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Residential: When we think of our homes we think of family, our loved ones and the good times we share. By making your home into a solar power generator you will not only save money, protect yourself from rising energy bills and increase your property value but also be reducing your carbon footprint for the present and next generation.
Here are some important reasons why you should consider making your home go solar:
- Enjoy freedom from rising energy costs
- Take control of your energy bill & reduce energy costs
- Increase your property value
- Solar homes sell 20% faster and 17% more often than non solar homes
- Save money for other things such as college funds, retirement or vacation
- Be a leading innovator to your neighbors
- Generate clean energy & reduce carbon footprint
Solar Glossary
There are a lot of terms specific to the home solar industry. Some you may already know and others may
be new to you. Below are the definitions for several commonly used technical terms:
Balance of system – The balance of system includes racking for the solar panels, roof integration equipment, wiring and conduit. Just add panels and an inverter and you've got a home solar system!
Batteries – Batteries aren't needed with a grid-tied system as the grid itself serves the purpose of providing electricity when your rooftop solar isn't producing power. All those credits you accumulate when the sun is shining help pay down or completely negate the cost of electricity you utilize at night or on a cloudy day!
FICO score – FICO is Fair, Isaac and Company, and it's a method of calculating your credit score. There are three credit reporting agencies — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. FICO is one method of calculating your score based on the information held by each credit agency. There are additional methods for calculating unofficial scores such as PLUS, Vantage and others, but they are usually only for informational purposes and do not count as official credit reports that can be used by banks, car dealerships or other financial institutions. Think of these different scoring systems like MILES (FICO) and KILOMETERS (all others). When a bank needs your credit score, they need miles, which would be FICO. For example, a solar leasing or financing company usually runs a FICO check from Experian, and all is needed is a 700 FICO credit score. Many times other scoring systems like PLUS and Vantage will not be accepted.
Interconnection – Interconnection is the point at which your solar system is connected to the electricity grid. The utility needs to give you permission to operate your power generator and "interconnect" it to their system. The solar installation company will usually complete all the necessary paperwork to get your system up and running.
Kilowatt hour – A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy equal to 1000 watt-hours. If you left ten 100W light bulbs on for one hour, you would use 1 kWh of energy (though we know your house is better of with compact flourescent bulbs or better yet, LEDs!). Electric utilities bill customers in kWh.
Module power ratings – To help standardize measurement of a solar panel's power output, several government rating agencies created power rating standards. The most common ratings are STC-DC and CEC-AC. It's a little confusing because both ratings are widely used, often together and each measures the solar panel output in a slightly different way. STC-DC (Standard Test Condition Direct Current) rating measures a panel's output in ideal laboratory test conditions and is the standard global power rating for solar panels. For example, CEC-AC (California Energy Commission Alternating Current) rating measures panel's output in real life production conditions and factors in the inverter's efficiency of converting DC to AC. The CEC-AC is always lower than the STC-DC rating, because it takes account of inefficiencies throughout the balance of the solar system.
Net metering – When you install a grid-tied solar system, your utility monitors how much electricity your solar panels produce and how much electricity you use through a process known as net metering. If your home solar system generates more electricity than you use, you export it to the grid and receive credit from your utility. When you use more electricity than you generate, like at night, you draw it back off the grid as required. Your utility determines the difference between the electricity you generate and what you use from the grid, and bills you for that difference. Because the amount of power you'll generate is greater during the summer than in the winter, this balance is reconciled at the end of each year or month to month depending on your utility company.
If, at the end of the year, you have produced more than you used, some utilities will compensate you for this extra power but others will not. Contact your utility for up-to-date information about their net metering or solar bank program.
PACE – PACE stands for Property Assessed Clean Energy. Many municipalities are setting up PACE programs that help their residents finance a solar system by paying it off through the annual property tax bill. The relatively high interest rate for most PACE programs typically makes PACE financing less cost-effective than some solar leases. It may, however, be a good option for people who do not live in a service area than can take advantage of solar lease programs. Please note that as of the summer of 2010, legal complications were interfering with the rollout of most PACE programs but those are being resolved.
PPA – A PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) means you buy the energy that comes out of the system one kWh at a time and you have to buy all of it, so your payment changes each month. Think of this like renting a car PER MILE. Our lease is more like renting a car at a FLAT-RATE per day. You pay a fixed amount. And if the system produces more power than we thought, you get to keep it with no extra charge. A lease is better for the customer because your payment is more predictable. A PPA is better for the financing company because they don't have to give away any power for free.
Prepaid lease – You pay 20 years of leasing in advance at a discount. Much cheaper than a purchase, you still get the system for 20 years with a warranty covering everything "bumper to bumper". Many consumer who are originally looking at a purchase find the prepaid lease to be a much better deal over a period of time that is basically hedging your energy costs, much like when Southwest Airlines® bought a bunch of jet fuel in advance and ended up saving themselves a ton of money.
Solar inverter – The solar inverter is the electrical box that turns direct current (DC) electricity produced by solar panels into alternating current (AC) electricity. A grid-tied solar inverter allows this AC electricity to be sent back to the grid when you produce more energy than you use.
Solar lease – A Solar Lease is a legal agreement between you and a solar leasing company that specifies the size of the system. The solar leasing company will install and maintain the system as part of the monthly amount you will pay the leasing company. A Solar Lease typically comes with a performance guarantee that promises the panels will produce the power agreed to in the contract and any power generated above and beyond the guaranteed amount is usually yours to keep.
Solar panels – Also called solar modules, solar panels are made up of silicon "cells" that absorb photons (sunlight) to create a photovoltaic (PV) effect that allows for the conversion of sunlight to electricity. (Silicon just happens to be the Earth's most abundant element other than oxygen and is also used to make computer chips, glass and cement.) Solar panels are linked together to form "strings" and strings are combined to form "arrays." This array is connected to your home via an inverter, delivering electricity to power your home — or back to the grid, if your system produces more electricity than you use.
The grid – The grid is a network of powerlines that carries and transmits electricity from large centralized power plants to individual homes. The term "going off the grid" refers to a household that generates all of its own power and no longer relies on the grid. Most metropolitan area systems are "grid-tied" (or connected to the grid) so you can still power your house when the sun doesn't shine and can take advantage of all the tax incentives, as well as state and municipal rebates that are available for grid-tied systems.
- Utility – Depending on where you live, you get your power from a local municipality (e.g., CPS: City Public Service) or other large power producer. Utilities produce power and send it to you via the grid.


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ISLAND benefit 2009
The third annual ISLAND benefit is coming to Short's Brewing Company in Bellaire on Friday, April 17th and Saturday, April 18th.
Friday, April 17th from 9pm until 2am
- Robin Lee Berry
- FunDubMentals
- Boyne River Remedy
- Tricky and the Fro Tones
- DJ Martoosh
Saturday, April 18th from 6pm until 2am
- Breathe Owl Breathe
- May Erlewine
- Samuel Seth Bernard
- Jen Sygit
- Sam Corbin
- J. Quentin
- Pinky Lee
- Chris Dorman
- Brandon Foote
- Michael Beauchamp
- Chris Hamilton
- Susan Fawcett
- Dede Alderman
Short's Brewing Company
121 North Bridge Street
Bellaire, MI 49615
The Institute for Sustainable Living, Art & Natural Design (ISLAND) has announced the line-up for their third annual benefit concert at Short's Brewing Company in Bellaire. So many musicians wanted to play that the event has overflowed into two days--Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18. Proceeds from this event will help ISLAND move closer to its goal of hosting an artists residency program in Bellaire, MI and support summer internships.
Cost is $10 for one night or $18 for both nights, and are available at the door.
Raffle tickets on sale for a host of prizes, including a season pass to Shanty/Schuss, a custom, private tour of Short's Brewing Company and more. This event is also the Bellaire CD release party for Welcome Home, the new CD by Samuel Seth Bernard and May Erlewine. See you there!
Bus from Traverse City
The fine folks at Higher Grounds Trading Company are organizing a party bus from Traverse to Bellaire and back on Saturday, April 18th. Call 877.825.2262 for details and to reserve your spot!

