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Digestive problems such as gas can be a side effect of probiotics.
Probiotic milk can allow individuals who are lactose intolerant to consume dairy products without getting sick.
Probiotics are found in foods like yogurt.
Probiotics are often taken in supplement form.
Probiotic supplements can aid digestive health.
Probiotic side effects are uncommon, and most people can use them without experiencing any adverse effects. Some people do get flatulence and minor stomach discomfort when they first start to use products containing them, but this typically stops as the body adjusts. Very rarely, probiotics cause infections or extreme immune system responses, but this usually only happens in people with compromised immune systems. Clinicians use antibiotics to treat rare side effects when they occur.
Flatulence is a harmless, if potentially embarrassing, and uncommon side effect associated with probiotics. The natural digestive process involves bacteria breaking food down and producing sulfur-containing gas as a byproduct. Consuming probiotics adds more bacteria to the digestive tract, which can increase gas production. People who eat foods high in sulfur, such as asparagus, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, tend to experience more gas than others.
Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria are the two most commonly used probiotic strains, and although they're normally safe, they can be risky for certain groups of people, including those who have reduced immunity. There have been rare cases of lactobacilli ingestion resulting in an extreme immune response known as sepsis. This occurs when the body mistakes these microorganisms for invasive species and releases chemicals to ward them off, which triggers inflammation throughout the body.
Bacteremia, which is sometimes called blood poisoning, is another extremely rare side effect that people with reduced immunity are susceptible to. Normally, blood is a sterile environment, carrying oxygen and nutrients to all cells and tissues. The intestinal tract acts as a barrier, preventing bacteria from entering the bloodstream and infecting other parts of the body. When people with compromised immune systems ingest probiotics, there is a small possibility that these microorganisms can enter the bloodstream. Bacteremia is an extremely serious condition, and can be fatal. Infants, the elderly, and those with a compromised immune system from a disease like HIV or a treatment like chemotherapy are most at risk for this complication.
It's often possible for healthy people prevent flatulence and stomach pain from probiotics by starting with a small amount, usually half the recommended dosage. This helps prevent an immediate and drastic change to the intestinal environment, which must remain balanced. Gradually introducing the good bacteria gives the body time to adjust, which greatly reduces the risk of discomfort. Some people accidentally overdo it when starting out because they're unaware that this bacteria is naturally found in fermented foods such as yogurt, milk, soy beverages, and miso, so it's important for people to consider their entire diet when starting to take them.
Using probiotics from a reputable source is also important, since their production is not always closely regulated. If in doubt, it's best for individuals to ask a healthcare provider which one to use. Additionally, people taking supplements should let their healthcare providers know, just to be safe, and immunocompromised people should consult with a medical professional before using them.
How Frequently Do Fatal Medical Mistakes Occur?
How do I Use Probiotics for Yeast Infections?
What are the Pros and Cons of Probiotic Pills?
How Effective are Probiotics for IBS?
What is an Acidophilus Supplement?
I started probiotics 5 days ago to boost my immune system. I've been on a couple of different antibiotics. Yesterday I got up with a horrible cold and flu like symptoms. After some Googling I read that it's a side effect of the probiotics. I stopped taking them and actually feel a bit better today. I won't go near those man made critters again.
I started taking a probiotic supplement six days ago. Within a day the loose bowels started, but not too bad. Then the bloated feeling, and clothes that don't fit. After five days, I stopped taking them. The next day the vomiting started,many would not stop. I had 12 hours of non-stop puking, then a feeling of nausea, and achiness, flu-like symptoms without the fever that lasted for days. Will never go near another probiotic again.
I'm so glad to find this article and posts. It makes sense and helps me understand what probio companies aren't educating us about. Everything usually should start out being tested in moderation to see how we react anyway.
I think too many probio strains combined in products hit too many nooks and crannies all at once and create too much die-off, methinks. You know what, though? These commercial live culture yogurts aren't really cultured for more than probably a few hours during mass production from what I've read. Also, if you think the lactose in dairy yogurt is bothering you, it shouldn't, because that is what the probios eat and turn it into another form of sugar. Maybe it's the secondary form of sugar galactose that can bother people, especially if they like the dairy yogurt and therefore eat too much all at once. Food for thought.
I've just started on probiotics five days ago to aid in the treatment of my IBS. I started getting a couple of side effects after the second day. These have been headaches and excessive gas. At first, I was a bit miffed that I was getting more gas than what I already experienced with my existing condition, but it then led me to do quite a lot of research online and I have surmised that it is simply just my body adapting to the changes taking place. It is supposed to take about a week or two until these symptoms begin to disappear (here's hoping).
react to different strains of bacterium. What works for me, may not work for you, even if you have the same condition as myself. Unfortunately it is a case of trial and error. This is also why a lot of doctors don't always mention probiotics as it simply just isn't guaranteed to work. A main problem so many people do face, however, is an unbalanced gut of bad bacteria due to the overconsumption of sugar and food additives. We simply weren't designed to be putting this crap in our bodies at such extreme levels.
I've been taking these for a couple of months now and had issues with gas at first but that is normal. The body has to adjust. I cannot eat yogurt without getting a stomach ache. I have divertiticulosis and a compromised immune system.
Now that I have adjusted, I have been able to eat more and have regular bowel function now. Also, I finally started gaining a little weight, which I could not before because I was not properly digesting food. It's best to start with a half dose and work up a little and the side effects will not be so bad. Also, make sure you're not taking them with foods that will overload you with probiotics like yogurt, etc.
The first time I took probiotics I got a yeast infection. The second time I took probiotics I got symptoms of a bladder infection but the doctor could find no bacteria and diagnosed me with cystitis.
I think the new bacteria in the probiotics took over in my intestines and the yeast traveled into other areas and caused infections else where. Now I am worried that I have interstitial cystitis. They say that cystitis is a result of systemic yeast infection. I currently am trying to starve the yeast in my body by avoiding sugar and yeast and will never ever take another probiotic again.
I've had rheumatoid arthritis most of my life, and now fibromyalgia as well. The past year or so I've been particularly unwell so, after listening to the advertising, I thought maybe a probiotic might help my immune system. Well, it's certainly done something because I've never been so unwell or in so much pain.
The only thing I'm doing differently is taking the pro-b so I thought I'd check online to see if there are any potential side effects. I thought they were completely safe but now I'm not so sure. I'll stop taking them now.
I'm dizzy, feeling sick, headache, generally tired and out of sorts, have chest pains, gas -- putrid stinking gas. All of this since starting probiotics. I just stopped taking them today, After a month, I figure I allowed enough time for my system to adjust. Let's hope it adjusts favorably to not having them.
When you read about probiotic side effects, you're likely to read about "die off" on message boards. However, while this may occasionally contribute to side effects, the more likely explanation is that one or more strains in the probiotic product are over-stimulating the immune system. As another example, when a person contracts seasonal influenza, it's actually not the virus that causes most of the symptoms. It's the immune reaction to the virus that causes most of the symptoms.
The same phenomenon can happen when multiple strains of probiotic bacteria are suddenly introduced into the body of a sensitive individual. It may lead to a limited and possibly sustained immune reaction in some people, albeit less than what one would experience with a hostile form or bacteria or influenza virus.
I have IBS and read a lot about eating yogurt to help the symptoms so I tried it and after a week it hit me. I got cramping and loose bowls -- the one thing I was trying to avoid. Not everyone can tolerate probiotics and I am staying away from them from now on. I don't care what anyone says about how good they are for you. I have tried many times to eat yogurt and my body just doesn't do well on it.
IBS is awful to have and you never know what will affect you. It's so tricky! You just have to relax and not let it bother you too much because the more you worry, the worse it gets!
I just started taking Accuflora a week ago and I thought it was a dream come true. I'm concerned because I've been constipated for a few days now and it's just not normal for me to not "go" after my morning coffee. On the positive side, my appetite has improved massively, no longer have constant stomach pain and nausea I've lived with for years and my mood was very good all week.
I saw on a popular doctor show that a 50 billion probiotic was very beneficial to digestion. I don't have any problems but thought it could only improve proper digestion. I did research and bought some pretty expensive probiotics. I have been constipated and gassy since I started them four days ago, which is why I searched and found this article. I will give it a few more days but did expect the opposite reaction.
If you are experiencing some chronic intestinal-related discomfort, I recommend giving the Lady Soma Probiotics a try. It's the same concept as that Dannon Activia yogurt but way more useful, because people with tummy trouble often have lactose/dairy problems and can't eat yogurt. I was getting a lot of bloating and discomfort after eating just about anything and was starting to get freaked out.
I've been taking these Lady Soma Probiotics for almost two weeks now and have definitely noticed a difference. I haven't been having uncomfortable food/intestinal reactions, and without getting too explicit, visiting the toilet these days is practically something I look forward to now. I feel "regular" and "productive" for the first time in months and have a feeling that I had too much intestinal bacteria.
I hope they work for you, too, because it's no fun to be bloated and gassy all day!
I have been getting serious muscle spasms in the back of my thigh. The pain is excruciating and last for one to five minutes. I've had at least four of these within the past 45 days, which is when I started taking probiotic supplements (Schiff Digestive Advantage).
I consider my immune system to be in good condition as I exercise two to three times a week and have no other health issues that are not controlled with meds. I am 70 years young.
I'm going to stop the probiotics for a month before I consult my doctor as to other possible causes for the muscle spasms.
A week ago I took a pill of gnc ultra 75 billion probiotics. I had extreme side effects from it. My mind felt as if it was racing fast and I could not concentrate. Afterward, I felt extremely depressed. It was not a normal depression; it felt like a chemical one. I also had muscle spasms around my neck and my leg.
Two days after, I drank a cup of yogurt and I had similar reactions again. It has been six days and the feelings are still lingering. I am having a hard time concentrating and my mind does not feel it is functioning properly.
been diagnosed with h pylori bacteria and I had finished the therapy with the antibiotics. I was interested in using probiotics in order to further strain the helicobacter. I am wondering if this feeling from the probiotics will go away. Does it take time for the probiotics to leave your system or did the probiotics colonize, leaving me with a further occurrence of these side effects?
I had no idea that milk and miso contained probiotics! I have been drinking milk and eating miso soup for years, and I have a weakened immune system.
Maybe that's why I've had so many problems with intestinal infections. I have been through a lot of pain over the years because of them. I will have to ask my doctor about this.
Does anyone know if soy milk contains probiotics? I still want to be able to eat cereal with something that resembles milk, but only if it is safe. I will give up my cereal forever if it is causing me pain.
@Oceana – I used to get yeast infections frequently, but I hated yogurt. Even learning that it might help my situation wasn't enough to make me eat it.
My doctor recommended probiotics supplements. Since I could swallow them in pill form without having to taste anything yucky, I got some.
I did stop getting yeast infections, but I got an intestinal infection that was very painful. I had stabbing pains, soreness, and cramps, and my doctor told me to stop taking the probiotics. She put me on antibiotics, and I am fine now, but I will never touch another food that has probiotics in it.
I started eating yogurt because I heard that the probiotics were supposed to help prevent yeast infections. I had been getting a lot of those, so I figured that eating yogurt would be an easy way to stop them.
It worked. I had been getting about three infections a year, and once I started eating yogurt, I didn't get another one.
As a bonus, I started having less bloating and cramping. I now eat at least one carton of yogurt a day. With so many flavors available, it is the most enjoyable prevention technique and gas medication out there.
@animegal - I would quit eating the probiotics yogurt if it is just making you gassy and have diarrhea. Some people's systems just don't do well with foreign bacteria being added to them. I personally think that too many probiotics products are being advertised as being a cure all and they really aren't.
If you want to help your stomach and be more regular I would suggest just going the old-fashioned route and eating more fruits and vegetables, as well as a lot of brain. You should be careful of the newest gimmicky things as they very seldom give you what they promise. It's a real shame too, as a lot of them can actually make you feel even worse, as I am sure you've found out.
I recently started eating a yogurt that is advertising having good probiotics in it, and I have been feeling really gassy since I began eating it. Do you think that I should quit having the yogurt, or will this symptom pass?
I am also suffering from a bit of what sounds like probiotics diarrhea which is really embarrassing. I suppose it could just be my system realigning itself but it isn't a very pleasant experience. If I do need to stop eating the yogurt is there anything else I can do to help my digestive system. I originally started adding the yogurt to my diet because I was feeling bloated and it was supposed to help with that.
I started taking a probiotic supplement last week and have been feeling tired, and very sluggish in general. There is a mild constipation going on as well.
I'm not too familiar with probiotic products, but a friend of mine who's taken them before told me that the side effects generally go away after about a week or so of taking them. It's just been a week for me, so I hope the fatigue goes away as I get used to it.
My friend also told me not to take any alcohol or eat too much sugar while I'm on the supplement as that worsens the side-effects. What's the reasoning behind that? Is it because of the yeast that probiotics release in the body?
@honeybees-- I also experience gas and bloating sometimes when I eat probiotic foods. I think I agree with @sunshined that it's probably the food causing those symptoms more than the probiotic.
Yogurt is already a food that tends to cause gas because it naturally contains live cultures in it. When manufacturers also add more probiotics to yogurt, it can either increase or decrease these symptoms. It depends on the person because everyone metabolizes food and reacts to microorganisms differently.
I think it's best to try out different probiotic foods to see which works better than others. And probiotic supplements might work better for you in general. I personally like probiotic yogurt a lot. Probiotic yogurt causes less gas and bloating than regular yogurt does for me. And since I'm a diabetic, I think it improves my digestion a lot.
I'm surprised to hear that probiotics can cause constipation and weaken the immune system. I also thought that they were supposed to do exactly the opposite.
Probiotic foods are really popular these days and highly advertised by celebrities and health gurus. I also purchased probiotic yogurt several times when I was sick so that it would improve my immune system. It never occurred to me that it could actually do just the opposite. But reading about it in this article, the possibility seems logical. I think it's pretty normal for the body to consider newcomer microorganisms to be foreign and potentially dangerous.
I wish these side effects, which are pretty serious in my view, were more elaborately described publicly. I don't think most people who consume them regularly are aware of them at all.
@honeybees - I had a similar situation happen to me. I saw so many TV commercials about the benefits of eating yogurt on a regular basis so did the same thing.
I found out that I had the best results when I took probiotics supplements. I didn't have the side effects when taking the supplements that I did when trying to get these through certain foods.
Everybody is different and reacts differently to food and substances they eat and swallow. I think it is important enough to get probiotics in my diet, that I wanted to find a way to include them and get the results I was looking for.
Has anyone else experienced side effects such as gas, bloating and cramping when adding a probiotic to their diet?
I find it so interesting that some of the side effects of probiotics are the same as what you are trying to take care of in the first place.
I began taking probiotics for digestion problems and started out eating one carton of yogurt every day.
After a week of this, I felt like I had more symptoms than before I started. I stopped eating the yogurt every day and these symptoms went away.
Now I don't know what to do. I wonder if I keep eating the yogurt will it eventually help me, or am I better off not eating it at all? | 2019-04-18T22:45:20Z | https://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-side-effects-of-probiotics.htm |
If a returned soldier under clause 9, subclause (c), of the regulations obtained an advance less than his authorized borrowing power, would he subsequently, under sub-clause (e), be eligible for further assistance to meet the cost of such necessary addition required for an increasing family, but not exceeding the total authorized advance to returned soldiers?
and 2. No. The object of the War Service Homes Act is to provide returnedsoldiers and their dependants with the means whereby they may acquire their own homes. If successful applicants could apply at any later period for further assistance there would be no end to the activities of the Commission, and this point is closely related to the question of finance which, as the honorable member is aware, is very acute. However, the suggestion to make additional help available to those who have already been assisted to acquire a home will be reviewed when the applications already submitted by returned soldiers and others who have not yet been granted assistance have been satisfied.
Whether the Minister will lay upon the table of the House the papers in reference to the recall of Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay Smith, O.C., No. 1 Australian General Hospital, Heliopolis, Egypt, in 1915?
– The documents upon which the Minister acted in accepting the advice of the authorities overseas have already been made available for the perusal of honorable members, and I shall be happy to enable the honorable member for Hindinarsh to peruse them.
What is the total amount paid in salaries to the members of theInter-State Commission?
What is the total amount paid for clerical assistance, travelling, office, and other expenses of the Commission?
What recommendations of the Commission have been given effect to?
The total amount paid by the Government during the periods July, 1918, June, 1919, July, 1919, and June, 1920, in connexion with the medical and surgical administration and staff at the military hospital at Keswick, South Australia?
A detailed list of practitioners and the respective amounts received for duties at the above hospital?
A list of practitioners permanently attached to the staff?
Is it a fact that, in connexion with the transfer of the officers’ of the Government Land Radio Stations from the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Postmaster-General, the following injustices have occurred: - (a) That permanent officers of the Commonwealth Public Service (previous to their transfer to the Department of the Navy for war service) find themselves transferred back to the Public Service without their former status, thereby being reduced from the Professional class of the Service to the Clerical; (b) that increments of salary earned by them under the Department of the Navy, and due from July last, have not been paid by the Navy, and that the Commissioner for the Public Service has ignored the same when assessing their present salaries; (c) that officers have beenreduced in salary as much as £29 per annum, in addition to their £12 annual increment, making their total reduction £41 per annum?
Is it a fact that the officers, who are all members of the Radio Telgraphists Institute of Australasia, instructed their secretary to ask the Public Service Commissioner to allow them representation when the details of the transfer were being considered, in order to prevent injustice?
If so, why was this request refused?
Is it a fact that the Public Service Commissioner acknowledged recently, through his representative in the Arbitration Court, that these officers were “ professional engineering men “ ?
If so, why have these men been deprived of their status?
As these officers have received no war bonus, repatriation benefits, or recognition of any sort for their services at a time of great national danger, will the Government, at this late hour, in recognition of this service, and in view of the treatment now meted out to them, appoint a special tribunal to inquire into their case at once with their official representative?
I promised that the information would be obtained, and the Acting Public Service Commissioner has now furnished me with the following information: - 1. (a) Upon re-appointment to the Public Service certain of the officers referred to have been classified in the Clerical Division.. The duties of these officers are not considered to be of a Professional Division character. Positions of an allied character in other sections of the Postmaster ^General’s Department are classified in the Clerical Division, and no good reason now exists for difference in divisional classification. Where the duties are of a professional character, e.g., engineers, the officers have been classified in the Professional Division, (b) Increments due from 1st July lost accruing up to date of transfer have been paid, except in cases where it is the practice to hold payment until the passing of the Estimates. The officers claims to these increments were not overlooked when assessing their salaries as officers of the Public Service, (c) While, owing to difference in system of classification in the Navy Department and in the Public Service, amounts paid as salary will in nine cases be less, there will be no reduction in actual remuneration; on the contrary, there has been a general increase. It must be noted that the Navy scale of salary covered all services rendered by officers on Sundays, on holidays, and for overtime, which, under Public Service practice, are compensated by payment in addition to salary. Furthermore, any reduction in salary has also been met by placing the Radio staff under similar conditions to those of the general body of officers in the grant of allowances to meet present conditions of living. Each unmarried officer will receive £30, and each married officer £45, in addition to salary, and remuneration for Sunday and holiday work should amount to at least an additional thirty days’ pay. Exclusive of Sunday and holiday pay, the officers of theRadio staff willbe paid during the current financial year a sum of £4,250 above what they would have received had they remained under the Department of the Navy, and received increments from 1st July, 1920.
Death of the Lord Mayor of Cork.
.- The participation of Australia in the great European war justifies the intervention of this Parliament in other matters of international importance. “We fought for “ the liberty of small nations and to make the world safe for Democracy”; at least, so we were assured during the continuance of the war. That being so, we are entitled to show concern for small nations other than Belgium and Poland whose liberty is impaired and in which Democracy is not safe.
Our intervention in this conflict, which, by the way, evoked much eulogy from persons who have since proved neither friends to one small nation nor to Democracy, establishes our right to a voice in international matters, and cancels any objection which might otherwise be raised to this motion.
This is the part which I emphasize for the benefit of honorable members and those outside who may be inclined to object to the motion - and will certainly have serious consequences in the self-governing Dominions.
I take it that Lord Denman had several reasons for writing in that strain. The first, of course, was to save the English Government from the reproach of the murder of the Lord Mayor of Cork; the second, I take it, was the hope that his release would bring about a more speedy settlement of the Irish question. But he had a third reason. Lord Denman, knowing Australia well, is aware that our domestic problems are often complicated by appeals to sectarian rancour and anti-Irish prejudices, which invariably provoke retaliation. It is apparent that he desired to remove the cause of these outbreaks, in order that Australia might attend to her national affairs, free from such extraneous obtrusiveness. I may commend the wise words and the deliberate warning of Lord Denman to the consideration of the House and the country.
In itself, and apart from other circumstances the death in a foreign prison of the Lord Mayor of an Irish city should give pause to every man who values civic liberty. Let us consider what manner of man he was, and why he met death in a convict cell. No criminal, certainly. Even the Thugs who gaoled him dare not utter that perjury. He was a man irreproachable in domestic and private life, a poet and idealist, beloved by his fellow citizens, the parliamentary representative and chief magistrate of an ancient and important city. What sort of Government is it which puts a man of this type in fetters, and condemns him to the death of a felon?
– The death of a hero.
– Let us consider the character of the Government which did this thing. I say deliberately that you would have to go back to the Russia of the Czars or to some of the cut-throat clubs of theFrench Revolution for its prototype. .
– What was done was not as bad as shooting policemen in the back.
– I never heard of a policeman being shot in the back, except when he was running away. The honorable member should know that there are no policemen in Ireland. There are spies; there are the agents provocateurs of a foreign Government; but there are no men who at any time perform purely police duties as understood in Australia. There is not a police force in Ireland in the ordinary sense of the term. I suppose the honorable member spoke out to the fullness of his ignorance of Irish matters.
– I ask if the honorable member is in order in referring to the British Governmentas a foreign Government in Ireland?
– I have no precise knowledge that the reference was to the English Government. In any case, the honorable member is only expressing his own view.
– This ridiculous point of order I shall meet by a plain statement. I have no hesitation in saying that, so far as Ireland is concerned, the British Government is a foreign Government.
– You’ have sworn allegiance to it.
– Have I ? When ? I have sworn allegiance to Australia, not to any other country.
– You said that we fought the last war to make this a nation.
– I do not think that the honorable member did much fighting.
– Certainly the honorable member himself did not.
– I was past the ;ageof. fighting; otherwise I might have gone where there was some danger; I doubt that the honorable member did that.
– Then you do not know much about it.
– I know as much about it as you were in a position to know.
– In any case, what has the matter under discussion to do with Australia ?
– What had the war between England and Germany to do with Australia? Is it nothing to Australia, whose sons in thousands died for the liberty of Belgium and Prance, that little Ireland, a part of the British Empire, has had its liberty ruthlessly suppressed? Having spent unnumbered millions to help to “make the world safe for Democracy,” why should the honorable member question an effort, which costs nothing, to make Democracy safe in Ireland ?
Here is a representative leader of Irish Democracy, a member of Parliament, and a chieftain of Sinn Fein. What are his relations with the British Government ? Mr. MacSwiney was first arrested four years ago. He was then deported to Wakefield prison without trial or charge. Some, months later he was released “ without explanation or apology.” In a few months he was rearrested and deported. He escaped, was rearrested, and sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment for a seditious speech. In one month of 1918 he was released for ill-health, and re-arrested the next. Again he was discharged a sick man, re-arrested . at the prison gate, and deported, untried and uncharged, to England. Release, again “without explanation or apology,” followed next spring. In the autumn of 1919 and in the following year four warrants were issued against him. His final arrest, and his fourth deportation to England, took place last month.
How was this man tried? Not by a jury of his fellow countrymen, but by a court martial composed of officers of the army of occupation. What sort of justice was4 he likely to get from a tribunal of that kind ? What was his offence 1 His offence was this : His desk -was burst open, and in it was found some document which was supposed to belong exclusively to the army of occupation. That was the offence for which this man - this Lord Mayor of Cork and member of Parliament - was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, and to a lingering and painful death.
– “ A lingering and painful” death “ ?
– That was the outcome undoubtedly.
– Would the authorities not give him any food ?
– The honorable member who asks that silly question is evidently unable to understand or appreciate the heroism cf a man who sacrificed himself for the advancement of an ideal. I do not expect the honorable member to comprehend such an exalted act.
– No; certainly not. The honorable member is more concerned with the price of wheat.
– There is a great deal of difference between a man offering himself as a sacrifice, and his being murdered.
– Does the honorable member mean to say that a man commits suicide who rushes into a burning building to save life, or that a man in war time, when fighting against the enemy, suicides when he gives his life to save the lives of others ? That is what the Lord Mayor of Cork did, and I hope that there will be no Thuggish suggestion that he committed suicide.
– There is no question about it.
– It is a lie!
– I rise to a point of order. It is quite clear that this matter cannot be debated calmly.
– Simply on account of insolent interjections from the other side.
– I ask your ruling, Mr. Speaker, whether this is a motion which should be debated in the present way. I should like to know, first of all, where the urgency of this matter is - how it becomes a matter of urgent public importance here in Australia. There is another course available in order to debate such questions as this. This question of Irish wrongs has been aebated here, as you, sir, may recollect, on more than one occasion. Such a question ought to be debated on a specific motion; it is not in the nature of a matter of urgent public importance such as to justify a motion for the adjournment of the House, and the setting aside of the ordinary business of the country. I subunit that the motion is not one within the category of the standing order, which provides clearly that an honorable member must rise in his place, and must propose to move the adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a “ definite matter of urgent public importance.” This is a motion which would properly find its place, if at all, on the ordinary business-paper, to be dealt with in the ordinary way.
– The question whether this is a motion that can be rightly regarded as dealing with a definite matter of urgent public importance is not really one for me to decide. If the Treasurer (Sir Joseph Cook) will read standing order 38 he will see that the question of urgency and of the importance ,of the motion is practically determined by a certain number of members rising in their places to signify their acquiesence in the view that the matter is of urgent public importance.
– What standing order is that, Mr. Speaker?
– Anything does to delay discussion that the Treasurer does not wish to hear !
– The honorable ‘member had better stop such insults; they will not help the discussion.
Mo motion ‘for the adjournment of the House shall be made except by a Minister of the Crown, unless a member after petitions have been presented and notices of questions and motions given, and before the business of the day is called on rising in his place shall propose to move the adjournment for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance (which he shall then state and hand in writing to the Speaker), and unless five members shall thereupon rise in their places as indicating approval of the proposed discussion. The member proposing the motion for adjournment shall not be allowed to address the House on such motion until the Speaker shall have ascertained that five members approve of the proposed motion.
– That does not make the matter urgent.
– It has been decided by Speakers of the House of Commons that the fact that a certain number of members rise in their places is an indication that the matter is regarded by a section of the House as one of urgent public importance, and that it is not one for the Speaker to determine. That the onus is placed on the House seems to be clear from the fact that five members must rise in their places to signify approval and concurrence, and as an indication that they regard the question as one of urgent importance. Of course, it is for the House to deal with the matter as it thinks fit.
– Does the Treasurer question my ruling?
– I wish to point out where I think it is wrong.
– There is only one way to challenge the Speaker’s ruling, and that is by submitting a motion of dissent in writing; the Speaker’s ruling cannot be canvassed or debated except under such a motion. Honorable members will see how the business of the House would become chaotic if, when a ruling were given, it were made the subject of debate and argument with the Chair. Therefore, the Standing Orders specifically provide a means of challenging a ruling if it is thought to be wrong.
– Many a Speaker has heard another view in regard to his rulings before it has been finally disposed of.
– The right honorable gentleman would, in other circumstances, himself be the first to question such a procedure.
Dublin Castle pursues a policy of calculated provocation. The civil and military police between them have destroyed practically all safeguards of personal and political liberty. . . . Raids on private houses are of common occurrence. Possession of a -political leaflet means immediate arrest: A gathering of three persons is an illegal assembly. Fairs and markets, an essential part of Irish trade, are prohibited; trade union meetings, even national games and pastimes, are forbidden, and musical and literary festivities of the most harmless character are regarded as conspiracies. . . . The High Court Bench is mainly political, its charges to the grand juries, and political feeling often determines its judgment. No Irish Judge condemned the Ulster rebellion of 1013-14, which was led by an eminent King’s Counsel; but to-day all Irish Judges condemn Southern “ sedition.” The contempt with which Courts are regarded is the direct reflex of the general misrule.
A Government is no Government, as we English understand government, which discards the representative principle or inhibits it from working. This is what we have done to Irish representation.
In 1918, sixty-eight Sinn Feiners were elected by the people of Ireland. Of these we have sentenced ten to death and twenty-one to penal servitude. Thirty-seven have been arrested without charge, and imprisoned or deported without trial, and sixty-five imprisoned without charge or for political offences. Only two out of the sixty-eight have escaped the attention of our police. The normal residence of an Irish Republican member of Parliament is a British prison.
Let me remove one possible misconception. These Irish members of Parliament are elected by the machinery and methods established by the English Government in Ireland, which are practically identical with, the machinery by which are elected members of Parliament in England. Such of these members as are not in gaol could enter the House of Commons to-morrow if they choose to do so, but they decline. Is it not a shocking commentary on Britain’s boasted love of freedom that the . elect of the nation find their place, not in Parliament, but in the gaols of the country ? I am confident that Australia will not stand for a policy so unrighteous, and that, if continued, it will lead to serious estrangement between the Dominions and the Imperial Government.
The situation in Ireland is without precedent inthe history of any civilized people. No such barbarities were ever practised by the Germans in Alsace-Lorraine as have been perpetrated in Ireland within the past five years.
To-day there are nearly 100,000 British troops and 11,000 armed police trying vainly to compel the Irish race to show respect for English officials, whom they loathe, and for English laws which they neither made nor sanctioned. And this criminal and tragic farce is costing the British taxpayers over £14,000,000 a year. For what?
Do the Irish ‘people desire to injure Britain or the British? Are they trying to undermine the British Empire? Are they attempting to annex any British territory or to invade England?
Of course, they are not attempting any of these things. Ireland’s only offence is that the people demand the right to make their own laws without the intervention of foreign bullies and foreign bayonets.
And Britain, being the bigger of the two, refuses to discontinue the bullying and the bayoneting.
Present writer, who is neither Irish nor Roman Catholic, is aware that there are a small number of people in Ireland who want to be governed from Downing-street, London. For the most part, they are either religious fanatics or capitalistic reactionaries, who see “ Rome “ or “ Bolsh “ in red letters whichever way they turn.
We have quite a number of the same kidney in the Commonwealth, but we do not allow them to run the country as they do in Ireland, with the aid of British machine guns, tanks, and troops.
What is there about Ireland which makes it so attractive to John Bull that he is content to incur the contempt of the whole civilized world rather than leave the place alone? What does Britain gain by keeping Ireland as a thorn in her flesh?
Would it not be immeasurably wiser policy to have Ireland as a contented, happy and prosperous neighbour?
I think I may fairly conclude with these words. I regret very much the heat which has been imported into this discussion. It was not of my seeking. I had no intention whatever of saying anything to offend anyhonorable member,or, indeed, any person in the community. If I have inadvertently done so, I regret it, but the justification is in the uncalled-for provocation I received from the ‘benches opposite.
– I must confess to a feeling of surprise that, under the Standing Orders, such a matter as this can be treated as one of urgency. The honorable member for Kalgoorlie (Mr. Mahon) can hardly expect us to believe that he has . submitted this motion in order to do some good thing for Australia. If he would have us believe, as wereadily can, that he ‘has moved this motion to do some evil to Britain and the Empire, then it does seem most amazing that it should he possible for him to do so with impunity under the . Standing Orders and procedure of this House, which recognise Australia as an integral part of the British Empire, and, in so many words, declare emphatically that the King of Britain is the King of this country. The honorable member has chosen as a peg upon which to hang his diatribe against England the death of Alderman MacSwiney, Lord Mayor of Cork. In this matter every man speaks for himself. I am not going into the merits of the offence of the late Lord Mayor of Cork, or the manner in which he was treated. I would not like any one to think that I had no admiration for a man who died for a cause; but if I am asked whether this man died for a just cause, I join issue with the honorable member and say that he did not. He died for a cause in which he believed. If I am asked to bow my head as a token of respect for that man I do so, but it must not be understood that in doing that I am blaming Britain. The honorable member introduces this matter in a way that suggests that he thinks all the merits are on the one side. He has invited us to censure Britain. We cannot do that.
– By passing the resolution which the honorable . member would have us pass, we would tear up our Constitution and our connexion with Great Britain. The honorable member has asked us some very foolish questions this morning. He referred us to a newspaper called the Nation, which he would have us believe gives an impartial expression of British opinion. He then pro’ceeded to quote the Worker. I do not know who is the’ writer of the article he quoted, but in some newspaper in this country one can find support for any opinion one pleases to express. I could find support, just as effective and’ complete for Lenin and Trotsky and the Woody horrors which those men have perpetrated in Russia during the last two or three years.
– The Prime Minister does not know what he is talking about.
– They have perpetrated bloody horrors the like of which has never been known in civilized times. I am not going to censure Britain ; I am not going to interfere with the rights of the British Parliament to mind its own business. If some member of that Parliament rose in his place to-morrow and attempted to tell us what we ought to do in matters within our own constitutional power, I should be the first to tell him to mind his own business. We have business enough of our own. Let us attend to it.
The outrages have been spread over a wide area, and have been of a most cold-blooded character. Constable Maxwell, who went to a public-house with a friend, was followed by four masked men and shot dead. Seven other men were present, hut none raised a hand to defend the constable. Constable McCarthy, of Bruff, went for a cycle ride. His body was found in a drain practically naked. Serjeant Fulton was killed in the streets of Ballymote. He was surrounded by a dozen men, who fired a number of shots at short range, and then escaped by mingling with the crowd in the street.
It is believed that the Irish people sympathize with the murder campaign, which is so embittering the constabulary and soldiery to increasing reprisals. Though the murderers must be known to scores of people, none will assist the police to track the murderers or Ave warning of Hanger.
The honorable member says that we should condone all these offences. It is nothing to shoot a man before the altar, because, although he is a Roman Catholic and an Irishman, he is a policeman. Because he is a policeman he i’s outside the pale, and may be murdered with impunity anywhere and at any time.
We cannot agree to this motion. The cause of Sinn Fein, for which Alderman MacSwiney has died, is a cause which cannot succeed, because it rests on force and is stained by bloody murder. Those priests in Ireland who have had the courage to tell the people what is right, have condemned it, but the honorable member did not quote them. I deplore all these outrages and murders. I deplore the state of things in Ireland. Long before this latest development I have attempted to secure some sort of settlement of Irish affairs. That, however, is beyond the powers of any one man. The trouble is embedded in tlie racial hatred or habits of mind. of the two peoples. It’ is beyond the power of this Parliament, the British Parliament, or any other Legislature to deal with. I do not justify anything that hae been done; but if I am asked when a policeman is shot that the Government should do nothing, that his comrades should stand idly by, that licence to commit murder wholesale should be given to one section of the Irish people, while the opportunity for. justice is denied to others, I will not have it. If I am asked on whose side I am in this campaign, then I declare unhesitatingly that I am on the British side. There the matter stands. It is not that I am attempting to justify the manner in which the English have governed Ireland - I do not believe that the English can ever govern Ireland properly. The English do not understand the Celts, and I have never hesitated to tell them that, but I shall not stand, quiet while certain people seek to establish a republic within gun fire of the English coast, and thus aim a blow at the very heart of the Empire. The Irish problem is one for Britain to deal with. ‘We have nothing whatever to do with it. But as the honorable member for Kalgoorlie (Mr. Mahon) insists that we must express our opinion, I have expressed mine quite clearly ; I am opposed to the honorable member’s view. I do not regard Britain as a foreign country; if it were a foreign country, very few honorable members opposite would have a right to be here at all, because they would not then be naturalized. When they speak of Britain as a foreign country, they do not seem to recognise that everything they have they owe to Britain’s might and power. They are very ready to avail themselves of British protection. The honorable member for Kalgoorlie quoted a statement from Lord Denman that there would be trouble in Australia; are we to understand that if we do not pass this motion the honorable member will attempt to recreate in Australia the state of affairs that exists in Ireland ? Let him try it ; he will then find that the Australians are of a temperament altogether different from that of the English.
.- The Prime Minister said that honorable members on this side are not naturalized, and, therefore, have no rights in Australia. I was born in this country, and I have as much right to be here as has any other citizen born of Welsh parents. Unfortunately) I was not in the Chamber when the honorable member for Kalgoorlie (Mr. Mahon) raised this question; had I been here I would have supported him in drawing attention to this matter. . I have heard honorable members opposite praise Arthur Henderson, the present Leader of the Labour party in Great Britain. He i3 a good Nonconformist like myself, but they omit to mention the fact that his attitude on the Irish question is the same as our3. I do not say that all the fault is on one side. We have heard of a suggestion that ‘a battalion of the Australian Imperial Force should be sent to France, and apparently it is right for one side to say what it thinks on this matter, but the other side must say nothing. Mr. Asquith, who I presume is a non-Catholic, speaking in the House of Commons a fortnight ago on the motion of Mr Arthur Henderson demanding an inquiry into the position in Ireland, said - there was prima facie evidence that the police and military were going far beyond the limits of self-defence and had carried out reprisals which were a crime and an outrage against unoffending innocent people.
He is not an Irishman, and docs not represent an Irish constituency.
– But he has an axe to grind, all the same.
Mr. Asquith . said he was amazed and ashamed at the lethargy and indifference of the British people regarding the policy of reprisals. The only hope for Ireland was complete and unrestricted self-government.
In a letter, theRev. F. B. Meyer, President of the National Federation of Free Churches, urges every congregation in Great Britain to telegraph to-morrow to the Prime Minister, petitioning for the release of Aldermau McSweeney, who is undergoing a sentence of two years’ imprisonment in Brixton Gaol, and is hunger-striking.
That Federation comprises practically the whole of the churches in Great Britain, except the Anglican church, which is notoriously the most conservative body in the Old Country. The Prime Minister (Mr. Hughes) stated that he would not defend English rule in Ireland; there are some honorable members opposite who will not go as far as the Prime Minister in that regard.
– I agree with the Prime Minister upon that point, as must every fair-minded person who is not an antiCatholic.
– The honorable member had betterrefer to antiBritishers.
– I am as good a Britisher as is any man in the House, and a much better Australian than many honorable members are.
– Why does the honorable member seek to make a political issue a religious one?
– It has been made a religious issue by honorable members opposite. I have always refused to make a religious issue ofthe Irish question, and I will continue to do so.
– Every argument the honorable member has used so far has been a religious one.
– I merely quoted the opinion of the Rev. F. B. Meyer, President of the National Federation of Free Churches, of which Mr.
Lloyd George was president at one time; but that gentleman did not get a single vote for any position at the last annual meeting of the Federation. I regret exceedingly that occasion has arisen for the moving of this motion. I had hoped that saner counsels would have prevailed. Like the Prime Minister, I cannot defend the English rule in Ireland.
– When Gladstone introduced his Home Rule Bill the Unionists broke away from the Liberal party; but we read in the Herald a few days ago that Lord Henry Bentinck, a Coalition Unionist, and . an opponent of Gladstone’s Home Rule Bill, had denounced Mr. Hamar Greenwood, the present Chief Secretary for Ireland, and that a scene had occurred in the House of Commons- the like of which had not been witnessed for years. Even the very people who were so strongly opposed to Gladstone’s Home Rule proposals are dissatisfied to-day with the Imperial Government’s Irish policy. As a Parliament representing one of the self-governing Dominions, we have a right to express our opinion on the matter. I have taken the opportunity of expressing my view, while regretting exceedingly that occasion for so doing has arisen.
Original question put and resolved in. the negative.
An honorable member who seeks to move the adjournment of the House is bound to state to the House the definite matter of urgent pub-, lie importance which he desires to bring on. It is not for the Speaker to say whether the matter is of urgent public importance. The honorable member states this upon his own responsibility.
A member desiring to move the adjournment of the House must produce a written notice setting forth the matter of urgent public im- portance to which he alludes. It is for the House to judge of the urgency and public importance of the matter by forty members rising in support.
My decision, therefore, was’ in accordance with our own practice, and the practice laid down, by Speakers of the House of Commons. It is also to. be remembered that it is the duty of the Chair to preserve the rights of honorable members, no matter on what side of the House they may sit. If it is desired to alter the practice of the House in connexion with special adjournment motions. the proper, course is to amend the Standing Orders. As matters stand, however, the onus is upon the House - and the fact that at least five other members must rise to signify their opinion that the matter proposed to be discussed is one of “urgent public importance” is in itself prima facie evidence that the Speaker is not expected to be the judge of that point. Were it otherwise it is certain that the Speaker might on every occasion of a special adjournment being moved find himself involved in conflict with members on either side of the House. It was to avoid this that provision was made in the’ Standing Orders for a certain number of members to signify approval before such a motion could be moved.
Bill presented by Mr. Poynton, and read a first time.
Mr. POYNTON (Grey- Minister for leave to move the second reading of this Bill.
.- As the Minister (Mr. Poynton) knows, I have interviewed him on several occasions in connexion with the recent Ballarat election. First of all I approached him in regard to the payment of the legal expenses incurred by both parties to the appeal case heard by Mr. Justice Isaacs, and subsequently the Minister placed on the Estimates a sum of £800 to cover those expenses, both candidates having, I understand, agreed upon a certain amount which would cover their costs. This step I regard as only fair, in view of the decision of Mr. Justice Isaacs that the election must be declared void on account of errors made by the officials of the Electoral Department, but if it was right for Mr. Kerby, who was only elected by a majority of one vote, to draw his salary from the date of the first election until the election was declared void, I contend that the present honorable member for Ballarat (Mr. McGrath) should also receive payment for the period between the first election and the upsetting of that election. I hope the Minister will give consideration to the matter.
– Would the honorable member agree to make his principle retrospective, and apply it, for instance, to the case of the dependants of Mr. Crosby, who was placed in a somewhat similar position in respect to a Senate election held in 1906?
-The honorable member is asking me to go back a long way. There have been other disputed elections in the case of the Riverina, Melbourne, and Echuca divisions, but I do not think they were declared void on account of official errors.
.- There are two matters in connexion with the Electoral Office to which I should like to draw brief attention. The first is the question of obtaining uniform rolls in State and Commonwealth elections. Recent events have revealed most extraordinary discrepancies between the rolls on which Commonwealth elections are held, and those upon which State elections are held. In reply to a question put by me the other day to the Minister for Home and Territories (Mr. Poynton), I ascertained that the officers of his Department are doing their best to bring about a system of uniform rolls. .
– I was glad to learn from a reply given by the Minister to a question put by me that he is taking all possible steps, by negotiations with State authorities, to secure uniformity in the compilation of Commonwealth and State rolls, and I shall be glad if before this debate is closed he willgive us any further information he may have as to the result of his efforts.
Every one desires that the electoral rolls should be as nearly as possible correct, so that every person entitled to vote should be enrolled, and that no name should be on more than one roll. Recent investigations, however, have disclosed a certain amount of duplication. I do not think that any elector desires to have his name on two rolls; but duplication gives opportunity for personation.
– The Chief Electoral Officer says that with the card system it is impossible for a name to be on two rolls at once.
– The matter is receiving careful consideration by the Department, and if I am here next year, I shall, in all probability, have to introduce an amending Electoral Bill.
– The Minister’s remark justifies what I have said, and as a practical way of preventing the duplication of enrolment I suggest that when a person applies for an original enrolment, or his or her age makes it obvious that he or she was entitled to enrolment earlier, the question should be put : “ On what roll were you previously enrolled”?
– That question is asked.
– A person is asked whether his name is already on a roll or not.
– An applicant for enrolment is asked whether he is already enrolled, and, if so, for what division; and he is also asked where he came from.
– And are his statements investigated?
– Only after the name has been put on the new roll.
– Investigation should take place before the new enrolment.
– I assure the honorable member that I shall go thoroughly into the matter.
– I am glad to know that, because I think that there is a weak spot in the present system.
– The Electoral Department still follows the silly practice of hanging electoral rolls outside public offices in townships, and asking the people to consult them to ascertain whether they are enrolled. In many cases electors do this and find that they are properly enrolled, only to discover on election day that some one has subsequently had their names taken off the roll. I understand that the rolls are printed every month, and I think that new rolls should be exhibited every month.
Once a person is enrolled for a Federal division, it is almost impossible for his name to get off the roll. In the old days, the trouble was to get a name on the roll. In the Queensland bush there was always a bunch of magistrates, composed mostly of squatters, who needed only an excuse to take a name off a roll. The elector might get it on again, but, in the meantime, he might be prevented from voting at an election. When a man applies for Federal enrolment, he has to state on what roll his name already appears, and if he declares that he is not enrolled, he is asked where he came from. Then a search is made in the head office of the State from which he said he came, to ascertain whether he is enrolled for any division in that State, and until the matter is satisfactorily settled, his name is not put on the roll for the division to which he has moved. He retains, however, the right to vote in any division for which he may have been previously enrolled. The electoral administration of the Commonwealth is almost .perfect, and reflects great credit on the officers of the Department, and particularly on the Central Branch. It seems to me that, with a view to lessening public expenditure, the Commonwealth and the States could come to an arrangement for the uniform compilation of electoral rolls. Tasmania set a good example by combining her State rolls with the Commonwealth roll* years ago, and a similar arrangement should suit the other States. I think that were the matter pushed ‘a little by the Commonwealth the States would accept uniformity. The Minister has said that he is sending the Chief Electoral Officer to the various States to try to bring about uniformity.
– Only last week there was a conference in Adelaide, and I understand ‘from the Chief Electoral Officer that practically every point in dispute was settled so far as South Australia is concerned, so that there should be a combined Federal and State roll for use at the forthcoming State election. I intend to send the Chief Electoral Officer to all the States.
– The honorable member for Herbert (Mr. Bamford) has objected that the franchise should be the same in all the States, but uniformity in the compilation of the rolls can be secured even though there may be differences between Commonwealth and State franchises. The printing of “ S “ or “ F “ after a name on a roll would show whether the enrolment were for the State or for the Commonwealth.
– The Commonwealth Electoral Officer h quite satisfied that there need be no complications - that everything can be made quite simple.
– Then all that is needed is for some one to give the thing a push.
– There is a State prejudice to overcome.
– I do not think that that amounts to much. The combined rolls would be cleaner and better than the present State rolls. The recent Queensland election showed that there are more persons on the Queensland State rolls than on the Queensland Federal rolls.
– Then either the Queensland State rolls are inflated, or the Commonwealth rolls are deflated.
– In Queensland it is difficult to get a name taken off the roll when an elector moves from one place to another. Thus a name can be- on two rolls.
– And when a name is on two rolls it sometimes happens that personation takes place.
– I have known votes to be cast in the names of men who had been <dead for six months.
– I am glad to know that the Minister (Mr. Poynton) is sending the Chief Electoral Officer to Queensland, and I hope that from the visit we shall have some satisfactory results. The honorable member for Werriwa. (Mr. Lazzarini) is quite right when he suggests that there may be State prejudices in this connexion, seeing that a number of State public servants maylose their lucrative positions if the Commonwealth take over the work.
– Could not a number of State public servants be absorbed?
– One of the staffs will have to go, and I can scarcely fancy it will be the Commonwealth staff. We are told by the Minister, however, that he has found no insurmountable difficulties, and that being so, some definite steps should be taken iu the direction I have suggested. This is highly desirable, if only on the ground of economy, for some hundreds of thousands of pounds could, no doubt, be saved in the three years. In passing, I desire to compliment the Minister (Mr. Poynton) on the assurance given him by the sub-Leader of the Country party (Mr. Jowett) that he will occupy his position next year ; that ought to be very welcome information, and, in any case, comes as a suitable, sort of Christmas box.
I must say a word or two about the Ballarat election, and the expense to which each of the candidates was put in subsequent proceedings. In the first case of the kind we had, when it was a matter between the honorable member for Melbourne (Dr. Maloney) and Sir Malcolm McEacharn, the whole of the expense was borne by the Commonwealth.
– A sum of £800 is on the Estimates, under the heading “ Miscellaneous “ ; this is to re-imburse the legal and other expenses incurred by the’ candidates at the last Ballarat election.
– We must not forget, as the Minister has suggested, that there are other expenses besides legal expenses, and, since the investigations were rendered necessary through the fault of officials, both candidates ought to be recompensed. The honorable member for Ballarat (Mr. McGrath) is in a much more unfavorable position than Mr. Kerby, considering that the latter was drawing the parliamentary allowance all the time, while the present representative of the seat, without any salary, was strenuously engaged in seeking justice. We must remember that the majority by which the present member was returned at the second election shows that he was the desire of the constituency.
– Which position would the honorable member rather have - that of the present honorable member for Ballarat (Mr. McGrath) or that of the other man ?
– That is a question which does not call for any personal answer from me; bub the honorable member for Ballarat was put to much trouble, expense, and worry in fighting the case, which was the result of no fault of his own. In view of what was done some years ago in the case of the Melbourne seat, I think the least the Government can do k to pay the expenses of the Ballarat candidates.
I must again ask the Government to do what they can to secure uniformity in the electoral rolls. In the case of the Commonwealth, the services of postmen are* enlisted to collect the names for the rolls.
– In the capital cities the postmen are paid so much ner 100 names ; but up to the present there has been another arrangement as regards the country.
– The arrangements in the country would appear to result in some cases in a man driving 50 or 60 miles only to find that he is not on the roll.
– I have recently agreed to an arrangement under which Registrars in the country will be paid in the same way as are the postmen in the metropolitan areas. In this way we hope to secure a more perfect roll than under the present arrangement.
– I am glad to know that the Minister has done even that little; it shows, at any rate, that he wishes to keep the rolls clean, and not have them unduly inflated. The honorable gentleman ought to keep in mind the suggestion about exhibiting the rolls outside post-offices. In places, on the advice of local newspapers, people have seen that their names were on the rolls, only to find, when they went to vote, that in the meantime they had been struck off.
– In such case, if the party makes a declaration, he gets a vote.
– Not in the case of small country districts, and in my own electorate ‘hundreds have been refused, although some of them were born there, and have never been away.
– I know the case of a man whose name was improperly removed from the roll, and who was refused by the presiding officer permission to vote.
– There are many such cases, but they are all in the smaller country places. If we fine a man for not seeing that his name is on the roll, we ought to fine the official who improperly removes a name.
– I have already explained that we have made the same arrangements for the country” as for the metropolitan areas.
– I am not finding fault with the Department; I think that the method of getting people on the roll, and so forth, is almost perfect so far as the officials are concerned; and all that is required is the help of the public. There should be every facility for getting on the roll, because it is apt to give rise to bitterness if a man drives ‘his wife and family, and other voters, possibly 60 miles, only to find that it is impossible to exercise the franchise.
.- I support the view taken by the honorable member for Grampians (Mr. Jowett) and the honorable member for -Maranoa (Mr. James Page). I am pleased to note that Tasmania is the first State to adopt the Federal roll. Last year the Taamanian Government paid the Federal Government £1,277 as her share of the electoral administration, whereas, in 1915 - the nearest year for which I canfind any figures - the cost of electoral administration to the State was £3,519- This snows a direct saving of practically 50 per cent, in the cost of administration. In 1918-19 South Australia spent £4,801 on 1 electoral administration, exclusive of £9,051 for contingencies;, the latter I take to mean the election expenses.. In Queensland the expenses of administration were £2,541, and in Victoria £15,161, but there are no details given of the latter figures. We have, therefore, to make an estimate as to the, proportion that the administrative expenses bear to the election expenses. Iia. regard to Western Australia there is- no information given, the amounts being shown under the Estimates for the Crown Law Department, with, no details. If we assume that the Electoral Departments of the various States spend £30,000 a year in administration, that does not seem excessive, and, further, assuming: that Tasmania by her recent arrangement is saving 50 per cent., we may take it that £15,000 per annum would be1 saved by the co-ordination of the Departments. However, more important than even this saving is an assurance that every man and woman entitled to the franchise shall be on the roll. In the case of the Commonwealth!, with compulsory enrolment, any failure must be entirely the fault of the elector concerned, if that elector has failed to send in a card. In the recent State elections in. Victoria thousands of people were disfranchised through the inefficiency of the Electoral Department; but I cannot say whether that inefficiency was on the part of the police or on the part of the departmental officials.
The proposal for one electoral roll naturally gives rise to the question of electoral divisions. In Tasmania all the State divisions are the same as the Federal divisions; and we have the HareClarke system of proportional voting, which is the most equitable in operation in Australia to-day.
– It gets you nowhere.
– It gets you’ there, every time. The point I wish to make- is that the States which have single electorates are going to have some little difficulty, because many of the Federal divisions overlap the State divisions. In order to bring about a thoroughly sane and effective system, it will be necessary to re-adjust the divisions for the State Parliament. I hope that this will soon be done.
In connexion with the Estimates relating to the Meteorological Department, I should like to ask whether it is proposed to spend any more money on the Balsillie rain-making experiments. So far, the results do not appear to have justified the expenditure.
– The expenditure in respect of. those experiments is provided for in the Estimates relating to the Department of Works and Railways.
– I regard the general expenditure of the Meteorological Department as being very necessary. Having regard to our extensive coastline, the warnings issued from time to time by the Department probably avert much loss of shipping, and so save the Commonwealth thousands of pounds. We have on these Estimates a total proposed expenditure of £93,000 for rental of buildings used by the various Departments. Is there no possibility of centralizing many of these offices? At the present time they are scattered all over the city, and it seems to me that not only would the convenience of the public be studied, but a saving anight be effected by renting large premises in which these offices could be centralized .
Another item to which I desire to draw attention relates to the administration of the Northern Territory, for which we have a proposed vote of £104,440. I do not object to expenditure provided some return can be obtained for it, and if it is impossible to reduce the cost of administering the Territory, we should at least make some effort to increase production, and so to increase the revenue. This item : is a growing and most unsatisfactory one. The Territory”, however, is a very valuable asset,I regard it as the key to our White Australia policy, and if we are to keep Australia white we must develop it.
.- Since we are taking the Estimates of each Department inglobo, I think it would be desirable if the Minister in charge of each Department would make a speech at the outset, explaining the difference between the estimated expenditure for this year and the actual expenditure for last year. I notice that we have here in these Estimates an increased expenditure of £281,133.
– I can give the honorable member a few items which more than account for the difference. For instance, there is an item of £52,000 representing payments made to the Postmaster- General’s Department for the transmission of meteorological telegrams. That is a mere transfer from one Department to another. Provision is also made for an expenditure of £150,000 on the census. That item did not appear in last year’s Estimates. There is also an item of £100,000 for immigration, although immigration matters will be dealt with by the Prime Minister’s Department. It will thus be seen that the expenditure for which we provide is actually below that of last year.
– I hope the Minister does not misunderstand me. I merely suggest that it would be of great assistance to honorable members if, instead of the whole vote for a Department being put without any explanation, the Minister in each case would adopt the practice of moving the total vote and explaining the difference between the estimated expenditure for the current year and the actual expenditure for last year.
– The expenditure for which we provide in the Estimates for my Department this year is actually £65,000 less than the expenditure of last year.
– Such an alteration as I suggest in the practice adopted by Ministers would do away with a good deal of misapprehension and give honorable members a clearer view before we entered upon the discussion. The ‘Minister, indeed, might furnish us with information which a mere examination of the figures would not disclose. The honorable gentleman, I think, will admit that it is impossible to say from the figures that are before us exactly where an increase or a decrease takes place. So much for the question of practice.
A good deal has been said with regard to uniform rolls. I approve of the idea, provided, of course, that the rolls compiled by the Commonwealth would be complete. Shortly put, we want to have it made easy to get on the rolls and difficult to get off. There are many instances where persons get their names on the rolls, and when they go to vote find that for some reasonor other their names have been removed.
– It is quite evident that that does not occur in Queensland.
– Because on the Queensland State rolls there are over 60,000 names in excess of those on the Commonwealth rolls for that State.
– I do not know what the respective numbers are, but it may be that many citizens of Queensland are not on the Commonwealth rolls. At least a large number of people in that State have not their names on the Commonwealth rolls.What is the qualification for enrolment ?
– Residence for one month in the subdivision.
– It is somewhat different from the Queensland practice. The principle of the Queensland Electoral Act is that every adult person in the State shall have a right to vote.
-Some critics say that there are more names on the Queensland State rolls than there are adults in that State.
– That is mere political misrepresentation. We all know that such statements are made, and made only to reflect upon the administration of the Department concerned. We do not want to get down to that sort of thing here. It is all very well for Ministerial supporters to make such statements outside. The Minister for the Navy (Mr. Laird Smith),, for instance, might make such a statement in Hobart, where there was no means of checking it; but in this House the position is entirely different. If the Queensland State electoral machinery is carried out, no adult can be on two State rolls, and no one can be on a St ateroll unless he is entitled to vote.
I propose now to refer to the appointment of a gentleman named Barnes - not an Australian native-:- to go to the Old Country as a Commonwealth Immigration agent. I believe that the realpurpose of the Government in sending him there is that he shall carry on for them an anti-unionist propaganda. That will not commend itself to the great body of the workers of this country. I should! like to know whether Mr. Barnes has yet left for England ?
– I understand that he has. Immigration is now dealt with by the Prime Minister’s Department.
– Put I understood that the Minister dealt with immigration.
– No; I have nothing to do with it. After the item of £100,000 in respect of immigration was included in my Estimates, other arrangements were made.
– Then the Immigration branch has been transferred to the Prime Minister’s Department.
– It will be transferred back to that Department.
– Why should not the Minister for Home and Territories be in charge of it? I wish to know why Mr. Barnes has been sent away to carry on the propaganda work to which I have referred. I have been reading the newspapers, and I notice that there is a frank admission that he is going to carry on some sort of propaganda which certainly will not be in favour of this party, nor one that will commend itself to the great body of unionists in Australia. It is very important that the Government should be impartial, and have regard to what are the aspirations and desires of the workers of this country in making such an appointment. They have made an appointment which does not . commend itself to the workers, and particularly to the unionists, and I hope that they will take some steps to minimize the party propaganda which this gentleman has been sent away to carry out.
– What is Mr. Barnes’ chief offence?
– The honorable gentleman ought to know.
– He stood by his country, did he not?
– Is it the honorable member’s idea of “ standing by his country “ togo back on unionism, to go back on organized labour, to go about the country carrying on a propaganda of falsehood ? Mr. Barnes goes onthe public platforms of this country, and in the statements he makes has no regard for the truth. He makes absolutely foundationless statements.
– I have heard that said of the honorable member.
– Probably the right honorable member has made the statement himself; but there is no foundation for it .
– I have not made the statement, but there are plenty of grounds for making it.
– That statement is very offensive to me, Mr. Chairman, and I ask that . the right honorable gentleman be called upon to withdraw it.
– The Minister will withdraw the statement.
– The honorable member is very thin-skinned. I meant nothing more than to indicate that the honorable member, when on the public platform, makes quite a number ofpolitically incorrect statements.
– That must be withdrawn.
– If it is offensive to say that the honorable gentleman makes incorrect statements, I withdraw it.
.- The Ballarat election dispute differed entirely from other election disputes in quite a number of aspects. For one thing, Mr. Kerby lost his seat for nothing that he had done himself, but because persons who were entitled to vote were prohibited from making the necessary declarations which would have enabled them to do so, and were thus deprived of the opportunity of voting. Again, all other disputes were decided very rapidly, but the Ballarat appeal was prolonged for several months, and as a result the honorable member who eventually won the- seat lost several hundred pounds, which otherwise he might have drawn in the way of salary. Furthermore, while the appellant was quite prepared to leave his case in the hands of his secretary, the Bench decided that he must be represented by counsel, the consequence being that whatever allowance the Government may make for legal expenses incurred before the tribunal is all swallowed up in the payment of the fees of a legal practitioner. Nothing is left for the layman who prepared the case, and who, in fact, having handled it for months, was ready to take it before His Honour Mr. Justice Isaacs. On all these grounds, because the second election was declared necessary owing to faults on the part of the officials of the . Electoral Office, because neither candidate indulged in any improper practices, because the hearing of the appeal was unduly prolonged, and because the layman who was prepared to handle the case for the appellant gets nothing out of the costs for which an allowance has already been made, the Minister (Mr. Poynton) might fairly give consideration to the granting of direct compensation to the honorable member for Ballarat (Mr. McGrath). Particularly ought he to do this because in previous cases sums of money have been paid as compensation, quite apart from the actual legal costs incurred in the hearing of appeals. In this case the employment of counsel was forced upon the candidates against their will. So that compensation ought to be paid to them apart from the legal expenses which were incurred through no fault of their own. If the Minister cannot deal with the matter himself, I ask him to submit it to his colleagues, and see whether in the circumstances something cannot be done to accede to the request put forward by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Tudor) on behalf of the honorable member for Ballarat (Mr. McGrath).
.- It is certainly time the Minister (Mr. Poynton), on behalf of the Government, gave some indication of what is proposed to be done in connexion with the Northern Territory. We ought to know whether the present system of management is to continue, and also the present expenditure. For instance, these Estimates provide for the payment of £1,250 salary, and £200 allowance for an Administrator, £1,000 for a Judge, £1,000 for a Director, and £700 for a Secretary. In this provision, for so many officials there seems to be a skeleton outline for the administration not of a sparsely-populated territory, but of a settled and well-populated country. There are fourteen sub-branches in the Northern Territory Administration, and it is well worth puttingon record what they are, so that honorable members may have some idea of what is being done in the Territory to-day. These fourteen subbranches are - Aborigines, Agriculture, Botanical Gardens, Police, Gaol, Charitable Institutions, Health, Law, Stock and Brands, Education, Public Works, Lands and Surveys, Mining, and Hotels.
– I think it is a very pertinent question to ask which subbranch the honorable member would abolish.
– I agree that on the face of it the retort of the Minister was rather brilliant; but as a matter of fact it will not hold water for one second. It is not the unfortunate outsider’s business to tell the Minister how he is to do his job ; but the position is that if the Minister cannot do it some one else ought to do it for him.
– You can have my position to-morrow if you wish it.
– The physician prescribes only when he is called in.
– What, another coalition ?
– I think it would be a very effective coalition, but at the present moment I am not proposing such a thing. My object in calling attention to this expenditure is to point out that eventually we may run into trouble, but the best the Minister can say in reply is, “ What would you do? “ When I have concluded my remarks the Minister can demonstrate by giving the facts that a very obvious criticism is not justified, but it is no help to the Committee to merely suggest to any one who criticises the Northern Territory vote that everything is perfect, and ask, “ What could any one do?” I do not think the Minister would suggest that the Northern Territory administration has been perfect. My object in rising was to get from” the Minister before these Estimates drift through, some indication which will at least reassure the Committee that the expenditure is receiving his consideration, and that he proposes to work down to some definite line.
– Ministers have been endeavouring to do so for the last ten years. Any suggestion is very helpful.
– There is always hope that some one will come along with intelligence to indicate how something can be done; but when I rose for the purpose of making a few innocent remarks about the Northern Territory, and to ask whether the Minister would make any definite statement in regard to the administration there, his attitude was such as to drive me into the position of becoming a hostile critic, and almost to become more and more hostile every minute, in order to maintain my position. There was no necessity for this. The only point I am raising now is whether the Government have anything in mind as to how the Territory can be dealt with. I want to know if they have any definite scheme which they propose to put into effect. If it be recognised, as it should be, that we have the northern part of Australia to populate, and if we are to make the fullest use of that portion of the Commonwealth, it seems to me that it is the obvious duty of any Government to tell us what their scheme is. If, however, they are barren of any ideas of the sort, it is the duty of the Committee to demand from them how they propose to run the Territory, on the present lines, but with a very much decreased expenditure. To return to the point which I was endeavouring to make when the Minister interrupted, let me tell the Committee that there are 140 officers in the Northern Territory drawing over £46,000 in salaries, and spending £60,000 on contingencies. Apart from the cost of the Departments I have mentioned, and £119,000 for interest and sinking fund, provision is made in other parts of these Estimates for further expenditure in the Northern Territory. For instance, the Trade and Customs Department at Darwin costs £1,370; the Railway Department, £40,000,; and the Post Office service, £28,000.
It seems to me that there must be something wrong if we cannot administer this Territory in a more economical way. I recognise that in the future state of development it is quite likely that the cost of administration might be considerable, but the present state of the Territory’s development does not justify the amount we are now spending upon it. Before these Estimates are agreed to, I hope the Minister will give the Committee some idea as to the Government’s proposals in this regard.
With regard to the Ballarat election, it appears to me that the two candidates have been put to considerable expenditure for a reason that no one can suggest was their own fault, and I certainly think they are entitled to be reimbursed for any additional expenditure they have been put to, which is expenditure that was not cast upon other candidates at the recent general election.
– A sum of £800 has been provided on the Estimates to meet those expenses.
A few days* ago I went to the Immigration Office in order to nominate my wife. After being told that it would have cost me £26 from Naples to Sydney, the officer in charge asked mc then whether she was able to speak English. I answered that I knew enough for the two of us. He told mc then that a regulation, recently passed by the Minister of Home and Territories, requires that an emigrant must know a little English before he or she embarks; not only that, but the form which he handed me (he stated) after being filled in will have to be sent to the abovementioned Minister for approval. What sort of a barbarian law is that?
He wants to know what sort of a barbarian law that is ?
– He would find one very much like it in Italy.
– I do not know that he would find very much difference between Italy an’d Australia in that respect.
– I have heard some complaints from Broken Hill miners about bringing men out to Australia who could not speak English.
– Yes, that was when the Government sent interned Bulgarians up to Broken Hill to take the jobs of the Britishers they were recruiting. It is no wonder the residents there squealed.
– Long before that, the miners in Western Australia complained.
– I do not know that the Minister’s interjection is a very logical reply to the complaint of this Italian who has been working here, and seeks to have his wife join him in Australia, but is precluded from doing so by this regulation made by the Minister. If it is desired to increase the population of the country, surely a good way of doing so is to enable persons who have come here to send for the members of their families to join them. The man to whom I have referred is apparently a lawabiding citizen, because he has resided here for several years. What objection can there be to his wife joining him, even though she may not be able to speak English ? She could learn very quickly if living in this community.
– The regulation you speak of has not come under my notice. I shall inquire about it.
– I am only giving to the Committee the statement that has been made to me. It may not be correct, or the departmental officials may have made a mistake.
This Repatriation Department was organized to benefit returned soldiers, and to place them in a condition to work”, and get them work. How they do it! They supply the ex-Australian Imperial Force men with letters to the Orient liners manager here for him to give the bearers a working passage to England, and thereby help the good work of repatriation along. Many avail themselves of the offer, glad to leave, while the Orient Line take advantage of their misfortune, and obtain their services at ls. per month, while we British seamen, with good’ books, are stranded. The shipping office in the port of Sydney do the same.
If my statement proves correct, hold it up, and let their office staff unload them. One of the clique (the Minister of Repatriation Millen) now on thu way to Europe to represent this Commonwealth at the League of Nations, and encourage immigration. To do this the country will be pictured in the most glowing colours.
I joined a union to obtain bread and scrape three months since, paying £3, and cannot get work. Therefore, I advise all returned men to be warned through their organization (Demobilized Sailors and Soldiers Federation, United Kingdom) of things as they have been pictured here by one of themselves.
Evidently he is not prejudiced in favour of unions.
– He is not the kind of man whose complaints a unionist should ventilate without investigation.
– I do not consider the honorable member capable of judging that matter.
– How does the honorable member connect hi3 remarks with the Home and Territories Department?
– I am showing how the expenditure of £100,000 on immigration may be rendered ineffective 6y maladministration.
– Would it not be better to discuss this matter on the Repatriation Estimates?
– I understand that Senator Millen has gone to Great Britain to, among other things, encourage ex-ser- vice men to come to Australia.
– What the honorable member complained of is not done by the Repatriation Department as part of the work of repatriation.
– Is it not done by the Department?
– I cannot say, but if the honorable member will give me the particulars of this case I shall inquire into it, and let him know the result.
– This man says that the officials of the Repatriation Department in Sydney are giving ex-soldier3 letters to the Orient Company’s manager, so that they may obtain cheap passages to the Old Country.
– We undertake to secure employment in. Australia for all returned sailors and soldiers who desire it, and have practically completed that branch of our work. Within a few months there will be hardly any names on our lists. Should a man choose to leave Australia, that is not our business. If the honorable member will give me this man’s name, I undertake to find him work within three days.
– His name is W. H. Coulter, and he writes from Lidcombe Hospital, New South Wales.
– If he applies to the Deputy, I guarantee to find him suitable work within three days.
– I hope that the Minister will also’ ascertain whether hia statements are true.
– It will be found, when the facts are sifted, that those who get passages to England are assisted by the Department at their own request.
– I. thought you said this man was unemployed.
– The letter looks as if he was employed very much.
– The Government are giving these men employment in continually writing to honorable members.
– I do not know anything about this particular case, but quite recently a soldier who came here under similar conditions found that he could not work because of an injured arm, and applied to me to get him a passage Home. He desired to get back in order to look after his increased pension rights, and he thought he would do better amongst his friends than out here. I got him a free passage without any shilling-a-dal business.
– This man says that he has three children in California, and that his wife is dead; and he congratulates himself on the latter fact, because otherwise she would be in as bad a position as he is. He mentions the various Government Departments to which he has applied for work, and by which he has been turned down. He points out that while the Department is finding fault with private employers for not giving work to soldiers, this and other Departments can find him nothing to do.
– If the honorable member will give me the particulars of this case I undertake, before the Estimates of mv Department are reached, to have it sifted and attended to.
– Will the honorable member undertake that this man will stop at a job if one is got for him?
– Most members are in receipt of a great number of similar communications, but I have not ventilated in the House all that have reached me. The present is a different case altogether; it is a case in which a man feels himself so badly treated that he has gone to the trouble of getting into touch with the official organization of the returned soldiers in Great Britain in order to prevent his mates from coming to Australia. His letter bears every impress of a truthful statement.
– What is he by occupation ?
– I do not know. However, I am satisfied with the assurance that the matter will be looked into.
There is one other case which I desire to bring under the notice of the Minister. One of the Italian reservists was taken from Broken Hill. Whether he was killed or missing I do not know; but his wife, who is still in that city, has been deprived of the allowance which she. received whilst the war was in progress. At present she is in receipt of a very small sum at distant intervals from the Italian Consul. She has written to me, and I would like the Department to look into the case and explain why the allowance has been cut off.
I wish to say a word or two in support of the argument, of the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. Tudor) and other honorable members on the case of the honorable member for Ballarat (Mr. McGrath). The case is, I think, unique, so far as this Parliament is concerned. It has been clearly shown that it was through the gross carelessness of some of the departmental officers that the present member for Ballarat was deprived of his seat and remuneration for a number of months. Whatever was the cause of the trouble, it lay with the departmental officers, and I think it would be only fair if the honorable member were paid the full salary as from the date of the first election. It is the rule, I think,that if any member of the public suffers any disability ‘through carelessness or mistakes in any Department he shall be’ allowed compensation. The result of the second election has shown that the honorable member for Ballarat was justly entitled to the parliamentary remuneration from the beginning of the Parliament.
I was pleased to hear from the Minister (Mr. Poynton) this morning that he is taking steps towards the provision of a uniform roll for the States and the Commonwealth. A Federal election costs, I believe, about £80,000, and I suppose that in the same period a similar amount, or more, is spent by the different States. In my own electorate, at a recent State election, it was found that the ballotboxes of the State had become damaged, and though there were Federal ballotboxes which had been in use only a few months before in the same neighbourhood, new boxes had to be provided for the State election. Of course, the Minister cannot bring about this reform himself, because the State authorities have to be consulted, and- must be willing to adopt it. I hope, however, that sweet reasonableness will prevail, and that we will very soon have one electoral roll and one method of enrolment. We have been told to-day that in the case of Queensland there . are about 60,000 more names on the State rolls than on the Federal rolls, and the electoral officer of my own district told me the other day that the Federal roll there is much smaller than the State one, the latter having been issued later. I am quite satisfied that the State rolls of New South Wales show more . names than do the Federal rolls, so that I was not surprised to hear of the state of affairs in Queensland. Every honorable member knows that when the names have been collected by the policemen, the people think that they are duly enrolled; butthe two systems of collecting names are different. In the case of the States the police do the collecting, and the average person does not worry much about the matter, but is convinced that he is on the roll. In one part of my electorate 300 notices were issued recently asking the electors for reasons for their names not being on the roll. I understand that if the reasons given are good, only a nominal fine of 2s. 6d. is imposed. Out of the 300 persons involved, I think that all but two stated that they thought that the collecting of their names by the police officer meant that they would be on the Federal roll. Apart from the economy of a uniform roll, much confusion would be avoided, and many people saved from worry. The average elector does not wish, to keep his name off the roll, but is confused by the varying systems adopted. Even if we do have a uniform roll, something ought to be done in the way of a uniform method of collecting the names. I hope it is true that South. Australia and Tasmania have consented to uniformity, and that the rest of the States will follow. We would then get a better expression of opinion at the ballot-box, and, altogether, conditions would be much improved for both Commonwealth and States.
– There are two points on which I desire to say a word. One is the suggestion made that a sum of money shall be placed on the Estimates as a set-off to the loss of salary which the honorable member for Ballarat (Mr. McGrath) ‘would have received had he been returned at the general election. The other question is that of a uniform electoral roll. As to the first .matter my right honorable colleague (Sir Joseph Cook) has already informed honorable members that it is a matter which the House itself must decide; if the House is in favour of the suggestion, the Government will approve of it, and by placing an amount on the Supplementary Estimates pay it to the honorable member.
– Do you want a vote on the question ?
– Precisely how we are to do this thing I do not know, but, speaking for myself and for the Treasurer, I would say, if I were asked, that the honorable member for Ballarat has made out a prima facie case. The responsibility, however, must rest on the House - we must have the authority of the House - and we shall give honorable members an opportunity of expressing their opinion before the session closes.
We are all agreed, I think, as to the desirability of uniform electoral rolls; there is no question of party, or difference of opinion in that matter. I would only like to say that no blame attaches to the Commonwealth for this uniformity not having been effected sooner. We have done everything in our power, and the Minister in charge of the Department (Mr. Poynton) informs me that considerable progress has been made, more in some States than in others, towards the end in view. But I think 1 shall not be doing any one an injustice when I say that the” principal cause of the delay has been the vested interests of the officials in the various State offices, who imagine, I think quite wrongly, that this is a blow aimed at their prerogatives or possibly at their pockets. I may be doing -them an injustice. If that is the case, I apologize to them. Uniform electoral rolls, however, are very desirable, and the Commonwealth,. I repeat, has made very considerable progress in the matter. My honorable colleague informs me that he believes that in the case of one State at least the . next elections will be held on a uniform roll.
– That is in South Australia.
– I am sure we shall have the support of all sections of the House in trying to bring about that uniformity.
I may, perhaps, be permitted at this stage to give the information which I promised last evening, to supply as to the cost incurred in the case of Merton v. Hughes. The item on the Estimates is “ £3,087,” that amount being set down for “expenses in America.” I have ascertained that the total expenditure, so far as we and our officers know, is £3,055 7s. 6d., London; and £3,400 6s. 10d., America. These are the total expenses, some of which have been paid, while .in the case of others only the accounts have been rendered. I think that is the whole of the information. The item itself will be brought down, I presume, on the Supplementary Estimates, but the information is now in the possession of honorable members and of the public.
– I had hoped that the Prime Minister (Mr. Hughes) might have included in his statement some information in reply to the case put by the. honorable member for Flinders (Mr. Bruce) with regard to the Northern Territory.
– I am sorry, but I did not hear it.
– I think it is high time that this Parliament had placed before it some outline of the work contemplated over a term of years in the Northern Territory. During the war things necessarily were allowed to drift. The Territory has been a very expensive acquisition to the Commonwealth, and yet there is every reason to belieVe that it is a very rich portion of Australia, and that under wise government, instead of being the heavy responsibility that it is to-day, it might be converted, if nob immediately, as all events at a comparatively early date, into an asset. The information that one gets in regard to the Territory indicates that we have been inclined to pursue wrong lines in its administration. We are attempting to induce people to take up small settlements, which cannot be immediately pro.fitable, whereas the policy indicated by the nature and the situation of the country is that we should, in the first place, encourage the pastoral industry, and give encouragement to prospecting, in the hope that some mining centres ar.ay be discovered, which would help to attract population, and so make the smaller industries eventually successful.
I hope before this session ends we may have from the Government a definite statement as to their intentions with regard to the future of the Territory. A strong man is needed .as Administrator to control it. He should be given very wide powers, and should be judged by the results he produces, instead of being continually interfered with by the Central Administration, which cannot have the intimate knowledge of the conditions existing in the north that the man on the spot, provided that he be the right man, must have.
.- There is a matter that I desire to bring under the notice of the Minister (Mr. Poynton) and the Committee, although I am not optimistic enough to think that it will receive the attention it deserves. On page S9 of the General Estimates there is a small but ominous item of nearly £1,000 for clearing the rifle range at Warwick of prickly pear. I imagine that an area of that sort would comprise from 300 to 500 acres. If it will cost £1.000 to clear such an area, only a very easy sum need be worked to show what it will cost to clear something like 20,000,000 acres of badly infested pear country in Queensland. In that way we shall get an idea of the enormous sum of money necessary to attempt anything like eradication of the pest.
– Have we yet a solution of the prickly pear pest?
– Far from it. I do not intend to take up the time of the Committee by going deeply into the question, although I understand it, I believe, as well as most people do. But I want honorable members to realize that it is probably no exaggeration to say that onethird of the enormous area of Queensland is more or less directly threatened at the present moment. The pest will very shortly - one may say that it has already - become a menace in more than one State. The State Governments of Queensland right through have proved themselves quite unable to cope with it.
– Has any serious effort been made to cope with it?
– It is difficult to say what is and what is not a serious effort, but there is no royal road to clearing the country of the pest. It is not a mechanical question, but an economic one. Land can be easily cleared, but it is the cost of carrying out the work which has to be considered.
The present Government of Queensland - and I do not speak in any party sense - does not believe in the principle of freehold, and. that is an additional difficulty in the way of the solution of the problem. I say quite openly that so far all our Governments in Queensland have proved themselves incapable of handling the question. To put it broadly, the complete eradication of prickly pear today is no longer practicable. We can abandon all ideas of eradication or of clearing the pear-infested country. We now have simply to consider what steps should be taken to prevent the further spread of the pest. It may be said that this is not a question for the Federal Parliament, but it will be admitted that if a fire breaks out in one of a row of houses, it becomes a very important matter for the occupiers of the remaining houses that that fire should bc promptly extinguished. The Commonwealth is now the direct proprietor of a very large area .with an extensive frontage to the Queensland border. With a clear understanding of the position, I do not hesitate to say that the pear is gradually eating up a very large portion of Queensland and becoming an absolute menace to the whole of Australia. I am convinced that sooner or later it will be forced upon us that this is a huge national danger, and we shall have to face it as a national question. I ask the Government and the Committee to realize the danger, and I invite honorable members to consider ‘whether we ought not now to prepare our minds for dealing with the subject, realizing that the prickly pear having become a national clanger, must be treated on national lines.
.- I do not wish it to go out in connexion with what has been said regarding the election for Ballarat that any reflection was made by Mr. Justice Isaacs upon the permanent electoral officers of the division. He had some harsh things to say concerning certain officials, but as one of the candidates I desire to state that, so far as Mr. Anderson and the other permanent officials of the Department are concerned, no one could have carried out the work better than they did.
– Mr. Justice Isaacs complimented . them.
– Yes; I wish to make, that quite clear.
I should be glad if we could secure uniform rolls for State andFederal elections. In connexion with the recent State elections, it struck me as peculiar that the -Commonwealth permanent officials for the Federal electorate of Ballarat had nothing to do, although they arc trained men, while others who knew very little about electoral matters were brought in to conduct the State elections. Much greater satisfaction would be given if we had uniform rolls, and the permanent officials of the Commonwealth Department conducted both the State and Federal elections. They understand the law, and know exactly how to compile rolls, and to conduct an election. The reflections which Mr. Justice Isaacs cast upon electoral officials in connexion with the first Ballarat election related to men employed only for the day, who were not familiar with the Electoral Act. Certain persons whose names had been improperly removed from the rolls claimed the right to vote; but the presiding officers, in certain cases, knowing nothing of section 121 of the Act, refused to allow them to do so. That was practically responsible for the trouble which occurred. I repeat that the Electoral Department, and particularly the chief of the Department in Ballarat, did their work in connexion with the Federal election there in a splendid manner.
If we desire to have a thoroughly satisfactory set of rolls, we should take care to have fewer subdivisions than at present. The State electorate of Ballarat West consists of two subdivisions. If persons remove from one side of Sturtstreet to the other, they may still be in the same electorate, but in a different subdivision. Being unaware of the fact that they are in a different subdivision, they fail to get enrolled for it, and are either prosecuted for that failure, or find, when election time comes round, that they have no vote. The Department would be well-advised if it decided to have only one division for each State electorate.
– We will let the honorable gentleman off, so far as that matter is concerned.
– But I do not wish it to be thought that I was treating the matter in a cavalier way. Reference was made to the number of officers employed in the Territory, and I may say that I have been going very carefully into the whole question, with the object of making a reduction. Unfortunately, there are not many people in the Territory, but a number of Departments are necessary. If we did not maintain a certain number of officials there it would be necessary to drag the citizens of the Territory down to the other States for the redress of their grievances. No greater problem confronts the Minister for Home and Territories than the administration of this Territory, where, I believe, we have a wonderful asset if it is properly handled. In my opinion it can be developed, not by following the lines of closer settlement, but only by adopting the more primitive method of stocking with cattle and sheep, which has been applied successfully in other parts of Australia that are now carrying large populations. In pursuance of this policy Ave have been putting down a number of bores east and west from the Wave Hill district towards Camooweal, and boring should also be undertaken south towards the Macdonnell Ranges, The land is capable of growing excellent grasses and edible herbage, and produces a very fine class of stock, particularly in the central area. The doubt as to whether permanent water exists we are endeavouring to solve by means of these bores, and later on I propose to ask for the expenditure of a considerable sum of money in this direction. However, excellent results have been obtained so far. The average depth of the bores put down is 170 feet to 200 feet, and water of a very high character has been tapped. In No. 1 bore water was struck at a depth of 247 feet, and rose 170 feet in the bore. Pumping yields 32,000 gallons per day without reducing that level. In No1. 2 bore water was struck at a depth of 180 feet, and the bore is capable of producing 32,000 gallons a day. At another bore a pumping test for twelve hours gave 29,000 gallons. On one pastoral station a number of bores have been put down, and an excellent supply of water was obtained at a very shallow depth, varying from 42 feet to a little over 60 feet. At one of these bores 500 head of cattle are watered.
I arrived back at Alice Springs about July, 1911, with £350 and a few horses. I then bought a fe-v cattle, and joined in a partnership on a small cattle ranch. After fighting the ordinary difficulties one has outback, and all the inconveniences one has to contend with in the bush, I am pleased to state that my success has been such as to enable me to invest the sum of £7,000 cash in a ranch in the same district, with the ultimate prospect of being able to pay off the £12,000 that represents the total cost….. There is room for thousands of people W]to are willing to work and put up with the rough conditions outback. There is an immense area of good stock country lying idle.
This young man has the opinion that a great future awaits this portion of the Territory, but the attitude of some honorable members is like that of a man who takes up a property Avith a limited capital, and refuses to spend any money on it. If Ave Avant to make anything out of the Northern Territory we must spend money on it. In the meantime Ave cannot do better than follow the course of putting down bores, and demonstrating that permanent water is available. As soon as that is done young fellows, sons of pastoralists whose holdings are being cut up for closer settlement, and who are anxious to get out further back to continue their pastoral occupation, will be found going to. the Territory. There is every possibility of development on the primitive lines of settlement which have been so successfully applied in all the” States. We shall not succeed by forcing closer settlement.
Although I have absolute faith in the future of the Northern Territory,, I admit ic is a very difficult question to handle. I have recently received a communication stating that the residents there are very much upset because a branch of this Legislature has refused to allow them to have representation in this Parliament.
– ¥e might let them have a representative in this Chamber.
– I do not know whether that could be done, but, at any rate, I think they ought to have representation in this Parliament.
– It was your party in the Senate which said that they should not.
– The claim was put forward in the Senate that the Territory should be represented by the senators of South Australia or Western Australia; but that cannot be done under the Constitution. However, the- matter will come up again.
The honorable member for Barrier (Mr. Considine) claims that my Department is keeping the wife of an Italian out of Australia because of a regulation which he says has been issued, stipulating that before she can enter the Commonwealth she must be able to read, write, or talk English. There is no such regulation in existence.
.- The Committee should not too precipitately agree to the Home and Territories Estimates, because upon them’ the question of immigration comes up for consideration, and it is one upon which much can, and should, be said. Bound up with it is the settlement of the Northern Territory. I do not share the optimistic views of the Minister respecting the Territory, but I would not think of decrying it as a national asset, or of saying that it. is impossible to make it a productive white man’s country. I agree with the Minister that it has to be populated, and from the south rather than from the north. It is idle, however, to suppose that we can populate it properly until there has been a very large increase in the population of the Commonwealth as a whole. No part of Australia is adequately populated yet, and we cannot, by artificial processes, populate the Northern Territory, and make it productive in advance of the development of more accessible areas.
A short time ago the Prime Minister made a statement in this Chamber of the Government policy with respect to immigration. He told us the Minister for Repatriation (Senator Millen), who is now abroad on a mission, was to interest himself in London in the subject of immigration, and that the Government proposed to appoint a Mr. Barnes to act as emigration agent on the other side of the world. That appointment is obnoxious to every member of the Labour party, and to the great body of the community outside for which we speak. It is so obnoxious to the workers that the party will be justified - and indeed bound - to let organized labour in Great Britain know that it should not rely on Mr. Barnes as a spokesman for Australia in the matter of immigration.
– That is to say, in the prosecution of a vendetta against this man, you would destroy out scheme of immigration.
– That is not so. The Minister for Repatriation is charged with the duty of looking into emigration on the other side of the world, and to that I offer no objection, because, though we differ in politics, I recognise that he holds his position as the result of the vote of the Australian people, and as a member of the Government, so that, apart from his personal qualifications, he is entitled to speak for a large section of the community. My objection to Mr. Barnes is not personal, and not even political; it is based on the fact that he has neither the qualifications’ nor the capacity to speak for Australia, and those whom the Labour party represent have no confidence in him. His public performances, utterances, and course of conduct are such that he has utterly forfeited, if he ever possessed, the confidence of that class to which he will have to appeal in England to make his mission a success. ‘ An emigration campaign is not to be won by an appeal to the personal friends of members of the Government, or to those in high places; the appeal must be made to the bone and sinew of the country from which emigrants are to be drawn - the workers of Great Britain and Ireland, and the workers of other countries - if it is intended to prosecute our immigration policy outside the British Dominions. The class of men we want here are those who are prepared to work on the land, and, after them, men who are prepared to work in the secondary industries. If the Government, as a reward for the political apostasy of a former member of the Labour party who has joined them, appoints Mr. Barnes as their emigration agent at Home, their immigration scheme is foredoomed to failure. Nothing is more sensitive than the public mind regarding representations concerning the possibilities of a new country to which people are being invited to emigrate. When a person speaks as an emigration agent for Australia he should possess the full confidence of the people from whom he goes. This gentleman does not do that. He is in no sense an Australian, and his experience of this country has been very limited, both in time and in extent. His political history marks him out as a man in whom the workers of Great Britain cannot have confidence. I hope that the vote for the Department of Home and Territories will not be passed until there has been more discussion of the immigration policy of the Government and of the proposed appointment of Mr. Barnes.
– There is an Immigration Bill before the House.
– It will afford other opportunity for protest. It is imperative that we should express the strong views that we hold regarding this appointment, and I am strongly inclined to divide the Committee regarding it by moving a reduction of the vote. It is not certain that we will deal with the Immigration Bill before Christmas.
.- I think that we might report progress now. One or two members who are not here wish to say something upon these Estimates, and if the Minister allows them to go over until next week they will probably be dealt with then within halfanhour.
– Next week we shall be dealing with the Commonwealth Bank Bill.
– Are you not going to take up the Estimates next week?
– I hope so; but not immediately.
– If you will give me the assurance that there will be an oppor tunity for the further discussion of the Northern Territory administration, I shall let the vote pass.
– There will be Supplementary Estimates.
– If you give me the assurance that there will be opportunity for that discussion I shall say no more now.
Bill returned from the Senate with out amendment.
Bill returned from the Senate, with the message that the Senate had agreed to certain amendments, and asked the concurrence of the House of Representatives to its amendments of clause 26.
Clause 26 (Evidence of declarations).
That the amendments made by the Senate he agreed to.
– Can the Treasurer (Sir Joseph Cook) inform us what business it is proposed to take next week ?
– I hope to take the Banking Bill first, and then one or two little measures.
– You do not propose to proceed with the Estimates first?
House adjourned at 3.48 p.m.
Cite as: Australia, House of Representatives, Debates, 5 November 1920, viewed 22 October 2017, <http://historichansard.net/hofreps/1920/19201105_reps_8_94/>. | 2019-04-22T02:24:38Z | https://historichansard.net/hofreps/1920/19201105_reps_8_94/ |
Provided is a circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop having a small circuit scale. An NMOS transistor (12) generates a source voltage based on a voltage obtained by subtracting an absolute value of a threshold voltage and an overdrive voltage from a power supply voltage with reference to the power supply voltage. An NMOS transistor (17) is turned on/off based on the source voltage of the NMOS transistor (12). A PMOS transistor (15) generates a source voltage based on a voltage obtained by adding an absolute value of a threshold voltage and an overdrive voltage to a ground voltage with reference to the ground voltage. A PMOS transistor (19) is turned on/off based on the source voltage of the PMOS transistor (15).
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application Nos. JP2007-209106 filed on Aug. 10, 2007 and JP2008-201662 filed on Aug. 5, 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop, which detects a drop of a power supply voltage.
In general, a semiconductor device is equipped with a circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop, which detects a drop of a power supply voltage. When the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop detects that a power supply voltage becomes lower than a minimum operating voltage, the semiconductor device is prevented from malfunctioning by shutting down a malfunctioning circuit or all circuits other than the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop.
A description is given of a minimum operating voltage of a semiconductor device.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an element circuit. The circuit shown in FIG. 5 is a current mirror circuit of an NMOS-cascode type including NMOS transistors 31 to 34. The minimum operating voltage of this circuit is a sum voltage obtained by adding: the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistor 31 and the overdrive voltage thereof; and the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistor 32 and the overdrive voltage thereof.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of another element circuit. The circuit shown in FIG. 6 is a current mirror circuit of a PMOS-cascode type including PMOS transistors 41 to 44. The minimum operating voltage of this circuit is a sum voltage obtained by adding: the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor 41 and the overdrive voltage thereof; and the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor 42 and the overdrive voltage thereof.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of still another element circuit. The circuit shown in FIG. 7 is a constant current circuit including a PMOS transistor 51, PMOS transistors 55 and 56, an NMOS transistor 52, an NMOS transistor 54, and a resistor 53. When a signal for operating this circuit is input through a gate of the PMOS transistor 55 to turn on the PMOS transistor 55, this circuit is operated. The minimum operating voltage of this circuit is a voltage corresponding to higher one of the following two sum voltages. One sum voltage is obtained by adding: the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistor 52 and the overdrive voltage thereof; and the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistor 54 and the overdrive voltage thereof. The other sum voltage is obtained by adding: the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor 55 and the overdrive voltage thereof; and the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor 56 and the overdrive voltage thereof.
In general, the above-mentioned element circuit is frequently used in a semiconductor device. Therefore, the minimum operating voltage of the semiconductor device is a voltage corresponding to higher one of the following two sum voltages. One sum voltage is obtained by adding, in two NMOS transistors having the highest sum voltages in the semiconductor device: the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of one NMOS transistor and the overdrive voltage thereof; and the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of another NMOS transistor and the overdrive voltage thereof. The other sum voltage is obtained by adding, in two PMOS transistors having the highest sum voltages in the semiconductor device: the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of one PMOS transistor and the overdrive voltage thereof; and the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of another PMOS transistor and the overdrive voltage thereof.
A description is given of a conventional circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a conventional circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop.
The conventional circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop includes a reference voltage circuit 72 for generating a reference voltage, a voltage dividing circuit 73 for dividing a power supply voltage from a power supply 71 through resistors 75 and 76 to generate a divided voltage, a differential amplifier circuit 74 for comparing the divided voltage with the reference voltage to detect the drop of the power supply voltage, and a pull-up resistor 77 for pulling up an output terminal of the differential amplifier circuit 74 (for example, see JP 2005-278056 A).
However, in the circuit disclosed in JP 2005-278056 A, the reference voltage circuit, the voltage dividing circuit, and the differential amplifier circuit are necessary, which increases a circuit scale. As a result, a larger amount of current is consumed.
In view of the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop having a small circuit scale.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop, which detects a drop of a power supply voltage, including: a first transistor that is of a first conductive type and generates a source voltage based on a voltage obtained by subtracting an absolute value of a threshold voltage and an overdrive voltage from the power supply voltage with reference to the power supply voltage; a second transistor that is of the first conductive type and turned on/off based on the source voltage of the first transistor; a third transistor that is of a second conductive type and generates a source voltage based on a voltage obtained by adding an absolute value of a threshold voltage and an overdrive voltage to a ground voltage with reference to the ground voltage; a fourth transistor that is of the second conductive type and turned on/off based on the source voltage of the third transistor; a first constant current circuit that supplies a current to the first transistor; a second constant current circuit that supplies a current to each of the second transistor and the third transistor; and a third constant current circuit that supplies a current to the fourth transistor.
In the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop according to the present invention, the reference voltage circuit, the voltage dividing circuit, and the differential amplifier circuit are not necessary, which reduces a circuit scale. As a result, a smaller amount of current is consumed correspondingly.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a conventional circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop.
Hereinafter, a description is given of an embodiment of a circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop according to the present invention with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop according to the present invention.
The circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop according to the present invention includes a power supply terminal 1, a ground terminal 2, and an output terminal 3. Further, the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop includes constant current circuits 4 to 6. Further, the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop includes NMOS transistors 12 and 17 and PMOS transistors 15 and 19.
The constant current circuit 4 is provided between the source of the NMOS transistor 12 and the ground terminal 2. The constant current circuit 5 is provided between the power supply terminal 1 and the source of the PMOS transistor 15. The constant current circuit 6 is provided between the output terminal 3 and the ground terminal 2. The gate and the drain of the NMOS transistor 12 are connected to the power supply terminal 1, and the back gate of the NMOS transistor 12 is connected to the ground terminal 2. The gate of the NMOS transistor 17 is connected to the source of the NMOS transistor 12, the source and the back gate of the NMOS transistor 17 are connected to the ground terminal 2, and the drain of the NMOS transistor 17 is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor 15. The gate of the PMOS transistor 15 is connected to the ground terminal 2, and the back gate of the PMOS transistor 15 is connected to the power supply terminal 1. The gate of the PMOS transistor 19 is connected to the source of the PMOS transistor 15, the source and the back gate of the PMOS transistor 19 are connected to the power supply terminal 1, and the drain of the PMOS transistor 19 is connected to the output terminal 3.
In the NMOS transistors 12 and 17, the following first sum voltage is higher than the following second sum voltage. The first sum voltage is obtained by adding: the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistor 12 and the overdrive voltage thereof; and the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistor 17 and the overdrive voltage thereof. The second sum voltage is obtained by adding, in two predetermined NMOS transistors in the semiconductor device: the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of one NMOS transistor and the overdrive voltage thereof; and the sum of the absolute value of the threshold voltage of another NMOS transistor and the overdrive voltage thereof. The same is applied to the PMOS transistors 15 and 19.
The constant current circuit 4 supplies a current to the NMOS transistor 12. The constant current circuit 5 supplies a current to each of the NMOS transistor 17 and the PMOS transistor 15. The constant current circuit 6 supplies a current to the PMOS transistor 19. The NMOS transistor 12 generates a source voltage based on a voltage obtained by subtracting the absolute value of the threshold voltage and the overdrive voltage from the power supply voltage with reference to the power supply voltage. Based on the source voltage, the NMOS transistor 17 is turned on/off. The PMOS transistor 15 generates a source voltage based on a voltage obtained by adding the absolute value of the threshold voltage and the overdrive voltage to the ground voltage with reference to the ground voltage. Based on the source voltage, the PMOS transistor 19 is turned on/off.
Next, a description is given of an operation of the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop.
In this example, the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistor is Vtn, and the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor is Vtp.
As the power supply voltage becomes lower, the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 12 becomes lower, and the NMOS transistor 12 is gradually turned off. Similarly, the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 17 becomes lower, and the NMOS transistor 17 is gradually turned off. As a result, the gate voltage of the PMOS transistor 19 becomes higher, and the PMOS transistor 19 is gradually turned off. When the power supply voltage is below 2 Vtp, the NMOS transistors 12 and 17 are still on. However, the gate voltage of the PMOS transistor 19 does not completely become low by the PMOS transistor 15, and the PMOS transistor 19 is turned off. Therefore, when the power supply voltage is below 2 Vtp, that is, when the power supply voltage is lower than the minimum operating voltage of the semiconductor device, the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop outputs a low signal as a detection signal through the output terminal 3 to the outside.
When the power supply voltage becomes lower to reach below 2 Vtn, the NMOS transistor 12 is still on. However, the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 17 does not completely become high by the constant current circuit 4, and the NMOS transistor 17 is turned off. The gate voltage of the PMOS transistor 19 becomes high, and the PMOS transistor 19 is also turned off. Therefore, when the power supply voltage is below 2 Vtn, that is, when the power supply voltage is lower than the minimum operating voltage of the semiconductor device, the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop outputs a low signal as a detection signal through the output terminal 3 to the outside.
As the power supply voltage becomes higher again after keeping below both 2 Vtp and 2 Vtn, the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 12 becomes higher, and the NMOS transistor 12 is gradually turned on. Similarly, the gate voltage of the NMOS transistor 17 becomes higher, and the NMOS transistor 17 is gradually turned on. As a result, the gate voltage of the PMOS transistor 19 becomes lower, and the PMOS transistor 19 is also gradually turned on. When the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than 2 Vtn, the NMOS transistors 12 and 17 are turned on. However, the gate voltage of the PMOS transistor 19 does not completely become low by the PMOS transistor 15, and the PMOS transistor 19 is still off. When the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than 2 Vtp, the NMOS transistors 12 and 17 are already turned on, the gate voltage of the PMOS transistor 19 becomes low, and the PMOS transistor 19 is also turned on. Therefore, when the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than 2 Vtp, that is, when the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than the minimum operating voltage of the semiconductor device, the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop outputs a high signal as a detection signal through the output terminal 3 to the outside.
As the power supply voltage becomes higher again to reach equal to or higher than 2 Vtn after keeping below both 2 Vtp and 2 Vtn, the NMOS transistors 12 and 17 are turned on. The gate voltage of the PMOS transistor 19 becomes low, and the PMOS transistor 19 is also turned on. Therefore, when the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than 2 Vtn, that is, when the power supply voltage is equal to or higher than the minimum operating voltage of the semiconductor device, the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop outputs a high signal as a detection signal through the output terminal 3 to the outside.
Next, a description is given of the constant current circuit. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a constant current circuit of a circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop according to the present invention.
The constant current circuit 4 is realized by, for example, a depletion type NMOS transistor 11. The gate, the source, and the back gate of the depletion type NMOS transistor 11 are connected to the ground terminal 2, and the drain of the depletion type NMOS transistor 11 is connected to the source of the NMOS transistor 12. The drain of the depletion type NMOS transistor 11 draws a current from the source of the NMOS transistor 12.
The constant current circuit 5 is realized by, for example, the depletion type NMOS transistor 11 and PMOS transistors 13 and 14. The gate and the drain of the PMOS transistor 13 are connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor 12, and the source and the back gate of the PMOS transistor 13 are connected to the power supply terminal 1. The gate of the PMOS transistor 14 is connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor 13, the source and the back gate of the PMOS transistor 14 are connected to the power supply terminal 1, and the drain of the PMOS transistor 14 is connected to the source of the PMOS transistor 15. The drain of the PMOS transistor 14 supplies the current based on the current of the constant current circuit 4 to the source of the PMOS transistor 15.
The constant current circuit 6 is realized by, for example, the depletion type NMOS transistor 11, the PMOS transistors 13 and 14, and NMOS transistors 16 and 18. The gate and the drain of the NMOS transistor 16 are connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor 15, the source of the NMOS transistor 16 is connected to the drain of the NMOS transistor 17, and the back gate of the NMOS transistor 16 is connected to the ground terminal 2. The gate of the NMOS transistor 18 is connected to the gate of the NMOS transistor 16, the source and the back gate of the NMOS transistor 18 are connected to the ground terminal 2, and the drain of the NMOS transistor 18 is connected to the drain of the PMOS transistor 19. The drain of the NMOS transistor 18 draws the current based on the current of the constant current circuit 4 from the drain of the PMOS transistor 19.
With the above-mentioned structure, in the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop, a reference voltage circuit, a voltage dividing circuit, and a differential amplifier circuit are not necessary, which reduces a circuit scale. As a result, a smaller amount of current is consumed.
Further, when the reference voltage circuit and the voltage dividing circuit are used, production variation occurs, which causes variation in reference voltage. Accordingly, the resistance ratio of resistors in the voltage dividing circuit needs to be trimmed according to the variation in reference voltage. In this embodiment, since the reference voltage circuit and the voltage dividing circuit are not used, the trimming is not necessary. As a result, production processes are reduced to enable a shorter production period and a lower production cost.
Further, in the case of Vtp>Vtn, when the power supply voltage is below 2 Vtp, that is, when the power supply voltage is lower than the minimum operating voltage of the semiconductor device, the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop outputs a low signal as a detection signal through the output terminal 3 to the outside. Therefore, the semiconductor device is prevented from malfunctioning.
Further, in the case of Vtp<Vtn, when the power supply voltage is below 2 Vtn, that is, when the power supply voltage is lower than the minimum operating voltage of the semiconductor device, the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop outputs a low signal as a detection signal through the output terminal 3 to the outside. Therefore, the semiconductor device is prevented from malfunctioning.
Both in the case of Vtp>Vtn and in the case of Vtp<Vtn, when the power supply voltage is lower than the minimum operating voltage of the semiconductor device, the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop outputs a low signal as a detection signal through the output terminal 3 to the outside. Therefore, the semiconductor device is prevented from malfunctioning.
The NMOS transistors shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be replaced by PMOS transistors. The PMOS transistors shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be replaced by NMOS transistors.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop according to the present invention. In the difference of the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop in FIG. 1, the constant current circuit 4 is replaced by a constant current circuit 7. The constant current circuit 5 is replaced by a constant current circuit 8. The constant current circuit 6 is replaced by a constant current circuit 9.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating constant current circuit of another circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop according to the present invention. In the difference of the constant current circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop in FIG. 2, the NMOS transistor 12 is replaced by a PMOS transistor 22. The NMOS transistor 17 is replaced by a PMOS transistor 27. The PMOS transistor 15 is replaced by an NMOS transistor 25. The PMOS transistor 19 is replaced by an NMOS transistor 29. Further, the depletion type NMOS transistor 11 is replaced by a depletion type NMOS transistor 21. The PMOS transistor 13 is replaced by an NMOS transistor 23. The PMOS transistor 14 is replaced by an NMOS transistor 24. The NMOS transistor 16 is replaced by a PMOS transistor 26. The NMOS transistor 18 is replaced by a PMOS transistor 28.
As in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 forming the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop, it is clear to be able to obtain the effect which is similar to the circuit for detecting power supply voltage drop as in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2.
a third constant current circuit that supplies a current to the fourth transistor. | 2019-04-23T04:57:58Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US20090040676A1/en |
Blog Archives - THINKING ABOUT MOVING TO COSTA RICA?
THINKING ABOUT MOVING TO COSTA RICA?
15 tips for booking cheap Airfare to costa rica.
Whether you're heading down to Costa Rica for a week's vacation, a month to start scouting out your big move, or finally pulled the trigger on a one-way ticket and officially are an expat, you'll first have to get to Costa Rica - and that usually entails an airline ticket.
However, the price of tickets can fluctuate wildly, from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand bucks during the holidays and busy season. So, I wanted to put some tools and resources in your hands for finding the best (ok, just cheapest!) airline tickets to Costa Rica!
If you are flexible with which days you can travel, a lot of cheaper airfares may open up for you. There are several travel search engines that will allow you to search by destination without putting in a hard date.
Costa Rica, like many countries in tropical climates, doesn’t have set winters and summers like up north. Instead, they have a dry season from approximately late November through April and a rainy season from May to November. If you don’t mind some clouds and a little rain mixed in with sunshine, it can actually be cooler (but still plenty warm) and far less crowded, meaning cheaper flights, hotels, etc.
Search engines are great, but also search directly on the airlines’ websites. They often offer private deals or promotions that the search engines can’t access. Increasingly they are running cheap deals on social media sites like Facebook, so it’s worth it to Like their page and check in.
Did you know there are up to 10 different ticket prices on the same flight? So how do you get one of the cheap seats? Timing is everything.
Airlines release their new weekly fares on Mondays, so at Tuesday by 3 pm their competitors have released their deals, making it the exact time to search.
Studies show that the cheapest time to book is 49 days before your departure, or 81 days ahead of time for international flights. Interestingly, flights booked 200 days or more in advance are more expensive, and last minute flights may be cheaper, but the seat availability is extremely limited.
If you are flying during the holidays, start searching 10 weeks ahead of time. If you’re headed to a non-vacation destination, shop on a weekend – it will save you 5%.
The majority of air travelers want to fly on a Friday or Sunday, so you’ll find the best deals available for flights on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday.
Flights at the crack of dawn, at dinnertime, or red-eye flights over night are cheapest.
Almost every airline has a social media page, at least on Facebook and Twitter these days, and often release specials and limited time deals that aren’t publicized elsewhere. Like or follow a few airlines ahead of time so you can track their updates.
Booking a package usually drops your airfare into the leisure travel category, saving you money. Arranging a ticket for your hotel, rental car, and airfare together may give you access to lower prices on internet search engines, and travel agents can be helpful when it comes to these bargains.
Contact any organizations, unions, or membership sites you belong to, like AAA, AARP, unions, Veterans groups, or even Sam’s Club or Costco, as they may offer bulk discounts.
Always register to earn frequent flyer miles and keep track. Confirm with the booking agent and at the check-in counter to make sure they credited you your miles, and once you get home check to make sure they were registered.
Some of them are great but only give you miles on one airline. I have a Chase Sapphire card (they don't pay me anything to give them a shout-out!) that allows me to accumulate points for all flights, hotels, rental cars, or even restaurant meals. I run all of my bills through it but pay it off every month, and the result is that I get at least two free flights every year.
When booking a flight, ask about their luggage policy. Slightly cheaper tickets for your family does no good if you are paying $50 each for baggage. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, airlines make over $3 billion in baggage fees alone every year!
After you book your flight, call back the next day, within 24 hours, to check if the fare went lower. Most airlines have a policy where you could cancel and re-book for the lower fare within 24 hours without penalty.
While it’s convenient to go to one website and search for the best fares among all airlines and schedules, you can often find specials or the best deals on the airline’s own website. So do a little research but then cross reference with the airline.
I love getting an actual human being on the phone from the airline or travel websites because they can guide you and offer their tricks, tips, and vast experience. But if you want to book over the phone there’s usually a service charge of $15 to $50. So to save money, call and chat to identify what you want and then thank them, hang up, and book online.
Contact me if you need anything else - I'm happy to help! And you can find all the information you need (and then some!) in the Official Expat's Moving to Costa Rica Handbook.
Once you move down to Costa Rica, you'll probably realize quickly that transportation is a key issue. In fact, you'll feel fairly isolated and "stuck" if you don't have a vehicle to get around, whether it's adventures at local beaches or just to the market during the rainy season. So, today I want to bring you some great facts and tips about buying and registering a vehicle in Costa Rica, as well as the pros and cons of importing your car.
I get emails all the time from people who want to drive down to Costa Rica. Number one, I wouldn’t recommend that because it can be extremely dangerous going through Mexico and the southern route until you get to Nicaragua.
Secondly, although people want their own cars, it just doesn’t make financial sense. It’s almost always better to buy (or even rent) a car in Costa Rica rather than importing your own car because of the sky-high import taxes.
The tax for importing vehicles into Costa Rica is 52.29% for models that have been released in the last three years. But in Costa Rica, a car is considered new for tax purposes for up to three years after it was placed on the lot for sale, no matter what its mileage or condition.
The Ministerio de Hacienda (Treasury) regulates the value of imported cars and other vehicles the same way that Kelley Blue Book does in the U.S. – based on make, model, engine, and other features and accessories. However, in Costa Rica, mileage and mechanical condition aren’t taken into consideration for this tax process!
Import taxes for cars that are 4-5 years old are 63.91%, and cars older than 5 years must pay an import tax of 79.03%.
• Either way (especially if privately sold,) have the car inspected by a competent and trustworthy mechanic before you sign the papers Inspections are done at one of the many specially constructed locations around the country. They were built and are operated by a Spanish firm that won the contract to perform motor vehicle inspections.
• Remember that outside San José, parts can be extremely hard to find!
• Try to purchase a model where you know parts are easy to get and it’s easy to fix – or very reliable.
• If you need work done or parts, it might make sense to order them from San José or even go get them yourself!
• There is no AAA and it’s easy to get stranded way out in the countryside if your car breaks down.
• In the provinces, roads can be really rough, with flooding prevalent in the rainy season.
• Chains on tires and towing winches/lines are a good idea, too.
• Always carry a spare tire and your own tools.
If you end up stranded on the side of the road in many remote places your car might not still be there if you have to leave it until the next day!
Expats, foreigners, and visitors who plan to drive in Costa Rica should be aware of the laws and rules of the road.
One important thing to know is that if a foreigner is involved in an accident, the Costa Rican government may prevent the driver from departing Costa Rica until all injury claims have been settled, whether or not the driver is at fault or covered by insurance. This process is often delayed until courts are certain of the damage and responsibility.
Travelers renting vehicles should make sure to have theft insurance that will cover them completely, always park in secure lots (and tip the parking attendant beforehand!), and never leave anything visible inside the car – whether it’s valuable or not.
Note that individual, unlicensed “parking attendants” are everywhere. Often, a local guy or old man just throws on a fluorescent-colored vest and a whistle and become the unofficial parking police for a certain area! Remember that although they may offer to park your car or assist you with finding a spot, it doesn’t ensure that it is a legal spot - your car may still be ticketed or towed.
It’s best to pay these guys a little bit. If you DON’T pay them, you’ll often be amazed to find your car broken into, damaged or something missing when you come back! I usually let them know I’ll pay them well WHEN I get back to the car and it’s in good condition and safe.
Maybe you’re bringing the family down to Costa Rica for a first-time vacation, going with your nuptial entourage for a wedding on the beach, or even planning a few months in Central America during the North American winter to enjoy the warm weather, great beaches, and mellow vibe.
Either way, booking a hotel night-by-night may get insanely expensive – or downright impossible if you have a big crew looking for accommodations during the high season.
But, instead of just perusing the hotel websites, there’s another great option – Airbnb. The good news is that Airbnb is not only present, but thriving in Costa Rica - a fantastic option for vacation rentals, long-term stays, or any other arrangement you need for housing.
So, instead of just sharing a boring list of Airbnb listings in Costa Rica (which you can access on Airbnb Costa Rica, of course), I wanted to bring you a little fun background about the company itself.
1. Based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a privately owned accommodation rental website, with 1,500,000 unique listings in 34,000 cities in 192 countries all over the world.
2. By renting out rooms, space, or even entire private residences, Airbnb is offers cheaper, more flexible, and often more charming and comfortable alternatives to a hotel room.
3. For instance, a recent query showed that a night in a hotel in San Francisco would set you back on average $229, however Airbnb was able to offer room at approximately $165 and cheaper.
4. It’s perfect for families who wish to rent out an entire apartment on vacation, young couples or solo travellers who wish to explore foreign destinations on a budget, or anyone who’s looking for more of an authentic traveling experience.
5. While Airbnb is just about a household name today, the company started from extremely humble beginnings. In fact, Airbnb was born from the desperate attempts of two guys struggling to pay rent to earn a few bucks back in 2008.
6. Roommates Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia couldn’t afford to pay their rent in their San Francisco apartment. So they came up with the idea of setting up and renting out three air mattresses in their apartment for travelers in the area, including breakfast as a perk.
8. Soon they had their first guest, 2 men and a woman, who paid $80 each.
8. The light bulb went on that this was a great idea, so they enlisted their ex-room mate, Nathan Blecharczyk, into the fold to create a better website, promoting the concept of personal rentals to others, earning about $200 a week.
9.. The boys even raised their first $20,000 in funding to grow the concept. They decided they needed to advertise and promote their listings with better imagery, so went door to door in New York and took beautiful photos of their listings.
10. That helped them ramp up to $400 a week and a slow but steady upward trajectory.
12. In 2011, the company started its overseas expansion, opening its first international office in Hamburg, Germany.
13. Certainly no company has climbed to greater heights in a short time than Airbnb, as only six years after their inception, in 2014, the company earned a 10 billion-dollar valuation.
14. According to The Wall Street Journal, Airbnb expects to climb to $10 billion in revenue by 2020 led by the current CEO, Arne Sorenson - one of the major players in the hospitality industry.
16. Airbnb guests stay longer than average travelers (average travelers stay for 2.8 nights while Airbnb’s average is 5 nights).
17. About 20% of people staying with Airbnb are staying more than 30 days or more – perfect if you’re going to be down in Costa Rica for a month or two – or even half the year!
18. While it’s a household name in the U.S., still less than 50% of locals are familiar with Airbnb in Costa Rica, so the movement that’s labelled “the sharing economy,” so the company is anticipated to still see exponential future growth.
19. How much can regular people earn by renting out their homes? In New York City, one commercial host made approximately $6.84 million dollars from renting out their properties in the US between 2010 and 2014.
20. Along with their meteoric rise, Airbnb certainly felt some growing pains, as not all customer experiences were glowing. In fact, the company has endured a number of scandals involving theft, property damages and an array of sordid activities in hosts’ apartments.
22. CEO Brian Chesky was recently shocked by an incident involving a woman’s home that was ransacked by an Airbnb renter. In response, he instituted a $50,000 Airbnb guarantee protecting future hosts from damage.
23. An Airbnb guest once stayed at a house where the host died midway through their stay, confusing the matter of checking out and payment.
24. According to reports in the New York Post, “entertainers” of questionable character regularly pose as tourists renting out Airbnb listings in New York City, helping them security avoid cameras and saving money compared to hotels.
25. One Airbnb host was forced to pay tenants $1,700 to vacate her apartment after they refused after 30 days, citing California tenant’s rights laws and demanding a payment of relocation fees before they left.
Despite this small number of issues, the vast majority of Airbnb customers have wonderful experiences and thoroughly enjoy their stays – especially in Costa Rica!
Need help with booking a place in Tamarindo, Guanacaste, or Playa Jaco? Hit me up!
Virtual careers are a reality these days, thanks to amazing technology, a global marketplace, and increases in outsourcing. In fact, there are plenty of online jobs you could do to earn a living while traveling or living in Costa Rica - or anywhere.
However, I’ve seen a ton of websites that go that far and then stop, not giving you the nuts and bolts of WHERE you can find these jobs and HOW to get them.
It’s hard to even do research because most links bring you to other links, paid sites, people selling you stuff - or downright scams. To be honest, it’s incredibly frustrating!
There are virtual job sites, like FlexJobs.com, Upwork, and more that prescreen employers for you, and their small fee might be well worth it in wasted time.
So I did a little research for you (because I care) to offer some good resources to actually find a legit virtual job and get hired.
Please note that I do not have any affiliation or get paid by any of these sites (I wish). I’ve clicked on all of the links to see if they were live and looked like credible job services, but I can’t vouch for their validity.
So feel free to email me with any updates or experiences you have when you go to these sites and start your job search.
Warning: There are a lot of scams out there in the world of virtual work because the bad guys prey on the anonymity of being online and the dream of “quick money from home” that many job seekers buy into.
1. Make sure the employer is a reputable company. Check their feedback and reviews on LinkedIn, Elance, and Google them. Look up their Better Business Bureau rating.
2. Confirm they have a home office with a real address, not just a PO Box.
3. Ask for references from current employees and staff.
4. Get a phone number and surprise them with a call to make sure they are there, working, and professional. If you are suspicious, ask if you can swing by and say hi.
5. NEVER send money to them for ANYTHING.
How will virtual work be different from a regular job?
Since you won’t have managers looking over your shoulder, you’ll be tempted to take a siesta instead of working. But to be successful at virtual work, you’ll need to be organized, self-motivated, and have a great work ethic.
People often mistakenly assume virtual work is easy just because you can do it from home, but most virtual professionals I know work even harder, for longer hours, and sometimes for less money. But if you factor in that they don’t have to sit in traffic, get dressed up, or pay for parking and lunch, and the flexibility to take care of the kids – or travel abroad and sit by the beach – it’s well worth it.
Your laptop will be your best friend as you travel and work abroad. But these days, some people can get by just with a smart phone or mobile device. Also, a great Internet connection is a must. Most restaurants, bars, and cafes have free Wi-Fi abroad, but you will also want to get a home connection.
A Wi-Fi extender and a pocket Wi-Fi hotspot will be invaluable as a backup.
Your new job might require a printer, and get an external hard drive to backup all of your important documents and work.
A good quality headset with a microphone will be needed if you are making frequent calls.
Skype, Facetime, and teleconferencing software will replace personal meetings, and there might also be work-specific software or applications.
You can get paid via PayPal, which is convenient, but remember that they’ll take about 2.9% out of every transaction – which really adds up. You should also be aware that some payment platforms your U.S. employer may want to use, like Venmo, won't work internationally (they can pay to Venmo but you can't transfer or withdraw the money if you're abroad!) or may charge much higher fees.
Instead, just give your employer your bank account number and routing number from the start so they can make transfers or direct deposits.
You might want to keep a Post Office Box or use someone’s home address in the U.S. or your home country. This will serve two purposes: to collect any essential mail, and also to display a normal U.S. address on your marketing materials/website, etc. so you don’t advertise to potential clients that you’re living abroad.
And of course, you'll still pay U.S. taxes on any money you earn from a U.S. employer while you're abroad. *But always check with your CPA or tax preparer first.
How do you get the job?
You will need an organized resume, just like any other job, but a digital version. Since you won’t interview with your boss or Human Resource folks in person, the way you present yourself on paper (or computer screen) is extremely important. Take full advantage of testimonials, references from past clients, or employer recommendations. Highlight any education, certifications, professional awards, or projects you worked on.
A web page with a service page also makes for a great online resume center, or some sites like ELance or LinkedIn let you to set up your own profile.
Take advantage of every tool they allow – professional photos, work samples, uploaded videos, testimonials, etc.
A short video of you in professional attire, introducing yourself and talking about your job skills, experience, and goals for work is a wonderful tool, and the link can be emailed to any potential employer.
Expect a Skype interview, possibly more screening, writing samples, or even a skills test with a virtual job.
Note: Because of the lack of personal contact, expect your employers to do a Google search for your name and probably also look you up on Facebook. Take down those half-naked pictures of you doing tequila shots and stop talking about how you hate your past employer and can't wait to quit and move down to Costa Rica!
If you are traveling or living abroad, do you have to tell your employer where you are? Is it okay to work in your pajamas? At midnight with the television on? The fine line between professionalism and sloppiness often gets blurred with virtual work, but here is the unwavering truth: do the job well; exceed expectations, and you’ll make your employer happy.
It’s all about results, and if you need a babysitter to do your work, then you shouldn’t have a virtual job. Communication will key – there’s nothing that freaks your boss out more than if they email you for something important and you don’t get back to them for a long time.
If the job is 100% virtual, you don’t have to disclose your whereabouts (they don’t know if you are sitting home in the next town, the next state, or halfway around the world,) BUT you should ask to review their specific workforce policies before you start.
If something is going to create a conflict or become an issue in the future, then honestly address it with your manager ahead of time. Remember that there will also be a time change if you are out of the country, so you may have to work some strange hours!
Be organized, professional, and expect to put as much time into your virtual job-hunt as any other employment search. I promise you that it will be worth it to live the dream of spending time in a foreign country, while still earning a paycheck!
P.S. I have a ton more resources, links, and actual companies hiring for you in the Official Expat's Moving to Costa Rica Handbook: Special Report on Working and Earning an Income From Costa Rica.
Email me any questions to [email protected] and I’ll be happy to help.
Don't miss the #1 resource for moving to Costa Rica and living the dream here. | 2019-04-24T11:46:40Z | https://www.crexpat.com/costa-rica-tips/archives/04-2019 |
Mike Myatt: The myth of "When To Lead" http://tinyurl.com/ybhknqf >An important point!
We usually aren't suffering because we can't solve our problems; we are suffering because we can't see our problems.
RT @toddsattersten: "If you work really hard and you are kind, amazing things will happen" Conan closing final show as host of Tonight Show.
@BillGates My new website is live check out thegatesnotes. Excited to share more about what I’m learning, hope you like it!
Pliny the Younger on relationships: "We are paid in our own coin."
In women’s brains, there are more active sensorial and emotive centers, and better linkage of these centers to language centers; men’s senses don’t generally work as well as women’s. Men don’t process as much emotion, and men don’t tend to link as much complex emotion or sensorial detail to words. Men downplay emotion, even at the risk of hurt feelings, in order to play up performance. Men are chemically and neurally directed toward immediate rewards from performance, and they often prod—and sometimes humiliate or shame-coworkers in this direction. Women work constantly toward helping others express emotions in words rather than just in actions and search for a method for direct empathy when someone’s feelings are hurt, even at the expense of current goals.
In men’s brains, the cerebellum tends to be larger than in the female brain. The cerebellum is the center for action and physical movement. Thus, men tend to communicate more nonverbally, with more emphasis on movement and physicality than women’s emphasis on words. Men also often misread women’s facial expressions of frustration or annoyance—leading women to think that men don’t care. Additionally, men often listen without as much facial expression as women exhibit. Women can tend to feel not heard by men who recline away from them or listen with a blank face.
Men’s brains enter a “rest state,” a zone out state, more easily than women’s. This happens many times per day naturally for men – comparatively, women’s brains do not shut off in this way except in sleep. Men’s brains also enter a rest state when quantities of words become overwhelming during communication. Men are more likely to “zone out” if discussions become lengthy or wordy. In a meeting, men may keep themselves awake by what might appear to be fidgeting—clicking a pen, tapping, looking away, and the like.
Men’s brains circulate more testosterone than women’s, as compared to women’s greater neural emphasis on oxytocin. Testosterone is a competition/aggression chemical. Oxytocin is a bonding chemical. Quite often during communication, men will try to compete while women try to bond. The more support women build around them, the lower their stress level.
Women tend to be more interactive, wanting to keep interactions extended and vital until the interaction has worked through its emotional context. So much more sensory and emotive information is processed through female brain flow that female leaders tend more than men do, to seek more interactions in a day. Men tend to be more transactional in their interactions. Once the transaction of the interaction is complete, they tend to move away from the interaction and back to their more solitary task.
What Kind of Leadership Will Work in 2010?
They think and act systemically: they see things as a whole rather than compartmentalising. They connect the parts by a guiding sense of purpose.
They see people as the route to performance: they are deeply people and relationship centered rather than just people-oriented. They not only like and care about people, but have come to understand at a deep level that the capability and engagement of people is how they achieve exceptional performance.
They are self-confident without being arrogant: self-awareness is one of their fundamental attributes. They are highly motivated to achieve excellence and are focused on organisational outcomes, vision and purpose. But they understand they cannot create performance themselves. Rather, they are conduits to performance through their influence on others. The key tool they have to do this is not systems and processes, but themselves and the ways they interact with and impact on those around them. This sense of self is not ego-driven. It is to serve a goal, creating a combination of humility and self-confidence. This is why they watch themselves carefully and act consistently to achieve excellence through their interactions and through their embodiment of the leadership role.
While these studies are helpful in defining what leaders need to aspire to, what is not so easy is converting these values into daily practice. In another fine article in the Financial Times by Stefan Stern, he offers the conclusions of a study by Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones. In Leaders Must Live Up to Their Promises, he writes, “Mr Goffee and Mr Jones concluded – after speaking to followers, i.e. lower-ranking employees rather than leaders – that the best leaders brought four things to their organisations: a sense of community, a sense that the work is significant, a sense of excitement (or fun), and authenticity (meaning that the personality and behaviour of the leader is consistent and credible).
Timidity and smallness in our leaders is nothing new. It has to be exposed and challenged, generation after generation. Even while we secretly hope for powerful new leaders to emerge.
Becoming an outstanding leader is likely to depend a great deal on maturity, self-awareness and self-development within the job. Some of the outstanding leaders featured in the research did not originally have a people-focused approach, but realised the impact they were having on people and therefore adjusted their style accordingly. They arrived at this point through experience, maturity and reflection. They had a very sophisticated understanding of cause and effect and how their actions can dramatically affect outcomes.
I would suggest that “maturity, self-awareness and self-development” will help us to adjust our leadership to the context we now find ourselves working within.
Loyalty is a critical subject for leaders. As builders of community, we can’t function without it. Successful organizations are built on relationships. Leadership is all about relationships. But how important is modeling loyalty in everything you do?
It is hard to talk about sustainability, community, personal responsibility and relationships without talking about loyalty. Yet we do.
The possibility of leaving applies to some degree to our relationships with everyone. Weak friendships, dysfunctional families, bad marriages, intolerant religious institutions, and inept governments all face the prospect of abandonment. And there are indeed times when leaving is the best option.
But society cannot function and relationships cannot last if leaving is the readily selected, probable outcome to every perceived grievance. And while few would admit to cutting and running when times get tough, many, if not most of us, have a general sense that leaving has become too easy for many.
Loyalty is about making commitments to causes, people and ideas through thick and thin, for better or for worse. It is about service to something greater than ourselves.
Long-term thinking helps to develop loyalty. Professor Richard Sennett observed, “’No long term’ is a principle which corrodes trust, loyalty, and mutual commitment … social bonds take time to develop, slowly rooting into the cracks and crevices of institutions.” Leaders are hard pressed to function without it.
Pinpoint Where You Are: Where do you stand? We believe we are far more loyal than the recipients of our loyalty believe us to be. They offer the online LoyaltyAdvisior assessment to aid you in determining where you are.
Prioritize Those Things That Matter: If we want to make loyalty a meaningful part of our everyday existence, then we need to understand where we are actually spending our time and then prioritize.
Can You Pass the Fitzgerald Test?
I have to focus on running operations with laserlike precision without stifling creativity.
I exist because of my big business, but “small saplings” are critical for long-term success.
Data drives my decisions, but I have to trust intuition and judgment when data doesn’t exist or is vague.
Attention to detail and focus on numbers has allowed me to progress in my career, but too much focus on details or numbers can crowd out innovation.
The people I trust the most are people who deliver short-term results and never surprise me, but innovation almost always involves some kind of surprise.
I have to leverage my capabilities to win today’s battles while walking away from many of these capabilities to win tomorrow’s battles.
To this we might add the ability to look at solutions to problems that have more than one solution or seemingly opposing goals—serving shareholders and our communities, to grow and be good stewards. If you have a low tolerance for opposing thoughts you are less likely to look for other alternatives. This greatly limits your ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
But the capacity to deal with paradox, to work with opposable ideas, is learnable. Again, self-awareness is key. Understand how you view the world. Then, creating a specific developmental program to help you take a broader view, to integrate multiple perspectives, to view solutions as both/and instead of either/or, will help you pass the Fitzgerald Test.
When two or more of these needs are experienced you are likely to describe the group experience as memorable. While it might seem to happen by chance, it's a choice. Any member of a group, aware of these needs as expressed in a group setting, can take the steps necessary to move that group to a more transformative, extraordinary experience. Meeting these core human needs is accomplished best in small groups (2 to 20 people).
To accomplish this, you want to be a facilitative leader as opposed to a directive leader. With the group needs model in mind, the authors suggest that you “stand back from your group to consider the individual members, their collective purpose, and the world in which they operate” and ask “How might this group experience meet those needs?” Then consider the eight indicators of extraordinary groups (listed above) to see if they are present. Do members of the group seem energized, hopeful, connected and positively changed?
Extraordinary Groups offers practical advice on implementing the Groups Model into your own group situation. All of the suggestions offered are accompanied by examples, reflection questions and sample actions for both you and the group. By paying attention to group needs you can more consistently transform ordinary groups into something more energizing, connecting and affirming.
At Work, people often look at their jobs in terms of tasks rather than responsibilities. But if you don’t view responsibility in the broader sense, you may be committing the most subtle of unforced errors: Over time you may fall off the corporate radar screen. Your boss may feel that you are capable of completing a routine task or matter, but if the assignment is more than routine, or if the boss is looking for someone to take the initiative, she will not think of you. And when it comes time to promote someone or to draw up a list of the valuable people she needs to keep when corporate belt tightening requires a layoff, she will not think of you.
If there is nobody addressing a problem that you observe, or taking advantage of an opportunity that you see, think about whether you should be doing it yourself.
Taking responsibility is about developing a mind-set that says: “I am responsible for what happens in my unit. It’s my job to help get us to success.
Surviving and thriving in this crucible of conflicting demands is no easy task. It requires that leaders strengthen and develop their internal resources. They must learn to enter the fundamental state of leadership when faced with challenges—a state that demands that they dig deep into their values and purpose. That fundamental state of leadership requires leaders to move from comfort with activities to focus on results, from self-absorption to commitment to mission and higher purpose, from focus on self to focus on others, from being internally closed to being externally open, and from hiding the truth to embracing the truth.
Incidentally, it will not come as a surprise to readers of the Leading Blog, that generally, underperforming companies have not developed leaders throughout their organizations. Beer suggests that this is because “most managers had come up through their home function, business unit, or region, and never acquired the broader general management perspective needed to understand and manage cross-boundary activities….In many of the companies, ineffective senior teams did not spend time developing common values and perspective about what constituted good leadership.” Again, the primary responsibility to learn to lead from where you are lies with you.
We have been going through the worst economy in three generations. It has been a defining moment for many leaders. While many of us have been focused on surviving, there have been those leaders that have thrived in this economy; leaders who have taken advantage of this changing economy and have found opportunities amid the uncertainty.
Lori Ann LaRocco, Senior Talent Producer at CNBC and a producer of the show Squawk Box, was in a position to ask some of the best minds in business today how they are responding this economic environment, how they are defying failure and what opportunities do they see?
As a result, LaRocco has assembled 23 insightful essays in Thriving In the New Economy. In their own words, they shed light on how they view the crisis, what they did as a result, and what they plan to do. It makes for a compelling read to gain a window on these leaders' different but similar viewpoints and approaches.
The essays are divided into five sections: the economy, banking, real estate, autos, and retail. You will read personal accounts from people like economists Larry Lindsey and David Malpass; Wall Street legends Jack Bogle, Bob Doll, Abby Joseph Cohen, Ron Baron and Peter Cohen; bankers Kelly King, and Donald Powell; real estate executives Don Peebles Richard LeFrak, and Ron Peltier; and from the auto and retail industries Jim Lentz and Steve Sadove.
Larry Lindsey, CEO of The Lindsey Group shares this on the function of leadership: “Most institutions prefer managers who will serve the needs of an existing institution—that is, who will follow the wishes of the various constituencies within the institution—rather than managers who will lead the institution to a new place."
I’ll take information wherever I get it and run it down. Winning is all about showing up. I know a lot of people who say they don’t want to go to work and claim to have nothing to do there. That’s not true. There is always something to do at work—always. That is a philosophy that I follow, and that we follow. And while I think we’re in for a really difficult time ahead, I’m really excited that there’ll be some great opportunities that will come out of it.
You can read (PDF) the contribution by Wilbur Ross on how he analyzes a crisis and how he chooses to invest.
We have a long tradition of approaching leadership via the “power of positive thinking.” I want to counterbalance that approach by paying special attention to the tendency we have as leaders to project more shadow than light. Leadership is hard work for which one is regularly criticized and rarely rewarded, so it is understandable that we need to bolster ourselves with positive thoughts. But by failing to look at our shadows, we feed a dangerous delusion that leaders too often indulge: that our efforts are always well intended, our power is always benign, and the problem is always in those difficult people whom we are trying to lead.
WHY gets to the cause of things. The answer is your purpose or belief. It explains why you get up in the morning, why should I follow you, why should I buy from you.
Your why is what inspires people. It gives clarity. Everything you do—your HOWs and WHATs—flows from your WHY.
Great leaders, in contrast, are able to inspire people to act. Those who are able to inspire give people a sense of purpose or belonging that has little to do with any external incentive or benefit to be gained…. Those who are able to inspire will create a following of people—supporters, voters, customers, workers—who act for the good of the whole not because they have to, but because they want to.
“People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.” The problem says Simon Sinek, “is most businesses today are making decisions based on a set of incomplete or, worse, completely flawed assumptions about what’s driving their business.” They don’t know or have forgotten the why. Whys are hard to communicate. It’s easier to talk about what you do or how you do it. So we focus on the whats and the hows and over time, the why can get lost.
In Start With Why he introduces the Golden Circle to explain loyalty and how to create enough momentum to turn an idea into a social movement. It begins from the inside out. It starts with why.
"All great leaders have charisma because all great leaders have clarity of WHY; an undying belief in a purpose or cause bigger than themselves."
If you're considering some personal development goals you couldn't go wrong reviewing the 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior once copied down by George Washington.
By age sixteen, Washington had copied out by hand the 110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. They are based on a set of rules composed by French Jesuits in 1595. Presumably they were copied out as part of an exercise in penmanship assigned by young Washington's schoolmaster. The first English translation of the French rules appeared in 1640, and are ascribed to Francis Hawkins the twelve-year-old son of a doctor.
Today many, if not all of these rules, sound a little fussy if not downright silly. It would be easy to dismiss them as outdated and appropriate to a time of powdered wigs and quills, but they reflect a focus that is increasingly difficult to find. The rules have in common a focus on other people rather than the narrow focus of our own self-interests that we find so prevalent today. Fussy or not, they represent more than just manners. They are the small sacrifices that we should all be willing to make for the good of all and the sake of living together.
Check them out at Foundations Magazine. | 2019-04-24T17:57:01Z | https://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/2010/01/ |
Driving back tonight with my eyes on the road and the sillouette of the steering wheel before me, the lights of the instrument clusters seemed to be dancing around. My first thought was: oh, crud--are my eyes starting to get old and lose their muscle speed?
I figured it out eventually--the instrument cluster was dancing around, as was the rest of the car--but the seat cushioning meant that I wasn't getting bounced as much, and since I was focussing on the distant road, my eyes weren't trying to follow the dancing instrument lights. Not going blind yet.
Car seat cushioning is a wonderful thing that we often take for granted.
Large physics experiments are expensive. But if you find a "gold-plated toilet" in the budget, closer inspection will show that there's a really good reason for it--nothing else will work.
In fact, recycling and scrounging are important traditions. I knew some of the stories at the link--that CMS, needing brass for the material of an endcap, recycled Russian artillery shells. When an experiment ends, parts of the apparatus and the electronics become available--and some people are quite creative in repurposing detectors for new experiments.
Kephart recalled Lederman acquiring a 16-inch battleship gun to filter out particles traveling at the wrong angles. One of Lederman’s grad students was just small enough to slip inside.
Other people have already said everything reasonable to say (and a lot of unreasonable things as well), and all I can add is that I hope they can rebuild it. The amount of volunteered money is encouraging, but a few noises suggest that jockeying for control has already started. The usual winners of these artistic contests seem not to have any great interest in beauty, much less Christianity.
If you haven't seen the robot Colossus, watch it. It could go where people couldn't, and keep watching, and keep the water flowing. And the Paris Fire Brigade borrowed some drones, and got the "geofencing functions" bypassed so the drones could fly within the city limits. Apparently the French bureaucracy can move quickly when it wants to.
The cathedral has been modified before. I think this time maybe they shouldn't go with oak timbers. Steel. And since the upper stone is probably weakened, maybe some additional framework on the outside. It won't look the same--but then it didn't look quite the same after each earlier remodeling.
But first and foremost, if they want to rebuild it with any meaning, it must be a church.
People spend billions on advertisements in the belief that they change people's attitudes. They seem to work. The shows must have an impact too.
To film a TV show you need to have room for the cameras and the lights and for characters to come in and out dramatically. The room being filmed is therefore necessarily large. So when you watch, you see something larger than life--or at least your life. How come the people like me have bigger houses and more stuff? And they don't have much work to do, either income-generating or household maintenance.
A play now and again might give you a sense of things you could aspire to. A steady diet of amusements in which everyone has plenty of stuff without obvious effort has got to effect you too. I'd think it would redefine what "normal" is. Work 9to5 isn't normal on TV, and even on shows where a character's job is significant, the work doesn't usually seem to be the center. I can think of exceptions, and you can probably think of many more, but on the whole that seems to be the rule.
A fantasy now and then is harmless, and probably good. We want something different from everyday life, with a little drama and conflict, or silliness that we wouldn't care for in real life. I don't want to watch an assembly line, or a man writing code, or another planning meeting.
Since we are, by and large, rich enough that existential problems are rare, we don't have as many reminders that the magic land isn't real.
A lot of the action in society happens from the tails of the distributions in attitudes. It doesn't take a very large change in the average to make major changes in the proportions of the political players, or the cultural players. Can you imagine someone 50 years ago offering to "celebrate her abortion?" That fringe wasn't nearly big enough. They were there, but didn't seem to be applauded by very many.
It hasn't been hard to find people in every era who believed that the vague "rich" were responsible for our woes, and that if they were found and properly shaken down all would be well. We have a significant number of them today among the nominally educated.(*) Open a newspaper Click a news-site and find what used to be fringe personality problems staking out self-important claims to be society leaders. Most of us don't care, but the tails of the distributions have shifted a lot, and that's where the cultural action is. And the political action.
Don Quixote lost his mind from over-indulging in heroic romances. At least he got a sense of duty out of them. Us--not quite so noble.
(*) Perhaps I am unduly snarky here, but most of these people I've met seem not to have spent much study in "subjects where there is a right answer or the bridge falls down" or in "subjects where there is perennial debate and good arguments all around."
Some of us can tell stories wonderfully well--I wish I could write half as well as he did. Some of us compose great melodies--I'm listening to Strauss as I write this.
We all live a story. We all live a song. Sometimes we're too close to hear it.
You see, way back in 2011, when CDs were maybe(?) still a thing and Blackberries still thought maybe they could make a go of it, I decided to build a computer. Usually when I tell people I built a computer, they think I went and bought a power supply and an ATX motherboard and some silly neon lights and whatever else the kids do to play Crysis these days. Then I have to explain that, no, I mean I built a computer.
In this episode she starts trying to use a GPU. Recent posts have involved repairing a pinball machine and building a steam motor. ("I was completely unprepared for how much steam was released, and the force with which it comes out. Everything in a six foot area was completely soaked, I dropped the camera, and it took me some time to gather myself back up. The good news is, the blow-off valve worked perfectly! All in all, it was a great success and I learned more respect for 60psi of live steam."). That's the last of a long series of posts, btw.
Sometimes I wish I had a small machine shop too. Investing in the parts to repair my own brakes is probably more in line with my budget, though.
It turns out there's actually an IceCube connection to the black hole picture story.
The data transfer rate of a jet loaded with disks is very good. The transfer rate from the Pole by satellite is pretty slow, though between some US sites it can be much better. For example from NERSC to Madison it would take a little less than 6 months do move 5 PB. And 5TB is supposedly the total data set from all sites, not the amount of data each one sent.
If you remember your galaxy positions better than I do, you might wonder how it is that the South Pole Telescope managed to help image M87. (The EHT telescopes are in blue on that image.) After all, there's a planet in the way.
I haven't read half of their papers yet, but I know how I'd use the station. When you want to understand your detector, you need to know what it sees when part of it isn't working, and you want to know what it looks like if there is extra information. You can't bring Palomar along with you on a trip, but you can compare what your telescope sees with what Palomar sees when you are looking at the same thing, and that tells you something about what your scope can see by itself.
(*) Actually, I suspect that the photographer wanted a picture of him beside an Antarctic box, any box. The story just talks about shipping packs disk drives around, not servers--not even disk servers. (We also used Cabbage Cases). We ship our data on disks also, in two copies in case one disk fails (and they do). The summarized stuff we beam back by satellite, but sometimes you need the gory details.
Benedict's letter seems to be causing a bit of a stir. The usual suspects hate it ("divisive!"), but there was enough fuzziness in reporting about it (*) that I decided to read it myself.
The translation isn't ideal, and there are clearly some philosophical terms in play that don't get clear explanation--I'm coming in on a conversation where I don't know all of the background, where a trial is described in terms of competing goods.
Aside from that, if the translator hasn't left things out, then I think Benedict is very tired. It reads as though sections were written separately, and some connective bits were left out. The reader can figure out what they are, if he makes the effort to understand Benedict.
He tries to remind us of one of those ugly little secrets from '68--the sexual revolution proponents were often very much ok with pedophilia. The collapse of sexual morality was dramatic. It had been in the works for a while, of course, as he mentions. Whether the antinomianism derived from the sexual greed or the other way round, or both developed together, is a point he should have tried to address--it would have tied his essay together better.
He touches on the rise of homosexual cliques which came to dominate some seminaries.
He describes the revolt against absolute truth, and links it to an abandonment of the use of "natural law." He seems to support the claim that a complete moral system can't be based exclusively on the Bible. The Bible doesn't address every single issue in that kind of detail, and a substantial amount of "common sense" is needed to deal with the rest. I admit I haven't considered the matter in that kind of detail, but it's a plausible claim.
He goes on in a long parenthesis to explain how the procedures and structures of church discipline made it difficult to convict/defrock an abuser. I don't know if the translation got in the way, or if I'm missing some important details about procedures here.
One victim of the failure to deal with abuse is the Church, in the sense of the body of the faithful who were scandalized and betrayed. Several news stories are deliberately obtuse about this point.
He wraps up with a call to focus on the Eucharist and not to think of the church as a mere political institution.
Franz Böckle, ... announced in view of the possible decisions of the encyclical Veritatis splendor that if the encyclical should determine that there were actions which were always and under all circumstances to be classified as evil, he would challenge it with all the resources at his disposal.
Above all, a criterion for the appointment of new bishops was now their "conciliarity," which of course could be understood to mean rather different things.
(*) Mainstream reporting about religion is always at least incomplete, and often completely wrong. It's like they're trying to report on a news story written in Chinese, by looking at the pictures.
Kudos to the team! I'm still reading the papers linked to here, and don't have anything to comment so far. This was a tough analysis.
They had 4 independent teams, blinded to each other's work, using different approaches, so that they could be sure they were doing it right. And, FYI, that ring you see? The light doesn't come straight. Photon paths are strongly bent around the black hole. And light coming from the side of the plasma disk that is headed our way has a huge Doppler boost compared to light from the receding side.
UPDATE: At the journal club today, Halzen said that one of the journalists at the press conference asked why the picture was so blurry. We got a good laugh out of that. If I understand correctly, this is the highest resolution image ever taken.
Satellites don't carry most of our communications between continents. Submarine cables do.
While people tend think of satellites and cell towers as the heart of the internet, the most vital component is the 380 submerged cables that carry more than 95 percent of all data and voice traffic between the continents. They were built largely by the U.S. and its allies, ensuring that (from a Western perspective, at least) they were “cleanly” installed without built-in espionage capability available to our opponents.
But now the Chinese conglomerate Huawei Technologies, the leading firm working to deliver 5G telephony networks globally, has gone to sea. Under its Huawei Marine Networks component, it is constructing or improving nearly 100 submarine cables around the world.
Naturally, Huawei denies any manipulation of the cable sets it is constructing, even though the U.S. and other nations say it is obligated by Chinese law to hand over network data to the government.
Bearing in mind that satellites are fragile and EMP isn't that hard to arrange (seriously, our infrastructure is horribly fragile!), what happens to communications when the cables work only at someone else's pleasure? Not to mention tapping, since the author already did.
On a related note, my wife is reading a lot about WWII as she writes a book set during the war. We didn't win because we were smarter. We won because a) we were able to read some of our enemies' secret messages and b) we were rich enough to be able to crank out lots of airplanes and tanks and warships. Without those things we wouldn't have gotten close enough to use an atomic bomb. Or been able to develop the better planes and radar-controlled artillery and other goodies. Right now I suspect our adversaries read pretty much all our secret messages (sometimes on the front page), and I'm not sure how fast we could ramp up production of our super-expensive weapons systems.
I don't have the skill to do justice to Jesus' Incarnation, nor even to the distant echo of it that is my own.
I'll limit myself to the shoe and the bookcase and hope I can manage those and not ramble too much.
I'm facing three large bookcases--2 of them 6' x 6'. I built them back when money was a lot tighter, and they've made several moves with us. I spent quite a bit of time measuring and drilling freehand, and learning the hard way about decorative brackets (an invention of the devil), and realizing after a few years that I had to bite the bullet and unload and varnish them.
My time and effort went into them, and if my time and effort are part of my life there's something of my life there. Ever since I made them they've been part of the background and tools of my life, and of my children's lives, and of my wife's life (sometimes to her chagrin, for I was far from an expert carpenter). Although it isn't good to be overly attached to things of this world, when we use something it leaves a mark on our lives and we leave a mark on it.
A shoe is almost silly. There's this reflection of my foot sunk into the material. If another one of those accidents at 1st and Washington takes me out, there'll still be this ghost of me in the shoe. It isn't an important thing, but it illustrates.
When our time ends, I suspect we bring into eternity what we put our selves into. Keeping the home clean is an action and not a thing; that comes with us too. My body has some trivial little quirks that don't seem important--the remaining hair keeps growing and needs to be cut now and then. Care for those trivial things is part of my life anyway. So is digging in the garden, an easy job that leaves a useful mark on the world. (but what inertia I have to overcome to do it!) So, I'm afraid, is procrastinating--and an absence of action is a very strange thing to bring into eternity.
The things we do and care for don't last in this world. The board is erased and the next boy steps up to the chalk. But I was put here to invest myself in work and people, for God. One way and another I've done that; put myself into things and people. This seems almost like a kind of incarnation of me in the things around me. I wonder what that will look like from eternity.
New ballot found in McFarland village president race decided by one vote.
McFarland Village staff found the unopened absentee ballot Monday morning in a bin used to store and transfer absentee ballots in last week's election and subsequent recount, Village Administrator Matthew Schuenke said.
"It was found sealed within an envelope used for absentee voting and it is not open," he said. "The contents are presently unknown, but it does appear to contain a ballot."
No. Just no. There is no clear chain of possession. Absentee ballots in general have that problem and in my not-so-humble judgment should not be widely encouraged. But this is just crazy.
The music directory's wife has Alzheimers. The pastor's wife has cancer. "Happy" just isn't the right word. It has bothered me as long as I can remember.
We can do better. Even I can do better. "And now you walk beside me every day." "And now joy in Jesus lifts each day." "; Jesus' love sustains me all my way." "And His love sustains me every day." There are lots of variations that don't mar the meaning or the meter, and that's just tweaking one line.
Maybe you've a better replacement--great!
We've seen some demi-competent attempts to make lyrics more inclusive, sometimes OK and frequently clunky. Surely we can get a grass-roots "theological" fix in place. Can I get an Amen?
(*) I wasn't familiar with the Campmeeting refrain. It's OK, but it's kind of passive, and doesn't have the same movement as the Hudson refrain, or the rest of the song.
Sometimes you almost want to cry for the wasted opportunities.
Today was Engineering Expo day for school-kids, and I was helping chaperone. It was too cold for the IceCube T-shirt, so I didn't do a lot of IceCube PR.
The first thing the 6 under our care were curious about was a talk called "Changing the Universe." I will omit the man's name. He was a relatively slow speaker, which was a bad sign, but introduced himself as having worked on the ISS from the inside, and also on the IceCube experiment, which were good signs.
He started by introducing Ptolemy's model using an old illustrated picture that nobody could read, said things about planets going backwards, and then introduced Copernicus using a similarly old drawing and mentioned Kepler's contribution. Then he started explaining the 1/R^2 rule by describing a candle inside a sphere.
By that time 3 of the 6 kids were nodding off. We bundled them out.
Even for adults the lecture would have been slow and unclear. For 5'th graders it was awful. I later explained why the 1/R^2 rule made sense, by talking to them about lawn sprinklers, and getting more or less wet the closer or farther you were from it.
You may ask if I could have done better.
He was using Powerpoint. That supports animations.
OK, show what people observed in the night sky. Animate it. Start with the Sun and Moon, which are nice and simple. People figured out those patterns early on, and it is easy to illustrate those with easy animations of the Moon's position against the "fixed stars." Yes, that requires a bit of animation-fu, but it isn't rocket science. I'm fairly sure there is educational software that does that sort of thing already.
Then show the planets, and how they move against the "fixed stars." That's a little trickier to animate if you want to do it right, but I assume you want to do it right. A little patter to point up "What the heck are those lights in the sky doing?" doesn't have to take very long, and you get to start out with a simple puzzle to try to catch their interest.
Illustrate Ptolemy's model with a clear animated cartoon, not a thousand-year-old illumination. Then remind them of the weird epicycle clunkiness of the model, and show them Copernicus's animated cartoon. It isn't hard to show, with a couple of lines drawn on that cartoon, that a Sun-centered model doesn't need epicycles.
Then, instead of saying that the Milky Way is made of lots of stars, show it. Zoom.
Instead of starting with 1/R^2, start with the question--how far away are these stars--and then talk about how you start with the simplest assumption: the stars are the same brightness (not true, but you have to start somewhere), and then you need a relationship between apparent brightness and distance.
You introduce the 1/R^2 relationship by talking about things from their experience. Parallax you introduce with cartoon illustrations (I've seen plenty of these), instead of the eventual trig problem. If the kids know trig they'll figure the connection out themselves, and if they don't there's no point in it. A cartoon gets the idea across just fine.
I figure working up the slides to get this far would take several weeks. There's a lot of stuff to get looking right, and PowerPoint presentations always take me forever even without animations.
But afterwards even 5'th graders could walk out understanding how and why our picture of the universe has changed. You'd even have time to point out the shock a non-Earth-centered description was to naive thinking about our position in the Universe.
On the other hand, the kids seemed to enjoy some of the other demonstrations, and making catapults, and directing robots, and making vacuum-formed plastic, and so on. Yours truly thought that making marshmallow towers would be a terribly frustrating exercise, but since you get to eat your failures I suppose it has its attractions. There was even a Candy Crusher, in which a machine used to test the strength and resilience of materials was used on different varieties of candy. "This springs right back after being squeezed, while this never does quite recover..." The reactor wasn't open this time. | 2019-04-20T03:19:26Z | http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com/ |
The best developers optimize every aspect of their lives. Optimization is built into their DNA. We are always looking for ways to not repeat ourselves and strive to make everything we do faster. Everything from doing the dishes to serialization. If it’s not as fast as it possibly could be, then we spend countless hours making it so. Now as a manager I get to code a bit, but a big part of what I’m responsible for is optimizing developer productivity. I have a long way to go, but I have definitely improved as a manager over the last 10 years, so I thought I would share what I have learned.
You’ll see two approaches below. The left column is written from the perspective of the out of touch manager and the right column is written from my point of view. Hopefully you’ll get a laugh or two out of the former.
The first thing you want to do is set the expectation that your developers will be working very long hours. They should be working from the moment they wake up to the moment they fall asleep. If not coding that whole time, they should at least be thinking about code. I find it best to set mandatory in-office core hours from 8am to 8pm. That way they get in a solid 12 hours a day in the office and then they can make up the remaining 4 hours of their 16 hour day on their own time. It’s fine if they chose to come in earlier or stay later, but everyone must be in their office for core hours. Try roaming the halls at the start and end of each day and take notes on who is and isn’t in their office. That way you know who the really productive people are. You could also go the punch card route or you could require them to install a service that monitors their activity and alerts you when they aren’t meeting their numbers. On my team the expectation is that you’ll work roughly 8 hours a day, but it is very self-managed. Some days you’ll work 10, some days you’ll work 6. I never track developer hours. The code you produce speaks for itself. I work an hour or so in the morning, get in around 9:30, leave at 4:30, then I’m back at it for a bit before I go to sleep. That allows me to eat breakfast and dinner with my family on a regular basis. I’m never going to stop someone from working long hours. Some love pulling all-nighters. I might give a nudge here and there that someone might want to rest, but we are all grown-ups and should be able to recognize when we need a break.
If there’s one thing I know, it is that developers love meetings. Especially meetings where they have nothing to contribute. They can just sit there and nod and pretend to be listening, which is a great opportunity for them to stress about all the code they need to write. The two best types of meetings are all-day meetings and ad-hoc meetings. If you do an all-day meeting, make sure you still follow the 16 hour a day rule and also make sure it is well known that “meeting time” doesn’t count against core working hours. For example, an all-day 8 hour meeting equates to a 24 (16+8) hour work day. Ad-hoc meetings are also very helpful. Those are the kind of meetings where you randomly stop by to see how things are going, see if they need anything and check if their work is done yet. I usually put a reminder on my calendar every 45 minutes to get up, see who is in their office and ask them questions that help them context switch. After all…context switching is a skill that is learned – and it’s your job to develop your team. By all means do not do one-on-one meetings, especially when you become a manager of managers. If you have tons of people on your team, there’s no way you can meet with them all, so don’t meet with any of them. If you want to know how your devs are doing, just send them a survey and pretend like you thought about the responses. Do not do “No meeting Fridays” or “No meeting afternoons” and put a 30-60 minute gap in between meetings so they can get a good 20 minutes of coding time in between them. At the end of the day they should spend 80% of their time in meetings and 20% of their time developing. Meetings are necessary, but can be optimized. On my team all recurring meetings are scheduled before noon and we suggest that all meetings take place in the morning, so Devs have the afternoon to get into the Flow. I’m a manager of managers and I meet one-on-one with every FTE on my team at least every three weeks. I get a lot out of those meetings…I’m usually the one who comes away with action items. Everyone also just got Blync lights to help minimize context switching via ad-hoc-stop-bys when someone is trying to get into the Flow.
Working from home?...it should be……“Xboxing from home” because you know that’s what they are doing all day. It’s a trick. Don’t fall for it. You can let them have every other Sunday to themselves if they are hitting their “lines of code” count and code coverage percentage for the month. But, never on a regular basis. When someone says they need to work from home immediately schedule an early morning meeting and require them to be there in person. Most of my team has regular “work from home” days and just yesterday Will and David paired at Cafe Cesura for an afternoon. I usually use Fridays as my WFH day, but I’m flexible. If a dev can honestly say they are more productive at home or if they want to save an hour in driving then that’s cool. You want them to figure out what sets them up for success and support it.
When you get developers the latest versions of software it just means they are going to spend a bunch of time learning how to use it, which is valuable time away from coding. Visual Studio 2005 is fine, don’t let them convince you otherwise. Everything that was ever needed was in .NET 1.0, so don’t waste your time hearing arguments about upgrading to .NET 4.5 – async/await…blah blah blah. If they coded things right in the first place they wouldn’t need to process so many things at once. When it comes to software, get them whatever they need. My whole team runs on the latest version of VS (2013) uses ReSharper and Web Essentials…and many more. The tools were created for the sole purpose of developer productivity, so embrace them. Let your team experiment with new VS add-ons or other editors (try WebStorm for example). In the whole scheme of things it’s not worth it to skimp on Dev Tools. You may spend thousands on tools, but that can result in much more savings in dev hours and frustration.
Developers heads are in the cloud enough as it is. All good software that was ever created is sitting on a computer under someone’s desk. Every once in a while you get a site that takes off, like Twitter, and you need to do shared hosting, but we aren’t Twitter. The cloud is just a buzzword cooked up by marketing folks. All clouds eventually precipitate and disappear – see “the water cycle”. I’m not making this up. That’s just science. If you really want a productive dev then they need to know how to mount physical servers on racks and swap out hard drives when they fail. As far as work items management and bug tracking, you definitely want that in Excel and on an internal SharePoint site so they have to VPN to get to it from home. I was going to say that the Cloud is the future, but it’s not. It’s the present. Are you still running your stack on-prem? Come up with a plan to get it to the cloud. Developers love the Cloud because it greatly simplifies the part of their job that they just inherited when they became a combined engineer. Push, push, push - everything cloud all the time. Everything from your source to your production bits to your work items should be in the cloud.
Back when I started out as a dev I did everything. Developers these days label that “DevOps” and think it’s something new. What can be better than copying and pasting code from your /bin/debug folder to prod? Or better yet, just have them write a script to copy every local build to prod. That, my friend, is agility. Get consistent about your deployments and code sharing. Learn how to dynamically scale with Azure or AWS. Simplifying deployments, environments and scale simply leads to a more productive developer because they can focus on creating. Encourage them to come up with new ways to save time. There’s a big effort on my team right now to automate every piece of our deployment and compliance process so we can get back to coding. The criteria for a DevOps task is 1) Do we need to do this thing? 2) If yes, then optimize it so we don’t have to think about it.
Everyone knows that major search engines run on commodity hardware. Why should developers need a better dev box than what one of the most sophisticated pieces of software on the planet needs? 4 Cores? 1 Core is more than enough. 32GB of RAM? When I was a dev I got by just fine with 2GBs. SSDs? Faster, yeah, but expensive and quiet. Every good dev needs a disc spinning in the background. Monitors? One 15 inch was fine for me 10 years ago and it’s more than enough pixels for today. Visual Studio takes up more screen real estate now, so that’s why the good people at Microsoft put scrollbars in there. Plus, we are using Visual Studio 2005…that version only has 42 context menu items – yes they go off the screen, but that’s what the keyboard arrow keys are for. Mice? Keyboards? Good devs don’t need them. Period. Everything that can be done with a keyboard and mouse can be done faster in the command prompt. Do not buy them Blync lights. It’s just one more thing you’ll have to ignore. Invest in good hardware. Devs love working with reliable hardware. Crappy hardware gets in the way of what they love to do. I’m not saying buy everyone a 4k monitor, but make sure they have a super fast machine.I just got everyone on my team new SSDs so VS loads faster and local build time is reduced. Everyone has at least 2 24" monitors, Microsoft Sculpt keyboards and fast dev machines. I just placed an order for a couple of “3.7ghz, 6 Core, 32GB, 256 SSD, 1TB HDD, 8 video 4k output” machines.
Developers like to live in silos, which is why they like waterfall. What they really like is a lot of planning, usually around 6-9 months, and then coding for about 1-2 weeks and then feature cuts or project cancellations and then more planning. Agile? I love agile. I mean the team is saying that anyone can come at any time and request anything and they will accommodate it? Perfect. Standups? No. Devs should be sitting and coding and not talking. People will know when their stuff is done because they can hear them yell “compiling!” from down the hall. Discourage pair programming. You are the one paying them to code, not to be buddies. You definitely don’t want two people working on something that one person could do alone. Plus, you have the added benefit of discovering that those two devs actually developed the same thing independently and then have to wrestle over which implementation is better. There’s nothing like a good unnecessary heated debate to boost productivity. Whether you like it or not, your developers will use agile. As I mentioned before we are very efficient humans. We optimize. We start a lot of things, but also know when to stop them when they are failing. Why not embrace agile and be a strong advocate for it? That will definitely motivate your devs to come up with new ways of doing things that help them be more productive. Support their ideas. Try anything once. Agile doesn’t mean you just adopt Scrum or you do a standup. It’s a cultural shift that embraces iteration and constant feedback. You have to be okay with uncertainty, but by doing so leads to team to productivity.
TIP (Testing In Production) is cool, but TIP-WAU (Testing In Production With Actual Users) is even cooler. If you want to know where the bugs are in your software then just ship it. Users will report any bugs. That way you don’t need to distract developers from what they do best…creating new features. Those new features may break other features, but as long as the new feature somewhat works it’s all good. There’s this popular concept that “good enough” is better than “perfect”. I like to take that a step further and say “Compiling? Ship it!”. Hit F5. Build Succeeded? Ship. Don’t think, don’t test it, just ship it. Devs like to ship. Give them that opportunity. Since devs should be working on new features, they don’t really have time to be writing unit tests. If they wrote the code right the first time then unit tests aren’t really necessary. What has worked for me is just happy-path testing every other release when they have time, which is never, because they are coding new features. Most features get cut anyway, so the chance of them ever being seen by a customer is slim to none. This is a transitional year for Microsoft. We are moving from a 4 team setup (Dev, Test, PM & Ops) to two team setup (Dev and PM). The Test and Ops roles are merging with the Dev discipline. We inherited a lot of responsibility and are working through it. My team is investing heavily in test automation. From unit tests to end-to-end test to performance. We are coming up with a solution that allows us to build functional and end-to-end tests upon unit tests. The idea is to optimize testing and get it as close to the code as possible. There’s no way we can ship as fast as we’d like to without automation. Fixing this means better quality releases and more time focused on making sweeping changes that were too risky before automation.
Devs are already really well paid for what they do. Typing and thinking is not that difficult. When someone does something that deserves a reward, like when they check-in code without it getting reviewed or when they overwrite someone else’s changes or go out of their way to delete production data…that’s when you’ll be tempted to reward them, but don’t. It only leads to more ego inflation and further distraction from coding. The last thing you want is a developer walking around thinking they are valuable.Since devs are so well paid and aren’t really interested in making more money so you have to give them mundane work that anyone could do. Like fixing content bugs or updating documentation. Then when they get to code actual features they will be way more productive because they know how bad it could be. Money definitely isn’t everything, but you have to be competitive. I take a pulse on how people in the industry are paid and I think Microsoft is doing well. Especially if you consider the entire compensation package. I stand behind my theory that if you do your absolute best you’ll be rewarded for it. And if not at least you know you did your best and can start thinking about places where you are better appreciated. My hope is that no one on my team feels that way. A big reward for doing something well is the opportunity to take on more challenging work. Devs love a good challenge. Small wins lead to bigger challenges and my team is usually thrilled to take them on.
No ping-pong. No darts. No kickball. No pool. No “wine-downs”. No “morale events”. No alcohol. No fun. No. Never. That’s what their every other Sunday is for (see “Hours” above). Fun just means time away from coding, which is what developers love to do. So, in fact, you are doing them a favor by not forcing them to pretend that they like getting to know other people. We have a dartboard, ping-pong and foosball table. We play kick-ball in the summers. We just had a ping-pong tournament. We are going to K1 racing later this month. We just saw 300. The result is that we get to know our peers, build respect and have a good time when we get back to coding.
Amazon uses doors as desks and they built an empire. I coded on a 2’x2’ desk for years. If they are sitting, they shouldn’t be complaining. Some developers out there even have to use their treadmill as a desk and they aren’t complaining. Get your dev a chair, preferably a metal folding one, and they’ll be happy. Do not get them ergonomic evaluations. You only have them for a year or so; let the next manager deal with their health issues. Also, it’s best to put them in an interior facing office. Microsoft didn’t build “Windows” by looking out the window all day. Give them an office with a view and their mind will wander. Yes, by giving them time to think they might come up with a better solution, but it will take longer – and we are talking about productivity right? Microsoft in general is very good about setting people up with ergonomic workstations. We have sit-stand desks, ergonomic chairs and we have a team of ergonomists who can do one-on-one consultations with people. Devs are way more productive if they aren’t hurting.
Joel Spolsky was wrong. Never. I mean never eat with your team. You don’t want to make them think you are one of them do you? Encourage them to bring their own lunch and eat it at their desks. If they want coffee then tell them to get instant and use the hot water from the sink. Think about loss in productivity if two of them go to get coffee at the same time and accidentally bump into each other and start talking? Devs eating alone at their desks means more code. That’s just math. We eat lunch together almost every day of the week. If not the Microsoft cafe, then one of the many restaurants around Bellevue. It’s a great way to get to know your devs and talk about non-work stuff. We often chat about software and business ideas and of course Breaking Bad.
Do not, I repeat, do not add your developers to Facebook. You do not want them seeing pictures of your kids and dogs. They might actually think they relate to you in some way and will want to talk about it when they see you. You don’t want them to think you are a normal person with a normal life. The last thing you want is people commenting about how cute your kid is or asking about your Mastiffs. Don’t talk about stuff they are interested in. If they like cars, then talk about hunting, if they like sports, then talk about music. Anything to divert the conversation from their interests. Under no circumstances should you ask them what their kids names are and if they tell you come up with a memory trick to immediately forget them. You might slip and say their name in the future and the developer might think you care. Which, as we know distracts from them coding. We are all pretty tight here. It’s Saturday and I just got back from bowling with my family and my co-workers family. We know the names of each other’s family and we hang out regularly. It’s like an extended family. It’s got to be organic though. Some like that, some don’t. Know when to back off.
I like to take the “shock jock” approach to reviews. Like a volcano waiting to explode, I save up all my “constructive feedback” for the annual review meeting, then I just let them have it. You have to keep them guessing all the way up to the last moment. If they ask for feedback before the review, just tell them you don’t work with them day-to-day so you can’t really know how they are doing. You don’t want them thinking they are doing a great job because then they will relax, which decreases productivity. Software development is purely science. Many developers will try to convince you it’s an art, rather than a science. You should combat that with objective measurements like line of code per day, code coverage numbers and status reports. “Big data”, right? It starts with collecting data on developer productivity. Reward stuff that can be measured like number of check-ins and “hours in the office per day” and you’ll have a team that is cranking away. I have a whole post on “My Thoughts on the Microsoft Employee Review Model”. But the gist of it is that Devs need regular feedback. Good or bad. Their annual review should be a review of what you’ve been telling them for the past 12 months. No surprises. Devs are very self-critical people, but if they know they are doing well or not doing well then they’ll likely be more productive either way.
People on my team have spent a ton of time and money on college. Everything you ever need to know was learned in college, so why should you spend your budget on training? Don’t get them Pluralsight subscriptions and definitely don’t send them to conferences. Can they code a for loop? Can they get it to compile? What more do you need to know? Time spent training is time away from coding. I just renewed my 30 Pluralsight licenses for my team. We log hundreds of hours of training each month. Many on my team go to conferences, some speak at them. I usually recommend at least 40 hours of training a year. We also have a great internal training program. I have never turned down a request for training. You have to invest in yourself. I’m just the enabler.
Your job as a manager is to take credit for the work that your team does. If someone has to demo what your team developed to the VP, then it should be you doing it. Make sure you mention that “I” did it…never use the word “team” and definitely don’t mention anyone on your team by name. If anyone is going to get attention it should be you and you alone. Developers don’t really care for the spotlight anyhow, so everyone wins. They get to keep coding and you get promoted. My team just did a demo for our VP on what we’ve been working on over the last 6 months. I was in the room, but my leads and architect did the talking and demos. I want their work to be recognized and I want them to be associated with it, not me. We are constantly congratulating each other on our successes and are very supportive of team efforts. We are great about talking about what we have accomplished and who helped us along the way.
Visions are overrated. You want to keep them guessing about what you are thinking. Don’t come out and say you don’t have a vision. Keep talking about how you are working on the vision and how you will “reveal it soon”. Encourage them to be tactical, focus on today and let you handle the future. If you have a vision, then your team starts to think you have their back and will want to stick around on your team. Or they could see the vision, not agree with it and leave. Either way it’s a lose-lose situation. People are attracted to what they can clearly see, so make the future as fuzzy as possible so they gravitate towards coding for today and then surprise them at the last possible moment. Developers like to go deep, but everyone once and a while they like to peek into the future and see if they’ll be interested in where the team or product is going. You don’t want to shove it down their throats, but it is the manager’s job to have the vision ready for them when they need it. They have amazing insight into future potential for the product they are working on and they should be deeply involved in shaping its future. Having that view into what is coming helps them either rest and focus makes them nervous because they see you don’t know what you are doing. Make sure it’s the former.
If your goal is to ship at all costs, then the price you’ll pay will be counted in the number of developers who have left your team. I believe that a happy dev team is more productive. The second you realize that every single one of your developers could be doing something else with their time, you don’t take them for granted. They won’t turn down more money, but money isn’t the be all and end all for developers. They want fun, interesting, challenging and meaningful work. It’s up to managers to set the team up for success by finding out what makes them tick and doing everything they can to remove obstacles. Some of these obstacles are imposed by you the manager. Not fostering training hinders progress. Not caring about quality crushes motivation. Not rewarding leads to disenfranchisement.
You can start helping with dev productivity by taking baby steps. Hear from you team about what makes them tick. Prioritize, execute and repeat.
*My Thoughts on the Microsoft Career Model - Do I have to get into management to be successful at Microsoft? | 2019-04-24T03:31:21Z | https://blog.jongallant.com/2014/04/developer-productivity/ |
John Milton Drew, age 81, of Erie, Pa., passed away on Friday, August 22, 2014, at Erie Veteran Affairs Medical Center. He was the eldest of thirteen children born to the late Milton A. Drew and Edna Moultrie Drew. Milton and Edna, both college graduates, who emphasized the importance of hard work, perseverance, and the empowerment which comes with education, in conjunction with instilling the core values of honesty, respect for self and others, responsibility, as well as good citizenship in the raising of their children; believing these attributes were essential to their children's ability to live productive and meaningful lives.
John graduated from East High School in 1950. Before beginning his career as an educator, John was drafted into the military in February 1953, and was stationed in Trieste, Italy, until his unit was discharged in December 1954. He was employed at the Inner Lake Iron, before attending Edinboro State Teacher's College in the fall of 1955, where he lettered in tennis and worked in the athletic department. During his senior year, he was a student coach, a precursor to his role as an educator. He also did graduate work at Gannon College, Western Michigan University, and Duquesne University. Upon graduation in 1959, John was appointed a position as a Social Studies teacher at East High School, where he taught Social Studies for 28 years.
