new venue in our town. The owner owns another place that I play at regularly and I trust him as a business man. The new venue needs a little boost and my dance/party band draws pretty well. I'm offering him a discount on the first gig to help him get things going with the agreement that we will have a regular schedule at our normal rate. One gig at half price with a guarantee of 7 more gigs at full price is a worthwhile trade off to me. Again, I have worked with this owner before and trust him to keep his word.Bill Lawrence custom Strat
Ibanez Artcore AS-73 (Member Ibanez Art Corps)
1991 Peavey Classic 50 2x12 Tweed
Great topic! I think it's a decent practice if you want to play a venue and they need a little persuading. I haven't done it in awhile either. My pitch for venues like that (I'm solo of course) is if we don't have a successful night I'll pack it up early and we'll try it again another night. It normally works because then they don't have to worry about eating a couple hundred bucks if the night is slow.
Hall of Fame
- Jul 2007
- 3741
I did it to get into a bar that books bands 6-8 times a year. I knew the bar owner from before and he was willing to give my new band a chance. I didn't like doing it, but I figured it would probably pay off in the future. And since I have played there steadily over nearly three years now with my current and former bands, I would say in this case, it paid off.
I wouldn't do it unless I was pretty sure we would get rebooked several more times in the future. If it's for an out-of-town club that may just turn into a one-nighter, don't do it. Quote your full price. I gave one club a $100 discount when they asked "How much for two nights?" after I told them the one night price. Obviously, this is their way of seeing if you will 'work with them' because it's damn easy to add the original price times two, right? After giving them the discount price, it seemed to just give them the idea that we had to go even lower if we wanted to work with them in the future. We don't play there anymore. I'd rather play places that just pay what you expect than have to fight, bitch and moan with people over it.
Stick to your guns, but if you want to try the discount, as RupertB said, be ready to walk away if they refuse to go up to your non-discounted price in the future.(This is my Non-Signature.)
This has worked for me with 100% efficiency. Every time I want to play a new venue, I write to them with a nice personalised letter, offering my services at a reduced rate (which is clearly specified), and unless both parties are happy after the show, we'll part ways. I follow up with an email 2-3 days after, then a phone call a week later. Every place I play wants at least a second gig, if not functions, regular work etc. Go for it I say, but know what you are trying to achieve. Like someone said earlier, if you are simply looking to expand your venues, this is one of the best ways to do it.
Luke'Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens'.
Twitter: @LukeBMusic
I figure that the worst that will happen if we walk away is that we won't play a venue that we already aren't playing now.
Although, we really could use a few more venues between now and May - they are becoming harder and harder to find.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
My cover band
- Jan 2008
- 1247
Never. Mainly because (around here at least) that first gig could be your last there for reasons beyond your control.
And this:
It's very difficult to get them to bump your pay. Once they know they can get you at that rate, that's the rate they'll keep you at.
Yes, but again, if they aren't willing to come up and provide your regular pay level for the next gig...then you choose not to play there again.
It's actually incredibly simple; in the areas where one DOES have sme control, be willing to take it.For cripe's sake, somebody buy that kid a freaking DICTIONARY already!


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text: Salon owner, Goldwell educator and technical associate, Goldwell North American guest artist, Author Design takes shape hair curriculum, Passionate stylist, Creative genius. With over 14 years experience behind the chair, I still believe in educating and training. Attending many hair shows and international conferences to stay current. Teaching for Goldwell allows me to share my passion with many others in the same industry. Developing classes and education as an artistic team member gives me an opportunity to share all that I have. This provides me with incredible inspiration behind the chair as well as my daily life , I am so thankful for the opportunities. My belief is to never stop having fun and continue to strive for excellence.


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Top engineer quits NASA ahead of shuttle launch
Storm clouds of all kinds gathering
A senior NASA engineer has quit just days before the countdown for the Discovery Space Shuttle, citing management differences.
Charlie Camarda, previously director of engineering at the Johnson Space Center, with a history of 30 years working for NASA, has stepped down saying he could no longer tolerate the way management decisions were being made.
In an email, obtained by ABC News, to colleagues at Johnson Space Center, he wrote:
"I cannot accept the methods I believe are being used by this Center to select future leaders. I have always based my decisions on facts, data and good solid analysis. I cannot be a party to rumor, innuendo, gossip and-or manipulation to make or break someone`s career and-or good name."
According to unnamed sources quoted by ABC, Camarda and NASA administrator Mike Griffin had argued over the way NASA management had treated safety concerns raised by engineers.
As the final preparations for launch get underway, some engineers still argue in favour of more changes to the craft before the launch is greenlighted.
Bryan O'Connor, head of safety at NASA, has advised that the launch should be delayed until all problems with insulating foam have been resolved.
Falling foam caused the fatal damage to the Shuttle Columbia in 2003, and more foam fell from Discovery's tanks during its Return to Flight launch last year.
However, mission commander Steve Lindsay says his crew are all excited that the mission has been okayed. "This is my fourth time doing it and I still get excited," he said.
The Shuttle is slated to launch on Saturday, barring any unforeseen technical problems. Weather trouble could yet delay things, and there are reports of cloudy weather on the way. If any problems do arise, NASA has a two-week window before this opportunity to launch is lost. ®