subset: commoncrawl


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Providing a successful comfortable hospital stay is more than just treating an illness or administering care. It's about maintaining a clean safe environment that supports recovery. It's excellence and expert attention in every detail—right down to something as simple as the wheelchair ride across the hall. It's the distinction between food and true nourishment. It's about interconnected support service departments and seamless communication.
HHS is committed to taking a holistic approach to healthcare support service—and for you, that means lower costs and a better patient experience.
We're inspired by your needs and challenges, and we have the solutions.
scroll down to learn about our solutions
- Environmental Services (EVS)
- Culinary
- Patient Flow
- Clinical and Biomedical Engineering
- Integrated Facilities Management
- Linen Utilization and Laundry Management
- Total Support Services
Environmental Services (EVS)
HHS Environmental Services (EVS) are tailored housekeeping and hospitality programs that ensure hygienic, safe, and efficiently managed spaces for patients, visitors, and staff.
Your Challenges:
- Ineffective cleaning systems and outdated technology lead to extended stays and readmissions caused by hospital-associated infections (HAIs), endangering patient safety and costing valuable resources.
- High team member turnover rates, lower patient satisfaction, and significant financial loss are only a few of the products of disjointed support services.
- Poorly trained, under-supported management teams create a reactionary inefficient EVS program that produces inconsistent results and harms the patient experience.
Our Solution:
EVS isn't just about meeting CDC standards—to us, that's a given. To reduce the risk of HAIs and to cultivate the most pleasant atmosphere possible, we go beyond the basics of "clean" by using industry-leading practices and technologies. We also understand that cleanliness is only part of an excellent patient experience. HHS integrates our housekeeping systems with other support service departments in order to open communication amongst departments for increased efficiency, a smoother patient experience, and, ultimately, more financial gain for you. We also employ a comprehensive training program to ensure that your onsite management and frontline teams are continually educated on best practices—not only for higher HCAHPS scores, but for a strong dedicated team that takes pride in its work.
Our culinary solutions bring a whole new standard to healthcare food service by offering quality patient-focused nourishment.
Your Challenges:
- When it concerns making a commitment to truly healthy food and lifestyle choices, it's often hard to get skeptics on board.
- Lack of financial transparency can lead to money pocketed by external companies.
- Poorly planned uninteresting cafeteria and retail spaces reduce revenue and degrade the patient experience.
- Without proper communication between food service and other support service departments, food and other valuable resources are unnecessarily wasted.
Our Solution:
HHS Culinary solutions is more than just delivering a meal to patients during their hospital stay—it's giving them the nutritional support to get better faster and empowering people as advocates of their own health. HHS is proud to offer community health education and activities to get the public participating in a healthy lifestyle. We're always open about where your spending is going, and give you the rebates you deserve. It's also important to us to create as little waste as possible—and with consistent effective communication, we reduce the chance that quality products will go unused.
Patient Flow
HHS Patient Flow solutions help move patients through your facilities with less wait time, less confusion, and less stress.
Your Challenges:
- Extended patient wait times for admission and discharge leave patients frustrated—and increases the number of patients who choose to seek treatment elsewhere.
- Clinical and technical staff satisfaction is impacted when patient flow isn't streamlined and they spend less time providing clinical care for patients.
- Inefficient patient transportation processes reduce the number of daily procedures being performed in radiology, operating rooms, and other hospital areas.
Our Solution:
HHS Patient Flow combines cost-effective, cutting-edge technology through our proprietary BedWatch patient throughput software with proven management systems to ensure patients are moved through the facility with greater ease. This means more open schedules and an increase in satisfaction for clinicians and staff, more time for procedures, an increase in hospital revenue, reduced team member turnover and patient wait times, and a better patient experience, door-to-door.
Clinical and Biomedical Engineering
HHS Clinical and Biomedical Engineering solutions support patient care and enhance the use of healthcare technology, keeping the equipment you've invested in performing as it should.
Your Challenges:
Managing complex multi-vendor, multi-point communication hierarchies that increase confusion, cost, and repair times.
Lack of national benchmarks and buying power for pricing on parts and services.
Insufficient throughput of preventive and corrective maintenance activities.
Lack of updated technology that addresses equipment use, lifecycle costs, and real time locations.
Our Solution:
Our programs are tailored to meet your specific objectives and to bring total transparency to the clinical and biomedical engineering process—not just to better serve your patients, but to maximize the ROI on your capital investments. We bring best-of-breed management systems and quality assurance through HHS's Clinical Peer Review methodology to ensure that all projects and initiatives are done right, on time, and on budget.
Integrated Facilities Management
We support patient care by enhancing the use of healthcare technology through proper engineering, consultation, evaluation, operation, and disposition techniques. Our program is designed to extend the life of specialized structures and building systems while improving the Environment of Care.
Your Challenges:
- Facilities deemed unsafe or noncompliant with standards are at risk for joint commission fines, write ups, and building shutdowns.
- When benchmarks for contracts or purchased services aren't in place, it contributes to overpaying for services rendered.
- Lack of sustainable practices wastes valuable resources and can negatively impact the surrounding community.
- Ineffective sales platforms and lack of global awareness regarding healthcare assets reduces your ROI during divestment.
Our Solution:
Our facility management solutions bring traditional best practice approaches to managing healthcare facilities as well as unique and immediate high impact strategies. We directly affect your bottom line through our proprietary Operational Activism© systems, all while enhancing the Environment of Care. Whether opening a brand new hospital, or operating an established facility, we ensure that your investments are being maximized.
Linen Utilization and Laundry Management
HHS Linen Utilization and Laundry Management programs are designed to educate staff on this valuable commodity, proactively monitor usage, and ultimately help you save tens of thousands in annual linen costs.
Your Challenges:
- Extra weight and linen reject credits means that time, money, and resources are wasted on reconciling your invoice overcharges.
- Without efficient management of incoming linens, your EVS department becomes overburdened by linen delivery overflow.
- Linen availability is a source of frustration for clinical staff who are focused on patient care.
Our Solution:
Linen is a valuable commodity in healthcare and our programs pinpoint cost savings opportunities and create a culture of sustained linen awareness across all clinical and support service departments. A reduction in consumption with an increase in availability increases clinical and technical staff satisfaction.
At HHS, we bring all the components into harmony.
HHS – Moving Forward. Together.
Establishing a superior healthcare facility goes well beyond medical care itself—and even the most expert care relies on a strong foundation for its support. At HHS, we bring all the components of support service into harmony. We work from the ground up, from ensuring that your building's structure is sound, to creating spaces and nutrition that foster recovery, to making sure each patient's experience is as uncomplicated as possible, and every detail in between. We know the importance of your time and resources, and we value them just as much as you do. Focus on helping people get better. We'll do the rest.


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St. Alban's Day
Dear Friends,
As you know, our parish is named "St. Alban's Episcopal Church". It has been a common practice ever since churches began to be built to dedicate them to the memory of a particular Christian saint. Today, June 22nd, is St. Alban's Day, so it would be good to know the story of our patron saint.
Alban was a pagan Roman soldier who lived in the town of Verulanium (now called "St. Albans") in England in the 3rd century AD. While serving in the military, he befriended a Christian priest named Amphibalus, and took him into his home. The priest shared the Christian faith with Alban, and he was converted and baptized.
Some time later, a persecution against Christians broke out. When the Roman authorities came to arrest the clergy, Alban sought to spare Amphibalus' life, so that he could continue to spread the faith. Alban put on the priest's clothes and surrendered himself, hoping that his friend would escape. The plot failed, and Alban's identity was revealed. When the judge demanded that Alban renounce his faith, he said:
"I am a Christian,
and am ready to do my duty.
I worship and adore
the true and living God,
who created all things".
For this testimony, Alban was beheaded on June 22, AD 209 – the first Christian martyr of England. The site of his martyrdom became a shrine, and many people visited Alban's grave to honor his faithfulness. The Cathedral of St. Alban was built to mark this sacred place, and hundreds of churches around the world were named after him. St. Alban is considered to be the patron saint of converts to the Christian faith; of refugees; and of the victims of torture. We are proud to be named after him, and inspired to continue his witness.
The collect for St. Alban's Day:
Almighty God, by whose grace and power
your holy martyr Alban triumphed over suffering
and was faithful even to death:
Grant us, who now remember him in thanksgiving,
to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world,
that we may receive with him the crown of life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN."
Rev. John Peters, rector


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The web page of the Albion Beatnik Bookstore in Oxford, now closed (as usual) for business: muses and misspills on books, jazz, poetry, stuff like false flags and smoke screen: was randomly decrepit and proven to be more than neo-bankrupt: it was so analogue it was anal and now deceased.
ALBION is an old word for England; BEATNIK is an American slang and constructed word for AN ATTITUDE OF MIND, introduced by JACK KEROUAC in 1948 (he claimed from the word 'beatific'). The shop stocks twentieth century English and American novels and poetry, also jazz; and a range of second-hand books. The shop closed in January, 2018.
Albion Beatnik Press published SARAH GILLESPIE's first collection of poetry at the end of last year: Queen Ithaca Blues.
Sarah is simply the best singer songwriter in the U.K. at the moment. She has recorded three studio albums that have received widespread critical acclaim and much radio airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 3, also on public radio in America. She combines demotic, raw beat poetry lyric with a wacky and individual musical style that nods to jazz and to folk. Sarah tours often in Europe and the United Sates. As with her lyrics, Sarah's poetry bristles with brio. Caroline Bird describes Sarah's poetry as "bright with horror and stricken with laughter," and that gets it just right. This is the stuff of real life.


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I know it's only January, but it's starting to feel like Spring already. I rode my bike to a networking event last night and a few days before that I took my first jog of the year!
It's been too cold to see bees flying, but I'm starting to think about where to start over with my hives in April. I've sent emails out to a few local community gardens and some small-scale farms in both Central, MA and Rhode Island – my little orbit these days – but farmers aren't known for their speedy email responses. 😉
If you know of anywhere that wants some new apian visitors, let me know – I've got two hives that need homes and hopefully will have honey to share in April of 2014 with whoever has space for my gals.
**Exciting update! I'm pretty sure I have a spot for one of my hives, which is great! One down, one to go!
**Exciting update #2! I think both hives are set. I'll be meeting with both the homeowner and the farmer where the hives are going on March 2nd and taking some site scouting photos and then I'll be ordering my bees.


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Custom Coasters Tutorial
Drink coasters or beer mats are used to protect the table surface from drinking glasses. In most cases, these coasters are used to absorb the condensation or the water droplets dripping off the glass. But did you know that custom coasters can also be good gifts to your loved one on such special occasions as Valentine's Day? Personalized coasters would definitely find a soft spot to one's heart and you will be surprised that your special one will truly appreciate this special gift. Let's begin our custom coasters tutorial!
Custom coasters tutorial – supplies
- 4 pcs. crafting felt (red, pink, purple and light blue)
- crochet thread
- big sewing needle
- pencil
- scissors
- pattern paper
Step by step custom coasters tutorial
STEP 1: Draw a medium heart on a piece of pattern paper.
STEP 2: Cut the heart pattern using a pair of scissors.
STEP 3: Using the heart pattern, cut a heart from the red crafting felt
STEP 4: Cut a pink heart using the red heart felt. Make sure to cut this with borders on the sides to create a better effect.
STEP 5: Single thread the needle.
STEP 6: Place the red heart over the pink heart and sew this using a running stitch near the edge of the red heart.
STEP 7: Cut a square from the purple craft felt. The dimensions should be 3.5-inch by 3.5-inch.
STEP 8: Cut a 2-cm. thick strip from the light blue craft felt and place it on one edge of the coaster. Cut the excess on the sides of the strip. Do the same for the opposite edge. This will accentuate the coaster further.
STEP 9: Sew the edges of the coaster. Include the light blue accents on the two opposite sides of it. Use a blanket stitch for this.
STEP 10: Place the heart in the middle of the coaster. Sew the heart using a blanket stitch around the heart area.
STEP 11: Flatten the coaster on the table and make the necessary adjustments possible. And you are finally done!
STEP 12: You can now use your custom coasters on any cup, mug or glass.
STEP 13: Now ready to use! This will absorb the water vapor of the glass since the material has a good absorption capability. So what are you waiting for? Make these custom coasters for yourself or your loved one now!