After retirement, Mr. Drew became an integral part of the Law Funeral Home staff, where his wisdom was greatly appreciated by the late E. Scott Law and the current staff. During his tenure at East High School, he was the Faculty Manager for the wrestling team, coached the tennis team, winning one city championship, and was a PIAA Wrestling official for 16 years.
John had served the Erie Community tirelessly over the years. He had and did serve on many volunteer community boards and commissions, including The Booker T. Washington Board of Directors, The Erie Historic Museum Board of Directors, Catholic Charities Board of Directors, Erie Children's Museum Board of Directors, Greater Erie Action Committee Board of Directors, Erie Human Relations Commission, Edinboro University Foundation Board of Directors, Erie City Service Commission, R. Benjamin Wiley Charter School Board of Directors, GECAC RSVP Advisory Council, and many more. He was a member of the American Legion Post 700 and held the office of Adjutant, Gem City ELKS, and YMCA.
In February 2004, the Erie School Board dedicated the auditorium of the newly built East High School to John, naming it the John Milton Drew Auditorium.
John had been a longtime member of St. Marks Episcopal Church, where he served as an Usher.
In his spare time, he loved to golf, play racquet ball, work crossword puzzles, read, and listen to music (jazz and classical).
He was preceded in death by two sisters, Nancy F. Drew, Helen R. Drew, two brothers, Devere George Drew and Gerald, and stepson Dwayne Blanchard.
John is survived by his wife of 40 years, Barbara L. Drew, stepson, Grove A. Blanchard (June) and stepdaughter, Sheila I. Blanchard. He is survived by siblings, Mariann Chanault, Ronald R. Drew, Asa (Diane) Drew, Jeanne E. Effinger, Sandra K. (Carl) Williams, Barry T. (Marsha) Drew, Cynthia D. Drew, Valery Brewer, and several of his Golf Brothers.
Friends visited with the family on Thursday, August 28, 2014 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Law Funeral Home, 2926 Pine Ave., and attended a packed service on Friday, August 29, 2014, at 11 a.m. at St. Marks Episcopal Church, 4701 Old French Road, with Rev. Donald Baxter, eulogizing. Interment was private, at the convenience of the family.
Cynthia, Sandi, Carl, I am so sorry for your loss. When I heard that John passed away, I made this page for him.
Glad to see he had a good life.
Rest in Peace Mr. Drew. You will always have a place here at life ever after.
If you would like to post your memories or photos please EMAIL here.
have passed since you left this earth. Your family and friends remember you.
Today your brother Ronald "Doby" Drew, joined you in Heaven. We are sad by his leaving but know that he is happy and without pain.
Your first Christmas in Heaven. A wondrous event. Your family here on Earth miss you deeply, but we know that you are watching over all of us. Until we see you again.
Barbara, you and your family are in my prayers. I am so sorry.
My sympathies on the passing of John Drew, and I regret not being able to get to the viewing or service.
I worked with John for several years when he served on the Erie Civil Service Board.
He was always fair and thorough in the decisions made, and was a fine and decent man.
I have reached the age where I am struck by how much I find out about someone I think I am acquainted with from their obituary.
But one didn't need to know the facts of John's life to know that he was a magnificent human being.
I regret I didn't know him better but his actions speak for the man he will always be in our regard.
I did not know John well but enough to know that he was a truly nice man.
You have my sympathy on his passing. Sorry I could not make it to the funeral home or the service.
We are praying that the beautiful memories of a life so well lived will bring you comfort and sustain you in the days ahead.
We are sorry for your loss. Stand on His Word. He won't leave you, nor forsake you.
We are praying for you and the family. May God comfort you during this time.
All our prayers to the Drew family. I first met Mr. Drew in the early 70s, when I was just a boy, as he was my older brothers and sister's teacher at East, and I also visited 'Family Day' at Warrior football camps. I followed my siblings to EHS (Class of '83), and though I never had Mr. Drew as a teacher, he was a man I was always able to talk to and I gained much from those conversations. I later saw him during Civil Service Board meetings with the city, and then often saw him and his equally awesome wife at Bayhawks games. He was a man who was widely admired and respected, and I am better for knowing him and this world lost a great person. Cherish the memories and take comfort in each other.
Hello Barb. Our prayers are with you and your family.
Hi Barb, my prayers are with you and the Drew Family.
Mr. Drew was a class act as an official and as a man! He was one of the good guys! My deepest sympathies!
My deepest sympathy to the Drew family.
John was a true gentleman and it was a pleasure to work with him at Law Funeral Home.
Dear family, my deepest condolences to you for your loss. may GOD comforting grace be with you .
To Barbara & the extended Drew Family, My sincere condolences on the loss of your loved one. Mr. Drew was a friend & mentor to many outside of his own family. He took me and some other youth under his wing back in 1967 when we worked for the first NYC program in Erie teaching us work ethics and often times allowing us to attend lunch & meetings with him when he was employed as a lead Counselor for the program. I've never forgotten his goodness and what he did for us that summer. May the Lord continue to bless and keep you during this time of bereavement. "Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal".
Hello Barbara. Our heartfelt prayers go out to you and your family.
You and John were among the best of the 31st Street neighbors.
His impressive obituary demonstrated John's strengths and goodness beyond what I knew of him.
Kind thoughts and prayers continue.
Love and prayers for Barbara, the Drew and James family.
May you find peace in so many wonderful memories and the love and respect he richly deserves.
My deepest condolences to you during the passing of your husband John.
May you find peace in knowing that others are praying for you and the entire Drew family.
My deepest sympathy to Mrs. Drew and the Drew family.
Mr. Drew was my social studies teacher at East High School.
I remember him fondly and God Bless.
We will miss Mr. Drew. I had him as a teacher at East High.
Although I do not reside in Erie when I went home to visit I would often see Mr. Drew, I would always stop to talk with him.
He is in the Hands of the Lord now, a very good place to be.
I have prayed for the entire Drew family, this is a difficult time, a time to ask God for strength to get through.
Deepest condolences to his immediate family and extended family.
A model of patience and compassion and a quiet and passionate leader, a prince among men.
All who knew him feel as I do blessed by his friendship and by knowing him.
You are in our prayers, Coach.
On behalf of the Cole family I wish to express our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to the Drew Family.
May the Lord bless, keep and guide you during your time of bereavement.
I offer my deepest condolences to the Drew family. Mr. Drew was an awesome teacher and I will never forget how he made you think deep about an issue and not focus on the hype and rhetoric. His insights on the debates we had about slavery in his class still resonate with me some 40+ years later. He will be truly missed.
John taught me Civics at East High, 43 years ago,...I will never forget him. He was truly a great teacher and a caring person.
My condolences and prayers to the Drew family. I truly had the utmost respect for his wisdom and leadership that was a constant during my tenure at East High. A outstanding role model and mentor that will truly be missed.
My heart goes out to the family. John was a charming man with a great sense of humor.
I have only known him since joining St. Mark's, but felt blessed to share time with him.
He will be missed greatly by his church family too.
This is extremely sad news that East High and the Erie community lost one of its true great people.
John "Moot" was one of the "Ol Guard" at East High that made it a great school.
What an inspirational teacher and person for all of us. My thoughts and prayers are with you Barb.
Dear Family, I had Mr. Drew several years for various history and civic classes at East High during the 1963-1968 years. He was such a terrific teacher and I considered him a friend. He chose me one time to help him with a bulletin board, (I was so proud he asked me to do that) and also picked me to go on the annual Law Day outing to the court house. That meant the world to me. He was always so interesting as a teacher and had such a gift. I always wished I would run into him and tell him what he meant to me. I appreciated him so much. My deepest sympathies to your family.
You are in our prayers during your time of bereavement. May God comfort you all and put peace in your hearts.
May John's memories last a lifetime in your hearts.
Condolences to the Drew family. Mr. Drew was a wonderful teacher for me at East and will be sadly missed.
My deepest sympathies to the Drew family...I remember Mr. Drew as a wonderful, caring teacher ..who gave 100% all the time.
Mr. Drew was my history teacher in the late 60's.. the world has lost a great person, however heaven has gained another!!!
With deepest sympathy to Barb and family.
I will never forget him being part of my life.
Thoughts and prayers for Mr. Drew and family.
Mr. Drew taught me back in the early 1980's and I still remember him.
I too have gone on to be a Social Studies teacher, he was very well liked by the students.
Ms Barbara...I am very shocked and saddened to learn about Mr. Drew.
Mr Drew was the best teacher I ever had. He was a no nonsense kind of guy.
Our condolences to the Drew family. Mr. Drew was my history teacher at East High School.
Please be comforted with knowing the positive impact he had on so many lives. May God Bless you in this time of sorrow.
You will be greatly missed Mr Drew .As my former teacher and coach, I always looked as you as my mentor and friend.
I will never forget all the help you gave me as I grew in high school.
I was deeply saddened to read about John's death. As a child, I knew John as Uncle Billy's good friend, fellow teacher, and fellow coach.
Even at that early age it was obvious to me that he was a special person.
community leaders, and all-around great persons.
around the field as I coached my youth soccer teams. Those brief encounters were always so enjoyable.
Barbara, Barry, Ronnie and the entire family, please accept my sincere condolences.
You know we love ya'll...Our heartfelt sympathy to Barbara, Grove2, Sheila, and the entire Drew family.
With Love, Doug, Ronda and the James Family.
With sincere condolences to the Drew family . Mr. Drew was not only a great teacher but a friend to all.
Mr. Drew was one of the best teacher that any one could have asked for.
We now celebrate with him as he starts his new journey to a better life with our Lord..
You have a special angel watching over you.
East High School class of 1973.
my prayers go out to the Drew family.
Mr. Drew was an excellent teacher and motivator. As young teenagers we of course tried to get away with goofing off in class. I to this day mention Mr. Drew who explained to me with his 2x4 paddle with holes drilled in it to lean against his desk and don't flinch because you would get another. I can say that I never goofed off in his class ever again, and we were really close the time I was at East High School. He truly was one of the few teachers who made an impact on me, which I continue to carry with me to this day.
Rest in peace Mr. Drew.
Our Heartfelt Sympathy to the family of John Drew, a great man who made an impact on his students as well as the community.
Our prayers go out to Barbara, children and the entire Drew family. He's will surely be missed.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Drew!
From a fellow Warrior-East High Class of 1972.
Barbara, sorry to hear about John. You have our sympathy and our prayers.
Barbara, words cannot express how I feel regarding John's passing.
I will always remember the many times I sat in your kitchen and we had those long philosophical conversations.
To the Drew family. I wish to extend my sincere condolences.
I well remember Mr. Drew from my time at East High. He was a good teacher and more.
I was in Mr. Drew's first year Social Studies class at East and he was a great teacher, mentor and understanding man.
He spoke at our 25th year class reunion and remembered almost everyone's name.
What a tribute to educators!! My deepest sympathy to his family.
Barbara and Carol, I am so sorry that John will no longer be in your presence.
I thank God that he has called our brother home to a more restful, peaceful and holy place.
John was the best and he loved you dearly. From one Sistah to another.
I had the privilege of having Mr. Drew as my teacher while attending East High.
Besides teaching us academics, he taught us respect for ourselves, others & the community! He touched so many lives.
Mr. Moot, my dear friend...Beth & I already miss you but know that you're in a much better place!
It's very hard to comprehend that you're no longer with us in body, but know you'll always be with u in spirit!
God bless the entire family!
I was stunned when I saw John's obit. He was so kind and helpful when I started teaching at East in 1987.
I knew when I met him that I would value his friendship forever.
He will remain in my heart forever and you will be in my thoughts and prayers, Barbara.
To my Aunt Barbra words cannot describe the impact John had on the community .
I am sure I can say any student that had him at East High is a better person for knowing him.
A great teacher and a Great man he will be missed by all who knew him.
Mr. Drew was an excellent teacher and s great role model. He will be missed!
Mr. Drew to and for myself and many was every bit the gentlemen and a gentleman; a scholar, educator and mentor in life.
a man of love and character that created lasting memories for all.
My sincere sympathy and condolence to the Drew family.
Mr. Drew's spirit will remain though absent in body.
John was truly an exceptional gentleman who will be sadly missed by all whose life he touched.
When I started as a wrestling official John took me under his wind and mentored me like he would a son.
When I saw him on the golf course he always had a nice and kind word to say. I was proud to call him my friend and mentor.
I will be out of town for the services but wanted to share my thoughts and my deepest sympathy.
Barbra, my thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.
I was deeply saddened to hear of Moots passing. He was a good man and a good friend.
We shared a lot of good times , especially at the NCAAs . We will miss him.
We are so sorry to hear about the passing of Mr. Drew. I had him as a teacher at East and enjoyed his classes.
My sincere condolences to Ron and the Drew family on the loss of John.
He was a great community leader and I had the honor of working with him on a number to projects during my years at Mercyhurst College.
May he rest in peace with the Lord.
Cynthia ,my heartfelt sympathy to the entire Drew family. John was my first boss in the summer jobs program.
Denise Horton and I truly admired his wit but stern directions setting an example for us at an early age.
I will forever be grateful. You were a good servant.
I loved taking Civics at East High from Mr. Drew...what a wonderful teacher!
Over 40 years later I can still see him in the front of the class in a room over in the annex.
Thank you! A heart of a Warrior!
John was a good man. I knew him from the Downtown YMCA. Always friendly, always funny. I am so sorry for you loss.
Sending my condolences & prayers to a long time teacher of mine.
You will be truly missed Mr. Drew!!!
Rest in peace John. Thanks for the fellowship at the YMCA. I enjoyed playing racquetball with you.
My condolences to the family. John was kind and humble and he'll be missed.
My deepest sympathy to the family. Mr. Drew will be greatly missed.
I had Mr Drew as a teacher at East High School. He was an excellent teacher & was very popular with his students.
Barbara, so sorry to hear of John's passing. I so enjoyed meeting with John and you each year, and am deeply saddened by his passing.
I wish you the best, and may God bless you and your children in this time of sadness.
Barb, my deepest sympathy on your loss. Thank you for sharing John with us.
My deepest sympathy to the Drew family. John was a wonderful person to know and work with.
My prayers and are with him and your family.
Sorry to hear about your brother. He indeed lived a productive and meaningful life.
John was a good friend for a long time. He was the source of much good advice.
He was a steady, consistent hand in troubled times.
My condolences to his family on your deep loss.
My deepest sympathy to the family of Mr. Drew. What a great teacher!
and golf swings. Prayers for you all on the loss of a great man.
My deepest sympathies to the family for your loss of Mr. Drew. His contribution to Erie is immeasurable. | 2019-04-26T10:35:38Z | http://eacasefamily.com/lea/john_drew.htm |
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Who do these terms and conditions apply to?
These terms and conditions apply to you as the person paying for the rental, and any drivers added to the booking, for the duration of your rental as set out in your booking confirmation.
When you place a booking via our app, this signifies that you accept the conditions set out in these terms and conditions. The booking confirmation, together with these terms and conditions, contain all the conditions which we have agreed and replaces any written or verbal agreements we have with you.
In order to rent a vehicle from us, you will need to make a booking using our iOS app available on the Apple App Store (at the time of writing, our app can be located at https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-out/id1355354261). To make a booking to drive one of our vehicles you must meet certain requirements.
When you make a booking with us, you will need to provide us with certain information and documentation in order for us to confirm your identity and verify your compliance with our insurance terms.
Before we are able to confirm your booking, we will need to have access to the details of any endorsements on your licence. We do this whilst we confirm your identity and creditworthiness, using external service providers to assist with our checks, using the information listed above that you have provided us with. We will be able to access your licence details and confirm whether you have any endorsements. This way, we will be able to quickly confirm whether we are able to rent a vehicle to you. We may also re-run the licence check service immediately prior to your car rental, to consider any endorsements received in the period between booking and hire.
You will have use of the vehicle for the period of time shown in your booking confirmation.
Which vehicle will I be renting?
In most cases you will be renting a Land Rover Discovery Sport HSE. If, for any reason, we are unable to rent you a Land Rover Discovery Sport HSE, we will substitute it with an equivalent vehicle. If we need to substitute it with an equivalent vehicle, we will endeavour to let you know in advance.
Can I rent any accessories?
Your vehicle will come with sat nav as standard. You can rent up to two child seats at no extra charge.
We will drop off the vehicle, together with any optional accessories you have requested, at the address you gave us for the rental start date and time. Within our daily opening hours (7am to 9pm), we need at least 3 hours' notice from you to be able to deliver a vehicle to you. We will confirm via our app or any channel from which you may have enquired about making a booking whether we are able to fulfil your delivery request.
You can have the vehicle dropped off at and collected from any address within our service area (London Zones 1, 2 and 3 plus Heathrow, Gatwick and City Airport in the UK), provided that both you and we are permitted to be there. If it is not possible or safe to drop off the vehicle to the address you have provided, we will endeavour to find an alternative location nearby and notify you.
You can have the vehicle collected from a different location to the drop-off location, as long as it is within the service area in London, UK.
You, or any additional driver added to the rental, must be present during your requested drop-off period and have the items with you that you need to rent the vehicle.
You, or the additional driver added to the rental, will need to provide a valid UK, EU, Swiss or Norwegian driving licence.
If you do not meet the requirements set out in these terms and conditions, we may refuse to hand over the vehicle. If you are not available when we arrive, we reserve the right to charge you a no-show fee of £100. You will then need to book a new drop-off slot.
Our standard delivery and collection hours are between 7am and 9pm, Monday to Sunday.
We will collect the vehicle and any optional accessories that you have rented at the address given by you at the end date and time. Please park the vehicle in a safe place. You remain responsible for the vehicle and any optional accessories, and are responsible for any applicable parking charges, until you hand over the keys, any optional accessories and we inspect the vehicle with you at the collection location. If the vehicle is not available when we arrive, you will be in breach of your contract with us. We will charge you the Late Extension Fee of £50 and the daily rental rate until we get the vehicle back.
If you want to extend your rental period, we recommend doing this via our app latest 3 hours before rental finishes (to avoid incurring additional charges). We will try our best to accommodate your request but if we can't, you must bring the vehicle back for collection as set out in your booking confirmation. In any event, we will not extend it such that the total rental period is for more than 180 days.
Can I return the vehicle earlier?
Whether you hire it for just two hours or 24 hours, you will be charged for the full day. If you return your hire vehicle more than a day early (24h), we will refund you. We recommend doing this via our app. The refund rate will be the same rate as when you booked the vehicle. We do not charge any admin fee for this.
If you do not abide by these terms and conditions, we can ask you to bring back the vehicle before the date and time we have agreed with you. To do this we will give you written notice by sending you an email or a text message (using the contact details set out in the booking confirmation). Once we have given you notice, you will no longer have our permission to have the vehicle. We may then take back our vehicle. If we believe you have given us false information which was material to the decision to rent the vehicle to you, we may take back the vehicle without giving you any notice. You will be required to arrange collection of the vehicle in these instances.
What happens if I am late returning the vehicle?
Please note that our drivers operate under a tight time schedule to drop-off and collect our vehicles on time. We are happy to give you a 20-minute grace period in case you are late. Above this grace period, we reserve the right to charge a full day's rental to cover: (i) our costs in arranging an additional collection, (ii) revenues we lose as a result of not being able to deliver the vehicle to another customer and iii) the late extension fee. To avoid this, please let us know in advance if you’re late and we will do our best to accommodate this change.
You can cancel your rental free of charge provided that you have given us at least 24 hours' notice before your rental period is due to start. If you do not give us 24 hours' notice, we will charge a cancellation fee of £50. If you have not cancelled your booking and fail to take delivery of the vehicle, we will charge a flat no-show fee of £100.
You must inspect the vehicle and any accessories we provide before you take delivery of the vehicle. If you are not satisfied with the vehicle or any accessories, or if you do not think the condition of the vehicle meets our vehicle condition report, you must notify us during the vehicle handover. In the absence of such notice, it shall be deemed that you received the vehicle and any accessories in good working order and in the condition described in the vehicle condition report.
What is the vehicle condition report?
You must take care of the vehicle, any accessories, the keys (or other locking device), and any applications which can be used with the vehicle, from the time we drop off the vehicle to you until the time we collect it from you at the end of the rental period. You must return the vehicle at the agreed location and time. When you return the vehicle, our staff will check its condition. If we have agreed to allow you to return the vehicle outside of the previously agreed time, you will stay responsible for the vehicle and its condition until our staff have checked it at the earliest opportunity. We may need to clean the vehicle before our staff can check its condition.
Subject to any fair wear and tear to the vehicle, you agree to return the vehicle in the same condition in which you received it. You can return the vehicle to us with a full tank of fuel, otherwise we will charge you the market rate without further admin fee for refuelling it.
You are responsible for any damage to the vehicle over and above fair wear and tear, and must pay our reasonable costs for bringing the vehicle back to the condition stated in the vehicle condition report up to the amount specified in these terms and conditions. Please read paragraph 8 for further information. This could include the cost of any damage inside and outside the vehicle, cleaning costs if the vehicle is very dirty or smelly, and replacement or repair of any accessories provided to you.
You must always lock the vehicle when you are not using it and use any security device which is fitted or supplied with the vehicle.
You must always use your best endeavours to protect the vehicle against adverse weather conditions which could cause damage to the vehicle.
You must make sure that you use the correct fuel and fluids in the vehicle. If the vehicle is electric or plug-in hybrid you must charge the vehicle in accordance with the instructions provided.
You must not sell, rent or dispose of the vehicle, any of its parts or accessories. You must not give or try to give anyone the legal rights to the vehicle or transfer legal ownership.
You must not let anyone work on the vehicle (including at a reputable garage) without our written permission.
You must let us know as soon as you become aware of any defect with the vehicle, or if the vehicle is stolen or involved in an accident or broken down. Failure to notify may result in you breaking your contract with us and you will be liable to pay costs we incur. Please see paragraph 9 for further details.
You must not smoke in the vehicle, or carry any object or substance which, because of its condition or smell, may harm the vehicle or delay us renting or selling it. Animals can only be transported in the vehicle with our prior permission.
Is there a limit on the number of miles I can drive in the vehicle?
Unless there is a limit set out in your booking confirmation, you may drive as many miles as you wish during the rental period, provided that your mileage is not excessive. Mileage of over 600 miles in each 24 hour period constitutes excessive mileage, and you will be charged £0.30 per mile in case of excess mileage.
We will deliver the vehicle to you containing a full tank of fuel, in a roadworthy state and suitable for you to use at the start of the rental period. We will have maintained the vehicle to at least the manufacturer’s recommended standard.
We will set out the details of any existing damage to the vehicle in the vehicle condition report, which you will be able to review and sign.
The vehicle you have rented may be fitted with a tracking device. The tracking device will be used to ensure safe and compliant operation of the vehicle in line with these terms and conditions. If the vehicle is not available for collection at the end of the rental period on the agreed date, time and place we will use the data recorded on the device to recover our vehicle. By accepting these terms and conditions, you agree that we have your consent to record and use any data we collect.
What data will you record and collect using the tracking device, and how will you use it?
We will use this data to ensure safe and compliant operation of the vehicle and, if the vehicle is not available for collection at the end of the rental period on the agreed date, to recover the vehicle.
We are responsible if someone is injured or dies as a result of our action or failure to act. We are also responsible for any loss you suffer as a result of us breaking the contract between us, if we could have predicted your loss at the time the contract was entered into and it is a result of us breaking the contract. We are not responsible for any indirect losses which occur as a side effect of the main loss and which we or you could not have predicted, such as loss of profits or loss of opportunity (for example not being able to go to a business meeting or catching a flight).
We are only responsible for loss or damage to personal belongings in the vehicle if the loss or damage is a result of our neglect or if we have broken the contract between us. Although we provide comprehensive insurance for the vehicle (subject to the excess payable by you set out in these terms and conditions, unless specified in writing otherwise), we do not provide insurance covering your personal items whilst they are in the vehicle. You are responsible for your personal belongings at all times, and for removing your personal belongings, including your data, from the vehicle at the end of the rental period. If you do leave personal belongings in the vehicle after the rental period, we may agree to keep them for you to collect within a reasonable time and will endeavour to keep them safe, however we are not responsible for any personal belongings or data left in the vehicle. We will usually dispose of any unclaimed personal belongings after one week.
Only you and any driver we have given written permission to, can drive the vehicle. Any individual wishing to drive the vehicle will have to meet the same criteria set out in these terms and conditions as the main driver (including undergoing the “know your client” process).
You must not rent the vehicle to anyone else. You must also not use the vehicle or let someone else use it for any prohibited purpose.
What additional charges may I have to pay?
If the vehicle does not contain a full tank of fuel when we collect it from you, we will charge you to refuel the vehicle at market rates. We will also charge you for any mileage in excess of 600 miles in any 24 hours period, at a rate of £0.30 per mile. No additional admin fee will be charged.
You are responsible for paying the appropriate authority or company for any such charges and costs if and when they ask you or us for these payments. If we are involved in any administration, you will also be responsible for paying our reasonable administration charges for dealing with these matters. Where it is difficult to transfer responsibility for any such fine or charge from us to you, we may use our discretion to settle the fine or charge with the appropriate authority and re-charge you such amount, together with an administration charge to reflect our reasonable administration costs. Should you wish to appeal, contest or dispute any such fine or charge we shall pass all relevant information to you and you must liaise directly with the appropriate authority or company to obtain any refund, where this is possible.
When you rent a vehicle with us, you will have to provide a £750 security deposit, as set out in the booking confirmation. If you are required to provide a security deposit of an amount greater than £750, you will be notified in writing before booking.
24 hours before you take delivery of the vehicle, your security deposit can be settled by credit or debit card and will be affected by electronic pre-authorisation. Although the money will not be taken from your account, it will not be available to you until the end of the rental period.
At the end of the rental period, the security deposit will be released to your credit card or refunded to your debit card provided there is no new damage to the vehicle since dropping it off. If there’s new damage to the vehicle when the vehicle is returned, this will be communicated clearly to you and the fair market-rate cost for repairing the vehicle will be passed on to you up to the maximum of £750 or your security deposit amount, whichever is higher. There are no administration or additional fees. Please note that it may take up to 10 working days for the deposit monies to be available, depending on your bank or card provider.
The daily rental charge of the vehicle and any accessories for the full rental period, together with any additional services or products will be charged when you reserve the vehicle. When we have collected the vehicle from you, we will establish whether any additional fees such as fuel apply and then charge these to your card. You will then receive an email with a receipt for the total cost of the booking.
We accept payment by most major credit/debit cards, including Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
We will charge you interest on any overdue payments at the rate of 4% a year above the base lending rate as published by Barclays Bank. Interest will be added every day to any amount you do not pay us on time.
We have a legal responsibility to have third-party motor insurance. This provides cover for claims if you injure or cause someone's death or damage their property.
We provide cover for loss or damage to the vehicle. However, every time you damage the vehicle you still have to pay an amount up to the standard £750 excess. Roof damage is not covered, and you will be responsible for the full cost of repair.
We also provide cover for theft and damage to the vehicle caused during a theft or attempted theft. However, you still have to pay the standard £750 excess if the vehicle is stolen.
Where you have not complied with these terms and conditions, or have been grossly negligent, you will have to pay all damage costs, not just the excess. Please see paragraph 7 for further details.
If at any time a warning light is displayed, please stop the vehicle as soon as you can in a safe place, and contact Land Rover Assistance as soon as possible on 0800 521786 in the United Kingdom or (+44) 1926 320003 if in Europe. We will recover and repair the vehicle as soon as possible in accordance with the Land Rover Assistance programme. However, if it cannot be repaired, we will (where possible) provide you with a replacement vehicle for the remainder of the rental period or, where that is not possible, refund you the charges paid for the remainder of the rental period. We will not charge you for the cost of recovery and/or repair if it was caused by our negligence or fault.
If you are involved in an accident, please call Allianz directly on 0370 160 3102 if inside the UK and 0044 370 160 3102 if outside the UK quoting policy number BV/27994456 and the registration plate of the vehicle you have rented from us. Do not admit to any third party that you are responsible. If you do, you may lose the benefit of insurance cover and be liable for any damage.
You should notify both the police and us straight away and describe the situation as fully as possible when you are asked to do so. You should get the names and addresses of everyone involved, including witnesses, and tell the police straight away if anyone is injured or if there is a disagreement over who is responsible. You should also make sure the vehicle is secure.
If you have a puncture or a flat tyre during your trip, when you call Land Rover Roadside Assistance they will come and fix a temporary tyre on the vehicle. You can drive on this temporary tyre on speeds of up to 50mph.
If you have a puncture or flat tyre as a result of a collision or negligent driving, you as the customer would be liable for any and all replacement costs.
If you are an individual, we will end the contract between us if we find out that your belongings have been taken away from you to pay off your debts, or a receiving order has been made against you. We may also end the contract between us if you do not comply with the main terms of these terms and conditions.
If you are a company, we will end the contract between us if you go into liquidation, you call a meeting of creditors, we find out that your goods have been taken away from you until you pay off your debts, or you do not comply with the main terms these terms and conditions.
If we end the contract between us it will not affect our right to receive any amount you owe us. We can also claim reasonable costs from you if you do not meet the main conditions of these terms and conditions. We can repossess the vehicle and charge you a reasonable amount for doing so.
Leaseurope has published a code of conduct for the car rental industry. You may obtain a copy at the following address: www.leaseurope.org.
We aim to deal with all disagreements fairly and calmly. If, between us, we cannot deal with a disagreement, either you or we may take the matter to the BVRLA’s conciliation service.
These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disagreement may be settled in the courts of England and Wales. | 2019-04-24T06:57:45Z | https://help.theout.com/legal/terms-and-conditions |
If you are a young Aussie keen to work abroad, there are many working holiday visas for Australians to choose from.
A working holiday visa is a great way to travel long term. It allows you to live in another country for 12-24 months and permits you to take up employment while you are there. Each visa has its own requirements, but they usually ask for you to show proof that you have enough funds to support yourself as well as other requirements.
Instead of saving up your cash and then blowing it all on a short trip, you can work in your destination and make money to fund your travels as you go. Plus, you get the opportunity to experience working life in another culture, make connections and gain experience.
If you dream of working abroad, you’re already ahead of the game just by being born Australian. That’s because Australians have a huge choice of countries for which they can obtain working holiday visas. There are 34 countries to choose from on this list of working holiday visas for Australians, so scroll through and see which country appeals most to you.
Some of these countries have only recently started their working holiday visa programs. For example, Vietnam is one of the newest destinations that has been added to this list, offering you an opportunity to work abroad there that wasn’t available before.
This list of working holiday visas for Australians is by no means in depth. Information about these programs can be difficult to find online. In some cases these programs are set up more for people who are travelling in the other direction. For example, the Bangladesh working holiday visa is more often used by people from Bangladesh working in Australia and not the other way around.
If you struggle to find information about any of the working holiday visas online, we recommend getting in contact with the embassy of that country in Australia. If you have experienced any of these programs or you have more information about them please contact us.
If you aren’t sure where you want to travel, scroll through the list and read about each country to get some ideas. If you already know where you want to go – use the Table of Contents to jump to that particular country!
If you tell your friends you are going to work abroad in Andorra, you might get a few confused looks. Many people don’t know much about this small landlocked country.
Andorra is a tiny little country wedged between France and Spain, offering fantastic skiing and hiking in the Pyrenees mountains. It is the only country in the world that has Catalan as its only official language, but Spanish, French, Portuguese and English are spoken as well. Although it is located geographically in Europe, it is not a member of the EU.
This would be a perfect destination if you love sports and the great outdoors. The summers are cool, making the ideal conditions for hiking in the green valleys and rugged mountains. In the winter it is a paradise for skiers, snowboarders and snowshoers. Perhaps you could work at one of the world class ski resorts and enjoy a winter in the snow?
Tango dancers weaving, full bodied glasses of red wine, juicy steaks cooked to perfection – Argentina is a treat for the senses. The capital city, Buenos Aires, has a fascinating blend of European inspired architecture and vibrant Latin American atmosphere.
You can gallery hop during the day, dine on superb Italian cuisine or steak in the evening, then dance until the sun comes up – the nightlife scene goes late. Or, you can paint your face and shout and scream at the local team at an Argentine futbol match. Whatever the locals do here, they do it with passion.
When you venture outside of the cities, you’ll find some of the most spectacular scenery on the continent, from the towering icy peaks of the Andes to rich wetlands to the mighty roar of Iguazu Falls. Working abroad in Argentina gives you the freedom to explore all of this at your own pace.
Unless you have a special skill or you speak Spanish, the type of work you will be able to find in Argentina will probably teaching English or working in a hostel or expat bar. Although these jobs won’t make you rich, they can be a good way to extend your travels.
Bangladesh is a gorgeous, green, unspoiled paradise in South Asia, braided with rivers and covered in jungles and mangrove forests. It’s a land of Buddhist temples and national parks where tigers roam. The culture is known for its warmth and hospitality and although the poor infrastructure means you won’t be going anywhere in a hurry, you’ll be so relaxed and bewildered by the beauty around you that you won’t care.
The Working Holiday Visa agreement between Australia and Bangladesh was announced in 2011 and it allows young people from these two countries to travel to each other’s countries in a work and holiday arrangement. Participants must be University-educated and the visa will allow you to work in Bangladesh for up to 12 months.
Due to the fact that Australia is a much wealthier country than Bangladesh, it’s probably more likely that Bangladeshi people are taking advantage of the working holiday visa in Australia and not the other way around. If you were to work for local wages in this country, you’d be paid a very small amount compared to what you earn back home in Australia.
However, it’s good to know it is still an option. Even if you don’t end up working, it’s a way to backpack longer around this fascinating country. According to this Wandering Earl blog post, he stayed in a hotel room in Bangladesh for 60 cents USD per night, so your travel savings could last you quite some time here!
The BohoChica, a blogger who has covered Bangladesh.
Belgium is more than just the home of fantastic waffles, chocolate and beer and administration of the European Union.
Located right in the middle of Western Europe, Belgium has a lot to enjoy. Architecture geeks will love the medieval castles and elegant Art Nouveau buildings and art lovers will have plenty of galleries to get lost in. Fairy-tale-like medieval towns like Bruges are ridiculously charming and magical. The Belgian countryside offers a wide range of landscapes, from dense forests to sandy beaches to the ridges of the Ardennes.
Thanks to the Belgium Working Holiday Visa, citizens of Australia are allowed to stay for a maximum of one year and work during their stay to fund their travels. Traveling and enjoying Belgium must be your primary intention and employment must be incidental and accessory.
Also, you will need to prove that you have a minimum of 2,500 Euro to support yourself and you must also have a valid return ticket – or enough funds to purchase the ticket. You’ll also need a medical report that states you are not suffering from any contagious diseases, which is valid for three months after the date of issue.
I may be biased because this is my home country, but Canada is pretty awesome. It comes as no surprise that so many Australians come to the Great White North for a travel experience. Canada has some of the most amazing skiing and snowboarding in the world, incredible wild landscapes to explore, cities with lots of art and culture and lots of exciting work opportunities. Outdoor-loving Australians often end up working in skiing resorts such as Whistler and Banff, or in summer camps or national parks.
Canada is similar to Australia in the sense that it is an enormous country with a few big cities and lots of wild nature in between. However, it’s pretty different as well. Instead of poisonous snakes, deadly spiders and drop bears we have mountain lions, wolves and actual bears. Instead of barbeques on the beach we have cookouts around the campfire. Instead of a Tim Tam slam, we have s’mores (which get their name because they are so delicious that you always want s’more).
Canada is a big country and from one side to the next it is as different as Melbourne is to Cairns. From the artsy, granola vibe of Vancouver Island to the wide open prairies to the big city lights of Toronto and the friendly Maritimes, you’re sure to find a part of Canada that you love.
In order to be accepted onto the Working Holiday Visa program in Canada, you will need to be between the ages of 18 and 35, have a valid Australian passport for the duration of your stay, have health insurance for the duration of your stay and either have a round trip ticket or proof that you have enough funds to purchase a departure ticket.
Your first step will be to become a candidate in one or more of the IEC (International Experience Canada) pools. Once you are in the pool, you will become an eligible candidate and you will be invited to apply for the work permit.
Apply for the Working Holiday Visa in Canada.
Info about the cost of living in Canada.
Riding horseback on a beach and then settling down for a huge barbeque on a warm evening. Wandering through the street-art clad streets of Valparaiso. Dancing until dawn in Santiago’s nightclubs. Watching the stars in the vast Atacama Desert. Chile is so much fun to discover and you can have 12 months to make the most of your visit there.
You’ll need to be between the ages of 18 and 31, have a return ticket and have enough medical insurance to cover your stay in Chile. During your stay, you’ll be allowed to work part-time or full time, but only for a maximum of six months for any one employer. So, that means you can’t work the full 12 months in one job – which is good in a way because you’ll want to do some moving around while you are there.
You can apply for a visa at your Chilean embassy and you’ll need to show your passport, a medical report, a police report, an application form and the fee of $150 USD. If you are approved, you’ll get a letter than allows a temporary residence visa and you’ll have 90 days to enter Chile to activate it. Once you have entered Chile, your visa will be valid for 12 months from that date.
The Mediterranean sunshine, the turquoise water, the sandy beaches, the ancient ruins… there’s a lot of reasons why you would want to chill out in Cyprus for a while. The island consists of two different communities, the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot people, which are unique but linked by their rich history.
The third largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily and Sardinia, Cyprus is a member of the European Union and has a population of around 800,000 people.
Cyprus is a wonderful place for nature lovers, with many opportunities for water sports, hiking, biking and even skiing in the winter. Also, there’s so much history to explore here – including ancient tombs, Roman mosaics, Byzantine churches and more. Then, there’s the food. Influenced by Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern food, Cypriot cuisine is delicious.
Citizens of Australia aged 18-25 can apply for a working holiday multiple entry visa, which will be valid for a period of one year from the date it is issued. You must apply for your visa from Australia.
You must be of good health and sound background, have reasonable funds to maintain yourself through your stay in Cyprus, have a return ticket and not be accompanied by any dependent children.
Many Australians on Working Holiday Visas find jobs in restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels in places such as Protaras and Ayia Napa. You may also find yourself fruit picking or WWOOFing as a way of earning while you travel.
Have you ever thought of working abroad in Denmark? You’ll love the cool Scandinavian way of life. The museums here are world-class and feature history from the Viking era to the Danish Golden Age to contemporary art. The architecture features everything from Renaissance palaces to cutting edge modern buildings. It’s delightfully bike friendly, the music scene is superb and the beer is great. It’s no wonder Denmark ranked first on the UN World Happiness Report.
You can apply for the Denmark visa as long as you are over 18 and haven’t turned 31 by the time you submit the application. You must prove that you have sufficient funds to pay for food and accomodation during the first two months of your stay (DKK 18,000, or approximately $3,900 AUD) and you must have an ongoing flight or be able to pay for your journey home.
You’ll be allowed to work for up to 6 months, but you can’t work for the same employer for more than 3 months or take a regular job. You can also attend courses and enroll in an educational programme for up to 3 months of your stay.
Also, you’re entitled to free Danish lessons! Pretty cool, huh?
Denmark Working Holiday Visa – How to Apply (Isn’t this one of the most well-designed, easy to use immigration websites you have ever seen?
Although Estonia has a similar geography and history to the other Baltic countries, Latvia and Lithuania, it is culturally quite different. The language and the traditions of bathing in saunas make it feel closer to somewhere like Finland.
Emerging from Soviet rule, Estonia is experiencing a travel renaissance and the historic charms of Tallinn are creating quite a buzz. Plus, not only do the captivating cities offer fairytale like architecture, the spacious countryside and deep, thick forests offer a place for nature lovers to find peace.
If you are a citizen of a non-EU country, you can work in Estonia for up to 6 months in a year with the D-visa. Your employer will need to register your short-term employment with the Estonian Police and the Border Guard Board. The work you do must support the main purpose of your stay, which should be to travel for recreation. You must not work for the same employer for more than three months.
The long stay visa for short term employment will only be granted if you are working in certain types of jobs, such as teaching, working as a scientist (if you have the appropriate training), working as an au pair, working as a seasonal worker, etc. There is a list of the types of jobs on this website.
In this vast Northern European country you’ll find huge forests, pristine lakes and unspoiled national parks, just ready to be explored. In the summer, the countryside comes to life as the locals try to soak up every moment of the brief, warm sunshine.
In the winter, snow covers the pines and you’ll be in luck if you love skiing, snowboarding or other winter sports. You might even get a chance to ride on a dog sled, or see the Northern Lights. If you choose to base yourself in the capital, Helsinki, you can enjoy a vibrant music and design scene and excellent restaurants showcasing cuisine from locally foraged ingredients.
Citizens of Australia are permitted to reside in Finland for 12 months and to work to a limited extent. You must be between 18-30 years of age, not have a spouse or dependent children, not have had this permit in Finland before and must be in good health and of sound background.
To apply for the Working Holiday Visa, you’ll need to submit two passport photos, the appropriate forms, a document providing proof of sufficient funds, a return ticket, the processing fee and a Registered Post Envelope so that your passport can be returned by mail.
Guide for Australians: How to Become More Finn than a Finn?
France has probably been on your travel bucket list for quite some time now, whether you are fascinated by the exquisite art collections and historic architecture of Paris, the beaches of the French Riviera, the peaceful villages or the battlefields of Normandy. From wineries to castles to delightful little local markets, France has oodles of charm and lots to enjoy.
France offers a Working Holiday Visa that allows citizens from Australia to work for one year in France. You can apply up to three months before your arrival and it is a non-extendable visa. Also, if you hold this visa you may travel to other Schengen Zone countries for up to 3 months in any 6 month period. The primary purpose of your work must be to fund your travels, not to find long-term employment.
You’ll need to submit some information, including your passport, the application form, proof of financial stability, proof of health insurance and a letter in English explaining why you want to go to France.
Germany is a pretty cool place to live for a while, whether you are in an adorable village in Bavaria or living the cultured urban life in Berlin. There are mountains to hike in, world class museums to visit and plenty of delicious bread and currywurst to enjoy.
The visa will allow you to stay in Germany for up to 12 months and you’ll be able to work for any employer for as long as you want during that time, as long as you don’t stay longer than 12 months. You’ll only be able to participate in this program once.
Your application for a Working Holiday visa in Germany must be lodged in person by making an appointment and submitting your application at the Consulate General in Sydney. Your fingerprints will be scanned as part of the application process. Make sure that your passport exceeds the length of your stay by at least 3 months. You’ll also have to pay a visa fee of 75 Euro.
Usually the application takes around a week or two, but you are encouraged to apply well in advance. However, the earliest you can apply is three months before you plan to travel.
Want to spend a year eating delicious spanakopita, drinking wine and chilling out on some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe? I mean, who wouldn’t?
Many backpackers in Greece end up working in the hospitality, nightlife and restaurant industry – especially in some of the sunny party spots on the right. After all, the non-stop party needs hosts to keep it going. You might spend your nights working in a bar and your days lounging on the beach – which sounds pretty damn good.
Well, this Working Holiday Visa is a bit complicated and you’ll have to keep an eye on the news for the latest updates. It was approved by the Greek government in July of 2017. According to that article, it would allow Greeks and Australian nationals up to the age of 31 to work in each others countries for up to 12 months. At the moment there is a limit of 500 from each country per year, but there is talk that this may be expanded.
However, according to an update in January of 2018, the Working Holiday Visa is still in limbo and is yet to start. It seems like it will be in place soon, but the two countries are just working out the details of the arrangement before they officially start taking applicants. This article says that those who are interested in applying are encouraged to call the Canberra Consular Office.
I’ll keep this page updated when I hear news of how things are progressing!
Hong Kong is like the New York of Asia. It’s a huge, flashy metropolis with a stunning harbour, a towering skyline and a vibrant food scene and it’s a hub of international culture, finance and business.
Busy and action packed, you’d never have a dull moment living here. Although the city is dense and packed with wall to wall dining, nightlife, shopping and more, you don’t have to go far to escape it and find lush green walking trails, pretty beaches and peaceful gardens.
Immersing yourself in the culture here will be a thrilling travel experience. Plus, it’s a fantastic hub for cheap flights to nearly anywhere else in Asia.
To apply for the Hong Kong Working Holiday Visa, Australians must be between the ages of 18-30, must have a valid passport and must be able to prove that they have enough money to support themselves (Approximately $3,300 AUD). You’ll also need to show proof of your return ticket and your medical insurance. You’ll be allowed to work, but not for the same employer for more than three months – as the main purpose of your trip should be travel and not employment.
Living abroad in Hungary gives you the chance to immerse yourself in the culture and traditions of one of Europe’s oldest nations. Hungary was once a communist country and now it boasts a vibrant economy. Budapest is a damn cool city, with a great music scene and great “Ruin Pubs” that are set within old warehouses. It’s also home to an abundance of geothermal pools, with beautiful bath-houses located throughout the city.
Citizens of Australia between the ages of 18 and 30 can apply for a one year Hungarian working holiday visa. This will allow you to stay within Hungary for one year, as well a travel within the rest of the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within an 180 day period.
Whales, glaciers, thermal baths, the dazzling Northern Lights, fjords, waterfalls and a fantastic music, art and culture scene – Iceland should absolutely be on your travel list.
Citizens of Australia between the ages of 18 and 30 can apply for a one year working holiday visa in Iceland. In fact, Australia is the only country that Iceland has a Working Holiday Visa arrangement with so far… so that’s pretty special!
Iceland has seen a boom in popularity as a tourist destination in recent years, which means there are a lot of jobs opening up in the hospitality and service sectors – perfect for backpackers on a Working Holiday Visa.
Advice on Finding a Job in Iceland from blogger Unlocking Kiki.
Friendly people who love to sing and have a good time. Creamy pints of Guinness in a pub with live music. The wild and beautiful Cliffs of Moher. Rolling hills of green, flocks of sheep and crumbling stone castles. Ireland is a pretty magical place and there are lots of adventures to be had on a Working Holiday there.
Australians are allowed to work and travel in Ireland for up to 12 months, as long as they are between the ages of 18 and 30. Places are limited and you won’t be able to apply if you are already in Ireland. You will be allowed to work for a maximum of six months with any one employer.
When you apply, you will need to show that you have enough funds to support yourself. A minimum of $5,000 AUD is required, or $2,500 AUD if you have a return ticket to Australia.
What Are Your Working Holiday Job Prospects in Ireland?
Italy would be a fascinating place to work for a year. It is rich with culture and is home to some of the most iconic and architecture in the world. Plus, the food is legendary. Prepare to zoom around the streets of Rome on a Vespa, stuffing pizza in your mouth and searching for the best gelato. Life is good.
The visa will allow you to work in Italy for no more than a total of 6 months and only for a maximum of 3 months for the same employer – as the principal purpose should be travel. In order to apply, you must be between the ages of 18-30 and have a return ticket (or sufficient funds to purchase one).
Japan is a wonderfully strange place. From sipping green tea with monks in a historic temple to watching robots dance for you while you dine at a futuristic restaurant, you can have a huge range of experiences here. The Working Holiday Visa for Japan is available for Australian citizens aged 18-30 and you must show that you have AU $2,500 in funds to support yourself during your stay.
The neon streets are lively and feel like a sci-fi film set and the peaceful countryside with its traditional architecture, cedar groves, fields of wildflowers and snow capped mountains looks like a traditional woodblock print.
You’ll be delighted by something different every day when you are working abroad in Japan. There are many great opportunities for working abroad, including working in a ski resort, teaching English and much more. Keep in mind that the requirements state that the applicant’s primary aim should be to holiday in Japan, not to work or study. So, your work should only be to supplement your travels and not the main intention of your trip.
The article went viral, because the people of Malta were pretty excited that a big publication was talking about them. (They don’t get mentioned too often.) Maltese hotels and restaurants contacted Chack to offer her free stays and the story was covered by many news stations.
But even after this, Malta is still a considerably underrated destination and it doesn’t receive as much love as it should. There’s so much to enjoy here, from the original paintings of Caravaggio to the Sunday Fish Market to the Classic Car Museum and the fascinating megalithic temples. It really is a gem and the good news is that Australians can work abroad there for up to 12 months.
You’ve probably heard about the Red Light District and the magic brownies of Amsterdam, but there’s so much more to enjoy about the Netherlands. This small European country is friendly and laid back and full of world class art galleries, peaceful countryside, delicious pastries and cities that are designed to be bike and pedestrian friendly.
If you love the great outdoors, it would be a wonderful place to spend your year abroad. Plus, Dutch people are very welcoming and most speak fluent English. Along with being open-minded and creative, the Netherlands is also one of the wealthiest countries in the world and it offers a lot of great job opportunities, one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the EU and a high standard of living.
Australia and the Netherlands have a long history and the Working Holiday Program was created to celebrate their friendship. When you have this visa you will be able to live and work in the Netherlands for up to a year and you must show that you either have a ticket for your return flight or that you have enough money to pay for the return flight.
Norway could be considered similar to Australia – it’s a huge country, sparsely populated and known for its varied, gorgeous scenery. However, the sights in Norway could not be more different than what you are used to at home – enormous glaciers, fjords, rugged rocky mountains and some of the world’s tallest waterfalls. Your incredible Norwegian adventure may include skiing, canyoning, snowmobile safaris and staying up to marvel at the strange phenomenon of the Midnight Sun.
Oslo is a very cool city with excellent night life, great museums, lively festivals and much more. Plus, there are other intriguing cities where you could work, including Alesund, Bergen and Stavanger. Although Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world, this is reflected in the fact that the quality of living is extremely high and so are the salaries.
To apply for this visa, you’ll need to have proof that you can support yourself for the first 3 months of your stay as well as a health certificate and a hotel booking or other proof that you have somewhere to stay in Norway.
So, You Want to Come to Norway to Find Work?
Poland is a destination that is becoming more and more popular with tourists – for good reason. It has a lot to see and do, not too many tourists and the people are friendly. You can go exploring in the ancient Bialowieza Forest, visit a medieval castle, check out world class museums or go hiking or skiing in the stunning Tatras Mountains. You’ll be delighted by the vibrant cultural life of Warsaw and charmed by the historic, cobbled streets of Krakow.
Plus, did you know that the northern coast of Poland is covered in idyllic white sand beaches? Oh, and don’t forget about the pierogi… I dream about those glorious little dumplings!
Poland and Australia have a special working holiday arrangement that allows citizens aged between 18 and 31 to work and travel for up to 12 months – giving you plenty of time to enjoy everything Poland has to offer.
Portugal has a special place in my heart, because it’s the first place where Lee and I started our digital nomad journey. Everyone I know who has been to this beautiful country has raved about the natural beauty, the architecture, the food and the laid back pace of life.
Portugal is home to some truly amazing wines, centuries-old castles, towering mountain peaks and golden sandy beaches. Plus, it’s friendly on your budget. You can enjoy historic charm for half the price it would be in Spain or Italy.
There are 200 places available each year for the working holiday visa in Portugal and the fee is currently, $180.45 AUD (subject to exchange rate).
Lee and I ended up in Slovakia on a whim when we were traveling around Eastern Europe. We had planned to go to Vienna that day, but we saw a cheap train ticket to Bratislava instead so we changed plans at the last moment. Turns out, we LOVED Bratislava and we ended up staying there for 10 days.
There isn’t a lot of information online about the Australia/Slovakia working holiday visa. However, there is some information from Anywork Anywhere that states citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan and Canada between the ages of 18 and 30 can apply for the visa and work in Slovakia for one year.
I also found this 2015 article from the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, which announces that the Australian/Slovakian Working Holiday arrangement has just been launched.
There isn’t a ton of other information online about the Slovakian working holiday visa, so it’s a bit of a mystery. I suggest calling up the Embassy of Slovakia in Australia and arranging a meeting to find out more.
Embassy of Slovakia in Australia.
From K-pop to fried octopus tentacles to cute French-inspired cafes to late night karaoke to misty mountains and elegant traditional wooden houses, Korea is so much fun to explore.
Although it’s known as the Land of the Morning Calm, the busy streets of Seoul never seem to slow down. When Lee and I were there, I got obsessed with the many tiny art galleries featuring stunning works by creative locals, the adorable socks for sale in every market, the wonderfully weird street food and the hedonistic joy of Korean barbeque. Also, we only had to travel a short way out of Seoul to find ourselves hiking the summits of craggy mountains and exploring tranquil temples.
Like most working holiday visas, the visa in South Korea is designed to encourage tourism and working must not be the primary purpose of your stay. Also, there are some restrictions on the type of work you can do – you cannot work as a doctor, lawyer, teacher, reporter, pilot or researcher and you cannot work as a singer, receptionist, dancer or acrobat in places of entertainment.
If you are looking for a place to spend your gap year which has sunny beaches and beautiful landscapes as well as world famous cuisine, excellent museums and plenty of history – Spain would not be a bad choice.
If you want to hike in the mountains you have the snow-capped Sierra Nevada or the Pyrenees, with timeless villages perched on the hilltops. Many civilisations have left their mark here, from the Romans to the Moors, and their influence can be seen in the ancient ruins and architecture.
Plus, in Spain the next fiesta is never far away. This country really knows how to celebrate with food, nightlife and traditional parties with brightly coloured costumes and music. Millions of tourists come to Spain every year to enjoy the culture – but you could live here and have even more time to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the Spanish way of life.
Citizens of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand between the ages of 18 and 30 can apply for a one year Spanish working holiday visa. This Youth Mobility Program was established in 2014. Applications for the visa can be submitted at the Consular section of the Embassy of Spain in Canberra.
Keep in mind you will not be allowed to work for the same employer for more than six months during your stay and you will need to prove that you have a functional level of Spanish.
Sweden is wild and beautiful – the type of place where you might need to stop your car on the highway because there is a herd of reindeer crossing the road. Whether you are out hiking in the 29 national parks, or soaking up the culture and the Viking history in the capital Stockholm, there’s a lot to enjoy here. After you’ve had a big day of exploring, soothe your tired muscles in a traditional Swedish sauna.
The Working Holiday Visa in Sweden will allow you to spend up to a year in Sweden while being allowed to work. You must be between the ages of 18 and 30, have a valid passport and be able to show that you have at least 15,000 SEK to support yourself initially ($2,313 AUD). You must also show that you have a return ticket (or enough money to buy one).
Just a word of warning – Sweden might not be the easiest country to work abroad. It can be challenging to find jobs, as Sweden is a small country with a very well-educated job market and you’ll face a lot of competition. However, if you can make it happen Sweden is a gorgeous setting with a high quality of life.
When the Portuguese sailors saw Taiwan in the 1500s, they referred to it as Ilha Formosa – The Beautiful Island. When you see the lush rainforests and beautiful scenery, it’s not hard to see why. When you head to the country you’ll find national parks with mountains, beaches and dormant volcanoes – dotted with ancient temples. Or, hang out in the cities and get lost in the non-stop food and drink scene, fantastic shopping and the lively night markets.
Young Australians between the ages of 18 and 30 can work in Taiwan for 12 months. Similar to many other visas, the primary purpose of the Working Holiday Scheme is to holiday – work should be secondary. During your visit you may also partake in short term language study. You must be able to prove that you have $100,000 New Taiwan Dollars (approximately $4,448 AUD) to support yourself during your stay in Taiwan.
Many Aussies have considered doing visiting Thailand as a part of their Gap Year – it’s a pretty popular spot for backpackers. However, when you enter on a visitor visa you only get one month in Thailand. What if you were able to stay in Thailand for up to a year, working and traveling your way around this beautiful tropical country?
You could eat street food and go shopping in Bangkok, hang out on the gorgeous beaches of the islands or go hiking in the hills of the North. Life in Thailand is laid back and relaxing and there’s something for you whether you want to live a party lifestyle or find total peace and relaxation.
The Thailand Working Holiday Visa is only available for Australians and New Zealanders and you must be between the ages of 18 and 30 when you apply. Also you are required to have tertiary qualifications – which means full time courses with at least 3 years of study. Also, you’ll need to prove that you have at least $5,000 AUD to support yourself.
There are a lot of reasons to love living in Turkey. The cities have thousands of years of history and stunning UNESCO World Heritage sites. (The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is simply awe-inspiring). You can visit world-class museums, marvel at the architecture and get lost in bazaars selling beautiful handicrafts, clothing and jewellery.
There are also sandy beaches, the otherworldly rock formations of Cappadocia and also a cheap cost of living. Plus, there’s the thrill of being able to eat delicious, authentic Turkish food all the time.
The Working Holiday Visa in Turkey is another one of the special ones that only Aussies and New Zealanders can get. It allows participants between the pages of 18 and 30 to stay for 12 months in Turkey and work to supplement their travel funds.
Now, I might be biased because it’s where my partner is from… but I think the UK is one of the best countries to work abroad in. Yes, the weather is cold and rainy. BUT – if you are into history, architecture, museums, live music, comedy, art and culture it can’t be beat. Plus, the scenery is so pretty – pastoral rolling hills, crumbling castles, tranquil lakes, centuries-old stone walls, pretty little timber-frame villages – it feels like exploring a story book.
The Working Holiday Visa in the UK allows foreign nationals between the ages of 18 and 30 to work and travel in the UK for up to 12 months. You’ll need to show that you have at least $4,000 AUD in the bank to support yourself and you submit your application through the UK Border Agency’s website.
It’s also one of the leading meat producers in the world and the locals have perfected the art of mouthwatering barbequed steak. Oh, and you’ll be buzzing if you get hooked on Mate – a caffeine-rich herbal infused drink that Uruguayans love even more than coffee.
Uruguay was the 10th country to join the Working Holiday Visa program with Australia, back in 2012. There is an annual limit of 200 work and holiday visas for both countries and participants must be university educated.
Vietnam is a popular travel destination for many Australians. The cities are exciting, the food is phenomenal (Who doesn’t love Pho?) and the beaches are great. Plus, there are a lot of naturally stunning places to explore – such as the misty, mysterious rock formations of Halong Bay.
There isn’t a ton of information about this program online, but in my research I found that the visa allows you to stay in the country for 12 months, work for 6 months and study for up to 4 months. Also, it is a multiple entry visa so you can leave and re-enter as many times as you like while the visa is valid.
If you have found any more information about working holiday visas for Australians, or if you are aware of any recent changes to the visas mentioned above please let us know in the comments below so that we can keep this resource as up to date as possible.
I’d heard of Working Holiday Visas but I did not realise I had so many options. Thank you for posting this.
What’s with the age limits?? Blatant ageism!! I’m 50 and I want to travel and work. Does this mean I can’t?
I usually don’t comment – but this is one of the MOST informative posts about travel and work visas I have ever read!
Thank you so much for posting this! I’m travelling the Schengen zone now and the 90 day rule is terrible for non-EUs. You mentioned that France and Hungary allows travel within the rest of the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within an 180 day period. Does this mean that the other Schengen countries on the list do not allow this? I’m thinking of obtaining a working holiday visa just so I can travel Europe for about a year.
The UK has 24 month working holiday visa not a 12.
This is really useful! Thank you. What happens if you’re 30 and obtain a visa – do you have to return before your 31’st birthday or are you able to utilise up to the maximum period that the permit would allow?
I’m struggling to answer this technicality! | 2019-04-20T05:03:21Z | https://global-goose.com/working-holiday-visas-for-australians/ |
Google assistant could achieve Larry Page’s vision for the ultimate search engine or become just another me-too chatbot. At this point, it’s up to users.
Google’s forthcoming assistant may be much more than a me-too reaction to the litany of artificial intelligence and chatbots flooding the web right now. It may signal the web’s next major evolution – if Google can actually get people to use it.
Users should expect to get their first real look at Google assistant very soon. Allo, Google’s messaging app is due for release “Summer 2016” and is the first Google product to include the artificial intelligence-powered assistant.
With Allo due to drop any day, is the age of the AI bot and “conversations as a platform” officially upon us?
In this post we will address this question, first exploring what Google assistant is, how it works and what its potential benefits to users – and to Google itself – are, as well as some of the potential downsides of the new technology.
But before we get too deep into this question, it’s worth backing up a little and taking a closer look at this unusual phrase: “conversations as a platform”.
Nadella goes on to describe an artificial intelligence that can converse with humans and learn more about us through our behaviour and context to assist us.
This is essentially what all the big players in tech are fighting to be the first-best at right now: Apple’s Siri, Facebook’s M, Amazon Alexa, Microsoft Cortana and Soundhound’s Hound are just some of the best known examples.
But while Microsoft may be betting bigger on artificial intelligence than anyone else – steering their entire strategy towards becoming the leader in bots – there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Google may already be poised to come out on top.
And it all starts with Google’s imminent assistant.
In its current form, Google assistant is essentially a significant evolution of their current Google Now.
This upgrade will let users make queries and receive answers in a way more conversational manner than they can with Google Now. Rather than the simple single question/answer way that traditional voice controlled personal assistants have worked, Google assistant has the ability to carry on with an extended conversation in a way that really pushes things forward.
Google assistant is undeniably an evolution when it comes to voice search and presents a shift towards more conversational interactions with technology: Google’s latest piece of wizardry will look to change the way that we interact with Google.
Assistant isn’t really a product, nor is it simply a platform either, it’s actually a whole new way of engaging with smart technology.
At Google’s 2016 annual I/O developer conference the company’s CEO, Sundar Pichai described assistant as a way of “building each user their own individual Google.” Pichai presented assistant as a platform that will extend across all devices and embed itself deeply into our lives.
Combining Google’s two biggest weapons: the information that it knows about the world and the data it collects about us, Pichai sees assistant as a step forward in how Google will engage with its 1.17 billion monthly users. “We truly want to take the next step in being more assistive for our users, we want to be there asking them ‘hi, how can I help?’,” he said.
There are some pretty powerful virtual assistants – many of them using artificial intelligence – out there already.
These are some of the biggest players and their key selling points that Google has to compete against if they want people to actually use assistant.
Apple’s iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and (at long last) Mac embedded virtual assistant has been with us the longest and is the best known of Google assistant’s competitors.
Over time, Siri’s become quite good at understanding natural language and responding quickly, often with colloquialisms, jokes and pop-culture references. Siri can even be trained to recognise just one user’s voice, but it’s likely a single Google assistant will go even further and be able to recognise and converse with multiple users in a group.
There’s a lot Siri can do by integrating with a huge range of Apple device features, but it doesn’t play particularly well with third party apps and, naturally, isn’t available on non-Apple devices at all.
Siri’s greatest weakness though, is its passivity. Siri doesn’t pre-empt what you might want and doesn’t really do anything without being explicitly asked; and don’t expect Siri to learn much about you via your interactions.
The Microsoft alternative to Apple’s Siri, Cortana (named after the Halo character and voiced by the same actor) is much younger but benefits from technological advances made since Siri’s release.
Cortana works best on Microsoft devices (although the virtual assistant is available on iOS in the U.S.), where it can tap into native applications and features and even some third party apps.
Where Siri is reactive, Cortana can proactively anticipate questions you might ask and provide information automatically while keeping track of topics users are interested in via a “notebook”. Cortana also has an edge over Siri by being able to respond to both voice and text entries.
Besides being pretty slow, Cortana’s main drawback is that it is too reliant on Bing for information and will often provide answers via links and not in context or even (and this is where Google assistant will have a huge advantage) conversationally.
Although we don’t know a single person who has experienced Facebook’s virtual assistant, M will someday be integrated in Messenger – and available to all its 1 billion monthly users.
Being embedded in a text-based messaging app M will likely respond to just written text, and is reportedly not very personable, interesting (by Facebook policy M doesn’t really have an opinion about anything), and often needs a human helping hand.
M learns (primarily) from a growing team of “Trainers” who step in when M doesn’t know what it’s supposed to do, or even understand what the user is saying. If all goes according to plan, M will be able to figure out how to perform new tasks and understand users better on its own.
This learning style shows the gulf between M and Google assistant, which has Google’s entire knowledge graph and 100 billion monthly searches to learn from too. As the only other messaging app-based virtually assistant (Google assistant will initially debut in Google’s own messaging app), it will be interesting to compare how M and assistant interact with users and enhance human-to-human conversations.
Google assistant will also become the backbone of another Google product. Home is a voice-activated speaker that can answer questions, control multiple devices in your home and assist with a variety of tasks.
If this sounds familiar, it could be Home’s striking similarity to Amazon Echo. Echo is powered by an AI called Alexa, and as a virtual assistant it’s a market leader by quite a margin in smart home integration.
Most of its strength derives from the sheer number of integrations and partnerships the Echo has – including Pandora, Spotify, Uber, WeMo, Nest and even Dominos Pizza. It remains to be seen whether Google Home and (by extension) assistant will be able to compete with the Echo on these counts.
If there’s one advantage assistant has over Echo – besides total access to the search behemoth – it will be its ability to carry on a conversation and understand context.
The greatest virtual assistant you’ve probably never heard of is Soundhound’s Hound.
It only launched in March 2016 to little fanfare but, like Google assistant, Hound has more than a decade of development behind it.
Thanks to this long gestation, Hound is extremely good – and super fast – at understanding complex queries and even follow-up questions. The secret is Hound’s Speech-to-Meaning technology.
While most natural language processing technologies need to convert spoken language to text before parsing it, Speech-to-Meaning can understand spoken words directly.
The result is that you can often get answers to certain types of questions through Hound than you could by typing it into the Google query box.
Hound also has a strong API, called Houndify, which gives developers access to Hound’s Speech-to-Meaning technology for apps on a range of platforms.
While Hound has partnerships with companies like Yelp and Uber that enable it to do more, it’s important to keep in mind that Hound is an independent player – and this can have its drawbacks. Hound doesn’t use Google. It has its own Knowledge Graph, so it won’t always know the answer to (or even understand) a question. When this happens, the app will refer you to Bing search results or just tell you it doesn’t understand.
Backed by the biggest search engine and second most valuable company in the world, it’s not likely that Google assistant will have the same issue.
Now we have some understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of Google assistant’s biggest competitors, let’s take a look at how assistant works – and how it will prove itself against the others.
Google assistant is tipped to make its first public appearance as part of Google’s new Allo messaging app for Android and iOS. Scheduled to be released sometime in the next two weeks, Allo will allow users to chat with the assistant as if it were another person in the chat.
But this isn’t a stand-alone messaging app. Allo will tie into the existing search capabilities of Google’s devices and operating systems. Plus, it will tap into a range of third party apps like Spotify and Uber to proactively offer advice to you during your chats.
Over time, it will learn about you and build its own identity as one of your friends in your contacts. It will suggest places to eat, music to listen to and hotels you can stay in.
“Google Assistant appears to tie into the Search capabilities already baked into Google’s various devices and operating systems, bolstered by the power of Google’s vast cloud and summoned by your voice. Much like Gmail, Photos, and Google Now, Pichai envisions Google Assistant as ‘an ambient experience that extends across devices,’ so that you can tap into its power anywhere—including Google Home, a new Amazon Echo rival scheduled to release later this year”.
Although we’ll initially only experience assistant via Allo, where it will learn a lot about how its users think and speak, Google are not exactly strangers when it comes to gathering and exploiting big data.
Google’s been studying and investing in machine learning for more than a decade now, and there’s little doubt that assistant will help push Google’s machine learning endeavours further forward than ever before.
As reported by The Guardian last June, the tech giant announced that it was opening a specialised Machine Learning group. The highly skilled team will conduct research into three key areas of machine learning: machine intelligence, natural language processing and machine perception. All three areas have been specially chosen to help Google create a machine that can behave like a human being.
Due to its vast experience when it comes to search, Google are already extremely familiar with NLP.
Currently used to fine tune and beef up its search engine, NLP is one of the areas where the company has been focusing much of its attention. From helping develop voice search to improving its translation software, NLP will play a key in helping Google design an artificial intelligence that can pass the Turing Test – Alan Turing’s gold-standard test for any AI.
But while Allo and Google assistant are clearly a part of Google’s grand artificial intelligence agenda, they will still be providing tremendous value to users in the short term.
If the vision for assistant is to be “an ambient experience that extends across devices”, what does this mean for how this new tech will be used?
Assistant will put Google search and voice interaction inside a wealth of devices including the aforementioned Google Home, your smartphone and a new piece of wearable tech currently in development with Google.
In fact, the meteoric rise of wearable tech, home automation and the rise of the ‘internet of things’ more broadly, is a key reason Google is venturing into this space.
A report released earlier this year by the market research firm, IDTechEx shows exactly how big the wearable tech industry is becoming. According to IDTechEx the wearable tech market will be “worth over $30bn in 2016, and growing in three stages”. The report concludes that the industry may reach more than $150 billion within 10 years.
Assistant, will of course, be an integral part of your Android smartphone, but with Google planning on launching two new Nexus smartphones before the end of the year it may be more central to the mobile experience than previously thought.
One of the most talked about features of the new Nexus phones and their Android 7.0 operating system is its new ‘flower-like’ home button.
As it stands the rumours currently circulating about this enigmatic little button are that it is in fact part of the promotion of Google assistant (possibly via Now / On Tap functions), and will be a key part of both the new phone’s search functionality and Google’s new smartwatch.
The rise of semantic search and the increased sophistication of Google’s search algorithms is tailored made for voice search.
Searches are far more complex than they were in five years ago and with the rise of voice search and platforms like Google assistant will see search queries not only getting more complex, but increasingly more conversational.
Even without the invention of a complete virtual assistant, voice search has continued to grow. As reported by Search Engine Watch, a recent study by artificial intelligence technology firm MindMeld shows that 60 percent of smartphone users in the U.S. had begun using voice search within the past year, with 41% of those surveyed saying that they’d only started using voice commands in the past 6 months.
Semantic search takes a much wider view of a search query than traditional search and uses many factors to return the best results. And assistant is yet another part of the semantic and universal search puzzle that is seeing Google move towards creating a future where search transforms devices into smart machines that use “connected knowledge” to answer complex questions.
Voice search, using natural language, is exploding in popularity and by taking advantage of this – as well as by making assistant available virtually everywhere, Google make their high hopes for the usefulness and adoption of their AI apparent.
You can see some evidence of this in the Home demo – debuted at I/O 2016 – as an upscale family of four get ready for their days and converse mostly with Google assistant (for every word the family says to each other, they say another 3.5 to Google assistant).
But it’s Bhavik Singh’s presentation introducing the Awareness API (shown below – the first 6 minutes are essential viewing) that gives us the full sense of just how assistive and deeply integrated in our lives Google aspires to be.
Google assistant promises huge benefits to users, but there’s very little doubt that the platform will provide massive value to Google itself – even if the company has no real idea how they’re going to monetise it yet.
That said, there’s no way Google would launch a product without some way of making money from it.
A voice-activated home product that allows you and your family to get answers from Google, stream music, and manage everyday tasks.
Although the page doesn’t mention that the brain and living heart of Home is Google assistant, it does make it perfectly clear that this is a product. A product you can buy to put in your house – and (okay – we may be extrapolating this next bit from the video) the more rooms you put it in, the better.
Google hasn’t indicated a price, but Amazon Echo, its Alexa-enabled prime competitor, retails at $179.99. The virtual assistant will also become a key selling point of other saleable devices including smartphones and (especially) wearables like smart watches.
Tapping into our conversations, our homes and most of our day-to-day tasks exposes Google to a much richer pool of data on how (and, in real time, exactly when) users really talk and interact with the physical world and other people around them. All this helps Google develop “a deeper profile of the customer” that can be used to improve the profitability of Google’s existing revenue streams – most notably Google AdWords and Google Shopping.
One of the most obvious ways Google can take advantage of this data is by, potentially, solving the problem of user intent.
Search in the last decade has moved from give me what I said to give me what I want.
For anyone whose entire business model relies on giving people the results they need as fast possible, this problem of matching what users really meant, rather than what they appear to have said is absolutely vital.
The issue is that words and phrases can have a range of meanings besides the one “true” meaning intended by the person who originally said them. Some of the leading thinkers and philosophers of the 20th century, like Jacques Derrida, Roland Barthes and Jacques Lacan, have addressed this issue at length. They argue that it is impossible to know exactly what someone really means by using certain words or phrases unless you make a hypothesis and verify it by asking the original speaker or writer if that interpretation is right.
Doing just that – by including a disambiguation box in some search results – is something Gary Illyes, Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, has suggested in the past.
Of course, adding such a box to search results pages may just be too interruptive improve the search experience for users. But if it was simply asked by a virtual assistant during the natural flow of a conversation, there may not be any detriment to the user experience.
Pair this with assistant’s artificial intelligence and over time it will be able to improve its abilities to accurately interpret your words to arrive at the correct meaning.
By doing this, Google can ensure that the AdWords and Google Shopping results it delivers across the board are more relevant and therefore more likely to result in the clicks that advertisers pay for.
These improvements in matching results to searches – and the greater click through rates that result – are surely good news for advertisers too.
It doesn’t end there, though. With unprecedented access to new data and new types of data, it’s only a matter of time before Google discovers revenue streams that no one has been aware of – or that even existed – until now.
As recently as a few years ago, Google was the unassailable king of the internet. But that’s largely because search was king of the internet.
Today, the online landscape is very different. Facebook accounts for more than 20% of the time Americans spend online, there’s an app for everything, virtual assistants retrieve information without users needing to perform a search themselves, and every man and his dog can make a chatbot.
The harsh reality is that Google is fighting against all of these things for market share. Every piece of information retrieved by an assistant, bot or app is one less Google search. Every piece of content served and every connection made via social media (or again: an assistant, bot, or app) is one less that Google can help with.
Google may still have 100 billion searches per month (and voice search now accounts for about a fifth of them), but search is not as big a part of the internet pie as it once was.
So for Google to remain competitive, they must either broaden the scope of what “search” is or look beyond it.
Google seem to be doing both. If search is essentially a process of telling Google what information you need followed by Google finding and serving you that information; an intelligent, conversational assistant is essentially augmenting that process. Assistant will work with you to home in on the information you need before the assistant itself searches for and retrieves that information.
The other side of the equation – looking “beyond” search – becomes apparent when you consider the entire ecosystem to be populated by Google assistant. By placing their assistant everywhere users might otherwise go before (or instead of) conducting a search, Google blurs the lines between engaging with the web via search and engaging with it any other way.
There’s no doubt that Google’s virtual assistant has the potential to not only be best-in-class, provide tremendous value both to users and Google itself, but also revolutionise the online landscape altogether.
There is one question left to answer: will people actually use it?
We will almost certainly first meet assistant in Allo, Google’s new messaging app – and this may be a problem.
One of Allo’s key selling points is a Smart Reply feature (which is also likely one of assistant’s key learning mechanisms) that scans all your and your friends’ messages in order to suggest replies for you.
A demo at Google’s I/O 2016 show just how powerful this feature is, but it has a cost that may deter many users.
For Google be able to read and analyse all those messages, however, they must be sent without end-to-end encryption. Google’s decision to disable this encryption by default has been broadly criticised, including in statements by Edward Snowden who warns that the “new Allo chat app is dangerous” and cautions against using it.
An Incognito mode available to Allo users does feature end-to-end encryption, as well as a Snapchat-like ability to “expire” messages after a certain amount of time, but this mode will not feature Smart Reply.
Inertia may prove a much bigger challenge.
It’s obvious why Google is launching a fancy new messaging app – messaging apps are now bigger than social, and this massive market is still in its infancy with plenty of room to build.
But there’s still no guarantee that if you build it, the people will come.
With most people already using messaging apps like Facebook Messenger or Slack that they’re happy enough with, is Google assistant’s AI enough of a drawcard to convince them – and enough of their contacts to make it worthwhile – to switch to something new?
It certainly does not help the case for Google that their attempt to do the exact same thing in social media (with Google Plus, but also Google Buzz, Google Friend Connect and Orkut before that) when they thought Facebook was going to kill them.
Despite Google’s best-in-industry work to date, it’s clear they still have an uphill battle to demonstrate its assistant’s usefulness and get people to actually use it. If Google can pull this off, they may very well usher in the next evolution of the web.
If they can’t, it’s entirely possible that someone else – like Facebook and their ever-expanding walled garden or Microsoft with their aspirations to a human-assist-bot-search engine for bots system – will. | 2019-04-21T20:09:28Z | https://kwasi.com/google-assistant/ |
The starting point for any discussion regarding the UK’s European Union (EU) referendum must be that the issue is one between different factions of capital and the ruling-class. As such, working-class organisations can only take sides if there is a pressing reason.
There may be an academic Marxist argument that pan-European capital is some sort of step forward in the overall development of the capitalist system (and therefore a ‘progressive’ development) and that Brexit would be a step backwards. Even if this were true it would be a small difference (by no means as significant as industrialisation in a post-colonial country or, as Marx argued, victory for the North in the American civil war) and not one where socialists should necessarily take sides.
In the current period it doesn’t appear that either side in this capitalists’ faction fight is going to take capitalism forward in a progressive direction, nor to send it backwards. Neither offer any significant developments for the working class – they are both intent on blocking any progressive lines of discussion in preference to their own, pro-business agendas.
In fact the likely outcome of this referendum process will be yet further diminishing of our class’ power. Both campaigns will be racist, pro-business, and anti-worker. Perhaps on one side, the trade unions will be part of those debates, hopefully mitigating the most harmful effects, but still in cahoots with the establishment parties and supporting stances that many socialists will surely cringe at.
If the yes to stay in vote wins, the government will still want to introduce more anti-trade union legislation. As before, despite the EU’s union laws being on the whole better for workers, the EU will still allow the UK to do this. This signals the EU’s future direction towards a more UK and USA style of workers’ rights; the direction in which it itself wants to travel but has so far been hamstrung by popular movements and the organised working class on the continent. Indeed it appears that in order to placate his rightwing critics, Cameron’s current negotiations with the EU are about exactly this, removing the limited amounts of workers’ rights that the UK currently receives from the EU.
In Europe, as in Greece and Spain recently, and Holland and France previously, the fight back against the EU has come from a trade union and leftist perspective, opposing austerity, and defending workers rights against unfair anti-union legislation, and extensions to state retirement ages.
Subsequent strikes and rallies across the country against his Thatcherite ‘Anglification’ as it was termed, gave this short shrift, and the EU business friendly Treaty fell. As did Sarkozy at the next election, with many of his ‘reforms’ left as Thatcherite dreams.
Compare this to the actual introduction of ‘reforms’ to retirement age for British workers. The Left and trade unions opposed them naturally, but without success. A whole gamut of new retirement laws have been enacted, meaning that most of those who have not already retired look likely to be working into our mid 70’s and beyond before receiving a state pension, if indeed one still exists then.
The potential of splits in the Tory Party after the vote (whatever the result) could be seen as a positive change in class forces. On the surface this could appear to be good news for the radical left and Labour, splitting the Tories, and possibly having to have a new election. We must consider in which direction any potential split will go, and in all likelihood it won’t shift to the left. Even if there were to be a Labour government, the only possibility of a leftist (but still pro-EU) trend would be if Jeremy Corbyn wins the Labour Party leadership contest. In this case there’s even the possibility for the Labour Party to fragment.
The most likely fallout from a NO vote is that the Tory Right, UKIP and the far right will feel emboldened and strengthened by the result. We will then see the continuation of a rightward trajectory in British politics, dragging the Labour Party ever more into the so called ‘centre ground’ of the political spectrum. A ground which since the last referendum to support continued membership of the European Economic Community in 1975, has already shifted considerably to the right.
The ruling class forces would be weakened, but only in as much as there will be less unity on the Right, but at what cost?
Would this be an opening for socialists to exploit, or just another enemy and another fight for us to keep having? In this instance I think the latter.
In opposition to the radical Left and Trade Unionism, UKIP and Tories, and even elements of the Labour Party would have no issues with ganging up against the Left. We only need look to the Scottish Independence referendum last year to see how the establishment, when threatened, used and abused their influence. In the short term and possibly for longer, especially in Scotland, this has proved disastrous for the Labour Party and how that was a contributing factor in the Tory victory at the last election.
In a yes vote, will the class forces be any different? In terms of the rights of migrants and EU citizens, perhaps, and I will come to that later. In all other aspects what the yes vote is, is an acceptance of the status quo, and a continuation of austerity and if possible an even more pro-business, anti-worker stance.
UKIP are not the Nazis and the EU is not a dangerously authoritarian regime – bureaucratic, undemocratic and ideologically neoliberal to the core, yes, but not tyrannical, despotic or totalitarian. That is the rhetoric of the mainstream no vote, and arguing inside the no campaign on this basis, rightly calling out the undemocratic neoliberal nature of the EU, does nothing to strengthen our side within the campaign. It would be inevitably drowned out by the Rights version of what it means to be undemocratic.
Within the yes campaign, this argument and any anti-business, and perhaps even any euro-communist arguments, won’t even be on the agenda, anybody making them will more than likely find themselves marginalised to such a degree as it would be a waste of time being there in the first place.
Here though we must consider the combined issue of migration and racism, and how that will play out on either side.
It is true to say that the no camp will be far more aggressive in its attacks on migrants, and by extension more racist and xenophobic, even though at present, on an official level it is being played down, on the doorstep come the referendum it is unlikely to stay that way, and the campaign will get more aggressive rather than less.
But the yes camp too, as we have already seen with their obsession for “immigration controls”, and “border security”, pandering to the Right with ever more discriminatory ‘anti-terrorism’ laws, and the divisive “British Jobs for British Workers” slogan, adopted by some elements within the Trade unions, will be only slightly less reactionary. Again on the doorstep, are Labour members really going to challenge the stereotypes and myths? Or will they reflect back to Gordon Brown’s correct assertion about “that bigoted woman”, and remember what happened to him?
The issue that should be vexing most of us, is the future status of migrant workers. In April next year, before the referendum, new rules will come into force, and non-EU workers who are earning less than £35,000 a year will be deported after six years in the UK. Apart from this being a sop to high-tech business, and a snub to low paid workers, it is unclear at present if this would effect current EU citizens who live and work in the UK after a no vote? It’s also unclear generally, what the UK’s relationship will be to other EU citizens after a no vote? It is also possible that something similar to this new law will be part of Cameron’s EU negotiations. Either way the only option is to argue as socialists for the free movement of people as a principle, an argument which will see little effect on the no side, and only qualified acceptance on the other, possibly with a price-tag attached.
To me it’s difficult to see which side is the more reactionary, the one which says, “no to migration”, or the one which says “only good migrants please”. Or indeed if either side can be progressive in any form at all within this referendum debate.
Fighting for socialist principles outside the main yes/no arena, in this respect, seems far more productive to bringing people towards a socialist perspective.
The simple answer to this is that neither side are going to want to hear internationalist, anti-business arguments. There may be some scope within Trade Unions to voice these arguments, and it’s definitely worth trying, but we should be doing that anyway to influence their thinking. In the context of the referendum, our arguments will be limited, marginalised, and on the whole, unreported and unheard. The main reason being that both campaigns will be conducted as populist fights, between an establishment of little Englanders and small business ‘leaders’, who see European competition as a problem, in opposition to a pro-business establishment which sees the EU as a bulwark against Chinese, Indian and US capital.
Intervening on either side and inevitably splitting the wider forces of the Left into yet more fragments doesn’t serve the class, migrants, or our own revolutionary groups.
In general the left will have little impact in the debate as such, and little influence on its outcome. The only realistic role socialists in Britain can play is an educational one, raising issues for those who are interested in understanding contemporary politics from a left perspective.
The question is how best to do that, and where can we get heard? Will it be possible through the fog of an unholy alliance in the yes campaign, where we can only be heard to say “migration is good [for British business]”, or within a grouping comprised mainly of the Tory right where euroscepticism means something entirely different?
Radical abstention offers possibilities to make our point clearly. We can use the referendum to raise wider issues about neoliberalism and contemporary capitalism and the struggles of the exploited and oppressed, without being pulled or tied by the policies and rhetoric of the mainstream campaigns.
We can stand aside and have the ability to put principled socialist arguments about the nature of the EU, the causes of racism and xenophobia, the barbarism of capitalism, and be able to critique both sides of this establishment fiasco.
In conclusion, whichever side socialists find themselves on, in this period – in, out, or shaking it all about – it is the clear duty of all of us to stand up against what will no doubt be a pro-business, racist, anti-migrant and bigoted campaign conducted by both sides.
Special thanks to Richard Kirkwood, for his valuable help.
I disagree with your claim that the EU vote is in some way abstract from a class perspective. Workers in the UK witnessed how the Troika treated a government of the left. Consequently the issue of austerity took centre stage. The subsequent surge in support for Corbyn is evidence that there is a potential to build an anti-austerity movement. Like Corbyn we can’t expect a ready made social movement to spring up before we take a stand.
On the one hand, there are those on the left who claim that, after Greece, the EU still stands for democracy which is what Cliff described as lying to the class. Those who campaign to abstain fail to understand that EU membership strengthens the Tories hand rather than holds them in check. The vote isn’t simply between two wings of British capital – it’s also a struggle between the ruling class and workers over austerity and racism. If we are against austerity then we are against its architects who run the EU. If we are against racism then we must challenge UKIP’s arguments while still standing against austerity. It’s not an easy option but then there were those on the left who thought challenging Brown’s, British jobs for British workers was a mistake too.
Labour’s abstention in the welfare bill handed the Tories victory. We need to take EU austerity every bit as seriously as the Tories welfare bill which is why abstaining on this issue hands over the political debate to the right.
Ray, whatever your strength of feeling that a Brexit is the only legit revolutionary position its incomparable to the welfare vote.
The welfare vote was over whether to impliment vast cuts to peoples living standards or not. Children I work with will see their families standard of living and their life chances deminish with terrifying effect.
The euro referendum is a much more abstract proposition from a class perspective. A left dominated no vote might be seen as a solidarity vote with Greece/Spain/???? in a years time. But equally a right lead one could well be seen as a richer nation slamming its boarders shut to the victims of extreme austerity impossed on weaker states. The only way voting no is meaningfully opposing the troika would be if a left no camapaign was imbedded in a social movement strong enough to give the political stance social weight. Otherwise it is no different in meaning to the left writing articles /leaflets attacking them. Sadly where a a demand is currently most likely to gain popular traction is restriction of migration/ border control – a context where a large no vote’s most likely result is to bolster (what the ISJ termed) the New Racism by further legitimising the anti-migrant racism against eastern europeans and by extension all migrants. You can already see the pull in this direction by Cameron’s moves to try and steal some of their thunder.
In essense we are voting between two wings of british capital – a dominant wing that wants a negotiated place in the EU while tilting heavily towards financial relations with the US amongst others. And a wing that wants negotiated treaties with Europe from the outside it. One wing is more dominent and one more wrapped up in little Englander nationalism.
So what you’re talking about is what Lenin called an “active boycott,” except that it won’t be active or activist since what seems to be proposed is focused propaganda rather than agitation and organization.
My fundamental disagreement with the arguments here is the starting point of our analysis: “The starting point for any discussion regarding the UK’s European Union (EU) referendum must be that the issue is one between different factions of capital and the ruling-class. As such, working-class organisations can only take sides if there is a pressing reason.” Yes, different elements of the ruling class are on different sides of the question, but that doesn’t mean for us as socialists that that fact is our starting point. I think our starting point should be to evaluate the question of what effect staying/leaving the EU will have on the interests of the working class and oppressed groups.
Seems to me that leaving the EU would be leaving (or rather putting) migrant workers and non-UK EU citizens in the lurch, create a lot of uncertainty and legal problems for them, and throw up a whole new set of border and immigration controls impeding the free movement of labor and laborers. On this basis, I would lean towards a ‘no’ vote on the referendum.
I am positing that “radical” is not a passive form of abstention. Radical actions, ‘radical socialist’ positions in opposition to the yes/no platitudes. There is an opening in this position to build our socialist ideas, which wouldn’t necessarily be available to us on either of the mainstream campaigns.
I agree it is likely the yes camp wins, but it’s unlikely that my minority position on abstaining between racism hard and racism light will be statistically significant to alter that anyway, unless it becomes a larger focus of public opinion, in which case on think we could argue strongly for proper change, not just a change of bosses.
We can’t abstain on this issue otherwise we’re no better than those in Labour who abstained on welfare reform. Abstentionism is really a vote to stay in the EU because the Tories will be pulling out all the stops to get a YES vote just like they did to push through welfare reforms. We can’t abstain after what’s happened in Greece and need to stand in solidarity with Greek workers which includes pulling out of the EU. The only way to be seen to oppose the Troika is to campaign against the EU otherwise if we sit on our hands the right will channel all the anger against the EU’s austerity agenda towards racism. This is an opportunity to offer an alternative to austerity and to racism.
What is the difference between abstention and “radical abstention”? What makes what the author is proposing radical? | 2019-04-23T14:19:24Z | https://www.rs21.org.uk/2015/07/30/6924/ |
Joe Fairless: Best Ever listeners, welcome to the best real estate investing advice ever show. I’m Joe Fairless, and this is the world’s longest-running daily real estate investing podcast. We only talk about the best advice ever, we don’t get into any of that fluffy stuff. With us today, Nizan Mosery. How are you doing, Nizan?
Nizan Mosery: I’m doing great. How are you, Joe?
Joe Fairless: I’m doing great as well, and nice to have you on the show. A little bit about Nizan – he has over 20 years experience in real estate, owns over 120 million dollars in properties nationally and internationally, and he is based in Boca Raton, Florida. With that being said, do you wanna give the Best Ever listeners a little bit more about your background and your current focus?
Nizan Mosery: Sure. As you said, Joe, 20 years in real estate; I’ve traveled the world for many years. When I was growing up, my father used to tell me “Son, there’s two types of people in this world: those that pay rent and those that collect, and you always wanna collect, son. You always wanna collect.” Going into that, about 8-9 years ago I moved back to the States – I was living in Israel at the time with my wife and kids, and I got back into the commercial real estate, doing apartment complexes in strong growth markets. That’s where we’re at right now.
In the last six years we’ve bought and sold over 1,500 units. We’ve got hotels, marinas as well… Our core business is value-add multifamily apartment complexes.
Joe Fairless: Okay, the core business is value-add apartment complexes – that’s good, because I can talk shop with you there; I’d love to learn a little bit more about that. You did mention hotels and marinas – I wanna ask about that stuff; if your focus is multifamily, how did you get into (we’ll talk about each one individually) hotels?
Nizan Mosery: Hotels – it’s another type of asset that cashflows. It’s very similar to multifamily, however it does have its different nuances and it’s a different industry. The reason why we went into this is because we’ve noticed that in the markets that we were in multifamily was getting very overheated. Big institutions were coming in, investors, and we didn’t want to start taking the risk of maybe buying it at too high of a price. So we kind of pulled back a little bit to see what was going on, and this opportunity fell on our laps. We looked at it… Do we know anything about hotels, can we make it happen?
The opportunity, the numbers were so great – just to give you an idea, it was 240 keys for 1.9 million dollars, and we bought it with seller financing, actually under a master lease option with $150,000 down. It came with a lot of hair on it; we spent the last year getting rid of all the nasty stuff, and rebranding it and moving it, and now the property is making about $50,000-$60,000 a month in profit. And we’re not talking about high-end luxury hotels or the low hotel [unintelligible [00:05:12].06], we’re talking about the mid-tier levels where we have a very wide base of clientele, where it’s not only the tourist that’s coming in, the traveler, but it’s also the business person or maybe a trucking company or FedEx that can rent out 40, 50, 60 rooms per night, per month, for their drivers and their employees and so forth, with the existing space for events and so forth, conference centers.
Joe Fairless: Where is it?
Nizan Mosery: It’s in Memphis, Tennessee. It’s a mile away from the airport, a mile and a half away from Graceland, so we have a lot of Elvis Presley trivia parties, there’s Elvis in May, or something like that, and it’s just huge. We’ve got a lot of Elvis impersonators coming and dancing and singing, and it’s just a really cool thing. We have a huge painting of Elvis Presley right in the lobby of our hotel.
The cool thing is my partner – she has these guys that are in the hotel business as well, in hotel management, and one of the partners is like two levels beyond. His father is actually a rocket scientist, and he was brought up with numbers and algorithms and what not, so he created this beautiful algorithm that goes out into the internet to the online travel agencies, live, real-time, every several minutes, and it updates our system so that we can be at the highest occupancy level with the best rate at any given point in time. Other hotels, they have to go in and manually adjust the rates. This does it automatically for us, so it keeps us primed on all the online travel agencies. The first month we implemented this strategy, our income shot up about 120%.
Joe Fairless: That’s beautiful. How did you hear about it?
Nizan Mosery: Well, like I said, my business partner knows these guys for many years.
Joe Fairless: What was the reason why this seller did a master lease with you?
Nizan Mosery: Because of the condition of the property. No lender in their right mind would loan on this property. There was mold issues, there was roof issues, there were leaks, there were just the wrong demographics… He was renting the rooms out by the hour, by the night, by the week, those kinds of things. So there was a lot of hair on it, and you couldn’t go and take it and raise institutional lending on it. No lender would put their hands on it. He knew that, and he wanted to get rid of it, so he came and he got into the master lease option program with us. We invested about a million dollars into the hotel last year as well, and it’s just running beautifully right now. We’ve got the right property management company in there, with the right algorithm, we’ve got the right team on site, and it’s just a beautiful thing.
Joe Fairless: How much did you exercise the option for?
Joe Fairless: Sorry, when you actually purchased the property you were not doing the lease — what was that purchase price?
Nizan Mosery: Oh, the purchase price was 1.9 million dollars. It’s about $8,000 a door.
Joe Fairless: And then you’ve put a million into it, so you’re all in for almost 3 million. What’s it worth now?
Nizan Mosery: Right now the valuation is about anywhere between 5-6 million dollars.
Joe Fairless: Nice. And how long has it been?
Joe Fairless: Congrats on that. What’s your personal role in that?
Nizan Mosery: Well, my partner and I, we own it. My personal role – I oversee and partner up with my partner (obviously), and I don’t do the day-to-day. I’m kind of the asset manager. [unintelligible [00:08:49].14] covers about 30,000 feet over the hotel, make sure on a daily basis when I go over we get the daily report from the night before, and make sure everything is correct, the numbers are there; I make sure that any projects or any renovations that we are currently working on in the hotel are moving forward and they’re making it happen. I’m also making sure that the strategy that we’ve put together for the hotel – are we getting enough groups to come in, are we getting enough events being planned, are we doing certain things to get the name out there, are we branding it correctly? That’s kind of what I do.
Joe Fairless: And you have already exercised the option, so now you have financing on it and you own it?
Nizan Mosery: We’re in the process right now, because we’ve spent the last year getting it out of the red and into the black, and now we needed several months so that we can show the lenders a track record. They’re trailing three, they’re trailing six, so they can take the valuation and see “Okay, there’s income coming in; it’s not just a month or two that it was a fluke, but now there’s actual trail happening”, and they can see that and they can project into the future what the value of the property will be.
Joe Fairless: What’s been the biggest challenge with this property? And then we’ll move on to the marina.
Nizan Mosery: The biggest challenge with this property was getting the right property management company in place. The first property management company, they were hell-bent on telling us we have to put our room rates at a certain price point, which we thought was very high for what we were offering; they kept insisting, and they kept doing things… They really didn’t look out for our wallets in the sense that they just splurged and went out and did — they did kind of what they had to do, but I think they could have cut corners in certain places and done things a certain way that would have saved us some money. I think they could have listened to us a little bit more as well on the price points and how we wanted to run it.
So that was our biggest issue – getting the right property management company. Once we got the guys that we’re working with right now and they installed the algorithm, it’s been night and day.
Joe Fairless: What are a couple ways that the first management company could have saved some money and didn’t need to do the full-on package, or whatever it was, that you would have had streamlined the costs a little bit?
Nizan Mosery: We had a lot of mold on the fourth floor, because the roofs were leaking into the rooms, and the current owner before us didn’t take care of it; he just let the mold grow. So instead of trying to do piecemeal here and there on the whole thing, they wanted to bring in a mold remediator, and he gave us a quote of half a million dollars.
Now, this is to all the Best Ever listeners out there – there are mold remediators out there that all they do is they’re construction guys; there’s really no real certification out there. How do I know this? Because my partner at that particular point went and took a mold remediation course, which is like 2-3 days, and she met the guy who wrote the law for remediation in the state of New York and other states. She actually invited him down, we gave him $1,000, we gave him a room to sleep in, he walked the whole property, and then you know what? $40,000 to take care of the mold situation.
Nizan Mosery: But they were so hell-bent on “No, we’ve gotta get it done the correct way… What are you doing?!” and she’s like “Dude, I’ve just spoken to the man who wrote the rules, and this is what he said.” So you’ve gotta give credit to the property management company when they’re doing something and they’re doing their job correctly, but the property management company also has to heed what the owners are doing and the direction that they wanna go.
Obviously, if we weren’t doing something safe or if we were about to harm people and the property manager didn’t [unintelligible [00:12:34].29] they’re not gonna obviously do what we want them to, to harm people, but if we’re taking the guy’s rules and regulations on how to do it and we’re implementing it and we’re saving 90% – really, it was 10% compared to the entire thing; $40,000 compared to the half a million dollars. So that was one of the ways.
Another way was wanting to blast out and do all the rooms at once. Obviously, that would have been a fantastic idea if we would have had two and a half million dollars in our back pocket, but we didn’t. So we had to really come out there and really renovate a certain floor, get that up and running, do another floor, get that up and running, just because of the amount of money that we had to put into it. We didn’t have the full two and a half million dollars to just kind of blow in and blow out and do with whatnot… So they were trying to push and push and push, and we were holding back a little bit.
It’s important that you and your property management team – if you’re doing multifamily, marinas, hotels, student housing, whatever it is, you guys really need to be eye to eye, and running together, hand in hand.
Joe Fairless: You mentioned the marina… How did you get involved with the marina that you have?
Nizan Mosery: We go to a lot of real estate conferences – when I said “we”, my partner Laura and I. We go to a lot of real estate conferences around the country, and at one of the real estate conferences they have kind of a shark tank, where people would bring up their opportunities and there would be these real estate sharks. We sat up on stage and we were talking and we heard different opportunities, and this gentleman came up and he presented a 14-acre piece of land with a private beach, 120 boat slip marina, with an RV park, dry storage, for 2.5 million dollars. The upside was going to be to get rid of the RV park and put in the glamping cabins… Put in about 30 glamping cabins in there and start running that, and have the marina and the events, because we have a private beach, so we can do events… Rent out the space for $250, $500, $1,000 an hour for a minimum of four hours. If you did that twice on Saturday, twice on Sunday, or even once on Saturday and once on Sunday, you made nice change for that weekend.
But what I fell in love with was a) the location, and b) what was going around the marina. The lake itself is on Lake Wiley in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the property is called Long Cove Marina. If anybody wants to go there, you just google Long Cove Marina Yacht Club and you’ll see the new glamping cabins. We’re renting them right now on a nightly basis; they’re beautiful. We’ve just installed them, they’re amazing.
But what I liked is when you look around the neighborhood, you see half a million to a million dollar homes being built all around. That tells me that we’re in a prime zip code, we’re in a good area, and we’ve got 14 acres of lush wooded land that maybe down the road… We’re doing our strategy – we’re doing the cabins, the marinas, the events, everything that we’ve put together, we’re working it. But we’ve already gotten an unsolicited offer from a contractor to buy everything at four and a half million dollars, a year and a half after we’ve owned the property. So right there that tells me that we’ve got something really special on our hands. But before we bought it, I drove up, I spent a night at the property, I walked around, I looked at it, I drove the entire neighborhoods, all the different communities, and these houses that were built were just beautiful, and everybody’s got a boat… But what it told me is that maybe we can develop the 14 acres of land, or maybe we can sell it to a developer who was gonna build these half a million dollar homes for a lot more than two and a half million dollars or even four and a half million dollars. So that’s why I got involved. But also because I saw that this is a cash-flowing opportunity; there’s opportunity to start something and have it generate income continuously.
Joe Fairless: Alright, noted. When did you buy that?
Nizan Mosery: Two years ago.
Joe Fairless: How did you finance it?
Nizan Mosery: We raised money through private individuals, we did a private placement, we did a private raise. We got seller financing, and we did a short-term bridge loan so that we can get the income of the property up, and then we’re going now to refinance everything out with an SBA loan.
Joe Fairless: And for anyone who’s not familiar with this SBA…?
Nizan Mosery: That is a small business loan, for small businesses. They look at your business, they look at your business plan, they look at your income, and what’s beautiful with an SBA lender is that they told us that if ever someone gets into trouble and you are having difficulties paying the note and what not, they said on the down low, [whispering] “They will never foreclose on you. They’ll do whatever it takes to help you with your business and with payments and so forth”, because obviously you don’t wanna foreclose on a business; the whole point is to help a business.
Joe Fairless: Yeah… Unless that’s in writing, they’ll never foreclose, and I don’t believe them. [laughs] Alright, so you’ve got the marina… How do you structure that with investors on that money raise? How much did you and your partner invest (if anything) and then what’s the split with investors?
Nizan Mosery: We like to, if at all possible, because sometimes we’re doing multiple deals – right now we have three properties under contract… But if it’s possible, we do like to throw $50,000-$100,000 into each opportunity; it just shows our investors, again, another level of commitment that we have to the property. I am also the sponsor on the loans, which means that I’m the guy that signs on the dotted line for the mortgage.
Joe Fairless: That’s fine, yeah.
Nizan Mosery: But 80% of the cashflow goes to the investors; they get their cash first, and I believe we said on the private placement memorandum (PPM, the legal document) that our Securities and Exchange Commission attorney put together, I believe that we said that any percent of the cashflow, when distributed, would equal no less than 7% return, and then we also had, of course, our projections, that we said that we would project into the future what the actual returns would be once we sold the property and after we added the value and so forth.
Joe Fairless: And on something like that do you do a preferred return, or is it just 80/20 split?
Joe Fairless: Yeah, that’s what I’m referring to.
Nizan Mosery: Okay, so that’s what you’re referring to. No, on that particular we didn’t, but we did have what we called a preferred return meaning that we claim that they won’t make less than 7%. 7% is kind of the floor of what they’ll make.
Joe Fairless: And if it looks like it will be less than 7%, then I’m just curious, what’s the clause there?
Nizan Mosery: Then the general partners – myself and my partners, we will take from our 20% however much it takes to bump up their share, so that it’ll be a minimum of 7%. What happens if we give them all 20% and it’s still not enough? Because we’re doing repositionings, things of that nature, so maybe the cashflow is a little low… So let’s say 100% of the cashflow equates 5% return. So we give them 100%, they get that 5%. Now, we still owe them 2%. That 2% will get tacked on either to the next distribution if we have enough, or at the end, when we sell. So when we sell, we’ll just go back to the [unintelligible [00:21:05].10] that we owe them, catch everybody up, and then distribute the profits and so forth and so on. So our investors will always get paid first.
Joe Fairless: What’s the latest multifamily deal you’re working on?
Nizan Mosery: Right now it’s 368 units in Winter Haven, Florida. Are you familiar with Winter Haven?
Joe Fairless: I am not.
Nizan Mosery: I would say it’s about a half hour South-West of Orlando, between Orlando and Tampa. If you’re leaving Orlando and you’re heading towards Tampa, it’s kind of right smack in the middle. It’s a great submarket of Orlando. There is a lot of job growth happening right now, and there’s a big supply and demand issue – huge supply, very little demand.
People from Orlando are flocking to Winter Haven because it’s a nice suburb, prices in Orlando are going higher, units are getting smaller as more people are coming… The quality of life is really going down, so people are saying “You know what? I can move a half hour to Winter Haven, get a nice two-bedroom apartment overlooking a lake” (because the property sits on a lake) with updated appliances, with updated cabinets, new flooring, a wait room that’s open up until midnight, two swimming pools, three laundry facilities, it’s on a lake, it’s got a dog park, two tennis courts… Quality of life.
The beautiful thing also about Winter Haven, there’s no immediate properties coming online. There are no permits for new multifamilies to be built, so the supply is what there is. Right now 28% of the units are getting above market rents without even being renovated.
Nizan Mosery: We’ve gotta clean up the gutters, we’ve gotta trim the trees, fix some of the staircases, put some light bulbs in… Nothing major. And we’re buying it at 24.125 million dollars. We’re gonna put about a million and a half into it, so our going cap rate, which means when we buy the property, the cap rate is about 6.7%. On the exit cap rate – we’re doing it on a conservative basis – we feel that we can sell it at 7.25%.
Joe Fairless: In what period of time?
Nizan Mosery: We’re saying that we’re gonna do this in a five-year period, and in a five-year period when it’s all said and done, the return on investment is a 19.3% return.
Joe Fairless: Do you do this via 506(b) or 506(c) for investors?
Nizan Mosery: 506(c). This is an accredited investor opportunity, because we’re raising 7.5 million dollars and we want the opportunity to [unintelligible [00:24:05].18] to everyone, to meet people and have them invest immediately… So we did the 506(c).
Nizan Mosery: When you’re looking at multifamily, there’s a couple of things you wanna look at. You wanna look at job growth, you wanna look at different economic factors that are driving that market, and you want to have a good property management company on your side. Dig deep into a market. So if you’re taking a market, dive deep into it. Really get to know the market, get to know all the brokers, get them to know you, build a good relationship with a property management company that has done work in those markets that you’re in digging deep.
Every time I get a property, I send it to my property management company and they say “No, no, no, yes.” Okay, let’s look at that one. “No, no, no, no, yes.” And the ones that they say no to, really, they’re saving us. They’re doing such a good job by telling us, “No, don’t do that property, because we know it.” It keeps us out of bad deals.
Joe Fairless: And that is ultimately more important than being in good ones.
Nizan Mosery: I’ve got three: Sun Tzu, Art of War, Think and Grow Rich and How To Win Friends And Influence People.
Nizan Mosery: Best ever deal was 240 units in Dallas. We owned it for one year. Our investors made 67% return.
Nizan Mosery: We just got an unsolicited offer… Because of the way we underwrite. We underwrite so conservatively, like this Winter Haven property. We’re projecting these numbers in five years, but I really believe that we’ll hit it before. But we wanna be conservative, we wanna say five years. We wanna under-promise and over-deliver.
Joe Fairless: What’s a mistake you’ve made on a deal you can think of?
Nizan Mosery: What’s a mistake I’ve made… We let the seller on our walkthrough navigate and dictate what we would see and what we wouldn’t see. There were some doors that he says “Oh, I don’t have the keys right now. Come back blah-blah-blah-blah…” and we let it go. We should never have let that happen, because once we open those doors, it was a nightmare of mold and things that I was like “Oh, my god…” I couldn’t sleep for nights, because we didn’t know how to handle the situation.
Nizan Mosery: I joined the Rotary Club about a year and a half ago. The reason why I joined the Rotary Club is because I felt that I wanted to give back, but I didn’t know which organizations were good or how to do it or who or what. I researched a couple of organizations and I found that Rotary is the largest organization of its kind in the world. Their motto is the eradication of polio. There are one or two countries left in the world that have polio, and now they’re working for something else.
My Rotary club, for example, we’ve just raised I think like $100,000 where we honored our doctors in our community and we gave back to medical students for scholarships and different organizations that help the needy. We sent $20,000 to Haiti for water filtration systems and things of that nature. I could not do all of those things on my own, so I joined the Rotary club to help me do that.
Nizan Mosery: The Best Ever listeners can get in touch with me via e-mail. It’s [email protected]. And is it okay to give out my phone number?
Joe Fairless: Nizan, thank you for being on the show, talking to us about multifamily investing and value-add, what you look for – job growth, economic factors that drive the market, property management high quality, and also the last part where you said “Don’t let the seller dictate what you can and can’t see at the property”, so be very conscientious of that. The marina investment that you’ve done, the type of financing structure that you did from a debt standpoint and also from an equity standpoint with the 80/20 split with investors, and the hotel master lease. We covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time… I’m grateful for that, and I know the Best Ever listeners are, as well.
I hope you have a best ever day, my friend, and we’ll talk to you soon.
Nizan Mosery: Thank you, Joe. It was a pleasure. | 2019-04-19T03:03:14Z | https://joefairless.com/podcast/jf1071-he-moved-u-s-from-isreal-and-owns-120000000-in-real-estate-internationally/ |
History of Koch Guitar Electronics Koch Guitar Electronics has been designing, building and innovating guitar amplifiers since 1988. Please enjoy reading about the journey of our company from when we started in 1988 up to now.
Dolf Koch was born in 1948 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Dolf grew up listening to 50s Music. From a young age Dolf was fascinated by music and electronics. At the age of nine he built his first tube amplifier for his record player with a do-it-yourself kit his parents got him. One year later, he invented and built a tiny matchbox radio. His invention was published in an electronics hobby magazine called “Radio Blan”. Shortly after that, Dolf bought a record by “The Shadows” in 1959. He fell in love with Hank B. Marvins' unique guitar sound and playing style. Then Dolf decided he wanted to play guitar and got an acoustic guitar.
After 2 years of lessons and practice, Dolf decided he wanted to play electric guitar. Back then in 1962, electric guitars were hard to come by, so Dolf built one himself. Then he modified his parents tube radio and turned it into a guitar amplifier. Shortly after that, he formed his first band “The Lonesome Five”.
During his high school years, Dolf practised a lot and even became a local guitar hero. After high school Dolf briefly studied psychology at the University of Utrecht. After one year Dolf switched studies and enrolled at the High Technical School (HTS) in Hilversum. There Dolf learned everything he always wanted to know about tube technology. After graduating from his study in 1973, Dolf became a full time guitar player and played in several major Dutch bands. Besides that he taught acoustic and electric guitar, repaired and modified guitar amplifiers and built unique sounding tube amps which were mostly for his own use.
In 1980, Dolf quit professional playing and accepted a job as an engineer with the PA company ‘Ampco’ where he developed the well-known ASL intercom system. However, Dolf’s skills as a tube-doctor were increasingly needed in the company’s repair shop where he also serviced Fender and Marshall tube amps. This was the place where Dolf learned everything about road-testing and “foolproof” construction.
In 1988, Dolf quit his job and founded Koch Guitar Electronics. With his experience as a designer and now also as a “hot-rodder” he started to develop his own products and soon the first baby was born. In 1990, a superb sounding on-board guitar pre-amp, the GPA De-Luxe, was launched and orders for hundreds of units were placed. At first, his products were used locally however, this changed rapidly and soon his products were used all over the world.
One year later in 1991, Dolf presented his first tube amplifier, the KV50. A 19 inch all-tube stereo system for guitar. The unique Koch sound was born and standards were set for extreme versatility in sound and great tonal balance. The KV50, loaded with unique features such as Adjustable Speaker Damping, Buffered Serial & Parallel Effect Loops, Built-in Power Soak, Recording Output with Speaker Simulation Filter and Satellite Outputs was a huge innovative breakthrough within the industry and was an immediate success.
In 1992, Dolf presented the KC50 series. The KC50 was a combo version of the KV50 amp with the same unique features. More and more well-known artists and session players started using Dolf’s KC50 amps. At the time, the No.1 Dutch rock band ‘The Golden Earring’ (Radar Love, When the lady smiles) started to play Dolf’s amps and orders were rolling in..
Meanwhile, Dolf received many requests to build an all-tube bass amplifier. Dolf understood that bass players had grown accustomed to the lesser weight and the punchier low end of solid-state amps. Therefore, an extremely light and punchy sounding tube amp was developed. The KB2500 first saw the light in 1994. By applying the latest transformer technology, a major breakthrough was accomplished. Dolf had developed a 300W all-tube bass amp that weighed a mere 23kg (Instead of the usual 45kg!) and provided super musical and rich tube tones with solid-state-like punch and power.
In 1996, the Tone-series guitar amplifiers line was launched. The vision was to build retro styled, highly versatile and extremely good sounding amps. Dolf hit the bull’s eye, these amps had exactly the right mix between vintage and modern tones while providing excellent build quality, unique features, options and versatility in sounds. These amps were suited for almost every Music style and situation, from country & jazz to rock & blues to hard rock & metal and from small clubs to big stages. The Tone-series amps were here to stay.
In 1997, Koch started to work with Eden Electronics USA as Koch’s distributor in the US. At the same time, production of the KB2500 bass head ceased and the design was modified to Eden’s specifications. As a result, the Eden VT300 all-tube bass head was born which was designed and built by Koch in The Netherlands and assembled & tested by Eden.
During 1998 and 1999, Koch established new success in sales. In Holland, more and more guitar players started to use Koch amplifiers. As a result of that more and more music stores wanted to become Koch dealers. Due to the success on the home market in the Netherlands, Koch decided to move slowly in international markets for a while. However, everyone within the company knew that global success was lurking just around the corner and everyone started to work harder than ever before to achieve global success and recognition.
New products were being developed and the already existing product lines were improved. In the production department, new and improved production methods were implemented. In September 1999, we introduced the “LoadBox”. The LoadBox was an immediate success. Again we had built a product which was original, unique and complemented the market.
The new millennium proved to be the next step in the history of our company. At the Namm show in Los Angeles in January 2000, the “Pedaltone” was introduced. Then, everything we had hoped and worked hard for happened. Within weeks after the NAMM show we where overwhelmed with orders. We had a feeling this was about to happen, but never in our wildest dreams did we expect it to happen so soon. Immediately, we took the necessary steps to increase production but no matter what we did, it never proved to be enough.
Then the Frankfurt Musik Messe took place and once more orders were coming in faster than we could write them down. We knew our delivery times would increase dramatically and that we needed to expand the business if we wanted to maintain and fulfill the enormous demand. Within a few months we found the perfect building near the original facility in Amersfoort.
During 2001, the star of the company continued to rise. We had planned to move to the new facility in the summer of 2001. However, things did not always go as planned. The new building had to be adapted quite a bit and construction activities took forever. Finally, at the end of 2001 we were able to start moving to the new building.
Due to the fast growth of the company, we were not able to work on any new products for several monts. All of our attention was needed to manage our growth and to ensure that we had an answer to the continuously growing demand. After we were confident everything was in place and functioning in order to produce more while being able to preserve production quality we decided to introduce at least one new product that year. It would be a 4×10”, all-tube combo and with all the right features. We planned its’ introduction for the Frankfurter Musikmesse on the 13th till 17th of March 2002.
In 2002, despite signs of an impending economical disaster and poor economic outlook, Koch still managed to grow. Naturally, we did do it without any help. A big thank you needs to go out to our Distributors, Sales representatives and all Music Stores who made this possible.
Later in 2002 at the Frankfurt MusikMesse, we introduced the 4×10″ combo, the “Classictone”. The model shown at the MusikMesse was just the prototype, yet the reactions were incredibly overwhelming. During the summer, we once more had to improve our factory and finally in October the first production models were leaving the factory. The Classictone, withstood all tests and everyone agreed, it was a fantastic amp. Some even said it was the best Amp Koch had ever built. Naturally, this is very subjective and probably a Metal player would not agree.
Because we did not want to focus merily on the Classictone players, we also decided to work on the Powertone. The Powertone amplifier was loved by many Hi-gain lovers and had been transformed into an amp capable of doing it all. We named the improved Powertone amplifier the Powertone II. We strongly believed the Powertone II would soon find it’s place on the wishlist of many players from all musical styles. Besides introducing new products we also improved all older models.
During 2003, we had to work hard to maintain the position we had on the market. Particularly, the loss of our distributor in the US and the search for a replacement caused some problems. Furthermore, the economic situation of the world wasn’t helping us. As a consequence, we did not introduce any new products that year. Instead, we focused on making sure our dealer and distributor bases were expanded and improved. And all processes in the factory were scrutinized once more to perfect operations. Despite the difficulties we experienced the year ended quite well. However, we did not grow a lot and hadn’t made much progress.
Then we teamed up with a new distributor for the US, Audionova. The company based in Canada, handled sales and marketing for us in Canada and US. Because of the weakening position of the Dollars our growth in the US was slowing down as the weak position of the Dollar made our products quite expensive for US customers.
At the Winter Namm show in 2004, we introduced a new Amplifier. The Studiotone, a 20W Class A all-tube combo guitar amplifier. With the Studiotone we wanted to offer an amp in a lower price range without losing our identity as a high-end guitar amplifier manufacturer. The response to the Studiotone was great, everyone was excited and many orders were placed. The Studiotone became our company’s biggest commercial success. Within a year we sold close to 400 units, which for our company is quite a lot. We were also working on the design of new amplifiers however, because of the lack of time resulting from the success of the Studiotone we were not able to introduce these new products in 2004. The only new product we introduced at the Winter Namm of 2005 was the Studiotone head version. Once more, the product was very well received.
Then at the Frankfurt MusikMesse in April 2005 we introduced the Twintone II. The original Twintone I amp had been a success and had sold well for over 10 years, but we felt it was time to come up with an upgrade. We decided to give the Twintone II a third channel and we added a five-way footswitch. The footswitch allowed you to switch between all three channels, the reverb and our own Solo/Rhythm function which essentially are two master volumes which can be set at different levels. Our customers’ and dealers’ reactions were overwhelming and the future looked very promising. We believed we would see the next step in our company’s history and expected another expansion. Koch Guitar Electronics was becoming a force to be reckoned with on the All-tube guitar amp market.
Throughout 2007, we were working hard to fulfil all orders and sought to further improve our production. Behind the scenes, Dolf Koch was constantly working on the development of new products and toward the end of 2007 we were ready to launch our long awaited Supernova head. The Supernova is the most complex amp we have ever built. The moment it hit the market people were amazed by the sound quality, versatility and many features coming from a fully analog amplifier.
A few months later, we introduced the bigger brother of the Studiotone. Many Studiotone users had requested a more powerful version of the Studiotone. With these requests in mind, we came up with the Studiotone XL which packed 40Watts rather than the original 20Watts which ensured continued success of the Studiotone amp.
In 2007 the market was slowly changing. In the past, guitar players did not mind carrying around big and heavy heads and cabinets however, things were changing and guitar players wanted their amps and cabinets to be small and light weight. We decided it was time to take things to a different level. We wanted to build a small portable combo dedicated to the more traditional guitar player. An amp which would be very responsive and could easily be controlled with the volume of the guitar. The Classic SE was born, a single-ended Class A amplifier. At first, we launched a 6Watt version however, many people requested a bigger version. Hence, shortly after its’ introduction we introduced the 12Watt version of the Classic SE. The extra power and bigger cabinet were exactly what many players were looking for and the Classic SE started to become more popular. The Classic SE is one our best looking amps and simple amps to date. With only three knobs, various boost functions and half/full power switch the amp allows guitar players to find many musical ways to fully employ the different tonal characteristics of vacuum tubes.
In 2007 the housing market in the US collapsed and the financial crisis we are currently still in had started. Our US dealers were starting to feel changes in the market and worldwide economic concern increased. We managed to maintain growth despite the beginning phase of the crisis. A few years later in 2010, the crisis started to affect both the US and European markets. Companies throughout the guitar industry started to feel the effects such as declining sales and the increasingly harder to get capital from banks needed to grow businesses. Fortunately, our company was able to maintain growth and remain financially solid due to our loyal customer base and great efforts made by our dealers and distributors. Then disaster struck when one of our suppliers could no longer provide us with our custom transformers. Due to our specific needs and custom design it took quite a while to find a new supplier who could provide the same high quality component we had always had. As a consequence, the list of backorders increased quite a bit during 2010 and we had to delay delivery of some of our products. During 2011 we got back on track with a new supplier who exceeded our expectations and could resume delivering our products.
In 2011, we released two new amplifiers. The Startrooper and Jupiter hybrid combo amps. After their introduction on the Frankfurt MusikMesse in 2011, we had been working very hard to get the amps in stores. Almost immediately the response on the green boutique style Jupiter hybrid amp was incredible. Lovers of vintage tones hailed the amp for its’ response, tonal qualities and portability. We knew we had a winner.
We also introduced a Limited Edition of our most successful amp, the Studiotone. This snow white Limited Edition version symbolises a new Koch Amps chapter and we hope is going to be a collector’s Item someday.
In 2012, despite the ever intensifying effects of the crisis on the guitar market we introduced several new products. We introduced the new and improved Twintone III, Powertone III Prototype, Pedaltone II and all new Dummybox Home and Studio/PA versions. Never before had we introduced this many new products at once.
The Twintone III is the upgraded version of the Twintone II amp. We refreshed the look of the combo and head versions, increased the size of the combo, improved its’ tonal qualities and added several neat features such as the Rythym/Solo Master controls. Furthermore, we improved the sound quality of the direct recording output and reverb considerably, extended speaker cabinet connectivity, enhanced the sound of the overdrive channel and gain boost. The response on the Twintone III was and still is awesome, players from all different genres from jazz to metal and everything in between praised its’ tonal qualities, versatility and now: vintage style chickenhead knobs.
We also introduced the Powertone III prototype head. The new Powertone was still in development, but we wanted to show what we were doing and get feedback on the new OTS function, speaker damping and controls. The response was awesome, while working with artists to develop the amp and the introduction we received useful feedback we would later apply in the development process of the final production version which will be introduced in 2013.
The Pedaltone was also improved and we introduced the Pedaltone II. The new Pedaltone now featured the new OTS function which gives the effect of output tube saturation typically found when playing amplifiers on very loud volume levels. Furthermore, we added the Rythym/Solo Master volume controls, introduced a post fx-loop, headphone out, tons of outputs and made its sound fatter than its predecessor. Beyond our expectations, the first production run of the Pedaltone II sold out rather quickly.
As if it wasn’t enough we had introduced two more new products. The Dummybox Home and Dummybox Studio/PA versions. The Dummybox in essence is a lighter and more affordable version of the Loadbox II power attenuator and allows guitar players to crank their amp while keeping the volume low. Both Dummybox versions feature several direct outputs for recording, filtered speaker simulation and microphone simulation. All analog! The Dummybox is a perfect tool for both the (home)studio, live, rehearsal and bedroom. The response on the Dummybox was awesome and we quickly sold out the first and second production runs.
To organise our operations more efficiently and allow the expansion of product lines we relocated our production facility to ‘s Gravenzande near Rotterdam. The research and development lab is still located in Amersfoort near Dolf Koch his house. Over the years, we found this is the optimal environment for R&D as sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night with new electronic design ideas and concepts.
This year Koch Amps will celebrate its’ 25 year anniversary. From 1988 to 2013 we have been building some of the worlds finest guitar amplifiers and electronics. We had our ups and downs but managed to stick around. We are incredibly greatful for the support we have received over the last 25 years from artists, guitar players, dealers and distributors. It is thanks to them and you that we are still around and able to do what we do best.
In true Koch tradition, all final assembly and production of the amps is done at the Koch factory in The Netherlands to meet the highest quality standards. To us maintaining one of the highest quality standards is of the utmost importance because we want to become a well-known and respected guitar amplifier manufacturer. Therefore, each Koch amplifier and any other Koch product is thoroughly inspected, both visually and electronically. Furthermore, the amps are sound tested 3 times in different stages of the production process. An amp only leaves our factory if its 100% OK. Still, despite rigourous testing this does not guarantee that our products can not breakdown. During transportation or use of the product lots of things can go wrong. If this is the case and one of our products fails we’ll help you solve the problem as quick as humanly possible.
In order to best service our customers and product users we have designed and built the amps to allow easy servicing and access to components. We have no double-sided PC boards with unreachable parts on the bottom side. Instead, all our parts are on the surface and have extra long ends so they can be replaced in no time. All our opamps are on sockets and therefore easy to replace. The PC boards are designed in such a way, that the circuit is easy to follow. Furthermore, we added trim pots and measuring points to simplify the biasing process of the amp to make replacing tubes a quick 10 minute job.
Our cabinets are built in a special factory equipped with sophisticated machinery. Our supplier makes use of certified ‘green’ wood and is accredited with all green certifications to guarantee that our customers are receiving a responsably sustainably built product.
Currently, Koch is looking at a bright future. The popularity of Koch Amps is increasing, more fans of our products have emerged and more and more dealers world wide sell our products. To build our credibility we strive to build high quality products with perfect tonal balance, practical features which complement the way guitar players’ interact with their gear while striving to have the best service and reliability in the business. Thanks to the belief in our products by our customers, guitar players, artists, dealers and distributors we’ve managed to build some of the worlds’ finest guitar amplifiers for over 25 years. It is our mission to continue to improve the existing products and develop even better new products. Years ago, Dutch professional guitarists recognised the quality of Koch Amps products, many players have been fans for years and have owned multiple Koch amps and products. We hope the rest of the world will also recognise the quality of our products and allow us to continue for many more years to come.
We have set up an Artist Relations program to deepen our relationships with artists. We are always looking for talented guitar players who play larger venues on a consistent basis either locally or globally. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you are excited about our product and would like to become an endorser. Together with your help we would like to make Koch Amps the next big name in guitar amplification. | 2019-04-21T02:44:48Z | http://www.koch-amps.com/the-story-about-koch-amps.html |
I was born and raised in Turkey in a secular family. Growing up as the middle child of the family I never understood my parents love and care for us. My aunt, known as one of the "funniest" members of the family joked with me over the years asking, what special reason I had to be loved by my parents. Since my sister was the first born, and my brother was the "baby" and "the son", nothing was left for me. She did not understand the deep impact of her jokes on me and I never understood why I wasn't loved. Nobody knew that I needed the truth explained to me; that I needed to know that my parents loved me just because I was their daughter. For years I felt rejected and unloved. As time went on, the only purpose of my life became trying to earn my parents' love.
When I was five years old my parents couldn't find a nanny to take care of me while they were at work. My mother, who was an elementary school teacher, started to take me to the school where she taught leaving me in one of the first grade classes. After this my days were pretty routine. I was in class during the day, and at home I played with my books. I didn't know how to read yet, but I would look at the letters and make up stories based on how they were shaped. One day when I was looking at my books, all of a sudden the letters made words rather than pictures, the words made sentences, and I no longer needed to make up stories - I could read them. My parents rejoiced when they discovered that I learned to read "all by myself".
Near the end of the school year my mom's school was going through the yearly teachers' evaluation. One day the principal of the school came to my class with an Evaluator. I was the only one in the class who could answer their questions. When my parents heard about this they were surprised and quite pleased with me. So, along with everything else I learned in first grade, I learned that the easiest way to earn my parents' "love" was to be successful at school.
This discovery changed my life dramatically. From that day I became very competitive, doing better was my only desire - better than my classmates, better than my siblings, and even better than myself. As a result, I became one of the best students in my school. My dad loved science and planted that love in me at a very early age. He seemed to accept me regardless of my performance, but I felt like my mom's love was dependent on my achievements. Thus, my father became a good friend but I isolated myself from my mother.
When I was getting ready for the college entrance exams, my big dream was to get into a biology department. I found I was fascinated with nature, and this, together with the love of science that I had learned from my father, fueled my desire to study biology. When the results of the exam were posted, I found out that I was qualified to be in the Biology department, my third choice. Upon my father's request my first two choices had been the top medical schools of Turkey. I was so excited and happy. I could hardly wait to give the good news to my parents.
However a big disappointment was in store for me. The idea of having a daughter in medical school was so appealing to them that the news that I had "only" qualified for biology was a letdown. Their disappointment showed me that I had failed, first in my studies, and then in not being able to earn their "love". I had worked so hard for such a bitter ending. So when I started college my heart felt sour within me.
But when I began college things within me started to change. I was spending the majority of my time immersed in my biology books, and was awed by the complexities and perfection of life on a biological scale. I realized that I loved learning purely for learning's sake and not in order to gain my parents' approval. I was growing up! So my bitter feelings shortly were crowded out by overwhelming enthusiasm.
Another change that started to occur in me was regarding religious belief. I had grown up in a secular household. Although my family was not religious, we observed all the usual traditions. However, we did not observe the prayer rituals, nor did we fast. During summer vacations my friends went to the mosque to learn Namaz, the Islamic prayer ritual, and to learn to recite the Qur'an. But in our home, we didn't even mention these things. Growing up, I had believed that the universe was formed as a result of the "Big-Bang" and that life was formed through a series of random events. What I believed about God was quite different from my friends' beliefs, too. For me God was created by men. Evolutionary speaking, in all primate societies there had been a need for a strong, unquestioned leader. However, as humans developed the abilities to live outside social groupings, the need for an unquestioned leader disappeared. Because the instinct to believe and obey something unquestionable is still strong, man created God. I was very content with this belief. In truth, I was even proud of my unusual beliefs.
However, my first year in college, I felt that everything I believed was disintegrating in my hands. When I started to take classes like Zoology, Botany, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, and Cytology, I started to realize that life was too perfect to be the product of random events. One day I remember looking through a microscope and watching this little cell with awe, thinking there must be a God, the Creator of this life!
I became very confused. I didn't know what to do. One day - a little embarrassed - I went to talk to my father and told him what I thought. He listened to me carefully, without interrupting, as was his habit, and then answered me with a smile; "I don't want you to be ashamed of your thoughts. If you believe there is a God, go search, and you shall find". Two years of studying and practicing Islam started at this time period.
My interest in Islam pleased my mother's mother the most. She immediately got a Qur'an and books on Islam for me. She brought some Zamzam water, had me drink it, repent of my sins, make a promise to stay away from sin, and recite the Shahada.
Initially, I didn't care much about what Islam and Qur'an was all about. All I wanted to know was God. I learned the basics: memorized suras, learned wudu and prayer, read the Qur'an every Thursday night, fasted during Ramadan.
I studied hard, practiced hard, but only thing that happened in my life was following a different set of rules now. I did not know God anymore than I did the day I told my dad I thought there was a God. I might have become a nicer person at the time, but it was all in my power and initiative. Deep inside me I knew I was no different. On the top of these what I learned from my Islamic books and mentors did not help either. At the end of two years I was quite disappointed - even hurt - by my findings and experiences. After days and nights of struggling with myself, and feeling ashamed that I was wrong, I went to my father and told him that I was not able to find my God. I was heart broken.
The summer of that year, I started to work as a reader at the School for the Blind. There, I met with a lady who was associated with a Hindu group. I was quite excited to hear about this group, and I started to go to their meetings with her. All summer long, I studied with them the essentials of Hinduism - as well as of Buddhism. Because Islam had failed me, I was a lot more reserved about taking a step of faith in either of these. One of the members of this group was also interested in the old Turkic religions, and he helped me to understand the basics of those religions. At the end of the summer, the conclusion of my search was quite clear. All these religions were created by men to bring regulation to society. There was no God. I was stuck with Atheism.
Then followed a time of confusion and bewilderment. All joy and peace left my heart. I had lost hope - hope for the future, hope for finding God, or that there was anything greater than human existence. So, I went back to doing what I knew best, being an excellent student. I thought that I could find satisfaction in myself.
But it didn't work. The inner restlessness that I had grew stronger every day, and I couldn't live with myself anymore. So, I tried other things. You know what a party animal is, right? Well, that was me. Drinking, smoking, rebelling - everything you can imagine! Yet, these things didn't satisfy me. More and more, I knew that I had no peace in my heart. I longed to change--but I didn't know how.
In this sorry state, I finished university. On graduation day, as I was walking downtown, I started to think about my future. I knew that I had a long life ahead of me, but I didn't know what I would do with it. Frustrated, I walked into a store and stood in front of a mirror. As I looked at myself, I realized that I didn't like what I saw. Tears welled up as I considered who I was. This was a turning point for me. I decided that I was going to change my life and be a different person - have a good job, a good career, a good family, and a good income. I looked around at all the ordinary people in the world, reflecting that their lives were no different than mine but that they seemed happy. I decided to try being an ordinary person. So, I quit smoking, drinking, and hanging around those of my "friends" who had that kind of lifestyle. I got my first job, a very good-paying job, in fact. At the same time, I went back to school and earned my Master's degree, and then started to work on my Ph.D. But even all these things didn't satisfy me. In my heart, I fought with myself day and night. In Jeremiah 2:13, God says, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water". My heart was a broken cistern, and I tried to fill it myself. As Islam had failed me, I was failing myself.
In September 1992, I was nearing the end of my Ph.D. program when one of my professors in the department told me about a scholarship to go overseas to study for a different Ph.D. First, I thought, "No, I'm about to finish one; why bother starting all over again?" But it took me only half an hour to decide, "Yes, I would like to try". I got the scholarship and quit my Ph.D. program. Leaving everything behind, I packed my whole life into two suitcases and came to the United States to start all over again. I had a feeling that it was going to be different there.
It was different in the U.S., and I didn't like it. Honestly, I hated it with a passion. I didn't know any English, I didn't know the culture, and I didn't know anybody there. Everything was so strange to me. I asked myself again and again, "I had everything I needed back home, so why did I come here?" Of course, I didn't know the answer, and I didn't even know if there was an answer. But I didn't go home. I studied English, tried to understand American culture, and made some friends in the dormitory. It so happens they were all born-again Christians who talked about their faith with me. They were all very nice, helpful, smart, religious ... and very brainwashed! I didn't believe that one could be smart and religious at the same time. Since they had helped me to adjust to my new life in the U.S., I decided I could help them to see that they were all deluded.
If you are going to fight against something, you need to know it well, so I asked them to give me a Bible. Knowing that I would find contradictions and inconsistencies, I started to read it. However - and there's really no other way to describe it - a miracle happened! Each day, the words brought more and more peace to my heart and hope for my life. Also, Christianity deeply impressed me because of its differences from the other religions that I had studied. It was unique in a lot of ways, but four of them were particularly important to me.
First, Jesus was the only one who claimed to be the only way to God. What confidence that gave me! This was no vague instruction on how to reach God. This was a certain path. Jesus says, "No one comes to the Father except through me".
Second, people's sins could be forgiven without the need for good deeds to cancel them out. In every other religion, one has to be punished for the sins one has committed, but in Christianity one's sins can be forgiven. Having lived in sin as long as I had, I knew that I could never finish paying the penalty for them. I needed forgiveness. Human beings, in their weakness, don't know the real meaning of forgiveness, I think. This generous forgiveness can only come from God.
Third, one doesn't have to work for one's salvation. Salvation is by the grace of God. My whole life, I had tried to earn the peace and hope that I longed for but saw that I didn't have. Therefore, it was very meaningful to see that God was reaching out to me instead of my trying to reach Him.
Fourth and last, God loved me as I was. I didn't have to do anything to earn His love. This was quite new to me. I discovered that I was important to God just because I existed. It seemed to me that this truth was different from other religions.
I became convinced that Christianity was not a man-made religion. So, I continued to study the Bible, more and more enthusiastically. On February 6, 1993 while I was reading my Bible, a verse greatly impressed me: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name... " (John 15:16). Then, I realized that I found the answer to my question. I had come to the U.S. because God had chosen me and had brought me there so that I could come to know Him. That day, I prayed and accepted Jesus as my personal Savior.
That night, as I prayed and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I was very restless. I tried to sleep, but questions kept bothering me all night long. "Was I being culturally assimilated?" "Was my conversion a result of cultural shock?" I got up in the morning and decided that I might be going crazy, but I couldn't do anything about it other than wait and see. A few months later, God answered my questions again. He showed me that even as long ago as when I was 12, He had chosen me and had been preparing me for His kingdom. At that time, I had a dream in which I was swimming. It was very dark, without any stars in the sky. After swimming for a while, I stopped and looked up at the sky. Suddenly, I saw a star shining. I closed my eyes and made a wish. I said, "Morning Star, teach me the secret of life". When I woke up, I was deeply affected by my dream. I told my family and my friends about it, but nobody seemed to care. Because I took the dream so seriously, I was even mocked about it. A few days later, however, I forgot about the dream.
But the dream did not forget me. About a month later, I had it again. Although I thought it was strange, I didn't really think about it much. But then, a few months later, the same dream came again. I kept having this dream for years almost every other month and this pattern continued until a few months after my conversion, when I read Rev. 22:16, which says, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star". After reading this verse, I realized that God had been working in my heart for years and that He is a living God. He had brought me to this point to teach me the secret of life - eternal life. That very day, I decided that I would dedicate my whole life to God and follow Him wherever He might lead me. Now, my deepest desire is to follow my Lord as long as I live. In case you're wondering. I've never had the dream again - when the sun rises, one blows the candle out.
After I became a believer in Jesus, my life changed significantly. In the beginning, my family rejected me, but over the years, they observed the positive changes that happened in my life. A couple of years after my conversion, my mother told me that when I first told her that I had decided to follow Jesus, she thought that she had lost her daughter, but now, she knows that she has received back a better one. She tells me now that she believes this has been the best thing that ever happened to me. For years, I didn't believe that my mother loved me, and I hadn't forgiven her for that. But with God, all things are possible. Now, my mom and I are best friends, and she has a desire to know more about God and Christianity.
After my conversion, my family was greatly distressed. They thought that I had brought shame on our family. They thought that we were born as Muslims and destined to die as Muslims. Not only my family, but also many of my friends rejected me. Sometimes, the things I went through lay so heavily on me that many times a day when I thought about my situation, I felt weak and helpless, but I also felt that God was in control. Since the day of my conversion, I have learned what it means to trust God with my life. This takes a lot of faith, but I have learned to live on God's provision "day by day". Exodus 16 talks about how God provided for the Israelites day by day when they were in the desert. In the past, I used to think that the Israelites were being ungrateful for God's provision, but as I learned to live on God's provision day-by-day, I understood that, physically and emotionally, this is a difficult place to be. Yet, through it all, I have been thoroughly blessed spiritually.
A lot of people ask me if becoming a Christian has been worth it. I have asked myself the very same question many times. I love traveling, and I travel a lot. One day while driving alone to give an academic presentation at a national conference, I was trying to practice my talk. But my mind was focused on problems I was facing as a result of my conversion. Suddenly, my disappointments and my fatigue overwhelmed me. Then, I remembered a game (that helped me cope with difficulties) that I used to play a long time ago, a game based on 'dreaming'. When I was five, I was in my grandma's home for summer vacation. One morning, I woke up and found bubble gum all over my bed and on my face. I was pretty sure that my sister had done it. As a little girl, I used to think that my sister was responsible for all of the bad things in the entire universe. I called my aunt and started to complain about my sister. But she didn't listen to me. I think that she knew that my sister was not responsible for all of the bad things that happened in this universe, especially the ones related to me. She took me to the sink and started to clean me up. Angry with me, she spanked me a few times, saying that I wasn't supposed to go to bed with bubble gum. I kept telling her that I didn't chew gum, which was true. But she wasn't listening. It was obvious that we had a communication problem. Then, I stopped listening to her and started to try to make myself believe this was not real, that I was only dreaming. I wanted to wake up and find everything fine. But I didn't wake up. Years later, when my father died, I thought of this incident. As before, I tried to make myself believe that this was not real. In the morning, I was going to wake up, and Dad was going to be with us, and everything was going to be fine. But once again, I didn't wake up. So, that day when I was traveling to the academic conference, I thought, "Yep, this is a dream. I will wake up, the problems will be gone, and everything will be fine". Then, immediately, I realized that if I woke up, my faith would be gone too. I would lose my relationship with God. Suddenly I knew that it was worth going through all the problems I have. I would even be willing to endure a lot more in order to have my relationship with God through Christ.
My prayer for you is that you can experience the fullness of eternal life in Christ Jesus in your personal life. | 2019-04-25T09:05:49Z | https://answering-islam.org/Testimonies/hatice.html |
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Having induction cookware in your home helps you cook up foods evenly and quickly. Induction cookware will recognize the heat coming from out of an induction top. The cookware will be in contact with a copper coil included under a glass plate on a countertop surface.
Your induction cookware will work on such a glass surface provided that the cookware has a pan size that is at least 70 percent of the area of the induction hotplate. The size should be large enough to let the countertop recognize that there is enough space for a cooking utensil and that other outside materials are not stuck on its body.
After finding a compatible set, you can get your cookware added onto the induction top. The cookware will reach a targeted temperature quickly as the copper surface conducts heat fast. Magnetic induction works instead of traditional thermal energy, thus allowing foods to heat up faster and evenly. You have more control over the temperature while also not worrying about the heat from the cooking surface spreading around too many spaces.
You should look at a few choices for when you’re finding an induction cookware set for your home. These options provide you with many ways to prepare anything in your home on an induction surface.
The first option to see is this 13-piece set from Circulon. The setup features a stainless steel finish which stays durable. Silicon coated handles are included on each piece for added control.
The three-layer Autograph nonstick surface from DuPont adds a protective body to each piece. You can use this with metal utensils. The surfaces will not scratch or wear out as they work.
Glass lids are also included throughout the set. These lids keep the steam produced within a piece from escaping, thus keeping heat inside a surface.
The set comes with an eight-quart stockpot, five-quart sauté and a three-quart straining saucepan among other items. Three French skillets are included in 8.5, 10 and 12-inch sizes.
This Circulon cookware set works well for people who need help with producing a strong cookware set that is easy to apply and use. You can get this set to work for most preparation needs you have.
The layout of this eleven-piece set from Calphalon is very easy to use. The heavy-gauge aluminum body includes three layers of nonstick coating. The first two layers add a durable body that keeps the coating from wearing out while the third releases heat around the entire surface.
Stainless steel handles are included on each piece. The steel will stay cool while on the induction top. The nonstick surfaces also let you cook foods quickly without having to add much of anything to the surface before you start cooking.
The set comes with a ten-inch frying pan and 1.5 and 2.5-quart saucepans. An eight-quart stock pot is also added.
This Calphalon set is great for when you need a cooking set that is easy to maintain and offers a strong body. The design of this set provides you with a surface that is conducive for handling more items in any case you have for your cooking needs.
T-Fal makes this set with the Prometal Pro nonstick interior feature on each piece. This resists scratches and can work with metal utensils during the preparation process.
The Thermo-Spot heat indicator on the middle part of many pieces lets you know when a piece is pre-heated while on your induction set. Review the small hash marks as they appear so you can add foods into a pan, pot or other item in the twelve-piece set.
The simple organization of this T-Fal set ensures you know how well each piece in the set is heated. The set responds well to an induction top and ensures you will get more out of the heating setup to make it easier for you to plan your foods.
The Secura Duxtop SSIB-17 set offers seventeen pieces include eight and ten-inch fry pans plus a 4.2-quart casserole pot with a lid. The 18/10 commercial grade stainless steel design offers a heavy gauge aluminum bottom that will last for years. It conducts heat well and moves that heat evenly around each piece.
The handles on each piece is ergonomically shaped. The handles have good grooves that are easy to hold without being overly bulky.
Those looking for an attractive cookware set will like this Secura Duxtop choice. This set features all the pieces you need for cooking while being conducive to handling heat well in most spaces.
The third set to see is this Flavor Stone layout. This setup gives you a brilliant blue tone. The color comes from actual sapphire added to the bodies of the cooking pieces. The sapphire lets heat move evenly throughout a surface. Silicone handles are also featured to give you extra control over each piece.
This Flavor Stone cooking set gives you a comfortable design for handling many foods. The durable body of each piece in the set ensures you will get the best cooking results every time.
You will have many pieces for use in this Chef’s Star set. This induction top-friendly set includes seventeen 18/8 stainless steel pieces. Each piece has an ergonomic handle for your use. You will get 8 and 9.5-inch frying pans plus a stock pot and casserole pot with each one having a corresponding lid.
The boiler and steamer baskets add enough room for preparing foods and still work well on induction countertops. You can also use these pieces on infrared and ceramic stoves among other options.
Having an induction cookware set with a good array of pieces is always worthwhile. Chef’s Star makes this set with a diverse layout of pieces to ensure you have items ready for all the foods you need help with preparing.
The copper features in this Bulbhead set make the Red Copper layout a popular option. The copper allows heat to move around evenly while cooking things faster without potentially burning them. By using intense heat in lieu of a strong flame, it is easier for foods to be cooked well.
Each piece has a non-stick surface. The copper base on each item is naturally smooth and does not wear out fast. The controlled design on the setup provides you with a better setup for handling anything you want to prepare in any case.
The Red Copper set gives you a good design that is easy to utilize. The copper features on this induction cookware set provide you with a better grip for handling your content. You would have to be cautious when getting this to work for you though.
This cookware set comes with 8, 10 and 11-inch aluminum pans. The design features a stainless steel bottom on each piece while an aluminum surface surrounds the rest of the body of each pan. These all come with convenient handles that are easy to grip onto without potentially losing one’s control over whatever is being handled.
The aluminum core around the stainless steel body keeps the heat produced from being too intense. The heat is distributed carefully and spread out around all parts of the cookware.
Those who want a basic setup without anything too complicated will benefit from this Cooksmark Faraday set. The organization of the setup provides you with a comfortable surface for handling any cooking tasks you want to complete in your home.
The seven pieces on this NuWave Duralon set works on most cooktop surfaces. The stainless steel bodies on the pots keep the heat inside each set even while the lids are on their bodies. The aluminum frying pan that comes in the set adds a strong design for handling foods quickly and without them burning up.
A ceramic non-stick surface is included on each piece. The surface provides you with a simple space that lets you clean off the dishes as you use them.
The general design of this NuWave set makes it a popular model for your cooking needs. The design of the set ensures you have more control over how well you can cook things and how easy it is for you to get anything prepared to your liking.
The last option you have to look for is this True Induction set. The ten pieces here include riveted stainless steel surfaces. The steel includes an aluminum layer that conducts heat fast. An added layer of stainless steel adds a strong body that keeps your pieces smooth.
The two pots come with corresponding lids while a smaller sauté pan can handle hotter conditions. The steel surface also absorbs shocks well, thus allowing foods to be cooked well without hassles.
The stainless steel layout of the pieces on this set offer a nice shine, but it is the ability of the pieces here to conduct heat well that makes it a special choice. You will enjoy using this stainless steel set for handling your contents while ensuring the heat produced moves around evenly and quickly.
You must look at some helpful points before you buy a best induction cookware set. This guide will help you recognize what you have to find out about a cookware set for your use.
Non-stick. A non-stick surface does not require you to add any oils for cooking. Such a surface will not last for too long and will have to be replaced after a few years.
Ceramic-coated. You do not need to add oil to a ceramic-coated surface. The cookware here does not work well for high-protein meals though. Some fats might stick onto the cookware base.
Stainless steel. A popular surface for many cooking setups, stainless steel lasts longer and can handle high temperatures.
Cast iron. Cast iron handles intense temperatures well and can even work inside a microwave. The surface is heavier than other choices though.
Be aware of how big the induction cookware is. Your cookware will only work when it meets a few standards. First, the bottom part of the cookware must be 12 cm in diameter or greater. The surface must cover the heating hob all the way. Second, the bottom must be at least 2 to 6 mm thick so the heating hob will recognize the space.
Some added ferromagnetic may be included to the bottom of the cookware. Extra markings that react to the copper base of the induction top will allow the surface to recognize the cookware.
Your induction cookware should also be compatible with traditional cooking surfaces. These include both gas and electric surfaces.
What Do You Plan on Using?
The most important to see when finding a cookware set is to find something with pieces that you know you will use. You do not want to buy a set that has a bunch of pieces that you might not have an interest in using. Think about the types of foods you like to make and plan your purchase based on the items that you would need to utilize.
Why Special Cookware Needed For Induction Cooktop?
The сoated copper induction coil is located under a glass plate through which a high-frequency electric current flows.
Pan size is not less than 70% area (no less than 12 cm in diameter) of the total area of induction hotplates.
Your induction hob simply will not turn on if the diameter of the pan is less than 12 cm.
This is due to the fact that the surface of the plate could accidentally get metal kitchen accessories that magnet (eg, knives).To ensure that plate will not turn on, manufacturers of induction cookers put such a restriction, thereby protecting consumers from simple human carelessness.As a result of this limitation, true lovers of coffee to make coffee in Turku suffered.Unfortunately, the bottom of the tiny Turks induction is less than 12 cm and, despite the fact that the magnet will be attracted – Turk induction surface “does not see” and, accordingly, will not turn on.
How does Induction Cooktop work with Cookware?
When working with a hob it is desirable to use a special dish made of a material with suitable characteristics which effectively absorbs the energy of the magnetic field. These characteristics are the resistivity and magnetic permeability (affects skin layer depth). Contrary to popular belief, cookware material for induction heating principle is not obliged to have ferromagnetic properties, but in practice in order to achieve high efficiency (without which the use of such plates would not make sense) were only suitable material-ferromagnetic metals, in particular – carbon steel (skin- layer are much thinner, and hence their resistance arising therein when placed in a magnetic field of eddy currents is much higher, and the heat in the same magnetic field also higher), so that the dishes for induction furnaces can be checked magnet. Modern induction cookers automatically detect suitable cookware and only, in this case, goes to the operating mode (include magnetic field).
On sale, there are steel wheels, which are heated directly from occurring induction field and allow you to use the dishes, which in itself for such plates are not suitable, as well as due to the thickness of the disk are aligned fluctuations in heating-cooling temperature using a plate with a pulsed power adjustment.
Let us recall, that the principle of induction cooker work is that it is only activated when on the hotplate are put the dishes, which have ferromagnetic properties. As a rule, the manufacturer puts a special compatibility with the induction icon on product packaging The easiest way to check the suitability of the existing house pans and pans for the cooker is to attach to the bottom of the pan a little magnet. It must adhere. Therefore,best induction cookware cannot be made of aluminum (which has no special ferromagnetic layer on the bottom), glass, ceramics, porcelain, copper. It is useless for your new cooker. For induction cooker, it is suitable to buy cookware made of cast iron, “stainless steel” and aluminum (with a special ferromagnetic layer).So, you have decided on how many new pots and pans do you need, a volume, and other kitchen utensils, which will be on your new cooker. And you’re ready to start looking in the (online) stores of kitchen supplies.
Coming back to what we discussed at the start of this article ‘the induction cookware’.
Before we proceed any further and are in the position to have an opinion about the Before we proceed any further and are in the position to have an opinion about the best induction cookware, we must first, for the sake of our uninitiated readers, give a brief overview of this fantastic variety.
Most of us are already aware of gas stoves or electric stoves. The gas stoves use the thermal energy from the burning fuel for heating up the food.
On the other hand, when the current passes through the filament of an electric stove, it heats up and this heat dissipates into the food and the surroundings. The induction cookware works on the principle of magnetic induction.
The biggest advantage of induction cookware over the others is its ability to achieve high temperature very rapidly.
This is because all the heat is generated in the vessel itself and not from any external source.Aside from the one big advantage that we have just mentioned, there are other aspects related to induction cookware as well that have made them quite popular among the masses.
Induction cookware allows the users greater control over the temperature.This makes the cookware easy to use and much safer than its counterparts.Also, this type of cookware does not dissipate as much heat energy into the surrounding resulting in more bearable kitchen temperatures.
Before we conclude this article, there are a few more points that I would like to share with my readers regarding induction cookware set.
Buying a cookware online might seem very tempting as it saves you from a lot of hassle. But trust me, the more time and effort you invest into this, the happier you will be. After all, it is you who has to use the set (unless you have bought it as a present for someone). There are a lot of things that one cannot judge just by looking at the screen of your personal computers such as weight. The feel of a cookware set is very important. How it feels in your hand. How much is the weight? If your cooking set is too heavy on its own, then you might not enjoy cooking in it so much. This means that your money has basically gone to waste.
It is also important to note which type of cookware is easier to clean and which ones are not. Cast Iron especially is not that easy to maintain, therefore, if you do not want to see yourself scrubbing your cast iron pans then it is better to consider something easier such as stainless steel and non-stick pans.
It is also important to note that whenever you are about to buy a cooking set, you should carefully read all the product description present on the product packing and the accompanying brochures. There have been instances when people buy cookware that does not comply with their preferences. For example, one should always try and find out if the cookware can be cleaned in a dishwasher beforehand.
Another very important thing from a safety point of view is determining whether your cookware is microwave safe or not. You must confirm this from the shopkeeper and double check this information. Even if your cooking utensils are made of a material that is microwave safe, the handles can still cause problems especially the plastic ones. Silicon handles are usually safe but cannot withstand very high temperatures in the ovens. Also, please note that stainless steel products should never be put inside the microwave oven. Again, reading induction cookware reviews will help you a lot in this matter.
After further review, the Circulon set listed above is the best choice. The advanced coating feature keeps the pieces intact. The added variety of pieces in the set provides you with more ways to cook your foods as necessary.
No matter which set you to choose, you must find something that fits perfectly over your induction countertop surface. Great induction cookware sets work well to produce heat fast with extra control. | 2019-04-24T21:45:48Z | https://www.kitchenapparatus.com/best-induction-cookware-reviews/ |
Ranked as the nation’s fastest growing economy by a recent Business Insider report , Colorado noted a 3.8 percent growth in state gross domestic product last year. With a much diversified economy, the state stands out for its strong aerospace sector and its growing energy and high-technology sectors.
Outpacing expectations for 2014, Colorado has attracted significant investment and relocations. The present article will discuss Colorado’s most innovative industries and present the federal and state R&D tax credits available to support them.
In an effort to encourage job creation and capital investment in economically distressed areas, the state of Colorado offers a research and development income tax credit for companies located in designated locations, known as enterprise zones (EZs). Expenditures on research and experimental activities in an EZ can qualify for a tax credit that corresponds to 3 percent of the difference between the qualified research expenses (QREs) incurred during the tax period and the average QREs from the previous two income tax years.
The total amount of the credit must be spread equally over four years, which means that the taxpayer can claim 25 percent of the credit in the year the expenditure is made and the remaining 75 percent of it during the following three years.
Research expenses may include wages, supplies, payments to the right to use computers, and payments for research done by a third-party for the benefit of the contracting firm, as long as it is performed within an EZ.
A precertification by the zone administrator is required prior to any business activity that would generate R&D credits. Both the precertification and the final certification for the tax credits can be made via an online process.
The state also provides biotechnology sales and use tax refunds for the biotechnology industries. Qualified taxpayers can claim a refund for previously paid tax expenses on equipment and supplies used for research and development. The incentive concerns purchases of tangible personal property used directly in R&D activities, such as microscopes, chemical reagents, and software.
Among the ten best places for STEM graduates, Colorado is number three in the country for the number of adults with a bachelor’s or higher degree. This smart and active workforce has attracted entrepreneurs and corporate headquarters.
According to the startup accelerator Built in Denver, Colorado launched 122 startups and saw 20 successful exits in 2012. Overall they raised more than $502 million, most of which went to software companies (45 percent) and B2B web firms (33 percent).
The state’s capital, Denver, was named the second best city in the country to launch a startup in 2014. A growing number of millennials between 25 and 34 years old are choosing to migrate to Denver, drawn by its lifestyle, access to education, and unique urban environment.
Colorado is home to a growing number of engineering and R&D intensive companies serving a variety of advanced industries, such as advanced manufacturing, aerospace, bioscience, electronics, energy and natural resources, infrastructure engineering, and technology and information.
Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) estimates the economic impact of these industries at nearly 30 percent of the state’s wage earnings, nearly 30 percent of the total sales revenues across all industries within the state, and nearly 35 percent of the state’s total exports.
The following sections provide an overview of Colorado’s most innovative industries.
Colorado is at the forefront of bringing advanced manufacturing back to the U.S. The state’s manufacturers are highly innovative and use advanced processes to serve diverse sectors, from electronics and consumer products to clean energy systems, aerospace vehicles, and medical devices.
Colorado’s advanced manufacturing industry is diverse and geographically distributed across the state, with over 5,900 manufacturing firms, more than 120,000 employees, and $16.3 billion in annual economic output.
The state is home to more than 300 manufacturers and distributors of electronics products, components, and services. Headquartered in Inverness, Arrow Electronics is a fortune 500 company and Colorado’s largest revenue generating company.
The Colorado Robotics Association congregates nearly 30 companies that offer highly innovative automation solutions. Thornton-based manufacturer of robotic package handling systems, About Packaging Robotics, and Denver-based startup Carbide Robotics, which creates advanced spherical robots for the assessment of dangerous situations, are two examples.
The widespread adoption of robots throughout the U.S. economy promises to create major R&D tax credit opportunities and to favor the growth of Colorado’s robotics industry.
Colorado is the second state in the nation for private sector aerospace employment. It is home to four military commands (Air Force Space Command, Army Space Command, NORAD, and USNORTHCOMM) and three space-related Air Force bases. Along with the Department of Defense and NASA, Colorado’s universities have developed significant aerospace research.
According to a recent report by the Brookings Institution , Colorado’s space economy employed over 66,000 workers across the military, civil, and private domains, contributing some $8.7 billion in value-added output in 2011 and generating 3.8 percent of Colorado’s private-sector gross domestic product.
Over 400 consulting, engineering, manufacturing, and supplier companies provide space-related products and services in Colorado, including some of the nation’s major aerospace contractors such as Ball Aerospace, Boeing, ITT Exelis, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Sierra Nevada Corporation, and United Launch Alliance. In 2010, NASA awarded contracts totaling more than $1.5 billion to Colorado aerospace companies, earning the state a fourth-place ranking nationally.
Colorado’s aerospace cluster is a highly innovative one. According to the OEDIT, since 2001, 69 Colorado companies have won technology development and commercialization grants via NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research or/Small Business Technology Transfer program, and over 190 companies have won similar grants from the Department of Defense. Important areas for aircraft innovation include fuel efficiency and 3D printing.
Colorado is home to a thriving bioscience industry, which includes the biotechnology, medical device, agricultural-bioscience, diagnostic, pharmaceutical, and health care sectors. Examples of major employers in the state include Medtronic, Covidien, Hach Company, Baxa Corporation, Roche, among others.
The multiplication of investments in bioscence infrastructure signals the growing importance of this industry to the state’s economy. Located in Aurora, the recently developed, $5.3 billion Fitzsimons Life Science District aims to become the center of Colorado's bioscience practice and research community. Strategically located near the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, the district is one of the largest bioscience real estate developments in the nation.
Similarly, the recently built BioFrontiers Institute, a 300,000 sq. ft., $300 million multi-disciplinary research center, also serves as a catalyst for bioscience innovation. Part of University of Colorado at Boulder’s infrastructure, the Institute specializes in large datasets and genomics, bioimaging, new therapeutic paradigms, and regenerative biology.
In addition to state-of-the-art infrastructure, Colorado offers a variety of programs to support bioscience companies. The recently approved House Bill 1283 extended the $25 million Bioscience Discovery Evaluation Grant Program. Recent legislation also determined that 25 percent of the net increase in future corporate income tax withholdings from bioscience businesses should be used to support proof of concept, early stage companies, and infrastructure assistance programs.
Colorado’s oil and gas industries have experienced unprecedented growth over the last few years. The U.S. Energy and Information Agency’s (EIA) 2011 assessment of proved reserves placed the state as number nine for petroleum liquids and number seven for natural gas. According to a recent study by the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business, economic benefits from the state's upstream and midstream oil and natural gas industry totaled $126 billion between 2008 and 2012.
The state boasts two of the 100 largest U.S. oil fields and proved reserves are increasing. Between 2004 and 2013, nearly 30 thousand wells were drilled with a total of approximately 53 thousand being in current production.
The increased use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies has boosted crude oil production breaking a sixty-year record of 64 million barrels in 2013 and contributing $6 billion to the state economy. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Colorado currently supplies 1 in every 50 barrels of U.S. output.
Colorado is also an important producer of natural gas. Home to 9 of the country’s 100 largest natural gas fields, the state output has doubled between 2001 and 2013. Approximately three-fourths of households in Colorado use natural gas for home heating.
According to the TechAmerica Foundation, Colorado’s technology industry employed over 162 thousand people in 2012, or 8.7 of private sector workers. The state ranked 6th in the nation for software publishers, 7th for computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing, and 9th for engineering services.
With a strong corporate presence, Colorado is home to regional offices of global IT players, such as DISH Network, Liberty Interactive, Liberty Global, Oracle, Clear Channel, Century Link, and SAP. The state also has a vibrant startup community - according to Built in Denver’s 2012 Colorado Digital Startup Report, 122 digital technology startups were launched in 2012, or one startup every 72 hours.
Boulder-based Tendril is an example of Colorado’s innovative spirit. The company has created an open, cloud-based software platform that provides the infrastructure, analytics, and understanding required to deliver personalized energy services management based on Big Data. The company just rolled out a new feature of its software that enables it to support all 130 million homes in North America.
In January 2014, Colorado became the first state in the U.S. to allow recreational marijuana sales. In spite of booming demand, a very strict drug war-era tax code often threatens new businesses’ profitability; all the more reason for this emerging industry to rely on innovative technologies that support more efficient operations.
Innovations range from genetics to growing methods. The use of LED lighting that mimics the sun has been particularly helpful for indoor growing facilities. In addition to consuming less electricity, this technology puts out less heat than traditional grow lamps, which reduces refrigeration needs.
An ongoing trend among Colorado’s marijuana farmers is moving out of warehouses and into greenhouses. This will require further innovation that provides the necessary light diffusion and the most favorable settings.
Bioscience research also offers great promise to the marijuana business. University of Colorado at Boulder’s Cannabis Genomic Research Initiative is engaged in sampling DNA from multiple cannabis species. The material will be analyzed, sequenced, and mapped at an unprecedented level of detail.
Denver and Boulder concentrate a significant portion of Colorado’s innovation. These dynamic centers have gained increased economic relevance both at the state and national levels.
Due to its strategic west-central location, Denver is rapidly becoming a hub for federal, high-tech, educational, commercial, financial, cultural, tourist, storage, and distribution activities in the Rocky Mountain States.
Colorado’s capital is home to various large corporations in Central America, such as Lockheed Martin, CenturyLink, Comcast, United Airlines, DISH Network, IBM, among others. Employment growth in Metro Denver has been consistent and diverse. The region is on target to add 46,000 new jobs in 2014. Job growth has been particularly strong in natural resources and construction, education and health services, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality.
The seven-county Metro Denver area is now home to 3 million people, with the population expanding by about 1.6 percent per year in 2013 and 2014. The millennials are the largest population group in Metro Denver, adding up over 833,000 people in 2014. On track to be the most educated generation in history, they represent a valuable pool of highly skilled labor.
Denver’s startup environment is particularly dynamic. Recent success stories include ViaWest, a provider of collocation, hosting, cloud computing, and managed services to businesses nationwide. Founded in 2012, the startup owns and operates 22 enterprise-class data center facilities, serving thousands of customers. ViaWest was recently acquired by Canadian telecommunications company Shaw Communications for $1.2 billion.
Accuvant, a cyber security firm headquartered in Denver with offices in 27 U.S. cities, has also been recently acquired by investment firm Blackstone Group LP for $225 million. Similarly, video ad platform SpotXchange recently sold a 65 percent stake to European entertainment network RTL Group for $144 million.
Boulder’s diverse economy includes industries such as aerospace, bioscience, data storage, light manufacturing, nanotechnology, natural and organic products, photonics, professional and scientific services, renewable energy and energy research, software, and tourism.
A growing concentration of advanced technology industries in the city has attracted more than $19 million in venture capital investments in the first quarter of 2014. In 2012, 36 companies located in Boulder raised over $1 million.
Boulder offers a very supportive environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. Though small in population, the city has extraordinary entrepreneurial activity. The Innovation Center of the Rockies and the University of Colorado’s Technology Transfer Office are examples of institutions working to help early stage companies and to enable the commercialization of innovative technologies.
Boulder is also home to CO-LABS, a coalition of federally funded scientific laboratories, universities, businesses, local governments, and legislators who work together to establish Colorado as a global leader in research, technology, and technology transfer. The initiative aims at advancing the state’s global competitiveness, by conducting economic analysis, encouraging technology collaboration, and providing education.
TechStar, a mentorship-driven seed stage investment fund and accelerator program, and Foundry Group, a venture capital firm focused on investing in early-stage information technology companies, are also examples of Boulder-based organizations that contribute to a dynamic economy.
Promising Boulder-based startups include Epic Playground, a media analytics company and creator of the mediagauge tool that helps companies measure the use of video across websites; and Gnip, which has developed the innovative Historical PowerTrack that enables developers to search, find, analyze, and compare every Tweet ever written. Gnip has raised $6.6 million from Foundry Group, First Round Capital, SoftTech VC, and others.
Another example is SendGrid, one of the fastest growing startups in Boulder. Founded in 2009, it has become the world’s largest email infrastructure as a service provider. Its email delivery service moves 2 percent of the world's non-spam email (over 14 billion emails/month) for more than 180,000 companies including technology leaders like Pinterest, Spotify, and Uber. As of 2013, the company had raised more than $27 million in total funding.
Colorado is home to large research universities that are known for their engineering and applied sciences programs. These institutions have contributed to the creation of a dynamic and innovative economic environment.
innovative small satellite systems for observing Earth, and new sensors for Earth and space environments.
genomics, bioimaging, new therapeutic paradigms, and regenerative biology.
chemistry and molecular dynamics; and fusion energy science.
construction to energy storage, from solar and wind energy to hydrogen production.
business research, focusing on environmental sustainability.
With a long history of partnering both with the government and the private sector, CU-Boulder is dedicated to helping businesses generate new products and technologies. Recent examples include a new dental restorative material, based on technology developed by a team of CU-Boulder engineers, which was unveiled by the 3M Company on October 1, 2014; and NASA’s $671 million MAVEN mission to Mars, to which the university has provided the project lead, science operations, two of the science instruments, and leading education and public outreach.
Located in Fort Collins, CSU is among the nation’s leading research universities. With world-class initiatives in infectious disease, atmospheric science, clean energy technologies, environmental science, and biomedical technology the university attracted more than $300 million in research funding in FY ‘13.
CSU’s Infectious Disease Research Center (IDRC) performs cutting-edge research on infectious diseases that impact humans, animals and food supply. It is home to a state of the art biocontainment facility that is 1 of 13 NIH funded Regional Biocontainment Labs (RBL) in the country. The university’s Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing and Academic Resource Center has recently been awarded a $2 million Department of Defense contract for working on an Ebola vaccine.
The university’s Flint Animal Cancer Center (ACC) is the largest of its kind in the world. It has worked on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer in pet animals. Through a new model of public-private partnering, CSU has established a cancer research supercluster focused on developing product-driven strategies within the academic research community and advancing emerging products by partnering with private and public sector organizations.
The university is also engaged in world-class research for the creation and dissemination of market-driven clean energy solutions. CSU’s clean energy research supercluster has been responsible for the establishment of various innovative companies, such as Solix BioSystems, Inc., the creator of a robust algal growth system (AGS®) that is based on its proprietary extended-surface area photobioreactor panels.
Dedicated to bringing CSU’s innovations and technologies into the marketplace, CSU Ventures has enabled the disclosure of more than 550 inventions and the filling of 710 patent applications, 56 of which were issued. It also contributed to the creation of 21 new startup companies and to the generation of $7.12 million in licensing income over the last five years.
The oldest independent university in the Rocky Mountain Region, DU is also among the country’s premier private universities.
Among its several research efforts is an interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program. The university is currently building a new 110,000-square-foot building and plans to expand its engineering and computer science student and faculty capacity by 30 percent.
STEM research has focused on cyber security , software engineering, sustainable energy distribution and mechatronics. The Knoebel Center focuses on STEM aspects of aging-related subjects, such as the development of orthopedic biomechanics, including the refinement of artificial limbs, valves, and prosthetics.
With an increasingly dynamic and diversified economy, Colorado has attracted a growing number of companies as well as highly qualified workers. Innovation is at the heart of recent positive developments, such as the blooming of aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and IT industries. Colorado-based companies should take advantage of federal and state R&D tax credits to support their innovative efforts. | 2019-04-19T10:32:37Z | http://www.rdtaxsavers.com/articles/Colorado-Innovation |
The Measure of a Man Download a PDF version.
It was almost 9:00 PM on a sultry summer night in Washington DC, with darkness spreading over the dimming sunlight when Jamal Wilkes stopped in the Quickie Mini-Mart on his way home from work. As he reached for a cold soda from the cooler, Ben Malone walked up behind him and slapped the back of his head hard, taunting, “Bang you’re dead.” Ben hated Jamal because three years before, during their senior year of high school, Jamal shoved him against a wall when he saw Ben smacking a girl’s face and twisting her arm in the school stairwell. Word spread about Jamal manhandling Ben, and for the next month the other kids pointed, whispered, and snickered when they passed by Ben in school. He blamed Jamal for being shamed by the other kids and wanted to get even, and, one day, would settle the score once and for all.
As he glanced back at Ben, Jamal decided to leave the store quickly to avoid a scene, so he put the soda back and walked out. Ben followed close behind talking trash. It was an odd sight, Ben all of 150 pounds with pale, lightly freckled skin, a clean-shaven face below two pale green, narrow eyes and shortly cropped ginger hair on his head, which measured five-feet-eight inches above the ground; following and squawking at six-foot-two-inch, 210 pounds, dark brown-skinned Jamal. Jamal’s body was muscular, his hair and beard dark and thick but closely clipped and his face, once cheery and bright-eyed, was now serious and sad-eyed from the turn of his life. It all combined to give him a brooding, powerful masculinity which was physically imposing and to strangers appeared intimidating, even dangerous. To those who knew him, he was a gentle, kind young man who still had a big smile, but he shared it less often these days. Ben, a bully and a coward, was cautious about how much he would taunt Jamal tonight; he was biding his time.
Jamal grew up in a poor, mostly African American, DC neighborhood with his parents and two younger sisters. Every week his parents made sure that the family spent time together in parks or the myriad of other free attractions in DC where they could escape the decay and dangers of their neighborhood. They seldom missed services and gatherings at their Baptist church because their faith and church family were important to them. Jamal’s parents, Sam and Opel, were soft-spoken about their faith, mostly allowing their actions to speak for them.
Sam was a big man with a heart to match who thought deeply and spoke little. When he thought his kids were straying from the way he wanted them to grow up he would often tell them, “If you only think about yourself, you’ll be lonely your whole life but if you think about everybody else, you’ll never be lonely.” The kids didn’t really understand what he meant but they had fun whispering it to each other and giggling when he said it. Mama Opel was a ball of energy and passion. When she spoke, the kids knew exactly what she meant and if she told them to do something she didn’t mean in five minutes.
When Jamal was sixteen Sam died of a heart attack. He couldn’t understand why God needed to take his dad, and he regularly told Him silently, “We needed him more than You did.” Sam’s death ripped the family’s emotional and financial fabric, and the threads were pulling apart. Mama worked as many hours at the neighborhood dollar store as she could, but the money was still short, so Jamal worked when he found it, here and there, to help the family. He didn’t have time for school football anymore and his usually good school grades fell except for math, his favorite subject. Even with the extra psychological weight he carried as the man of the house, Jamal was the guy in school and the neighborhood with a good word for everyone. His dad used to be that guy and when he died there was a hole in the neighborhood, in Jamal, and in his family.