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Your Turn, NH: We need to put our children above the Second AmendmentBY BRYAN PATRICK KING
December 30. 2012 7:19PM
I had the good fortune to travel to Canberra, the capital of Australia, this December on business. While there, I learned of Australia's methodology for gun control. They experienced a mass murder in the state of Tasmania several years ago, and the prime minister at the time took the politically controversial move of promoting stricter gun-ownership laws along with a gun buyback program. Both were successful.
Farmers who are running an active farm and members of registered gun clubs who are in good standing are allowed to own firearms for the purpose of managing livestock, killing predators, and target practice and competitions. This seems like a really good compromise.
Australians have asked me, "Is America really that dangerous that everyone must carry a gun with them?" I am embarrassed, as an American, to receive these questions when I travel abroad. Of course, I inform them that it's really not that dangerous in America except in poverty-stricken and decaying neighborhoods of major cities.
I think it is important that we take a fresh look at the intent of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. The framers of the Constitution never foresaw that technological advances in firearms would allow an individual urban dweller to rapidly discharge 30 rounds of ammunition with a highly precise military-grade gun. The technology of the 1700s was vastly simpler than it is today. Rifles, muskets and handguns of the 1700s were muzzle-loading, single-shot weapons that took about a minute to reload with a bullet and charge. The country was a frontier that the colonists had to defend at risk of life and limb. So it made sense that they had the right to keep and bear arms in the 1700s and 1800s while the continent was being settled.
Today our needs as a society are vastly different. We are no longer at war with Britain, France, Canada, Spain or the Native American nations that once claimed territory that is now sovereign U.S. territory. We are no longer a largely agricultural society. Most citizens live in or near major cities, where discharging a firearm is largely prohibited except in extreme cases of self-defense. Most Americans work in either an industrial, office or service setting today. Very few have a need to carry or use firearms in their daily lives.
What is more important in 2013 America: Children being able to walk to and attend school without fear of being gunned down by someone that day, or the Second Amendment guaranteeing the right to keep and bear arms? One has to be more important than the other.
I think it is time for Congress to respect their primary role of elected office, which is to pass meaningful legislation that protects the American people. It is high time to put aside partisan politics, ignore the influences of well-funded lobbyists and pass strong legislation that will enact stricter gun control and ownership in the United States. Sometimes we have to protect ourselves from ourselves.
I respect the Second Amendment and the entire U.S. Constitution; however, it is not a static document. It has evolved over time to include the abolition of slavery, the right of women to vote, the prohibition of alcohol and then its repeal, and a total of 27 amendments since the document was first drafted.
I don't own or keep guns at home, even though I am perfectly within my rights to do so. There is no need for a gun in my home, as I have four young boys and am afraid of an accident. I did not grow up with guns in the home either. The only time I have ever used a gun is in the military.
What will our descendants think in 225 years when the technology of hand-held firearms makes today's Glock 9 mm look like a 1780s single-shot, lead ball pistol? We cannot even imagine what technology will produce in 225 years, just as our ancestors who framed the U.S. Constitution could not imagine what today's guns are capable of doing.
Bryan Patrick King lives in Goffstown.


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Another Way To Be Entrepreneurial (like attracts like)
Theres an old saying. If you want to be a millionaire then hang around with millionaires.Its the same for those wanting to be entrepreneurs. In my job I work with a lot of people I would describe as entrepreneurs., both highly successful ones and ones still finding their way. I seriously believe that I have become more entrepreneurial as a result of spending time with these people as well as developing my "busines nouse." They ask questions that the non entrepreneurial don't and they tend to get excited by ideas and possibilities and hhave high energy levels.
Its because of this observation that rather than run the usual workshops I have traditionally done this term I am running simple "Coffee With Entrepreneur" sessions. Basically you come along grab a coffee and talk to an entrepreneur. I really think this is a great way to make contacts and learn. For more information on these sesssions go here. On the 1st of November I also have Waqas Khan, a management School alumnus coming onto campus to guve a talk. A highly successful entrepreneur he is on the look out for students with good business ideas to invest it. For more information and to book a place for his talk go here.
If you really want to be more entrepreneurial then start hanging out with entrepreneurs!