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These are ridiculously rich – eating one of them alone feels like eating an entire bar of chocolate. Perfect. They'd make lovely wee personal gifts or to go with a coffee course…or to keep in the fridge to treat yourself every time you open it to survey your options. Ideas for toppings: crushed pistachios, dessicated coconut, cocoa powder, crushed chocolate chip cookies, wee bit of sea salt or pretty much any crushed chocolate bar (dime, crunchie..)
Adapted from a BBC Good Food recipe (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/182606/chocolate-truffles)
(Makes app. 40 chocolates)
- 200g dark chocolate (70%+)
- 200ml double cream (I used 229mls because thats the amount that was in the tub and it worked out grand)
- 25g unsalted butter
- 200g milk chocolate
- Your choice of toppings (I used crushed crunchie, classy)
- Break up your dark chocolate into a medium sized bowl
- Put your cream and butter into a saucepan and slowly simmer until the butter is melted and cream is just below boiling point.
- Now pour the buttery cream over the dark chocolate and stir slowly, allowing the heat of the cream to melt the chocolate.
- Put the bowl in the fridge and leave until the chocolate mixture sets (took mine just over 3 hours!)
- Once it's set, take a spoon and scoop out a heaped tablespoon of the chocolate and roll it between your palms to form a ball, then set onto a baking tray covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Repeat until you use up all your chocolate, and set aside.
- Melt your milk chocolate in a bain marie
- Pick up your truffles one at a time with a fork, hold them over the melted milk chocolate and spoon it over until coated.
- Place them back on the parchment paper and sprinkle with your topping of choice. (I wrapped a crunchie in cling film and battered it with a rolling pin)
- Put the tray back in the fridge until the milk chocolate hardens (1-2 hours)


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Secure your work in progress sock project with the Sock Needle Keeper by della Q. The two snaps secure projects on either circular needles or DPNs (6" or 8"). Lightweight and beautiful. A beautiful case by Della Q in fabrics to match all the crochet and knitting needle cases.


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After a couple false starts involving vanishing Word docs, I've finally got a handle on the file management system with back-up and so hopefully I won't have to start the book bible from scratch again. Especially now; it's getting quite extensive.
[You can pre-order here: https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-frozen-wastes ]
I DID start on the manuscript tonight – got a whopping 476 words! I know that's not a lot, but I got 800 and change in the bible, so in all, over 1200 words going toward the story. And however many is in the chapter posted here and that's over 2000! Only 48000 to go! Woohoo!
I want to thank you all again for following and supporting and especially for the folks who plunked down the digital cash for the pre-order! That's really the best kind of support an author can get, I think. Moral support is great, of course, and the support of my wife, giving me time to work on all this, is fantastic. But moral support doesn't get books published – dolla bills do.
I know I didn't finish out the project before, but you can rest assured I will finish this time.
There's about 88 more days in this campaign…please tell your friends, especially if they like sci-fi/fantasy in the vein of the Weasley twins taking Frodo Baggins to a party at Cair Paravel being DJed by the Doctor and crashed by Kefka.
If you get all those references or know someone who would, this book is DEFINITELY FOR YOU. If you just like the Harry Potter books, Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit and the like, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. It's book 1 of 13, so there's a lot more adventure to be had!
Thanks again – have a wonderful day!