After graduation from high school, Jamal found full-time, minimum-wage work washing dishes at Auntie’s Kitchen diner. He knew education was the only way to a better life, so he applied and was accepted to the Washington DC Community College where he would try to balance work and school. But trouble was a trap waiting at every corner for a young African-American man in tough DC neighborhoods, and the trap snared him twice within three years. Not long after he turned eighteen, three young gang members jumped him, and the police arrested everyone involved in the fight. The prosecutor allowed Jamal to enter a special program for first offenders which allowed Jamal to serve a year of probation after which, with good behavior, he could apply to the court to have the arrest expunged from his record. Jamal successfully completed the program but neither he nor his public defender followed up and applied for the expungement of Jamal’s arrest. The second arrest was for stealing a soda and chips from a market the day before payday. It happened late one summer night on his way home from work. He was broke and hungry for some junk food, so on impulse he walked into a small food store and quickly stuffed the bag and can into his jacket and tried to walk out, but the owner had been watching him and called the police the minute Jamal walked out of the store. The store surveillance camera and the owner’s testimony were ample evidence of the crime. Jamal pleaded guilty to retail theft, a minor offense, and paid a one hundred dollar fine. By the time he was twenty-one, he carried the burden of the two arrests on his record.
Ben, an only child, grew up with his parents in a blue-collar, white DC neighborhood. His father, John, verbally and physically abused his wife, Millie, and son, especially when he was drunk, an almost nightly occurrence. Over the years the abuse drained the love and spirit from Millie until she withered like a potted mum shocked by the first frost, once full of color and glorious, now brown and lifeless. Instead of the love and encouragement Ben needed, he received the same brutal coldness that killed the flower. But his young spirit did not die; its spark became a smoldering ember glowing hotter day by day fueled by each blast of his father’s icy coldness. After high school, Ben’s father got him a job with the city maintenance department and threatened to beat him if he screwed it up, but a decent paying, steady job was not enough to control Ben’s now red hot, violent nature. He was arrested twice for assault, his victims a girlfriend and an elderly neighbor. In both cases Ben was allowed to plead guilty to minor, summary offenses because the victims were terrified to testify against Ben. John Malone, furious about having to pay for his son’s lawyer twice, told Ben on the way out of the courtroom that he was nothing but a stupid punk.
Over the years, John Malone pounded and manipulated his son into a violent man like himself, except that John’s twisted mind controlled his violence as a tool to grasp and hold the power that he craved, the power to control as much of his little world as possible. Ben could not control his rage, and every so often the building pressure would burst out without warning in an act of violence like searing hot steam spewing from inner earth. But his venting was only a byproduct from the cauldron of bubbling hate and anger, like magma, churning inside Ben and building toward a cataclysmic explosion. Now, just six months after his last arrest, when Ben ran into Jamal in the market, the sight and memory of Jamal produced a surge of anger which would erupt violently.
Jamal was a block away from the Quickie Mini-Mart, where the street was darker, with Ben still on his heels, when a white-haired old man with a cane limped toward them. Suddenly, Ben ran at the old man and threw his weight and rage into a smashing punch to the old man’s nose. The man crumpled to the ground, and as he lay there moaning in pain Ben kicked him in the head and ribs. Ben turned toward Jamal, pointed as if to threaten “you’re next,” and cackled manically. Then he ran away, almost bumping into a man walking his dog. Jamal hurried over to the old man, bent over and reached down to help him, but as he did the old man swung his cane wildly and began screaming. The cane slammed into Jamal’s right hand with a bone-cracking crunch. As Jamal recoiled in pain, he heard a woman yell from her second story window directly above, “Leave that man alone. I’ve already called the police.” Jamal jerked his face toward her for a moment as his mind swirled in pain and with fear of another arrest; then he ran away.
With identifications from the victim and two witnesses, the police arrested Ben. Trying to cut a deal, Ben told police that Jamal helped in the attack. Jamal was picked up, and the woman in the window and the victim identified him in a lineup as one of the attackers. Since the attack had occurred so suddenly and violently, and Jamal had bent over and placed his large hands on the victim, both witnesses mistakenly believe that he struck the old man. The bulky bandage on his right hand looked like an injury which would occur by hitting a victim’s bones. Jamal’s pleas of innocence to the police fell on deaf ears. At the arraignment, Ben and Jamal were each charged with aggravated assault. Ben’s father allowed the family house to be used as security for a bail bond so that Ben could be free pending trial. Neither Jamal nor his mother had the five thousand dollars in cash or collateral to post his bail, so he went to jail. Money and the lack of it are important in the criminal justice system.
At home, Ben’s father told him to plead guilty because he would not pay the lawyer to go to trial for his son’s stupidity. Ben seethed in self-pity and vowed silently to show his father someday just how smart and strong he was.
Since Jamal had no money for a lawyer, he was assigned a public defender named Janet Maldanado. She was a forty-something, Hispanic woman of average height with sparkling brown eyes. Those eyes offered a hint of her intelligence, intensity, and toughness forged by a life fighting for equality and respect and against the abuse of her husband during the five tumultuous years of their failed marriage. For the past ten years she was the sole parent to her two daughters born of the marriage. Her law degree was earned part-time over six years and she was now in her eighth year as an attorney, all spent in the DC Office of the Public Defenders. Her staff attorney’s salary barely stretched from check to check. Before she earned her law degree she worked in both the juvenile and adult probation departments of the city. She knew the prosecutors, most of the defense attorneys, the judges and the cops. She also knew which of them cared more about justice than their careers. She, like her colleagues, was overwhelmed with cases but she tried her best to not let that influence her decisions about trying a case or counseling her client about entering a guilty plea. If her workload did influence her, she was not aware of it. A defendant really couldn’t find a better defense attorney in the city than Janet Maldanado.
Jamal’s eyes squinted into an angry stare at her for an instant, then they dropped to look at the huge, clenched fists in his lap and he fell quiet.
Jamal was brooding and silent.
“I’m smart. I can handle her questions,” he said but with inflection that sounded less than confident.
“This is crazy. You’re tellin’ me I should plead guilty to something I didn’t do. That ain’t right. What about Ben? Can’t you call him as a witness and make him say I had nothing to do with beating that old man?” protested Jamal angrily.
Jamal told Ms. Maldonado that he would think about it. That night as he agonized about what to do, he also thought of his father. What would he do? No answer came; just Jamal’s anger and emptiness that his father was gone.
Opal Wilks begged a loan from her cousin Jasmine, and three days later Jamal was free on bail. The first night home, Jamal, Mama and the girls talked and cried about the decision he needed to make. The next day, Jamal called his lawyer and told her to plea bargain for him.
A week later, Jamal was sitting in the small, dingy, public defender’s office where rich people never sit because free legal representation has limits that, sometimes, do not include justice. What he didn’t realize was just how difficult his case was for Janet Maldanado. She really wanted to take his case to trial. She wanted to fight and win. She wanted to show the jury how witnesses can be mistaken. If she only had more resources she could hire investigators to look into the lives of Ben, the victim and the other witness to find ways to challenge their testimony. There was no money to hire medical experts to evaluate the victim’s injuries and the corresponding physical damage likely to the attacker. She could not hire experts to dig into the DNA or lack of it from Jamal’s body on the victim or any of the minutia that experts might find which could help create reasonable doubt. The system was failing this defendant miserably.
“The judge will receive a pre-sentence report composed of three parts: a victim statement, a profile on your background and an assessment of the risk that you will commit another crime within a few years. The risk assessment is provided by a company called Safeguard. They developed a formula called an algorithm. They plug information about a defendant into the algorithm and it produces a score from one for low risk up to ten for high risk. The score is called the Criminal Assessment and Information Number (CAIN). Safeguard’s public literature states that the information they use, the data, is from public records and each defendant’s answers to psychological profile questions.
“So the chance of me being arrested, even for somethin’ I didn’t do is gonna’ be used to determine my sentence now? That’s what you’re sayin’.” Jamal bowed his head muttered a string of obscenities under his breath while he clenched his hands and shook his head.
As he left the public defender’s office, Jamal felt the hole inside him growing larger. Maybe he would soon fall in and disappear.
Both Ben Malone and Jamal Wilkes pleaded guilty in separate court appearances. The next stage was their sentencing hearings, which would also be held separately before Judge Miller. The judge believed in data-driven research and had lobbied hard to bring the new system to the DC courts. He knew that the trend in the criminal justice system was to use data and algorithms to predict future behavior of defendants. It was promoted as a tool to help judges properly sentence defendants based on statistical probability. Recently, five states had started using the Safeguard system for sentencing in criminal cases, and now Washington DC was trying it. The Malone and Wilkes cases were his first two cases to use the new system. He was anxious to see the CAIN scores for each man.
The judge was aware of the arguments claiming constitutional due process and equal protection issues because of the secrecy surrounding CAIN, but he believed that the benefits of data-driven analysis combined with sound judicial judgment outweighed the possible constitutional issues or the so-called bias flaws, especially when it came to convicted criminals.
Ben’s report looked more promising than Jamal’s. He held a good job, and his employer had written a recommendation letter. He lived with two parents in a lower crime neighborhood. Even though he had two prior arrests for assault both ending with summary convictions, his CAIN score was only five. Two days after he sentenced Jamal, Judge Miller, relying on his confidence in the CAIN analysis and Ben’s better life situation, sentenced him to two to three years in Newmark State Prison in Maryland, with three years of probation following.
Janet Maldanado, still angry at the judge’s sentencing and now emotionally shaken by Jamal’s words of absolution for her held back tears until she was outside and then the tears streamed down her hot, red face. She didn’t want to be seen like that, so she fast-walked to her car. It took a minute to collect herself in the car, and then she sped back to the courthouse, parked in the garage, and marched to Judge Miller’s chambers without acknowledging or even noticing the people she passed on the way. She stiffly asked his secretary if he was in. The secretary, startled by Janet’s angry face and voice, barely uttered yes when Janet, without waiting for permission, opened the door to Judge Miller’s office, walked in, and, to announce her presence, slammed the door shut behind her.
Exactly what happened in the office that day no one seemed to know, except Janet Maldonado and Judge Miller, and neither of them ever spoke about it. The judge’s secretary got the courthouse gossip mill churning by telling another secretary, in strictest confidence, that for thirty minutes Ms. Maldonado and the judge were speaking in very loud voices and the words she could make out were not very nice so she wouldn’t repeat them. For the next six months, there were often curious spectators in Judge Miller’s courtroom when Public Defender Maldonado was scheduled there, but both judge and attorney were civil and as courteous as professional ethics required.
“OK, Let me think on it.” Jamal said as he sat down. Jesse nodded and walked out. Over the next week Jamal thought it over and decided that he could listen to the men talk the Scriptures in exchange for their protection. That felt like a fair deal. He decided to join the group even though he was not yet ready to forgive God.
Jamal’s seven by six-foot cell had a deeply scratched grey steel door as though someone had tried to claw his way out. The wall with the door had grey steel bars while the others were concrete covered with chipped grey paint. The smells of his cell block were a mixture of man-stink from the bodies of prisoners who no longer cared about cleanliness and perfumed fabric softener sheets some prisoners hung in front of air vents to cover up the stink. To Jamal the stench was sickening but the sounds were even worse. Angry yells, screams, cries, moans and hateful threats rose in the morning and grew more desperate and demanding through the day before sleep, for some, quieted the sounds to a whimper.
Despite the tension created by the threat of violence, the routine of prison life was boring. Each day glaring white lights and a shrill whistle woke him up. Then he lined up for a meal, tried to eat, stood up to a whistle, and walked to his assigned jobs. When that time was up, he lined up to another whistle and walked back to his cell. Later in the day he was released to go outside to the exercise yard for an hour where he paced, watched the plotting gangs, and avoided the psychopaths.
During the hours in his cell he had only his zombie-like cell mate for company, From the first day they met, that wretched soul seemed to have already mentally retreated to another place; a place of silence. So, Jamal dwelled on all the unfairness of his life; for seven long months those thoughts consumed him. When he slept he often had a recurring nightmare where he was sinking into a pit of quicksand with nothing to grasp. As he struggled, a jackal would appear and circle the pit, staring, waiting for a chance to attack its weakened prey. Jamal hated that jackal even more than he feared being sucked into the pit but had no way to kill it and his screams, screams that sometimes wakened him, did not scare it away. In the distance he could see a chain-link fence which stretched from one horizon to the other with his mother and sisters standing on the other side unable to help him. As with most dreams, there was no resolution, no escape.
Gradually, his fear of prison predators subsided as his anger rose. He was angry at the people who forced him here, at the guards for ordering him how to live, at the unjust system and at God for abandoning him and his family and especially at Ben Malone. The anger was beginning to fill the emptiness inside him.
On visiting days, the visits from Mama and his sisters always lifted his spirits; at least momentarily. They told stories of the normal routines of life and activities, trying to stick to the cheery parts for him. He knew, however, that they had plenty of their own problems. Mama, he noticed, walked a little more slowly and stooped now more than before. She was another casualty of his imprisonment.
One day Ms. Maldonado made a surprise visit. After the initial inquiries about his well-being, to which he lied saying he was fine, she told him of the changes that had occurred in the DC court system. The President Judge of the court mandated that every employee, judges included, attend week-long training on the hidden bias. A committee of the judges prepared a warning about the potential biases in the CAIN analysis and the many unknown aspects of how it was generated. Each judge had to sign that warning and place it in each sentencing file. Audits of the files were to occur twice a year. She told Jamal that his sentencing had been a catalyst for these changes. She was too modest to tell him that her persistence and passion were also a primary factor. Jamal thanked her for visiting and sharing the news, and they said goodbye. That night as he lay in bed thinking, he realized that it was kindness not a sense of obligation that brought her to share this news with him. She was trying to tell him that something positive had come out of the injustice he suffered. Maybe so, but how did that help him? What Jamal did notice the next morning was that the nightmare had not come during the night.
Around the eighth month inside, Jamal started using his free time for studying whatever math, statistics, and computer science books he could find. He marveled at the clarity, the right or wrong, of numbers, and his mind wrestled with the concept of using numbers and data to determine the future of a person, like the number that helped put him here. Jamal doubted that numbers could ever measure a person’s value, his fears, dreams, anger, joy, compassion, hate or love, his human qualities. On his strong days he pondered the irony of his love for numbers, the hope it gave him for his future and the impact a number had on his prison sentence. On his weak days, anger clouded his mind clutching Ben Malone tightly in a special place.
The evening free hour spent with Jesse and the prayer group of six black and two white men reading the bible and talking about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit was, at first, barely tolerable for Jamal. In his mind, none of those Holy Three had helped him or his family. For seven months Jamal was part of the group in body only. Finally he began to seriously listen to the others and occasionally read the bible they had given him. It took almost a year before Jamal began to say much of anything in their meetings. Good and evil was often discussed because evil walked the stinking, locked hallways freely, beckoning all to follow with nearly irresistible temptations. It was common for guards and prisoners to act cruelly and brutally. Jackson, like most prisons often reduced men to their base, survival of the fittest, instincts.
Jesse’s faith gave him the peace of mind that his freedom from this prison had been assured by the sacrifice of another long ago. His faith had attracted these broken men to him and his leadership held the group together. He was not a perfect man. He wrestled with sin and temptation as they all did. Jesse’s temper had always been his biggest weakness and it flared, sometimes to the point requiring restraint by others, whenever he saw men abusing others in the hopes of gaining and keeping an illusory throne of power in the dark place that was this prison.
Several months into his second year, Jamal began to notice different things happening. One guard helped an illiterate prisoner write letters to his family. Another guard, seeing a prisoner being bullied, transferred him to an area away from his tormentors. He observed that once every week, three prisoners on his cell block gave up their phone time to another so he could spend an extra thirty minutes talking to his children. And the most amazing part was these acts were done without expectation of repayment.
In the weeks and months that followed, Jamal read and thought about those Bible stories and the other men from the group shared their stories with him. He tutored inmates in math for their GED studies. He also talked with new inmates about the issues he had learned about the CAIN score so they might press their lawyers about filing appeals. Eventually, the nightmares with the pit and the jackal stopped haunting his sleep.
Jamal and Jesse spent many hours talking as Jamal shared his life story and slowly Jesse did the same even though he had never before shared it with another inmate. Jesse’s complex story brought him to Jackson for twenty years after he killed a man, a former friend who betrayed him. Jesse and Jamal came to understand that they both wrestled with many of the same demons. They discovered that they both liked their mothers’ homemade mac n’ cheese and blues music, especially by Buddy Guy. The bond they formed filled a void in both of their lives.
After two long years, Jamal was eligible for parole, and the parole board unanimously approved him based on a strong recommendation from the warden about Jamal’s good conduct. Paperwork was the only hurdle remaining. At long last he would be free.
Ben’s time in prison ended nine months before Jamal’s parole hearing. While in prison, Ben was confronted with men who were meaner and more brutal than his father, and after suffering three severe beatings, he tried to better control his outbursts. Ben’s mother visited him in prison; his father did not. Once released, he did not stay free for long. He was sent back to prison after only six months outside for choking a girl almost into unconsciousness. She had laughed at him, or so he thought. This time Ben was incarcerated in the Jackson Correctional Facility for a much longer sentence. For the first few days back in prison, Ben seethed about his perceived persecution by the system and the list of incidents when people, especially his old man, had not shown him the respect he deserved. He decided it was time to change things, to prove once and for all to his father and the world that they should fear him. The time bomb of rage that his father planted in his brain years ago was nearing its final, awful detonation a week after arriving in Jackson when he spotted his old enemy Jamal in the prison yard during exercise. This was his opportunity. Tomorrow he would kill Jamal in that yard.
The next morning, before the line-up for yard time, Ben hid up his sleeve the knife-like weapon he had gotten from another inmate the night before. As Ben hid his weapon, the warden, having received the release paperwork, sent Officer Jenkins to find prisoner Jamal Wilkes and take him for release processing. As Jenkins set off, Ben’s cell block lined up for the walk to the exercise yard.
Officer Jenkins picked up the phone to find out where Wilkes was scheduled to be. Then he left the administration building where he would need to pass through three security doors before reaching Wilkes in the exercise yard.
Ben and the other prisoners plodded down the glaring white lit hallway, steel cell doors on one side and the open cell block divide then more cells on the other. He was visualizing his murder plan as he walked. After the thrust to Jamal’s heart, Ben would drop the weapon before anyone else noticed. Later, he would spread the word of his killing to the other prisoners who all lived by a strict, no-snitch code.
As Jenkins reached the first secure door, an officer in a safety-glass control cubicle asked about his family, and they chatted. A minute later Jenkins moved through the doorway toward the next door at the end of a fifty-foot hallway. Unless Jenkins stopped again, it would take him about three minutes to reach the yard.
Ben reached the door to the yard and his mind flashed home picturing his father berating him and then flipped to a visionary scene of other men in this prison who, after today, would be stepping aside and averting their eyes as Ben Malone, the killer walked by. Retribution and his redemption were waiting on the other side of this door.
Jenkins reached the last door and waited while the guard talked on the prison phone.
Once in the yard, Ben scanned the sunny space for Jamal. It took a minute to spot him in this macadam area crowded with men. He let the weapon slowly slide down his shirt sleeve partway to his hand. Today he wore a long sleeve tee shirt underneath so he could keep the cuff between his fingers with their telltale prints and the weapon.
The guard finally got off the phone and pushed the door release button so that Jenkins could enter the yard. He pulled his sunglasses from his pocket, put them on, and began to look for Wilkes so he could deliver the good news.
Ben strode intently across the hot blacktop, his glassy dark eyes locked on Jamal and the weapon’s edge cutting his clenched hand. He felt nothing. Dozens of hard men were milling about, no one paying attention to Ben, but that would change after today. As he drew closer to Jamal, Ben’s adrenaline rose to anticipate the rewarding surge of power that he craved.
For the past twenty minutes, Jamal had been sitting on a bench, thinking. When he first arrived in prison, bitterness, fear, and anger overwhelmed him, but with the help of Jesse and the bible study group those emotions had faded. His faith in God and hope for the future had returned to his life. Soon he would leave these men who would spend dozens of years behind these thirty-foot high concrete walls, some for good reasons, others because they, like Jamal, were not believed and others because life’s trials had been too much, and they escaped into drugs. He would miss reading scripture, praying, and talking with them daily. They, and particularly Jesse, had changed his life; maybe saved it. He would stay in touch in the hope that someday they would reunite outside these walls.
Eventually, his thoughts drifted to freedom and the future. Waiting for him would be Mama; ready for a long, teary-eyed hug. Next would be a laugh-filled, three-person embrace with his sisters. In the years ahead he would use mathematics and his growing knowledge of statistics to build a better world for himself and his family. Maybe, someday he would help write an algorithm that saved innocent people from persecution and ignorance. Wouldn’t that be something? Then he heard some familiar voices off to his left, looked in that direction, spotted Jesse walking toward him, and they both waved. Jesse was carrying his bible as always, but Jamal didn’t know that today Jesse planned to hand it to him as a gift.
Jamal glanced to his right and saw Ben approaching with a strange stare. What is that jackal doing here he wondered as his mind began to race. At that moment Jamal heard Jenkins call his name from somewhere behind him and he turned to look. Jesse spotted Ben and a glint from the weapon blade and sprinted toward him, reaching him about two steps from Jamal. Surprising Ben, Jesse grabbed Ben’s shoulder, spun him, and as he did Ben swung the weapon wildly and slashed Jesse’s stomach and left bicep. It took only seconds for dark, warm blood to begin flowing freely from the gashes.
The system was not quite done with Jamal yet. It took two months of investigation, the warden’s second favorable recommendation, and paperwork to clear Jamal for release. The day he got released, Mama and the girls were waiting. They squeezed him nearly breathless; then took him home to begin his life again. | 2019-04-23T22:40:38Z | http://www.kurtholloway.com/stories/the-measure-of-a-man/ |
P2011DSC00899 The path heading away from Waterbeach station. P2011DSC00904 Looking upstream from Bottisham Lock.
Description This was an easy and pleasant stroll, following the River Cam and the historic Devil's Dyke through eastern Cambridge and western Suffolk.
Condition I feel fairly okay after this walk; I had a slight ache in my left ankle that was annoying more than anything else. I am rather paranoid about aches in the ankle, however.
Weather Today started off bright and sunny, and consequently slightly chilly first thing. It soon started to warm up as clouds started to gather. All in all it was a very pleasant day for a stroll.
P2011DSC00906 Bottisham Lock. P2011DSC00909 Looking back towards Bottisham Lock.
P2011DSC00914 Following the Cam northwards towards Swaffham Lock. P2011DSC00917 Boats in a marina near Swaffham Lock.
It had been a couple of weeks since my last walk and I was keen to get a few more miles under my belt. Many years ago I had walked the Devil�s Dyke, a seven-mile long dark ages bank and ditch that heads northwestwards from the edge of the Fens past Newmarket. Although I had walked it many times before, I had never taken any photographs and I was keen to revisit it.
A quick look at my website showed several different routes involving the whole of the dyke. In the end I decided to set off from Waterbeach station and walk to Newmarket; sadly this would involve a fair bit of road walking from the end of the dyke into the horseracing mecca. A surprising number of cars were already parked up in Waterbeach station car park when I arrived, and I bought a ticket before slowly pulling my kit together.
The short stretch of the River Cam past Waterbeach is one of my favourite walks; in sunny weather it can be sublimely beautiful. Although there is no vista of high mountains the blue waters of the Cam and the green flood banks can look heavenly, an impression aided by the fact that I have very fond memories of when I lived in the area.
Initially I followed the Fen Rivers Way from the railway station to the banks of the Cam, and then followed it northwards in glorious sunshine to Bottisham Lock. It was quite chilly despite the sunshine and felt more like late autumn that July; some parts of the country had suffered a ground frost overnight. I crossed the river at the lock, which as always was looking superb, then followed the eastern bank of the river northwards.
It soon crossed the entrance to Bottisham Lode, which heads inland towards the small hamlet of Lode. Lodes are a unique feature of the Cambridgeshire Fens, a series of arrow-straight channels that cross the landscape from the Cam and Great Ouse. Some are far older than the drained land that they pass through and were possibly used from ancient times to allow boats to get from the rivers to ports on the edge of the marshy land. Some are still navigable although others are now only used for drainage; all stand well above the surrounding land.
A new bridge has been built over the lode at the point I turned off it; this is part of the Lodes Way, a recently-opened 9-mile cycleway that runs from Bottisham to Wicken. Unfortunately the next stretch to the village of Reach involved some road walking, although the roads were thankfully fairly quiet. To avoid the roads I also used a track called the Black Droveway, which unfortunately is not a public right-of-way but was wide and easy to follow.
The small village of Reach is pretty and fairly unspoilt. It is centred on a small linear village green that lines up perfectly with the northwestern end of the Devil�s Dyke and the southeastern end of Reach Lode. After stopping to take some photos I climbed up the path that led onto the dyke.
Little is known about the origins of this massive seven-mile long earthwork. It is believed to have been constructed in Anglo-Saxon times although it could possibly have an earlier core. There are many such dykes in the country (for instance Offa�s Dyke on the Welsh border) and several others in the local area, but the Devil�s Dyke is perhaps the best preserved. It is likely to have been built for defensive purposes against competing tribes in the post-Roman years. The northwestern end of the dyke lines up perfectly with Reach Lode that stretches into the Fens, and it is believed that the two could have been constructed at the same time, with the lode preventing a flanking manoeuvre through the surrounding marshland. Whatever its purpose, it looks as though it soon fell into disuse.
The best-preserved stretch of the dyke is at its northwestern end, and I soon had good views over the surrounding flat lands. Swaffham Prior windmill became visible on a ridge to the right before the path descended down to cross the old Cambridge to Mildenhall railway line that bisects the dyke. This offered a perfect cross-section through the bank and revealed the gleaming chalk from which it was constructed.
The bank lowered slightly as it approached the Burwell Road, but immediately on the other side came the most spectacular stretch of the dyke, revealing its full 11-metre height from the deep ditch below. Sadly the views were slightly spoilt by power lines that crossed the ditch near the road. What followed was a superb walk along the dyke as it headed across farmland, with good views over the flat farmland on all sides.
Soon traffic noise started to intrude, the roar getting louder as I approached the bridge that carries the path over the A14(T). Some steps on the other side led down to a flat area of grassland with white barriers - part of the Newmarket Racecourse. Off to my left was the Rowley Mile Course with the Millennium Grandstand in the distance, whilst the July Course was off to the right. The gap was not wide, and soon I was climbing back up onto the bank.
I have often wondered if the public are allowed to walk this path during a race meeting; if so then it must be possible to get some grand views of the horses. The dyke has been cut through at various points along the racecourse and a series of steps helps negotiate these. A lorry trailer carrying a large television screen - one commonly used in outdoor broadcast - was parked near the dyke, and it generally looked as though they were getting the July course ready for a meeting.
Eventually the dyke dropped down to meet the A1304 road; this had to be crossed with care before the path climbed back up onto the top of the dyke. This started to climb as the surrounding ground ascended a slight slope; it was an attractive stretch to walk and one that ended all too soon as it descended to reach the Newmarket to Cambridge railway line.
A man was trying to negotiate the clappergate that leads to the railway whilst holding a small girl in his arms and the leashes of two dogs in one hand. I waited patiently as girl and leashes were expertly juggled between his hands before overtaking him and crossing the line.
The next stretch of dyke was very short, ending at a minor road. Here I discovered that my camera�s battery had run out, so I sat down on some steps to change it. Where the previous sections of the dyke had been open and airy, the next was enclosed by brooding woodland. It also became harder going underfoot and generally rougher; it was a shame that the vegetation blocked what should have been grand views.
It reached the summit of a small hill with the Stetchworth Park Stud off to the right, another indication of the horseracing industry that so dominates this rural area. In places the ditch to the right appeared to be quite deep, perhaps as deep as it had been near Burwell.
Eventually the bank petered out near Ditton Green and the path descended to follow the edge of a field, then cut across it to reach a road beside a massive water tower that dominates the local area. Here I was left with a choice; there are few paths that lead directly towards Newmarket and so a certain amount of road walking was required. As I had only walked about fifteen miles it seemed sensible to extend the walk and I decided to follow roads northeastwards.
The pub in Ditton Green was not due to open for another twenty minutes, and instead of waiting I continued along the road through Little Ditton towards Saxon Street. A pub was marked on the map, and so I diverted off to reach it. The first door I tried was locked, but a second on the side was open. I was very lucky as the pub does not open on Monday to Thursday lunchtimes, meaning that I had picked the prefect day of the week on which to do the walk!
I had my usual drinks whilst I scoffed down a rather large pack of pork scratchings. For some reason my feet were aching far more than they usually do after such a walk, but it did not seem the sort of place where I could slip my boots off. I also had not taken enough water with me for what was a surprisingly warm day, and the alcohol soon went to my head.
Unfortunately I did not have much alternative except to walk to Newmarket along roads. This plod was enlivened by the spectacular gateways that lined the road, each leading into various stud farms. There is obviously a great deal of money in horseracing, and some of it was focussed on this rural road.
The road descended all the way into the town, a surprising indication of how much the Devil�s Dyke had risen from the low-lying Fenland. On the way in it passed a large area of grassland on the right, yet another horsey area.
Although I had visited Newmarket many times over the years, I could not remember where the bus station was. I had to ask a couple of people before I stumbled upon it near the main shopping centre, passing some gaily-painted horse sculptures on the way. The next problem was that I could not find the bus timetables for the coaches that I knew called at the town.
The journey back was entertaining; a coach to Cambridge pulled in and I sat on one of the jump seats at the front so that I could stretch my legs out. However some elderly ladies got on at a later stop and so I went to sit further back. A fit-looking, muscular young man was sitting alone on the wide back seat, and after a while I noticed that he was scrawling lines on the floor with a thick black marker. It was some form of tag, and so I said, "excuse me," and shook my head.
A look of embarrassment flashed over his face as he stared at me. Then we both looked away from each other, but as I glanced back occasionally I saw him staring angrily back at me. He got off on the outskirts of Cambridge and as he walked past he gave me a little nudge. Many people defend graffiti by calling it an art form, but I fail to see how tagging the floor of a bus could in any way be called an art.
The walk along the Devil�s Dyke had been highly enjoyable, and the walk as a whole was a trip down memory lane. It was a walk that I can easily imagine doing again sometime in the future.
P2011DSC00920 Swaffham Lock. P2011DSC00922 Swans beside Swaffham Bulbeck Lode.
This walk starts at Waterbeach station car park. Leave the car park and head north to the road right beside the level crossing and station. Go through a little pedestrian gate and continue north along a track, with the railway line on the left. Soon the path leaves the track and curves to the right, heading through more gates.
It passes a junction with another footpath on the right (the Fen Rivers Way). Continue eastwards with a hedge on the left along the obvious footpath as it skirts a boatyard on the right. When the hedge ends the footpath curves to the right to join the western bank of the River Cam. Turn left and follow the flood bank as it winds in a rough northerly direction for about half a mile until Bottisham Lock is reached at TL507656. Pass through a gate that leads to a surfaced path that leads across the lock.
Cross the lock and on the other side go through a pedestrian gate that leads into a field. Turn left to start following the path northeastwards along the eastern bank of the river. It soon reaches the entrance to Bottisham Lode; cross the stiles and the bridge to join the flood bank on the northern side. Follow this for a little over a mile as it winds northeastwards, eventually reaching Swaffham Lock at TL522672.
Cross the bridge and on the other side turn right to start following the northern flood bank of Swaffham Bulbeck Lode southeastwards. You can either walk along the top of the flood bank or the track that runs at its base. Continue for about 1.5 miles to TL539653, just before a bridge over the lode. Here turn left to follow a road northeastwards; it soon passes Slades Farm on the left.
A T-junction is reached with another road after half a mile; turn right to follow this southeastwards for a little over half a mile until a track called Black Droveway is reached at TL552652. Turn left and follow this track as it heads northeastwards for another half mile; it passes a large barn on the left before reaching another road. Turn right and follow it as it immediately curves to the left, heading northeastwards towards Reach. The road curves sharply to the right as it enters the village, and then to the left and right once more to reach the village green.
Keep the village green to the left as you walk through the village; near the top (southeastern) end, climb up a path that leads onto the end of the Devil�s Dyke. Keep to the top of the bank as it starts to head southeastwards; after two-thirds of a mile it reaches the course of the old Cambridge to Mildenhall railway line. The path diverts off to the right of the bank, descending down steps to reach the shallow cutting that used to carry the railway. Cross this, and on the other side take some steps that climbs back up to the top of the bank. After another third of a mile the path descends once more to reach the B1102 Burwell Road at TL580648.
Carefully cross the road and climb up the bank on the other side. The next stretch of the dyke is perhaps the most impressive as it climbs a small hill; the bank is high and the ditch to the right deep. The ditch continues arrow-straight for 1.7 miles, eventually reaching the A14 at TL600630.
Climb the steps and cross the footbridge over the road; on the other side descend down the steps to reach a flat area of grassland. Head straight on across this, ducking under the white railings that protect the Running Gap in the racecourse. On the other side of the second line of railings climb some steps that lead back up onto the dyke.
The next one and a half miles heads across the gap between the Rowley Mile and the July racecourses. It remains on the bank for most of the time, only dropping down to cross a couple of gaps. Wooden steps make it easy to clamber up and down the bank at the gaps.
The next interruption is at the A1304. The dyke descends to a little car park; head straight on along some grass for a short distance to reach the road and carefully cross it. On the other side it clambers back up onto the bank and heads a mile southeastwards before approaching the Newmarket to Cambridge railway line at TL630604.
Go through a clappergate and descend some steps to the railway line; carefully cross this and climb some more steps and go through another gate to rejoin the top of the bank. This continues in the same direction for about 150 yards before descending down to another road. Cross this and on the other side climb up another set of wooden steps to rejoin the top of the bank.
The bank slowly climbs up a slope for three-quarters of a mile before descending to a road at TL641595. Cross this and climb back up the bank. It continues through trees; in places it is far more enclosed than previous sections. After about a mile it emerges into a field; continue on with the woodland to the right for about fifty yards before turning to the left to had diagonally across a field, aiming just to the right of a large white water tower. At the end of the field the path follows a hedge on the right, passing gardens before ending at a road in Ditton Green at TL656580.
This marks the end of the stroll along the Devil�s Dyke, and the rest of the walk takes us down into Newmarket. Turn left and follow this road towards the village; it soon curves to the right to head southeastwards, and then left to head east-northeastwards for a third of a mile to a crossroads in Woodditton. Cross the crossroads and continue northeastwards for half a mile to reach another crossroads in Little Ditton.
Cross this and head straight on northeastwards for another four-fifths of a mile along School Lane until it ends at a T-junction with another road at TL677595 in Saxon Street. The Reindeer Pub is about fifty yards to the right. If you do not want to visit the pub then turn left to follow the road north-northwestwards for about two and a half miles as it slowly descends downhill. A pavement eventually starts on the right, allowing safer walking before the road ends at a crossroads with the B1103 at TL653630.
Carefully cross the road and join the B1603 as it heads up a slight hill. At the top it curves to the left to head west-northwestwards down into the village of Newmarket before ending at a complex roundabout with the High Street at TL645635. Cross the roundabout and follow Exeter Road northwestwards to another junction. Follow the road as it curves around to the left towards a shopping centre on the left; Newmarket bus station is on the left at TL634636.
P2011DSC00925 Following Swaffham Bulbeck Lode southeastwards. P2011DSC00929 Following Swaffham Bulbeck Lode southeastwards.
This makes a total distance of 19.6 miles, with 651 feet of ascent and 571 feet of descent.
It is easy to return to Waterbeach using public transport. Stagecoach run regular coach services (route 12) from Newmarket Guineas Bus Station to Drummer Street in Cambridge; you then need to walk the half-mile to Cambridge railway station, from where trains run regularly back to Waterbeach station.
P2011DSC00933 Swaffham Bulbeck Lode. P2011DSC00937 Swaffham Bulbeck Lode.
P2011DSC00952 Reach. P2011DSC00956 Following the Devil's Dyke from Reach towards the Burwell Road.
P2011DSC00959 Following the Devil's Dyke from Reach towards the Burwell Road. P2011DSC00965 A cross-section through the dyke.
P2011DSC00970 Following the Devil's Dyke southeastwards from Burwell Road. P2011DSC00973 Following the Devil's Dyke southeastwards from Burwell Road.
P2011DSC00979 Following the Devil's Dyke southeastwards from Burwell Road. P2011DSC00982 Following the Devil's Dyke southeastwards from Burwell Road.
P2011DSC00994 Following the Devil's Dyke southeastwards across Newmarket Racecourse. P2011DSC00999 Following the Devil's Dyke southeastwards across Newmarket Racecourse.
P2011DSC01004 Following the Devil's Dyke southeastwards across Newmarket Racecourse. P2011DSC01006 Following the Devil's Dyke southeastwards across Newmarket Racecourse.
P2011DSC01018 Heading southeastwards from the A1304. P2011DSC01022 Crossing the Newmarket to Cambridge railway line.
P2011DSC01023 A footbridge over a stream beside the B1061 road. P2011DSC01027 Following the dyke southeastwards towards Stretchworth Park.
P2011DSC01031 Following the dyke southeastwards towards Stretchworth Park. P2011DSC01039 Following the dyke towards Ditton Green.
P2011DSC01041 Following the dyke towards Ditton Green. P2011DSC01049 Ditton Green water tower.
P2011DSC01052 Ditton Green water tower. P2011DSC01055 A road sign in Little Ditton.
P2011DSC01061 An entrance to a stud farm. P2011DSC01063 An entrance to a stud farm.
P2011DSC01068 A colourful horse statue in Newmarket. P2011DSC01072 A colourful horse statue in Newmarket. | 2019-04-20T22:36:09Z | http://britishwalks.org/walks/2011/910.php |
The interval between any two points that measures the completion of a single wave movement.
The actual linear measurement, in metres, of one wave.
The strength or width of one wave—the greater the distance from the transmitting site, the smaller this distance.
The number of cycles per second, expressed in three units—Kilohertz (KHz), which measures the number of cycles per second, Megahertz (MHz), which measures millions of cycles per second, and Gigahertz (GHz), which measure billions of cycles per second.
Radiated energy, which in free space travels in straight lines, and at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second). Radio waves have the same properties as light and heat waves, but are in lower frequency.
The change in direction of travel of a radio wave that occurs when contact is made with the surface separating two different media. Where reflection occurs, the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection.
The bending of a radio wave as it passes from one medium to another or within a single medium with varied density.
The bending of a radio wave when it grazes the edge of a solid, impassable object.
The loss of radio wave energy as it travels through a medium. Attenuation is caused by the solid objects located on the earth’s surface, as well as molecules in the air such as water and dust.
Layers of ionized gas caused by solar radiation, located between 60 and 200 miles above the earth’s surface, and varies daily and with seasons and latitude.
Radio transmission energy that travelling roughly follow (run parallel to) the earth’s surface and is subject to surface attenuation—the lower the frequency, the less the attenuation.
Radio transmission energy that is reflected or refracted by the ionosphere. Sky waves will continue to reflect or refract between the earth’s surface and the ionosphere until complete attenuation occurs.
Radio transmission energy that continues through the ionosphere (without reflection or refraction) into space. Space waves neither follow the curvature of the earth, nor bend around obstructions.
The distance between the transmitter and the point at which the first sky wave returns to earth—this is dependent on variations in the height and density of the ionosphere, with significant changes in skip distance occurring at dawn and dusk.
Primarily by ground wave transmission, although sky waves are used for longer distances.
Propagation is by line-of-sight (space waves), subject to modification by earth objects. Transmission path is predictable, ground waves are rapidly attenuated, and sky waves rarely exist.
VORs transmit between 108 to 117.95 MHz. On the ground, the transmitter looks like a Gemini space capsule.
Two signals are transmitted from the ground station (above), the first is the non-directional reference phase, and the second is the rotating variable phase. Both signals are transmitted 30 times per second. The variable phase transmits cyclically around the 360 degrees of the azimuth approximately 30 times per second. The reference phase signal is transmitted every time the variable phase transmission sweeps past magnetic north. Radial information is derived from the difference in time between the two signals (which would be different for each radial); this computation is referred to as phase difference, and is displayed by the airborne equipment.
The VOR receiver in the cockpit incorporates three functions: (1) the Omni Bearing Selector (OBS) which appears as a rotating azimuth dial which provides for bearing selection; (2) the Course Deviation Indicator (CDI), which is a vertical needle that moves laterally along a row of dots, each dot representing two degrees; the CDI can be centred by rotating the OBS; when this is done the aircraft position on one of the VOR radials is indicated; (3) the TO/FROM Indicator informs whether the aircraft bearing is “to” or “from” the VOR.
Before using a VOR, the instrument must be tuned and identified; to confirm the identity of the VOR, the “indent” function is turned on (much like a VHF radio) and the VOR identifier (three letters) is transmitted in Morse Code, which the pilot can read from his chart.
VOR receivers sometimes have internal testing capability; but major airports provide VOT equipment (VOR Testing), in which the VOT frequency is selected and the equipment tested.
The concept of a radial can be somewhat confusing. What has to be remembered is that there are 360 radials radiating from the VOR. If you are in reception range, and you have selected the proper frequency, the turning of the OBS will eventually centre the CDI (needle) with a FROM indication (arrow pointing downward)—when this is done the radial that the aircraft is on as indicated at the top of the azimuth.
In the left display, the rotation of the OBS to 090° (at the top) has produced a centred CDI with a TO indication—essentially, the VOR is saying (if it could speak) fly 090° to proceed to the VOR. The aircraft must be to the west of the station. In the right display, with the aircraft in the exact same geographic position, the selection of 270° (using the OBS) has produced a centred CDI with a FROM indication—the VOR, in this case, is saying: fly 270° to proceed direct from the VOR. The radial the aircraft is currently on is only directly read from the right display, because it has a FROM indication. The present radial can also be discerned from the left display, but it has to be read at the bottom of the azimuth.
As you can see, the VOR information has nothing to do with the heading of the aircraft. It doesn’t know which way you have the thing pointed. To make sure you don’t get confused, it is always a good case to orient the aircraft in the same course as has been selected on the OBS. When this is done, all the directions make sense.
Another way to learn how to interpret information on the VOR display is to look at the four quadrants of a VOR. In the above example, the pilot has selected the 030° Radial—this appears at the top of the display. Note the various indications based on the quadrant in which the aircraft is located. To make comprehension easier, the aircraft depicted have been oriented to match the OBS selection of 030°.
In the upper left quadrant, the CDI is deflecting right, indicating to the pilot that the aircraft is to the left of course. To intercept the selected 030° Radial, the aircraft must be flown in the direction of the needle, but this only works if the aircraft is oriented to the OBS selection. Note the FROM indication, showing that the aircraft is to the north east of the 90° off-setting radials—a line combining the 300° and 120° Radials.
In the upper right quadrant, everything is the same as the upper-left except the needle is deflecting left. Here (upper right quadrant) the pilot must fly left to intercept the selected 030° Radial.
Note that in the lower two quadrants the TO indication is displayed. Relative to the OBS setting, this tells that the VOR transmitter is in front of the aircraft. The reverse is the same for the upper quadrants, except the pilot is advised the VOR lies behind the oriented aircraft.
Full deflection of the CDI from the “on course” or central dot marker indicates the aircraft is positioned 10° or more from the selected radial.
VOR receivers sometimes have internal testing capability;2 but major airports provide VOT equipment (VOR Testing), in which the VOT frequency is selected and the equipment tested. Using a VOT, the CDI must provide an “on course” and “TO” indication when the 180° Radial is selected, and “on course” and “FROM” indication when the 360° Radial is selected (when the 090° and 270° Radials are selected the “OFF” or “Nav-flag” indication will appear.
When checking the VOR over a known VOR checkpoint on the ground, the 4° tolerance is also applied.
Similarly, any variation greater than 4° degrees when two VOR receivers are tuned to the same signal is an unacceptable difference and one of the aircraft’s receivers must be regarded as unserviceable.
In contrast, an accepted tolerance of + /- 6° is applied to any airborne VOR check when the aircraft is positioned over a known landmark in association with a published radial.
A variation from VOR transmitters is VORTAC, which combines VOR functioning with DME (Distance Measuring Equipment). A military variation is TACAN (Tactical Air Navigation) which requires Ultra High Frequency equipment (UHF) and is not commonly used by General Aviation.
VORs are limited in that they transmit “line of sight;” thus the lower you fly, the closer you must be to pick up a signal; as a rule, 1.23 times the square root of your altitude above the transmitter gives you the current range of a VOR in nautical miles (NM).
The advantage of VOR rests with its reliance on VHF energy. VOR signals are not subject to the errors and inaccuracies of LF transmissions—especially needle oscillations during electrical storms.
Rather than a traditional VOR display, the position of an aircraft relative to a VOR transmitter can also be displayed by way of a Radio Magnetic Indicator (RMI) display. With an RMI, a bearing indicator continually points to the VOR station. The bearing indicator, in turn, is superimposed on an azimuth display that is virtually identical to the aircraft’s heading indicator. The azimuth, driven by a remotely mounted slaved compass, continually adjusts itself to reflect the aircraft’s heading—rotating just as the heading indicator rotates. In the example to the right, the aircraft is flying a heading of 086°, the bearing to the VOR is 055°, and the aircraft is currently crossing the 235° Radial. As discussed below, an RMI display can also be used to display ADF navigation information.
ADF operates on low frequencies—200 KHz to 1750 KHz—which means commercial AM station broadcasts can be used, as well as navigation facilities. The transmission source most commonly used during IFR flight is the Non-directional Beacon (NDB).
ADF provides a homing function—that is, the needle in the ADF cockpit receiver points to the station (Bearing Indicator). Again, the receiver must be tuned and identified before use.
The advantage of ADF is that it is not limited to “line of sight” and is therefore effective for low-level navigation. The reason is that low frequency transmitters produce both ground and sky waves (signal bounces off the ionosphere).
The ADF, however, is subject to numerous inaccuracies: (1) Quadrantal Error, whereby the signal is bent by aircraft metal; quadrantal effect is minimal at the cardinal points (nose, tail and wing tips), and greater in the intermediate bearings; (2) Needle Oscillation, whereby the needle oscillates in conditions of static (rainfall and thunderstorms) and weak transmissions; (3) Night Effect the needle relies on the ionosphere reflection at night and becomes more inaccurate; (4) Terrain Effect, whereby the direction of radio waves is altered when passing between water and land, especially if the waves intercept the shore line at 30° or more; (5) Mountain Effect, whereby signals are altered as they reflect off mountains; and (6) Ore Deposits, which cause deflections.
ADF information is conventionally displayed by one of three means, the first of which is referred to as a fixed card bearing indicator, the second is referred to as an adjustable bearing indicator, and the third is referred to as a Radio Magnetic Indicator (RMI).
In the case of the fixed-card bearing indicator, the ADF needle displays the relative bearing of the transmitter station—i.e., the bearing of the transmitter station relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft (relative bearing is discussed beginning P. 297). The ADF display card remains fixed with the 360° bearing set at the top of the azimuth display.
When ADF is displayed with an adjustable bearing indicator, the pilot can manually rotate the azimuth display so the aircraft’s current heading is displayed at the top of the azimuth. When this is done, the bearing indictor shows the magnetic bearing to the NDB—i.e., the heading that must be flown to proceed directly to the NDB.
In the case of an ADF equipped with an RMI, the azimuth is turned automatically by a remotely mounted slaved compass so that the heading of the aircraft is continually displayed at the top of the azimuth. Like a correctly set adjustable bearing indicator, the needle on the RMI always indicates the magnetic bearing to the NDB.
The Instrument Landing System (ILS) is the primary precision approach system used internationally, providing both horizontal (Localizer) and vertical (glidepath) guidance to a runway touchdown zone.
ILS must have a final approach fix (FAF) which provides position confirmation; the FAF is either an NDB or a DME fix.4 The FAF is typically 4 NM from the runway,5 but may vary between 3.5 and 6 NM.
The Localizer is unidirectional in that only the approach end of the runway—referred to as the front course—has conventional CDI display and interpretation—e.g., left CDI deflection means “fly left” for on course. If you were to make an approach on to the opposite runway, and centreline signal is still transmitted via the Localizer, but the CDI is not “reverse read;” accordingly, a pilot making an approach on this opposite or reciprocal runway with a left CDI indication would have to “fly right” for the “on course.” This reverse-read side of the runway is referred to as the back course. If an aircraft is equipped with an HSI or Horizontal Situation Indicator (see below), which is essentially a CDI display superimposed on the Heading Indicator, the CDI display will not reverse read on the back course (as the pilot essentially sees the CDI upside-down).
The “TO/FROM” indicator during the tracking of Localizer always indicates “TO” irrespective of the aircraft position relative to the transmitter, its only meaning being that the signal is reliable.
The transmitter of a Localizer signal is located on the centre line at the far end of runway for which it serves (i.e., off the departure end).
The glidepath transmitter is located approximately 1000’ back from the approach end of the runway it is serving. There is no back course glidepath signal transmitted. It projects an electronic glide slope to coincide with the Localizer—the glide slope usually being a 3° angle. The glidepath beam width is approximately 1.4°; therefore a full deflection of the glidepath needle (positioned as a “cross-hair” to the Localizer) from the “on glidepath” or centre-dot marker is only .7°—amazingly sensitive!
Caution with respect to glidepath indication as false signals are transmitted in multiples of the glidepath angle. The first glidepath is approximately 6° above the horizontal.7 False signals are reciprocal (up and down indications are reversed.
A Localizer has specified areas of reliability. Outside this area, indications must be regarded as inaccurate. Approximately 18 NM from the transmitter, the Localizer is reliable 10° either side of the on-track indication, while 10 NM from the transmitter, reliability increases to 35° either side of the on-track indication (below, right).
The Localizer is a VHF signal while the glidepath is a UHF signal that is “paired” with the VHF frequency. While the glideslope transmitter is located 400’ to 600’ off the runway centreline, between 750’ and 1250’ back from the threshold. ILS frequencies are identified by a two-letter code with an “I” prefix. Thus, the Localizer for Abbotsford is “IXX.” When a Localizer frequency is published with an “X” prefix, the Localizer alignment exceeds 3° relative to the runway centreline, and a precautionary note is published on the approach plate.
DME stands for Distance Measuring Equipment which provides the pilot with the slant-range distance from a DME ground station. The functioning of DME is distinct from VORs in that airborne equipment transmits a signal to the ground station, this transmission being composed of paired pulses; when the ground station receives this airborne signal, it in turn transmits reply paired pulses back to the airborne receiver on a difference frequency, but with the same pulse spacing. It is the time difference between this exchange of signals that is translated by the airborne equipment into distance in nautical miles.
DME signals are UHF and are therefore subject to line-of-sight limitations. DME frequencies are paired with VOR frequencies; therefore, by selecting the VOR VHF signal, the appropriate UHF frequency is automatically selected on the DME equipment—but you must pay close attention to depiction on navigation charts. DME is also paired with military TACAN signals—accordingly, while VOR equipment in civil aircraft cannot utilize TACAN signals (as TACAN signals are UHF), civil DME equipment can dial in TACAN frequency and obtain distance information. Note that VORTAC stations (combining military UHF and civil VHF) provide DME data.
Since the translated distance is slant range, and DME equipment in an aircraft at FL370 directly over a DME ground station (based at sea level) would indicate a distance to the pilot of not less than 6.08 NM.10 Accordingly, the higher and closer an aircraft to the DME ground station, the greater the slant range error.
The acceptable tolerance of DME indications in the cockpit is +/- .5 NM or 3% of the distance, whichever is greatest.
Area Navigation radio navigation systems permit expanded station-referenced and often self-contained electronic navigation over any desired flight path that is generally independent of conventional airways structure.
Area Navigation therefore revolves around track navigation between pilot-selected waypoints.
In many instances Area Navigation track information is conveyed to the pilot on an HSI display (left CDI deflection means steer left for the on course, etc.) and distance information similar to DME (distance to waypoint).
INS refers to Inertial Navigation System, a self-contained system that is independent of any external navigation aids.
The initial position of the aircraft is entered into the computer (usually the precise longitude and latitude of the aircraft on the airport ramp), and a system of two gyro-stabilized accelerometers measure acceleration of the aircraft relative to a north-south and east-west electronic grid.
Some INS systems incorporate ground station data input as a means of further enhancing accuracy.
The latest generation of INS systems—referred to as IRS for Inertial Reference System—uses laser sensors rather than gyros, and the data is directly inputted into an aircraft flight management system.
The term “RNAV” is currently used in two meanings, the first referring to all Area Navigation System—INS, IRS, GPS (also referred to as GNSS, meaning “Global Navigation Satellite System”), LORAN C, etc.—and the second sense denotes an airborne system that utilizes conventional VORTAC and DME ground stations. In this section, RNAV denotes the latter conventional ground stations.
The airborne component of RNAV is a computer that takes radial and distance information from VORTAC and DME stations and allows the pilot to electronically create “phantom” VORTAC positions referred to as waypoints. Accordingly, by selecting a position referencing radial and DME from the nearest VORTAC, the pilot can electronically create a waypoint for that position such that the information received on the HSI and DME is as if a VORTAC existed there.
In the RNAV mode the CDI deflection of one dot indicates ½ NM off course, as opposed to the conventional 2° indication associated with a convention VOR or VORTAC indication.
LORAN-C is a low frequency, long-range navigation system in which the airborne receiver receives signal pulses from a widely spaced chain of ground stations. There are several chains in North American, each consisting of a master transmitting station and four secondary transmitting stations. The receiver computes aircraft position by measuring the time differences between the master station and at least two secondary stations. The pilot selects the chain of stations nearest to the aircraft position.
LORAN-C is far less accurate than GPS and it is not uncommon to have errors up to 8 NM. The receiver can lock onto erroneous sky wave or other signals without warning. The accuracy overall is dependent on the geometric angles between the aircraft and the ground transmitters—the greater this angle, the more accurate the data provided to the pilot. The signals can be affected by local low frequency transmitters and power lines. Also, precipitation static interferes with reception. The failure of one transmitter in the chain can render a large surrounding area without signal coverage. On the positive side the range of signal reception is very good—up to 900 NM.
GNSS is a term used to encompass both the US GPS system and the Russian GLONASS system, both of which are satellite based systems. Discussion here will refer to the GPS system.
GPS11 is perceived by ICAO as the navigation system of the 21st Century. Developed by the U.S. military, the system became operational for civil use in 1994, and now provides amazingly accurate navigation information to within only a few meters in space.
The system is based on the measurement of distances between the airborne receiver and satellites, thereby establishing position information based on triangulation. Precise calculation of distances is made possible by atomic clocks carried on each satellite, and distance is derived from measuring the time required for a satellite signal to reach the airborne receiver.
While only three satellites would be theoretically needed to determine a position based on triangulation, accuracy would be diminished by potential inaccuracies in the atomic clocks of any one of the three satellites. To compensate for possible time errors, four satellite signals are used and four satellites are considered the minimum number of satellites required for a reliably accurate position fix.
Until quite recently, GPS provided civilian aviation with what was referred to as “downgraded” navigation data. GPS satellites continue to transmitted (and perhaps still transmit) two types of code used for position identification—a “P” code, for “precise” navigation, and a “C/A” code, meaning “coarse acquisition” code. P-code provides “Precise Positioning Service” (PPS) that is only accessible to military receivers and requires a valid decryption key, while C/A code provides “Standard Positioning Service (SPS), accessible to all civilian receivers. Up until only a few years ago, SPS was a degraded PSS signal for reasons of national security,—a process referred to as Selective Availability (SA). In the winter of 2000, however, the C/A code was upgraded (or perhaps temporarily removed) so that civilian operators now have access to data whose accuracy is estimated to be equivalent to P code. Presumably, the signal could be again downgraded in the event of a future security problem.
A GPS receiver identifies each accessible satellite within line of sight, accesses two data streams form the satellite—the navigation message (referred to as ephemeris) which contains orbital information that allows the receiver to calculate the satellites’ position, and the distinct C/A code (or P code if the receiver is military), which is simply clock information. The receiver then plots its estimated position from all available satellites using processed time and distance data—a measurement process referred to as pseudo range. The are numerous accuracy-degrading effects associated with GPS (ionospheric effects, ephemeris errors, satellite clock errors, multipath distortion, trophospheric effects, and numerical errors), but civilian GPS fixes are typically accurate to within about 50’.
There are numerous augmentation systems for GPS—systems that enhance the accuracy and reliability of GPS position determination. Perhaps the more prominent of these is the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) has been developed by the U. S. FAA, and consists of a network of 29 ground stations (referred to as WRS—Wide-area Reference Stations---these are located the continental U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico), and four geostationary satellites. GPS/WAAS receivers obtain position data from both the GPS satellite network, as well as ground stations (communicated via the WAAS stationary satellites) to civil position determination to within 1.0 meters laterally and 1.5 meters vertically.
Navigation information is provided by way of waypoints. Waypoints can be airports, intersections published on aeronautical charts, and traditional ground-based navigation transmitter locations. All waypoints are stored in the GPS by way of a data card provided by the manufacturer. The data cards are periodically updated and usually a subscription must be purchased. All GPS systems have facility for “user defined” waypoints.
Information regarding the aircraft’s position relative to a waypoint is commonly presented by way of a moving map displayed on the GPS display screen. Distance in nautical miles is simultaneously displayed, and the pilot can select additional data such as groundspeed and estimated time en route to the waypoint. Systems also display track information in the traditional OBI display similar to those used with VORs. The dots on either side of the display are no longer “degrees,” as is the case with VOR displays, but instead are distance. The distance between dots can be altered by the pilot, but it is common for one-dot deflection to equate to 1 NM.
Typically, GPS operates in two modes, the first being LEG mode, and the second being OBS mode. In LEG mode, the GPS will automatically cycle through a series of waypoints that are stored as a sequence in an electronic flight plan.
Information display—distance, time, and speed—is always provided for the “next” waypoint in the sequence. If three waypoints are stored, for example—A,B, and C—the data pertaining to waypoint C will be displayed immediately after B is passed. In OBS mode the GPS will not cycle between waypoints, but will instead lock onto one waypoint, giving position information much like that of a traditional VOR—including TO and FROM indications.
VFR-only GPS receivers cannot detect erred data in satellite transmission.
IFR-certified GPS receivers must continuously monitor the performance of the system to ensure accuracy—the idea being, of course, that IFR operation based on GPS must have accuracy in position determination to ensure clearance from terrain. The problem is that the GPS Space and Control Segments cannot instantly fix a satellite if it begins to send misleading data to receivers, and for this reason IFR GPS receivers cannot simply rely on the GPS satellites where this possibility of position error exists. To remedy this, the feature of RAIM—Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring—is included in IFR GPS equipment. “Receiver autonomous” means that the GPS can detect errors on its own, and it does this by using distance measurements from as many satellites as possible as a means of checking the consistency of the position (called over-determined position solution). If there are not enough satellites within reception range of the airborne receiver to assure position integrity, the receiver notifies the pilot.
Five measurements with good geometry concerning the satellite positions are needed to provide RAIM; since an IFR GPS utilizes as a source of measurement the aircraft’s altimeter, the minimum number of satellites is four. If the measurements are inconsistent, the pilot is notified and RAIM does not exist.
RAIM availability is rarely a problem during the en route and terminal phases of IFR flight, but the allowable limits are much tighter when an IFR non-precision approach is being conducted—during this phase aircraft commonly descend without visual reference to within a few hundred feet of the ground. A “RAIM not available” signal is useless during these critical low-altitude phases of an IFR approach, so the IFR receivers have the capability to check RAIM availability at a future time—i.e., when the pilot is planning to conduct the approach. By knowing the future geometry of orbiting satellites, RAIM is predicted by the receiver for the pilot’s benefit.
An IFR pilot cannot conduct an approach unless predicted RAIM is checked and verified prior to crossing the Final Approach Fix.
It is required with IFR GPS systems that the waypoints that make up a GPS approach are not entered manually by the pilot. Instead, the equipment must be designed such that the waypoints are automatically loaded in the corrected sequence from a data card when a particular approach is selected by the pilot.
The navigation requirements that govern GPS operations in Canada are established in periodically updated Aeronautical Information Circulars. These apply to IFR operations.
Two types of radar systems are in use: Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR ) and Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR ). Both provide range (distance) and azimuth (direction) information of a target relative to a station.
PSR is non-enhanced radar that conveys information to the operator based only on radar reflections from contacts, and therefore is the only system that can detect weather precipitation. PSR does not rely on information transmitted from an aircraft, and therefore does not provide altitude data.
In contrast, SSR relies on airborne transponder and measures data based on SSR interrogation and transponder replies.
SSR cannot provide position information for aircraft that are not transponder equipped; nor can it provide information on weather. Its operation advantage is derived from increased range, positive identification and altitude information.
SSR is the main source of radar data for en route (airways) facilities. Independent Secondary Surveillance Radar (ISSR ) is considered long-range radar, and is capable of providing coverage up to 250 NM.
In contrast, Terminal Surveillance Radar (TSR ) combines both PSR (80 NM range) and SSR (250 NM range).
It is characterized as a short range, high definition PSR system that provides highly accurate information related to altitude, azimuth and range—sufficient accuracy to be classified as a “precision approach” comparable to an ILS system.
The formal name for this system of radar is the Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE ). It is also a short range, high definition PSR system that provides surface traffic information when airport visibility is reduced—aircraft and vehicle movements on runways and taxiways.
A recent crash of a commercial aircraft in Europe was attributed to cell phone use in the aircraft. Crew members should specifically advise passengers to turn off cell phones during flight.
FM radio and television broadcast receivers produce radiation that can interfere with ILS and VOR receivers, while AM radio receivers and electronic calculators can interfere with ADF receivers.
Should the ground transmitters associated with radio navigation aids be unserviceable, the identifying Morse Code signal is suspended; accordingly positive identification of a signal is crucial to safe navigation.
All abnormalities with radio navigation performance must be reported to ATS.
1 HF frequencies are suited to locations where communication is required over long distances—long, over-water flights, and flights in northern Canada. HF is the only way to communicate over ranges of 2500 miles or more. The quality of HF communication is somewhat unpredictable owing to the unpredictable nature of the ionosphere. Higher range HF frequencies are more efficient during the day, and lower range HF frequencies are more efficient at night.
2 Internal testing capability in VOR equipment is now rare.
3 This was reported on the Transport Canada exam: What should be done if the VOR indicates a 4° error? Choices are: use without correction; make correction by adding 4°; use with correction by subtracting 4°; or do not use.
4 A FAF based on DME is used if it is not possible to position an NDB—the ILS approaches to Runways 26 at Vancouver. DME signals used for an ILS approach normally have a range of about 40 NM.
5 Instrument Procedures Manual (IPM), P. 4-44.
6 Full-left CDI to full-right CDI on a Localizer equates to 5°, while the same deflection on a VOR equates to 20°.
7 For this reason, the altimeter must be cross-checked when crossing the FAF.
8 These have been phased out in Canada, but many exist in the U.S.
9 For further reading on marker beacons, see IMP, P. 2.52.
10 Based on 6080’ per NM.
12 The GPS system is composed of three segments: the Space Segment, the Control Segment, and the User Segment. The Space Segment is composed of the 24 NAVSTAR satellites that orbit the earth. The satellite orbits are precisely planned so that the entire surface of the earth may use the GPS system 24 hours per day, every day. There are almost always more than six satellites in view from every location on Earth. The Control Segment consists of a network of ground-based monitoring and control stations, with the Master Control Station located in Colorado Springs. The satellite data is collected by other ground stations, but is assimilated and analyzed in Colorado Springs. The Master Control Station has facility for the “uplinks” required, for example, to make system clock corrections. The User Segment includes pilots with GPS.
13 PAR facilities are far more common in the U.S. | 2019-04-18T20:18:33Z | http://ed.langleyflyingschool.com/Pages/CPGS%20Radio%20Navigation.html |
بعد ثمانية اشهر على الموجة التي حملت حزب سيريزا الى السلطة لاول مرة، سعى رئيس الوزراء اليوناني المنتهية ولايته الكسيس تسيبراس لتعبئة مؤيديه مجددا، مؤكدا ثقته بالعودة الى السلطة الاحد وليكون فوزه هذا بمثابة “رسالة لاوروبا”.
وقال تسيبراس امام جموع من المناصرين وفي طليعتهم رئيس حزب بوديموس الاسباني “اننا نناضل من اجل الانتصار الكبير لليسار في اليونان حتى يبقى الامل في اوروبا” مضيفا ان “رسالة انتصارنا ستكون موجهة الى بابلو (ايغليزياس) في اسبانيا و(جيري) ادامز في ايرلندا والى رئيس وزراء تقدمي في البرتغال”، وذلك قبل بضعة اشهر من الانتخابات في هذه البلدان.
وكانت هذه اخر فرصة متاحة لتسيبراس لنيل تاييد عشرة ملايين ناخب يوناني سيختارون الاحد 300 نائب وحكومة بعد استقالة تسيبراس في 20 اب/اغسطس اذ واجه معارضة من الجناح اليساري لحزبه لتوقيعه خطة مساعدة دولية ثالثة خلال خمس سنوات بقيمة 86 مليار يورو.
وبعدما ظلت استطلاعات الراي غير محسومة على مدى اسابيع اظهرت الجمعة ارجحية واضحة لصالح سيريزا.
واعطت استطلاعات الراي الاربعة الاخيرة التي نشرت خلال النهار تقدما لسيريزا على اليمين بفارق يتراوح بين 0,7 و3 نقاط ولو ان هذا الفارق يبقى ضمن هامش الخطأ.
ولم يحسم العديد من انصار تسيبراس امرهم لمعرفة ما اذا كان ينبغي اعتبار تسيبراس خائنا ام منطقيا لرضوخه لمطالب الجهات الدائنة (الاتحاد الاوروبي وصندوق النقد الدولي) لتجنيب البلاد سيناريو خروج من اليورو يرفضه اليونانيون بغالبيتهم العظمى.
غير ان الخيار كان واضحا الجمعة في اثينا امام الحشود التي يحظر القانون الانتخابي على الشرطة اعلان عديدها.
وقال الاستاذ المتقاعد ايلياس باباس ان “خطة الانقاذ الثالثة كان لا بد منها، والذين يقولون عكس ذلك يقولون اكاذيب” فيما اكدت كونستانتينا (30 عاما) “لم يكن هناك بديل” معتبرة ان سيريزا ما زال حتى الان “يوحي بالامل” اكثر من الاحزاب الاخرى.
وما يلعب لصالح تسيبراس (41 عاما) حذاقته السياسية وسمعته النزيهة التي لم تلطخها اي فضيحة، في مواجهة خصمه من حزب الديموقراطية الجديدة فانغيليس مايماراكيس (61 عاما) الموصوم بسمعة حزبه المتهم بالمحسوبية، غير انه يوحي بالطمأنينة بما في ذلك للدائنين.
وقد ينتخب اليونانيون في نهاية المطاف الاثنين، وهو ما يتمناه مايماراكس زعيم حزب الديموقراطية الجديدة بالوكالة منذ شهرين والذي اتاحت شخصيته المتكتمة للحزب النهوض بشكل ملفت بعد هزيمته في كانون الثاني/يناير.
وقال مايماراكيس في اثينا “خياري هو تشكيل فريق وطني مع كل الذين يودون المشاركة فيه”.
غير ان تسيبراس يؤكد قدرته على تحقيق الغالبية المطلقة ويرفض من حيث المبدأ هذه اليد الممدودة معتبرا ان ائتلافا واسعا من اليمين واليسار سكون تحالفا “ضد الطبيعة”.
ودعا المترددون والعديدون منهم مؤيدون سابقون له الى الادلاء باصواتهم ونشر على موقع تويتر صورة تمثله في شخص يسوع المسيح مكللا بهالة ومشرعا ذراعيه وكتب تحتها “ان لم تشارك لن تكون هناك معجزة”.
وسيترتب على الفائز في الانتخابات اكان سيريزا او الديموقراطية الجديدة الشروع ابتداء من الاثنين في التفاوض على تحالفات من اجل الحصول على غالبية متينة في البرلمان، مع احزاب مثل باسوك (اشتراكي) وتو بوتامي (وسطي) وقد صوت الجميع في 14 اب/اغسطس لصالح خطة الانقاذ المالي الجديدة التي سيكون تطبيقها ابرز مهام الحكومة المقبلة.
وفي هذا السياق سيترتب على الحكومة الشروع بحوالى 15 اصلاحا يعتبرها الدائنون الدوليون “ذات اولوية” ويتحتم اقرارها “بحلول تشرين الاول/اكتوبر 2015” وهي تتضمن مزيجا اليما من الاقتطاعات من معاشات التقاعد وزيادة لضريبة القيمة المضافة وزيادات في ضريبة الدخل وتشديد الضرائب على المزارعين.
واعلن وزير المال السابق يانيس فاروفاكس الجمعة خياره اخيرا معربا عن تاييده لحزب الوحدة الشعبية الذي يضم معارضين من سيريزا بقيادة وزير الطاقة السابق بانايوتيس لافازانيس.
وبعدما كانت حركة هؤلاء المعارضين لتسيبراس السبب خلف الانتخابات التشريعية المبكرة، فان استطلاعات الراي تشير جميعها تقريبا الى ان هذا الحزب لن يصل الى عتبة 3% من الاصوات الضرورية للعودة الى البرلمان.
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Sorry we haven’t updated our log before now, but there really hasn’t been much to write about. Other than a few day cruises, we haven’t done much boating. I wish we could report that we have been off on some exciting adventure, but unfortunately Susie has some major back problems and most of our time as been spent going to doctors. Hopefully that will change soon! Although we haven’t been cruising, we have had plenty of boat chores aboard IT. Our guru mechanic, Scottie, came aboard and installed a second engine room blower. The captain is very pleased with this addition as our engine room temperatures are now about 20 degrees less. The injector pump on our generator developed a fuel leak so we had that rebuilt. Waxing, varnishing, and cleaning have also kept us busy. We have had near record rainfall her in Chattanooga over the summer and the humidity levels are thru the roof. We have been fighting mildew issues aboard IT and have barely been able to keep up with it.
On a good note, we did find a fantastic forever home for Addie, the rescue Sheltie that we were fostering. We really enjoyed our time with her and were a little sad to see her go (all but Sebastian that is).
We will spend the next 10 days exploring the Tennessee River. With the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, TVA has built 9 dams along the Tennessee River, thus making the entire 652 miles of the river navigable. We have cruised most of the Tennessee River but have not explored the area from Chattanooga North to Knoxville. Our goal is to reach the beginning of the Tennessee River where the Holston and French Broad Rivers intersect.
It feels good to be back on the boat. The morning is spent loading food and gear aboard IT along with the rest of the crew, Nate, Homer, and Sebastian. The birds must be excited too as they didn’t stop talking for almost the entire day. Sebastian quickly assumed his position in the pilot house. Just after a few minutes on the water, we can see some ominous clouds in the distance. One of our favorite anchorages, Eldridge Cove, is just a few miles ahead. We race the thunderstorm and make our anchorage just in the nick of time. We shut down all off our electronics and wait for the storm to roll over us. With the coast clear, we haul anchor and continue upstream to Watts Bar Lock. We have only a short wait and soon see the massive steel doors open. Having done over 120 locks now, we are getting the routine down pretty good. Exiting the lock, we are now on Watts Bar Lake. With darkness approaching, we opt for a close by anchorage in a small cove next to the Meigs County Park. The slew is narrow but opens up to give us more anchor swing near the back. Our hook goes down just as the sun sets. It is a good first day.
We awoke this morning to an unwanted surprise. When we came into the cove last night, we noticed some sort of skimmer boom in the back part of the cove. We were not sure why this was here but usually they are for oil spills. When anchoring, we took this boom into account and made sure our swing room would not encroach on the boom. We were at least 150 feet away. What we didn’t count on was the boom moving. It has now pushed up hard against our boat. Normally booms are anchored to the shore. It appears that this one has broken loose. To make matters worse, the other end of the boom is starting to block our only way out of the cove. We quickly started the engines and begin pulling anchor. We sure don’t want to be trapped in here. Luckily the boom gently eased out of our way as we nudge IT forward and we are allowed to escape the cove before becoming trapped. We won’t do that again! We are the lone boat out on the river this morning. This section of the Tennessee River is known as Watts Bar Lake. It is one of the best cruising areas of the river with a multitude of deep water protected anchorages to choose from. The shore line is sparsely populated. Today we are bypassing these anchorages as we have decided get to our fartherest point as quickly as possible and then take our time exploring on the way home. We check out and mark many of these anchorages as we go by saving them for further investigation. The river is wide and deep with many twists and turns. It is an easy cruise to our next lock 70 miles upstream. (Although we did almost run aground while someone was playing around with the I pad. He won’t do that again.) Fort Louden Lock and Dam is our last lock on the Tennessee River. This lock was built in 1943 and is the second highest of the 9 dams on the river. It is massive at 122 feet high and 4190 feet long. We have an easy ride up the72 feet and are deposited into Fort Louden Lake. We continue 16 miles upstream to our anchorage at Concord Park. We anchor partway up the bay in 15 ft. of water and enjoy a quiet evening.
It is pea soup fog this morning. We had planned on getting an early start but with zero visibility we aren’t going anywhere soon. The fog gradually lifts and we continue waddling upstream. Expensive homes line both river banks. There certainly appears to be a lot of money in this area. Several of these big homes have a smaller carriage home down along the waterfront. These carriage homes are nicer than most people’s regular home. As we approach downtown Knoxville, the river narrows with high rocky cliffs. The University of Tennessee’s Agriculture division appears on our starboard. Expensive homes again line the port side shore. Downtown Knoxville with the UT Vols Stadium soon comes into view. A month from now boats will be rafted 20-30 boats deep as part of the “Vol Navy” during the football games. The Knoxville waterfront is mostly industrial and not very attractive. We continue upstream for another 3 miles. Here we reach mile 652 which marks the beginning of the Tennessee River. Both the French Broad and Holston Rivers intersect with the Tennessee River at this point. We have now cruised the entire length of the Tennessee River aboard Idyll Time. After touching our bow into the French Broad and Holston Rivers, we retrace our path and head back downstream. Thunderstorms start popping up around 2:00 PM. We duck into an anchorage called Poland Creek just before the storms arrive. Luckily we were able to get anchored and shut down all the boat electronics just before the storms walloped us. These afternoon storms have some wicked lightning. The storms soon pass and we enjoyed another peaceful nigh at anchor.
The Bass fishermen are out in force this morning. Our anchorage is just off a county park boat ramp and the bass boats roar by in multitude just after sunrise. We haul anchor and continue 20 miles downstream to Fort Louden Dam. Here we detour off of the Tennessee River and take a hard turn to port which puts us into the Little Tennessee River. Also known as Tellico Lake the Little “T” is the cleanest, coldest, and clearest body of water on the Tennessee River. This river is navigable for 30 miles. Its beginning is in the Great Smokey Mountains. Much of this lake was at one time farmland. This area was flooded when the Tellico Dam was built. In fact we see several silos half under water along with a concrete roadway rising out of the lake. As we work our way upriver, we pull in several coves to check out some of the beautiful anchorages. There are many secluded spots to choose from. The Little Tennessee is by far a much nicer body of water than the Tennessee River. The water clarity is the best we have found since leaving the Great Lakes. Unfortunately this area has been discovered. A large retirement community called Tellico Village has been developed over the last 20 years. The south bank of the Little T is crowded with homes and condos. Fortunatly the north shoreline is owned by TVA and will remain undeveloped. Good friends of ours from Chattanooga, Mary and Jerry, have just purchased a house here. At mile 10 we pull into their cove and find them on the dock signaling our arrival. Their dock, being only 15 feet long, is too small for IT and the cove is really not wide enough for us to anchor. After studying the situation, we decide to try a “Med Mooring”. We drop the anchor 60 feet in front of the dock and back down with our stern about 5 feet alongside the dock. We secure our stern and spring lines to their dock with the anchor securing our bow. This was a first for us and it worked perfectly the first time. Mary and Jerry have a wonderful home here on the Little “T”. We have a great evening with them and appreciate their hospitality.
We spend an enjoyable morning with Mary and Jerry. The kayaks and paddle boards come out for some exploration of Tellico Village. We look forward to many more visits to our good friends’ new home. Back on the Little Tennessee, we have a relaxing cruise up river. The clear deep water makes the trip an easy one. It is a short day and we are soon to our anchorage at historic Fort Louden. After setting the hook, we deploy the dinghy for exploration. Touring the Fort, we learn much about its history. It was constructed by the English in 1756 and played a significant role in helping Great Britain secure the Appalachian region from France during the French Indian War. For awhile this fort helped ally the powerful Cherokee Indians with the British to block further French penetration of the area. Back aboard IT, we enjoy our evening at this tranquil anchorage. The views of the Great Smoky Mountains on the horizon are magnificent.
As the sun comes up this morning we are again rewarded with some stunning views of the Smokey Mountains to the east. We have this spot all to ourselves and enjoy the beauty that it offers. It is another beautiful day for cruising with little wind and humidity and temperatures in the low 80’s. On these inland lakes one does not have to worry about wind and sea conditions. It certainly makes for much easier cruising than the Great Lakes or Ocean. Today we continue up the Little Tennessee for another 10 miles to mile 32, the end of the navigable river channel on the Little “T”. As we wind our way upstream, the channel markers become much smaller as the river narrows. The mountains loom closer as we round each bend of the river channel. This area remains undeveloped. We are again the lone boat on the river. Being rich in Cherokee Indian history, several historical sites are evident along the river bank. We pass the former Indian towns of Chota and Tanasi. Originally Tanasi was the name the Indians gave to the Tennessee River. This was later modified by the white settlers to be known as the Tennessee. Reaching the end of the navigable channel, we turn around and retrace our steps. In a smaller boat, one could continue another two miles up river to the Chilhowee Dam. We will save that for a future dinghy trip. At mile 19 on the Little “T” we take another exploration detour and turn to port onto the Tellico River. Here as on the Little Tennessee, the farmland is being replaced with housing developments. Farther upstream, the river remains undeveloped and we have a beautiful cruise with the Smoky Mountains again looming in the background. At mile 9 the river shallows and is no longer navigable for boats our size. We again retrace our path. At mile 3 of the Tellico, we drop anchor just off the Sequoyah Birthplace Memorial and Museum. This afternoon we dinghy in to visit the museum. Here we learn that Sequoyah was a Cherokee Indian who developed the Cherokee alphabet. He was responsible for making the Cherokee Nation literate. His syllables are still used today by more than 10,000 people who speak the native language. It is another quite evening at anchor with no one else on the water.
We have another surprise this morning as we are pulling up the anchor. Caught on our chain is a whole tree. Not sure how to get this tree untangled from our anchor, we raise and lower the chain several times. Fortunately the tree worked its way loose and dropped back to the riverbed bottom. Continuing our cruise back down the the Little “T”, we notice several boat manufacturing plants along the shore. Sea Ray, Yamaha, and Christenson Yacht all have facilities here. Arriving back at Fort Louden Lock and the intersection of the Tennessee River, Fort Louden Marina, our home for the next two nights, comes into view. After taking on some fuel and a pump out, we secure IT in one of the transient slips. This evening we see a beautiful Grand Banks trawler coming into the marina. It turns out to be the boat Riverben. They have a slip at the Chattanooga Yacht Club just a few doors down from us. What a small world. Next door to the marina is Calhouns Restaurant, famous in these parts for their BBQ. They lived up to their reputation, and we enjoy a great dinner here. The ribs were excellent. Tomorrow we will pick up an Enterprise car and drive home to Chattanooga for the day, taking care of some business.
Today we will begin our return trip downstream. Just after pulling out of the marina, we hail the lockmaster on channel 16. We are shocked to learn that the lock does not start work until 10:00 AM. There is nothing we can do about it but just sit and wait. The lock doors finally open and we enter the chamber. When locking up we were required to do a port side tie. Going down, we will be doing a starboard side tie. This side works much better for us as we have a walkway on the starboard side but not on the port. As with all locks, the ride down is much smoother than when going up. We have an easy but slow lock down and are soon back on Watts Bar Lake. We were accompanied in the lock by a 40 ft. cabin cruiser. Just outside the lock, we see him speeding up to pass us so we slow to idle speed to set up for a slow pass. Typically the passing boat will call the other boat and ask for a slow pass. This way both boats can go at slow speed and the boat being passed will not be rocked to badly. This guy obviously had no intentions of doing a slow pass. He went by us at full throttle throwing a 4’ wake. Afterwards, Jeff called him on the VHF to let him know that we had slowed for him to do a slow pass. He had no clue. He even asked where we were. We let him know that he just passed us and rocked us badly. At mile 584 we pass a small island that appears to be a rookery for white Egrets. One thing we noticed while on the Little Tennessee was the lack of bird life. The Little “T” may have cleaner water than the Tennessee River, but they are short on wildlife. Today there are lots of boats heading north. There is a UT football game in two days, so I suspect they are all part of “The Vol Navy” and are on their way to Knoxville. Arriving at the marina, we see the boat that waked us earlier, also pulling in. They end up docking a few slips down from us. While hooking up to shore power, we discover the power pedestal is not giving us full 220 volts. The marina manager comes over to help. We try using an adaptor and hook up to two 30 amps instead of the single 50 amp. This works but we can only run one A/C unit at a time without tripping the breaker. True to form, things are never boring around us. Just after having a great dinner at the marina restaurant, Jeff went back to the docks to get Sebastian for a walk. I was talking with another couple who were asking us about doing the loop, when Jeff and Sebastian arrived back at the restaurant. Soon afterwards, a big husky appears behind us. Earlier, we had seen this dog in the cockpit of a sailboat several slips down from us. It did not appear to be friendly and growled at Sebastian each time we passed by, but it never came off the boat. This time it followed Jeff from the boat docks and up the ramp to the restaurant. Before we knew what was happening, the dog attacks Sebastian. Jeff instantly snatches the dog by its scruff off the ground and marches it back down the docks. With the dog still trying to bite, Jeff throws the dog off the dock and into the water. He yells to the owner “Here is your dog”. The owner seeing his dog swimming for shore comes off his sailboat and retrieves his dog from the river bank. The owner then comes down the dock yelling “who threw my dog into the water” and threatened to throw them into the water. By this point there is a large crowd watching from the restaurant deck. Jeff calmly explained what had happened and the owner calmed down. He apologized several times and came up to check on Sebastian to make sure he was O.K. He then explained that he had only had the dog a few days and that it was not pet friendly. He should have kept the dog on a leash. Luckily Sebastian was not injured, just shaken up. This only reinforces Sebastian’s belief that all big dogs are dangerous. Sebastian was attacked and almost killed by a large dog several months ago so we can hardly blame him. After an eventful day, we retreat to IT for some peace and quiet.
It is the beginning of another crazy day. Jeff was up early this morning at 5:30 to take Sebastian for a walk before the big husky was out. Just as he was getting onto the dock, he saw the husky and its owner heading for shore. The dog was still not on a leash and was running ahead. Jeff decided to wait awhile until the coast was clear before taking Sebastian out. At 7:00 AM the dog owner left for work and the husky was no where to be seen, so poor Sebastian was finally able to walk the docks safely. Later this morning, Jeff went to talk with the marina manager about the incident last night. Boy did things turn out strange. It turns out the manager found the dog dead this morning about a mile away. It had been hit by a car. We later learned that the dog had run away early this morning and the owner had left a note at the marina saying that he could not find the dog and had to go to work. The dog apparently was trying to follow its owner and was hit by a car. It was sad to hear about the dog’s death in this way. The owner clearly was not being a very responsible pet owner. We are eager to get out of this marina. What a strange stay this has been. It is going to be another sweltering 90 degree day. We had hoped to spend the next couple of days exploring the many anchorages here on Watts Bar. With the heat and threat of thunderstorms for the next two days, we decide to save this exploration for another time and cut our trip short. After the morning fog lifts, we ease away from the docks to begin our 50 mile journey back home. Leaving is not without some more excitement. Keeping our green channel marker on our starboard, we next round the red channel marker on our port. Our depth alarm starts screaming and we are soon in 4’ of water and feel the keel squishing along the mud bottom. We are about to ground. Looking at the red marker again, we see a small green band on the top. This should have been our green marker. The red is denoting a shoal at the entrance to the marina. We quickly realize what happened and skim the bottom back into the channel. Boy was that confusing. It is another first for us. Thankfully the bottom is all mud and not rock. Life is never dull aboard IT. Back on the water things calm down and we have an uneventful trip, soon arriving at Watts Bar Dam. After a short wait, we again find ourselves in the bowels of the lock. It safely lowers us back into our home waters of Chickamauga Lake. The next few miles are very familiar as we have cruised this area many times.
Arriving at our house, we decide to try the med mooring again. After two attempts, we are safe and secure, just one foot off our dock. This sure makes unloading much easier than at anchor. This is the end to another good trip aboard IT.
This entry was posted on September 6, 2013 at 10:11 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
1 Response to "Cruising the Tennessee River"
Just wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog. I am living vicariously through your adventures. Thanks for sharing! | 2019-04-24T08:11:45Z | http://www.idylltime.com/?p=834 |
Hexedriocystis is a very unusual echinoderm with a puzzling combination of morphological features. The two described species H. inexpectatus and H. mimus occur in Upper Ordovician siliciclastic rocks from Morocco, North Africa. They show a striking combination of isorophid edrioasteroid, paedomorphic crinoid and blastozoan characteristics including a domed thecal shape with a peripheral rim-like attachment structure, imbricate thecal plates. However, both species developed feeding appendages covered by large peristomial cover plates and six oral plates. Hexedriocystis lived intimately associated with edrioasteroid colonies and its strange morphology is probably the result of convergence with isorophid edrioasteroid.
Echinoderms are a group especially designed to puzzle the zoologist (Hyman 1955), and there are multiple examples of echinoderms in which affinity and phylogenetic relationships are uncertain. This stems from the high level of morphological plasticity they showed in body plan construction, especially in the lower Paleozoic, when approximately 30 clades existed (Sumrall & Wray 2007).
Hexedriocystis is a problematic echinoderm because it superficially resembles an isorophid edrioasteroid with a wide peripheral rim (Fig. 1) (Bell 1976; Sumrall 1993). The ambulacral system, however, is inconsistent with isorophids because of the presence of greatly enlarged, interradially positioned primary peristomial cover plates, that protect small feeding appendages among the ambulacra interpreted by Sumrall & Zamora (2011) as brachioles. Here we present new material of Hexedriocystis, analyse its possible phylogenetic position and discuss its palaeoecology.
Holotype of Hexedriocystis mimus attached to an echinosphaeritid rhombiferan. Photograph of latex cast whitened with NH4Cl. Specimen number MPZ2009/453.
There are two known species of Hexedriocystis both of which are from Upper Ordovician rocks of Morocco. These species are based on relatively few specimens preserved as natural moulds, and are separated from one another both morphologically and stratigraphically. Hexedriocystis inexpectus, the type species, comes from the Izegguierene Formation (Sandbian) whereas H. mimus (Fig. 1) comes from the Tiouririne Formation (Katian) both from the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco. These two species were described based on two specimens each (Sumrall & Zamora 2011).
Both species lack a stem, but instead have a peripheral rim-like structure for attachment. Adorally a dome-shaped theca is constructed by rows of proximally imbricate plates. The peristomial opening is typically surrounded by six large primary peristomial cover plates with deep sutures that house presumed ambulacra that bear feeding appendages, and six bounding oral plates. Although the general morphology of these animals resembles isorophid edrioasteroids, they exhibit an incompatible combination of characteristics with this group and bear other morphological features that suggest affinities with either crinoids or blastozoans.
All known specimens of Hexedriocystis mimus and H. inexpectatus are preserved as natural moulds of thecae in siliciclastic rocks. Most of the specimens are nearly completely articulated but lack the small feeding appendages of the ambulacral system or else they are concealed beneath the oral cover plates. Generally, the theca is collapsed along the polar axis, pressing the inflated upper thecal surface against the substrate (Fig. 2b, d). This results in a collapse of the pedunculate zone between the peripheral rim and the stout primary peristomial cover plates. In some cases the oral area is shifted slightly laterally, showing various expressions of the contacts between adjacent primary peristomial cover plates (Fig. 2c). Two specimens of H. mimus preserved the feeding appendages (Fig. 2f, h) – see below – and the relationships between the primary peristomial cover plates and the appendages are consistent with a similar specimen of H. inexpectus described by Sumrall & Zamora (2011) from slightly older strata.
Hexedriocystis mimus Sumrall & Zamora 2011. (a) General view of a large nautiloid shell (left) and an Echinosphaerites theca (right), both covered with edrioasteroids (Panidiscus and Moroccopyrgus), pelmatozoan holdfasts and one specimen of Hexedriocystis mimus camouflaged in the edrioasteroid colony. (b–d) Oral, oblique and lateral views of a Hexedriocystis mimus specimen (NHMUK EE14807ii) with six oral cover plates and well-developed pedunculate zone and peripheral rim. (e) Oral view of specimen with one extra oral plate (NHMUK EE14797). (f) Oral view of Hexedriocystis mimus specimen with partially exposed feeding appendages (NHMUK EE14799i). (g) Complete echinosphaeritid theca with one specimen of Hexedriocystis mimus attached (NHMUK EE14794). (h) Specimen of Hexedriocystis mimus lacking oral plates and brachioles fully exposed (NHMUK EE14811ii). (i, j) Oral views of specimen NHMUK EE14810. (k) Detail of specimen (g) in lateral view. NHMUK EE14794. All specimens have been collected from the Upper Tiouririne Formation near the village of Tarhia (Anti Atlas Mountains, Morocco), Katian (Upper Ordovician). All photographs are of latex casts whitened with NH4Cl.
The theca of Hexedriocystis is large and dome-shaped and can be divided from adoral to aboral into four different skeletal regions (Figs 2 & 3): oral primary peristomial cover plates, with ambulacra and ‘feeding appendages’ below, bounding plates around peristome (yellow and orange plates in Fig. 4a,b), imbricate peduncular plates and peripheral rim for attachment. The yellow plates in Figure 4a–b are consistent with the position of oral plates in other pentaradial echinoderms (Kammer et al. 2013). Hydropore, gonopore and periproct have not been identified, and the orientation of the animal is based on the position and number of oral plates, with two elements in the interambulacrum CD.
Generalized reconstruction of Hexedriocystis mimus Sumrall and Zamora with the primary peristomial cover plates closed covering the feeding appendages.
Interpretation of the oral area in Hexedriocystis. (a) Specimen of H. inexpectatus (MHNM 16034.7.1) with the primary peristomial cover plates missing, revealing the position of the ambulacra. Note the correspondence of ambulacra with first two series of bordering plates of the pedunculated zone. (b) H. mimus showing the primary peristomial cover plates in place and their correspondence with plates from the pedunculated zone. Note that the cover plates occupy an interradial position when compared with interpretation of previous specimen. Specimen NHMUK EE14807ii. A–E, Ambulacra; red lines, ambulacral configuration; yellow, first series of bordering plates of the pedunculated zone herein interpreted as oral plates; orange, second series of bordering plates from the pedunculated zone; green, primary peristomial cover plates.
The large interradial plates covering the peristome are herein interpreted as primary peristomial cover plates (sensu Sumrall 2010; Sumrall & Waters 2012; Kammer et al. 2013). The oral cover plates are typically six in number. However, one specimen has seven primary peristomial cover plates (Fig. 2e), which probably correspond to a nicked and healed sixth plate because the nick does not extend to the base. The shape of the primary peristomial cover plates, in plan view, is triangular with a wide base and straight lateral margins. In cross-section they are concave upwards. These plates articulate in their aboral part with the adoral-most circlet of imbricate plates (Fig. 4). Based on the taphonomic evidence, these plates seem to have a flexible articulation in the distal margin, but lack lateral articulation to other adjacent oral cover plates. Furthermore, they seem to be able to open and close, permitting the deployment of feeding appendages. When primary peristomial cover plates are absent, the ambulacra show the typical 2–1–2 pattern of earliest pentaradial echinoderms (Fig. 4a).
Sumrall & Zamora (2011) reported a single specimen of H. inexpectatus with feeding appendages. They are very short and possibly coiled distally. They grew from the interior of the oral frame, but were not observable at the base to determine how they articulate to the ambulacra. The specimen had c. 30 appendages arranged into five ambulacra that extended between the oral cover plates. The appendages are biserial to irregularly plated, but the coarse preservation obscured other details. The second species H. mimus was thought to have similar appendages, although none were recovered in the original material.
New material of Hexedriocystis mimus described here includes two specimens that preserved some details of the feeding appendages (Fig. 2f, h). The first specimen has the peristomial cover plates gaped and not completely preserved proximally, revealing several short feeding appendages (Fig. 2f). The appendages appear to be irregularly arranged along the radii, suggesting underlying ambulacra. However, no hint of the ambulacral plates is preserved. The central peristomial opening is also not evident in the specimen.
The second specimen preserves the feeding appendages better than the first one, but has some unusual morphologies that make it difficult to interpret (Fig. 2a, h). It appears that the primary peristomial cover plates are missing from the specimen, revealing the feeding appendages, but other interpretations may be possible because of the coarse preservation. Because the peristomial cover plates are not fully preserved, the feeding appendages are much clearer than in the first specimen. Here the feeding appendages are short and distinctly curved towards the radii. The ambulacra appear to be arranged in 2–1–2 symmetry with short shared ambulacra (Sprinkle 1973; Sumrall & Wray 2007). Each ambulacrum appears to have four or five feeding appendages and several are associated with the presumed peristomial opening.
Aborally to the primary peristomial cover plates are two circlets of bounding plates around peristome (yellow and orange plates in Fig. 4a,b). The first series of bounding plates consists of six large rectangular elements, corresponding to one per interambulacrum with the exception of CD that bears two elements. This configuration is consistent with primary oral plates observed in other pentaradial echinoderms (Kammer et al. 2013). Intercalated to the oral plates is another series of five, radially positioned fan-shape plates. The homology of those plates is uncertain but their position is consistent with some circum-oral plates seen in some diploporan blastozoans (Paul 2017; Sheffield & Sumrall 2017).
The oral plates and ‘circum-orals’ articulate with the peristomial cover plates with the next more distal circlet placed between (Fig. 4). In life, these plates appear to be rather inflated and somewhat rigid based on the taphonomic evidence that shows different collapsed patterns.
The main portion of the theca is constructed by a series of circlets of highly imbricate peduncular plates. Between four and six plate circlets are present in the best-preserved large specimens (Fig. 2c, j), but smaller specimens appear to have fewer circlets, or else some of the plate circlets are not expressed externally (Sumrall & Zamora 2011, fig. 22F). The specimen illustrated in Figure 2b–d has the oral area and the imbricate peduncular zone collapsed. However, the peripheral rim that lies directly in contact with the substrate remains fully inflated. Another specimen (Fig. 2g, k) shows the imbricate pedunculate zone collapsed laterally, suggesting that the theca attained at least some height above the substrate in life.
Unlike many blastozoans and crinoids where it is a common feature, Hexedriocystis lacks a stem. Instead, a greatly expanded holdfast attaches the theca directly to the substrate to form a peripheral rim-like structure. This peripheral rim is composed of c. 10–12 circlets of very tiny rhomb-shaped plates, which decrease in size slightly aborally. Similar structures, but on a smaller scale, are common for many clades of plesiomorphic echinoderms such as lepidocystid and gogiid eocrinoids, and crinoids that have multiplated, discoidal holdfasts assigned to Lichenocrinus (Sprinkle 1973), whereas more derived blastozoans bear one-piece holdfasts (Sumrall et al. 1997; Zamora et al. 2010).
The holdfast, although superficially similar to peripheral rims of isorophid edrioasteroids, shows a few marked differences. Edrioasteroids have relatively fewer circlets of plates that show a much stronger proximal to distal size differentiation (Bell 1976). Furthermore there is a strong shape gradient between very large transversely elongate proximal peripheral rim plates and the very small radially elongate plates of the distal rim. In isorophids, all peripheral rim plates are in contact with the substrate and show radial spur-and-groove structures (Sumrall & Parsley 2003). Taphonomic evidence from one specimen with the oral area shifted to the side (Fig. 2b–d) suggests that the most proximal circlets of plates may not be fully in contact because they are highly elevated during thecal collapse.
Based on taphonomic observations (Fig. 2b–d, g), the peripheral rim cements the theca to either bioclastic debris or epibiotically onto living organisms (Sumrall & Zamora 2011). The boundary between the peripheral rim and the imbricate peduncular circlets of plates is not sharp but gradual, making it difficult to distinguish between the two parts. The main difference is that the distal portion of the peripheral rim is directly in contact with the substrate and the plating is smaller.
Morphologically there are still several unanswered questions concerning Hexedriocystis. The nature of the thecal interior remains unknown and will probably remain so until new material is found preserving internal features of the theca. Although rough constructions of the ambulacra are apparent, details are lacking, especially in regards to the floor plate system and the nature of the peristomial opening. Finally, the placement and nature of the hydropore, gonopore and periproct remain unknown.
Hexedriocystis was sessile, living attached to echinosphaeritid rhombiferans, large nautiloids and conulariids. They appear to be obligate encrusters and often a facultative epibiont. Certainly some specimens of both species were attached to living organisms. Sumrall & Zamora (2011, fig. 22D) illustrate a small specimen (5 mm in length) attached to a rhombiferan, which preserves the stem and brachioles still articulatedm indicating very rapid burial of living animal. The holotype of H. inexpectatus is attached to a conulariid that is encrusted on multiple sides by edrioasteroids and new material described here includes numerous specimens attached in close association with the small edrioasteroids Moroccopyrgus matacarros and Panidiscus tamiformis (Sumrall & Zamora 2018).
However, one specimen of Hexedriocystis mimus is attached to a small nautiloid that is also encrusted by a large specimen of Panidiscus tamiformis and numerous small holdfasts of stemmed echinoderms (Fig. 2a). Three of these holdfasts are partly overgrown by the large edrioasteroid, suggesting that the nautiloid served as substrate for an extended period of time. This indicates that the nautiloid was skeletal debris on the seafloor rather than a living individual.
Hexedriocystis gathered food using feeding appendages that were originally interpreted as brachioles (Sumrall & Zamora 2011). However, the morphology of these appendages is also compatible with plated podia seen in other echinoderms like ophiocistioids. At rest, it appears that the oral cover plates were closed, thereby covering and protecting these appendages. This is probably a defence mechanism against high-energy currents carrying sedimentary particles and to protect against predation. While feeding, the oral cover plates could open, allowing the deployment of the feeding appendages for suspension feeding in the ambient water.
This behaviour is probably convergent with the defence mechanism used by the similarly shaped modern sea cucumber Psolus (Fig. 5c). When feeding, this holothuroid extends its 10 dendroid feeding tentacles out through the anterior-dorsal opening of the theca. When at rest, the tentacular crown is introverted and covered by a set of five plates that cover the peristomial opening within a large cone (Fankboner 1978; Bingham & Braithwaite 1986). The thick plating and oral cover of Psolus are interpreted to be largely defensive but chemical defences are also important (Bingham & Braithwaite 1986). Modern anemones, corals and annelids also retract their soft parts to protect against external disturbances.
Morphological comparisson between Hexedriocystis, isorophid edrioasteroids and the holothurian Psolus. (a) Lateral view of Hexedriocystis mimus attached to a cystoid. Specimen NHMUK EE14794. (b) Lateral view of the edrioasteroid Carneyella pilea attached to a crinoid stem, CMCIP 26324. (c) Recent holothurian Psolus sp., no assigned number, in the teaching collection of the USNM.
The imbricate plates of the pedunculate zone seem very rigid and would be capable of little if any movement. The peripheral rim was cemented to the substrate, as is the case in many edrioasteroids that used a similar attachment strategy. Most blastozoans that bear stems have reduced the attachment structure to either a small ring as in most gogiids or else a small one-piece holdfast (Sumrall et al. 1997; Parsley & Zhao 2006; Zamora et al. 2009, 2010).
There is a strong morphological similarity between Hexedriocystis and edrioasteroids (Fig. 5). Furthermore, in the Upper Ordovician of Morocco, these taxa coexisted, utilizing the same substrates, suggesting that Hexedriocystis species were edrioasteroid mimics, and perhaps used edrioasteroid colonies for camouflage. Another possibility is that, because they had similar life habits in the same environment, they found the same surfaces optimal for attachment. Even so, we have not observed direct competition between edrioasteroids and Hexedriocystis for space as has been observed in polytaxic edrioasteroid occurrences (Sumrall et al. 2006). This may result from low edrioasteroid density; however some of the echinosphaeritids have a very high edrioasteroid density (see Sumrall & Zamora, 2018, fig. 5).
The taxonomic affinities of Hexedriocystis remain unclear. Originally it was interpreted to be some kind of aberrant blastozoan of eocrinoid grade (Sumrall & Zamora 2011), but there are several other possibilities that cannot be discarded. That said, it is prudent to compare the morphology of this unusual echinoderm with other taxa and then discuss its possible phylogenetic position.
Hexedriocystis is undoubtedly an echinoderm. The body is composed of numerous imbricate plates and a single specimen of H. inexpectus has remnants of plates preserved as calcite. The multipart skeleton with a polyplated holdfast and a theca of imbricate plates and feeding appendages fits well within the bounds of echinoderm morphology.
A few crinoid taxa, including the Jurassic to Recent holopodid crinoids, are noted to have a reduced theca and stem and attach directly to the substrate. Although the gross morphology is generally different, there are some similarities in terms of attachment and protective mode. Holopodid crinoids are attached to the substrate by a cup that is a fused tube rather than a series of small imbricate plates (Grimmer & Holland 1990; Donovan 1992; Donovan & Pawson 2008). The feeding arms are closable such that the soft feeding structures are protected by a water-tight seal (Grimmer cited in Donovan 1992). The closable oral cover plates of Hexedriocystis seem to serve a similar function.
Hexedriocystis is also similar to the middle to late cystidean ontogenetic stage of a modern crinoid, although it is an order of magnitude larger (see e.g. Wright 2015; Amemiya et al. 2016). According to Lefebvre (pers. com. 2017) Hexedriocystis shares with the middle cystidean stage of a crinoid: (1) a small size; (2) the possession of large ‘oral plates’ (herein interpreted as primary peristomial cover plates); (3) the absence of arms; (4) the presence of numerous, tiny podia (herein considered as feeding appendages) protected by the ‘oral plates’; and (5) a similar body organization, with a bud-shaped ‘cup’, and a holdfast. However, there are some inconsistencies with such an interpretation. The configuration of the primary peristomial cover plates in Hexedriocystis is also inconsistent with crinoid affinities, in which they are interadially positioned and five in number in the primitive condition (Kammer et al. 2013). In contrast there are six in Hexedriocystis with two elements in the CD interambulacrum, which is more compatible with a blastozoan affinity. Secondly, Hexedriocystis lacks basal plates typical of the cystidean stage of a crinoid. Third, cystidian stage crinoids are much smaller than Hexedriocystis. Finally, Hexedriocystis lacks the stem which is present even in the very early stages of the crinoid development (Amemiya et al. 2016).
The most similar taxon morphologically is the holothuroid Psolus (Fig. 5c). Although the gross morphologies of these animals are similar, they differ substantially in detail. Psolus does not have a peripheral rim-like attachment structure. Instead, it attaches to the substrate by three rows of tube feet (the trivium) that allow for some minor movement (Fankboner 1978; Young & Chia 1982). The cover plates over the feeding structure are broadly similar, but the tube feet are not armoured biserial brachioles, but 10 rather delicate dendritic feeding tentacles (Fankboner 1978).
Similarly Hexedriocystis has no clear relation among blastozoans. Some clades – in particular some groups of diploporans – are sessile and lack stems entirely (Bockelie 1984). Instead, they attach directly to the substrate, sometimes to other specimens of same species, with the base of the theca. They lack a peripheral rim like structure as in Hexedriocystis and there are no oral cover plates covering the feeding structures. The brachiolar feeding structures may be positioned onto ambulacra forming the thecal wall, restricted to facets on or surrounding the mouth framing oral plates, or else lying along recumbent food grooves in the absence of floor plates. Among eocrinoids there is no similar group although Lichenoides lacks a stem (Ubaghs 1953). The resence of six oral plates with two elements in the CD interambulacrum is compatible with some blastozoans (Kammer et al. 2013), but inferring blastozoan affinity with certainty will require further observation of the feeding appendages of Hexedriocystis, and how they relate to the ambulacra. Pending such observations in better-preserved material, we prefer to leave the taxonomic affinity of Hexedriocystis open within early pentarradial echinoderms.
Remarks. No new specimens of this species were recovered for this study.
Locality and stratigraphy. Hexedriocystis inexpectatus n. gen. and n. sp. was collected from the Upper Ordovician (Sandbian) Izegguirene Formation, at Bou Nemrou, El Caïd Rami area, Morocco. See Álvaro et al. (this volume, in review) for further information.
Material. The holotype MPZ2009/453 (Fig. 1) and one paratype MPZ2009/454 were described in detail in the original publication (Sumrall & Zamora 2011). New material includes six additional specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum (London) under repository numbers NHMUK EE14811ii, NHMUK EE14807ii, NHMUK EE14797, NHMUK EE14799i, NHMUK EE14794, NHMUK EE14810.
Remarks. Additional specimens of Hexedriocystis mimus confirm the presence of feeding appendages, in both species of the genus.
Locality and stratigraphy. Hexedriocystis mimus is known from the Upper Ordovician (Katian) Tiouririne Formation, Tarhia region, in the Anti Atlas Range Morocco. See Álvaro et al. (this volume, in review) for further information.
The authors thank S.V. Rozhnov and R.L. Parsley, who both reviewed a previous version of the manuscript, and Bertrand Lefebvre and James Sprinkle, who provided constructive reviews and added greatly to the ideas expressed in the previous version of this manuscript. Javier Álvaro and Tom Guensburg also provided minor comments on the manuscript. Isabel Pérez (MEC-FSE) provided excellent photograph assistance. Diana Ramón provided excellent field work assistance.
S.Z. was funded by a Ramón y Cajal Grant (RYC-2012-10576) and project CGL2017-87631 from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. C.D.S. was funded by National Science Foundation grant DEB-1036416.
Bell B.M. 1976. A Study of North American Edrioasteroidea. New York State Museum, Memoirs, 21.
Bockelie J.F. 1984. The Diploporita of the Oslo region, Norway. Palaeontology, 27, 1–68.
Donovan S.K. & Pawson D.L. 2008. A new species of the sessile crinoid Holopus d'Orbigny from the tropical western Atlantic, with comments on Holopodid ecology (Echinodermata: Crinoidea: Holopodidae). Zootaxa, 1717, 31–38.
Hyman L. 1955. The Invertebrates, Vol. 5. Phylum Echinodermata. McGraw–Hill, New York.
Sumrall C.D. 2010. A model for elemental homology for the peristome and ambulacra in blastozoan echinoderms. In: Harris L.G., Böttger S.A., Walker C.W. & Lesser M.P. (eds) Echinoderms 2006: Durham. CRC Press, London, 269–276.
Ubaghs G. 1953. Notes sur Lichenoides priscus Barrande, Eocrinoïde du Cambrien moyen de la Tchécoslovaquie. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, 29, 1–24. | 2019-04-25T21:56:35Z | https://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/early/2019/04/09/SP485-2017-213 |
DOB/DOD/POB/POD: From records of Judith Flinn via internet email, March 2001.
DOB/DOD/POB/POD: Arlene McLennan via May 2001 email.
DOD/POD: Image of death certificate at Missouri Archives. Name listed as Lewis B. Alspach, born July 9, 1869, died married at age 79 on Feb 9, 1949 in Sedalia, Pettis Co., MO. Resided there for 10 years. Died at Bothwell Memorial Hospital. Home address in Sedalia was 1008 East 7th. Occupation was R. R. Engineer. Born in Findlay, Ohio, to Rubin Alspach and Ann Peters, spouse was Gertrude Alspach. Died of Cerebral Hemorrhage, buried Memorial Park in Sedalia, MO on Feb. 11.
NAME/Maiden/Parentage/POB/DOD/DOB/SPOUSE/DAUS: "Cemeteries of Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co., Ohio, Chapter OGS, 1996, p 256. NOK listed as Clarence E. Kramer, husband. Mrs. Theodore Huston and Mrs. John Alter, daughters. Nellie is shown as d/o Charles Andrews and Rosetta Harder.
Note that the maiden name for Nellie is listed as Andrews rather than Andrix.
"My mother's name was Rosetta Harder and she came from Indiana. Her father was killed in the Civil War when she was a little girl. My father was Charles Andrix and he came from Central College, Ohio. I never saw my people after I was about six years old. I lived with a family in Columbus, Ohio for four years then I went to the children's home and stayed 8 months. Dr. George S. Courtright took me to Lithopolis, Ohio to live with them. I lived there until I married Clarence Kramer. I was never legally adopted though they just called me Nellie Courtright."
According to the email sent to me, her name is often seen as Andrews, such as her death certificate and marriage license, but it was done knowingly so her real parents wouldn't locate her when she was taken from the orphanage.
DOD/POD: Cert. 18849, V 18391, resided and died in Columbus, Franklin co., aged 82y, widowed. Name spelled "Nelle". . Ohio Death Index, 1958-69 [database on-line] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 1998-. Original electronic data from: Ohio Department of Health. Index to Annual Deaths, 1958-1969. Columbus, OH: Ohio Department of Health. State Vital Statistics Unit, 19xx-.
1927 - Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Courtright, Jr. and Richard attended the July 1927 Beaty reunion. See notes on Isabella (Lamb) Beaty.
LOCATION: 1942 - listed as a surviving daughter, Mrs. George Courtright, Jr., in mother's August obit.
LOCATION: 1975 - listed as a surviving sister, Mrs. George (Irene) Courtright of Carroll, Route 1, in brother William's April obit.
LOCATION: 1926 - listed as surviving daughter Mrs. George Hensel of Pickerington in father's Sept. obit.
DOB/DOD: Name listed as Mildred Benson, full dates, mother of Bob and Rod Anneshensley and Doug and Tim Cormany.
Death info for son Rod Anneshensley show's mother's maiden name as Benson.
OBIT: Catherine P. Foor went home to be with the Lord on Dec. 15, 2003.
She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 72 years, Howard; daughter, Mary Louise Hagopian; sisters, Louise Fockler, Mona Buterbaugh; and brothers, Jesse and Paul Bloom. She is survived by her nieces, Margaret (Dean) Dut ton, Glenna (Francis) Davis and their families.
The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at the Hospice Care Center in Fairlawn for their loving care of Catherine and thoughtful kindness shown to the family.
There will be no calling hours, a memorial service will be held Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003, at 11 a.m., at Greenlawn Memorial Park, 2580 Romig Rd., Ak ron, in the Ivy Chapel, with Rev. Jerry Harpool officiating.
DOB/DOD: SSDI. Name listed as Catherine P. Foor. Last known address as Akron, Summit Co., OH.
NAME/DOB/DOD/Parentage: "Cemeteries of Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co., Ohio, Chapter OGS, 1996, p 12 and 24.
CENSUS: Not listed with parents in 1850 Bloom Township, Fairfield County, Ohio census. Probably died prior to 1850.
DOM/POM: Ross Co., Ohio, marriages 1798-1951 - LDS Film 0281641.
Death certificate image. Thomas Hudson Bradrick died April 23, 1913 in Alliance, Stark Co., Ohio, aged 80y 8m 2d. Retired minister. Married. Born Aug. 21, 1832 in Ohio to unknown Bradrick b VA and unknown Burdsall b unknown. Buried in Columbus, Ohio, April 25.
Name listed as Thomas H. Bradrick 8/21/1832 - 04/23/1913, father William Bradrick. "The Fleshman Files" website, accessed 2007, Green Lawn Cemetery Records, Columbus, Ohio.
NAME/DOB/POB: From Jennifer (Foor) Brooks via Sept. 2008 email.
DOB/DOD/POBurial: "Cemeteries of Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co., Ohio, Chapter OGS, 1996, p 58. Years only. Buried beside parents.
CENSUS: 1870 E. Providence Twp., Bedford Co., PA, p 24.
NAME: From grandson Daniel James Foor via email March 2000.
DOB/POB: Via email from Daniel FOOR [[email protected]] of Huron, Ohio, April 2000.
Elsie Viola Foor (nee Conner), 86, passed away Saturday, June 7, 2008 at the Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at Firelands, following a brief illness. She was born March 9, 1922 in Everett, PA., moving to Ohio in 1943 and becoming a permanent resident of N. Ridgeville.
She was employed for 15 years at EMH Regional Medical Center, Elyria, retiring in 1986. She loved gardening, flowers and crafting. She was proudest of her sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was loved and will be missed.
She is survived by her sons, Richard (Melinda) of N. Ridgeville, James (Nancy) of Huron, Kenneth (Julie) of New London; grandchildren, Michael Foor of Grafton, Douglas Foor of St. Charles, Illinois, Dana Foor Wherley of Akron, Dean Foor of Eugene, Oregon, Daniel Foor of Mountainview, California, Christopher and Nicholas Foor of New London; seven great-grandchildren, Allyson, Joshua, Jessica, Jacob, Thomas, Quinn, Hannah; sisters, Jean Shifflet, Ruth Powell and brother, Elton Connor all of Baltimore, Maryland.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, Charles Lee Foor; parents, Elton Conner and Clara Conner Klix; sisters, Joann Roberts, Pauline Morris and her great grandchild, Patrick Foor.
Friends may call Wednesday, June 11, 2008 from 5 to 8 P.M. at the David Bogner Family Funeral Home, 36625 Center Ridge Road, North Ridgeville. Funeral services will be held Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 10 A.M. in the funeral home. Rev. Neriah Edwards will officiate. Burial will be in Resthaven Memory Gardens, Avon.
Death certificate 22446 image. Simon Conrad died April 11, 1928 in the Fairfield County Infirmary, Pleasant Twp., Fairfield Co., Ohio, single, born Feb. 12, 1850, aged 78y 1m 29d, laborer, born Amanda Ohio to Daniel Conrad b Ohio and unknown mother of unknown birth. Informant was Mr. Samuel Storts of Lithopolis, Ohio. Buried Lithopolis Cem., April 13.
POBurial: Simon P. Conrad, born Feb. 12, 1850, died April 11, 1928, buried 2nd addition, part 3, lot 245 grave 2. "Cemeteries of Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., OH", Fairfield County Gen. Soc., Chapter OGS, 1996, p 185.
Death certificate image. James W. Cook, R. 2 Lancaster, Hocking Twp., Fairfield Co., Ohio, died May 28, 1923, married, aged 69y 9m 27d, date of birth is shown as August 1, 1923 (same year as death; obvious error), born in Ross Co., Ohio to August Cook b OH and Hanna b OH. Farmer. Informant was Mrs. James Cook. Buried Greenmound Cem., May 31, 1923.
OBIT: Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, OH, Sept. 23, 2004.
BUSSERT Mary Elizabeth Cooper Bussert, age 89, of Carroll, died September 21, 2004 at her residence with her family at her side. She was a lifelong resident of Carroll, member of Shalom United Methodist Church, where she was baptized in 1953, and a 1933 graduate of Carroll High School. Mary is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Ronald and Charma Bussert; grandsons, Richard (Andrea) Bussert, Kevin (Paige) Bussert; great-grandchildren, Audrey, Brandon, Lauren, McKenzie, all of Carroll; and several nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Lee S. Bussert in 1993. Friends may visit 5-8 p.m. Thursday at the DWAYNE R. SPENCE FUNERAL HOME, 550 Hill Road North (State Route 256), Pickerington, where funeral service will be held 2 p.m. Friday. Interment Betzer Cemetery, Carroll, Ohio.
DOB/POB/POD: From funeral home website.
NAME: From daughter Margaret's birth info "Carrie M. Courtright".
DOB/DOD/POBurial: "Cemeteries of Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co., Ohio, Chapter OGS, 1996, p 64. "May C. Jordan". Years only.
DOD/POD: Name listed as Carie M. Jordan, died 10 Sep 1915 in Fairfield Co., Ohio. Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Deaths, 1908-1944 and 1958-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006.
Death certificate image. Ruben Crider died Sept. 10, 1919 Wapakoneta, Auglaize Co., Ohio, aged 77y 9m 5d, married, born Nov. 5, 1841 in Piqua, Ohio, to Ephraim Crider born in America and unknown mother. Informant was Mrs. Ruben Crider. Buried Bethel Cemeter, Sept. 12, 1919.
"Mary Catharine Stewart, d/o George W. C. & Elizabeth R. (Hite) Custer, b. Lithopolis, Ohio, Dec. 6, 1830, m. James Stewart Sr., ch: Robert Stewart, James Stewart Jr., Emma Stewart." Custer, Milo,. Custer genealogies. Bloomington, Ill.: M. Custer, printer, 1990, p 16.
A "Henry O. Farrand" m Catherine Decker 15 Sep 1853, Franklin Co., OH "Family Tree Maker Family Archives, Marriage Index: Ohio 1789-1850", CD #400.
DOD/POBurial: Name listed as Catharine Farrand, wife of H., died June 12, 1877, aged 46y 2m 5d. Image of tombstone posted at www.genealogybug.net in section for Middletown Cemetery (a.k.a. Stotler Cem.) Madison Twp., Franklin Co., OH. Date of birth figured from age at death.
NAME/DOB: From Joy Ann Weicht.
NAME/DOB/DOD/POBurial: "Cemeteries of Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co., Ohio, Chapter OGS, 1996, p 201.
In speaking of the Civil War, "George Dudgeon, Joseph Hargesheimer, and Alexander Warren lie upon unknown battlefields", "THE VILLAGE. MEMORIES OF LITHOPOLIS", John Bartram Kramer, August 1936, p 49.
1917 - Harrison Twp., Pickaway Co., Ohio, draft registration card. Name listed as Benjamin Cyrus Duvall, 24, of Duvall, Ohio, born Feb. 25, 1893 in Duvall, tall height, medium build, blue eyes, red hair, employed by J. R. Duvall of Duvall, Ohio, single. Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.
1940 - listed as a surviving brother, Benjamin, of Harrison twp., in sister Margaret's May obit.
1966 - listed as a surviving brother, Benjamin, of Ashville, Ohio, in brother Earl's August obituary.
DOD/POD: Name listed as Benjamin C. Duvall, white male, resided and died in Pickaway Co., Ohio, Cert. 071193, age 76, married. Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Deaths, 1908-1944 and 1958-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006.
1918 - Listed as James Wason Englehart of Rt. 7, Groveport, Franklin Co., Ohio, age 20, born Aug. 25, 1898, blue eyes, brown hair, tall height, medium build, farmer for Alva Oyler of Groveport, nearest relative Lue Alice Englehart of Groveport. Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.
DOM/POM: Names listed as James W. Englehart, Farmer, Kirkersville, and Helen May Benson, Carroll. Rev. Royer. Marriage license posted in the Oct. 27, 1920 issue of a Lancaster, Ohio newspaper.
CENSUS: 1900 Ward 1, Paola, Miami Co., Kansas p 134.
", Ella, wife b Apr 1878, 22y b Kansas, pa b Switzerland, ma b OH; 0 ch.
Edward James Foor and Pamela M. Hayes, m 12 Aug 1978.
DOB: from anybirthday.com; shown with a Rochester, Indiana zipcode; name shown as Edward J. Foor.
A "Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Foor" had a daughter Vanessa Renae Foor - from the Rochester Sentinel, Rochester, Indiana, March 26, 1986.
LOCATION: 2006 - listed as a surviving son, Edward J. Foor and his wife Pam of Rochester in mother's June 2006 obit.
POB: From daughter Vanessa via Nov. 2007 email.
LOCATION: Nov. 2003 - listed as a surviving son, Edward Foor and wife Robert, of Rochester, in mother's obituary.
LOCATION: 2011 - listed as a surviving son, Edward (wife, Roberta) Foor of Rochester, IN., in father's April obituary.
BIRTH: V 4, p 152 Henry County probate births; he was born in Damascus Twp but his parents resided in Harrison Twp at time of his birth.
CENSUS: 1910 Napoleon, Henry Co., OH - 14y b OH. See notes on father.
DOM/POM: Ohio Marriages 1800-1958, familysearch.org index, no image. Ervin Foor, 1896 Henry Co., Ohio, age 21, Elsie R. Cox, 1899 Henry Co., Ohio, 18, married Jan. 10, 1917 Henry Co., Ohio, groom's father Edwin Foor, bride's parents Gust Cox and Emma Ballard.
1917 - June, draft registration card, name listed as Ervin Foor of Whitehouse, Ohio, age 21, born in Napoleon, Ohio, tall height, slender build, brown hair and eyes, born June 10, 1895, proprietor, own employment in Whitehouse, has a wife, claims exemption for wife support. Ancestry.com. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database online] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2002.
Both worked 60 hours in a specific week in March. Pay 10 rent.
DOD/POD: Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Deaths, 1970-88 [database on-line] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2001-. V 21196, Cert. 12409, resided Lucas Co., OH., died in Napoleon at 77y, married.
LOCATION: July 2001 "Harry W. Foor and special friend, Janet Spadone, of Frostburg [MD]" - according to mother's obituary.
FOR[?] [Fory/Fary], James [R.?], head, 38y b PA, parents b PA, brakeman, steam r.r.
on a farm, 48y b PA, parents b PA, mar. 1st at age 24, brakeman, steel r.r.
", Garrett E., son 23y b PA, married first at age 20, bookeeper, water co.
LOCATION: 1929 - listed as son Frank of Harrisburg in mother's obit.
LOCATION: 1942 - name listed as James Franklin Foor of 4 Park Terrace, Paxtang, Dauphin Co., PA. Has a telephone. Age 60, born in Bedford Co., PA Oct. 2, 1881. Person who would always know his address is Bertha Foor of same address. Works for Reading Railroad Co., at P. H. & P. Junction, Harrisburg, Dauphin Co., PA. Blue eyes, black hair, light complexion, 5' 9" tall, 140 pounds. U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database online]. Provo, Utah: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2006.
NAME/DOB: From Shirley Alleshouse Bolton via April 2002 email.
NAME: "The Foor Family", George S. Conover p 28.
DOB: From himself via March 2005 email.
2008 - listed as a surviving brother Jay R. Foor of Altoona in sister Annetta's Nov. 2008 obituary.
NAME/DOB: "The Foor Family", George S. Conover, ca 1964, p 23.
LOCATION: Betty Foor Lashley is listed as a 1939 graduate of Everett High School, Everett, PA; classmates.com.
NAME/DOB/POB/SPOUSE: "MOREHART 1758-1995", Joretta James.
RESIDES: NY by year 2000.
LOCATION: 2005 - listed as a surviving grandson, Michael A. (Terry) Foor-Pessin of New York in grandmother Louise Lowry's Nov. 2005 obituary.
Josh Foor-Hogue, Caitlin Foor-Pessin, and Toby Foor-Pessin".
LOCATION: 2010 - listed as surviving son, Michael A. Foor-Pessin of South Otselic, NY, in mother's October obit.
NAME/PARENTAGE/DOB/POB: From Lois Jeannine (Foor) WYLDER via Jan., 2001 email. Currently resides in Hagerstown, IN as of Jan., 2001.
Appeared to be of Bay Co., FL, in 2000.
2012 - listed in father's obit as "Michael (Courtney) Foor of Greensfort, IN".
NAME: Listed in father Chalmer's obituary as preceding him in death. "Rebecca Grace Foor".
DOD/DOB/POBurial: "Springfield Hill Cemetery, Springfield, WV" cemetery transcriptions published on the Hampshire Co., WV., website maintained by Robert Wayne McGahuey, 2003. Name listed as "Rebecca G. Foor", full dates.
Death certificate image. Rebecca Grace Foor b April 27, 1955 to James C. Foor and Madline Crock, died Sept. 28, 1962 Springfield, WV. Born WV. Buried Springfield Hill. Died of acute lymphatic leukemia and recurrent bronchitis.
DOB/POB: Henry Co., Ohio, Birth Registers, familysearch.org, image. Marie S. or E. Foore, Dec. 18, 1903, born Harrison Twp., parents George Foore and Lillia Packard of Grelton, Ohio.
CAMPBELL, Clair? Colin?, son-in-law 28y b Canada, parents b Canada, first married at 25y, truck driver for engineering co.
Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co. Chapter OGS, 1993, p 42. Sponsors: parents.
Gen., Society, 2005, p 180.
Death certificate image. John J. Gromme died Deakoness Hosp., Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., Ohio, Nov. 3, 1914 aged 62y 5m 15d, married, pattermaker, born May 18, 1852 iin OH to John J. Gromme b Germany and unknown Albero? b Germany. Informant was Edward Gromme of 1832 Brewster Ave. Removed or buried in Lancaster, Ohio, Nov. 5.
Death certificate image. Barbara J. Snyder of 1760 Oakland Park Ave., Clinton Twp., Franklin Co., Ohio, married to M. L. Snyder, died April 4, 1926 aged 64y 25d, born March 8, 1862 in Ohio to Peter Hall b OH and Lovina Solt b OH. Informant was W. B. Shark of same address. Buried Reber Hill Cem., April 6.
NAME/DOD/DOB: Name listed as Carolyn R. Hamilton, daughter of Eugene Hamilton and Minetta Hamler, born in Groveport, Ohio, buried Wagnall's addition, lot 309, grave 1A. Next of kin listed were parents, Eugene and Minetta Hamilton. "Cemeteries of Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., OH", Fairfield County Gen. Soc., Chapter OGS, 1996, p 225.
DOD/POD: Name listed as Carolyn R. Hamilton, white female, resided in Columbus, Ohio, divorced, age 23, Cert. 085664. Died at home. Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Deaths, 1908-1944 and 1958-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2006.
b 1905 Hamilton Co., Ohio, age 16, married Oct. 25, 1921, Franklin Co., Ohio.
POBurial: Gladys L. Morrison 1905-1986, "Cemeteries of Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., OH", Fairfield County Gen. Soc., Chapter OGS, 1996, p 61.
NAME/Parentage/Spouse: Mentioned in father's estate. See notes on father.
DOB/DOD/POBurial: "Cemeteries of Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., OH", Fairfield County Gen. Soc., Chapter OGS, 1996, p 303. Aged 32y. Buried 1st addition, lot 149, grave 4.
DOM/POM: Parkman Rogers and Margaret Horn, 29 Jan 1857. "Fairfield County, Ohio Marriages, V III, 1852-1868", Fairfield Co., Ohio, Chapter OGS, 2006.
NAME/DOB: Mother's maiden name listed as Foor. Ancestry.com. California Birth Index, 1905-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. Original data: State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.
NAME: Listed as I. Elmer Jones, died April 7, 1949. MD. "The Weiser Family", A Genealogy of the Family of John Conrad Weiser the Elder, Weiser Family Association, 1960, p 649.
Death certificate 24689 image. I. Elmer Jones, resided and died 2903 Kenwood Blvd., Toledo, Lucas Co., Ohio, April 7, 1949, aged 57y 4m 9d, married, born Nov. 28, 1891 in Gallipolis, Ohio, to Joseph D. Jones and Margaret Morgan. Informant was Thomas G. Flagler. Occupation was Dentist. Buried April 9, 1949 Ottawa Hills Mem. Park, Toledo, Ohio.
"Jones-Weiser. Isaac Elmer Jones who was graduated from the College of Dentistry in June, and Miss Blanche M. Weiser were married at Lithopolis in August and are at home in Lancaster where Dr. Jones has an appointment at the Boys' Industrial School".
d: 1 Oct 1998 Fairfield Medical Center, Lancaster, Fairfield County.
NAME/DOB/DOD/POBurial: "Cemeteries of Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co., Ohio, Chapter OGS, 1996, p 85.
Death certificate image. Charles Clinton Koebel, West Farmington, Trumbull Co., Ohio, died after 17 days at Hill Top Rest Home, Hubbard, Trumbull Co., Ohio, Feb. 27, 1951, aged 76y 1m 26d. Retired mill worker. Widowed. Born Dec 31, 1874 in Groveport, Ohio, to George Koebel and Marilla Worthington. Informant was Mrs. Mabel Parker. Buried March 2, 1951 Hillside Cem., West Farmington, Ohio.
NAME/DOB/DOD: "Cemeteries of Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., OH", Fairfield County Gen. Soc., Chapter OGS, 1996, p 111. Name lsited as John T. Lain, son of John and Catherine, died Apr. 1855, aged 2y 3m 10d. According to the book, the stone was not found in 1995. DOB figured from age at death.
NAME/DOB/POB/DOD: From Bonita Hoffmeister via Jan. 2002 email. Married Solomon BARRICK.
DOB/DOD/POBurial: Ethel May McKinney, 07-14-1886 - 05-29-1963, age 78.
NAME: listed as a surviving daughter, Terri (James) Taylor in father's Jan. 2010 obit.
CENSUS: 1910 Canal Winchester, Madison Twp., Franklin Co., OH; SH 5A ED 17 p 143.
DOD/POD: name listed as Alonzo F. Loy, died in a long-term care facility in Grove City, Franklin Co., Ohio at age 84, widowed. Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Deaths, 1908-1944 and 1958-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006.
DOB/DOD: SSDI shows dates as 24 Aug 1882 - Jan. 1967 - last known address was Canal Winchester, Ohio.
Winchester -- in brother Silas' July obit.
1967 - listed as surviving husband, A. F. (Lon) Loy in wife's January obit. She died just a couple weeks before him in a nursing home.
DOB/POB: Fairfield Co., Ohio probate birth images. Ethel McFarland, Greencastle precinct, Bloom Twp., b July 19, 1887 to Robert McFarland and Ollie Fenstermaker.
Nofziger.- Glen W., son of William and Elizabeth (Stuckey) Nofziger, was born at Archbold, Ohio, May 14, 1913; died following triple by-pass surgery at Toledo, Ohio, July 5, 1989; aged 76. On June 1, 1939, he was married to Rosella Miller, who died on Dec. 26, 1985. Surviving are 3 sons (Cloyce, Paul, and Ross), 3 daughters (Janice Foor, Velda Howell, and Shirley Nafziger), 20 grandchildren, 2 brothers (Dennis and Dale), and one sister (Cora Wyse). He was preceded in death by one brother (Ralph). He was a member of Lockport Mennonite Church, where funeral services were held on July 9, in charge of Allen Rutter, Jim Groeneweg, and Rick Jones; interment in Lockport Cemetery. [unknown original source. Found on the Mennonite Church Historical Committee website, 2003].
Nofziger, Rosella M., daughter of Gideon and Lena (Nofziger) Miller, was born in Wauseon, Ohio, May 8, 1920; died at Columbus, Miss., Dec. 26, 1985; aged 65 y. On June 1, 1939, she was married to Glen W. Nofziger, who survives. Also surviving are 3 sons (Cloyce, Paul, and Ross), 3 daughters (Janice Foor, Shirley - Mrs. Dan Nafziger, and Velda - Mrs. William Howell, Jr.), 18 grandchildren, 4 brothers (Lester, Cletus, Lewis, and Mahlon Miller), and one sister (Annagene - Mrs. Melvin Evers). She was a member of the Lockport Mennonite Church, where funeral services were held on Dec. 30, in charge of Keith Leinbach, Walter Stuckey, and Jim Groeneweg; interment in Lockport Cemetery.
NOTE: A Janice I. Foor of Archbold, Ohio, is listed as 60 years old in 2004 at ussearch.com. At Fulton Co., Ohio Auditor's website, Janice I. Foor is residing on the same county road as Clancy R. Foor, possible son. Because it's known that Dale Foor was divorced and moved to WY, this Janice I. Foor may be the mother of the known children of Dale in Fulton Co., Ohio.
M513352, Franklin co., Ohio, probate marriages 1840-1852.
it. May have died that month of census.
"About the year 1875, he [Jeremiah J. Alspach] married Miss Mary Packer, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Neel) Packer, and born in Perry county, February 26, 1852." "A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio", Bowen, 1896, V 2 p 473.
DOB/MIDDLE NAME/SPOUSE: "The Condon Family Tree", gedcom submitted to ancestry.com; author unk., Jan. 2002.
2011 - listed as "Onetti Spangler", a sister that preceded him in death in the obit of brother Charles Duane Pringle in October.
NAME: From Valerine Ilene (Ritchey) Trimble via Jan. 2005 email.
DOB/DOBap: Name liste as Mary Christina Reed, parents as Adam and Ann Reed. Baptised same day as Adam M. Reed, parents listed as same. Susan Nothstein was the sponsor for Adam, and will Henry Whaly, baptised also on same day. Sponsor for Mary Christina was her mother. "Churchbooks of the Lutheran and German Reformed Congregations of the Glick/Salem (Union)/Brick Church, 1808-1915, Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co. Chapter OGS, 1993, p 42.
Death certificate image. Mary Elizabeth McKee died Groveport, Franklin Co., Ohio, May 20, 1929 aged 68y 7m 3d, married to John L. McKee. Born Oct. 17, 1860 Pickaway Co., Ohio, to Adam Reid b OH and Anna Nothstine b OH. Buried May 22 in Lithopolis.
POBurial: Mary mcKee, 1863-1929, buried 3rd addition, part 2, lot 9, grave 3. "Cemeteries of Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., OH", Fairfield County Gen. Soc., Chapter OGS, 1996, p 272.
NAME/DOB/DOD/POBurial: From LDS submitted info. NONE CONFIRMED. The submitter states that "Cheney" Ricketts died in Fairfield Co., Ohio, but is buried in Hancock Co.
DOB/DOBap: Name listed as Polly Ringer, parents as James and Sally Ringer. Baptised by Rev. Spielman. Sponsors were parents. "Churchbooks of the Betzer Union/Zion Reformed Church, 1817-1881, Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., OH", Fairfield county chapter OGS, 1994, p 28.
NAME/DOB/DOBap/POBap/Parentage: "St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lithopolis, Bloom Township, Fairfield Co., OH, 1853-1920", Fairfield Co. Chapter OGS, 1994, p 30. Nettie, Rosa May and Charlie were baptised on same day.
", Barbra J., dau b Aug 1892, 7y b OH, at schoolDOB/DOD/POBurial: "Cemeteries of Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co., Ohio, Chapter OGS, 1996, p 236. Buried 3rd addition, part 2, lot 90 grave 2.
DOD/POD: Ohio Historical Society's online death index. No date of death is showing, but database displays are temperamental. V 7538, Cert. 36433. Name shown as Nettie E. Hicks.
Death certificate image (currently can only view indexed info as the link for the image is not available). Nettie Elizabeth Hicks died Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., Ohio, June 7, 1934, aged 53y 10m 19d, married, born Aug. 17, 1880 in Lithopolis, Ohio, to Frank Rothfuss b France and Rosie Lantz b Franklin Co. Husband was Clarence A. Hicks. Buried Lithopolis June 10.
NAME/DOB/POB/DOD/POD: Joan Byman via March 1999 email.
POBurial: Joan Byman, July 2000.
DOD: Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Death Index, 1958-2000 [database online]. Provo, UT: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2003. Original data: Ohio Department of Health. Index to Annual Deaths, 1958-2000. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Department of Health. State Vital Statistics Unit, 19xx-. Name listed as Edwin A. Schmidt. V 15832 Cert. 47894. Married. Died and resided in Fairfield Co., Ohio. 72 years old.
DOB/DOD/POBurial: Years only (1886-1959) Name listed as Edwin A. Schmidt. "Cemeteries of Greenfield Township, Fairfield Co., Ohio", Fairfield County Gen. Society, 1988, p 69.
"Assistant County Supt. Rex Percelle reported deats of former county teachers in the past year. They included .... Edwin Schmidt...", Lancaster Eagle Gazette, Lancaster, Ohio, Sept. 1, 1959, p 7.
LEWISBURG - Frederick L. Shriver, 87, of 5644 Old Turnpike Road for 40 years and a resident of Outlook Pointe, Lewisburg, for the past year, broke loose of the bonds holding him to this earth and was transported by angels to his true home at 9:03 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007, at Evangelical Community Hospital, Lewisburg.
He was born Aug. 3, 1919, in Martinsburg, a son of the late Adam K. and Sarah M. (Wareham) Shriver. On June 21, 1942, in Evangelical United Brethren Church, Juniata, with the Rev. M. Bittner performing the service, he married the former A. Mae Foor, who survives.
Mr. Shriver was a 1938 graduate of Altoona High School, where he excelled at both track and basketball. He then graduated from Curtis Wright Technical School, Glendale, Calif. He later earned his bachelor of science degree from Pennsylvania State University. Mr. Shriver continued his education throughout his working career by attending classes at Loyola College, Chicago, Northwestern University, Temple University, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia and Montgomery Community College of Tacoma Park, Md. He was certified as a master technician at the University of Detroit Dental School in 1958 and attended and presented many seminars in that field.
Before he was drafted to honorably serve his country in World War II, Fred worked in Hollywood, Calif., in the film industry, and during his time in the service, he made facial prosthetic devices for servicemen who had suffered severe facial injuries. At the end of the war, he owned and operated a dental laboratory in State College and was employed as a dental technician for Veterans Hospitals in Altoona and Saginaw, Mich. Mr. Shriver was then employed as an instructor at the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary for more than 37 years, where he was very active in prison ministries.
He was an active member of Mifflinburg First Church of the Nazarene.
Fred was a Penn State and Pittsburgh Steelers football fan.
Mr. Shriver led a life of which he could be proud and to which others could aspire, caring foremost about his God, his family and his fellow human beings.
In addition to his wife of 64 years, surviving are one son, Todd T. Shriver of Lewisburg; two daughters and one son-in-law, Pamela G. Shriver of Elmira, N.Y., and Karen S. and Dr. Clayton Pesillo of Lewisburg; two grandsons, Graeme Massa of Elmira and Weston Pesillo of Lewisburg; and many nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind a special canine friend, Bootsie.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Joseph and Franklin Shriver.
At the request of Mr. Shriver, the funeral will be conducted at the convenience of the family.
Contributions may be made in Fred's memory to Mifflinburg First Church of the Nazarene, Missionary Fund, 12 E. Market St., Mifflinburg, PA 17844.
Funeral arrangements are by the Roupp Funeral Home Inc., 8594 Old Turnpike Road, Mifflinburg.
Published in The Daily Item from 2/13/2007 - 2/14/2007. Sunbury, PA.
Nelson Simmons of Center Twp., Hendricks Co., IN, is listed on the 1867 lists of registered voters. Published on the Hendricks Co., IN GenWeb website which states "as printed in the Hendricks County Union issues of August 8 and 15th, 1867."
DOB/DOD/POBurial: "Cemeteries of Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co., Ohio, Chapter OGS, 1996, p 321. Buried 1st addition, lot 125, grave 1.
Full DOD/DOBurial: "St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lithopolis, Bloom Township, Fairfield Co., OH, 1853-1920", Fairfield Co. Chapter OGS, 1994, p 60.
DOM/POM: to Mary HEIM, "Trinity Lutheran Church, Marcy/Ashville, Pickaway Co., OH", Fairfield County Gen. Society, 1994, p 2.
DOB/DOBap/PARENTAGE: "Churchbooks of the Lutheran and German Reformed Congregations of the Glick/Salem (Union)/Brick Church, 1808-1915, Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co. Chapter OGS, 1993, p 33. Name spelled "Henrich Sulmeister Schmit". Parents listed as Henrich and Elisabeth. Sponsors were "Jo. Rundler & wf.".
POB/PARENTAGE/SPOUSES: "History of Fairfield County and Representative Citizens", Charles C. Miller, 1912.
DOD/POD: Name listed as H. Sylvester Smith, died in Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., Ohio, Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Deaths, 1908-1944 and 1958-2002 [database online]. Provo, UT: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2006.
Death certificate image. H. Sylvester Smith, Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., Ohio, April 9, 1912 aged 72y 2m 17d, married, farmer, born Jan. 22, 1840 in Ohio to Henry Smith b OH and Elizabeth Runkle b OH. Buried Lithopolis Cem., April 11.
DOB/DOBap/POBap/Parentage: "Churchbooks of the Lutheran and German Reformed Congregations of the Glick/Salem (Union)/Brick Church, 1808-1915, Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co. Chapter OGS, 1993, p 33. "Nataniel Schmitt", s/o Johannes and Maria Schmitt. Sponsors were parents.
DOD/POBurial/Spouse: "Cemeteries of Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co., Ohio, Chapter OGS, 1996, p 324. Wife "Anna M. Smith".
5-10, one 15-20, one 20-30.
NAME: From Derrelle Craft via may 2004 email.
Birth Certificate (image) - Marjorie mae Thrash born Nov. 6, 1921 in Jefferson Twp., Franklin Co., Ohio, to John Albert Thrash, age 20, born Fairfield Co., Ohio and Mary Margurite Huston born Gahanna, Ohio, age 22, parents reside R. D. Blacklick, Ohio.
Family 1 : Sarah M.
", Sarrah M., wife 48y b WV, fa b WV, ma b OH, married at 18.
Death certificate image. Daniel W. Wears died March 17, 1936 in the County Home in Washington Twp., Pickaway Co., Ohio, aged 61y 3m 9d, married, wife Sarah Wears. Born Dec 8, 1874 WV to unknown parents. Can't read burial location but it looks kind of like "Belmont Hill", March 20.
NAME/DOD: See notes on wife.
DOB: Info submitted to LDS by Samuel E. Lawrence of Flagstaff, AZ, shows that Phillip Wehr was b 1760 in Heildberg, Germany. No other dates shown. Not documented.
DOB/DOBap/POBap: "Churchbooks of the Lutheran and German Reformed Congregations of the Glick/Salem (Union)/Brick Church, 1808-1915, Bloom Township, Fairfield County, OH", Fairfield Co. Chapter OGS, 1993, p 41.
Jane" rather than just "Sarah J.".
JARVIS, Edward, hired man, 48y b OH, married twice, mar. 5y, fa b England, ma b OH, farm laborer, working out.
Death certificate image. Ida May Boyd died Violet Twp., Fairfield Co., Ohio, June 5, 1919, aged 54y 18d, married, born May 17, 1865 in OH to David Weimer b OH and Jane Foor b OH. Informant was Dennis Boyd. Buried Union Grove Cem., June 8.
NAME/PARENTAGE: From Mary Wallace via April 2001 email.
NAME/DOB/DOD/POBurial: Name listed as Zenobia L. Wernert, 1904-1912, aged 8y, buried in 2nd addition, part 2, lot 33 1/12 grave 2a. The proximity to Harry and Mary leads me to believe this is their daughter, though it is not confirmed. "Cemeteries of Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., OH", Fairfield County Gen. Soc., Chapter OGS, 1996, p 351. Years only.
DOD/POD: Name listed as Zenobia Leona Wernert, died 13 Dec 1912 in Columbus, Franklin Co., OH. Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio Deaths, 1908-1944 and 1958-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006.
Death certificate image. Zenobia Leona Wernert, 1873 1/2 Parsons Ave., Columbus, Franklin Co., Ohio, died Dec 13, 1912, aged 8y 6m 2d from heart failure and diptheria. Born June 11, 1904 in Ohio to Harry E. Wernert b OH and Mary Teegardin b OH. Mary Wernert was informant. Buried Lithopolis, Ohio, Dec. 14.
Maiden Name/DOM/POM: "Family Tree Maker Family Archives, Marriage Index: Ohio 1851-1900", CD #236.
DOB/DOD/POB: Wanda Myers, Sunnyside, WA via email Jan. 2000.
CENSUS: 1850 Bloom Twp., Fairfield Co., OH - family #1538.
NAME/DOB/POB/PARENTAGE: From Holly (Foor) Zelanko via June 2001 email. | 2019-04-21T20:52:42Z | http://www.foorgenealogy.com/d0001/g0000064.html |
A guide for choosing the products that protect your RV’s moving parts.
Motorhomes require periodic maintenance to stay in good working order. Engine oil changes are the most common procedure, but axles, the transmission, wheel bearings, and other components also must be serviced. No oil or lubricant is one-size-fits-all, so it’s important to make the right choice for each component according to the chassis manufacturer’s specifications.
Lubricants are designated with American Petroleum Institute (API) or military (MIL) category numbers that identify their suitability for various applications. To choose the proper lubricant, consult your motorhome’s owners manual for the prescribed API service level, and then match the lubricant’s viscosity and rating to your vehicle’s operating environment.
Two ratings apply to lubricants — viscosity and quality. Viscosity is another term for thickness. An engine is designed to utilize a specific viscosity oil for a given set of operating conditions. That’s why the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) determines viscosity grades according to a standardized numerical rating. Always check the owners manual to determine the proper engine oil viscosity for your vehicle. The larger the number, the heavier the oil. For example, an SAE 40 oil is heavier than an SAE 30 oil.
Viscosity also denotes the ability of the oil to flow at a given temperature. As oil heats up, it thins, flows faster, and doesn’t provide the same level of lubrication as a thicker oil. If the oil is too thick, it won’t flow fast enough to lubricate critical components. SAE ratings reflect the ability of oil to flow at 210 degrees Fahrenheit. The ratings can be useful for determining how an oil will perform in summer, but they don’t take into account the low-temperature performance of the oil in winter. So, a second test is performed at 0 degrees Fahrenheit to assess oils designed for winter use and to designate a “W” rating. For example, 10W oil is thinner than 20W oil, but both are designed for winter use. The thinner 10W oil will flow better in colder temperatures.
Most engine wear and tear occurs during startup when the motor is turning over but everything is cold and the pistons haven’t yet expanded to their operating tolerances. Oil begins to flow, but by the time it reaches all critical areas, the engine has been running for a few seconds. A lighter-weight oil brings the oil pressure up much faster than a thicker oil. But, once the engine is working under a heavy load, the oil becomes too thin to provide adequate lubrication. So, in the case of a single-viscosity oil, it is better to opt for a heavy oil and live with the startup wear than to use a lighter oil and pay the penalty when the engine is working really hard.
Multiviscosity oils eliminate that dilemma. A multiviscosity oil has two ratings. For example, a 10W-30 oil provides the cold-temperature performance of a 10W winter oil, yet it retains the high-temperature performance of an SAE 30 summer oil once the engine reaches its operating temperature. This offers the best of both worlds and does a better job of protecting your engine at both startup and when under load.
Oil quality is determined by its chemical makeup and its imbedded additives. Base oils account for about 85 to 90 percent of the formulation. The remainder consists of additives that provide full protection, including antioxidants, viscosity modifiers, dispersants, detergents, antiwear agents, rust and corrosion inhibitors, antifoam agents, and a host of others. API established its rating system to identify the quality of every oil.
Both API and SAE ratings are marked on every container. Consult the vehicle’s owners manual for the minimum API rating specified for your engine. You always can exceed the API ratings and use a better grade oil, but never drop below the minimum API rating.
Engine oil lubricates moving parts such as bearing surfaces that are under compression; the oil’s detergent and additives help clean the engine and trap combustion deposits. An engine’s owners manual specifies the minimum API oil rating that should be used. Gasoline engines use the “S” series of ratings, while diesel engines use the “C” series of ratings.
Diesel engines have an API service classification such as CJ-4. The “C” means “commercial,” or to make it easy to remember, relate it to “compression ignition.” So, every oil designed for use in heavy-duty diesel engines begins with a “C.” The next letter, which in this example is “J,” designates the latest specification. When a new specification comes out, the letter increases. For example, an API CJ-4 spec is a better quality oil than an API CI-4 and can be used whenever API CI-4 oil is specified. It’s always okay to use a higher letter than what an engine’s specs require; the engine’s specification is a minimum requirement. The “4” at the end means that the oil is designed for a four-stroke engine.
Gasoline engines have different requirements for lubricating oils than diesels. The API service classifications for gas engines begin with an “S,” followed by a second letter. The “S” stands for “service,” or relate it to “spark ignition,” while the second letter designates the service classification. Just as with oils designed for diesel engines, a letter that comes later in the alphabet designates a better oil, so an API service classification of “SM” is better than an API service classification of “SJ.” Oils used in gas engines can exceed the required minimum service classification but should never fall short of it.
Owners of motorhomes with diesel engines built to emissions standards adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2007 must be sure to choose API CJ-4 oil or better. Here’s why: Motorhome engines built to such standards generally began appearing in the 2008 model year and were equipped with diesel particulate filters. The filters are susceptible to fouling by contaminants such as sulfur, so the engines require ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel with less than 500 parts per million of sulfur. Diesel particulate filters also are fouled by zinc, which was present as an antiwear additive in motor oils. As a result, a new motor oil was formulated — API CJ-4 — with zinc replaced by other antiwear compounds.
In 2016, API approved new CK-4 oils to address varying needs of engine technologies and to help diesel engine manufacturers meet more stringent emissions requirements.
Conventional motor oil comes from the ground and contains impurities such as sulfur, wax, and asphalt. In addition, the size of the oil molecules are fairly inconsistent. On the other hand, creating synthetic oil in controlled laboratory conditions eliminates impurities and results in molecules that are consistent in size and shape. Because synthetic oil is created from scratch, it can have just about any properties the chemist chooses. Synthetic oil has a lower pour point (the temperature at which it loses its flow characteristics) than conventional oil, which greatly improves cold-weather performance without diminishing high-end capability. It’s common to find a 5W-40 synthetic oil that can replace a conventional 15W-40 oil.
Oil boils if it gets hot enough, and it vaporizes and hardens into carbon deposits once it hits hot spots in the engine. One susceptible area is immediately above the top piston ring, where carbon buildup accelerates wear on the cylinder wall. Another area is the turbocharger oil galleries, where oil breaks down and produces solid residue — coke — that plugs critical passages. Restricted flow can lead to premature turbocharger failure. Conventional oil tends to break down at about 250 degrees, but synthetics are good to 290 degrees, which minimizes coking and increases the life of the turbocharger.
Manufacturers of synthetic oil claim that service intervals can be extended when compared to conventional oil, but not every engine manufacturer allows this; therefore, you may not be able to do that without voiding the engine’s warranty. Synthetic oil costs more than conventional oil, so for motorhome owners who typically change their oil based on time intervals rather than mileage, the money saved by extending those intervals may or may not apply. However, synthetic oil offers better engine protection. Synthetics, because of their lower pour point, offer an advantage in cold starts and cold-weather operation. And the higher boiling point of synthetic oil offers additional protection when the engine is working especially hard.
Automatic transmission fluid (ATF) lubricates fast-turning shafts and clutch packs to transfer power through a complex system of servos, pumps, and fluid couplings. The fluid is the primary method of cooling the transmission. SAE viscosity and API ratings do not apply, so a different rating system is used.
If you have a Type B or C gas-powered motorhome, chances are it has a Ford or Chevy transmission. Such transmissions utilize the Dexron or Mercon variants of ATF that are available at auto parts stores. Coaches built on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis most likely use the MB 236.x series of transmission fluids, such as Shell’s 134 MB236.14. TranSynd, a synthetic ATF manufactured by Castrol for Allison Transmission, is rated as meeting the MB236.91 specification.
Most Type A motorhomes with diesel engines are equipped with Allison automatic transmissions. Such transmissions can be filled with the same Dexron fluid that a Chevy pickup truck uses. Although it meets Allison’s TES-389 specification, Dexron is rarely used anymore. To achieve the best protection and extend service intervals, synthetic fluid is highly recommended. In fact, sometime during the 2004 model year, both Freightliner and Spartan began shipping chassis prefilled with Allison’s synthetic TranSynd. Synthetic fluid raises the temperature at which fluid will burn during hard use.
In addition to TranSynd, Allison has tested other synthetic fluids and identified brands that are compatible with Allison transmissions. The list of TES 295-approved fluids can be found at www.allisontransmission.com/parts-service/approved-fluids. Any automatic transmission fluid approved by Allison qualifies for the extended service intervals in the company’s service schedules.
Gear lubricants are applied to high-load areas that experience friction during motion, such as rear axles and wheel bearings. Gear lube is heavier than motor oil; its viscosity ranges from SAE 75 to SAE 140. It must function under high operating temperatures and loads.
Gear lube generally falls into two categories — standard duty or extreme duty. Most situations require basic 80W-90 gear lube, which is used on wheel bearings, gear cases, and rear axle ring and pinion gear sets.
Limited-slip differentials, when used in some automotive applications, add a bit of complexity to the lubricant requirement. Limited-slip differentials utilize clutch plates to tie both wheels together for improved traction yet allow the plates to slip when turning corners. In some cases, the gear lube must have an additive, or a gear lube specially designed to work in limited-slip applications must be used. If a vehicle is equipped with a limited-slip differential, check the owners manual to determine the requirements. Gear lube designed for limited-slip applications also can be used in standard open differentials.
More protection sometimes is needed for heavy loads or extreme conditions, so a manufacturer may require a heavier gear lube, such as SAE 140. In such cases, a synthetic gear lube is ideal. Many come with an SAE 75W-140 viscosity rating. Such gear lube flows well in low temperatures yet still functions when things get hot. A synthetic 75W-140 gear lube is the best protection for an axle or gearbox, such as a cooling fan jackshaft. Synthetics are also less prone to foaming than conventional gear lubes. The accompanying chart illustrates typical low temperature (pour point) and high temperature (flash point) properties of gear lubes.
In diesel pushers, hydraulic fluid often is used in power steering units and hydraulic fan motors, which are commonly found on motorhomes equipped with a side radiator. The motor and the power steering system are driven by a hydraulic pump that is mounted on the engine and fed by a hydraulic fluid reservoir. Hydraulic fluid must be clean and nonfoaming.
Hydraulic fluid generally is the AW32 or AW46 formula. AW stands for “antiwear” and is strictly used to designate hydraulic fluids. The 32 and 46 represent the weight of the fluid; higher numbers indicate a heavier fluid. AW46 is most often used in motorhomes. Keeping the fluid cool and free from moisture or dirt is critical, so filter and fluid changes are part of a routine service schedule.
You might think grease is grease, but there’s quite a bit of difference among formulations and their applications. Matching the correct grease to the lubrication requirements of components will increase the longevity of those parts.
Grease viscosity is rated by the National Lubricating Grease Institute, or NLGI. The most popular chassis grease is NLGI 2, which works for 90 percent of automotive applications and can be found at auto parts stores. NLGI 1 is thinner; it melts and flows at a lower temperature. NLGI 3, a stiff grease used when extreme heat is encountered, has no real application in the RV industry.
Grease consists of lubricating fluid, performance-enhancing additives, and thickener. The lubricating fluid makes up the majority of the formulation and can be petroleum-based oil, vegetable oil, or any synthetic lubricating fluid. The thickener separates grease from oil or other liquid lubricants and makes the product semisolid rather than liquid.
Plain lithium grease works well for wheel bearings, but it is marginal for driveshaft universal joints and front-end components, which rely on a thin layer of grease to separate two metal surfaces. If enough force is applied to the two surfaces, such grease can compress and slide away, allowing metal-to-metal contact and increased wear. Also, when surfaces pull apart from each other, the grease film can fall away rather than stick to the surfaces. Fortunately, advanced lithium greases have additives that improve upon basic lithium grease. They cost more but are well worth it.
If you place a small wad of basic lithium grease between your thumb and index finger and squeeze, much of the grease oozes out, but a small layer remains. When you pull your finger and thumb apart, the grease breaks free and leaves a slight film on your fingertips. Each time you squeeze and release, you lose more of the lubricant until eventually none is left.
Repeating the above test using advanced lithium grease will demonstrate its superior tackiness. The grease tends to stick to your fingertips. It’s more difficult to pull your fingers apart, and when you do, the grease stretches like strings. Lucas Oil’s Red “N” Tacky grease exhibits these characteristics. It stays in place better than a less expensive lithium grease.
When two metal parts rub together, which is typical of a ball joint or tie-rod end, grease tends to squish out from between the surfaces. To reduce wear, the grease must stay in place. That’s where moly grease comes in. Typically, it contains 5 percent molybdenum disulfide, which is an inorganic compound that consists of small round particles that act like miniature ball bearings. They aren’t crushed when under pressure. Moly won’t scratch or damage metal surfaces. It prevents metal-to-metal contact and allows the grease to filter in and around the moly particles to cool and lubricate components. Moly grease typically is black and messy, but it is excellent for front-end work and universal joints.
Moly grease is not recommended for wheel bearings, because the particles tend to force the rollers away from the races, which tightens the bearing clearance and increases heat. For wheel bearings, it’s best to use a more fibrous general-purpose or tacky grease. Grease that is designed for wheel bearings generally will meet the NLGI GC-LB or SAE J310 specifications.
Many lubricant suppliers offer synthetic chassis grease. Synthetics are great for extreme temperatures, but the vast majority of RV owners won’t realize those benefits because they don’t encounter such conditions.
Many excellent conventional greases are available. My favorite is lithium grease with moly and excellent tacky properties. Examples include Schaeffer’s 221 Moly Ultra; Shell Gadus S3 V460D 2; Mobil Centaur Moly; and Valvoline Palladium grease. They resist water penetration, hold up well to heat, stay in place, and resist shock loads. I’ve been using this type of grease for a long time in numerous vehicles. The longevity of the universal joint and front end is remarkable. Many greases are available with improved load-carrying capacity, even non-moly greases. Such greases carry the EP label, which stands for extreme pressure.
You should not use moly grease when lubricating automatic slack adjusters, a component of air drum brakes. Slack adjusters are designed to self-adjust as they’re used, but some friction is required for that feature to work properly. Moly grease makes the slack adjusters too slippery. Buy a tube of inexpensive grease and load it in a second grease gun used strictly for the slack adjusters on drum brakes.
A proper maintenance cycle for your motorhome revolves around following the recommended service schedule and matching every component with the correct lubricant. The owners manual specifies the minimum requirements, but keep in mind that exceeding those specs with a higher-quality lubricant generally will yield greater longevity. Taking proper care of your coach will save you money in the long run and greatly improve the odds of trouble-free operation. | 2019-04-24T05:57:48Z | https://familyrvingmag.com/2018/03/01/motorhome-lubricants/ |
Most of us are aware that the CTTP-2007 report had recommended a Commuter /Sub-urban rail system for the city, totalling 204.0km (this includes city & suburban services upto Tumkur, Hosur & Ramanagaram). A few sub-urban trains are in operation & are being run by Southwestern railways (SWR), but the system is not of much help to urban commuters.
Please also see earlier discussions on this subject here, here & more recently here.
a) On Kengeri-City Stn route: (23) near RV Engg College; (24) Deepanjali Nagar Metro stn; (25) Hosahalli main rd.
b) On City Stn-Whitefield route: (26) Seshadripuram (Sivananda store); (27) Jeevanahalli; (28) Beniganahalli (ORR); (29) Devasandra; (30) Hoodi; (31) Sadarmangal Ind Area.
c) On City Stn-Baiyyappanahalli route: (32) Jalahalli (ORR); (33) MS Ramiah rd; (34) Gundappa rd; (35) Kanaka nagar; (36) Kadugondanahalli.
d) On Banaswadi-BMA boundary route: (37) Beniganahalli (ORR); (38) Kaggadasapura; (39) Chinnappanahalli; (40) Varthur rd; (41) Sarjapura rd; (42) Chandapura (Hosur rd).
These additional stations would reduce the average distance between stations to about 2.3km, which is more appropriate for a suburban rail system.
SWR might have it's reasons for repeatedly rejecting operation of city rail services in Bangalore - such rail systems are faring poorly in almost every city in the country barring Mumbai, but then in India, city rail systems are directly being operated by divisions of Indian railways whose primary focus area is the operation of inter-city train services. Further, the other transport systems in use in the cities (such as buses, taxis, etc.) were never planned nor integrated for easy transfer of passengers between different modes. Each operated independently on it's own, sometimes even competing with one another & making commuting difficult for people. Thus, most cities continue to have transport systems that are not well-knit & therefore, inefficient, & this also explains why city rail systems have fared so poorly in the country.
We now have a situation where SWR has a lot of assets such as tracks, real estate & stations, but is clearly not the best option to build & operate the city /suburban rail system. It might be best if BMRCL could become the operator for CRS, sharing the infrastructure with SWR.
Submitted by idontspam on 15 February 2010 - 4:10am.
To a query on the Railways providing circular railway service for Bangalore city utilising the existing track network and building some more, Mr. Muniyappa said the Ministry has been watching the infrastructure development in the city.
“We have been watching and studying the public transport scenario in Bangalore. I’ll not make any commitment at present but definitely we are at it,” he said.
Submitted by Sanjeev on 15 February 2010 - 11:09am.
Its good that now awarness is coming with people about CRS & how its important to integarte CRS with METRO & BMTC.
I think too much of discussion on CRS at every level, but no action from any front.
Its fate of Banglore and Citizens to suffer on the CRS front for some more time : . Even when RITES took study on CRS on behalf of BMLTA, they did't consult SWR officers, SWR wants to do its own study as evident from BMLTA meetings. Then comes MOS Mr K H Muniyaap ( due respect to his efforts for Karnataka ) making statement that State is not yet decided on CRS, so the Bangalore-Whitefield-Krishnarajapuram track-quadrupling work could not be implemented Now SWR wants study the traffic voloume on Yesvanthpur to Devanahalli to start Local Trains.
Even RITEs study is not accepted by SWR & it looks for shorter roots of 7 Kms length similar to Mono Rail.
We at Praja need to work with all these inputs and make strong representation to SWR & Minister K H Muniyaapa / Chief Minister or Transport Minister. Other wise we will be discussing on this even for next 2-3 years.
Its time for us to act on CRS to get the things on the ground going.
Submitted by idontspam on 15 February 2010 - 12:27pm.
Are SWR tracks in B'lore over-loaded ?
Submitted by Naveen on 15 February 2010 - 10:25pm.
Secundarabad Jn - 58 (Many passing thro' trains).
It indeed appears that the load in /around Bangalore is higher than other larger cities in the south viz. Chennai & Hyderabad.
Tracks in Chennai radiate independent of one another from one of two central points (ie. Chennai Central & Beach). This makes it easier to slot suburban trains inbetween intercity trains & run them with lesser interference since there are no criss-crosses.
Likewise, in Hyderabad, suburban trains are being run along existing train tracks that do not have intersections with other tracks. Thus it appears that they are being run without interference from crossing inter-city trains (ie. by slotting them inbetween two inter-city trains along the same tracks).
In Bangalore, we have many line intersections or bifurcations such as those near Yasavantapur, Yelahanka, Lottegollahalli & Banaswadi. Also, in addition, we have the 'tangle' of tracks between Byappanahalli, KRPuram & Chennasandra - I think all these make it more problematic to run regular suburban trains since halting for inter-city trains to cross will probably become a routine for every CRS /Suburban train. Rail track arrangements appear to be similar to our diffuse road system.
With all these negatives, it might be better to leave SW tracks for inter-city & the few suburban services & develop a whole new (elevated or underground) system of separate, independent tracks for Metro & Monorail. I think that having regular /frequent city /suburban trains on existing tracks (with simultaneous operation of so many inter-city trains - increasing all the time) might be quite difficult.
Submitted by ss87 on 15 February 2010 - 10:39pm.
It is not tough to run suburban trains though the number of trains arriving/departing are more. An analysis reveals many trains arriving/departing between 5 and 7AM.After the departure of 6731 to MYsore and arrival of Rani chennamma and Tirupathy Fast pass there isnt much fo train traffic until Seshadri arrives at 12:30. Again after 2PM there is not much traffic present until departure of Kacheguda Express at 18:20 after which teh station fills to the brim. But in the mornign peak hour and evening peak hour many locals can be run. Some adjustments can be made in this regard.
2785/86 Kacheguda Express generally stops at PF-2 for whole day. This can be taken to the yard to relieve this platform.
An expansion of the last platforms to the binny mill land and accommodate trains that side.
Trains like 6525/26 Kanniyakumari come onto the platform by around 7PM for departure at 9:45PM. t can come around 9PM.
Karnataka Express is also put onto Pf-1 at around 5:45MP for around 7:20PM.
Submitted by idontspam on 15 February 2010 - 11:41pm.
Which might indicate there is a need to create alternate terminals like this and then connect them via the locals to the city. That apart we have the habit of running point to point trains from every city to every other city. There is no concept of change overs. Is it time for trains also to be direction based?
Submitted by Sanjeev on 16 February 2010 - 9:26am.
Load on Bangalore city tracks is not much considering the length of existing track and direction of tracks running. Its mis-managed by SWR and not having right infrastucture for the Banalore city railway tracks.
Take the case of Pune Local Trains running upto Lonavala with double electrified Track. Same track is used to for Mumbai Travel & its one of busy section.
1. SWR has managed the Tracks & electric lines in Bangalore city to run trains for Bihar, WB & Chennai not for the Bangalore city.
3. Trains starting from SBC to Mysore can be started from Yelahanka via Yesvanthpur & SBC. For this why Railway minister has not bothered to develop Yelahanka Station with SIX platfroms.
4. For all your information, Tracks from Yesvanthpur to Lottegollahalli looks double, SWR has ensured that one track rund for Yelahanka & other track runs for Hebbal / Banaswadi. They should have created junction at Lottegollahalli which would have given double / 4 lane track from Yesvanthpur. Its 4 Kms.
5. Till this day by giving all execuses by SWR or State Govt or Center, we have allowed to run all types of Long distance trains during 6AM -10AM & evening 4PM to 8PM. Now stand is tracks are over loaded.
6. When all Major cities have 4 Tracks to their central place with fully electrified, its ensured that we need to fight for Bangalore. on this Take the case of Yesvanthpur to Yelahanka, Yesvanthpur to BaiyyappanahaliI, KR Puram to Yelahanka, still tTrack doubling need to be done.
7. From SBC to Kengeri, Whitefiled, Chikbanavar, Yelahanka Four Tracks need to be provided with electric line, when will Railway minister sanctions this ?????
8. BaiyyappanahaliI, to Yesvanthpur, hardly few trains running, its not used much.
9. Now take the case of Yesvanthpur to Nelamangala track which was ready more then a year, ( state has invested the money in this ) till this day starting of trains is not talked.
With above details, CRS can be easily put into SWR tracks. Their is no issue on this. Its matter of action not the disussion.
Submitted by vlnarayan on 16 February 2010 - 11:22am.
All Mysore bound trains to start from Whitefield/ KR puram ( Via BANGALORE CY JN, SBC).
All trains towards Bangarpet - Chennai & Hosur to start from Yeshwantpur( Via BANGALORE CY JN, SBC).
All trains towards upwards North to start from Kengeri ( Via BANGALORE CY JN, SBC).
Local trains with adequate frequency between all these stations via BANGALORE CY JN, SBC will take all the incoming or outgoing passengers very easily. Neither the state govt nor the SWR is interested due to vested interests of each inspite of many requests from public.
SWR (Now) is no better than SR (Yester years) for Bangalore - Ultimately Bangalore is still crying for CRS and suffering.
Submitted by Naveen on 16 February 2010 - 3:37pm.
My point was that the layout of tracks in Bangalore (as per map above) is somewhat complicated when compared with track layouts in other cities, which adds to the problem for running a CRS here. See maps of track layouts for Chennai & Pune below - these are much simpler than what we have in Bangalore.
I think the point made for shifting starting stations for inter-city trains away from SBC to clear up congestion is valid & can help a great deal, but I doubt if SWR alone can take such decisions - they might need concurrence from IR.
Also, for electrification of tracks, I think IR has to release funds out of the budget to have it done. I doubt if SWR alone can go ahead without concurrence from IR - this might be the obstacle.
The recent announcement makes clear that Byappanahalli will also be developed to another hub /terminal since Metro rail will integrate there. Maybe we will see some action then.
Submitted by idontspam on 16 February 2010 - 4:16pm.
My point was that the layout of tracks in Bangalore (as per map above) is somewhat complicated when compared with track layouts in other cities, which adds to the problem for running a CRS here.
But, thats what makes it circular and more appropriate for Bangalore. It covers more areas that metro doesnt so we can make metro focus on the uncovered areas instead.
SWR/IR should use Yeswantpur & Byappanahalli as terminals for interstates since they will have multimodal connectivity soon. This should free up other stations for Bangalore Circular. Long term move to BIA can happen for commuter trains which connect BIA catchment area.
Submitted by Sanjeev on 16 February 2010 - 5:09pm.
Track length of Bangalore is higher then any other city & reaches to most of the places.s in Bangalore except the Jayanagar & Banashankari. Infact its an advantage for CRS to start, if any one has travelled in Mumbai Local Trains, they have built Railway FLY-OVERS for Railway Track to Criss-Cross so that direct connectivity from differnet directions exists.
Compared to other METROs, Mumbai, Kolkotta & Chennai have dead end terminals where Inter City Trains / Passanger Trains takes very high time for turnout, its almost double time, arrival trains to reach platform, then drive in reverse direction, then once gain when departure again they need to bring the Train to platform. In case of Bangalore, Hyderbad, Pune, Hubli-Dharwad, Tracks runs in different directions without any dead end. Take the case of Pune, their are hardly few trains which originate from Pune city, most of the trains are crossing city only, hence the track availabilty is very high in Pune, so they ar able to run Local Trains & advantage is they have fully electrified length.
6. Local Trains can be stationed at Kengeri, Nelamanagala, Devanhalli, Anekal, Whitefiled for night halt.
7. As the Track in Bangalore Criss-Crosses, this is an advantage which will help in better planning of Inter-city Trains & Local Trains for CRS.
8. BEML can supply the Broad Guage CRS coaches as per the design of Delhi METRO which is based on Broad Guage.
9. Already Binny Mill Land handing over to Railways in progress, so the Bangalore Central will have more Platforms for Local Trains.
10. BAIYYAPPANAHALI station need to be developed on urgent basis without any further execuses. This will help in originating more Inter-City Trains.
With all this, State will initiate or Center / SWR.
Submitted by Naveen on 16 February 2010 - 6:30pm.
Okay - I understand that the complicated track layout in Bangalore can actually be an advantage & can in fact be very helpful to organize running an excellent CRS since various areas can be connected much better & more easily than in other cities such as Chennai & Hyderabad.
1) Develop Byappanahalli as a new greenfield terminal. As per railway minister's statement, SWR is awaiting transfer of NGEF land, though I noticed heavy construction activity adjacent to the existing Byappanahalli station platform - see pictures below.
2) Shift starting points for as many trains as possible out from SBC to terminals that are furthest from the respective train destinations, such as Mysore trains to start from Byappanahalli /Yelahanka; Chennai trains to start from Yeswantapur /Kengeri; North bound trains to start from Kengeri /Byappanahalli, etc. since this will also negate the need for everyone to come to the city to board inter-city trains.
I'm not sure why BEML should be part of any SPV for a CRS. To me, BMRC would be best since they would then be in-charge of all city trains (Metro & CRS) & be in a good position to organize all trains for best interconnectivity, scheduling, etc & to complement one another.
Submitted by idontspam on 16 February 2010 - 8:24pm.
I am not too sure we can create so many terminals, it may become a logistical nightmare for interstate travellers to change trains. But definitely Yeswantpur & Byappanahalli will be a good start for terminating trains. City station should continue to host transit traffic.
Submitted by Naveen on 16 February 2010 - 9:18pm.
We already have KRPuram & Yeswantapur as terminals. Byappanahalli is also being added. At least these could be used easily as start points for most trains (thereby reducing load considerably on SBC).
Travellers will not need to change any trains. If at all, their travel will become more convenient. For example, a train bound for Mysore will commence from Yeswantapur or KRPuram instead of SBC. Those who reside closer to Yeswantapur & KRPuram will be benefited & will not need to go to SBC. The train will, however, stop at SBC en-route to pick up other passengers.
As regards NGEF land, this plan makes it clear as to what Mr Muniyappa was talking about. It is the factory land on the northwest of tracks (portions on the northeast are earmarked for KSRTC & BMTC, whilst the land south of tracks is for Metro depot).
Submitted by silkboard on 16 February 2010 - 10:23pm.
Augment capacity of tracks in the city, additional tracks basically, just like BBMP widens the roads.
Or, IMHO better option, create new terminals at the edge or sub-urban entrance to the city. Use the freedup capacity to run commuter rails.
These edge stations (or lets use a new term, suburban terminals) would need further connectivity with other interior parts of the city, and that would come via the Commuter Rail itself. It would be just like how, to go to Vashi/New Mumbai, you go to Kurla or VT, and then take Harbour line commuter train to Vashi.
The suburban terminal option will help to better manage some other movement patterns as well. Like, a Terminal on the North Side near BIAL will increase BIAL's catchment, and will provide connectivity to the airport from city as well.
If Satellite Bus stations could be placed adjacent to the suburban terminals, Train to bus exchange pattern would get decentralized, currently, most of it happens predominently at one place, Majestic. did someone say there is no space? Well, remember, there is enough air space available over many railway stations in the city.
Submitted by s_yajaman on 16 February 2010 - 11:02pm.
Edge terminals at BYP (Metro Stn next door), YPR (Metro station) and somewhere near Nayandahalli should be the order of the day. People don't travel to Delhi and Chennai on a daily basis by train. Commuter rail will enable tracks inside the city to be utilized for more than the 100,000 or so using it today.
Naveen, your idea is good, but it eats up track capacity.
One commuter stretch could be Mysore Road to BYP via SBC and BNC.
One could be from YPR to Mysore Road.
One could be from SBC to E-City via Carmelaram?
Submitted by vinod_shankar on 16 February 2010 - 11:42pm.
Assume metro phase-I is complete, in which case we'll have metro running between nayandhalli to majestic to byapanahalli. So it makes perfect sense to convert nayandanahalli and byapanahalli as terminal stations for long distance trains.
Also from my daily commute i have observed there is enough land available from cantonment railway station to whitefield station to quadrapule the lines, which will increase capacity. And also the the quadrapuling project was approved way back in 1997(src:vision document indian railways). Why is it a project approved in 1997 hasn't made any progress, not even a murmur. To me it seems CRS is inevitable, its only a matter of time. The sooner the better else people will start using long distance trains for urban commute. How about making a point by travelling in trains on a designated day? Lets call it a "commuter train day"..
Submitted by Sanjeev on 17 February 2010 - 9:14am.
Edge stations will really help the CRS. : Yesvanthpur, Byapanahalli, KR Puram, Kengeri, Yelahanka. More edge station will help the de-congest inter-city trains & to create parking yard for the Inter-city trains to halt.
Coming to Harbour line for Local Train to Vashi, Belapur, Panvel, With such good project example in front of Railway & Govt, it looks some vested interest acting against CRS, reason CRS will not benifit the some Western companies in getting ordere as the supply of coaches & tracks will be done by ICF Chennai or BEML ( if possible ). This facility was created way back 1992-94, and station designs at Vashi, Belapur, Nerul, Panvel are really good, even stations are maintained very well and I have not seen any such Model station even after 16-18 year down the lane. These stations have all facilities : Office space for IT companies, Helipad on the top floor, Conference hall with Exhibition center, Underpass for the road trafic, Parking space for Private vechile on both sides, Bus yard for the local buses, Railway reservation center, these facilites were created 16-18 years back.
Belapur, Vashi, Panvel, Nerul stations concept can be replicated to certain extent for Yelahanka, Byapanahalli,, Yesvanthpur, Lottegollahalli, Kengeri, Chikkabanavara, Gnanabharti, Bellandur Rd, Karmelaram, Whitefiled, Devanhalli, Malleshwaram, Canonment as mention by Pranav : there is enough air space available over many railway stations in the city. Land also is availbale for most these stations for expanding.
COMMUTER TRAIN DAY is a required to get the CRS as mentioned by Vinod.
How do we push for CRS ?
Submitted by Naveen on 17 February 2010 - 10:36am.
We already have established edge stations at Yesvantapur & KRPuram. As of now, I think KRPuram sees only one train that does not enter the city (6613 - Rajkot Coimbatore Exp). Yesvantapur has helped in reducing load at SBC, since people from north bangalore prefer to board trains there. Likewise, people from east prefer boarding at Cantonment, if the train passes & stops there.
Byappanahalli will also be added as an edge station & will help to further reduce traffic to & from SBC.
I don't think the suggestion to have inter-city train terminals far outside the city (similar to airport/s) will work since the type & number of users is very different. Inter-city trains are also a sort of "mass-transit" between cities & the number of travellers is huge & uncomparable with the number of air travellers. This is why we have train stations in almost all world cities closer to city centers than airports. Examples include Penn & Grand Central in the heart of Manhattan, St.Pancras & Waterloo in London Central, Hautpbahnhof in Berlin Central, etc.
The Metro alone will not be able to provide connectivity to inter-city train terminals. A CRS will certainly help, & for this, augmentation of lines is vital.
How do we push for this ? Vinod makes the point for a "Commuter train day", but with so very few users, most would be unaware first up, but maybe this is one way to start.
Submitted by idontspam on 17 February 2010 - 10:38am.
Well, remember, there is enough air space available over many railway stations in the city.
Good point, I heard airspace is being provided over roads as well in Hyderabad as TDR. We still build single level and underexploit multilevel advantage.Over all railway stations a bus stand can be built with ramps to the road.
Submitted by n on 17 February 2010 - 10:10pm.
There seems to be adequate interest for a commuter rail day type event to occur.
Is SWR necessary for CRS ?
Submitted by Naveen on 17 February 2010 - 10:49pm.
I'm just as curious. As far as commuter rails in other cities are concerned, all of them are being run by Railway divisions (Delhi suburban rail is run by NR, Kolkata by ER & SER, Mumbai by WR & CR; Chennai by SR, Hyderabad by SCR, etc.).
As discussed earlier on this thread, CRS is said to be a state subject & not with SWR or IR. What this probably means is that the state must also participate financially to build & run the service. For eg. the state of AP & SCR contributed equally for Hyderabad MMTS, but it is being run by SCR. Thus, the state govt has to push for CRS, if they need one. The reason why railways participate in the project is probably because they do not want to part with their assets (tracks, land, etc.), & so, they might have tended to insist on operation & participation, atleast thus far.
Submitted by silkboard on 18 February 2010 - 1:10am.
Thought of recycling this old image, though Metro Ph 2 routes are likely to change, and BRT may not happen as well, the pic gives an idea of possibilities using CRS.
Submitted by idontspam on 18 February 2010 - 5:21am.
There is a condition i think in the railways act which prevents non-IR entities from running rail services. It is phrased cleverly like the route should fall within a single logical city corporation or some such thing. This is why Bangalore metro used an amended mysore tramways act to allow them to build the metro. This is aIso why to execute HSRL BBMP had to take administrative control of the entire region that the route falls under.
I am unable to articulate the exact provisions but one thing is clear, its not straight forward for the states to lay rail lines without violating some railway act provisions.
Submitted by Naveen on 18 February 2010 - 9:41am.
1) Electrified double line exists - only between SBC to Whitefield (via Cant, Blore east, Byappanahalli & KRPuram - appx 24.0km).
2) Non-Electrified double line - fitted between SBC & Lottegollahalli (via Malleswaram, Yesvantapur - appx 10.8km).
These are the only sections that have been doubled (34.8km).
3) Lottegollahalli to Byappanahalli (via Hebbal, Banaswadi - 12.2km appx).
4) Lottegollahalli to Yelahanka (7.0km).
7) Yelahanka to Dodjala (via Bettahalsoor - 12.5km).
Thus, about 77 km of tracks need doubling (or trebling /quadrupling) to operate a CRS network, besides station improvements & rolling stocks, etc. Even if costs were of the order of 25crs /km, this would cost appx'ly 1925crs - still much smaller than the 9000 crs for 43km of Namma Metro.
Track doubling between Yesvantapur & Nelamangala & onwards upto Tumkur has been completed. Also, track doubling between SBC & Ramnagaram has been completed (this information is from another updated SWR map).
Submitted by Sanjeev on 18 February 2010 - 10:23am.
From SBC to Lottegolahalli is already electrified and Yesvanthpur to Yelahanka is also electrified more then six months.
Yelahanaka via Malleshwaram, Yesvanthpur, Lottegollahalli to Byappanahalli (via Hebbal, Banaswadi - 12.2km appx) is also electrified with single line. Now all trains originating from Yesvanthpur to Patna / WB ? Orissa are running with electric enginines only.
From Yesvanthpur to Lottegolahalli , two track runs parallel but one goes to Yelahanak & other goes to Hebbal. Here SWR should create junction at Lottegolhalli, also plenty of land available from BEL next to station which can be used to bulid 4 platforms. Now Yesvanthpur to Lottegolahhali / Hebbal track is used mainly for parking goods trains going towards Tumakur / Mangalore almost 8-10 hrs daily.
Railway has already sanctioned doubling of Yesvanthpur to Yelahanka & Yelahanka to Byappanahalli, I feel we may see the tendering process very soon on this.
Even the total cost may be near 1900 Crore for CRS, with initial cost of say Rs 300-400 Crore CRS can take off within span of 6-12 months once State & Center decides to impliment.
I thinks its time for Praja & all of us to write pettion to Railway Minister K H Muniyappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka , Transport Minister of Karnataka & SWR GM. Also we need to take this petition with all three MP's & 16 - 18 MLA''s of Bangalore.
Other things is to make Commuter Rail Day similar to Bus Day.
For Commuter Rail Day : Plan of action or Project can be created here with all input from Members & then take the same to MOS Mr K H Muniyappa & Transport Minister Mr Ashok and with SWR GM & DRM.
We have already passanger trains running on particular root as discuused in earlier thread. We can ask SWR to add more coaches on the particula Comuter Rail Day & to stop the passanger trains in all stations. Request BMTC to run more buses from the Suburban Stations like Whitefield to ITPL Similarly to run special train from Kengeri to Devanhalli say at 7am & 8 am with feeder buses from Devanhalli station to BIAL.
Submitted by Naveen on 18 February 2010 - 1:48pm.
1) Electrified double line - fitted between SBC to Whitefield (via Cant, Blore east, Byappanahalli & KRPuram - appx 24.0km).
2) Electrified double line - fitted between SBC & Lottegollahalli (via Malleswaram, Yesvantapur - appx 10.8km).
3) Lottegollahalli to Byappanahalli (via Hebbal, Banaswadi - 12.2km appx) - lines doubled, but only one line electrified.
4) Lottegollahalli to Yelahanka (7.0km) - single line, electrified, track doubling sanctioned.
5) Yelahanka to Byappanahalli (via Tanisandra, Chennasandra - 16.1km), single line, not electrified, track doubling sanctioned.
6) Byappanahalli to Anekal Rd (via Bellandur rd, Karmelaram - 29.0km appx), single line, not electrified.
7) Yelahanka to Dodjala (via Bettahalsoor - 12.5km), single line, not electrified.
Even for this, a lot of augmentation might be necessary (such as more track additions, electrification, stn platform additions, rake interchanges, etc.).
Submitted by Sanjeev on 18 February 2010 - 2:34pm.
For Point No 3 : Yesvanthpur to Byappanahalli (via Lottegollahalli, Hebbal, Banaswadi - 12.2km appx) is a single line with electrified.
a) Bidadi via Kengeri to City Stn & Yesvanthpur to Yelahanks - Approxi 49 km with electrifed double line except the single electrified line btween Yesvanthpur to Yelahanka. Here we have 11 stations, SWR can run EMU services.
b) Similalry EMU can be started between between Bidadi via Kengeri to City Stn & Yesvanthpur, Hebbal to Whitefiled EMU services can be started with length of Approx 54 Kms, here also we have double electrified line except the Yesvanthpur to Baiyyappanahalli.
Here how SWR can start EMU services on electrified Double line with distance of 40- 50 Kms. Its basically State & Railway should agree leaving Egos & work for CRS so that Banaglore Citizens will get the better Transport fascility with alternate transport options of CRS, BMTC, METRO. Let the frequency of 45-60 Minites during morning & evening with 4-5 schedules during starting. Then after the 6-12 months,with further investment, full fledge services can be started.
Coaches for this CRS can be sourced from BEML as they have now experience for METRO coaches on Broad Gauge line for Delhi METRO pHase-1.
If we think for full fledge CRS, its going to be in dicussion. Take the case of METRO, its going istart n phases, similarly CRS can be in three phases.
Phase-1 to start immeditaly with above three options.
Phase -2 Increase the frequency to 15 Minites after agumenting track & plaform capacity.
Submitted by Raghu Nandana M on 18 February 2010 - 10:52pm.
We hardly see any bus services to many of the above listed stations and is one of the major drawbacks for commuters not using commuter rauilway systems.The transport minister should seriously look at integrating bus & train services in bengaluru.We hardly see usable of bicycle as in chennai where the parking lots are filled with bicycles. They should start on priority with construction of new EMU/DEMU train yard as an immediate priority as we see the pit lines and railway tracks filled with capacity in the various city terminals.
Submitted by Naveen on 18 February 2010 - 11:13pm.
a) Kengeri-SBC-Yesvanthpur-Yelahanka (30.0km). Track between Yesvantapur & Yelahanka is single electric, rest double electric.
b) SBC-Yesvanthpur-Hebbal-Byappanahalli (23.0km). Track double electrified, except between Yesvanthpur & Baiyyappanahalli, which is single electrified.
c) SBC-Cant-Byappanahalli-KRPuram-Whitefield (24.0km). Track double electrified throughout.
Submitted by Naveen on 18 February 2010 - 11:26pm.
They should start on priority with construction of new EMU/DEMU train yard as an immediate priority as we see the pit lines and railway tracks filled with capacity in the various city terminals.
There is overcrowding of trains, no doubt - this was my impression too. However, capacities are coming up with Binny mill land for SBC stn /depot & NGEF land for Byappanahalli stn /depot, & these should reduce congestion, & assist in operating a Commuter rail service for the city.
Agree that integration of bus & parking lots at various local stns is a must, if CRS is to be operated.
Submitted by idontspam on 19 February 2010 - 2:19am.
We need to draw a distinction between Commuter and Circular rail. I hope we are not using it interchangably in the discussions.
Submitted by Vasanth on 19 February 2010 - 9:56am.
Commuter Rail route suggestion on map.
With this route, most of the places can be covered with just 1 changeover.
Circural Rail - Where ?
Submitted by Naveen on 19 February 2010 - 10:28am.
We need to draw a distinction between Commuter and Circular rail.
Are you optimistic about a new circular rail, or are you referring to the existing tracks ?
Building completely new circular rail tracks seems doubtful & is highly unlikely (especially after the failures of circular rails in much bigger cities - Delhi & Kolkata).
b) From Bellandur rd upto abt Doddanekundi on the Selam line - appx 5km.
These add up to as little as 11km (out of some 62km circumference - below 18%).
Submitted by Sanjeev on 19 February 2010 - 4:47pm.
CAG Report which was submitted during June'2006 for the DEMU services of SWR.
CAG report indicates that SWR has incurred loss of 0.67 Crore by operating DEMU services between SBC to Whitefield & SBC to Chikbllapur. The utlization / traffic volume on this DEMU was only 10.54% & 15.91% .
Any one has idea / aware on these DEMU services as adversly indicated by CAG report. As this type of report may be coming in the way for CRS starting . This is due to non-planning or awarness to public by Authorities. Also their may not be any feeder services provided for this DEMU by BMTC.
Submitted by Naveen on 19 February 2010 - 4:17pm.
Excerpts from the CAG report (quoted below) reveal contradictions --- On the one hand, they claim that they had been trying to meet social commitments, & soon after, they add that the city, with it's high growth should be the first choice for DEMU service. Why didn't it work then ?
I think there are a number of reasons. Awareness is a key factor as is image. When one adds lack of proper access to stations with bus services, patronization levels drop dramatically.
Some publicity & good connecting bus services would have been sufficient. The railway minister's job does not end with just getting new trains - I think he is also required to push the machinery that arranges peripheral services that feed these trains.
When the matter was taken up (December 2004 and March 2005), the Railway Administration contended (August 2005) that cost benefit analysis based solely on monetary factors cannot be the only tool for justifying a train service. Railways have an obligation for meeting the inescapable social commitments to the development of backward areas. Running of trains to meet the larger national interest in backward areas/ transport disadvantaged areas is an issue decided by the Railway Board. Zonal Railways have to follow the instructions of Railway Board, which has a wider perspective of traffic planning. Moreover, as Bangalore City is expanding faster in the suburban areas, it has the highest density of commuter traffic and, thus, deserves to be the first choice for DEMU service.
Railway Administration’s contention is not acceptable in view of the provisions contained in Chapter II of the Indian Railway Financial Code, Volume I which require clear financial justification showing net gain to the Railways after meeting average annual costs and working expenses for any fresh investment. Introduction of new services must pass the test of financial remunerativeness as prescribed in the Indian Railway Financial Code, para 205. Moreover, running two small composition of DEMUs did not address the transport related problems of the growing population of Bangalore City as many other express/ passenger trains run on Bangalore – Jolarpet section and running of any additional train was found to be financially unviable by Commercial Department.
The matter was taken up with the Railway Board in September 2005. Their reply has not been received so far (December 2005).
Submitted by idontspam on 20 February 2010 - 10:30pm.
I was referring to the existing tracks. But Circular is a term being used by some authorities in the press reffering to the same thing we are discussing but only within city limits, as Commuter trains generally connect suburban towns.
So, we are talking of connecting Byp to Ypr at 2 min frequency akin to a metro in the same breath as running 20 min trains to tumkur & dodballapur which may or may not pass through the same stretches. Obviously we want both but there is a distinction.
Submitted by Naveen on 21 February 2010 - 8:39am.
I doubt even the Metro running at 2 min frequency. 6 or 7min is more likely, just as most metros do. SBC-Ypr-Byp & SBC-Byp-WF can be run at about 12-15 min. Ken-SBC-Ypr-Yelahanka can be at about 30 mins.
Tumkur, Devanhalli & Hosur could be once an hour - might not see too many commuters even at hourly intervals since carrying capacity will be higher than Metro - train per train.
Anyway, I doubt if a CRS for Bangalore will materialize at all.
SWR available capacity for Bangalore city ???
Submitted by Sanjeev on 22 February 2010 - 5:35pm.
As SWR is keepon claiming City tracks are over loaded Once we study the Train timings of summer spcial trains announced by SWR, its very clear SWR is having spare capacity to run more intercity trains.
1. YPR to Shiradi Train No : 0685 Dep at morning 7:30 from YPR via Yelahanaka on Tuesday. Here the same could have been used to run local trains between Kengeri / SBC / YPR via Yelahanak to Devanahalli / Chikballapur.
In return direction, train is reaching YPR at 8PM on Thursday. So here also SWR could have planned Local Train starting at 7PM from Devanahalli to Kengeri.
5. YPR-Howrah Duronto Exp Train No : 2246 leaving YPR at 11:15 on Sunday and in return direction Train No : 2245 arriving at YPR on Saturday at 4 PM. This was announced after the budget.
So one can see how SWR is fooling all of Bangalore Citizens on Local Trains / CRS. One more reason is Efforts State, they are blaming Center & Center blaming state. Who & how much funds required for CRS. Hence SWR officers are running more trains to WB / Bihar / UP / Kerala.
Above facts show that SWR can start immediately many CRS / Local trains even during the peak hours.
Submitted by vlnarayan on 22 February 2010 - 10:24pm.
The real problem again is political will from the state, neither the CM puts in a thought nor the MoS for Railways, to make matters worse both are in different parties and they always think the other will derive the mileage of any success..
Even if MoS Muniyappa can get the CRS cleared for Bangalore, again the cost sharing will come into picture for which State needs to pump the money atleast 50-50 basis. State govt needs to come out of the blame game and be proactive here.
Will CRS work with few trains ?
Submitted by Naveen on 22 February 2010 - 10:38pm.
Agreed that SWR whilst claiming to be overloaded, seem to have 'space' to accommodate new trains inbetween other inter-city departures, but will CRS ever work with a few sporadic trains thrown in between only where possible ?
I think CRS would need regular departures, say one each half hour or one each hour for it to to pick up & sustain it's patronization by regular commuters. If a few trains are started here & there to suburban destinations, I doubt if it will be of much use for regular users since the service may only suit the rare /non-regular inter-city kind of travel - this had already been tested & had failed once, isn't it ?
Submitted by idontspam on 22 February 2010 - 10:50pm.
Absolutely, piecemeal efforts will result in excuses for discontinuing. Its not just the trains, its the platforms, the ticketing, the feeders, the timetable, the scheduling, the interchanges the whole deal.
Submitted by n on 22 February 2010 - 11:17pm.
The state does seem to be constrained against building / operating rail systems as per the Railways Act unless it can be proved to be a tram (based on a hurried look at the relevant sections - 2.31, 16 and 20 respectively).
And, Railways are losing money for lack of feeder service as per the CAG article. Witness feeder service being run by Delhi metro than the bus companies.
Doesn't this situation ideally lend itself to a 2-way MoU? The State govt. can assure feeder service (by KSRTC) and the railways can allow part ownership (some routing, frequency etc.) by the State on limited (suburban, circular) services. BMLTA is the perfect state liaison and coordinating agency. Just needs the push (most likely by state govt.).
Submitted by Sanjeev on 23 February 2010 - 9:15am.
The debate to have local trains / CRS between public, State & SWR is going on for more then 10 years & 3-4 times RITEs has submitted report on CRS. Amount spent on RITES study any one has idea???
2. Now we have too many cooks : IDD, BMLTA, BMTC, METRO, HSRL, Mono Rail, SWR, BMRDA. Here I feel BMLTA has moe role to play on CRS, but they do not have any authority.
3. SWR has not developed any stations in last ten years in Bangalore except 2-3 stations : Kengeri, Chikkabanavara and to certain extent Yesvanthpur. Now SWR wants SBC & Byappanahalli to be developed as world class stations. This will not happen for next 4-5 years as SWR officers are interested to run trains for Bihar, WB, UP, Kerala.
Also SBC will not start as Binny mil land is under court case.
4. Byappanahalli wcould have been developed by SWR by now as an regular station, which could have helped. Also Yelahanaka is really in bad shape & it looks like some village station. Why SWR does not own the developement of thiss tation, Railway are developing all stations in Bihar, UP, WB. Next to Yelahanka, Railway has its own factory Wheel & Axle Plant.
1 As Mejestic area will get disturbed over the period of 2-3 years for METRO & KSRTC Bus Stand, where is the alternate transport facility for this.
2. NH-7 raod widening by NHAI for 22 Kms over the period of 3-4 years.
4. METRO work Phase-1 & Phase-2 at diiferent parts of city will have effect on public transport system.
5. Ever growing traffic in city will further have problem.
Where is the alternate mode of Public Transport system for the above for next 3-4 years.
In the process, we see more Intercity trains starting to Bihar, UP, WB, Kerala & further SWR will take stand that it is not possible to even start few local trains.
If the SWR can start few local / CRS trains in the peak period say four shuttle services in the morning between 7 to 9 with frequency of 30 Minites & same way in the evening four shuttel services between 4-6PM. , this will help in bringing pressue on Raod.. Say even 20000-30000 passengers can start using the CRS / Local trains, Take the case of MMTS at Hyderbad, now the ridership is arround 75000 & they are planning for 2nd Phase with further investment of Rs 400 Crore, here SCR is forcing state to come forward.. In the same way CRS / Local trains can be started in Bangalore.
Other wise if seperate tracks to be needed for CRS & full fledge service required , then let us be ready to invest Rs10000 Crore, which will be in DREAMS only.
Submitted by idontspam on 23 February 2010 - 10:27am.
Metro built under municipal limits of Bangalore took shelter under the mysore tramways act so they did not have to get it built by IR. This also means metro cannot service areas outside BBMP limits. I wonder how Delhi Metro can go to Gurgaon & Noida then.
This clause needs to be altered so states can build their own railways and own it as long as it doesnt interfere with IR and maybe confine itself to the state instead of municipal limits. So effectively the alteration of clause from municipal to state and removal of the word Tramway will allow decontrol of the railways from IR stranglehold. There is no need for them to monopolize the services like this.
On a lighter note 2.31 also reads (ii) lines of rails built in any exhibition ground, fair, park, or any other place solely for the purpose of recreation. Classify Bangalore city a theme park because it is one hairy ride anyway. In which case you can build mono rail for the joy ride. its a toy train anyway.
Submitted by Naveen on 23 February 2010 - 10:31am.
Sanjeev - your frustrations are shared by many of us.
Unfortunate as it is, the railway structuring at central level is such that local realities & needs are often ignored, despite the many railway sub-divisions. As we know, their focus is primarily on inter-city or inter-state travel.
New trains to /from Bihar, WB, UP, Kerala, etc are probably a result of demands from those states for direct connections to the south & to Bangalore, since these had also been neglected over the decades. Even direct trains between Kolkata & Bangalore had not been available earlier & one had to change over at either Chennai or Guntakal. At least inter-city travel has improved a great deal, now.
The traffic disruptions that you mention are for putting in place much better exclusive track train system/s that will provide long-term, permanent relief for commuters, based on data. Though this will take some time, it is perhaps worth investing in & waiting for.
In the interim, BMTC buses can do the job. I was on ORR /Kundalahalli yesterday at peak hour evening & saw the hundreds of buses going full, ferrying people to various parts of the city. Increasing the number of buses & schedules alone might be a much better option for providing temporary relief than the operation of a hastily built CRS that will have too many restrictions in operation such as too few schedules, limited no. of stations - many of which lie away from normal commuter traffic flows with no proper access to stations, etc.
After experiencing CRS at Chennai recently, I am firmly of the opinion that planning a CRS based on existing tracks or new tracks fitted only where possible, will never work. For the system to succeed, the focus has to be firmly on ease of travel for commuters based on studies & must never be based on where physical assests exist or for the ease of construction.
Though we are fortunate that a couple of SWR tracks run through the city & could be used for mass transit, running a CRS as things stand is easier said than done since the question of arranging inter-modal transfers arise at both ends. Thus, unless buses are permitted into railway stations to pick up & drop off passengers, CRS may never work. As of now, none of the stations have such facilities. This will of course change with Byappanahalli & maybe other stns later.
Submitted by idontspam on 23 February 2010 - 10:36am.
I insist we deserve and need a real CRS with proper rolling stock, not get-the-monkey-off-my-back efforts.
Submitted by s_yajaman on 23 February 2010 - 11:07am.
Our agencies cannot even coordinate and provide decent footpaths to walk on in the centre of the city. And we actually think they will provide a decent commuter rail service.
There is nothing in it for SWR to provide commuter rail service to Bangalore. Even the twice a day service to BIAL which was supposed to have taken off a few months back has not. This is realism and not pessimism.
Submitted by silkboard on 23 February 2010 - 11:12am.
It will be worth the effort to meet a few SWR and GoK people to get their 'official' versions.
Lets also speak to few journalists, and help one paper or TV channel do a detailed report on CRS possibilities (feasibility is different from possibility). Such a thing would raise the profile of this issue/demand.
Can try DNA, Express, Hindu, or TV9.
Submitted by SB_YPR on 23 February 2010 - 11:56am.
Just finished reading all the posts on this thread, and here are some of my thoughts.
Second, as a corollary of the above, the only way to enable a CRS for Bangalore is on the Hyderabad MMTS model, with the State Government sharing half the cost. I am still not clear whether BSY & Co. are actually interested in this, particularly given that the State is already heavily investing in the Metro.
Third, not all of the rail corridors in Bangalore, either in their persent state or otherwise, are suitable for suburban traffic movement. For instance, the Yeshwantpur-Yelahanka line passes through the BEL and GKVK campuses for a significant portion of its length. Likewise, the Yeshwantpur-Chikkabanavara line passes through mostly forested area or defence land beyond Jalahalli and does not serve any major population centres.
Fourthly, the region around Bangalore still has large expanses of single line track without the doubling of which suburban services cannot commence. Baiyyappanahalli-Yeshwantpur, Yeshwantpur-Yelahanka and Yelahanka-Krishnarajapuram are instances. Some hope lies in the fact that the doubling of the latter two stretches (26 km in all) had been sanctioned in the previous budget at a total cost of Rs. 125 crore.
Fifthly - and this point has been made many times over - intermodal connectivity at stations is an absolute must. Some stations (like City, Whitefield and Yelahanka) have bus stations in the close vicinity, others (Cantonment, Krishnarajapuram, Byappanahalli, Hebbal, Kengeri) are benefited by their proximity to a major road, and still others (Lottegollahalli, Nayandahalli, Kodigehalli, Banaswadi) lack connectivity altogether. Unless the gaps are filled up, the success of the service will be in doubt.
It is a long shot, though, to expect any or all of these to materialise smoothly, particularly given the number of coordinating agencies involved (SWR, BMTC, BTP, BMLTA etc.). Short of hoping for the best, it would be a good idea for us (and the authorities involved) to identify areas needing improvement and lay out a roadmap towards achieving a final solution.
Submitted by Sanjeev on 23 February 2010 - 12:04pm.
BMTC playing feeder services to CRS on existing is not a problem.
With few changes to BMTC root, further stations can be included for Local Trains.
I agree completely, In the long run, we need Full Fledge services of CRS with frequency of 10 Minites. To come to this situtaion, we need to start some where & its already more then 10 years, things have not changed. Once we have this small services of four shuttel services in the morning & four in the evening in each direction, then awarness will come with Public & further things will start moving.
With this was even State and Center can mobilze the required funds and Ridership will also improve over the period with all three BMT, METRO & CRS complimenting each other.
Even as you sugested on increasing BMTC buses, as roads already are chocked, then how do we ensue the speed of travel, forget the compfortness of travelling.
insist we deserve and need a real CRS with proper rolling stock, not get-the-monkey-off-my-back efforts.
Then wait for the next decade 2020, we will get complet METRO, let us enjoy the further polluion, congested roads & increase in travel time. KRV has not raised issue till now on Local Trains or CRS. I agree on this. & we should explore this. They can make difference on this, but I am not sure they will do this???
Yes We can meet the people & push for the CRS .
Submitted by Sanjeev on 23 February 2010 - 12:26pm.
It will be worth the effort to meet a few SWR and GoK people to get their 'official' versions as suggested by Pranav.
this is very much needed to make more public awarness & force the authorites make the things start. Call DNA, Hindu, Express, TV9, and other channels & news paper.
Alos we need to file RTI with BMLTA, SWR, IDD & Chief Secreatry of GOK for the status of CRS.
I have spoken to BMLTA, IDD & SWR DRM office, but the BMLTA is more positive. SWR Hubli is not giving any response on this. IDd is passing buck to SWR Hubli. DRM Bangalore is some what interested.
Submitted by SB_YPR on 23 February 2010 - 12:25pm.
four shuttel services in the morning & four in the evening in each direction on existing SWR traclk, already capacity is available with SWR. Services should be during peak hours only.
Bangalore City station (and the rail corridors in general) are quite crowded between 6 am - 9 am and 6 pm - 9 pm (broadly what could be classified as peak hours) due to several arrivals/departures of long-distance trains. As such, I don't think it will be possible to run services during peak hours with the existing infrastructure.
Submitted by Naveen on 23 February 2010 - 12:33pm.
When the state is investing almost 11,000 crs on a metro system & is seriously considering expansion with a second phase & possibly a monorail system as well (all calling for huge investments), why would they pursue a CRS in the interim which they will have little control over & when overwhelming evidence suggests that such systems cannot be run efficiently within our goofed up bureaucratic setups & with so many agencies needed for co-ordination ?
This is without mention of the land crunch which SWR has been facing for expansion of SBC station & their insistence on overloaded systems.
I don't think there is much demand nor is there much expectation from the public for a CRS since they already know too well how such rail systems have been functioning in other cities, Mumbai excluded.
Mumbai's dependence on suburban rail, as we all know is more to do with the city's N-S terrain & travel habits that have historically been established due to this - in fact, the city's suburbs were developed based on where rail tracks could be expanded, akin to Curitiba's BRT. Thus, comparison with bangalore would be incorrect.
Action from the state for acquiring a CRS may start only after the Metro has been made operational.
Submitted by idontspam on 23 February 2010 - 2:45pm.
In which case they should allow the state to do it themselves. Lets ask SWR/muniyappa to go and campaign for the IR act 2.31 modification in lieu of us getting off their back or even easier provide IR land for the state to lay their own tracks adjacent, over, under their tracks.
I am more interested in decontrol of IR monopoly so the state can lay their own tracks, it is a hassle to go behind this state provider to get anything done.
Submitted by idontspam on 23 February 2010 - 2:52pm.
No thats not how you solve problems. Get IR to deregulate and let go of monopoly over railways then either IR will implement CRS just to get you off their back or really let go of monopoly, in which case its easier to catch your local govt.
THe former is very much unlikely, but the latter is very much possible. Like Manish has pointed out, suburban services will be hived off and new ones may not need IR approval.
Submitted by Naveen on 23 February 2010 - 3:28pm.
Exactly - Unless we find a proper, sustainable manner to meet operating expenses through revenues, there is no point in demanding CRS - & CRS, as of now is still largely an IR subject, though states may have funded it partially. Thus, fares have to remain low, revenues have to remain poor, & train systems /stations have to keep rotting away!
The cities that have already benefited with CRS may seem to have been blessed, but the reality is that these rail systems are not maintained well, do not fulfill objectives & keep bleeding the economy.
BMTC playing feeder services to CRS on existing is not a problem. With few changes to BMTC root, further stations can be included for Local Trains.
This is not entirely true - many of the stations including important transit points such as Cantonment, Bangalore East, Kengeri, Gnanbharathi & Malleshwarm do not have bus stops close by. Some do not have bus routes that pass near enough.
We are probably talking about 2050 now! The central govt's stanglehold on railways in the country will take a lot to break. They will never wrest control since IR has been a prized pocession for them to use in many ways to appeal to the masses. No harm in trying though, I guess.
Submitted by rmb on 23 February 2010 - 4:30pm.
If legal wrangle is the issue for starting a railway by state, how was KRC possible? IR was just a minor share holder in KRC and still continue to be so.
Submitted by Sanjeev on 23 February 2010 - 5:25pm.
As Manish mentioned about the Railway ministry may hive off suburban traffic operations.
Also as mentioned by Naveen, We are probably talking about 2050 now on IR deregulations and let go of monopoly. With MoS MR K H Muniyappa from Bangalore, we have seen last one year, what Mamatha has allowed him to do. Even the Rajdhani announced last budget not yet started.
Other wise BEML can participate in SPV. Lets say State 40%, Center / Railway 40% & BEML :10%, with FII's & public 10%. Here BEML can supply the rolling stock for CRS as BEML has gained expetise in MTERO Rakes on Broad Gauge line for Delhi METRO. Rakes can be as per METRO design for CRS. State will be more interested in BEML as the State will get more tax collections.
This type of debate will keep on going for Bangalore may be for next one decade & Hyderabad MMTS is planning for phase-2 this year. Similalry in Karnataka we need CRS for Mysore, Managalore, Hubi-Dharwad If the Banaglore gets CRS, then it will help other cities of Karnatak for Locla trains getting.
Submitted by idontspam on 23 February 2010 - 9:34pm.
Not like that, it has to be a sustained campaign with possibilities discussed right here on the site itself. Lets work out a model and then present it. Ramesh's model on Bangalore Railway Corporation can kick of the discussions. | 2019-04-23T00:49:13Z | http://praja.in/en/blog/naveen/2010/02/13/commuter-rail-will-it-ever-materialize |
These days the internet is full of hilarious cats doing incredibly entertaining things.
While many of us may have spent hours following our cats around while filming them on our phone in the vain hope that they’ll do something entertaining or meme-worthy others have realised that the best way to capture a camera shy cats best moments is to do so surreptitiously by installing a cat camera.
If you are looking for a simple cat camera that doesn’t dispense treats then skip to our second table of the best budget cat cameras here.
Others may have less selfish motives for investing in a cat camera, such as a genuine concern for the welfare of their pet while they are out and about.
Whatever your motive we hope that our breakdown of some of the very best cat cameras currently available on the market will be of use and value to you.
Who Needs a Cat Camera?
To many people cat cameras seem like a bit of an unnecessary purchase however there are many reasons why it could be a very useful purchase. For example if you have a cat which has health problems and you want to be certain that it is managing okay during the day while you are out then a camera is a useful way to put your mind at ease.
If you have got kittens a cat camera could also be useful as it will allow you to check what they are getting up to. Anyone who has ever had kittens will tell you it is surprising how much trouble they can cause in just a few hours (or even minutes) left alone!
If your cat has a condition or ailment which requires it to have regular tablets then a treat dispenser feature could be very useful as you could hide the tablet inside a treat and dispense the treat remotely at the appropriate time.
When choosing a cat camera it is important to ensure that you purchase a camera which fulfills the needs of you and your cat. There are variety of features and functions available on the different cameras we have reviewed below.
An iPhone and Android compatible app to view and control the camera through.
If you’re looking for a cat camera with as many features and gadgets packed into it as possible then we recommend you check out out reviews of feature filled cameras, alternatively if you would rather just have a simpler camera which does the basics well then check out our budget cat camera reviews.
A fully rotating tower camera which also includes a laser function so your can play and interact with your pet.
The Camera has a decent 720p resolution, it also has the ability to shoot in 320p if you want to save on bandwidth.
However what is really good about this camera is its range of view. With 340 degrees of rotation and 110 degrees of vertical movement combined with it’s wide-angled lens it is one of the better cameras available. If your cat is in the same room as the camera and isn’t hiding behind something then you definitely will be able to see it!
The app includes the ability to take still shots and ten second video clips from the camera and save them directly to your phone. The app also allows you to share camera access with friends and family which could be useful if they are pet sitting for you.
The Petkit is similar in appearance to some of the larger treat dispensing cameras however it doesn’t dispense treats but instead rotates smoothly on it’s circular base. This base also lights up whenever the camera is active.
It is available in both wood effect patterning and rose gold colouring and features a long black strip down the middle where the camera, sensors and laser is housed.
The inbuilt laser feature is a nice feature which can be turned on remotely via the app and used to give your cat some exercise.
It moves automatically so can’t be manoeuvred around the room manually from the app which is a shame and is one thing which could improve this camera.
Again this product also allows you to hear and speak to your pet. By simply pressing the microphone button in the app you can speak through the speaker, any sound that your cat makes will also be caught by the microphone in the camera.
Which phones does the PetKit App work on?
The Petkit app works on all mainstream operating system including all iPads and iPad mini from the iPad 2 and iPhone 4s upwards. It also works on the following Android devices too; the Galaxy Note2/3,S3,S4,S5,S6/S6 edge,S7/S7 edge, Huawei 3C,4C,4X/5X,4A,6/6 plus,7/7i,P7/P8 OPPO R7/R7 plus,R8,R9/R9s/R9 plus.
Perfect for: Cats (or owners!) with separation anxiety. Have tons of fun with your pet all day while you’re at work.
As a cat lover myself, I know that the hardest part of a cat owners day is leaving their pet behind. Now you don’t have to ever again. The Furbo Cat Camera keeps you together no matter how far apart you are. Wifi connectivity, Amazon Alexa compatibility, meow detection, a 1080p HD camera—there’s not much to dislike about it.
It really shines in how it helps you have fun with your kitten and cure their separation anxiety. The unique treat-throwing feature lets you store up to 100 treats and launch them at your cat all day, and you can even talk to them so they don’t miss you.
The Furbo doesn’t skimp on quality, with a high quality 1080p camera you get a great HD view or what your cat is up to (the camera quality is almost good enough to use to take pictures of your cat which you could send to Petsies to get a realistic stuffed cat replica made!) and the night vision functionality of the camera works surprisingly well too meaning that even when all the lights are out you will still be able to watch your pet with ease.
Although the Furbo, unfortunately, doesn’t include the ability to rotate it does have a very wide angled camera lens which will give you a good 160-degree view of your room, which, when combined with the treat throwing function will quickly bring your cat into view.
How Does the Furbo Look?
If style is high up on your list of priorities then look no further, the Furbo is a beautifully constructed camera, with soft rounded edges. It’s outer casing is white with a pleasing bamboo lid on top of it, while it may not boast a laser or rotation mechanism it makes up for that with its clean pleasing looks.
Measuring 15cm x 12cm x 22.5cm it is by no means the smallest product available however that is necessary to create space for all of those treats! It also weighs 798 grams (and that’s before you fill it with tasty treats!).
I don’t watch the Ellen show but apparently the Furbo featured on her show and wowed viewers with it’s ability to feed your pet on command by simply asking Alexa to do it!
This is a pretty cool feature which I believe only one other cat camera currently offers.
A lot of cat cameras include treat dispensing mechanisms however most of them severely limit the number of treats you can store in the camera, not so the Furbo which allows you to store 100 treats inside it!
Enough treats to keep your pet happy for a week if needs be (although we don’t recommend feeding your cat in this way!).
Which Phones Does the Furbo App Work On?
The Free Furbo app is fully functional on all iOS and Android operating system.
The Pawbo, by Acer, combines three features; camera, treat dispenser and laser pointer, all at a very reasonable price.
The 720p video camera is, for the most part, a great performer, with clear image quality, however some users report that image quality suffers a bit when the quality of light in your room is poor or there are things such as Christmas lights in the cameras view.
One handy feature of this camera is the ability it has to create sounds such as a birds tweet or a cats meow. Your pet will quickly come to associate the noise with a treat being dispensed so this can be used to summon your pet to the camera whenever you want to see them.
The camera also has a functionality which allows you to store video recordings of your cat directly on Dropbox (it is worth noting that if you do not have a Dropbox account it is not possible to save video at the moment) as well as the ability to take pictures from the camera and store them on your phone.
One slight drawback to this camera is that you cannot adjust the view to look around the room, this can be particularly frustrating when you dispense treats as the treats are not fired out very far so if your cat is eating the treat below the camera you may not be able to see it, so you must ensure that you get the positioning of the camera perfect when you set it up.
Measuring 11.2cm wide x 11.2 cm deep and 20 cm tall it is sleek and inconspicuous when inactive. Made from white plastic it is also very lightweight weighing only 0.56kg (when not filled with treats), it can however feel a bit flimsy but providing you place it somewhere secure this shouldn’t be a problem.
The power cord is roughly 1.5 meters which does limit it’s maneuverability somewhat so you may require an extension lead to put it exactly where you want it. It also doesn’t feature any switch to turn it on or off but rather is immediately turned on as soon as it is plugged in.
The treat dispenser is one area which could definitely be improved. The limited width and depth of the Pawbo means that the treat carousel is very small only allowing for the storage or nine small treats, this means that regular refills are required. The carousel also feels quite flimsy and lightweight so make sure that care is taken when loading it.
This is a great feature which cats seem to really enjoy. The Pawbo app allows you to manually move the laser pointer about yourself using your phone so that you can play with your cat without even being there, there is also an automatic function which will move the laser pointer for your cat too.
Which Phones Does the Pawbo App Work On?
The Pawbo app will work on all iPhones and iPads which have iOS 6 or above installed, it also works on any phone or tablet device which uses android 4 or above.
The Petcube Bites is a market-leading innovator with two-way audio allowing you to talk to your pet as well as Alexa connectivity putting it ahead of many of it’s nearest rivals.
The Petcube has a HD 1080p camera which has a wide-angled 138-degree lens allowing you to watch what your cat (or dog) gets up to in great clarity via their app. The app also allows you to zoom in on your pet which can be useful if they are the far side of the room. The camera also features impressive night-vision functionality which means you can even see your pet fairly clearly even when there is minimal light in the room.
The Petcube is a sleek and smart looking device with a flat back so that it can be fitted to a wall if required.
It measures at 8.6cm deep x 23.8cm wide x 42.4cm tall and weighs 2.59kg (when not filled with treats).
As is standard for some of the more high end pet cameras the Petcube has a treat dispenser function. The treat dispenser allows you to specify how many treats to dispense and how far to shoot them. It also allows you to schedule timed intervals for regular snacks.
One thing to be aware of with the Petcube is that it allows two different options for treat sizes, so you must ensure that you select the correct option for your treat size otherwise it may not work or may unintentionally feed your cat multiple treats rather than just one.
One of the many great features of the Petcube is its Alexa functionality, once the Petcube has been setup with Alexa you can say “Alexa, give the cat a treat” and your cat will immediately be rewarded with a tasty snack with minimal effort from you!
The Petcube’s motion and sound detection features allow you to setup alerts when movement or sound is detected, this is also and handy feature if you also want to use it as a security camera.
Which Phones is the Petcube App Compatible With?
The Petcube app is compatible with all mainstream phones. Including all iPhone and iPad devices which have iOS 8.4 or higher installed. It is also compatible with all Android devices which have the Android 4.3 (or above) operating system installed.
Okay so this is arguably a pet feeder more than it is a camera however it deserves its place in our top ten because for some people a camera that also feeds their cat a full meal is far better than a device that just feeds them the odd tiny snack every so often!
Admittedly the camera isn’t the headline feature on this product (that’s the feeder), so you may expect the camera quality to be poor.However while it’s by no means the market leader in terms of camera quality it does put up a good fight with a wide angled lens which allows for 130 degrees of coverage (there is no pan or tilt feature though) and a 720p camera the image quality is crystal clear in good light.
Automatic pet feeders can often be pretty ugly behemoths, some of them have clear panels so you can see what level the food is at, while this is practical it is also ugly! Conversely the Maxmer is neatly packaged in stylish white with a well designed camera lens on the front. Measuring 24cm deep (from the back to the front of the bowl) x 16cm wide x 38 cm tall it looks more like a tiny little boiler unit than it does a messy feeder. Admittedly it is significantly bigger than most cat cameras, weighing 2.78kg (and that’s before you’ve filled it with cat food).
The automatic cat feeder is the stand out feature on this camera and this is the only camera we have reviewed which does include a feeder.
The feeder allows you to specify exactly when to feed your cat and how much to feed them. If your cat is overweight you can ensure that they are getting exactly the right amount of food as specified by your vet to perfectly manage your cats health. You can also manually feed your pet via the app and watch them as they eat through the camera if you wish!
With a huge 4.5 liter capacity, it wont need filling up too often. It allows you to serve your cat up to 4 meals a day and a meal will consist of between 1-10 portions (depending on how you set it), each portion is 100 grams of food. be aware that wet food cannot be used in this device – it will ruin it!
The cat feeder function is very handy if you know you may have to leave the house unexpectedly for a few days for example if you’re awaiting a baby.
One of the useful features of this camera is that, as well as having two way audio which allows you to communicate directly with your cat through the app it also allows you to record a message onto your feeder so that when food is dispensed your cat will be alerted by your own voice without you having to login to the app to call them over.
Which Phones Does The Maxmer App Work On?
The Maxmer app is compatible with all mainstream devices running iOS and the Android operating systems.
If you aren’t overly concerned about your cat having lasers and flying treats projecting out of your cat camera then you may be interested in a simpler model.
The Motorola scout is an RSPCA approved cat (and dog) camera which combines 300 degree views of your room with motion sensor triggered video recording capabilities (however this function does require a subscription).
The Motorola Scout has a 720p camera which while not the highest spec you can get is very decent with great image quality providing there is a reasonable level of light.
It does have an infrared night vision mode though the footage in this mode is a bit grainy.
The stand out feature of this camera is its ability to swivel 300 degrees as well as tilt up and down allowing you to keep the camera on your pet regardless of whether or not they decide to stand directly in front of your camera. Some of the treat dispensing cameras only give a very limited view range so if your cat likes to make itself at home on the top of your dresser or in some place where you wouldn’t typically point a camera then this camera is the ideal solution as, with a bit of swiveling and zooming (it also has a digital zoom feature), you will eventually be able to locate your cat (providing they are contained in the same room as the camera!).
The camera is smart in pearl black and silver, and also quite small measuring only 10.5cm deep, 16cm wide and 23.3cm tall and weighing 0.5kg.
It can sit unnoticed alongside your TV, on your dresser or wherever else you choose to put it.
While it doesn’t have a treat dispensing function it does have a number of other features which really add value to this camera for any attentive cat owner.
Inbuilt sensors allows the Motorola Scout to send you alerts if room temperature falls above or below levels which you can preset, so you can be certain that your pet is comfortable and isn’t getting stressed due to being overly hot or cold.
This is almost a standard feature now for most cat cameras, the Motorola Scout allows you to hear what your pet is doing or saying and you can talk to your pet through your phone’s microphone to reassure them if they appear concerned or stressed.
Which Phones Does the Motorola Scout Work On?
The app is compatible with any iPhone or iPad device which is running iOS 7.1 or above (this means that anything from the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 will work with it without any issues). It is also compatible with any Android phone which is running the Jelly Bean operating system or above.
You can have as many phones connected to the camera as you want however you can only have one viewer at once, this probably is because when you are logged into the app you can control the movement of the camera and obviously only one person at once can control the camera’s movement.
The Sotion Super is a good multi purpose camera which is designed specifically for indoor use and thanks to its tilt, zoom and swivel functionality is a great choice for keeping your eyes on your cat.
The Camera runs in 960p which delivers a high quality image direct to your phone through the Zeborah App. The App actually supports up to 4 cameras at once so if your cat roams about your house while you are out you could be 4 cameras and strategically place them around your home so that you see exactly what he or she is up to.
The camera turns 355 degrees so you could even place it in the centre of a room, for example on a coffee table and get you would be able to view all of the room. It can also tilt 110 degrees up and down.
Available in either black or white, the Sotion Super HD does look a bit more like a baby monitoring camera than other cameras we have reviewed. This is thanks to its soft round edges and child friendly design with no small parts.
It measures 13cm deep x 13cm wide x 19cm tall and weighs 581 grams.
The Sotion has a night vision feature which will allow you to see what your pet is up to in the dark. This feature doesn’t employ any questionably useful technology but rather simply uses LEDs which will turn on when you access the app and will allow you to see clearly up to ten metres in front of your camera, however the night vision mode only shows images in black and white.
The Sotion has particularly good quality speakers and microphones (probably because the target market for this product is parents using it as a baby monitor so sound quality is of more value to them) which allows you to communicate with your cat and hear what they are saying as well as talk back to them.
The Sotion is operated through their Zeborah App which can is compatible with all mainstream Android and iPhone devices.
The Logitech Circle 2 is advertised primarily as a security camera however it also serves very well as a cat camera.
This camera is very clear at 1080p and even in low light the image quality is exceptionally good thanks to its inbuilt night vision LEDs which allow you to have a clear view of what is going on even if light levels are very low.
The camera doesn’t have swivel functionality however the very wide angled lens provides a 180 degree view of your room.
One of the great features of this camera is the day brief function, this function summarises all the action that the camera has caught that day into one 30 second clip so you can know exactly what your cat has been up to without having to have your eyes glued to the app all day.
A grey bubble indicates a low activity event.
A blue bubble indicates a high activity event, such as your cat running across the room.
The Circle 2 is, unsurprisingly, circular, with white casing and a black front panel which houses the camera.
It is available in both wired and wireless versions (this can last up to 3 months on one charge!).
On both of these versions the camera element is detachable and can be reattached to different their different casing options including the window mount which allows you to stick the camera to the window if you want to keep your eye on comings and going outside your house.
Unfortunately in order to take advantage of the more high end abilities of the Circle 2 you have to pay a monthly subscription.
For example to get the motion zone system which allows you to draw a zone on your camera’s field of view which will trigger an alert if there is any movement in that particular area you must pay the subscription fee. The same is also true for their person detection feature.
Which Phones does the Circle 2 App Work on?
The Circle 2 app is compatible with all iPhone devices which are running iOS 8.1 or newer and all Android devices running Android 4.4 or newer.
Perfect for: Owners who want a perfect view of their cat but are on a budget.
The TP Links camera gets the job done with 720p HD imaging combined with automatic night vision, it is both the perfect security and cat watching camera! The camera also has something called H.264 compression built into it, this is an advanced method of video coding which significantly reduces the amount of data required to view a live stream on your phone. For many pet camera users poor connectivity is a big sticking point with some cameras, with some struggling to work over a 4G connection. The H.264 compression will ensure that even over poor internet connections you are still able to view a seamless live video stream!
If your cat is this cute a camera is essential to prevent you missing any cute moments!
The Tp-Link is a very clean simple looking camera with, pure brilliant white casing which would look at home in a stylish modern kitchen or a minimalist lounge. It is also very diminutive compared to other cameras, measuring 7.6cm x 6.9cm x 13.7 cm and weighing only 299 grams.
The TP Link has sensors which detect any movements or noise in the immediate vicinity of the camera, it will then immediately send an alert to your phone via the app. This can be very useful for cat owners who’s cats only make rare and fleeting appearances as you wont waste time and battery life staring at an empty room through your phone but can rather open the app when you know your cat is there.
Which Phones is the TP Link App Compatible With?
As you would expect the TP Link is compatible with iOS and Android devices.
The Yatwin IP camera is competitively priced and packed with plenty of great features without being overly complex. Available in both 720p and 1080p this camera can pan and tilt and also features a night vision mode which uses an array of 12 infrared LEDs in the camera head, these allow you to see clearly up to 10 meters.
The Yatwin IP has the look of a professional security camera, available in black it measures 12 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm and weighs just 299 grams.
One thing that the Yatwin IP does do that other pet cameras don’t is its auto cruise function whereby it will scan your room with 355 degrees of horizontal rotation and 80 degrees of vertical rotation automatically, this takes the leg work out of looking for your pet!
It also allows you to preset up to five different bookmark positions. These can be set so that the camera immediately pans to a common place in the room where you know your cat likes to sit.
Which Phones Does the App Work On?
The EyeCloud app is compatible with all devices running iOS and Android and it can also be run on a PC too.
I know you’ve got the petkit down as the best on ere but i have the motorola one and have no complaints if anyones wondering. Got it on after 5 mins out of the box, videos dead clear and it was a bit cheaper than the others.Just in case someone wanted one that had been a bit more tried an tested and worried about gimmicky ones, got it off amazon for £50 i think.
Thanks Bob, glad you like the Motorola, it is a great cat camera and is a great budget option! | 2019-04-26T02:41:55Z | https://www.tuxedo-cat.co.uk/best-cat-cameras/ |
Tonight I got my very first ever mean comment on this here ole blog.
I think maybe that means I am getting good at this blog thing.
I mean all the great bloggers get all sorts of hate/rude comments all the time right? I mean look at Heather B.!
This is going to come off as totally, awfully rude, but are you guys not disturbed by how much weight you’ve gained over the years? Seriously. Just scroll down “over the years” and it looks like you are being inflated.
First let me thank you for reading my blog. I am glad you have popped in for a visit. I do have start off by saying that I think it was mighty cowardly of you to not sign your real name. If I have the courage to show pictures of myself “inflated” then perhaps you should have the courage to sign your name. I’m just saying. But let’s get to the point shall we? Our weight, or more specifically my weight (I am not going to speak for Sweet Man. My story is not his and vice versa. How he feels about his body is up to him, not me, so I will not address it further.) When I was little, say perhaps 4 years old, I was already aware that I was not small or petite or skinny like other little girls. I knew that my tummy stuck out too far and that my thighs were too wide and that this set me apart from others. How I know these things I have no idea, but maybe when you are from the South it is just part of your DNA. So from the age of 4 I was aware. Very aware of my inflated size, to the point that when I was 10 I joined Weight Watchers for the first time. 10 years old. Got that? A little girl and I was already obsessing about my weight. And so the battle began. The battle against what I saw in the mirror and what I saw in the magazines. The battle against what size I wore and what size my friends wore. The battle to be thin enough.
And so I fought the fight: I lost weight and I gained weight. Up and down, up and down. Never really successful in my own mirror. I was never a waif or a rail. My thighs have always touched. My middle has always pouched. My chin, always on the verge of more than one.
Fast forward to college. I dated some boys, I fell in love with a couple. One of these love boys told me I was the biggest girl he ever had dated. I was 5’5″ and weight about 150lbs. I was flat chested and bottom heavy. He thought I was “cute” but not beautiful. And so the battled raged on, only more intense than ever. I walked miles upon miles each day, I ate dry tuna on plain low- fat bagels or ate angel hair pasta with canned tomatoes and canned corn, no fat. And that was it. For months and months until I weighed a whopping 135 lbs. And still it wasn’t enough. He didn’t find me beautiful then either. When I look back on pictures of that time I do not see a healthy girl, I see a girl who was completely starving and out of her mind. I see a girl who thought she looked like the girl I look like now. I look sick. I look funny. I do not look healthy. Jump ahead a couple of years, I have gained some of the weight back, and suddenly Sweet Man comes into the picture. And he loves me. He thinks I am beautiful. Just like I am. Flat chested, bottom heavy, soft middle. And he means it. There are no “buts” attached to his proclamations of love. He loves me. Period. He never turns away from me, he never acts embarrassed by my size. Never compares me to other girls or hints that I should cut back. And this love he gives me, this delight he finds in me, it gives me the courage to believe what I have always secretly suspected, but have never had the courage to truly live out. The courage to believe that I am enough. Period. Not good enough until… But enough as I am. All that I am. Thighs and all.
That is Part 1 of the story. Part 2 is this: Yes, it concerns me. Yes, it is something I think about. Do I want to be 135lbs again? Nope. Would I like to be 175lbs again? Yes. That was the best weight for me. I was full but happy. Healthy and energetic.
And I honestly hope that I can get there again in the next few years.
And so here it is: I weigh 25 more lbs than my ideal weight.
I want to lose those 25 lbs.
But the fact is that my life is really full at the moment, and as it so happens, so are my pants.
But I am trying to have grace for myself and remember that I am still enough. I am loved. I am happy. I open my hands to grace as best as I can, as often as I can, and I try to remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Weight will always be on my radar. And it may always be on yours. But I hope you know that you are enough as well. Just as you are, whoever you are, however big or small.
And on the off chance that this applies (and seeing how you are human too it probably will) I hope that whatever fight you have been fighting since you were 4 years old, that somehow you find the courage inside to put down your sword and open your hands and let the grace flow in. Because really, that is the whole ballgame.
Bravo big sis! Way to lead and teach once more!
When I read that comment, my mouth fell open. I just wanted to commend you on your grace. Not sure that I would have handled that quite as well. Wonderfully said.
I love you I love you I love you.
I have my own open letter to anonymous: you were completely and totally 100% right – you did come off as “totally, awfully rude.” I have never understood people who think it's okay to anonymously say something on a blog comment that they wouldn't say in real life. Have you checked your rude-ometer lately? Because seriously- it's inflated.
And oh my word, Jerusalem, you are gorgeous and don't you for one second think otherwise. Also- this kind of thing is the reason I do not allow anonymous comments on my blog (check your settings.) Because apparently rude people abound.
It is really hard to believe the things that people say sometimes!!
Cheers to you…you handled this so well.
You are so amazing the way you are. Honestly, how many of us doesn't expand a bit in the middle of our lives? This anonymous person needs to chill.
I have never commented on your blog, but I read it faithfully, and always enjoy. You do good work. Thanks for sharing your story. That was brave. Take good care.
Thanks for your honesty once again. And well done for responding to that nasty comment with such love and grace, I've certainly learnt something from you today, -I'm pretty sure I couldn't have been that nice about it. x P.S. You're gorgeous!
Oh, how I love you, beautiful lady! And your whole beautiful family!
You've already won the battle, you have a sweet family, a loving husband and God. Pay no attention to this one random person who left a message, there will always be people like that. As always, I enjoy your blog and keep up the beautiful pictures!
Well said Jeroo– you are fabulous- love you much!
I just have to say your blog has truly been an inspiration. Your relationship with God shines threw your words today just as it does in every post. The fact that someone wanted to shoot you down only proves their own unhappiness. Thank you for sharing your life with your readers…Psalm 112:4-7 Light shines in the darkness for the godly. They are generous, compassionate, and righteous. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
As a person who has struggled with her weight her whole life you are my new hero. I see only a light coming from you filled with joy. You are at a place of acceptance that I long for. You are beautiful and that negative cruel comment came from envy I am sure. That person may never struggle with weight but being hurtful and just plain mean is a far worse burden to carry!
but you 2 look like a happy, beautiful couple to me and I wish you much more happiness – don't let people like that get to you!
Who taught my grandmother how to use the internet???!!
For reals, my grandmother would totally say that.
Only she would have signed her name.
Oh God love the Southern woman and her quest for the fake skinny, fake tan and fake happy!
Cheers for full, healthy and happy!
Wow- happened to pop over and was amazed by that comment… isn't it strange, how people think it's OK to “just” say whatever they want to?? As if we aren't aware of our flaws, and don't need them pointed out? Way to hit a sore spot- and ON PURPOSE. WOW. We come on all shapes and sizes, and that's the way we're made. We are beautiful, just the way we are. Period.
You are beautiful and encouraging. Your blog is an inspiration and a favorite place for me to come when things seem hard. It's a safe spot. God has given you special talents-yup, folks get jealous.
Stand tall, stand firm, live brave and know as you know, as you know, that you are nine shades of lovely.
you addressed that beautifully, even though they didn't deserve it. And even though I don't know you, I think you are amazing! God bless you and your family!
This is the first time I read your blog, found it through Amy, a Facebook friend. Won't be the last. You truly were much, MUCH more gracious than I could've been in your reply to Anon.
You. ROCK. That is all.
So sorry that you received that unkind comment. I thought that particular post was so endearing. My mom always said If you don't have something nice to say, well don't say anything.
Hey beautiful lady! I fell in love a little more with you today. And clearly your Sweet Man is brilliant and has good taste. I was having a lot of rude comments over the last year insulting my parenting, calling one of my children ugly and all sorts of other mean things. We can't let miserable people bring us down. You handled this perfectly.
I had my first hate mail the other day from an anonymous also. It kinda made me sick every time I thought about it. I thought about erasing it. Then decided against it. You are a beautiful woman with a wonderful heart and gift for words. I am thankful to have found your blog. You have truly blessed me with your words today.
Well said. As someone else here said a lot of old people have lost their “filter”. My dad would say awful things. Of course he had dementia and could no longer use a computer. my momma: 'Beauty is and beauty does”. you are beautiful. anon. has problems.
I'm just a lurker but I had to write and say Amen to you.
Seriously? That commenter has an awful lot of bitter in them…it must burn in her/his throat. You are gorgeous, inside and out! AND full of grace!
What a perfect response, both for its eloquence and for its kind, gracious tone that makes Anonymous' self-proclaimed rudeness stick out like even more of a sore thumb. After reading this post, I took a look at the lovely pictures from “14 years …” and was struck by how much your love for each other seems like it's being “inflated” as the years progress. What a beautiful thing.
The only 'inflation' I see is of your happiness through the years with your Sweet Man and your family. Live life with no excuses. It's YOUR life and yours alone. Maybe I'm not society's ideal, either, but then again, who wants to be made up? I'm real. I eat cake. :-)It makes me happy!
This is why I LOVE reading your blog:You are so beautiful and gracious and honest!!
I am so, so, so glad to have read your eloquent response to “anonymous”!
When I look at you, I think “beautiful” and that is all. That's the way I generally think about all the people I love.
I would like for you to be happy, just as you are. I would like to be happiER about my own weight and, personally, get healthier – but that is in LOTS of aspects.
ANON was hurtful. Can't imagine any of our friends saying anything even remotely similar as that to us. We're loved. It's great.
I cannot believe that a stranger remained anonymous and left a negative comment. That is beyond rude. It is cowardly and selfish. I was talking yesterday about the campaign The Body SHoppe had over 13 years ago, “Real Women have curves,” and they had the picture of Barbie lounging, with her curvy figure.
Personally, I have always been built like my grandfather, tall and skinny. Long sleeves shirts and jackets never fit because I have long arms. As a teen, I thought I would outgrow this, but it was not true. People got on to me when i was young, saying the shorts were too short, but when you are skinny, and tall, things that fit around you aren't long enough. At the baptist college, short skirts meant you were slutty, not skinny and tall.
As an adult, I have learned to deal with my size better. I didn't have a parent built like me, so i didn't get advice from them. I had to search for brands that are made more to my body type.
I exercise a lot, as a chef, I am around food all the time, and I really want to fit into the clothes i already own. But more importantly, I want to keep my heart healthy. I want to eat dessert and fit into my clothes. Regardless of size, everyone should exercise, not to lose weight, but to keep the muscles strong and heart healthy.
I say all this to explain that even as a skinny kid, I had body issues that I have overcome as an adult.
I am glad you feel free to be yourself and hope you continue to love yourself, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!!
I totally heart you, totally agree and am totally inspired by you and this post!!
Wow. Couldn't agree more with what you said. I am right there with you, sister. Preach it.
Ouch! How rude for that person to say those things!! I've never left a comment on your blog before, but just wanted to add my two cents. You are beautiful inside and out! Thank you for the inspiring words and for keeping it real!!
I have also battled weight and watched myself inflate over the years. Especially since giving birth and being a full-time working mom.
When I was in my late twenties, I dated a guy who told me that he was embarrassed to be seen with me in public. I was working out regularly and was a healthy size 10. I dumped him immediately telling him that I deserved to be with someone who was PROUD to be with me.
One month later, I met the man who is now my husband. I am now a size 16 and he tells me all the time how beautiful I am. I am working on getting healthy now but I'm not beating myself up about it.
When I saw your photos, all I could think was how great you looked. Your beauty is inside AND outside.
I feel like cheering loudly at your post, Jerusalem. 🙂 What a spunky and wonderful response to a mean-spirited drive-by.
Beautifully written! Bravo to you for taking the higher road. I am sorry that someone felt compelled to leave such a negative and hurtful comment on your blog. I hope they have it in their heart to apologize and realize that it's not what's on the outside that matters, but what is on the inside.
Being the daughter of a woman who still wishes she had a skinny daughter and after being married to a man who determined how much he loved me by what size I was I didn't often feel worth much at all. With the quiet patience and grace that only our Lord can give I began to see myself as He sees me and not as my mother and not as my EX-husband. With that great revelation God gave me his greatest gift. He gave me a man that had never dated a “big” girl. A man that since the moment he first saw me has never seen my weight as anything other than a number. So I want to give a little shout out to our wonderful husbands who have the capacity to love outside of what society tells them is what they should love. I would be lost without this man and the affirmation he gives me everyday. In a society where more woman are unhappy in their marriages I am going to tell the world – I adore my husband to distraction and thank you God for gifting him to me. I will spend the rest of my life treasuring and taking care of that gift! Thank you for your courage to respond with such grace!
Thank you for your post….It spoke volumes to me. I have always battled with my weight….I am 5'3 and weight 169 lbs. I was never skinny but after 2 babies I weigh more than ever before. I finally, after almost 3 years posted a picture of myself on Facebook…always before it was pictures of my kids. I didn't want my high school friends to see my picture…all of the other moms are thin and gorgeous. I finally decided last week that this is me and I am still trying to lose weight, exercise more and eat healthier but this is me now and I am tired of being ashamed of myself.
Thanks so much for your post!
Wow! I'm amazed at how some people focus so much on outward appearances. When I saw your anniversary post all I thought about was how happy and amazing you both look, what awesome pictures, and what a wonderful love story! How much or little you both weighed then and now didn't even enter my mind. Your response back to Anonymous was tactful and spot on.
amazing, amazing, amazing! Thank you for this! Just came to your blog today via Life Made Lovely and now I will most definitely be putting you in my reader! “not good enough until….but enough as I am” seriously sooooo good! Thank you!
This is my very first time EVER reading your blog, and I teared up when I read that comment, and then more when I read your response. The Lord is obviously completely overflowing from you, because that response was full of honesty and grace. I just wanted to remind you that you are fearfully and WONDERFULLY made!!!!! You're a WORK OF ART! Don't ever let someone like that shame you. Anonymous is clearly unhappy with him/herself, and I pray that she finds the kind of peace that you have.
This is my first visit to your blog and I'm so happy I fell upon it this morning. What a beautifully graceful and courageous reply to Anonymous. You are beautiful through and through. Keep letting your light shine.
I so much appreciate your courage and your big open heart. This post has meant so much to me. I was skinny as long as I lived in my mother's house. A combination of her iron control and never having been on birth control kept me that way. By the time I had been on birth control and married, both for three months, I had gained 35 pounds. The doctor told me it was normal when (at 21) I went to see him about it. Since I had always been so skinny, the 30 pounds didn't make too big a difference. I think I went from a size 6 to almost a 10. I was five foot ten inches tall. Now? Well, now I carry FAR more than 25 pounds of extra weight. And I am OK with that. I don't feel bad about myself. I have a husband who loves me. And I know in whose image I am created. However, I have always avoided talking about it. Your courage has blessed me. Thank you. | 2019-04-20T15:20:42Z | https://jerusalemgreer.com/2011/05/29/an-open-letter-to-anonymous-or-why-i-am-ok-with-showing-my-fat-face/?replytocom=6556 |
In US ex rel. Beauchamp v. ACADEMI Training Center, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit recently vacated dismissal of a False Claims Act (FCA) qui tam suit on the ground that the trial court improperly applied the Supreme Court’s holding in Rockwell International Corp. v. United States, 549 US 457 (2007). Rockwell held that in qui tam suits where relators allege new claims of fraud in amended complaints, courts should look to the date of the amended complaint to determine the applicability of the public disclosure bar under 31 USC § 3730(e)(4).
This holding is occasionally referred to as the last-pleading rule, because the Rockwell relator’s last amended complaint contained the first instance of an alleged fraud that was being challenged under the public disclosure bar. The Fourth Circuit found in Beauchamp that the trial court’s dismissal misconstrued the Supreme Court’s reasoning and led to an erroneous mechanical application of the Rockwell holding.
More specifically, the Fourth Circuit held that the date of the first pleading that alleges an FCA fraud with particularity (i.e., not necessarily the last amended pleading in the case) is determinative for purposes of a public disclosure bar analysis. The Fourth Circuit’s decision aligns with some other courts’ interpretation of Rockwell in cases involving public disclosure bar timing questions (see US ex rel Jamison v. McKesson Corp., 649 F. 3d 322 (5th Cir. 2011)). In an overall FCA context, this ruling represents a narrowing of options for FCA defendants seeking pretrial dismissal, at least in the Fourth Circuit.
In Rockwell, the relator filed an initial qui tam suit alleging a theory of fraud based on his direct and independent knowledge of the fraud. During discovery, the relator identified a second, unrelated theory of fraud that he did not have knowledge of previously, and included that new theory in subsequent filings. At the suggestion of the trial court, the relator and the government filed a joint amended complaint that ultimately did not include the first theory of fraud.
The defendant argued for dismissal on the ground that the second theory of fraud was based entirely on a qualifying public disclosure under 31 USC § 3730(e)(4), and that the relator had no knowledge of that theory until the public disclosure. Given those facts, the Supreme Court held that it was appropriate to use the complaint as amended to determine whether the second theory of fraud was prohibited by the public disclosure bar.
The Fourth Circuit found the facts in Beauchamp distinguishable from Rockwell, and held that trial court’s rigid application of the Rockwell holding was inconsistent with the Supreme Court’s rationale. The Beauchamp relators’ initial sealed complaint, filed in April 2011, alleged that the defendant, ACADEMI Training Center, submitted false reports and bills to the US State Department. Shortly after the initial complaint, the Beauchamp relators filed their first amended complaint, which included a new allegation that ACADEMI had failed to satisfy its contractual obligations to adequately qualify its employees on two firearms as required by the contract.
While the first amended complaint was pending, an unrelated wrongful termination suit was filed by another employee against ACADEMI, alleging specific facts relating to the failed weapons qualifications of ACADEMI employees. In July 2013, Wired published an article online about the alleged fraudulent weapons qualification scheme. Armed with the additional facts disclosed by this article, the Beauchamp relators further amended their complaint (second amended complaint), which became the operative pleading.
ACADEMI moved to dismiss the qui tam suit on a number of grounds, including the argument that the Wired article preceded the second amended complaint triggering the public disclosure bar. ACADEMI argued that the article qualified as a public disclosure under the FCA, and that the relators’ second amended complaint was the proper pleading for the trial court’s analysis under the Rockwell last-pleading rule. The trial court agreed and dismissed the case.
In vacating the dismissal, the Fourth Circuit found that the Beauchamp trial court erred in applying the last-pleading rule without also conducting a claim-by-claim analysis of the alleged theories of fraud to determine if any predated the Wired article. Specifically, the Fourth Circuit pointed out that the weapons-qualification-related theory of fraud appeared in the relators’ first amended complaint, which predated the Wired article by about a year. As such, the Fourth Circuit found that the public disclosure bar is inapplicable.
In the current compliance environment, all companies must evaluate their internal investigation policies and procedures to ensure that investigations are conducted in a manner that maximizes the protection afforded by the attorney-client privilege. Recent decisions threaten to expose investigation documents to discovery in litigation or to compulsion by government auditors. But these decisions also provide a roadmap on how companies can obtain legal advice beyond the prying eyes of third-parties.
Dentons Partners Lawrence S. Ebner and Christopher W. Myers recently authored the article, entitled “Tips for Conducting Attorney–Client Privileged Internal Investigations” in DRI’s In-House Defense Quarterly, Winter 2016 issue. The article summarizes recent case developments in this area and provides practical tips for conducting internal investigations in a privileged environment. Please feel free to contact the authors with questions.
Yesterday, Sandeep Nandivada published a feature comment in The Government Contractor entitled, “The Public Disclosure And First-To-File Bars: Are They Still Jurisdictional?”. In his article, Sandeep analyzes the “jurisdictional nature of the public disclosure and first-to-file bars” under the 2010 amendments to the civil False Claims Act (31 USCA § 3729, et seq.) through an in-depth discussion of recent Circuit Court of Appeals and District Court decisions. He concludes that “long-standing assumptions” about the jurisdictional nature of these bars are now “in flux” and “may no longer apply.” I encourage you to read this important article on a topic that may one day reach the Supreme Court.
On August 29, 2014, the D.C. Circuit issued its decision in United States ex rel. Folliard v. Gov’t Acquisitions, Inc., No. 13-7049 (D.C. Cir. Apr. 4, 2014), a False Claims Act (FCA) case in which the district court granted summary judgment for the contractor. In a welcome decision for FCA defendants, the D.C. Circuit affirmed. Most significantly, the Court found that the contractor’s reliance on it supplier’s TAA certification was reasonable. More broadly, the case holds that contractors that reasonably rely on supplier’s TAA certifications are protected from liability under the FCA. Partner Jason N. Workmaster and former partner Tim Halloran, with assistance from partner Dan Jarcho, filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Coalition for Government Procurement.
On July 1, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear KBR’s appeal in KBR, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Carter (No. 12-1011). This sets the stage for a high court ruling that will clarify the applicability of the Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act to the False Claims Act’s (“FCA”) six-year statute of limitations and whether the FCA’s “first-to-file” rule will continue to preclude new waves of copycat complaints after original FCA claims with substantially similar allegations are dismissed or settled.
The FCA has a statute of limitations that generally bars all actions brought after six years of the date of the allegedly false claim.1 31 U.S.C. § 3731(b). In United States ex rel. Carter v. Halliburton, 710 F.3d 171 (4th Cir. 2013), a whistleblower (or “relator”) brought an action more than six years after the allegedly “false” claims were submitted, and the Government did not intervene in the case. Nevertheless, the Fourth Circuit cited the 1942 Wartime Suspension of Limitations Act (“WSLA”) and held that the suit was not barred because the WSLA is tolling the FCA statute of limitations during the period of conflict in Iraq.
The WSLA has a long history, dating back to World War I. The WSLA was re-enacted during WWII to toll limitations periods for prosecutors to bring criminal fraud charges during times of war, while the Government focused its resources on war efforts. The Act applied to offenses “indictable” under existing statutes, suggesting an exclusive application to criminal violations. When the phrase “now indictable” was deleted from the text of the WSLA in 1944, some courts held that this expanded the scope of the WSLA to apply to both criminal and civil offenses. The Fourth Circuit adopted this position, notwithstanding the fact that the WSLA is currently codified in Title 18, the U.S. Criminal Code.2 The Fourth Circuit also found that the WSLA applied in the Carter case, even though the Government had not intervened in the case and the qui tam relator did not face the resource limitations during times of war that the WSLA was designed to address. The court thus held, albeit over a strong dissent, that the FCA statute of limitations is tolled whenever the United States is “at war,” which the court held does not require a declared war by Congress, but only authorized military conflict. This includes the current Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
Under Carter’s sweeping interpretation, the limitations period has not even begun to run with respect to potential false claims allegedly made between 2002 and the present because neither the President nor Congress have officially terminated hostilities. Such a holding is contrary to the intent behind the WSLA and a significant body of case law interpreting the narrow scope and purpose of the statute. In the words of the certiorari petition, the holding could “fundamentally alter the relationship between the government and those that do business with it.” The case therefore presents the Supreme Court with an opportunity to clarify that the FCA statute of limitations remains intact as intended by Congress, and to appropriately rein in the expansive definition of the WSLA imposed by the Fourth Circuit.
First-to-File Issue – Can Copycat FCA Claims Be Brought After the Original is No Longer “Pending”?
Relators frequently “piggyback” on previously-raised allegations in an attempt to share in potential damages recovered in a previously filed FCA suit. There is no real dispute that the FCA’s first-to-file rule, which bars copycat complaints containing substantially the same allegations as a previous complaint in a “pending action,” exists to prevent these types of “parasitic” claims by opportunistic relators. 31 U.S.C. § 3730(b)(5).
However, the Carter case—in addition to the WSLA issue—presents the issue of whether the first-to-file rule bars a copycat action even if it is filed when the original action is no longer “pending.” In Carter, multiple earlier-filed qui tam complaints contained allegations similar to those raised in the relator’s later complaint, including ones filed by the relator himself. Nevertheless, the court held that the relator’s claims were no longer barred under the first-to-file rule once the earlier complaints were dismissed. The circuit courts are split on this issue. At least four circuits have held that duplicative actions are always barred regardless of timing. These courts have held that an alternative conclusion “cannot be reconciled with [the FCA’s] goal of preventing parasitic [lawsuits].” Nevertheless, three other circuits (including the Fourth Circuit in Carter) have held that the first-to-file bar no longer applies once the original case is settled or is otherwise terminated, based on the “pending action” language included in the statute.
Under Carter, a relator with the same or similar claims could avoid the first-to-file rule simply by waiting to bring his/her allegations until a pending FCA case is settled or otherwise resolved. This interpretation is clearly antithetical to the purpose of the first-to-file rule, as contractors would likely be exposed to multiple rounds of similar and duplicative claims. The contracting community is therefore optimistic that the Supreme Court will resolve the circuit split in accordance with the rule’s intent.
The Court is scheduled to review the case beginning this fall. Dentons will continue to monitor these important issues as they proceed through briefing and oral argument.
1 Specifically, the FCA provides that actions under the statute are barred if brought six years after the alleged violation (i.e., submission of a false claim), or three years after the Government knew or should have known of the violation (whichever is later), and in no event ten years after the alleged violation.
2 Recently, however, the D.C. District Court found that the WSLA does not reach the type of fraud allegations covered by the FCA. In United States ex rel. Landis v. Tailwind Sports Corporation, No. 10-cv-00976,2014 WL 2772907 (D.C. June 19, 2014)(the Lance Armstrong case), the court held that the WSLA applies only to actions involving “fraud as an essential ingredient.” The court reasoned that, ever since the 1986 amendments to the FCA, “no proof of specific intent to defraud is required” under the FCA and the WSLA therefore does not apply.
Don’t walk off the job – Although the project experienced delays and a new completion date was not formally established, Kullman eventually stopped working on the project with no apparent intention of returning to work. As a result, the government terminated the contract for default. Kullman argued that its actions were justified because (i) it was experiencing financial distress and (ii) it would not have been able to complete the project due to the government not providing permanent power to the worksite as of the termination date. The Court summarily rejected these arguments, finding that the “overwhelming evidence that [Kullman] abandoned the project . . . alone trumps any possible shortcomings in contract administration.” A “[t]ermination for default is justified when the contractor abandons the project while there is still work to be completed.” In other words, no matter what the government does, never walk off the job and abandon it.
Understand your written contract – Kullman unsuccessfully argued that it was required to perform certain geotechnical work outside the terms of the contract, and that it was provided an allowance for this work, the price of which would be set at a later date. Dismissing a variety of arguments, the Court’s decision focused on its review of the contract: “a literal reading of the contract plainly supports defendant’s contention that plaintiff assumed the risk for how much the geotechnical and foundation work would cost when it agreed to a fixed price.” The Court also found that Kullman’s apparent understanding was “merely the agency’s recognition that, only if [Kullman] could establish a differing site condition due to unusual soil condition would the agency have to face additional cost.” Contractors must understand the implications of entering into a fixed price contract, and realize that, but for the execution of a modification increasing the contract price, there is no guarantee of payment for work performed over the contract’s firm fixed price. In addition, contractors should carefully review the solicitation, their proposal and the statement of work to ensure the proposed price reflects that actual scope of work.
Carefully review certifications – In its invoices, Kullman certified that “[a]ll payments due to subcontractors and suppliers from previous payments received under the contract have been made, and timely payments will be made from the proceeds of the payment covered by this certification . . . .” The government argued that Kullman violated the False Claims Act (FCA) because Kullman was paid in full for all of one supplier’s work, but Kullman failed to pay in full that supplier. At trial, Kullman explained its interpretation of the certification – that Kullman “had paid its subcontractors and suppliers as much as it could of the amounts due under the subcontract agreements, or, alternatively, that [Kullman] could make the certification so long as it had some understanding with the suppliers about paying amounts due over time.” Although the Court found that Kullman did not “mean to deceive the government” and that Kullman truly believed its interpretation was appropriate, this “nuanced interpretation does not, however, overcome its clear inaccuracy. We remain persuaded that he should have known the statement was inaccurate and should not have signed it.” Although this false certification did not amount to a violation of the Forfeiture of Fraudulent Claims Act, it did violate the FCA. The Court explained: “ [t]he fact that [Kullman] thought [the certification] was accurate under a strained view of the circumstances does not make it any less false in the sense meant by the statute.” The Court also dismissed Kullman’s argument that there was no FCA violation because the government was aware of Kullman’s financial issues and had reasons to know that it could not pay all its suppliers. The Court found that the contracting officer did not “specifically know” or have “first hand knowledge” that the certifications at issue were “not correct.” “[F]or government knowledge to vitiate fraud, it must approach something like specific consent or an agreed-upon interpretation of the terms of the certification such that the parties agree that the certification does not mean what it otherwise appears to mean.” The upshot is that contractors should carefully review all certifications, and when in doubt about an interpretation, contact counsel.
I hope you can join me and Dentons’ Government Contracts Department Chair, Fred Levy for an ABA Committee lunch meeting featuring Dr. Patricia J. Harned, President of the Ethics Resource Center (ERC). She will be speaking to the Committee regarding the results of ERC’s National Business Ethics Survey (NBES). The NBES is a study, conducted every two years, of ethical behavior within corporations. Specifically, it gauges ethics in the workplace and forecasts where corporate America is heading from a cultural standpoint.
This year’s findings are quite interesting. The current NBES reveals a reduction in overall observed workplace misconduct, which the ERC attributes to corporate America’s increased commitment to enhancing ethics and compliance programs. On the other hand, according to the NBES, 60-percent of misconduct is committed by someone within management, 1 out of every 3 people who observe misconduct choose not to report it, and 21-percent of those reporting misconduct believe that they suffer retaliation.
Dr. Harned will discuss these issues and many other interesting findings from ERC’s NBES that we believe will be both informative and valuable.
Suspension, debarment or exclusion from government contracts or other transactions with the federal government can have devastating consequences to companies that rely on the federal government for business as a prime contractor, subcontractor or grantee. Being listed on the government’s “Excluded Parties List” not only renders the company ineli gible for federal government work, but can have collateral consequences such as ineligibility to obtain federal export licenses or debarment from state and local contracts. Companies can be suspended or debarred based on a criminal conviction or finding of civil fraud not directly related to the performance of a government contract, grant or transaction. In addition, a criminal violation of certain laws, such as the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, require that a company be debarred.
The federal government has greatly increased its use of suspension and debarment. It is actively pursuing suspension or debarment of federal grantees, of companies that violate federal socio-economic laws and regulations, and even of companies that settle civil false claims allegations without an acknowledgement of wrongdoing. A contractor’s or grantee’s failure to disclose potential wrongdoing related to the award, performance or close-out of a federal transaction now has b een added to the long and growing list of gr! ounds for suspension or debarment.
Todd Canni serves as Counsel in the Washington D.C. office of Dentons and has worked on all sides of the government-contracting process, including in the Executive Branch with the Department of Air Force as Director, Suspension & Debarment Operations, the Judicial Branch at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims as Judicial Law Clerk to the Chief Judge and with Industry as outside counsel.
President Obama announced his 2015 proposed budget last week. The budget shows a renewed focus on combating fraud, waste and abuse in government contracting by increasing the number of compliance and fraud enforcers at several agencies.
The Department of Labor (“DOL”), Department of Defense (“DOD”), Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) and the General Services Administration (“GSA”) plan on hiring more personnel specifically to investigate fraud. The President’s budget also increases the funding for HHS’ inspector general from $300 million to $400 million. It appears that HHS will continue to pursue record breaking fraud recoveries, as an additional $325 million was earmarked for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team, along with other program integrity efforts. GSA Office of Inspector General (“OIG”), which has been particularly aggressive in recent years, plans on hiring more special agents in FY2015, which will increase the OIG’s ability to investigate allegations of fraud and misconduct and achieve even higher civil and criminal recoveries than in past years. GSA also expects audit work in the construction arena to increase significantly this year as Recovery Act projects come to completion.
The False Claims Act (“FCA”) will remain an important enforcement tool for agencies to use against government contractors. The government is looking to fraud enforcement as a mechanism to increase revenue. Through a joint effort with DOJ, HHS’ FCA recoveries reached a record $4.3 billion in 2013.
Even in an era of flat and declining budgets, agencies are devoting increased resources to both audits and fraud investigations. Contractors should be prepared for this trend by implementing comprehensive and up-to-date compliance programs, monitoring adherence, and promptly conducting their own investigation of any suspected non-compliances or fraud. | 2019-04-21T06:26:37Z | http://www.governmentcontractsadvisor.com/category/procurement-fraud-investigations-and-defense |
OFS Capital Corporation (NASDAQ:OFS) (“OFS Capital”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) today announced its financial results for the fiscal quarter and the full year ended December 31, 2014.
During the fourth quarter of 2014, the net investment income was $2.7 million, or $0.28 per share, and adjusted net investment income (a non-GAAP measure described below) was $3.1 million, or $0.33 per share.
During the fourth quarter of 2014, OFS Capital’s small business investment company (“SBIC”) fund, OFS SBIC I, LP (“SBIC I LP”), closed investments in 10 portfolio companies totaling approximately $72.6 million.
During the fourth quarter of 2014, OFS Capital increased its weighted average yield on debt investments (at fair value) by 47 basis points, to 9.56%.
SBIC I LP debt investments were $175.8 million (at fair value) as of December 31, 2014, accounting for 60% of OFS Capital’s total loan portfolio, with an average weighted yield of 11.6%.
On March 4, 2015, OFS Capital’s Board of Directors declared a distribution of $0.34 per share for the first quarter of 2015, payable on March 31, 2015 to shareholders of record as of March 17, 2015.
During the fourth quarter of 2014, SBIC I LP closed new investments totaling $70.7 million at par in nine new portfolio companies, consisting of $37.3 million of senior secured debt investments, $29.5 million of subordinated debt investments, and $3.9 million of equity investments. In addition, during the fourth quarter of 2014, SBIC I LP made follow-on investments totaling $1.9 million with two portfolio companies, consisting of $1.7 million of debt investments and $0.2 million of equity investments.
The total fair value of OFS Capital’s investment portfolio was $312.2 million as of December 31, 2014, which was equal to 99.6% of cost. The portfolio included outstanding loans of approximately $301.3 million in aggregate principal amount (with an aggregate fair value of $294.2 million) in 61 portfolio companies. Of this $301.3 million, SBIC I LP held debt investments of approximately $177.8 million in aggregate principal amount ($175.8 million fair value) in 25 portfolio companies. SBIC I LP also held equity securities with an aggregate fair value of $18.0 million. Of this $18.0 million, $17.1 million was invested in 15 portfolio companies in which SBIC I LP also held debt investments and $0.9 million was invested in one portfolio company in which SBIC I LP solely held an equity investment.
As of December 31, 2014, floating rate loans comprised 73% of OFS Capital’s debt investment portfolio, with the remaining 27% in fixed rate loans, as a percentage of fair value. As of December 31, 2014, 77% of OFS Capital’s investment portfolio at fair value was comprised of senior secured loans, 17% of subordinated loans, and 6% of equity investments. The weighted average yield on debt investments was 9.56% at December 31, 2014. OFS Capital had unfunded commitments of $7.8 million in six portfolio companies at quarter’s end.
Total investment income increased by approximately $5.8 million, or 34%, for the year ended December 31, 2014 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2013. The $5.8 million increase in total investment income was due to an increase in interest income, and dividend and fee income. The increase in interest income was primarily attributable to an increase in debt investments originated by SBIC I LP (“SBIC I LP Investments”) during the year ended December 31, 2014, the higher yielding debt investments held by SBIC I LP, and the exclusion of the interest income generated by SBIC I LP from our 2013 consolidated statement of operations prior to our acquisitions of the SBIC fund interests on December 4, 2013 (the “Tamarix Acquisitions”). The increase in dividend and fee income was primarily attributable to our recognition of dividend income contractually earned but not declared on certain of our preferred equity investments held by SBIC I LP during the year ended December 31, 2014, as well as fee income recognized by SBIC I LP in connection with certain of its debt investments. The increase in total investment income was offset by a decrease in interest income from investments held by OFS Capital WM, LLC (“OFS Capital WM”), our wholly-owned subsidiary (“OFS Capital WM Investments”).
For the year ended December 31, 2014, we generated total interest income from non-control/non-affiliate investments in the amount of approximately $16.9 million, of which approximately $11.1 million was generated by OFS Capital WM Investments and $5.8 million by SBIC I LP Investments. For the year ended December 31, 2013, interest income from non-control/non-affiliate investments was approximately $16.6 million, of which approximately $16.4 million was generated by OFS Capital WM Investments and $0.2 million by SBIC I LP Investments. The decrease in interest income from non-control/non-affiliate investments generated by OFS Capital WM Investments of approximately $5.3 million during 2014 was primarily due to the decrease in OFS Capital WM Investments in 2014 as compared with 2013. The increase in interest income from non-control/non-affiliate investments generated by SBIC I LP Investments of approximately $5.6 million during 2014 was attributable to (1) an increase in debt investments originated by SBIC I LP during 2014, and (2) the exclusion of the interest income generated by SBIC I LP from our 2013 consolidated statement of operations prior to the Tamarix Acquisitions (while not consolidated with us from January 1, 2013 through December 4, 2013, SBIC I LP generated total interest income of approximately $3.7 million from all its debt investments).
SBIC I LP holds all of our affiliate investments. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, SBIC I LP generated total interest income from affiliate investments in the amount of approximately $3.6 million and $211 thousand, respectively. The increase in total interest income from affiliate investments of approximately $3.4 million was due to (1) an increase in debt investments originated by SBIC I LP during 2014, and (2) the exclusion of the interest income generated by SBIC I LP from our 2013 consolidated statement of operations prior to the Tamarix Acquisitions.
SBIC I LP held our only control investment in Tangible Software, Inc. (“Tangible”) prior to our restructuring of this investment in December 2014 (“Tangible Restructuring”). For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, SBIC I LP generated total interest income from control investment in the amount of approximately $843 thousand and $103 thousand, respectively. Subsequent to the Tangible Restructuring, our investment in Tangible was reclassified to an affiliate investment.
During the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, SBIC I LP generated dividend and fee income of approximately $1.5 million and $143 thousand, respectively. While not consolidated with us from January 1, 2013 through December 4, 2013, SBIC I LP had dividend and fee income of approximately $0.3 million.
Total expenses increased by approximately $2.3 million, or 21%, for the year ended December 31, 2014 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2013.
Interest expense increased by approximately $0.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared to the year ended December 31, 2013, primarily due to an approximately $1.3 million of 2014 interest expense incurred on our SBA debentures (which we assumed in the December 2013 Tamarix Acquisitions), offset by a 2014 decrease of approximately $0.5 million in interest expense on the credit facility of OFS Capital WM (“OFS Capital WM Credit Facility”), primarily due to reduction in the interest rate and lower borrowings on the facility pursuant to the amendment to the OFS Capital WM Credit Facility in November 2013.
Amortization and write-off of deferred financing closing costs increased by approximately $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared to the year ended December 31, 2013, primarily due to write-offs of deferred financing closing costs in the total amount of approximately $0.7 million in connection with our July and November 2014 amendments to the OFS Capital WM Credit Facility, versus a write-off of deferred financing closing costs of approximately $0.3 million as a result of the termination of the Class B loan facility of OFS Capital WM in January 2013.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, we recorded $0.2 million of amortization expense of intangible asset related to the SBIC license, which was recognized by SBIC I LP upon closing of the Tamarix Acquisitions. We are amortizing this intangible asset over its estimated useful life, which was determined to be approximately 12 years.
Management fee expense totaled approximately $2.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, consisting of approximately $2.2 million of base management fee expense we incurred to OFS Capital Management, LLC, our investment advisor (“OFS Advisor”) and approximately $0.7 million of loan management fee charged by MCF Capital Management, LLC, the loan manager for OFS Capital WM. Management fee expense totaled approximately $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, consisting of approximately $2.4 million of base management fee expense we incurred to OFS Advisor and approximately $1.0 million of loan management fee charged by the loan manager for OFS Capital WM. The base management fee to OFS Advisor decreased by approximately $0.2 million due to a lower combined base management fee rate of 0.875% (0.4375% for the first quarter of 2014 and 0.145833% for each of the second, third, and fourth quarter of 2014) for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared with the combined base management fee rate of 1.020833% for the year ended December 31, 2013 (0.875% per annum for the period January 1, 2013 through October 31, 2013, and 1.75% per annum for the period November 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013), partially offset by a higher asset base in 2014. The loan management fee charged by MCF Capital Management, LLC decreased by $0.2 million due to a decrease in investments held by OFS Capital WM in 2014 as compared with 2013.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, we incurred an incentive fee expense to OFS Advisor in the amount of approximately $1.2 million while none was incurred in 2013.
Administrative fee expense increased by approximately $0.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the year ended December 31, 2013, primarily due to an increase in the allocable amount of the salary and bonus of our officers and their respective staffs, corresponding with the growth of our business, which OFS Services passed along to us during the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, we recorded total net realized and unrealized gain on investments in the amount of approximately $0.8 million. During 2014, we recorded net realized gain on sale of our debt investments in the total amount of approximately $0.2 million. In addition, in connection with the Tangible Restructuring, we recorded approximately $3.6 million of net realized loss on control investment. The $3.6 million net realized loss reflected a reversal of (1) approximately $1.8 million of unrealized losses recorded on this investment during the year ended December 31, 2013, (2) approximately $1.7 million of additional unrealized losses recorded from January 1, 2014 through December 17, 2014, the Tangible Restructuring date, and (3) approximately $0.1 million of additional losses we recognized on the Tangible Restructuring date, which represented the difference between the fair value of considerations we received in connection with the Tangible Restructuring and the fair value of the pre-restructured investments on the restructuring date.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, we recorded total net unrealized gain on investments in the amount of approximately $4.2 million, consisting of approximately $0.5 million of net unrealized gain on non-control/non-affiliate investments, $1.9 million of net unrealized gain on affiliate investments, and $1.8 million of reversal of unrealized depreciation on the control investment (Tangible).
For the year ended December 31, 2013, we recorded total net realized and unrealized gain on investments in the amount of approximately $2.0 million. Net realized gain on sale of debt investments was approximately $0.1 million during the year. We also recorded a realized gain in the net amount of approximately $2.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2013 as a result of the Tamarix Acquisitions, which were accounted for as step acquisitions in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 805, “Business Combinations” (“ASC Topic 805″). Under ASC Topic 805, the first step we took in accounting for the Tamarix Acquisitions was to re-measure our equity interests in SBIC I LP and its general partner, OFS SBIC I GP, LLC (“SBIC I GP”) to the Tamarix Acquisitions date fair value and recognize the resulting $2.7 million gain in earnings.
For the year ended December 31, 2013, we recorded total net unrealized loss on investments in the amount of approximately $0.9 million, consisting of approximately $0.4 million of net unrealized gain on non-control/non-affiliate investments (impacted significantly by $2.3 million in unrealized depreciation on the investment in Strata Pathology Services, Inc.), $0.5 million of net unrealized gain on affiliate investments, and $1.8 million in unrealized depreciation on the control investment (Tangible).
At December 31, 2014, we had cash and cash equivalents of $12.4 million. During the year ended December 31, 2014, we had net cash used in operating activities of $65.2 million, primarily due to $162.8 million of cash we used to purchase portfolio investments, offset by net proceeds of $79.6 million we received from principal payments on our portfolio investments, cash collections of $9.5 million from sale of our portfolio investments, as well as our $9.9 million net increase in net assets resulting from operations.
Net cash provided by investing activities was $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 due to change in restricted cash held by OFS Capital WM maintained in an unfunded exposure account (as defined in the relevant loan documents under the OFS Capital WM Credit Facility), utilized to fund a debt investment owned by OFS Capital WM that had an unfunded revolving commitment. In August 2014, as a result of the payoff of this loan, OFS Capital WM’s revolving commitment was terminated and our restricted cash balance was reduced to zero.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $48.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2014, primarily attributable to $98.0 million of draws from our SBA debentures (net of the fees), offset by the $36.3 million of net repayments on the OFS Capital WM Credit Facility, and $12.8 million of cash we paid in dividends and distributions.
As of December 31, 2013, we had cash and cash equivalents of $28.6 million. During 2013, we had net cash provided by operating activities of $29.2 million, primarily due to net proceeds of $63.1 million we received from principal payments on our portfolio investments and proceeds of $9.4 million from sales of portfolio investments, partially offset by $50.3 million in new investments.
Net cash used in investing activities was $6.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, primarily attributable to the $8.1 million of cash we paid in connection with the Tamarix Acquisitions, partially offset by our consolidation of the $1.2 million in cash and cash equivalents held by SBIC I LP upon the Tamarix Acquisitions.
Net cash used in financing activities was $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, consisting of $10.7 million of cash dividends and distributions, and $1.2 million of financing costs we paid to amend the OFS Capital WM Credit Facility, offset by $9.7 million of net draw from the OFS Capital WM Credit Facility.
As of December 31, 2014, OFS Capital WM had $72.6 million in debt outstanding on its $100.0 million revolving credit facility, and $9.4 million remaining in borrowing availability. As of the same date, SBIC I LP had leverage commitments of $149.9 million from the SBA, and $127.3 million of outstanding SBA-guaranteed debentures, leaving incremental borrowing capacity of $22.6 million under present SBIC regulations.
Our primary uses of funds are investments in debt and equity securities, interest payments on indebtedness, payment of other expenses, and cash distributions to our shareholders.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, we made total distributions of approximately $13.1 million, of which approximately 34% represented a return of capital and 66% represented ordinary income.
INTERNET: Log on to www.ofscapital.com at least 15 minutes prior to the start time of the call to register, download, and install any necessary audio software. A replay will be available for 90 days on the Company’s website at www.ofscapital.com.
TELEPHONE: Dial (877) 510-7674 (Domestic) or (412) 902-4139 (International) approximately 15 minutes prior to the call. A telephone replay of the conference call will be available through March 16, 2015 at 9:00 AM Eastern Time and may be accessed by calling (877) 344-7529 (Domestic) or (412) 317-0088 (International) and utilizing conference ID # 10061313.
For more detailed discussion of the financial and other information included in this press release, please refer to OFS Capital’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, which is to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(1) For historical periods that include financial results prior to November 7, 2012, the Company did not have common shares outstanding or an equivalent and, therefore, earnings per share, dividends and distributions declared per common shares and weighted average shares outstanding information for periods that include financial results prior to November 7, 2012 are not provided.
(2) The consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012 included the Company’s operations before and after its initial public offering.
On a supplemental basis, we disclose Adjusted NII (including on a per share basis), which is a financial measure calculated and presented on a basis of methodology other than in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States of America (“non-GAAP”). Adjusted NII represents net investment income, (1) excluding write-offs of deferred financing closing costs associated with our permanent reductions of the OFS Capital WM Credit Facility, and (2) adding back the amount of net investment income incentive fee expenses associated with the write-offs that we would have incurred had the write-offs not occurred. Management believes that providing Adjusted NII may facilitate a more complete analysis and greater transparency into OFS Capital’s ongoing operations, particularly in comparing underlying results from period to period, and afford investors a view of results that may be more easily compared to those of other companies.
Adjusted NII may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies, as it is a non-GAAP financial measure that is not based on a comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles and therefore may be defined differently by other companies. In addition, Adjusted NII should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP.
OFS Capital is an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that has elected to be regulated as a business development company. OFS Capital’s investment objective is to provide shareholders with both current income and capital appreciation primarily through debt investments and, to a lesser extent, equity investments. OFS Capital invests primarily in privately-held middle-market companies in the United States, including lower-middle-market companies, targeting investments of $3 to $20 million in companies with annual EBITDA between $3 million and $50 million. OFS Capital offers flexible solutions through a variety of asset classes including senior secured loans, which includes first-lien, second-lien and unitranche loans, as well as subordinated loans and, to a lesser extent, warrants and other minority equity securities. OFS Capital’s investment activities are managed by OFS Capital Management, LLC, an investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with additional offices in New York and Los Angeles.
Statements made in this press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond the control of OFS Capital’s management, and are difficult to predict. Such forward-looking statements are not historical facts but, rather, reflect assumptions, estimates, and projections by OFS Capital concerning anticipated results and provide no guarantee of future performance. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and OFS Capital undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements herein made. | 2019-04-22T09:57:33Z | http://www.finances.com/company-news/73065-ofs-capital-corporation-announces-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2014-financial-results.htm |
Background and history of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone.
Unlike the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) and Beaumont–Port Arthur (BPA) areas, where industrial point sources account for a greater proportion of the total nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions in the area, point sources account for only about one-tenth of the total NOX emissions in the DFW area. The majority of NOX emissions in the DFW area come from on-road mobile sources (cars and trucks) and non-road mobile sources (such as construction equipment, aircraft, and locomotives).
On March 27, 2008, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strengthened the primary and secondary eight-hour ozone standard to 0.075 ppm (73 FR 16436 ). On March 10, 2009, the governor recommended to the EPA that Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwell, and Tarrant counties be designated nonattainment for the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard (see the governor's letter to EPA region 6). All of the counties except Hood were previously designated nonattainment under the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard (0.08 ppm).
In September 2009, the EPA announced it would reconsider the 2008 NAAQS and on January 19, 2010, proposed to lower the primary ozone standard to a range of 0.060–0.070 ppm, and proposed a separate secondary standard based on cumulative seasonal average ozone concentrations. On September 2, 2011, President Obama announced that he had requested the EPA withdraw the proposed reconsidered ozone standard.
In a memo dated September 22, 2011 from EPA Assistant Administrator Gina McCarthy, the EPA announced that it would proceed with initial area designations under the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard, starting with the recommendations states made in 2009 and updating them with the most current, certified air quality data (2008 through 2010). On October 31, 2011, the governor sent a revised recommendation to the EPA that Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant Counties be designated nonattainment for the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard based on 2008 through 2010 air quality data (see the governor's revised recommendation). The EPA sent a letter to the governor on December 9, 2011, responding to the state’s recommendations for area designations under the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard (see the EPA's letter to the governor). In that letter, the EPA indicated that it intended to modify the state's recommended DFW nonattainment area designation to include Hood and Wise Counties.
On May 21, 2012, the EPA published in the Federal Register final designations for the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard (77 FR 30088 ). A 10-county DFW area including Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, and Wise Counties was designated nonattainment and classified moderate under the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard, effective July 20, 2012. The DFW area includes the nine counties that were designated nonattainment under the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard in addition to Wise County. Hood County was designated attainment/unclassifiable. The attainment deadline for the DFW moderate nonattainment area was originally established as December 31, 2018.
On July 2, 2014, the commission adopted a SIP revision to satisfy the FCAA, §172(c)(3) and §182(a)(1) emissions inventory reporting requirements for the HGB and DFW nonattainment areas under the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard. The EPA published direct final approval of this SIP revision in the February 20, 2015 Federal Register (80 FR 9204 ).
On December 10, 2014, the commission approved two proposed revisions to the Texas SIP for the DFW moderate nonattainment area for the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard: the DFW Attainment Demonstration SIP Revision for the 2008 Eight-Hour Ozone Standard (Non-Rule Project No. 2013-015-SIP-NR) and the DFW RFP SIP Revision for the 2008 Eight-Hour Ozone Standard (Non-Rule Project No. 2013-014-SIP-NR). The proposed Attainment Demonstration SIP revision also contained revisions to 30 TAC Chapter 115 and Chapter 117. Following proposal of these SIP revisions, the attainment date for the DFW 2008 eight-hour ozone moderate nonattainment area changed from December 31, 2018 to July 20, 2018, as a result of a December 23, 2014 D.C. Circuit Court ruling and the EPA’s final 2008 ozone SIP requirements rule. Because the attainment year ozone season is the ozone season immediately preceding a nonattainment area’s attainment date, the attainment year for the DFW moderate nonattainment area also changed from 2018 to 2017.
Due to the timing of the court’s ruling and the EPA’s subsequent rulemaking action, it was not possible to complete all work necessary for the DFW Attainment Demonstration SIP revision to demonstrate attainment in 2017. Therefore, the adopted DFW Attainment Demonstration SIP Revision for the 2008 Eight-Hour Ozone Standard included the work completed to date to demonstrate that the DFW nonattainment area would attain the 2008 eight-hour ozone NAAQS by 2018, as proposed, and also demonstrated progress toward attainment by the revised 2017 attainment year along with a commitment to develop a new Attainment Demonstration SIP revision for the DFW 2008 eight-hour ozone moderate nonattainment area for a 2017 attainment year. The DFW Attainment Demonstration SIP revision for the 2018 attainment year was adopted by the commission on June 3, 2015. The DFW 2008 Eight-Hour Ozone Attainment Demonstration SIP Revision for the 2017 Attainment Year was adopted by the commission on July 6, 2016.
In order to address the change in the attainment year in the DFW RFP SIP revision, the adopted DFW RFP SIP Revision for the 2008 Eight-Hour Ozone Standard provided a required RFP analysis for the 2017 attainment year, including a contingency plan and a motor vehicle emissions budget (MVEB). The RFP SIP revision also demonstrated an 18% emissions reduction in ozone precursors from the 2011 base year through a 2018 attainment year, a 3% emissions reduction demonstration for contingency for each milestone year, and RFP MVEB for each milestone year, as proposed, in the event that the 2018 attainment year requirement was reinstated. The DFW RFP SIP revision was adopted by the commission on June 3, 2015. The 2017 Wise County RFP demonstration in the adopted DFW RFP SIP revision used a transfer of excess VOC reductions from the nine-county area previously designated as nonattainment to the newly designated Wise County. Upon notification that the option to transfer creditable VOC reductions between county groups was no longer available per the EPA's final 2008 Ozone Standard SIP Requirements Rule (80 FR 12264 ), the TCEQ corrected the adopted DFW RFP analyses to remove the VOC reduction transfer and credit emission reductions from drilling rig controls that were available but had not been credited. The corrections were submitted to the EPA in an April 22, 2016 technical supplement. The EPA approved the DFW RFP SIP revision on December 7, 2016 (81 FR 88124 ).
On October 5, 2017, the EPA published proposed approval of VOC Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT) (82 FR 46450 ) and published final approval on December 21, 2017 (82 FR 60546 ).
On September 22, 2017, the EPA published final conditional approval of the NOX RACT for the DFW 2008 Eight-Hour ozone standard nonattainment area with an effective date of October 23, 2017 (82 FR 44320 ). On August 8, 2018, the commission adopted the DFW 2008 Eight-Hour Ozone Standard Nonattainment Area RACT Update SIP revision (Non-Rule Project No. 2017-001-SIP-NR) to address the EPA’s final conditional approval through a voluntary Agreed Order No. 2017-1648-SIP (Non-Rule Project No. 2018-010-SIP-NR), with TXI Operations, LP.
In July 1997, the EPA announced a revised NAAQS for ground-level ozone. The EPA phased out and replaced the previous one-hour standard with an eight-hour standard set at 0.08 ppm to protect the public health against longer exposure to this air pollutant. The eight-hour ozone standard became effective on September 16, 1997.
Effective June 15, 2004, Collin, Dallas, Denton, Tarrant, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, and Rockwall Counties were designated nonattainment for the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard . The area was classified moderate nonattainment for the standard, with an attainment deadline of June 15, 2010.
To satisfy the requirements of Phase I of the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard implementation rule (69 FR 23951 ), the TCEQ adopted the DFW Eight-Hour Ozone Five Percent Increment of Progress SIP Revision on April 27, 2005 and submitted it to the EPA. The revision used a 5% increment of progress from the area’s 2002 emissions baseline beyond the reductions from federal and state measures already approved by the EPA and was the first DFW SIP revision submitted under the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard.
In May 2007, the TCEQ submitted attainment demonstration and reasonable further progress (RFP) SIP revisions for the DFW area to the EPA. The May 2007 DFW Attainment Demonstration SIP included a plan for DFW compliance with the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard by June 15, 2010 (based on 2009 ozone season monitoring). The RFP SIP revision demonstrated 15% total NOX and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions reductions between 2002 and 2008, as required. The attainment demonstration and RFP SIP revisions relied on photochemical modeling and weight of evidence (WoE) analyses that examined qualitative and other factors that could not be directly included in the models, but that nevertheless supported the projected attainment by 2010. On March 21, 2008, the EPA found the on-road motor vehicle emissions budget (MVEB) contained in the DFW attainment demonstration adequate for transportation conformity purposes (73 FR 15152 ).
The TCEQ provided supplemental information pertaining to the attainment demonstration to the EPA on April 23, 2008 (see the TCEQ’s letter). After the attainment demonstration was supplemented, it was revised in November 2008 (contingency plan revisions), and again revised in December 2008 (DERC program revisions).
The EPA approved the May 2007 DFW RFP SIP revision (which included an updated MVEB and emissions inventory) on October 7, 2008 (73 FR 58475 ).
Conditional approval of the 2009 attainment MVEBs, Reasonably Available Control Measures (RACM) demonstration, and failure-to-attain contingency plan.
Full approval of local Voluntary Mobile Source Emission Reduction Plan (VMEP) and Transportation Control Measures (TCM).
Full approval of the VOC Reasonably Available Control Technology (RACT) demonstrations for the one-hour and 1997 eight-hour ozone standards.
A statement that all control measures and reductions relied upon to demonstrate attainment have been approved by the EPA.
On March 10, 2010, the TCEQ adopted the DFW RACT, Chapter 117 Rule, and Contingency Plan SIP Revision to: (1) address several CTGs issued by the EPA between 2006 and 2008, (2) expand a specific exemption from NOX control requirements and demonstrate that the expansion would not interfere with attainment, and (3) revise the contingency measure plan to reflect the two rule changes included with the 2007 DFW attainment demonstration SIP revision. Based on the revised RACT analysis, the offset lithographic rules that had been contingency measures for the area were made full control measures and were removed from the contingency plan. Emissions reductions from fleet turnover that were not already used for the contingency plan were used to replace the reductions removed from the contingency plan from adoption of offset lithographic controls and expansion of the NOX control exemption.
On August 10, 2010, the TCEQ adopted the Environmental Speed Limit (ESL) Control Strategy Conversion to a TCM SIP Revision. Conversion of the DFW-area ESL strategy to a TCM was made to allow increased flexibility for local air quality planners to change ESLs in the area. With adoption of this SIP revision, future changes to ESLs may be accomplished through a TCM substitution process, which is the responsibility of local air quality planners, instead of through a formal revision of the DFW SIP. The conversion of the ESL strategy to a TCM is consistent with the MVEB submitted in the 2007 DFW attainment demonstration SIP revision.
Effective January 19, 2011, the EPA published a final determination of failure to attain and reclassification of the DFW area from a moderate to a serious nonattainment area for the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard (75 FR 79302 ). The EPA set January 19, 2012 as the deadline for Texas to submit attainment demonstration and RFP SIP revisions addressing the serious ozone nonattainment area requirements of the Federal Clean Air Act.
On December 7, 2011, the TCEQ adopted the 2011 DFW 1997 Eight-Hour Ozone Attainment Demonstration SIP Revision and the 2011 DFW 1997 Eight-Hour Ozone RFP SIP Revision. The 2011 attainment demonstration SIP revision demonstrated that the state’s control strategy would result in the area’s attainment of the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard by 2012, the attainment year for serious nonattainment areas. As required by the EPA, the 2011 attainment demonstration SIP revision included an MVEB, a VOC and NOX RACT analysis, a RACM analysis, and a contingency plan. The 2011 attainment demonstration SIP revision also described revisions to 30 TAC Chapter 115, Subchapter E and 30 TAC Chapter 115, Subchapter B, Division 1. The 2011 attainment demonstration SIP revision used the EPA’s Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) model to develop the on-road mobile emissions inventory and attainment year MVEB.
The 2011 RFP SIP revision demonstrated that an emissions reduction of at least 3% per year would occur between milestone years 2011 and 2012. The 2011 RFP SIP revision established baseline emission levels, calculated reduction targets, identified control strategies to meet emission target levels, and tracked actual emission reductions against established emissions growth. The 2011 RFP SIP revision also included an MVEB for each milestone year as well as a contingency plan. As with the 2011 attainment demonstration SIP revision, the 2011 RFP SIP revision used the EPA’s MOVES model to develop the base year and milestone year on-road mobile emissions inventories and the milestone year MVEBs. The EPA published final approval of the 2011 DFW RFP SIP revision on November 12, 2014 (79 FR 67068 ).
On May 20, 2014, the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against the EPA for failure to take final action on certain DFW SIP submittals for the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard, and for failure to reclassify the DFW area for failing to attain the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard by the June 15, 2013 attainment date. On November 7, 2014, notice of a proposed consent decree was published in the Federal Register to address the Sierra Club’s lawsuit (79 FR 66368 ) and was entered with the court on January 23, 2015. The consent decree provided that the EPA propose a determination of whether the area attained the 1997 eight-hour ozone NAAQS within 15 days after the entry of the consent decree with the court. The EPA published a proposal to reclassify the serious DFW nonattainment area to severe for the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard on February 17, 2015 (80 FR 8274 ). However, the consent decree provided that if the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard was revoked and effective prior to finalization of the reclassification, the reclassification would not be finalized. The 1997 eight-hour ozone standard was revoked for all purposes in the EPA’s final 2008 ozone standard SIP requirements rule which was published on March 6, 2015 (80 FR 12264 ). The effective date of the revocation was April 6, 2015 and the reclassification was not finalized.
The consent decree also provided that the EPA take action on the outstanding 2011 DFW 1997 Eight-Hour Ozone Attainment Demonstration SIP Revision by August 31, 2015. On April 28, 2015, the EPA published a proposal to disapprove the DFW serious area attainment demonstration SIP revision for the 1997 eight-hour ozone NAAQS (80 FR 23487 ). In the same notice, the EPA also proposed to determine that the DFW area is currently attaining the 1997 ozone NAAQS based on 2012 through 2014 monitoring data. Upon finalization of this proposed determination, the requirements for the DFW area to submit an attainment demonstration, a reasonable further progress (RFP) plan, contingency measures, and other planning SIPs related to attainment of the 1997 ozone NAAQS would be suspended for so long as the area continues to attain the 1997 eight-hour ozone NAAQS. On September 1, 2015, the EPA finalized the determination of attainment for the DFW 1997 eight-hour ozone nonattainment area (80 FR 52630 ). A revised serious area attainment demonstration for the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard will not be required due to the EPA’s determination of attainment.
In the EPA’s 2008 ozone standard SIP requirements rule, the EPA included a mechanism for lifting anti-backsliding obligations under a revoked ozone NAAQS, which are not lifted by a determination of attainment. According to the rule, a state can provide a showing, termed a redesignation substitute, based on Federal Clean Air Act (FCAA), §107(d)(3)(E) redesignation. The TCEQ submitted a DFW Redesignation Substitute demonstration for the one-hour and 1997 eight-hour ozone standards to the EPA in the form of a letter and attached report on August 18, 2015. On November 8, 2016, the EPA published its final approval of the DFW area redesignation substitute for the one-hour ozone and 1997 eight-hour ozone NAAQS (81 FR 78688 ). The effective date of the rule is December 8, 2016.
Note: In 1997, the one-hour ozone standard was replaced by the more protective eight-hour ozone standard. On June 15, 2005, the one-hour standard was revoked for all areas, although some former one-hour ozone nonattainment areas have continuing obligations to comply with the anti-backsliding requirements described in 40 CFR §51.905(a).
The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act Amendments authorized the EPA to designate areas failing to meet the NAAQS for ozone as nonattainment and to classify them according to severity. The EPA designated four DFW area counties (Dallas, Denton, Collin, and Tarrant) moderate nonattainment of the one-hour standard of 0.12 ppm. In September 1994, the TCEQ submitted to the EPA an attainment demonstration SIP revision focused on controlling VOC emissions. The DFW area did not attain the one-hour ozone standard by the November 15, 1996 attainment deadline.
On February 18, 1998, the EPA reclassified the four-county area to serious nonattainment, with a new attainment deadline of November 15, 1999. The TCEQ submitted a 9% rate-of-progress SIP revision to the EPA, but there was not enough time to implement rules to achieve necessary reductions by the attainment deadline. In April 2000, the TCEQ adopted a full attainment demonstration including rules to attain the one-hour standard. That attainment demonstration SIP revision took into account the importance of local reductions in emissions of NOX and the transport of ozone and its precursors (NOX and VOC) from the HGB area. Based on photochemical modeling demonstrating that ozone and precursors transported from HGB were impacting DFW area ozone concentrations, the TCEQ requested an extension of the DFW area's attainment date to November 15, 2007.
In July 1997, the EPA announced a revised NAAQS for ground-level ozone. The EPA phased out and replaced the previous one-hour standard with an eight-hour standard to protect public health against longer exposure to this air pollutant. EPA rules (Phase I) implementing the new eight-hour standard and revoking the one-hour standard (69 FR 23951 ) were issued in April 2004. Designated nonattainment area classifications determined what one-hour ozone requirements remained in effect. Areas not attaining the one-hour standard, including DFW, were required to comply with the one-hour standard until attained. The four DFW area counties remained subject to the one-hour standard.
The EPA does not redesignate areas under a revoked standard, but may issue determinations of attainment, which allow areas to suspend requirements for additional SIP-submission requirements under the one-hour standard. On October 16, 2008, the EPA issued a determination that the DFW four-county one-hour ozone area had attained the one-hour NAAQS based on verified 2004 through 2006 monitoring data, further supported by data from 2007 and 2008 (73 FR 61357 ). Requirements for this area to submit an attainment demonstration or 5% increment-of-progress plan, an RFP plan, contingency measures, and other planning SIP revisions related to one-hour ozone NAAQS attainment are suspended as long as the area continues to meet the standard.
This SIP History gives a broad overview of the SIP revisions that have been submitted to the EPA by the State of Texas. Some sections may be obsolete or superseded by new revisions, but have been retained for the sake of historical completeness. | 2019-04-25T12:25:08Z | https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/sip/dfw/dfw-ozone-history |
I bit over7 feet barefoot.
Shaq measures no less than 7'2 in footwear and I doubt his sneakers and shoes give 2-2,5 inches. Unless he uses lifts ( very unlikely) .
Shaq is still in the 7'1 range today, he looks to be a good 3 inches taller than Big show today.
Shaq once said on Howard Stern Show that he was 6'11.5" indeed he is that height, but apparently it's his lowest barefoot measurement of the day. This would coincide with the 7'0" you correctly have him marked at. Out of bed he is likely very close to 7'1".
Peak Shaq was closer to 7'2" than he was to 7'0" barefoot. Shaq was VERY VERY close in height to Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
I've seen Shaq and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in person standing next to each other and there is less than 1" height differeece between them.
Rob, Shaq needs a MAJOR HEIGHT UPGRADE because he grew significantly since his height was measured. Shaq was shorter than Tree Rollins his rookie year in Orlando, but he was much taller than Tree Rollins by the time he got to L.A.
Do you think 214 cm is possible for Shaq?
Editor Rob: 7ft and a fraction is of course always possible.
I think he is 7ft but listed at 7'1" with his shoes. There was once even a show called dunk king on NBA tv and the announcers said that he was 7'2"
Editor Rob: actually since that guy is nearer, the difference could be more 7 inch range!
I think 6'5.5" for Drew and 7'0" for Shaq seem like fair estimates for the two. It appears like a 6" difference or less to me, but the angle favors Drew so I think somewhere between 6 and 7 inches makes sense.
Still can not see him under 7ft0.5in. no indication for heightloss.
It makes it much harder to determine his true height..
Editor Rob: the guy could be in 6ft 6 range.
Rob u think it's possible guys his height can drop 2 inches during a day? i mean it makes sense the spine is much larger.
a guy who was measured 2.52m dropped to 2.46m in just some hours.
I'm pretty sure Daft Express used to list him at 7'0 7/8"...nevertheless I think based on the votes alone with an average guess of 7'0.67", Shaq deserves an upgrade. At least 7'0.5" would be a good shout.
DraftExpress has Mutombo listed at 7'1.25" barefoot, which is easily 7'2 when he puts on shoes. He was already like 25 years old when he came into the league, so he couldn't have grown anything beyond that.
Shaq has 7' listed at his barefoot height on Draft Express, but I swear I've seen him listed at 7'0.5 and 7'0.75" barefoot before. Perhaps they are both accurate measurements, as Shaq has got to lose a lot of height throughout the day.
I think he's really close to 7'1" barefoot. He looks so much taller than most 7 footers in the NBA as well as guys like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett who are really close to 7'. I know that most NBA players are listed in shoes, but Shaq was still 2 or 3 inches taller than most of the other centers he played against.
Editor Rob: well I think he was an inch smaller than a guy like Wilt, who was a solid 7ft 1.
Although guys this height may well shrink between 3-5cm in total, so there's a lot of room for a bigger shrinkage compared to the average man.
A better pic of Shaq and Yao Ming Click Here The top of Shaq's head is around Yao's eye level so around a 5 inch difference.
Shaq's height in shoes has been proven for a fact to be 7'2. He needs an upgrade to 7'1" or Big Show needs a downgrade to 6'9.5". Also, there is no way in hell Andre The Giant was the same height barefoot as Shaq.
He is right on the 7'2'' same has the other photo of him on a wall with a scale showing him 7'2'',and if he is under 7' then Wilt was under 7'1'' because there was not much between them.
Wow, you can tell that Shaq had respect for him. Not too often that he has to look up to someone that much and be humbled by it.
Maybe Shaq peak 7'.05"? 7'0" seems short considering he towers over Big Show at or over 2 inches present time. I thought recently Big Show can still pull off 6'11", but now maybe no more than 6'10.25" or 6'10.5"
Come on, really? A 2" difference means he was towering over him? LOL. That word "tower" is used too much in comparing the differences in peoples heights. If the was 6" taller, then maybe I could agree with you on that.
How tall do you think shaqs son to the left is Rob?
I think 7'0.5 is fair, wasn't the full 7'1 previously listed but I still think he's a strong 7 footer.
Finally,he was brought to 7'0.I always thought 4" was a too small difference with Yao Ming.I'm sure he's still gigantic and probably stands out among other players but if there was ever a legit 7'1 I think it was Wilt Chamberlain though in some pics they might look close but then Wilt might have lost a little by late 50's.
Rob,what about creating a page for Vince Carter?he's listed 6'6 but he's rather a solid 6'5 imo maybe 6'5.25"
Rob, they were both in dress shoes at the red carpet, doesn´t sound Shaq 215cm and Big Show 208-209cm much better?
You write a lot of BS jsut to say that the guy is 194 when in the reality he has 0% of chance to be that tall.
There is a bunch of guys in this site that have arguments very similar to mine and you are saying that I'm a troll. Where I lose my argument ?
Saying that worst Joe M is 6'4 5/8 ? I told that because this would be his bareminimum,to a mm under. And he always look to edge out 194 guys like Skasgard and Straham.
He was definitely at least 7' in his prime. Probably shorter now but not by much.
Rob, Click Here He is clearly taller than 7´2" in footwear standing straight, maybe he is one of the rare man who grew after 20 (1992)?
I doubt he wear 2"+ footwear, so isn´t 7´0.5" much closer?
@184guy: excuse me. dont "trash" a page with what? You trashed Kobe's to commence this war with me. And now you are telling me I "have" to say he's 195cm flat. 6'4.75 is 194.94945 not 195. 6'4.5 is 194 cm. So you lose the argument!!! He's claimed 6'4.75 (where his wife measured him) and 6'4.5 two seperate times so he is under 195 cm if you want to get technical. And I'll leave what I'm forced to say up to Rob. this is his site not yours. And telling me not to "state my beliefs" when someone here who met him said "I met Kobe and he is between 194 and 195". It is a free country and I can state whatever I want. This is a free site and I can express my views any way I want. Don't ever say "don't take Canson seriously... This troll...." Just because I don't agree with your view 184guy. And anyone who sees between 194 and 195 would understand what I'm saying he isn't a flat 194 but not a full 195.
So I can say whatever the hell I want to say. You are the one who started this and now I am finishing it. What? Are you upset because I'm not making your boy as tall as you want him to be? remember who started the attacks. It sure as hell wasn't me and now you and James both keep coming back with retarded comments (everyone else sees them as well) that make no sense when I've explained very clearly between 194 and 195 repeatedly now. I didn't see anyone say anything to KROC when he "saw and observed him as between 194 and 195 in person". I didn't hear anyone attack Alex about it when he called him 193. So why are you doing it to me? And no I don't go off pictures or what not. Kobe has claimed 6'4.5 (194.3cm) and also 6'4.75 (194.9495 cm). Neither of those are 195cm. So that grouped with two other ppl from Celebheights who saw him are more credibility than you have. So yes please stop the argument while you are behind because you really sound dumber and dumber every time you make one. Yes you have been on here 18 months, you make no valid points. And have no credibility, and your pictures stink! You're a troll who "fantasizes" about people being taller than they are or finds a way for them to be.
After being about 18 months on the site,I can safely say that i Trained my view and conceptions about height . I know how tall is 195 , I know the difference between 193 and 195 and I know how both are such a perfect height for every male.I do not want any other discussion with you about those guys.I believe is very irritating and disturbing for both sides.
I"m not sure where the ammended height from 7"1 down to 7"0 even comes from, but IMO I do believe that Shaq is much closer to 7"1 than just a flat 7 footer he is 215cm at worst.
@Shane @Height: both correct on your estimates for Shaq.
@184Guy: I think we can all look at Kobe's page as Height reiterated what I said so obviously your eyesight is horrible, you are a complete invalid which you sound like, or you have a problem comprehending what you read. Go look at the posts that I have posted and look where Height corrected James. It's right there. And by the way that's fine if you disagree because we won't always agree on everything but do remember who started this attack here. It surely wasn't me and you are just making yourself sound dumber and dumber with each post. And yes 184 cm is not only a good height but a damn good height. You are a hair over 6'0" and you should be proud of that. And I wasn't saying it wasn't. I was saying generally the guys here who tend to inflate others are generally the ones who want to be taller. Thats what you tend to do which is fine but don't go around denigrating others opinions and if you wanna start it please by all means be prepared to finish it. Truce?
@184Guy: I think we can all look at Kobe's page as Height reiterated what I said so obviously your eyesight is horrible, you are a complete invalid which you sound like, or you have a problem comprehending what you read. Go look at the posts that I have posted and look where Height corrected James. It's right there. And by the way that's fine if you disagree because we won't always agree on everything but do remember who started this attack here. It surely wasn't me and you are just making yourself sound dumber and dumber with each post.
The directly side by side photos posted below with 7'1" barefoot Mutombo tell the tale. Mutombo clearly has an inch plus on Shaq in all the,side by sides.
Vegas what height what you guess Bill Goldberg?
If Wilt measured 7'1" without shoes it is very unlikely that Shaq is 7'0.88" or 7'0.66", since the difference between both them has consistently been no less than 1 inch.
@Vegas: look at this link below though.
@184Guy: well it sounds to me like you will take the highest order here and are already set on doing that. Height said in a previous post that he claimed 6'11.5 and more than one person here has said it. So you can continue to believe he is 7'1 just because you obviously like men being taller than they are. That is sad. If someone claims they are shorter than you think or they appear it likely means they are. And no I don't believe KROC has a stadiometer but Shaq claimed that height to him so don't know how he would misconstrue it or make it up. I mean you seem to have these theories. Question for you is it because you are insecure about your own height? That is typically the case for someone with the tendency to make everyone else taller or fantasizing that they are like you do.
Who is KROC ? He has a stadiometer in his pocket ? He is a judge or god to someone tell him the truth ? Shaq claimed 7'1 on Conan and many others sources.Now where is the truth ? I dunno and probably nobody knows.
@184guy: if you look at Shaq and KG there's at most 1 full inch sometimes less.
Interesting downgrade.. From what I've seen from him he looked nearly 8 inches taller than 6'4.75" Barkley. Sure 7'1" seems a bit high, but 7' flat seems a bit off as well. Maybe 7'0.5"?
Unfortunately 184guy, Height really isn't using a ridiculous estimate. He did claim it and KROC met him and said he claimed around 6'11.75 when someone asked his height Basketball heights are all over the place so are the pics people use to compare players.
Ok.A guy like Shaq has a big feet and probably a big shoe size which implies in a big sole for the one.So a 7'0.88(the supossed number ) Shaq in shoes give us a 6'11.75 or even 6'11.5 barefoot.
The only problem is if you do that,you'll need to downgrade every celeb in at about 1 inch .Shaq was obvious taller than 7ft and probably stills.Look him with Yao Ming who claimed 7'6.He looked roughly 5 inches shorter.Look also with 6'11 7'0 guys like Gasol,Garnett,Nowitzki,Bill Watson,David Robson,Paul Wight.He is visible taller than all of them.He was billed 7ft in 1992 when he was 19-20.Do you have a crystall ball to say that we had not grown 0,5in later ?
I wish there were pics in the primes for Kareem and Wilt with Shaq. Wilt was measured 7'.5 in his 40s and Kareem not sure. But I won't question a full 7'2 or the 7'1 7/8 in his prime. He looked it.
Shaq was a legit 7'0.5" in his prime period.
Measured at under 7'1" with shoes (probably non basketball shoes). Has admitted "7 feet even" both coming out of high school and in his 1993 book, has admitted 6'11.5" on Howard Stern although there seem to be be no record or footage from that interview.
What do you think is the difference in height between this guy and Shaq?
Vegas always wanted to ask you this but how tall did Test look to you when you met him in person?
Fern, if shaq’s son is legit 6’9” Shaq was at least 7’3” in his ESPYs footwear. Click Here His son does look 6’9” with Lebron Click Here and 6'10.25" measured Karl Anthony Towns. Click Here Big show's definitely taller next to Shaq than the son. Not sure what's going on other than you need to view many photos and videos before you can peg a person's height. I still think we are at a 7’1” (or close) Shaq and 6’11” tops Big Show in 2016 with comparable footwear.
@Fern194-192: I saw pics with Shaq and Big Show from a few years back and a more recent. Shaq is really (if Both stand straight) only about an inch and a half taller. If it's a 4" diff it's on Big Show because previous pics Big Show would've been 6'10.25-.5 range and Shaq almost a solid 7'.
215.5 cm out of bed, 213 cm at night.
Rob what you think about this new video Between shaq and Big Show for WrestleMania 33 ?
"You can’t even imagine how huge Shaq is, – Mozgov told Kirill Zangalis of Sovetskiy Sport. – I’m not sure that I could wrap my arms around him; he’s a real man-mountain. I’ve played against the Greek giant Sofoklis Schortsanitis, and it was impossible to move him. But now after meeting Shaq in person I understand why Schortsanitis goes by the nickname “Baby Shaq” in Europe. Compared to the original he looks like a dwarf.
Sofoklis Schortsanitis is 208 cm !
Shaq at 7'0 flat is bad news for Big Show.
I still think Show is around 6'11 but there is definitely more than 1 inch between them in 2016.
You need to head to youtube and look at the video of big show and shaq talking at the ESPY awards. Shaq has a good 4 inches on him. No lie. His son Sharif O'neal who is legit 6,9 and growing appears to be the same height or taller as Big Show. If shaq is only 7,0 then Big show is 6,8-6,9. I still think Shaq is 7,0.5 today. If not Big show needs a downgrade for sure. Please consider for the height fans who want nothing but the truth and the whole truth.
Click Here Lesnar looks like he has cowboy boots on. Shaq has a full head size on him and his head is fairly large. A 7'0" flat Shaq means a big downgrade for many on this site, unless of course he gets a 2 or more inch boost from every shoe he ever wears.
Was hogan really shorter than Scott hall in wcw who many believe was 6'5?
Personally I find 6'5 hard to swallow for Scott hall and he struck me as looking more 6'4 than 5 actually.
Vegas what's your opinion on Scott halls height? I don't think you have met him in person have you?
Shaq was never 7'1 barefoot as the clarification above shows and the side by sides with 7'1 barefoor Mutombo clearly shows. Shaq is clearly a good inch shorter.
You are contradicting yourself by saying that people can't go by pre-draft measurements and then showing pre-draft measurement data to prove he was 7'1".
The problem is, he has always looked at least 1 inch shorter than legit 7'1" next to guys like Dikembe Mutombo.
something that people here should note, Kareem is a Yoga practitioner, and has been for like 35 years. Yoga over time makes you taller, not shorter, because you are constantly conditioning and lengthening the spine, pumping up the discs to maximum height. i wouldnt doubt kareem is probably a legit 7'2"
Shaq is and was every bit of 7'1" at his peak... you guys can't go by his pre-draft measurement of 7'0", as he was just a 19 year old kid and was still growing. he settled at 7'1" barefoot. he has since been measured and his height revised.
Rob was it big shows weight making him look much shorter next to shaq?
Editor Rob: for a guy like big show you wonder how much his natural standing height differs from his measured height...it's an unknown really, but he certainly doesn't have Stallone posture.
My answer to how tall are you? Is 6'8".. 6'9" on a good day.. $=4 me "height" is relative, a standard door is 6'8" and at my "normal height" relaxed posture, head titled down I clear no problem, but at my stand up straight, deep breath, shoulders back height the door jam hits me in the forehead, and this is barefoot, add some bball shoes and in the nba I would be a "7fter"
There is no way SHAQ is just 7 feet.
The photo with Mutombo is not a good one. There are other photos of the two of them standing straight, and Mutombo is 1-2" taller. Shaq is 7 feet barefoot.
Don't you think you should list Shaq at 7'0.5"?He definitely looked taller than 7'0" at his prime.
This would be fair cause this half inch cover up both ranges.
A 7'0 prime Shaq means Big Show needs his prime height moving down, as does Hogan by an inch.
@Height: he does always look nothing less than a full inch shorter. Your estimate is likely right. I could even buying him catching a good whiff of 6'11 like 6'11.5 esp because he varies so much at that size. I notice back then some taller guys didnt round up (before today's height inflation began years back). Some still don't.
rob, what made you change it 7'1 to 7'0?
Editor Rob: I think for me there was probably enough I've seen over the years to believe what the draft site said about 7ft measurement and near 7ft 1 in sneakers.
Shaq has a body of a guy 6'10.75-6'11.
Rob, Shaq at 7ft flat does make todays Big Show 6´10" at best and never 7ft in his entire life, look at Big Shows big soles- I doubt Shaq had more footwear.
thanks for downgrading him back to his real height. now if you could downgrade Pitt and Damon.
Shaq at a flat 7'0? Wow.
How can you have Kareem listed at less than 7'2" in his prime and Shaq at 7'1" when an old Kareem is noticeably taller than a prime Shaq????
Editor Rob: the conclusion seems to point to Shaq having been measured nearly 7ft 1 in footwear, as the DraftExpress seemed to think.
Rob, but didn't DraftExpress later reverted their measurement to 7'0" with the editor claiming that the previous 2 measurements they had where with standard sneakers (non basketball sneakers)?
And what would you say is the difference between him and 6'11" Kevin Garnett?
Editor Rob: this 7ft 1992 measurement I couldn't ever find the article, I'm not sure if it was ever posted, but it may well be accurate. I think many have argued 7ft for him made sense.
Rob, then why do you still have Shaq at 6ft1 on the dot?
Editor Rob: if it was 3/4 inch yes, but it was just under 7ft 1...you could argue that he drops below 7ft 0.75 especially if he was measured before mid-day.
Hilarious how Wilt and Shaq are both 7'1 according to this site when there are pictures and videos and Wilt is clearly taller.
Editor Rob: Shaq was measured a little under 7ft 1, Wilt measured a little over, so I would class Shaq as the weaker and Wilt the stronger 7ft 1.
@Bruce Wayne: everything you said is 100% correct! However the heights you have for them are already inflated. Penny is 6'6 barefoot not 6'7. Not sure on Nathan (Ricky roe). He may be 6'8. Shaq is between 6'11-7' barefoot.
Shaq at 6'11 would put a prime Hulk Hogan at around 6'3. Andre at 6'8... etc... all 3 were 2 inches taller than that.
Shaq wears unsually large size 22 basketball shoes which give him at least additional 2 inches to his barefoot height.....if he is 7'1" barefoot, then he stood at least 7'3" on the basketball court during his playing days.
I remember his movie "Blue Chips (1993)" where his character Neon Boudeaux, together with 6'7" Butch McRae (played by Penny Hardaway) and 6'8" Ricky Roe (played by Matt Nover) were recruited by a College team and when they were introduced in the school gym, the PA announced their respective heights to be 7'4" , 6'9" and 6'11" tall. When the three players asked why they were announced to be taller than their real heights, the team official responded with something to this effect: "that's how tall you are gonna be..." implying the industry practice of teams inflating their players' heights by 1-3 inches to make their team roster appear on paper to be more impressive and/or intimidating.
SHAQ Is 7ft 0" (213cm) in Trainers (2-3cm increase). 6ft 11" (210.8cm) with No shoes.
BIG SHOW is 6ft 10.5" (209.5cm) In Boots. 6ft 9.5" (207cm) No shoes.
Almost all NBA players who are 7'1"+ are genetically tall . You can tell by there head to body porportion - all of these guys' heads just seem small compared to their bodies .
Shaq at under 7'0 throws everything off.
He's somewhere between 7'0.5 and 7'1, I doubt he's lost any height either.
does it matter he is close to 7 feet and its the bulk that means just as much.
6'11.5" or 6'11.75" may have been his height at 17 or so. As a full grown adult that may be an exaggeration.
Like I said, I think he is a legit 7'0" guy at 213.5 cm and Garnett is 6'11" / 6'11.25" (210.8 cm / 211.5 cm).
Shaq did not measure over 7 feet - unless you count his in shoes measurements. For a long time Draftexpress had him pegged at 7-1 without shoes, based on a newspaper article that cited him at 7' 0.63" and 7' 0.88" from the 90's during the draft. But it turns out those were actually with shoes measurements. So they updated his profile to "7-0" without shoes. They use a rounded number but I think if he had a 1" or 1.25" thick shoe like most players that would put him almost right at about 6-11.5 like he admitted to being.
That also explains why an old Wilt appeared taller than him when they met.
Wilt has a better posture than Shaq, but still the difference between them is very noticeable. I honestly don't see him being 7'0.88".
But I do see him as a legit 7'0" guy at 213 cm or even 213.5 cm...Especially after seeing the video where he admits his height and finishing reading his 1993 rookie season book written in collaboration with Jack McCallum.
FLEX, you actually thought I was serious...I just used the same method (type of picture) you used to claim that Shaq is taller than Mutombo.
I believe Shaq at his prime was 7'1" or perhaps 7'0.88" as I've seen in some sources. However as of now he's put on a lot of weight. I wouldn't be surprised if he's over 400 lbs currently, I don't think his posture is very good anymore due to that.
Shaq is 7'0.88" without shoes.He was measured after evening training.
And that isn´t even his "fully streched out height"
You're far too exagerrated that makes shaq 7'2.5 out of bed. In fact much closer to 1.5" loss for a day sounds reliable but shaq himself had claim he was only 7'0 even (213cm) and also say that his 7'1 several times it's much likely he was 7'0 than 7'1. At best 7'05 as you say by night this might be the daily height shaq walks on the street.
Duhon: I see that you completely ignored the fact I presented "Barkley downgrading his height". What is you response to that? You don't have one.
And question why so condescending to others here? Did you have a rough upbringing or something in your childhood? Were you fondled or touched inappropriately? I mean if something is bothering you take your aggression elsewhere to someone who can help you.
Rob: Question for you? Because apparently I'm not the only one who has downgraded the same people Here in my estimates and can never remember saying "Rob can you change it". Is it ok to comment with how we feel about the height listed? I mean this is an open forum from what I see. For some reason Duhon doesn't see it that way. Just checking to make sure we all aren't out of line for "thinking" someone is shorter than they are listed and expressing our opinions.
Editor Rob: anybody can comment what they think somebody is, although sometimes people can go beyond the realms of believability.
Duhon, lets cut the crap. this started with me agreeing with Ezioadutiore about Steph. It's all because someone disagrees with you. And tell me which NBA players I have downgraded. because I only see Griffin Lebron Wade Curry and MJ and all within 1". I doubt these players are sitting home worried about what we think about their height so don't see why you care. What do you have a crush on these guys? All the rest I kept right where they are. Barkley, Kobe, Shaq, Rodman, Kareem I kept the same. And if you look very closely I am not the only one who has downgraded any of them. 4 or 5 others said the same thing I did. so we must see something. So I want you to bring me some facts instead of saying "Canson downgrades every NBA player because you haven't yet. And by the way I haven't commented on "every player here" so get your facts straight. so you are singling me out? Because I didn't agree with you and challenged you? Oh but I see three that you tried to upgrade and go against Rob? Kobe: Rob, he's over 6'5, Barkley: Rob I vote to upgrade him, Yao: he's a strong 7'5 or 7'6. Go look at what you wrote unless you are that illiterate and senial. I guess so much for trusting the site master Rob because you know more than him obviously. So why is anything you do better than what I do? and Why don't you go and learn how to comprehend what you read "Oh your cousin's friend saw Dell Curry" "oh so you're saying Shaq is lying?" You're very immature making comments you make. U pull this crap when you don't like or understand what someone says. And don't make up stuff "he's bitter he didn't make the NBA." I didn't stoop to that level with you so don't do it with me. diff story for you though. So why are "you" contradicting Rob and "shouting" to him to upgrade these 3 guys? Nothing different from me. If you don't like something someone says address it respectfully. And more facts? Ok. If Curry is really 6'2 as "listed" Kobe is 6'4.75 as listed, Barkley same as listed. Yao 7'5 as listed. Duhon: all I see here is that you are a hypocrite and singled me out when 4 or 5 others have commented the same way I have. Don't believe me? Go look at the pages I mentioned where I donwgraded. I don't hear you saying it to anyone else. this site is all opinion and we express them. That's what makes the experience what it is. And if you want to continue this please bring facts of your own. And don't make up or misconstrue stuff and put it on here know what the hell you are talking about first. Sorry but I can't get over "i use facts not what your cousins friend saw". Go look at what you wrote you moron.
The only people who are insecure about height are the ones calling for Rob to downgrade all the heights he's listed. Do you think people who are secure with themselves try to make others out to be shorter please think about that and what you are trying to do. That's my final word on this unless you start bringing some facts and not personal opinions.
Wow! I've never heard someone say someone is negative for downgrading height of someone else where that's what they believe. I would think calling someone a liar or saying someone is downplaying is more negative "Charles Barkley downplays his height to maintain an underdog image" because he claimed what he claimed. Wow Duhon a statement like that "you're being negative for downgrading height" shows you have issues. If height matters that much to someone that shows they are pretty insecure!
Duhon: you don't either. So maybe that makes both of us. you do realize that this site is all opinion based right? And I am not the only one who has downgraded the same players that I have. three maybe four others have the exact for the exact same players. I've also kept people right where Rob has them: Kevin Durant, KG, Barkley, Kareem. But I am allowed to disagree with Rob as well as you. as you also have on occasion with me and with Rob. I respect your view but don't have to agree with it. Example, Rob has charles Barkley at 6'4.75, but you disagree. so Rob's wrong now? Why does it work this way but not when I downgrade someone when I genuinely don't believe that person is that height? I'm familiar enough with pro sports and esp the NBA and know people who have worked inside with the players or players I've seen on my own. I have first hand knowledge that while not all but some of the measurements are fab'd. I respect Rob's opinion very much but doesn't mean he is always 100% accurate if he hasn't seen someone in person. Think he knows this too That it is his best guess. Nobody is perfect.
I do respect you especially for the fact that you go for proof with your estimates. but some of the comments?? toward me "oh he's bitter about not making the NBA". Then toward height here when he was making an observation about something Shaq said. Ditto. Even with Ezioauditore he was making a point about Steph curry as was I saying I've seen his father in person and can look at their difference. I realize sometimes you don't read everything through as I saw with the comment you made about "your cousin's friend" when that never was said. I hadn't said anything attacking previously toward you. If I disagreed I did so professionally. Height and I have disagreed on one or two but we do so professionally. If everybody agrees here on everything, then it means that only one person is doing the thinking and it'd be no point of this site and I am sure that nobody here or Rob himself would enjoy the experience nor the success. I apologize if I offended you as I was calling it exactly how I saw it based on your pattern of comments but some of the comments you made were completely out of line as well so it was definitely warranted. Let's move on from this and continue to disagree with each other the right way!!!
Canson you have no idea what you are talking about. 90% of my posts are in reference to draft data not my personal opinion. How am I the negative one when you are the one shouting on every page that these guys are all shorter than what Rob lists them as? and I'm the one who has personal issues?
Please if you have issues with these listings, take it up with Rob the guy who manages the site, I'll take his analysis over guys like you 9/10 times as this is his job.
Thanks Canson. I just enjoy discussing heights and possible heights to try to come as close as possible to the real thing.
Height, i understand your point And intent. It seems as if the only person whose opinion matters here on this site is Duhon's. He is very negative, defensive, and condescending toward others who don't See it his way or who make their own valid points and I honestly think he has issues with his own height. Not to mention his posts here half the time are "his opinion" only wanting to make everyone else taller with very little basis and content and can't even comprehend what other people say.
I never said he lied, just that he gave a different version than he gave Howard Stern (shorter).
Of course he could have grown a little more, I just put the video for reference that sometimes players give very different answers about their height in different moments in their life/ career. Barkley himself has admitted he's 6'4", 6'4.75", 6'5.5" for example.
Lol Shaq at 17 admitting to being 7' even is somehow proof he's been lying about his height? Is it hard to believe a 7' tall 17 year old didn't grow a further inch or maybe a fraction less than that?
Just another sample of how some guys like Shaq (and Barkley) often admit different heights in different occasions.
There can be nothing gained from that photo really, other than he is close to 7 ft as it introduces perspective. I want shaq to be over 7 ft of course but all the evidence of shaq standing next to men over 7 ft makes it very hard to believe as he seems to have good posture. A man who is over 7 ft would not look noticeably shorter than other men who are known to be of that height. It just doesn't add up.
In the interests of accuracy I vote for a downgrade also.
Rifle, that is 1 of 2 measurements from the camp/draft in 1992. He was measured at 7'0.66" and 7'0.88".
He still looks about an inch shorter than legit 7'1" guys like Mutombo or Wilt and at his lowest could be 6'11.75"
Duhon, thats a great photo and proves ( to me ) that shaq is considerably shorter than Yao. It takes away the perspective problem in most photo's where one person is standing in front of the other ( even if only slightly ), as it really alters the perceived height.
If Yao is around 7'5" that makes Shaq about 6'11 - 6'11 1/2" from that one.
@Oanh Aaron Carter is 175 cm and now he has a thread on this website!!!
Shaq was measured 7'0.88" without shoes.
I would go with 6' 11.5" as his lowest height of the day. What's your views on this Rob?
I firmly believe Shaq to be 6'11.5" in his prime. Look at the video where he is standing with Wilt and Kareem. Unless he is bare feet and the others are not and despite camera angle it is fairly clear that he is a shorter man than both these huge men, who are also much older than him and inevitably will have lost a little height ( even if small amount ).
Look at the photos of Yao with Shaq. If shaq was over 7ft he would not look so 'small' compared to yao.
I simply cannot buy 7ft or over. The evidence ( not including internet draft heights ) simply does not support this listed height. Sorry Rob, going to have to disagree with you on this one but your still the man !
What is the height difference between Bill Russell and Dwight Howard in this pic?Keeping in mind Russell was 75 in the picture.
Shaq is 5 inches taller than 6'11'' listed Pero Antic.
In that photo, Antic is not standing straight. Also, he is listed at 6'11" which we all know NBA heights are inflated. He is likely 6'9.5" barefoot...6'10.5" with shoes...then it gets rounded to 6'11". That's how the NBA does it.
Yao Ming despite being 7'5"still wears shoes with high heels.
no doubt that he was measured 7'1 or so,the question is rather when.
I mean we are in a case where the difference from out of bed to before bed is like 4-5cm so a decent difference between say late morning and late evening.
Anything between 7'0 and 7'1 is possible in my opinion.
If he was to be measured late morning barefoot, I believe he would be 215cm.
Rob,any chance for 7'flat?he really looks more than 4" shorter than Yao Ming at least a solid 5".A good compromise would be 7'0.5 for shaq and 7'5.5 for yao in my opinion.
i stand at 7'3" 450lbs I was looking list tallest names I don't even come close. But I might be tallest in law enforcement ( Dallas Sheriff Dept. Tx.
This guy is tricky because of his footwear. He's probably around 7'0.
How tall do you think Bill Russel is in this pic with Ben Wallace( who is definitely not 6'9" barefoot).
Russel said in an 1955 interview that he was 6'9.66 inches tall.
BTW as Russel is 79 in this pic he may have shrunk a bit.
Since you are using quarter inch measurements, I think it would be fair to have Shaq at 7'0.75". If the measurement is out there, why not be precise?
I can't remember exactly where I saw this but his actual measurement listed was: 7'0.88"
The difference is noticeable, but because of the angle of the picture, it can be tricky.I still believe that Shaq is 7'0" ish...maybe a little taller (7'0.5"- 7'0.7") but not a full 7'1 flat footed.
PROOF that SHAQ is way taller than BILL WALTON, 2-3 inches.
Walton is still a strong 6'11" (I suspect he was actually above 7' during his prime playing years).
What was the name of that large fella that stands next to Shaq in a pic and makes him look small. The fella is around half a foot taller and broad.
draftexpress now says Shaq is just a measured 7'0.
GOOD pic JT where Shaq is standing in the same line with Wilt and Russell and he's almost an inch taller than Wilt and 4 inches than Russell. If he was standing in the same spot as Kareem and Wallton i think he will be the same height as Jabbar or taller, beacause Jabbar and Wallton have the BEST posture in this pic.
So SHAQ is legit 7'1'' barefoot and period.
Click Here In their prime, Kareem was an easy 7'2", Walton around 7'1" and Russell around 6'10". Kareem still looks 7'1" range whereas Walton looks around 6'11" now (he's had numerous foot, ankle and back surgeries) and Russell still around 6'9" at age 80. | 2019-04-19T17:13:33Z | https://www.celebheights.com/s/Shaquille-ONeal-3142-3.html |
(Urgent Question): I rise to request urgent clarification of the radical reductions in conventional military forces provisionally proposed by the national security capability review, together with an explanation of the reasons for undertaking the review and the financial constraints under which it is being conducted.
In the 2015 strategic defence and security review, the Government identified four principal threats facing the UK and our allies in the coming decade: terrorism, extremism and instability; state-based threats and intensifying wider state competition; technology, especially cyber-threats; and the erosion of the rules-based international order.
As the Prime Minister made clear in her speech to the Lord Mayor’s banquet late last year, these threats have diversified and grown in intensity. Russian hostility to the west is increasing—whether in weaponising information, attempting to undermine the democratic process or increased submarine activity in the north Atlantic. Regional instability in the middle east exacerbates the threat from Daesh and Islamic—Islamist terrorism, which has diversified and dispersed. Iran’s well known proxy military presence in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere poses a clear threat to UK interests in the region and to our allies.
Like other Members, I have seen much of the work that our armed forces continue to do in dealing with these threats. It is because of these intensifying global security contexts that the Government initiated the national security capability review in July. Its purpose is to ensure that our investment in national security capabilities is joined up, effective and efficient. As I said in oral questions, since I became Defence Secretary I have asked the Department to develop robust options to ensure that defence can match the future threats and challenges facing the nation. Shortly, when the national security capability review finishes, the Prime Minister, with National Security Council colleagues, will decide how to take forward its conclusions. I would not wish to pre-empt that decision.
Although the detail must wait until after the NSCR concludes, I can assure the House that as long as I am Defence Secretary we will develop and sustain the capabilities necessary to maintain continuous at-sea nuclear deterrence, a carrier force that can strike anywhere around the globe and the armed forces necessary to protect the north Atlantic and Europe; and we will continue to work with our NATO allies. The Prime Minister, the Chancellor and I will be doing all we can to ensure that we have a sustainable budget, so that we can deliver the right capabilities for our armed forces.
I thank the current Defence Secretary—[Laughter.] That is not meant to be funny. I thank him for confirming what the previous Defence Secretary told the Defence Committee, namely that the capability review resulted from intensified threats to the United Kingdom. If the threats are intensifying, why has the review provisionally proposed radical reductions in our conventional armed forces, and why is it required to be fiscally neutral, as the National Security Adviser recently told the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy? Who has imposed that financial restriction? The Ministry of Defence? Unlikely. The Treasury? Almost certainly.
“Because the main decisions on Defence were taken during the 2015 SDSR, this review is not defence-focused”?
If this review is not defence-focused, and if the 2015 plan therefore still applies, why should thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen be lost, elite units merged or aircraft frigates and vital amphibious vessels scrapped, long before their out-of-service dates?
Finally, is it not obvious that we are bound to face such unacceptable choices as long as we continue to spend barely 2% of GDP on defence? Even after the end of the cold war and the taking of the peace dividend cuts, we were spending fully 3% in the mid-1990s. Defence is our national insurance policy, and it is time for the Treasury to pay the premiums.
I thank the current Chairman of the Defence Committee—I think we are only ever current—for raising those points. In the NSCR, we are looking at the threats that the country faces, and everything that was done in 2015 is relevant today. As I pointed out, the Prime Minister herself has highlighted the fact that the threats are increasing, and we are having very active discussions right across Government about how best we can deal with those threats. There is an awful lot of speculation and rumour in the press, but that is what we expect of the press.
As I mentioned earlier, we need to ensure that we have the right capability, whether that is a continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent, our special forces, or an Army, Navy and Air Force that have the right equipment and capability to strike in any part of the globe. That is what we have to deliver. I am afraid that I cannot be drawn on the details at the moment, but I will be sure to update the House regularly, as the national security capability review develops, on the conclusions of the review and how we can best deal with them.
I am grateful to you, Mr Speaker, for allowing this urgent question, because Members on both sides of the Chamber have had enough of constantly reading about proposed defence cuts in the newspapers while Government Ministers stonewall questions in the House.
May I press the Secretary of State actually to answer the questions posed by the Chair of the Defence Committee about the national security capability review? Is it the case that the defence element of the review is to be hived off? If so, when can we expect that part to be published? We live in a time of deep global uncertainty, and the risks that we face continue to grow and evolve. Can the Secretary of State confirm that the review will carry out a thorough strategic analysis of those risks, and make a full assessment of the capabilities required to deal with them effectively? It is complete nonsense to have a review without also reviewing the funding, yet that is precisely what this Government propose to do.
Although we must develop and adapt our capabilities as the threats that we face continue to evolve, this review must not become a contest between cyber-security and more conventional elements. Will the Secretary of State recognise that Britain will always need strong conventional forces, and that money must be made available for both? He must not rob Peter to pay for Paul.
There is significant concern about cuts to personnel, with numbers already running behind the stated targets across all three services. The Government still maintain that they aim to be able to field a “warfighting division”, but will the Secretary of State admit that this simply will not be possible if the Army is reduced to the levels speculated? What is the Government’s target for the size of the Army? They broke their 2015 manifesto pledge to have an Army of over 82,000, and they have now broken their 2017 pledge to maintain the overall size of the armed forces because, in reality, numbers have fallen.
Finally, will the Secretary of State tell us what specific steps he is taking to stop defence cuts, beyond posing with dogs outside the MOD and briefing the papers about his stand-up rows with the Chancellor? The fact is that we cannot do security on the cheap, and the British public expect the Government to ensure that defence and the armed forces are properly resourced.
I think that all Government Members recognise the importance of making sure that we maintain conventional forces, and the fact that we have to have a continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent; but we cannot have one and not the other. We have to ensure that we have that ability so that, if we are in a point of conflict, there is deterrence at so very many levels. That is why having robust armed forces—the Army, Navy and Air Force—is so incredibly vital.
The Government and the Conservative party made a clear commitment in our manifesto to maintaining numbers. We are working to ensure that we get the recruitment methods right, so that we can give many people right across the country the opportunity to be able to join the Army, Navy and Air Force. I have to say that if we are choosing between parties when it comes to who will prioritise defence, and who will ensure that our armed forces and this country’s national interests are protected, I know which party I would choose, and it sits on this side of the House.
I will continue to work with the Army, Navy and Air Force to ensure that we get the very best deal for our armed forces. We have a vision as to what we wish to deliver for this country: a robust, global Britain that can project its power right across the globe. We recognise that that is done not just through cyber-offensive capabilities, but the conventional armed forces. As I said earlier, as the national security capability review starts to conclude, I will update the House on the conclusions and how it will be developed.
There has been speculation over the weekend that the defence element of the NSCR is going to be effectively broken out, and dealt with separately slightly later. Given the immense amount of speculation, will the Secretary of State confirm whether this is true? Is he also aware that if he continues stoutly to fend off the pin-striped warriors of the Treasury, he will have very strong support on the Government Benches and, I suspect, even among the Opposition.
I assure my right hon. Friend that we are working hard across Government and all Departments to make sure that we have the right resources for our armed forces not just this year and next year but going forward. On whether I can update the House, I am afraid that I do not have the ability to pre-empt the national security and capability review, but as soon as its conclusions have been brought forward and it has gone to the National Security Council, I will be sure to update this House as soon as I am able to do so.
Who would have thought that a national security review would become a proxy Conservative leadership contest between the Secretary of State and the Chancellor?
Will the Secretary of State answer the question that he has been asked by the Opposition and by Government Members? Is the review being split up into defence and security, is defence expected to come later in the year, and if so, when will that happen? What size will the Marines be by the time this concludes? Does he not agree that given all the speculation, and given that the SDSR is now effectively out of date because we are leaving the EU and because of major currency fluctuations, what is needed is a proper SDSR that he, at least, would be able to get a grip of?
I apologise, Mr Speaker, but the hon. Gentleman seems not to have been listening to my previous answers. I am not in a position to comment on his question, but I have promised the Committee that I will update the House as soon as I am able to do so. Quite simply, I am not in a place where I can pre-empt the decisions of the National Security Council, and the national security and capability review is ongoing. As soon as I am in a position to be able to update him, I will certainly do so.
When I joined a conventional infantry battalion in 1969, there were 780 officers and soldiers. Now, in the same conventional infantry battalion, there are just over 500. That is a loss of a third in number. Does my right hon. Friend agree that doing that and still calling something a battalion is a great loss of capability?
My hon. Friend makes a very valuable point, and I will certainly look into it. We want to make sure that battalions are properly and fully manned so that they are able to deliver the right capability with the right equipment and the right resources, but I take on board the points that he makes.
In 2015, the Conservative party was very clear that the size of the Army should be 82,000. Will the Secretary of State give a commitment today that on his watch the size of the Army will not drop below 82,000, and if it does, will he resign?
We are meeting all of our operational commitments. We have also made it clear that we want to deliver on the numbers that we outlined in the manifesto in keeping the forces at the levels that they are, and we will be doing everything we can to deliver on that.
Does my right hon. Friend agree that in some ways this is an unfair question for him, because given everything that he has said, he does not decide defence and security policy, as that has now been upped to the National Security Council and the National Security Adviser? At what point does the influence of the chiefs of staff come in? Is he able to veto any proposals being put forward by the Treasury or other Government Departments?
The Chief of the Defence Staff acts as the Prime Minister’s principal adviser on all defence issues. We will be putting forward our thoughts as to how best to make sure that our armed forces are best equipped to go forward. This national security capability review touches on 12 strands of work. I am keen to make sure that defence gets the very best deal. I will be very vocal in making sure that the interests of our armed forces are properly represented going forward.
Does the Defence Secretary not realise that he has a real opportunity here? Both in the debate on Thursday and today, Parliament is saying that he should go to the Treasury and tell it we will not accept merging the Paras with the Marines, cuts to amphibious warfare capability or cuts to the Army of some 11,000. We are trying to support and help him, so instead of retreating into partisanship, will he embrace what Parliament is telling him, and go and tell the Chancellor and the Prime Minister that we want more money?
I am always incredibly grateful for such cross-party support. In the arguments and the debates about our armed forces having the right resources, the fact that there is a real passion to make sure that they have the resources they need is apparent to everyone, not least me. As I have already said, I have made and will continue to make the arguments that need to be made to ensure we have the right resources to enable our armed forces to fulfil the asks that politicians in this House so often place on them.
First, I commend the Government’s commitment to defence: we spend the largest amount of money on defence in Europe. However, the money must be well spent if we are to deal with the security threat. Does the Secretary of State agree that for the Marines, such as 40 Commando in Taunton Deane, to function at the top of their game, they must have the correct amphibious capability, which includes retaining HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark? I know that he will give this due consideration, because it is very important not just for Taunton, but for the nation.
I will most certainly give that proper consideration, and I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend. I have just visited the commando training centre, and it is quite clear that exceptionally high levels of training go into preparing every marine, as they do into preparing every member of our services. It is absolutely vital to understand the capability we have—not just the Marines, but 16 Air Assault Brigade and so much more—and the benefits they can bring to and their immediate effect on the field of conflict. We will feed all these comments and thoughts into the national security capability review.
The Secretary of State says that he will not be drawn on the detail, and to an extent that is understandable. Is not the fundamental problem, however, that the review is already constrained in that we know it is fiscally neutral? Would not the best way to proceed be to look very carefully at the extensive range of threats we face as a country and to allocate resource and capability accordingly?
The hon. Gentleman makes a very important point. I know that the first thing at the forefront of the minds of the Chancellor and the Prime Minister is making sure we get the right outcome. Everyone is very keen to listen and to look at how to get the right solutions for this country’s needs. I thank the hon. Gentleman very much for his contribution.
The Liaison Committee was unanimous in supporting the request of the Chair of the Defence Committee, my right hon. Friend the Member for New Forest East (Dr Lewis), to have the National Security Adviser appear in front of the Committee. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will know that there are precedents for the National Security Adviser appearing in front of the Defence Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee and elsewhere, and Parliament has never accepted the Osmotherly rules, so will he give permission for the National Security Adviser to appear?
I am afraid that my hon. Friend is asking me something I cannot deliver. I can offer the Chief of the Defence Staff if she would like him, but I cannot offer the National Security Adviser. However, I will certainly pass on her request to Mr Sedwill.
There is danger, is there not, of an ever-diminishing spiral? Governments and political parties say they will have 82,000 or 80,000 in the Army, but fail to recruit that many and end up saying, “All right, there’ll be 75,000”, and then the figure will be 70,000, and so it will go on and on. If we fail to recruit enough and the Government fail to fulfil their promises, this country will in the end be left without sufficient defence.
Let us make it absolutely clear: the reason we are looking so clearly at how we go about our recruitment is to make sure we meet the target and fully recruit, and that is why we are changing our approach. As is often said, “If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.” We are trying to look at how to do this differently, so that we hit our numbers and get the right people who want to serve our country, and that is why we are going to do things differently. We have already seen a 15% increase in applications, and I hope that that will continue to rise.
It is perfectly reasonable that the Secretary of State cannot say much until the national security capability review has been completed, so when will that be?
I hope very soon, so that I do not have to sound quite so evasive. I hope it will happen in the very near future, but I am not yet at liberty to name a date.
Pursuant to a point made earlier, I would say to the Secretary of State that the appearance in the newspapers of briefings, which I am certainly not suggesting hail from him, is something that greatly irritates Members of the House. It is therefore very much to be hoped that before the conclusion of the review, there are no further such briefings. If there are, I rather imagine that I will be confronted with further requests for urgent questions, and I will feel unable, and in any case disinclined, to resist those requests.
On that point, I stand here as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on the armed forces covenant. The reality is that the leaks to papers are undermining morale and the confidence of families, and sending completely the wrong message to our allies. We need answers and we need them now, if only for the people who are serving. They need to know whether they will be serving in Plymouth, or be moved to Colchester.
The hon. Lady makes a powerful point on morale in the armed forces. To read speculation in the newspapers is not good for anyone. That is why I hope we can conclude the national security capability review at the earliest possible moment; then, we can make clear some of the options and what we want to do to take our armed forces forward and to make sure that they have the right investment, so that they continue to be the successful, vibrant organisations in which so many people take great pleasure and pride in serving.
Does the Defence Secretary agree that the British Army headcount now is at an irreducible minimum? Does he also agree that the Sedwill review must deal principally with the threats that face this country—cyber and terrorism, and asymmetry—and will he reconcile the two?
We will continue to do everything we can to fulfil our commitment. I confess that, probably like all Defence Secretaries, I am a little greedy: I would always prefer to have larger numbers in our armed forces. In the coming months, we will do all we can to drive up the numbers through the new recruitment campaign. We hope that will attract significant uptake and an increase in the number of people joining our forces.
Had the Secretary of State been able to join us last Thursday, he would have heard across the House a cry for reassurance. Many of us here are also members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and represent this House and this country across the NATO alliance. I have to tell the Secretary of State that that cry for reassurance, that demand to know that we are able and capable and have the people, the personnel and the equipment to defend the NATO alliance, is shared by our allies. They are also desperate to hear the results of the national security capability review. Are the Secretary of State and the Government aware of that and of the need to reassure our allies?
Yes. We need to reassure our allies that Britain will continue to play a pivotal role not only in the defence of Europe, but in actions in every part of the world, where we bring unique capabilities—the ability to make a difference, as we have done throughout our history. I am as keen as the hon. Lady to bring the national security capability review to a conclusion, so that we can set out our clear vision for our armed forces. They are the best in the world. We have to continue to invest in them. We are increasing the amount of money we spend on our armed forces, and we need to make sure that the whole world understands our commitment to delivering a global Britain.
The Secretary of State took over in a difficult situation, because there were a lot of vacancies in the armed forces. I was pleased to hear him say that he wishes to bring the totals back up and that that is mainly a recruitment problem, which he thinks he may be able to resolve. Does he have the money in the budget if all those people come forward?
With Russia on the rise, our allies under threat and our northern flank vulnerable from Russian naval power, the threat from the Russian great bear is clear. Does the Defence Secretary understand that there is no support from any part of this House for any further cuts to our Royal Navy and our Royal Marines or for mergers that reduce the capabilities of our armed forces?
The threat that the hon. Gentleman talks about is what prompted the security capability review, and that is why we are looking at how best we deal with that threat going forward.
I am proud that we are one of the few members of NATO to actually maintain the 2% of GDP and exceed it. What can we do to ensure that other NATO members actually pay their fair share?
That point has been echoed by not just myself but the US Administration. We need to make sure that everyone understands that every country in NATO has to contribute towards the collective security of Europe and that that is not something that can be outsourced to another nation.
Our Prime Minister is meeting President Macron later this week in Sandhurst. The French are our major defence partners. Will they be consulted as part of the review, particularly in terms of the implications post Brexit for our ability to co-operate with them and other EU partners?
It is a sovereign decision as to how we spend our money on our armed forces, and that decision should be made purely in this country. However, we have worked, and we continue to work, with the French, as we do with the United States, and they are important partners in ensuring we have the stability and security in Europe that benefits every European nation.