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Tues 03.12.13. Almost 3 years post 22.02.11 quake, Christchurch residential suburbs were a strange mix of mostly inhabited dwellings, but also apocalyptic demolition sites, abandoned bldgs, overgrown gardens, many houses being repaired, many houses not being repaired due to insurer delays or owner skulduggery & few house rebuilds.
As Leah & Luke worked in the CBD & Jake had started a new job at The Brewery next to The Tannery, recently restored on Garlands Rd, I drove around Christchurch to look at demolition
sites & construction sites near their work places.
20 images, London St:
03.12.13. London St view, Bealey Ave / Fitzgerald Ave junction
03.12.13. Post quake house rebuild, London St
1. Leah, Seabrook McKenzie Centre, London St: A new wooden house was being rebuilt between the Funeral Home & Bealey Ave on a demolition site. The original house was badly damaged in the quakes.
03.12.13. Seabrook McKenzie Centre, London St
Closer to Leah's school a new house was being built on an empty lot. In the 22.02.11 quake, a massive liquefaction volcano had risen from the earth, occupying about a third of the site. All that builders did was dig a foundation hole through the liquefaction silt, fill up the hole with shingle about a metre deep, then compress it with a road roller, so a thick concrete foundation slab could be built on top. In the next big quake, I expected the new flats would float on top of liquefaction mashed shingle.
03.12.13. Compressed shingle foundation on liquefactioned site, London St
Within 10 metres of that bldg site I remembered London St pavement, in the 22.02.11 quake, flooded in a metre deep moat of liquefaction muck outside the school gate, while liquefaction volcanoes oozed up all over the school car park & playground.
Across London St, Richmond Working Mens Club, a modern masonry bldg, was in its final demolition throes, leaving a concrete lift shaft & a heap of rubble. A yellow, parked digger, excavator buckets & a wrecker ball were beside the rubble. Over the last 3 years, the club had been demolished in stages, next to Richmond Methodist Church & the school had endured all sorts of demolition bumps & grinds, causing the school to shudder & shake, like aftershocks, which disturbed staff & students. Leah had a guts full!
03.12.13. Richmond Working Mens Club demolition site, cnr London St / Stanmore Rd
03.12.13. Stanmore Rd view, Richmond Working Mens Club demolition site left & abandoned Richmond Methodist Church right
2015. While Seabrook McKenzie Centre was repaired, staff & kids moved temporarily to abandoned Richmond School. (Already closed during MOE's quake mergers / closures).
2016. Richmond Methodist Church was moved to Marshlands Rd.
2. Luke, Douglas Furniture, between Horatio St & Balfour Tce: I drove along St Asaph St, through quakes & CERA trashed CBD, to Luke's work premises. A commercial demolition site at the end of Balfour Tce was a parking lot. USAR / TF graffiti was still on the abandoned Pigeon Club wall. From Balfour Tce, I looked at the vast demolition site where Canterbury Brewery once stood. For months at work, Luke had endured demolition shakes & bumps, like aftershocks. All that was left was a yellow digger parked on top of a pile of crushed demolition concrete. The site & Luke's work premises, amongst other bldgs to be demolished in Antigua St vicinity would become NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Metro Sports Facility, hopefully built by 2020.
9 images, Balfour Tce:
03.12.13. Douglas Furniture, Balfour Tce, soon to be demolished for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Metro Sports Facility
03.12.13. Balfour Tce bldgs soon to be demolished for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Metro Sports Facility
03.12.13. Abandoned Pigeon Club & USAR / TF graffiti, Balfour Tce, soon to be demolished for NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Metro Sports Facility
03.12.13. Balfour Tce view, Canterbury Brewery demolition site, to become NZ National govt's / CERA's Blueprint Metro Sports Facility. Christchurch Hospital far left & CBD bldgs beyond
03.12.13. Balfour Tce view, Christchurch Hospital precinct
03.12.13. Balfour Tce view: Christchurch Hospital staff parking, cnr Antigua St / St Asaph St. Central Police high rise awaiting implosion behind. Forsyth Barr (Crowne Plaza Hotel) right
03.12.13. Yellow digger parked on crushed concrete, Canterbury Brewery demolition site, Antigua St
CERA & cowboy demolishers had a gung ho attitude to asbestos pollution. In Sept 2016 The Press reported that NZ National govt's / CERA's anchor project sites, like the Blueprint Convention Centre, Blueprint Central Library, Blueprint Performing Arts Precinct & Blueprint Stadium had asbestos buried by demolishers. As asbestos affects on lungs took decades to form asbestosis, who would pay for asbestosis years hence? (Aug 2018. Between hospitality jobs, Jake would briefly do gib stopping at the rebuilt Central Library, Cathedral Sq).
About a year ago during one of the Richmond Working Mens Club demolition phases, there was a BEWARE ASBESTOS sign on the Club gate across the road from Leah's school. There was no such sign more recently. Jake had endured the demolition of the old Chinese Methodist Church next to his Brewers Arms workplace, Papanui Rd, Merivale. Luke had endured months of demolition dust from Canterbury Brewery demolition & other demolitions of bldgs for the Metro Sports Facility. Never mind all the dust I'd imbibed in my quake wanderings.
There'd been no personal warnings from employers, nor demolishers, nor CERA about asbestosis dangers to surrounding workplaces & homes. Occasionally on my wanderings I'd see on contractors' boards a small warning notice written by a site foreman for workers to use masks against asbestos dust. That was all. The asbestos warning was amongst a list of other site hazards.
As for EQC contractors covering quake damaged, asbestos ceilings & walls with gib boards - what a bunch of morons, EQC & contractors.
3. Jake, The Brewery, Garlands Rd, a busy joining road between Opawa Rd & Ferry Rd, so Jake would have lots of customers. Next door The Tannery was post quake, restored with its zig-zag roof & cleaned brick, exterior walls. The atrium was full of busy boutique shops, both sides of a tiled, central passage. Above shop windows a Victorian wrought iron gallery was topped by arcaded, roof glass, shining warmth & light onto the shops. I spotted a butchery, a busy cafe & Smiths Book Shop, which I'd last snapped post 04.09.10 quake, trashed on Manchester St. The Manchester St book shop was demolished with other red light district stores.
So far I'd noted 2 rentals where Jake had stayed pre quakes had been demolished post quakes: a house on Avonside Dr, Avon Loop, a Poplar Mews flat, Poplar Ln in the CBD.
30 images, Garlands Rd:
03.12.13. The Brewery left, The Tannery restoration right, Garlands Rd. Port Hills beyond
03.12.13. Cumnor Tce view, The Brewery
The Tannery beside Heathcote River was already popular with locals, unlike recently restored New Regent St shops, in CERA's core CBD, already battling to get foot traffic amongst SCIRT road excavations, road closures & detours, like closed Gloucester St Bridge. New Regent St shops were just expensive tourist traps.
03.12.13. The Tannery restoration, Garlands Rd
03.12.13. The Tannery atrium restoration, boutique shops, Victorian wrought iron gallery & glass roof, Garlands Rd
03.12.13. Gustavs, The Tannery restoration, Garlands Rd
I looked at new Gustavs bar in The Tannery & thought Jake would enjoy its competitive cuisine & booze. Restoration was ongoing at The Tannery with more new shops being restored alongside the car park. A boardwalk was being constructed beside those shops.
After leaving The Brewery chef job, Jake cheffed a couple of years at Woolston Club, then returned to The Tannery precinct in Sept 2018 to work in a bakery.
Since the 22.02.11 quake, Jake's job hopping showed the shocking state of post quake hospitality work in Christchurch. Jake's shaky jobs: Under The Red Verandah, Worcester St; Speight's Ale House, Bealey Ave; Brewers Arms, Papanui Rd; The Brewery, Garlands Rd; Woolston Club, Hargood St; Central Library rebuild, Cathedral Sq; The Tannery bakery. Never mind crappy, overpriced rentals Jake endured.
03.12.13. Cumnor Tce by The Tannery view of Port Hills
03.12.13. The Tannery restoration, Garlands Rd
*Wandered London St, Balfour Tce, Garlands Rd.
Wed 04.12.13. I walked the hell drive I did twice on 22.02.11 quake afternoon between Burnside & Leah's London St school, Richmond. Then, from Ilam Rd it was flooded with liquefaction water, ponding on roadsides, mixed with raw sewage & liquefaction water fountaining from drains. Tons of liquefaction mud oozed from the ground covering gardens, roads & pavements. Now, the mud & flood water was gone & some demolitions, repairs & rebuilds were completed.
At Leah's school car park, I started the walk from 5 cypresses, which Leah saw shaking in the 22.02.11 quake. Liquefaction volcanoes had oozed into the car park in that quake & in the 13.06.11 quake.
2 images, London St:
03.12.13. Cypresses by Seabrook McKenzie Centre car park, heavily liquefactioned in the 22.02.11 & 13.06.11 quakes, London St
Bealey Ave: I wandered past quake survivor businesses, housing & flats & a couple of house demolition sites to Madras St crossing.
Cnr Bealey Ave / Madras St: Abandoned, quake trashed, boarded house, sold. On the opp cnr a dentist rebuild was on the Hearing Clinic demolition site. I'd consulted that clinic during our early Christchurch days.
41 images, Madras St:
03.12.13. Quake abandoned house, cnr Bealey Ave / Madras St
Madras St N to Forfar St: The road was SCIRT repaired & in good condition. Most houses were inhabited & in good repair, but some houses & commercial bldgs close to Bealey Ave were abandoned. I passed house demolition sites & some recently repaired houses. Some houses still needed repairs, evidence of slow insurer settlements. A few rebuilds.
That was the repair / rebuild pattern all the way back to Burnside, with variations en route. Near Canon St crossing, I passed cattle grazing on a large overgrown lot, where someone had suggested temporary housing could be constructed for rebuild workers. That idea fizzled out. I passed a yellow, Graceworks digger parked on a rubble heap at the Seventh Day Adventist Church demolition site, St Albans.
03.12.13. Quake abandoned house, Madras St
03.12.13. Orange, plastic, road cone. Post quake demolition site, Madras St
03.12.13. Blue portaloo. Post quake demolition site, Madras St
03.12.13. Post quake grazing cattle, open lot, Madras St
03.12.13. Post quake house repair, Madras St
03.12.13. Quake abandoned shop, cnr Madras St / Canon St
03.12.13. Quake damaged houses awaiting repairs, Madras St
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs left, repairs to housing right, Madras St
03.12.13. Quake abandoned house, Madras St
03.12.13. Quake damaged house, awaiting repairs, Madras St
03.12.13. Boarded windows, house awaiting repairs, Madras St
By St Albans Creek there was lots of abandoned housing & quake damaged housing awaiting repairs. When I'd twice driven that way in the 22.02.11 quake, the area was flooded with liquefaction water, mud & sewage. The road had sunk in places making the road almost impassable for traffic, except for the middle.
Parallel Barbadoes St was worse, even more liquefaction flooding & mud. I remembered the horrified look on a woman's face when she'd tried to drive along the sewage flooded road. I'd signalled her to turn back, as we didn't know what sink holes were under the shitty water. SUVs & 4x4s just sailed through, making crappy waves.
As usual in Christchurch, by rivers, streams & creeks, there was more quake damage than elsewhere, due to soft soil, more liquefaction & lateral spreading on riverbanks.
03.12.13. St Albans Creek, Madras St
03.12.13. Quake abandoned house, Madras St
03.12.13. Quake tilted garage & fencing, Madras St
03.12.13. Quake survivor shop, cnr Madras St / Edgeware Rd
03.12.13. Yellow digger. St Albans, Seventh Day Adventist Church demolition site, Madras St
03.12.13. Quake damaged house & garden wall, Madras St
By Edgeware Bowling Club one of the bowling greens was flooded, a mosquito breeding area in summer heat. The club was seeking funds for club repairs.
03.12.13. Flooded bowling green, Edgeware Bowling Club, Madras St
03.12.13. Post quake fence signs, Madras St / Warrington St / Forfar St traffic circle
Forfar St: Still lumpy, bumpy & patch repaired, not as good as Madras St. Most houses were in good repair & inhabited. Some houses needed repairs. No rebuilds. I passed a demolition site & an abandoned house.
6 images, Forfar St:
03.12.13. Quake survivor shops & quake damaged house awaiting repairs, cnr Forfar St / Berwick St
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs, cnr Forfar St / Berwick St
03.12.13. Quake abandoned house, Forfar St
Forfar St / Westminster St / Severn St junctions: I remembered 22.02.11 quake afternoon liquefaction flooding & masses of mud oozing from the ground & covering pavements. A couple of houses at the junctions were still quake damaged, needing repairs. A cnr house was abandoned.
22 images, Westminster St, Severn St:
03.12.13. Repairs to quake damaged house, Westminster St
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs, cnr Westminster St / Severn St
03.12.13. Quake abandoned house, cnr Westminster St / Severn St
Severn St: Like Guildford St near our Burnside rental, it was lined by mature oaks. I remembered Severn St was flooded by liquefaction water & mud in the 22.02.11 quake. Most houses were in good repair & inhabited. Chimneys, which had collapsed in quakes, were replaced with roof tiles or corrugated iron sheets. Some houses still needed quake repairs.
03.12.13. Post quake repaired roofs, Severn St
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting roof repairs, Severn St
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs, Severn St
03.12.13. Repairs to quake damaged house, Severn St
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs, cnr Severn St / Innes Rd
Innes Rd to Papanui Rd crossing: A long hot stretch with patchy, bumpy road in places. Most houses were inhabited & in good repair. Several double storey, Merivale houses near a stream & Browns Rd were still damaged, needing repairs, a couple were abandoned. A cnr house on Papanui Rd had no quake repairs since the 04.09.10 quake. A gutter pipe hung from the roof for over 3 years. I wondered if the owner was blind, waiting for insurer settlement, or what? (The gutter pipe still hung loose in Sept 2016).
23 images, Innes Rd:
03.12.13. Post quake rebuild site next to shops, Innes Rd
03.12.13. Repairs to quake damaged house, Innes Rd
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs, Innes Rd
03.12.13. Post quake, wood braced, garden wall, Innes Rd
03.12.13. Quake abandoned house, Innes Rd
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs, Innes Rd
03.12.13. Roadside stream, Innes Rd
03.12.13. Post quake abandoned house, Innes Rd
03.12.13. Post quake demolition site, Innes Rd
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs, Innes Rd
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs, cnr Innes Rd / Papanui Rd
Heaton St: Patchy, bumpy road. St Georges Hospital was being repaired. Mostly inhabited houses were in good repair. There was 1 new house build. Many roof repairs were completed. Chimneys which had collapsed in the 04.09.10 quake were mostly repaired. I remembered being caught in a traffic jam along Heaton St, while worried parents fetched their kids from Heaton Intermediate School during the 22.02.11 quake, with liquefaction water pouring from gardens across pavements onto the road.
34 images, Heaton St:
03.12.13. Post quake road signs, Heaton St
03.12.13. Quake damaged garden fence awaiting repairs, Heaton St
03.12.13. Post quake repaired roof, Heaton St
03.12.13. Post quake house repairs, Heaton St
03.12.13. Post quake repairs to St George's Hospital, Heaton St
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs, Heaton St
03.12.13. Post quake, wood braced, garden wall, Heaton St
03.12.13. Post quake house rebuild, Heaton St
A couple of brick garden walls were wood braced, needing repairs. A double storey house was being rebuilt. A clutch of double storey houses opp Elmwood Park were abandoned, needing repairs. One damaged roof was part covered in white plastic. Two girls sold cherries & other berry fruit from their cars. A house demolition site was next to a stream by the park, awaiting a rebuild.
03.12.13. Post quake, wood braced, garden wall, Heaton St
03.12.13. Quake damaged house awaiting repairs, Heaton St
03.12.13. Cherries & berry fruit for sale by quake damaged house, Heaton St
03.12.13. House demolition site by stream, Heaton St
Cnrs Heaton St / Rossall St / Strowan Rd crossing: A brick garden wall was wood braced, needing repairs. On the opp cnr, Parkdale house had black plastic garden fencing, a blot on the landscape ever since the 22.02.11 quake. A hopeful Harcourts FOR SALE board stood by the quake crooked, iron gate.
03.12.13. Quake trashed, brick, garden wall, Heaton St
03.12.13. Post quake, FOR SALE, Parkdale, cnr Heaton St / Rossall St
Back to Burnside I snapped a couple more pics of real estate boards on Strowan Rd & Ilam Rd, but didn't bother with more pics, as I'd blogged repairs & rebuilds on the home stretch, via Wairakei Rd, Ilam Rd & Clyde Rd, back to Guildford St & Heath St in other posts. The 10 km walk from London St to Heath St took me about 3 hours with many pic stops.
That afternoon a HydroTech sucker truck sucked muck from manholes in the middle of Heath St. Although sucker trucks had roamed & sucked Christchurch ever since the 04.09.10 quake, more than 3 years ago, it was the first time I'd seen a sucker truck sucking in Heath St. Sucker trucks systematically cleared all Christchurch drains.
5 images, Heath St:
03.12.13. Post quake sucker truck, Heath St
News this week: EQC wouldn't finish its scheduled, $100 000 under cap home repairs by December. Customer Services boss Emson made excuses & apologised. (EQC news, 3 December 2013). A public protest was led by Rev Coleman at Southern Response insurer, Addington, with boss Peter Rose saying he'd deal with specific protesters' claims soon. (The Press 02.12.13). As both EQC & Southern Response were Crown entities & accountable to CERA minister Brownlee, why did Brownlee do nothing about their delays & incompetence?
Anyone wandering or driving around Christchurch could see there were far too many houses still needing repairs more than 3 years post 04.09.10 quake. That was an indictment of EQC & insurers. Evidence of needed repairs could easily be seen - cracked walls, boarded windows & walls, plastic covered walls & roofs, boarded & braced garden walls, abandoned houses with overgrown gardens, junk mail in overflowing letter boxes. So few house rebuilds was further indictment of insurers' low ball offers to claimants.
On the other hand those lucky enough to have house repairs done, who'd opted out of EQC repairs, or settled with EQC or insurers for cash, had either repaired their houses themselves, or sold to cash up. From the CBD to Fendalton & Burnside, there were many real estate boards touting FOR SALE or AUCTION bargains in post quake Christchurch. The boards & brochures made interesting reading about TC2 land, nearby schools, EQC repairs done, or not, as is where is, geotech reports, EQC reports, LIM reports...
BUYER BEWARE. If I had the money to buy a house, I wouldn't buy any pre quakes house, repaired or not & would only consider a new post quakes house built on TC1 or TC2 land. House auctions looked like real estate agents' rats' nests, whereby quake damaged houses could be sold with little control over repairs being done, or not. There was nothing stopping owners of quake damaged housing doing cosmetic repairs - a lick of paint here, a bit of asphalting there - pocketing EQC's or insurers' cash payouts & flogging their damaged properties without full repairs.
There was never a dull moment in post quake Christchurch regarding repairs & so-called rebuilds. On Clyde Rd, I'd recently seen a raised, double storey house railed across the garden from its old, quake damaged foundation, to a new concrete slab foundation, next to a new post quake garage. Rebuild post quake style. BUYER BEWARE.
4 images, Clyde Rd:
03.12.13. Post quake new garage & house moved forward on rails, onto new concrete foundation, Clyde Rd
*Wandered London St, Madras St, Forfar St, Westminster St, Severn St, Innes Rd, Heaton St, Heath St, Clyde Rd.
Sept 2015: The Press reported that many quake damaged houses had shoddy repairs, particularly jack & pack foundation repairs (MBIE report) controlled by EQC. CERA minister Brownlee blamed "Cowboy" contractors, who must repair their shoddy repairs. A lawyer touted a petition for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into EQC's / Fletcher's shoddy repairs. CERA minister Brownlee once again went into delay, deny, defend mode. Meanwhile 5 years post 04.09.10 quake, many home owners still waited for incompetent EQC to decide whether their home repairs were under cap, or over cap. Crown insurer, Southern Response then blamed incompetent EQC for delays in over cap decisions. What a farce. If NZ National govt's MBIE & Crown insurer, Southern Response were complaining about inept EQC, minister Brownlee should've done something about EQC's incompetence years ago.
It's not that CERA minister Brownlee was unaware of inept EQC. Media had reported for years about EQC's mishandling of quake damaged, housing assessments. Three years ago, 08.08.12, I'd attended a protest at EQC's Christchurch office, Princess St, where EQC's boss Simpson & EQC's customer services boss Emson (recently resigned) fielded questions from protesters. Rev Coleman had led the protest. Former mayor Moore, former Labour MP & current mayor Dalziel, current councillor Livingstone & former councillor Carter were there. As Brownlee did nothing about EQC's incompetence, he too was incompetent.
CERA minister Brownlee oversaw a systematic shafting of 1000s of Canterbury home owners, due to EQC's under assessments, shoddy repairs & risibly slow decisions regarding $100 000 under cap & over cap housing. There'd already been EQC Truths blogger, a former employee at EQC's Wellington office, who whistle-blew leaked EQC documents & subsequent silencing court action by EQC & the Solicitor General. EQC Truths whistle-blower fled overseas & silenced his EQC Truths blog.
Where was the Royal Commission of Inquiry into EQC's incompetence?
Content & pics Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.
See Hundreds join insurance protest (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Death or EQC which is worse? (The Press / Stuff Co).
See More homes under the hammer (The Press / Stuff Co).
See Christchurch anchor projects plagued by land contamination (The Press / Stuff Co).