I am pleased the Secretary of State is focusing on recruitment. May I put a plea in for the cadets? Many of our cadets go on to serve in the forces they support. However, many cadet units have disappeared from our schools, which is a tragedy. May I put in a plea that the cadets are not left out when we are considering recruiting people into our armed forces?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right in her analysis of the important role that cadets play. Some 20% of our armed forces served in the cadets. That is why the Government are committed to opening 500 new cadet forces in schools right around this country. Cadets are so incredibly vital for our armed forces, but they also make sure, in communities right across the country, that our armed forces play such an important role in the life of those local communities.
The Secretary of State has referred at least twice to the manifesto commitments on numbers that he and all his colleagues were elected on. He has been slightly vague about this, so will he be absolutely specific that it is the Government’s policy, under the manifesto he stood on in 2017, that the British Army will not go below 82,000?
Our commitment was to maintain the size of the armed forces, and we absolutely stick by that commitment.
On Saturday, together with my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant), the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent North (Ruth Smeeth) and several other colleagues, I had the honour to be at the laying-up of the colours of 3 Mercian, the Staffords, in Lichfield cathedral. It was a great privilege to be there and to recognise their service, but at the same time it was a reminder of the difficult decisions that had to be made. I agree with colleagues that 82,000 is an absolute minimum for the Army, and we must go higher—possibly to see the return of 3 Mercian—and certainly not lower.
I would very much like to reintroduce the Staffordshire Regiment as part of any changes, and that is something I would like to look at going forward—I may have some more battles to win before I get to that stage. However, I take on board my hon. Friend’s comments, and I am very conscious of the important role that the armed forces—especially the Royal Signals—play in Stafford, of how they are so involved in the local community and of how important the money we spend on our armed forces is to the economic prosperity of Stafford and Staffordshire.
The Secretary of State listed areas that would be protected, including aircraft carriers. Could the red line be extended to the amphibious assault ships—the Albion-class ships—and may I respectfully point out that a reduction in our amphibious capability would fundamentally diminish our ability to carry out humanitarian missions?
We need a broad range of capabilities, and I will certainly take on board the hon. Gentleman’s comments. We must maximise our capability, make sure it is affordable and give our armed forces the right training and equipment for them to do their job right around the globe.
Many of us are sympathetic with the Secretary of State in his battle royal with the Treasury—after all, we are down to our last 13 frigates and six destroyers—and think that we should be spending 3% of gross national product, not 2%, but how many of us will support the Treasury when, having achieved our aims and we do spend 3% of GNP on defence, we cut the budgets of other Departments?
I think that I will refer that question to Treasury questions as something the Chancellor might like to take up.
While we are talking about the Chancellor, will the Defence Secretary say what he thinks about the fact that early last month the Chancellor is understood to have told defence chiefs that an army only needs 50,000 full-time professional soldiers?
As already touched on, there is an awful lot of speculation, and I am sure that much of it is not based on fact. The Chancellor was a great defender of the armed forces when he was Defence Secretary and is passionate about what they do. I am sure that that passion still burns in his heart today.
The importance of amphibious capability is summed up by the famous quote: the British Army is a projectile to be fired by the British Navy. Will the Secretary of State reassure me that he will do everything in his power to make sure that at the end of the review that statement is still the case?
We have seen how British forces have been consistently able to deploy effectively around the world using land, sea and air. That requires a broad range of capabilities. We have to look at new ideas: how do we fight differently; how do we get different equipment; how do we get more efficient and capable equipment? That is why we are doing a national security and capability review—to see whether we can get answers to some of those questions—but I am afraid that I cannot be drawn on specifics.
What assessments are being undertaken as part of the review on the savings that could be made by home basing Welsh regiments in Wales, which would help with recruitment and post-service medical care?
The Principality of Wales plays an important role in all we do in defence—it would be great to see national Armed Forces Day taking place in Wales. We are always looking at how to ensure an even distribution of resources in terms of the Army, Navy and Air Force—RAF Valley is an important part of our training capability for the Royal Air Force based in Wales—but we will always look at how we can do more in Wales. It contributes so much to everything we do in our armed forces—the Royal Welsh Fusiliers are currently serving in Estonia—and I am sure that that important role will only increase going forward.
We all understand why the Secretary of State cannot comment publicly, but there is a human element to all this: good men and women up and down this country and their families want somebody to come out and publicly refuse the proposals that have come forward. Will the Secretary of State agree that now is a good opportunity to get a grip on this process and lay out a broad vision for UK defence post Brexit?
My hon. Friend makes a powerful point. We need to draw these matters to a conclusion as swiftly as possible and make sure that people have a clear idea of our intent—how we are going to develop our armed forces and make sure they have the right resources to deliver everything we ask of them. That is what we aim to do. We have the best armed forces in the world; and we have to maintain that. If we want to ensure that Britain remains a global nation that can project power in every part of the globe, we need an armed forces with the resources and manpower to do that. That is what I aim to deliver.
The House learned from the defence debate on Thursday that one of the cruxes of the issue of defence budget pressures is the fact that the defence rate of inflation is considerably higher than the national rate. Year on year, it erodes the purchasing power of defence. However, the Ministry of Defence and the Treasury stopped measuring the defence inflation rate last year. As part of the review, will the Secretary of State commit himself to reinstating measurement of defence inflation, and, in order to be truly fiscally neutral, will he ensure that the annual defence budget increases are pegged to the defence rate of inflation?
That is a very important comment. Foreign exchange rates have had an adverse effect on our ability to buy equipment such as the F-35 fighter. We will always be happy to look at suggestions such as the one made by the hon. Gentleman, and I will certainly raise it with the Treasury, but I cannot guarantee the response.
History, sadly, has shown us that politicians are all too easily tempted to cut our armed forces in order to spend money in other areas. May I urge my right hon. Friend not to do so? We are leaving the European Union, and I believe that our commitments and responsibilities will grow, not least because by the time 27 other countries have decided to do something, it will be too late.
That is why the Government are committed to growing our efficiency budget from £36 billion to £40 billion, increasing the amount of money that we spend on equipment by 0.5% above inflation every single year. These are important points. The first duty of every Government is the defence of the nation, and that is why this Government take it so incredibly seriously.
Much has been made of the Secretary of State’s relative youth in comparison with that of their predecessors. With that in mind, I was reminded of a quotation from Dante at the weekend, when I was reading about their predicament. “In the middle of the journey of our life, I came to myself in a dark wood where the direct way was lost.” Can the Secretary of State enlighten the House about the instructions on the map showing the way out of the “selva oscura” in which he and his Prime Minister now find themselves?
Probably not. I have not read much Dante. I am more of a Burns fan. I have felt a great deal older over the last two months, since starting this job: I think that it ages people an awful lot.
I believe that we are all simply committed to ensuring that we get the very best for our armed forces, and I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will be four-square behind our delivering it.
The hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire (Martin Docherty-Hughes) is of a notably literary turn, as is becoming increasingly apparent in the House. I expect that we will hear further expositions in due course.
On Friday I visited Nos. 10 and 101 squadrons at Brize Norton in my constituency, and I could see how hard they were working. This morning my constituents were out providing tanking support for the Typhoons that were investigating the latest Russian reconnaissance. Does my right hon. Friend agree that now is the time when we need to match spending with the size of the threat, rather than scaling down our response to that threat in order to fall into line with spending?
The review is very much about examining the threats and ensuring that we have the right resources, and that we deliver for the security of our country. Wherever we go, all around the globe, we so often see my hon. Friend’s constituents playing a vital role in ensuring that our armed forces are able to function in every part of the world.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. This must be like opening a box of chocolates and realising that all your favourites have gone and there is just a strawberry cream left. However, I am glad that my patience has won out.
Earlier, the Secretary of State mentioned the changing nature of our security challenges. Does he agree with the Minister for Security and Economic Crime that the big tech companies must do more, and that they may face a special tax levy if they do not do more to help with combating terrorism?
The hon. Gentleman really should not do himself down. I have every expectation that the people of his constituency have been listening to the entirety of these exchanges principally for the purpose of waiting to hear him.
My hon. Friend comes up with an innovative idea for hypothecation of tax in terms of the MOD, and I would be keen for him to expand that idea and push it with the Chancellor going forward.
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am grateful to you for taking this point of order now, but the Secretary of State has a couple of times used the words “Islamic terrorists.” I think he meant “Islamist terrorists”; I am certain he did, and it is important that we make that distinction in this House, as I am sure he would want to, and I just want to give him the opportunity to correct the record on that.
I thank the hon. Gentleman for bringing that to the House’s attention, and he is absolutely correct.
The hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) has performed a notable public service; it will be recorded in the Official Report, and I am very grateful to the Secretary of State.
On a point of order, Mr Speaker. The Secretary of State, who is a very nice man, referred to Wales as a Principality during the exchanges. He knows, of course, that Wales is a proud nation; will he please correct the record?
I know of course that it is a very proud nation that contributes so much to our armed forces. I am not that great on my Welsh history, and I am sure the hon. Gentleman knows a lot more about it than me, but I think it has been referred to as a Principality for hundreds of years, but I could well be wrong. | 2019-04-18T20:42:02Z | https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2018-01-15/debates/963DB52D-C4CF-4C88-8461-05340E96DA6C/NationalSecurityCapabilityReview |
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"A Man Called Ove" (2015 release from Sweden) brings the story of 59 yr. old Ove. As the movie opens, we see him bickering in a store over the price of flowers on his way to visit his wife Sonja's grave. Not long thereafter, he is given the boot at work, after a 43 yr. career in train maintenance. This leaves him with plenty of time to do the rounds of the small (and traffic-free) community where he lives. Then a young family moves in across the street, not knowing the many strict rules of the community. All along, Ove can't wait to join his beloved Sonja in the hereafter. At this point we're 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: first of all, if you have seen the trailer, you are probably expecting something along the line of that other recent Swedish movie, the funny and irreverent "The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared", as certainly the trailer gives that expectation. Let me stop you right there, as "A Man Called Ove" turns out to be almost nothing like it, and in fact I will say that the movie's trailer is outright misleading. "A Man Called Ove" certainly has some funny moments here and there, but in fact deals a lot more with how someone deals with facing life without a dearly beloved significant other. The movie cleverly looks back at the budding romance between Ove and Sonja in a number of flashbacks, and it's not until the very last 15 min. that we get the full picture. (During one of those flashbacks, we hear Demis Roussos' "Forever and Ever" in the background, which I literally hadn't heard in decades. That guy was HUGE in Europe in the 70s.) The movie also looks at the importance of neighbors and the immediate community (and even integration of migrants, as the wide of the young family fled Iran and is now completely fluent in Swedish). The movie that came to mind as I was watching this is Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino" of a few years ago. Indeed, certain parallels are uncanny (grumpy older guy, love for cars (in "Ove" it's a Saab), dealing with personal loss, adjusting to new neighbors, etc. Rolf Lassgard is outstanding in the title role, and kudos also to Barar Pars as the young wife from Iran.
"A Man Called Ove" opened with little pre-release fanfare at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended very nicely, somewhat to my surprise. So much the better! If you are up for a bittersweet Swedish movie about an older gentleman's adjustment to a new world, I think you will like this quite a bit. "A Man Called Ove" is worth checking out!
This is a beautiful movie that I warmly can recommend. Rolf Lassgård is acting great as always. This is a movie that will make you laugh and cry. The film is based on a book. I have not read the book, but my girlfriend had. She said that the movie was very good, and the story was well told. The movie have some actors that I have never seen before, but they all act good, and is lifting Rolf's role very well. I can warmly recommend this movie. I guess the movie will fit for all adult people (from 15 to 100 years old), and the movie make you have some thoughts, when the credits roll over the film at the end. I will not write any spoils here. See it for yourselves.
The Swedish film En man som heter Ove was shown in the U.S. with the translated title, A Man Called Ove (2015). It was written and directed by Hannes Holm, from a novel by Fredrik Backman.
Rolf Lassgård plays Ove, a man in his late 50's who has lost his wife to cancer, and lost his job due to redundancy. He is angry all the time, and demonstrates his anger by berating his neighbors, and making everyone stick to the letter of the regulations of the community in which he lives.
You know something is going to change when new neighbors move in. The husband is Swedish, the wife (Bahar Pars) is Iranian-Swedish and pregnant, and their two daughters are adorable. You can see the end coming right from the start.
What you can't see from the start is Ove's back story. Life has dealt him some bitter blows, some of them involving deceit by the people he calls "the white shirts." Ove truly loved his wife, Sonja, portrayed very well by Ida Engvoll. Now he has nothing and no one to love, and he takes this out on the world by being a pain in the neck.
The movie has some funny moments and some tragic moments, and, eventually, they all fit together. The film is well crafted, well acted, and well photographed. It's hard not to like a movie like this. Think about the movie as "It's a Wonderful Life" in Swedish, and without Christmas. Maybe the plot is obvious, but it moves you anyway.
one of you guys may wonder why I am writing a review of this movie now. Im in South Korea so this movie didn't came out in cinema yet. nevertheless, I was waiting for this move after I got to know people seemed to love a book. Luckily, I got a preview ticket and could see it last night.
I was kinda expecting this was gonna be good because I checked IMDb reviews for this movie said this was worth to see. I enjoyed this move a lot more than I expected. I like a fan of movie having good story line more than spectacular SF or CG scenes. To be honest, I love watching great nature scenery so it doesn't need to have a good story line.
You can find about this movie's story line easily here and somewhere. so I don't write about movies much. I want to tell you why I loved this move a lot. First of all, Main character "Ove" acting is so excellent and involving. and his wife ensembles his character so adorably. Many scenes of his reminisces are very touching and got my eyes watery.
I had thought to myself how it could be sad to lose a lifetime partner. and how it could be happy to get a woman I truly love. Someone can truly change your life.
Characters and places in this movie were very restricted so it can be boring if you expect a very entertaining movie. If you go for movies that can give you a thought, definitely this will be for you.
I do have to say that I expected a bit more of this movie. It tells us the story of a rather grumpy old man that is isolated within his neighborhood and plans to bring his life to an end but is stopped by his own pedantry and a new set of people that bring a necessary chaos into his ritualized life.
While the plot itself surely has potential, at the same time it is not something you have never heard or seen before. Movies love to show the warm heart in otherwise cold characters and elder people are always a good target for that because they already have more stories to be told to explain how their bitterness appeared.
In this case, everything seems just a bit over the top. How every time he attempts to commit suicide something happens out of the blue is probably supposed to be of comical value but somehow just appears to be unrealistic. At the same time many of the characters seem a bit stereotypical or at least one-dimensional.
It is a warm film though, with a warm message and it is never wrong to have some more of those. I did feel sympathy for this old man with his cat and his wife, and I did feel touched by their accident and so it surely makes some things wright. That it teaches tolerance, among cultures as well as along sexual orientations, is also a very positive point.
All in all it is a warm film that doesn't harm anyone but the cold-hearted, but there are better similar ones existing.
Some of the movies that I find the most interesting are ones that focus on interactions between people from different cultures. "En man som heter Ove" ("A Man Called Ove" in English) is one such movie. The protagonist is a misanthropic, aging man in a neighborhood in Sweden. He spends much of his time telling people if they're breaking the law. But when an Iranian woman and her family move in, this becomes a new opportunity for him.
In addition to showing Ove's relationship with this new family, the movie uses flashbacks to establish what kind of a person Ove is. And believe me, there are some shocking things that happened in this man's life. I had never heard of the director or cast members before watching the movie, but I'm impressed with their work (including the cat). The movie has some clever scenes, but also makes sure to emphasize the characters' relationships with each other. I hope that Hannes Holm continues to make this sort of movie, and I hope to see Rolf Lassgård in more movies. Bra gjort!
I did see the one man show with Johan Rheborg in the theater, so I knew what the story would be about, and Johan did a great job on the stage.
The story itself is very moving and its about Ove try to manage life after his life partners death. He have his patterns and many people around him making these patterns hard to follow. I don't want to spoil the movie by saying to much, but i thing this is enough to get a grip of what the movie is about.
I did have low expectation then many great books try to adapt to cinema and fail, and we have some great actors in Sweden, but many overrated actors also. This was the perfect cast and this movie moved me to many laughers and tears. I would go so far and say this is a top 3 of all the Swedish movies I seen in my 30 years. I could really recommend this movie to all viewers no matter how old you are or what kind of person you are.
Definitely one of the must-watch films of your life!
This movie is definitely in the top 100 must watch films in the entire world. At least, it is for me.
It's a simple story of what life has to bring and how one handles it. It makes you realize that there is a reason for everything. There is a reason why this person is happy, why that person is grumpy and why the world is how it is. We all have our stories. A man's true character is not measured by mere first impressions. It is through opening ones' book slowly, reading the story and being a part of it.
There is nothing more I can say than, "Just see for yourself."
En mann ved navn Ove (A man named Ove) is a Swedish-Norwegian co-production based on a success novel by the same name by Fredrik Backman, about a somewhat naive and grumpy man of 59, Ove. A railroad working man for 43 years missing his recently passed life companion and wife. Also being laid off at work, he decides to meet her again on the other side, and starts planning his suicide. But things don't seem to go his way this time either.
In many ways this is a quite typical Swedish comedy drama where some small tragedy is mixed with life and a god portion of feel good. Easy yo love, and to some felt like it has a deeper mission and meaning. And it has, and the film is funny to some extent. When it comes to giving the a serious message, the film loses itself on the way, and becomes a story a bit too far fetched.
If you don't take these too-far-fetched parts too serious, and with this the over exaggerated moral, this is a quite pleasant watch, though a bit too long for my taste.
Rolf Lassgård, a classy Swedish actor, makes one of his best roles ever, being the exactly same age as Ove here, but is strangely enough made very strange in the make up, and seemingly much older than he is in real life. It's also strange that people around him is insensitive to this grumpy mans awful behavior. Being so unlovable, there is simply no reason why this man should get so much affection and trust.
But, then again. This is pure fiction and entertainment. If you are able to see through this, you'll have a good time watching this tale of human relations and understanding.
The movie doesn't do the book justice. I believe the adaption could have been done a lot better. The movie leaves out a lot of crucial scenes that explain why the main character behaves the way he does. The script is also plagued with a problem that is common in Swedish movies. The fact that the dialogue becomes too theatrical and not ringing true.
Generally I felt that the acting was sub par. This is somewhat related to the problem with the dialogue; you feel like you're watching actors rather than characters. However, Bahar Pars, Ida Engvoll and Rolf Lassgård were the exceptions. They all did a pretty good job in my opinion.
However, although I felt the movie lacking in a lot of areas, the story is pretty good. But I recommend reading the book before seeing the movie, as the book, in my humble opinion, is a lot better.
The life after the loved one departed.
This is a Swedish film based on the book of the same name. It is sent to represent the nation at the 2017 Oscars and as for now, it made into the December shortlist. This is the tale of an old grumpy man and the life after the death of his wife. That would be a toughest phase of life for anybody. I am sure you had seen many films like this, but this one was slightly different, yet totally convincing on every topic it focused on. So funny, at a time meaningful and emotional, particularly how the tale ends.
In a small township, a 59 year old man called Ove lived most of his life and now he decides to take his life. But the attempt was prevented when a new lousy neighbour arrives and so it keep delays further. Now's the time to reveal all the reasons behind his dreadful decision with lots of flashbacks and current affairs. That he's a nightmare in his neigbourhood to those who break the rules. He's not a friendly type, because of his childhood and the lessons he learnt from his father to face the life as tough it gets.
The only friend he ever had did not last for a long. His wife was his world and then the job at the railway. The narration given a good enough focus on his romance life. His younger version, played by another actor reveals particularly the initial stage like how he had met her. I don't know these actors, but they all were so good. A perfect setting as well for the story to take place. I think the filmmakers did lots of best decisions and in the end it all paid off with a greater recognition in the international level.
"Honesty is the best thing, Ove. But sometimes honesty needs a little help."
A heartwarming comedy-drama for all age groups. I was looking for such a film and I realised only after watching it. The character Ove was designed awesomely and all the story events built around him was excellent. Covered most of the topics like friendship, love, neighbours, job, moral values, even the pet animals. Loads of fun, guaranteed entertainment if you are seeking a comedy film. As Ove was portrayed very seriously, all his actions, especially the newly arrived woman make major difference to end the film most comedic way.
The regularly visiting his wife's grave, the film beautifully gives an insight on the life of Ove being a widower and a retiree. But also how it all turns around for him who never laughs and finally he does, was the film's highlight. Like I always say, I'm not a book person, but I love watching films based on the good books like this one. An awesome adaptation and I hope those who loved the book, as well enjoyed the film.
Usually all the good films run nearly or over two hours. Because of the slow and steady developments in its characters and the story. For this film, you won't notice the time. The pace of the narration, including the lovable characters and the storyline makes you forget everything else. In a few days the 89th American Academy Awards nominees will be announced and I am sure it will make. Looks like this year, three Scandinavian films going to make the noise at the Oscars. In the meantime, I hint you not to miss it, either it wins or lose, it is one of the best films of the year around the world.
This was a lovely, conventional film. No, really it's a movie rather than a film. And while Swedish, it reads very conventional Hollywood. Movie comfort food, if you will. Very nice, and a total feel-good movie for all ages. It leaves one feeling all warm and fuzzy. And besides that, well, that's about it. What stays with me? A sad sense of longing for community, so very rare today, especially in the USA.
Script/Story: 3.5 - nice, well constructed. Loved the fact that flashbacks ride on scenes of suicide attempts. This was a nice, ironic feature of the narrative.
Cinematography/Visual Effects: 3 - conventional, competently shot. Not much more to say.
Sound Effects: 2 - forgettable, nothing significant here.
Musical Score: 2.5, at times stereotypical, ie Spanish-y music for scenes set in Spain, etc. Competent, but not significant, which is very appropriate for the narrative structure.
Production Design: Sets, Locations, Costumes, etc.: 3.5, production design great, iconic for the area and period feel of the storyline. But an Oscar consideration in hair & make-up, really??? What am I missing here?
Would I recommend this movie to a friend? Of course, total movie comfort food! Sweden's Terms of Endearment or Forrest Gump or . . .
"A Man Called Ove", a Swedish independent film starring Rolf Lassgard directed by Hannes Holm tells a story of a tired man at the age of 60, who rules a small suburban community with iron fist, by picking cigarette buds from the pavement to throw them into the trash. The character of Ove becomes an anecdote for a passing generation of the Self-Indulged. Director Hannes Holm realizes in his film a world under the dome of control, order and cleanliness.
An all-familiar house of cards gets created, which is about crumble with the arrival of new neighbors, a contemporary mixed couple of an Iranian woman and a Swedish homestead man with two daughters, who are about to ring the bell when Ove attempts one of his five suicides in the picture. Not as brilliantly bitter-sweet acted as the character of Harold in Hal Ashby's "Harold & Maude" (1971), performed by Bud Cort; yet Swedish actor Rolf Lassgard utilizes all his subtleties to carry the film from start to finish.
Nevertheless the spectators find joy in watching "A Man Called Ove" with precisely executed cinematography going hand-in-hand with matching acting beats from the leading cast and his supports and well-paced directions with the frequent use of flashbacks in Ove's young adulthood, where the relationship to his past wife gets developed. The adapted screenplay also prepared by Director Hannes Holm has the ingredients of a classic interpreting an aged adulthood being nearer to death, but finding some flashes of life throughout a daily routine.
The director, a well-educated craftsman of a filmmaking machinery, plays the story-line all too safe, totally relying on the acting experience of his leading man without getting him in any serious conflicts. This circumstance needs to compete thematically with Directors as Ken Loach, who established with his recent motion picture "I, Daniel Blake" (2016) a higher level of sophistication in his directorial vision by sending his main character on an odyssey into bureaucracy before dying of an exhausted heart.
Ove as the character of Daniel Blake share the same fate of feeling the uselessness when a life's work has been completed, which could arguably only be topped on entertainment levels by the collaboration of Director Alexander Payne and Jack Nicholson, with the in season 2001/2002 produced motion picture "About Schmidt" (2002); and further leaves "A Man Called Ove" as a film giving tributes to actor Rolf Lassgard, who performs in a part of a life-time with eye-winking yet chilling professionalism.
Sweden has chosen "En man som hater Ove" (A Man Called Ove) - English Subtitled, based on the Fredrik Backman's 2012 novel (I really need to start reading more) as their official Oscar Foreign Language entry. Ove (Rolf Lassagard - already a Seattle and Guldbagge Festival Best Actor winner for "Ove) is a grumpy old man who has lost his title of property manager to an old friend and his wife to an accident. Taking his misfortunes out on anyone and anything that gets in his way, neighbors and friends do their best to stay clear of his presence. Enter a young mixed race couple Parvaneh (Bahar Pars) and Patrik (Tobias Almbord) and their two young girls, who move across from Ove and painstakingly force him out of his doom and gloom existence. With a running time of almost 2 hours, the film tends to go on as it unravels Ove's hidden backstory. Luckily, director Hannes Holms and writer Backman have provided a unique environment to marvel at, and a cast of quirky lovable characters (especially Bahar Pars) to sustain one's interest. Foreign films are great, for many reason, a few of which are that we are introduced to unfamiliar actors and locations.
This is a story of a ridiculously grumpy and constantly irritated and annoyed old man who is a creature of habits, a perfectionist but also a lonely and sad man who recently lost his life partner, so he doesn't want to be a part of this world any longer.
What makes you compassionate with Ole is his rough events throughout his whole life. They gradually appear and slowly show the other side of an angry, frustrated man whom you then actually start to sympathize. He manages to find a key to his inner peace, even though he wasn't looking for it. All he had to do was open his heart once again.
You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. You should give everyone a chance to bring light in your life, even when you seem that it's too late to get anything fixed. What everyone deserves is a peaceful life and eventually a peaceful death. These are the things I've learned or at least remembered myself while watching this wonderful movie.
One of the best movies I have seen in this decade. The direction is so well done, the sory telling is not linear but efficient. A weird character that ends up gaining your heart. Everything is good or autstanding in this film. Direction, Art Direction. Cinematography, A gem that should be seen by everybody. Congratulations to all the people involved.
"There comes a time in your life when you decide who you want to be."
I can credit a mini-vacation to visit a friend for the good fortune of catching this film at a Richmond, Virginia art house, as I'm almost one hundred percent certain it would never appear in the area where I live. Because he (my friend) and his wife had read the book on which the story was based, the natural question was how closely did the film follow the original story, and with minor exceptions, it captured the essence well enough to deter any disappointment.
The picture almost immediately calls to mind Clint Eastwood's 2008 movie "Gran Torino" and the similarities are many. The principal character Ove (Rolf Lassgard) is a recently retired senior citizen who's wife has recently passed away, and his severe conservative code of ethics is displayed in the way he attempts to enforce the administrative codes of his neighborhood block association. Told in a non-linear fashion, the story takes us back to Ove's childhood and young adult life, with a tender and touching story of how he met his wife Sonja (Ida Engvoll), and how they both managed to persevere through an unfortunate accident that left her crippled but determined to live a normal life.
What could have been a morose story is emphatically brought to life when a new set of neighbors arrives next door to Ove, and he finds his ideas of immigrants consistently challenged. One gets the sense that Ove at no time wants to be bothered with other people, but at the same time finds it impossible not to reach out and help someone in a time of trouble or crisis. Having decided that he wants to join his beloved wife on the other side, Ove is constantly thwarted in his attempt to take his own life. In that respect, the film calls to mind another picture, this one from 1971, called "Harold and Maude". The difference however, is that the character Harold fakes suicide repeatedly to get a rise out of his family, whereas Ove seeks a real outcome. Or does he? The viewer must draw one's own conclusion, particularly after Ove declares that "Killing oneself isn't all that easy."
Because this is a Swedish film, the only one I've ever seen at this point, one rather major disconnect for me occurred when the Willie Nelson song "You Were Always on My Mind" popped up in the soundtrack. In a way, it did fit the occasion because it had to do with Ove's memory of his wife, but it just seemed odd and out of context. The other concession to American film making that I'm sensitive to because I've seen it so many times now, was a product placement for Coca Cola, which shouldn't amaze me so much in a global economy, but it was just too striking not to mention it.
Filmed in Swedish with English sub-titles, this is a competent film that one ought to catch if it should come your way. Along with the heartbreak of Ove's personal story, there are many moments of warmth and humor, and you'll catch yourself chuckling in spots that are both touching and ironic. Not necessarily a feel good movie in the traditional sense, though the picture has a way of working it's magic in a profound way.
I was so surprised after I watched this movie, it really touched me!! I had no expectations but this is one of the best Swedish movie I have seen! A nice mix of both comedy, tragedy and love. And brilliant acting mainly from the head character Ove that is played by Rolf Lassgård.
The set up and the storytelling is a bit similar to the Swedish movie "the hundred year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared". So if you like that type of movie you probably will like this one as well.
I strongly recommend this movie to everyone! It is a funny but still important movie that makes your heart warm.
Those grumpy old man, with prejudices and all those other foul trades. You just have to love them. Well if they are in a movie and most likely to be changed a lot by the end of it. This is no different than a couple of other movies in the same vain, that give us an "unlikely" hero (I know it never seems like the right way to describe them) who does go through major changes.
This was a well made and good movie with a huge agenda. it could have been made without showcasing a mid-movie coming out sequence for one character and without a refugee. it sadly detracts from a purely human experience movie in that those characters could have been anyone but the film makers chose to inject refugees. however, despite the infection by social justice tropes, the movie was meritorious. my wife was bawling - too bad i dont get to be her version of ove despite walking the line with her and the kids kind of like ove.
and there was another review here that said 'who cares about car brands these days' - im half ove's age and yes, it does matter. where things are built and who builds them is how the world goes around. all the big tech big advertising companies who shall remain nameless who make all the "billions" take all the best, brightest and smartest people and they dont cure cancer - or make fusion energy a reality - or cure/treat autism - no, they shovel advertising in our faces. so yes it does matter what car your buy and where its made.
i thought the movie was well above average and was enjoyable even with subtitles.
Unusual film with many unusual events with a funny twist. Predictably, his life was not going to end too fast. Clever use of flashbacks. | 2019-04-18T10:25:47Z | https://akas.imdb.com/title/tt4080728/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_op_3 |
Death sentence for ILF, Police attack may have been a hate crime, Government Zero scores queried, Deadline looms over ‘shadow’ report, Golden Hannah, Campaign to boost disabled tourism.
The Minister for Disabled People Mike Penning has just announced that the Independent Living Fund (ILF) will close on 30 June 2015. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the ILF, and whether it fully supports the needs of severely disabled people, it is yet another example of this government’s lack of understanding regarding the law of unintended consequences.
The government’s strategy is to get disabled people back to work. If severely disabled people are to work then they need to be able to get up, get dressed and be ready to travel to work. The ILF provides crucial finance for this kind of support and the disabled person has control over the way the money is spent in order to deliver the support they need. It is highly debatable whether, once these budgets are devolved to hard-pressed local authorities, disabled people will have the same level of control.
I know a severely disabled man who begins the process of getting up for work at 6am and by 8:30 he’s ready to leave the house. His support workers are there for 2 ½ hours and he controls what time they arrive and what time they leave. He has already been told by his local authority that this will not continue if they have to fund it. As a result it is highly likely that he will lose his job. How does that fit in with the government’s employment strategy?
Disabled campaigners have vowed to fight on in the battle to save the Independent Living Fund (ILF), despite the government deciding to go ahead with its closure.
Mike Penning, the Conservative minister for disabled people, told MPs today (6 March) in a written statement that he wanted to close ILF next year, despite the government admitting that most of the 18,000 users now faced the “real possibility” of a cut in funding.
Penning’s decision was greeted with dismay, anger and frustration by ILF-users and disabled activists.
Many campaigners believed the battle had been won when five ILF-users secured a high-profile court of appeal victory last November over the government’s decision to close the fund.
But despite the court ruling that Esther McVey, the then minister for disabled people, had breached the Equality Act’s public sector equality duty, the judgment meant only that the government had to reconsider its decision, this time paying “proper attention” to its legal obligations.
Penning told MPs today that he had now “taken time to reflect on the court of appeal’s decision” and had decided to go ahead with the original decision to close ILF, although he would delay the closure by three months until 30 June 2015.
Stuart Bracking, one of the five ILF-users who defeated the government in court, said Penning’s decision had been “greeted with dismay by some ILF-users involved in the campaign to save the fund”.
He said they could not understand how Penning could go ahead with closing ILF – a government-funded trust which helps more than 18,000 disabled people with the highest support needs to live independently, by topping up their local authority-funded support – given the court of appeal decision.
But Bracking said that he and other ILF-users would fight on.
He added: “The fact that more than 400,000 disabled people are currently in residential and nursing care speaks volumes about the limitations of local authority funding – a figure greater than when ‘care in the community’ began more than 30 years ago.
In 2015-16, ILF funding will be passed by the government to local authorities, and the devolved governments in Wales and Scotland, but this money will not be ring-fenced.
The Department for Work and Pensions has also been criticised for not saying whether this transition funding will be repeated in future years.
Anne Pridmore, another of the five who succeeded in the court of appeal, said she was glad she had taken the legal action, but was not surprised by Penning’s decision.
She said disabled people should have “made more fuss” in 2010 when the government decided to close the fund to new claimants.
The disabled performer, writer and activist Liz Carr, an ILF-user herself, said the closure news was “devastating”.
She said a future without ILF was “terrifying”, and closing it would “inevitably lead to the erosion of independence, inclusion and freedom for disabled people who have high levels of need”.
She said the fund enabled her to “pay people to do the things I physically can’t do which enables me to get up in the morning, work and have the same kinds of opportunities as everyone else”.
Tracey Lazard, chief executive of Inclusion London, said the decision was “a cut masquerading as a reform”, and was made with no thought about the “impact of the closure on the lives of disabled people”.
She added: “Through the legal challenge it became clear that the likelihood of the government funding ILF support after 2016 was very small.
“It is equally clear that the mainstream social care system operated by local authorities – that the government said would be able to take over meeting the needs of ILF-users – can do no such thing.
Ellen Clifford, a member of the steering group of Disabled People Against Cuts, which supported the legal challenge, said the fight to save ILF had to continue, because local authority support “was already failing to meet the needs and rights of disabled people under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”.
One ILF-user did publicly welcome the closure.
Simon Stevens, a consultant and campaigner, said closure was “the only choice available to move the social care agenda forward, as opposed to keeping it in the past” and maintaining a “two-tier social care system”.
He said the closure would help in the move towards an “integrated social care system that supports people in fulfilling their outcomes in a manner that is responsive, effective and value for money”.
Penning told MPs he accepted that many ILF-users believed that closing the fund “will affect their ability to continue to live independently in their own homes, to pursue educational and employment opportunities, and to participate in social activities”.
A new equality analysis of the government’s decision says it is “almost certain that closure of the ILF will mean that the majority of users will face changes to the way their support is delivered, including the real possibility of a reduction to the funding they currently receive”.
This could mean that current users will no longer be able to employ a personal assistant, it adds.
Some of the responses to a consultation carried out in 2012 by the government on its original decision to close the fund paint a chilling picture of the impact that closure could have on ILF-users.
One respondent said: “Before I was introduced to the ILF I was looked after by the local authority. I had no life at all, just a horrible existence.
An alleged attack on a disabled man by two police officers may have been a disability hate crime, the local police and crime commissioner has told Disability News Service (DNS).
Faruk Ali, who has autism and learning difficulties, was allegedly assaulted as he stood outside the family home in Luton early on 20 February.
Faruk was grabbed by one of the officers, pushed to the floor, and thrown against some wheelie-bins, before being chased screaming into the house.
The officers from Bedfordshire police later claimed they thought Faruk was attempting a “robbery”, even though he was wearing his slippers as he stood by the bin.
The incident was witnessed by neighbours, while members of Faruk’s family saw the alleged assault continue inside the house, where they say one of the officers punched Faruk.
A public meeting in Luton organised by the family this week heard that the two officers did not immediately report the incident to their superiors.
There was anger at the meeting over Bedfordshire police’s refusal to suspend the two officers while the incident was being investigated. The investigation will be carried out by the force itself, but “overseen” by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
The meeting also heard that Faruk had been the victim of a similar incident involving the police in 2012, again near his home.
Olly Martins, Bedfordshire’s police and crime commissioner, told DNS after the meeting that addressing disability hate crime was one of the priorities in his police and crime plan, and that he was concerned about under-reporting.
He said: “My agenda is about trying to get confidence to people to report hate crime.
But he insisted that such police-related incidents were “exceptional” in Luton.
He said that disabled people in the town were safe from police, despite the two incidents involving Faruk, and the death last year of Leon Briggs, who died after he was restrained by police, detained under the Mental Health Act and taken to Luton police station.
Stephen Brookes, a coordinator of the Disability Hate Crime Network, said it appeared that the case had “some very serious underlying disability hate crime issues”, and should therefore be investigated as a disability hate crime.
He said that Bedfordshire police and IPCC “need to firmly grasp this case and investigate, particularly given the highly intense feelings of the community”.
The rights of disabled people in the UK have slid sharply backwards over the last year, according to new international research backed by the government.
The Zero Project Report 2014 details the progress made by 130 countries towards implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Last year, the Conservative minister for disabled people, Esther McVey, triumphantly used the findings of the 2013 report to defend her government from accusations that its Paralympic legacy hung in the balance because of cuts to disabled people’s support.
Referring to the report, McVey told MPs last September that, out of the 55 countries covered by the 2013 report, the UK was “leading in all 23 indicators”.
The UK was actually leading in only 15 of the 23 Zero Project Report indicators and even on those categories many other countries shared the same score.
McVey had failed to point out that the Zero Project Report gives each country a green (yes), amber (yes, with qualifications) or red (no) rating for each question/indicator, which meant there were a number of countries “leading” on each indicator.
But an analysis of this year’s report by Disability News Service (DNS) shows the UK’s performance has fallen back in areas such as the accessibility of new buildings, inclusive education, and the lack of public funding for an umbrella group representing disabled people’s organisations.
Looking at the 20 indicators that are directly comparable to last year’s report, the UK has scored just five green ratings, compared with 14 last year, and is in the leading group in just five of the 20 indicators, again compared with 14 out of the 20 comparable indicators last year.
Among the indicators where the UK has dropped from green to amber are the existence of safeguards to ensure that disabled people are free to leave institutional care; the right to free, mainstream, primary education; and whether there is a legal time frame for existing public buildings to become accessible.
The UK is doing even worse in the area of accessibility, the particular area the Zero Project has focused on for its 2014 report.
Out of 12 accessibility indicators – which look at areas such as television and radio programmes, public procurement and taxi services – the UK is in the leading group for just one of them.
Asked whether Mike Penning, the current Conservative minister for disabled people, was concerned about what appeared to be proof that the UK was falling behind other countries in implementing the UN convention, a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesman claimed the report showed the UK was “among the very best of this enlarged group of 130 countries”.
DNS also asked if the fact that the UK’s “score” was worse than last year’s in 12 of the 20 comparable categories, and better in just two, was due to more accurate reporting this year or because the government was “de-implementing” parts of the UN convention because of austerity measures.
The spokesman failed to answer the question, but said that “independent reports consistently show that we are world leaders in support for disabled people”.
And he said the UK government continued to spend “around £50 billion a year on disabled people and their services and our reforms will make sure the billions spent give more targeted support to those who need it most”.
Members of the disability movement believe they still have time to produce a solid, well-researched report on how the UK is implementing the UN disability convention, despite a looming deadline.
Funding and technical problems, and the near-collapse of the UK Disabled People’s Council (UKDPC), have delayed efforts to produce a single “shadow” report on behalf of the disabled people’s movement.
Any reports have to be submitted to the UN’s Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by the end of June.
CRPD will be finalising a list of questions to send to the government this autumn – based partly on various reports submitted by the UK – with a public “constructive dialogue” between the committee and the government due to take place next April, just weeks before the general election.
But despite disabled activists carrying out extensive, detailed research on how the UK government has implemented the convention, and on the impact of its austerity programme, there is no funding to pull that work together into a single shadow report.
Disabled people’s organisations, members of the disabled people’s anti-cuts movement, and leading disabled figures such as Baroness [Tanni] Grey-Thompson, as well as charities such as Scope, and Neil Crowther, the former director of human rights at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, have all been involved in a range of discussions about producing a shadow report.
Meanwhile, UKDPC has pulled together the responses to a survey of disabled people, launched last spring under its Disability Rights Watch banner.
A report on the responses – delayed for several months because of software problems – has built a picture of what life is like for disabled people across the UK, and of the country’s progress towards making the rights contained in the convention a reality.
But this research still has to be incorporated into a full shadow report before it can be submitted to CRPD, while plans to open the research up to comments from UKDPC members and the wider disability movement have yet to be finalised, again because of a lack of funding.
Separate research has been carried out by a group of organisations including the Alliance for Inclusive Education, Transport for All, Inclusion London, Equal Lives and Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC).
Baroness Grey-Thompson told Disability News Service that the shadow report was “a great opportunity for people to work together to have an impact”.
She pointed to issues such as the closure of the Independent Living Fund and the “desperate crisis” in local authority funding for social care.
Tracey Lazard, chief executive of Inclusion London, said the shadow report provided a “rare opportunity” for the disabled people’s movement, but there was now “huge deadline pressure”.
She said: “We are just one organisation of a few that are trying to coordinate a definitive, effective shadow report that genuinely is the voice of disabled people and genuinely communicates the impact of people’s experiences, and where disabled people are.
She said there were “a number of obstacles” to producing an effective shadow report, including a lack of funding.
Lazard said the disabled people’s movement would look “frankly pretty silly” if it produced more than one shadow report.
She said her group approached the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) late last month to ask for funding to produce the shadow report.
EHRC no longer has a grant-making arm, while its budget has been slashed by the government.
The UK’s position as the birthplace of the Paralympics was celebrated this week with a ceremony that “created” part of the flame that will burn throughout the Winter Paralympic Games in Sochi.
Hannah Cockroft, a double gold medal-winner from London 2012, generated the flames that were then used by Caz Walton, who competed in eight Paralympic Games, including Tokyo in 1964, to light a torch and cauldron.
The flame created during the ceremony was later flown to Russia, where it was merged yesterday (5 March) in Sochi with flames created by all eight Russian federal districts.
In all, parts of the flame visited 45 Russian cities and Dezhneva Cape (Russia’s easternmost point), as well as Stoke Mandeville.
It was the first time there has been an international leg of a Paralympic torch relay, and a similar ceremony will now take place in Stoke Mandeville before every future winter and summer Paralympics, mirroring the role of Greece in the Olympic Games.
The ceremony was directed by Bradley Hemmings, the disabled co-artistic director of the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
It included an animated film by the disabled artist Rachel Gadsden, Stoke Mandeville Stadium’s artist-in-residence, and film-maker Abigail Norris.
Cockroft had been suspended in the centre of the Armillary Sphere, a six-metre tall model of stars and planets, and lit the flame by propelling her wheelchair.
The sphere – designed by Jon Bausor to represent a constellation in the night sky that celebrates the Paralympic Games – will be used for future flame-lighting events in Stoke Mandeville.
Following the ceremony, four disabled people – each one representing a different aspect of disability sport – travelled to Sochi to take part in the torch relay.
Tim Reddish, retired Paralympian and chair of the British Paralympic Association (BPA), was joined by disabled student Andrew Norman, from Valence School in Kent, wheelchair basketball player and coach Andy White, who also volunteers with wheelchair sport charity WheelPower, and wheelchair fencer Gemma Collis, who competed at London 2012.
Reddish said: “The BPA is very proud that our nation is recognised as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement and we showed the world how passionate about Paralympic sport we are in the UK in 2012.
“The moment the cauldron is lit is always very special for the athletes as it signifies the start of the games that they have all worked so hard for.
Cockroft said: “I’ve said before that the most fantastic moments of my life were winning gold medals for ParalympicsGB in 2012, but this is definitely up there with London 2012.
A new campaign aims to position England as a leading destination for disabled tourists.
VisitEngland, the national tourist board, hopes that its Access for All marketing campaign will both champion and improve accessible tourism across the country.
It has published guides highlighting accessible attractions and accommodation across four destinations: Bath, Brighton, Leicestershire and Newcastle-Gateshead.
The national marketing campaign is funded by £100,000 from the government’s Regional Growth Fund, along with some private sector funding.
Each of the venues appearing in the four guides has completed VisitEngland’s Access for All programme.
Key members of staff have taken disability equality training courses, and hotels have been assessed under VisitEngland’s National Accessible Scheme, which rates the accessibility of visitor accommodation throughout England.
The venues in the guides have also been audited by a tourism access advisor, as well as being visited by a disabled “mystery shopper”.
The resources created for the scheme are available for any tourism business to use.
Carrie-Ann Lightley, information service manager for Tourism for All UK, the national accessible tourism charity, welcomed the new investment.
Lightley, who took part in a focus group for the campaign, said: “It’s all very well having accessibility, but you need to tell people about it.
Lightley said she believed that accessibility within the tourism industry was improving.
The guide to Leicestershire focuses on attractions such as the Richard III exhibition at Leicester’s Guildhall and the National Memorial Arboretum.
In Bath, the guide includes information on the renovations to the Roman Baths, and the city’s Fashion Museum.
Brighton’s guide offers attractions such as the Royal Pavilion and the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery.
And Newcastle-Gateshead includes the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, and one of the world’s top music venues, Sage Gateshead. | 2019-04-22T08:35:57Z | http://news.philandfriends.co.uk/2014/03/10/death-sentence-for-ilf-police-attack-may-have-been-a-hate-crime-government-zero-scores-queried-deadline-looms-over-shadow-report-golden-hannah-campaign-to-boost-disabled-tourism/ |
From William Curtis' Botanical Magazine. National Agricultural Library Special Collections, ARS, USDA.
Plants continue to be a major source of medicines, as they have been throughout human history. Some medicinal plants, such as the opium poppy, have long been recognized and widely used, while others, such as the Pacific yew, the original source for the cancer drug, Taxol, are relatively new arrivals to mainstream medicine. In addition to providing the basis for between 30 and 40 percent of today’s conventional drugs, the medicinal and curative properties of various plants are also employed in herbal supplements, botanicals, nutraceuticals and teas.
Drug discovery, ethnobotany, and traditional and indigenous medicines have long been basic to medicinal plant research. As new uses for medicinal plants have been discovered and popularized, sustainability has become increasingly an issue; concern over the growth in biopiracy goes hand in hand with the critical need for conservation of both species and habitat.
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Science RR has most recent edition.
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Hypericum: the genus Hypericum. Edited by E. Ernst. London, New York, Taylor & Francis, 2003. 241 p.
Plants that fight cancer. Edited by Spiridon E. Kintzios and Maria G. Baberaki. Boca Raton, FL, CRC Press, c2004. 296 p.
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Foster, Steven, and Christopher Hobbs. A field guide to Western medicinal plants and herbs. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002. 442 p. Bibliography: p. 398-402.
Sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.
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Phytomedicines of Europe: chemistry and biological activity. Edited by Larry D. Lawson and Rudolf Bauer. Washington, American Chemical Society, 1998. 324 p.
Proceedings of the International Expert Meeting organized by the Forest Products Division, FAO Forestry Department, and the FAO Regional Office for the Near East (Cairo, Egypt, May 19-21, 1997). Medicinal, culinary and aromatic plants in the Near East. Cairo, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1999.
Dissertations can be identified by using online resources or print indexes located in the Main Reading Room. Consult any reference librarian about options. Some dissertations may be available in full text through electronic resources on public terminals at the Library of Congress.
Chandrasekhara Behr, Diji. Economic, institutional, and social learning dimensions of sustainable medicinal plant production in Kerala, India. Ann Arbor, MI, University Microfilms, 2004. 281 p.
Hamby, Erin Brooke. The roots of healing: archaeological and historical investigations of African-American herbal medicine. Ann Arbor, MI, UMI Microfilms, 2004. 177 p.
Thesis (doctoral)--The University of Tennessee, 2004.
Mouhajir, Fatima. Medicinal plants used by Berber and Arab peoples of Morocco: ethnopharmacology and phytochemistry. Ann Arbor, MI, University Microfilms, 2002. 228 p.
Thesis (doctoral)--The University of British Columbia, 2002.
Ososki, Andreana L. Ethnobotany of rural and urban Dominican Republic: medicinal plants, women, and health. Ann Arbor, MI, University Microfilms, 2004. 470 p.
Thesis (doctoral)--City University of New York, 2004.
Bent, Stephen, and Richard Ko. Commonly used herbal remedies in the United States: a review. American journal of medicine, v. 116, Apr.1, 2004: 478-485.
Boyum, F. F., and others. Composition and anti-plasmodial activities of essential oils from some Cameroonian medicinal plants. Phytochemistry, v. 64, Dec. 2003:1269-1275.
Coley, Phyllis D. Using ecological criteria to design plant collection strategies for drug discovery. Frontiers in ecology and the environment, v. 1, Oct. 2003: 421-428.
Deng, Yu-Cheng, and others. Studies on the cultivation and uses of evening primrose (Oenothera spp.) in China. Economic botany, v. 55, Jan./Mar. 2001: 83-92.
Flannery, Michael A. From Rudbeckia to Echinacea: the emergence of the purple cone-flower in modern therapeutics. Pharmacy in history, v. 41, no. 2, 1999: 52-59.
Ghazanfar, S. A. Applied ethnobotany: people, wild plant use and conservation. Oryx, v. 35, July 2001: 269-270.
Goeschi, Timo. Stakes in the evolutionary race: the economic value of plants for medicinal applications. Journal of herbs, spices & medicinal plants, v. 9, no. 4, 2002: 373-388.
Jones, K. Review of sangre de drago (Croton lechleri), a South American tree sap in the treatment of diarrhea inflammation, insect bites, viral infections, and wounds: traditional uses to clinical research. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine, v. 9, Dec. 2003: 877-896.
Lewis, Walter H. Pharmaceutical discoveries based on ethnomedicinal plants: 1985 to 2000 and beyond. Economic botany, v. 57, spring 2003: 126-134.
Lin, W. Y., and others. Anti-platelet aggregation and chemical constituents from the rhizome of Gynura japonica. Planta medica, v. 69, Aug. 2003: 757-764.
Morris, Charles A. Internet marketing of herbal products. JAMA, v. 290, Sept. 17, 2003: 1505-1509.
Nelson, R. FDA issues alert on ephedra supplements in the USA. Lancet, v. 363, Jan. 10, 2004: 135.
Perez-Giraldo, C., and others. Invitro activity of allicin against Staphylococcus epidermis and influence of subinhibitory concentrations on biofilm formation. Journal of applied microbiology, v. 95, Oct. 2003: 709-711.
Sarker, S. D., and L. Nahar. Natural medicine: the genus Angelica. Current medicinal chemistry, v. 11, June 2004: 1479-1501.
Seth, S. D., and Bhawana Sharma. Medicinal plants in India. The Indian journal of medical research, v. 120, July 2004: 9-12.
Shanley, Patricia, and Leda Luz. The impacts of forest degradation on medicinal plant use and implications for health care in Eastern Amazonia. BioScience, v. 53, June 2003: 573-585.
Shao, Bao-Mel, and others. A study of the immune receptors for polysaccharides from the roots of Astragalus membranaceus, a Chinese medicinal herb. Biochemical and biophysical research communications, v. 329, Aug. 6, 2004: 1103-1111.
Update on black cohosh for hot flashes. Harvard women’s health watch, v. 11, Jan. 2004: 2-3.
Vandebroek, Ina, and others. A comparison of traditional healers’ medicinal plant knowledge in the Bolivian Andes and Amazon. Social science & medicine, v. 59, Aug. 2004: 837-849.
Wellbery, Caroline. Echinacea for respiratory infections in children. American family physician, v. 70, July 1, 2004: 175.
Akpaja, Emmanuel O., and others. Ethnomycology and usage of edible and medicinal mushrooms among the Igbo people of Nigeria. International journal of medicinal mushrooms, v. 5, issue 3, 2003: 313-320.
Altshul, Sara. Artichoke quells indigestion. Prevention, v. 56, June 2004: 113.
Bailey, David C., and George C. Dresser. Natural products and adverse drug interactions. Canadian Medical Association journal, v. 170, May 11, 2004: 1531-1532.
Edwards, Rob. No remedy in sight for herbal ransack. New scientist, v. 181, Jan. 10, 2004: 10-11.
Hamilton, Alan C. Medicinal plants, conservation and livelihoods. Biodiversity and conservation, v. 13, July 2004: 1477-1517.
Jere-Malanda, Regina. Biopiracy: Neem, the wonder tree. New African, no. 424, Dec. 2003: 18.
Khan, T. J., Anil K. Dular, and Deepika M. Solomon. Biodiversity conservation in the Thar Desert, with emphasis on endemic and medicinal plants. The Environmentalist, v. 23, June 2003: 137-144.
Kilham, Chris. The herbal future. Nutraceuticals world, v. 20, July/Aug. 2004: 68-72.
Njoroge, N., and others. Utilisation of weed species as sources of traditional medicines in Kenya. Lyonia, v. 7, no. 2, 2004: 67-84.
Northridge, Mary E., and Richard Mack. Integrating ethnomedicine into public health. American journal of public health, v. 92, Oct. 2002: 1561.
Yvinskas, Katherine. Conservation of native medicinal plants. The Herbarist, no. 66, 2000: 52-55.
Professional society of pharmacognosists and others interested in the plant sciences and natural products.
CCAP is affiliated with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Home of the Medicinal Plants Working Group.
Supports research on chemistry, pharmacology and use of herbal folk medicines, teas, and botanical products.
Concerned with the cultivation of herbs and with the study of their history and uses.
NCCAM supports various research projects on botanicals, including the Arizona Center for Phytomedicine Research, and centers at University of Chicago, UCLA, and Purdue University.
NWFP is a program of the Forestry division of the United Nations’ FAO. The site posts research reports, publications, news, and includes links to current guidelines for global sustainable use of medicinal plants.
The Society encourages scientific research, education, and related activities on the past, present, and future uses of plants, and the relationship between plants and people.
An international society for scientific research, which produces Planta Medica.
The Plant Savers’ goal is to protect native medicinal plants of the U.S. and Canada.
Dedicated to developing responsible herbal practice for animals.
Provides information from floristic and systematic investigations of the flowering plants (phanerogams) of Andean South America.
International bibliographic information on dietary supplements database from the Office of Dietary Supplements at NIH and the National Agricultural Library.
The University of Michigan’s Moerman database includes food, drugs, dyes, and fibers.
For traditional veterinarian and human medicines in sub-Saharan Africa.
Survey of economic plants for arid and semi-arid lands.
Searchable archive of traditional and indigenous knowledge from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Also has updates on biopiracy issues.
Tropical plants of the Amazon.
USDA PLANTS Database, provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.
The World Health Organization library database available on the web, indexes all WHO publications from 1948 onwards and articles from WHO-produced journals and technical documents from 1985 to the present.
This site provides access to the Missouri Botanical Garden’s VAST (VAScular Tropicos) nomenclatural database and associated authority files.
Research in ethnobotany, tropical forest ecology and conservation, seed ecology.
The Lloyd Library specializes in botanical, medical, pharmaceutical, and scientific books and periodicals.
Dedicated to conserving tropical plant diversity, particularly rare and endangered species.
Research in economic botany and ethnobotany.
Subject specialities include the ethnobotany of California Indians.
Research on economic botany, including authentication of Chinese medicinal plants.
The site includes images of herbs indexed by both common and botanical names.
The library’s goal is to foster an understanding of medicine, its history and its impact in society.
The Web site of this co-funded project from US-AID includes a plant library and project news.
Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests, Medical, Economical, and Agricultural. Being also a Medical Botany of the Confederate States; with Practical Information on the Useful Properties of the Trees, Plants, and Shrubs, by Francis Peyre Porcher., 1863.
From the Medicinal Plant Working Group of the Plant Conservation Alliance.
Sponsored by the Center for New Crops and Plant Products at Purdue, this guide includes links to several databases, guides, directories, and the NewCROP server for new and alternative crop information.
An article from the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA.
From Canada’s International Development Research Centre.
These pages from Cornell University examine the safety and efficacy of medicinal plant use for livestock.
MedPlant is a global network whose members are committed to the sustainable and socially equitable use of medicinal plants.
This site specializes in evidence-based information on herbs, botanicals, vitamins, and other supplements.
An informative compilation from Dr. James Duke, the noted ethnobotanist.
Links from the Special Forest Products Program at Virginia Tech .
A neurologist’s record of Peruvian rain forest plants.
An eclectic collection of links and resources, including ones of historical interest. | 2019-04-21T13:36:06Z | http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/tracer-bullets/medicplantstb.html |
These fitting instructions should be followed in gallery order and not rushed.
The assembly procedure has been specifically simplified for the new Malaysian Hardtop and should be very straightforward to DIY assemble for anyone with basic tools and understanding of safe working practices. The user is responsible for their own health and safety and no liability is accepted for any loss or injury. Remember to take all adequate precations when using hand and power tools. Wear eye and face protection when grinding and sanding fibreglass, and wear disposable gloves when using sealant.
The instructions are broken down into individual galleries to show the various stages of installation, and these galleries should be followed one at a time, and in picture order - from left to right.
Most of the pictures are self-explanatory but full descriptions are also added to provide more information.
Many of the pictures in the galleries have annotations, as well as other descriptive details added, so they need to be fully studied before completing each task.
These picture instructions can be used alongside the Youtube installation video (video to follow).
Additional fitting help and advice is available if needed, either by phone or email.
Before any work is started, it is essential that any existing problems with door or window alignment, or any other misalignment or panel-fit issues are corrected first, however, the hardtop will become specifically made to fit the individual car and therefore can be tailored to fit around various slight inaccuracies which are typical of a handbuilt car.
Every car is individual and will differ in terms of panel fit and alignment from the factory, but it's worth spending a little time at this stage to ensure that the following areas detailed below are within tolerance to ensure the best possible weatherproof fit of the hardtop. As with ‘all things TVR’ - when stripping the car extra fixings may be found in areas that were not expected, and some may be missing or different to those normally found. These fitting instructions and the description of the work that needs to be carried out is based on experience from a range of Chimaera’s of differing ages, and although these instructions are intended to be as thorough guide as possible, they may not be precisely accurate to all cars. Any feedback regarding the accuracy of these instructions or details of differences found on individual cars is welcome.
Ensure the windscreen rubber is fitting properly up to the windscreen glass and that the rubber runs around the windscreen neatly without any bulges or unevenness which may prevent the Targa roof panel from sitting neatly forward in its fitted position.
Check also that the windscreen rubber is a neat fit where it extends down each side of the windscreen next to the polished aluminium door frame – Any tightness in this region will prevent the doors from being adjusted forwards (if needed) and make the door harder to close. If the fit of this rubber is fine then it's best not to disturb it.
Make sure the door alignment with the rear wings is acceptable and make sure the doors are not fouling any other part of the bodywork or rear soft top frame/header when being opened or closed with the windows fully raised. The doors should close flush and neatly without excessive force, and when closed, the top of the door glass must be in contact with the Targa roof seal with even pressure along its length. (See section 4 regarding window height). Ensure that the door hinges are not loose and the doors do not drop when opened. Pay particular attention to the rearmost top corner of the door glass when in the fully raised position and isn't fouling the canvas.
Readjust the hinges if necessary to get the door alignment correct, and readjust the door striker (bolted to the back of the door) to get the closure of the door as needed.
However, remember that if a door is too tightly adjusted on its striker and requires slamming to shut, it may also cause the door glass to be a tight fit against the header rubber.
Due to the newness of the new header rubber supplied with the hardtop, any tight fit may put extra drag on the door glass and window motor when the glass is raised and lowered.
The new header rubber supplied with the hardtop can be lubricated periodically with trim sheen or furniture polish to allow the door glass to travel over it smoothly until its newness wears off.
Check the fit of the door glass to the Targa roof seal at the very front top corner next to the aluminium door frame when the glass is fully raised. It is common to find the door glass protrudes slightly higher than the top of the polished aluminium frame so that the door glass can contact the Targa seal properly, but this can sometimes create a tiny gap at the very front corner between the glass, the Targa seal, and the top corner of the frame which may be the source of any wind noise or the odd water drip down the inside of the glass.
Considering the points mentioned above, the windows should create a good fit up to the Targa roof seal. A good way of testing to see if the tightness of the seal is even along the top of the glass is to trap a piece of paper between the raised door glass and the Targa roof seal and then try and slide the paper from side to side along the top of the glass. Any tight or slack spots as the paper is slid from side to side will indicate where the rubber isn’t fitting as tight as it could, and can indicate the likely point of any possible water ingress down the inside of the glass.
The Targa roof seal is a push-in fit into a ‘U’ shaped aluminium channel (sometimes also held with spots of superglue to prevent it accidentally being pulled out from its channel) and can be adjusted to fit evenly without gaps by adding or removing tiny washers/spacers under the self tapping screws that secure the channel at various intervals along its length to the underside of the Targa panel. Adjusting the Targa seal and channel for perfect fit requires patience but will pay off with a very weather tight cabin. The stop position that the door glass rises to can be adjusted by turning the adjuster screw with a flat-head screwdriver – found by looking down into the door with the glass fully lowered beyond the weather seal/bristles about half way along the top edge of the door panel. Care must be taken to not force this screw as it may already be at the limit of its adjustment or can often be seized. Another way of adjusting the fully raised position of the glass is to remove the door interior trim panel to get access to the main bolts securing the complete door winder mechanism to the inner door assembly and move the whole winder mechanism upwards/downwards slightly in its elongated holes. If no window height adjustment can be made within the door, the only remaining way is to adjust the Targa roof seal to suit.
The door windows should travel freely when raised and lowered. Any tightness or ‘slow spots’, or instances of the motor struggling to raise the glass will be exaggerated when the windows are raised and come into contact with the new header rubber fitted to the rear hardtop. The newness of the rubber will create extra drag, particularly if the rear hardtop is a tighter, more snug, weather-proof seal compared to the original worn rubber. The new header rubber can be routinely lubricated with trim/plastic sheen to keep the rubber flexible, weather resistant, and lubricated. Furniture polish is also very good at preventing the newness of the rubber causing drag on the glass. In addition to ensuring the electric windows travel freely up and down without any undue resistance, generously lubricate the runners and the felt channel seal inside each door with silicone grease if necessary.
If all the above areas are satisfactory, and the alignment and movement of the doors and windows are good, then these areas must be kept in their current adjustment/positions and left alone.
Disconnect the interior lamp wiring from inside the passenger side rear wing – access to this area is gained through the removable carpet flap (secured with Velcro) just above the seat belt reel. There may be a wiring connector which can simply be unplugged, or the wires may be joined by bullet/spade connectors inside the inner wing. When disconnected, the wiring can be pulled out from its hole in the inner rear wing through the carpet.
Remove the boot internal carpeted trim from above the fuel tank to gain access to the rear bulkhead. The carpeted boot trim may be secured by a couple of fixings into brackets on the rear bulkhead as well as the trim panel simply being wedged up behind the GRP boot aperture / rain channel.
Unbolt the aluminium roof struts from the underside of the soft top header.
Remove the fixings securing the rear of the soft top to the rear deck – vertical bolts protruding into the boot compartment on pre 1995 cars, or horizontal fixings on cars from 1995 onwards. Remember to remove any additional fixings if fitted (usually self tapping screws) at each end of the rear soft top lower support panel near the Velcro.
Remove the hex bolt / pivot fixing from each side of the rear header.
The folding rear soft top section should now lift away from the car. Check for any additional missed fixings if not.
On pre-1995 cars, where the soft top is bolted down onto the rear deck, the row of unsightly bolt holes will need filling in and smoothing flush to the bodywork. Following this, a neat border can be masked out and sprayed matt or satin black aroundd the edge of the deck. The hardtop will sit onto this border, so won't be visible when the hardtop is fitted to the car.
Regardless of the year of manufacture, this border can also be used to disguise any previous masking edges on the top of the rear wings that may become exposed now that the soft top has been removed. Using a black border eliminates the need to have the rear wings re-painted to hide any visible masking edges.
The top edge of the carpet inside the body tub needs approximately 25mm cutting away from the top edge, and the fibreglass surface underneath will need cleaning up to remove any traces of old glue.
Slice the top off the rubber section that is rivetted to the body tub, down to the rivet heads. This allows enough clearance for the deck trim panel to sit in place.
In this example, the Velcro has been fully removed as there is no intention to swap between hard and soft tops in the future. If preferred however, the Velcro can be left in place (to allow future re-fitting of the soft top) and the deck edge rubber fitted up to it.
The next job is to neatly glue the 'L' section deck rubber over the top edge of the deck as shown. Waterproof super glue is being used. Remember to just work in short lengths at a time, keeping the rubber neat along it's length.
Although it may sound cheap, super glue - or Cyanoacrylate to give it its exact name, and in particular the water resistant types now available, have been found to be the best type of glue for use on rubber, fibreglass, and other materials that may need joining together on the hardtop assembly.
Place the fibreglass deck trim into position and temporarily hold it up to the deck edge using strips of tape.
Get an idea for how this panel will fix to the car. It will be bolted through into the rear body tub and can be cut and sanded to shape if necessary to be flush to the top of the deck edge.
This panel is deliberately laminated with extra thickness to be ground down to suit the individual car. Dont be afraid to make whatever adjustments are necessary to the shape, although it should be 99% accurate as supplied.
Get an assistant to hold the panel steady whilst it is being drilled into the rear deck.
Drill through both the Deck Panel and the rear bulkhead - Make sure there is no stereo, speaker, alarm pin-switch or other wiring hiding up in the cavity before drilling through.
When fitting this panel for the first time, apply sealant to the fixing plates as shown (wear disposable gloves as this stage can be messy) and bolt the panel in place - hand tight is enough, don't over tighten.
Leave the sealant to set overnight.
Now that this panel is bolted in place with the captive plates sealed to the bodytub, future removal/refitting will be much simpler and quicker without needing to get a spanner on the hidden side, or require an assistant.
Now the Deck Panel and Deck Rubber are fitted, the next job is to place the hardtop panels on the car and check how they fit to the rear deck, and up to the windscreen.
Ensure that the short sections of Tadpole section (lower edge of hardtop), and Header Rubber (main flange) are fitted at intervals along their lengths.
These short sections of rubber are just temporary, and will be discared later before the full length versions are fitted on final assembly.
The sections of Tadpole Rubber are secured using a few blobs of superglue. The header rubber sections are simply pushed over the flange.
Offer the panels onto the car - the Targa panel fits up to the windscreen in the normal way. Tape the Targa to the windscreen to prevent it shifting.
Next, place the rear section onto the car and engage it properly to the targa panel. Tape the two sections together to prevent movement.
Study the pictures in the gallery below to see how the panels should sit on the car.
It's perfectly normal to have to push the 'C' pillars downwards to make contact with the bodywork. This also ensures that the thin strip of window aperture running across the rear deck conforms evenly to the rear deck shape.
Apply firm downwards, and forwards pressure to the rear hardtop and it should sit neatly onto the bodywork.
The gallery pictures show exactly how the catches need to be placed to ensure correct tension.
It is ESSENTIAL that an assistant is holding the hardtop downwards firmly onto the rear wing, and pushing forwards firmly up to the targa panel whilst the side catches are being fitted.
If the pressure is released before the catch positions have been properly marked then it could cause the hardtop to be a slack fit on the bodywork.
Therefore, consistant pressure needs to be maintained by pressing downwards in the quarter light aperture, and pushing fowards at the same time. Ensure that the 'C' pillar is also in firm contact with the bodywork - it may want to lift slightly whilst pressure is applied in the 'B' pillar area so check for this before finally marking the position of the 'B' pillar catches.
Fitting the side catches is pretty self-explanatory, but DO ensure that the lever is open at 45 degrees when marking the fixing holes - this creates the correct amount of tension when the hardtop is latched down to the car.
Additionally, the side catches DON'T hang down at true vertical - they're positioned at 90 degrees to the top of the rear wing - therefore, the side catches are actually angled slightly towards the rear of the car. Also ensure that their fixing holes dont clash with the large stainless steel fixing bolt.
The current specification side catches also have 10mm of built-in internal adjustment to allow for some fitting error and allow the final tension to be properly set. Ensure this built-in adjustment is set half way before lining up the catches on the car and drilling the mounting holes.
The top hat sections provide the mounting points for the aluminium struts, and also cover the join in the carpet material. They need to be carefully positioned so they sit nicely on the carpet and follow the shape of the underside of the hardtop.
The gallery pictures describe how these Top Hat sections need to be fitted.
After preparing the fibreglass surface - on the underside of the hardtop, and also the Top Hat Mountings, the bare fibreglass can either be brushed with SIKA 215 clear primer, or brushed with a coat of 2-pack paint to create a good bond for the Polyurethane sealant.
The gallery pictures describe the exact procedure.
DO NOT OVER ADJUST THE STRUTS - They only need the same amount of pressure as used with the original soft top to keep the targa panel seated nicely up to the windscreen.
The strut pressure can be adjusted by moving the stainless steel brackets in their elongated slots.
Set the pressure so they only require the same amount of force to put them into their locked-out positions as was necessary with the original soft top.
In extreme cases, if the strut pressure is too high, the targa panel will be seated properly as far forward as it will go, and the extra strut travel will be forced upwards (instead of pushing the targa panel further forwards) which may stress the outer skin of the hardtop around the Top Hat mountings.
When the correct forwards pressure is achieved, disengage them again as shown in the picture and allow the hardtop to settle back down onto the bodywork.
Use an assistant to press downwards firmly on the 'C' pillar. Now line up the rear catches with their hook plates. Mark and drill the hook plates into position.
When fitting the rear hook plates to the Rear Deck Panel remember to space the hook plate away with a rubberised washer (roofing washer).
Use a nyloc nut and washer on the reverse side.
Adjust the rear catches so the handle is open at 45 degrees from its body - this creates the correct amount of latch tension.
The rear catches are adjusted by slackening the two Philips screws and shifting the catch on its elongated slots.
Move the aluminium struts back into their locked-out position and check the operation of all the catches. They should all be equal in terms of the effort needed to engage them.
This is one of the most important stages and shouldn't be rushed.
It will involve grinding away the fibreglass flange which will create dust. Wear eye, face, and ear protection, and mask out the vehicle to protect the interior from dust and fibres.
The hardtop MUST be properly clamped to the car as detailed earlier, with all catches engaged and the aluminium roof stuts locked-out.
The first job is to mark the slight overhang above the door aperture. This needs trimming back to line up with the door aperture. As shown in the picture, mark a pencil line to show where the hardtop needs trimming back to. The hardtop needs removing from the car to do this to avoid damaging the rear wing.
With the hardtop properly fitted, now close the doors, with the windows fully raised, and draw a pencil line straight down the flange following the back edge of the glass.
Measure forwards 25mm from this first pencil line. This is where the flange needs cutting back to in order to be parallel to the door glass.
Remove the hardtop from the car to an area where the flanges can be safely cut back to their marked lines.
The next stage of flange grinding requires the hardtop to be securely attached to the car.
Engage all catches and roof struts.
Mask out the vehicle interior as shown.
These side flanges are deliberately laminated extra thick to be ground down to suit the car.
Push a section of test-fit header rubber over the flange. It will be a tight fit until the flange is gound down to suit.
The fibreglass will need grinding away on the outer face to relieve the pressure on the rubber and get the compression about half way on the rubber bulb.
When grinding the flange, it also needs to be ground so that it tapers inwards slightly towards the centre of the car as described in the diagram.
Remember that the door glass has a very slight curvature, the flange needs grinding to mirror this slight curvature.
When the flanges have been succesfully tailored to the car, unlatch the hardtop, shift it rearwards slightly, and draw a pencil line to create 10mm clearance so the flange doesn't foul the rear deck panel as pictured.
The final picture in the gallery shows the face of the 'B' pillar (highlighted with red crosses). This is the face that the side window bonds to, however it is likely that this surface will also need grinding down to create a gap for the sealant. Test-fit the perspex window into the aperture and check the depth of the gap.
The window MUST NOT be bonded tight up to this face - a cushioning bed of sealant is essential, therefore the face of this 'B' pillar must be inset from the glass level (measured from the INSIDE surface of the door glass NOT the outside) by around 3-5mm.
The top and centre of the 'B' pillar face usually have good clearance without further grinding necessary. It is usually the bottom of the pillar that needs a few millimetres grinding away to create enough clearance.
At this stage, the vast majority of the work is complete, and the hardtop will now be at it's final exact shape - tailored for the car, with no further grinding or invasive procedures to be done.
If the screen rubber isn't a perfect fit up to the targa panel, any slight gap can simply be filled in and the edge re-primed.
Ensure the ground faces of the flanges and 'B' pillar are re-primed, ideally in 2-pack.
Ensure the rear window is masked in such a way as to avoid any overspray getting through the gap and onto the inside face of the window or internal trim carpeting.
Before painting, remove all sections of test rubber from the hardtop edges. The tadpole section pieces glued to the lower edge need carefully pulling off but be careful not to damage the fibreglass, if they are stubborn use a sharp blade to slice them off and then clean up the flange where the glue has been by abraiding the surface with 80 grit paper to remove any traces of glue or rubber.
After painting, and subsequent drying time, the full length section of tadpole rubber can be glued to the lower edge of the hardtop.
Use waterproof super glue and work in short manageable sections at a time.
Get the rubber following the lower edge neatly without any obvious bulges or uneveness.
Give the rear deck panel a final check before preparing to trim in vinyl to match the door tops - make sure the shape is flush to the top of the deck. Grind / sand away any high areas.
When covering the deck panel in vinyl, ignore the cut-out (above the side fixings) and stretch the material over to span the gap. The cut out is to allow the Rear Deck Panel to sit down in place properly without fouling the top of the door aperture seal. The vinyl spanning the gap will stretch into position when the panel is fitted.
Fit the large elastic loops onto the rear deck panel as shown. The hidden side of the elastic loop must pass ABOVE/BEHIND the fixing bolt - this prevents it being pulled out in use.
On a standard/original TVR targa panel the targa seals are slotted into a retaining channel which is screwed to the underside of the targa panel (unless it's a very early car from around 1993/94 in which case it would be fitted with a 'D' section rubber glued directly in place to the underside of the targa panel). In addition to the retaining channel there is usually a spacer strip fitted beneath the channel with the remaining fine adjustment done by adding additional small washers or other packings to bring the seal into good contact with the top edge of the window.
Up until late 2017 all hardtop conversions were fitted with a set of retaining channels and rubbers fitted in exactly the same way as an original TVR panel, however, the retaining channels are now obsolete and no suitable alternatives are available.
To get around the problem and provide an effective alternative sealing method, several new sealing ideas have been tested before settling on a version that invloves an extra flange on the underside of the targa panel that allows a standard of-the-shelf sealing rubber to simply push over the edge.
This additional flange is laminated into the structure as standard.
Ensure the surface is prepared, any pin-holes or blemishes are removed, before being primed and painted matt black. This is a very simple procedure and can be done with quality aerosol products. Ensure the paint is fully dried before fitting the full length header rubber in place over the flange.
The rubber simply pushes over the flange. Ensure it is full seated by gently tapping it home with a rubber mallet or similar. Leave enough excess rubber extending of the end of the flange to be trimmed to shape in the next stages.
Now with the hardtop placed on the car, and fully clamped down with all four catches properly engaged, and both aluminium roof struts fully extended, the lower edge of the rear window can be bonded with Polyurethane sealant.
Apply a line of masking tape around the window - following the edge of the Perspex neatly, and another parallel line of masking on the hardtop to leave a neat sealant bead all around the circumference as shown in the pictures. In this example fine line masking tape has been used first (in green) which is easy to stretch around the corners and leaves a neat line, followed by a width of ordinary masking tape to catch any excess sealant that spreads out. Try and use continuous lines of tape rather than short pieces joined up as this will make the tape much easier to remove in one go afterwards.
Get a good bead of sealant along the full width of the gap on the lower edge of the window, but not so much that it would ouze out on the inside of the hardtop onto the trimmed surface.
The window has a degree of flex and can be lifted away from the aperture slightly to get the sealing nozzle into the gap, but dont strain it too far or risk over-stressing the window. Don't worry if the sealant bead cannot be made to perfectly join up with the existing sealant beads securing the sides of the window - a small interruption in the sealant beads at each lower corner is fine - it's more important that this sealant bead along the lower edge of the window is generous enough to fully bond the window to the flange (without ouzing out on the inside as mentioned above).
The vital part of the window sealing procedure is the final neat bead around the full circumference that provides 100% of the weather sealing.
After applying the sealant, thumb-in the bead and make it neat all around the window circumference.
If the odd tiny air bulge is visible in the final sealant bead after the sealant has cured over night, re-mask the area either side of the bubble to protect the Perspex and paintwork, and simply rub out the raised bubble with a piece of 400 grit emery paper, folded round the edge of a filler spreader. This may expose the air void in the sealant which can then be resealed and thumbed-in smooth again over the top and left to cure.
This stage requires patience and shouldn't be rushed. Using a VERY sharp / brand new Stanley blade the flexible 'bulb' section of the header rubber needs to be carefully sliced away from the reinforced 'U' section on both ends where it extends off the hardtop flange. Start at the cut end, and work along the rubber right up to where the fibreglass flange starts, then using tin snips, wire cutters, or a fine cutting disc on a grinder, carefully chop off the excess length of the REINFORCED 'U' SECTION ONLY - leaving the tube-like 'bulb' section protruding off the end of the hardtop flange. Take care not to damage the remaining bulb section. This will need carefully shaping and cutting to the required length in the next section, along with being mated up to the canvas flaps that drop down into the inner door aperture to fully weatherproof the hardtop.
TIP: Practice on the short sections of test rubber first which are no longer needed.
The pictures in this gallery describe the way the ends of the rubber should be cut, and how the pieces of canvas can be folded and glued into the correct shape to sit neatly into the door aperture and divert water off the bottom of the hardtop.
Ensure the hardtop is clamped down to the car properly and the doors are closed with the windows fully raised.
Offer up the side windows into position and see how they fit in the aperture - the gap around the rearmost curved end should follow the hardtop profile neatly and leave a parallel gap for sealant. Now look at the leading edge of the hardtop window and see how it follows the door glass - this needs to be parallel to the door glass but it is highly unlikely that it will be perfectly parallel as supplied. This is because the doors, and glass adjustment, all vary slightly in terms of fit and alignment from the factory. The leading edge of the hardtop window can be trimmed to suit as shown. This is perfectly normal, and may mean that one window needs more adjustment to the shape than the other side, but would only be a few millimetres and isn't noticeable. It's more important that the leading edge of the hardtop window is sanded back if necessary to be nice and parallel to the door glass.
The gallery shows green fine line tape being used to show where the edge of the Perspex needs sanding back to in order to be parallel to the door glass. A flap disc on a grinder was used to carefully remove the bulk of the excess Perspex (be very careful if using this method not to take too much away) before being finished off by hand using a flat sanding block. Finally the edge can also be sanded with a 400 disc on a sander to smooth it off and remove any burrs.
The final part of the test-fitting is to place small pieces of 3M VHB double-sided tape around the aperture as shown.
Study the text on the pictures and pay attention to the information about getting the window to curve slightly to mirror the curvature of the door glass.
As the picures show, this is done by spacing out the middle part of the 'B' pillar to flex the window outwards a little, whilst the top and bottom corners of the window are held inwards slightly by the 3m VHB double-sided tape. This creates the slight curvature necessary, but will vary from car to car and will require differening amounts of double-sided tape to creaate this effect. The tape can be doubled up to increase its thickness if required to get the windows sitting flush to the door glass.
In this next step, the gaps in between the tape pieces can be blobbed with black polyurethane sealant and the red plastic backing removed from all of the pieces of tape EXCEPT from half way up the 'B' pillar.
It is important that the plastic backing half way up the 'B' pillar is left in place as this allows the side window to be placed onto it without sticking, and then minor adjustment can be made to the positioning of the window before being fully pressed home onto the remaining pieces of double-sided tape. The tape is only necessay to hold the window in position until the sealant cures overnight.
Hold the window in place firmly onto the tape pieces for a couple of minutes to allow the tape to grab.
Then wipe away any excess sealant that ouzes out from behind the window.
After an overnight cure, the side windows are now bonded in position. The circumference can be masked out and a final neat bead of polyurethane sealant applied all around the edge of the window. This final bead around the circumference provides 100% of the weather sealing so should be a continuous unbroken band around the full circumference.
Remember also to neatly seal the joint between the lower corners of the hardtop and the canvas flaps that drop down into the door aperture to fully adhere the canvas to the fibreglass hardtop.
TIP : Plumbers foil tape adheres better to the canvas than normal masking tape and holds in position long enough for the joint to be sealed neatly. | 2019-04-22T16:24:31Z | https://steve-edwards.com/malaysian-hardtop-fitting-download.php |
A method of performing intra-frequency cell measurement by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is disclosed. The method includes determining a measurement gap for the intra-frequency cell measurement based on downlink control information received from an eNB, and performing the intra-frequency cell measurement for a neighboring cell during the measurement gap. The measurement gap corresponds to one or more downlink subframes other than a downlink subframe having downlink data for the UE indicated by the downlink control information.
1. A method of performing intra-frequency cell measurement by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: determining a measurement gap for the intra-frequency cell measurement based on downlink control information received from an eNB; and performing the intra-frequency cell measurement for a neighboring cell during the measurement gap, wherein the measurement gap corresponds to one or more downlink subframes other than a downlink subframe having downlink data for the UE indicated by the downlink control information.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the length of the measurement gap is adjustable based on the downlink control information.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement gap is present over one or more downlink subframes.
4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting data to the eNB in uplink during the measurement gap.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the performing intra-frequency cell measurement includes measuring a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or a reference symbol received power (RSRP) from the neighboring cell.
6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the eNB, information on whether uplink transmission is granted or whether the measurement gap is allowed to be used, wherein the information is received via a higher layer signal.
7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising reporting result of the intra-frequency cell measurement to the eNB, wherein the reporting is performed using a periodic method, an event triggering method or a combination thereof.
8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising setting a switching time before and after the measurement gap, wherein the switching time is a period, during which switching between channel estimation and intra-frequency cell measurement ouccurs.
9. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform intra-frequency cell measurement in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising: a radio frequency (RF) unit configured to transmit or receive a radio signal; and a processor configured to control the RF unit, wherein the processor is configured to determine a measurement gap for the intra-frequency cell measurement based on downlink control information received from an eNB and to perform the intra-frequency cell measurement for a neighboring cell during the measurement gap, and wherein the measurement gap corresponds to one or more downlink subframes other than a downlink subframe having downlink data for the UE indicated by the downlink control information.
10. The UE according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to adjust the length of the measurement gap based on the received downlink control information.
11. The UE according to claim 9, wherein the measurement gap is present over one or more downlink subframes.
12. The UE according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to transmit data to the eNB in uplink during the measurement gap.
13. The UE according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to measure a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or a reference symbol received power (RSRP) from the neighboring cell during the measurement gap.
14. The UE according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to receive, from the eNB, information on whether uplink transmission is granted or whether the measurement gap is allowed to be used, wherein the information is received via a higher layer signal.
15. The UE according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to report result of the intra-frequency cell measurement to the eNB, wherein the reporting is performed using a periodic method, an event triggering method or a combination thereof.
16. The UE according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to set a switching time before and after the measurement gap, wherein the switching time is a period during which switching between channel estimation and intra-frequency cell measurement occurs.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/543,812, filed on Oct. 6, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
The present invention relates to channel estimation and physical layer measurement and, more particularly, to a method of adaptively using a single estimator over time resources according to an object to be estimated and measured when channel estimation and physical layer measurement are performed in downlink.
An LTE-Advanced system supports a machine type communication (MTC) terminal capable of transmitting information necessary for managing the system between apparatuses configuring the system, for applications such as smart metering, health care, security, transport and logistics, and environmental monitoring. The MTC terminal is characterized in that a low data transfer rate is supported for the purpose of management and monitoring and a large number of terminals may operate in one cell. Accordingly, the MTC terminal is preferably implemented in a low-level, low-cost terminal and, at this time, a method of simplifying an estimation and measurement operation performed by an MTC terminal may be considered.
In general, physical layer measurement of an LTE system is roughly divided into two methods: an intra-frequency measurement method and an inter-frequency measurement method. Information about the measurement method is determined by an eNB and may be sent to a user equipment (UE) via a broadcast control channel or a dedicated control channel. For example, the UE follows a measurement method defined for cell selection in a broadcast control signal in an RRC_IDLE state and follows a measurement method defined by an RRC signal which is a dedicated control signal transmitted from the eNB in an RRC_connected state.
Since an estimation or measurement element which may be included in a low-level low-cost terminal such as an MTC terminal is also restricted, there is a need for a method of adaptively performing estimation or measurement using the restricted estimation or measurement element.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a method for measuring a neighboring cell and an apparatus thereof that substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a method of performing intra-frequency cell measurement by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system includes determining a measurement gap for the intra-frequency cell measurement based on downlink control information received from an eNB; and performing the intra-frequency cell measurement for a neighboring cell during the measurement gap, wherein the measurement gap corresponds to one or more downlink subframes other than a downlink subframe having downlink data for the UE indicated by the downlink control information.
The length of the measurement gap may be adjustable based on the downlink control information.
The measurement gap may be present over one or more downlink subframes.
The method may further include transmitting data to the eNB in uplink during the measurement gap.
The performing intra-frequency cell measurement may include measuring a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or a reference symbol received power (RSRP) from the neighboring cell.
The method may further include receiving, from the eNB, information on whether uplink transmission is granted or whether the measurement gap is allowed to be used, and the information may be received via a higher layer signal.
The method may further include reporting result of the intra-frequency cell measurement to the eNB, and the reporting is performed using a periodic method, an event triggering method or a combination thereof.
The method may further include setting a switching time before and after the measurement gap, and the switching time may be a period during which switching between channel estimation and intra-frequency cell measurement occurs.
In another aspect of the present invention, a user equipment (UE) configured to perform intra-frequency cell measurement in a wireless communication system includes a radio frequency (RF) unit configured to transmit or receive a radio signal; and a processor configured to control the RF unit, wherein the processor is configured to determine a measurement gap for the intra-frequency cell measurement based on downlink control information received from an eNB and to perform intra-frequency cell measurement for a neighboring cell during the measurement gap, and wherein the measurement gap corresponds to one or more downlink subframes other than a downlink subframe having downlink data for the UE indicated by the downlink control information.
The processor may be configured to adjust the length of the measurement gap based on the received downlink control information.
The processor may be configured to transmit data to the eNB in uplink during the measurement gap.
The processor may be configured to measure a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or a reference symbol received power (RSRP) of a downlink signal from the neighboring cell during the measurement gap.
The processor may be configured to receive, from the eNB, information on whether uplink transmission is granted or whether the measurement gap is allowed to be used, and the information may be received via a higher layer signal.
The processor may be configured to report result of the intra-frequency cell measurement to the eNB, and reporting may be performed using a periodic method, an event triggering method or a combination thereof.
The processor may be configured to set a switching time before and after the measurement gap, and the switching time may be a period during which switching between channel estimation of the UE and intra-frequency cell measurement occurs.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing measurement of a neighboring cell using a single channel estimator in case of that a change of the channel state is slow.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an apparatus for measuring a neighboring cell according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the concepts explained in these embodiments can be practiced. The detailed description includes details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these teachings may be implemented and practiced without these specific details.
The following technique, apparatus and system is applicable to various wireless multiple access systems. For convenience of description, assume that the present invention is applied to 3GPP LTE(-A). However, the technical features of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, although the following detailed description is made in detail on the assumption that a mobile communication system is a 3GPP LTE(-A) system, it is applicable to other prescribed mobile communication systems by excluding unique items of the 3GPP LTE(-A) system.
In some instances, well-known structures and devices are omitted in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the present invention and the important functions of the structures and devices are shown in block diagram form. The same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
In the present invention, a user equipment (UE) may be fixed or mobile and include various apparatuses which communicate with a base station (BS) and transmit and receive user data and/or a variety of control information. The UE may be referred to as a terminal Equipment, a mobile station (MS), a mobile terminal (MT), a user terminal (UT), a subscriber station (SS), a wireless device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a handheld device, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, etc. In the present invention, a base station (BS) refers to a fixed station which communicates with a UE and/or another BS and exchanges a variety of data and control information. The BS is referred to as an advanced base station (ABS), a node-B (NB), an evolved-NodeB (eNB), a base transceiver system (BTS), an access point (AP), a processing server (PS), etc.
In the present invention, a PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control CHannel)/PCFICH (Physical Control Format Indicator CHannel)/PHICH (Physical Hybrid automatic retransmit request Indicator CHannel)/PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared CHannel) refers to a set of resource elements or a set of time-frequency resources carrying DCI (Downlink Control Information)/CFI (Control Format Indicator)/downlink ACK/NACK (ACKnowlegement/Negative ACK)/downlink data. In addition, a PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control CHannel)/PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared CHannel) refers to a set of resource elements or a set of time-frequency resources carrying UCI (Uplink Control Information)/uplink data. In the present invention, in particular, time-frequency resources or resource elements (REs) allocated to or belonging to PDCCH/PCFICH/PHICH/PDSCH/PUCCH/PUSCH are referred to as PDCCH/PCFICH/PHICH/PDSCH/PUCCH/PUSCH REs or PDCCH/PCFICH/PHICH/PDSCH/PUCCH/PUSCH resources. Accordingly, in the present invention, transmission of a PUCCH/PUSCH by a UE means that an uplink control information/uplink data/random access signal is transmitted on a PUCCH/PUSCH. In the present invention, transmission of a PDCCH/PCFICH/PHICH/PDSCH by a BS means that downlink data/control information is transmitted on a PDCCH/PCFICH/PHICH/PDSCH.
In addition, in the present invention, a CRS (Cell-specific Reference Signal)/DMRS (Demodulation Reference Signal)/CSI-RS (Channel State Information Reference Signal) time-frequency resources (or REs) refer to time-frequency resources (or REs) carrying CRS/DMRS/CSI-RS, REs allocated to CRS/DMRS/CSI-RS or available REs. A subcarrier including a CRS/DMRS/CSI-RS RE is referred to as a CRS/DMRS/CSI-RS subcarrier and an OFDM symbol including a CRS/DMRS/CSI-RS RE is referred to as a CRS/DMRS/CSI-RS symbol. In addition, in the present invention, SRS time-frequency resources (or REs) refer to time-frequency resources (or REs) transmitted from a UE to a BS to carry a sounding reference signal (SRS) used for measurement of an uplink channel state formed between the UE and the BS. A reference signal (RS) refers to a predefined signal known to a UE and a BS and having a special waveform and is referred to as a pilot signal.
Meanwhile, in the present invention, a cell refers to a predetermined geographical region in which a BS, node(s) or antenna port(s) provide a communication service. Accordingly, in the present invention, communication with a specific cell may refer to communication with a BS, node or antenna port for providing a communication service to the specific cell. In addition, a downlink/uplink signal of a specific cell refers to a downlink/uplink signal from/to a BS, node or antenna port for providing a communication service to the specific cell. In addition, channel state/quality of a specific cell refers to channel state/quality of a channel or communication link formed between a UE and a BS, node or antenna port for providing a communication service to the specific cell.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a radio frame used in a wireless communication system. In particular, FIG. 1(a) shows a radio frame structure used in frequency division duplex (FDD) in 3GPP LTE(-A) and FIG. 1(b) shows a radio frame structure used in time division duplex (TDD) in 3GPP LTE(-A).
Referring to FIG. 1, a radio frame used in 3GPP LTE(-A) has a length of 10 ms (307200Ts) and includes 10 subframes with the same size. The 10 subframes of the radio frame may be numbered. Ts denotes sampling time, and is represented by Ts=1/(2048*15 kHz). Each of the subframes has a length of 1 ms and includes two slots. The 20 slots of one radio frame may be sequentially numbered from 0 to 19. Each of the slots has a length of 0.5 ms. A time for transmitting one subframe is defined as a transmission time interval (TTI). Time resources may be divided by a radio frame number (or a radio frame index), a subframe number (or a subframe index), a slot number (or a slot index), etc.
The radio frame may be differently configured according to duplex mode. For example, in an FDD mode, since downlink (DL) transmission and uplink (UL) transmission are divided according to frequency, a radio frame includes only one of a DL subframe or a UL subframe in a predetermined frequency band of a predetermined carrier frequency. In a TDD mode, since downlink (DL) transmission and uplink (UL) transmission are divided according to time, a radio frame includes both a DL subframe and a UL subframe in a predetermined frequency band of a predetermined carrier frequency.
Table 1 shows a DL-UL configuration of subframes within a radio frame, in a TDD mode.
In Table 1, D denotes a DL subframe, U denotes a UL subframe and S denotes a special subframe. The special subframe includes three fields of DwPTS (Downlink Pilot TimeSlot), GP (Guard Period) and UpPTS (Uplink Pilot TimeSlot). DwPTS is a time slot reserved for DL transmission and UpPTS is a time slot reserved for UL transmission.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a downlink/uplink (DL/UL) slot structure in a wireless communication system. In particular, FIG. 2 shows the structure of a resource grid of a 3GPP LTE(-A) system. One resource grid exists per antenna port.
A slot includes a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in a time domain and includes a plurality of resource blocks (RBs) in a frequency domain. The OFDM symbol means one symbol slot. Referring to FIG. 2, a signal transmitted in each slot may be expressed by a resource grid including NDL/ULRB*NRBsc subcarriers and NDL/ULsymb OFDM symbols. NDLRB denotes the number of resource blocks (RBs) in a DL slot and NULRB denotes the number of RBs in a UL slot. NDLRB and NULRB depend on a DL transmission bandwidth and a UL transmission bandwidth. NDLsymb denotes the number of OFDM symbols in a DL slot, NULsymb denotes the number of OFDM symbols in a UL slot, and NRBsc denotes the number of subcarriers configuring one RB.
An OFDM symbol may be referred to as an OFDM symbol, an SC-FDM symbol, etc. according to multiple access scheme. The number of OFDM symbols included in one slot may be variously changed according to channel bandwidth and CP length. For example, in a normal cyclic prefix (CP) case, one slot includes seven OFDM symbols. In an extended CP case, one slot includes six OFDM symbols. Although one slot of a subframe including seven OFDM symbols is shown in FIG. 2 for convenience of description, the embodiments of the present invention are similarly applicable to subframes having a different number of OFDM symbols. Referring to FIG. 2, each OFDM symbol includes NDL/ULRB*NRBsc subcarriers in a frequency domain. The type of the subcarrier may be divided into a data subcarrier for data transmission, a reference signal subcarrier for reference signal transmission and a null subcarrier for a guard band and a DC component. The null subcarrier for the DC component is unused and is mapped to a carrier frequency f0 in a process of generating an OFDM signal or in a frequency up-conversion process. The carrier frequency is also called a center frequency.
One RB is defined as NDL/ULsymb (e.g., 7) consecutive OFDM symbols in a time domain and defined as NRBsc (e.g., 12) consecutive subcarriers in a frequency domain. For reference, resource including one OFDM symbol and one subcarrier is referred to a resource element (RE) or tone. Accordingly, one RB includes NDL/ULsymb*NRBsc REs. Each RE within a resource grid may be uniquely defined by an index pair (k, l) within one slot. k is an index applied from 0 to NDL/ULRB*NRBsc-1 in a frequency domain, and l is an index from 0 to NDL/ULsymb-1 in a time domain.
In one subframe, two RBs respectively located in two slots of the subframe while occupying the same NRBsc consecutive subcarriers is referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) pair. Two RBs configuring a PRB pair have the same PRB number (or the same PRB index). A VRB is a logical resource allocation unit introduced for resource allocation. The VRB has the same size as the PRB. The VRB is classified into a localized VRB and a distributed VRB according to the method of mapping the PRB to the VRB. Localized VRBs are directly mapped to PRBs and thus VRB number (VRB index) directly corresponds to PRB number. That is, nPRB=nVRB. The localized VRBs are numbered from 0 to NDLVRB-1 and NDLVRB=NDLRB. Accordingly, according to the localized mapping method, VRBs having the same VRB number are mapped to RRBs having the same PRB number in a first slot and a second slot. In contrast, the distributed VRB is mapped to the PRB through interleaving. Accordingly, the distributed VRBs having the same VRB number may be mapped to RRBs having different PRB numbers in a first slot and a second slot. Two PRBs which are respectively located in two slots of a subframe and have the same VRB number are referred to as a VRB pair.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a downlink subframe structure used in a 3GPP LTE(-A) system.
A DL subframe is divided into a control region and a data region in a time domain. Referring to FIG. 3, a maximum of 3 (or 4) OFDM symbols located in a front part of a first slot of a subframe correspond to the control region. Hereinafter, a resource region for PDCCH transmission in a DL subframe is referred to as a PDCCH region. OFDM symbols other than the OFDM symbols used in the control region correspond to the data region to which a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) is allocated. Hereinafter, a resource region available for PDSCH transmission in a DL subframe is referred to as a PDSCH region. Examples of a DL control channel used in 3GPP LTE include PCFICH (Physical Control Format Indicator Channel), PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel), PHICH (Physical hybrid ARQ indicator Channel), etc. The PCFICH is transmitted in a first OFDM symbol of a subframe and carries information about the number of OFDM symbols used for transmission of a control channel within a subframe. The PHICH carries a HARQ ACK/NACK (acknowledgment/negative-acknowledgment) as a response to UL transmission.
Control transmitted via a PDCCH is referred to as downlink control information (DCI). The DCI includes resource allocation information of a UE or a UE group and other control information. For example, the DCI includes transmission format and resource allocation information of a DL shared channel (DL-SCH), transmission format and resource allocation information of a UL shared channel (UL-SCH), paging information on a paging channel (PCH), system information on a DL-SCH, resource allocation information of a higher-layer control message such as a random access response transmitted on a PDSCH, a Tx power control command set of individual UEs in a UE group, a Tx power control command, activation indication information of voice over IP (VoIP), etc. The size and usage of the DCI carried by one PDCCH may be changed according to DCI format and the size of the DCI may be changed according to coding rate.
A plurality of PDCCHs may be transmitted in a PDCCH region of a DL subframe. A UE may monitor a plurality of PDCCHs. A BS decides a DCI format according to DCI to be transmitted to a UE and attaches a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) to the DCI. The CRC is masked with an identifier (e.g., a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI)) according to an owner or usage of the PDCCH. If the PDCCH is for a specific terminal, a cell-RNTI (C-RNTI) of the terminal may be masked to the CRC. Alternatively, if the PDCCH is for a paging message, a paging indicator identifier (P-RNTI) may be masked to the CRC. If the PDCCH is for system information (more specifically, a system information block (SIB)), a system information identifier and a system information RNTI (SI-RNTI) may be masked to the CRC. If the PDCCH is for a random access response, a random access-RNTI (RA-RNTI) may be masked to the CRC. CRC masking (or scrambling) includes an XOR operation of a CRC and an RNTI at a bit level, for example.
A PDCCH is transmitted on one control channel element (CCE) or an aggregate of a plurality of consecutive CCEs. The CCE is a logical allocation unit used to provide a coding rate to a PDCCH based on a radio channel state. The CCE corresponds to a plurality of resource element groups (REGs). For example, one CCE corresponds to nine REGs and one REG corresponds to four REs. Four QPSK symbols are mapped to each REG. An RE occupied by an RS is not included in an REG. Accordingly, the number of REGs within a given OFDM symbol is changed according to presence/absence of an RS. The REG concept is also used for other DL control channels (that is, a PCFICH and a PHICH). A DCI format and the number of DCI bits are determined according to the number of CCEs.
CCEs are numbered and consecutively used and, in order to simplify decoding, a PDCCH having a format composed of n CCEs may start from only a CCE having a number corresponding to a multiple of n. The number of CCEs used to transmit a specific PDCCH, that is, a CCE aggregation level, is determined by a BS according to a channel state. For example, in case of a PDCCH for a UE having a good DL channel (e.g., a UE adjacent to a BS), one CCE may be sufficient. However, in case of a PDCCH for a UE having a bad channel (e.g., a UE located at a cell edge), 8 CCEs are required to obtain sufficient robustness.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an uplink subframe structure used in a 3GPP LTE(-A) system.
Referring to FIG. 4, a UL subframe may be divided into a control region and a data region in a frequency domain. One or several physical uplink control channels (PUCCHs) may be allocated to the control region in order to carry uplink control information (UCI). One or several physical uplink shared channels (PUSCHs) may be allocated to the data region of the UL subframe in order to carry user data. The control region and the data region in the UL subframe are also referred to as a PUCCH region and a PUSCH region, respectively. A sounding reference signal (SRS) may be allocated to the data region. The SRS is transmitted on a last OFDM symbol of a UL subframe in a time domain and is transmitted on a data transmission band, that is, a data region, of the UL subframe. SRSs of several UEs, which are transmitted/received on the last OFDM symbol of the same subframe, are distinguished according to frequency location/sequence.
If a UE employs an SC-FDMA scheme in UL transmission, in order to maintain a single carrier property, in a 3GPP LTE release-8 or release-9 system, a PUCCH and a PUSCH may not be simultaneously transmitted on one carrier. In a 3GPP LTE release-10 system, support of simultaneous transmission of a PUCCH and a PUSCH may be indicated by a higher layer.
In a UL subframe, subcarriers distant from a direct current (DC) subcarrier are used as the control region. In other words, subcarriers located at both ends of a UL transmission bandwidth are used to transmit uplink control information. A DC subcarrier is a component which is not used to transmit a signal and is mapped to a carrier frequency f0 in a frequency up-conversion process. A PUCCH for one UE is allocated to an RB pair belonging to resources operating in one carrier frequency and RBs belonging to the RB pair occupy different subcarriers in two slots. The allocated PUCCH is expressed by frequency hopping of the RB pair allocated to the PUCCH at a slot boundary. If frequency hopping is not applied, the RB pair occupies the same subcarrier.
The size and usage of UCI carried by one PUCCH may be changed according to PUCCH format and the size of the UCI may be changed according to a coding rate. For example, the following PUCCH format may be defined.
Referring to Table 2, PUCCH format 1 series and PUCCH format 3 series are used to transmit ACK/NACK information and PUCCH format 2 series are mainly used to carry channel state information such as CQI (channel quality indicator)/PMI (precoding matrix index)/RI (rank index).
FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b are diagrams showing an example of intra-frequency measurement and inter-frequency measurement.
Intra-frequency measurement is applicable when a serving cell eNB1 for currently providing data and a neighboring cell eNB2 to be measured operate at the same carrier frequency f.sub.c,1 as shown in FIG. 5a. At this time, if a UE separately operates an estimator with respect to the serving cell and the neighboring cell, since data channel estimation and neighboring cell physical layer measurement may be simultaneously performed, a separate measurement gap is not required.
In contrast, inter-frequency measurement is applicable when a serving cell eNB1 for currently providing data and a neighboring cell eNB2 to be measured operate at different carrier frequencies f.sub.c,1 and f.sub.c,2, respectively as shown in FIG. 5b. In order to perform physical layer measurement for the neighboring cell, a carrier frequency of an oscillator should be changed. However, in general, a UE has a single oscillator due to cost constraints and the oscillator simultaneously controls carrier frequencies of uplink and downlink. Accordingly, when the carrier frequency of the oscillator is changed for physical layer measurement, downlink data reception and uplink data transmission may not be performed. This leads to time and frequency resource waste.
Accordingly, the present application proposes a method of adaptively using a single estimator as necessary by introducing a measurement gap in both intra-frequency measurement and inter-frequency measurement. Further, the present application proposes a method of setting a switching time at start and end points of the measurement gap when a UE performs a physical layer measurement operation. For example, if it is assumed that the UE has a single estimator, data channel estimation and neighboring cell physical layer measurement may not be simultaneously performed. At this time, the single estimator may be used to perform a selected operation (one of channel estimation of a serving cell and physical layer measurement of a neighboring cell). In addition, a data transmission method restricted by the measurement gap is changed according to measurement methods, thereby providing a flexible structure. Hereinafter, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an operation of adaptively using a single estimator via a measurement gap by an UE will be described.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing measurement of a neighboring cell within a measurement gap in which there is no data transmission/reception. FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which a measurement gap in which there is no data transmission/reception is used to perform physical layer measurement of a neighboring cell. The operation described with reference to FIG. 6 may be used in both an intra-frequency measurement and an inter-frequency measurement.
At this time, the UE uses a single estimator for channel estimation of a data channel of a serving cell eNB1 outside the measurement gap and uses the single estimator for physical layer measurement of a neighboring cell eNB2 within the measurement gap. Within the measurement gap, the UE may measure a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or a reference symbol received power (RSRP) from the neighboring cell so as to perform physical layer measurement.
Within the measurement gap, since the single estimator of the UE is used for physical layer measurement but is not used for channel estimation, the channel state in the measurement gap is not applied to data transmission/reception. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6, no data transmission/reception is performed within the measurement gap. In the inter-frequency measurement method, it may be shown that the carrier frequency is changed using the single oscillator for physical layer measurement of the neighboring cell eNB2 within the measurement gap. Accordingly, in the inter-frequency measurement method, data transmission and reception of the UE, that is, uplink data transmission and downlink data reception, are impossible within the measurement gap. Even when the intra-frequency measurement method is applied, uplink data transmission and downlink data reception are impossible.
In addition, a switching time for switching basic settings such as a scrambling ID of a neighboring cell may be set at start and end points of a measurement gap. That is, the switching time is a time for enabling the UE to switch between channel estimation for the serving cell and intra-frequency measurement of the neighboring cell. The switching time may have an insignificant value or may be ignored according to circumstances under which the embodiment is complemented.
The measurement gap may be determined by the UE based on a PDCCH from a serving cell or an eNB1 which serves as a serving cell to the UE. The UE may confirm presence/absence of downlink data allocated thereto, that is, a PDSCH, via control information of the PDCCH. The UE may determine the measurement gap within the time period corresponding to one or more subframes other than the subframe of the PDSCH allocated thereto.
Under such an environment, since there is no PDSCH allocated to the UE within the measurement gap, the UE does not need to perform channel estimation for the serving cell. Accordingly, the UE may measure the physical layer of the cell (that is, the neighboring cell) other than the serving cell via the single estimator within the measurement gap.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an intra-frequency measurement of a neighboring cell within a measurement gap in which data transmission can be performed by a UE (User Equipment).
In the embodiment associated with FIG. 7, the operation of the intra-frequency measurement method in which the serving cell and the neighboring cell of the UE operate at the same carrier frequencies will be described. In other words, the embodiment associated with FIG. 7 describes the operation for performing physical layer measurement of the neighboring cell within the measurement gap in which data transmission is performed (that is, UL is available) but data reception is not performed (that is, DL is not available).
Unlike the intra-frequency measurement method, the inter-frequency measurement method should change the carrier frequency via the oscillator. This leads to change in the carrier frequency in both uplink and downlink and thus uplink and downlink may not allow to be used. However, in the intra-frequency measurement method, the serving cell and the neighboring cell of the UE operate at the same carrier frequencies, the UE may transmit data to the eNB via an uplink channel even when physical layer measurement of the neighboring cell is performed by the UE via a downlink channel within the measurement gap. Referring to an uplink part shown in the top of FIG. 7, it can be seen that uplink data transmission is possible (the channel is not disconnected along a time axis).
Within the measurement gap, the single estimator of the UE is used to measure the physical layer of the neighboring cell eNB2 and thus data reception may not be performed within the measurement gap. Within the measurement gap, the UE may measure a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or a reference symbol received power (RSRP) of a downlink signal from the neighboring cell so as to perform physical layer measurement. At this time, the serving cell or the eNB which serves as the serving cell may inform the UE as to whether the measurement gap is available and whether data transmission is granted via a higher layer signal. The UE may report result of the measurement to the eNB1. The reporting may be performed using periodic method, event-triggered method, or a combination thereof.
For reference, in FIG. 7, data reception of the UE being not performed within the measurement gap means that data received by the UE is not recovered (by a series of processes performed by a data reception side, such as demodulation and decoding) and data which a data transmission side (that is, eNB1) desires to transmit to the UE is not acquired. However, it does not mean that data which is subjected to signal processing (a series of processes performed by the data transmission side, such as coding and modulation) at the data transmission side is not received. In other words, since the data transmitted by the data transmission side (eNB1) is received by the UE but channel estimation is not performed within the measurement gap, the received data is not subjected to demodulation, etc. Thus, the UE is not able to detect which data is received.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing measurement of a neighboring cell through a number of subframes within a measurement gap.
According to the embodiment associated with FIG. 8, described is An operation for adjusting the length of the measurement gap depending on whether data transmission and reception is available when physical layer measurement of the neighboring cell is performed using the measurement gap. A low-cost UE such as an MTC terminal supports a low data transmission rate and a data transmission period may be very long. Accordingly, the present application proposes an operation for performing physical layer measurement of the neighboring cell for a long time by the UE while there is no data transmission/reception.
For example, in an LTE system, when the UE confirms that there is no data allocated thereto in a subframe via a control signal such as a PDCCH, the UE may perform a physical layer measurement operation for a neighboring cell within the subframe. At this time, physical layer measurement of the neighboring cell may be performed over a plurality of downlink subframes a shown in FIG. 8. In other words, the measurement gap may be determined within the time resources corresponding to one or more downlink subframes and measurement of the neighboring cell may be performed within the measurement gap. For example, if a PDCCH detected in a downlink subframe carries a downlink control information (DCI) indicating downlink grant, the UE may confirm that a PDSCH associated with the PDCCH is present in the subframe. In contrast, if the UE fails to detect the PDCCH thereof in a downlink subframe or detects the PDCCH thereof but the DCI included in the PDCCH is a DCI other than downlink grant DCI (e.g., a DCI indicating uplink grant), the UE determines that there is no PDSCH for the UE in the subframe and uses the downlink subframe in which the PDSCH is not present as the measurement gap.
Within the measurement gap, the UE may measure a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or a reference symbol received power (RSRP) of a downlink signal from the neighboring cell so as to perform physical layer measurement.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing measurement of a neighboring cell using a single channel estimator in case that a change of the channel state is slow.
According to the embodiment associated with FIG. 9, described is an operation for simultaneously performing data reception and physical layer measurement of a neighboring cell using a single estimator in a communication environment in which a channel state is slowly changed. If a low-cost UE such as an MTC terminal is implemented in an apparatus having low mobility or a fixed apparatus, the channel state may be slowly changed. In such an environment, the single estimator is preferably used to measure a surrounding environment, rather than being used for channel estimation of the serving cell in every data reception time. In other words, since the channel state is slowly changed, the result of the previously estimated channel state is replaced with a channel state estimation value at a current data reception time and the single estimator may be used for physical layer measurement of the neighboring cell.
The speed (slow or fast) of the change in channel state may be calculated/determined by the serving cell or the eNB which serves as the serving cell via periodic or aperiodic reporting of the channel state information from the UE. For example, the serving cell or the eNB may detect a difference between (M-1)th received channel state information and Mth received channel state information so as to detect a change in channel state. The change in channel state may include a channel size difference according to CQI, a channel direction difference according to PMI, etc.
However, if physical layer measurement of the neighboring cell is performed regardless of the change in channel state, errors occur in a received data (e.g., a PDSCH) recovered by the UE if the channel state is significantly changed. Accordingly, in the operation according to the present embodiment, a threshold of the change speed of the channel state is set and the operation according to the present embodiment is preferably applied if the change speed of the channel state is less than the threshold. The threshold is preferably a value in which errors occurring in a process of recovering the received data may be ignorable and reliability of demodulation of the received data can be ensured.
Accordingly, in the embodiment associated with FIG. 9, the measurement gap is not required and the UE may measure a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or a reference symbol received power (RSRP) of a downlink signal from the neighboring cell in a period using a previous channel estimation result so as to perform physical layer measurement. In other words, the UE may perform physical layer measurement of the neighboring cell while performing decoding and/or demodulation of the received data based on the previous channel estimation result in a predetermined period.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing components of a transmitter 10 and a receiver 20 for performing the present invention.
The transmitter 10 and the receiver 20 include radio frequency (RF) units 13 and 23 for transmitting or receiving a radio signal carrying information and/or data, a signal and a message, memories 12 and 22 for storing a variety of information associated with communication in a wireless communication system, and processors 11 and 21 connected to the components including the RF units 13 and 23 and the memories 12 and 22 and configured to control the memories 12 and 22 and/or the RF units 13 and 23 to perform at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, respectively.
The memories 12 and 22 may store programs for processing and controlling the processors 11 and 21 and may temporarily store input/output signal. The memories 12 and 22 may be used as a buffer.
The processors 11 and 21 generally control the overall operation of the various modules of the transmitter and the receiver. In particular, the processors 11 and 21 may perform a variety of control functions for performing the present invention. The processors 11 and 21 may be referred to as a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, etc. The processors 11 and 21 can be implemented by a variety of means, for example, hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. In the case of implementing the present invention by hardware, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), Digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc. configured to perform the present invention may be included in the processors 11 and 21. If operations or functions of the present invention are implemented by firmware or software, firmware or software may be configured to include modules, procedures, functions, etc. for performing the function or operations of the present invention. The firmware or software configured to perform the present invention may be included in the processors 11 and 21 or stored in the memories 12 and 22 so as to be operated by the processors 11 and 21.
The processor 11 of the transmitter 10 performs coding and modulation with respect to a signal and/or data which is scheduled by the processor 11 or a scheduler connected to the processor 11 to be transmitted to an external device and transmits the signal and/or data to the RF unit 13. For example, the processor 11 transforms a data stream to be transmitted to K layers via demultiplexing and channel coding, scrambling, modulation, etc. The coded data stream is also called a codeword and is equivalent to a transport block which is a data block provided by a medium access control (MAC) layer. One transport block (TB) is encoded into one codeword and each codeword is transmitted to the receiver in the form of one or more layers. For frequency up-conversion, the RF unit 13 may include an oscillator. The RF unit 13 may include Nt (Nt being a positive integer) transmit antennas.
Signal processing of the receiver 20 is the inverse of signal processing of the transmitter 10. Under control the processor 21, the RF unit 23 of the receiver 20 receives a radio signal transmitted by the transmitter 10. The RF unit 23 may include Nr (Nr being a positive integer) receive antennas and the RF unit 23 performs frequency down-conversion with respect to each signal received via each receive antenna and restores a baseband signal. The RF unit 23 may include an oscillator for frequency down-conversion. The processor 21 may perform decoding and demodulation with respect to the radio signal received via the receive antennas and restore original data transmitted by the transmitter 10.
The RF units 13 and 23 include one or more antennas. The antennas serve to transmit the signals processed by the RF units 13 and 23 to external devices or to receive radio signals from external devices and to send the radio signals to the RF units 13 and 23 under control of the processors 11 and 21 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The antennas are also called antenna ports. Each antenna may be composed of one physical antenna or a combination of more than one physical antenna elements. The signal transmitted by each antenna is not decomposed by the receiver 20. A reference signal (RS) transmitted in correspondence with the antenna defines the antenna viewed from the viewpoint of the receiver 20 and enables the receiver 20 to perform channel estimation of the antenna regardless of whether the channel is a single radio channel from a single physical antenna or a composite channel from a plurality of physical antennal elements including the above antennas. That is, the antenna is defined such that the channel for delivering a symbol over the antenna is derived from the channel for delivering another symbol over the same antenna. In case of the RF unit supporting a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) function for transmitting and receiving data using a plurality of antennas, two or more antennas may be connected.
In the embodiments of the present invention, a UE or a relay operate as the transmitter 10 in uplink and operates as the receiver 20 in downlink. In the embodiments of the present invention, a BS operates as the receiver 20 in uplink and operates as the transmitter 10 in downlink.
Hereinafter, the processor, the memory and the RF unit included in the BS are referred to as a BS processor, a BS memory and a BS RF unit and the processor, the memory and the RF unit included in the UE are referred to as a UE processor, a UE memory and a UE RF unit. In the present invention, the BS processor may be a processor located at a BS or may be a BS controller connected to a BS via a cable or a dedicated line and configured to control the BS.
Hereinafter, downlink will be described. Accordingly, the transmitter 10 corresponds to the BS and the receiver 20 corresponds to the UE. The receiver 20 may correspond to a UE configured to perform intra-frequency cell measurement in a wireless communication system. The receiver 20 may include a RF unit 23 configured to transmit or receive the radio signal and a processor 21 configured to control the RF unit. The receiver 20 may include a memory 22 configured to store a series of data including information necessary to perform communication with the BS.
The processor 21 may determine a measurement gap for intra-frequency cell measurement based on a PDCCH received from the BS. The measurement gap may correspond to time resources capable of performing intra-frequency cell measurement of a neighboring cell. In other words, the measurement gap corresponds to one or more downlink subframes other than a downlink subframe having downlink data for the UE indicated by downlink control information.
The measurement gap may be determined to be present over one or more downlink subframes or to include one or more downlink subframes.
The processor 21 may be configured to measure a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or a reference symbol received power (RSRP) of a downlink signal from the neighboring cell during the measurement gap.
The length of the measurement gap may be adjusted based on control information transmitted via the received PDCCH. The processor 21 may determine at least part of the time resources, in which the PDSCH allocated to the UE is not present, as the measurement gap.
The processor 21 may be configured to transmit data to the BS in uplink during the measurement gap.
The processor 21 is configured to receive, from the BS, information on whether uplink transmission is granted or whether the measurement gap is allowed to be used. The information may be transmitted via a higher layer signal.
The processor 21 is configured to report the intra-frequency cell measurement result to the BS. The reporting may be performed a periodic method, an event triggering method or a combination thereof. Such a reporting method may be provided to the UE via a higher layer signal.
The processor 21 is configured to a switching time before and after the measurement gap and the switching time is a time period during which switching between channel estimation and intra-frequency cell measurement occurs.
Another embodiment described with reference to FIG. 10 will be described. The processor 21 may divide time resources allocated to the UE into a first time resource and a second time resource. The first time resource may be resource for estimation or measurement of the channel state of a serving cell to which the UE belongs and the second time resource may be resource for estimation or measurement of the channel state of a neighboring cell of the serving cell to which the UE belongs. The first time resource and the second time resource may be determined based on downlink control information (e.g., PDSCH) received from the BS. The first time resource and the second time resource may be contiguously located on a time axis and a constant time interval may be present between the first time resource and the second time resource.
More specifically, the processor 21 may determine a time resource corresponding to the PDSCH allocated to the UE as the first time resource and determine the time resource corresponding to the PDSCH which is not allocated to the UE (that is, a PDSCH for another UE) as the second time resource via the downlink control information. The processor 21 may select or determine at least part of the second time resource as the measurement gap for estimation or measurement of the channel state of the neighboring cells. The length of the measurement gap may be dynamically determined within the second time resource. The second time resource may correspond to a time resource corresponding to at least one downlink subframe and thus the measurement gap may correspond to a time resource corresponding to at least one downlink subframe. As described above, during the measurement gap, the process 21 may measure an RSRQ or RSRP of the neighboring cell and report the RSRQ or RSRP to the BS. The reporting method may be performed using a periodic method, an event triggering method or a combination thereof and the method may be configured by a higher layer signal.
Although the term "estimation" or "measurement" is used in the specification of the present invention, the term "estimation" or "measurement" indicates that the channel state or the physical layer state observed from one UE is estimated, calculated or measured. Although the term "estimator" is used in the specification of the present invention, the term "estimator" indicates a means for estimating, calculating or measuring the channel state or the physical layer state.
The detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been given to enable those skilled in the art to implement and practice the invention. Although the invention has been described with reference to the exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention described in the appended claims. For example, those skilled in the art may use each construction described in the above embodiments in combination with each other. Accordingly, the invention should not be limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but should be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
The embodiments of the present invention may be used in a user equipment or other equipments in a wireless communication system.
According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently perform channel estimation and physical layer measurement given restricted time resources. | 2019-04-24T14:48:44Z | http://www.patentsencyclopedia.com/app/20130088985 |
I have wanted to write this post for a while now, but if I am honest I have been unsure of how best to write it, so I have put it off. As someone with Aspergers Syndrome, but also someone who works with vulnerable people I have found it quite difficult to describe what it is exactly that can make people with even mild autism so very vulnerable. I myself have on occasion found myself in situations which I have been ill equipped to handle, which is a difficult thing to admit personally and professionally. it is my own pride which makes it difficult to be objective, but I will do my best to put my professional hat on for a while. Wish me luck!
The main problem with Autism is that it is a hidden disability. People diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome are classed as having a relatively mild form of autism and it is also classed as a Developmental Disability, although you will also often hear it referred to as a Learning Disability.
Many people with Aspergers are quite understandably uneasy with the term “disability”, but there are certain things that we struggle with, or in some cases are completely unable to do. By denying this simple truth, we often make our condition worse, and even more invisible to others, leading to less understanding and social and lack of public awareness.
When you have no clear understanding of the social landscape around you and no social map to navigate by, it is easy to come across as rude, to be insulting or to be come across as arrogant without ever meaning to.
The term ‘Vulnerable Adult’ has a lot of definitions and carries a lot of connotations. In my profession, we use it to mean somebody who requires assistance in the conduct of their own affairs or may be Susceptible to physical or emotional injury or more Liable to succumb, as to persuasion or temptation.
This can be because of physical disability, mental health, addiction or learning / developmental disability.
Not all people on the Autistic Spectrum can be classed as vulnerable. I think that is a fair statement. I have worked with many who manage well socially and have enough emotional intelligence to cope with most situations.
However, it is often the case that people with even mild autism are classed as vulnerable. The fact is that for many people even on the mild end of the autistic spectrum, without absolute concentration in social situations, it is easy for people on the spectrum to be mislead or taken advantage of.
It common for people with Aspergers Syndrome to put themselves in a vulnerable position. For example, many of us find it easier to level the playing field socially by resorting to a social crutch, such as alcohol or drugs. Socialising with lowered inhibitions while others are in a similar state sometimes makes social rules somewhat easier to follow. Social blunders are more easily overlooked and easing social anxiety, even temporarily, is a relief. Sadly for many people Alcohol abuse often leads on to other forms of substance abuse, which is a common occurrence with mild forms of Autism, such as Aspergers, as we struggle to cope with the world around us.
Trust is perhaps the biggest problem with mild Autism. Most people on the mild end of the Autistic spectrum are too trusting, especially if they are engaged socially. For the most part we tend to make an innate assumption that when people say they are going to do something – they will do it. We assume that when people approach us with a smile their intentions are good. When people seem to be nice to us, it never occurs to us that they may have ulterior motives. These are logical subconscious assumptions, which come naturally to us; unfortunately, the world simply doesn’t work that way.
I have come across a several cases of people with ASD who have been taken advantage of and there have been many similar examples in the media. Sadly in our society, violent crime in not uncommon and in the case of people with Aspergers Syndrome, the limited ability to read intent from facial expressions and poor social interaction often makes them more vulnerable to more serious types of crime, as they simply don’t see it coming.
Mild Autism is a naturally socially isolating condition. Feelings of loneliness an isolation can lead to trust out of desperation to be accepted. In cases of Autistic Spectrum Disorder in general, incidence of abuse (physical, emotional and sexual), is proportionately higher than average, and often is executed by authority figures and worse still, once a victim of abuse there is a need to question the motives of everyone around them, making an already isolating condition far worse.
As children with Autism get older, the social gap between themselves and their peers widens, often making them socially isolated as they approach their mid-teens. During those years, Aspie children are especially vulnerable to bullying and peer pressure, as other children have a natural need to examine and single out differences. Obviously this can have a large impact on a child’s life and if you talk to many people with Aspergers Syndrome, you will often find that their school career was a pretty miserable time for them, which is why many people with Aspergers Syndrome, although highly intelligent, often do rather poorly academically.
The symptoms of mild autism and their severity vary wildly from person to person. Although some people on the spectrum manage to go through life with relative ease, it is never a given that they won’t experience vulnerability at some point in their lives.
I would like to be able to say that there is plenty of help and support available to those on the Autistic Spectrum, but sadly the funding for the necessary support simply isn’t there. People are becoming more aware of Autism, but we have a long way to go before sufficient help and support is available. Around the world there is a huge backlog of children awaiting diagnosis, and early diagnosis is key. The earlier a child is diagnosed, the better they can be prepared for the unique challenges they will face as an adult on the Autistic Spectrum.
Does someone want to get to know me or are they talking to me because they want something?
Is somebody not speaking to me because they are annoyed at me, or are they simply lost in their own thoughts?
Most of the time I can work simple things like this out for myself; but there are times where I miss very blatant clues which someone else not on the autistic spectrum would immediately understand. Does this mean I lack empathy?
I think, looking back at my own experiences, it is fair to say that I look for the most obvious motives and intentions in others and assume I am correct, which would be fine if everyone always told the truth and people acted logically.
Empathy is the capacity to understand and share feelings with others. It is difficult to understand something when you simply aren’t aware it is there.
I can’t look at somebody’s face and determine their emotional state – anything beyond assuming a frown is angry, tears are sad and a smile is happy – I get lost and anything more subtle and I am likely to miss it completely. The part of my brain which interprets facial expressions – the posterior superior temporal sulcus, doesn’t function as well as it should.
Approximately 85% of people on the Autistic spectrum have Alexithymia – the inability to express emotion verbally and to some extent physically – difficulty crying for example. When observed by others I suppose it is perfectly reasonable for people to assume that ASD means poor emotional empathy, but inside those emotions are alive and kicking. Indeed it can be common for people on the spectrum to be over sensitive, to the point where emotions need to be habitually suppressed in order to simply cope and when these emotions do escape – the mental and emotional feedback can be incredibly painful and even psychologically damaging.
It is easy to assume then, that someone on the Autistic Spectrum is unfeeling or insensitive when they say things or behave in a way which is inappropriate to a situation, but when you are wearing an emotional blindfold, sometimes it is unavoidable. Does that count as a lack of empathy?
Psychology is obviously a very complex business and looking at it under the lens of scientific scrutiny doesn’t make things any simpler. How do you quantify emotion or reason? How do you examine and analyze the inherently unpredictable? Well the answer is you can’t, not directly anyway.
Theory of mind is a term used to describe the understanding that other people other than yourself also have a mind and can experience the world around them in their own way, but more than that, it is the ability to, psychologically speaking, to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Most adults have a good degree of “Theory of Mind” – their own mind can attribute desires, emotions and thoughts in others, they can predict other people’s intentions and understand their motives. This is an inherent social skill which is normally learned naturally during childhood.
By definition, people on the Autistic Spectrum tend to have a poor “Theory of Mind”. The myriad of social cues, facial expressions, body language and vocal clues that are subconsciously used to determine somebody’s intentions or motives can’t easily be read. Therefore it makes it difficult for someone with ASD to put themselves in anothers shoes.
There is a great deal literature explaiing that people with Autism are incapable of understanding people’s intentions or motives or understanding that other people have their own plans, needs, thoughts or point of view or feelings. Typically, the more severe the Autism, the poorer the “Theory of Mind”.
Theory of mind is however a very academic concept – a useful diagnostic tool. In the real world, nothing is so black and white. A human being cannot be summed up so easily.
Emotion, empathy and relating to others can all be challenging to Autistic people to varying degrees, but it is the worst kind of hubris to sum up the emotional range of an individual based on the diagnosis of an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. People are complex, and wonderful; they are kind and cruel and they can be very brilliant and incredibly stupid and emotionally messy – being on the Autistic spectrum doesn’t change that. In the end, we are just as human and just as flawed. We just struggle to show emotion sometimes, and other times we struggle to see it, and occasionally we struggle to control it. In the end, we are just a part of the human spectrum, like everyone else.
When you research Autism Spectrum Disorders, you will quickly come to realise that there are as many theories on causes as there are researchers looking for answers. One fundamental aspect does seem to be completely undeniable however; there is a link to our genes.
This may seem counter intuitive to many people, who find themselves as parents to a child on the Autistic Spectrum, and that is quite understandable. After all, many parents have very limited, if any experience of Autism within their families, so how do we justify the genetic argument?
You may remember that back in 2003 that there was a huge buzz around The Human Genome Project. For the first time, scientists had mapped the human genome down to the last chromosome, and some serious work could begin, work which would revolutionize out understanding of our selves. Politicians hailed this breakthrough as potentially one of the most important scientific advances since Antibiotics and scientists around the world received a great deal of funding to carry on this important work. Then everything seemingly went quiet.
Genes, it turns out are quite complicated things. Your average bacterial cell has around 3200 genes. Yeast and other fungi have around 6000. The Fruit Fly, somewhere in the region of 13,000. A plant has around 25,000, while your average fruit has nearly 30,000. The Human Genome Project revealed something quite surprising. Human beings have around 21,000 genes contained within their DNA. This simple fact surprised a lot of people, and forced geneticists around the world to rethink a lot of what they took for granted.
The genome is very much more than what we thought, even just a few years ago. Indeed it turns out that our genetics are an extraordinarily dynamic adaptive system. Traditionally geneticists thought of our DNA as a kind of blueprint that pretty much dictates what our characteristics will be from the beginning of our lives to the end, with some genes being turned on, many others being turned off (we no longer need a tail for example).
It turns out these ideas are very much an oversimplifcation however, and largely as a result of The Human Genome Project, a new field in genetic research has emerged: Epigenetics.
After conception, a remarkable process begins, which determines which genes from our parents are going to be read by our developing cells and which are going to be ignored. Essentially the genes that are to be ignored are chemically imprisoned.
It has emerged, that many genes can switch on and off, very quickly and can be turned on as a response to external factors, such as the environment. Genes can be activated or deactivated temporarily or permanently. A good example of this is when we begin to regularly exercise. Suddenly genes activate which allow us to process sugars more efficiently, which has the benefit of making muscle fibres work more efficiently. If we cease this type or regime, these genes deactivate again.
When our bodies are exposed to toxins, diseases or foreign bodies, again previously dormant genes activate to help make cell repair and replacement more efficient.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Epigenetics appears to be that these temporary changes can be hereditary, even while being only temporarily active. Studies performed in Sweden have found that in a remote and isolated village called Norrbotten, starvation due to instances of famine and crop failure went on to have detrimental health effects on at least two preceding generations, despite having plenty of food, almost as if these children’s bodies were trying to adapt in the same way as their parents or grandparents bodies had to, despite now having ample food. These kinds of quick single generational adaptions makes perfect sense in terms of evolution. It allows you to pass on genetic changes to your children in order for them to be better prepared for the environment you live in.
We are just gaining our first glimpses into how this incredibly adaptive mechanism works, and what happens if and when it malfunctions and perhaps how it is reacting to the very complex environment, we as human beings inhabit. The thing that is becoming clear is just how dynamic and adaptive our genetics can be. Obviously we inherit many genetic traits from our parents, but it is now evident that the environment we live in, the environment our parents and grandparents lived in, the things and even experiences we or they were exposed to in every day life can also have an impact in how we and future generations develop.
The two things I am most commonly asked are: Where does Autism come from? and Why is it on the rise?
Autism related conditions have probably been around as long as we have. It doesn’t take much research to spot historical figures who certainly appeared to have some of the more common traits. That being the case, there have probably always been many people who have carried some genetic predisposition toward Autistic Spectrum Disorders of one kind or another, but those genes until recently have only occasionally been expressed. Most researchers agree that combinations of genetic & environmental factors are playing a role in this recent rise in people on the Autistic Spectrum, and it is almost certain that some form of epigenetic mechanism is a part of that puzzle. It could be lifestyle, it could be pollution or toxins. It could even be evolution experimenting.
Currently The Human Genome Project is collecting most data, in order to compare the full genetic makeup of as diverse a group of people as possible in order to identify the specific genetic functions. This is research that will certainly be going on for the rest of our lives. Despite the silence in the media, this project is benefiting people already, specifically in the study of cancer. Perhaps in time, the exact nature of developmental disorders such as those on the Autistic Spectrum will become clear.
A fascinating project conducted be a team of US molecular geneticists based at Mount Sinai and led by professor Joseph Buxbaum have been mapping the genome of autistic people.
The researched involved 810 volunteers – 60% of which had been formally diagnosed with ASD, with the remaining 40% neurotypical.
The research showed that the autistic group tended to have a very specific group of missing genes.
A simple, but important fact about genetics, is that genes can be switched on and off, but they can also be deleted. This isn’t an uncommon occurence, in fact everyone has certain genes which are deleted, that is the reason we all look different, or may look more like one parent, rather than another. Even twins can have deleted genes, leading to one twin being genetically predisposed to an illness or genetic condition that the other is not.
The genes that were noticeably absent in the autistic group were among many genes that control a biological system called Autophagy; a complicated system which deals with programmed cell death and cell replacement and repair.
It has long been thought that Autophagy is important in brain development. During the early years of our development an almost countless number of synapses are formed, allowing the developing brain to learn, experiment and improve. All of these connections are created and controlled through the process of Autophagy – and as many of these connections prove to be useless, they are destroyed by the same process. Professor Buxbaum’s team suggest that these deleted genes lead to a system were perhaps not enough of these connections are removed, leading to a brain which is essentially “mis-wired”.
Genetics is a very complicated science and has been proven much more so in the last 20 years. While Professor Buxbaum’s research is not conclusive, it does seem to be following the pattern that there may not be a single defining cause of Autistic Spectrum Disorders, but rather a much more subtle system at play, were genetics, our environment, and even the environment of our ancestors can have a profound affect on whether autism occurs in a child or not.
Firstly, Before i begin this post, I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to those affected by the terrible events in Newtown, Connecticut on the 14th December. Such wanton disregard for human life is almost as shocking as it is tragic. The thoughts of people across the world are with those families and their friends whose lives are forever changed.
Over the past couple of days I have received several emails and many tweets regarding Autism and violence and violent tendencies. The subtext of these messages is linked to reports that the gunman in Newtown had been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and quite naturally people have been very curious as to any possible link between his diagnosis and his actions.
Obviously, I know nothing of this young man and his life experiences, his motives or his frame of mind. It would be remiss of me to comment on his mental state or the events that lead up to these appalling events; they are as unfathomable to me as they are to the rest of you and I doubt anyone will ever fully understand what it is that can cause a mind to break in such a way.
Where I do feel comfortable commenting is on the general behaviours of people on the Autistic Spectrum. As oft happens during the turmoil surrounding stories like these, the media, naturally looking for answers and explanations have published some poorly informed articles, which is a source of concern to me. In general people with High Functioning Autistic Spectrum Disorders, such as Aspergers Syndrome are no more or less prone to violence than anyone else. More often than not, people with Aspergers Syndrome have a tendency towards justice, a very strong sense of right and wrong and a natural inclination towards fairness.
Developmental Disorders like Aspergers Syndrome can be very difficult to diagnose, and are sometimes misdiagnosed, but much more importantly, they can act like a mask for other problems, like depression or paranoia. Whatever this young mans reasons for carrying out this horrendous attack, I doubt ASD is to blame, but perhaps it did contribute to some warning signs being missed. Perhaps we will never know.
Being on the Autistic Spectrum brings huge challenges every day. We live in a world poorly suited to our needs, among people who struggle to understand us almost as much as we struggle to understand than, and ourselves. I can only hope that these terrible events do not add to the unfounded stigmas already associated with Autism. I would hope that the media and politicians would now focus on the infinitely more pressing issue of gun control in the US, reducing the risk of another tragedy happening again. | 2019-04-24T00:45:14Z | http://zenemu.com/ |
We had talked about developing a new mindset in the last blog—a version of— it can easy, have value and the process of creation can be an exciting adventure of discovery. What would it take to instill this mindset into your everyday experience of life?
The power of the mind, if channeled in the way we want, can change our perspective about life. It is our mind that keeps us stuck with versions of its limiting beliefs that we are not good enough. In a way that belief is a self-defeating mantra that we repeat over and over again, although we’re not consciously aware of doing so.
Let’s start repeating a new mantra, the one that empowers us to see our life in a more exciting way. Here’s what I would suggest…real basic stuff….write out a positive affirmation of the belief you want to instill. For example.
Life comes effortlessly to me and I’m ready and willing to receive its abundance….in the morning take a few minutes for reflection and then read it and repeat it to your self 10 times.
Try it on and see how it fits. The experts say it takes 30 days to instill a new habit….Let’s start with today and tomorrow and go from there, so that each day is just about that day….
Mark Susnow knows change. He is an executive-life coach, life-discovery guide and recognized thought leader who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. He is the author of Dancing on the River:Navigating Life’s Changes and Discover the Leader Within.
As we all know at some point in our lives we start to feel boxed in by our life circumstances. Our choices seem limited by our beliefs around what is possible in our lives. If we are really honest with ourselves, we know that our beliefs are just beliefs and not actual truth. It’s difficult for many of us to accept this fact, but if we do a whole new world of possibilities will open up to us.
These limiting beliefs are based upon our interpretation of our past personal history. The meaning we have given to these events including labels or things people have said about us, limit our ability to make choices today.
Freeing yourself up from this past is the first step in experiencing more personal freedom in your life. Look back at your life and realize that every event and experience that has occurred has made you who you are today. Take a look at some of these past experiences. Can you give these past experiences a different meaning? Perhaps they’ve prepared you for the next step in your life?
Let go of your attachments and your identification with what has happened. As you reframe your past, you pave the way for a more exciting future.
Mark Susnow knows change. He is an executive-life coach, life-discovery guide and recognized thought leader who inspires others to believe in themselves. He is passionate about life being an exciting journey of discovery. His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection thoroughly convey this message to his audiences. A former trial attorney for 30 years, he integrates what it takes to be successful in the world with the inner wisdom unfolded to him through years of yoga and meditation. In his prior career, he was covered by the NY Times, Boston Globe, and Rolling Stone Magazine. He is the author of Dancing on the River:Navigating Life’s Changes and Discover the Leader Within.
Wherever you are in your life journey, you eventually come to the same realization. The outward path of seeking success and what you might call “happiness” is only temporarily fulfilling. Finding joy and fulfillment is an inner journey.
I ask many of my coaching clients to complete the following sentence. Life is……………… How they complete this sentence tells me, and them, how they see their life. Some complete it by saying, “Life is hard, or life is a struggle.” For them that’s the way there life is, and will be, unless they shift their mindset.
I’ve chosen to complete the sentence by declaring, “Life is an adventure,” which has become an empowering affirmation of life’s abundant possibilities. It’s also been a bold challenge, reflective of a philosophy of living cultivated over the years, one in which you know you have the choice to keep smiling and to enjoy life’s amazing journey even with it’s inherent loose ends and uncertainties. And yes there will still be disappointment and heartache. Developing this mindset takes practice and determination that eventually will become a habit if you stick with it. It’s a challenge worthy of your best effort. Try it for a month and see what unfolds.
On this journey, you’ll discover that your enjoyment and appreciation of life is not dependent on what happens, but rather on the meaning you give to what happens. It might take a while to come to this realization, but once you do, you awaken to a rich inner life more fulfilling than you can imagine.
Perhaps some of the following insights and practices can help keep you focused on cultivating this new paradigm.
1.How you start your day sets the tone for the day. If you start the day in a hurry it will be extremely difficult to slow down. A suggestion. After you wake up and before you do anything else, take 10-15 minutes for meditation or reflection. Also take some time to focus on what you’re grateful for. By focusing on what you are grateful for, your focus shifts to how blessed you are, rather than on what’s wrong.
2. Develop the practice of Curiosity. After expressing gratitude, reflect upon your day wondering about what the highlight of your day might be which creates a positive expectation as the day progresses. The key here is that there always is a highlight. You get to decide what that is.
3. Learn how to recognize and know your VOJ. The VOJ is that voice of judgment that drives you nuts. You know it. We all do. You would give anything to silence it even if just for a few minutes. The sooner that you can recognize your VOJ, which in coaching we call your gremlin, the sooner you can become free of its hypnotic spell that can last a lifetime if you don’t do anything about it. But the doing is a different type of doing. It’s just noticing. By just noticing you wake up from its hypnotic spell. This is a lifelong challenge so don’t be discouraged if you don’t notice anything right away.
4. Self-Acceptance. There are certain things we can’t change. We can’t change who are parents are. We can’t change our country of origin. We can’t change all of the injustices in the world, although we might try. But we do have the potential to change how we think about ourselves and how we think about the circumstances of our lives. Even though we are our own worst critics at times, our work is to accept those things we don’t like about ourselves—that dark side often referred to as our “shadow.” Once you do you’ll feel lighter and freer. And isn’t that what it’s all about.
5. Introduce positive self-talk into the conversation. It’s time to listen to a new voice, a voice if honored and cultivated can change how you think about yourself. It’s your VIP, the voice of Inspiration and Praise that we don’t listen to enough. The voice that says, “You did great, good job. You handled that well.” Let it in. Honor it.
6. Make time for the jollies. So here we are again with another new phrase. No I haven’t lost my mind. All of us have faced challenges that at times seem overwhelming. The Jollies is taking the time to do what gives you joy, even if you still have loose ends in your life and your “to do” list keeps getting bigger. Don’t wait for the perfect time to let joy in. There always be “loose ends” and uncertainty.
I hope I’ve given you some insights as to how you can more fully enjoy this adventure called you. It’s the only one you have.
There was a time when you didn’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow. You were totally engaged in the moment. Do you remember what that was like? Many of us have fond memories of playing at the playground. There was the swing, the slide, the seesaw and the sandbox. And of course the other kids. Once you felt safe, you let go and forgot about time. You weren’t concerned with what you had to do “afterwards;” you didn’t even think about “afterwards” or tomorrow. You were in the moment. Nothing else mattered. You can be there again.
For some of us that playground might have looked different. It might have been the park or the street in front of our house. There was always a game that you could play that was played before by other kids. If there wasn’t a game you liked, you used your imagination and made one up, including the rituals that went along with it. Because it was your ‘magical playground,’ you were in your own world, with your own set of rules.
Then one day you grew up and the game got more serious. In this new game, there was a new set of rules that put more emphasis and importance on results, money, rather than on fun and play. You worried about the loose ends and uncertainty in your life. You worried about tomorrow, and whether you were good enough to make it, whatever making it meant for you. You forgot about the magical playground. It was just a distant memory.
In this new game you created a story. You believed that because of the demands of this new game that you didn’t have time for play but it actually works the other way. When you make time for play and what’s meaningful for you, you’ll get better results in the bigger game of life. You’ll struggle less and be more fun to be around.
When you’re excited about one aspect of your life that enthusiasm spreads to your entire being. People pickup on it, even though you might not be aware of it. Our passion and enthusiasm is contagious. People want to be around you.
We use our imagination all of the time. When we worry we drive ourselves nuts by imagining worse case scenarios. There’s a better way use our imagination; a way that is exciting and fulfilling—a way that empowers us.
We rediscover a magical playground for our lives today. We dream again. We are happy. We are courageous. We have vision. We believe our lives will turn out better than we expected. Yes that might require a stretch of the imagination, but why not stretch it. Just for fun take some time now and imagine that your life has exceeded your expectations. Imagine, who you become in the process and, the different parts you get to play. In truth you have been doing this all along. As Shakespeare wrote in As you Like It.
Whatever stage we are on in our life journey, each of us has already played many parts in our life and I’m sure we’ll play many more. Each role has its unique set of rules, language, rituals and costumes. I’ve played lawyer, musician, father, husband and athlete and now I’m playing wise elder.
“To dream – again. To dare – again.
or for the first time.
What then? Please feel free to pass this onto those in your circle. You know I like to hear from you. Let me know what moves you.
When the world must come together as one.
That was the call that the social activist and musician Harry Belafonte heard. Millions of people were dying because of the famine in Africa. By 1985 he knew he had to take action and reached out to Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. In collaboration with Quincy Jones and fifty other musicians, who left their egos at the door, they created the single, We are the World, which has generated over $90 Million to address the famine in Africa.
I remember how moved I was when I first heard the song. That memory has lingered and just recently I decided to learn the song on the piano so that I can sing it, come together and share it with others. In the process I’ve thought about how profound the lyrics are.
Coming together doesn’t have be on the global scale that it was in the creation of We are the World. It can be on a personal level. But with our busy lives we don’t make the time to come together on any level and we don’t take the time to listen to our inner voice. Yet we each have a yearning that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
Our challenge is to rethink what our priorities are and create an environment that is conducive to listening to the deepest yearning of our souls. That’s the greatest gift you can make to yourself and to others. We each have unique gifts to contribute and a unique song to sing. We all long for peace on the planet. Finding peace inside goes a long way toward creating a more peaceful planet. So does answering that call from within.
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change is how the second verse begins.
That’s also how some of us lead our lives. We wait for the circumstances of our life to change, rather than taking the initiative to create the positive change that has the potential to transform our life and the lives of others. And in our interpersonal relationships, we wait and wait, hoping that the other person will eventually change. We don’t look at what we’re doing to contribute to this unease.
And their lives will be stronger and free.
I love singing this line. We all are so fragile that it’s important to let others know how much we care. People are much more vulnerable than we realize and no matter how much it seems they have it together, let them know that you care—a smile goes a long way. And a phone call is great. You make a difference. We make a difference.
But if you just believe, there’s no way we can fall.
“Yes, I can.” There is nothing that can replace answering the yearning inside. So what calls you?
Do you remember your kindergarten teacher? I don’t remember much about mine, except her name and the stories she told. Since then I’ve had many more teachers and mentors who have all contributed to who I am today. We learn from all of our experiences and from everyone we meet, some more significant than others.
Although we don’t always remember their name, we usually remember the story they told us. When you are a writer, you’re always looking for that story or insight to share. It’s a gift when you hear such a story. So it was with delight when my youngest daughter, Savanna, was visiting last week and I experienced such a moment.
As our conversation evolved she shared the following story that speaks for itself. Like life, there are many variations of the story—stories that have the power to shape our life. The most powerful being the ones we tell ourselves.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions and what we tell ourselves.If you want more love, create more love in your heart.
If you want more competence in your career, improve your competence. This relationship applies to all aspects of life.
It gives you back what you think and believe. It gives you back everything you have given to it.
YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT’S A REFLECTION OF YOU!
As I shared with you in the beginning, quite often we don’t remember the name of the person who tells us the story, even though we remember the story. Savanna and I attempted to determine who wrote this one. We searched the internet (I sure wished we had it when I was in college) and found the story, but the author was unknown. Whoever he or she is, we want to thank them from the bottom of our heart for the gift of their wisdom.
Life is for giving, loving, teaching, learning and sharing all we are and will ever be; our joys, our sorrows, our triumphs and our disappointments. And of course, our smiles.
As the father in the story reminds us, what we tell ourselves becomes our story. Sometimes the story gets old. If you don’t like it, create a more empowering one.
You know that I love to hear from you. What is the story you have been telling yourself?
How do you answer the question, Life is? What if, when you awake in the morning, you say to yourself, “My life is amazing.” What then? How would you experience your life? I’m sure you would start to experience your life in a much more amazing and exciting way. For various reasons, very few of us say this to ourselves or dare to think in this way. Our focus might be on other things, or on our struggles. Then that’s all we see. But you have the power to change it.
When you think about it, we have all experienced some amazing moments; those amazing sunsets and sunrises. Those amazing waterfalls and breathtaking canyons. I’m sure you have your own amazing list but quite often it’s on the back burner.
It’s time to expand your vocabulary. We all have something unique and amazing to offer. For a second, imagine someone describing you as an amazing person. How would it feel? Could you get used to it?
Let’s try something. Write down on a nice piece of paper the following: (Your Name) is an amazing person! Every morning look at it and repeat it three times out loud. Don’t just do once. For a month, integrate this practice into your life.
Within each of us is the key to success, which is our attitude about how we see ourselves.
IF we are always trying to live up to some external standard we’re always going to find it difficult to be satisfied. There are many great people in this world that can do some things better than us. Yet when we look at ourselves and explore our own unique greatness, we find that there are some things we can do better than them.
If you wish to be successful, then think of yourself in that way. Focus on your gifts and unique talents. You are already successful. You have unique gifts and talents. Share these gifts and talents with others.
Many of us forget what it takes to be successful. Yes it takes hard work, commitment and persistence. Most successful people have on more than a few occasions thought about giving up. But they kept at it and moved forward. It’s like climbing a mountain. In the beginning of the climb the task can seem challenging. With every step forward we get closer to our goal.
Achieving goals is like that. We sometimes get caught up in the obstacles and lose sight of where we want to go There is that half way point, when we say to ourselves, “I’m going to make it.” We know we can do it. From that point on, the challenges no longer seem like challenges, just part of the terrain——we let go of our resistance and move forward with the wind at our back. We allow ourselves to get excited.
Thinking of ourselves as persistent isn’t the most exciting description of ourselves. Yet when you have mastered that quality, you have an amazing power that enables you to do almost anything. One of my coaching clients is a triathlete. The persistence that she demonstrates during training gives her a sense of power than transcends any limitation that might show up in other areas of her life.
Seize the power. Be persistent.
The world is changing faster than it has ever before. It’s challenging to keep up with the latest. Our greater dependency on technology fuels this trend. We know what the advantages to technology are. We have more opportunities and greater conveniences than we have ever had before. The advances in health care are enormous and the promise of the future is encouraging but the challenges are increasing.
The first challenge is how to wed our greater dependency on technology with our sense of self. Technology gives us the opportunity to connect with almost anyone anywhere, which leads to the concern that if we are not in instant communication we might miss out on something.—that text or call that pertains to a different reality than the one we are engaged with at the present moment.
As soon as we see or hear a signal that we have an incoming message, we interrupt what we are doing to notice the nature of that incoming message. Very rarely is it something important that has to be handled in the moment.
We pay a price for these distractions. In the process we lose our ability to really get into something and know it well. Rather than being in the moment with what we are doing, we are already thinking about something else. Is that something else more important than what we are doing now or the conversation we are having with someone else. Our minds are constantly at work trying to figure that out. We don’t know how to still the mind. We don’t know how commit to just being.
What has been lost is the ability to connect with others and to work together. The flow of our conversation and ideas has been interrupted so that we aren’t able to go deeper. The irony is that none of us like to be interrupted but that is exactly what happens. What makes it worse, is that we are being interrupted essentially by a computer. The energy changes and the connection has been lost. Sure we have more information at our fingertips, but we’ve replaced intimacy with information.
All of this leads to a greater sense of isolation. Even when we want to connect face-to-face we’re not exactly sure how to go about doing it. Communication is an art form and, like other art forms, needs to be practiced. We get better the more we do it. There is nothing better than connecting with another. In fact when we become master communicators it’s magical.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is how to make peace with an uncertain future. That uncertainty is there in almost all facets of our lives—our safety, our finances, our health, and our sense of wellbeing. The rapid technological changes contribute to this uncertainty.
Our challenge is to develop a trust that if we live totally in the present that the uncertainty we have about the future will unfold the way it should. Our part is to be 100% committed to whatever we are engaged in. It doesn’t mean to be in denial of some of the problems that we experience individually and collectively. But when we approach these concerns with 100% focus and effort, then we begin to discover solutions to problems that previously were thought to be insoluble.
Here’s a suggestion. For one precious moment, learn to trust it’s all going to work out. For that one moment just be. Then try it for ten minutes. Just be and give your concerns a holiday. They don’t need you all of the time. That holiday includes taking a vacation from your smart phone—plan your digital detox now.
Living in the moment and being present is an art form that can be cultivated. The ones that have mastered it have a presence about them. They are connected to the source of their personal power and all that is and has always been.
There are more and more articles in the main stream about the practical and spiritual benefits of having a mindfulness practice. Meditation in the morning is an essential practice to cultivate in this rapidly changing world.
What a worthy adventure we are on. Our job is to enjoy it, to be ethical and to live life fully.
"To dream - again. To dare - again.
This is the stand I take!"
Dancing on the River takes the reader on a inspiring journey of personal exploration and change.
Mark Susnow knows change. He is passionate about you making positive changes in your life, so that it becomes a vibrant, on-going journey of growth and discovery. Mark is an Executive Life Coach, Life Discovery Guide, author, JD, and recognized thought leader, with more than fourteen years coaching experience and thirty years of daily mediation and yoga practice.
More than inspiring his clients, readers and radio program listeners to believe in themselves, he also motivates you to start taking action to live a more fulfilling life.
His enthusiastic and inspiring keynotes on change, leadership and connection consistently reach into your audiences and engages them in stepping through long needed changes.
Mark supports his private and organizational clients who have been newly embracing meditation, mindfulness, and self-awareness practices with a variety of resources. Familiar with many modalities, Mark coaches clients as they begin, keep, navigate and integrate the inner changes such practices often generate. See New York Times article.
Mark's interest in helping people and social change led to his first career as a San Francisco trial attorney. The New York Times, Rolling Stone Magazine, Boston Globe and The San Francisco Chronicle all covered his exciting legal career. He is the author of Dancing on the River: Navigating Life's Changes. Most recently he has written Discover the Leader Within. He is a coauthor, along with Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy in 101 Great Ways to Improve your life. Mark continues to expand his own personal life journey as an avid hiker, musician and writer.
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Walden School of Liberal Arts; Fall 2015.
In 2010, I was looking for a teaching job after taking a year off to work on business profile videos. The video projects had been fun and rewarding, but not lucrative, and I missed being in the classroom. I looked through the usual ads, and then the unusual ones, and found a teaching job description on Craig’s List for a local charter school. It was named Walden School of Liberal Arts, and I had passed it many times without realizing it was a school. I’d thought it was a retirement home.
I started teaching science and technology classes that fall. I decided to teach there for five years and give my best shot at implementing integrated STEAM education and project-based learning.
Walden School of Liberal Arts elementary and middle school building; Fall 2015.
Now, six years later and after many successful student projects, I am leaving Walden to teach at a new charter school in Salt Lake Valley. This hasn’t been an easy decision. I have come to truly appreciate the students and the other teachers at Walden and the freedom I’ve had to experiment. The projects I’ve described in this blog would never have happened at a more traditional public school. I’ve been able to train up a cadre of students who now have excellent STEAM skills and are capable of accomplishing great things. But I have to look at what my goals were for coming here, and I can honestly say I’ve done what I set out to do. There have been obstacles to overcome, but these limits have forced me to be more creative and have probably helped, not hindered.
Walden School’s 2016 graduation was held at a ranch in South Fork of Provo Canyon.
I was invited to speak at our 2016 graduation, and I chose the topic of “Dare Mighty Things” based on the famous speak by Teddy Roosevelt entitled “The Man in the Arena.” It was definitely bittersweet to be saying goodbye to the school as well as to the students that I’ve worked with for six years.
A sign in the lobby of the Administration Building 180 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory; March 2016.
My new school, American Academy of Innovation, is built on the model of students as innovators, creators, makers, and inventors. It will follow a Problem-Based Learning (PBL) structure and include international and local business and university collaborations and career and technical education as well as STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education. It should be the ideal situation to implement and perfect the projects I already pioneered at Walden, in an environment that will be more suited to cross-curricular integration. I will also be receiving a substantial pay raise, which certainly helps. It is a brand new school, and I will get in on the ground floor of establishing a culture of innovation and creativity, of academic excellence, and scientific inquiry.
Logo for American Academy of Innovation. I created this 3D animated version for a video I created in June to explain the school’s name.
For the last two weeks we have been meeting daily as a new faculty, deciding on the details of our vision, mission statement, principles and core values, policies, etc. I’ve gotten to know the other teachers, and they are as talented and creative a group of educators as I have ever worked with. We had an official open house in the new school on Aug. 18, and I met many of the parents and students I will be teaching. If this is any indication, it will be an amazing year.
American Academy of Innovation under construction; July 2016.
I will be teaching chemistry again (which I did not teach this last year as I was asked to teach the new IB Design courses instead). I will also have an elective course called STEAM it Up, which will basically be to take all the fun stuff I’ve done in my Wintersession and Chemistry classes from the STEM-Arts Alliance grants and turn it into a full semester class to explore the integration of arts and history with STEM. It will be a creative, making, totally project-based class. I will recreate and improve several of the projects we did two years ago, including making homemade iron-gall ink, experimenting with natural dyes to make tie-dyed shirts, creating marbled end paper and Shrinky-dinks, designing jewelry from etched and corroded copper and brass, building Steampunk costumes and sculptures, etc. I hope to add a few more projects, such as making blueprint T-shirts; collecting, polishing, and setting minerals to make jewelry; and others. As I have done before (but not as often as I had hoped at Walden), I will establish an end-of-year STEAM Showcase where students will display their work, give mini-lessons, and this time even have a fashion show to let parents see the costumes, shirts, and jewelry they will make.
Since PBL requires students to present and demonstrate their learning to an audience as a summative assessment, it fits right in with my plans. And this time I anticipate getting other teachers involved, such as art, history, and English as my students also create posters, draw illustrations, program games, and write lessons, scripts, and blog posts. Because I haven’t been teaching chemistry actively this last year, I haven’t been keeping this blog site up to data; now you will see many more student contributions and more frequent posts.
I also plan to move ever more to a flipped classroom model. Our periods will be 80 minutes long, and we are expected to only use the first 20-30 minutes for direct instruction and content; the remaining 50-60 minutes are for students to collaborate and build projects that solve the problems we pose. As to how many problems we will present in a year and what those problems will be, we’ll decide that in the next two weeks.
Going back to teaching this coming year wasn’t my first choice. I had several tiers of plans in place, and returning to teaching was Plan D. Plan A was to be chosen as an Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow and spend this next year working for one of the Federal agencies in Washington, D.C. I applied this last fall and made it to the semi-finals round, which meant being flown to D.C. for three days of tours and interviews in early March. I interviewed with NASA, the National Science Foundation (a computer science initiative), and the Department of Energy. I was not selected, even though I thought two of the three interviews went very well. So scratch Plan A.
David Black in front of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.; March 2016.
Plan B was to go back to graduate school and fulfill a PhD in Science Education. I took the GRE in April and was accepted into the STEM Education PhD program at the University of Kentucky, but because of my late application, no more research/teaching fellowships were available. I am barely scraping by with my current teaching salary (combined with some awards and video projects on the side), so I do not have the money to move to Kentucky now. I have asked for a one-year deferment, and have accepted the job at American Academy of Innovation where I can save up enough money to move to Kentucky next summer. Or, if AAI works out well, I will simply stay there. It’s a matter of either doing Problem-Based Learning or learning about Problem-Based Learning; I’ve always preferred to actually do something.
Mural inside the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.; March 2016. Our hotel was the Holiday Inn just one block south of this museum, so of course I spent some time there, as always.
By the way, Plan C was to leave classroom teaching and start up an educational content design firm. I’ve wanted to do this for years, and even attempted it in 2009-2010 when I did business videos for clients. There are a series of Ed Tech start-up programs around the country called Accelerators, where chosen education companies are provided office space and seed money to get their product ready for marketing, then investors provide start-up venture capital to finance the new company in exchange for a piece of the action. One of these Accelerators is in Salt Lake City, and it looks promising. Certainly I have enough ideas. The problem is getting them into a finished enough form to apply to the Ed Tech Accelerator program, then finding the time for 12 weeks to solely focus on my products. I also need to have a partner or partners, which is another problem. So far, it’s just been me. But in anticipation of this possibility, I have finally completed editing the front of my old Elusive Atom poster that has sat in limbo on my computer for years. I started it in 1995. I finished the hand painted version in 2002. And this summer I finally completed fixing the digital version. It looks good. Now I need to do the backside text and line art, and I’m ready to print out sample copies to market.
Finished front of the Elusive Atom poster. Now I need to work on the back side, mini-posters, and timeline, then print and market it.
While at the STEM Forum and Expo in Denver, I talked with the new product managers from both Flinn and Nasco, and will try to work with them to make the poster a reality. I also plan to repurpose the illustrations into a timeline and a series of mini-posters on each scientist from the poster, such as Mendeleev or Jabir Ibn Hayyan. I found it fun to get into Photoshop deeply again.
Plan E is a long shot, but something I’m quite proud of. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at writing science fiction, and have several good (I think, anyway) ideas. I read last summer that Tor Publishing is starting an initiative to look for new authors to write novellas for their line of e-books. They announced in May that a new round of stories would be accepted, completely unsolicited, on the topics of cyber punk, future thriller, time travel, and other science fiction tropes (not fantasy this time). That’s my chance! So I spent two solid weeks in June working on writing up a book I’ve wanted to do since at least 1995. It’s called Dead Stone Lions, and I had thought about the plot for years. It hits about all of their possible subgenres. I took a couple of days to brainstorm and outline, then started writing. Once I got into it a chapter or two, the writing took on a life of its own. Weird things started happening – new characters appeared, or old characters did unexpected things, and I had no idea where these threads would lead. Then later in the book, these plot points somehow circled back around and became significant, when I hadn’t planned it that way at all. Like the self-aware computer called ISAAC (after Isaac Asimov, for two important reasons) or the protagonist’s brother’s subplot.
The deadline was the end of June, and I finished the first draft late in the evening of June 30th. It came in at 41,580 words, and I had to pare it down to under 40,000 to make Tor’s definition of a novella. So I pared and compressed and edited for several more hours, finally posting the story at about 5:00 am on July 1 at 39,979 words. I was worried that I might be too late, but the submission site was still up. I didn’t dare check for two months what the status of my submission was, because it was such an accomplishment to just get it done. I know it needs further editing but I’ve let it go for two months on purpose to let the ideas ferment a bit longer, then come back with fresh eyes. However, last Thursday (Aug. 25) I received a short e-mail from Tor.com saying that my novella “did not meet their needs.” Well, that’s not a surprise. So now I am a rejected first-time writer. I certainly am in good company.
I hope to announce some day that I am a published author, both for science fact and educational pedagogy, and for science fiction. Some day, once I’ve gotten a few sales under my belt, I hope to tackle a series of books called Trinum Magicum, about a science teacher who discovers the third use of the Philosopher’s Stone. It will bring in all the research I did at the Chemical Heritage Foundation in 2009, when the plot for this series first started percolating in my brain.
The seal of the Department of Energy. I spent two days in their building interviewing for three possible Einstein Fellowships, but didn’t get selected for any. So much for Plan A . . .
I had quite a dry spell this last year, applying for several STEM related awards but receiving none. The failure of Plan A was just the last in a long line of unsuccessful applications. But things have picked up since. In May, I found out I was selected by the U.S. Department of State as a Teacher for Global Classrooms fellow, and will complete an online course this fall, then attend a training workshop in Washington, D.C. in February. I will travel with 11-12 other teachers to one of six possible countries for a 2-3 week period, beginning in late February through August 2017. We will learn about the culture of the country and their educational system. I don’t know which country yet, but this year the teachers went to Morocco, Georgia, Brazil, Senegal, India, and the Philippines. My personal choice would be Morocco – I’ve always wanted to go there since seeing Casablanca and The Road to Morocco (OK, maybe not the best representation of actual Morocco, but it was fun). I would enjoy visiting any of them.
I decided to grow a beard over the summer. How did all the salt get into the pepper?
Then it got itchy and I decided to shave it off. Well, partially, anyway . . .
In July, I opened up a letter that had been sitting in my stack of mail and a check for $1200 fell out. Kind of a nice surprise! I have been selected as the Earth Science Teacher of the Year by the Utah Geological Association. I attended a nice luncheon several weeks ago to receive the official award, and also attended their annual picnic on August 13. The best part for me is the possible contacts this award will bring and how we can get some expert geologists involved at our school.
Some awards I have received. The Utah Geological Association Teacher of the Year Award is the one at bottom left.
I attended some professional development opportunities in June and July, including the annual Utah IT Education Conference, where I presented on 3D printing. I also attended the STEM Best Practices conference sponsored by the Utah STEM Action Center. I was able to talk with Dr. Tami Goetz a few times – she remembered me from two years ago when I attended some STEM education workshops in Salt Lake. I hope to apply for a grant from them soon. I also ran into a friend who now runs STEM partnership programs for Utah Valley University.
Civic Center plaza in downtown Denver; July 2016.
The Colorado State Capitol Building in Denver; July 2016.
‘Cause I’ve done everything I said I would . . .
I did my trip to Denver on the cheap, camping on the way there and back and staying in the least expensive hostel I could find while in Denver. We purchased a new tent this summer and this is my camp near Frisco, Colorado.
The first week in August I took my family on vacation to visit my wife’s sister and brother, who both live in Oregon. We stayed five days on the Oregon coast, in Rockaway Beach and in Waldport. Then we took several days to explore the Columbia River Gorge and the Oregon Trail. I took many photos, saw some amazing geology and even a few grey whales.
David Black at Twin Rocks near Rockaway Beach, Oregon; August 2016.
Before I could start at AAI, I had to finish up and move out of Walden School of Liberal Arts. Since I had decided this would be my last year at Walden clear back in May 2015, and I wasn’t going to be teaching chemistry, I took the opportunity to move most of my chemistry materials and papers home at the start of the 2015-16 school year. I moved my astronomy materials over to the middle school since I was teaching 6th Grade Science second semester, which is mostly astronomy. I kept it all contained, so it was easy enough to take that home as well at the start of summer.
David Black near Frisco, Colorado; July 2016.
Twin Rocks at Rockaway Beach, Oregon; August 2016.
But my materials in the computer lab at the high school took some time. Since the building at AAI was not ready yet, and I didn’t want to have to move things home, then move them to AAI in two steps, I asked if I could wait until the very end of summer to clean out at Walden, which the director agreed to. Once I returned from my family vacation to Oregon, I spent the second week in August getting my materials cleaned out, my printouts and posters off the wall, and the iMac desktop computers cleaned off. I saved all the files I had made over six years onto a 3 TB portable hard drive.
Yaquina Head lighthouse near Newport, Oregon; August 2016.
Over the rest of the summer (and since last fall, really) I have been working on putting together a printed binder of all the projects we’ve done at Walden (and others at MATC and before). It started as a supplemental file for the Allen Distinguished Educator Award and was expanded for my trip to Washington, D.C. for the Einstein Fellowship interviews. I’ve added pages for our Deep Space Expedition to southern California in March, and filled in more pages on other projects, trips, awards, and events. I added section caption pages and tabs. There is still much more I could add, but the binder is as full as I dare make it. It came in handy as I’ve presented at open houses for AAI. In the process of creating it, I organized all my Walden work and files onto the new hard drive. I’ve needed to do this for years.
View south from Ecola State Park, Oregon; August 2016.
So there you have it – catching you up on where I am. I wanted to write this summary to explain what’s been happening, but I will write more detailed posts on each of these events as I have time. My commute to AAI will be 45 minutes if I drive and 90 minutes if I take the light rail system, which I hope to do most of the time. It will give me lots of time to write these blogs and stay up on grading.
I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull again while on our trip to the Oregon Coast.
There is still so much to do. I need to complete the transcriptions of Dr. Graham’s interview on Greek philosophy, then revise the script and complete the movie. I have many videos from my Elements Unearthed explorations that need to be done, and educational products to design, books to write, computer programming languages to learn and computer games to create, and time gets ever shorter. This next year will be an amazing adventure. I hope you join me.
View from Crown Point overlooking the Columbia River Gorge; August 2016.
Multnomah Falls on the Columbia River; August 2016. We got there just before sunset on a clear day with nice lighting.
Wakeena Falls on the Columbia River; August 2016.
Heceta Head lighthouse on the Oregon Coast; August 2016.
Another seagull at sunset, this one at the beach near Waldport, Oregon; August 2016. | 2019-04-21T16:14:15Z | https://elementsunearthed.com/2016/08/ |
Did you know that Lahaina actually was the capitol of the Kingdom of Hawaii prior to Honolulu? The name Lahaina translates to "cruel sun," in Hawaiian and was so named because there is so little rainfall in Lahaina in contrast with many other areas of Hawaii. Of course, this abundant sunshine is good news for couples planning Lahaina weddings.
Lahaina is a picture-perfect town filled with historic charm, and an ideal place for your nuptials. At Love Maui Weddings, we can plan any type of Lahaina wedding that you want. Your Lahaina wedding options include enjoying your nuptials right on the beach or perhaps you would prefer a ceremony is a historic chapel. There are also several resorts to consider for a larger, more lavish affair.
If you prefer the idea of enjoying a Lahaina wedding right on the beach, a few options to consider include Baby Beach and Ka'anapali Beach. Napili Beach and Kapalua are two other possibilities and both are north of the town of Lahaina.
You will need a permit to be married on the beach, and we can help secure this permit for you. Also, you aren't allowed to set up chairs directly on the beach and your guest list must be limited to no more than 20 people, and this includes not just the couple and friends and family, but also the minister and any other professionals at your ceremony. Still, Maui destination weddings tend to be small so this usually is not a problem.
If you do have a larger wedding party, it might be a good idea to marry on a bluff overlooking the ocean. There are resorts and restaurants that offer stunning views and can accommodate many guests for your Lahaina wedding. You also will be able to set up chairs, a canopy, music equipment and other gear, which might be prohibited at the beach. There are also beach parks that offer you more flexibility for your ceremony, but you are still just steps away from the beach where you can take plenty of wedding pictures.
We help couples plan Lahaina weddings as well as weddings throughout Maui. There are many fantastic wedding venues to consider. Whether you crave a ceremony right on the beach, you wish to marry in a quaint chapel or you wish to share your vows on a bluff with endless ocean views, we can make it happen for you.
One huge misconception about destination weddings is that they are simply not affordable. However, if the average American wedding costs more than $20,000, our Maui wedding packages are far more affordable.
Destination weddings tend to limit the guest lists to very close friends and immediate family. Typically, the reception costs are what drive up the price of a wedding. With a much smaller guest list, your costs will be substantially less than a wedding at home. While you do have to purchase plane tickets and book a hotel room, you probably would do that for you honeymoon anyway, so you can marry and honeymoon in one convenient (and amazing) location.
Our Simply In Love Maui wedding package is the ideal option for a couple on a budget. This package comes with a price tag of just $575 and includes a wedding right on the beach! With this Maui wedding package, we will secure a beach permit for up to 10 people, hire the minister and assist you with acquiring your marriage license.
Maui wedding packages also should include some romantic extras, and our Simply In Love package also includes two freshly made Hawaiian leis for your ceremony. We also present your with a keepsake wedding certificate and a beautifully printed copy of your special vows.
The So This Is Love package is another one of our most affordable Maui wedding packages and this includes the same amenities as the Simply In Love package, but also includes a bridal bouquet, groom boutonniere, hair and make-up service, sparkling cider, an on-site wedding coordinator and up to 30 4x6 photographs taken by a professional wedding photographer. At just $1,250 for the entire package, this is a huge bargain. If you've shopped around your area for wedding photography quotes, you probably have seen that it can cost more than $1,250 just for photography alone.
In addition to selecting one of our Maui wedding packages, another way to trim down the costs of the trip is schedule your wedding for a more off-season time. While travelers flock to the Hawaiian islands throughout the year, generally you will get a better deal on airfare and hotel stays from around mid-April to mid-June and then again from September to early December.
Of course, we have many more Maui wedding packages and we are always available to help you create a completely custom wedding from scratch. But we believe that every couple deserves a stunning Maui wedding. If you are on a tight budget, these two wedding packages can be great options that won't break the bank. Plus, your Maui wedding coordinators will handle all the details, leaving you free to enjoy a stress-free, romantic wedding and honeymoon.
For many brides, it is their dream to have a church wedding. Of course, you also might be intrigued by the idea of having a Maui destination wedding, as well. As Maui wedding coordinators, we easily can make both of these dreams come true.
Maui has no shortages of lovely churches and chapels to consider. In fact, several of the local churches are more than 100 years old, so you will enjoy some historic ambiance as well as the beauty of Maui and a church wedding all rolled into one.
Maui wedding coordinators can help you book a ceremony at a number of local churches. The key is to book in advance, so if you do want a Maui church wedding, as soon as you set the date, give us a call and we can make sure that a local church is available for that particular date and time.
Our Maui wedding coordinators have booked many ceremonies at Maria Lanakila Catholic Church. Located in Lahaina, this church was established in 1846 and officially dedicated in 1858. The current structure was completed in 1873, and is part of the Lahaina Historic District.
Another option to consider is Lahuiokalani Hawaiian Church, which is a small but picturesque chapel located across the street from Honokowai Beach Park. This church also is historic and although the building itself dates back only to 1929, the church was established in 1850. Because the congregation is quite small, you will need to hire your own minister for the ceremony. Of course, as Maui wedding coordinators, this is a service we handle for you.
Holy Innocents is yet another historic church that our Maui wedding coordinators often book for weddings. This is an Anglican Church that held its first services in 1862. The current church was built in 1872. Couples have the option of being married inside the church or perhaps on the oceanfront lawn. This church is unique in that it is open-sided, so even if you opt for an indoor wedding, you will enjoy island breezes and lovely island views during the ceremony.
These are just a few of the options to consider for a Maui church wedding. Give us a call today and we can help you begin planning your Maui destination wedding. Be sure to also take a look at the many wedding packages available as these make planning your destination wedding as simple as possible.
Too often it seems that planning a wedding isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, but at Love Maui Weddings, we believe the process of tying the knot should be romantic and fun. Certainly, there are details to settle, but the overall experience should be positive and we provide our couples with many Maui wedding packages to make planning a snap.
We offer many Maui wedding packages, but before you select one, it is wise to think about a few of these details.
Set a firm budget and be sure to include all of the details. In addition to our Maui wedding packages, you will need to pay for plane fare, accommodations and meals. You also will need to select wedding outfits for your big day. While the friends and family of the couple typically are expected to pay for their plane tickets and hotel accommodations, it’s nice to consider buying a few meals or paying for an excursion for your guests.
Generally, the guest list for a Maui destination wedding is small, and this really reduces your overall costs. Even with paying for the ceremony, a reception or dinner, plane tickets, hotel stays, meals and excursions, the total bill for a Maui wedding can end up being far less than a typical wedding you would plan near your home. Plus, your Maui wedding coordinator will handle most of the details, making it far easier for the bride and groom.
You also need to think about exactly where you wish to hold the ceremony. Our Maui wedding packages provide you with many options. You could opt for a sunset ceremony right on the beach or perhaps on a cliff, overlooking the ocean. Resorts, restaurants, historic chapels, plantations and a local botanical garden are just a few of the additional options to consider.
If you aren’t quite sure about the location, go to our home page and click on the tab marked, “Locations.” This will provide you with a few location options that our previous clients have enjoyed.
While selecting a Maui wedding package can make the process easier, it is important to note that you can use your Maui wedding package as a jumping off spot and add on many interesting features for a wedding that totally reflects your sentiments as a couple.
For instance, we can arrange to have traditional Hawaiian dancers and musicians present for your ceremony. Another option would be to have the bride arrive via an outrigger canoe. Still another option would be to have a private chef serve you dinner for two, right on the beach to celebrate your wedding night. These are just a few options that you can add on to your Maui wedding package.
At Love Maui Weddings, we’ve obviously planned thousands of weddings, ranging widely in size, budget and specifications. Over the years, we discovered a few helpful tips that can lessen the wedding planning mania and create a truly enjoyable experience. Here are a just a few of our helpful suggestions.
Perhaps you can wait more than 24 hours after the proposal, but the sooner you start to think about the big event, the better. You don’t have to hammer out all the details right away, just discuss what you want. Also, be sure to have this conversation alone. While family and friends are certainly going to chime in with suggestions and advice, it’s best for the two of you to discuss your wishes first.
As Maui wedding coordinators, we know that the process moves much more smoothly when couples have a pretty good idea of what they want and when both are on the same page. If you aren’t really sure what Maui destination weddings are all about, take a look around our website and you will get some ideas about your location options, flowers, wedding packages and much more.
Obviously, as Maui wedding coordinators, we are going to handle most of the heavy lifting, but it pays to know what needs to be accomplished and by what date. Sometimes, just having it all organized and written down brings great peace of mind. The best part about a Maui destination wedding is that you won’t have to handle many of the tasks on the list yourself, lightening up your load significantly.
Your list should include tasks such as when to send out invitations, when to buy plane tickets, booking accommodations and planning out any excursions or special meals during your stay. We can offer some helpful suggestions when it comes to making travel plans and finding interesting activities.
Everyone has a dream of their “perfect” wedding day, but the journey to that day and even the day itself can include a few bumps along the road. Often, the difficulties you face make for fantastic wedding stories in the years to come, so just keep it all in perspective. The most important part of the whole experience is the joining of two people in matrimony.
This can be another advantage of a Maui destination wedding. After all, destination weddings typically have fewer guests which usually means you end up with fewer problems and are surrounded by the most important people in your life. Plus, who could be unhappy in Maui? The whole experience will be like a vacation for your and your guests.
Aside from having children, getting married is about the most significant moment of our lives. Don’t forget to take a deep breath and really look around and take in the scene. Smile at your friends and family, listen to the waves crashing on the shore, and take a moment to really listen as you are being serenaded by a traditional Hawaiian musician. These are the memories that matter, so take them all in.
If a Maui destination wedding sounds too good to be true, we can assure that this is an attainable dream. As expert Maui wedding coordinators, we can help you with all of the details, no matter what size budget or wedding party you have. Give us a call today or email and get started planning the wedding of your dreams.
Mark Twain once said, “I went to Maui to stay a week and remained five. I have not once thought of business, or care or human toil or trouble or sorrow or weariness.” This sums up many travelers’ impressions of Maui, as well.
We believe this is actually one of the reasons why a Maui wedding is the perfect option for many couples. Traveling away from home allows you to truly bask in the moment. The bride, groom and guests all are removed from the day-to-day grind back home and everyone can truly relax and enjoy the experience.
At Love Maui Weddings, we also firmly believe that it is simply easier to plan a Maui wedding than a wedding at home. Your Maui wedding planner will handle just about all the details, reducing your stress level immensely. A wedding is meant to be a happy, romantic occasion and it is our goal that each of our wedding couples has a fantastic, memorable experience. Our Maui wedding planners can help you create a custom wedding or you can choose one of our Maui beach wedding packages.
All of our Maui beach wedding packages include basic services such as acquiring the services of a minister, assistance with your marriage license and obtaining a beach permit for the ceremony. We also tuck in a few romantic extras such as a keepsake wedding certificate and a beautifully printed copy of your vows.
These are just a few items included in our Maui beach wedding packages. Depending on which package you select, there is a myriad of romantic options. For instance, one of our Maui beach wedding packages includes not just the makings of a spectacular Maui wedding but also a sunset dinner cruise, Molokini snorkel adventure and a Haleakala zipline tour.
Yet another Maui beach wedding package includes a Hawaiian guitarist and vocalist as well as a conch shell sounding, a drummer or Hula dancer and even a torch bearing maiden for a ceremony that is truly Hawaiian. Still another Maui wedding package includes a helicopter tour prior to your ceremony, a Lanai beach ceremony and a speedboat ride back to Maui.
Of course, you can certainly have us create a special custom Maui wedding that fulfills all of your dreams. Whether you long for a Maui beach wedding or a romantic wedding at a historic Lahaina chapel or perhaps a ceremony at a luxurious Maui estate, we can make your dreams come true.
There are many details to handle when you plan a Maui destination wedding, While the staff at Love Maui Weddings can help you with the majority of the details, there is one area that you should handle personally - providing gifts for your attendants.
Your bridesmaids and groomsmen typically are expected to help you with a few wedding tasks and must also purchase or rent clothing for the occasion. Providing a gift is a great way to say thank you, especially if you are planning a Maui destination wedding. After all, your attendants also have the added expense of plane tickets and accommodations.
First of all, it is a great idea to have a bag of goodies awaiting them in their hotel rooms. Fill a small beach tote with sunscreen, water bottles, snacks, some information about local attractions and transportation and an itinerary listing all wedding-related events. This information will help keep people on schedule but also give them ideas for spending their free time when the wedding couple is busy with other tasks.
In addition to goodie bags, each person should receive a special gift. However, it isn't very easy to transport gifts when you are traveling by plane so it's best to keep it small and simple. For bridesmaids, a piece of jewelry can be easy to transport and also very personal and thoughtful. A pretty set of earrings featuring your wedding colors or perhaps a special necklace might be a perfect gift. Your bridesmaids also might enjoy a day of pampering at a local spa or perhaps at the spa at your resort.
For the guys, consider handy items such as personalized money clips or an engraved flask. You can transport the latter without alcohol and fill it up after your arrival in Maui. Leather toiletry bags are another option to consider. For the best man, a nice watch can be a great gift to consider.
However, your gift also could be the gift of an excursion or experience. This might include treating the whole wedding party to a traditional luau or perhaps taking them on a whale watching trip. You could also go snorkeling or even plan a hike with the wedding party, such as catching the sunrise at the top of Haleakala.
For a simple treat, you might just present your attendants with gift cards that they can use at your hotel. They can purchase food or drinks or whatever else they need and this lessens their expenses for the trip. Of course, don't feel too guilty about planning a Maui destination wedding. While it can be a pricey proposition for your guests, they are sure to enjoy this adventure and a destination wedding feels a lot more like a vacation than a stressful wedding event.
Thousands of couples plan and enjoy a Maui destination wedding every year, and if you wish to be among those couples, one of your tasks will be to obtain a Hawaii marriage license. Fortunately, the steps are pretty easy and straightforward and at Love Maui Weddings, we can assist you with this process.
Hawaii requires no waiting period and you don’t have to be a resident of the state (or even the United States) to be married legally in Maui. Blood tests also are not required in order to obtain a license.
However, you do have to find an officiate/minister prior to applying for your marriage license. At Love Maui Weddings, we can handle this task for you. The information must be written on your application form. The application form can be downloaded from Hawaii’s Department of Health marriage website. The cost of a wedding license in Hawaii is $60.
After filling out your application, which you can do prior to arriving in Hawaii, you will need to present the completed application and your $60 in person. In Maui, this means you will need to book an appointment with the local License Officiate. We can help you with this process, as well. If you are 19 or older, all you will need to bring with you are two valid forms of identification, such as a passport or a driver’s license or a military identification. For those aged 18, you will need to bring a certified copy of your birth certificate. This process takes just a few minutes, and before you know it, you will be ready for your wedding ceremony.
In addition to helping you with the wedding license process, we can help you with all of the other details pertaining to your wedding. We offer many interesting Maui wedding packages or you can create your own special event from scratch. Give us a call and begin planning your romantic Maui wedding today.
At Love Maui Weddings, we help hundreds of couples plan their Maui weddings each year. Most of our couples also spend their honeymoon in Maui and often ask our staff for recommendations for excursions. The Road to Hana is a fantastic adventure and a great way for a newly married couple to spend the day while in Maui.
The Road to Hana, in the grand scheme of things, is not very long, but it’s windy and full of one-lane bridges, so you will be driving slowly. In addition, there are so many places to stop and enjoy along the way that this journey easily can take up to ten hours. Here are a few tips that will help you make the most of the drive to Hana.
Be prepared to start your day early. It takes time to drive from your hotel or resort to Paia, which is the starting point of the drive to Hana. Once you reach Paia, it is a good idea to fill up on gas, as this will be the last place to do so until you reach the town of Hana.
You will need to pack for the trip. Bring along some towels and a bathing suit, as there are waterfalls and a few beaches where you can enjoy the water. Even if you don’t plan on swimming, it is wise to bring towels and dress casually. It usually rains off and on during the day, so a poncho or umbrella would be wise additions. Ziploc bags can be used to keep phones, cameras and wallets dry.
Bring bottled water, as there probably won’t be any available from Paia to Hana. You also need to bring along food as there are very few food options along the way. There might be a fruit stand or two along the way, where you might pick up a smoothie or delicious homemade banana bread, but it is wise to bring a good lunch along.
You can drive yourself or take a tour bus, but if you do drive, it is a good idea to pick up a CD tour of the trip. This will help you find the best stops along the way as well as providing you with some interesting history and information about the area.
If you are planning on enjoying a wedding and honeymoon on Maui, consider contacting our staff of expert Maui wedding planners. We have been helping couples plan Maui destination weddings and Lahaina weddings for more than 20 years, and can help you with all the details. We offer a variety of unique Maui wedding packages or we can help you plan a custom Maui resort wedding package, Maui hotel wedding package, a Maui beach wedding or any other type of wedding you desire.
A wedding is meant to be a time of romance and excitement, but for many couples this ends up being a difficult and stressful process. Instead of planning a typical at-home wedding, opt for something a bit more exciting and easier – a destination wedding in Maui. Your Maui wedding coordinator can handle most of the details, leaving you free to enjoy this special life-changing experience.
For more than 20 years, the staff at Love Maui Weddings has created dream Maui weddings for their clients. We offer a personal touch for our couples, whether they want only a simple elopement ceremony on a sun-kissed beach or they wish to have friends and family for a wedding and reception.
First, we will discuss your needs, your wedding date and your budget and then we will get to work planning your special day. One of the first items on our to-do list is to book the ceremony location, schedule the minister and, if you wish to be married on the beach, apply for a beach permit. We can offer many excellent suggestions for ceremony locations, as well as great locations for a wedding reception. The reception can be a lavish catered affair or a simple but sumptuous dinner for you and a few friends and family members.
Your wedding planners also can hire a photographer for your ceremony and reception, as well as planning out your flower options from bouquets to boutonnieres and all the floral decorations. Of course, this is a Hawaiian wedding after all, so you might wish to have fresh Hawaiian leis as well.
Music and dance are a big part of Hawaiian culture, and no wedding would be complete without one or the other or both. We can arrange for a variety of musical options, as well as traditional Hawaiian dancers or vocalists for your ceremony.
There are plenty of extras that you also might want to consider, and we can arrange for just about anything in your dreams. For instance, some of our brides arrive to their beach ceremony aboard an escorted outrigger canoe. We can help you plan activities for you and your guests, such as attending a traditional luau or taking a tour of the island by helicopter. We also can provide advice about travel and lodging arrangements as well as the best places to go on the island.
At Love Maui Weddings, we also offer some of the best Maui wedding packages. Our Maui destination wedding packages include simple vow renewal and elopement ceremonies right on the beach as well as large, formal weddings at historic plantations, luxurious resorts, a lush botanical garden or a renowned seaside restaurant.
If a Maui destination wedding sounds like a dream come true for you and your intended, you might be thinking about setting a date and working on your wedding plans. If you also intend to enjoy your honeymoon in Maui, you might want to plan the event during one the following island festivals or events.
Music lovers will enjoy annual events such as the Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival, which occurs each year near the end of June. The MayJah RayJah Music Festival is an ideal option for anyone who loves reggae music, and this event occurs each year around the end of July. The Lahaina Restoration Foundation also hosts a free concert each month at the Baldwin Home Museum featuring Hawaiian musicians.
If you and your beloved are foodies, there are some interesting choices to consider. The Kapalua Wine and Food Festival is an annual event that takes place in June and includes plenty of wine tastings, and a variety of local restaurants also provide samples of their cuisine. It might not seem overly romantic, but the Maui Onion Festival, which happens in May, offers all sorts of activities and has been a popular yearly event since 1990.
Lahaina Plantation Days is an annual two-day festival that celebrates the island's history of sugar and pineapple growing. The event, which takes place in mid-October, includes food booths, historical exhibits, a farmers market, coffee sampling and a beer and wine garden, as well as live music from local musicians.
The Maui Film Festival occurs every year in early June, and while it might not rival Cannes or Sundance, it's still a lot of fun for film buffs. A variety of independent films and documentaries are screened, there are panels that you can attend, and the five-day event also includes live music events and plenty of great local food is available. Some of the movies are even shown on huge screens right on the beach.
When it comes to planning a wedding far away from home, the services of a Maui wedding planner are essential. At Love Maui Weddings, we can handle just about every detail, small and large. From finding a stunning beach for the ceremony to planning a beautiful reception, we can make wedding planning easy and fun. We offer an assortment of Maui wedding packages, an elopement package, a vow renewal package or we can help you plan your custom dream wedding.
When it comes to Maui destination wedding articles, the focus typically is on the couple tying the knot. However, if you are to be a guest at a destination wedding, you might have a few questions and concerns about this big event. Here are some tips just for the guests that might prove helpful.
Hopefully, the wedding couple will provide you with plenty of advanced notice regarding the date of their wedding. In general, the couple should be planning this even a good six to nine months in advance, and once you know the date, start hunting around for airfare and hotel accommodations. Sometimes, the wedding couple will have secured a block of rooms at a hotel or resort with a special rate, and this might be a good option.
Before you book the hotel room or set up a flight to Maui, ask the couple about the events surrounding the wedding. Sometimes there is a special rehearsal dinner or an after-wedding brunch. Sometimes the couple is treating their guests to some interesting excursions, and you don't want to miss the fun. You need to know the date of the actual wedding as well as the dates of other important events.
If you have kids, it is also important that you ask about taking your children to the wedding. Many couples prefer a child-free ceremony and reception, so if you do not have someone to watch your children during the trip, this can be tricky. However, many resorts and large hotels in Maui have excellent children's programs that will keep your kids busy, happy and safe while you enjoy the wedding.
What to wear is always an important question, so be sure to ask about attire. Often at a Maui wedding, the attire will be upscale island casual, which translates to Hawaiian-style shirts for the men and pretty sundresses for the ladies. Sometimes the wedding invitation will address this issue, but if it doesn't, simply ask the bride or groom for advice.
When it comes to gifts, the couple might ask that no gifts be given since there is a large expense already associated with the cost of flying out to Maui and booking a hotel room. Still if you do wish to get a gift, consider looking at their gift registry and having the gift sent directly to the couple's home as you probably don't want to haul a crystal clock or a china place setting all the way to Maui.
If you are planning a Maui destination wedding, the staff at Love Maui Weddings is happy to answer any questions you might have about travel and accommodations for you and your guests. Our Maui wedding planners also are a great source of knowledge about the best places to enjoy a sumptuous meal, sip a cocktail at sunset or perhaps sunbathe at a local beach.
Maui is one of the best places on earth for a wedding, honeymoon or anniversary celebration. Just imagine the romantic walks along the beach and the cocktails at sunset and the days spent lazily poolside or soaking up the rays along the shore. It's the perfect spot for a romantic adventure, and there are accommodations aplenty with a little something for everyone and every budget.
You can opt for a full-service luxury resort with all the trimmings or perhaps something more rustic. Maui has a variety of offerings, and you just need to decide what you want and can afford.
There are actually quite a few resorts in Maui, and several have private beaches while others offer free shuttle service to private beaches or public beaches. All of them have swimming pools, and a few have adults-only swimming pools with swim-up bars. Golf courses and tennis courts are other amenities you might find at these resorts.
For unrepentant luxury, the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea is perhaps the most posh option, but there are certainly other excellent high-end luxury hotels and resorts to consider. The Honua Kai Resort and Spa, the Sheraton Maui and the Hyatt Resort and Spa are more affordable, while still providing many amenities and services. There are also smaller hotels that still offer amenities such as swimming pools and beach access, as well as cozy bed & breakfasts.
If you prefer a more rustic, natural setting, Maui also offers several interesting options. Within Haleakala National Park, visitors can camp or book one of three wilderness cabins. Each of the cabins is located in a different spot in the park, and you must hike to reach them. They do not have plumbing or electricity and the accommodations are quite rustic, but if you love hiking and camping, this can be an amazing experience for your honeymoon.
Another unique option would be to rent a cottage in or near Hana. This is an excellent idea for couples that would truly like to spend more than one day exploring the amazing road that leads to this sleepy beach town. Several private cottages are available for rent, and this can be a fun way to spend a night or two of your honeymoon trip.
When you begin planning your wedding or elopement with the staff at Love Maui Weddings, be sure to ask about honeymoon accommodations. We are happy to make suggestions about local lodging, as well as restaurant and activity suggestions. Our goal is to make your wedding and your stay in Maui as perfect and romantic as possible.
About 7,000 couples tie the knot in Maui every year, making it one of the hottest destination wedding spots on earth. It’s not surprising that the most popular spot for a Maui destination wedding is right on the beach. If you are thinking about choosing Maui for your wedding, the following information might be helpful.
Obtaining a marriage license in Hawaii is quite easy, and our Maui wedding planners can assist you with this process. The legal age to marry in Hawaii is 18 and no blood test is required, nor is there a waiting period. If you are 19 or older, your driver’s license will suffice as proof of age. The marriage license fee is $65 and you can pay this online or in person. While you can take care of a lot of the paperwork ahead of time, you will need to appear before a marriage license agent once you get to Maui.
If you wish to be married on the beach, a beach permit is required, but the staff at Love Maui Weddings will handle this task for you. We simply will need to discuss on which beach you wish to hold the ceremony and at what time of day. There are many beautiful options, such as Kapalua Bay, Napili Bay, Keawakapu Beach or perhaps the secluded Makena Cove.
Chairs, arches, chuppahs and other decorative features are not allowed on the beach, so if you do wish to have these adornments and still enjoy an ocean view, there are many wonderful bluff-top locations to consider. Many private estates also are available for wedding ceremonies and receptions, as well as several idyllic restaurants. Most of the island’s luxury resorts have locations for weddings and also can accommodate your reception. This can be a great option, because you and your guests can also stay at the resort and enjoy use of their private beaches, swimming pools and spa services.
There are also a few hidden gems to consider for your Maui Wedding. For instance, the Kula Botanical Garden is a lovely spot for a wedding. You can marry in a garden gazebo, on a lanai adjacent to a koi pond or perhaps on the lush green lawn surrounded by all the amazing flora of Maui. The Maui Tropical Plantation is another unique option to consider, and couples can marry in a gazebo overlooking a sparkling lagoon. There are also spots for indoor and outdoor receptions at this plantation.
These are just a few of the options to consider, and it all depends on what you want. The staff at Love Maui Weddings can make your wedding dreams come true. We offer an assortment of packages and also can create a custom wedding exactly the way you’ve always dreamed it would be.
With lush beaches and tranquil sea breezes, it’s no wonder why travelers flock to Maui each year. It’s also one of the most popular spots on the planet for wedding ceremonies and vow renewals. It’s an ideal spot for your upcoming nuptials, and here are a few reasons why.
Maui offers a wide variety of venues for your wedding ceremony and as well as for the reception. There are dozens of beach locations to consider, as well as historic chapels, a botanical garden and large plantations or estates. World-class resorts and restaurants with spectacular views also offer wedding services so you can easily find a venue that suits your needs, tastes and budget.
One big advantage that Maui has over destinations such as Mexico, Europe and the Caribbean is that we are a domestic location so our laws and regulations regarding obtaining a marriage license are probably quite similar to those in your home state. Did you know, for example, that if you wish to be legally married in Paris, you have to live in the city for at least 40 days? In Mexico, a blood test is required to obtain a marriage license and you still have to legalize your marriage back in the United States. In Maui, you don’t even need a passport, no blood tests are required and there is no waiting period.
This island is fantastic spot for tourists, so not only will your guests enjoy your wedding day, a Maui destination wedding is like a vacation for you and all of your guests. There are plenty of interesting activities for guests to consider or they can simply enjoy a relaxing day at the beach.
Too often we are caught up in the details of planning a wedding and we don’t really get to enjoy our wedding day. With a destination wedding, a Maui wedding planner is essential, and the best part about a wedding planner is that they handle all of the details. This allows you the freedom to truly enjoy this momentous occasion. You can relax and enjoy time with your spouse-to-be or spend time with friends and family. A destination wedding is relaxed and enjoyable, a truly special occasion that everyone will cherish.
At Love Maui Weddings, we can help you with all of the wedding details. We can help assist you with the marriage license, procure the services of a minister or officiant, secure beach permits for your ceremony and find flowers, photographers and musicians. We offer a wide variety of Maui wedding packages and plenty of amazing add-ons to personalize your special day.
The idea of a destination wedding might seem unattainable, but the reality is that these types of weddings actually have many advantages over planning a wedding near your home. There are many reasons why planning a Maui destination wedding can be one of the best decisions you ever make.
Your wedding day is undoubtedly one of the most significant days in your life, so you want it be as memorable as possible. What could be more memorable than exchanging your vows at sunset as the music of waves crashing on the shore serenade you and your partner? These will be memories that you truly will cherish forever.
There are few places on earth more beautiful than Maui, and with picture perfect beaches, spectacular resorts and lush private estates and plantations, your most difficult decision probably will be deciding on a location for your ceremony. Will you choose Kapalua Bay at sunset or the hidden lagoon of Makena Cove? Perhaps you would prefer the tranquil, tropical setting at the Kula Botanical Garden or the sweeping mountain views at the Maui Tropical Plantation. There are even many restaurants and resorts where you can hold both the ceremony and the reception that follows.
You might be worried about the cost, but a destination wedding can cost less than a typical at-home wedding simply because you tend to have fewer guests. The cost of the average American wedding is about $25,000 and many weddings are even more expensive. Much of this expense includes paying for the reception. Your Maui wedding probably will include only very close friends and immediate family, which makes it surprisingly affordable.
At Love Maui Weddings, we can take care of all of the details for you so that you can spend your time enjoying your special time with your partner as well as your wedding party. This is another big advantage of the destination wedding. You will need to hire a Maui wedding planner simply because we are the local experts and can secure the beach permit, contact the minister, arrange flower delivery and all the other details. All you have to do is enjoy yourself.
This is another reason why a destination is so wonderful. For a typical wedding, we are running around, attending to last minute details and it’s all a bit stressful and we spend little quality time with our wedding party. A Maui wedding is more like a vacation for you and your family and friends, and you can enjoy both your wedding and your honeymoon in the same idyllic location.
The Plantation House has become our little Sunday afternoon secret (well, I guess not now). It’s nestled at the top of the Kapalua Resort and is where the PGA holds the Hyundai tournament of Champions. Before you start thinking it’s only a place for golfers, though, think again. This restaurant has some of my favorite sweeping 180 degree views on the west side of Maui, not to mention an excellent menu. Just like most dining on Maui, it’s frequented by celebrities, but the food is actually reasonably priced. My favorite is the Crab Cake Benedict, with potatoes substituted for the rice. You can thank me later.
“May light always surround you; hope kindle and rebound you.
May wounds become wisdom; every kindness a prism.
May laughter infect you; your passion resurrect you.
Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for making my dream wedding a reality. My bouquet was so beautiful, that I did not want to leave it behind. Each of the venders, from Kay our travel agent was wonderful, she took great care of us. Cassandra did a wonderful job with my hair and make-up. The wedding photos were so beautiful, we received so many compliments. Elly's Bridal Boutique did a great job on my gown and the tux was perfect for him. The wedding video was beautiful and perfect.. everyone loved it. | 2019-04-21T13:01:15Z | https://www.lovemauiweddings.com/blog/?offset=1428328800000 |
This course will require more thinking and less reading than other courses. My goal is to give you time to re-read materials and let them sink in. Constantly question yourself whether you really understand the concepts. Test yourself with your own examples. The problems are designed to provoke reflection on the material covered in the lectures.
It is worth starting the problems early in the week, so that you can ponder them a while before answering. Answers may not occur to you until days after you first see the problems. Give yourself time to think up answers by starting early.
Why should we spend a semester learning economics? Why is it important? And what is economics, anyway?
We all need goods and services. The goods that are essential include food, clothes, cars, and books. The services that we need include help by doctors, dentists, teachers, lawyers and barbers.
But we also want goods and services beyond our basic needs. We sometimes go to restaurants even though they are more expensive than eating at home. We pay money for entertainment, such as movies. We buy food that we like more often than food that we absolutely need. We pay for luxury items to enjoy and sometimes even impress others, such as fancy clothes or cars.
Each day billions of buying and selling decisions are made in America. Economics consists of studying those decisions. If the price of meat is doubled, will more or less meat be sold? (Less.) We will be analyzing pricing and buying behavior throughout this course.
Economics is basic to our freedom, and is very influential in determining who we elect. Countries that lack economic freedom often lack religious freedom. If we lack rights in deciding what career to go into, then we will lack rights of worship also.
How we buy and sell things is almost as important as which goods we choose. Since nearly the beginning of the world, something called “money” has been the medium for buying and selling goods and services. The “money” itself has only the value that people assign to it. It can be made of a worthless material, such as green paper.
Money is not essential to a society. When we buy food, we could offer to work in exchange. Or we could grow our own food and trade the excess of our crop for the excess of someone else’s crop. This is known as “bartering”. American Indians lived well for long time without any money. So have many societies. A great deal of bartering still occurs today. The Amish are known to barter when they need services from outsiders today.
But money makes transactions more efficient. Imagine loading up your shopping cart with groceries and then trying to barter with the owner of the store. You may not have any goods or services that the owner really wants. You may be a teacher, but he may not be interested in learning. Or you may be professional football player, and he may not be a fan. Others are willing to pay to watch you play, but this grocer is not. Both of you are then stuck, and you might as well unload your shopping cart and try another store.
Money solves this inefficiency. You accumulate dollars by doing work for someone who wants or needs it, and then use those dollars to buy the goods and services that you desire. The person or company who receives your dollars can then spend it in yet another way.
Money is, in many ways, a form of communication. Donating money to a political candidate or a charity makes a statement. Buying expensive clothes, a luxury car, or a certain houses is like free speech. We often judge the value of something by looking at its price. We expect a car that costs $30,000 to have higher quality than a car that costs $15,000. We don’t even have to look at the two cars to have a high probability of being correct in that conclusion. Sometimes the price can be misleading, of course. But often it is a good indicator.
Money can be used to obtain food for starving people and for other good deeds. Or money can promote evil, as when communist countries build armies to suppress freedom. Then money becomes necessary to combat the enemy.
When asked how much more money people want, most say they would be happy with 20-100% more money than they have. This answer is the same from the poorest to the wealthiest persons. In absolute terms, the more money someone has, the more money he wants. There are exceptions. Andrew Carnegie acquired and hoarded one of the greatest amounts of wealth in the history of the world, wrote the “Gospel of Wealth,” and then gave it all away before he died. Carnegie Hall, the first 39 branches of the New York Public Library, and Carnegie-Mellon University are the products of just a few of his gifts.
Freedom depends on the free exchange of money. Communism and other totalitarian systems consist of government control over how money is earned, saved and spent. Loss of this freedom inevitably results in the loss of freedoms of religion and speech too.
Our “economy” is our system of earning, saving and spending money on goods (like food) and services (like teaching or entertainment). “Economics” is the study of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. We will refine our definition of “economics” throughout the course.
“Macroeconomics” uses the Greek root “macro-“, which means “big”. Macroeconomics is the study of the big picture of economics on the national level. It includes analysis of the total money supply of dollars, the Gross National Product (total dollar value of all goods and services), and the national unemployment rate (the percentage of Americans who recently lost their job).
“Microeconomics” uses the Greek root “micro-“, which means “small”. Microeconomics is the study of individual decisions about goods and services. It includes issues like how much a barber should charge for a haircut, or how much a grocery store should charge to sell a loaf of bread. Microeconomics includes the study of your decisions in buying a good or service.
“Opportunity cost” is the value lost in order to do something. Doing a job that pays only $5 per hour when you could have taken a different job at $12 per hour has an opportunity cost of $7 per hour. Wasting three hours stuck in traffic has an opportunity cost of the money you could have been making for those three hours.
“Marginal analysis” consists of looking at an incremental change in terms of costs and benefits rather than the overall average costs and benefits. For example, if you are driving by a 7-11 the marginal cost of stopping in to buy a carton of milk is only a few minutes of your time. But if you are sitting at home, then the marginal cost of buying a carton of milk is much greater: you must get into your car and drive all the way to a grocery store, which takes much longer and consumes more gas.
“Positive” statements in economics are testable claims of fact, without any moral judgment. For example, “most people watch many hours of television a day” is a positive statement. It can be tested by doing a survey. The people are spending their time poorly, but it is a fact that they act that way. Similarly, the statement that some people smoke a pack or more of cigarettes a day is a “positive” statement. It is an observation of an activity that is hurting those who do it.
In contrast, “normative” statements are judgments about whether something is good or bad. People should not watch as much television or smoke cigarettes. That is a normative statement. People should pray more. That is also a normative statement.
Sometimes we use the word “net”, as in “net benefits.” What that means is the total benefit minus the total cost. For example, the net benefit of working at McDonalds is your salary minus your taxes and expenses in getting there and back each day.
We will also use the word “rational”, as in “rational choice.” That means the choice or decision that maximizes the net benefit. A rational action, in economic terms, would be to accept the job with the highest net benefit (salary minus taxes and expenses). You may not actually want that job for other reasons, such as working for a company that profits from addiction (e.g., a casino in Atlantic City). But those reasons would have to be translated into economic terms to be counted as part of your economically rational decision.
Finally, there is the concept of “redistribution”. That is the concept that government should try to even out the wealth in society, taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor. The process inevitably causes a loss in total societal wealth. Some visualize redistribution as a leaky bucket taking water from one pool and putting it into another, with water leaking out during the transfer. The leak in the bucket corresponds to the direct and indirect costs of the transfer, including salaries for people to do the transfer and disincentives to those affected by it.
These concepts will become clearer for you as the course progresses.
“Scarcity” is when the available good or service is not enough to satisfy everyone’s needs or wants. There is a scarcity of oil and gasoline, for example. Gas is expensive because there is not enough easily available to completely satisfy everyone’s desire for it in fueling their cars and supplying their other energy needs. Drinking water is scarce also, and more scarce in western states like Arizona and California.
Note that the economic definition of scarcity includes far more goods than the ordinary meaning of the term. Economists would say that television shows are scarce, while most of us would not ordinarily say that. Economists would say that beer is scarce, while most of us would say there is too much it. Economists would say that fatty foods are scarce, even though that sounds odd.
The reason for the broad definition of scarcity in economics is to include any good or service that can be bought and sold. If an item is so plentiful that everyone’s needs are satisfied, then there is no market to buy or sell it (e.g., air). Once a price can be put on a scarce good or service, then some will not be willing or able to afford it. Often people will not be able to obtain all of the good or service that they want. They may be better off without (e.g., fatty desserts at restaurants), though economists don’t address how we are better off with scarcity sometimes.
“The best things in life are free!” True, but even free things can be considered scarce. If the New Yankees gave away some free tickets to a World Series game, they would still be very scarce. People would wait for days in line to get a chance to grab those tickets. However, many other items of great value are not scarce. There is no scarcity of prayer, for example. It’s available to anyone at any time without charge. Exercise, in some form, is not scarce either. But many types of exercise are scarce, such as memberships in a health club.
Goods that no one wants are not scarce. For example, a new deodorant that smells like a skunk would not be a scarce good. You could charge nothing for it and supply would still far exceed demand. Toothpaste that turns your teeth yellow would not be scarce either. How about hairspray that makes your hair fall out?
Based on our definition of scarcity, we can now refine our definition of “economics”. “Economics” is the study of the purchase and sale of goods and services when there is scarcity. If there is no scarcity, then everyone has what they want. For example, there is no scarcity of air, so economics does not study the everyday uses of air. But there is a scarcity of land and oil, so we do study how they are bought and sold.
Whenever we buy something, there are incidental charges known as “transaction costs.” These are the annoying burdens of time and money that interfere with our buying what we need or want. When you buy clothes, you have to spend time finding something you like. No one is going to pay you for that time you spend. You also have transportation costs. Then, when you finally find what you want, you have to pay extra for it to fund the salary of the sales clerk at the store. You also have to pay sales taxes on the purchase.
If you buy clothes over the internet instead, then you avoid some transaction costs but also take a risk that you might not like it when it arrives. Also, you have to pay for shipping when you buy over the internet, and the shipping costs are transaction costs.
“Transaction costs” are defined as the time, effort and added expense associated with the purchase of a good or service. Look around, and you will start noticing them everywhere. Almost nothing can be bought without all sorts of middlemen tacking on extra costs. Effort is also required by you when you buy almost anything. Some entire professions are built on transaction costs. Most attorneys, for example, make their entire living as transaction costs. People hire an attorney to help them obtain what they want. Salesmen, too, live off of transaction costs.
We will be referring to transaction costs throughout this course. They are one of the most basic concepts in economics. Often transaction costs are obstacles to the efficient purchase and sale of goods.
Have you ever heard of the “invisible hand”? The most famous economist of all time, the Scottish philosopher Adam Smith, coined this term in his breakthrough tome called “The Wealth of Nations.” The “invisible hand” is the unseen force that guides individuals, who are acting to help themselves, to work in ways that benefit society. For example, the businessman who keeps his store open longer each day to make more money for himself ends up helping customers who need to buy his goods late at night.
When the early Jamestown settlers were on the brink of failure because no one was working, John Smith arrived and instituted a new rule: “He who does not work, will not eat.” Each individual then began working just to feed himself. The community soon became very successful. The invisible hand is the force that guides people to do work that is needed such that others benefit.
The opposite of the “invisible hand” is government control. In dictatorships like communist Russia under Josef Stalin, the government dictates what people will and will not do. There is no “invisible hand.” The result is often disastrous. Tens of millions of people starved to death under Stalin’s rule due to the improper government planning. Stalin may have even starved them intentionally.
A force perhaps even stronger than the “invisible hand” is charity. The desire to give something of benefit to others, without demanding as much in return, is enormous. “Give and ye shall receive” is an economic lesson from the Bible. Look around, and you will notice numerous important charitable acts by others and yourself.
America’s health care system, by far the greatest in the world, was built on a foundation of charity. People and religious organizations giving time, money and expertise to care for individuals who could never afford to pay all the costs. Education, too, was developed in this country largely through charity. In recent years, both health care and education have lost their charitable identities, and the results are not encouraging. Both are weakening.
Most economics courses avoid charity entirely. When charity is mentioned, it is described as a minor add-on to the invisible hand of self-interest. But is this backwards? Is the invisible hand of self-interest actually a wrapper around a basic foundation of charity? These are thoughts to consider throughout this course.
The size and importance of charitable institutions in the world is immense. All religious institutions are charitable, as are nearly all private schools. Many hospitals are still charitable, including the Seventh-Day Adventist hospital in Hackettstown, New Jersey. On a recent trip to Orlando, I saw another Seventh-Day Adventist hospital there. Many religious organizations operate hospitals through the United States, just as they built most of our leading universities. Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia, for example, were all built by charitable religious organizations.
The renowned Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, for example, was built with the generosity of Alfred Sloan and Charles Kettering. They acquired wealth as senior executives of General Motors and ultimately donated their money to the cause of medicine. It has operated on a non-profit basis to this day.
The first private medical clinic in the United States was the Mayo Clinic, established by the Mayo family of physicians in 1889. Their sponsor was the Sisters of St. Francis, which built St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.
Likewise, the successful American colonies were initially more religious and charitable than commercial. Pennsylvania was founded on religious principles by the Quaker William Penn, who in turn established Philadelphia as the City of Brotherly Love. Within a few decades it grew to become the second most populated city in the British Empire, after London.
It was only on the solid foundation of the brick houses of hardy Quakers and their strict moral rules that the flower of free enterprise blossomed there. The same could be said for Boston, where Puritans served as the anchor.
The Virginia colony was purely commercial at first, but it only survived by turning to tobacco and slavery. It suffered so many problems that King James revoked its charter and took control less than two decades after its founding.
The colony of Georgia was subsidized by the British Parliament but was essentially charitable in nature. General James Oglethorpe established it as a haven for impoverished Brits languishing in debtors’ prison. It was, in a sense, an antithesis to a capitalistic venture, featuring nothing but those who failed in the free market. It barred liquor and slavery, reflecting its idealism.
Over 150 years ago, Alexis de Tocqueville observed that “despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot. … How is it possible that society should escape destruction if the moral tie is not strengthened in proportion as the political tie is relaxed?” Perhaps charity is the economic manifestation of that “moral tie,” upon which economic liberty and free enterprise rely.
We will be discussing charity at several points during the course.
In three sentences or less, what do you hope to learn in this course?
Describe the transaction costs associated with going out and eating dinner at a good restaurant.
Suppose you bought a very expensive bicycle for $900. Later, prices on those bikes fell to $400. One day you collided with a skateboarder, and your bike needed fixing. A repair shop quoted you a price of $405 for that job. Do you fix it or throw it away and buy a new one? What piece of information is irrelevant to your decision?
Prices are both a form of communication and an incentive. Suppose you just heard that a hotel on Miami Beach costs $500 a night. What communication and incentive does that price convey?
Suppose we quantified scarcity by defining it as the number of people who very much want a good but can’t afford it. Suppose we call that quantity “x”. Should the good with the biggest “x” be the most expensive good in the world? Discuss. What do you think is the most expensive good in the world?
After reading “I, Pencil,” what do you think are the main reasons that the “invisible hand” is preferable to government dictating how a pencil should be made? Rank your reasons in order of importance.
Nobel laureate Milton Friedman emphasized “cooperation without coercion” in his essay. Do you think monetary rewards are essential to ensure “cooperation without coercion”? Explain, with examples.
Volunteer work can be more efficient and productive than hired labor. Can you explain why? Do you think volunteer work is guided by the “invisible hand”? Explain.
Why do you think charitably motivated American colonies were more successful than for-profit colonies? Explain. If possible, draw an analogy with how charities were historically more successful in building schools and hospitals than for-profit companies.
One often sees many car dealerships situated next to each other, but rarely are supermarkets located next to each other. Why is that? Can you think of other examples where companies like being next-door to their competitors?
American produces far more corn than it can consume, yet corn is still considered an economically scarce good. Why? What is the economic argument in favor of genetically modified corn that has greater output? Can you think of an economic argument against it? | 2019-04-19T00:20:19Z | http://www.eagleforumu.info/courses/principles-of-microeconomics/lecture-1 |
A process for hydraulic fracturing of a subterranean reservoir formation penetrated by a wellbore includes pumping a fracturing fluid or other aqueous fluid which is an aqueous suspension of particles which each comprise an oilfield chemical distributed within an encapsulating matrix of water-insoluble carrier_material from the surface via the wellbore and into the reservoir. The encapsulating matrix is chosen so as to provide a delayed release of the oilfield chemical from the particles into surrounding fluid, such that oilfield chemical is liberated from the particles after they have entered the fracture. The encapsulating matrix may be a polymer which is at least partially amorphous, with a glass transition temperature below the reservoir temperature.
This invention relates to the delivery of an oilfield chemical to a subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir in the course of hydraulic fracturing. The subterranean reservoir may hold oil, gas or both.
It is well-known to deliver so-called oilfield chemicals (using this common term to include chemicals used in connection with either natural gas or oil and to include biochemicals such as nucleic acids and enzymes) to a subterranean hydrocarbon reservoir to bring about a variety of functions at various stages of hydrocarbon production. Methods for delivering oilfield chemicals to a reservoir include methods in which the chemical is made into the form of particles which are suspended in the fluid which is pumped down a wellbore to the reservoir. Common methods for forming particles are absorption into the pores of porous carrier particles and encapsulation as a core-shell structure in which a single quantity (the core) of the oilfield chemical is enclosed within a shell of carrier material.
Hydraulic fracturing is a well established technique for stimulating production from a hydrocarbon reservoir. In a conventional fracturing procedure a thickened aqueous fracturing fluid is pumped into the reservoir formation through a wellbore and opens a fracture in the formation. Thickened fluid is then also used to carry a particulate proppant into the fracture. Once the fracture has been made and packed with proppant, pumping is stopped. The formation closes onto the proppant pack and oil or gas can flow through the proppant pack to the wellbore. At least some of the aqueous fracturing fluid in the wellbore will be driven back to the surface by fluid produced from the reservoir. Thickener which increases the viscosity of the fracturing fluid may be a polysaccharide. Guar gum, often crosslinked with borate or a zirconium compound, is frequently used. Another category of thickeners which is used is viscoelastic surfactants. An oilfield chemical may be delivered to a reservoir during fracturing. If the fracturing fluid contains a viscosifying thickener, it is normal to supply a so-called breaker (which is usually a chemical or an enzyme) into the fracture to degrade the thickener and so reduce the viscosity of the fluid in the fracture after it has served its purpose. This facilitates the flow back to the surface and the flow of produced fluid through the proppant pack towards the wellbore.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,734 teaches the encapsulation of a breaker chemical, which may be an enzyme, within particles which are crushed by the fracture when pumping ceases and the fracture is allowed to close onto the proppant pack. This of course delays release of the breaker chemical until the fracture formation is complete.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,331 discloses an encapsulated enzyme breaker formed by a procedure in which porous beads of polymer are made and exposed to a solution of the enzyme which is absorbed into the open pores of the polymer beads. Examples in the document showed that this delayed release of the enzyme compared to incorporating enzyme solution directly into a model fracturing fluid.
Proposals for encapsulation of oilfield chemicals in contexts other than hydraulic fracturing include U.S. Pat. No. 6,818,594 which teaches the use of enzymes which are enclosed within a polymer capsule as a breaker for filtercake formed while drilling a well.
WO 03/106809 teaches particles in which an oilfield chemical (in the form of small droplets of aqueous solution) is enclosed in a matrix of an encapsulating polymer. This polymer is chosen so as to be soluble or otherwise degradable under conditions which are encountered within the reservoir after mixing with formation fluid found in the reservoir. The document teaches that these encapsulated particles should be made so small (mean particle diameter below 10 micron) that they can enter the pores of formation rock. Although delivery of particles to a reservoir via a production well is mentioned, an alternative possibility which is suggested is that particles can be delivered to the reservoir via an injection well and then flow through the formation to the vicinity of a production well to release the encapsulated chemical (a scale inhibitor) in the near wellbore region of the production well. This indicates that release of the encapsulated chemical will be sufficiently slow to allow time for travel through the formation from the injection well to the production well.
In the present invention, one or more oilfield chemicals are incorporated into particles in which the oilfield chemical(s) are distributed within a matrix of encapsulating material. The particles are delivered into a subterranean reservoir and are intended to delay release of the oilfield chemical(s) until they have arrived in the reservoir.
In a first aspect this invention provides a process for hydraulic fracturing of a subterranean reservoir formation penetrated by a wellbore, comprising pumping an aqueous suspension of particles which each comprise an oilfield chemical distributed within an encapsulating matrix of water-insoluble carrier material from the surface via the wellbore and into the reservoir, wherein the encapsulating matrix is chosen so as to provide a delayed release of the oilfield chemical from the particles into surrounding fluid such that oilfield chemical is liberated from the particles after they have entered the fracture. Although the term ‘oilfield’ is used for convenience, the hydrocarbon in the reservoir may be oil, gas or both.
Generally the process for hydraulic fracturing will include pumping a hydraulic fracturing fluid from the surface via the wellbore and into the reservoir so as to open a fracture of the reservoir formation, and subsequently allowing fluid flow back from the fracture to the wellbore and hence to the surface. This will be followed by producing hydrocarbon from the reservoir via the fracture and the wellbore.
The aqueous suspension of particles which is pumped into the well bore may be a fluid which is distinct from the fracturing fluids, but in many instances it will be convenient for it to be a suspension of the particles in a quantity of hydraulic fracturing fluid.
Normally the encapsulated oilfield chemical and carrier material will be different materials. The carrier matrix serves to retain the encapsulated oilfield chemical for a time and then allows it to be released into the surrounding fluid. It is desirable that this should enable most or all of the chemical to be retained within the particles during handling at the surface and during travel down the wellbore but subsequently allow the chemical to be liberated into the fracture. At least 75% and preferably at least 90% of the oilfield chemical may be retained within the particles until after they enter the fracture.
Having the encapsulated oilfield chemical distributed within the matrix of carrier material can avoid the possibility that particles which consist of a shell enclosing a core of oilfield chemical are ruptured accidentally and release their entire content of oilfield chemical prematurely.
It is possible, within the scope of this invention, that the oilfield chemical is dissolved in the material of the carrier matrix. However, in significant forms of this invention the oilfield chemical takes the form of a multiplicity of relatively small particles distributed within a relatively larger particle of the carrier matrix (an ‘islands in the sea’ model). Although such particles of the oilfield chemical are much smaller than the particles of carrier matrix enclosing them, they are large compared with molecular dimensions and hence different from dissolved material.
The relative dimensions and quantities may be such that the amount of oilfield chemical encapsulated within a particle is between 1 and 50 wt % of the overall particle, possibly between 1 and 25 wt %. The median size of the overall particles may lie between 10 and 10,000 times the median size of the relatively small particles of oilfield chemical encapsulated within the carrier matrix.
A suitable carrier matrix material may be an organic polymer chosen to enable the required retention and subsequent release of the oilfield chemical. However, it is possible that an inorganic material could be used as a carrier, one possibility being a matrix of precipitated silica.
Release of the encapsulated oilfield chemical may be brought about in a number of ways. One possibility is by exposure to the reservoir temperature. The encapsulating carrier matrix material may therefore be chosen so as to liberate the oilfield chemical from the particles into surrounding fluid at a rate which increases with temperature, such that oilfield chemical is liberated from the particles after they have entered the fracture. Reservoir temperatures are generally higher than ambient temperatures at the surface. A high percentage of all fracturing jobs take place with reservoir temperatures in a range from 40° C. to 175° C.
b) release of the encapsulated oilfield chemical at an acceptably rapidly rate when particles enter the formation and become heated to the reservoir temperature.
Thus it is possible to retain an oilfield chemical within an encapsulating matrix during formulation and transportation, deliver a high proportion of the chemical, still encapsulated, into a fracture, and then release the chemical where it is required.
Utilizing the temperature of the reservoir to cause release of the chemical is beneficial in the context of fracturing when a large volume of aqueous fracturing fluid is pumped into the reservoir and for the most part does not mixed with formation fluid previously present. An increase in temperature towards the natural temperature of the reservoir happens inevitably, even though there is little or no mixing with the formation fluid. It is possible to avoid the inconvenience and cost of pumping in an additional fluid merely to induce some other change (for example a change in pH).
We have found that temperature responsive release within a fracture can be obtained through choice of the encapsulating matrix material with reference to the subterranean reservoir temperature. This choice of matrix material can also regulate the rate of release at the reservoir temperature. For these purposes the encapsulating matrix material, which is generally an amorphous or partially amorphous polymer, is chosen so that the dry polymer has a glass transition temperature Tg which is above ambient but below the subterranean reservoir temperature.
Glass transition temperature Tg is a characteristic of amorphous materials, notably polymers. Many polymers have a solid appearance at ambient temperature, but are in fact wholly or partially in an amorphous glassy state. A glass is a liquid which is undercooled (sometimes termed supercooled) significantly below its true melting point and which has an extremely high viscosity. In a glass, diffusive processes other than the movement of some very small molecules, take place at extremely low rates, such as micron per year. Above a temperature known as the glass transition temperature Tg, the viscosity drops rapidly and the glass turns into a rubber, then as temperature increases further it turns into a deformable plastic which at even higher temperatures turns into a fluid. Tg is a parameter which is used in many areas of science and industry. Tg values can be determined using a differential scanning calorimeter and can be detected as a point at which a plot of heat input against temperature passes through an inflection point, thus giving a maximum of the first temperature derivative. When measuring Tg it is desirable to operate the differential scanning calorimeter at a temperature ramp rate between 5 and 10° C. per minute.
We have found that an encapsulating matrix becomes permeable when the particle is heated above Tg of the matrix. So if the particles are below Tg at the surface but become heated above Tg after they have been placed in the subterranean fracture, the matrix is effective to enclose the oilfield chemical while the particles are at the surface, but then within the fracture the particles become permeable and allow the encapsulated oilfield chemical to escape into to the surrounding fluid. The release of the encapsulated chemical will take place by a process of diffusion through the matrix of carrier material which may remain intact. In order to have a Tg above ambient surface temperature, the matrix may have a Tg above 30° C. and possibly above 35 or 40° C.
During transit to the reservoir, the fracturing fluid will pass through a wellbore exposed to subterranean temperatures and will begin to heat up, but flow rates during fracturing are generally sufficiently high that fluid is still well below the reservoir temperature when it enters the fracture.
If particles are exposed to a prevailing subterranean temperature which is not much above Tg of the matrix, such as between 5 and 20° C. above Tg, the encapsulated oilfield chemical diffuses slowly out of the particles providing controlled release of the chemical over a period of time. By contrast if the prevailing temperature is well above Tg, the encapsulated oilfield chemical is released much more quickly: for example, a high percentage of the chemical might be released over as short a time as two hours. Release of the encapsulated chemical may be at least 50% and possibly at least 95 or 99% complete before hydrocarbon production is resumed, which may be within a period of 5 days or less, possibly 24 hours or less, after the fracturing fluid(s) have been pumped into the wellbore. Alternatively, release of the oilfield chemical may be slower, so that at least 50% of the chemical is not released until at least 5 days have elapsed since the particles were pumped into the reservoir, possibly longer such as at least 10 days.
Whilst Tg is a useful parameter to explain and predict release rates at reservoir temperature, it should be appreciated that actual rates of release can be simulated and measured by using a laboratory oven to expose samples to the temperature of a reservoir.
Another possibility for the release of the oilfield chemical is that the carrier material is chosen so that it undergoes chemical degradation within a fracture. For example the carrier matrix may be a substance which undergoes hydrolysis, notably a polymer which is de-polymerised into fragments by hydrolysis, so that the oilfield chemical is liberated through progressive breakdown of the carrier matrix under conditions encountered in the reservoir.
A number of chemical groups have been proposed as providing bonds which can be broken, including ester, acetal, sulfide and amide groups. Polymers incorporating such groups include poly(hydroxyacids), polyesters, polypeptides, polyesteramides and polysulfides. Cleavable groups which are particularly envisaged are ester and amide groups both of which provide bonds which can be broken by a hydrolysis reaction. The rate of hydrolysis will be governed by the prevailing pH and temperature and by the chemical structure of the polymer. The hydrolysis rate of an ester group normally attains a maximum under high pH (alkaline) conditions. Conversely for an amide group, the decomposition rate is at a maximum under low pH (acidic) conditions. Low pH, that is to say acidic, conditions can also be used to cleave acetal groups.
A polymer containing hydrolytically cleavable bonds may be a homopolymer of a hydroxycarboxylic acid or an amino carboxylic acid, so that the polymer is a polyester or a polypeptide. Another possibility is that a polymer containing hydrolytically cleavable bonds may be a block copolymer with the blocks joined through ester or amide bonds. Copolymers which contain blocks joined by ester linkages can be prepared by reaction of a pre-polymer with hydroxy groups and a second pre-polymer containing groups which areable to react with hydroxy groups, notably carboxylic anhydride, acyl halide, ketene, ester, sulfonic acid, or sulfonyl halide.
One or both of the pre-polymers may itself be a polymer or oligomer. Prepolymers with reactive hydroxyl groups include oligosaccharides, synthetic polymers containing primary and secondary hydroxyl groups, such as poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(hydroxy alkyl(meth)acrylate) copolymers, poly(siloxanes), epoxy resins, dihydroxy-terminated poly(amides), dihydroxy-terminated poly(amines), and dihydroxy-terminated poly(carbonates).
Block copolymers in which the blocks are joined through amide linkages can be prepared from pre- polymers containing amino groups. Examples of such pre-polymers include synthetic polymers that contain reactable primary amine groups, such as aminated polyacrylamide and diamino-terminated poly(amines) and poly(amides).
Examples of monomers or polymers containing groups that can be used to react with the hydroxyl-containing materials listed above to yield degradable ester links between polymer blocks or to react with the amino-containing groups listed above to yield degradable amide links include: aliphatic or aromatic polybasic acids, amides, acid anhydrides such as poly(maleic anhydride) and copolymers; polybasic acid alkyl esters, polybasic acid halides, imides, bisimides; and polysulphonic acids such as poly(styrenesulphonic acid).
It is possible that a carrier matrix material might release encapsulated oilfield chemical by more than one mechanism. For instance an encapsulating matrix polymer may have a Tg above ambient but below the reservoir temperature and also will have a chemical structure which can undergo degradation at the reservoir temperature, eg depolymerisation by hydrolysis. If this is the case, it is possible that both of the above mechanisms of release will play a role so that encapsulated oilfield chemical is released in part by diffusion out of the particle concurrently with release as a result of degradation of the particle. However, it is also possible that one mechanism of release will be faster than the other. For instance it is possible that release in response to temperature will be quicker than any effect of hydrolytic degradation so that the encapsulated oilfield chemical is released by diffusion while the particles remain substantially intact.
Encapsulating matrix polymers which are particularly envisaged for use in this invention include homopolymers and copolymers of hydroxyacids. Examples of homopolymers are polylactic acid and polyglycolic acid. These two polymers have Tg above ambient temperature but below reservoir temperature and are also capable of undergoing hydrolysis back to their monomers, although release through diffusion in response to reservoir temperature may precede degradation through hydrolysis. If a higher Tg value than that of the homopolymer is required, a copolymer may be used. Alternatively one of these homopolymers may be used in a mixture with another polymer of higher Tg, thus giving a mixture with an intermediate Tg.
As mentioned above, the release profile of particles can be observed in laboratory experiments before the particles are used. Such experiments involve exposing a sample quantity of the particles to conditions of pH and temperature which match those found in the subterranean location and monitoring release of encapsulated oilfield chemical over time.
Another possibility is that the oilfield chemical is a tracer, that is a substance which is deliberately introduced into a reservoir so that its presence (or absence) in fluid produced from the reservoir will provide information. The use of tracers to obtain information about a hydrocarbon reservoir and/or about what is taking place therein has been practised for several decades and has been described in numerous documents. A tracer may be a dye, fluorescer or other chemical which can be detected using spectroscopic analytical methods such as UV-visible, fluorescence or phosphorescence. Compounds of lanthanide elements may be used as tracers because they have distinctive spectra. A tracer may be a chemical with distinctive features which enables it to be distinguished by another analytical technique such as GC-MS. Such chemicals include fluorocarbons and fluoro-substituted aromatic acids. Genetically coded material has been proposed for use as a tracer (and WO2007/132137 gives a method for detection of biological tags). Radio-isotopes have frequently been used as tracers. Society of Petroleum Engineers paper SPE109,969 discloses the use of materials which can be activated to become short lived radio-isotopes. Salts of ions which do not occur naturally in subterranean reservoirs, such as iodides and thiocyanates may also be used as tracers.
A further example of an oilfield chemical which may be introduced into a reservoir in the course of a fracturing job is an inhibitor to control scale formation or corrosion. Such an inhibitor may have no role in fracturing the reservoir but may be released slowly into the hydrocarbon flow when production is commenced or resumed.-It is envisaged that the oilfield chemical may be of lower molecular weight than the carrier matrix. The oilfield chemical may for instance have a molecular weight no higher than 1000, possibly no higher than 500, while the carrier matrix may be a polymer having molecular weight of least 105, possibly at least 106.
In some embodiments of this invention, the particles are characterised by their size, because this can determine where the particles are placed when they are pumped into a fracture. It may be preferred that the particles have a median particle size of at least 15 micron, possibly at least 25 micron.
While fluid is being pumped into the fracture in the course of fracturing, some fluid leaks off into the porous formation. As mentioned earlier, the hydraulic fluid used in many fracturing operations is an aqueous dispersion of a thickener and in consequence the fluid which leaks off into the formation deposits a filtercake of thickener on the surfaces of the formation which are exposed to the fracture.
In some embodiments of this invention, the particles have a particle size such that they are held by the filtercake and in consequence selectively release the oilfield chemical in the vicinity of the filtercake. The oilfield chemical may then be a breaker which is thus selectively released into the filtercake to degrade the thickener from which the filtercake has formed and thus enhance removal of the filtercake. Thus, in this arrangement the size of the particles provides a way to selectively target the breaker to the location where there is the greatest concentration of thickener (whose thickening property is no longer required). Another possibility is that the oilfield chemical may be a tracer which will be released into the filtercake if that filtercake is still present. Detection of the tracer in the fluid during backflow would be a confirmation of removal of the filtercake. Absence of the tracer from the produced fluid stream during subsequent hydrocarbon production would also be an indication that the filtercake had already been removed successfully.
Delivery of particles to the filtercake may be accomplished by using particles which are too large to pass through the filtercake into the formation pores. Such particles may be mixed into fracturing fluid which is pumped down the wellbore before proppant is placed in the fracture. An alternative is to deliver the particles into the fracture concurrently with, or even after, the proppant but choosing particles which are small enough to pass through the packed proppant whilst also being too large to pass through the filtercake into the formation pores.
In other embodiments of this invention the particles are made large enough that they are retained within the proppant which is packed into the fracture and thus are retained in the fracture during and after the backflow of fluid out of the fracture. This would be appropriate if it is desired to release the oilfield chemical (perhaps a tracer or a scale inhibitor) into fluid from the reservoir after the fracturing fluid has been made to flow out.
Significant size properties for particles are the particle size and the particle size distribution. Discussion of methods of measuring particle size and definitions of different averages of particle size can be found in a Technical paper entitled “Basic Principles of Particle Size Analysis” by Alan Rawle of Malvern Instruments Ltd, Malvern, United Kingdom.
A relevant textbook is “Particle Size Measurement” by Terence Allen (4th ed, published by Chapman and Hall, London, 1990). Instrumentation for determining particle size by the commonly used technique of low angle laser light scattering, more commonly known as laser diffraction, is available from a number of suppliers including Malvern Instruments Ltd. The Malvern Mastersizer is a well known instrument which determines the volumes of individual particles, from which average particle size can be calculated according to several definitions, using computer software which accompanies the instrument.
The size of an individual particle is taken as the diameter of a spherical particle of the same volume, the so-called “equivalent sphere”. The software associated with the instrument enables determination of volume median diameter denoted as D[v, 0.5] or d50. This is a value of particle size such that 50% (by volume) of the particles have a volume larger than the volume of a sphere of diameter d50 and 50% of the particles have a volume smaller than the volume of a sphere of diameter d50.
Particle size distribution is conveniently indicated by the values of d10 and d90 measured by the same instrument. 10% by volume of the particles in a sample have an equivalent diameter smaller than d10. 90% by volume are smaller than d90 and so 10% by volume are larger than d90. The closer together the values of d10 and d90, the narrower is the particle size distribution.
Although particle size may be used to achieve the selective placement of particles, it may not be essential that every particle reaches its intended target location. So, for particles to be held by the filtercake, the mean size of the particles should be too large to pass through the filtercake and enter pores of the formation, although it may not be essential to prevent the smallest particles from doing so. Thus such particles will have mean particle size d50 of at least 10, probably at least 15 or 20 micron but d10 may be as low as 3 micron, possibly 5 micron or above. If these particles are intended to be pumped into the fracture before the proppant d50 may be up to 250, 280 or 300 micron, possibly even more.
The shape of the particles may vary considerably. They may be approximately spherical, but it is also possible that they could be elongate and indeed could take the form of fibres of a carrier matrix material with the oilfield chemical distributed within such fibres.
The “architecture” of particles may be further elaborated in order to give the desired release profile for the encapsulated oilfield chemical. For example, particles which consist of small islands of the chemical within a continuous carrier matrix could be over-coated with a further material which is soluble in oil but not in water. This would prevent any of the chemical from release while the particles were suspended in an aqueous fracturing fluid but the coating would dissolve, allowing the release of the chemical to begin, at the start of oil production through the fracture.
(iii) stirring or otherwise agitating that emulsion while causing or allowing evaporation of the organic solvent, thereby forming particles in which the substance is distributed within a matrix of the polymer.
(v) stirring or otherwise agitating that emulsion while causing or allowing evaporation of the organic solvent, thereby forming particles in which small particles of the substance are distributed within a matrix of the polymer.
(iv) stirring or otherwise agitating that emulsion while causing or allowing evaporation of the organic solvent, thereby forming particles in which small particles of the original powder are distributed within a matrix of the polymer.
In each of these procedures the particle size is affected by the choice of encapsulating polymer and the initial concentration of polymer in organic solvent, because these factors affect the viscosity of the disperse phase, from which organic solvent evaporates. A higher viscosity of this disperse phase leads to larger disperse droplets which in turn leads to larger particles. However, for any chosen composition, the droplet size of the disperse phase and hence the size of the particles can be controlled through the amount of shear applied to stir or agitate the emulsion while solvent evaporates. So, for any chosen encapsulating polymer, the significant parameters influencing particle size are the mixing condition and speed.
All the above procedures lead to an aqueous suspension of particles comprising the oilfield chemical encapsulated with polymer. The particles can be recovered by filtration, washed, dried and stored until required for use.
Other manufacturing techniques are also available for the production of particles with an oilfield chemical encapsulated within a polymer matrix. One possibility is to mix the oilfield chemical into a melt of a polymeric carrier material and then form this melt into particles. This would be applicable in particular when the oilfield chemical was a solid powder. The powder would be mixed into a melt of the polymer matrix material which would then be extruded into fibres with the oilfield chemical distributed within those fibres. If less elongate particles were desired, the fibres could subsequently be chopped into short lengths. A related possibility would be to mix the oilfield chemical in powder form with the matrix polymer, also in powder form, and then heat the mixture until the matrix material melted to an extrudable condition.
Embodiments of this invention and features mentioned above will now be illustrated and exemplified by the examples below and by the drawings and description thereof.
FIG. 4 is a cross section through a composite particle.
The following Examples 1 to 8 illustrate the preparation and properties of particles with an oilfield chemical encapsulated within a carrier matrix.
Tracer particles were made using several encapsulating polymers and using a hydrophobic dye as the tracer substance. This dye was 2-[4-(diethylamino)phenylazo]benzoic acid, more usually known as ethyl red. The organic solvent which was used was dichloromethane (CH2Cl2). Polyvinyl alcohol (80% hydrolysed polyvinyl acetate) was used as an emulsifier.
Ethyl red (0.020 g) and encapsulating polymer (0.465 g ) were dissolved in 10 ml dichloromethane. Polyvinyl alcohol (0.750 g) was dissolved in de-ionised water (150 g) using a mechanical stirrer (Heidolph RZ2050 electronic, 320 rpm) for about 30 min and the solution of dye and polymer in dichloromethane was then added to it, dropwise, to form an emulsion of the dichloromethane solution in the water. This emulsion was stirred at 320 rpm for 2 hours, the time for the dichloromethane solvent to evaporate. The resulting suspension of particles was then poured into 600 ml of de-ionised water and stirred for another 2 hours. The particles were then recovered by vacuum filtration on a cellulose nitrate membrane filter of 0.45 micron pore size and washed thoroughly with water until no coloration of the filtrate water was observed. The particles were then dried under vacuum and stored in a refrigerator.
Three encapsulating polymers used were Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), Poly-L/D-lactic acid (PLDLA) and Poly-L/D-lactide-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) (85:15 ratio) purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Chemicals. These all have relatively high molecular weight of about 100,000, and have fairly low glass transition temperatures (Tg) PLLA shows the highest glass transition at 51° C. as compared to 46° C. and 45° C. for PLDLA and PLGA, respectively. A fourth encapsulating polymer was a Poly-L/D-lactic acid (designated PLDLA#2) having a higher molecular weight of about 300,000 and a Tg of 60° C.
It can be seen that similar particle sizes were obtained with all three polymers. Scanning electron microscopy showed the particles to be spherical with a smooth surface. Extraction of dye from a small sample of particles showed that the dye content was approximately 3.3-3.5% by weight.
A similar preparation using PLLA, in which the 320 rpm stirrer was replaced with a Silverson mixer running at 1500 rpm to give higher shear led to smaller particles, with d50 below 20 micron.
In order to study the release profiles of the particles at different temperatures, 10 mg sample quantities (made using the 320 rpm stirrer) were suspended in 10 ml de-ionised water (pH 7-8) and incubated in closed bottles at various temperatures. After a period of time the amount of dye released into solution was determined by cooling the bottle and its contents to ambient temperature or below, to stop the release of dye, extracting into organic solvent the dye already released and then examining the extract spectroscopically.
These results show a consistent pattern. For each polymer there was no observable release of the encapsulated dye at temperatures below Tg. Above Tg release begins. If the temperature is slightly above Tg the dye was released progressively over time, but if the temperature was further above Tg the release was much more rapid, with a substantial proportion taking place within the first hour. The temperatures were higher for PLLA than for PLDLA and PLGA. This was attributed to partial crystallinity of the PLLA polymer, whereas the others were wholly amorphous.
PLDLA#2 d50 = 149 micron.
Comparison with the results above for dye release at the same temperature shows that dye release by diffusion at temperatures above Tg proceeds faster than particle degradation.
The procedure of Example 1, using the 320 rpm stirrer, was repeated using polystyrene-co-maleic anhydride (PS-MA) and also using mixtures of PLLA and PS-MA in weight ratios of 95:5, 80:20, 50:50, 30:70. These polymer blends were made by simply dissolving both polymers, in chosen proportions, were both dissolved in the dichloromethane together with the ethyl red dye. The Tg values of these blends were not determined directly, but since PS-MA has a Tg of about 120° C. which is much higher than that of PLLA, the Tg of the blends would increase with increasing proportion of PS-MA.
It can be seen that the blends with 50% or more PLLA, which have lower Tg, display significant early release, whereas PS-MA alone and 30:70 PLLA:PS-MA give gradual release. It can also be seen that particles made from pure PS-MA showed a steady release at 120° C. after an initial delay: note that no release was observed after 1 hour. When release profiles were studied at 95° C. no release of ethyl red was observed after 15 hours for PS-MA microspheres, as well as PLLA microspheres containing 70 wt. % PSMA.
The particle preparation procedure of Example 1 was carried out using the 320 rpm stirrer and PLLA as the polymer. The dye was 2-[4-(dimethylamino)phenylazo]benzoic acid, more usually known as methyl red which is a homologue of ethyl red. The encapsulated particles were found to have d50 of 106 micron. As in Example 1, sample quantities were suspended in de-ionised water and stored in closed bottles. The storage times and temperatures were 2 days and 20 days at 50° C. and 60° C. The percentages of dye released are given in the table below. It can be seen that the release of dye took place over a number of days.
Tracer particles were made using either PLLA or PLDLA#2 as the encapsulating polymer and using a water soluble hydrophilic dye as the tracer substance. This dye was the sodium salt of 4-(4-diethylaminophenylazo)benzenesulfonic acid, more usually known as ethyl orange.
Polyvinyl alcohol (0.375 g) was dissolved in water (150 g) containing 3 wt % sodium chloride using a mechanical stirrer (Heidolph RZ2050 electronic, 320 rpm) for about 30 min. Encapsulating polymer (0.25 g ) was dissolved in 3.7 ml dichloromethane and added to a solution of ethyl orange in water (0.20 ml). Various concentrations of ethyl orange in the water were used. The resulting mixture was stirred using a magnetic stirrer at its maximum rate for 10 min to form a water-in-oil emulsion which was then added dropwise to the saline solution of polyvinyl alcohol over about 3 hours to form a water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion. This double emulsion was then poured into 600 ml of water containing 3 wt % sodium chloride and stirred at 320rpm for another hour. As the dichloromethane solvent evaporated, the dispersed droplets were converted to particles comprising ethyl orange encapsulated by polymer. The particles were recovered by vacuum filtration on a cellulose nitrate membrane filter of 0.45 micron pore size and washed three times with water. The particles were then dried under vacuum and stored in a refrigerator. Examination of particles under an optical microscope showed that each particle contained islands of the ethyl orange in a matrix of the encapsulating PLLA.
Particles made in this way using the 300 rpm mixer were examined under an optical microscope. Tiny particles of the orange dye could be seen within the particles of the matrix polymer. The diameter of these tiny particles of dye was estimated as approximately 5 micron.
It can be observed that, as with encapsulated ethyl red in Example 1, the rate of release from PLLA particles was temperature dependent. Also, particles with PLDLA#2 polymer released dye more quickly than PLLA particles, consistent with the partially crystalline nature of PLLA. Thirdly, comparison of, PLLA particles with approximately 4.8% dye content showed that dye release from the smaller particles made at higher shear was much faster than from larger particles.
Further particles were made as in the preceding Example, above, using PLLA polymer, 7.7 wt % dye and stirring with the 320 rpm stirrer. The median size d50 of these particles was found to be 317 microns. The release profiles from some of the above particles were studied in the same way as in previous Examples, with storage periods of 2 and 20 days The following results were obtained. It can be appreciated from these results that release of the encapsulated dye was taking place over a period of some days.
Calcium peroxide is known to function as a breaker for gels formed by thickening with guar gum. In this example the calcium peroxide which was used was the product “Breake-C”, supplied by TPC-Brinadd, a division of Texas United Chemical Co., LLC, Houston, Tex., USA. The product is a pale yellow powder composed of over 60 wt % CaO2, not more than 31 wt % Ca(OH)2 and not more than 12 wt % CaCO3. The bulk density of the product is 0.5±0.075 g/cm3 (the density of pure calcium peroxide is 2.9 g/cm3). The material has a median particle size around 15 micron. It has a low solubility in pure water; the solubility of the main component calcium peroxide is under 0.1 gm/litre at 20° C.
Polyvinyl alcohol (0.375 g) was dissolved in water (150 g) using a mechanical stirrer (Heidolph RZ2050 electronic, 320 rpm) for about 30 min. PLLA (0.25 g ) was dissolved in 7 ml dichloromethane to which calcium peroxide powder was then added. The resulting mixture was shaken vigorously to suspend the powder in the dichloromethane solution and added to the solution of polyvinyl alcohol. This was stirred for about 3 hours while dichloromethane solvent evaporated, after which the mixture was poured into a further 600 ml of water and stirred for another hour. The resulting PLLA particles containing encapsulated powder were recovered by vacuum filtration on a cellulose nitrate membrane filter of 0.45 micron pore size and washed three times with water. The particles were then dried under vacuum. This procedure was carried out using three different amounts of calcium peroxide powder. Particles sizes were determined and the results are given in the following table. Uniformity of particle size is apparent.
The procedure of the previous Example was repeated on a slightly larger scale using 9% sodium chloride solution in place of water. Polyvinyl alcohol (1.5 g) was dissolved in water (600 g) using a mechanical stirrer (Heidolph RZ2050 electronic, 320 rpm) for about 30 min.
PLLA (1.0 g) was dissolved in 28 ml dichloromethane to which calcium peroxide powder (0.1 g) was then added. The resulting mixture was shaken vigorously to suspend the powder in the dichloromethane solution and added to the solution of polyvinyl alcohol. This was stirred for about 3 hours while dichloromethane solvent evaporated, after which the mixture was poured into a further 600 ml of water and stirred for another hour after which the resulting PLLA particles containing encapsulated powder were recovered as before. The procedure was also carried out using half the quantities of PLLA and calcium peroxide in only 8 ml dichloromethane, thus providing a more viscous dichloromethane solution, which led to an increased particle size for the encapsulated particles.
Particle size measurements on the particles of encapsulated powder are given in the following table.
The procedure was similar to the encapsulation of a hydrophobic dye in Example 4. Polyvinyl alcohol (0.375 g) was dissolved in water (150 g) containing 3 wt % sodium chloride using a mechanical stirrer (Heidolph RZ2050 electronic, 320 rpm) for about 30 min. PLLA (0.26 g) was dissolved in 3.7 ml dichloromethane and added to a solution of hemicellulase enzyme (0.026 g) in water (0.40 ml). The resulting mixture was stirred using a magnetic stirrer at 1200 rpm to form a water-in-oil emulsion which was then added to the saline solution of polyvinyl alcohol to form a water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion. Mixing was continued for two hours. This double emulsion was then diluted to 600 ml with de-ionised water and stirred at 320rpm for another two hours. The particles were recovered by vacuum filtration on a cellulose nitrate membrane filter of 0.45 micron pore size and washed with de-ionised water. The particles were then dried under vacuum and stored in a refrigerator.
FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically the arrangement when a fracturing job is carried out. As is conventional for such a job, hydrocarbon production from an existing wellbore 10 is halted and the well head is coupled to pumps 12 supplied by a mixer 14. This mixer is supplied with guar gum as a thickening polymer T, water W and (when required) particulate proppant P as indicated by arrows W, P and T. Viscous fracturing fluid formed by mixing in the mixer 14 is pumped down the production tubing 16 within the wellbore 10 and exits into the reservoir formation 22 as indicated by the arrows 18 at the foot of the well, at a pressure which is sufficiently great to initiate and propagate a fracture 20 in the formation 22 In the early stages of the fracturing job, the fluid does not contain proppant and elongates the fracture, but later on solid, particulate proppant is suspended in the fracturing fluid which is being pumped in. A standard proppant is used: sand having particle size ranging from 425 to 840 micron (20 to 40 US sieve). The fluid leaks off into the formation around the fracture, depositing a filtercake 24 of the thickener on the formation's surfaces exposed to the fracture 20 and packing the fracture with proppant 26 represented by a dot pattern. Pumping of fluid is stopped when the fracture has been formed and packed with proppant. The pressure in the fracture drops as fluid leaks off into the formation and the fracture closes on the proppant pack which remains sufficiently porous to provide a flow path along the fracture and out into the wellbore.
When most of the proppant has been pumped in, device 30 is used to meter in particles containing calcium peroxide breaker encapsulated with PLLA, similar to those prepared in Example 7. Most of these particles pass through the proppant in the fracture but are retained by the filtercake 24 deposited on the surfaces of the formation. Pumping is then stopped and the well is left for a few days to allow the breaker to be released from the particles and react to destroy the filtercake and de-viscosify the fracturing fluid. The aqueous fracturing fluid is then allowed to flow out in preparation for resumed production from the well.
FIG. 2 illustrates the formation of multiple fractures, (three are shown and designated 40, 42, 44) in a sequence spaced along a wellbore 38 which extends horizontally through a reservoir formation 22. The fractures are formed one at a time by pumping from the surface through equipment which allows the fluid to reach only one fracture position. The present invention is implemented with such an arrangement by delivering encapsulated breaker particles as made in Example 7 into each fracture as it is packed with proppant.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part of the edge region of the fracture 40. When proppant 26 is pumped into the fracture, two sets of encapsulated particles are metered into the fracturing fluid. One set of particles 34 contain breaker. These particles may be as made in Example 7. Most of those particles become trapped in the filtercake 24 although some remain in the pack of proppant 26. A second set of particles 36 has a larger particles size and these contain a hydrophobic tracer (tracer A). These particles are retained in the pack of proppant 26.
The fracture 42 is fractured similarly, except that the second set of particles delivered to this fracture contain a different hydrophobic tracer (tracer B). The fracture 44 is also fractured in the same way, but the second set of particles delivered to this fracture contain a third hydrophobic tracer (tracer C). After each fracture has been formed, the encapsulated breaker liberated from particles 34 serves to break down the filtercake 24. When hydrocarbon production begins, tracers A, B, and C, liberated within the respective fractures 40, 42, 44 are carried to the surface and detected in samples of the produced hydrocarbon, thus showing that there is hydrocarbon production through all three of the fractures 40, 42, 44.
FIG. 4 illustrates a possible further development to the “architecture” of particles. A particle made by the procedure used for Examples 1 to 8 provides a core 50, which contains an oilfield chemical distributed within an encansulating polymer matrix. This core 50 is overcoated with a shell 52 of an oil-soluble wax. When such a particle is suspended in an aqueous fracturing fluid no release of the oilfield chemical can occur because the shell 52 provides a barrier surrounding the core. When the particle eventually comes into contact with oil below ground, this is able to dissolve the shell 52, allowing the slow release of oilfield chemical from the core 50 to begin.
1. A process for hydraulic fracturing of a subterranean reservoir formation penetrated by a wellbore, comprising pumping an aqueous suspension of particles which each comprise an oilfield chemical distributed within an encapsulating matrix of water-insoluble carrier_material from the surface via the wellbore and into the reservoir, wherein the encapsulating matrix is chosen so as to provide a delayed release of the oilfield chemical from the particles into surrounding fluid, such that oilfield chemical is liberated from the particles after they have entered the fracture.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein the aqueous suspension of particles is a suspension of the particles in a hydraulic fracturing fluid pumped into the wellbore at sufficient pressure to fracture the formation.
4. The process of claim 3 wherein the encapsulating carrier material is an organic polymer which has Tg above 40° C. but below the temperature of the reservoir.
5. The process of claim 4 wherein the encapsulating polymer has Tg in a range from 40° C. to 175° C.
6. The process of claim 1 wherein the encapsulating polymer is a polymer of a hydroxycarboxylic acid.
7. The process of claim 1 wherein the encapsulating polymer comprises a mixture of polymers.
8. The process of claim 1 wherein at least 75% of the oilfield chemical is retained within the particles until after they enter the fracture.
9. The process of claim 1 wherein at least 50% of the oilfield chemical is liberated into the fracture before the production of hydrocarbon via the fracture.
10. The process of claim 1 wherein at least 95% of the oilfield chemical is liberated into the fracture within 5 days.
11. The process of claim 1 wherein at least 50% of the chemical is retained by the particles for a period of at least 5 days at the reservoir temperature and subsequently released.
12. The process of claim 1 wherein the particles have a median particle size of at least 15 micron.
13. The process of claim 1 wherein the particles have a median particle size in a range from 25 to 200 micron.
14. The process of claim 1 comprising a step of pumping a suspension of proppant into the fracture before or concurrently with said particles and said particles have a median particle size in a range from 25 to 200 micron.
15. The process of claim 1 comprising a step of pumping a suspension of proppant into the fracture concurrently with said particles and said particles have a median particle size of at least 250 micron.
16. The process of claim 1 wherein the particles are elongate fibres.
17. The process of claim 2 wherein the fracturing fluid comprises an aqueous dispersion of a thickener.
18. The process of claim 2 wherein the fracturing fluid comprises an aqueous dispersion of a thickener which forms a filtercake on surfaces of the formation exposed to the fracture and the oilfield chemical is a breaker, effective to degrade the thickener in the filtercake.
19. The process of claim 18 wherein the thickener comprises a polysaccharide and the breaker is a peroxide.
20. The process of claim 18 wherein the thickener comprises a polysaccharide and the breaker is an enzyme.
21. The process of claim 18 wherein the thickener in the fracturing fluid comprises a viscoelastic surfactant and the breaker is a compound comprising a hydrophobic chain of at least 12 carbon atoms.
22. The process of claim 1 wherein the oilfield chemical is a tracer and the process includes a subsequent step of analyzing fluid flowing out of the reservoir via the wellbore to detect the presence or absence of the tracer therein.
23. The process of claim 1 which comprises pumping hydraulic fracturing fluid from the surface via the wellbore and into the reservoir so as to open fractures of the reservoir formation at multiple locations along the length of a wellbore, and comprising pumping a said aqueous suspension of particles into each fracture.
MX2015016156A (en) 2013-05-24 2016-08-08 Tucc Tech Llc Treatment fluids with non-oxidizer class inorganic peroxide polymer breakers and methods of use thereof. | 2019-04-26T15:15:50Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US20100307744A1/en |
Australia Day this year was marked by thousands of people marching against holding our national celebration on 26th January. It is a day that represents the start of invasion, pain and dispossession for First Nations peoples. The pain was compounded this year by the refusal of the Australian Government to embrace the ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ and its call for the establishment of a ‘First Nations Voice’ in the Australian Constitution.
So I believe it is important to share the stories of great creative work that celebrates partnerships with First Nations peoples. First Nation knowledge and creativity could be playing a vital role in helping educate our children and can help us achieve the productive futures we want, where innovation and creativity are basic to growing our national economy.
There are important stories to be told about how we can realise creative futures, where creative, technical and business skills combine, which can draw upon the most ancient of traditions of our First Nation peoples. These include approaches that value kinship and connections, and artforms that combine ancient stories and knowing with contemporary creative technologies and performance art.
Whether it be examples of Aboriginal dances adapted and created to tell the stories of first sightings of ships or white man, to a breakthrough musical theatre production like Bran Nue Dae that disrupted popular stereotypes of Indigenous peoples to recent new works such as ‘My name is Jimi’ featuring Torres Strait Islander stories from Jimi Bani, and Nakkiah Lui’s ‘Black is the new white’, First Nation theatre and performances serve as performative acts of protest and agency. Such actions and work demonstrate that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have always had to devise, adapt, create and remake to achieve equal rights and recognition, and arts and creative forms have been important vehicles for this.
Recently at our national capital our Arts Education, Practice and Research group along with the AARE community of educational researchers acknowledged this remarkable heritage. It was especially pertinent with 2017 being the 50-year anniversary of the 1967 Referendum, 25 years since the Mabo decision and the 20-year anniversary of the ‘Bringing them Home’ Report.
We heard from Traditional Owners such as Dr Matilda House and from Indigenous artists such as Dennis Golding and were inspired by First Nation voices, stories, resilience and creativity. Matilda House believes that “you must have stories of your country. If you don’t, you don’t belong, no matter where you come from’.
I am currently engaged in a new research project that reminds me of the power of story and voice for helping provide insight into the human experience, but also for enabling us to realise new visions and ‘New Dreamings’.
Working in partnership with JUTE Theatre in Cairns, our research with the ‘Dare to Dream’ project will seek to investigate the short and longer-term impacts of a participatory program whereby new theatre works are being created that tell Indigenous stories, that are also generated in collaboration with local Indigenous leaders and feature Indigenous artists as key creatives on the projects. Each year as well as the performance of the work in schools, a one week workshop program is conducted within 10 schools in far-North Queensland. During the week young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (from grades 6-10) participate in drama and storytelling workshops and at the end of the week they are invited to share what they have created with the community. The theatre and workshop experience provides direct contact for the young Indigenous people to positive professional role models and positive stories about a range of possible futures.
The first work of the series was ‘Proppa Solid’ by Steven Oliver (of ABC Black Comedy fame). The play begins with a great creative premise: in 2044 Australia has its first Aboriginal president of the republic. He has moved the centre of power (the Black House) to Brisbane and unlike his wife, the President Paul Toppy has little knowledge and connection to his country or people. Throughout the course of the play he comes to understand who he is, where he comes from and the importance of his kinship with family and country.
This week a creative development process is being hosted in Cairns which profiles the life of Henrietta Marrie, a Traditional Owner whose great-grandfather was known as ‘King Ye-i-nie’ of the Yidinji. Henrietta has been a tireless advocate for Aboriginal culture and heritage. This includes Henrietta’s work as the first Aboriginal Australian to work for the United Nations and draws attention to Australia’s obligations to its Indigenous communities under various UN Articles of the Convention of Biological Diversity.
The 2018 work being developed for the ‘Dare to Dream’ project is known as ‘Bukal’, named for Henrietta and also the black lawyer vine which grows in the rainforest and is used for weaving and other purposes. The goal for this new show is that it will inspire and educate young people, particularly young Indigenous women.
‘One in ten First Nations people in remote Australia earn income from arts, “remote creative arts participation rates declined between 2008 and 2014-15 driven by declines in remote NT and Queensland – a concerning trend given the importance of First Nations arts to cultural and economic sustainability, and community wellbeing’.
Drama and theatre are often not regarded as particularly innovative art forms or crucial for realising ‘New Dreamings’ within digital worlds. However dramatic learning affirms the fact we still inhabit human bodies, which enable us to take action within the world. Through drama and performance players can learn. They are using dramatic forms of storytelling, but they are also bearing witness, inventing and affirming new voices and identities, and discovering new career pathways and life roles.
Through theatre we have seen the emergence of a strong body of work by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and writers. They have documented their experiences, perceptions and imaginings through embracing, adapting and innovating upon western theatre forms of performance and scriptwriting.
From the Kevin Gilbert in 1971 with the ‘Cherry Pickers’, Bob Maza, Robert Merritt’s ‘Cake Man’, Eva Johnson’s ‘Murras’, Jack Davis’ ‘The Dreamers’, to Enoch and Mailman’s ‘Seven Stages of Grieving”, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander playwrights have provided us with insights into what has often been hidden and not spoken about in the lives of Indigenous peoples.Women’s experiences have been shared through personal histories revealed in works by Lingali Lawford, Leah Purcell, Sally Morgan, and Jane Harrison. Different insights on major historical events have also been documented, including through works such as ‘Black Diggers’ which highlighted the experiences of Indigenous soldiers during WWI. These play texts contain great sources of insight that can be brought into any classroom, not only theatre or drama classes.
The contribution of the drama, theatre and arts education for cultivating the skills of communication and expression, of experimentation and innovation, reflection and creativity required for productive futures seems to be undervalued by the government bodies, even though in this past year they claimed to value the importance of creativity and innovation for our future national prosperity (see the 2017 House of Representatives Federal Parliamentary inquiry).
While it is early days for the program and research, so far students and teachers have all noted the positive outcomes of the program with reports of high levels of student engagement, increased levels of confidence and the young people having expanded notions of opportunities and life pathways. The actor/facilitators have spoken of how for many of the students, the experience has opened up their sense of what might be possible (beyond sport, teaching, nursing or in some communities the military). Plans for future work will also focus on ways to capitalise on the possible connections across the school and wider communities where the shows tour, and to firm up the strategies for building and extending learning through the kinship and connection networks.
It is time to recognise that creativity and innovation relies on people and very human forms of creativity and expression, it is also time to more fully recognise the contributions, strengths, creativity and innovations of our First Nations peoples, and that their ingenuity, resilience and creative endeavours are quite extraordinary and should be more explicitly celebrated in ways that are respectful and appropriate.
Susan Davis is Deputy Dean Research for the School of Education & the Arts at CQ University, Australia. Her research has focused on drama, arts-education, engagement and digital technologies. She is one of the Co-Convenors of the Arts Education Research SIG of AARE and a Board member for Drama Australia and the Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance. Sue was previously a drama teacher and performing arts Head of Department and has created and managed many arts-based projects in collaboration with various education, arts industry and community groups. Susan was one of the convenors of a Creative Education Summit held at ACMI in 2016, with summit outcomes contributing to an Arts Education, Practice and Research group submission to the “The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training Inquiry into innovation and creativity: workforce for the new economy”. She was also invited to present further evidence at a roundtable for the inquiry.
Millions of dollars have been spent on targeted programs to improve literacy and numeracy learning outcomes around Australia. However this year’s NAPLAN data shows stagnation in terms of data improvement, with a downward shift in performance levels for writing.
We don’t believe this lack of movement in data is matched by a lack of impact in the classroom. On the contrary, we believe the current focus on formal, regulated programs in reading and writing, including in early childhood education, is having an enormous negative impact. As we see it, there has been a narrowing of focus and a preoccupation with test results. The unfortunate flow on effect is increased anxiety and behavioural issues as children are labeled as ‘difficult’ or ‘slow learners’ and disenfranchised from their learning. There are huge increases in exclusions of children from the earliest ages. According to media reports more than 1,000 prep year students in Queensland were suspended for bad behaviour last year.
Adding to narrowing of what happens in the classroom is the current obsession with certain types of ‘evidence-based’ practice such as targeted programs in direct instruction, phonics, and atomised, decontextualized approaches to teaching writing as lists of grammatical features and structure. Schools are spending thousands of dollars on literacy and writing programs as well as systems to measure and monitor children weekly, even daily. However, these programs rarely translate to children becoming more confident communicators and ‘meaning makers’ who feel in control of the forms and means of their expression.
We are not claiming there are no literacy and writing programs out there making a difference. There would be many. But we are blogging to tell you about some we call arts-based approaches.
What is an arts-based approach?
Within education, the arts incorporate the five areas of Dance, Drama, Media, Music and Visual Arts. Each have specific processes, skill bases and disciplines that they draw on. These different arts areas have some similar elements and approaches, including knowing through doing and creating, with children learning to express ideas and emotions through voice, movement, actions and different expressive forms. The arts can be taught as discrete single discipline areas, or in combination with other learning areas or arts areas. So we can talk about arts learning but also ‘learning through the arts’. In primary schools, teachers may use arts processes and strategies to teach content in other learning areas and this often helps create more engaged and experiential learning.
Examples of arts-based approaches we have implemented include using drama to support learning in English, History, Geography and Science. In one example Sue Davis created a program where year 5 students were enrolled as ‘spacetroopers’ who have to research various planets to locate one where water might be found. They then had to prepare for a space trip to that chosen planet. Throughout the unit children were involved in writing in a diverse range of forms including written reports, letters and diary entries. At the end of drama sessions when children had ‘experienced’ the content and learning, they were sometimes running to their desks to pull out their books to write.
There is a range of research that consistently demonstrates the positive impact of arts-based approaches for improved academic and social outcomes for students in schools. The international research includes Critical Links, an important compendium of findings from numerous studies on student academic and social learning through the arts. There are consistent positive associations between dramatic enactment with reading comprehension, oral story understanding and written story understanding.
More recent research from the US includes meta-analysis work that found Drama and arts-based learning programs can have a significant impact on improving language arts and academic learning programs. Another study with students who had learning difficulties indicated the use of drama strategies improved student motivation, narrative cohesion and language acquisition. A growing body of Australian research supports the international work ranging from the impact of arts programs, including research for the Songroom through to classroom based work with a focus on literacy development in the early years. This and other work in secondary schools by University of Sydney researchers shows the impact of arts-based programs can be substantial.
An example of an arts-based approach with positive results for student literacy and writing is the Sydney Theatre Company’s School Drama™ project. This program was pioneered by Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton, who were Co-artistic Directors of the Sydney Theatre Company at the time, with Professor Robyn Ewing from the University of Sydney. School Drama™ teams teaching artists (with performance and/or applied theatre background with an acting background) with a classroom teacher. They work together with primary school classes to use drama strategies and children’s literature to make English and literacy learning come alive.
A key feature of the program is to help build the participating primary school teacher’s capacity to use arts-based strategies. Each school and teacher begins the program with a particular literacy area they want to improve and they engage in careful benchmarking of pre and post literacy data.
John Saunders, Education Manager at Sydney Theatre Company, was an experienced secondary drama teacher when he then took on managing the School Drama program. He believes something very special happens when children are having so much fun with drama they forget they are learning. As they are busy enjoying themselves they are increasing their ability to visualise, comprehend and write. He tells a story about how, after working with the children’s book about the Stolen Generation called The Burnt Stick by Anthony Hill, children said they felt like they didn’t do any writing at all because they had had been ‘learning in our way, a fun way’. In fact they had been writing every lesson, but it hadn’t felt like ‘work’. Such programs are successful across whatever area of literacy is in focus, however children who are behind usually show the biggest improvement.
In his research John found that while the program leads to improvements in academic areas including literacy it also impacts on so-called ‘soft skills’ or ‘non-academic’ areas such as empathy building, confidence, motivation and engagement. Research by independent evaluator Robyn Gibson supports these findings.
When learning approaches such as these focus on experience and active learning, children become confident in using language and literacies within real and imagined contexts. Data on impact is growing and is providing insight into more innovative, transferrable approaches to teaching literacy.
Unfortunately politicians and policy makers rarely recognise our projects, including professional learning models we have piloted and researched, or any other arts-based approach. Arts-based programs are simply not acknowledged as vehicles for improving valued academic outcomes.
We believe if governments invested just some of the millions they invest in improving NAPLAN scores into arts-based programs, such as School Drama and related professional learning, the results would be astounding.
John Nicholas Saunders is a former secondary school teacher and the current Education Manager at Sydney Theatre Company. He holds a Bachelor of Creative Industries (Drama), Bachelor of Education (Secondary), Masters of Research and is currently studying for a PhD. John’s classroom work together with his research has focused on Drama as pedagogy and its benefits for student literacy, engagement, motivation and empathy. John has extensive experience in Arts Education and has held positions as a senior curriculum writer, head of department; Board member of Playlab Press, President of Drama NSW and Drama QLD. He currently holds positions as: President, Drama Australia; Honorary Associate, The University of Sydney; Chair, Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG) Education Network; and Drama representative, National Advocates for Arts Education. In 2014 he was awarded the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Science (CHASS) prize for future leader in the field and in 2016 he published ‘The School Drama Book: Drama, Literature & Literacy In The Creative Classroom’ with is colleague, Professor Robyn Ewing.
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If you are a Harry Potter fan you probably celebrated last month, the twentieth anniversary of the first Harry Potter book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Millions of us did, all around the world, and for me it gave rise to reflecting upon the economic and imaginative impact possible through creative works. I also wondered about how such creative writing is supported through our curriculum programs as my son set out to write yet another ‘analysis of aesthetic elements and conventions’ essay on a novel for year 12 English. In 18 months of assessment in English he has not once been asked to complete a piece of creative writing.
The recent report from the Parliamentary Inquiry into Innovation and Creativity yet again reinforced the privileging of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects as the key to prosperous economic futures. However while rare, it is clear that creative ‘inventions’ such as the Harry Potter series can have enormous economic impacts as well as social, creative and cultural.
The Harry Potter series is well and truly the biggest selling literary series of all time having sold over 500 millions copies. It is the second most popular film series as well (after The Marvel Cinematic Universe films). However this is a series that has also become part of the folk culture of a generation.
J.K Rowling didn’t just create a publishing phenomenon she created a cultural phenomenon. New readers then and now continue to connect with the familiarity of the characters, their trials and dilemmas but are also inspired by the fantasy and magic of the Harry Potter story world.
The creativity of the Harry Potter series has been both celebrated but also critiqued. Following in the league of such imaginative world creators as Tolkien with ‘Lord of the Rings’, George Lucas with ‘Star Wars’, Rowling drew upon ancient mythologies, character types and creatures with her creation. This highlights a key aspect of creative work and issues of using ‘originality’ as the mark of true creativity. We can see that in the Harry Potter books there is much that has been borrowed. There are familiar figures of warlocks, wizards and goblins but then there are the original creations. There are dementors – dark creatures that absorb the happiness of the creatures around them and the mysteries of the horcrux, hidden objects which contain the fragment of a split soul.
The series has borrowed, selected and combined many of the story tropes identified by those who’ve analysed the mythology of the eons, from Propp’s morphology of the folktale to Joseph Campbell analysis of the hero’s journey and Robert McKee’s principles of story in film. It’s a tale of good versus evil, the extraordinary existing within the ordinary, of jealousies, love and loss, of mythic searches and hard won triumphs.
Rowling’s gift was to combine all of this with her own inventiveness and creations to envision a new world of the imagination. This occurred at a time when young people were looking not for self identification in teen fiction that was just a reflection of their every day lives, but were ready for a new form of escape into the world of fantasy and magic. This is a world where a boy is bullied and confined to a bedroom under the stairs, but who is then able to defeat ‘Voldemort, the Lord of darkness’. The resonances for children and young people are not so hard to understand. This is a world where children are powerful, can take life and death risks and become masters of not only their own destiny but their entire universe.
What is always so amazing with these kinds of inventions is that they begin as works of the imagination, but become actual touchstones and reference points for people’s real life worlds and experiences. Muggles as a word has passed into the common lexicon, there are actual sporting teams that now play a game called ‘Quidditch’ and characters from the series have inspired scientific names of organisms, including the the crab Harryplax severus.
But beyond that the events, creatures, and characters become shortcuts, similes and metaphors in people’s lives. Harry Potter references can be the means to describe and give relevance and meaning, the mixed identity and sense of not belonging of the half-blood child, the threat of a Voldemort, the wisdom of a Dumbledore.
What is also significant about the Harry Potter series is its emergence and development during the age of the Internet and the rise of participatory cultures. In his work Henry Jenkins has described the phenomenon of the participatory communities that coalesce around certain book and movie series, such as Harry Potter and Star Wars. Creative agency and self-expression is realised by many within these communities as they draw on aspects of the invented narratives, characters and storylines but elaborate upon such to extend, write and rewrite their own. Reporting on the rise of a fan fiction community of children and young people, Jenkins shows how Rowling’s work enabled many entry points for creative imaginings, from imagining themselves as key characters such as Harry or Hermione to minor figures, distant relations or agents.
The sparks for new creations and creativity can begin through such character identification and involvement in creative fan fiction communities and narrative worlds. These can provide the pivots and imaginative and conceptual tools to help initiate children and young people’ creativity, using borrowed tales to imitate, but then extend upon to create new work.
That brings me back to thinking about how the opportunities for new and inventive creative writing might currently be cultivated in our schools, and the concern I have for my son (and thousands of other young people).
Academics such as Sawyer, and Frawley have researched the teaching of English in schools in Australia and have identified the difficulties many teachers now face in developing student creative writing and creativity. The rise of increasingly high-stakes assessment environments and ‘atomised’ approaches to teaching textual features, grammatical conventions, devices, structures and genres often leads to highly prescriptive writing curricula.
Concerns about such were highlighted to me when I interviewed students as part of my doctoral studies and asked them about the subjects where they could be creative in schools. I was somewhat surprised when many students said they did more creative work, and creative writing as well, in Drama rather than English. They also bemoaned the fact that English (for them) was always about analysing and deconstructing. I acknowledge this was by no means a broad sample and that, as Gannon argues, many schools and teachers continue to negotiate the mandates to engage in exemplary pedagogy to support student practice.
We need to ensure that the spaces for creative writing and creative learning are not squeezed out of formal education and that the inspiration of Harry Potter and friends can continue to provide the means for young (and not so young people) to become immersed in real/non-real, familiar/strange and magical worlds that can become the gateway to new forms of creating understanding, being and becoming.
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Once upon a time early childhood teachers used to learn singing and playing the piano, primary school teachers could study electives (and even majors) in areas such as drama and art, and universities could add new courses (such as ones in teacher as entrepreneur or global citizenship) through putting in a course variation form to a university committee.
Teaching was seen by many as a truly creative profession.
Not anymore. You would be hard pressed to find examples of any of the above anymore.
As a teacher educator this is distressing to me, not because I am longing for some ‘golden age’ past but because I am deeply worried about our future.
If we want creative futures, we need creative teachers, and we need systems that enable them to thrive and not be crushed by mountains of paper work and regulation.
Teacher education is a field which is absent from innovation discourses. However teachers are the ones working with children and young adults and helping to shape their perspectives and capacities. So I argue it is imperative that creativity and innovation be taught and supported as part of teacher preparation. This includes both creative teaching, but also teaching for creativity and cultivating critical and creative thinking for our students.
However teacher education, like schooling itself has been taken over by regulation and standardization requirements and instrumentalities, much of this through the rhetoric of raising teaching standards.
The increased levels of regulation and requirements for teacher education programs means there has been a reduction in the scope for approaches that cultivate creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation for pre-service teachers. Opportunities for elective studies or minors in areas such as the arts have also been reduced, with more mandated units having to be included in generalist teacher education programs, and new specialisations for primary teachers being targeted in Math/numeracy and Science.
Furthermore, there is no mention of creativity and innovation in our teaching standards, not teaching for it, or teachers themselves demonstrating it.
Teacher education standards were developed to articulate the key features of the profession. Their development and first phase of implementation proved useful for providing a common language for talking about teaching and to student teachers about what the profession entailed and how to get there.
However their initial conceptualization has now been turned into sets of regulations and checklists that are in danger of killing off rather than nurturing creativity and innovation.
While in the current version of national standards developed by AITLS (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership) used in Australia there are 7 professional standards, underneath that are 37 focus areas and teacher education students must demonstrate evidence collected across all of these.
To be able to offer teacher education courses, teacher education providers must likewise provide evidence across a set of similarly numbered program standards.
In fact the instructions of what needs to be included takes up 42 pages in a guidelines document, which also emphasises that once a program is accredited no changes can be made to that progam. This type of approach encourages a compliance and tick box mentality.
It also means enormous energies and person power are devoted towards generating mountains of paperwork and which other poor reviewers must then wade their way through. While a so-called ‘light touch’ regulatory model was to be used for the re-accreditation of programs, one university education faculty recently reported that their accreditation submission amounted to over 1000 pages of documentation.
While consistency and regulation are important it does tend to stifle the ability for educators to respond to changes in industry and the economy. Systems that are being built around certification and compliance make it impossible to be nimble and flexible and reduces the capacity of course designers and teachers to be creative and responsive.
Where is creativity, improvisation, flexibility, risk-taking, productive failure in such models and approaches?
Of further concern to me are some of the comments emerging from a senior member of the AITSL staff, who when asked at a forum about how she saw creativity and educating for the future being promoted through the professional standards, the audience was somewhat surprised to hear her say she did not believe in a futures oriented curriculum, that she has no problem with the existing curriculum but with how it is taught.
Furthermore when discussing projects on their horizon for assisting teachers, mention was made of more psychometrically calibrated assessment instruments developed to use across the curriculum. Audible gasps of horror could not be contained from teacher educators around the room. AITSL staff have since assured me that the intention is to create banks of formative assessment tools and the intention is that that teachers will find them helpful. This proves the point that terminology and language really matter, and psychometrically calibrated assessment instruments does not say formative assessment to most teachers.
I can understand that much of what AITSL may be tasked to do is driven by political agendas (with AITSL being entirely owned by the Australian government with the federal Education Minister its only member) but what teachers want is not more psychometrically calibrated assessments. What they want is to be trusted to make professional judgements and design learning and assessment strategies that support their students. As I see it, our current interest in certain types of ‘evidence’ is becoming an obsession, at great cost to the students we teach.
If we believe our future requires creative and critical thinkers, we need to cultivate the conditions where creativity can be nurtured by teachers and teacher educators. We need to make sure this is not drowned in regulation, distrust of teachers and lack of belief in their capacity to be professional as well as creative.
I have a dream that this nation will achieve its full creative and economic potential and that Arts education will rightfully be seen as central to making this happen. It worries me that current thinking and policymaking around national innovation concentrates on increasing participation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects while the teaching of the Arts (dance, drama, music, media arts and visual arts,) is rarely even on the innovation agenda.
It is not that I begrudge the attention STEM is getting, it is just that I believe if we want to be a truly innovative and creative nation we need to put the Arts, very firmly, back in the mix. We should be talking about STEAM in schools and universities with the Arts very much in the centre of it all.
There exists a popular narrative, used to drive the STEM education agenda in Australia (and elsewhere), that says there are significantly declining enrolments in the Sciences and other STEM disciplines. However I question this narrative as justification for major initiatives. I will come back to that later.
First up what are we talking about, when we talk about innovation and creativity?
Creativity and innovation involves putting things together in new ways, it involves risk-taking, experimenting and refining, valuing the role of productive failure, it involves making and doing, and is often collaborative and co-creative. While creativity is about the capacity to putting things together in new, novel and different ways, innovation is often seen as putting them to work and out into the world so that they meet a need, want or interest.
However these capacities don’t get switched on when people hit the world of work, they need to be cultivated across the education lifespan in all subjects in as many ways as possible.
Unfortunately the nurturing of creativity and innovation often seems to be at odds with the direction of many current initiatives in education. I have concerns about mandated curriculum and standards and everyone doing the same thing, the same tests, meeting the same benchmarks. I am particularly concerned about certain subjects or areas of learning being valued as more essential or more important than others.
The focus on STEM, without similar focus being turned to the Arts and Humanities does not appear to be justified by recent research about the impact of technologies on our lives. It is hard to deny that all aspects of life and the world of work are undergoing rapid transformations, many brought about by developments in technologies across nearly all fields of endeavour. Recent research from Oxford University notes however, that while robots will assume the role of many people in many sectors, growth continues in those that rely on creative capacity and social interactions, people, services and experiences. They are not optional areas of focus for education, but essential for opening up future study and work opportunities.
The importance of valuing other areas of learning and related industry sectors is also evident when examining economic development within various industry sectors. Industry growth and projection reports identify that education itself is one of Australia’s major export industries. Other projected growth areas identified by the Reserve Bank include household and business services, food, arts and recreation.
A Deloitte report also identifies industry sectors such as agribusiness, tourism, international education and wealth management as ones that are growth sectors for the Australian economy.
To do well in these sectors may require knowledge and skills in some or all of the STEM areas, but also relies on understanding people, design, experience and communications: the Arts subjects.
Is there really a crisis in the uptake of STEM subjects?
A review of senior secondary enrolments in several states over the past 20 years reveals that in most cases all students have to/or tend to study an English and a Math subject. When it comes to the sciences, Biology is the top or near top elective subject and while there is some drop in the percentage of Physics and Chemistry enrolments it is not perhaps as extreme as we have been lead to believe, and in fact in recent times in Queensland, for example, there has been an increase in the numbers for Chemistry enrolments.
Enrolments in sciences have not been dropping more substantially than other subjects over the last 20 years using Queensland data as an example. While percentages of total year 12 enrolments might be 5-10% lower, this has to be considered in the context of increased subject choices including vocational training courses. It is clear that the pattern of enrolment of the Arts and Humanities also shows similar decreases in percentages too. When it comes to the most dramatic drop in enrolments over the past 20 years it is actually Accounting (20% to 7%) and Economics (19% to 5%) that have seen the most dramatic declines.
Similar trends can be identified in New South Wales and Victorian data, though the strength of Chemistry seen in Queensland is not necessarily reflected in other state data.
While there is no doubt that there are still issues with enrolments in STEM by different target groups, including girls and students from low SES backgrounds, regional areas and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, these are not new issues. However a focus on increased enrolments in STEM per se is not likely to change that. Other strategies that focus more on pedagogy, combining STEM and arts based approaches are more likely to have impact (and have been the basis for strategies in places such as Korea).
It is important that capacity building in creativity and innovation be supported across the years of formal education (including early childhood, primary and secondary education) and tertiary study, including teacher education. This requires a shift beyond STEM and the ongoing focus on ‘basic skills’ in major educational drives, and to look at the cultivation of ideas and passions, calculated risk taking, how to work through failure, problem-finding and problem-solving and resolution of ideas into products and forms.
This requires an approach that recognizes that creativity and innovation can be cultivated across diverse learning and industry fields. If the current obsession with STEM is to continue, as I said previously, it should be converted to STEAM, with the Arts at its centre, at the very least, or perhaps ESTEAM to recognize the importance of Entrepreneurship as well.
Here is my list of other key points and issues we need to tackle.
Reduce the focus in educational agendas on NAPLAN and standardized test instruments and reports. We can’t mandate that everyone learns the same things in the same ways for 10 years of schooling and then expect them to do things ‘differently’. We need room for people to develop interests and expertise in diverse areas, so room for electives, special projects and enterprises.
If our governments recognize the importance of creativity and innovation for our future national prosperity (as the current parliamentary inquiry would indicate), attention must be paid to learning that promotes problem-solving and inventiveness, social innovation and entrepreneurship, and multiple forms of communication and expression. To do this effectively Australia needs to give just as much attention to the Arts as it is currently to the teaching of and participation in STEM. These areas are all fundamental to cultivating innovation for the future of our economy and our world. | 2019-04-18T13:01:37Z | https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?tag=susan-davis |
Good morning, and welcome to the AngioDynamics Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2019 Earnings Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. A question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. [Operator Instructions]. As a reminder, this conference call is being recorded.
The news release detailing the third quarter results crossed the wire earlier this morning and is available on the company’s website. This conference call is also being broadcast live over the Internet at the Investors section of the company’s website at www.angiodynamics.com. And the webcast replay of the call will be available at the same site approximately one hour after the end of today’s call.
Before we begin, I would like to caution listeners that during the course of this conference call, the company will make projections or forward-looking statements regarding future events, including statements about expected revenue, adjusted earnings and free cash flow for fiscal year 2019. Management encourages you to review the company’s past and future filings with the SEC, including without limitation, the company’s Forms 10-Q and 10-K, which identify specific factors that may cause the actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.
A slide package offering insight into the company’s financial results is also available on the Investors section of the company’s website under events and presentations. This presentation should be read in conjunction with the press release discussing the company’s operating results and financial performance during this morning’s conference call.
I’d now like to turn the call over to Jim Clemmer, AngioDynamics’ President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Clemmer?
Thanks, Rob. Good morning, everyone, and thanks for joining us today for AngioDynamics’ third quarter fiscal 2019 earnings call. Joining me today on the call will be Michael Greiner, AngioDynamics’ Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and Stephen Trowbridge, Senior Vice President and General Counsel who is also the leader of our clinical team.
Michael is under the weather today and will not be doing the financial portion of the call, but is with us to answer any questions that you may have during the Q&A portion of our call. Today, I will provide a brief overview of our operating highlights and the financial performance for the quarter. Before I close our prepared remarks, we’ll have the discussion of the NanoKnife pancreatic cancer DIRECT study. Stephen has joined us to answer specific questions that you may have related to the approval of this study that we announced yesterday morning.
Overall, we are really pleased with our results for the third quarter. Despite some pockets of softness, we were encouraged by our solid results in a number of areas and we continue to generate profitable growth with a focus on operational excellence and building a market leading, cohesive product portfolio. As I will discuss later, our third quarter performance positions us to achieve our annual guidance for revenue, adjusted EPS, and free cash flow.
Our net sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 increased 3% to $86.3 million driven by growth in our oncology and vascular interventions and therapies businesses, including contributions from our recent acquisitions of BioSentry and RadiaDyne, which are in line with our expectations for the third quarter.
At the product level, our AngioVac dialysis catheters, fluid management, and Solero products exhibited solid growth during the quarter offsetting lower NanoKnife capital sales, which were primarily a result of timing and continued expected slowing of our RadioFrequency Ablation products as market adoption focuses on our Microwave Ablation technology.
With regard to the performance of each of our businesses, our VIT business grew 3.3% year-over-year as strong growth in the AngioVac and Fluid Management product lines along with continued strength in our core business were partially offset by an anticipated decline in the Venous Insufficiency business.
The pace of this decline continues to decelerate, and we continue working diligently to stabilize this business and anticipate better comps in fiscal year 2020. AngioVac procedural volume remained strong with procedures increasing 19% year-over-year representing our sixth consecutive quarter of double digit volume growth and further validating this unique technology.
As we’ve mentioned in detail at the JPMorgan Conference in early January, we are continuing to make targeted R&D investments in our thrombus management portfolio, while also identifying external growth opportunities. We believe there is a significant opportunity available to us in the moderately complex segment of the thrombus management market based upon the success of our Uni*Fuse and AngioVac platforms, which serve the simple and complex ends of this space respectively.
The middle of this market is a significantly larger addressable market than we currently serve with meaningful opportunities for growth and share gains. Our vascular access revenue declined 4% during the third quarter, as continued strong performance in sales of our dialysis products was offset by declines in sales of PICCs, Midlines, and Ports.
We experienced very strong growth in Port sales during the second quarter, which we believe impacted our ability to drive growth in the third quarter. We do anticipate returning to low-single-digit growth in the fourth quarter in both our Ports and our Midlines businesses.
Revenue from our oncology business increased 15.1%. Strong sales of our Solero Microwave product and revenue contributed by our BioSentry and RadiaDyne acquisitions helped to offset a decline in NanoKnife capital sales during the quarter.
We remain pleased with the early success of our oncology acquisitions, which are both progressing in line with our expectations as we continue to build out our oncology business around a continuum of care portfolio. We also recently received 510(k) approval for electron and cancer treatments related to our OARtrac real-time dosimetry device.
This approval both defines and supports the future growth profile of our OarTrac while positioning us to obtain additional indications in the future. Despite the softness in NanoKnife capital sales, we continue to see momentum and increasing global adoption of this groundbreaking technology. And we are thrilled to have received IDE approval from the FDA, which we announced yesterday morning for the use of our NanoKnife technology in the treatment of stage 3 pancreatic cancer, which I will discuss in more detail after we go through the financials.
In addition, another positive development in the quarter included our previously announced successful outcome in the Delaware intellectual property litigation with Bard. We were pleased with the court's decision to dismiss this case.
After reviewing the financials, I want to remind everyone that each quarter we post a presentation on our Investor Relations website, summarizing the key items associated with our quarterly results as well as our financial guidance.
Those slides are intended to complement our prepared remarks. Our net sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 were $86.3 million, representing a year-over-year growth of 3% when including our RadiaDyne and BioSentry acquisitions, and declining 0.8% on an organic basis.
Our gross margin for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 contracted by 10 basis points to 54.1% from 54.2% a year ago. We continue to see gains in gross margin related to operational and supply chain improvements, as well as positive impacts associated with our portfolio optimization strategy, specifically the RadiaDyne and BioSentry acquisitions. These gains were offset during the third quarter by headwinds related to FX, which were approximately 20 basis points compared to the prior year as well as a one-time benefit that we received in the prior year quarter related to our plant closures worth approximately 50 basis points.
We continue to anticipate our full year 2019 gross margin will finish in the range of 54% to 55%, with a fourth quarter exit gross margin exceeding 55%. Our research and development expenses during the third quarter of fiscal 2019 were $7.2 million or 8.4% of sales compared to $6.5 million or 7.7% of sales a year ago.
Consistent with our comments over the past several quarters, we are spending more in R&D and Clinical around some of our core technologies and we continue to anticipate R&D spend to be approximately 8% of net sales for this fiscal year. This already contemplates additional spending related to the rollout of our NanoKnife study, and also to support our recent acquisitions.
Moving down the income statement, SG&A expense for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 increased to $28.2 million or 32.7% of sales compared to $25.7 million or 30.7% of sales a year ago.
We anticipate SG&A expense as a percent of revenue to be approximately 32.5% for the full year inclusive of approximately $4 million in SG&A expenses as a result of the two acquisitions earlier in the year.
Our adjusted net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 was $7.4 million or $0.19 per share compared to an adjusted net income of $8.7 million or $0.23 per share in the third quarter of last year.
The 2018 Tax Reform Act went into effect for us during our third quarter last year. Adjusted net income for the third quarter of fiscal year 2018 was based upon the tax rate of 23%. We have updated our full year, prior year, post tax reform rate to 30.62% resulting in a $0.02 impact on last year's adjusted net income.
Our current statutory tax rate is 23% in fiscal year 2019. Adjusted EBITDAS in the third quarter of fiscal 2019, excluding the items shown in the reconciliation table in our presentation was $14.9 million compared to $16.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2018.
This 11.3% decline is attributed to the previously noted increase in R&D, in SG&A spending partially offset by our increase in revenue. In the third quarter of fiscal 2019, we generated $8.3 million of cash from operating activities and our free cash flow was $7.5 million.
Now turning to our balance sheet. As of February 28, 2019 we had $41.7 million in cash and cash equivalents and $133.8 million in debt. This excludes the impact of deferred financing costs recorded on the balance sheet.
As a result, our net debt to adjusted EBITDAS ratio is currently 1.55 providing us with sufficient access to capital, to execute against our investment and capital deployment strategies.
Finally, we are reaffirming our financial guidance for fiscal 2019. We continue to expect 2019 net sales in a range of $354 million to $359 million. We also continue to expect adjusted EPS between $0.82 and $0.86 as well as free cash flow between $26 million and $31 million.
Now I'd like to take a moment to continue our earlier discussion on the recently announced NanoKnife IDE approval and to provide more details on the DIRECT study. As noted in our press release yesterday, we are very excited to begin enrolling patients into our DIRECT study and improving the standard-of-care for pancreatic cancer.
This disease afflicts approximately 57,000 new patients every year in the United States alone, and approximately 25% of those patients present at Stage III making them good candidates for our DIRECT study with NanoKnife.
Our design anticipates each NanoKnife arm to consist of approximately 250 patients with an equal number of control patients. The primary endpoint of the study is overall survival. As a reminder, we also received a determination from the FDA that the DIRECT study will receive a Category B designation. This means that the FDA has determined that the information we provided demonstrates that their initial questions around safety and effectiveness for the NanoKnife system for the treatment of Stage III pancreatic cancer have been resolved. This is a significant positive as the device in the related treatment during the study will be eligible for reimbursement, significantly mitigating the overall costs of the study.
We are not updating our guidance at this point, but we intend to have a further readout on our three year strategic and financial plan to share with you by our fiscal year end call. We are looking forward to this comprehensive study that will demonstrate our technologies unique capabilities, and benefit pancreatic cancer patients.
We are thrilled to be able to start enrollment soon and in fact we've launched angiodirect.com as a website to facilitate enrollment and educate patients and their families. All of us at AngioDynamics are dedicated to the idea that the standard-of-care for this deadly disease can and should improve.
With that, I'll turn the call over to the operator for your questions.
Thank you. We’ll now be conducting a question-and-answer session. [Operator Instructions] Our first question is from the line of Matthew Hewitt with Craig-Hallum. Please proceed with your question.
Yes. This is Lucas Baranowski on for Matt Hewitt here at Craig-Hallum. Thanks for taking the questions. I guess, first off you know congrats on the IDE approval, and yes we've just got a couple of questions around that. It sounds like enrollment is going to be starting soon, so maybe you could just give us some color on how we should think -- be thinking about this trial from a time line perspective and when there might be a read out.
Lucas, good morning this is Jim. In a moment, I'll give Steve a chance to answer you in more detail, but first I want to talk about for a second how we got here. And again, AngioDynamics has invested heavily in resources to support this trial. We're very committed to having this opportunity to prove our technology to help these people in need of care.
What we've done Lucas in the past year and a half or so, internally we’ve invested very heavily in bringing really good people to our team led by Steve Trowbridge, I mentioned earlier, who will answer your question who runs our clinical group led by Warren Nighan who runs our regulatory and quality group, and led by Brent Boucher who's the General Manager of our Oncology business. These three people have brought really talented folks to our team that have helped us accomplish this goal of getting this IDE approved by the FDA.
So we're very excited by what can happen. Let me have Steve chime in with a bit more detail for you.
Thanks Jim. Good morning Lucas, and thanks for the question. With respect to enrollment, what we're stating is that we're targeting June as the time for the first enrollment of these patients. As you know, we've been working on this trial for a while. We've been working collaboratively with FDA for a very long time. We're very pleased to get the approval, and we're looking forward to starting.
As we've talked about before, this study comprises two parts. So there's an RCT aspect to it as well as a real world evidence registry aspect to it. We are hoping that enrollment in either of those will start by the June timeframe.
And then with your question to the readout, we do expect that we'll be giving periodic updates around enrollment as we go through this. But as we’ve talked about, we're expected to enroll this trial to the end. We have an interim analysis set up to test our statistical assumptions, not to try to have any early readouts, so our current expectation is to run through this trial.
Okay. Thank you. That's helpful. And then you've also talked in the past and on this call about how physicians in the trial will be getting reimbursed. I mean, is there any color you could give around kind of those reimbursement amounts and where they've been set at?
Sure. So as we've talked in the past, we did receive specific ICD-10 codes from CMS for the treatment for using NanoKnife to treat pancreatic cancer as well as specific codes to use NanoKnife to treat liver cancer. We do know that those ICD-10 codes have mapped into specific DRGs and again as we said before, we were pleased with the mapping. We think that they were the exact right mapping that went into the appropriate DRGs that carry the appropriate level of reimbursement for the physicians.
Now, the third leg of this stool for reimbursement is coverage. And that's where this trial comes in with FDA designating our IDE approval as category B, we will then be talking with CMS. And as we've talked before, we've had a lot of conversations with CMS going very well down that path.
Once CMS also agrees to approve this trial as Category B, anybody who treats patients under our IDE so that's either in the RCT or in the registry will be receiving coverage using those ICD-10 codes that will then map into what we think are the very appropriate high-paying DRGs.
Okay. Thanks very much. That's all I had.
The next question is coming from the line of Jayson Bedford with Raymond James. Please proceed with your question.
Good morning. This is Matt Wizman on for Jayson Bedford. Thanks for taking the questions. So my question is really on the NanoKnife trial. So could you walk us through the difference between the RCT and the real-world side? What are the physician and patient incentives for each of those and if you could just kind of walk through the differences there, that’d be great? Thanks.
Sure, Matt. I'll take that. Appreciate the question. So as we've talked about in the past AngioDynamics is very committed to this technology. We really feel that NanoKnife is a game changer for patients, and the trial design that we've been able to develop collaboratively with the FDA, I think is a very great illustration of how committed Angio is to this technology.
Any time that you're doing a trial, there's design elements that are going to be more important than others, and we think that our comprehensive design is aimed at trying to get to all of those very important elements. So if you think about a randomized controlled trial, what you're looking to do is to isolate as many variables as possible to prove out that whatever survival benefit that you're seeing is coming from your technology, but that comes at the expense of a very hyper-controlled environment.
So there's some very specific inclusion/exclusion criteria. Not every patient may qualify to meet either of those criteria to then show up into the RCT. And what you end up doing is you randomize the patient after they've gotten through the initial staging of having Stage III cancer to either the NanoKnife arm plus chemotherapy or the standard chemotherapy arm, but they are trying to isolate those variables. But as is also very well known in the clinical arena, not every treatment happens in a hyper-controlled environment. And so the real world registry that we have is looking to provide the flip side of the coin. What is the benefit of this technology in a real world setting?
So in that setting, patients are not randomized. And the inclusion, exclusion criteria is a little less severe and robust as it is in the RCT. So by putting these two things together, our comprehensive study design will give us great data on how it looks when you're controlling as many variables as possible, but also what you can expect when you use this technology in a real-world setting. And we feel that that's going to be most meaningful to patients, physicians, payers and all the other stakeholders.
Got it, thanks. And then I guess as a follow up to that, has the FDA stated or have you talked to the FDA about what specifically they're going to require for the approval, in other words, does the RCT need to be completed for approval or could it happen sooner, depending on the real-world evidence? And then obviously, I'm assuming the real-world evidence trial will enroll quicker due to the less inclusion criteria? Thanks.
So that is true, we do expect that the real-world evidence side will enroll quicker anytime that you're running an RCT, getting through that inclusion, exclusion criteria that I talked about sometimes does create a little bit more of a prolonged timeline than you would expect. I will say that the conversations that we've had with FDA, now we've been talking about this for a little while, and it took a little longer than we wanted to get to the approval, but the underlying reason for that is we engaged in very in-depth and very collaborative conversations with FDA about the overall design considerations for this trial. So we have a sense as we've gone through this, with the study design that we have now. If this technology proves out exactly the way that we think it will, it will get us to an ultimate approval.
So that was, I think what was very beneficial about the time that we spent working with FDA. Our current expectations right now are to enroll both of these things. We think that there's very valuable evidence that comes out of both the RCT and the real-world evidence arm. We think they complement each other and get us to that overall approval so our current expectation is that we are going to be enrolling both of these to get to the end of the trial.
I appreciate the questions. Thank you.
The next question comes from the line of Matthew Mishan with KeyBanc. Please proceed with your questions.
Great. And thank you for taking the questions. Hey Jim, the fourth quarter it seems like it's going to require a pretty strong quarter to hit your guidance and you seem, you seemed fairly confident in that. You know what's behind that -- what's behind that confidence in the fourth quarter?
Matt, good morning. If you take a look really Matt at our three quarters coming into this year combined, you know we're really right where we thought we'd be. You know it’s something's a little soft or something a little stronger, you know in a complex company like us with those diverse portfolio, you have those challenges.
But Matt, we have a pretty good view of our customers. We have really really great sales and marketing people that give us customer feedback and we really have a good sense of what's going on in our marketplace due to the connections and the relationships that our sales people have.
So we feel strong Matt about two things. You know the revenue associated with our base businesses, the revenue associated with our new acquisitions that are performing well. And then also the great operational excellence tools we have in the background. Although gross margin ticked back slightly this quarter, we showed you why, we feel really strongly by what our supply chain and our quality improvement teams are doing to enhance our gross margin. So we feel good about the quarter, Matt.
You also talked a little bit about timing around NanoKnife, so did some sales get pushed from 3Q to 4Q? And then also, can you talk about how you expect NanoKnife revenue to progress through the course of the clinical trial?
Sure. A couple of things, I’ll address just your first piece. We don't really push sales, you know especially capital sales. As you know in medical device business, I've been doing this 30 years, capital sales really are at the whim of our customers, you know who when they choose a technology like NanoKnife they have to go through the approvals necessary in their own healthcare networks to get the approval for capital spend. And sometimes those approvals and the spend things come at different pace. We can't control those.
So, I think we see sales that we expect through one quarter sometimes come a little earlier or a little late, but we don't actually push a direct that our customers do that. So yes, a little softer than we thought, but not at all an issue for us. And secondarily, as far as what we expect for NanoKnife due to the trial, I think what we'll do Matt is give you some updated guidance soon.
We roll out our 2020 plan that you'll have in full detail and even a three year look at our strategic plan. We'll give you then a really good thorough walkthrough of how we believe in NanoKnife trial impact ourselves. Steve?
The one thing I would add to that Matt is we will be coming out with that new three year plan and you'll get some color around revenue as we move forward there. You know the primary purpose of running this trial is not to generate revenue. Clearly, the primary purpose of running this trial is to generate the evidence to prove out to our stakeholders as well as the regulatory agencies that we should have an expanded indication that this technology plays a very important role in treating its very deadly disease.
That being said, because it is a product that we have on the market because we've gone through the process with the ICD-10 code that we talked about, and that we've been able to prove the initial questions, the safety and efficacy to end up with the category B, we do expect that there will be revenue that will help mitigate any of the costs of this trial so that wouldn't be seen in the typical cost and trial in a very linear fashion. So I would expect there will be more color to come up with that three year plan in that context.
And then onto OarTrac congratulations on getting that through the 510-K approval, can give us a sense of what the expectations for that is as you kind of -- as you as you ramp that over the next one or two years?
Yes. So Matt, what I'll do is, joining us on the call too is Brent Boucher, who the General Manager for Oncology business. I'll have Brent answer that question for you Matt.
Hey Matt. It's Brent. Nice to talk to you again. So the indication that we got just to clarify for those also listening in is an expanded indication that enables the OarTrac system, which was previously cleared for both full-time radiation and high dose -- high dose rate Reiki therapy during cancer treatments was expanded to include electron radiation, which is the most common radiotherapy treatment in the market today.
So certainly expands the capability of the OarTrac system to do real-time dosimetry in the three most common areas. So we expect this to expand our opportunity to position the product which again is the first of its kind to deliver real-time adaptive dosimetry reading in all three of these areas. So we expect it will impact the growth prospects for the technology going forward.
And just lastly Jim, can you give us an update on your efforts with the portfolio transformation and how you know conversations are going with the ability to maybe get some I guess get a couple more M&A deals through?
Sure, Matt. We've talked to our investor base, talked to our employees and our customers about AndioDynamics need to adapt our portfolio, to the changing clinical demands of our marketplace and the way our customers deliver care. So I wish I could announce things more quickly but as you know sometimes these ideas take a bit more time to get over the finish line than you'd want.
Again, I think we've shown the ability this current year with our acquisitions of BioSentry and RadiaDyne when we find unique differentiated technologies as both of these were. We're able to act quickly and to bring them into our portfolio and we'll look to do that again going forward.
And we also Matt may move some things out, that maybe don't work for us as well as they may work for somebody else. So we want to make sure our portfolio is more focused and defined, on giving caregivers exclusive technology and tools to deliver care. Matt, I can't wait to share news with you when we have it, about how our portfolio is defined more clearly in our future, but today this is all the news we have.
Thank you. [Operator Instructions] The next question is from the line of Jason Mills with Canaccord Genuity. Please proceed with your questions.
Good morning. This is actually Cecilia Furlong on for Jason, and I just want to continue on the NanoKnife discussion. Beyond pancreas, what is your current outlook in terms of different organs or potential utilization of the technology?
Thank you, Cecilia. So NanoKnife has been on the market for a while. We've had our general soft tissue indication. We've been following where the market has been leading us in terms of where this technology has promised. Clearly, we feel that pancreas is the first place to go. There's a pressing unmet need. We understand that the mechanism of action of this technology has a role to play to treat this deadly disease.
That being said, we think that NanaoKnife is a platform and we are absolutely looking at the next areas to go into. Outside the United States, there’s been a lot of data that we’ve generated in areas like prostate. I would expect that at someplace that we would, we would look at as we move forward. We also have a short medium and long term roadmap for this technology that includes additional organs. It includes additional changes to the technology and next generation elements of this technology. So we can think of things like brain, lung and other areas where the mechanism of action could really have a great promise.
That being said, we're committed to pancreas. This is a lot of the work that we've done. This is the comprehensive trial that we're embarking on currently, but we do expect to be expanding out into those other areas as we continue to show the promise of NanoKnife.
Okay great. Thank you. And then just turning quickly to AngioVac, could you provide just a little more color around one, what you're seeing right now and from a competitive standpoint in the market? And then just two, more on updates around next-gen products, and further color on how you're thinking about building out kind of that middle portion of the treatment spectrum? Thank you.
It’s a good question, Cecilia. So if you look back, as we mentioned today, again, we're really excited with the procedural volume growth again. Six quarters of really, really important growth for us. Our clinical team and our sales team has done a really good job in the conversations with our customers explaining the value of our technology. We also mentioned back last June when we started this fiscal year, the General Manager of that business and the sales and marketing team split the salesforce out, so they can have a more direct touch and build those relationships with our customers.
So now that we laid that groundwork, what you just said is important for us. We're coming out with a new version of AngioVac later this summer, which will enable our physicians really to do what they ask. They really designed this product in concert with us, to help them navigate it through the channels they want they want to get it to, to help with care delivery. We have another product and design would be about a year later, giving again more physician treatment and control over how they use our product in more areas.
From there as identified earlier, we know the space really well. And as we said earlier, a grade on the lower end of acuity with our Uni-Fuse and the grade on the higher end of acuity with AngioVac which does what no other device can do on the markets, but there is that significant gap in between, and there's some other good devices out there that we see from competitors that do a good job. But we don't think anything has really solved the exact need to deliver what our physician partners are looking for.
So we're looking at using our own research and development to expand the scope of our two devices, and we’re also looking as well for unique technologies that are available outside that maybe we can bring in house. So we hope to talk to you in more detail soon, but that's really what we see in this space. We think it's a unique opportunity. We have a right to be there based upon the two unique technologies we have today, with Uni-Fuse and AngioVac.
Thank you for taking our questions.
Thank you. At this time I'll turn the floor back to management for closing remarks.
Thanks, Rob. So folks to close. I want to remind the listening audience today, how proud we are of the work that was done here by the AngioDynamics team to get the approval and the IDE that we were able to announce yesterday.
This took a lot of effort and work by a lot of really talented people in our company, who worked tirelessly, and were committed to getting this approval over the goal line. We've added to our team significantly in the past two years here, bringing in some really, really talented people who helped us to get this goal. Now all we want to do is help our physicians treat more people in this area, and while we've done this, we've also run our business in a really good fashion. We've come closer and closer to what we believe will be defined a company from a portfolio perspective, and we'll share with you news as that changes. And we also do what we do best every day, our really, really strong operations and manufacturing team, manufacturers and assembles devices every day at world class quality levels, to help physicians deliver care to patients.
We have really good people at AngioDynamics and we look forward to sharing our story with you during the course of this year. Thanks for joining us this morning.
Thank you. This will conclude today's conference. You may now disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.
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Learn more about Seeking Alpha transcripts here. | 2019-04-23T10:02:56Z | https://seekingalpha.com/article/4252380-angiodynamics-inc-ango-ceo-jim-clemmer-q3-2019-results-earnings-call-transcript |
MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA APRIL 30 , 2013 07.00 P.M.
Shamshad Begum was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry. She had sung over 6000 songs in Hindi , Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil and Punjabi languages. Her songs from the 1940s to the early 1970s remain popular and continue to be remixed.
Shamshad Begum died this month on April 23 , 2013 at the age of 94 and I am forced to write 7th obituary in continuation in the month of April . Shamshad Begum , along with Noor Jahan and Amirbai Karnataki , dominated the pre-Lata Mangeshkar era in Indian playback singing .
Among female playback singers , She was blessed with a distinct voice with slight nasal twang and any lover of Hindi film music can immediately recognize her voice .
Since I was born and brought up in the Lata Mangeshkar era , I was not a fan of Shamshad Begum’s voice initially. But slowly , as my understanding grew , I started appreciating her voice .
The first song of hers , which caught my fancy , was ” Pee Ke Ghar Aaj Pyari Dulhaniya Chali ” . This ” Mother India ” [ 1957 ] song was immensely popular . Other songs of the same film ; ” Holi Ayee Re Kanhayi Rang Chhalke Suna De Zara Bansuri ” and ” Gadiwale Gadi Dheere Haank Re “ are also hit even today . Then I watched ” Mughal – E – Azam ” [ 1960] and its immortal qawwali is still fresh in my mind . ” Teri Mehfil Me Qismat Azma Ke Hum Bhi Dekhenge “ is a connoisseur’s delight . Then I watched ” Aan ” [ 1952 ] and I was permanently hooked to Shamshad Begum’s voice . All her popular songs , like ; ” Aag Lagi Tan Man Me Dil Ko Pada Thamna , Ram Jaane Kab Hoga Saiyyan Ji Ka Samna ” and ” Khelo Rang Hamare Sang Aaj Din Rang Rangeela Aaya “ are still my favourites . But ” C. I. D. ” [ 1956 ] was another revelation . ” Le Ke Pehla Pehla Pyaar , Bhar Ke Aankhon Me Khumar ” and ” Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana , Jeene Do Zalim Banao Na Deewana “ are just immortal . It is surprising that I heard her most popular song very late in my life . ” Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon Kiya Hai Wahan Se Telefoon , Tumhari Yaad Satati Hai “ . This song from ” Patanga ” [ 1949 ] is unforgettable and its several re-mixed versions are still extremely popular . ” Naya Daur ” [ 1957 ] film’s ” Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jaali Ka “ was a craze of its time . Her last hit ” Kajra Mohabbatwala Ankhiyon Me Aisa Dala “ from ” Kismat ” [ 1969 ] is one of the songs which was re-mixed again & again .
Shamshad Begum’s career was somewhat eclipsed with the advent of Lata Mangeshkar . She sang her first duet ” Dar Na Mohabbat Kar Le “ with Lata Mangeshkar in ” Andaz ” [ 1949 ] and her last duet with Lata Mangeshkar was ” Teri Mehfil Me Qismat Azma Kar Hum Bhi Dekhenge “ from ” Mughal – E – Azam ” [ 1960 ] . Within these 13 years Shamshad Begum’s career went downhill and after giving her last hit ” Kajra Mohabbatwala “ in 1969 , she bid adieu to playback singing .
Shamshad Begum’s fans often allege that her career suffered because of the monopolistic politics of Lata Mangeshkar . I beg to differ . Shamshad Begum played her innings and retired gracefully . Her career suffered because of the changing times and changing taste of film-goers . Talat Memood’s career went downhill with the advent of Mohammad Rafi . Even mighty Mohammed Rafi , towards the end of his career , was confined in his home for many years without recording a single song and Kishore Kumar ruled that era . In the field of art such things happen .
Her distinct style , her nasal twang and her strong voice , which was her forte in the earlier years of her career , became her nemesis towards the end . It is not for nothing that towards the fag-end of her career , her voice was used for vamps and her last hit ” Kajra Mohabbatwala “ in ” Kismat ” [ 1969 ] was filmed on Vishwajeet , who was masquerading as woman in the said film .
On behalf of all the students and staff of VIDUR Acting Institute , which is known as Vidur’s Kreating Charakters , I offer my condolences to the family of the iconic singer . Self-proclaimed most famous acting school of Mumbai , self-anointed most famous acting institute of India and self-appointed most famous acting academy of bollywood has no time for such courtesy .
May her soul rest in peace ! Her ephemeral body is gone but her perennial voice , the temple bell , will live on forever .
MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA APRIL 18 , 2013 10.45 P.M.
This is my 6th obituary in April and the month is yet to get over . I am extremely sad that in April so many luminaries from various walks of life left us for their final journey . First Hugo Chavez , then B. M. Vyas , then Ruth Prawer Jhabvala , then Roger Ebert , then P. B. Sreenivas and now Margaret Thatcher , The Iron Lady , the first and only woman Prime Minister of Great Britain also left us . Margaret Thatcher was not only the first woman Prime Minister of Britain but she was one of the longest-serving Prime Minister of the country .
Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990.
A Soviet journalist called her the “Iron Lady“, a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style. As Prime Minister, she implemented policies that have come to be known as Thatcherism.
Edward Heath appointed her Secretary of State for Education and Science in his 1970 government. In 1975, Thatcher defeated Heath in the Conservative Party leadership election to become Leader of the Opposition and became the first woman to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom. She became Prime Minister after winning the 1979 general election.
While in the office , Thatcher introduced a series of political and economic initiatives intended to reverse high unemployment and Britain’s struggles in the wake of the Winter of Discontent and an ongoing recession . Her political philosophy and economic policies emphasised deregulation , flexible labour markets, the privatisation of state-owned companies, and reducing the power and influence of trade unions.
The 1982 Falklands War brought a resurgence of support for her , resulting in her re-election in 1983.
Thatcher was re-elected for a third term in 1987. During this period her support for a Community Charge (popularly referred to as “poll tax”) was widely unpopular and her views on the European Community were not shared by others in her Cabinet. She resigned as Prime Minister and party leader in November 1990, after Michael Heseltine launched a challenge to her leadership.
After retiring from the Commons in 1992, she was given a life peerage as Baroness Thatcher, of Kesteven in the County of Lincolnshire, which entitled her to sit in the House of Lords.
She effectively retired from politics due to ill-health in 2002 following a stroke, and on 8 April 2013, she died of another stroke in London at the age of 87.
These days world is ravaged by the numerous small and big battles being fought in the various countries of the world . But in those comparatively peaceful days , the 1982 Falklands War is the only war , apart from Indo-China War in 1962 and Indo-Pakistan Wars in 1965 & 1971 , which I vividly remember . I started admiring Margaret Thatcher after the Falklands War .
I am not a war-monger , but I liked the way Margaret Thatcher handled the Falklands crisis . My admiration for her became stronger when I read about her bold decisions , which she took for the betterment of her country . It is not for nothing that she is admired by so many people all over the world .
It is disgusting that a microscopic minority is celebrating her death . At least they should learn to respect an old lady , who served her country to the best of her ability and served with true grit and unflinching determination .
Two images which I have posted above are in bad taste . This is not the way to treat a lady , an old lady , a dead lady . But figure bears true testimony . There were more than 4000 well-wishers clapping all along the way and there were only 200 ill-wishers showing their back and shrieking , ” witch …… witch ……… witch . I condemn these uncouth protesters .
On behalf of all the students and staff of VIDUR Acting Institute , which is known as Vidur’s Kreating Charakters , I offer my heartfelt condolences to the near and dear ones of Baroness Thatcher .
My acting institute is not the most famous acting school of Mumbai , or the most famous acting institute of India and or the most famous acting academy of bollywood , but I consider it my duty to offer my condolences and express my respect for the one of the greatest British leaders of our time .
MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA APRIL 11 , 2013 04.35 P.M.
Roger Ebert , the renowned US film critic and TV anchor , who was almost as famous as many of the Hollywood stars , died on April 04 , 2013 aged 70. It is sad that I got introduced to his world very late in my life . I am thankful to internet that I could know him intimately through his blogs , his twitter-handle and his hugely popular columns in newspapers . Now I do follow him on twitter but it all started recently . It all began just now .
” No good film is too long and no bad movie is short enough ”.
Roger Ebert was an American journalist, film critic, and screenwriter . He was a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death . In 1975, he was the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, an award given to newspaper writers . As of 2010, his reviews were syndicated to more than 200 newspapers in the United States and abroad . Ebert also published more than 20 books and dozens of collections of reviews .
Described as a “critic with the soul of a poet” Roger Ebert was named the most powerful critic in America by Forbes in 2007.
But two days later on April 04 , 2013 , he died early in the afternoon at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
Ebert, a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago, was said to have been “prolific, almost to the point of disbelief” with the weekend section of the Sun-Times often featuring as many as nine of his interviews, profiles and reviews.
His work included interviews and profiles of notable actors and directors in addition to his reviews – celebrating such legends as Alfred Hitchcock, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum.
In 1969 he took a leave of absence from the Sun-Times to write the screenplay of ” Beyond the Valley of the Dolls “ for Russ Meyer .
He also found television fame on Sneak Previews on PBS . It made Ebert a household name along with fellow critic Gene Siskel – who died in 1999 . Ebert’s television career was curtailed in 2002 when he was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. He was unable to speak and eat after further surgery in 2006.
His thumbs up and thumbs down reviews were very famous among the connoisseurs of cinema , who read his column or watched his show .
Ebertfest, my annual film festival, celebrating its 15th year, will continue at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, my alma mater and home town, April 17-21. In response to your repeated requests to bring back the TV show “At the Movies,” I am launching a fundraising campaign via Kickstarter in the next couple of weeks. And gamers beware, I am even thinking about a movie version of a video game or mobile app. Once completed, you can engage me in debate on whether you think it is art.
Of course, there will be some changes. The immediate reason for my “leave of presence” is my health. The “painful fracture” that made it difficult for me to walk has recently been revealed to be a cancer. It is being treated with radiation, which has made it impossible for me to attend as many movies as I used to. I have been watching more of them on screener copies that the studios have been kind enough to send to me. My friend and colleague Richard Roeper and other critics have stepped up and kept the newspaper and website current with reviews of all the major releases. So we have and will continue to go on. At this point in my life, in addition to writing about movies, I may write about what it’s like to cope with health challenges and the limitations they can force upon you. It really stinks that the cancer has returned and that I have spent too many days in the hospital. So on bad days I may write about the vulnerability that accompanies illness. On good days, I may wax ecstatic about a movie so good it transports me beyond illness.
I’ll also be able to review classics for my “Great Movies” collection, which has produced three books and could justify a fourth.
For now, I am throwing myself into Ebert Digital and the redesigned, highly interactive and searchable Rogerebert.com. You’ll learn more about its exciting new features on April 9 when the site is launched. In addition to housing an archive of more than 10,000 of my reviews dating back to 1967 we will also feature reviews written by other critics. You may disagree with them like you have with me, but will nonetheless appreciate what they bring to the party. Some I recruited from the ranks of my Far Flung Correspondents, an inspiration I had four years ago when I noticed how many of the comments on my blog came from foreign lands and how knowledgeable they were about cinema.
We’ll be recruiting more critics and it is my hope that some of the writers I have admired over the years will be among them. We’ll offer many more reviews of Indie, foreign, documentary and restored classic revivals. As the space between broadcast television, cable and the internet morph into a hybrid of content, we will continue to spotlight the musings of Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic Tom Shales, as well as the blog “Scanners” by Jim Emerson, who I first met at Microsoft when he edited Cinemania. The Ebert Club newsletter, under editor Marie Haws of Vancouver, will be expanded to give its thousands of subscribers even bigger and better benefits.
For years I devoutly took every one of my tear sheets, folded them and added them to a pile on my desk. The photo above shows the height of that pile in 1985 as it appeared on the cover of my first book about the movies published by my old friends John McMeel and Donna Martin of Andrews & McMeel. Today, because of technology, the opportunities to become bigger, better and reach more people are piling up too. The fact that we’re re-launching the site now, in the midst of other challenges, should give you an idea how important Rogerebert.com and Ebert Digital are to Chaz and me. I hope you’ll stop by, and look for me. I’ll be there.
On behalf of all the students and staff of my acting institute Vidur’s Kreating Charakters , I offer my condolences to Ebert’s wife Madame Chaz Hammel-Smith and his family and admirers .
I may not be running the most famous acting school of Mumbai , or the most famous acting institute of India , or the most famous acting academy of bollywood , or the most famous acting institute of the world , I may be small and very insignificant , but I thought it proper to offer my condolences to Madame Chaz and show my respect to the most famous film critic of the world . On his death even Barack Obama , the president of United States of America , expressed his grief . It shows his stature and importance .
Rest in peace sir ! You will be missed a lot . I will always be in touch with you through your website and your books . I will always regret the fact that I came to know you when the end was so close .
MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA APRIL 10 , 2013 01.10 A.M.
She was a German-born British and American Booker prize-winning novelist, short story writer and two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala wrote a dozen novels, 23 screenplays and eight collections of short stories . She was made a CBE in 1998 . She is the only person to ever have won both a Booker Prize and an Oscar.
She mainly wrote screenplay for Merchant Ivory Productions . In 1963, Jhabvala was approached by James Ivory and Ismail Merchant to write a screenplay for their debut film ” The Householder ” based on her 1960 novel. The movie, released by Merchant Ivory Productions in 1963 and starring Shashi Kapoor and Leela Naidu met with critical praise and it marked the beginning of a partnership that resulted in over 20 films.
The Householder was followed by Shakespeare Wallah (1965) , Roseland (1977) , Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie’s Pictures (1978) , The Europeans (1979) , Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980) , Quartet (1981) , The Courtesans of Bombay (1983) , Heat and Dust in (1983 ) , The Bostonians (1984) , Madame Sousatzka (1988) , Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990) , Jefferson in Paris (1995) , Surviving Picasso (1996) , A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries (1998) , the screenplay for which she co-authored with Ivory, The Golden Bowl (2000) and The City of Your Final Destination (2009) which was adapted from the eponymous novel by Peter Cameron and was her last screenplay.Le Divorce which she co-wrote with Ivory was the last movie that featured the trio of Merchant, Ivory and Jhabvala before Merchant’s death that year.
She won her first Academy Award for her screenplay for A Room with a View (1986) and won a second in the same category for Howards End (1992) . She was nominated for a third Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay the following year for The Remains of the Day (1993) .
The Nature of Passion (1956).
She will be missed . I saw her film ” The Householder ” in Palace talkies of Allahabad and was moved that two Indian actors ; Shashi Kapoor and Leela Naidu , played the main protagonists in the film , which she wrote . Though at that time I didn’t know that the writer of the film is Ruth Prawer Jhabvala .
On behalf of all the students and staff of my acting institute Vidur’s Kreating Charakters , I offer my condolences . May her soul rest in peace ! | 2019-04-25T16:45:04Z | https://mevidur.wordpress.com/2013/04/ |
The Yankees got the stabilizing rotation presence they wanted, as Jack Curry broke the news that New York had reached agreement with the A’s on a deal for Sonny Gray. Yahoo!’s Jeff Passan quickly confirmed the three prospects going back to Oakland in the deal: Jorge Mateo, James Kaprielian, and Dustin Fowler.
Gray slots right into the Yankees rotation alongside fellow acquisition Jaime Garcia, giving the Yankees a new-look starting five that includes Luis Severino, CC Sabathia, and a seemingly rejuvenated Masahiro Tanaka, who has cut his ERA from 6.55 at the start of June down to 5.09 and dominated the Rays over eight innings with 14 strikeouts in his last start.
Who wouldn’t watch a two-man Home Run Derby in November for a charity of their choice? If Michael Phelps can fake-race a shark then we could put this together somehow.
Also, this is pretty convenient timing, Canseco. The kid is in the middle of a vicious slump, after all. This hit-off needs to happen once he’s back to full force to make everything fair.
Statistically though, this might be over before it gets started.
Canseco’s probably most notable home run, in the 1989 ALCS, is estimated to have traveled 443 feet, not 500 feet or more as some have alleged over time. Just this season, Judge hit a ball to the upper deck of Yankee Stadium that was estimated at a whopping 496 feet.
So do I think that Conseco would actually win this little exercise? Probably not. But in the midst of tweets about time travel and “Would You Rather?” games, this is grounded in a way that Cheap Youth MLB Jerseys his other extemporaneous thoughts aren’t.
It will probably never happen, but what I’m saying is give the man what he wants Fc Barcelona Cheap Jerseys and make this happen. Make Judge prove himself in the Canseco-Dome.
“They’ll break me. They’ll kill me,” he said, of returning home to Venezuela.
He was speaking to the volatile political climate in the country, where government corruption runs rampant and to vocally support protesters can put someone’s life in danger. Cabrera has spoken in the past about the situation in Venezuela, but on Monday he was the most candid he’d ever been.
In between these videos were clips of his family on vacation, juxtaposing the stark economic and political realities of Venezuela with the every day life of a megamillionaire baseball superstar. Money, however, does not make Cabrera immune to fear and frustration. He sees what is happening in his home nation, he still has family there. His money puts him in a position to protect those he loves, but it doesn’t mean he does not feel rage about the fear and danger his loved ones remain in day to day.
Then the Royals started winning and winning, and while they didn’t exactly go on Mitchell And Ness Cheap Jerseys the same streak as the Dodgers, they were 44-27 after a 10-20 start. They were in position for a wild card slot, and that’s if they weren’t pushing the Indians for the Central.
The Royals have been outscored on the season, and their expected record is more like 54-60. The players they traded for — Brandon Maurer, Trevor Cahill, and Ryan Buchter — have all been terrible. The most important part of this endeavor, though, is that the Royals are going to be decimated by free NBA Cheap Jerseys China agency. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, and Jason Vargas are either going to be so expensive that they’ll prevent the Royals from signing some of the other guys, or they’re going away.
Todd Frazier is heading to the Yankees for prospects, with pitchers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle also part of the deal. CBS Chicago’s Bruce Levine was the first to report the trade.
The 2017 rotation is not getting much of anything from Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer, so even though Kluber, Carrasco, and Salazar are all contributing, and Mike Clevenger has done a great job of filling in the blanks, there is room for improvement. Kluber and Darvish together in a postseason rotation that also has Carrasco in it would be devastating to opposing teams, especially with Cleveland’s still-stupidly-jaw-dropping bullpen behind them.
Cleveland gaining Darvish would also help them secure an AL Central that has lost the competitiveness of the Twins and replaced it with the Royals, in what has basically been the equivalent of the real antagonist of a video game being revealed halfway through when it turns out you only defeated their underling.
This one is an A-, which might seem high, but again, we’re hours from the deadline. The only reason this isn’t an A+ believable rumor is because the Yankees and Dodgers are still involved in Darvish negotiations.
With that being said, though, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan says the Dodgers and Rangers “simply aren’t matching up” despite repeated attempts to do so, and the Yankees remain focused on Sonny Gray as their primary target. That might leave the Indians as the only team willing to give the Rangers anything for Wholesale MLB Jerseys Darvish, unless someone swoops in with a slightly better offer after realizing the Really Cheap Jerseys coastal bullies have left the room.
Should the Cardinals buy, sell, or stay at the MLB trade deadline?
It’s easy to dismiss the Cardinals since they’re under .500, but this is still a team that could surprise in the NL Central. They aren’t one of the NL’s premier teams like they’ve been in the recent past — the NL Central isn’t exactly setting the world on fire the way it was when the Cubs won 97 games and finished in third in the division — but they’re very much in that “anything can happen in the postseason” zone.
They just have to get there first, and there is no guarantee they will. So the question before them is whether it’s worth buying to try to be the weakest division winner in the NL — one potentially worse than either of the wild card teams — or if it’s time to sell to prepare for 2018. They could also sit and do nothing and see if their course reverses itself enough to overcome their middling season so far. But where’s the fun in that?
The St. Louis Cardinals were supposed to come back strong this year with Dexter Fowler in tow, but instead they have bounced between disappointing and dominant to end up right around .500 on the season. Thanks to disappointment elsewhere in their division, however, that’s not as untenable a position as it would have been the last few seasons in the NL Central.
Despite being home-schooled for the entirety of high school, Bo shined for Lakewood Victor Cruz Cheap Jerseys High School in St. Petersburg and was named Florida’s Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Baseball his senior year.
The Cubs are the Ghost of Baseball Past, then, a formerly dominating Wholesale NFL Jerseys Supply team with the same roster and young players, most of whom are young and were expected to improve. They can’t stop winning as many as they lose, though, and it’s made for a much more confusing season than anyone was expecting.
Headley’s resurgence has clearly been a big part of that.
Nope, if one asks Gardner about his newfound strength at the plate, he’ll just talk about setting up his teammates. He’s not trying to hit bombs.
Be that as it may, Gardner is hitting the ball out of the park more than he ever has before. This is only the third time he’s hit double-digit longballs in his 10-year career, and, prior to 2017, his career-high was 17.
With two months left in the season, he’s got a solid chance of belting 25, if not more.
The platoon situation at first base seems to be sidelined, as the Yankees sent down Garrett Cooper to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following Monday’s loss to Detroit. Cooper was getting fewer at-bats while Headley was thriving at the plate.
Headley, known as an above-average defender at third base, has actually done pretty well at the opposite corner. After making just a handful of appearances at the position during his Lakers Cheap Jerseys first 10 years in the majors, Headley has yet to make a single error this season at the position.
“I think he just found himself again,” Girardi added.
The Yankees are 16-9 since the All-Star break, including a 9-3 record in games Miami Heat Cheap Jerseys that Headley has played first in or pinch-hit in since the trade, and now have a half-game lead over the Red Sox at the top of the AL East.
A solid black circle with a white “16” in the middle of it sits on the left breast of every Marlins uniform. The circle has been there all season. It will be there another two months, a period that will include the one-year anniversary of the reason it’s there.
After that, the circle will go away. The sadness associated with it won’t, of course.
On Monday, on a night the Marlins were close to being no-hit at home by the Nationals’ Gio Gonzalez, “16” was very much on the minds of Gonzalez, the man who would end his bid, and nearly everyone else inside Marlins Park.
Hours earlier, Gonzalez, the pride of Hialeah, Fla., had met with the family of the late Jose Fernandez, a close friend and the last man to ever wear 16 for the Marlins. Monday would have been Fernandez’s 25th birthday. Gonzalez got to see Fernandez’s 5-month-old daughter.
With ace Clayton Kershaw on the disabled list with a back injury, Los Angeles has increased its likelihood of pulling off a trade before the July 31 trade deadline. In fact, according to MLB Network, the Dodgers are “increasingly confident” they will acquire either Justin Verlander, Sonny Gray NBA Cheap Jerseys or Yu Darvish.
Verlander made some headlines before the season when he and fiancee Kate Upton New York Jets Cheap Jerseys purchased a home in Beverly Hills. There was speculation even then that Verlander could be headed to the Dodgers.
Try to take advantage of some of the things MLB does well.
“So you’ll watch a highlight, and if you want to buy maybe part of a game that’s going on live, if you want to buy that game, you’ll be able to buy it directly through the app or subscribe to the service directly through the app,” Disney CEO Robert Iger told reporters Tuesday in announcing the agreement (per Marketwatch.com).
Disney’s investment in BAM Media comes three months after ESPN and MLB’s cable arm, MLB Network, began collaborating on programming. One hour of MLBN’s weekday program “Intentional Talk” has been airing on ESPN2 since May. ESPN began airing the show as it simultaneously reduced airtime for its long-running “Baseball Tonight” program.
So, back to the initial question, presented differently: Will all this synergy — the streaming deal on top of the programming deal on top of the cable deal — give Disney/ESPN too much influence over MLB? Not on the field, it won’t. Do not expect the owners and players making radical changes to the rules or to scheduling.
With that being the case, knock yourself out, Disney. Try to take advantage of some of the things MLB does well.
Analysis: The Astros want to turn their dominance in the American League into playoff strength, and Liriano is part of that strategy. The 33-year-old left-hander was 6-5 with a 5.88 ERA in 18 starts for the Blue Jays this season, but he will work out of the bullpen with the Astros, who boast a strong Vip Cheap Jerseys rotation when everyone is healthy.
Aoki, 35, and Hernandez, 24, give Toronto outfield depth. Hernandez Trade Cheap Jerseys could become a long-term contributor.
They don’t want to deal with him.
Murray isn’t the greatest receiver out of the backfield, but he was targeted a combined 96 times in his final two Raiders seasons. Lynch doesn’t offer much in the passing game, either, but during his final two full seasons with the Seahawks, he got 92 targets. Lynch was more efficient there in that sample size, with 73 receptions vs. Murray’s 74.
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A pair of Game 7 wins highlighted this run. The first came in the second round and on the road against the President’s Trophy-winning Washington Capitals, the next a double-overtime epic in the conference final against the Senators.
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Spooks Forum - How did you feel about Season 9?
/ How did you feel about Season 9?
How did you feel about Season 9?
RE: How did you feel about Season 9?
I'm not sure I've read all of this thread, but I'll go ahead and jump in anyway.
I think series 9 was a horrible let-down.
Throughout series 7 and 8, things had been slowly revealed about Lucas' past. The flashbacks of torture, the reminders of his previous life before he was captured in the form of Elizabeta, the tattoos and his mannerisms in general were all slowly revealing more and more about his troubled character. Then in series 9, we are suddenly expected to believe that almost everything he had ever done or said had been a lie...?
I think most plot holes have already been well and truly blasted apart by you guys (you're very thorough), but what got me the most was the lack of proper psychological development on Lucas' part. He went from being slightly troubled in that he was experiencing flashbacks, and being triggered by certain faces/words/actions, to being unable to cope at all with his life all because of one girl... who seemed to have absolutely no relevance to his life whatsoever! Maya was just such a pointless character. As far as I have gathered, she was married to Vaughn, and yet Vaughn was quite happy for her and Lucas to 'be together' as long as he received Albany. There was never any explanation as to exactly what Maya meant to Lucas. Was she supposed to be an old girlfriend? That wouldn't make sense in my mind. The fact that he transitioned from Elizabeta to Sarah quite quickly can at least be explained by his need to 'feel close' to people, but this sudden transition of affections to a woman who he hasn't known for 20 years (or whatever it was)? He never mentioned her, surely if she had had THAT big an impact on him he would have seen something which would have triggered that memory (if he had suppressed it), seeing as a number of other memories seem to come flooding back very quickly for him - which should be even more likely due to his apparent photographic memory.
I also hated the way that Lucas claimed he "deserved" those 8 years in Russia, after throughout the past 2 series he had been telling the team every so often that he "spent 8 years in a Russian cell", "did 8 years for this", etc. It seems odd that he would go from thinking his torture was completely unfair and undeserved to completely fair and deserved just like that.
The fact that a photo of the real Lucas North still existed on MI5's files can be somewhat explained... I seem to remember the photo was from a 'community club' registration, which is something that could potentially have been missed. However if Beth was able to pull up that information within minutes... why wouldn't Lucas have done?
I understand that people can be good at constructing lies and making them believable even to themselves, but this series took that concept way too far. There is no way that Lucas could have acted all of that. It's just ridiculous.
I have noticed that throughout the 3 series, Lucas' flats had less and less personal possessions in them... his first flat was covered in books and paintings, whilst his most recent only had one book according to the team. Could that be a hint at him attempting to escape himself?
Other things that irritated me were the lack of character development for Tariq, Beth and Dmitri. I think Tariq is underused as a resource particularly in this series, at least in series 8 he got a regular stream of abuse about his outfit choices!
Beth and Dmitri are promising characters, but I don't think we were actually told anything much about Dmitri, and Beth was forgotten about after two episodes. They definitely have potential, and I can see Beth stepping up into that "alpha female" role in the future... but she needs way more development! As much as I love Lucas' character, he was focused on far too much (and they focused on completely the wrong things anyway), so that the others didn't really get a word in edgeways.
I did enjoy the development between Ruth and Harry though That was nice. I hope things work out for Ruth, because she's the only person there sometimes who stops to think about how their choices affect real people. There was a nice quote from her, something along the lines of "Sorry, I'm not used to the idea of using people as chess pieces". Chilling!
The final episode was carried out poorly... that's all I can bring myself to say. I think the ending was left open, I can contrive a number of conceivable ways in which Lucas could have survived, and if RA's schedule allows it I would love to see him come back - if only so that the writers would have to explain this terrible plot!
(Sorry for the essay, and I hope I managed to contribute something without just rambling aimlessly).
Great summary, Byatil. I hadn't picked up about Lucas's "deserved 8 years" as opposed to what he said in other series. You are so right.
I totally agree with you, Byatil. I hated the Lucas storyline. It did overshadow the development of Beth, Dimitri and Tariq. If these characters are to be in series 10, then we are going to need to know a lot more about them.
I also believe that series 9 was a let down, I thought we were going to find out more about Lucas and his past, but instead we were told about some fictitious character called John.
While i enjoyed series 9,how could i not enjoy a brand new Spooks, i to was dissapointed by the whole Lucas/John story line.Everything we were asked to believe in in series 7 and 8 about this character was turned on its head.As for the new characters of Beth and Dimitri a very long way to go i think .The scenes betweem Lucas and Ruth in ep8 were so good they made me cry well done NW AND RA.Having spent a lot of time shouting at the tv at Lucas not to betray his country for that woman Maya,Harry does the same for Ruth. I am all for true love but really!Did they have to make Lucas so evil still in shock.
I think it must be quite difficult to be a writer especially when an actor has another part which will clash with filming Spooks and when you have a history that you need to tie in with. Actors / actresses can't all leave the same way (killed by bombs for example!) and this was original. It isn't beyond belief that someone with Lucas' past could be that screwed up and I should imagine that anyone in a Russian cell for 8 years would be desperate to have love in his life. The storyline did keep us guessing about whether he was really bad etc and the ending was great - Lucas overcame John and did the right thing. Most importantly it gave RA full scope to show his talents in this series, alternating between good and bad, and he did it brilliantly.
It is TV and is supposed to be entertaining and I think this series did entertain us. It certainly kept us watching and has given lots of talking points ! Yes, there are mistakes and holes in the story line but there are plenty of things in real life that are unbelievable as well !
(17-11-2010 01:42 PM)harrbd Wrote: I think it must be quite difficult to be a writer especially when an actor has another part which will clash with filming Spooks and when you have a history that you need to tie in with. Actors / actresses can't all leave the same way (killed by bombs for example!) and this was original. It isn't beyond belief that someone with Lucas' past could be that screwed up and I should imagine that anyone in a Russian cell for 8 years would be desperate to have love in his life. The storyline did keep us guessing about whether he was really bad etc and the ending was great - Lucas overcame John and did the right thing. Most importantly it gave RA full scope to show his talents in this series, alternating between good and bad, and he did it brilliantly.
They could have gone with the same ending but tie it into the history of Lucas's past rather than creating this new persona of John. They could have used already stated history and dig deeper into the past that a lot of fans wanted to explore and see, instead they came up with a strange-full-of-holes-and-contradictions plotline that hardly made much sense.
My issue is not that this wasn't original or that Lucas didn't die a hero. He could have still died a broken and shattered man without this whole John-thing! They could have used his prison years in Russia as the foundation for this change or show how his psyche was messed up by what happened. However original this storyline may be (and it's not that original), they could have easily gone with a storyline that actually delve into untapped character potential and kept the credibility and integrity of the character instead of making him a coward and destroying every good thing he's ever done, and twisting everything that had meaning and significance in Series 7 and 8 into something dark and twisted.
It is not hard to tie in a good credible history for the character, nor is it hard for writers to deal with filming conflicts, and for a role that RA would be doing in the Hobbit, the writers would have at least gotten a heads up that he could possibly end up on that film, and even then, a credible storyline can easily be made up. I am a writer myself, and from my point of view, it just seemed that the writers instead of wanting to take the effort to tie in already stated history into a working storyline, they just went with the more sensational, fanciful, and shocking storyline.
To me, it just didn't work. I've never seen a storyline with so many holes in it, and I've watched a lot of TVs and written many stories. There easily could have been a more exciting and plausible story about Lucas that equally give RA the material that he can show his range with. If even I can think of it and be able to work it out, then I see no reason why the writers can't take the effort to.
I wholeheartly agree, it's not that we couldn't see, (or for that matter, accept)that Lucas was messed up and that he probaly would end up dead, it's just that the storyline of John came from nowhere! His relation to Maya was as flat as a pancake and he himself was so unnecessary, they could easily used Lucas' past in order to write out his troubled mind and the choices he eventualy made. In fact, instead of making things easier for themselves, I think the writers made it more hard on themselves by creating this whole nonsens storyline, which they, indeed, finaly couldn't get out of in a decent way. So they chose a plot that lacked everything in terms of believability and cincerity, almost like Spooks is an ordinary soap, where you don't ask yourself too much questions when you watch it!
Lack of time or the fact that an actor has other things to do, should never be an excuse for messy writing, they could have waited a couple of weeks before airing S9 to insure the continuaty of the story, and I'm sure they could come to an agreement with the actors and producers involved to delaye other filming, I mean everbody likes to be able to be proud of what they do, no?
P.S. I'm sorry if my English isn't quite good! Hope you understand what I'm trying to say.
I'm a 16 year old girl, and I could think of a hundred different ways they could have written Lucas out... without the ridiculous nonsensical plot-line and without ruining all the work the previous writers had done building up his character. To be honest, by the time Lucas had disappeared... I just didn't really care. You're supposed to feel something when a well-liked, interesting character leaves a show. It was heart-wrenching watching Roz realise that she'd have to shoot Jo, and equally horrible realising that Roz would have to die for the sake of her country. I even found Adam's death sad - and I'd only seen him in action for 1 episode!
None of the above. History, I’m afraid. Even worse ... History of Ideas. Any questions about the manifestation of evolutionary theory in 19th-century visual culture, I’m the woman of the moment!!
(16-11-2010 11:59 PM)Byatil Wrote: I have noticed that throughout the 3 series, Lucas' flats had less and less personal possessions in them... his first flat was covered in books and paintings, whilst his most recent only had one book according to the team. Could that be a hint at him attempting to escape himself?
I'm really glad you've raised the question of Lucas' possessions, Byatil. This is yet another area where, it seems to me, the writing/production team behind seasons 7 and 8 had some kind of coherent plan for the realisation of this theme and what it meant for the character, and which season 9 simply up-ended in service of an unsustainable plot direction.