text:
The National Council
for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI) is seeking an individual of high
integrity to lead its Forest Watershed Program when Dr. George Ice retires in
mid-2012. The successful applicant will work collaboratively with NCASI member
companies to address technical information needs related to regulatory and
policy issues affecting the management and harvesting of commercial timberlands.
Read Full Article ›
The US District Court for the District of Columbia has
approved a work plan submitted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to
systematically, over a period of six years, review the status of 251 species
listed on the 2010 Candidate Notice of Review in order to determine if any of
them should be listed as federally threatened or endangered.
Read Full Article
The US Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced that it will
conduct a status review of 374 southeastern aquatic, riparian, and wetland plant
and animal species to determine if any or all of them warrant listing as
threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Service made the
announcement after reviewing a petition from the Center for Biological
Diversity requesting that the Service add 404 species to the list of federally
endangered and threatened species.
Results of a NCASI investigation are presented in "Acute toxicity of commonly used forestry herbicide mixtures to Ceriodaphnia dubia and Pimephales promelas" by Dr. Vickie L. Tatum and several co-authors.
Some black-tailed
deer populations have been declining in western Oregon and Washington, and
often the declines are attributed to large-scale changes to the structure of
their forest habitats. A common hypothesis is that use of herbicides in managed
forests contributes to deer population declines by reducing availability of
nutritious forbs and shrubs. This hypothesis will be tested in a study of the
grazing behavior and nutritional status of trained black-tail deer on a variety
of habitat types in forested landscapes.
NCASI is
distributing Technical Bulletin No. 990, Control and Fate of Small Spills and
Accidental Releases of Petroleum Products during Forestry Operations.
The USDA Forest Service is distributing its National Report on Sustainable Forests – 2010 (www.fs.fed.us/research/sustain/).


text:
Practicing and Promoting Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)in DuPage County, Illinois
Giving Assistant makes it easy to donate to Feral Fixers NFP! Simply shop online, earn cash back, and donate as much as 30% of your purchase price—Giving Assistant facilitates the whole process. Now, you can help change the world for free while saving money at over 1800 popular online retailers like Lowes, Target, and Macy's!
This past Sunday morning, I took in nine feral cats to the PAWS-Chicago Spay/Neuter clinic to be spayed/neutered, micro-chipped, eartipped, dewormed, treated for ear mites and given shots for rabies and distemper. I know I've recited the litany of services that PAWS does for feral cats, but it bears repeating - for $25, you just can't beat it.
On Sunday evening, I picked them up and brought them back to Tammy's for recovery. Three of the cats were from Lombard, three from Glendale Heights and three from Roselle.
On Tuesday, yesterday, super-volunteer Judy brought nine more feral cats to PAWS-Chicago and new volunteer Julie (and her sister) picked them up and brought them back to Tammy's for recovery. Thanks Judy! Thanks Julie! Thanks Julie's sister! Three of these cats were from Villa Park, three more from Glendale Heights and three more from Lombard. Just knocking them out...
The picture thumbnail is of one of the cats brought in to PAWS on Tuesday (if you click on the thumbnail, you'll see a larger version of the picture). It's a little difficult to see through the cage, but there was a very large abcess on the side of the neck of this cat. The PAWS vet removed it and cleaned out the wound. It received antibiotics at PAWS and more was given to us to give to the caretaker. This is just one of those extra things that PAWS does for the cats. This is probably the only time this cat will ever see a vet. With this wound cleaned out and dosages of antibiotics for the next several days, this cat should have a chance at a normal 'feral' life. Thanks again PAWS...
With these 18 cats (nine on Sunday and nine on Tuesday), Feral Fixers has now had 27 cats fixed this month, 77 for the year and 1,556 overall.
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What an appropriate post.
That's how I have felt recently. Get It Right This Time. On top of feeling like I have been circling the airport waiting to land for FOREVER, I had a blog already named Eye Candy but had to re-do, thanks to my losing and "disremembering" my passwords, exact names, exact steps... sheesh. So here I am again...
Bought two Journals to start some new works in. I picked up a copy of Artful Blogging today after drooling over it last weekend. Here's a link for those of you who may be interested in it. www.artfulblogging.com .
Also purchased the latest issue of a nifty art zine called Cloth Paper Scissors, which I had bought once before (Spring issue, I think) and then picked up the latest (Summer) copy. What's funny is a friend and I were already talking about "how far ahead of the curve were we?" And then, "how far behind are we now?" You know what I mean...
I was already doing this layered paper and art deal quite a few years ago. And SELLING my work, for cryin' out loud. I was happy, doing what I loved, being who I am and then -- Suddenly, I just laid down the implements and walked away. I still sketched, still doodled, still created.
One of the diffs I noted in My past work and others' works that I see now -- like Judy's and these other wonderful artists (all absolutely gorgeous) -- is that I drew and cut out and pasted and coloured and did everything. No rubber stamping, no scanning, no whatever computer magic people do now.
But the background was often the only thing that wasn't original art.
Not bragging, just bemused. I can't wait to start up again. Thanks to Artful Blogging, I found the luminous works and lovely blog of Judy Wise. Check her out at www.judywise.com. Then try not to think about those luscious mermaids, the roly poly golden tiger cats, and the other lovely works she has created. It's a great website.
Oh yes, here's the link for Cloth Paper Scissors. http://www.clothpaperscissors.com
I will have pix up later. Just having to test the waters here, slowly slowly before I dive in.