In 7.2, we see Lucas physically in the middle of the life, formerly his, that is being unpacked from the boxes in which they have been stored for the last eight years. He agrees with the lady who brings him macaroons (we will assume he has his suspicions about her, as he must do about more or less everything at this stage) that it is odd “seeing your life in boxes.” There is a horribly bleak edge to this line, both in the writing and in the utterance. Lucas is trying so hard to engage in small talk, but the skill is rusty after eight years of minimal use. He has to drag the very idea of offering a cup of tea from some neglected compartment of his social awareness. It is evident in the way he looks back into the room and closes his eyes before reassuring himself, and his prospective guest, that he probably “has a kettle here somewhere.” The mundane quality of this exchange serves to highlight the very real distance between Lucas and the world at this point, even though the world is really just a series of rooms filled with what anyone else would describe as possessions.
The only time we see him responding to the contents of the boxes is when he hangs, and straightens, the Blake prints over the mantelpiece. Everything else either stays in its box or is extracted and discarded. No attempt is made to re-engage with these other objects. They belong to someone who no longer exists, and has no need of them. The use he finds for his pre-prison life is tragic and telling: he uses it to expose the insecurity of his post-release reality. He strews the books and photographs and CDs (music he no longer hears?) in a calculatedly haphazard way around the flat in order to trap whoever tries to come near him. Ros is clever enough to recognise the trap. Somebody else might not have been.
When next we see Lucas at home, for a short scene in 7.5, and then again - for slightly longer - in 7.7, all the objects from the boxes are gone. What remains is purely functional.
We don’t see Lucas at home again until 8.4, by which point he appears to have moved house. The decor and the layout of this new flat are starkly institutional. Everything is at right angles. Everything has a purpose. Even the plant looks like the kind of greenery you see in banks and offices, installed so as to make the place look more welcoming and less blatantly corporate. It seems to me that the clear intention of the production at this point, in showing the diminishing progression in Lucas’ domestic arrangements, is not that Lucas is trying consciously to rid himself of any indicators of a personality. Rather, that he is separated not only from the person he was before prison, but from the person he is trying so hard to be: the person who has left prison, and the experience of prison, in the past. There is, I think, an important conclusion being drawn here on the part of the production. Lucas is not trying to forget who he was, neither is he having trouble remembering who he was. He is, rather more desperately, horribly aware that the person he was no longer exists, and cannot be called back into existence by the contents of some plastic storage boxes. There is a huge, and vital, difference between this line of interest and the somewhat clumsy logic used in season 9 to explain the absence of personal clutter.
(17-11-2010 11:12 PM)binkie Wrote: There is, I think, an important conclusion being drawn here on the part of the production. Lucas is not trying to forget who he was, neither is he having trouble remembering who he was. He is, rather more desperately, horribly aware that the person he was no longer exists, and cannot be called back into existence by the contents of some plastic storage boxes. There is a huge, and vital, difference between this line of interest and the somewhat clumsy logic used in season 9 to explain the absence of personal clutter.
Everything you wrote makes a lot of sense, but that point^ in particular is very telling. It did seem like he was desperately attempting to latch onto other people in order to feel more 'normal', and was engrossing himself in his work because it was the only place he truly felt safe. It makes more sense as to why he would allow Olgen (...was that his name? The Russian prison guard) into his flat - it wasn't necessarily a sign of stockholm syndrome, but perhaps more the fact that Lucas had nothing personal to lose, and that there was nothing else to know about him.
I suppose his tattoos also contribute towards this - he has some meaningful imagery stuck on his body, so I think it's safe to assume he wouldn't feel it a terrible loss to lose the Blake painting he admired so much, for example.
It's definitely very interesting that Lucas' character never really moved forward, in a way. He was unable to let go of his past, and I know I noticed him mentioning his stint in Russia more than was strictly necessary - yet he was desperate to get straight back to work. Almost as if he felt the need to prove to himself that he could cope, and be "one of the best" again. His personal-identity at that point seems to be based purely on how he performs at work, and how he interacts with those around him. It'd be easier to 'fit in' with the grid, seeing as none of them seem to have any real friends outside of work, and rarely have time for family.
Which reminds me, Lucas mentioned his father was a minister at one point - relevant information, or was it just a lie?
Just seems sad/strange in a way that no-one really noticed this behaviour. Once Lucas 'loses it', Harry immediately seems to comment on Lucas' "fragile state of mind", yet I don't remember him mentioning this before...? It's strange that it would take that amount of prompting to realise just how damaged Lucas was, unless the point being made is that they're all far too engrossed in their work to pay attention to individuals. Which explains why Lucas went to Ruth - apparently the only person there who understood how MI5's actions affected ordinary people.
Essays on Spooks are lovably bearable If only my A-level coursework were this interesting! | 2019-04-20T00:31:29Z | http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/post-37390.html |
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Understanding physicians’ antibiotic-prescribing behaviour is fundamental when it comes to improving antibiotic use and tackling the growing rates of antimicrobial resistance. The aim of the study was to develop and validate -in terms of face validity, content validity and reliability- an instrument designed to assess the attitudes and knowledge underlying physician antibiotic prescribing.
The questionnaire development and validation process comprised two different steps, namely: (1) content and face validation, which included a literature review and validation both by physicians and by Portuguese language and clinical psychology experts; and (2) reliability analysis, using the test-retest method, to assess the questionnaire’s internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient - ICC). The questionnaire includes 17 items assessing attitudes and knowledge about antibiotic prescribing and resistances and 9 items evaluating the importance of different sources of knowledge. The study was conducted in the catchment area covered by Portugal’s Northern Regional Health Administration and used a convenience sample of 61 primary-care and 50 hospital-care physicians.
Response rate was 64 % (49 % to retest) for primary-care physicians and 66 % (60 % to retest) for hospital-care physicians. Content validity resulted in 9 changes to professional concepts. Face validity assessment resulted in 19 changes to linguistic and interpretative terms. In the case of the reliability analysis, the ICC values indicated a minimum of fair to good reproducibility (ICC > 0.4), and the Cronbach alpha values were satisfactory (α > 0.70).
The questionnaire developed is valid -in terms of face validity, content validity and reliability- for assessing physicians’ attitudes to and knowledge of antibiotic prescribing and resistance, in both hospital and primary-care settings, and could be a very useful tool for characterising physicians’ antibiotic-prescribing behaviour.
Rates of antimicrobial resistance are growing worldwide, threatening public health and increasing morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs [1–3]. Research suggests that what underlies such high rates of antimicrobial resistance is the misuse of antibiotics in both human and veterinary practices [4–7].
Bearing in mind that antibiotic consumption in southern European countries is higher than that in the north of Europe , without obvious benefit to public health , it becomes fundamental to understand which factors underlie antibiotic misuse. Considering the pivotal role that physicians play in this process, an in-depth understanding of their attitudes to and knowledge of antibiotic prescribing and antimicrobial resistance is essential when it comes to developing effective interventions and improving antibiotic use [10, 11].
Two recent systematic reviews have highlighted physicians’ attitudes and knowledge as factors affecting physician antibiotic prescribing behaviour [12, 13]; those reviews were based on several qualitative and quantitative studies in different settings; however, any tool have been developed, validated and published which, based on these studies, allow researchers, health professionals and health authorities to measure these specific determinants of antibiotic prescribing.
Questionnaires are well-established tools for collecting data in health sciences and could be a very useful instruments for assessing physicians’ clinical-practice characteristics and understanding their antibiotic-prescribing behaviour.
Several scales have been published for assessing antibiotic misuse and overuse ; these scales evaluate the relationship between patients’/parents’ or physicians’ characteristics and antibiotic misuse in the community. According to Alumran et al., however, such scales display weaknesses in development and assessment of validation, which hinder their use in different settings or countries . Measurement of factors underlying physician misprescription of antibiotics should be made using reliable scales because these factors are extremely difficult to identify and assess.
Indeed, several parameters should be assessed to ensure the usefulness of the data collected, so that each question measures what it is intended to measure, all words and sentences are clearly understood, and all participants interpret the questions in the same way .
This study sought to develop and validate -in terms of face validity, content validity and reliability- an instrument designed to assess the attitudes and knowledge underlying physician antibiotic prescribing, in order to understand and improve antibiotic use in both hospital- and primary-care settings.
Section 5: free to express ideas and views on antibiotics and resistance.
In sections 2 and 3, agreement with statements was measured using a horizontal, continuous, visual analogue scale (VAS), 8 cm long and unnumbered, scored from full disagreement to full agreement.
Figure 1 depicts the different steps of the study. The study was previously approved by the Northern Regional Health Administration (Permit No. 010484/ 2011), primary-care facility directors and Hospital Administration & Ethics Committee (Permit Date 10/2011). Authorisation from the Portuguese Data Protection Authority (Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados/ CNPD) was also obtained (Permit No. 2886/ 2013).
The development stage, which included the build-up of the questionnaire and determination of the domain and concepts of the construct of interest. This stage consisted of a literature review [12, 13] and previous studies undertaken by a collaborative group in Spain . It is important to refer that section 2 (17 statements about antibiotics and resistances) resulted from the literature review and concern the most important attitudes identified as influencing antibiotic prescribing. On the other hand, section 3 present the sources of knowledge identified in the literature review as being used by physicians nowadays.
The judgment stage, in which the professional opinion of experts was evaluated. A convenience sample of two groups of physicians, one consisting of five primary-care physicians and the other of five specialists (2 internists, 2 paediatricians and 1 clinical pathologist) pre-tested the questionnaire and assessed the accuracy, clinical terminology, completeness and meaning of all the statements. An additional panel of two pharmacologists and two pharmacoepidemiologists also evaluated the content validity of the questionnaire.
Face validity, which includes an assessment of the grammar, syntax, organisation, appropriateness and logical sequence of the statements , was evaluated by two university professors, one an expert in clinical psychology and the other an expert in the Portuguese language.
For an instrument to be valid, it must first be reliable . Reliability refers to the consistency of a test or measurement . To assess questionnaire reliability, two aspects were addressed, i.e., reproducibility and internal consistency.
In September 2013 we used the test-retest method to conduct a pilot test in a so-called NUTS II area (Nomenclatura das Unidades Territoriais para Fins Estatísticos/Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) of Portugal defined by the Northern Regional Health Administration (Administração Regional de Saúde do Norte, I.P./ARS-N), using a convenience sample of 61 primary-care and 50 hospital-care physicians. The questionnaire, accompanied by an explanatory letter outlining the study, was personally delivered to the head of each unit who then proceeded to distribute it to all participants who agreed to take part. In line with previous studies [23, 24], an interval of 2 to 4 weeks was allowed to elapse between the first and second administration of the questionnaire.
Agreement between answers was assessed by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), a measure of reproducibility of repeated measures on the same subject . A one-way ICC was chosen because the effect of trials is not cross-checked against subjects (replication study; hence one-way) and the analysis is used to generalise from a trial that used a sample (thus random) .
Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha , which is a very useful parameter to describe the extent to which all the items in a test measure the same concept or construct, and it is thus connected to the inter-relatedness of the items within the test . When multiple traits underlie the items on a scale, the “tau equivalent model” assumption is not respected and Cronbach’s alpha underestimates internal consistency . Since Section-2 statements evaluate different concepts (physicians’ attitudes and knowledge), assessing Cronbach’s alpha may be inappropriate according to the assumptions of this parameter. On the other hand, in view of the fact that Section 3 of the questionnaire exclusively evaluates one concept (the utility of different sources of knowledge), Cronbach’s alpha would seem to be a very useful parameter for assessing the internal consistency of this section.
The response rates for the two groups of physicians studied were as follows: 64 % (n = 39) for the first questionnaire administered and 49 % (n = 30) for the retest among the 61 primary-care physicians, and 66 % (n = 33) and 60 % (n = 30) respectively among the 50 hospital-care physicians.
Based on data drawn from Section 4 of the questionnaire, Table 1 gives a breakdown of the socio-demographic and professional characteristics of the physicians included in the study. Notwithstanding the results reported above on the participants’ socio-demographic and professional characteristics, this study did not seek to evaluate the influence of any of these variables.
The content-validity judgment stage consisted of the pre-test and professional appraisal of the questionnaire. It was assessed by two groups of physicians who made 9 changes (e.g., in Statement 6, “The use of antibiotics on animals is an important cause of the appearance of new resistance” was amended to read, “The use of antibiotics on animals is an important cause of the appearance of new resistance to pathogenic agents in humans”).
Table 2 shows the ICC and Cronbach’s alpha results if any given item is deleted for both groups of physicians included in the study.
S 1: Antibiotic resistance is an important Public Health problem in our setting (Ignorance).
S 2: In a primary-care context, one should wait for the microbiology results before treating an infectious disease (Ignorance).
S 3: Rapid and effective diagnostic techniques are required for diagnosis of infectious diseases (Responsibility of others – Health care System).
S 4: The prescription of an antibiotic to a patient does not influence the possible appearance of resistance (Ignorance).
S 7: In case of doubt, it is preferable to use a wide-spectrum antibiotic to ensure that the patient is cured of an infection (Fear).
S 8: I frequently prescribe an antibiotic in situations in which it is impossible for me to conduct a systematic follow-up of the patient (Fear).
S 9: In situations of doubt as to whether a disease might be of bacterial aetiology, it is preferable to prescribe an antibiotic (Fear).
S 10: I frequently prescribe antibiotics because patients insist on it (Complacency).
S 11: I sometimes prescribe antibiotics so that patients continue to trust me (Complacency).
S 12: I sometimes prescribe antibiotics, even when I know that they are not indicated because I do not have the time to explain to the patient the reason why they are not called for (Indifference).
S 13: If a patient feels that he/she needs antibiotics, he/she will manage to obtain them at the pharmacy without a prescription, even when they have not been prescribed (Responsibility of others – Other Professionals).
S 14: Two of the main causes of the appearance of antibiotic resistance are patient self-medication and antibiotic misuse (Responsibility of others – Patients).
S 15: Dispensing antibiotics without a prescription should be more closely controlled (Responsibility of others – Health care System).
S 16: In a primary-care context, amoxicillin is useful for treating most respiratory infections (Ignorance).
S 17: The phenomenon of resistance to antibiotics is mainly a problem in hospital settings (Responsibility of others – Other Professionals).
Section 3 – In the treatment of respiratory tract infections, how would you rate the usefulness of each of these sources of knowledge?
S 1’: Clinical practice guidelines.
S 2’: Documentation furnished by the Pharmaceutical Industry.
S 3’: Courses held by the Pharmaceutical Industry.
S 4’: Information furnished by Medical Information Officers.
S 5’: Previous clinical experience.
S 6’: Continuing Education Courses.
S 7’: Others, e.g., contribution of specialists (microbiologists, infectious disease specialists, etc.).
S 8’: Contribution of peers (of the same specialisation).
S 9’: Data collected via the Internet.
The Cronbach alpha values yielded for Section 3 of the questionnaire were satisfactory (α > 0.70) for both groups of physicians studied (αHospital-care physicians: 0.783; αPrimary-care physicians: 0.770).
Applying the definition proposed by Roster B. , ICC values smaller than 0.4 can be taken to indicate poor reproducibility, those ranging from 0.4 to 0.75 to indicate fair to good reproducibility, and those above 0.75 to indicate excellent reproducibility. On this basis, all statements displayed a minimum of fair to good reproducibility in both groups of physicians studied and in both sections of the questionnaire. Eight (Section 2) and four (Section 3) statements by primary-care physicians and ten (Section 2) and two (Section 3) statements by hospital-care physicians study yielded excellent ICC values.
When comparing the ICCs obtained for the two groups of physicians, considerable differences were found with respect to six statements in Section 2 (S4, S6, S9, S10, S14 and S16) and four statements in Section 3 (S1’, S2’, S3’ and S7’).
Assessing knowledge and attitudes that guide antibiotic prescribing is an essential step when it comes to counteracting the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Several scales have been developed to measure the factors associated with antibiotic misuse world-wide [29–31] but most of them have not been fully validated . This study reports on the development process and reliability evaluation of a questionnaire (Additional file 1) designed to assess physicians’ knowledge and attitudes concerning antibiotic use. The results yielded show that the questionnaire: (i) has content validity, face validity and is reliable in terms of internal consistency and reproducibility over time; and, (ii) could be applied to physicians working in both primary-care and hospital-care settings.
In terms of public health issues and related policies, this questionnaire for assessing physicians’ knowledge and attitudes offers several advantages over other published instruments, in that: (i) it allows for assessment, identification and description of attitudes and knowledge regarding antibiotic prescribing and resistance among hospital- and primary-care physicians simultaneously, and this in turn allows for comparison between the two groups of professionals; and, (ii) it uses a VAS which is a highly interesting scale for assessing small differences between physicians and between groups of physicians.
Indeed, considering the growing rates of antimicrobial resistance and decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics, antibiotic misuse is a major public health issue around the world, to the point where it is threatening a return to the pre-antibiotic era. Bibliographic reviews [12, 13] of physician antibiotic-prescribing behaviour have highlighted intrinsic factors, such as their socio-demographic characteristics, attitudes and diagnostic uncertainty, as being at the root of antibiotic misprescription. The literature also points the collegial advice and the logistics of microbiology test results as factors affecting antibiotic prescribing . This questionnaire now enables factors -such as attitudes- related with antibiotic misuse to be identified.
Several interventions have been implemented around the world, targeting at improving antibiotic prescribing among primary-care and hospital-care professionals. Considering that these interventions should reflect the characteristics and barriers present in the setting where they are to be implemented, this questionnaire is an adequate instrument for assessing the factors affecting physician-prescribing behaviour, an essential pre-requisite for developing effective educational interventions and improving antibiotic use. When we aim to assess and improve attitudes influence on antibiotic prescribing, we can also use this questionnaire to evaluate the intervention effect (pre- vs post-assessment) on these determinants. Finally, use this questionnaire in different countries/ settings will also allows to compare the influence of this factors in different realities, which could help to understand different rates of antibiotic prescribing quality indicators in different countries.
Visual analogue scales are well-established instruments for collecting data in several different areas [35–37] and numerous studies have supported their usefulness, validity and reliability, when compared to Likert scales [38, 39]. While both scales capture similar information, a VAS assesses and enables the quantification of subjective phenomena, and might be able to discern subtle differences because of its greater range of possible scores [40, 41].
Face validity, as a form of validity that refers to a subjective assessment , and content validity, as a measure of the comprehensiveness and representativeness of a scale’s content , were assessed and guaranteed by the panels of experts, the literature review and a qualitative study conducted by a collaborative group .
With regard to the methodology used in the pilot study (test-retest), the main problem lies in the potential for learning or recall effects that can affect the test . The 2-week interval was fundamental to ensure that the time was : (i) long enough to avoid carry-over effects due to memory; and, (ii) short enough to avoid changes in physicians’ knowledge or attitudes concerning antibiotic prescribing and antimicrobial resistance.
The high Cronbach’s alpha values obtained in Section 3 of the questionnaire (Primary-care physicians: 0.770; Hospital-care physicians: 0.783) revealed the internal consistency of the statements in this section, and we feel that this is linked to the objectivity of these statements, which exclusively evaluate the utility of different sources of knowledge.
A comparison of the results obtained for the two groups of physicians could be very useful for assessing the appropriateness of the questionnaire and its applicability in each setting. The usefulness of the questionnaire was not the same for both groups of physicians. We feel, however, that these differences were related to the specific characteristics of each group, e.g., the differences found in Statement 9 of section 2 (“In situations of doubt as to whether a disease might be of bacterial aetiology, it is preferable to prescribe an antibiotic.”) could well be related to the availability in a hospital setting of microbiological tests that are not to be found in primary-care facilities. As regards the differences seen in the Section 3 of the questionnaire, the fair ICCs obtained for statements about the information and courses provided by the pharmaceutical industry (S2 and S3), could be related to primary-care physicians’ greater exposure to sales representatives, something that is in line with the reported influence of pharmaceutical companies in primary-care physician training .
This study’s main limitation lay in the size and selection of the sample. Even so, 30 participants in each group of physicians would seem to be a reasonable number for a pilot study where the purpose is preliminary survey or scale development . However, this sample size doesn’t allow to confirm the construct validity using exploratory factor analysis, which should be performed in future research with larger samples. While sample selection by a convenience method is the most widely-used process in validation studies, it nevertheless constituted our study’s main limitation . TTo evaluate the construct validity of the questionnaire, a larger sample size is needed; however, to confirm the structure presented, future research should also evaluate this using exploratory factor analysis.
Bearing in mind that antibiotic resistance is one of the main public health problems world-wide, this questionnaire would seem to be a very useful tool for collecting data on physicians’ attitudes to and knowledge of antibiotic prescribing and resistance, which is one of the most important factors underlying this global concern. Hence, this questionnaire should be used to assess factors underlying physician-prescribing behaviour in hospital and primary care, along with other possible variables, such as socio-demographic or professional-practice variables (medical specialisation, workplace and workflow). We believe that the use of this questionnaire could prove of the utmost importance when it comes to identifying factors underlying antibiotic prescription and antimicrobial resistance in both hospital and primary care.
Questionnaire development would seem to be essential for improving the likelihood of success in achieving the main study objective, which, in this case, is to identify factors underlying antibiotic prescription and antimicrobial resistance. This study presents a very comprehensive questionnaire which could be used on both primary- and hospital-care physicians.
The authors would like to express their sincere thanks to the following: the collaborative group at the University of Santiago de Compostela, namely, Juan Vázquez Lago, Paula López Vázquez and Ana López Durán; the experts who evaluated the questionnaire, namely, Professor Doutor João Torrão of the Languages and Cultures Department, University of Aveiro, and Professor Doutor João Caldas of the Psychology Department of the Advanced Institute of Health Sciences – North; and all the physicians who voluntarily participated in this study.
This work was supported by the Foundation for Science & Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT), Portuguese Ministry of Education & Science [PTDC/SAU-ESA/105530/2008] and co-financed by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) through the Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE) Program.
MTH and AF conceived the study and supervises the study development. ATR and MF conducted the study. FR and ER participated in the questionnaire content and face validity and, with AF also were involved in the analysis and results interpretations. All authors participated in the development and red the manuscript final version. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Taylor-Powell E. Pilot test your questionnaire. University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension. 2008. Available: https://www.team-psa.com/brfss/2012/pres/K_Trepanier_questionnaire.pdf. | 2019-04-25T08:17:20Z | https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com.preview-live.oscarjournals.springer.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-015-1332-y |
Bangkok has innumerable attractions, including temples, markets, palaces, and museums, ensuring that visitors with any interest will find something to keep them entertained on their Bangkok holiday. The following are some of the most popular attractions in Bangkok.
Location : Na Phra Lan Rd., Phra Nakorn District The Grand Palace is the grandeur architectural style which the Grand Palace has been the major architectural symbol of The Thai Royal Family but now this place is used for ceremonial purposes. The main buildings within the Grand Palace compound were built for King Rama V, who was the first Thai King to travel to Europe. Phra Thinang Chakri Maha Prasat, built in 1877 by King Rama V as his Royal Residence, is the most highly recognized architectural landmark of the Nation. The central Throne Hall, which was formerly used for the reception of foreign envoys, is flanked by reception areas decorated with galleries of portraiture. The central room on the second floor is used as a shrine for the reliquary ashes of Kings Rama IV, Rama V, Rama VI, Rama VII and Rama VIII.Borom Phiman Mansion was also constructed during the reign of King Rama V. When his son, King Rama VI ascended to the throne, he had it improved for use as his residence. The three succeeding Kings also resided here at one time or another.The Siwalai Gardens, where the office of The Royal Household Bureau is located, were used for receptions as well as a recreation area for the royal women and children.Maha Monthien Prasat houses The Audience Hall of Amarin Winitchai where ceremonies of the Court usually take place in front of the throne surmounted by its canopy of nine tiers of white cloth.
Sandals (without ankle or heel straps) can not be worn.
By BTS Sky Train - Take the Silom Line and get off at Saphan Taksin Station (or S6 Station), and go out through Exit No. 2. Then, take Chao Phraya Express Boat to Ta Chang Pier and walk to the temple.
By Car - The most enjoyable route is to take the BTS Skytrain to Taksin Station. From here take a Chao Phraya River Express boat to Tha Chang Wang Luang Pier. It is a short walk from the pier to the entrance to The Grand Palace public entrance.
Daily from 08:30 am. - 03:30 pm.
Adult 400 Baht. The fee includes admission to Wat Phra Kaew, The Royal Thai Decorations & Coins Pavilion in the same compound and to Vimanmek Mansion Museum.
The mansion was originally his Summer Palace, the Munthaturaltanaroj Residence, on Sri Chang Island. It was dismantled and re-built at the present location under the supervision of HRH Prince Narissaranuwaddhiwongse. The three-storey Vimanmek Mansion is the largest golden teak building in the world, built in an architectural style that reflects European influences. There are two right-angled wings, each 60 metres long and 20 metres high.
Exhibits include a silverware room, ceramic display room, glassware and ivory display. Some of the rooms have been preserved to retain the atmosphere of the earlier era, particularly the bedrooms, bathrooms and the Audience Chamber. Other buildings in the compound also house displays of various artifacts and precious art objects.
By Bus - taking the bus no. 12, 18, 28,56,70, 108, 515 and get off on Ratchawithi Road. or Ratchasima Rd.
Daily from 09:30 am. – 03:30 pm.
Location : Sri Ayudhya Rd., Rajathevi District Suan Pakkad Palace is the exquisite collection of traditional Thai homes, set in beautiful gardens and combination of fine arts and ancient artifacts from the era of H.R.H. Prince Paribatra Sukhumbandhu, son of His Majesty King Chulalongkorn, Rama V and Her Majesty Queen Sukhumala Marasri.
The reception area of House 2 exhibits personal items such as ivory boxes and bowls inlaid with mother-of pearl. Lovers of Thai musical instruments will be impressed by the collection in House 3 which also has a palanquin, nielloware and ceramics. Princess Chumbhots extensive mineral collection is on show in House 4, while House 5 has examples of Ban Chiang pottery. The Sukhothai era is depicted with ceramics, earthenware utensils and figurines in House 6.
Location : Kasemsan Soi 2, Rama I Rd. Jim Thompson Museum is an exquisite collection of traditional Thai house stands as a museum to the man who revived the Thai silk industry after the Second World War. The story of James H.W. Thompson is one upon legends are made. After serving in the U.S.A. armed forces, Jim Thompson settled in Thailand and found the tremendous opportunity to re-establish the Thai silk industry. In recognition of his services to the country, he was bestowed the royal award of The Order of the White Elephant.
The company he founded, Jim Thompson Thai Silk, is recognized worldwide for its brilliant creations.He was an avid collector of Asian artifacts and antiques and The Jim Thompson’s House is possibly the epitome of his collection. Before his mysterious disappearance in the Cameron Highland in Malaysia in 1967, his house was the talk of the town where he entertained his friends and visitors including the like of Somerset Maugham. The house sits on approximately a half acre of land on Mahanak Canal. Ban Khrua village where his silk weavers lived and worked.
Is just on the other side of the canal to build the house he gathered 6 original traditional teak structure from different parts of the country and brought carpenter from Ayutthaya who completed the house in 1959.The gardens are equally impressive with a lush tropical jungle imitating nature’s haphazard beauty right in the center of the city.Jim Thompsons connoisseur collection of antiques and artifacts is on permanent exhibition, making this a magnificent museum of the lifestyle of the legend.
Location : Charoen Krung Rd., Phra Nakhon District In past Khon was originally limited to the royal court but now Khon is one of Thai Art culture that can see at Sala Chalermkrung Theatre. Khon is the classical masked dance that is regarded as one of the most refined of performing arts. Performances are extremely expensive to produce, requiring lavish costumes, elaborate masks and headgear, and stage accessories that require highly skilled craftsmen to create. The scenes performed in the traditional Khon are taken from the Ramakien, a series of significant episodes in Thai literature based on the Indian epic of classical mythology the Ramayana that greatly influenced the literature of almost all nations in Southeast Asia.
Fri - Sat 07:30 pm. – 12:00 am.
Location : Charoenkrung Rd., Bangkorlaem District Joe Louis or Traditional Thai Puppet Theater is the art of popertry and fine classical performing art, beautifully combined into a unique and inimatable Thai art form. Each show has been neatly and elaborately created as a cultural heritage that can be presented at various occasions with pride.
Daily from 08:00 pm. - 09:15 pm.
Location : Tiamruammit Rd., Huaykwang District Siam Niramit has spectacular show of Thai Arts and Culture which one of the largest stage productions in the world! Siam Niramit has 2000-seat theatre presenting an amazing special effects.
Featuring a gigantic stage and state-of-the-art special effects the 80-minute performance is staged in three acts: Journey Back into History, Journey Beyond Imagination, and Journey Through Joyous Festivals.
For access to the onsite restaurant plus pre-show attractions, which include a beautiful traditional Thai Village where you can experience the ambience of rural Thai life in bygone times, and to explore elephant rides & feeding, and enjoy outdoor performances of traditional Thai music and dance.
Siam Niramit operates a free round trip shuttle service from Thailand Cultural Centre MRT Station (Exit 1).
Daily from 05:30 pm. – 10:00 pm.
Location : Sanam Chai Rd., Phra Nakhon District Museum Siam (Discovery Museum) is a center learning to understanding of the Thai people in their history, nation, culture, and localities, as well as connect relative ties with neighbouring countries.
New methods of a display with modern media have been applied to enable participation of visitors in learning and understanding historical stories of the Thai nation. The contents on display in the form of the ‘Essays on Thailand’ have been divided into 16 rooms in the three-storey building.
The first floor exhibits rooms of Immersive Theater and Typically Thai.
Visitors will gain knowledge and enjoy themselves from visiting each exhibition room. In addition, learning activities are organised for youth and aficionados of museums.
Tue – Sun 10:00 am. - 06:00 pm.
Location : Phra Nakhon District Chao Phraya River is the most important waterway of Thailand. There are cross river ferries and the river express boats serving as water-born buses bringing commuters to the city from as far up-river as Nonthaburi.
Location : Phra Nakhon District Khao San Road is dream destination for teen backpacker around the world because this place is a favourite crossroads for the young travellers on a budget. It has evolved over the last two decades from just one small hostel providing low-budget accommodation become one of the worlds most well-known destinations. It has been featured in many movies and television documentaries.
Daily from 08:00 am. – 02:00 am.
Location : Yaowarat Rd., Samphanthawong District The largest outside of China Yaowarat Chinatown is a bustling, crowded area where you can buy just about anything day or night.
The main thoroughfare through Chinatown is Yaowarat Road, which is approximately 1.5 kilometres in length. It was built during the reign of King Rama V. On each side of the road, there is a network of streets and alleys lined with shops selling all sorts of things. In many of these streets, you’ll find shops side by side selling the same items.
A visit at night will take you to a food street where you sit on stools watching your meal being prepared, then enjoying the delicious cuisine washed down by tea or a cold beer which carry on until midnight.
Daily from 07:00 am. – 12:00 am.
Location : Rama 5 Rd., Dusit District Dusit Zoo is dream destination for children which has many kind of animals from around the world. The zoo covers the area of approximately 118 rais and it is the perfect zoo in the middle of the city. It takes care of over 1,000 birds and nearly 2,000 animals.
Location : Raminthra Rd., Min Buri District Safari World is the greatest open zoo and leisure park which located in Min Buri, via Km. 9 on Raminthra Road. The 300-acre complex comprises a Safari Park populated by African and Asian mammals, a Marine Park with amusing performances of well-trained dolphins and seals, a Bird Park and a Games Corner.
Daily from 09:00 am. - 05.00 pm.
Location : Siam Paragon Siam Ocean World is largest aquarium in Southeast Asia which located inside Siam Paragon shopping mall. Siam Ocean World is a new attractions in downtown Bangkok by open in December 2005. With world-standard exhibits and features, the aqaruim comprises a 270-degree acrylic under ocean tunnel, a panoramic oceanarium with a 360-degree view through a 10.5 metre diametre fishbowl, an 8-metre deep reef tank and a rainforest display. More than 400 species or 30,000 marine animals including Penguins, Blue Ring Octopus, Gray Nurse Sharks, Elephant Nose Sharks, Leafy Sea Dragons and Giant Spider Crab can be seen.
Daily from 09:00 am. - 10:00 pm.
Location : Na Phra That Rd., near the Grand Palace Bangkok National Museum located on the opposite side of Sanam Luang to The Grand Palace, was established in 1887 by King Rama V. A visit to the National Museum reveals the history of Thailand and how people lived during the different periods which it gives you a view through the windows of the past.
The foundation collection was previously stored at The Grand Palace. The original building was formerly the palace of a vice-ruler. King Rama VII placed it under the administration of the Royal Institute of Literature, Archeology and Fine Arts which has evolved to be the Fine Arts Department.New buildings were constructed in 1967 and other historical buildings relocated to the museum grounds. The Buddhaisawan Chapel was built in 1787 to enshrine a revered northern Buddha image called Phra Buddha Si Hing. The interior has exceptional murals, while the building itself is a fine example of Rattanakosin religious architecture.
Tamnak Daeng is another building that has been moved to the Museum. This Red House was originally the residence of an elder sister of King Rama I. Furniture and other items from early Bangkok times. The National Museum collection encompasses a wide range of religious and secular art found throughout the country. Items from pre-historic times, through the Srivijaya, Dvaravati, Khmer Kingdoms and the Sukhothai, Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin periods of Thai history. These include Neolithic tools, painted pots and bronze objects unearthed in the northeast. Thai Buddhist art exhibits feature images in stone, bronze and terracotta as well as illustrated scripture books manuscript cabinets and votive plaques. The Museum also has a large collection of miscellaneous items such as Thai and Chinese ceramics, theatrical costumes, palanquins, weapons and assorted items used in royal households. Guided tours are given free by volunteers in English and French starting at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tours are also given in German on Thursdays and in Japanese on Wednesdays of the first & the third week of each month. Guided tours in some other languages can be arranged.
By BTS Sky Train - the most enjoyable route is to take the BTS Skytrain to Taksin Station. From here take a Chao Phraya River Express boat to Tha Phrachan Pier. Walk straight from the pier to Sanam Luang Park and turn left past Thammasat University to the museum.
Wed - Sun 09:00 am. - 04:00 pm.
Location : Near the northern wall of the Grand Palace Sanam Luang or Thung Phra Men a vast open ground situated near the northern wall of the Grand Palace and the eastern wall of the former Viceroy Palace or Wang Na. At the time when Bangkok was first established, the ground was a rice field and was sometimes used as a location for a royal crematorium, Phra Men in Thai. The ground was, thus, otherwise called as Thung Phra Men which means the crematorium ground. In considering that the name was inauspicious, King Rama IV had the ground renamed as Thong Sanam Luang, or the Royal Ground, and the rice farming there cancelled. Later, King Rama V had the Wang Nas eastern wall demolished and the area of Sanam Luang enlarged to cover a total of 78 rai as it does nowadays. The place has been used as the crematorium ground for kings, members of the royal family and nobility, in addition, to being a royal sporting ground. The king also had 365 tamarind trees planted around it.
Location : U-Thong Nai Road, Dusit District It is situated on U-Thong Nai Road, or ending of Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue, near Dusit Zoo. The Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall is the beautiful white building facing the Royal Plaza where the statue of H.M. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) stands. It is designed in Italian Renaissance style and was supervised by Chao Phraya Yommaraj, with a team of Italian architects, engineers and painters. The exterior is decorated with marble imported from Carrara in Italy. As beautiful as the exterior is, it is the exquisite paintings painted by Italian artists inside the Dome of the Throne Hall which trace the history of the Chakri Dynasty from Kings Rama I to Rama VI.
At the present, it displays the exhibition "Arts of the Kingdom V" which consists of Masterpieces of Thai craftsmen created with utmost skill by Sirikit Institute at Chitralada Villa. All masterpieces were made in auspicious Occasions of the present reign.
Location : Rama 1 Rd., Pathumwan District The worldwide chain museum, Madame Tussauds brings the world famous and Thai important figures that you can meet in the lifelike sculptures such as Queen Elizabeth, Barack Obama, David Beckham, Michael Jackson, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Dr. Phonthip Rotchanasunan, Maj. Gen M.R. Kukrit Pramoj, teen super model Pancake-Khemanit Jamikorn, Television superstar Anne Thongprasom, Pop singer Tata Young, martial artist Tony Jaa and many more.
Daily from 10:00 am. – 09:00 pm.
Thai Cooking School caters to people with keen interests in food and culture. Learn to cook famous Thai dishes in a relaxed and friendly environment. Small classes are conducted in a traditional open kitchen, and led by certified Thai cooks, making for a highly personalized and rewarding experience. It’s also perfect for the serious home cook who wants to learn how to cook authentic Thai food For their next dinner party, For spouses accompanying husband or wife on a business trip, or the adventurous traveler wanting to explore more than just the sights of our great City.
The modern sport of Thai boxing, known as “the art of eight limbs” since fighters use eight points of contact – hands, feet, elbows, and knees – has evolved from the ancient form of close, hand-to-hand combat that was necessary to defend oneself in battle hundreds of years ago. With the constant threat of war from Thailand’s neighbors, training centers slowly began to appear throughout the kingdom, these being essentially the country’s first Muay Thai camps.
For many years, travelers seeking to enjoy Thai boxing matches had to go a bit native, and either catch fights in small villages upcountry, or at throw-down "stables" in larger towns.
Those seeking more excitement and adventure eventually made their way to the great stadium in Bangkok, the dream venue for thousands of hungry young fighters: Lumpini and Ratchadamnoen. These modern coliseums remain fascinating cultural experiences for tourists, far beyond the fighting itself, given the rambunctious atmosphere, the loud traditional music, and all the shouting and betting.
Location : Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Hotel Erawan Shrine is one of the Thai capital’s most visited shrines, revered by local devotees and also one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bangkok. Thousands of the faithful congregate at the shrine to perform religious rites and attend prayers. Of particular interest to tourists are the vibrant dances performed at the site by accomplished dance troupes, which are hired by local devotees as a show of gratitude to the deities for granting their prayers.
Location : Silom Soi 23, Bang Rak District A place with a large collection of beautiful Shell around the world, selected and obtained to show their never-ending range of colors and forms. More than 3000 specimens of 600 selected species from the world are exhibited here!
Our legacy from many generation to show the visitors “Knowledge for little creatures” to understand the world and its background history through enormous fossils, cute vivid snails, colorful pectens, poisonous cones and much more.
This Museum will be another colorful experience for your Bangkok destination!
A place where knowledge and art are combined in harmony.
Buildings where huge outdoor Ammonite-like decorate are seen just a zoometer walk from Surasak sky train station, at the corner of Silom 23 Road, near Leardsin Hospital.
Daily from 10:00 am. – 07:00 pm.
Location : A-square Sukhumvit Soi 26 The FlowRider generates a thin sheet of water which flows over a hill like shape in the form of a flawless ocean wave. The resulting wavelike shape and fast running water gives athletes of all ages the thrill of surfing. The FlowRider is a unique innovation in water rides that is fun for everyone from kids to adults, but especially for that 13-29 age group; those who are so historically hard to impress, but who become addicted to the thrill and challenge of riding the FlowRider.
The FlowRider appeals to a variety of board-sports athletes-surfing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, skimboarding, skateboarding-and the learning curve takes time, but is steep as riders progress from riding in a prone position on bodyboards, to standing up on flowboards, to doing ollies and flip tricks. The first ride on a FlowRider can turn into a life-time addiction, as first-time riders become repeat riders, and repeat riders become lifetime loyalists.
Daily from 08:00 am. – 12:00 am.
Location : Suan Siam Rd., Kannayao District Siam Park is located on Sukhaphiban 2 Road. Siam Park is the biggest leisure park in Thailand, in 300 rai. It is equipped with world class rides, exciting adventures, variety of entertainment and the most refreshing water park. It contains a man-made sea with towering slide, Vortex : 1of 2 largest suspened looping coasters with 33 m. high and 765 m.long and speed at 80 km/h., Boomerang,; a roller coaster at speed 80 km/h before twisting upside down, Condor; which will fly you 50 meter above ground with soaring and dipping the sky, Aladdin; a great excitement of centrifugal spin, Si-Am Tower; viewing Bangkok at 100 m.high with Gian Drop; drop to the ground from 75 meter high.
From Ardnarong-Ramindra Expressway, take Ramindra exit heading Minburi. Go straight forward passing km.8 bridge. Fashion Island Department Store will be on your left, go straight. 1 km from Fashion Island, there will be Nopparat Rajadhani Hospital on the same side. Turn right to Siam Park Avenue at the traffic light opposite to the hospital, Amorini Mall is located at the junction.
From Eastern Outer Ring Rd. (from Bangna), take Serithai exit heading Minburi. Go straight forward for 1 km. Turn left to Siam Park Avenue.
From Srirach Express Way connecting to Motorway (Highway no.7) heading to Chonburi. Keep left to Eastern Outer Ring Rd. (Highway no.9) heading to Bang Pa-In. Take "Serithai" exit heading Minburi. Go straight forward for 1 km. Turn left to Siam Park Avenue.
Location : RCA Plaza Building, Rama 9 Rd. Nanta Show is the world best comedy musical show, which was successful story in Broadway in New York since 1999. Cookin' Nanta Show conveys the message through the body Acting, facial expression, and music rhythms. Then, no matter where in the world you are from, you can enjoy the show. Nanta story contain kitchen happening and performers make amazing live sound with kitchen utilities with power & comic performance.
Nanta Show is located at RCA Plaza Building. Free shuttle service from MRT Petchaburi must be required in advance.
Location : The Chao Phraya Riverside Wat Arun known as the temple of dawn located on the Chao Phraya riverside which the temple was built during the Ayutthaya period and was originally called Wat Makok after the name of the local village Tambol Bangmakok. It means "Village of Olives". Wat Arun gets its name from Aruna, the Indian god of the dawn, hence its common name The Temple of Dawn. The location of the temple is in the area that used to be occupied by the palace of King Taksin who re-established the Siamese Kingdom after the fall of Ayuttaya more than two hundred years ago. The main Buddha image is believed to have been designed by King Rama II. Wat Arun, often called The Temple of Dawn, is one of the most remarkable visual identities of Bangkok. The imposing Khmer-style prang or tower is 67 metres tall and decorated with bits of porcelain that was used as ballast by boats coming from China. It is surrounded by four smaller prangs.
Construction of the prangs were started by King Rama II and completed by King Rama II.The central balcony is an ideal spot for looking across the river to The Grand Palace and The Temple of The Emerald Buddha. Each year at the end of the three-month lent period for Buddhist monks, H. M. The King or his appointed representative travels down river in a Royal Barge Procession to present new robes to the monks. This ceremony is called Royal Tod Kathin.
Location : Na Phra Lan Rd., Phra Nakorn District Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha well known in Thai is Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram (the official name of Wat Phra Kaew), the royal monastery situated on the northwestern corner of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. It houses the statue of Phra Phuttha Maha Mani Rattana Patimakon (Emerald Buddha) and is the place where significant religious ceremonies are conducted. The construction of the temple was completed in 1784 and there have been constant renovations during every reign from King Rama I to IX. The interior of the Ubosoth and the entire compound walls are decorated with mural paintings. Apart from these, other highlights within the temple include the eight stupas, Phra Si Ratana Chedi, the model of Angor Wat, etc.
This royal monastery in the precincts of the Grand Palace was one of Thailand’s first attractions introduced to the world when the tourism promotion began 50 years ago. In addition to the importance as the home of the Emerald Buddha, the architecture of various different eras is an enchanting characteristic. One of the majestic embellishments here is the world’s longest mural painting portraying the enthralling epic of Ramayana on the compound walls.
According to the Bangkok poll conducted by Bangkok University in 2010, the highest vote from tourists for their most favorite destination in Thailand went to Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram. Both local Thais and foreigners are unanimous in their opinion. The temple truly deserves 'the best of the best' tourist attraction in Thailand.
The Royal Thai Decorations and Coins Pavilion is also located within the Grand Palace compound on the right hand side before entering the palace’s inner gate. This place displays a collection of coins and other monetary exchange units used in Thailand, as well as Royal regalia.
Location : Maharat Rd., Phra Nakorn District Wat Pho is most interesting and most famous temple in Bangkok for the golden reclining Buddha that measues 46 metres and has feet inlaid with mother-of pearl. The temple was combined history, medical science and is a center for meditation and traditional massage training. Wat Pho official name is Wat Phrachetuphon Vimon Mangkararam Ratchaworamahawihan. The temple was founded during the 16th century and in more modern times, Wat Pho has gained international recognition as a meditation centre and for the traditional Thai massage that is both practiced and taught here. Bas reliefs around one of the main buildings depict the story of the Ramakian. The walls have marble tablets describing basic anatomy and treatments. In the late afternoon, traditional medicine practitioners are there to dispense herbal mixtures. Nearby, there is a cloister where you can have a traditional Thai massage for a very small payment.
In 2008, the historic marble inscriptions in Wat Pho have been registered with UNESCO’s Memory of the World (MOW) as MOW documentary heritage for Asia and Pacific Region.
Daily from 08:30 am. - 06:00 pm.
Location : Bamrung Mueang Rd., Phra Nakorn District Wat Suthat or well-known as Wat Suthat Thep Wararam is one of the first-class Royal temples which you can see the beautiful of Giant Swing view. The temple situated almost in the center of old Bangkok and the surrounding area is also worth exploring as there are many shops selling religious items.
The building of the temple was commissioned by King Rama I, the founder of Bangkok, in 1807. Its location in the center of Rattanakosin Island. This was in keeping with the Buddhist belief that it is like Mount Phra Sumeru being the center of the universe. Phra Sri Sakayamunee, the principal Buddha image, was moved from Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai to be placed in Phra Wihan Luang in Wat Suthat in 1808. Wat Suthat is surrounded by an impressive wall 1.94 metres high and 0.85 metres thick. There are a total of 15 doorways leading into the temple compound. Within the temple grounds the most important building is the Phra Wihan Luang which is the Royal Temple. The mural paintings, covering all the interior walls are some of the finest to be seen anywhere. Each has stone inscriptions describing the pictures.
Surrounding the Royal Temple is Phra Wihan Khot terrace which is really impressive with 156 Buddha statues, mostly in the seated meditative attitude called Smathi. The chapel, Phra Ubosot at Wat Suthat is possibly the most beautiful in Thailand and is also the largest measuring 72.25 metres in length and 22.60 metres in width. There are four pavilions (sala) within the compound that are elevated to the height of the temples walls. These are used for various royal functions and for viewing the previous functions at the Giant Swing in front of the temple.The annual ceremony was held up until the 1930s but was discontinued to the high fatality rate as young men tried to swing high enough to grab a sack of gold on a pole about 25 metres in the air.
Daily from 08:30 am. - 09:00 pm.
Location : Ratchadamnoen Klang and Mahachai Rd. Wat Ratchanatdaram was built in the reign of King Rama III in 1846 and Loha Prasat standing 36 metres high with 37 surrounding spires, is the only one of its kind left in the world. Next to the temple is the area for welcoming an important foreign guest and a memorial statue of King Rama III.
Daily from 08:00 am.- 05:00 pm.
Location : Rama 5 Rd., Dusit District Wat Benchamabophit is known to foreigners as The Marble Temple as its exterior is clad in Carrara marble. Very talented The Prince Naris, a son of King Rama IV, designed the main building which was completed during the reign of King Rama V.
Daily from 06:00 am. - 05:00 pm.
Location : Chakkraphatdiphong Rd., Pom Prap Sattru Pha District Wat Saket and the Golden Mount located on the hill of Bangkok which is of great significance for all followers of The Lord Buddha. With 320 stairs take you up to the top for panoramic views of the Rattanakosin Island.
The Golden Mount is on a man-made hill with a diameter of 500 metres and soars 100 metres to the sky. There was a small chedi on this site and after it collapsed, King Rama III commissioned the constructed of a much larger one which was completed during the reign of King Rama V.
In 1877, King Rama V brought the Buddha relic in the custody of the Royal Chakri family from the Grand Palace to the Royal Pavilion at Wat Saket. It was then enshrined in the in the pagoda on top of the Golden Mount.
Two decades later, Marquis Curzon, the British Viceroy of India, presented more Buddha relics near the Nepalese border to King Rama V. These were enshrined in a bronze pagoda in 1899 and installed on the top of the Golden Mount.
The temple, Wat Saket, was built during the reign of King Rama I and is the location for a festival each November that includes a climb to the top of the Golden Mount.
Daily from 07:30 am. – 05:30 pm.
Location : Na Phrathat Rd., Phra Nakhon District This old temple was built in the reign of King Rama I. Located on Na Phrathat Road near Thammasat University, the temple houses Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University, one of the two highest seats of Buddhist learning in Thailand and also offers meditation classes for foreigners.
Daily from 07:00 am. – 05:00 pm.
Location : Fuang Nakhon Rd. (near Wat Pho Fueang Nakhon Rd.), Phra Nakhon District The temple is located on Fuang Nakhon Road near Wat Pho. Built by King Rama V in 1869, it was in keeping with tradition that each monarch constructed a temple to mark his reign. The temple is a mixture of local and western styles, showing an awakening interest in new ideas and a desire to experiment with them. The exterior of the chapel is in the Thai style, but the interior is decorated in the European style.
Daily from 08:00 am. – 05:00 pm.
Location : Mahachai Rd., Phra Nakhon District The temple was built in the reign of King Rama III with a mixture of Chinese architectural styles. Sunthon Phu, one of Thailand's greatest poets, had resided in this temple during his monk hood from 1840-1842. His residence is now open to the public.
Location : Wisutkasat Rd., Bang Khun Phrom District This temple is well known for a huge standing Buddha image called Luang Pho To. The image, built in the reign of King Rama IV, is 32 meters tall and 11 meters wide. The topknot of the Buddha image contains a relic of Lord Buddha brought from Sri Lanka.
Daily from 08:30 am. – 08:00 pm.
Location : Phra Sumen Rd., Phra Nakhon District This temple is located on Phra Sumen Road in the Bang Lamphu area. Built in 1829, it is the shrine-hall of Phra Phutthachinnasi, a very beautiful Buddha image which was molded in about 1357. This is one of the most important temples of Bangkok, whose one-time chief abbot was King Rama IV before he ascended the throne. King Rama IV and King Rama VII, as well as His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej had resided here during their monkshood.
Location : Charoen Krung Rd., Samphanthawong District Have you ever seen five and a half tons of goldω Wat Trai Mit, near the Bangkok Railway Station at Hua Lamphong, is home to the famous Golden Buddha which is 3 metres high.
Location : Rama I Memorial Bridge, Chakkaphet Rd., Phra Nakhon District This temple is located at the foot of the Rama I Memorial Bridge on the Bangkok side. Built in the late Ayutthaya period by a Chinese merchant, it is otherwise known as Wat Liap and is one of the 3 principal temples of the capital which include Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Ratchapradit and Wat Mahathat. It had been regularly restored since the reign of King Rama I through to the reign of King Rama VII, except in the sixth reign. Some of the temples principal buildings, especially Phra Ubosot the ordination hall which houses mural paintings by Khrua In Khong, were badly damaged by bombing during World War II. The buildings were later restored to their good condition as they appear today.
Wat Ratchaburana is located just opposite to Wat Mahathat. After visiting Wat Mahathat, tourists simply cross Naresuan road to reach it.
Location : Saran Rom Park, Mahachai Rd., Phra Nakhon District Situated to the north of Saran Rom Park, the temple is relatively small and covers a total area of approximately 2 rai. It was built in the reign of King Rama IV who intended it to be a temple in the Dhammayutika Sect as well as to be one of the 3 major temples as required by an old tradition to be situated within the capital. The place was originally a royal coffee plantation in the reign of King Rama III. With his personal donation, King Rama IV bought the plantation and had a small temple constructed there, naming it Wat Ratchapradit Sathitthammayutikaram. Later, he had the name changed to Wat Ratchapradit Sathitmahasimaram. A place of interest in this temple is Phra Wihan Luang - the royal image hall - which houses mural paintings depicting The Royal Ceremonies over 12 Months and legend of the solar eclipse phenomenon.
Daily from 08:00 am. – 06:00 pm. | 2019-04-22T23:01:28Z | http://bangkok.sawadee.com/topattractions.html |
Dental pain is the most painful one and with the increasing times, people are finding it more and more important to take care of their oral health. They end up settling down for improper treatment. But there are people who have seen it a worldly practice around Australia to find out the best care and treatment for their oral care that they have to see the right dentist around them. In fact, you eat a lot of food in your life and taking care of your teeth is something you should take care of eventually. These food items cause problems. It is the cavities that are essential to get a check around. So, if you have natural preventive measures against it, then you will save yourself a lot of time and investment from the future.
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Choose a good dentist as it is best to do so. You can get looked away, and you do not have to worry about your investment options.
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How to Choose the Best Dentist around your Location?
The job of a car mechanic isn’t just to use his ranges or screws and fix the problem in your car. The job of a car mechanic is also to understand what the problem with the car is, provide the best diagnosis, and then fix the problems using his best skills just like another working individual. In fact, car mechanics are just like doctors to cars, and that’s why the choosing process is so troublesome.
When you are looking for the best car mechanic, you need to judge them based on some of their qualities. Here we have discussed those qualities which must be there in a reliable car mechanic who knows how to treat your car and solve the issue.
The car mechanic must be an expert in dealing with different types of customers. Customer service skills are very important because you won't be visiting the same mechanic again if he did some damage to your car. While choosing the best car mechanic, you should check how they treat their customers, how quickly they respond to any queries, and how truthful they are. They should listen to your issues with patience and do their best to solve it in the best possible manner.
The best car mechanic must be aware of problems that usually come up with different car brands and models. They should have excellent skills in solving any issue with any type of car, be it on the interior or on the exterior. The mechanic should also be aware of providing the best and the most reliable solution to any problem in your automobile. Many expert car mechanics can quickly identify the problem with your car just by hearing the sounds that it is making or just by going on a short drive in it around the block.
Just like other service providers, the car mechanic must be flexible with your car type, the problem in your car, and with the way you want the car to be fixed. Flexibility eases the confusions in your minds about the quality of the mechanic. Also, the person should be good at communication, explaining the problems in easy language and giving you the needed suggestions. They should not force you to go for a repair that you don’t require. They should give you the suggestions and leave the decision on you.
While choosing the best car mechanic, you must look for the certifications to ensure he is knowledgeable about car parts and other technological factors. Most of the experienced and proficient mechanics will show their certifications to ease your dilemma. Some may even display them in their garage to show off their qualifications. Furthermore, this also establishes trust in your part. Also, look for the specialization certificate to know whether the mechanic is specialized in repairing your car model or not.
One of the most important qualities of the best car mechanic is their in-depth knowledge about different parts of cars, the related issues, and how to fix them. They should know how to use different auto tools, owing to the fact that each tool type has multiple variants depending upon the application.
As per the norms of the job, a car mechanic must follow the work ethics. If they are disgusted with the stickiness of the grease or the burning smell of the engine, then they aren't the trustworthy ones. The best car mechanic should put aside his own comfort level first, because being one, he needs to get under the car and handle the greased engine parts.
Another important feature of the best mechanic is that they should be aware of the changing technologies and how they are affecting the various parameters of the cars. For example, Mercedes has incorporated augmented reality in their cars, and if you own one, your mechanic should be aware of it.
One cannot get all the features in a single auto mechanic, but more the qualities, better the mechanic and more trustworthy he is. And most importantly a mechanic should be aware of the latest technology, the related problems, and the ways to fix them.
So, getting stranded on the wheelchair is the worst possible feeling you could has asked for. There are so many reasons and all of that are related to your health. Maybe you are suffering from a fractured leg or your spine is not giving your side. No matter whatever the reason it might be, just to make the sitting arrangement a bit more comfortable, you have to head towards wheelchair pressure relief cushions. As you can understand from the name itself, these cushions are gel based or available in other materials. It will protect the rear end from pressurizing against the wheelchair seat for long. So, even if you have to spend hours sitting on such chairs, you will receive ultimate comfort.
You are recommended to check the size of the seat and take proper measurements of the wheelchair so that you can order online for wheelchair pressure relief cushions just by searching it on Google. There are so many types of wheelchair pressure relief cushions are available in the market so you can choose the one which you find most desirable.
The cushion is an ideal option and a budget friendly one. It is perfect for those about to spend extensive time in a wheelchair. The cushion is ultimately designed for overall injury prevention and comfort. It helps in providing users with a perfect combination of support and pressure relief without just breaking bank.
Sitting on a wheelchair for long will cause some health issues like pressure ulcers, skin shearing, and infections. The right support in wheelchair or the geri chair might reduce the risk.
This gel based form construction of wheelchair pressure relief cushions might give pressure points in bony areas of backside and lower back that they relief while maintaining distribution ideal for extended use.
To help prevent disruption and slipping of user’s alignments which might result in injury or discomfort, the outer cover provides ties for securely anchoring cushion to mobile device.
It comes handy with vinyl inner cover, which is also water resistant in nature. These wheelchair pressure relief cushions come handy wit seas for heat sealed as it won’t allow water damage to foam inside.
For the light in weight example of wheelchair pressure relief cushions, you have the Jay X2 as the best example around here in the market. It is not just lightweight, but the features comprise of maintenance free and fluid cushion that comes with reduced profile. This section helps in providing stability and also pressure relief to some of the active users. This cushion uses elements from the JAY Extreme and active cushions as well. It helps in combining the proper features, resulting in time tested designs with addition of latest technologies.
Next one for you to invest money it has to be curve wheelchair cushion from comfort company. With some of the high ranks in design, comfort and materials, this is a wallet friendly choice starting at mere rate and with full variations of features. These characteristics make this option a budget friendly one for customers, who never wanted to skimp on amenities.
These curve wheelchair pressure relief cushions are made out of some premium quality polyurethane foam. Furthermore, the items comprise of contour shape, which is better for increasing user stability.
There is a mild anti-thrust shelf available right at the back of cushion with medial thigh separator. It helps in keeping the posture quite stable and legs parallel.
Apart from these options under wheelchair pressure relief cushions, the market houses so many other options as well. One such example is the Easy Fluid one from JAY. It comes with skin integrity and with some stability in question. This is a light in weight product and perfect for daily use. You can even head for other types, which the market has in store for you.
You must ask yourself a few questions when choosing building supplies for your house. There is a bit of research involved that must be done. This research will go a long way in helping you make the right decisions and you will be able to get the house of your dreams.
The Look: You must be clear as to what you want to build. You should have a generic idea of what your plan will materialize into and what sort of materials you would like to use. This is all the more important when you have a certain theme in mind. Whether you want a rustic country home kind of look or a modern villa, or perhaps you are looking to make your house look like a modern city home, visualize the look in your mind. The kind of theme will greatly influence the kind of materials which would be used for construction.
The Cost: This is perhaps the most important consideration that must be taken into account before committing to purchasing building supplies. There are always alternatives that can be used in place of certain items to reduce cost. Also, in case the cost is exceeding your budget then you can always cut back on certain luxury items that might not be necessary and can be avoided at the moment. If you have a higher budget for instance, then you can go for a fancy wooden patio and woodwork in your house’s interiors such as kitchen tops and so on. On the contrary, you might have to put such things on hold for a while if you have a smaller budget.
Durability: You must take into account the surroundings that you are building your house in, as the environment plays a major role in selecting the kind of building supplies you would go for. For instance, a place which has high humidity in the air and receives heavy rainfall would not be suitable for wooden work. Therefore, choosing more artificial or stone related materials would be a better idea for your construction. You can always discuss these things with the contractor as he would have sufficient experience in this field.
Availability: You must also take into account that the material that you wish to utilize must be easily and readily available until and unless you are willing to pay extra money to get materials shipped in from a different place that would add considerably to the cost.
Performance: Your contractor is the best person to suggest to you about the performance of certain supplies. Discuss what you have in mind and they would help you evaluate your options pertaining to building supplies. Their experience will come in handy and they generally would be more equipped to tell you which material is better for specific conditions or even in general.
How Can You Save Money on Building Supplies?
Ask for Discounts: There is no shame in asking for discounts. It is your right as a customer to get the best deal and bargaining is the key to it. Sometimes you can get a great deal through discounts and save considerable money on your building supplies.
Look for the Cheapest and Best Alternative: This one requires a little research. You must be ready to surf the Internet and/or go to various places to score a good deal. Sometimes, the most unexpected places can help you score cheap and good products.
Building a house can be a really difficult job as it nearly always goes over budget, but with some quick thinking, you can not only get the best materials but also save money on them.
Dental science has evolved by time and denture implants have become very common nowadays. Denture implants are planted when natural teeth face damage. If you have one of them, then you must know that similar to natural teeth, these prosthetics also need regular care. Brushing, flossing, regular dental checkup is important. This not only ensures that the implants are in best shape, but at the same time, it also enhances the life of the implant and you don’t face any health issues.
Dental checkup- Make sure that you visit the clinic regularly and get your implants checked for gums and mouth tissues. The doctor might suggest X-rays as well. This is to see if the implants and abutments are placed well. The clips might need a replacement once or twice a year. So, make sure you visit the dentists to check the status of the same.
Brushing regularly- Well, this is an age-old adage which still holds. You need to brush your teeth regularly. Regular use of implant dentures may lead to deposition of food that can affect the implant and hence, you must clean your implants twice a day. This helps in ensuring that the implants are clean and last longer without any infection. Make sure that you use around and a soft toothbrush for cleaning. You can also get a powered toothbrush for the same.
Flossing and wiping- Both these steps are integral for keeping your mouth clean and implants clear of any deposition of food particles. There are various types of floss available in the market like thin, thick, waxed and flavored. You can ask your dentist about the best one for your implant dentures.
Soaking- You must allow natural gums to breathe freely and at the same time, it is important to keep the denture free from any work. It is advisable to take out the implant dentures in the night and soak them in water. Also, you need to scrub the debris deposition on the implant using special brushes. These are usually thick and hard. Dentists will also provide you with denture tablets that you can mix with water and soak the implants in them.
Mouth rinsing- Remember, rinsing is not a replacement; it is a mandatory step. You need to rinse twice a day with lukewarm water to ensure that mouth and the implants remain clean and free from any infection or decay.
Additional care- Make sure that you remove the implant dentures daily and soak them in a solution that comes with them. Make sure that you check the O-rings, clips and locator caps. In case it goes missing, then you must contact the dentist.
Prosthesis Care- Carefully take out the prosthesis and brush it to remove any debris in the inner side of the denture. You can also rinse it with water or make use of non-alcoholic antimicrobial rinse to clean the prosthesis. Rinse the mouth with the anti-microbial mixture for 30 seconds to 60 seconds and then reinsert the denture into its place.
Professional assistance – It’s always good to take professional advice after having implant dentures. They will thoroughly inspect the gums and the implants and suggest the right measure to keep your implants clean and in shape. Mouth infection is a common scenario after having an implant, and hence you need to get the implant checked to see if there is any sign of the problem.
Final Thoughts- Implant dentures have emerged as a popular option for those looking for having teeth replacement, a bit of care and caution will make sure that the gums are in good condition and implants function well in the long run. | 2019-04-18T12:16:16Z | https://ozinformationhub.blogspot.com/ |
Electric Loco Shed is homing the work horse (WAG-7) of Indian Railways in Secunderabad division of South Central Railways is located in “Kazipet”, Warangal District – Telangana State.
The Electric Loco Shed was inaugurated on November 2004 to cater the needs of freight traffic requirements. Now the shed grew to homing 160 locos WAG-7 and 10 WAG-9 locos. And in process of augmenting its capacity to homing 175 locos to meet the future freight traffic envisaged in the 11th five years plan.
The Electric Loco Shed/Kazipet is in fore- front for achieving the stringent targets fixed by the Railway Board and Zonal Railways. During the financial year 2016-17 has achieved the outage of 147.54 locos against target of 129.30 locos and during current year, so far has given the outage by 14.07% more than the target of 159.65locos. The Electric Loco Shed/kazipet completed the major modifications issued by Research, Development and standards organization (RDSO) – Lucknow, thereby improved the safety and reliability of the Electric Locomotives.
Electric Loco Shed is the Railway infrastructure required to carry out the preventive Electric Loco maintenance by way of light and heavy schedule activities i.e. IA, IB, IC, TOH and IOH overhauls. In addition to preventive maintenance, unscheduled repair and b breakdowns attentions of locomotives are being carried out.
To achieve the target the human resources provided is much below the yard sticks i.e. 2.59 men per loco as against yard stick of 5.5 men per loco and the human resources are trained for carrying out the high skilled jobs related to the electrical rolling stock maintenance. The Loco Shed is one of the sheds which has outsourced all non core activities like electrical maintenance, housekeeping, cleaning, gardening, securities, loco painting and some of core activities to the RDSO approved outsources.
Our Human resources technical know - how has helped us to detect the defects during the maintenance activities and resulting it in avoiding of several online failures. The Electric Loco Shed is adapting the latest technologies for testing of locomotive equipments and as well as induction of latest upgraded equipments and the retro fitment on locomotives for reliability and safety in operations.
For better reliability and of operations to avoid online failures, the multiple units of WAG-7 provided are being for traffic to haul higher freight loads.
Loco Shed is having chemical and metallurgical laboratory to carry out the ultrasonic testing, Dissolved Gas Analysis, die penetrate testing to detect surface and sub surface crack of loco components for improved safety in loco operations. Pit wheel lathe for wheel turning of locomotives.
Electric Loco Shed/Kazipet inventory of 554 stock items with AAC values of 11.36 crores is being managed by the Assistant Material Manager to ensure the material resources just in time at economical costs.
In Indian Railways on Electric Locomotive wireless multiple unit system (WMCUS) is provided for 12 Locos i.e., 6 Loco sets commissioned as specified by RDSO is in progress in this shed as a first of its kind on Indian Railways. They are under observation.
Minor schedules viz. IA, IB, IC1, IC2, and IC-0.
Major schedules viz. TOH & IOH.
TRIP schedules & yard attentions of foreign locos.
TRIP Inspection of BZA & LGD based coaching locos.
I.T inspection of LGD based WAG-9 Locos.
Minor schedules of 10Nos WAG-9 Locos.
Un schedule repairs of all locos.
Night stabling Inspection of two MEMU rakes as OEM.
Achieved the zonal best and shield(sharing with BZA).
Achieved first prize in railway workshop sector, National energy conservation awards for energy conservation.
Failure analysis meeting and Job card analysis is being carried out duly involving Head quarters supervisors to audit the performance of all sections.
All seasonal precautions are being followed.
Section wise reliability action plan prepared based on failures and being implemented.
All safety items working condition is being monitored and no loco is allowed with isolation of safety items.
Own your loco concept is implemented ,each supervisor is owning 4 locos for monitoring quality assurance check in minor schedules as per prescribed proforma and accompanying of loco up to 100KM to check all critical items after first trip of major schedule.
To improve the appearance and durability of painting of locomotive, use of Polyurethane (PU) painting has been recommended. ELS/KZJ has taken the initiative and has planned PU painting of WAG 7 locomotives during major schedules through outside agency. Out of 160 locos 54 locos are with PU painting including newly arrived locos form CLW.
Shed has developed a test bench for M/s. Stesalit make MPCS. With the help of this test bench healthiness of all sub equipments of MPCS such as Input card, Output card, CPU card, Analog input card, Power supply card, filter card, SCU, ISCU etc can be checked.
Shed has developed a test bench for M/s. AAL make SIV. With the help of this test bench healthiness of all sub equipments of SIV such as inverter GDU cards, voltage sensor, power supply card etc can be checked.
Mapping of GDU cards in each schedule has significantly reduced locomotive failures on this account.
c) In house repair of Gate Drive Unit (GDU) cards of Auto meter Alliance Limited (AAL) make Static inverter (SIV): Pulse transformer failure is a type defect in GDU card of AAL make SIV. Shed could able to repair 23 cards duly rewinding Pulse transformer.
In all 51 M/s AAL make SIV provided locos failure prone Ziehl Abegg blower motors replaced with conventional 3 Phase blower motor and achieved improved reliability. Subsequently RDSO issued MS No.0449-Rev.0, Dated: 30.03.2016 for implementing all over Indian railways.
Cost of new blower: 8,000.
At ELS/KZJ till now 3 cases of track failures observed in M/s Medha make MPCS motherboard. On detailed investigation it was found that fevibond on the track is destroying the insulation and copper track. To avoid this type of failures one cycle check has been initiated during IC2/TOH/IOH schedules. All 60 locos completed.
To improve cooling for electronic cards of M/s. Stesalit make MPCS, 02 Nos. of 230V AC cooling fans incorporated in back cover of MPCS. This modification completed in all 24 locos. This has effectively reduced the temperature of Output cards by about 8 ºC to 10ºC.
In Siemens make SIV DC fans are being replaced with AC churning fan whenever fails. Till now in 3 locos provided.
For replacing of failure prone 2mm bus bar by 3mm firm offered one set per 33,000 but this modification was done with the bus bars using in loco. All 13 locos are modified with 3mm bus bar.
Loco No 28010 on 09.09.15 failed due to flasher lamp unit (on roof) fuse blown out. Driver could not check/replace the fuse as it is not accessible on line. Hence a modification is proposed to shift the location of glass fuse from roof top to FL control unit so that driver can check the condition of fuse instead of failing the loco.
Progress of modification: All locos completed.
Shed has developed an in-house mobile SPM testing unit to calibrate the SPM in position and to check healthiness of PG and related circuit without removing the unit from loco.
During CGR overhauling, CGR of 30 kg weight has to be shifted to test bench to measure the spring tension of CGR. For shifting, 2 man power is required and it is also unsafe for staff. To ease out the shifting of CGR one tackle has been fabricated and kept between CGR stand & test bench. With this tackle one person can shift the CGR effortlessly.
For on load testing of Servo motor graduator (SMGR), SMGR of weight 112 kgs has to be fixed to Graduator (GR) which requires four persons and it is also unsafe for the staff. In this respect one jig with movable arrangement through Wheels has been made. With this arrangement SMGR can be fixed with GR easily by one person and then tested on load which ensures healthiness of mechanical gears and correct assessment of progression/regression times.
At HL bay for storage of filtered GR oil separate tank was not available. Due to this only one loco GR oil filtration can be done at a time. If more than one loco needed GR oil filtration locos has to be kept idle for 3 hours and loco has to be shunted to inspection bay for oil filtration.
To avoid the detention of the locos a separate tank of capacity 800ltrs has been made in-house and kept at HL bay. With this storage tank 800ltrs filtered oil can be kept reserve for use of 10 locos.
Previously Teflon band used to clean with cloth, which is soaked in Orion, manually. By this, Teflon band cleaning was improper in in-accessible areas due to hindrance of brush holder. Accumulation of dust on Teflon band causes V-cone burnt.
For proper cleaning of Teflon band a Jig has been made by fixing the Orion soaked woolen felt in the Jig. This jig is fixed to the negative shunt of Traction motor rigidly and then the rocker ring will be rotated in right round. By this Jig inaccessible areas of Teflon band can be cleaned effectively. During IC schedules Teflon band is being cleaned with this jig.
Test bench for testing of various components of M/s Medha make MPCS has been inaugurated by DRM/SC on 12.04.2017. By this test bench healthiness of Input cards, Output cards, power supply cards, CPU cards, ISCU cards and Interface cards can be tested.
A vertical stacking stand for auxiliary motors has been made with drawer facility. Auxiliary motors can be placed or lifted using the crane easily. By this, working space has been freed, under the cranage area for over hauling activities of Auxiliary machines.
During 2016-17, 8 ZCT failures were occurred. To avoid the failures the following modifications are being done.
1. During major schedule out put ZCT is shifted from AC inductor to near output connection (06 locos completed).
2. During minor schedules proper bunching of I/C and O/G cables of ZCT is being done to avoid stressing of power cable on core of ZCT.
One of the main reasons for the bearing failures is excess grease. Some times manual greasing of bearings may lead to excess grease in the bearings. To avoid manual interference an automated greasing arrangement has been made. With this arrangement fixed number of strokes can be pre- set by using counter. This arrangement can be used for pumping fixed quantity of grease required in bearings.
This jig is useful when ever loco requires changing of centre pivot rubber bonded sleeve in position, due to bond failure of rubber bush or bottom stopper plate crack. By using this jig we can remove housing along with sleeve, attend necessary replacement and refit the same. With this arrangement time taken to replace the centre pivot rubber sleeve is reduced by 12 hours as there are no Traction motor (TM) connections /disconnections and body lifting.
Several cases of TFP oil rising cases were noticed. Upon investigation noticed clogging of radiator. Previously jet water was used to clean radiator. Hence, to ensure proper cleaning of radiator in shed has prepared an in house Radiator cleaning tank for cleaning of transformer radiators thoroughly with cleaning agent during IOH/TOH.
All WAG7 type locos are provided with Ejector nozzle type sand boxes. In order to ensure free flow of sand, sand ejection system is modified as per DSL locomotives. 22 locos are provided with modified sand box. For 4 Sets material available. Being provided during major schedules and planned to do in minor schedules within 2 months.
As per environmental friendly measure, in E3 aux section blowing chamber was fabricated to extract the dust during the blowing of stator and other motor parts.
A Tailor made screw lift with required profile and size have been prepared for removing and provision of air drier during major schedule/special attention quickly.
Shed have prepared stacking arrangement with released OHE masts for Transformer, TM, DBR and Auxiliary motors for better utilization of shop floor area.
58nos of standard safety posters of English & Hindi collected from National safety council and got them laminated on MDF boards and displayed at various locations of shed for creating awareness among staff for their safety and equipment safety.
As per HQ Lr.No.E.221/MS/Vol.XIV,Date:15.12.16 IT schedules of ELS/LGD based WAG-9 locomotives is being carried out from 15.12.16, Till now 19 locos IT schedule carried out.
Received First prize of National Energy conservation awards 2016 for conservation of Energy in Railway workshop sector from Ministry of Power, Govt. of India.
1. All inspection bay lights are replaced with LED lights.
2. Shed roof have been put up with transparent sheet for harnessing natural light. No light is being used during day time.
3. All cranes (05) are provided with VVVF drive for each motor.
4. Energy savers have been provided for 10 Nos welding machines.
5. 10KW solar panel has been provided for pumping station of ELS/KZJ.
6. Air compressors of various sections has been adjusted for cut-in and cut-off pressure settings 6.5Kg/cm2 to 7.5Kg/cm2 respectively.
7. All street lights replaced with LED lights.
8. T8 and T12 tube lights are replaced with T5 tube lights in sections.
Above measures have resulted into reduction of Energy consumption by 28000 units and saved about 3 Lakhs.
• Laboratory facilities for testing.
* Metallurgical analysis of materials.
* Magnetic particle test (MPT) - Equaliser / compensating beams, links, TM stator, Auxiliary motor impellers, Bogie weld joints, CBC screw coupling, Knuckle, Center pivot/supporting plate.
* Dye Penetrate Test (DPT) - Side buffers, TM pinion, MSU, Pantograph, GR rollers, SMGR crank shaft.
* DGA analysis of TFP oil by using Gas Chromatography.
* Water content in Transformer oil by Carl fish titration method.
* Acidity test in TFP oil.
* Ultrasonic Testing (UT)- Axles, Armature shaft, Equaliser/Compensating beams, Links, Axle box inner racer bonding.
* Metal content analysis with Debris’s monitor to detect metal content in grease of axle box, MSU and Traction motor bearings.
Wireless MU coupler (LocoTrol) first of its kind in Indian Railways has been fitted In 12 WAG-7 locos (i.e. 12 MMu’s) are successfully working between KTPS and Rudrampur siding in BDCR sector.
Detention on account of detaching, reversing and attaching of locomotives (MU), creation of pressure and continuity test, etc. are eliminated at loading & Un-loading points.MU operation is achieved without cable connection, thus giving flexibility in operation. Coupler forces are minimized to reduce the chances of train parting.
Sri K.L.Pandey, AGM/SC Rly, Sri S.K.Mishra, DRM/SC and Sri B.Singaiah, ADRM/O/SC visited this shed on 19-09-2013 and inspected the working of various equipments and performance was reviewed. In-house developed High Current Injection test and high run test panel was inaugurated by AGM/SCR.
Valedictory function of Raj Bhasha Fortnight of C Division organised by Sr.RBA/SC was conducted in Conference Hall of ELS/KZJ. The chief guest Sri K.L.Pandey, AGM/SCR and Guest of Honour Sri S.K.Mishra, DRM/SC distributed Hindi fortnight awards to staff based at kazipet.
Shed has given outage of 129.58 % against the board’s target of 114.31 % i.e. 13.35 % higher than the board’s target.
Ensuring 100% working of VCD & Air Dryer in all locos Dispatched from ELS/KZJ.
No loco is dispatching for service with Negative bonding.
Ensuring 04 Nos. of wooden wedges as per RDSO approved design.
Ensuring Hand brake in working order in all maintenance schedules.
Ensuring availability of fire extinguisher of 05 kgs. Capacity DCP type is being used in each locomotive with two Nos. in each cab i.e. four Nos. in each locomotive.
Ensuring availability of all 08 sanders in working order in all the locomotives, No loco is dispatching for service with defective sander.
Ensuring working of PHGR in all maintenance schedules.
Ensuring condition of Silica Gel in GR & TFP in all maintenance schedules.
Train collision avoidance system (TCAS) provided in locos 27406 & 27613 and trials were conducted. Shed has actively associated in this.
Shed has procured Hydraulic Torque Wrench for tightening axle cap bolts to reduce man-hours and starin to the staff.
Modified pins were provided in locomotives during this month as per RDSO/SMI no 264.Cumulative population - 142 .
Modified keeper pins as per RDSO modification no 388 were provided in 06 AOH/IOH locomotives during this month by this cumulative of 134 locomotives completed.
Statistical ineffective 5.66 % during this month as against target of 4%. | 2019-04-20T09:23:56Z | https://scr.indianrailways.gov.in/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,1,291,357,950,952 |
Rob Matchett hit a match winning 101 and assisted by Atif Ali Zaidi 60 it enabled Collingham 230-6 to take the spoils in high scoring encounter against Hoveringham 227-4. Andrew Edge 4/10 Kieran Cooke 3/12 & Kagiso Rapulana 41* all enjoyed excellent opening seasonal performances as Long Eaton 104-4 overpowered Belvoir 103-10. A defining 76 from G Walker helped Ellerslie 215-10 come away victorious as they felled Balderton 146-10 who have now lost both opening fixtures. Dave Barr hit 71 and M Iqbal took 6-21 in Wollaton’s 180-10 winning draw over Gedling Colliery 108-9. Relegated Attenborough 241-3 had Ben Shaw 99* and Byron Haycock 41* in fine form as they destroyed Hyson Green Carrington Caribs 72-0 to start life back in the SNCL.
Danny Williams 5/23 ripped apart the battling line up of Thurgarton 104-10 as Kimberley strode across the winning line scoring 105-4. Andrew Sharpe hit 44 as West Bridgfordians slumped to 111-10 as they were defeated by Attenborough 116-4 who had Charlie Simpkiss taking 4-32 and Martin Shoemaker hitting 44. Luke Gunn 43, Paul Macmillan 35 & 3-26 and Liam Brazier 5-48 all starred as Clifton 157-6 proved too strong for Hyson Green Carrington Caribs 156-10. Nott’s Unity Casuals 151-5 gained their first victory of the season in fine style when overcoming Caythorpe 149-9 at The Brian Wakefield Memorial Ground as Sohail Hussain top scored with 36. Eastwood’s fixture at home to Plumtree was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Max Collins 4/12 & Steve Wright 4-9 bowled beautifully as Southwell 65-4 overwhelmed Bramcote 61-10 in the seasonal opener. Father Joe Caunt 52* and his father Jason Caunt 5-12 teamed up as Kirkby Portland 128-2 opened the season in terrific form as they defeated Gotham 127-10. Jordan Harbottle 3/7 & Stuart Mills 3-26 took the plaudits as Radcliffe On Trent 71-5 disposed of Thrumpton 70-10. Beeston & Toton Sycamore 183-7 had Andrew Burrell 50 along with Raj Hanspal 5-32 figuring in the win over Keyworth 136-9 despite a fine 4-49 from Rob Baker.
Simon Oakley 3-15, Grant Newcombe 3-22, Steve Oakley 3-24, Ian Morrissey 32 & Jamie Coupland 38* all contributed as East Leake 129-4 got off to a winning start against visitors Caunton 128-10. Adil Khan 29 & 3-18 proved to be the match winner in a tense finale as Ruddington 169-10 defeated Caythorpe 165-9. The fixture at Whatton & Aslocton also became a casualty of the weather.
Nick Silverwood hit 70 as Bottesford 177-5 ran out winners over Ravenshead 115-6. A gripping encounter saw Lowdham 80-10 defeat West Bridgford Legion 75-10, both Andy Walters 6-22 and Justin Graham enjoying the bowler friendly conditions. Flintham 143-6 had a comfortable win over Beeston & Toton Sycamore 81-6. Scott Andrew hit 81 as Calverton 144-9 proved too strong for Long Eaton who managed 112-6 in reply.
Keyworth 149-6 had henry Walton scoring 93* as they defeated Attenborough 146-9 with nine overs to spare. Ben Johnson started the season well by hitting 68* as Woodborough 120-2 inflicted defeat upon Southwell 114-8. Geoff Burton with 63* helped Gedling Colliery 162-5 come away with the win over Gedling & Sherwood 124-10. The trio of Tayub Rehman 50*, Nasrullah Khan 4-37 & Qaasim Khan 3-22 combined as Hyson Green Carrington Caribs 166-4 defeated Balderton 107-10. Syed Hussain starred taking 4-5 as Chilwell 72-4 inflicted a six wicket defeat on Hucknall 71-10.
Kevin Pearson 4-17 took the honours as Stapleford 54-0 had a ten wicket win away from home as Hoveringham were bowled out for just 52-10. Scott Berridge 36* and 3-12 which was a hat trick was the man of the match as West Bridgfordians 93-6 defeated Oxton 90-10. Newark R & M, Thurgarton & Bramcote all were abandoned without any play at all in any of the games.
Rob Derry took 4-15 as Caythorpe could only muster 38-10 and Ruddington 39-1 ran out easy winners. Ryan Glossop scored 63 as Ellerslie 198-8 were comfortable winners over Thrumpton 98-10. A Cooper 52 & P Stones 55 helped Basford Old Boys 124-3 to the win over Lenton & Willoughby 122-10. Connor Richardson 77 & Thomas Bosworth 5-23 both provided the ammunition as Kimberley 164-10 ran out easy winners over Basford mill 105-10. Wollaton’s game was yet another victim of the weather.
Mark Holmes returned excellent figures of 7-18 as Underwood 62-4 were victorious over Chilwell 61-10. S Widdison 57 J Goode 52 * and D Nixon 4/18 all inspired Farndon 164-3 to the win over Attenborough 103-10. An emphatic 10 wicket win for Great Dalby 119-10 with L Harrison 62, M Child 55 and L Harrison 4-30 all producing starring roles as opponents Radcliffe On Trent were bowled out for 118-10. Jason Driscoll 61 & 3-23 starred as Kirkby Portland 139-9 defeated Collingham 86-10.
Burton Joyce 87-3 travelled home with maximum point when beating West Bridgfordians 86-10. Neil Brennan hit 53 as West Bridgford Legion 138-8 just edged home in a tight finish over Lambley 127-10. Steve Morgan 49 & 3/6, Matt Alford 61 and Matt Arnold 4/37 all contributed as Beeston & Toton Sycamore defeated Keyworth 144-9.
Belvoir 146/3 kicked of the season in fine style with a convincing win over Balderton 145/10, the home side were at one point 34-7 the recovery was led by Chris Dobbie who finished 62* but Lewis Dann with 49* saw the visitors home to take maximum points.
Sam Cliff & Colin Cliff both hit 48 in Thurgarton’s 153/10 as they fell to defeat away at Eastwood 154-2 as both Shaun Stocks 60* & Stuart Hill 61* both hit form with the bat early in the season. Prabhakar Manyala 100* & Oliver Straw 54* guided West Bridgfordians to a very competitive 224/5 and it an exciting run chase the pair of Saqlain Bazmi 79 & Stan Carter 71 steered the home side Plumtree 230/4 to victory. Arslan Shah 73 top scored as Notts Unity Casuals posted 170/9 but visitors Clifton 171/2 made light work of chasing the total down as Anthony Hart 61* & Richard Harrison 54 took the accolades. Calverton 189/7 and Caythorpe 189/10 shared the points as the two teams tied in a thrilling match, C King hit 68 whilst for Calverton the ever youthful Darren Wright hit 54 and took 3/35.
James Hawkes hit 61 as Belvoir 178/8 fell to defeat as they entertained East Bridgford 179/2 as Jerry Cruse 78 and Warren Hepples 57 both starred with the bat for the victors.
Despite a fine 76 from Jamie Lambourne his side Whatton & Aslockton 188/8 fell to defeat in the seasonal opener against Caunton 190/8 who had Andrew Rose starring with the ball taking 4/40.
Richard Shipman 90 & 3/24 along with Nathan Hartland 35 both were instrumental in the victory for Bingham 224/9 as they came away from Belvoir 185/9 with an opening day success.
Duncan McKeown 42, Richard Beaumont 30*, Ryan Easom 29* unbeaten partnership of 69.
Ryan Easom 4-20, Chris Berry 3-33.
Ellerslie 172-9 finished as runners up in the division with a twelve run victory over Balderton 160-10 as Hamish Moore top scored with 32 they were restricted by some fine bowling from Harry Capstick 4-23 and Luke Endley 3-42. In reply Balderton too found it tough going and only David Makey 41 found runs easy to compile as Ollie Taylor 5-18 and Hamish Moore again 3-38 gave the Little Bound’s side their highest ever league finish.
Kimberley 132-6 gained the win they needed to ensure divisional safety as they defeated already crowned champions Hoveringham 129-10, batting first the title winners were indebted to Stuart Walton with 56 in their low score as Danny Williams 3-32 & Sukhdeep Sidhu 3-22 bowled superbly and in reply Faraz Khan steered them home with 36* despite a fine spell from Brett Lear of 3-28.
It was a case of get your calculators, rule book and abacus out as Eastwood 173-5 took the win against Wilsons 172-9 and stave of relegation finishing on the same points as Wollaton. Zahir Ahmed hit 80 for the hosts but James Wooliscroft with 44 saw Eastwood home to the win with 7 balls remaining.
Champions Plumtree 170-8 finished of the season with a tight 2 wicket win over Gotham 169-8 who once again had the duo of Paul Blatherwick 42 & 4-67 and Rob Goddard 40* & 3-36 as the players in form but Daniel Bazmi 73 along with Steve James 43 saw Plumtree home in style.
Ian Graham 61 was the only batsman to show any kind of form as Keyworth were bowled out for just 137-10 with Zac Ashworth 5-33 being the chief architect for Southwell who finished on 143-6 at the close.
Attenborough 205-10 had a convincing win over Keyworth 146-10 as both Martin Shoemaker 67 and Jack Harrison 61 both enjoyed fine end of season knocks although Adam Pick bowled a fine spell taking 4-35, it was the down to bowlers James Hallam 4-47, Martin Rayner 3-25 & Tom Shields 3-47 to see out the season with another win for the runners up.
The mathematics were quite simple all Clifton had to do was to win their final game and hope Keyworth lost to secure promotion and at tea interval that all seemed to be going to plan as Oxton were bowled out for 122-10 with Haider Ali taking 3-22 but then Mark Groom produced probably the most important spell of bowling he has ever delivered taking 7-17 and with James Bailey 3-30 it meant Clifton were dismissed scoring just 47-10 in 14.5 overs.
Burton Joyce 84-2 finished of the season with a very convincing win away at East Bridgford 83-10, initially R Bramley 3-18 had been the pick of the bowlers and David Howarth 32* at least gave the score some respectability and it was left to Matt Powroznyk with 62 to see them home in double quick time.
Tom Godfrey 31 top scored as West Bridgfordians 141-6 went down to a nine wicket defeat at the hands of Beeston & Toton Sycamore 143-1 for whom Jamie Bowns 48*, Dennis Wright 43* & Stuart Tideswell 29 knocked off the runs required as earlier Donny Pezzola had taken 3-37 for the victors.
Ross Brown hit a final day 87 and Paul Harley 48 as Hucknall posted 206-8 but Bingham 207-8 ran out the winners with three overs to spare and had fine performances from both Joshua Beavis 37* & 2-37 and Brent Cox 3-24 in the win.
Congratulations to Hucknall 289-6 on securing the title with a winning draw away at Long Eaton 202-9 as skipper Robin Maxwell 108, Dale Campbell 87 & Aaron Lee 64* secured the points required and then Adam Scott 4-72 and Jack Pates 3-67 helped them to celebrate although Tim Taylor 45 and Ryan Cuthbert 43 & 5-64 gave excellent performances for Long Eaton. Belvoir 216-2 signed of in style with an away win at Collingham 210-5 as Tom Neville 114* and Greg Oldfield 89* eased them home, earlier Ben Dixon 87* had top scored for the host’s. Balderton got back to winning ways with a comfortable home win over Gedling Colliery 96-10 as David Lynn 63, Chris Morris 46, Ian Robert Sellars 44, Luke Endley 6-42 & Jordy Ashby 3-3 all made significant contributions.
Returning back to the top flight Hyson Green Carrington 173-6 finished the season of with a win thanks to Zahid Iqbal, 54, Kaiser Altaf, 71* & Umar Zaman 6-36 as they defeated Calverton 172-10 in an innings which saw Darren Wright & Matt Dean both score 44.
Champions Hoveringham 226-10 took maximum points as they came away from Bottesford 174-10 in celebratory mood and Stuart Walton 79 was once again the stand out innings of the match.
Despite a fine 79 from Danny Williams it did not prevent Kimberley 160-10 falling to defeat against Wollaton 161-4 for whom Ed Savill 74* and Falsal Khan 5-31 starred and next week’s game against the champions will be a nail biter in their bid for safety.
Craig Fairhill’s 46 proved decisive as Clifton 203-10 overcame West Bridgfordians 156-8 in a winning draw and it most worthy of mentioning a fine piece of sportsmanship from John Sheard from West Bridgfordians in the game which received positive comments from players from both sides.
Josh Scully 3-45 and Tom Harker 5-39 reduced Kirkby Portland to 170-10 but in reply Thrumpton were dismissed for 115-10 as the trio of Jonathan Williamson 3-25 Ashley Severn 3-24 & Michael Jennings 3-14 struck for the visitors.
Southwell 155-5 gained the win they needed to avoid the drop as Dave Rimmer took 3-49 as they dismissed host’s Gedling Colliery for 154-10 earlier in the day.
A final ball thriller saw Beeston & Toton Sycamore 180-10 victorious in the local derby against Attenborough 179-10 the highlights were 61 from Dennis Burrell, 55* from Andrew Burrell and 5-46 from James Hallam although sadly for the bowler his efforts ended up un rewarded.
Radcliffe on Trent 203-8 ensured promotion with a victory over Hickling 114-10 as Josh Mills 5-41 starred and the bonus points taken keeps Hickling up who are grateful to the contribution from Peter Bhabra 62 & 3-39.
The trap door seemed certain to close as Underwood were reeling at 59-9 chasing Newark R & M’s total of 120-10 but a magnificent last wicket partnership between Leighton Upson 41* & Marc Holmes 14* took them to victory as they closed on 122-9 earlier it seemed Mark Lee’s 6-42 would be in vain as he tore through the away sides line up.
Champions Bramcote 181-10 defeated third placed Ellerslie 114-10 denying them any chance of promotion as they gained a 67 run victory despite the best efforts from the bowling of Kamran Ul Haq 5-39.
James Foster 7-45 stole the headlines with a superb spell of bowling as East Bridgford 180-9 defeated Sutton Bonnington 108-10 and were left waiting for other results to find out that sadly they finish in the relegation places despite being level on points with Underwood.
Collingham 65-2 gained the win they needed to secure promotion when defeating Wymeswold 63-10 as both Alex Scott 3-16 & Josh Sugden 3-8 bowled impressively.
Alan Pearson 50* & Ben Buckley starred as Eastwood 139-7 overcame Basford Mill 136-10 to stave of any relegation worries. Any chance of promotion ended when Lenton & Willoughby were bowled out for just 115-10 by champions Farndon 116-4 for whom James O’Leary took 5-30.
Ed Brewin 75* guided Belvoir to a comfortable win as they entertained Fiskerton who could only post 132-10 earlier in the afternoon.
Dan Cosgrave 66, G Farrell 70 & 42* from Ian Flood helped Bingham 210-2 cinch the divisional title with a comfortable win over neighbours Whatton & Aslockton 208-8.
Tim Wheatley 44 & Manwar Sultan 40 were the backbone for the total set by Kimberley 217-6 as they then bowled out opponents East Leake for just 111-10.
Rob Smith 100, Rob Tapp 72* & Ewan Marks 58* saw Plumtree to a massive 309-2 and Caythorpe had no answer in reply as they were bowled out for just 98-10.
Mark Dulston 97 starred with the bat as Long Eaton 196-8 enjoyed an away win over Calverton 154-10 for whom Graham Waghorn hit 52.
Ali Hussain 5-29 & & Dean Cowdell 3-18 bowled Burton Joyce 160-9 to victory over Gotham at Spital Farm as they entertained Gotham 93-10.
Two issues were settled at the weekend firstly Caunton 63-2 gained promotion in emphatic style by crushing rival contenders Ravenshead 61-10 as N Suiter 4-17 & C Jewitt 4-21 eased the away sides nerves.
The second issue to be determined saw Southwell 171-7 relegated after falling to defeat against Beeston & Toton Sycamore 279-6 as James Rhodes 102, Jamie Bowns 72 & Rob Howe 3- 37 all produced when it mattered most for the victorious winners.
Hugo Orme 72 & Spen Taylor 33 & 5-33 combined together as Flintham 214-8 ran out easy winners over Bottesford 164-10. Farhad Amin returned figures of 5-10 for West Bridgford Legion 114-10 took the spoils in a very low scoring game against Kinoulton 68-10.
After leading the division for most of the season Lowdham capitulated on the final day as they were bowled out for just 44-10 against third placed Hucknall who had Nathan Whittamore 3-14, George Judd 3-16 & James Guthrie 3-10 all returning magnificent figures this result then gave fellow title contenders Young Lions the chance to grab the title and they did with both hands bowling opponents Hyson Green Carrington out for 121-10 and finished on 122-3 in reply with once again Rav Digwa 51* & 5-22 lead the way.
Bhuvanesh Sankaran 66 top scored for Gedling Colliery 174-8 but finished on the losing side as Woodborough finished on 176-7 with 8 overs to spare.
Kirsten Cowlishaw 105*, Tommy Wright 99, Tauseef Rashid 35 & Haider khan 6-21 all had a day to remember in a high scoring affair which saw Gedling & Sherwood 275-6 defeat Balderton 210-10 for whom Dave Colcomb top scored with a fine 89.
Waleed Khan hit 50 to give Clifton’s 220-10 promotion hopes a boost with a 101 run win away at Hoveringham and now the second promotion slot will be settled next weekend as 2nd play 4th whilst Clifton play Oxton.
Chilwell 179-10 lie fourth after going down to defeat against Bramcote 186-10 in a game they looked set to win until Tamil Dhanaseeian 41 & 4-41 struck late on with the ball.
Oxton 175-7 at now have a fighting chance of avoiding the drop after a match winning performance from Richard Martin 52 & 4-34 in their win over Thrumpton 146-10.
Keyworth 110-10 lost the chance to gain automatic promotion as they went down to a heavy defeat against runaway champions Attenborough 221-5 who had the pair of Sam Randall 72 & James Grenfell 97 in great form.
Man of the match Richard Wells 40 & 5-41 starred as Cotgrave 143-10 defeated Wollaton 125-10.
Tony Downie 49*, AJ Joseph 4-41 and Rohit Dwivedi 55 & 3-51 all helped Thurgarton 165-10 to a narrow 18 run away win at Chilwell 147-10 despite a fine 72 from Martin Tonkin for the home side.
Josh Buckley hit 50 as Stapleford 130-8 nervously took the win and secured promotion as they came away from Caythorpe 129-10 with the win.
R Parker hit 86 for Lenton Willoughby 208-9 in an entertaining win over Basford Old Boys 210-4 for whom D Hibbert hit 84.
A Crouch 6-17 from 10.5 overs including 5 maidens bowled excellently but Kimberley 119-10 fell to defeat against champions Madni 120-8 by just two wickets.
Underwood’s relegation was confirmed when they failed to raise a side against Basford Mill.
Champions Ellerslie 89-10 went down to defeat at the hands of Radcliffe on Trent 122-10 in a low scoring match which saw just one batsman pass 30.
J Picker with 44 and D Evans 4-18 ensured it was an early finish as Great Dalby 71-0 cruised home against Newark R & M 69-10. Yaqoob Khan 87 & 3-41 was once again on top of his game as Ruddington 199- 9 secured promotion and in the process the defeat upon Gedling Colliery 195-6 meant they suffer relegation despite a valiant 96 from Geoff Burton.
Luke Driscoll 38* batted with maturity and guided Kirkby Portland 69-4 to an away win over Lowdham 68-10.
Nazakat Ali again reached treble figures 109 as Poplars 260-7 squeezed home by just 9 runs against Breaston 251-4 a magnificent effort from the defeated side as they played the entire game with just nine players and had Sandeep Verma top scoring with 75*.
Farndon 168-8 are crowned champions and also deny promotion after beating rivals Attenborough 136-9 in a keenly contested contest, and in the process Collingham 233-6 were able to move into second spot after defeating Wymeswold 128-10 and both Simon Scott 90 & Andy Cousins 62 were celebrating promotion for the club.
Burton Joyce 176-6 had a morale boosting victory over Whatton & Aslockton as B Folkes starred with 40 & 3-19.
C. Fowkes 3-5, A. Shah 3-5, C. Fowkes 60 & D.Fowkes 39 all heaped misery on opponents Nott’s & Arnold 37-10 as East Bridgford 178-6 coasted to victory.
Thrumpton were relegated as they failed to raise a side against Belvoir.
Old Dalby 329-6 became champions after defeating Beeston & Toton Sycamore 99-10 with Alister Fell hitting a glorious 132 in the club’s triumphant day.
Bingham 77-1 have to settle for second spot as they too gained the win they needed over West Bridgfordians 76-10 with S Leach hitting 41*.
Robin Whitehead 42 & 3-2 ended the season in fine form as West Bridgford Legion 90-2 overcame Fiskerton 89-10. Nottingham Deaf 300-3 finished the season in great style as Andre Pears 94, Ravi Hundal 63, Liam Savage 49*& 7-1-13-3 along with Jordan Slater 41* as they outplayed Nott’s & Arnold 80-10. | 2019-04-20T07:05:38Z | http://sncricketleague.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=11&Itemid=169&limitstart=40 |
Technology and Science Magazine. Sharp introduced a completely new line of LCDs designed equally for computers and TV watching. The AQUOS P series is designed as much to sit on a desk as in a living room and is one of the first HDTV lineups to offer full 1080p video at small sizes; the 22-, 26-, and 32-inch sets all display up to 1920x1080 using either DVI, VGA, or one of the two available HDMI inputs. An integrated digital TV tuner and two 5-watt speakers allow the sets to operate independently of any outside device but can be used with a picture-in-picture mode to let users run a computer while keeping track of a TV show.
While input and resolution remain the same for each LCD, contrast ratios vary between 1,200:1 for the 22-inch display and 2,000:1 for the top 32-inch model. Sharp is initially releasing the AQUOS P in Japan with the country's proprietary D5 video input as well as support for HDCP-encrypted videos through DVI and HDMI. Pricing will be open on the market when the displays ship on November 22nd. Releases outside of Japan are unknown but would require changing or removing both the D5 input and the TV standards supported by the built-in tuner.
Technology and Science Magazine. Iiyama has announced a new lineup of touch sensitive monitors for desktop computers. The offerings consist of the 15" ProLite T1530SR, the T1730SR, and the T1930SR, all of which connect either through VGA or DVI, and support USB and RS-232 for the touchscreen interface. The new ProLite screens use a 4:3 aspect ratio and come in either a black or white bezel. The 15-inch model supports a typical 1024x768, featuring a 16ms response time, while the 17- and 19-inch versions are rated at 5ms response, with a resolution of 1280x1024. Contrast ratio for the displays is measured at 500:1 for the 15-inch, and 800:1 for the larger models.
The touch-LCDs are advertised as being compatible with both Macintosh and Windows-based systems, an offer a full set of on-screen controls. Iiyama offers the Extensive Touch Utilities to allow for 4-point calibration of the touch area with either nine or 25 point linearization, and the displays can be viewed in either landscape or portrait modes. Prices for the displays sit at £330 ($700US) for the 15-inch model, £350 ($750US) for the 17-inch, and £400 ($850US) for the 19-inch version.
Technology and Science Magazine. NEC announced the addition of three new wide-screen desktop displays to the popular AccuSync line, targeted to small- to medium-sized businesses, direct marketers, home office workers, system builders, and retail channels.
The 19-inch ASLCD194WXM and the 22-inch ASLCD224WXM displays replace the previous generation wide products, while the 17-inch ASLCD174WXM is a new addition to this category. Each is a multimedia product, and the displays are enhanced with a new, sleek, thin design. All models are touch-integration compatible. The three displays feature NEC’s exclusive ECO Mode, an easily selectable, power-reducing setting, which reduces brightness and cuts energy costs by 30 percent.
The models will be available in March 2008 with an estimated street price of $209.99 for the ASLCD174WXM, $229.99 for the ASLCD194WXM, and $329.99 for the ASLCD224WXM.
Technology and Science Magazine. By Martin Lemieux. The way we do business is changing rapidly. From VOIP, video conferencing, email support, telephone answering services, and the almighty internet. As a business owner we are faced with hundreds of decisions our parents and grandparents never had to contend with.
Some of you keep hearing from other business associates that internet marketing is the greatest method of increasing business and building a foundation for customer support. The only problem is, you've just learned how to send emails to people! Never mind learning about SEO, web design strategies, content analysis, pay per click, ROI, etc!
Do you hire an SEO company or do you learn yourself?
Investing time into your company is what we business owners do best but, in many cases, when it comes to learning new methods we quickly open our wallets to anyone out there who seems like the right person to help with your situation. This is the worst possible decision you can make.
Diving into the internet marketing community with your wallet open will result in a disaster if you aren't properly trained on how to spend your money wisely. The key is not to hire an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) company to take your money and promote your business behind your back. Try finding someone who offers you their "training services" in order to train yourself or someone within your organization to learn more about what is required online, how much effort it entails, and what pitfalls to avoid.
As a business owner, if you blindly search online and pick a company, you have no idea what you could be getting yourself into. There are no secrets to promoting your business online, only a lot of hard work. That being said, anyone with a computer can easily learn how to get their company high search engine rankings. Search engines don't look to see whether or not you're running a scam. No, they are concentrated on delivering relevant results for your search terms.
In the old days (and still practiced today), business owners would devise their own marketing plan through print media, business cards, postcards, flyers, brochures, newspapers, magazines, TV ads, and radio ads. By doing this, the company could track their results by trial and error and really find out what truly works for their industry.
Old fashioned marketing is a simple trial and error process. So is the internet. Unfortunately, all too many business owners don't have a clue how to start their own internet marketing process and they fail to even put their foot in the water. Instead, many business owners simply hire anyone they can find that seems reputable and then turn a blind eye and say; "Here's my budget, you are the professional, you tell me what to do". This is simply preposterous. You've worked so hard to get to where you are now by learning and adapting and as soon as it comes to marketing your business online, you simply shut down.
I hope that this article has awoken some of you. Don't be afraid to dive into the internet's vast realm of marketing potential. So what if you fail the first time around. When we started out, we had no idea what we were doing, 3 years later our website ranks higher than many other internet marketing companies world wide.
A concept I call "T.I.M.E."
So here you are 10 months out of the gate and your website may still be "locked in the Google sandbox" ( Search for "Google Sandbox" in Google for an explanation). Your link popularity is just starting to grow a little bit. Hopefully you haven't tried to link to everyone you can find and are actually linking to companies that are directly related to your business. Your PPC campaign is doing good. People are finally starting to come through Yahoo & MSN search results. You can sometimes find your company in the 200th spot within search results in Google and you are now wondering why this is taking so long.
Welcome to the world of marketing your company on the internet!!!
This timeline representation from above is just something to show you how "T.I.M.E." is the key of success on the internet and all we are required to do is keep plugging away and keep learning more every chance we get.
For most people who simply open up their wallets, they would have learned nothing in those 10 months and for everyone else starting an internet marketing campaign, those who didn't simply just open their wallets, their websites are probably 10 times further than yours!
Learn more about how to increase your marketing campaign on the internet. If you have to, hire someone in-house who can learn for you and give you updates on everything. If you truly need to hire an SEO company make sure it's for the right reasons like "starting and finishing a marketing campaign with you learning in the process", or "enhancing a campaign that is already in place", or "to revise your website’s conversion rate" or "create a impactful key word optimization campaign", etc. Take your time and use "T.I.M.E." to increase your business slowly but effectively on the internet.
The handset is both very camera- and data-focused. A 5-megapixel camera is accompanied by a high-power LED flash as well as by face detection and image stabilization - all features normally reserved for some of the better dedicated cameras, the company says. Transfers are quick with 3G Internet access over HSDPA up to 7.2Mbps downstream; the phone supports North America with quad-band calling over GSM, though whether it also supports 3G in the Western region is unknown. The phone makes heavy use of Google features and supports built-in Gmail and search functions, including a dedicated button at the top level of the interface.
The 12.8mm (0.5in) thick phone is said to be music-savvy with AAC, FM radio, MP3, and WMA support, including protected WMA music stores. Bang & Olufsen's ICEpower audio enhancement technology is also onboard the Soul, which should be available first in Europe by April but is likely to see service in the US through AT&T if left in its current form.
Technology and Science Magazine. Samsung has presented the F400 dual-slide with Bang & Olufsen's sound technology. There's a lot more to the F400 than its musical capabilities, but as they set the handset apart then it will be worth looking at them first. One immediately obvious feature is the large stereo speaker that slides up from the top of the handset, in a similar manner to the Samsung Serenata and the Samsung i450. This means that the SGH-F400 should be loud enough to actually hear your music tracks or the FM radio properly.
The sound system uses Bang & Olufsen's ICEpower amplification system, it also comes with music recognition, a comprehensive audio library function, Samsung's Digital Natural Sound Engine and other music related goodies. The SGH-F400 takes a standard 3.5mm headphone plug, and it also comes with an FM radio with RDS.
Samsung SGH-F400 As we said, there's more to the Samsung F400 than just music. This is an HSDPA capable 3.5G device with a maximum download speed of 3.6 Mbps. The F400 also supports GPRS and EDGE data, plus 2100 MHz UMTS and tri-band GSM. From this, we can tell that the Samsung F400 is aimed primarily at the European market.
On the back of the Samsung F300 is a 3 megapixel CMOS camera. From the press photographs we can see that it does appear to have a flash, but we don't know if the camera is an autofocus or fixed-focus unit.
SGH-F400 B&O labelling The 2.2 inch 240 x 320 pixel TFT display is semi-concealed behind the F400's glossy surface. Overall, this is an attractive looking handset, but it isn't terribly distinctive. The B&O labelling on the SGH-F400 is very discrete.
The Samsung SGH-F400 measures 103 x 48 x 17mm, and it supports USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 2.0. There's a microSD slot to the left of the keypad, although Samsung have not stated the maximum capacity that the F400 can take.
We don't know the exact launch date of the Samsung F400, but we do know that Nordic countries are expecting the phone in August of this year. It is possible that some markets may have the F400 earlier than that.
Technology and Science Magazine. Verizon and Nokia teamed up and announced the Nokia 6205 The Dark Knight edition mobile phone, celebrating the upcoming July 18 theatrical release of “The Dark Knight”. it is preloaded with Dark Knight’s wallpapers, voice tones, animated screensavers inspired by the film, and a full movie trailer. This clamshell comes with touch-sensitive external music keys, making it easier to access tracks purchased from Verizon Wireless’ V CAST Music service.
The Nokia 6205 The Dark Knight edition will be available online for $69.99 after a $50 online instant rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Following the premiere release of The Dark Knight edition, the standard edition of the Nokia 6205 phone - containing all of the same features and a striking metallic blue and silver color scheme - will be available both online and at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores next month.
Which ones can be money making hobbies? A friend made a life-sized cow out of plywood once. He painted it, put it in the yard, and people started asing if he would sell it. He soon had a waiting list of customers for his plywood cows. With a profit of about fifty dollars each, he wasn't getting rich, but isn't making money with your hobby more fun than a job?
The first approach is obvious: Look for ways to make money with your existing hobby or hobbies. What do you produce that other people might want? Do you collect dolls? You might produce a newsletter for other doll collectors, or buy and sell doll furniture.
The second approach is to think of all the hobbies you might take up that can generate a second income for you. When I found that I really enjoyed making walking sticks as a hobby, I sold more than a thousand dollars worth one summer. There are probably things you would enjoy doing that can make some money.
Get creative in your thinking. Look at the list of activities or hobbies below, and see if you can think of a way they can be used to make money. Do you like to travel? You might become a tour guide, or write articles for magazines.
In the past, you could argue that not all hobbies can be money making hobbies. This is no longer true. If you go to my sites, you'll notice the ads. I just copy and paste some code (no selling involved), and make a little bit everytime you click on one. In a matter of days, with almost no money, you can have a website up where you write about your favorite hobby, and collect for the advertising clicks.
Article Technology and Science Magazine. If you are reading this, chances are that you need to find a new way to make money online. There is good news. Every single topic can be turned into money when you know what to do and how to do it; but how to get new ideas? It’s as easy as grabbing a pen and paper.
*Note that this varies greatly from person to person!
The advantage of using this method is that those words you choose are related to you somehow. This means that you have some experience with them; and since you can make money out of mostly everything, this will help you have ideas that you never thought about.
Out of these new keywords, you might choose to make a website that sells new songs; or make a new site in which you have everything (lyrics, authors, famous people, forums, and new songs). You can focus on selling CDs from that website with an online store. You must be creative by getting your ideas together and joining them to make a new idea altogether.
If you focus on anything else; you will never stand out.
In this article, I focused on making something very original; since, with practice, you will be able to have so many ideas that your competition will keep wondering “Why didn’t I think of that before?
Article Technology and Science Magazine. You've thought about it for awhile now. There's a good chance you've rationalized it and said, "Next year I'll get my own business started." Guess what? It's next year, and there's no better time than the present to get your home business started.
Is there a secret to starting and making money with a home business? What about making lots of money? Are there just a few people out there that can be successful? Or can anyone make it happen? In my research of successful home-based business owners, I've found two essential ingredients to success: having a good attitude and lots of determination. Call me crazy, but we can all have these and it isn't going to cost us a dime.
It's easy to tell yourself that you could never start, let alone run a home business because of this or that reason. It's easy to rationalize "Well those people who are super successful, they probably had a bunch of money to start their business with and they probably knew all the right people." Well, that's usually not the case. Any self-employed person will tell you how hard it really was to make their business a success. It always comes down to lots of hard work!
Many years ago I was teaching my youngest daughter to ride her bike without training wheels. She was riding on the side of the road, and was very nervous about running into the curb. Every time she would start to peddle, she'd immediately look at the curb, and sure enough, she'd head straight for it. I explained to her, "Look at where you want to go, not where you don't want to go." It's funny how when you look straight ahead, the bike goes straight ahead, but when you focus on where you DON'T want to go, you end up there.
The mind is a wonderful machine and it can be our best friend. If you constantly tell yourself that you can be a success, you can make money doing what you love; your mind will find a way to make it happen. A quote by Edward Vernon Rickenbacker says, "I believe that if you think about disaster you will get it. Brood about death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience."
No matter where you are coming from, it's your attitude and determination that will ultimately decide the fate of your home business. If you want to work-at-home badly enough, then you need tell yourself on a daily basis that you will find a way to make it happen, and you will be a success at it. Do this and your business will not only get started, but is will also grow and thrive. With a positive attitude and determination you can move mountains! | 2019-04-21T06:18:43Z | http://all-hitech.blogspot.com/2008/07/ |
Hmmm. Convenient and cheap? What were the odds?
“Can I take a look?” I asked suspiciously. I was still trying to shake grisly memories of the Hotel due Mondi in Torino, Italy, which featured 1970s furniture dotted with cigarette burns, floor space approximately one foot larger than the bed, and an air conditioning system that had been turned off for the year despite daytime temperatures hovering near 90 degrees.
But when Rich showed me the online photos, the Ciutat del Prat Hotel appeared spacious, attractive and comfortable, for a price that was about half what others were charging. “Book it!” I said.
Our first inkling that something was wrong came when we arrived at the Barcelona Sans station and Googled the route to this “nearby” hotel. “Fifteen minutes by taxi!” Rich exclaimed. “Wait a minute. This thing’s out at the airport!” In fact, it turned out to be well past the airport, and as the cabby turned off the freeway, we found ourselves in an industrial zone full of auto dealerships, car part retailers, and a massive cement factory. The Ciutat del Prat was surrounded by empty sidewalks and silent streets; a few blocks away we could see a lone café umbrella with nobody sitting under it.
It’s easy to feel dejected on the last night of any trip, but this looked like a profoundly new low for us. The hotel was perfectly comfortable and even nicer than appeared online, but the location wasn't exactly inspiring. We checked in and decided without much enthusiasm that we might as well take a walk and see whatever meager sights the area had to offer. Rounding a corner, we found a few pedestrians, and soon we were surrounded by small clusters of people. Curiously, they were all walking in the same direction. Zombies? Stepford residents? Aliens pulled by a tractor beam? Obviously we had to investigate. We fell in among them, trying to blend.
Ten minutes later we found ourselves at the entrance of a spectacular fun fair, with bouncy castles, bumper cars, games of chance, death-defying rides, cotton candy, blaring music, and screams of laughter. The place was jammed, the air sizzling with excitement.
“So not quite as boring as we thought,” I said to Rich, grinning. And we plunged in.
It was a rousing finish to an amazing trip. We arrived back in Seville the next afternoon and immediately indulged our taste for dive bars by visiting one of our local favorites, Taberna Águilas, raising a glass and rejoicing in our safe arrival home.
That was Sunday, and now that we’ve had a few days to catch our breath, Rich has gotten busy tabulating the details of our trip.
One of the surprises was that we saved a lot of money by not using Eurail passes. Shortly before we set out, Rich sharpened his pencil and did the math. A Global Pass, which allows unlimited use (with occasional additional fees for overnight or high-speed trains) runs $1814 a month for two people. We figured we could do better, and as it turned out, we bought tickets individually and spent almost exactly that same amount, $1803, for our entire three months of train travel.
Click on the map for details.
So what’s next? Today is my 65th birthday, and I am taking a couple of weeks off to celebrate that milestone and the successful completion of our journey. After that I’ll be back to share some of the lessons we learned, describe adventures that I didn’t have room to include in the posts written on the road, and answer any questions you may have about travel, the expat experience, or the American obsession with dive bars and duct tape.
In the meantime, thanks for following along on the journey!
We were walking through Trieste, Italy, passing one adorable trattoria after another. Rich gazed longingly at the cozy interiors and clusters of sidewalk tables loaded with fresh pasta, succulent pork, fried fish, and the region’s glorious Barolo wines.
Tonight we had vowed to track down authentic local options, avoiding the cookie-cutter places offering tourists a predictable, packaged regional food experience and overpriced drinks. The odds were clearly in our favor, because when he’d Googled Trieste that afternoon, Rich had discovered dozens of listings for dive bars.
For those of you who may not be familiar with the American term “dive bar,” it refers to a well-worn, unpretentious local place that can be anything from a comfy, no-frills neighborhood pub to the kind of squalid gin joint that requires burning your clothes afterwards. Those of our friends and relatives who gravitate toward the finer things in life tend to abhor places that are dark and dingy with peanut shells on the floor, tattooed pool players, and juke boxes featuring country western hits from 1987. We, on the other hand, find them amusing and were curious to see what Italy had to offer along these lines.
Obviously we would have to strike out on our own. It took a while, but eventually I passed a half-open door through which I glimpsed a young woman standing behind a black Formica bar topped with scarred wood. Stepping in, I discovered a large room painted matte black where heavily tattooed young people were moving amplifiers and mopping the floor.
“Sorry, we’re closed,” said the bartender.
“Oh, too bad,” I said. “We just wanted to stop in for a drink.” And then (a trick I’ve learned in these situations) I just stood there, waiting to see what would happen.
“Well, we can sell you a beer,” offered one of the guys. Bingo!
Eventually Yeah Katerina announced, “We need to lock up. Come with us, I’ll show you my friend’s place. It might be a dive bar.” We walked to a modest little place called Viva, where over beer and potato chips we talked politics, archeology, and religion, arguing the merits of meritocracy and whether the Beatles were really that great (yes they were!). It was tremendous fun. And while some sticklers might not consider either of these venues to be true dive bars, they sure delivered a local experience.
There was little doubt about the qualifications of our next candidate, the San Francisco in Padova. The bartender was totally friendly, half drunk, and very slightly acquainted with the English language. We pantomimed our desire for beer. He filled a glass with white wine and took a swig. Then he produced beer glasses, filled them to overflowing, levelled the foam with a knife, dunked the base of each glass in water and wiped it clean. It was the most elaborate prep I'd ever seen on a draft. He chatted away, telling us to go see the Giotto frescoes at the nearby Scrovegni Chapel; this seemed so wildly out of character that I began wondering if I should revoke his dive bar status. Then he dropped and shattered his wineglass, poured himself a rum and coke, and became considerably less coherent. Definitely a dive bar.
But it wasn’t until we reached Torino that we hit the motherlode. There were a dozen dive bars right in our neighborhood, many identified simply by a neon sign saying “BAR,” all providing cheap beer and a rich cast of local characters.
Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy excellent food and up-market drinks as much as the next person. So why am I drawn to dive bars? Because everyone is welcome there. You don’t have to wear fancy clothes, hold down a trendy job, or be able to pay $17 for a glass of wine without blinking. Nobody cares how thin or old you are or what, if anything, you are driving. It’s extremely refreshing.
Not all dive bars are quite that friendly, of course, and some are a bit too dodgy even for us diehard fans. But in a world where differences so often divide us, it’s great to know that places exist, maybe right in your neighborhood, where your own unique voice and quirky character will always be a welcome addition to the mix. Cheers.
Know a good dive bar anywhere in the world? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below! If you have photos, send them to me at [email protected].
Highlights have included zany Amsterdam, the German city of Lübeck on the edge of the Baltic Sea, the Stockholm disaster, the new foodie mecca of Helsinki, Finland, futuristic Estonia, and a kookie visit to Riga, Latvia. We headed south to Šiauliai, Lithuania, where history — and great chocolate — were made. Vilnius — and the tiny Republic of Užupis— taught me about miracles; I learned something new about devils in southern Lithuania and northern Poland. In Warsaw, we learned that nothing is what it seems. We rode the midnight bus to Lviv, Ukraine, and after many adventures there, we moved on to Hungary, with a brief stopover in Budapest and a somewhat too-peaceful rest stop in Pécs. We loved Zagreb (10 points if you know where that is!) and are now making our way back to Seville via Italy and France.
To follow our adventures as they unfold, subscribe to my blog, like my Facebook page, and keep checking the map of our journey.
If I say Zagreb, what’s the first response that comes to your mind?
My answer? None of the above. In the past few years, Croatia's capital has transformed itself into one of the most delightful cities in Europe — and one that’s still refreshingly tourist-free. It’s filled with great eateries, lush parks, and the kind of stylish clothing stores that seriously challenge my policy of traveling with minimalist luggage.
The museum was, naturally, the result of a romance gone wrong. When local artists Olinka Vištica, and Dražen Grubišić called it quits, they wondered what people are supposed to do with love tokens from relationships now lying in ruins, stuff that’s too significant to throw away and too painful too keep around. Why not put these objects on display, they thought, along with their stories? The first, wildly successful traveling exhibition gave rise to museums in Zagreb and now Los Angeles; the show still goes on the road, and people around the world are invited to donate mementos and anecdotes. (If you’ve got a splitting-up story that deserves a wider audience, here are the contributor’s guidelines.) As an antidote to the angst of the exhibitions, the gift shop reminds us that breaking up may be hard to do, but it can also be funny as hell.
To be perfectly honest, it turned out to be a bit cheesy and far from original, filled with well-worn optical tricks, such as holograms and op art. But some of it was good fun.
In our rambles, Rich and I discovered parades, traditional dancers, and venerable second-hand book stores. The food and drink — from markets, dive bars, cafés, and street vendors —ranged from interesting-but-never-again (the house white in Bacchus Jazz Bar) to very good indeed (the sardines at Bistro Amfora).
The best meal we had, hands down, was made by a local dentist named Lidija. She had just become EatWith’s first Zagreb host, and Rich and I were her inaugural guests. Joining us at table were her daughter Doris and long-time friend Mladen, who immediately produced a test tube of orange rakija (fruit brandy) and invited us to try it. From that first moment, the evening flowed forward, the conversation rolling around the table as easily as if we had been old friends.
Dinner was served on Lidija’s balcony to take advantage of the unseasonable warm weather, known here, Mladen explained, as “old woman summer.” We began with viška pogača, bread topped with olive oil, onions, and anchovies. “The recipe comes from the island of Vis, in southern Croatia,” said Lidija. “Traditionally it is made with a second crust on top, but that is too much bread, I think.” A summer salad of tomato, cheese, and olives followed, and then Lidija brought out the main course, fresh skuša riba (mackerel) cooked to perfection, the fish dense yet flaky, surrounded with organic potatoes. The side dish was a vegetable nobody knew how to translate. “It’s like kale, but it’s not,” said Doris. One of the things I loved best about this dinner was that nobody reached for a phone to look it up; we were having way too much fun to bother with technical details like that. For dessert we had delicious rožata, a cross between flan and crème brûlée, topped with sour cherries soaked in rakija, accompanied by small, sweet purple grapes from Lidija’s garden.
I don’t know quite what I expected from Zagreb, but it wasn’t this dazzling kaleidoscope of good fun and good food. Our last night in town, Lidija, Mladen, and Doris took us out to some of their favorite bars for beer and rakija. As we walked through the velvety night, Mladen was explaining some point of local history that “could only happen here in the Balkans.” Wait, what? We were in the Balkans? Somehow I hadn’t tracked that geographical detail at all.
Why did it matter? Well, as long-term readers of this blog know, our original concept for the trip was a Balkans-to-Baltics tour lasting five months. When our plans were derailed by family issues requiring our presence in the US, we shortened the trip to three months, started in the north, and accepted the disappointing fact that we wouldn’t have time to work our way as far south as the Balkans. And yet we had. It was a wonderful, gobsmacking realization.
So that’s Zagreb for you: a place that’s full of surprises and has a knack for turning tragedy into triumph and strangers into friends. Sure, you can zip through it on your way elsewhere and never give it a second glance. But why would you want to?
Highlights have included zany Amsterdam, the German city of Lübeck on the edge of the Baltic Sea, the Stockholm disaster, the new foodie mecca of Helsinki, Finland, futuristic Estonia, and a kookie visit to Riga, Latvia. We headed south to Šiauliai, Lithuania, where history — and great chocolate — were made. Vilnius — and the tiny Republic of Užupis— taught me about miracles; I learned about devils in southern Lithuania and northern Poland. In Warsaw, we learned that nothing is what it seems. We rode the midnight bus Lviv, Ukraine, and after many adventures there, we moved on to Hungary, with a brief stopover in Budapest and a somewhat too-peaceful rest stop in Pécs. We've just left Zagreb, Croatia for Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
Need a Time Out? Try Pécs, Hungary!
“Where is everybody?” Rich asked, staring around, mystified.
We were wandering through the silent, nearly deserted Hungarian city of Pécs. Allegedly it held a population of 146,000, but at the moment it was doing a pretty good imitation of a ghost town; nothing was moving except for a few scattered pedestrians and a dog rolling over to settle more comfortably into a nap. After a week in vibrant, bustling Lviv, Ukraine, it was like finding ourselves in a sensory deprivation tank. Had we really worked so hard to get to Pécs, only to find there wasn’t much here here?
Downtown Pécs; the orange and yellow building is now a pizza parlor.
We’d left Ukraine via the southern route, which was good news (we didn’t have to travel by night, as we did going in) and bad (it took two days and five trains). Instead of three hours of pre-dawn traffic jams at two border control stations, all we had to get through was a midmorning passport check and an exhaustive search of our luggage to make sure we weren’t smuggling pharmaceuticals. (I was so glad I’d remembered to carry my prescription medications in their original packaging with my name on the label.) I’ll never forget the moment when the customs inspector was rummaging through my undergarments and discovered the gas mask I’d been given at the Atomic Bunker in Kaunas, Lithuania. Her expression quickly morphed from what the hell? to hey, lady, whatever turns you on. She carefully avoided looking at me as she shoved the gas mask back to the bottom of the bag and signaled I was free to go. I zipped up my suitcase and ran for the train, catching it with minutes to spare.
Pécs is the southernmost Hungarian city on this map.
After 72 days of adventure on the road, Rich and I figured it might be prudent to seek a little rest. And as we soon learned, nobody does restful like Pécs. Lonely Planet (and countless others) describe it as “one of the most pleasant and interesting cities to visit in Hungary.” Thanks to an agreeably mild climate and highly strategic location, over the millennia Pecs has attracted Celts, Romans, Pannonians, early Christians, Turks, Transylvanians, the Republic of Serbian-Hungarian Baranya-Baja, Croats, Nazis, and Russians, to name but a few. Many came as conquerors and stayed to put their architectural stamp on the community, leaving behind a wealth of spectacular old buildings and a deep desire on the part of the community to avoid any more political upheavals. Pécs was officially nicknamed The Borderless City for managing to maintain harmony among such diverse ethnic groups as the Hungarians, Croatians, Swabians, Greeks, and now Serbian refugees. In 1998 its tolerant attitude earned it the UNESCO Cities of Peace prize.
“In a crazy-making way,” he agreed.
We were back at the train station attempting to change our outgoing tickets, and the relaxed pace of the transaction was stupefying, even for hardened veterans of Spanish bureaucracy, which until now had been my benchmark for human inefficiency. To forestall any difficulties, we’d armed ourselves with written instructions in Hungarian (penned by Gabrielle, our Airbnb hostess) explaining the simple change we wanted to make. The clerk, a kindly middle-aged woman, grew flustered, then concerned, and finally worried that maybe this ought to be kicked upstairs. Ten minutes and three phone calls later, she announced that yes, it could be done, but unfortunately we’d each have to pay the equivalent of $8 more. It took us ages to convince her we were willing to spend the money. And then she began to fill out the necessary forms by hand, carefully adding the appropriate stamps, staples and signatures. The entire transaction took upwards of half an hour, and I really wished I knew enough Hungarian to apologize to the people behind us waiting their turn.
The ticket seller who labored so long to change our tickets.
Delays are always maddening, of course, but there is also something curiously soothing about being in a place where time doesn’t seem to have the same urgency it does elsewhere. When Rich and I visited the Local History Museum, the attendant appeared delighted — almost stunned — to see actual customers. After laboriously re-installing the adding machine tape so she could print out our tickets, she locked up the building and spent forty minutes guiding us through the exhibits with pantomime and smiles. When she unlocked the front door to let us out, there was — what are the odds? — another customer. He nodded amiably, seemingly not at all put out by having to wait on the doorstep while we had our leisurely private tour. If this was the USA, I could only imagine the impatience and complaints, if not actual lawsuits, that would ensue.
For obvious reasons, this was one of my favorite exhibits in the Local History Museum. Note the gas mask on the dog in the photo.
That night our Airbnb hosts invited us for dinner in the garden, and we lingered past dark over a hearty, delicious tomato, paprika, and sausage stew. That's when it occurred to me that I was finally learning to appreciate Pécs. At first, after more than ten weeks of vigorous forward momentum, the abrupt change of pace caused me acute mental whiplash. But I now realized how lucky I was. How often do you find yourself in a place where time isn’t of the essence, and taking proper care of a stranger is the most important thing on the agenda?
Highlights have included zany Amsterdam, the German city of Lübeck on the edge of the Baltic Sea, the Stockholm disaster, the new foodie mecca of Helsinki, Finland, futuristic Estonia, and a kookie visit to Riga, Latvia. We headed south to Šiauliai, Lithuania, where history — and great chocolate — were made. Vilnius — and the tiny Republic of Užupis— taught me about miracles; I learned about devils in southern Lithuania and northern Poland. In Warsaw, we learned that nothing is what it seems. We rode the midnight bus Lviv, Ukraine, and after many adventures there, we moved on to Hungary, with a brief stopover in Budapest and a rest in Pécs. We're on the move again, having just arrived in Zagreb, Croatia.
Midnight had come and gone but our bus had not. So there Rich and I sat, in the dimly lit bus station of Lublin, Poland, wondering if our Ukrainian adventure was over before it even began.
All through Poland we’d seen ads for glamorous new buses going directly to Lviv, Ukraine instead of following the convoluted railway route that entailed many extra hours of travel and a 3:40 AM train change with just 18 minutes to make the connection (and good luck with that!). The ads showed plush seats, individual video screens, food service, and a stewardess. Of course, the fine print noted that not all buses in the fleet met these standards. Needless to say, ours — when it finally lumbered in some 40 minutes late — proved to be one of the old models, jammed with groggy young Polish and Ukrainian backpackers.
“Here,” said Rich as we wedged ourselves into our places. “Have some Vitamin V.” Unable to purchase a small bottle of gin, his usual remedy in such situations, Rich had settled for some rather dubious Polish vodka. We each took a swig to brace ourselves for the long night of fitful sleep and endless border crossings.
Now that I’ve gotten to know Ukraine a bit better, I realize that this was the perfect introduction to a country that has a positive genius for clandestine drama. I’d heard a lot about Lviv’s magnificent architecture, great restaurants, and lovely parks, but no one had mentioned its love of mystery or the inspired lunacy of its underground bars.
One night our Ukrainian friend Tania led us down an unmarked passage and pounded on an anonymous wooden door. The door opened a crack, revealing a scowling guard in combat fatigues, a gun slung over his shoulder.
The guard shrugged, opened the door, and handed around thimble-sized metal cups, into which he sloshed medovukha (a sweet, mead-like cousin of vodka). We drank up and he let us pass.
Stumbling down twisting stairs, we entered Kryjivka, a labyrinthine underground bunker decorated with old military paraphernalia, a tribute to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army that fought the Nazis, Poles, and Soviets. A very young uniformed soldier sat nearby drinking his way steadily through an enormous vat of beer; I wondered if he’d be on his way soon to real battles on the Eastern Front. “More medovukh?” Tania asked me. You bet.
The next night we had dinner with Tania and her cousin Marya, and the conversation ranged over Lviv’s vibrant street life, the tremendous outpouring of creativity in local art, the burgeoning food and coffee culture, and music. Aida was kicking off the fall opera season on Friday, and at Tania’s urging we’d bought tickets. In fact, we had splurged on the most expensive seats: $15 each. Naturally the talk also turned to the economy, politics, and the nation’s future.
“Are Ukrainians optimists or pessimists?” I asked them.
“They are realists,” said Tania.
“They are survivors,” said Marya.
I instantly recalled the tiny street market at the city’s central bus stop. Every day two dozen or so women, many quite advanced in years, arrived just ahead of the evening commuters and set out their wares on tiny patches of sidewalk: a kilo of carrots, two dozen cucumbers, a gallon jar of raspberries, a few round white lumps of homemade cheese. I remembered one who had nothing to offer but a dozen eggs. How did she survive?
“How much would a woman make selling a dozen eggs?” I asked.
“Do you find people in other countries have a lot of misconceptions about Ukraine?” I asked.
Both cousins rolled their eyes.
“People think we are Russian,” said Tania in exasperation.
“To many Americans, we’re just ‘Europe,’” Marya added.
And we all laughed. Because despite the country’s rough past and uncertain future, Lviv today is clearly a place you’d be lucky to call home.
By now we've been on the road just over two months and have covered 3760 km / 2336 miles.
Highlights have included zany Amsterdam, the German city of Lübeck on the edge of the Baltic Sea, the Stockholm disaster, the new foodie mecca of Helsinki, Finland, futuristic Estonia, and a kookie visit to Riga, Latvia. We headed south to Šiauliai, Lithuania, where history — and great chocolate — were made. Vilnius — and the tiny Republic of Užupis— taught me about miracles; I learned about devils in southern Lithuania and northern Poland. In Warsaw, we learned that nothing is what it seems. We are currently enjoying Lviv, Ukraine.
To follow our adventures as they unfold, subscribe to my blog, like my Facebook page, and keep checking this page for updates of the map. | 2019-04-21T12:21:01Z | https://www.enjoylivingabroad.com/my-blog/archives/09-2016 |
A sixteenth-century portrait of John Dee, artist unknown. According to Charlotte Fell Smith, this portrait was painted when Dee was 67. It belonged to his grandson Rowland Dee and later to Elias Ashmole, who left it to Oxford University.
John Dee (July 13, 1527–1609) was a noted Welsh mathematician, geographer, occultist, astronomer, and astrologer, whose expertise in these interrelated fields led him to become a personal consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. Due to his interest in magic and the occult, he also devoted much of his life to alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy.
Dee straddled the worlds of science and magic just as the two disciplines were becoming distinguishable. One of the most learned men of his age, he began his prolific academic career early, lecturing to crowded halls at the University of Paris while still in his twenties. As an natural philosopher, John was an ardent promoter of mathematics, leading to the popularization of geometry as a discipline and to an increased level of respect for mathematics among the general populace. Likewise, he was also a renowned astronomer and a leading expert in navigation, leading to his theoretical and practical involvement in instructing and training many of the British sailors who would take part in England's voyages of discovery. In this capacity, his writings are the first recorded use of the the term "British Empire."
At the same time, he immersed himself deeply into the study of various occult disciplines, including alchemy, magic and Hermetic philosophy. His fascination with such practices, most notably his interest in communing with angels (for the purpose of delving into the mystical fountainhead of creation), was so intense that he devoted the last third of his life almost exclusively to these pursuits. For Dee, as with many of his contemporaries, these activities were not contradictory, but instead were particular aspects of a consistent world-view. Indeed, his fascination with the occult creates a notable parallel with his famed (spiritual) successor, Sir Isaac Newton, a noted scientist whose interest in alchemy caused a biographer to opine: "Newton was not the first of the age of reason: he was the last of the magicians."
In 1527, John Dee was born in Tower Ward, London, to a Welsh family, whose surname derived from the Welsh du ("black"). His father Roland was a mercer (an importer and trader of fine cloth) and a minor courtier. Due to his relatively privileged upbringing, young John was free to be educated, first attending the Chelmsford Catholic School and later (1542–1548) St. John's College, Cambridge, where he was awarded with both a bachelor's and a master's degree. His prodigious abilities as a natural philosopher were recognized during his studies, and he was made a founding fellow of Trinity College.
In the late 1540s and early 1550s, he supplemented his education by traveling to Europe, where he studied at Leuven and Brussels, apprenticed himself to Gemma Frisius (a famed Dutch mathematician, cartographer and instrument maker), and became a close friend of the cartographer Gerardus Mercator. From these valuable acquaintanceships, he received both tutelage and state-of-the-art technology, returning to England with an important collection of mathematical and astronomical instruments. Even at this early stage, Dee's interests as a natural philosopher transcended what today would be called "science." As one example, we can turn to his 1552 meeting with Gerolamo Cardano in London: during the latter's sojourn in England, the duo investigated astrology, perpetual motion machines, and also did some experiments upon a gem purported to have magical properties. Likewise, his interest in alchemy (as evidenced in diary entries ennumerating his reading lists) was also well established by this point.
Dee was offered a readership in mathematics at Oxford in 1554, which he declined; he was already occupied with writing and was perhaps hoping for a better position in the royal court. Such an opportunity arose in 1555, when Dee became a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, as his father had, through the company's system of patrimony. Unfortunately, this period also saw the first of his run-ins with secular and religious authorities. Specifically, that same year (1555), he was arrested and charged with "calculating" for having cast (presumably inauspicious) horoscopes for Queen Mary and Princess Elizabeth; more distressing still, these charges were then expanded to treason against Mary. In response, Dee appeared before the high court at the Palace of Westminster's Star Chamber and exonerated himself from the charge of treason. However, it was still suggested that his theories and practices bordered on witchcraft, so he was turned over to the reactionary Catholic Bishop Bonner for a religious inquiry. Eventually, the young scholar cleared his name yet again, and soon became a close associate of Bonner. In both cases, Dee's potent lifelong penchant for secrecy likely worsened matters and left his open to such critiques. Indeed, these two episodes were only the most dramatic in a series of attacks and slanders that dogged Dee throughout his life.
Dee uses powerful arguments to enforce his plea, choosing such as would make the most direct appeal to both Queen and people. She will build for herself a lasting name and monument; they will be able all in common to enjoy what is now only the privilege of a few scholars, and even these have to depend on the goodwill of private owners. He proposes first that a commission shall be appointed to inquire what valuable manuscripts exist; that those reported on shall be borrowed (on demand), a fair copy made, and if the owner will not relinquish it, the original be returned. Secondly, he points out that the commission should get to work at once, lest some owners, hearing of it, should hide away or convey away their treasures, and so, he pithily adds, "prove by a certain token that they are not sincere lovers of good learning because they will not share them with others."
Despite (or perhaps because of) the revolutionary nature of his suggestions, his proposal was not taken up. Instead, he found it necessary to expand his personal library at his home in Mortlake, tirelessly acquiring books and manuscripts from England and the European Continent. Dee's library, a notable hub of learning and scholarship outside the university system, became the greatest in England and attracted many scholars.
When Elizabeth I took the throne in 1558, Dee became her trusted advisor on astrological and scientific matters. His esteem in the royal court was such that he was specifically assigned the task of choosing an astrologically propitious date for the young queen's coronation . Based on his perceived success in this venture, he was retained in the crown's service for the next two decades.
In 1564, Dee wrote the Hermetic text Monas Hieroglyphica ("The Hieroglyphic Monad"), an exhaustive mystical work that brought together particular strands of the philosopher's research interests. Particularly, it presented a theory unifying alchemy, Pythagorean numerology, textual Qabalah, and pious mysticism, with the primary thesis that all creation possesses a fundamental unity. This thesis was symbolically represented by the glyph pictured to right. This work was highly valued by many of Dee's contemporaries, but the loss of the secret oral tradition of Dee's milieu makes it difficult to interpret today.
He also published a "Mathematical Preface" to Henry Billingsley's English translation of Euclid's Elements in 1570, arguing for the central importance of mathematics and outlining the influence of mathematical reasoning on the other arts and sciences. Intended for a general, non-academic audience, it proved to be Dee's most widely influential and frequently reprinted work.
Most significantly, Dee's aptitude for cartography and astronomy caused him to be appointed as an adviser to England's voyages of discovery, a capacity that he served in from the 1550s through the 1570s. In this role, he provided both technical assistance in navigation and ideological backing in the creation of a "British Empire" (a term that he coined). Pursuant to this experience, in 1577 Dee published General and Rare Memorials pertayning to the Perfect Arte of Navigation, a visionary work that set out his vision of a British maritime empire and asserted England's territorial claims on the New World. In his courtly service, John Dee came to be acquainted with many luminaries of the day, including Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Philip Sidney.
By the early 1580s, Dee was growing dissatisfied with his progress in learning the secrets of nature and with his own lack of influence and recognition. He began to turn towards the supernatural as a means of acquiring mystical knowledge. His primary method of achieving these revelations was through the intercession of a "scryer" or crystal-gazer, who would act as an intermediary between Dee and angelic beings. Though the philosopher's initial attempts at such contact were not satisfactory, in 1582, he met Edward Kelle] (then going under the name of Edward Talbot), who impressed him greatly with his preternatural abilities. Dee took Kelley into his service and began to devote all his energies to his supernatural pursuits. These "spiritual conferences" or "actions" were conducted with an air of intense Christian piety, always after periods of purification, prayer and fasting. Further, Dee's interests in this period were largely philanthropic, as he believed that such supernatural contacts (and the mystical enlightenment that they could bring) would be ultimately beneficial to humankind. Conversely, the character of Kelley is harder to assess, though his posthumous reputation seems to suggest the he was charlatan.
Dee and Kelley were well versed in practical Cabala and experimented with the angel magic of the Renaissance magician, Henry Cornelius Agrippa. Agrippa had elaborated a system of numerical and alphabetical tables for the summoning of angels, and it was within this framework that the two Elizabethans worked. Dee used Kelley's gifts as an expert scryer, one who could "travel" in the many realms of spirit existence, to vicariously enter into conversation with the angels in order to tempt from them the secrets of the universe. During their lengthy séances, Kelley would "scry in the spirit vision" using a shew-stone in much the same way as a seer might use a crystal ball. Dee asked his questions through Kelley and duly recorded the results. In this way, Dee slowly built up an entire cosmology of angels and demons, and sketched out thirty Aethyrs (or Aires)—realms of otherworldly existence.
In 1583, Dee met the visiting Polish nobleman Albert Łaski, who invited Dee to accompany him on his return to Poland. After consulting with the angels (through Kelley), Dee was persuaded to embark on the voyage. Dee, Kelley, and their families left for the Continent in September 1583, but Łaski proved to be bankrupt and out of favor in his own country. As a result, Dee and Kelley found it necessary to begin a nomadic life in Central Europe, though they did not allow this to impede their spiritual conferences, which Dee continued to record meticulously. In his itinerancy, the natural philosopher had audiences with Emperor Rudolf II and King Stephen of Poland where he tried to convince them of the importance of angelic communications in comprehending the true natures of mortal existence and of the Christian eschaton. Perhaps due to his ethical critiques of their policies, he was not accepted into the court of either monarch.
In 1587, during a spiritual conference in Bohemia, Kelley told Dee that the angel Uriel had ordered that the two men should share all of their possessions, including their wives. Modern scholars have imputed that this distasteful order could have been invented by Kelley, who by that time was becoming a prominent alchemist and was much more sought-after than Dee, as a means of ending the spiritual conferences (and his relationship with the older man). Due to Dee's faith in these messages, he accepted this order (albeit with great personal anguish) and heeded the angel's request. However, it seems that this arrangement caused him considerable personal discomfort, as soon after he broke off the conferences and did not see Kelley again. After this falling out, Dee returned to England in 1589.
Dee returned to Mortlake after six years to find his library ruined and many of his prized books and instruments stolen. He sought support from Elizabeth, who honored her former adviser by making him Warden of Christ's College, Manchester, in 1592. Early in his tenure, he was consulted concerning the demonic possession of seven children, but took little interest in the matter, although he did allow those involved to consult his still extensive library. However, his experience at this institution was suboptimal, as he found that could not exert much control over the Fellows, who disrespected (and even despised) him—perhaps due to his affiliation with Kelley.
He left Manchester in 1605 to return to London, though by this time Elizabeth was dead, and James I, unsympathetic to anything related to the supernatural, provided no assistance to the aged scholar. Dee spent his final years in poverty at Mortlake, forced to sell off various possessions to support himself and his daughter, Katherine, who cared for him until the end of his life. John Dee died at age 82 in Mortlake, sometime in late 1608 or early 1609. The uncertainty in dating arises due to the fact that both the parish registers for his community and Dee's gravestone are missing.
Dee was married twice and had eight children. Details of his first marriage are sparse, but is likely to have been from 1565 to his wife's death (ca. 1576). Such uncertainties are mitigated for the period from 1577 to 1601, when Dee kept a meticulous diary. As such, it can be said with certainty that in 1578 he married the 23-year-old Jane Fromond (Dee was 51 at the time). Jane died during the plague in Manchester in 1605, along with a number of his children, including his son Theodore. The fates of his daughters Madinia, Frances and Margaret are uncertain, as Dee had by this time ceased keeping his diary. His eldest son, Arthur, followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a scholar, alchemist, and hermetic author, employed by the royal families in both Russia (under Michael the First) and England (Charles the First).
The Monas Hieroglyphica was a daring and inventive proposal for a symbolic language that had the power to reveal the divine plan of creation, to explain the workings of the material world in the principles of alchemy, and to assist the mystic ascent of the soul. In the alchemical dimension of the Monas Hieroglyphica, Dee participated in an important new direction taken by alchemy in the Renaissance, and provided one foundation for the spiritual idea of alchemy.
From the first recorded angel conversation, the angels told Dee that the events of the Apocalypse were already afflicting the earth. As the conversations developed, however, the angels were morea ttentive to Dee's role in the unfolding events -a role dependent upon his mastery of a restored natural philosophy and a perfected alchemy conveyed to him by the angels.
In addition to his achievements as an occultist and a mystic, Dee also made many important contributions to the natural sciences. He promoted the sciences of navigation and cartography, most notably through his studies alongside Gerardus Mercator, and through his important collection of maps, globes and astronomical instruments. From these experiences, he developed new instruments as well as special navigational techniques for use in polar regions. More practically still, Dee served as an adviser to the English voyages of discovery, and personally selected promising sailors and trained them in navigation. As well as being an astrological, scientific and geographical advisor to Elizabeth and her court, he was also an early advocate of the colonization of North America and a visionary of a British Empire stretching across the North Atlantic.
John Dee believed that mathematics (which he understood mystically) was central to the progress of human learning. His promotion of the mathematical sciences outside the universities was an enduring practical achievement. Most significantly, his "Mathematical Preface" to Euclid was meant to promote the study and application of mathematics by those without a university education, and was very popular and influential among the "mecanicians": the new and growing class of technical craftsmen and artisans. Dee's preface included demonstrations of mathematical principles that readers could perform themselves. The centrality of mathematics to Dee's vision makes him (by some measures) more modern than Francis Bacon, though some scholars believe Bacon purposely downplayed mathematics in the anti-occult atmosphere of the reign of James I. It should be noted, however, that Dee's understanding of the role and function of mathematics is radically different than our contemporary view (as discussed above).
Ten years after Dee's death, the antiquarian Robert Cotton purchased land around Dee's house and began digging in search of papers and artifacts. He discovered several manuscripts, mainly records of Dee's angelic communications. Cotton's son gave these manuscripts to the scholar Méric Casaubon, who published them in 1659, together with a long introduction critical of their author, as A True and Faithful Relation of What passed for many Yeers between Dr. John Dee (A Mathematician of Great Fame in Q. Eliz. and King James their Reignes) and some spirits. As the first public revelation of Dee's spiritual conferences, the book was extremely popular and sold quickly. Casaubon, who believed in the reality of spirits, argued in his introduction that Dee was acting as the unwitting tool of evil spirits when he believed he was communicating with angels. This book is largely responsible for the image, prevalent for the following two and a half centuries, of Dee as a dupe and deluded fanatic.
Around the same time the True and Faithful Relation was published, members of the Rosicrucian movement claimed Dee as one of their number. There is doubt, however, that an organized Rosicrucian movement existed during Dee's lifetime, and no evidence that he ever belonged to any secret fraternity. However, Dee's reputation as a magician and the vivid story of his association with Edward Kelley have made him a seemingly irresistible figure to fabulists, writers of horror stories and latter-day magicians. The accretion of false and often fanciful information about Dee often obscures the facts of his life, remarkable as they are in themselves.
A re-evaluation of Dee's character and significance came in the 20th century, largely as a result of the work of the historian Frances Yates, who brought a new focus on the role of magic in the Renaissance and the development of modern science. As a result of this re-evaluation, Dee is now viewed as a serious scholar and appreciated as one of the most learned men of his day. His personal library at Mortlake was the largest in the country, and was considered one of the finest in Europe.
Dee's Speculum or Mirror (an obsidian, Aztec cult object in the shape of a hand-mirror, brought to Europe in the late 1520s), which was once owned by Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford.
The large, elaborately-decorated wax "Seal of God," used to support the "shew-stone," the crystal ball used for scrying.
In December 2004, both a shew stone formerly belonging to Dee and a mid-1600s explanation of its use written by Nicholas Culpeper were stolen from the Science Museum in London; they were recovered shortly afterwards.
↑ Nicholas H. Cluelee, "The Monas Hieroglyphica and the Alchemical Thread of John Dee’s Career," Ambix 52 (3) (November 2005): 197–215. 198.
↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Fell Smith, Charlotte (1909). John Dee: 1527–1608. London: Constable and Company.
↑ 6.0 6.1 (1792)Mortlake. The Environs of London: County of Surrey 1: 364-88.
↑ Fell-Smith, Chapter II, accessed at johndee.org. Retrieved July 12, 2007.
↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Calder, I.R.F. (1952). John Dee Studied as an English Neo-Platonist. University of London. Retrieved 26 October, 2006.
↑ Alex Owen, "The Sorcerer and His Apprentice: Aleister Crowley and the Magical Exploration of Edwardian Subjectivity," The Journal of British Studies 36 (1) (Jan. 1997): 99-133. 105.
↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 Mackay, Charles (1852). "4", Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. London: Office of the National Illustrated Library.
↑ History of the Alchemy Guild. International Alchemy Guild. Retrieved 26 October, 2006.
↑ "John Dee". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th Ed.). (1911). London: Cambridge University Press.
↑ Nicholas H. Clulee, "The Monas Hieroglyphica and the Alchemical Thread of John Dee's Career," Ambix 52(3) (2005): 197-215. 202; Nicholas H. Clulee, "Astrology, Magic, and Optics: Facets of John Dee's Early Natural Philosophy," Renaissance Quarterly 30 (4) Studies in the Renaissance Issue. (Winter, 1977): 632-680. passim.
↑ Deborah E. Harkenss, "Shows in the Showstone: A Theater of Alchemy and Apocalypse in the Angel Conversations of John Dee (1527-1608/9)," Renaissance Quarterly 49 (4) (Winter, 1996): 707-737. 711.
↑ Ron Heisler, "John Dee and the Secret Societies." Hermetic Journal (1992) the alchemy website.Retrieved April 7, 2008.
↑ BSHM Gazetteer—LONDON: British Museum, British Library and Science Museum. British Society for the History of Mathematics (2002-08). Retrieved 27 October, 2006.
↑ Adam Fresco (2004-12-11). Museum thief spirits away old crystal ball. The Times. Retrieved 27 October, 2006.
Clulee, Nicholas H. "Astrology, Magic, and Optics: Facets of John Dee's Early Natural Philosophy." Renaissance Quarterly 30 (4) Studies in the Renaissance Issue. (Winter, 1977): 632-680.
Clulee, Nicholas H. "The Monas Hieroglyphica and the Alchemical Thread of John Dee's Career." Ambix 52 (3)(2005): 197-215.
Dee, John. Quinti Libri Mysteriorum. British Library, MS Sloane Collection 3188. Also available in a fair copy by Elias Ashmole, MS Sloane 3677.
Dee, John. John Dee's five books of mystery: original sourcebook of Enochian magic. from the collected works known as Mysteriorum libri quinque, edited by Joseph H. Peterson, Boston: Weiser Books ISBN 1578631785.
Fell Smith, Charlotte. John Dee: 1527–1608. London: Constable and Company, 1909. Available online. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
French, Peter J. John Dee: The World of an Elizabethan Magus. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1972.
Harkenss, Deborah E. "Shows in the Showstone: A Theater of Alchemy and Apocalypse in the Angel Conversations of John Dee (1527-1608/9)." Renaissance Quarterly 49 (4)(Winter, 1996): 707-737. 711.
Keynes, John Maynard (1972). "Newton, The Man." The Collected Writings of John Maynard Keynes, Volume X.
Szönyi, György E. (2004). "John Dee and Early Modern Occult Philosophy." Literature Compass 1 (1): 1–12.
Woolley, Benjamin. The Queen's Conjuror: The Science and Magic of Dr. John Dee, Adviser to Queen Elizabeth I. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2001.
Yates, Frances A. Theatre of the World. London: Routledge, 1987.
Azogue: Section of the e-journal Azogue with original reproductions of Dee texts.
The J.W. Hamilton-Jones translation of Monas Hieroglyphica from Twilit Grotto: Archives of Western Esoterica.
The Private Diary of Dr. John Dee And the Catalog of His Library of Manuscripts at Project Gutenberg.
This page was last modified on 15 May 2018, at 19:39. | 2019-04-20T12:30:09Z | http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/John_Dee |
In any real country, with the level of intelligence of the population above average, the departure of Ross University School of Medicine, that is so critical to the national economy, should see the resignation of government ministers and possibly the resignation of the entire government due to gross negligence and incompetence.
There is no doubt that the government of Dominica has failed its citizens to secure the continuation of Ross University on the island. The evidence is there in plain sight and this follows a similar pattern with Colgate Palmolive in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Erika, in 2015, when the Government of Dominica gave them the perfect justification to close shop by ignoring the damage to the Colgate Palmolive facility and its existence.
It does not appear that the Government of Dominica appreciates or understands the importance of foreign investments to the national economy and what has to be done to maintain what we have and to pursue others. Sadly, the departure of Ross University has closed the door for any genuine foreign investment for Dominica. It must be noted that in the last nineteen years of the present administration, Dominica has not attracted any foreign investor of significance. Instead we have been giving away all our foreign exchange obtained from the Citizenship By Investment Program to foreign companies while denying locals the opportunity to offer their service.
The Prime Minister’s attitude towards the departure of Ross University raises the question as to whether he really cares or appreciates the impact the loss of Ross University will have on so many sectors of the economy. His decision to give the population “a heads-up on Ross” while his three other Ministers gazed in bewilderment, tells a story. The facial expressions of Reginald Austrie, Ian Douglas and Kenneth Darroux, said it all; they knew nothing about the matter. In a situation where testicular fortitude was present, all of these three ministers would have walked out and allow the Prime Minister to give his breaking news by himself. This one was really an embarrassment especially when they found out that the heads-up was a pre-emptive strike to cushion the impact of the press conference of the Prime Minister of Barbados and the CEO of Ross University later that day.
On Wednesday 25th July, 2018, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica presented almost a billion dollar budget in a two hour and thirty five minutes address, no mention was made of the situation with Ross. The following day the Leader of the Opposition gave his response in the absence of the Prime Minister, who customarily absents himself for the opposition leader’s response to the budget presentation. The Leader of the Opposition raised pertinent questions on the absence of information on the status of Ross University in his response.
Then came the presentation of Honourable Ian Douglas, parliamentary representative for the Portsmouth constituency which includes Ross University, who started beating his chest on the accomplishments of the government and assuring the people of Portsmouth and the rest of the country that everything was alright with Ross University because he saw them repairing buildings and that means they will be back one day. It must be noted that Ian Douglas is the parliamentary representative for Portsmouth since after the death of his uncle Rosie Douglas in September 2000. In a one hour presentation in parliament he did not outline one attempt that he made to secure the reopening of Ross University in his constituency. This is for the people of Portsmouth to consider.
Minister of Health, Honourable Kenneth Darroux, under whose portfolio Ross University falls, concentrated his more-than-one-hour budget contribution on nurses who were leaving the island for greener pastures and failed to make any reference to the Ross University.
Minister of Agriculture, Reginald Austrie, is popularly known as the attack dog of the government, a self-imposed title since 2000 when he was given the responsibility for special projects by the late Rosie Douglas, he at that time referred to himself as the Rottweiler, he attacked the opposition with venom and was particularly vicious on Senator Isaac Baptiste, the member of parliament he takes pride in decapitating. Minister Austrie who is also the parliamentary representative of the Cottage constituency including the northern section of Portsmouth which benefits directly from Ross University, was also silent on the matter in parliament but subsequent to the conclusion of the budget debate, he accused the parliamentary opposition of writing a letter which encouraged Ross University to leave Dominica. Honourable Austrie is yet to present a copy of the phantom letter.
After a prolonged absence from parliament where he missed all the contributions from the opposition, the Prime Minister returned to close the 2018 – 2019 Budget Debate. No mention was made of the Ross University situation and the population was settling down to enjoy the fruits of the near billion dollar budget but alas, in less than seventy two hours, the Prime Minister addresses the nation on August 3rd 2018, with a heads-up on Ross University, informing the nation that within the next few hours Ross University will make an announcement on their departure from Dominica.
The Prime Minister has been a member of parliament since January 2000 when he won the seat in the Vielle Case constituency and is Prime Minister from January 2004 when he succeeded the late Pierre Charles. As early as March 2004, three months after he attained the Prime Minister position, he demonstrated a questionable behaviour, which was generally accepted by the population, when he severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in Favour of the People’s Republic of China. On the night before he departed for China, the Prime Minister attended a dinner at the Taiwanese embassy and received a cheque from the Taiwanese government. A few days later the Taiwanese were kicked out of Dominica in the most undiplomatic way and the Chinese came in, the rest is history.
It is quite clear that the Government of Dominica underestimated or misunderstood Ross University and they should have consulted with the Prime Mister of Grenada, Keith Mitchel, on what he did to get St. Georges University operational after Hurricane Ivan in 2005. Grenada recognized the importance of SGU to its national economy and within weeks after the hurricane they had the students back on island. In Dominica it took months before the government even remembered that Ross University existed.
Hurricane Maria may have been the most devastating to hit the island but Dominica was not the first island to be devastated by a hurricane. There were lessons to be learnt from President Charles Savarin who was part of the Interim Government when Hurricane David struck in 1979, he could have advised the government on the processes to follow after Hurricane Maria, instead of the trial and error that was practiced with no coordination or sense of direction. The entire government machinery was involved in relief supply distribution, including ministers, permanent secretaries, ambassadors, all the way down the chain of command. The rampant looting in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria must have sent shock waves within the Ross University administration and the refusal of the Prime Minister to conduct an inquiry must have scared Ross University to the bone.
We could have learnt from the Jamaica experience with Hurricane Gilbert, from Antigua with Hurricane Luis, and all the other islands such as Cuba who have suffered devastating disasters from hurricanes in recent years. There is a false notion that Dominica has done a remarkable recovery from the effects of Hurricane Maria, yes the citizens and the private sector have done a remarkable job in the recovery process, but the government’s contribution leaves much to be desired. Without electricity and telecommunications the nakedness of Dominica’s recovery process would be exposed.
There are more than one hundred reasons why Ross University would have wanted to relocate from Dominica and only three tangible reasons why they should remain. The reasons for staying are simple; one) the island is beautiful, two) they have been here for forty years and three) they love the island, none of which make economic sense because the bottom-line for Ross University is their profitability and one did not have to go very far to realize that Dominica is not one of the most business friendly islands in the Caribbean and the myth that Dominica is the most beautiful is questionable because Dominica is very untidy and the people are becoming extremely unfriendly.
Something has happened in Dominica over the last few years that has made it very unattractive to visitors and even to our Dominicans in the diaspora who increasingly vacation in the neighbouring islands instead of Dominica; this has nothing to do with Erika or Maria.
One can imagine the frustration of the Ross University Students who are initially excited of going to the Caribbean to study and end up in Dominica after a frustrating travelling experience which involves possible overnight and a bumpy flight on a small aircraft. Arrival at Melville Hall is a unique experience and it is assumed that expectations are diminished as one proceeds to living accommodation. Dominicans must admit that Dominica is the most primitive among all the Caribbean islands and the unsuspecting students cope by accepting and justifying its nature island posture.
With a twenty five year agreement with Ross University, the government of Dominica thought it was a fete accompli, they could sit on their laurels and make all sorts of promises and outrageous statements and Ross would stay, because it was impossible for Ross University to leave their infrastructure on the ground to relocate to anywhere else. The Dominican authorities failed to understand that Ross University could simply abandon all the infrastructure and get it written off in their tax returns.
Hurricane Maria was the perfect excuse for Ross University to depart, and the government of Dominica allowed them to take full advantage of the situation. Since Ross University decided to move from the cruise ship off St. Kitts to Tennessee, the writing was on the wall but the government of Dominica did not read it. Whereas the Prime Minister made several trips to the Middle East to secure markets for the sale of Dominican passports, in his heads-up he could not reveal one single trip to meet the Board of Directors of Ross University, except a so-called discussion with the pretty CEO. Does the Prime Minister know that the final decision on Ross University was that of its BOD and not that of the CEO? It would be no surprise if he was bamboozled by her femininity and was totally outsmarted. His remarks about; Ross Loves Dominica and Dominica Loves Ross, is an admission that he thought it was a love affair, no wonder he is talking about alimony in the divorce. This is business and profit, nothing to do with Nature Island and loyalty to Dominica. If all investors who love Dominica had followed through on their love affair with the Nature Isle, Dominica would be overflowing with foreign investments.
So, after forty years Ross University students are still struggling to get to Dominica, while their counterparts in the other islands fly home for a weekend. In Dominica it takes them four days of travel to and from Dominica. The government of Dominica has told numerous untruths about the construction of an international airport while travel to Dominica becomes increasingly frustrating.
Ross University could have relocated to any of the OECS islands such as Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Antigua or St. Kitts and the students, their clientele, would be more satisfied than being in Dominica. This can simply be interpreted as Dominica was more attractive for foreign investors forty years ago than in 2018. Why? In spite of the government of Dominica’s utterances of progress within the last nineteen years, Dominica is last within the OECS as far as economic development is concerned. Ease of travel is one of the main requirements for economic development in this new world order, so overnighting to get to any destination is not part of any traveller’s millennium psyche. That’s why all the other OECS islands have international airports except Dominica.
The fact that the Prime Minister recently announced the construction of an international airport without a location, without a design and a secret feasibility study is an insult to the citizens and more so to foreign investors whose investments depend on air access to Dominica. Ross University must have been pissed off upon hearing the recent pronouncements of the international airport and must have considered it an insult to their intelligence.
The people of Portsmouth may be the most direct victims of the departure of Ross University from Dominica but the whole of Dominica will suffer the consequences. Mention is made of the apartment owners who provided housing for students and faculty, but other service providers such as electricity, telecommunications, water and others who supplied products such as food, household products, sanitary products, agricultural products and the list goes on. The local lecturers and other workers are affected.
The loss of Ross University has no comparison with the exit of Colgate Palmolive, DCP brought in all their raw and packaging material and then exported their products and employed about one hundred persons at the time of their departure. Ross brought in foreign exchange, procured most of their products and services locally and created direct employment for hundreds.
The full impact of the loss of Ross University must be quickly analysed by our economists in an objective manner, free from political tribal bias and then Heads Should Roll, if 10% of the effort placed in seeking markets for the passport pushers was given to facilitating of the return of Ross University to Dominica, the country would not be in the situation that it is now.
Ask Keith Mitchel about the contribution St. Georges University is making towards the development of Grenada and there will be a greater appreciation of the crime the Government of Dominica has committed against its citizens and for that Heads Must Roll, Ian Douglas, Reginald Austrie, Roosevelt Skerrit and Kenneth Darroux should immediately tender their resignation followed by the rest of the cabinet because it is a collective responsibility.
The people of Portsmouth should show their worth, forget their party colours and in the interest of themselves punish the Dominica Labour Party for the pain its government has inflicted on them. The opposition forces must come together to pick up the spoils because no single party in Dominica can repair the mess the Commonwealth of Dominica is in. A government of national unity, which incorporates the best of Dominica’s resources at home and abroad, is what is required at this time in our history.
The surrender of Ross University to the Government of Barbados is a betrayal of the Dominican people and is indicative that after nineteen years in office, the Dominica Labour Party under the leadership of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, has outlived its usefulness, lacks innovation, its tired and will only plunge the Commonwealth of Dominica into further economic peril.
In the final analysis the decision is left to Dominicans to determine whether they will allow themselves to be sentenced to economic death while they hold on to their tribal colours or will they finally take a stand and say “Enough is Enough, Time Up Pack Up!” heads must roll.
If you know that the people you voted for are giving you the SHAFT and you keep voting to get SHAFTED you have no one but yourself to blame for getting the SHAFT. Vote the same people in to office next election to get SHAFTED enjoy the SHAFT get on down the road with the SHAFT and enjoy.
Enough of this ROSS BUSINESS. I know it is going to be tough. But what about the rest of us. Are we supporting local to ease the nurse? . When is the last time you ate local food? . Run at ehe supermarket and buy cereal (GMO) when you should be contributing to the local market. Stop whining and contribute.
THe PM thought he was dealing with the numerous Dominicans who have been fooled election and election with empty premises;; of hospitals and airport. Ross was watching him trick us; they saw we would continue allowing him to fool us with all these empty promises. So they left us and our Government to play games. The citizens need to be blamed for all of this….not the PM, not Ross and not Mia.
We allowed one man to disrespect us with his empty promises.
If we open our mind and eyes to the truth and forget about party for a minute we will understand the truth of the matter. Everything written above is truth. Even if you are blue red or pink the truth is plain and simple. Dominica is already in and is heading for bigger economic struggles.
1. If Ross University’s departure broke any legal contract that it had with the Commonwealth of Dominca — e.g., agreements stating the university has to operate there for X number of years in exchange for certain concessions — then Dominica should sue for breach of contract in a court of law. Since the medical school is moving to Barbados, another CARICOM country, such a law suit would be the best way to receive damages.
2. CARICOM’s mandate to enact a Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) says that the free movement of capital, services, and labour from one CARICOM country to another is to be encouraged. This move helps fulfill this mandate.
Not sure what you’re trying to say! If the Commonwealth of Dominica was to sue Ross for breach of contract and it was to win, a judgement could not replace the longterm impact of Ross’ departure from the country and besides, we would never know what the judgement entailed because currently, there is no transparency in governance.
Secondly, while you make an argument for the spirit of capitalism, you fail to understand that Ross’ contribution to our fledgling economy was in excess of 30%, a significant contribution. With no tourism sector to speak of, an agricultural sector that is practically dead, an infrastructure that leaves a lot to be desired, a skilled workforce that is lacking and no transparent and sustainable FDI (Foreign Direct Investment), it was incumbent on government to protect their most consistent source of foreign exchange. That, my friend is the spirit of capitalism!
If only the people of Portsmouth would read.
So who is that idiot that wrote this senseless article .Imagine he can’t even identify himself.
Are you are propagandist….have you declared your name…..who on earth are You, that you have as that “idiot that wrote this senseless response. Imagine that you propagandist cant even identify our self and you there throwing stones.
Come better than that. Its like you calling a person a thief, caught in the act and you are thieving that same product.
Why write such commentary and pen your name as concerned. Did you really write this commentary because you are concerned, of course not. What you have done is exploit a crisis to advance your political partisan beliefs. You have done this by misrepresenting facts, ignoring evidence and making assumptions without you having first-hand information and knowledge. When the dust is settled and all the facts are in the people of Dominica will decide the fate of The Government.
Shut up Gary, you are an idiot, what difference does it make whether or not the author write under their name of a fictitious pen name!
That is what you all do in Dominica’ more than 99% of you writing on DNO dare not write anything and mention your names, for fear of Roosevelt and him victimizing you all by not giving you all a hand out when you beg him!
The person is collect heads should roll, but Dominicans are so stupid Roosevelt and his puppet government caused Ross university to leave Dominica after forty (40) years, and because you all are so dumb you blaming the departure of Ross on hurricane Maria.
So, did Maria cause Colgate Palmolive, a company with products selling all over the world, Kubuli hurricane cause Kubuli Beer the Gleden Paint, the tram company, Clare Harbor, and all those prior to the destruction of Maria to leave? If Dominicans were not dumb, they would be in the streets demanding Roosevelt resignation, along with his government!
The PM and government had no plan for the aftermath of a Hurricane. They had no plan for the evacuation of the Ross students or had a way for the students to contact their relatives, this is one of the factors in the Ross decision to close up shop in Dominica, the Dominican government is incompetent What has the Dominican PM and his buddies done with the millions collected in the CBI program? There needs to be an audit and investigation including a check of overseas bank accounts to find out if any people in the Dominican government have been making deposits in their personal bank accounts.
More rubbish. Just another UWP supporter repeating party talking points and propaganda.
A rubbish commentary, based solely on political bias. Just a whole load of useless political propaganda.
Geez. Are you that clueless? Didn’t you read and seriously processed any part of that commentary? Forget the party colors and think of your country. Dammit!
If it was Freedom that was in government and thus happened what would you be saying? What would your actions? Be honest…..
MAMA Mia, spitefully, cowardly, and willfully went behind closed doors and convinced ROSS to come to her island. Barbados’s economy is in shambles and in dire need of money. Wake up, wake up.
So are you telling yourself that ROSS preferred to go to a Country whose economy is in SHAMBLES than to remain in a Country where their Prime Minister says one thing,but conditions say otherwise ?
I will recommend that you become the Minister of Foreign Investments since you seem to know the importance. Apply for the position. It is well to speak and comment from the outside but when you are in the driver’s seat, it is a different thing. Reality stares you in the face.
On whose doorstep are you placing the blame for the departure of Ross, of Colgate Palmolive and others? Skerritt the little Hugo Chavez, is extremely happy to now be able to give more handouts to more people via his “red clinic” so he can be looked at as a “god”. The commentary, in my opinion, is correct and the writer has to have no fear of acolytes like you. You and your regime have led Dominica down a dark path.
You see you are not informed. Colgate Palmolive closed most in 2007. The small soap factory they continued but when Erica came, they left because they wanted to. Not Government that should fix there. They wanted to leave already. They were insured. They took all resources and brought the business to central America where the labour was cheaper. Back in 2007. You see again I must tell you and all the others, Colgate Palmolive is a Mega Entity whose budget runs into thousands of dollars. Futhermore back then they closed a lot of subsidiary world wide because operations were not showing the level of positive variance they wanted. Those people are about profits. Stop this and read more and make yourself a knowledge base before you comment and be objective like taking everything into account. Then commentors like yourself will be respected not playing politics and trying to campaign for a Political party. Now what Dominica needs is all hands working towards recovery.