text:
Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.~Matthew 18.3 I have learned so much from my children and I know I will continue to learn from them. So, "I need to make sure I'm a fast learner, because they won't always be around to hold my hand."
06 July 2012
Janai and daddy sing A Whole New World
1 comment:
- Becca said...
Ahh -- so sweet -- what a great pic!
- November 15, 2009 at 7:34 PM
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text:
Enid Marx was a brilliant noted pattern maker that had
an eye for detail along with a talent for the laborious handcrafted skill of hand-block printing. Her natural eye for crisp designs accompanied with her extensive knowledge of many printing techniques and an understanding of importance of scale, lent her designs to become sought after in the 1930's. During this period Marx many of her designs consisted of abstract and geometric textiles. During her 70 year career, Marx had the opportunity to design stamps, logos, wrapping paper, book covers, wallpapers and many different decorative textiles.
During the late 20's she was commissioned by Chatto and Windus (left picture) to produce two designs for book jackets, however ended up designing her first range of patterned papers designing 15 in total. Twelve of these were purchased and used for book covers by publishers for Curwen Press. (below picture)
In 1937 the London Passenger Transport Board requested she design a fabric for on London bus and tube seating. This exceptionally durable fabric was a cotton-velvet that was also referred to as Moquetto. With a comprehensive brief she needed to consider a design that would be bold enough to be distinctive though not too bold to dazzle passengers. The design also needed to be fresh and ultimately camouflage the daily grime of the underground along with filthy clothing of tradesmen.
During the late 30's Marx and close friend, Margaret Lambert undertook their first folk art project for the book "When Victoria began to Reign". She also designed PVC and rayon linings for "Watajoy luggage company". These patterns included propeller driven planes in which she later removed the propellers to modernize the design.
A lot of her stunning designs were produced using the hand block textile printing techniques keeping alive the principles of this arts and craft movement. An example of this hand block print called, Waves.


text:
The nominations process for 2010 starts on Monday, May 17, 2010, closes on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THE CATEGORIES BELOW W/ THE NOMINEES NAMES & EMAIL IT TO email@example.com.
**Adrienna Turner for Self Published Author: Desire at Will;
**Adrienna Turner for Nonfiction: Desire at Will;
**Children's/Young Adult: Dream Summore: Mirror, Beware!
Get your copy on gshpublishing.com "Independence Day Sale"


text:
A Night on the Prowl! Writer: Roger Stern Penciler: Marie Severin Inks + Letters: Bruce D. Colorist: Glynis W. Originally published: October 1980 Double Defeat! Writer: Roger Stern Penciler: Marie Severin Inker: Bruce Patterson Letterer: Rick Parker Colorist: Ben Sean Originally published: November 1980 Pete's enjoying a cup of joe at a local pub (on […]
Entries Tagged as 'Ms. Marvel'
Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 1 047-048
March 20th, 2010 · No Comments · 1980, 3.5, Ben Sean, Bruce D. Patterson, Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Cat Burglar / Cat / Prowler, Glynis Oliver / Glynis Wein, Hercules, Hobgoblin (Roderick Kingsley), Hulk, Iron Fist, Madam Belladonna / Belladonna (Narda Ravanna), Marie Severin, Ms. Marvel, Nova (Richard Rider), Prowler (Hobie Brown), Rick Parker, Roger Stern, Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol. 1), Spider-Man, Spider-Man / Spider-Lizard (Peter Parker), Valkyrie
Captain America Vol. 1 247-249, Avengers Vol. 1 196, Captain America Vol. 1 250
November 9th, 2008 · No Comments · 1980, Ant-Man (Scott Lang), Ant-Man / Giant-Man / Yellowjacket / Goliath (Hank Pym), Avengers (Vol. 1), Beast, Bob Sharen, Captain America, Captain America (Vol. 1), Carl Gafford, Daredevil, David Michelinie, Dr. Strange, Dragon Man, George Perez, George Roussos, Iron Fist, Iron Man, Jack Abel, Jim Novak, Jocasta, Joe Rubinstein, John Byrne, John Costanza, Machinesmith / Mr. Fear (Starr Saxon), Ms. Marvel, Nick Fury, Roger Stern, Spider-Man, Spider-Man / Spider-Lizard (Peter Parker), Taskmaster, Vision, Wasp, Wonder Man (Simon Williams)
By The Dawn's Early Light! Writer: Roger Stern Co-plotters: Roger Stern, John Byrne Penciler: John Byrne Inker: Josef Rubinstein Letterer: Novak Colorist: Roussos Originally published: July 1980 Dragon Man! Writer: Roger Stern Co-plotters: Roger Stern, John Byrne Penciler: John Byrne Inker: Josef Rubinstein Letterer: Jim Novak Colorist: Bob Sharen Originally published: August 1980 Death, Where […]
Fantastic Four Vol. 1 Annual 014
August 6th, 2008 · No Comments · 1979, 2.0, Agatha Harkness, Brutacus, Captain America, Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Carl Gafford, Falcon, Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) Annual, Franklin Richards, Gazelle, George Perez, Human Torch (Johnny Storm), Hydron, Invisible Girl, Iron Man, Jim Novak, Marv Wolfman, Marvel Man / Quasar, Mr. Fantastic, Ms. Marvel, Nicholas Scratch, Nighthawk, Pablo Marcos, Reptilla, Sandman, Spider-Man, Spider-Man / Spider-Lizard (Peter Parker), Thing, Thornn, Vertigo, Vision, Wonder Man (Simon Williams)
Cat's-Paw! Script: Marv Wolfman Plot: Marv Wolfman, George Pérez Pencils: George Pérez Inks: Pablo Marcos Letters: Jim Novak Colors: C. Gafford Originally published: 1979 This was a mostly uninteresting magic story that was mostly about Agatha Harkness and Franklin Richards. Agatha's evil monster son tries to take over the world, and Franklin somehow stops him. […]
Captain America Vol. 1 237
August 5th, 2008 · No Comments · 1979, 4.5, Beast, Captain America, Captain America (Vol. 1), Chris Claremont, Don Perlin, Elaine Heinl, Falcon, George Roussos, Ms. Marvel, Nick Fury, Sal Buscema, Spider-Man, Spider-Man / Spider-Lizard (Peter Parker), Vision, Wasp
From the Ashes… Plot: C. Claremont Script: R. McKenzie Art: S. Buscema, D. Perlin Lettering: E. Heinl Coloring: G. Roussos Originally published: September 1979 Finally done with stupid ass Spider-Woman comics for a bit. Peter Parker only appeared in this for one panel, photographing Cap at a new conference. Despite being basically Spidey-less, this was […]
Marvel Team-Up Vol. 1 077
July 20th, 2008 · No Comments · 1.0, 1979, Chris Claremont, Clea, Dr. Strange, Howard Chaykin, Jeff Aclin, Joe Rosen, Juan Ortiz, Mario Sen, Marvel Team-Up (Vol. 1), Ms. Marvel, Silver Dagger, Spider-Man, Spider-Man / Spider-Lizard (Peter Parker), Witch Queen of New Orleans (Marie Laveau)
If I'm to Live…My Love Must Die! Author: Chris Claremont Art: Chaykin, Aclin, Ortiz Letters: Joe Rosen Colors: Mario Sen Originally published: January 1979 Another boring Claremont issue that is basically two simultaneous long fights. I'm glad I'm done with this particular story. Rating:


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Each degree requires a different language level, and can be integrated under specific terms.
In September, more than 50 students from 16 different countries participated in the integration period which lasted three weeks for the Master of Science and 1½ weeks for dual-degree students and auditors.
A program including many educational activities help them gain confidence in their French and discover and feel at home at the school (presentation of the Master of Enginerring and the student union), and they also get to know the neighbourhood and Paris. The activities were led by a team of eight professors of French as a foreign language, French as a second language and humanities education. Like every year, the rally at Butte aux Cailles was well received, as was the visit to the Musée des Arts et Métiers.
An international welcome evening, "the French village", was organized jointly by the International Department, the Languages and Cultures Department and the student union. Students were encouraged to present their regions and the evening proved very useful in welcoming and integrating foreign students this year.
Télécom ParisTech est :
A student guidebook has been created to make your arrival and your stay at our School easier. You can find practical information on visa procedures, accommodation, health insurance, registration, cultural life, sports, etc
This guidebook is available on the web, on your smartphone or your tablet. It also features a social network.
You can write questions and comments inside the guidebook. For that, first create an account on PairForm to access the tool.
You have to agree to the terms of use of the network in order to create an account.
Then click on a post and comment (for the web version) or long-press on a topic and comment (for the mobile version). You can also read the comments of other users. Your unread messages are flagged with red bullets.


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I truly have mixed feelings about Spain, I thought it would be better. But then it started to grow on me. Overrun by tourists and getting harder to find an untouched spot. Too many new half finished construction sites, and too much hard bread. Still, I do like the place. Information here is based on my personal travel & research- updated: (Dec 2011)
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» Memorable places in Spain
» Ways into Spain
» Spanish Food
» The Spanish People
» The Spanish Language
» Do's & Do not's
» Places to stay
» Potential for home?
» FAQ's on Spain
Madrid: The capital and center of Spain. I passed through here many times and each time was a different experience. Over run with museums, it's worth branching out into the back streets.
Plaza Mayor - The most famous of all plaza's in Spain.
Museo del Prado - Check out the huge museum. Madrid is full of them, but this tops the list.
Puerta del Sol - Check out the center of Spain Plaque embedded into the pavement. Worth a photo at least.
Museo de Jamon - If you like your meat, check out this shop.
La Alhambra - Head to the look out post at dusk with a picnic and bottle of vino to enjoy local entertainment and a great sunset. Be prepared for a tourist haven if you venture into the fortress/Palace itself. Giant car parks and all.
Central area - Sit out in the main area for lunch and watch Spain go by.
La Rambla - By day filled with artists and stalls. By night; party goers and prostitutes from around the world.
Gaudi's architecture - From the Sagrada de Familia, Parc Güel to his hospital the city is full of his work.
The back streets - One of the best things in BCN, the streets themselves. Nowhere else on my travels have I seen so much diversity.
Drassanes - the old ship yards.
El Bosc de les hades/Plaça Reial - on Las Ramblas for a great drink.
Cable car to Montjüic - when its working it's a good way to go.
Cadaqués: beautiful coastline and Portlligat House-museum - Salvador Dalí's House.
Figueres: birthplace of Dalí and home to his Theatre-Museum.
I took the bus routes of Spain and never took a train as the routes were too costly. Each city has one or two main bus terminals, speak a little Spanish and getting a ticket is no problem.
The Bus from Madrid to Lisbon: An overnight bus that leaves Estación Sur de Autobuses. They might search you bags, and only permit you to take so much on board.
The Ferries to Morocco: From Tarifa it's 35 minutes via fast ferry to Ceuta. Or Algeciras to Tanger in about 1.20 hours. You get your passport stamped on board with minimal fuss. I found the Algerciras route a lot better as the road networks and stations were more functional.
Most people rave about Spanish food. Personally it does not exactly set my mouth on fire. But when it's good, it's great. Spanish bread is the hardest I have ever come across. Paella is rarely that good outside super expensive eateries. The seafood is good in BCN, but after that I found myself using supermarkets and eating too much Chorizo.
I found the Spanish to be aggressive. From people on the street, to public services it was short and sharp. Far from Portugal's friendliness. Having said that I know some nice Spanish people. But to me, it was Spain's biggest negative.
Learn some Spanish if you want to get the most out of Spain. Booking train/bus tickets can be a pain otherwise. Having said that, nearly everyone does speak the basics of English these days.
Do make the most of Spanish nightlife, it's some of the best in the world. But, be seriously careful at night. Life in BCN starts at 10pm with dinner, then to a bar by midnight. But 2am it's to a night club. By 6am home or to a day club. I have seen countless tourists fall prey to drinking too early and getting so drunk they end up in serious trouble. No one is in a rush in Spain, you should do the same.
I am lucky enough to have quite a few Spanish friends. But I did find the following places both good and bad.
Cat's Hostel- Madrid. About 18 Euro, dorms. Easy metro.
Sun & Moon Hostel - BCN. 18 Euro for a dorm. Central with Good security.
Hostal Nuevo Suizo - Seville. 15 Euro. Hard to find a good central one here.
A note about hostels in Spain: There are cheaper hostels. I stayed in quite a few of them. But also suffered from them. Smoking in rooms, theft and noise being some of the reasons. Be careful you choose the right hostel for your own purposes. Granada at the time my passing through was full of party hostels. I stayed at a hotel/bar for 2 Euro more than a dorm room, an slept like a baby.
Try my custom search for the lowest priced hotels in Spain!
Yes Spain comes close. The weather, the location the lifestyle. The main problem I found with Spain is the people and the high unemployment rate. Yes one could get a job in a bar, but after that I found the Spanish choose the spanish first. Which, i guess is fair enough. Also the cost of accommodation is quite high. I have not ruled Spain out though.
My biggest expense in Spain was accommodation. I mentioned earlier why, but it certainly hinders the budget savvy. Food is also a little on the pricey side. I found myself eating supermarket food 3 times a day. All in all I would say 40 Euro a day including public transport. Stay in super cheap hostels and its 20-25 Euro a day.
Madrid Airport is 30 minutes away using the metro or a whopping great 30 euro taxi. While in BCN you can can get the Metro straight to the center with ease. Both Metros are fairly easy to traverse with baggage outside of rush hours.
Both Madrid and BCN have two of the best metro systems I have been on. Buy 5 day passes and save money as soon as you arrive as well as picking up the free maps.
International Credit cards like VISA or Mastercard work everywhere as do most debit cards.
Was this page helpful to you? If so please tell others!
Please keep in mind all the above is based on my own personal experience in Spain. It's not intended to be a guide. If the information here can help you on your own travels then that's a good thing!
Man in Seat 61 Spain Train Info
RENFE Spanish Rail (eng)
WikiTravel (Spain)
Metro Map of Madrid and Barcelona (PDF)
For more on my journey though Spain; check out my travel journals on my Spain Travel Blog
Currency data courtesy coinmill.com


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Mistair's airbrush foundation is the industry secret for instantly flawless skin. The lightweight, silicone-based formula imitates skin and photographs perfectly for both still and moving image. No need to powder as the product is self-setting, the make-up is virtually undetectable. Suitable for any skin type, Mistair's airbrush foundation is relied on by make-up artists across the world.


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Selection" presents a wide range of images hand-picked by Alex Webb while giving a unique opportunity to gaze into diversity of almost 30 years of artist's creative output. Expressive yet colourful shots were captured on the streets of India, Greece, Grenada, Haiti, Cuba and Mexico. Photographs from the two latter destinations grew to become the subject of both of Alex Webb's books ("La Calle" and "Violet Isle") as well as for a part of wider collaboration with Rebecca Norris Webb, artist's wife and a professional photographer.
The unique value of Alex Webb's photography comes from the artist's ability to capture the enigmatic and at the same time paradoxical moments. It may happen that the views and events that he is able to capture become a commentary on the economic or state situation of the place of visit. Many of his photos seem too be too absorbing or too accurate not to be staged. Webb describes his work as an arduous process and often not a very efficient one. – I spend most of the time walking the streets with my camera, guided by intuition and then I point the lens at places of my choice. It is not all the time, that gods of photography are propitious to me and allow me to come across a unique moment – as Webb reports in one of the interviews.
Alex Webb was born in San Francisco in 1952. He has been interested in photography ever since his youth. He studied literature and history at Harvard as well as photography at the Apeiron Photo Workshop in Millerton, New York. Since 1979 he has been a member of the famous international photographic cooperative – Magnum. Originally he worked in black and white, portraying the social landscape of America. His perspective was witty and ironic, but it lacked the emotional load. Nevertheless, since his travel to Haiti in 1975 Alex Webb has reviewed his approach. He discovered the harsh and dangerous world bathed in vibrant colors. To capture the culture for which colour was one of the main ways of expression he decided to abandon the black and white frames.
The move was significant for establishing Webb's unique and notorious style, combining both pictures in colour, a documentary perspective and an individual point of view. Webb's images are also special thanks to the geometric precision in the composition, and the play between light spots and shadow, as well as use of several plans that contain substantial content.
- Datum
- 22.06.2017 - 20.06.2017
- Ort
Leica Galerie Warschau
Mysia 3 street, 2 level
00-496 Warszawa
Internetseite: http://warsaw.leica-gallery.pl/
Montag - Samstag 10.00h - 20.00h
Sonntag: 12.00h - 20.00h


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The smell of rotten eggs in the air was certainly unpleasant, but nothing alarming for Miriam Favano Dougherty when it roused her from bed around 3:30 a.m. Sunday.
She went into her bathroom, then the hallway, where the smell was stronger. That is when the Lower Southampton woman decided to go downstairs to ask her son Daniel if he smelled it, too.


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During this week, we have been preparing everyone for Halloween… and everyone has really been enjoying themselves. Vocabulary words such as haunted house, trick or treat, candy, ghost, goblin, makeup, costumes, have been reviewed daily.
Using our Jack O Lantern baskets, we simulated a trick or treat day. It was fun to have the students ask for candy. We also played with Miss. Cristy's costumes, which gave our students the opportunity to feel how would it be on Halloween night.
Activities enjoyed by them to reinforce these concepts included: A sensory spider web box, which they had to put their had inside and look for skeleton bones and plastic spiders. We also played with a green spaghetti sensory box it was so much fun and we had a ghost cup ball toss.
For art, they practiced their fine motor skills using scissors, markers, shaving cream and glue. The kids really enjoyed gluing paper squares to the candy corn as well as reviewing the different Halloween colors.
Books read to them this week include titles such as: Tick or Treat, Little Critter, Who's there in Halloween, and Spooky Nights.
On Thursday we used face paint for them to get used to Halloween night and they were very exited!
Last but not least, on Friday we had a super kid! We celebrated Sofia´s birthday, together with her parents. We sang happy birthday and ate Snow Whites cupcakes.
As you can see, our busy bees have many great activities prepared for them everyday! It is a privilege to be able to be part of your child´s learning.
Don´t forget we have our Disney Halloween Parade on October 31st.
Miss Dany & Miss Roby


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John Cyrier - Republican (Incumbent)
John Cyrier serves as the State Representative for HD 17, which includes Bastrop, Caldwell, Gonzales, Karnes and Lee Counties.
After receiving a degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology, John embarked on a career in commercial general contracting. He founded Sabre Commercial, Inc. in 2008 and under his leadership Sabre has been consistently ranked in the top-10 of the Austin Business Journal's "Best Places to Work" and "Fast 50" list of the fastest growing companies in Central Texas. He was nominated for the journal's Best CEO award in 2014.
John was appointed and then elected as Caldwell County Commissioner in 2010 and County Judge Pro-Tem until 2013. During his tenure, he focused his efforts on transportation, subdivision rules and regulations, and economic development.
Active in the community, John was a founding board member of the Lockhart ISD Education Foundation. He is a member of the Lockhart and Bastrop Chambers of Commerce, and has served on the board of Caritas of Austin, Capital Area Food Bank, San Marcos Airport Commission, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, Austin Area Research Organization (AARO), and is a Precinct Chairman for the Caldwell County Republican Party. His service also includes the Executive Boards for the Real Estate Council of Austin, Capital Area Housing and Finance Corporation, Greater San Marcos Partnership, and Chairman for the Associated General Contractors of America's Austin Chapter.
John and his wife, Rachelle, live on their ranch just outside of Lockhart, TX. Together, they manage a registered Texas Longhorn Herd and are members of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Longhorn Breeders Association, and Texas Farm Bureau. He is also a lifetime member of the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association. John is a 1995 graduate of Texas A&M University, where he served as Commander of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band. In his free time, he is proud to serve as Vice Chair of the Caldwell County A&M Club and he enjoys flying his vintage 1941 Stearman Biplane.
Committees: Agriculture and Livestock, Land and Resource Management, Government Facilities.
- Texas Association of Business
Cash On Hand: $4,998.48Read More


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Thursday, February 23, 2012
sharp 40le830 price (United Kingdom)
This is the latest 3D-2011 Sharp LC 40LE830E 40 "LED TV model for the UK / Europe that is not up-rated 3D Sharp LC 40LE830E which is particularly well rated in the United States.
The Sharp LC 40LE830E 40 "size is only and inch wider on each side of a 37" LCD Panasonic replaced it so it looks smarter with the thin frame which has an additional thin strip of aesthetic gun around.
And 'arrived from Amazon in just 3 days after ordering at a great price boxing day price of just £ 460 which included a wireless dongle and a pair of 3D glasses.Unfortunately the 3D glasses were not in the area, but the Amazon customer service / support for the product they promised to resolve the issue. There's the latest firmware that has a function of Skype that I downloaded from Sharp and installed before doing anything else.
The TV itself has a remote control, the button positions are not as user friendly as some, but is fine once you get used to it, allows you to record and control other devices connected to modern readers or hdmi blue ray. The EPG has a basic on-screen, but more and more detailed look can be set to display 3 or 6 hours of program information.
The TV has a set menu for just about everything, all the functions of the image are fully adjustable, ideal for techies, but perhaps not so useful for those less inclined.
Overall image quality is excellent, once you set it in movie mode, other modes pictue not worth it. There are faults or too noticable Bluring scences movement. Both HD and SD look good, the sound is particularly good because it has a speaker system with woofer 3x rare but its still a bit limited 'as you would expect from the size of the thin frame.
Once you set the wi-fi dongle suppied you can access NET TV Philips Intelligent browser-like tax base of the flash is not included, there is also a Money useful for time shift and still image while you watch but not record on a USB memory stick. Overall a great 3D TV for its price!
Having now received the Sharp 3D glasses I can say that the experience of watching a 3D program or blue ray is very satisfactory, the picture is clear and sharp with the ability to convert any station live 3D using the 2D-3D feature built-in function .
Furthermore, as a network real home as you can select and after installing a network server on your PC, as Mezzmo can stream all the music yout photos and vidoes to show only as a media center.
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Top 50 Core Java Interview questions you can't afford to get wrong - interfaces and generics
Core Java Interview Questions and Answers
Q24. What happens when a parent and a child class has the same variable name?
A24. When both a parent class and its subclass have a field with the same name, this technique is called variable shadowing or variable hiding. The variable shadowing depends on the static type of the variable in which the object's reference is stored at compile time and NOT based on the dynamic type of the actual object stored at runtime as demonstrated in polymorphism via method overriding.
Q25. What happens when the parent and the child class has the same non-static method with the same signature?
A25. Unlike variables, when a parent class and a child class each has a non-static method (aka an instance method) with the same signature, the method of the child class overrides the method of the parent class. The method overriding depends on the dynamic type of the actual object being stored and NOT the static type of the variable in which the object reference is stored. The dynamic type can only be evaluated at runtime. As you can see, the rules for variable shadowing and method overriding are directly opposed. The method overriding enables polymorphic behavior.
Q26. What happens when the parent and the child class has the same static method with the same signature?
A26. The behavior of static methods will be similar to the variable shadowing or variable hiding, and not recommended. It will be invoking the static method of the referencing static object type determined at compile time, and NOT the dynamic object type being stored at runtime.
The concepts of overriding, shadowing or hiding, and overloading are explained with code and examples.
Q27. What is the difference between an abstract class and an interface and when should you use them?
A27. In design, you want the base class to present only an interface for its derived classes. This means, you don't want anyone to actually instantiate an object of the base class. You only want to upcast to it (implicit upcasting, which gives you polymorphic behavior), so that its interface can be used. This is accomplished by making that class abstract using the abstract keyword. If anyone tries to make an object of an abstract class, the compiler prevents it.
The interface keyword takes this concept of an abstract class a step further by preventing any method or function implementation at all. You can only declare a method or function but not provide the implementation till Java 7. The class, which is implementing the interface, should provide the actual implementation. The interface is a very useful and commonly used aspect in OO design, as it provides the separation of interface and implementation and enables you to
- Capture similarities among unrelated classes without artificially forcing a class relationship.
- Declare methods that one or more classes are expected to implement.
- Reveal an object's programming interface without revealing its actual implementation.
- Model multiple interface inheritance in Java, which provides some of the benefits of full on multiple inheritances, a feature that some object-oriented languages support that allow a class to have more than one super class.
Abstract class
Have executable methods and abstract methods.
Q. Should it have at least one abstract member?
A. It is subjective, and but preferred to have abstract members. If your intention is to prevent a class with no abstract methods from being instantiated, then the best way to handle this is with a private or protected constructor, and not by marking it abstract.
Have no implementation code till Java 7, and all methods are abstract. This is why in pre Java 8 API, there was a Collection interface and Collections utility or helper class. Similarly, Path interface and Paths helper class.
But from Java 8 onwards, you can have default and helper method implementations. So, you will only be needing a single functional interface.
Can only subclass one abstract class as Java does not support multiple implementation inheritance.
A class can implement any number of interfaces.
Q28. When will you use an abstract class?
A28. In case where you want to use implementation inheritance then it is usually provided by an abstract base class. Abstract classes are excellent candidates inside of application frameworks. Abstract classes let you define some default behavior and force subclasses to provide any specific behavior. Care should be taken not to overuse implementation inheritance as discussed before. The template method design pattern is a good example to use an abstract class where the abstract class provides a default implementation.
Q29. When will you use an interface?
A29. For polymorphic interface inheritance, where the client wants to only deal with a type and does not care about the actual implementation, then use interfaces. If you need to change your design frequently, you should prefer using interface to abstract class. Coding to an interface reduces coupling. Another justification for using interfaces is that they solve the 'diamond problem' of traditional multiple inheritance as shown in the diagram. Java does not support multiple inheritance. Java only supports multiple interface inheritance. Interface will solve all the ambiguities caused by this 'diamond problem'. Java 8 has introduced functional interfaces, and partially solves the diamond problem by allowing default and static method implementations in interfaces to inherit multiple behaviors.
Strategy design pattern lets you swap new algorithms and processes into your program without altering the objects that use them.
Q30. What is a marker or a tag interface? Why there are some interfaces with no defined methods (i.e. marker interfaces) in Java?
A30. The interfaces with no defined methods act like markers. They just tell the compiler that the objects of the classes implementing the interfaces with no defined methods need to be treated differently. For example, java.io.Serializable, java.lang.Cloneable, java.util.EventListener, etc. Marker interfaces are also known as "tag" interfaces since they tag all the derived classes into a category based on their purpose.
Now with the introduction of annotations in Java 5, the marker interfaces make less sense from a design standpoint. Everything that can be done with a marker or tag interfaces in earlier versions of Java can now be done with annotations at runtime using reflection. One of the common problems with the marker or tag interfaces like Serializable, Cloneable, etc is that when a class implements them, all of its subclasses inherit them as well whether you want them to or not. You cannot force your subclasses to un-implement an interface. Annotations can have parameters of various kinds, and they're much more flexible than the marker interfaces. This makes tag or marker interfaces obsolete, except for situations in which empty or tag interfaces can be checked at compile-time using the type-system in the compiler
Q31. What is a functional interface?
A31. Functional interfaces are introduced in Java 8 to allow default and static method implementations to enable functional programming (aka closures) with lambda expressions.
@FunctionalInterface public interface Summable { abstract int sum(int input1, int input2); }
Q32. What does the @FunctionalInterface do, and how is it different from the @Override annotation?
A32. The @Override annotation takes advantage of the compiler checking to make sure you actually are overriding a method when you think you are. This way, if you make a common mistake of misspelling a method name or not correctly matching the parameters, you will be warned that you method does not actually override as you think it does. Secondly, it makes your code easier to understand because it is more obvious when methods are overwritten.
The annotation @FunctionalInterface acts similarly to @Override by signaling to the compiler that the interface is intended to be a functional interface. The compiler will then throw an error if the interface has multiple abstract methods.
Q33. What do you understand by the term type erasure with regards to generics?
A33. The term type erasures is used in Java generics. In the interest of backward compatibility, robustness of generics has been sacrificed through type erasure. Type erasure takes place at compile-time. So, after compiling List
List<String> myList = new ArrayList<String>( ); //in Java 6 and 7 List<String> myList = new ArrayList<>(); // In Java 8 can use empty <>
after compilation becomes
List myList = new ArrayList( );
Java generics differ from C++ templates. Java generics (at least until JDK 8), generate only one compiled version of a generic class or method regardless of the number of types used. During compile-time, all the parametrized type information within the angle brackets are erased and the compiled class file will look similar to code written prior to JDK 5.0. In other words, Java does not support runtime generics.
Q34. Why do you need generics?
A34. Generics was introduced in JDK 5.0, and allows you to abstract over types. Without generics, you could put heterogeneous objects into a collection. This can encourage developers to write programs that are harder to read and maintain. For example,
List list = new ArrayList( ); list.add(new Integer( )); list.add("A String"); list.add(new Mango( ));
As demonstrated above, without generics you can add any type of object to a collection. This means you would not only have to use "instanceof" operator, but also have to explicitly cast any objects returned from this list. The code is also less readable. The following code with generics is not only more readable,
List<String> list1 = new ArrayList<String>( ); List<Integer> list2 = new ArrayList<Integer>( );
but also throws a compile time error if you try to add an Integer object to list1 or a String object to list2.
Q35. What are the differences among
– Raw or plain old collection type e.g. Collection
– Collection of unknown e.g. Collection<?>
– Collection of type object e.g. Collection<Object>
What is the super type for all the collection class?
A35. 1) The plain old Collection: is a heterogeneous mixture or a mixed bag that contains elements of all types, for example Integer, String, Fruit, Vegetable, etc.
2) The Collection<object>: is also a heterogeneous mixture like the plain old Collection, but not the same and can be more restrictive than a plain old Collection discussed above. It is incorrect to think of this as the super type for a collection of any object types.
Unlike an Object class is a super type for all objects like String, Integer, Fruit, etc, List<Object> is not a super type for List<String>, List<Integer>, List<Fruit>, etc. So it is illegal to do the following:
List<object> list = new ArrayList<integer>( ); //illegal
Though Integer is a subtype of Object, List<Integer> is not a subtype of List<Object> because List of Objects is a bigger set comprising of elements of various types like Strings, Integers, Fruits, etc. A List of Integer should only contain Integers, hence the above line is illegal. If the above line was legal, then you can end up adding objects of any type to the list, violating the purpose of generics.
3) The Collection<?>: is a homogenous collection that represents a family of generic instantiations of Collection like Collection<String>, Collection<Integer>, Collection<Fruit>, etc.
Collection<?> is the super type for all generic collection as Object[ ] is the super type for all arrays.
List<?> list = new ArrayList<Integer>( ); //legal List<? extends Number> list = new ArrayList<Integer>( ); //legal
Note: An Integer is a sub type of a Number.
Q36. How will you go about deciding which of the following to use?
<? extends Number>
<? super Number>
A36. Here is the guide:
1. Use the ? extends wildcard if you need to retrieve object from a data structure. That is read only. You can't add elements to the collection.
2. Use the ? super wildcard if you need to put objects in a data structure.
3. If you need to do both things (read and add elements), don't use any wildcard.
For more questions and answers on Java generics with code and examples.
Core Java Interview Questions and Answers
Labels: Core Java