Political Article …. Same folks … Different strokes….. Your job to be against the PM & the DLP. Nothing said here is objective but blaming. You commentators should look at all things and comment. Economics, Trends, What is happening around the world, business news etc: not subjective things like who caused Ross to go. Ross is not a baby and remember the founder has died. Other persons are on the board who do not care two hoots about Dominica. It is profit etc; The comfort of the students who brings in the money. It is attracting other students as well. Be objective … stop the political commentary and look at the outlook outside trends. Weather etc … World news .. what happened before – History. I am fed up of persons who believing they know it all; want things their way using their supposedly intelligence to woo person to vote for a particular party. Hey no wisdom here – self. Wisdom only comes from God (Jehovah) the one who created all. Hatred must stop!
NO one cannot and I mean No one could not prevent Ross from living. Their first duty is to Students. Stop the Blaming. Are there not always changes. ERI Shillingford not there again. Clock Shop not there again… So many things changed from when I was growing up. Great Ross survived here and stayed 40 years. Colgate stayed about 12 years and then continued with the soap manufacturing. Those Mega Entities look at their profits. I know Colgate Palmolive closed a lot of subsidiary over the world about the same time they shut down most of the operations here in Dominica. So rather misleading people and playing know it all … you need to increase you knowledge … for you should know that those Mega Institutions move here there and everywhere as long as the have a favourable variance ie. they make profits. Mischievous are many persons who want to speak on matters they have not researched and think they know it all. Most of you folks want to dictate people what to do.
Seems a nerve has been struck..Though I can’t comment on all points made in the initial written piece, it is factual that Dominica needs to modernize a great deal of it’s infrastructure to be competitive and of significance in these modern times. The departure of Ross university is sad and will definitely have adverse effects on the economy. If this occurred as a result of incompetence on the part of Dominica’s current administration, then someone or a collective should be held accountable. The well-being of Dominica’s citizens is directly dependent upon the decisions of government, hence every decision has to be carefully calculated.
The prime Minister of Barbados said that Barbados only came into the picture once Adtalem had decided that it would not be possible to get classes back up in Dominica by January 2019. In essence at that point they had already decided to leave Dominica.
She says that they were approached from the 31st of May. So that is over 2 months now since Adtalem and the government of Barbados at least knew that Ross would be leaving the island.
1) There was very little information coming from the government as to the state of negotiations with Adtalem or the future of Ross’s operations in Dominica. It was not even mentioned in the Prime Minister’s address in the budget.
2) The government, Rep. Ian Douglas in particular, gave the impression that Ross was getting ready to come back to the island and they were in negotiations with the government to get certain things in place.
The roads to Portsmouth was very dangerous. Only when hurricane season the government started fixing it. Ross people were afraid of the roads. That should have been one of the government’s main priority. Ross was was still interested in moving back to Dominica. Because they had there housing people every mouth or so checking to see if the apartments and houses were ready for Ross return. most of the home owners and business owners were ready for Ross return, some had insurance some had none. But they did what it takes to accommodate Ross back. Who’s going to compensate them for there lost. That ‘s a big lose for the Picard area.
I think a government should put it’s peoples first not themselves first. People of Dominica. You should know what to do come election time. Put yourself and your children first vote that government out. enough is enough.don’t let them fool you come election time with there little pocket change. There red umbrellas and all the little trinke.
Well written.When you put showmen and MISLEADERS to government your country,do not expect better from them.I complement Mia Motley for taking the interest of Barbados at heart..Skerrit prefers to juxtapose himself with God, and my true God is punishing all of us.
You will know who the true God will hold account for blasphemy. Keep calling wolf with you silly statement regarding Wicked rule. If this Country of Dominica was ruled by the wicked have you ever wondered if you would get a forum on DNO to express your political partisan beliefs so freely. When people are ruled by a wicked Government they do not mourn.
Huh ? When a people are rules by a wicked government they do not mourn? Seriously.
Gary if Skerrit and Tony could do away with internet access they would. But you know very well that it is impossible to do so- Dominica is way to dependent on external interventions. Skerrit has already stated that Dominicans are too free. The words of a serial dictator.
Gary you can sit from within and come in here in disguise but you all days are numbered.
Yes, heads must roll, but more importantly, the government must roll!
You could not make your point more concisely? This reminds me of the 3 hour Castro speeches.
I do agree with you 110% and also call on Skerrit, Austrie, Douglas and Darroux to resign immediately. Every democratically elected government in the world would have to do the honourable thing after such a show of incompetence. However, the reality is probably such that none of the mentioned individuals can afford to resign for fear of the new government discovering all their corruption and the consequence of that. Where on earth does that leave our country?? Even if the DLP would loose the next election I have a feeling that Skerrit and Co. would not leave without a fight and declare the election as invalid and bingo we have exactly the same situation as in Venezuela.
Can you not write a comment displaying facts instead of making silly assumptions.
Here is another fact, you for sure is the chief Skerrit apologist!
I wholeheartedly disagree with 90% of this commentary. Its narrative is vindictive and spiteful.
That more students passed their exams on Dominica than any other Caribbean island.
There have been similar articles published about the departure of Ross and all with the resounding message. There is a stink within the wheels of power in Dominica. There is a lot of hot air but very little action. There is one sure thing, the Government could have done something if they wished to. The power was within their hands to move mountains to keep Ross in Portsmouth. There were so many negotiating tools at their disposal and yet nothing was outlined. There will be so many persons out of work and livelihoods lost. Picard is becoming a ghost town. This situation could well have been avoided. One may possibly understand if Ross wished to move to America maybe, but Barbados? It is a criminal affair! All it takes is hard work and organisational skills, which are obviously lacking. Maybe, just maybe there is still time but the Government needs to act now and act like a real Government not just windy puppets! DO it!
Do you know how silly you are to make the statement quote “The power was within their hands to move mountains to keep Ross in Portsmouth”. Wow. What evidence do you have to support such statement, talk is cheap, especially when it has no value.
Gary, grow and understand the operations of a government. Every information is noted and needed of a foreign company in your country and intervene ASAP under circumstances and eventualities when they arise. This inept hopeless Labour Government and Prime Minister and their acolytes have been asleep for 18 years reducing our island to poverty and loss of business. they are hopeless, the leadership including the Pm is defunct and illiterate. Where were they sleeping all these years. ?Yes, they wasted their time on Hon Linton and travelling the world returning empty handed and possible drawing lot of overseas travel fees.
This labour government has failed us and they must Go. Real nincompoops…meaning idiots, hopeless senseless.
This is so stupid a ‘commentary’ that that will be my only comment. No doubt you’ll get plenty from like-minded people and defenders of the Labour Party.
Do you have a brain? “Blue” people will agree and “Red” people will defend their own. SMH. A_S. | 2019-04-22T18:24:56Z | http://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/features/commentary/commentary-ross-university-departsheads-should-roll/?replytocom=2876275 |
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I found the paper as I was searching the internet for papers on banking regulation and property rights theory. If we fundamentally want to understand banking crisis we should understand incentives and property rights.
Who owns “profits” and “liability”? Who will be paying the bills? The banks’ owners, the clients, the employees, the bank management or the taxpayers? If property rights are badly defined or there are incentive conflicts we will get banking troubles.
In that sense banking crisis is a constitutional economics problem. Therefore, we cannot really understand banking crisis by just looking at specific issues such as how much capital or liquidity banks should hold. We need to understand the overall incentives facing all players in the “banking game” – owners, clients, employees, bank managements, regulators and politicians.
Inspired by Peter Boettke’s and Daniel Smith’s for a “Quest for Robust Political Economy” of monetary policy we could say we need a “Robust Political Economy of Financial Regulation”. I believe that Connor’s and O’Kelly’s paper contributes to this.
Hence, if we want to “design” good banking regulation we fundamentally need a property rights perspective or even in a broader sense a “Financial Constitution” in the spirit of James Buchanan’s “Monetary Constitution”.
Concluding, yes we might learn something about banking crisis and banking regulation by studying finance theory, but we will probably learn a lot more by studying Law and Economics and Public Choice Theory.
Studying Public Choice theory can be very depressing for would-be reformers as they learn about what we could call the Iron Law of Public Choice.
The students of Public Choice theory will learn from Bill Niskanen that bureaucrats has an informational advantage that they will use to maximizes budgets. They will learn that interest groups will lobby to increase government subsidies and special favours. Gordon Tulluck teaches us that groups will engage in wasteful rent-seeking. Mancur Olson will tell us that well-organized groups will highjack the political process. Voters will be rationally ignorant or even as Bryan Caplan claims rationally irrational.
Put all that together and you get the Iron Law of Public Choice – no matter how much would-be reformers try they will be up against a wall of resistance. Reforms are doomed to end in tears and reformers are doomed to end depressed and disappointed.
The problem according to Pete is that we (the reformers) assume that policy makers are benevolent dictators that without resistance will just implement reform proposals. Said in another way Pete argues that to evaluate reform proposals we need to analysis whether it is realistic the vote maximizing politicians, the ignorant voters and the budget maximizing bureaucrats will go along with reform proposals.
So Scott is suggesting – for the sake of the argument – to ignore the Iron Law of Public Choice, while Pete is arguing that you should never ignore Public Choice theory.
I must say that I think Pete’s criticism of Scott (and the rest of Market Monetarist crowd) misses the point in what Market Monetarists are indeed saying.
First of all, the suggestion for a rule-based monetary policy in the form of NGDP targeting exactly takes Public Choice considerations into account as being in stark contrast to a discretionary monetary policy. In that sense NGDP Targeting should be seen as essentially being a Monetary Constitution in exactly same way as for example a gold standard.
In fact I find it somewhat odd that Peter Boettke is always so eager to argue that NGDP targeting will fail because it as a rule will be manipulated – or in my wording would be crushed by the Iron Law of Public Choice. However, I have never heard Pete argue in the same forceful fashion against the gold standard. That is not to say that Pete has argued that the gold standard cannot be manipulated. Pete has certainly made that point, but why is it he is so eager to exactly to show that a “market driven” NGDP targeting regime would fail?
When it comes to comparing NGDP targeting with other regimes of central banking (and even free banking) what are the arguments that NGDP targeting should be more likely to fail because of the Iron Law of Public Choice than other regimes? After all should we criticize Larry White and George Selgin for ignoring Public Choice theory when they have advocated Free Banking? After all even the arguably most successful Free Banking regime the Scottish Free Banking experience before 1844 in the end “failed” – as central banking in the became the name of the game across Britain – including Scotland. Public Choice theory could certainly add to understanding why Free Banking died in Scotland, but that mean that Larry and George are wrong arguing in favour Free Banking? I don’t think so.
So yes, Scott is choosing to ignore the Iron Law of Public Choice, but so is Austrians (some of them) when they are arguing for a gold standard and so is George Selgin when he is advocate Free Banking. As Scott rightly says no monetary regime is “foolproof”. They can all be “attacked” by policy makers and bureaucrats. Any regime can be high-jacked and messed up.
Furthermore, Pete seems to fail to realize that Scott’s proposal is to let the market determine monetary conditions based on an NGDP futures set-up. Gone would be the discretion of policy makers. This is exactly taking into account Public Choice lessons for monetary policy rather than the opposite.
Here Hayek is basically making a Public Choice argument – the West is doomed. There will not be the political backing for the necessary measures to defeat inflation and instead will be on a Road to Serfdom. Interestingly enough this is nearly a Marxist argument. Capitalism will be defeated by the Iron Law of Public Choice. There is no way around it.
However, today we know that Hayek was wrong. Inflation was defeated. Price controls are not widespread in Western economies. Instead we have since the end of 1980s seen the collapse of Communism and free market capitalism – in more or less perfect forms – has spread across the globe. And during the Great Moderation we have had an unprecedented period of monetary stability around the world and you have to go to Sudan or Venezuela to find the kind of out of control inflation and price controls that Hayek so feared.
Something happened that beat the Iron Law of Public Choice. The strictest defeatist form of Public Choice theory was hence proven wrong. So why was that?
Hence, according to Mises ideas are more important than anything else. I disagree on that view, but I on the other clearly think that ideas – especially good and sound ideas – can beat the Iron Law of Public Choice. Reforms are possible. Otherwise Hayek would have been proven right, but he was not. Inflation was defeated and we saw widespread market reforms across the globe in 1980s and 1990s.
I believe that NGDP targeting is an idea that can change the way monetary policy is conducted and break the Iron Law of Public Choice and bring us closer to the ideal of a Monetary Constitution that both Peter Boettke and I share.
PS Don Boudreaux also comments on Pete’s blog post.
Is Market Monetarism just market socialism?
I very much apprecaite Pete’s kind words about my post and fundamentally think that we are moving towards common ground.
Update 2: Scott Sumner also comments on Pete’s post. Read also the comment section – George Selgin has some very insightful comments on the relationship between Free Banking and NGDP level targeting.
Nobel Prize winning economist and founding father of the Public Choice school James M. Buchanan has died at age 93. His friends and students have already offered many kind words in his memory. Here I quote two of my friends professors Steve Horwtiz and Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard.
James M. Buchanan, RIP. If making a difference is what matters, he was one of the five most influential thinkers of the last 50 years. Sharp as a knife into his 90s and always the scholar.
…No one who wishes to talk responsibly about politics can be ignorant of public choice theory. No one should ever invoke the language of market failure (including externalities) without having digested his work on government failure. And people who run around talking about the constitution better be able to understand something of constitutional political economy.
Beyond all of that, he was a role model of the old school scholar: widely read and properly skeptical of turning economics into an engineering discipline. He was, at bottom, a humanist and a liberal in the oldest and best senses of the terms. And best of all: he was utterly unimpressed by degrees from fancy schools.
Buchanan produced an enormous amount of scholarly works including numerous books in his long life. Best known is probably The Calculus of Consent which he co-authored with Gordon Tullock. However, the works that had the biggest influence on my own thinking undoubtedly was “What should economists do?” and “Cost and Choice”.
James Buchanan, sought to bring his extensive work on rule-making to bear in envisioning a monetary regime that could operate within a contemporary democratic setting. From the start, Buchanan (1999) eschewed the ‘presuppositions of Harvey road’ that held that economic policy would be crafted and implemented by a group of benevolent and enlightened elites. Buchanan set out to make the case for a monetary regime using comparative institutional analysis that compared monetary regimes in real, not ideal settings.
Buchanan (1999) believed that it was not so much the specific type of monetary regime adopted, but the set of rules that defined that regime. Buchanan argued that the brick standard, a labor standard, or a manager confined by well-defined rules, would all put a stop to the government growth let loose by the fiscal profligacy encouraged by the wide scale acceptance of Keynesian ideas in the political realm (see Buchanan and Wagner (2000). The brick standard, as defined by Buchanan, would be a monetary regime that allowed anyone to go to the mint with a standard building brick of a specified quality and exchange it for the monetary unit, and vice versa. As the general price level fluctuated, market forces would cause automatic adjustments as people would exchange money for bricks when the price level rose above the equilibrium level, and bricks for money when the price level fell below the equilibrium level. Under this regime, market actors, guided by profits and losses would be the mechanism that achieved price predictability, not a government-entity entrusted with the goal of achieving it. In addition, a brick standard would, most likely, divorce domestic monetary policy from international balance of payment and exchange rate policies due to the fact that a brick standard would be unsuitable for those purposes.
For Buchanan (1999, 417), it came down to a toss-up between a brick type standard and a limited manager. What mattered most for monetary predictability was that the rules that set up the monetary regime must be of the ‘constitutional’ variety. In other words, the rules must be set to be ‘relatively absolute absolutes’ in order to protect them from tampering.
The short answer to the question in the headline is no, but I can understand if somebody would suspect so. I will discuss this below.
If there had been an internet back in the 1920s then the leading Austrian economists Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich Hayek would have had their own blogs and so would the two leading “market socialists” Oskar Lange and Abba Lerner and in many ways the debate between the Austrians and the market socialists in the so-called Socialist Calculation Debate played out as debate do today in the blogosphere.
Recently I have given some attention to the need for Market Monetarists to stress the institutional context of monetary institutions and I think the critique by for example Daniel Smith and Peter Boettke in their recent paper “Monetary Policy and the Quest for Robust Political Economy” should be taken serious.
Smith’s and Boettke’s thesis is basically that monetary theorists – including – Market Monetarists tend to be overly focused on designing the optimal policy rules under the assumption that central bankers acts in a benevolent fashion to ensure a higher good. Smith and Boettke argue contrary to this that central bankers are unlikely to act in a benevolent fashion and we therefore instead of debating “optimal” policy rules we instead should debate how we could ultimately limit central banks discretionary powers by getting rid of them all together. Said in another way – you can not reform central banks so they should just be abolished.
I have written numerous posts arguing basically along the same lines as Boettke and Smith (See fore example here and here). I especially have argued that we certainly should not see central bankers as automatically acting in a benevolent fashion and that central bankers will act in their own self-interests as every other individual. That said, I also think that Smith and Boettke are too defeatist in their assessment and fail to acknowledge that NGDP level targeting could be seen as step toward abolishing central banks altogether.
From the Smith-Boettke perspective one might argue that Market Monetarism really is just the monetary equivalent of market socialism and I can understand why (Note Smith and Boettke are not arguing this). I have often argued that NGDP targeting is a way to emulate the outcome in a truly competitive Free Banking system (See for example here page 26) and that is certainly a common factor with the market socialists of the 1920s. What paretian market socialists like Lerner and Lange wanted was a socialist planned economy where the allocation would emulate the allocation under a Walrasian general equilibrium model.
So yes, on the surface there as some similarities between Market Monetarism and market socialism. However, note here the important difference of the use of “market” in the two names. In Market Monetarism the reference is about using the market in the conduct of monetary policy. In market socialism it is about using socialist instruments to “copy” the market. Hence, in Market Monetarism the purpose is to move towards market allocation and about monetary policy not distorting relative market prices, while the purpose of market socialism is about moving away from market allocation. Market Monetarism provides an privatisation strategy, while market socialism provides an nationalisation strategy. I am not sure that Boettke and Smith realise this. But they are not alone – I think many NGDP targeting proponents also fail to see these aspects .
George Selgin – who certainly is in favour of Free Banking – in a number of recent papers (see here and here) have discussed strategies for central bank reforms that could move us closer to Free Banking. I think that George fully demonstrates that just because you might be favouring Free Banking and wanting to get rid of central banks you don’t have to stop reforms of central banking that does not go all the way.
This debate is really similar to the critique some Austrians – particular Murray Rothbard – had of Milton Friedman’s proposal for the introduction of school vouchers. Rothbard would argue that Friedman’s ideas was just clever socialism and would preserve a socialist system rather than break it down.
However, even Rothbard acknowledged in For a New Liberty that Friedman’s school voucher proposal was “a great improvement over the present system in permitting a wider range of parental choice and enabling the abolition of the public school system” (I stole the quote from Bryan Caplan). Shouldn’t Free Banking advocates think about NGDP level targeting in the same way?
I’ve noticed that when I discuss economic policy with other free market types, it’s easier to get agreement on broad policy rules than day-to-day discretionary decisions.
I have noticed the same thing – or rather I find that when pro-market economists are presented with Market Monetarist ideas based on the fact that we want to limit the discretionary powers of central banks then it is much easier to sell our views than when we just argue for monetary “stimulus”. I don’t want central bank to ease monetary policy. I don’t want central banks to tighten monetary policy. I simply want to central banks to stop distorting relative prices. I believe the best way to ensure that is with futures based NGDP targeting as this is the closest we get to the outcome that would prevail under a truly free monetary system with competitive issuance of money.
I have often argued that NGDP level targeting is not about monetary stimulus (See here, here and here) and argued that NGDP level targeting is the truly free market alternative (see here).
This in my view is the uniting view for free market oriented economists. We can disagree about whether monetary policy was too loose in the US and Europe prior to 2008 or whether it became too tight in 2008/9. My personal view is that both US and European monetary policy likely was (a bit!) too loose prior to 2008, but then turned extremely tight in 2008/09. The Great Depression was not caused by too easy monetary policy, but too tight monetary policy. However, in terms of policy recommendations is that really important? Yes it is important in the sense of what we think that the Fed or the ECB should do right now in the absence of a clear framework of NGDP targeting (or any other clear nominal target). However, the really important thing is not whether the Fed or the ECB will ease a little bit more or a little less in the coming month or quarter, but how we ensure the right institutional framework to avoid a future repeat of the catastrophic policy response in 2008/9 (and 2011!). In fact I would be more than happy if we could convince the ECB and the Fed to implement NGDP level target at the present levels of NGDP in Europe and the US – that would mean a lot more to me than a little bit more easing from the major central banks of the world (even though I continue to think that would be highly desirable as well).
What can Scott Sumner, George Selgin, Pete Boettke, Steve Horwitz, Bob Murphy and John Taylor all agree about? They want to limit the discretionary powers of central banks. Some of them would like to get rid of central banks all together, but as long as that option is not on the table they they all want to tie the hands of central bankers as much as possible. Scott, Steve and George all would agree that a form of nominal income targeting would be the best rule. Taylor might be convinced about that I think if it was completely rule based (at least if he listens to Evan Koeing). Bob of course want something completely else, but I think that even he would agree that a futures based NGDP targeting regime would be preferable to the present discretionary policies.
So maybe it is about time that we take this step by step and instead of screaming for monetary stimulus in the US and Europe start build alliances with those economists who really should endorse Market Monetarist ideas in the first place.
1) Do you agree that in the absence of Free Banking that monetary policy should be rule based rather than based on discretion?
2) Do you agree that markets send useful and appropriate signals for the conduct of monetary policy?
3) Do you agree that the market should be used to do forecasting for central banks and to markets should be used to implement policies rather than to leave it to technocrats? For example through the use of prediction markets and futures markets. (See my comments on prediction markets and market based monetary policy here and here).
4) Do you agree that there is good and bad inflation and good and bad deflation?
5) Do you agree that central banks should not respond to non-monetary shocks to the price level?
7) Do you agree that the appropriate target for a central bank should be to the NGDP level?
I am pretty sure that most free market oriented monetary economists would answer “yes” to most of these questions. I would of course answer “yes” to them all.
So I suggest to my fellow Market Monetarists that these are the questions we should ask other free market economists instead of telling them that they are wrong about being against QE3 from the Fed. In fact would it really be strategically correct to argue for QE3 in the US right now? I am not sure. I would rather argue for strict NGDP level targeting and then I am pretty sure that the Chuck Norris effect and the market would do most of the lifting. We should basically stop arguing in favour of or against any discretionary policies.
PS I remain totally convinced that when economists in future discuss the causes of the Great Recession then the consensus among monetary historians will be that the Hetzelian-Sumnerian explanation of the crisis was correct. Bob Hetzel and Scott Sumner are the Hawtreys and Cassels of the day.
I am beginning to get a serious problem in keeping up with all the interesting papers, which are being published at the moment. The latest paper that I clearly have to read is a rather impressive paper (124 pages!) by Peter Boettke and Daniel Smith.
The topic of Pete’s and Daniel’s paper – which I still have not read – is basically a discussion of the public choice aspects of central banking. This is a topic I find extremely interesting and I look very much forward to reading the paper in the near future (I will be on vacation next week – so maybe…).
The economics profession not only failed to predict the recent financial crisis; it has been struggling in its aftermath to reach a consensus on the cause(s) of the crisis. While competing narratives are being offered and evaluated, the narrow scope of the debate on the strictly technical aspects of monetary policy that have contributed to and prolonged the crisis has precluded the a broader examination of questions of political economy that may prove to be of greater import. Attempting to find the technically optimal policy is futile when the Federal Reserve’s independence is undermined by the political influences of contemporary democracy. Nobel Laureates F.A. Hayek, Milton Friedman, and James Buchanan each sought ways to constrain and protect a monetary authority from political pressures in their research. Each one ended up rejecting the possibility of doing so without a fundamental restructuring of our monetary regime. Hayek turned to denationalization, Buchanan to constitutionalism, and Friedman to binding rules. We incorporate their experiences to make a case for applying the concepts of robust political economy to the Federal Reserve. Robust political economy calls for relaxing idealized assumptions in order to seek out institutional regimes that can overcome both the epistemic and motivational hurdles that characterize contemporary democratic settings.
Even though I have not read the paper yet I have a pretty good idea where Pete and Daniel are going – they are questioning whether we can convince central bankers to do the right thing. Market Monetarists want central banks to target the nominal GDP level. We want central banks to follow rules. However, we are up against the powers of public choice theory. One can easily argue that central bankers will never give up their discretionary powers and politicians will always interfere with the conduct of monetary policy. It is simply in their selfish interest to do so and therefore the project to convince central bankers to do the right thing – NGDP level targeting – is just a waste of time. We should rather focus on fundamental institutional reforms.
This is fundamentally the issue that any reformist in any area will have to struggle with – how can we expect those in power to give up that power? How can we implement reforms? A way to beat the logic of public choice theory is through the powers of ideas. Milton Friedman was in the business of ideas all his life. The powers of governments – and central banks – can be rolled back through the sheer power of strong arguments and good ideas. It is never going to be easing, but when Scott Sumner started to blog about NGDP targeting nobody listened. Now Federal Reserve scholars are serious talking about it and doing research about it and even the FOMC has debate NGDP targeting. There is therefore reason to be optimistic. But I will be the first to admit that I find it unlikely that the Federal Reserve or the ECB will start targeting the NGDP level anytime – neither do I find it likely that these institutions will give up their discretionary powers. That said I never had any illusions that they would and I do agree that we need to talk about the fundamental institutional issues of central banking.
PS Boettke and Smith does not explicitly mention Market Monetarists or NGDP targeting in paper, but a draft version of the paper was presented at the 2010 Southern Economic Association Annual Meeting Session “Are There Public Choice Problems with Nominal Income Targeting?” Pete has earlier written a blog post on this issue directly challenging the Market Monetarist position: “Political Economy Questions Which Even Market Monetarists Might Want to Think About”. Here is my response to that post.
PPS I have often argued that there is certainly no conflict between favouring NGDP level targeting for central bank and favouring Free Banking as NGDP level targeting in the same way as school vouchers can be seen as a privatization strategy.
My outburst over the weekend against the Rothbardian version of Austrian business cycle theory was not my normal style of blogging. I normally try to be non-confrontational in my blogging style. Krugman-style blogging is not really for me, but I must admit my outburst had some positive consequences. Most important it generated some good – friendly – exchanges with Steve Horwitz and other Austrians.
Steve’s blog post in response to my post gave some interesting insight. Most interesting for me was that Steve highlighted Robert Higgs’ “Regime Uncertainty” theory of the Great Depression.
Overall I think Higgs’ concept makes a lot of sense and there is no doubt that uncertainty about economic policy had negative impact on the performance of the US economy during the Great Depression. I would especially highlight that the so-called National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) and the Smoot-Hawley tariff act not only had directly negative impact on the US economy, but mostly likely also created uncertainty about core capitalist institutions such as property rights and the freedom of contract. This likely hampered investment growth in the way described by Higgs.
However, I am somewhat critical about the “transmission mechanism” of this regime uncertainty. From the Market Monetarist perspective recessions are always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon. Hence, in my view regime uncertainty can only impact nominal GDP if it in someway impact monetary policy – either through money demand or the money supply.
This is contrary to Higgs’ description of the “transmission mechanism”. Higgs’ description is – believe it or not – fundamentally Keynesian in its character (no offence meant Bob): An increase in regime uncertainty reduces investments and that directly reduces real GDP. This is exactly similar to how the fiscal multiplier works in a traditional Keynesian model.
In a Market Monetarist set-up this will only have impact if the monetary authorities allowed it – in the same way as the fiscal multiplier will only be higher than zero if monetary policy allow it. See my discussion of fiscal policy here.
Hence, from a Market Monetarist perspective the impact on investment will be only important from a supply side perspective rather than from a demand side perspective. That, however, does not mean that it is not important – rather the opposite. What makes us rich or poor in the long run is supply side factor and not demand side factors.
While a drop in investment surely has a negative impact on the long run on real GDP growth I would suggest that we should focus on a slightly different kind of regime uncertain than the uncertainty discussed by Higgs. Or rather we should also focus on the uncertainty about the monetary regime.
Let me illustrate this by looking at the present crisis. The Great Moderation lasted from around 1985 and until 2008. This period was characterised by a tremendously high degree of nominal stability. Said in another way there was little or no uncertainty about the monetary regime. Market participants could rightly expect the Federal Reserve to conduct monetary policy in such a way to ensure that nominal GDP grew around 5% year in and year out and if NGDP overshot or undershot the target level one year then the Fed would makes to bring back NGDP on the “agreed” path. This environment basically meant that monetary policy became endogenous and the markets were doing most of the lifting to keep NGDP on its “announced” path.
However, the well-known – even though not the official – monetary regime broke down in 2008. As a consequence uncertainty about the monetary regime increased dramatically – especially as a result of the Federal Reserve’s very odd unwillingness to state a clearly nominal target.
This increase in monetary regime uncertainty mean that market participants now have a much harder time forecasting nominal income flows (NGDP growth). As a result market participants will try to ensure themselves negative surprises in the development in nominal variables by keeping a large “cash buffer”. Remember in uncertain times cash is king! Hence, as a result money demand will remain elevated as long as there is a high degree of regime uncertainty.
As a consequence the Federal Reserve could very easily ease monetary conditions without printing a cent more by clearly announcing a nominal target (preferably a NGDP level target). Hence, if the Fed announced a clear nominal target the demand for cash would like drop significantly and for a given money supply a decrease in money demand is as we know monetary easing.
This is the direct impact of monetary regime uncertainty and in my view this is significantly more important for economic activity in the short to medium run than the supply effects described above. However, it should also be noted that in the present situation with extremely subdued economic activity in the US the calls for all kind of interventionist policies are on the rise. Calls for fiscal easing, call for an increase in minimum wages and worst of all calls for all kind of protectionist initiatives (the China bashing surely has gotten worse and worse since 2008). This is also regime uncertainty, which is likely to have an negative impact on US investment activity, but equally important if you are afraid about for example what kind of tax regime you will be facing in one or two years time it is also likely to increase the demand for money. I by the way regard uncertainty about banking regulation and taxation to a be part of the uncertainty regarding the monetary regime. Hence, uncertainty about non-monetary issues such as taxation can under certain circumstances have monetary effects.
Concluding at the moment – as was the case during the Great Depression – uncertainty about the monetary regime is the biggest single regime uncertain both in the US and Europe. This monetary regime uncertainty in my view has tremendously negative impact on the economic perform in both the US and Europe.
So while I am sceptical about the transmission mechanism of regime uncertainty in the Higgs model I do certainly agree that we need regime certain. We can only get that with sound monetary institutions that secure nominal stability. I am sure that Steve Horwitz and Peter Boettke would agree on that.
Peter Boettke over at Coordination Problem a post in which he challenge Market Monetarists to think about some political economy questions.
“Now I understand that much has changed since 1962 about the state of the art in central banking and the debate over rules versus discretion. But after 2008, can we really say that anymore?
So while I might agree with the technical theory point about monetary equilibrium, the question remains as to what institutional arrangement best fits. Central banking as a system simply might not be capable of operationalizing the lessons from monetary equilibrium theory. The ability of the system to pursue optimal policy rules may beyond its reach and not merely for reasons of interest group manipulation, but due to an epistemic constraint. That is actually how I read the critical aspects of Selgin’s The Theory of Free Banking.
I think Peter raises some very important issues. Basically Peter argue that it is more important that we discuss the institutional arrangement guiding the monetary regime rather than just the day-to-day conduct of monetary policy. I am happy that Peter is raising these issues. I have often argued that Market Monetarists should never argue in favour of “stimulus” in the keynesian discretionary fashion and rather stress that we are strongly in favour of rules. We are certainly intellectually indebted to Hayek and Friedman.
Selgin’s Monetary Credo – Please Dr. Taylor read it!
We favour Futarchy in monetary policy – we want markets rather than policy makers to determine monetary policy. Scott Sumner has argued in favour of using NGDP futures to directly determine monetary policy. I while endorse Scott’s proposal for NGDP futures I have further argued that central banks should use predictions markets to do macroeconomic forecasting and for implementation of monetary policy. “Market” in Market Monetarism is not just a buzzword – it is an integral part of our thinking. In fact I have earlier argued that futures based NGDP level targeting could be seen as privatisation strategy and a first step toward the total privatisation of the supply of money. Not all Market Monetarists bloggers are in favour of Free Banking, but there is no doubt that a number of us are highly sympathetic to the idea of privatisation of the monetary regime.
So I think we have both been thinking about and answered Peter’s question. Peter, there is no reason to worry – we are loyal disciples of Hayek and Friedman – also when it comes to institutional questions. | 2019-04-25T18:39:47Z | https://marketmonetarist.com/tag/peter-boettke/ |
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Can your house really be at risk if you get into difficulties repaying something like a credit card bill?
You might think the answer is “no”, but there are some very rare situations where this can happen. It helps to know the facts, so you can make good decisions about how to deal with your debts.
go back to court again t0 ask for an Order for Sale.
This article looks at unsecured debts – credit cards, unsecured loans, catalogues, payday loans etc. It doesn’t apply to secured debts such as your mortgage, where the rules for repossession are very different.
Just because you have defaulted on a debt or it has been sold to a debt collector doesn’t mean you are going to be taken to court for a CCJ. And without a CCJ, there is no chance of a charging order or a visit from bailiffs.
If you don’t have a CCJ but a creditor is threatening this sort of thing then don’t panic, they are just trying to pressure you into paying them. But don’t panic doesn’t mean ignore them.
A debt collector is much more likely to go to court for a CCJ if you ignore them. So read Threats of CCJs – Is the Debt Collector Bluffing? which looks at what you should do.
You know a debt collector is getting serious about going to court if you get a Letter before Action/Claim. Read What to do if you get a Letter before Action to see how you should complete the Reply Form with the letter. There may be ways you can challenge this debt. or you could get the creditor to accept a payment arrangement.
If you don’t do that and get a Claim Form from the court, you need to take action, even if you can’t afford to clear the debt. See What to do if you get a Claim Form for details.
If you are at all unsure, phone National Debtline who can discuss the details of your case in confidence. National Debtline are excellent on everything on this page – CCJs, Charging orders and Orders for Sale.
I am assuming here that the CCJ was obtained after October 2012. If it was earlier, contact National Debtline for advice.
A creditor can apply for a Charging Order even if you are making the monthly payments set for the CCJ.
When a court grants a Charging Order, a legal charge is put on your house.
If you own the house with your partner, the Charging Order is only made against your share of the equity – your partner’s share will not be affected by it. This is sometimes called a “restriction”.
The order of charges matters. Say you already have a mortgage and a secured loan – this new charge will then be third in priority. If your house is sold your mortgage is paid off first, then the secured loan then (if there is enough equity left) this new charge.
It is not automatic that a Charging Order will be granted. You can defend this by arguing that it would be unfair to you, to other people that live in your house, to the joint owner of your house or to your other creditors.
You can also ask the court to add conditions – for example that the house cannot be sold until your children are over 18 say.
See this National Debtline factsheet for more information about the court process of a Charging Order and how you may be able to challenge it.
An Order For Sale is a court order which forces you to sell your property – the creditor will then be paid back because they have a Charge over the property, see above. If you don’t pay the debt or leave the property within 28 days, your creditor can apply for a warrant of possession to force you to leave the property.
An Order for Sale will only be granted if there is already a Charging Order that has been made final and if the debt is more than £1,000.
If the CCJ was after October 2012, the Order for Sale will not be granted if you are up to date with the CCJ payments.
As with a Charging Order, you can defend an application for an Order For Sale on various grounds.
It is worth doing this even if you tried and failed to prevent a Charging Order on similar grounds – the judge may well decide that the Order For Sale is unfair to someone else as they would lose their home.
You can also make an offer of monthly payments at this stage and ask the court to suspend the Order so it won’t apply if you make the payments. See this National Debtline factsheet for more details.
You might think creditors will rush to get to Stage Three, the Order for Sale, as fast as possible.
Creditors don’t want to go to court once, let alone three times. It costs them time, money and at any stage their court application may be refused, so it’s risky. And selling a house is even more hassle.
Creditors would much prefer to find an acceptable repayment solution and not bother with any of this court action!
Normal consumer creditors such as credit cards, banks, payday loans are very unlikely to go for a Charging Order.
The main exception here is guarantor loans, where lenders such as Amigo can be very fast to take a guarantor to court for a CCJ and then they often apply for a Charging Order. But Amigo don’t routinely apply for Orders for Sale.
Look at this chart showing how the number of CCJs in England and Wales has gone up since 2014. At the same time the number of Charging Orders has actually fallen.
In 2014 there was about one Charging Order for every twenty CCJs.
By 2018, this had dropped so there was only one Charging Order for every fifty CCJs. They are less common now than they were.
The number of Orders for Sale is so small they wouldn’t show on that chart at all. In 2013 there were only 220 Orders for Sale.
if you do get a Charging Order, the creditor cannot get an Order for Sale if you are making the monthly payments on the CCJ.
So don’t be an ostrich. Debt problems get worse if you ignore them, they don’t go away.
Where it’s the added interest that is causing problems, talk to the creditor about a payment plan or talk to a debt adviser about a Debt Management Plan.
With impossible debts, get good debt advice on your options. It’s good to do this as soon as possible but it is never too late!
If your creditor goes go to court, respond fast, do not ignore it. There may be ways of contesting CCJs, Charging Orders and Orders for Sale that will work for you. If you do nothing, the creditor will get what they are applying for.
So get help! National Debtline doesn’t just have a great set of factsheets, they can also give advice to individuals about their specific cases. Unless you are completely confident in what you are doing, give them a ring on 0808 808 4000 and talk things through with them.
I have been paying my creditors via Step Change for the past 5 years and recently my payments were lowered because of a reduction in income. One of my creditors (a debt recovery agent) has written to me stating ‘whilst they are happy to accept my payments they will be serving me with legal papers in order to obtain a CCJ against me as they want to obtain a charging order on my property. The debt owed is now around £3,000 and was for a credit card, if I fight it is there any hope that a Judge will not grant the CCJ in view of my making continuous payments via Step Change or does everything rule in their favour?
Hi Alice, you can’t defend the CCJ but it is likely the CCJ will be set with monthly payments that are the same as what StepChange is currently paying them.
it is possible to defend an application for a charging order. You could talk to StepChange about this, or National Debtline as I suggest in Stage 2 or this article. And it’s important to know that even if the creditor gets a charging order, they won’t be able to get an order for sale if you carry on making the CCJ payments.
I don’t know how long your DMP has to run now – it would also be good to discuss this with StepChange to see if you have any better options.
Hi Carolyn, no – if there is no debt, there can’t be a charging order.
Help I have lost in court over a maintenance charge so I have a CCJ. I have a freehold property but there is a TP1. I have offered payment plan but they have just ignored me I have allowed them to contact mortgage company – they have now said we have 14 days to pay or they repossess can they do this as we have only been to the county court to decide if we owe the money nothing else? I have 2 children aged 12 and 8 and am very scared.
I’m sorry but you need legal advice as to what your options are. You could go back to the solicitor you used when you bought the house, go to your local Citizens Advice or Law Centre or phone Shelter’s excellent housing advice helpline see https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help/helpline. The Shelter line is open at weekends but it can take some time to get through – keep trying!
Hi Leslie, I think you can apply to the court for the charging order to be discharged. Before you make the F&F payment, I suggest that you ask the creditor to confirm in writing that they are accepting this amount as a full and final settlement of the debt and that they will not contest your application to the court for the discharge. As it says in this article, National Debtline are a great source of information on these matters so I suggest you phone them to discuss exactly how this should work.
I have a charging order as I thought I could argue my case at court but got told it was just to apply a CO. So is there anyway I can write to someone to remove it? The debt was bought by 1st credit and the debt is unlawful bank charges.
Hi Nicola, to get this removed, I think you would first have to get the original CCJ removed. I suggest you talk to National Debtline about whether you have good grounds for having the CCJ “set aside”, whether it might be better to complain to the Financial Ombudsman about the charges or if there is some other route open to you.
I have a charge order placed on my house and also a CCJ.
The charge order is for around £1,900.
The creditor is now threatening me with an order for sale.
Therefore today I had my house valued with a view to selling it to pay back the charge order. My house valuation was £250,000 and I own the house outright.
Sadly you will loose your house for a small debt even if you own your house outright with loads of equity.
It isn’t correct that you will lose your house for a small debt: charging orders are rare for small debts and orders for sale are even rarer as the statistics in this article show.
I think you need to take advice about what you can do about this debt – the creditor may not be able to get an order for sale. Talk to National Debtline about your options: 0808 808 4000.
Hi I need advice. I have a creditor seeking an outstanding debt from 2004. They went to court and acquired a charging order on my house. My house is joint mortgage with my wife and I’m the only one who has the debt. We have children and my wife his registered disabled. They did not contact me for years and now they have added interest on the debt. They are now threatening to enforce the charging order if I don’t pay. I’m not working and struggling to pay every day bills, so I can’t make them an offer. Will this mean my wife and children will loose their home?
Hi John, I think you need urgent advice on your whole situation, not just this particular charging order although obviously that is the most urgent. There may be other benefits your family could be claiming that could help, there needs to be a check on whether it is correct for interest to be being added to this debt and there needs to be a full consideration of what your debt options are. You could talk to National Debtline or visit your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Hi. Over the past 8 years I’ve been making nominal payments to various creditors. Over time the debt(s) have been sold on to the different collection agencies but I’m still on a low income and unable to offer anything at a reduced settlement. There is however one bank who has retained the debt and have asked me to go through an I & E interview. My house now has substantial equity in it, and my aim is to sell the property and go down the route of offering settlements, but I’m not yet in the position to do this. If this one bank applies for a CCJ, would they be given priority over my other creditors ?
Hi Chris, if you are sent a Claim Form for a CCJ, you can admit the claim and make a monthly offer of payment, which should be one that you can afford. I suggest you talk to National Debtline as soon as a Claim Form arrives so they can help with this. The judge will then usually grant the CCJ but set a monthly payment which is very often what you have offered.
If the bank thinks this is insufficient, then they may apply for a Charging Order, as this article says. But they then won’t be able to get an Order For Sale provided you are making the CCJ payments.
But I think it might be good if you talk to National Debtline now 0808 808 4000 – they will be able to look at what your I&E should say which will help you in dealing with this bank.
HI CJ, I think you might find it useful to talk to a mortgage broker.
It isn’t possible to get a buy to let mortgage for a house that you currently live in. And if you are hoping to get an interest only mortgage, these are quite unusual these days and require LOT of equity. And buying a second house will incur a big stamp duty penalty from April 2016. The charging order will make it much harder to do anything though – you really need to pay this off as rapidly as possible.
My ex husband has been to court with regards to a charging order on the property we jointly own. I have no use whether a charging order was granted as I have been kept out of the loop completely and my ex won’t discuss it with me. He has lived elsewhere for several years now. How do I find out if a final order as granted ?
I am now selling the house so I no longer have to be financially linked to him. Will the estate agent and solicitor fees come out of the equity before the debt collectors take half of the remaining equity? Or will I have to pay the fees out of my share? There won’t be enough equity either way to pay his debts in full.
Hi Phillippa, you can check if there is a charge on the Land Registry site: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/land-registry. I suggest you talk to your solicitor about the order in which things are settled.
I took a loan with my husband then he died, this was 13 yrs ago, I was told I would have to pay it but after a while I stopped as I took ill health and only worked part time so could not afford to pay what they asked for, the bank were terrible and would not accept what I could only afford to pay. I have heard nothing for nearly 3 yrs now from them and I have sold my house, but the solicitor has told me the bank have a charging order. I was told after 6 yrs I no longer have to pay this debt and I have never had any proof of the charging order so do they have to lift this as well.
I don’t know who told you “after 6 years you no longer have to pay this debt” – if this was just what a friend said, then I am afraid this was probably bad advice. To have a charging order, there must first have been a CCJ, then the creditor would have had to apply to the court for a charging order. You could ask your solicitor to find out the date of the charging order and the date of the CCJ. Alternatively you could phone National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 and ask for advice from them about whether you have any options at this point.
Hi, I have a charge put on my property fraudently for £53,000 and this was done 15 years ago, i have never took any loans or anything accept a mortgage, but suddenly i have received court summons that the second chargee wants £187,000 from me, is this for real? can this things happen in real world? can someone help!!!
You may need to get legal advice, but I suggest your first call should be to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000.
My father has around 60k worth of debts split over 4 credit cards. He lost his job 6 months ago and has now run out of money to pay for the min payments. The letters have started and he is making token payments of around 120 pounds a card. I am paying all his s living expenses and mortgage.
His house that i also live in has a big mortgage but also around 600k in equity. Can the card companies force sale of the house.
I can’t afford to pay the card debts for him at the moment.
As this article says, a creditor can only force the sale of your house through an Order for Sale if they first get a CCJ, then a charging order AND you don’t keep up with the terms of the CCJ.
With such a lot of equity, there is also the possibility that a creditor will decide to make your dad bankrupt – that is very rare but can’t be completely ruled out. This would be very very unlikely to be one of the credit card lenders, but at some point they may sell the debt to a debt collector.
There is no need to panic or rush but in 6 months to a year you need to be considering the family’s options if dad or you can’t start making significant payments to the cards. Remortgaging or selling and downsizing May have to be looked at.
Hi Angie, you need to apply to the court for a Certificate of Satisfaction using this form https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/form-n443-application-for-a-certificate-of-satisfaction-or-cancellation. Ask your solicitor if you need help to complete this.
I think it’s ridiculous to make me sell for the sake of 2k,I can raise almost all of that if I had to,but do you think they will Accept some sort of payment plan instead?
If the CCJ was after 2012 and you have kept up with the payments, then it is unlikely they would be able to get an Order for Sale. I suggest you call National Debtline 0808 808 4000 to talk through the charging order and your concerns. You also need to talk about your other debts – council tax in particular is a priority debt and you should not get into arrears for it – and national Debtline can help with this.
The ccj was brought into action as of March 2013..
Of the order of sale was put in place,I’d have to just throw money at them and hope I’d clear it up,maybe miss a mortgage payment to do it,it can be a difficult ride when you live on your own..
Hi. I had a charge put on my property five years ago by a debt collection agency for a credit card debt that is now seven years old , I have heard nothing from them in that time and when I contacted them on two separate occasions recently to make a reduced offer of the original £5500 in full and final settlement they said they could not trace the co on their records. My wife and I are considering selling our house which is in joint names ( the debt is mine) but will need as much as possible left from equity to make a mortgage free move. What is the best way forward to a solution when the creditor cannot trace the debt history etc?? Ray.
I’m not sure who you have contacted, the debt collector or the original creditor? In whose name is the charging order?
It is however unlikely that a partial settlement will be accepted.
A debt company is saying they have secured a charging order on my property I have checked my credit file and there is none on it. Without a ccj they can’t get a CO can they. I have received no paperwork in relation to this from court and neither has my partner who i share the mortgage with.
You should check the Land Registry to be sure: https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry.
When you have that information, I suggest you contact national Debtline 0808 808 4000 and talk to them about how to reply to the debt collector.
Hi, there is a charging order of my wifes on our house from 2012 but this debt was then sold on to another debt collector in 2013 does the charging order still carry over to the new debtor as we have no contact from them for 3 years.
A charge will never become time barred through there being no contact.
i am just worrying myself through all scenarios at the moment as i cannot find the answer to my point.
CCJ obtained by creditor in maiden name, but sole owner of property in married name at land registry.
Can a creditor obtain a charging order if the CCJ name is different from the name listed as owner on the land registry?
Is the creditor threatening a charging order? Are you making the monthly CCJ payments?
No threat of CO at the moment. However best to be prepared.
you have answered the question, in that if maiden name on land register, and ccj in married name CO can still be obtained.
could you explain how the creditor would work this?
If you talk to National Debtline (0808 808 4000), they can explain the mechanics of charging order applications. They will also be able to talk about debt repayment. If you are keeping up with the court-ordered CCJ monthly payments, your creditor will be able to get a charging order but will not be able to get an order for Sale.
If your dad remembers the debts and the CCJs and just hasn’t kept the paperwork, try writing to HLCF , details here https://www.jerseyfsc.org/registry/documentsearch/NameDetail.aspx?Id=262957.
If he doesn’t know anything about this charge or the CCJs, contact National Debtline 0808 808 4000 and ask them for help.
Any charges should show up on a land registry search: https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry. If there was an agreement as part of the divorce/seperation about what should happen to the property, I suggest you should discuss this with her solicitor.
I have a credited who has a second charge on my property. I have been paying him through an attachment of earnings order. I have now had a letter threatening to force a sale of my property. I have : children & my partner living here. Can he force a sale?
Hi Stuart, Orders for Sale are very rare but you need to take advice on what you can do to challenge this one – call National Debtline on 0808 808 4000.
Many thanks for your prompt reply. I am up to date with my payments as they are taken at source. Is it usual for a person with a second charge to be able to force a sale, especially when there are 3 children living at the property?
As I said, Orders for Sale are rare, but that doesn’t mean you can just turn up in court and say it’s unfair and expect to win. You need to discus the details of your case with an expert – call National Debtline.
My wife made a charging order against 3 properties I own in my name and 1 jointly owned, when we separated in 1980. We divorced 1983 and she remarried. She never had any debt, and neither did I. Are the orders still standing, if so how do I remove them.
Sorry, this predates any electronic land registers. You will need to consult a solicitor about this.
Hi a second charge was placed on our property in 2012 for a debt owed by my husband, although i signed the papers under pressure the debt has nothing to do with myself. we have now received a letter from thier solicitor informing us that they are going to start proceedings to force the sale of our property, would i be able to contest the sale on the grounds that its not my debt?
Orders for Sale are very rare, but you can’t ignore these letters. I suggest you talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 about the letter, the debt and your possible defences if it does come to court.
My wife was made bankrupt in Feb 2014. She has been making monthly payments towards the total owed since that date. We jointly own our home although i’m the one who pays the mortgage. We now have the official receivers asking for half the equity in the house, currently around £5000. We have no children or elderly people living with us.
I have been given the option of paying the whole lot off in one go, which I cannot afford, or a charge can be placed on the house for the amount (plus 8% interest per annum). As my wife has been paying the debt back monthly is there not a way for that arrangement to continue? 8% per annum doesn’t sound a lot but if I end up not moving for 10/20 years that interest soon turns an already worrying amount into something petrifying. Any advice would be very welcome!
I don’t know if your wife took advice about bankruptcy before hand – I am surprised she didn’t expect this to happen. The fact that she is making monthly payments to an IPA doesn’t affect the fact that she owns a property with some equity in it. The Official Receiver is right to be claiming the equity and the monthly payment.
Yes the 8% would add up, but you should be be able to start paying this charge off, you don’t have to wait until the debt is sold. If you can only pay say £50 a month, then that will cover all the interest and start chipping away at the debt. Then when your wife’s monthly payments finish after 3 years you should be able to increase the amount to pay to this debt? The sooner you clear it, the less interest will be paid.
Looking for advice on what to say on a N244 in regards to setting aside on “Charging Order” Apparently the order was done in Jan 2012 and I was only made aware of this charging order by my mortgage company, when I made a general inquiry.
So this leads me to believe that all the communication was sent to an old business address that I left over four years ago?
Any suggestions for a resolving?
I suggest you talk to National Debtline 0808 808 4000. obviously it’s annoying not having received the papers, but would you actually have had a defence if you had received them? That is what you need to establish.
I have numerous debts of over £35k which I have neglected for nearly a year. I have serious financial problems due to my failure to secure a meaningful job. I have in the past years made token payments of £1 to each of my 20 creditors. My problem is that I have just been served with a change order without ever receiving aCCJ.
You can check to see if you have a CCJ on Trust Online, https://debtcamel.co.uk/do-you-have-ccjs/. I suggest you talk to National Debtline 0808 808 4000 about what you should do about this charging order – and also your other debts as you don’t want to get more CCJs.
I now realize I should have responded to their threat to take legal action.
Doesn’t the Court have a legal obligation to inform a person when they put a CCJ in place?
Reading through the Charge Order paperwork revealed that a judgment (CCJ) was awarded on 5/10/16 and they moved quickly to get a Charging Order on 25/11/16.. Where do I get the full terms of the judgment (CCJ ). I need to know what the Court said regarding paying the debt. Who do I contact?
Yes, you will have received a Letter which said Judgment for Claimant at the top.
If you didn’t defend the case (and it sounds as though you didn’t) then the judgment would have been for the full amount to be payable “forthwith”, which means immediately. National Debtline can talk about the details of your case and who you should contact.
Help, I was made bankrupt in December 2012 when my business folded. Before the bankruptcy went through 5 companies put charges on my house totalling 27k this along with a mortgage of 180k and a second secured loan for 30k. I would like to know if I sell up and there is insufficient funds left when the mortgage and second secured loan are cleared , what would happen to the 5 charges on the house.
If you are increasing the amount you pay to the debts it is highly unlikely that any of them would bother to try get an Order for Sale.
I have recently paid off my CCJ and still have the charge on my house ( I have checked with the Land Registry). I have got a certificate of satisfaction from the court but am unsure of where to go from here. Can I send my certificate of satisfaction to the Land registry to have the order removed or do I send to the county court?
You should ask the creditor to inform the land registry and get the charge removed. If they refuse or say you still owe money, contact National Debtline on 0808 808 4000.
In 2006 I took out a loan to start a business that failed, the loan was for 5k I paid 2k off and then hit problems the company took out a ccj then charging order ( I was in a bad place couldn’t cope with the debt and didn’t open letters) I was paying them £10 a month then in May 2010 payments were returned to my bank account as the company went bust. I didn’t know where to send payments to and no one was answering the phone. 4 years later I have contact from the liquidation company demanding payment I asked for bank details and offered to pay £50 per month but none were forthcoming I then had a heart attack and being self employed didn’t earn anything so decided to sell my property I felt bullied by this liquidation company I did have a sale in 2015 but I pulled out as I couldn’t find anywhere to rent because of bad debt. They then threatened to force me to sell my house,I started to make payments in April 2016 of £100 per month ( more than Iam paying on my other charging orders) I was shocked to find out that they are charging interest and owe over 10k, I feel this is totally unfair by the time the charging order was in place it was about £6700 which was over double the amount I originally owed.
For 4 years I didn’t know where to send payments and even when they contacted me I ask for bank details and they were not forthcoming surely interest for this time shouldn’t be charged.
I am now getting back on my feet is it worth taking out a loan for 4K and offering this as full and final settlement (it’s around £5474 now plus interest but I dispute the interest) the payments on the loan would be less each month then I could increase the payments on the other charging orders.
I’m glad I stumbled on this site thank you in advance for your advice.
Hi Chris, you need someone to help you look at the details of this situation. National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 or go to your local Citizens Advice.
I’m half the owner of a house with my ex partner who is being threatened with a legal charge on our house together. I read that as I am not liable to that charge because it’s his debt but I wonder where I stand if in case he is issued a Order for Sale? It’s my house and I am the rightful half owner and paid cash for my half although my name is on the mortgage because it’s the only way the lender Nationwide will give him the mortgage when we bought the house. Please explain. Thank you kindly.
Hi Jay, technically this should be added as a restriction not a charge as it is a jointly owned property. I suggest you talk to National Debtline 0808 808 4000 about your options. It may be possible to argue that your ex has no equity in the property.
My name is Paul, I was made bankrupt in 2010 I separated from my partner in 2006 it took around 4 years to go through the court process, as part of my settlement I had to loan an amount of money so she could re-house her self and the children, i now have a legal charge for the amount of money i lent her, the sale of the house and the legal charge was settled before I was made bankrupt, I fully complied with the insolvency and declared the legal charge, I was discharged after the standard year, I am now at the point where I can enforce the charge as she has an obligation to myself to dismiss the debt. my question is do they have any claim to the charge and how do I find out if they have.
I think you should either talk to a solicitor (preferably the one you used at the time the loan and charge were set up) or talk to your Official Receiver’s office.
Is there anyway of fighting this grossly injust system?
How can people be at risk of losing their homes for an unsecured debt?
There must be somewhere we can all complain to about this?
I’m wondering if you can clarify something for me. I have recently applied (jointly) for a secured loan for home improvements. The lender has flagged up a “charge” on my property. I downloaded the title deeds and in the proprietor list there is a “restriction” in my name from a car finance company from 2011. This is not in the charges list and it says it’s an interim charging order. I did go to a hearing for this and argued against a final charging order as the house is in joint ownership. I never heard anything else whatsoever after this hearing and I don’t believe this charging order to be a final order. I’ve not heard anything else in the previous 6 years up to present day. How can I get this restriction removed please?
It sounds to me as though the charging order was made final – you should have followed up what happened at the time :( I suggest you contact the court and ask.
It’s not a final charge though as they couldn’t make it final due to the house being in joint ownership. In the charge list there is only our mortgage company and nothing else. It actually says interim charging order so could it be that the court has not informed land registry?
It is correct that a charge over a jointly owned property is entered as a restriction. But I am not clear why you think it should be removed – unless you have paid it?
I think it should be removed if the court hasn’t made the order. Surely that’s the law? If it’s a final order then surely it would be in the charges list, which it isn’t thus making it extremely difficult and quite unfair on my wife and her credit report. I’m asking for advice and clarity on a subject I don’t understand.
It’s hard for me to guess what has happened, that’s why I suggested you ask the Court. If you don’t understand what the Court says, I suggest you talk to National Debtline about the problem.
It is normal for a restriction to be added where there is a jointly owned property – you may feel this is unfair, but that is what happens.
I don’t think Restrictions – or indeed Charges – show on credit records at all.
Hello, we’ve put our house up for sale and realise a company called hlcf has a charging order on the property for a ccj I knew nothing about back in 2004.
It seems the hlcf company is no where to be found or is no more, and therefore there’s no company to pay.
The current HLCF Ltd https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10386494 is a recent company and has nothing to do with this old debt collector. Nothing else shows on the English Companies House website – you could contact them as it’s possible that very old information is held that isn’t searchable on the internet.
There was an Isle of Man company https://services.gov.im/ded/services/companiesregistry/viewcompany.iom?Id=146555 which then seems to have become a Jersey company https://www.jerseyfsc.org/registry/documentsearch/NameDetail.aspx?Id=262957 but is now dissolved. I suspect this may be the one that has the charge, it was a financial services company.
If this can’t happen, then you have the problem about how to pay this charge. If the charge did belong to a company which has been dissolved, it is possible that the ownership of the debt will have reverted to the Crown, see https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/bona-vacantia. Googling suggests that for Jersey companies there is an equivalent procedure.
I hope your conveyancing solicitor is good… the solicitor may find the Land Registry Customer Support helpline useful 0300 0060411.
Thank you very much for this, my solicitors contacted the Treasury in England but they objected to receiving the payment as they claim the judgement was made in 2004 and the first hlcf on records was formed in 2005 in the Isle of Man.
However the Isle of Man hlcf was dissolved in 2010 however according to court records another attempt to get me to court was in 2012 via their solicitors GPB which was subsequently closed down by the SLA. So perhaps an address for hlcf in 2012 would help. If it is the same one in Jersey can a payment be made to the Jersey receiver company.
The lawyers have decided to proceed to court to have the order removed as we’re unable to locate who to pay. How long do these normally take.
Thanks, but it does turn out that it is the Jersey HLCF they filed a discontinuance from Isle of Man and moved the business to Jersey. My legal team did not search because they told me they found no HLCF in all the companies house records including Jersey. They’re currently dissolved Oct 2016, so I’ve sent a request to the Receiver General for Jersey to receive the payment and that should satisfy the Land Registry and take the restriction off.
I’ll enquire what the CCJ was for after all this, it’s gone on since January.
many thanks you solved a great mystery for me. Lawyers were going to charge a fortune and not produce any results.
I am in a token payment plan a debt charity for credit card and loan creditors (all unsecured) totaling £50,000. These built up over the past 4 years when I lost my job and was unable to find work. I am self-employed now with a very small income and still unable to pay any increased installments. I run this as a limited company and my home address is my registered company address. My question is would my home, which is owned outright, be protected from any potential charging order in view of it being a registered company address?
Alternatively, would my home be similarly protected if I transfer ownership solely in my wife’s name? It has always been solely in my name and all the debts are solely in my name.
“My question is would my home, which is owned outright, be protected from any potential charging order in view of it being a registered company address?” I think that sounds completely irrelevant, no protection against a charging order.
“Alternatively, would my home be similarly protected if I transfer ownership solely in my wife’s name? It has always been solely in my name and all the debts are solely in my name.” That sounds like a good reason for your creditors to make you bankrupt! Because this “transfer” to your wife would be very likely to be overturned in bankruptcy.
I have been issued a notice to enforce a restriction on my property. The CCJ belongs to my husbands ex wife and I need urgent assistance if you can, to respond and stop the restriction at once.
The address I live in is the address she has lived in too, and in April 2017 I opened a claim form and acknowledged it!
You need to talk through all the details with a debt advisor. I suggest National Debtline on 0808 808 40000. Good luck!
The care home my partner’s Mum moved to a few years ago had a charge on her Mum’s property. The house has since been sold (without any claims or orders having to be made) but apparently the charge was not discharged. Should the solicitor dealing with the sale not have done this?
I would have thought so, is the care home now asking for the money?
Thanks Sara. No, all payments were made. It just doesn’t seem to have been discharged. It was hard to work out when it should have been done and by whom as my partner is steeling herself for another solicitor bill. The form provided by land registry is unfortunately incomprehensible.
I have a debt from car finance been managed by Mortimer clarke I currently pay £40 per month, i have had a ccj granted for this, I missed a payment due to a bereavement but have caught it up and put all payments on a standing order. Mortimer are hounding me threatening a charging order on property and asking me for income and expenditure forms to be filled in when I have already filled them in for the court and they agreed 40 a month. I am currently paying 40 every 4 weeks. Can they get a charging order and do I need to fill in more forms this has me worried sick.
This article https://debtcamel.co.uk/debt-collector-income-expenditure/ covers this situation.
Did you tell Mortimer Clark about your bereavement? If you did, it doesn’t change the fact that they can ask you for an I&E but it should mean that they are more considerate and your reference to ‘hounding’ is worrying.
You might consider putting in a formal written complaint to them… title of email “Complaint about treatment when vulnerable”, yiu could say that you aren’t trying to avoid paying them, you missed a payment due to a death in the family, you told them about this and have caught up, but you are still fining it difficult to concentrate on your financial affairs and their repeated contacts and threats ( you could list them) are making you more anxious at a difficult time.
Thankyou Sara will do that.
I’m asking on behalf of a friend who is worried. When she got divorced she had a lot of debt and decided to move away, she was granted by the judge in the divorce that she could have the equity in their matrimonial home and her ex was to give her an extra £75000 so altogether she had approx. £160000. She was to buy a house of £130000 minimum and pay off her debts. She bought a house for £153000 and then had a charging order put on the property for £75000 which she has to repay her ex when their son finishes full time education. Will she have to sell her home to repay the money or can she get out of it in some way? She doesn’t work and has been bankrupt in the past so is unlikely to get a mortgage.
how long ago was she bankrupt?
It was as least 10 years ago. She is 46 years old and hasn’t worked for the last 10 years.
Well it’s not being bankrupt that will stop her getting a mortgage, after 10 years that won’t be a problem, it’s not having a good enough income. Why can’t she get a job?
She has suffered with depression in the past that’s why she’s not worked.
If she is now over that, she needs to be finding a job. She has 20 years until she retires, what does she want to do with it? How long until he son is 18?
To be honest I don’t think she thinks that the order will be enforceable and she’ll be able to keep the house and not give the money back. Her son is 10 this year.
Why doesn’t she think the order will be enforceable? Apart from wishful thinking? With 8 years to go, she only has to be able to earn 15k a year and save 5k of it for her to be in a great position in 8 years tome to pay off half the charging order with her savings and get a small mortgage, only 12 years, for the rest. If she waits around and does nothing for 8 years, she is going to be in a much worse position.
I think she is burying her head in the sand and thinks because her ex is well off she won’t have to pay it back and he won’t see his son homeless. I have tried to tell her she needs to do something.
Sorry I can’t work out from this who owned the house, whether there was a mortgage and a second secured loan or what the interim charging order was for. I suggest she should talk to the solictor that did her coneyancing if she is concerned.
i think your husband muct have been on the deeds. And so he should have been involved in agreeing to the sale. Sorry he and his mother need to speak to the solicitor who did the conveyancing for them.
I have just received a charge order letter today that was apparently placed against me in 2011. however I do not think I ever got any paperwork and am almost certain I didn’t get a CCJ at the time. Can this still be enforced and also be the reason why we can not remortgage. What steps can I take to get this removed/resolved?
You need to find out if there was a CCJ – if there was and you were unaware of it you need to apply to have it set aside if you don’t think you owed the money.
If you did owe the money, I am afraid your best option may simply be to pay the CCJ which will remove the charge. National Debtline can help you look at your options, see https://www.nationaldebtline.org/.
Having a charge is very likely to be the reason you cannot remortgage.
HI , approx 10 years ago i had a charging order put on our house (due to an outstanding loan ) , myself and my partner parted company , and the house was sold, i didn’t want anything to do with the ex , and i was informed that my half of the equity would pay off the charging order , i am now receiving letters from the bank (now part of HSBC) where the loan was taken saying that i may be entitled to refund.
How does the outstanding debt get paid , also what i am worried out is are these letters a ploy to chase me for the money that may of not be paid ?
Is there anyway i can check that the loan was paid off , the loan was taken out in 2003.
That doesn’t sound alarming to me and there doesn’t seem to be any reason to suspect the debt was not repaid when the house was sold. It sounds as though the bank has found some computer error that it needs to correct. I suggest you get in contact with them about it – obviously, if they start demanding money, that is different!
Just read the above about charging orders not being possible without a ccj. I have what was originally an unsecured loan with Paragon, I got made redundant (never claimed on the insurance) and ended getting behind with them. Next thing I know I receive a court letter saying they are Have successfully obtained a charging order and were looking to sell the house and a letter form the land registry saying a change has been placed on my property. No I don’t have a ccj and never have had. The application and hearing for the charging order was held without me being notified or present. This all happened back in around 2012. The local council came in to court with me and prevented the house getting a sale order and tried to get some sense from the Paragon legal chap but nothing, they still have a charge on the house and I am paying back and additional £30 a month on the original monthly payment. Apparent from some letter s letting me I was not meeting the full payments back when it was bad I haven’t heard from them. I don’t get any statements unless I ring for one. When o get a something sent through it is a computer printout (i.e. Not a formal statement) the only way I know the debt is going down is through what is recorded on my credit file. The big point for me though is how could a charging order have been obtained of i never had a ccj and it was an unsecured loan.
I would be interested to know the answer! I think you should talk either to your local Citizens Advice or National Debtline about this. It may help if you send Paragon a Subject Access Request, then they have to send you all the information they have about you… see https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/your-right-of-access/, this doesn’t cost anything.
Thank-you, I will wait until June and ask for the SAR as I am in a much better position now I am back at work an able to pay them. I just don’t like the idea that they can choose to to go for a sale order when they feel like it. I have all the papers from the court charging order being made but nothing was ever issued following the agreement made outside in the court lobby to pay the extra amount despite going back into the court and the judge saying that was fine. I will speak to Nationdebtline once I have the SAR stuff.
Hello, I had an Interim Charging Order place on my property in 2009 which was never made final, by a debt company who had bought my debt from a bank. I subsequently went into an IVA in 2012 which was completed last year. This debt company had bought other debts of mine as well, but the charging order was for 1 particular debt, they were named on my IVA but looking at the creditor meetings they didn’t respond to any of them, I am now being told by the IVA company the charging order part of the debts would still be outstanding. Is this correct even though the charging order is interim? Could they have been applying interest on this debt for 9 years? I want to re-mortgage but fear this charging order will stop this? Any help would be appreciated.
My first thought is to wonder why the Interim Order was not made final and whether the creditor served the correct notices after the interim order was made within the time limits set out in the court rules.
A High Street Bank Credit Card Debt during Divorce Proceedings results in a CCJ – (approximately £14k) The Creditor then obtains a Legal Charge over the now-divorced single Debtor’s home.
The Creditor takes no action for ten years (except to write a routine letter which stated that if any successful PPI claim were made it would only reduce the Debt, – there would be no payment to the Claimant), then sells the debt to a Third Party Debt Company, which in the following three years take no action either, ( theirs is the third charge on the property with some £300k upstream of them) Does the Third Party Debt Recovery Company derive any benefit from the charge which is not in their name, – or putting it another way is the Legal Charge portable? Or will a new application need to be made to the County Court by the Third Party Debt Company for a charge in their own name? Are there any Statute Barring issues in the foregoing?
A CCJ which has resulted in a charge will never become statute barred. And yes a debt which is the subject of a CCJ can be sold. I can’t see any reason not to try to reclaim PPI on this. But I suggest you talk to National Debtline about this, and about whether interest is being added to this debt at the moment.
I have agreed a final settkement figure of £6,000 with a creditor that says they have restriction registered against my property. The loan was gor 25,000, i paid nearly £20,000 off but they say i still owe £21,500 still. They have agreed to remove the restriction once payment is received. I take it this is a charging order but I was never made aware of this. They obtained a Ccj nearly 6 years ago which drops off in October. I pay the settlement next week. How long does it take to remove the restriction off? I didn’t even know there was one on there.
No, I just assumed as they said they had a restriction that it would be a charging order, what else could it be?
1.(05.06.2006) REGISTERED CHARGE dated 12 May 2006.
Does this mean there is no charge by a company on my property?
What do they mean by they the appropriate steps will be taken to request the restriction registered against your property be removed? What restriction can they have?
that looks odd. I suggest you talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000. Of course making a partial settlement on this debt may still be a good idea, but it’s good to think about the whole situation.
My brother moved in with me a few years ago following his divorce. He was in a lot of debt at the time and this resulted in a CCJ. He was a homeowner when he took out the credit but is no longer. Recently he received notice of his creditors intent to apply for a charging order on his home. He does not own this property. I am the owner, although he lives with me rent free (he is my brother and is going through a difficult time). How can we prevent this? I have not co-signed any credit agreements with him.
Is this the house that he owned when he took out the debt?
Yes. I took over the mortgage and the deed was transferred fully to me.
Then I suggest you talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 as you may have a problem if he has any beneficial equity in the property.
Thank you for your assistance. May I ask exactly what is beneficial equity? When I purchased the home it was because he could no longer afford it.
If you purchased the home for its full market value there probably won’t be a problem. But I am not a lawyer, that is why I am suggesting you talk to National Debtline.
I have adhered to all payments set out by the court, yet my creditors have placed a charging order on my property and have applied for a forced sale. Is there anything I can do to stop this?
If your CCJ was after October 2012 a charging order should not have been given if you were up-to-date with the court ordered payments. Talk to national Debtline on 0808 808 4000 about what you can do.
May 2018. All payments made on time and up to date.
“judge threw it out” judge threw what out?
Hi there. My partner is divorced from his ex wife and she is refusing to sell their house. He has 3 interim charging orders on the house, one of these is to the CSA. He’s missed a few payments this year due to having little or no work. The csa are now wanting to enforce the charging order and force the sale off the house, but..his ex wife now has custody of their 2 year old grandson. Will the judge agree to the sale? My partner wants it selling as he just wants rid of it.
That will depend on the facts of the case and I can’t reasonably make a guess at it.
I have a charging order against my property ….Will i be able to remortgage my property . ?
Do you also have a CCJ? Defaults on your credit record?
You shouldn’t have a problem with your current mortgage lender but may well do if you try a different lender. Best suggestion is to go through a broker and talk to the broker about remortgaging to repay the charge.
Not sure if anybody can help, a creditor is chasing a debt of £3500, which we believed was Statute Barred (Letter sent), they are saying that no acknowledgement or payment in last 6 years, but they had put a Voluntary restriction on our previous home back in 2008 ( this property was repossessed in 2012, the debt is not any mortgage shortfall). We have been renting for 7 years.
I know for a fact there was never any CCJ or interim Charging Order placed, do not trust the debt collection company.
Can they still enforce or can we find out for definite about any restriction ??
Was there a mortgage shortfall? Have you asked them to prove there was a CCJ? I suggest sending them a Subject Access Request asking for a copy of personal information they have about you.
I had a charging order on my house in 2010 for £16000, that has now risen to £23000 because interest been added. The question I have is the ccj was always paid on time never missed any payments. I was not in a good place when I got notice and just done what Link solicitor said. I have now found out the reason was they sent a letter and received no reply from my wife!!! She passed away 2 years before hand and I never opened any letters to her but, link were informed of her passing at the time. How can they get a CO on the basis of that? I have just learned about this recently, can I do anything about this.
– whether it is correct that interest can be charged on the CCJ. | 2019-04-21T00:09:14Z | https://debtcamel.co.uk/charging-order-sale/ |
The wonderful and inspirational Dr Richard Morris, who ran the Monastery and Cathedral course I took in my second year at Warwick University, sadly died last year. I didn’t know until writing the Nature of Gothic blog. In fact I was just telling my favourite anecdote about him last night! He was only 71. By far my favourite lecturer at Warwick (although they were all outstanding!) he inspired in me this love of medieval architecture, the Romanesque, the Herefordshire School of sculpture and – most importantly – inculcated a fascination in early medieval British and Irish sculpture and architecture. He manfully tutored me outside his comfort zone when I did my dissertation on Irish High Crosses – but it’s this course, and the third year ‘Perp’ course (sorry, I actually can’t remember what the course was called – but we were studying the Perpendicular period in the late 14th – 15th centuries! Oops!), in which I really remember him. We had field trips every Friday, and I have ‘fond’ memories of standing in freezing cold parish churches in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and the Welsh border country, so cold that my legs went numb up to my knees. Cathedrals were a treat. They have those round Victorian heaters. I know them well. We knew from the beginning he was a live wire. In lectures in those dim and distant days of the early 90s there was no Powerpoint, just slides. Slides frequently jam. When they did, Richard would race up the steps of the lecture theatre, disappear into the projector room at the top and swear loudly until he had fixed the problem… On field trips, though, he came into his own. Drives were always white-knuckle rides in the minibus down unsuitable and bumpy lanes at breakneck speed. There was often mud and rain and crumbling stone staircases to climb. There was always enthusiasm. The anecdote I was relating last night was this – one time we hadn’t gone far for our fieldtrip, just to Kenilworth and Warwick. It must have been in the third year, when the Perp and Englishman’s Home (is his castle…) courses were out looking at castles. He was illustrating the point that different types of sandstone have different qualities. Kenilworth Castle’s stone, for example, is very hard, very durable. Warwick … not so much. To demonstrate this, he jumped up the wall of the castle and grabbed at the stone – which crumbled away down the wall. We were mortified! But, it certainly made the point. Another local field trip led us experimentally through the cellars of the houses that run down from Basil Spence’s cathedral in Coventry to the bus stop at the bottom where the small fragments of west front the Romanesque abbey church of Coventry stand. We were searching for fragments of medieval masonry. I don’t think we found any – but we felt part of the research. His lectures and his field were always fun, and it’s not surprise I went on to study Medieval Studies for my MA. RIP Richard, you were the best teacher.
For more obituaries of Dr Morris, click here.
Last year my husband, Anthony, and I went on holiday to France. Our aim – or at least mine – was to follow in the footsteps of William Morris and his friends Edward Burne Jones (EBJ) and William Fulford and their dash around the great gothic churches of Northern France in 1855. They were there for three weeks, we for two. They saw more than 14 churches from Abbeville to Avranches, and we saw 8 of their 14+ from Abbeville to Louviers, falling down before Rouen and scuttling to the coast for beachside R&R on our last few days. Over that time I took notes in each church, and Anthony wrote poems. Woven in among the blogs on this site will be a series that chart that journey and Morris’s parallel one 160 years before.
Why were they so keen to go? Morris was only 21, and full of all the uncertainties of that age. He and EBJ and several of their other college friends had already thought to lock away the modern world by starting a religious community – a monastery. But it was on this trip that Morris and EBJ decided that they would put aside the church and dedicate their lives instead to a more fickle mistress, art. Neither man ever wavered from that new path. It must have been a powerful holiday.
Why did I want to do this? I had long wanted to see the northern gothic cathedrals. I studied art history at university, and one of the courses I did was ‘Monastery and Cathedral’, which looked at the Romanesque and early Gothic churches of France and Britain. I loved that course. I suppose I was attuned to many of the same tastes as Morris and his friends, and probably came to that in part through my early love of the Pre-Raphaelites, discovered aged 13 when seeing a ‘hippy picture’ at my father’s house … he was shocked I didn’t know that the artist was Burne Jones, and bought me the Thames and Hudson The Pre-Raphaelites book. I read it so much it fell apart. So began my own lifelong passion for art and architecture. As part of the degree, we had a short trip to Paris, in which I saw two of the churches on Morris’s route, Notre Dame in Paris and Chartres. But no others. So I longed to see the other greats – but I also wanted to get under Morris’s skin a bit more, and give myself a purpose, all these years later, for seeing the churches.
Why Gothic? Britain – and France – were deep in the throes of a gothic revival. New gothic buildings – including our Houses of Parliament – were springing up everywhere, and Morris and EBJ were in love with the middle ages. They had studied medieval manuscripts, read medieval romances, steeped themselves in King Arthur – and, critically, they had read the works of John Ruskin. Ruskin, an art critic, had recently published a book called The Stones of Venice, about Venetian art and architecture. In this mammoth tome one chapter would come to be deemed by Morris as ‘one of the very few necessary and inevitable utterances of the century’ when he published it many years later. From this chapter, ‘The Nature of Gothic’, Morris would take what might be said to be the central tenant of his life – that work should be meaningful and pleasurable. But at this young age, instead, Morris was drunk on the architecture itself. Gothic architecture – and especially that of the 13th century – was the apogee of art for him at that time. Three weeks in the presence of that art, and among the ancient towns and cities and the gentle rolling countryside of France, so like his own southern Britain, but less tainted, it seemed, by the march of progress.
Gothic’s not my personal favourite of the medieval architectural styles. I’ve long been a fan of the Romanesque, that monumental style that owes its genesis to the architecture of Rome, but has a solid, raw power all of its own, and even of the scrips and scraps that remain of the Saxon architecture that preceded it here in England. But in the 19th century, Gothic was the favoured style, representing home-grown mastery, a simpler, better time, its soaring stone pillars and ribs took you into a time of romance and chivalry, its organic carvings and brilliant glass took you into a pre-industrial, religious time – a time that was starting to seem a distant dream in Britain’s rapidly industrialising cities, filling up as they were with factories, slums, smog, pollution and people, people, people. Gothic was a gasp of fresh air, ad for Morris – taking his lead from Ruskin – it was the simple Gothic of the 13th century that caught his imagination, that point when the new style, with its pointed arches, complex vaulting, huge deep-dyed windows and realistic statuary was at its most austere. At its most pure?
For Morris, looking back on his life, this holiday often seemed to him to mark a moment of clarity. In his lecture 1880s lecture The Aims of Art, he says, ‘Less than forty years ago – about thirty – I first saw the city of Rouen, then still in its outward aspect a piece of the Middle Ages: no words can tell you how its mingled beauty, history, and romance took hold on me; I can only say that, looking back on my past life, I find it was the greatest pleasure I have ever had.’[i] His greatest pleasure, looking at a building? Greater than the camaraderie of friends, the first flush of his marriage, greater than being a father, than all the work he had done? Perhaps. How to capture that rush of ecstasy he must have felt standing there? ‘Ecstatic’ is the word he uses most to describe his feelings on that holiday. The nature of gothic would haunt Morris throughout his life, playing over and over in his art, his writing, his politics, his very way of seeing the world.
But next words of the lecture bring us back down to earth and to the present: ‘and now it is a pleasure which no one can ever have again: it is lost to the world for ever.’ Morris was speaking about the march of progress of 30 years. How much more had 160 years wrought? For me, on that journey around France, a France twice wracked with war, was a very different place to that described then by Morris. The ecstasies of a 21 year old were not for me on this trip – indeed, I had a shock on the trip that reduced me to tears in one church, so great were the changes wrought in a place that had engendered the same pulsing uplift of ecstasy some 22 years before when I was 20 – instead, a more thoughtful approach had to be taken. I hope in these occasional blog posts I can try to bring together the buildings themselves, and the faceless men who built them, Morris and his friends with their aching feet, Anthony and I trundling about in our comfortable car (and our less comfortable campsites) and the modern world that we and those churches now inhabit.
[H]e that waketh in hell and feeleth his heart fail him, shall have memory of the merry days of earth, and how that when his heart failed him there, he cried on his fellow, were it his wife or his son or his brother or his gossip or his brother sworn in arms, and how that his fellow heard him and came and they mourned together under the sun, till again they laughed together and were but half sorry between them.
This shall he think on in hell, and cry on his fellow to help him, and shall find that therein is no help because there is no fellowship, but every man for himself.
These are the words Morris puts into the mouth of John Ball, central character in Morris’s novella A Dream of John Ball, written between 1886 and 1887, when Morris was at the height of his Socialist fervour. Ball was, of course, a real person, the revolutionary priest central to the struggles of the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381, and famous for another speech delivered at Blackheath on the way to London[ii], as illustrated by Edward Burne Jones above for the first book edition of A Dream in 1888[iii].
Meanwhile, my country tears itself apart. Not content with imposing an impossible question on the nations of the United (!) Kingdom, the government flings itself into a happy round of backstabbing to punish itself and the opposition wheels a pre-meditated coup into place (some say!). Moreover, and more importantly in the long term, there is appalling treatment of people perceived to be non-British by people who feel legitimised in their racism. No fellowship here in the United Kingdom? No fellowship with our fellow nations? No fellowship with our fellow humans – let alone that with our wildlife and environment?
Only three weeks ago an MP died because of the lack of fellowship that now seems rife in our country. Are we in hell already?
Morris would have been horrified and deeply disappointed – put probably not surprised.
For him, fellowship was at the heart of everything he did, everything he wrote and said. From his youthful friendships at Oxford – many of which would last his entire life – where he and his friends dreamed of setting up a monastery together, to the artistic fellowship painting the Oxford Union, and decorating his Red House and his dreams of a commune of his artist friends living there, to the hopeful gathering of artists to create Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Company, to the international fellowship represented through the sharing of stories in his poem The Earthly Paradise, to the formation of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, to his embracing the Socialist cause and his hopes for a future, after the revolution, in which all men and women would be fellows to each other, as seen in the communal living in his utopian novel News from Nowhere.
But he was no stranger to the breaking of fellowships. His little circle of Oxford friends held fast, but his other ventures were more fraught with dissent. Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Company ended acrimoniously with an internal dispute about company shares. Morris dissolved the company and started again – but the only friend from the previous incarnation to go with him into the new company was Edward Burne Jones, the artist, who had been one of his university friends. Furthermore, his friend Rossetti famously started an affair with his wife.
Politically, too, he was disillusioned at an early stage. Morris held himself aloof from politics at first – and when he waded in the fray in the 1870s (Eastern Question – foreign policy and the treatment of the other again…) he was hopeful then felt betrayed by Gladstone when he appeared to go back on his promises (nothing new etc. etc.) He lost all sense of enfranchisement. He never again trusted in parliamentary process. But even his Socialist life was charged with division. Only two years after joining the Socialist cause in 1883, he was part of a breakaway group from the Democratic Federation. He and others who opposed the leadership of Henry Hyndman split and formed the Socialist League in 1885. In 1890 Morris split from them and plowed his own furrow with the Hammersmith Socialist Society. All of these divisions were for complex reasons, of course, but they, and the failure of the revolution to start, left Morris disillusioned.
I, and many of my friends, feel disillusioned too. We see in the referendum result the breakup of something that was meaningful to us, that, in my case, is something that we have been part of all my life, and on top of that we see an unrecognisable country, and are fearful for the future both economically and ideologically. When Morris was disillusioned he did turn slightly away from politics and went back to his art, his first love. And he wrote of all his hopes and dreams in News from Nowhere – which, arguably, has inspired more people than any of his other writings!
But he never stopped his fellowships. There was always a Socialist society in Hammersmith, and there were, once more, gatherings for art and music and more. On the day after the referendum result a good friend of mine gathered a group of friends together for a unity gathering, to share our thoughts and feelings about what had happened. That night was the best I’ve felt since the result – because of fellowship, despite opposing views, we were ‘but half sorry’ between us.
As Morris said, ‘he that hath so hardy a heart that in sorrow he thinketh of fellowship, his sorrow is soon but a story of sorrow.’ So, even if our parliamentary representatives can’t achieve fellowship, nonetheless we can still strive … and maybe that story of sorrow will become another story altogether.
[ii] John Ball is often credited with inventing the phrase ‘When Adam delved and Eve span’, but it was already in common parlance by 1381.
[iii] First edition by Reeves & Turner, 1888.
What would William Morris say to the Brexit debacle? It’s an interesting thought experiment to imagine what the Victorians – whether radical, conservative or liberal – would have thought of the EU and Britain’s divisive vote to leave. When Morris died in 1896, the First World War was still 18 years away, the Russian revolution 21, the first, limited, votes for women in the UK 22. The founding of today’s Labour Party was still 4 years away. So many of the things we take for granted were far in the future. His, like it or not, was a world in which Queen Victoria (the Empress Brown or Widow Guelph as Morris preferred to call her) ruled a vast empire that provided (some people in) Britain with great wealth, where Ireland had no self-rule, where all European states jockeyed with each other for power, where the Balkans – and part of Greece – were still ruled by the Ottoman Empire.
A very different world, so we can’t second guess whether Morris would have been a Remainer or a Lexiter. He enjoyed visiting other countries (sort of…) and appreciated the culture of Northern Europe in particular, he was part of the International Socialist community, and as part of the artistic elite of the time he would have known many immigrants and exiles as well as visiting foreigners. On the other hand, as a radical socialist, at times veering into anarchism, the current set up of the EU wouldn’t have impressed him, and perhaps he would have wanted revolution across Europe to create the utopian vision of which he dreamed. Who knows?
One thing I do feel sure of, though, is that he would have been horrified at the lack of political and economic understanding among the people of the UK. He would look at the benefits we have – universal primary and secondary education, unlimited information at our fingertips, libraries, accessible higher education, equality for all men and women in the eyes of the law etc. etc. – and he would be appalled about how little we know about the institutions that shape and rule our countries. And he would be out there, shouting to us via the tv, via twitter, via social media, any way he thought he could reach people, to educate ourselves and our children so that this never happens again.
How can I say this with such certainty? The banner you see above gives the clue: it’s by Walter Crane and is the banner of The Socialist League (of which Morris was a member), whose tagline was ‘Educate, Agitate, Organise’. And for the League ‘Educate’ was the most important. Morris took up the Educate baton and ran with it. Up and down the length and breadth of Britain he travelled, lecturing, lecturing, lecturing. He wrote regular columns for Commonweal, the League’s newspaper, which he funded (shades of Murdoch? Shh…), and the League published his lectures as pamphlets, and, later those same lectures were published in book form.
He wasn’t, by all accounts, a great orator. He didn’t enjoy doing it, and the long hours and constant travel on uncomfortable public transport may have been a contributor to his ill health and, ultimately, early death aged just 62. But he felt he had to. Why? Because people needed to know how the world worked. His lectures are biased, of course. They promote his vision of the socialist cause to which he had attached himself. But, they are based on his observation of life in London and from his copious reading to try to batter the economic and social arguments of the early socialists into his head. They were the truth as he saw it.
Terrifying stuff for the establishment. Prophetic too of the kind of extremism that would become commonplace in the early 20th century, and which, sadly, is very much with us now. At this point, Morris was an extremist. He later stepped away from the idea of bloody revolution. At this point, he was desperate to do something. The incident, as Morris must have known it would be, was reported widely. He stoically endured the ‘brickbats’[ii] of the papers against him, and continued lecturing.
Today, perhaps, this isn’t the approach we would take. Morris understood that many people had received very little education of any kind. When I went to school in the 1970s and 80s we were not prepared for our lives as part of our community, our nation state or our international community. I’ve had to learn along the way, and I’m very much an amateur in my knowledge. Like Morris, I’m trying to batter these things into my head in middle age, when the brain is less nimble. Today, citizenship is taught in schools, and that’s good. Today’s young people, most of whom voted Remain, have had that as part of their education[iii]. My generation, and the one before it didn’t. Perhaps that tells you something. Perhaps not. However, there’s more to simply learning about the institutions of governments. To begin to understand, we need to be taught at that young age how to exercise critical thinking. We must be allowed to question and debate, to discern how rhetoric and propaganda are used by politicians, the media – and by someone we might meet in the pub – so that we have the skills in place to be able to see through the spin, the stories and make our own, informed decisions. Whatever those decisions might be.
Morris would go for that, I think.
[i] ‘Art under Plutocracy, retrieved from the Marxist Internet Archive https://www.marxists.org/archive/morris/works/1883/pluto.htm, 4/7/2016. Note that this is a later title for the lecture delivered at Oxford as ‘Art and Democracy’.
[ii] Letter by Morris to Georgie Burne Jones, quoted in Fiona MacCarthy’s William Morris: A Life for Our Time (Faber and Faber : 1994), p. 479.
[iii] Citizenship was introduced to the UK’s National Curriculum in 2002. | 2019-04-22T10:02:58Z | http://palaceofmemory.co.uk/2016/07 |
Ashina Outskirts is a Location in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. This is the first location that players visit after obtaining the Shinobi Prosthetic at the Dilapidated Temple.
This is the first chance that Sekiro gets to try out his Shinobi Prosthetic and Grappling Hook. As such, it incorporates many grapple points and players should be on the lookout for advantages of going high up.
Grapple onto the ledge ahead and commune with the Sculptor's Idol to unlock "Sculptor's Idol Travel". This enables you to go to other idols you have discovered and communed with. A new "Travel" menu is added to the Idol's reference. Selecting it will show you an icon of Sekiro and his current location. Be mindful that Idol locations are named on the travel menu, but a Location (Area) of the game is defined by the large text appearing on the screen as you enter it.
"Enemies drop loot such as items and money. You can loot multiple enemies at once, and from some distance away. Items found in the world are different than loot, in that they must be approached to be picked up. Press and hold Square: Acquire Loot. Press Square near a world item: Pick Up Item."
After defeating this Guard, you will obtain about 5 Sen and can walk forward to pick up 1x Pellet and 1x Ceramic Shard. Ceramic Shards are used as Stones were used in previous games, so they can be thrown at enemies to pull them from a larger group.
Killing the enemies(which are consisted off a Guard and Rifleman) ahead gives you about 21 XP and 11 Sen per enemy (26 XP and 14 Sen if playing without the protection of Kuro's Charm after unlocking that option in New Game Plus). Since you're just starting out, make sure to collect all your loot by holding down Square. Make your way up and grapple onto the roof of the locked gate, then go right and deal with the warrior that was guarding the Ungo's Sugar. From here, you can see another item shining by a wall on the right side of the larger building. Grapple to the top and then jump and R1 to kill this Guard and gather 1x Ceramic Shard. If you look down from this shard, there's a ledge below you can drop onto. Drop down and go into the cave to obtain 1x Ako's Sugar. This item will boost your Attack Power when used.
Go back outside and grapple onto a ledge then return to the Ceramic Shard location. From here, grapple onto a tree branch, you can now approach the enemies ahead from higher ground. The two enemies ahead have GUNS - you can deflect these projectiles if needed.
After you have killed the two enemies by the open gate and the one that was patrolling the grass, go back toward the locked gate and pick up 1x Ungo's Sugar. Near the open gate where the Rifle Wielding Guards, you'll find 1x Pellet and 1x Fistful of Ash. Ahead of the open gate, there's an item and a Sculptor's Idol, but they are guarded by 3 Dogs. The dogs attack quickly but can be deflected and you can AOE them with Kusabimaru.
Commune with the Outskirts Wall - Gate Path Sculptor's Idol to unlock it. You do not have to rest and reset enemies if you don't want to. The item down from the idol is 1x Ceramic Shard. Up and right from the idol, there's a Rooster. He can fall to his death if you move around, for an easy +13XP. For the purpose of the walkthrough, we'll go into the opening that is right next to the Sculptor's Idol by grappling to the roof. Inside here you will pick up your first Prosthetic Tool Upgrade Material: Shuriken Wheel.
"Shinobi Tools can't be used on their own. By giving them to the Sculptor, they can be fitted into the Shinobi Prosthetic. You can quickly return to the Sculptor via Travel from a Sculptor's Idol, or by using the Homeward Idol"
Return to the Dilapidated Temple and talk to the Sculptor. Select to "Present Shinobi Prosthetic and "Fit New Prosthetic Tool". He will then equip the Loaded Shuriken for your arm. Talking to him at this point will trigger some further conversation about how the talk of Bloodshed is influencing his sculptures and turning the Buddha carvings into apparent demons. He asks that you do not anything untoward with the gentle-faced Buddha of the true master.
You equip prosthetic tools via the Equipment Menu, so do this immediately or you won't be able to use the Shuriken. All tools except the grapple will consume Spirit Emblems upon use. Press R2 to use the tools, and cycle through them by pressing triangle. This can be done in combat to chain different effects.
You may now return to Ashina Outskirts Wall - Gate Path Idol and continue with the level. Enemies have respawned, but you can ignore them and grapple to the rooftop ahead of you, above where you grabbed the Shuriken Wheel. Go left and you will see an item shining on a snowy ledge, it's 1x Pellet. From this platform, you can spot another Mini-boss ahead (General Naomori Kawarada). REMEMBER THIS SPOT Crouch and slowly make your way forward by dropping down to other ledges, then grapple onto the rooftop to get a good stealth angle for a jumping deathblow - this will make the fight a lot easier.
A warning about "Perilous Attacks" triggers on this fight - these are unguardable attacks shown with a "danger" Kanji. When these occur, watch carefully and try to respond properly as each type requires a specific response. You can press L1 as thrust lands to deflect, X before a sweep lands to jump, or Circle before a grab lands to step dodge.
Tips for the General: He has slow but far-reaching attacks. Your best bet is to counter after he has used his swing and jump with X to avoid the sweeping attacks that he does. He buffs himself during the fight, but at this time you can attack him so use this opportunity to further break his posture. Defeating the General Naomori Kawarada rewards you with 134XP, 33 Sen, and 1x Prayer Beads. These special upgrade items are offered to the Sculptor's Idol. Offer 4 of them to increase Sekiro's maximum Vitality and Posture. You will also obtain 1x Gourd Seed. Give the seed to Emma to increase the uses of your Healing Gourd.
Go back to the spot that the walkthrough noted to remember, and look down. This is a deep fall, but at the end of it, there will be a cave with a Bundled Jizo Statue. This item is extremely valuable as it can be used to refill your resurrection gauge.
This will put you at the heading "Avoiding the Cannon" below, but you can double back and do Inosuke's Mother inverse.
Inspect the woodpiles near where you fought the general to obtain 2x Fistful of Ash, then grapple onto the roof of the nearby gate to continue onward. Grapple your way to the top of the nearby Watchtower and you will have a good view of the enemies ahead. There's an eavesdropping opportunity, so wait until the two guards are together and grapple onto the branch above them. They comment on Lord Isshin being sick, Lord Genichiro being a powerful Bow Master, and their advantage in having "Gyoubu the Demon" on their side.
Be mindful that if you attack these enemies from the branch, several other warriors will trigger, including one Rifle Wielding Guard across. It is best to move back and thin out the enemies through stealth. If you are spotted, you can always grapple away and hide to defuse combat. Enemies are not alerted by fellow bodies, so you don't have to worry about not leaving them in plain sight.
The most challenging enemy of this group is the Rifle Wielding Guard, so wait for the guards to reset and stealth up to his vantage point to execute him. Behind him, you can find 1x Ceramic Shard. From here, a group of 3 enemies will patrol the area. hide inside the room of the Rifle Wielding Guard and let them pass, then grapple to a ledge BEHIND the structure and drop down onto another Rifle Wielding Guard. If you go back to the ground floor of the Rifle Wielding Guard structure, you will find 1x Mibu Balloon of Wealth.
If you now return to the "Eavesdrop" position, you will see a Mallet Soldier. You will want to engage this only after you have thinned out the rest considerably. Whenever you're spotted, you can simply run back to where you fought the General and combat will reset. You can kill the Mallet Soldier with 1 shot via stealth, if you prefer, he yields 31XP.
Now that all enemies are gone, climb up to the very rooftop of where the Rifle Wielding Guard was. You will find a nest that contains 1x Light Coin Purse. These purses act like "Soldier's Souls" and similar items in the Souls series, providing you with Sen that cannot be lost upon death.
Grapple onto the broken house ahead of you and talk to the NPC here. This is Inosuke Nogami's Mother, who confuses her with her son. She gives you a Young Lord's Bell Charm and asks you to offer it to the Buddha. You can bring this item to the Dilapidated Temple to unlock the Hirata Estate location.
After talking to her, drop down and defeat 2x Rooster and then use your sword to break some crates, revealing an entrance. The first floor of the property has 3x Light Coin Purse.
From the house, you can talk to a dying soldier near the house. He recognizes your voice, and it's Inosuke Nogami, a vassal of the Hirata family. She asks you to look into his mother, which you just did. He explains that she's senile and can't tell between people anymore. You can tell her you got the bells and put him at ease. He thanks you for humoring his mother.
Approaching the gate and bridge down the path from Inosuke will aggro a Cannon Enemy. Look left and up and you'll spot a grapple point. Go up and follow the sequence up to the top where you'll find the merchant Crow's Bed Memorial Mob. Buy Robert's Firecrackers as you can convert them into Prosthetic Tool: Shinobi Firecracker.
To avoid this, double back to the first house where the initial Rifle Wielding Guard was, and the spot where you killed your second. There's a narrow path with dropdowns here. Take it and drop down to the tall grass beneath, where you will find 1x Gachiin's Sugar, an item used to improve your stealth for a while.
Jump across the cliff and make your way up and onto a grapple branch, this puts you a lot closer to the cannon enemy. Grapple again onto the roofs nearby, and slowly approach him from behind to execute a stealth deathblow. He will drop 39XP, Sen and 1x Black Gunpowder, an Upgrade Material.
From this vantage point, you can drop down to kill the Rifle Wielding Guard, and then grapple back up to avoid the others. Rinse and repeat to clear the area. Proceed forward past the gate they where guarding and go down to the gate on the other side, you'll get 2x Pellet.
Before going on with the level, look to the left and down from where the Cannon Warrior was standing. There's a grapple path to take. Jump and grapple and you will find the Giant Serpent's skin. Do not grapple onto the Triangular grapple yet - drop down one level to the right first and gather the Spirit Emblem and 2x Mibu Possession Balloon, then use the grapple so you can access the loot ahead. You will obtain 1x Scrap Iron, which is a valuable upgrade material for your Prosthetic Tools. Go around the corner and upwards to make your way back to the main path.
Go up to the next large gate's rooftop, past a burning pile of corpses, and you will spot the next Sculptor's Idol ahead of a Rooster enemy. Dispatch the Rooster with a stealth attack and then jump and grab to make it to the Idol. If you fall, you can grapple onto a nearby roof and then jump and grapple from a higher platform. You are now at the Outskirts Wall - Stairway Idol. Since this is your first idol after getting Prayer Beads, a tutorial about Physical Enhancement will pop. You can spend Prayer Beads to create a Prayer Necklace, which will permanently increase your maximum Vitality and Posture.
This is a good time to go back to the Dilapidated Temple and talk to Emma and give her the Gourd Seed you obtained. You should also talk to the Sculptor as you have upgrade materials to give him. He will give you a Shinobi Esoteric Text, which allows you to learn Shinobi Arts (Skills). This triggers a tutorial about Skill Points and Experience. He will further notice the bell you found, and tell you to offer it to the "Kind-Faced Buddha" that the true Sculptor made. Using the bell will take you to Hirata Estate, so let's avoid it for now.
Do not purchase any skills if you do not have 2 points. Your first skill needs to be Mikiri Counter, which makes a lot of fights a lot easier.
From the Remnants, turn around and look to the closed gate. If you approach, you will meet a former thief who is now a merchant. He claims to know you from "that night" which you cannot remember. He says if you do business with him he will also tell you about the night. This is Anayama the Peddler and he will sell you information for 50 Sen. Further information can be purchased for increasing amounts. You can find his information on his page.
After interacting with it, go through the broken planks in the back and up to gather 1x Spirit Emblem. Dropping down from that ledge will allow you to pick up 1x Pellet, and then jump onto the nearby fence to get an Eavesdropping opportunity. The guards discuss their unease at the Chained Ogre nearby and mention how enemies with Red Eyes are susceptible to Burn damage.
Defeat these two enemies and prepare for a rather tough Mini-Boss fight: Chained Ogre.
If you want to make this fight a lot easier, use your Homeward Idol and go back to the Dilapidated Temple, and interact with the Buddha Statue by selecting "Pray". This will offer the Bells you got from Inosuke's Mother, and take you to the "Hirata Estate" level. Here, you can obtain an item that gives you the prosthetic tool Flame Vent - which deals a lot of damage to the ogre.
There's a third enemy near the Ogre, so you should first lure it out and run it to a safe place where you can defeat it. The Ogre will regenerate its health if you run away from it, but this gives you a chance to get a Stealth Deathblow in and limit his health to one bar.
Defeating the Chained Ogre rewards you 100+XP, 1x Prayer Bead, and the Shinobi Medicine Rank 1 Latent Skill, which improves your healing items.
The fog wall that impeded your progress is now gone, so after looting the 1x Balloon near the spear enemy's initial location, grapple to the rooftop above the Ogre's chains. Immediately after the opening, pick up 1x Nightjar Monocular. This item works much as the Binoculars did in Souls. The pathway to the right is locked, so first go left and pick up 1x Gourd Seed and 1x Ceramic Shard. The pathway to the right can be unlocked by heading towards the Headless, covered further down.
Exit to the grass for a stealth kill on the Rifle Wielding Guard first, then disappear to the rooftops to plot more stealth. Make sure to thin out the enemies before confronting the general. Once all enemies are dead, approach from stealth to get one health bar down.
General Tenzen Yamauchi will attack with vertical and horizontal slashes, and learning when to dodge them is important. The Flame Vent is not very effective against him, but you might find the Mikiri Counter skill works well.
Defeating the General will give 155XP, 1x Prayer Bead, 1x Fistful of Ash. You should also loot the area behind him to get 1x Scrap Iron.
Taking the main gate from the General Tenzen Yamauchi fight will lead players towards a special Mini-Boss: Headless. This is a very difficult fight that requires players to use Divine Confetti to deal damage, whilst being constantly slowed by a Terror aura that causes miasma and fills a gauge.
It is advisable for players to avoid this area for now. If you wish to open the locked door found earlier, head towards the cave. Grapple onto the branch, and leap down towards the ledge. Shimmy across until you can climb up, and hop down towards the cave. As you enter the cave, the light will eventually diminish. Venture further, clinging to the right wall until you hit a fork. Continue towards the right, leading to an opening and several emblems. Exit the chasm, and grapple up the cliffs, leading to a dilapidated wall. Dispatch the two Poisonous Lizards, picking up the 1x Gachiin's Sugar, then grapple through the broken wall. Grab the 1x Divine Grass and the 1x Antidote Powder. Open the door to open up the shortcut.
Go back toward the gate and the area where you cleared Rifle Wielding Guard. There's a broken bridge. Drop down and you'll be attacked by a poisonous Gecko if you approach. Use a Shuriken instead to kill it, then pick up 2x Pellet.
Commune with the Underbridge Valley Idol to unlock it, and rest if needed. Drop down to the lower ledges and press on, past 1x Spirit Emblem. Continue on following the drop-downs and grapple-hook mid-air to make it across the valley.
As you go down, there will be tremors. Watch out for the Great Serpent that is passing by. You have to watch its movements then jump across twice and get into a cave as fast as you can. Inside the cave, you'll get 1x Spirit Emblem. Go forward and the snake will be there again. Use the walls to hide from it then jump and grab the grass ahead. From the grass, you need to wait for the head of the snake to pull back and go left toward the huggable wall.
You need to shimmy across the narrow area and make it to the Palenquin on the other side, then hide inside using square and wait for the Serpent's eye to get near. Press R1 to attack it. It will flail about, giving you a chance to run to 5x Snap Seed near its head. But beware, you can be damaged by the rummaging. Players can forgo getting the Snap Seeds until they reach the next Idol and then retrace their steps as the snake will not be there.
You now have to run past it and up to the left until you make it to the safety of a cave, then grapple across back to the main grounds of the castle. When you reach stable ground, look left and you'll find 1x Ako's Sugar.
After grappling to stable ground from the Serpent area, go right and commune with the Ashina Castle Gate Fortress Idol. Kill the rat enemy to acquire the Herb Catalogue Scrap. Pick up 1x Gachiin's Sugar next to it, and then jump onto the wall to get a view of the area. There's an Eavesdropping opportunity here, but first, you must kill the large enemy that roams about. He can drop 1x Mibu Possession Balloon and can be stealth-defeated. The eavesdropping talks about smoke coming from the castle, and Gyoubu the Demon defeating any attackers.
Behind the platform that had a Rifle Wielding Guard, there's 1x Ungo's Sugar. Underneath it, there's 1x Ceramic Shard and 2x Mibu Balloon of Wealth, as well as 1x Heavy Coin Purse.
Grapple to a nearby ledge and you can see Kuro and Genichiro conversing, with the Divine Heir warning Genichiro that using his blood will lead to becoming a monster. Genichiro thinks he can do it to prevent the slaughter of his people.
Continue up and take out the Rifle Wielding Guard ahead, then approach a guy kneeling by his horse for an Eavesdropping opportunity. He is very upset about the death of his beloved mount. You can pick up 2x Fistful of Ash nearby, then go up the stairs to get 1x Pellet. The gate here is locked, so go back down to the broken wall area and proceed that way.
Drop down to the arena and pick up 2x Fistful of Ash. As soon as you do, the boss will break through a nearby door and attack you. See the Gyoubu Oniwa page for details on how to tackle this fight. Defeating this boss gives 1,000 XP, 1x Memory: Gyoubu Oniwa and 1x Mechanical Barrel, that enables you to perform Prosthetic Tool Upgrades at the Sculptor.
After the boss fight, go to a nearby gate and commune with Ashina Castle Gate Sculptor's Idol. A tutorial for Enhancing Attack Power will follow, which is done by consuming Battle Memories obtained from bosses. Consuming the memory will turn it into Remnant: Gyoubu.
Now, instead of going up ahead after opening the Gate, go back and climb the large stairs near a red and yellow banner. From the top, turn right and go around the wall to find 1x Ceramic Shard. and then up a set of stairs to find a merchant: Battlefield Memorial Mob. You can sell your Coin Purses to him to get gold and purchase Robert's Firecrackers and Gourd Seed, which are useful upgrade materials.
Now backtrack and enter the temple, and you will find another NPC, wearing a Tengu mask. This is the Tengu of Ashina - and he puts his weapon away and calls you "Sekiwan no Ro" - Sekiro (The One Armed Wolf). He asks you to "hunt rats" with him. Accept and you'll obtain the Rat Description key item. It explains that the rats are short, bamboo-hat wearing assassins from Senpou Temple, seen around Ashina Castle Gate. Defeating the Rats and returning will grant players the Ashina Esoteric Text.
To the right of the Tengu, there's 1x Pellet, and an "Old Hag" holding an oil lamp as well. She has little dialogue that comments on the war is never-ending. Right by her, there's a gate you can unlock. This takes you back to the area where you saw the Remnant of Kuro and Genichiro.
Now go upstairs and gather 1x Light Coin Purse on the first floor, then grapple upwards twice, go around the beams and jump and grab onto the broken pillar to access the top portion of the structure. The top area has a treasure chest, interact with it to obtain 1x Prayer Beads.
If you haven't done so yet, this is a good time to go to Hirata Estate and complete the level. From there, you'll want to proceed forth to Ashina Castle, that is found past the Ashina Castle Gate Sculptor's Idol.
After completing Fountainhead Palace, players will have the option to revisit Ashina Outskirts. The area is accessed from the Old Grave Idol area in Ashina Castle and has some new enemies and items. Cross the bridge and commune with the Underbridge Valley Idol first to re-unlock.
After the boss, there's 1x Gachiin's Sugar to pick up in the passageway leading to where you first fought the Chained Ogre. The area where the Chained Ogre was, now has 1x Fulminated Mercury. Ahead of you toward Anayama's Shop, you'll face 1x Flamethrower enemy, 1x Dual Wield and 2x Musket enemies. Deal with them as you see fit (best to divide and conquer) and get 3x Fistful of Ash and 2x Pellet from the area, plus spot Anayama's body. The watchtower has 1x Adamantite Scrap.
Keep Backtracking from Outskirts Wall Stairway Idol. You can get 1x Adamantite Scrap near the gate down from where you met Inosuke Nogami. The area nearby has several tough enemies. Pick up 1x Ministry Dousing Powder and 1x Lump of Grave Wax as you make your way through. There's also a Chained Ogre roaming the area but he can be 1 shot with stealth and only gives 1500XP. Near the ogre, pick up 1x Fulminated Mercury and 3x Pellet.
Further ahead, you'll find a burning area and some dying red samurai NPCs. Beyond them is the Flames of Hatred Idol, where you can fight the Demon of Hatred. You will receive 15,000XP, 2x Lapis Lazuli and Memory: Hatred Demon.
After this, you can pick up 1x Lump of Grave Wax on the staircase leading to Battlefield Memorial Mob. The old woman inside the temple moved, she asks you if you know who the demon was, and pities his fate. She says it was a mercy to end its suffering. Pick up 1x Dragon's Blood Droplet then. You should now head to Ashina Reservoir to finish the game.
This game is too damn hard, I put it down and started playing Stardew Valley.
Added the information on how to open up the quick shortcut leading to the Headless in the cave below, through the locked door found immediately after the Chained Ogre. A lot of people were asking, and I couldn't find the information anywhere. Hopefully this helps people with that damned door.
To get past monocular door you go down headless path & turn right after the crouching tunnel & come back up. Also the 1st remnant change to recollection is wrong those are remnants. Walk up to one & it says touch remnant.
hello All. When everything is on fire. Climb the roofs. If you are starting from the Ashina Castle Waypoint. start climbing the roofs on the right and go towards the castle. So you wanna go right of the caste when facing towards it. you should see 2 x night jar fighting another 2 red eye nightjars. Look for a kite to grapple on and that should take you to the old graves way point and I think that should get you to the next few areas.
How do i get to ashina reservoir after the castle is set on fire?
How can i get here again when everything is on fire?
Any idea how to open the door right on the binocular location ? It seems there's an item here, but I didn't find any path to get to it. | 2019-04-21T22:36:34Z | https://sekiroshadowsdietwice.wiki.fextralife.com/Ashina+Outskirts |
Two years into the MOOC revolution we’re now at a stage where the content of entire degree-programs can be found online. Of course, going through MOOCs won’t get you any paper certificates, even though you can certainly pay for virtual proofs of your identity if you are so inclined. Coursera offers a “Signature Track”, and EdX recently added a similar option to a number of courses. You can acquire the knowledge, however.
I’m not suggesting that MOOCs can be a replacement for the entire college experience, though. You’ll miss out on a few aspects, such as interacting with your professors, but in any large university you won’t interact much with your professors either. Further, there is no equivalent of writing a thesis, or getting involved with research. Apart from those limitations MOOCs are a dream come true for an autodidact.
I was wondering whether it was possible to follow a typical CS curriculum solely with (free) online courses, and it turned out that it is largely possible. There is also a paid-for option through the University of London, but their Computing and Information Systems BSc, taught by Goldsmiths, comes with a sticker price of close to GBP 5,000. So, let’s say you don’t want to spend that much money, or much more on a traditional college degree in the UK or US. How far could you get?
Please note that I won’t bother with any “general education” requirements. In Europe 3-year BSc programs are the norm, and you primarily focus on your major subject. In the US, though, you’ve got to endure roughly a year’s worth of courses that are entirely unrelated to the subject you’re actually studying. They are proclaimed to turn you into a well-round person. This is pretty much just marketing speak. What most commonly happens is that people pick courses where they hope to get an easy “A” in, and most students don’t take them seriously anyway. A case in point is the Harvard Cheating scandal of 2012. Oh, and I certainly would feel ripped-off if I were forced to pay several thousand dollars for the doubtful privilege of taking a survey course on popular music. This isn’t an essay on the shady sides of US higher education, though, so I won’t dwell on that topic any longer.
Computer science historically grew out of either engineering or mathematics, and therefore there are differences between programs. Some have a stronger focus on CS theory and mathematics, others include many courses related to electrical engineering in their curriculum. I’ll instead focus on what I consider to be “core CS” courses, and I will highlight some specializations that are well-represented online. CS is not applied IT, though, so anything in the vein of Codecademy doesn’t quite qualify for this article. Some typical courses you won’t find on Coursera et al. yet. However, I’ll point to alternative resources in that case.
There is a wealth of introductory programming courses. I think there are benefits in beginning with a functional programming language, which entails a much reduced level of artificial complexity, and the fact that it’s much easier to reason about programs without mutation. A very good first course would therefore be Introduction to Systematic Program Design – Part 1 by Gregor Kiczales, which uses the Lisp dialect Racket. Part II is planned. Those courses are based on the classic introductory CS textbook How to Design Programs by Felleisen et al. I don’t like that book due to its slow pacing. Prof. Kiczales’ course is much more digestible, though.
You’ll probably want to pick up a more mainstream language such as Python or Java. For Python, I would have recommended Udacity’s CS 101 a year ago. That course used Python. A problem with the Udacity platform is that the forums are a wasteland. I don’t like some of their forced attempts at involving students, either. For instance, in CS 101 they asked students to submit exercise questions themselves, and probably in a misguided attempt to be “inclusive” they put exercises online that show very poor style, such as printing a value instead of returning it. Some other student’s exercise, which is likewise part of a set of optional problems for CS101, has a bug I reported over half a year ago in the forum. There has been no response to it at all. However, there are now about a dozen threads of students who are confused by the original problem because their (correct) solution does not take that particular bug into account.
Udacity also offers an introductory Programming in Java course, which I haven’t gone through. It’s probably okay. If you can motivate yourself, I’d recommend Stanford’s CS106A: Programming Methodology for self-study. Mehran Sahami is a fabulous lecturer, and his course is very thorough. I taught myself Java with it, and Allen Downey’s free textbook Think Java.
If Udacity’s CS 101 is not so great, then what’s the alternative if you want to learn Python? I think it’s Rice University’s An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python. You’ll build increasingly complex games, and by the end of the class you’ll have written between 1,000 and 2,000 lines of code, which will get you a lot of practice. It’s an entertaining class, which I’d recommend even for guys with some years of experience, particularly if you’ve never built simple games.
Those courses will teach you enough programming skills. They should be followed with a course on datastructures and algorithms, i.e. a traditional second course in CS. Unfortunately, the most thorough treatment of that topic is taught in Java: Algorithms (Part I, Part II) by Kevin Wayne and Robert Sedgewick. It would be preferable if an algorithms course was taught in either a language-agnostic way, or in a more expressive language. Tim Roughgarden’s excellent Algorithms: Design and Analysis (Part 1, Part 2) is language-agnostic. This course also includes a review of important data structures. However, to get the most out of these courses you’ll need some mathematical maturity.
It seems that there is relatively little use for continuous mathematics within CS. Calculus is nonetheless commonly taught, which is arguably due to historic reasons. I don’t think you could make a good utilitarian argument for studying calculus within CS. However, you could easily argue that a certain degree of mathematical maturity makes you a lot smarter. You’ll certainly be less impressed by mainstream media information if you know a bit of statistics and probability.
If you didn’t take calculus in high school, then I’d recommend two fun introductory classes from Ohio State University: Calculus One and Calculus Two. Calculus One is an introductory course on single-variable calculus. The presentation of the material is a bit different from what you might be used to in mathematics, but I don’t mind the popularization of the material. For instance, I had no idea what a grain elevator was when I first encountered that term in calculus problems, so I appreciate that Jim Fowler and Bart Snapp use examples you can more easily relate to. Calculus Two covers series. If you like mathematics, you’ll probably enjoy it, but I view the material as mostly optional. You’ll come across telescoping series in some analyses of algorithms, though.
A much more important topic is discrete mathematics. Unfortunately, a MOOC on that topic is still missing. Thankfully, MIT OCW offers a great course in Mathematics for Computer Science, with fabulous lecture notes. There are several versions available. The Fall 2010 version has video lectures, while the Spring 2010 version comes with a very good set of lecture notes.
The big draw of Coding the Matrix, computer science applications, turned out to be much less exciting in practice. You’d work on toy problems that illustrate, say, Hamming codes or image transformations, but the scale was so small that you walked away being thoroughly unimpressed. Of course, we were using a slow interpreted language like Python, and working on small problems. I would have much preferred to have been properly exposed to linear algebra, and then shown realistic applications. Alternatively one could have used highly-performant libraries so that you could have solved moderately sized problems.
Linear Algebra – Foundations to Frontiers. Then there is also Linear Algebra on MIT OCW with fabulous lectures by Gilbert Strang. He is an enthusiastic lecturer, and he develops the material properly, which makes it easy to follow the material. A further bonus is that he made the linear algebra textbook he wrote freely available as a PDF. However, going through a course on MIT OCW might require more motivation and determination since there are no fixed deadlines, and no automatically graded exercises or exams.
If you’re fine with a less traditional way of teaching mathematics, you could also make use of Khan Academy, which covers calculus, statistics and probability, as well as linear algebra. There is currently very little discrete mathematics on offer, though.
Now we’ve got basic CS, programming, data structures and algorithms covered. There is only one course missing to complete the content of a typical CS minor.
To round off your basic CS education, one course in “systems” should be added to the mix. Such courses seem to be much more common in traditional CS programs that grew out of engineering departments, while they are either electives or wholly absent in other CS programs.
I’ll admit that I have a poor background in systems, with only one project-based university course under my belt that I didn’t consider thorough enough. This is therefore an area I intend to explore further. The two most interesting options seem to be by the University of Washington and the University of Texas, Austin. I didn’t have enough spare time when it was first offered, but I had a look at the materials, and I got a very good first impression of the University of Washington course The Hardware/Software Interface. A related course is the upcoming EdX offering Embedded Systems – Shape The World.
With the requirements of a CS minor out of the way, what would you want to go on to study? I’m quite amazed at the wealth of offerings. Of course you won’t find any cutting edge research seminars online. If you’re serious about CS research, then MOOCs are only a poor substitute, but most of what you’d find in a typical taught BSc or MSc program, as opposed to a research-based one, you can find online as well.
If you’re interested in knowledge that is more intermediately useful, pick Jennifer Widom’s thorough Intro to Databases course. It covers theory, and also a lot of practice. For anyone only wanting to learn a bit of SQL it’s overkill, though.
If networks are what interests you, then you can start by taking the University of Washington’s Computer Networks, followed by Georgia Tech’s Software Defined Networking.
Are you interested in learning more about programming languages and their implementations? In this case, there is a wealth of resources available, too. Peter Van Roy of the University of Louvain, author of Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming, is going to offer a course on programming paradigms on EdX. You could follow this up with Dan Grossman’s fabulous course on Programming Languages. That course focuses on the elements of programming languages. A good complement to Dan Grossman’s course is Wesley Weimer’s Programming Languages: Building a Web Browser, which gives you a good foundation for a course in compilers. Wesley Weimer is another one of my favorite lecturers, by the way.
Computer science legend Jeff Ullman is about to offer his course on automata theory for the second time on Coursera. His colleague Alex Aiken teaches one on Compilers. This is another one of the courses I have not taken yet. The syllabus looks quite intimidating, though. It has one of the highest estimates for weekly workload of any course on Coursera, 10 to 20 hours, and judging from feedback on the web, it’s pretty accurate.
A hot topic at the moment is Machine Learning. Coursera lists courses from Stanford, the University of Toronto, and the University of Washington. EdX offers the Caltech course Learning from Data, which has a reputation for being the most rigorous online course in ML.
Traditional AI seems to have taken a backseat compared to Machine Learning in recent years, but it nonetheless has a strong online representation. Udacity now hosts the seminal “AI Class”, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, taught by Peter Norvig and Sebastian Thrun. Sebastian Thrun also teaches a more advanced class on self-driving cars: Artificial Intelligence for Robotics. Alternatively, you could take the UC Berkeley course Artificial Intelligence on EdX.
While I’ve given an overview of core CS courses and a few specializations, there is a lot more you could learn. There are courses on scientific computing, computer architecture, cryptography, computer graphics, computational investing, parallel programming, and even on computational investing and quantum computing. The list goes on and on. I do miss a course on operating systems, though.
I merely wanted to highlight some of the larger areas of computer science, and show that they are already well-represented online. The selection is largely based on my personal interests. Still, I think my presentation convincingly conveyed that there is, a mere two years after the MOOC revolution started, an absolutely staggering amount of MOOCs available. Just look at the numbers of CS courses, generously interpreted, that are currently listed on the websites of the major providers! EdX counts a total of 18, and so does Udacity, incidentally. Coursera, on the other hand, lists 91. This is as total of 127 courses in CS, and this is not taking into account the many courses that are tangentially related to CS, like mathematics, or statistics and data analysis.
This entry was posted in Education on October 29, 2013 by Gregor Ulm.
Thanks for such a comprehensive review. I find it extremely helpful in developing my future curriculum in online learning, especially now that I’m trying to build a relatively systematic course for myself.
Gregor , thanks for posting this — and the list of books for the LinkedIn group. These posts address precisely what I’m interested in pursuing. For myself, I think it makes sense to get another couple programming classes under my belt, and then focus on making up for my lack of a mathematics education — a result of my once-upon-a-time music major — before diving into higher level CS topics.
I’ll intend to make a separate post on books that are suitable for autodidacts soon, too.
Don’t worry too much about mathematics. Discrete mathematics is pretty useful, in my opinion, but the other areas much less so if your goal is to become a reasonably competent programmer. It’s quite different if you aim to educate yourself in theoretical CS, though. I’d recommend you just sign up for a course like Tim Roughgarden’s Design and Analysis of Algorithms, and see how much mathematical background you need for that. Many online courses offer brief review sessions on the prerequisites, and if this isn’t enough, then set some time aside using the materials on Khan Academy.
Your recommendations are appreciated. I do want to improve my math skills, though, even if not entirely necessary for programming. My earlier focus on humanities has left me essentially illiterate in math and science. This is something I want to redress. I can read Milton and Montaigne, or Johnson and the Russian novelists with little effort, untranslated Chaucer with effort, but my knowledge of math doesn’t go past rudimentary algebra. My grasp of science isn’t much better. As a kid I hated math, and kids avoid what they hate. As a music major, I was able to hide from all things I didn’t want to face. Things are different now — it’s a bit of a feeling of wanting to make up for lost time.
Gregor, I wanted to thank you for your very lucid and informative writing and reviews of courses and programming books. For the past week, I’ve been weighing the pros and cons of a handful of both Java and Python books, and had essentially decided on the two very books you think so lowly of: Liang’s Intro to Java and Lutz’s Learning Python.
I’d had similar thoughts on the textbook industry, but Amazon reviews kept me from making the connections and coming to your conclusions. But, when I stumbled here and read a few articles, I was really pleased to see you mention (several times) Downey’s work.
You really helped me out and I look forward to some productive–and efficient–learning with these books, with much thanks to you.
Good article and idea. MIT (not surprisingly) gets it right by giving you the core Math you need early on. The saddest thing is that middle and high school don’t prepare you with the grounding in Math needed for CS. They should focus more on Discrete Math. MIT address this problem, others duck it. MOOCs are sure to become a way of life. There’s too much to learn and not enough supply to satisfy demand. It’s a sad reality when CS majors can’t get jobs because they were shafted into learning the same stuff. Specialisation needs to happen earlier, and skills officially upgradable in a more natural manner. Much like books are often now written with chapter dependency diagrams, courses too need to be like this. So you can cover the core modules or courses, and then move laterally across to whatever field is of need/interest to you. It’s unfortunate that if I had a child in Uni and wanted him to be prepped for a career in technology, I would steer him/her clear of a tech degree and focus on Pure Math. Tech degree just don’t give you the rigorous Mathematical core knowledge you need to be able to move on and expand wherever you like .
Yes, all of this is a consequence of dumbing down the high school curriculum, and making mathematics mostly optional. Largely the OECD is to blame for this, with their push to increase high school graduation and university enrollment rates on paper. What better way to achieve that than to lower standards? O tempora, o mores!
The problem with CS majors is that plenty simply can’t program. This has to do with what I just mentioned. So, if half you students can’t code, how do they get their degree? That’s easy, just let them do group projects.
Great post, I’ve been using it as a reference for a while now. A few things I wanted to ask about–Spolsky always talks about the importance of understanding pointers. It looks like edX’s Harvard CS50 is taught in C, which probably covers that, have you looked over that course?
Any suggestions for courses on Theory of Computation or Theoretical CS? Or anything on applied probability as related to CS?
It depends what you want to do. Understanding C (and pointers) is relevant if you want to program at the system-level, but not so much otherwise. Spolsky is very opinionated, and I disagree with quite a few of his posts. For instance, he boasts about the importance of understanding C, and that Java was “too easy”. However, he misses the point that it’s about the adequate level of abstraction. Sometimes, you might have to dip down to the level of assembly language. In other cases, a higher level language, like Java, can be far superior to C, and then there are domains where you would disadvantage yourself if you didn’t choose a pure functional programming language. Maybe have a look at the classic K&R book. The first chapter gives you a condensed overview of C, and the subsequent chapters expand on it.
For theoretical CS, you might want to bookmark Ullman’s course on Automata on Coursera, which is slated to run again this autumn. The corresponding text, Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation by Hopcroft and Ullman, is quite readable. As a working programmer, though, I think one would be very well served by working through Schaum’s Outline of Discrete Mathematics, which has two chapters on automata and models of computation. Maybe use this as a starting point for your further studies. Lastly, this week Rice University’s Principles of Computing (https://www.coursera.org/course/principlescomputing) started, which covers some theoretical CS, including a unit on applied probability.
I’m an economist and always wanted to learn how to code properly, so I’ve been through some of the courses you mention. Actually, the Rice courses on Coursera almost got me convinced to switch carrers :).
That led me to Lynda’s videos for specific skills. After a few months of that, I thought that in order to consider myself a card carrying programmer and be up to speed with university trained people I should do more formal training.
Until I got hooked with Stan Grossman’s Programming Languages course. I did most of the homework (I’m currently implementing closures in a made up language interpreted in racket ;)). Now I’m looking forward to test my Java skills on the next edition of Sedgewick’s algorithms.
Anyway, you look a lot like where I’d like to be in the future, I loved reading your blog, so I wanted to say hi and thanks for sharing!
“Software Defined Networking” is actually offered by Princeton University, not Georgia Tech.
Thanks for pointing this out. Unfortunately, this is one of the many MOOCs that run only very infrequently. It’s probably time I update the original article anyway. | 2019-04-21T06:13:06Z | http://gregorulm.com/replicating-a-bsc-in-computer-science-through-moocs/ |
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For several years, the company focused on relocating the entire Berlin production step by step while at the same time qualifying the Saxonian staff as well as modernizing and expanding the facility with an investment of more than 20 million Euro. As a result, C. Bechstein Seifhennersdorf has now become a flagship production site of worldwide renown.
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What is the secret behind C. Bechstein’s world-renowned expertise advantage?
The knowledge of how to make top-class instruments; experience handed down since 1853; scientific advances in the fields of materials and processing; and, of course , the ongoing dialog between craftsmen and women, engineers, tone specialists and professional pianists.
Bechstein follows an integrative approach toward piano-making, starting with engineers, CNC technology for most accurate processing of materials, handcrafting both the acoustic body as well as the keyboard and action assemblies, up to the final adjustment of touch and tone in order to fulfill all expactations placed on a top-class musical instrument such as a sensitive touch and rich and colourful tone.
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A dependable and precise action assembly is extremely important on stage. That’s why all materials undergo extensive testing under various climatic conditions (temperatures from –30 to +40 °C; humidity of 10 to 95%) prior to their processing.
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Thinking ahead and defining the interactions between wood and metal, we mainly use European wood and favor sustainable forestry.
We select the wood up to five years prior to processing. Only careful and controlled drying of the material ensures stability and best possible material utilization. Whether native German woods such as beech, pine and spruce, or mountain spruce from southern Europe for the tonewood, we always consider sustainability while selecting the wood.
C. Bechstein contributes significantly to conserving the natural environment by insisting on renewable resources. Because we manufacture only the highest-class musical instruments and forgo mass production, we can apply strict material selection standards and use only the best quality woods. Our glues and lacquers reflect the state of the art, and our processing techniques are low-emission and environmentally friendly.
The C. Bechstein piano-making philosophy is unique. A key principle is that virtually all components contribute to the sound quality. Besides this holistic approach to the musical instrument as we emphasize stability and durability of our pianos. The singing tone and the reslience of C. Bechstein pianos are are indeed a point of reference.
Manufacturing the acoustic assembly plays a key role in the entire manufacturing process. The acoustic assembly is a complex system including the architecture of the soundboard, the back frame respecitvely the rim-and-cabinet system in grand pianos and even the keybed, the basis for the action assembly.
As this The accoustic body or assembly is the heart of the instrument, its making is crucial for tone quality, for the development, projection and duration of the sound, and for the modulation capability. Herein lies the secret of the C. Bechstein sound. All parts of the acoustic assembly are made and assembled put together with ultimate precision inhouse at the Seifhennersdorf production site itself. Another unique C. Bechstein feature: for all parts of the acoustic assembly we use only exquisite timbre-reinforcing materials which sustain the colour of tone..
Despite individual properties of a natural material, such as wood, the predominant material, utmost precision in the process of routing and gluing leads to long- lasting stability. In all production steps, we combine expert craftsmanship and modern technology for absolute dimensional accuracy.
Carefully selected beech and mahogany layers are glued together and shaped using special clamps to make the case.
Every production step entails a subsequent period of rest to ensure stability of the piano for many decades. To rest, the various parts are stored under optimum ambient conditions for a given time. At the C. Bechstein production site, hundreds of highly valuable soundboards can be found slowly seasoning in drying chambers. Allowing the tonewood to mature in several rest and drying periods, which is a process that sets C. Bechstein apart from other manufacturers. This unique procedure is part of our dynamics and tension management, together with the special milling of the sound-boards to calibrate the tone register intensity. All this is required to achieve an ideal sound projection through optimal curvature of the soundboard and the limitation of stress tension on the inner and outer rims of the grand piano case.
Whether pine wood used for the stable back posts and rim beams or layers of beech and mahogany glued together to make the case, high quality of materials is mandatory. Moreover, we use durable, climate-resistant glues and allow rest periods between these production steps as well, to ensure absolute durability.
The tone colors i.e. harmonic spectrum of partials largely depend on the balance between resilience and elasticity within a grand piano’s acoustic assembly.
Joining the case and the outer rim at an early stage of production is only one of the secrets of the characteristic, unique Bechstein sound.
Complex, highly resistant interlocking wood joints, which areprepared by using modern technology, ensure that the sound quality and tuning stability of Bechstein and C. Bechstein instruments will endure for decades.
C. Bechstein grand piano cases boast a fantastic stability and are practically eternal.
The rims and braces that compose the back frame are made using CNC technology so that the assembly boasts precision down to a tenth of a millimeter.
The inner and outer rims of our grand pianos are made of carefully selected beech and mahogany layers with a thickness of three to five millimeters, shaped in specialized presses and joined using a special glue. As for all wooden parts, a rest and drying period follows this processing step since the quality of the rim has a great effect on the quality of the sound.
Maturing the wood is an imperative factor in achieving good sound quality. Having so much capital bound up in the maturing chamber over long periods of time is worthwhile for us, because we know that making top-quality instruments requires strictly controlled drying conditions. The wood must evenly maintain all the tensions applied during the gluing and pressing steps. The glue, and therefore moisture, is pressed down to the core of the wood along the pores of the material when preparing the sound assembly, and it takes months for the wood to “accept” its form and for the glue to dry naturally. This lengthy maturing process is of crucial importance for the long-term quality of the instrument as it precludes any uncontrolled deformation of the wood, which would have a negative impact on the sound.
Every C. Bechstein model – whether upright or grand piano – has its ideal voice, called the “acoustic master profile”. For the soundboard, the heart of the instrument, and its stabilizing ribs we use only slow-growth mountain spruce from the Alps. Seasoning of the soundboard wood takes up to 10 years as of cutting the tree.
For the soundboard, we process the materials according to the specifications of the R&D department and use CNC technology to ensure that the “heart of the instrument” perfectly renders the intended acoustic master profile. Boards sawn from the core of alpine spruce are joined to achieve the desired vibration frequency properties. In the C. Bechstein Masterpiece series, the soundboard is tapered towards its periphery to form a vibrating membrane with optimal sound projection and transmission speed properties. As for the Bechstein premium pianos on the other hand, their soundboard is famous for an outstanding voluminous sound, both elegant and relaxed.
Giving the soundboard the required curvature in order to ensure optimum responsiveness to string vibrations requires repeated cycles of humidification, seasoning and shaping under pressure. The Bechstein soundboards are true masterpieces, achieving a perfect balance between tension and flexibility.
The ribs, too, are selected specifically for the desired tone. The clear difference in sound character between Bechstein and C. Bechstein pianos is partly due to the fact that the soundboard in the latter instruments is tapered.
As the string vibrations are transferred to the soundboard through the bridge, the design and quality of the bridge also have an impact on the sound and its character. Whether the bridge is made of solid wood (Bechstein) or of several layers (C. Bechstein), the direction of the wood grain and the precision of the assembly are essential for optimum sound transmission from the key to the hammerhead which hits the strings causing them to vibrate and finally setting the complex acoustic assembly into action.
The special manufacturing program that was developed for making the bridges achieves a repeated precision standard that handcrafting simply cannot match. This exceptional precision contributes to the beautiful voice and the impressive sound volume that never fail to amaze professional pianists.
The pinblock – made in accordance with the same overall principles – consists of cross- laminated layers of prime hardwoods and guarantees the optimum fit and accurate positioning of the tuning pins. When assembling the wooden parts, all future elements of tension and traction, which will affect the dynamics and durability of the acoustic assembly, are taken into consideration, as this also contributes to the character of the Bechstein sound.
An essential element which suppors the total string tension is the cast-iron frame, which is made by using unique manufacturing techniques. According to the holistic C. Bechstein piano-making philosophy, the cast iron frame plays an important role in the acoustic assembly’s function to support the fundamental frequencies of tone.. The cast iron, with its special composition that we developed, delivers outstanding resilience resisting both pressure and tension.
Also here a rest period is required in order to improve stability after the iron is cast and before the frame is processed using CNC technology. The processing includes careful milling to ensure a perfect fit with the pinblock. This assures a precision that can hardly be achieved by using handcrafting techniques which in turn has a positive impact on the piano’s tone. A C. Bechstein cast iron frame is precisely adjusted to the acoustic assemby to a hundredth of a millimeter.
All the crafting steps such as drilling, milling, threading are carried out by using specially designed high precision tools All data regarding the parts being worked upon are collected during this working process, they are transferred between the metal and woodworking machines as required. This is another major C. Bechstein advantage: the intelligent interconnection of all processing machines not only permits high-precision assembling of the wood and metal parts, but also shows that C. Bechstein has already implemented the “Industry 4.0” concept. The perfect accuracy and optimal integration and connection of all parts within the acoustic assembly is a prerequisite for creating the desired sonority.
Fitting the cast-iron frame is a meticulous manual task that requires consideration of all the dimensions of the acoustic assembly, as well as all tension and compression forces that will come into play when stringing the instrument. During that procedure of work, the technician precisely determines a) the speaking (vibrating) length of the strings which is limited and defined by the agraffes, respectively b) the capo bar, c) the bridge, and d) the duplex scale. This lays the foundation for both a masterly sound projection and a stable music-making instrument.
The bass strings are made of high-tensile steel wound with nealry pure copper wire. Despite the high precision of the machine used for this winding process, skilled craftsmanship is essential and the operator’s hands, eyes and ears are of crucial importance.
Every single unwound and bass string must be positioned on the bridge and affixed at its extremities by using a tuning pin and one of the cast-iron frame’s hitch pins. It is also important to carefully control the positioning of the string on the specially calibrated duplex scale.
Knowing that he carries a huge responsibility, the technician who performs this work checks whether the string sits properly as he plucks it to make it sound for the first time.
The touch of a Bechstein piano is like a kid glove to the player as it adapts effortlessly to his or her hands. It is fantastically precise, and reacts without delay. Playing on a Bechstein is effortless, yet absolutely controllable — Exactly the right resistance for the virtuoso, and precisely the elegance which even the non-professional piano player wants.
A Bechstein piano allows you to forget that practicing takes any effort at all. On a Bechstein, you can fully concentrate on making-music as expression of your inspiration. The perfection of the Bechstein action assembly stems from the specifications for the material, the dimensional accuracy, as well asthe staff’s expertise and craftsmanship. The hammers move easily, and nothing hampers your creativity thanks to the ideal balance between controlled and fluid playing. Your Bechstein translates effortlessly, precisely and intuitively every nuance of your touch to generate exactly the sound you intended. The perfect touch of your Bechstein piano brings out the full potential of its highly complex acoustic assembly.
The keys are designed by C. Bechstein for perfect leverage, made of finest spruce wood and provided with a keytop surface that meets any player’s requirements. A special wooden key frame warrants a stable and precise support for the keys. It allows both subtle and frictionless movements. The key-frame is made of finest spruce, reinforced by harder beech to stabilize the key guide pins. Key pins and felts are specially coated to assure minimal friction.
The Bechstein action is a marvel made of thousands of individual parts with axial connections designed in the Bechstein tradition, and further developed with innovative methods. A special wood drying process and axle bearings granting minimal friciton and minimal wear ensure the excellence of the Bechstein action, with its subtle nuances and incredible ease of motion.
The extremely stringent Bechstein quality criteria increasingly limit cooperation with component suppliers. This drawback led Bechstein to develop and manufacture its own components for the action assembly. An example of this remarkably successful development is the manufacturing of hammerheads at the Seifhennersdorf production site. Experience accumulated from various studies and experiments over the years pointed the way to the ideal manufacturing method for a hammerhead with a stable core and a resilient and dynamic felt covering. C. Bechstein is the only European maker of grand pianos and upright pianos with the expertise required for in-house manufacturing of these parts, which are of crucial importance in the creation of the ideal tone.
The Bechstein standards of perfection also apply to the dampers. The precise definition and regulation of these piano parts made of wood and felt is required for damping the sound of the strings without generating undesired side noise. Achieving evenness in damping all tones on all registers is truly a Sisyphean task mastered daily by our skilled damper installation specialists.
Tuning and voicing is performed by C. Bechstein tone specialists who know und understand the entire piano, inside and out. Tonal substance and perfect touch in all registers are a prerequisite for the final step of blending the multifaceted tone colours sensitively into a piece of art.comparable to a painting. It can take hours or even days of working on the hammerheads to ultimately create the incomparably sophisticated Bechstein touch and tone.
Lacquer finishing is a process that applies to all parts of the case from the early stages of manufacture. After completetion of the manufacturing process in the woodworking department, all exterior parts of the piano are prepared for lacquering. This step includes priming, sanding, application of the final lacquer layers, more sanding, and finally polishing — and of course, several drying and rest periods to allow the surface-finish to stabilize.
As with all production steps, the experienced Bechstein specialists select the most modern technology or handcrafting processes with a view to achieving the best possible result. In all our production operations, we keep emission levels of solvents and fine dust to an absolute minimum, and maintain clean air and environment by using special extraction and filtration equipment. Preserving the health of our employees is our top priority.
The finished piano boasts an excellent, mirror-like surface. Its splendor is inspiring and its brilliance enduring. | 2019-04-22T12:18:08Z | https://www.bechstein.com/en/the-world-of-bechstein/manufaktur/manufactory-seifhennersdorf/ |
Received 2016 June 28; Accepted 2017 December 30.
To identify predictors of seizure-related injury (SRI) and death in people with epilepsy (PWE) in a North Indian cohort.
This ambispective cohort study included PWE registered in an epilepsy clinic in Delhi between May 2010 and December 2011. Five hundred twenty-six patients were enrolled and followed for 25 months. Patients were categorized into two groups based on SRI/no SRI during the study period. We analyzed various factors to identify predictors of SRI and death.
Of 526 patients, 355 (67.5%) reported having no SRIs and 171 (32.5%) had sustained an SRI. Among patients with SRI, 72.5% were male; 62% of those with no SRI were male. The injury type included soft tissue (60%), head trauma (20%), dental trauma (10%), orthopedic (10%), and burns (5%). On univariate analysis, factors predicting SRI occurrence were male gender, abnormal birth history (p < 0.01), abnormal mental status (p < 0.01), seizure duration (p < 0.04), daytime seizures (p < 0.05), dependence on a caregiver (p < 0.008), and uncontrolled seizures (p < 0.001), history of cluster seizures or status epilepticus (p < 0.001), occurrence of generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS), and use of >3 antiepileptic drugs (p < 0.008). On multiple logistic regression analysis, male gender, uncontrolled seizures, history of cluster seizures or status epilepticus, and GTCS were significant risk factors. Sixteen deaths occurred in our cohort, and 13 fit the definition of probable sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Most patients with SUDEP had an unwitnessed event (69.2%). The only significant factor in predicting death was uncontrolled seizures.
Male gender, occurrence of GTCS, uncontrolled seizures, and history of cluster seizures or status epilepticus predicted SRI occurrence in PWE. Precautions should be taken by caregivers of patients with these risk factors, to prevent injury.
According to the World Health Organization, epilepsy accounted for about 0.5% of the global burden of disease in 2005, or more than 7 million disability-adjusted life-years. Intense clinical research is ongoing to explore various aspects of the risks related to epilepsy. Mortality figures in people with epilepsy (PWE) are about two to three times greater than those in the general population. Most causes of death can be attributed to underlying neurological disease, but some are epilepsy related, including accidents, drowning, status epilepticus, and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). In a recent publication form Kolkata, a eastern city of India, an annual mortality rate of 7.6 per 100,000 per year and a standardized mortality ratio of 2.58 was reported for epilepsy in a 5-year follow-up of general population.1 Among the neurological causes, epilepsy was the second leading cause of death after stroke. There is a dearth of literature from India regarding deaths in PWE and the potential risk factors.
Another important domain in PWE is the risk of seizure-related injury (SRI). Features such as seizure-like impairment of consciousness and loss of motor control lead to a substantially increased risk of injury during ictus. PWE often have other comorbid conditions such as learning disabilities, and somatic and psychiatric conditions that place them at increased risk for accidental injury. Because of the increased risk of injury, PWE are subject to employment, recreational, and driving restrictions. These limitations have personal and social consequences, leading to inactivity, isolation, and dependency. Risk of injuries due to epilepsy is an important predictor of quality of life as it has a significant impact on an individual’s social life, education, and employment status. Limitations in all these spheres of life may lead to a loss of independence, impaired social development, and increased psychiatric comorbidities.
We examined the rates and types of SRI based on self-reported questionnaires, and we also assessed the risk factors for SRI in a pre-registered cohort of PWE attending an epilepsy clinic of a tertiary teaching hospital in Northern India. We also recorded deaths in the cohort and sought to find potential risk factors.
A total of 536 consecutive preregistered PWE were identified using a case survey in Delhi and the National Capital Region. PWE attending the epilepsy clinic of the Department of Neurology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, during the period from May 2010 to December 2011, were included in this ambispective cohort study. Inclusion criteria for the study were patients with active epilepsy of more than 1-year duration (the International League Against Epilepsy definition of active epilepsy is “at least one epileptic seizure in the previous 5 years, regardless of antiepileptic drug treatment”), and ability to read Hindi and give their informed consent to participate in the study. The purpose of the study was explained and informed consent was obtained from the patients or their caregivers. Structured questionnaires included demographic details such as age, gender, occupation, socioeconomic status, and personal habits along with birth and developmental history and mental status. Questionnaires were administered by a trained neurologist for all patients in either a personal or a telephone interview. Various factors were recorded, such as the age at onset of epilepsy, duration of disease, type and frequency of seizures, any premonition or aura, timing of seizures (nocturnal or daytime), control of epilepsy (controlled epilepsy is defined as either no seizure or less than 10 seizures per year and more than 10 seizures per year is defined as uncontrolled epilepsy), treatment details, and the probable etiology of epilepsy.
Patients were asked whether they had sustained any injury/injuries during a seizure in last 12 months. Injuries were classified as direct injury, such as orolingual trauma or tongue bite (due to the motor phenomenon of seizure) and indirect injuries such as consequence of a fall during a seizure (e.g., fracture or dislocation), burns, lacerations, soft tissue injuries, and dental injuries (needing medical attention). Participants were specifically asked about injuries like tongue bite, dental injuries, soft tissue injuries, head trauma, burns, orthopedic injuries, or seizures in water/drowning. Medical or surgical intervention received for the same were recorded. Documents pertaining to hospitalization and medical advice related to these injuries were also verified. The included participants were divided two groups: group 1 (patients who never sustained any SRIs) and group 2 (patients who had sustained an SRI).
Every 3 months, phone calls were made to inquire about the well-being of the participants. If a participant had died, details regarding the circumstances of their death were collected. The medical records of PWE who had died were also evaluated to collect details regarding the possible cause of death.
Data were presented as number (%) or median (range), as appropriate. Continuous demographic and clinical variables of patients with and without SRI were analyzed using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test, and categorical variables were compared using chi-squared or Fischer’s tests. To determine the factors associated with injury and death among PWE, logistic regression analysis was carried out. The results were presented as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Adjusted ORs were obtained and considered significant if the CI did not exceed 1. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Statistical analysis was carried out using STATA 9.0 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX, USA).
A total of 526 patients with active epilepsy were enrolled in the study. Overall, 355 patients (67.5%) had no SRIs whereas 171 patients (32.5%) had sustained an SRI during the past 12 months. The demographic and clinical characteristics of both groups are tabulated in Table 1. There were significant differences between the two groups (SRI and no SRI) for the following parameters: gender, birth history, and mental status (p = 0.01); seizures occurring while awake (p = 0.05), independence in daily activities (p = 0.007), uncontrolled seizures (p = 0.001), and use of more than two types of antiepileptic drugs (p = 0.008). No significant difference was found between employed and unemployed participants and among those with differing socioeconomic status (p = 0.626 and 0.703, respectively).
Primary generalized tonic-clonicseizures (GTCS) occurred in 158 (30%) patients, dyscognitive seizures in 100 (19%), secondary generalization in 208 (39.4%), focal non dyscognitive seizures in 21 (3.9%), and myoclonic seizures in 39 (7.4%) patients. In all, 129 patients were taking a single antiepileptic drug, 175 patients took two antiepileptic drugs, and 254 patients took three or more antiepileptic drugs. In addition to antiepileptic drugs, 32 patients (6%) had undergone epilepsy surgery.
The most common etiologies based on radiologic parameters were hippocampal sclerosis (56 patients); central nervous system infection (46 patients), of which 26 were neurocysticercosis; cortical dysplasia (13); developmental brain tumor (11); stroke-related causes (2), and other conditions (54). The latter included arteriovenous malformation, brainatrophy, hematoma, hypoxic brain damage, tuberous sclerosis, neuronal migration syndrome, and posttraumatic events.
Soft tissue injury was the commonest type of SRI (60%), with involvement of the face, lips, scalp, chin, arms, thigh, back, and buttocks. Suturing was required in only four patients. The second most common type of injury was tongue bite (52%) followed by head trauma (20%), which included concussion and head laceration. Two of our patients were hospitalized and hematoma evacuation was performed; one patient recovered completely and the other had residual weakness. Dental trauma occurred in 10% patients. Eight patients reported burns (5%) that involved the face, foot, and whole body; in all these patients, burns occurred while cooking. One patient with whole-body burns was admitted to the hospital. Seventeen patients reported orthopedic injuries (10%), three of these patients were treated with a plaster cast and patellectomy was performed in one patient.
The activity documented at the time of seizure were doing housework (43%), working (24%), sleeping (12%), playing in school (11%), traveling (5%), and other (5%).
After univariate analysis of potential risk factors for SRI, male gender (p = 0.01), abnormal birth history (p = 0.01), abnormal mental status (p = 0.01), duration of epilepsy (p = 0.04), seizures occurring during the day (p = 0.05), dependence on a caregiver for carrying out activities (p < 0.008), uncontrolled seizures (p = 0.001), history of cluster seizures or status epilepticus (p = 0.001), and use of more than three types of antiepileptic drugs (p = 0.008) were found to be significant (Table 1). On multiple logistic regression analysis (Table 2), uncontrolled seizures (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.11–2.72), history of cluster seizures or status epilepticus (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.11–2.72), and occurrence of GTCS (primary or secondary) were found to be significant risk factors.
A total of 16 deaths were recorded in our cohort. In three patients, death was due to accident: two fell from the roof, presumably due to a seizure, and one drowned. Thirteen of these individuals died during a seizure, but none had status epilepticus. Of these 13 participants, four (30.7%) had seizures while sleeping and died 15–30 minutes after a generalized seizure. The other nine (69.2%) participants had presumed, but unwitnessed seizures; however, these were not in accident settings. There was a male predominance, with 10 out of 16 patients being male. On univariate analysis of potential risk factors for death, the only factor found to have statistical significance was uncontrolled seizures (p = 0.03).
We conducted an ambispective cohort study of 526 preregistered PWE from a tertiary teaching hospital in North India. Overall, 33% of respondents reported having sustained some form of SRI in their lifetime. Of these, only 5% required hospitalization for their injuries.
In a large prospective study by Beghi and Cornaggia2 of 951 patentsassessing the risk of accidents in PWE, 24% had SRIs. In a questionnaire-based study by Sapna et al.3 from Southern India, 44.8% of respondents reported at least one injury in the previous 12 months. This proportion is much higher than the proportion in our series, which may be because those authors studied the frequency of both seizure-related and unrelated injuries in PWE.
PWEs have a high risk for fractures. Fractures result from the interplay between accidental trauma, loss of protective reflexes during seizure and seizure-related falls, and associated osteoporosis due to long-term use of antiepileptic drugs. In a meta-analysis of the literature on fracture risk in epilepsy, it was found that PWE are twice as likely to sustain fracture as the general population.6 In our study, 10% of patients had dislocations and fractures of different bones.
In a population-based study of PWE by Téllez-Zenteno et al.,7 a higher frequency of burns than that in the general population was reported. About 5% of participants in our study reported burns, all occurring while doing household work. This is lower than the rates reported in surveys conducted by Spitz et al.8 and Buck et al.9 The possible reason for the lower percentages of burns in our study could be due to differences in sociocultural practices in India. Joint families are the norm in Indian culture and PWE usually do not actively participate in cooking or other household chores that could expose them to a risk of burns.
Many factors have been implicated in increasing the risk of SRI. Of all the factors, type of seizure has the highest correlation with risk of SRI. In a retrospective population-based study by Lawn et al.,4 univariate analyses identified five potential risk factors for SRI: greater number of antiepileptic drugs used, less independent living situation, higher Rankin score, history of generalized convulsive seizures or drop attacks, and higher seizure frequency score. Seizure frequency, however, was the only significant risk factor identified by multivariate analysis (p < 0.001; relative risk, 1.3). In agreement with their study, male gender, uncontrolled seizures, a history of cluster seizures or status epilepticus, and presence of GTCS were found to be significant risk factors in our series. In a questionnaire-based study of 300 patients from Thailand, the potential risk factors identified were occurrence of GTCS, seizures at least 12 times per year, and daytime seizures.10 In contrast to this, we found no significant correlation with the time of seizure and risk of SRI.
In a retrospective case-controlled cohort study using data from Danish registries, Holst et al.11 reported that having epilepsy increased the crude risk of death, with a hazard ratio of 11.9 (95% CI 11.0–12.9). The findings of a community-based study from India among 37,844 inhabitants, including 173 PWE, suggested a higher risk of death in PWE than in the general population.
In our cohort of 526 PWE, 16 were reported to have died during seizures. Thirteen patients died unexpectedly and suddenly, without any evidence of status epilepticus or trauma; however, autopsy was not performed in any of these patients, which was mostly due to religious beliefs of the family members. These PWE fulfilled the criteria for probable SUDEP. One of the limitations of our study was that there was no control arm for comparison. Hesdorffer et al.12 analyzed pooled data from four case-control studies of risk factors for SUDEP, including 289 cases and 958 controls. Their findings indicated that people who have early-onset refractory symptomatic epilepsy with frequent GTCS and antiepileptic drug polytherapy are at higher risk of SUDEP. Our study found uncontrolled seizures to be the only factor associated with an increased risk of death.
Lamberts et al.13 reported that most of the SUDEP events were unwitnessed (86%), and many were during sleep (58%). In those with SUDEP, the seizure patterns were nocturnal in 36% and diurnal in 32% of individuals in that study. Showing a similar trend, 69.2% of our cases were unwitnessed and 30.7% were sleep related. Because of the sociocultural milieu in a country like India, discussing death is a taboo. Prospective case-controlled studies examining the potential risk factors for SUDEP would shed more light on this important aspect of epilepsy.
The limitations of our study include the lack of a control arm. There is a possibility of significant recall bias as the data were collected by administering a questionnaire to participant and not using medical records, thus decreasing the reliability of the information and with possible underreporting of mild SRIs. In addition, the study population was a hospital-based cohort of PWE; therefore, our results cannot be generalized to the general population.
In the present study, we found that male gender, occurrence of GTCS, uncontrolled seizures, and a history of cluster seizures or status epilepticus predicted the occurrence of injury in PWE. We found that uncontrolled seizures was the risk factor that could predict SUDEP. Precautions should be taken by caregivers of patients with these risk factors, to prevent injury.
1. Banerjee TK, Ray BK, Das SK, et al. A longitudinal study of epilepsy in Kolkata, India. Epilepsia 2010;51:2384–91.
2. Beghi E, Cornaggia C. Morbidity and accidents in patients with epilepsy: results of a European cohort study. Epilepsia 2002;43:1076–83.
3. Sapna CS, Sheeba SL, John J, Thomas SV. Accidents and injuries in people with epilepsy attending a tertiary care center in India. Epileptic Disord 2008;10:276–81.
4. Lawn ND, Bamlet WR, Radhakrishnan K, O’Brien PC, So EL. Injuries due to seizures in persons with epilepsy: a population-based study. Neurology 2004;63:1565–70.
5. Nakken KO, Lossius R. Seizure-related injuries in multihandicapped patients with therapy-resistant epilepsy. Epilepsia 1993;34:836–40.
6. Vestergaard P. Epilepsy, osteoporosis and fracture risk - a meta-analysis. Acta Neurol Scand 2005;112:277–86.
7. Téllez-Zenteno JF, Hunter G, Wiebe S. Injuries in people with self-reported epilepsy: a population-based study. Epilepsia 2008;49:954–61.
8. Spitz MC, Towbin JA, Shantz D, Adler LE. Risk factors for burn as a consequence of seizures in persons with epilepsy. Epilepsia 1994;35:764–7.
9. Buck D, Baker GA, Jacoby A, Smith DF, Chadwick DW. Patients’ experiences of injury as a result of epilepsy. Epilepsia 1997;38:439–44.
10. Tiamkao S, Sawanyawisuth K, Asawavichienjinda T, et al. Predictive risk factors of seizure-related injury in persons with epilepsy. J NeurolSci 2009;285:59–61.
11. Holst AG, Winkel BG, Risgaard B, et al. Epilepsy and risk of death and sudden unexpected death in the young: a nationwide study. Epilepsia 2013;54:1613–20.
12. Hesdorffer DC, Tomson T, Benn E, et al. Combined analysis of risk factors for SUDEP. Epilepsia 2011;52:1150–9.
13. Lamberts RJ, Thijs RD, Laffan A, Langan Y, Sander JW. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: people with nocturnal seizures may be at highest risk. Epilepsia 2012;53:253–7.
OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; SE, status epilepticus; GTCS, generalized tonic-clonic seizures. | 2019-04-20T08:36:34Z | https://www.j-epilepsy.org/journal/view.php?viewtype=pubreader&number=149 |
A few weeks ago, a new photo browsing network link was introduced which is filling the gap left by the currently non-functional Flickr Photos network link for showing georeferenced photos in Google Earth. Panoramio not only provides a Google Earth network link for browsing photos all over the world, but also allows you to quickly and easily mark a location on a Google Maps mashup where you took a photo(s) and upload the photo(s) to their database with a description. The service is free to use and was created by two guys in Spain named Joaquín Cuenca Abela and Eduardo Manchón Aguilar.
My friend Valery Hronusov from Russia's Academy of Science in Perm, Russia (aka Valery35 at the Google Earth Community) continues his prolific output of cool Google Earth files. He has been converting a variety of data sources about our environment from NASA into cool Google Earth visualizations. Today Valery will share with you this collection of overlays showing the progression of day time land temperatures for the Earth for entire years starting with year 2000 until 2005. The data comes from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite project. These are not satellite/aerial photos, but are images of temperature data overlayed on top of GE's satellite photos.
Once you download the Day Land Temperatures file, you will see some sub-folders for each year. You should open these sub-folders and turn on each month to look at the data. On my system, if I just turn on an entire year, it kind of animates the overlays while loading them the first time. But, a better way to see the progression of the data is to use the movies Valery has created: small movie (1.2 Mbytes) or larger movie (3.7 Mbytes).
Great work Valery! I'll be sharing some other similar stuff Valery has done later this week.
Let's do a little fun sightseeing for the weekend. This collection of placemarks was done by "H21" from the Google Earth Community. H21 shows the highest points geographically in 177 countries. You can go to each location, checkout the satellite or aerial photo, and try tilting your view so you can see the height and shape of the 3D landscape at an angle. Turn on Google Earth Community layers to see other interesting information about the area.
The post for H21's collection is here in case you want to tell H21 about the locations for other countries, or have a correction to send him. H21 has done a number of interesting collections including those I've written about here: "Around the World in 80 Days", "Places Quoted in Shakespeare", and "Castles in Highres"
Speculation on Microsoft Plans for "Google Earth killer"
The first time I saw Google Earth and wondered about similar applications, I thought about Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS). As a pilot who frequently uses MSFS to maintain flight skills, I am quite familiar with the flight simulator. Even though MSFS uses a more programmatic approach for showing scenery detail, the views of the Earth can be amazingly realistic and, with some add-on satellite and aerial photography, MSFS can look more real than Google Earth's views. I worked for 20 years in the computer graphics field doing work for NASA and the DOD primarily doing simulation (space, robotics and flight simulations). The evolution of computer graphics technology and how flight simulation and gaming technology have advanced the field is fascinating to me. You see, my passion about Google Earth is not just because it looks cool. I've been watching for signs about what Microsoft would do to compete with Google's 3D application.
Well, an Alan Glennon from the University of California at Santa Barbara has just released his observations. Alan works at UCSB's Department of Geography and has his own blog called Geography 2.0: Virtual Globes. Alan has written an interesting article called "Will Microsoft have a Google Earth?". He points to a job post at Microsoft for a "program manager to lead a project integrating their flight simulator engine with Virtual Earth". Alan speculates how Google can compete with Microsoft when it combines its gaming development skills with its dominance in the operating system software domain. He speculates whether Google might buy its own gaming company. Alan also says he's watching the evolution of KML which is a crucial component of what makes Google Earth so valuable. Those of you interested in the strategic positioning of Google Earth verses future competition from Microsoft should definitely give this one a read. Alan gives some insightful thoughts about possible directions.
One of my favorite collections of placemarks for Google Earth is the World Wide Panorama which shows the locations of Quicktime viewable panorama photographs taken by photographers all over the world. You can view the satellite or aerial photos of the location, plus the 3D terrain in Google Earth. And, you can compare them to a "3D" photograph of the same location in much more detail. Earlier this month they updated the WWP collection and included a list of the Best of 2005 panoramas. After you downlaod the GE file, turn off the entire collection in the "Temporary Places" folder by clicking on "Worldwide Panorama". Then, turn on the "Best of 2005" subfolder to just see those panoramas first. Afterwards, you can turn on the other folders and continue to explore.
You must have Quicktime installed to view these pictures. The photos are not really 3D. They are more like pan/tilt panorama photographs than 3D. Some are just panoramas, but some show photos in a complete 360 degree sphere you can pan/tilt as if you are really there. I especially like the ones taken from airplanes or kites. Here is the official Worldwide Panorama web site.
Google has just announced new satellite/aerial imagery data for Google Local - data that has already been in Google Earth for a few weeks. Google Local now sees the more up to date data already in Google Earth, and they have added TWO EXTRA ZOOM LEVELS for Google Local! You can still zoom in farther in Google Earth, but it's nice to have the two applications come closer together.
Here's the blog entry at the official Google Blog.
In previous stories, I have mentioned one of my favorite applications for looking at GPS tracks is GPSVisualizer. It is a free web browser application with a simple form-based interface with many capabilities for showing GPS tracks with satellite/aerial photos, street maps, topographical maps, and more. In November, after I E-mailed him, Adam Schneider, the author, implemented a capability to generate Google Earth files from GPS tracks. However, one of my favorite capabilities in the pre-GE version of his application was the ability to colorize the tracks according to various parameters (such as altitude changes, speed, course, etc.). Unfortunately, his initial GE form didn't support this colorizing feature.
Well, Adam wrote me this weekend to let me know he had implemented colorization for his Google Earth form. I immediately tested it with flight, and other GPS data, and it works very well! By the way, GPSVisualizer supports a variety of input file types in addition to GPX. For example, I tried an IGC file format which is the format used by paragliders because it supports certified data for establishing records (longest flight, highest flight, etc.). I went to the Leonardo database of paragliding flights and downloaded an IGC file. Then, I used the new GPSVisualizer form, and uploaded my copy of the IGC file. I then selected "Absolute" for "Altitude Mode", and "Colorize by" -> "Altitude/elevation". Then I selected "Create KML File" which resulted in this Google Earth file . You need to select the absolute mode for altitude so it keeps the elevation data from your GPS track.
If you have GPS tracks of a hike, a drive, a flight, etc. I highly recommend you try converting your track to a supported format (GPX is probably the easiest). Then try out GPSVisualizer and its new "Colorize by:" feature. The "colorize by" feature supports: altitude/elevation, speed, course, slope, distance, and more.
Adam had to do something clever to make this work. His application breaks up the track into little peices and changes the color for each segment according to the parameter you chose to color it by. Great work Adam!
One of the Google Earth Community members who calls himself "Up_The_Spurs" has just completed an excellent collection of placemarks related to the Victoria Cross. The Victoria Cross is the highest award for gallantry, on the field of combat, for all British & Commonwealth Citizens. There have been 1351-1355 VC's awarded, and they are all included in this collection. The collection shows the placemark of the birthplace of each recipient and provides details on the recipient including when they lived, why they received the cross, and sometimes even pictures.
Much of the data came from the Wikipedia. But, he also used other sources. You can read details about what was done in his post here. This was quite a big task which took Up_The_Spurs at least 3 weeks to complete. Great work! See his Boxing Champions collection as well.
Someone at the Google Earth Community, who calls himself 'Sanga', recently posted the highest-fidelity 3D model of the Eiffel Tower yet. He used SketchUp (a 3D modelling program which has excellent conversion tools for Google Earth). He posted two versions of the Eiffel Tower - the larger one has a huge number of polygons, the smaller one still looks very good (and you may want the smaller one if you have less graphics memory). Turn off the "Terrain" Layer as this messes up the view of the base of the tower. Here they are: Eiffel Tower (1.8 Mbytes) and Eiffel Tower (1.04 MBytes) .
By the way, Sanga also developed a very detailed 3D model of the Taj Mahal (2 Mbytes) . Here's his post for this one.
For a couple of weeks a guy called Sven from the Netherlands has posted his attempts to add 3D planes to the FBOweb real-time flight tracking application written about here before. Well, Sven has succeeded in creating a new version of a network link which places 3D airliner models in the correct 3D position from the fboweb application. NOTE: when you download the 3D plane flight tracker , make sure you turn on only one airport in the Places folder (ORD, LAX, BOS, or ATL) at a time as these network links use a lot of bandwidth. Also, you can double click on a flight folder to position yourself over a plane, then open that folder to find "Points of View" which allow you to select other views including different angles from the pilot perspective, directly above, or directly toward the plane. The network link updates every few seconds, so you may have to change your views often.
The application doesn't actually know the orientation of the plane in flight, but I believe he takes the short track from the previous position report and computes an angle of orientation accordingly. The orientation does look correct most of the time, or just off by a few degrees. Sometimes the flighttracker position data looks messed up, I saw one position report with planes on obvious collision courses. So, please don't expect the position reports to represent actual real-life situations. Despite the anomalies, this is a really cool addition to the flight tracker. This is great work Sven! Thanks for telling me about it.
Three men in Brazil decided to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in a 40 foot long sailboat (monohull) named "Mussulo". The reason is apparently based on at least one of them having always dreamed of returning to Angola, a country he had left 30 years ago. They chose to take full advantage of Google Earth both to allow people to follow the trip, and to provide and anaylyze weather data. They have been using amateur radio for communication, and I presume GPS for navigation. Most significantly, Mussulo completed the journey to Angola and they have begun the trip back to Brazil.
The crew of Mussulo have been posting updates to the Google Earth Community (in both Portuguese and English translations). The Google Earth file they have posted not only provides the track and weather information, but also shows placemarks with "log" entries (also in both Portuguese and English - make sure you scroll down to see the English). The file is a network link so it automatically updates when they provide new entries.
The crew of Mussulo have a blog which shows lots of screenshots of how they have been using Google Earth to document the trip and analyze weather.
The name of their web site: "Abraço à Vela", loosely translates (according to Babelfish) to "I hug to the candle". From what I can gather from the posts their objective was to join hugs across the ocean. It is surprising, considering my passion for sailing, I have not noticed this interesting sailing adventure. My only excuse is that the posting was in Portuguese, which I don't speak. Anyway, my congratulations to this valiant crew for having made it across the oceans, and I wish them fair winds for their safe return!
This is the first book covering Google Earth I've seen announced (not yet available, but you can pre-order it at Amazon). The book is titled "Hacking Google Maps and Google Earth" by Martin C. Brown at Extreme Tech. From the description I don't think it has a lot of real new stuff on "hacking" Google Earth, most of the focus in the description seems to be focused on Google Maps. However, the listing says the book is 500 pages, so maybe there is more to it. Perhaps a listing of some of the best Google Earth KML files, with screenshots? Or, perhaps he covers how to use your GPS, do image overlays of your own satellite photos or weather radar images, or write your own KML and network links?
I expect this will be just the first of several new books we'll hear about covering Google Earth in the next few months. I'm curious how many of my readers here would be interested in a book about Google Earth?
Hoy, el Dr. Smith publicó un imagen estereoscópica (una foto que viéndola con anteojos rojo/azul se puede apreciar en 3D) de uno de sus edificios.
When Google Earth for Windows went out of beta last Tuesday, a new item was added to the features list of Google Earth Plus (GE+): Enhanced network access. That's right, if you buy the Google Earth Plus version ($20 per year subscription) you not only get the ability to draw paths and polygons, GPS integration support, greater printer resolution, and data import capability. But, also you get faster network access. Apparently this feature already existed for some months, but just wasn't documented. So, if you already have GE+, you have already been getting faster access.
According to the Google Earth development team, the feature enhances the download speed of the databases compared to the free version of GE. Here's a comment from one of the team members at the Google Earth Community: "Upgrading to Plus should improve network performance at least a little and in some cases a large amount (especially if you have a long latency to our servers). "
So, if you've been thinking about getting GE+, here's another reason to consider it. Those of you who are real addicts (like me) might want to give it some thought. :-) Anyway, if you want GE+, just select "Upgrade to Plus" in the Help Menu of Google Earth.
A few months ago I wrote a story on a collection of placemarks which provided all sorts of details on countries, their flag, and links to other sources of information on the countries. This collection does something quite similar except it uses the flags as the placemarks, and uses the CIA World Factbook as the basis of its information. The CIA World Factbook is a nice collection of public information on countries of the world made available by the US government on the Internet for many years now. When you click on the country flags, you will see an excerpt of the background information (usually a historical/political perspective) from the Factbook, a link to the complete information, and links to both Google and Wikipedia information on that country. I recommend you click on "Borders" on the left, in the navigation window of GE, to show country outlines.
This collection was put together by the GEC community member known as 'Herrminator' who also published the excellent collection of World Heritage Locations written about earlier. Nice work Herrminator!
Google Earth onf the Mac also won't be capable of running specialized applications like the Globe Glider which uses Windows-only IE scripts to perform its magic. But, almost all standard Google Earth files and network links reportedly work just fine. All other features seem to work quite well, and only a few people will miss the features not yet implemented.
Google has created a "Google Earth for Mac OSX" Support Forum at the Google Earth Community. If you want to see what current problems people are experiencing, or want to report your own, go to that forum.
The list of new airports includes: Boston (BOS ), Chicago (ORD ), Atlanta (ATL ), and New York (JFK ). I highly recommend you turn off one airport's network link in the Places folder before you turn on the other (otherwise there is too much information). You can view the fboweb.com web site for these Google Earth files here. Also, make sure you tilt your view so you can see the 3D view of the plane tracks.
For those of you with multiple mouse buttons: using a mousewheel is the easiest way to raise or lower your viewing point (or you can hold the right mouse button and slide forward and back). Alternatively, you can use the CTRL-UP ARROW or CTRL-DOWN ARROW keys on your keyboard. Finally, you can use the visual controls on the Nav panel with the + and - symbols. All of these methods adjust your altitude above the Earth's surface. You can see your height above sea level in the lower right of the GE viewing window. You can move the Earth to position it where you want to see by clicking a point with the left mouse button and slide the cursor to the middle of the viewing window. This way you can learn to zoom in and see the closest possible view of the aerial and satellite photo views of the Earth.
At first, many people don't realize Google Earth is much more than a map with aerial and satellite photos attached. GE uses data from NASA Space Shuttle missions which provides 3D terrain data for the entire land surface of the Earth. Let's demonstrate this.
Click on this link to go to GE and fly to Mount St. Helens. Beautiful view right? But, try this: hold your PAGE DOWN key on your keyboard and watch GE tilt your view so you can see Mount St. Helens as a 3D mountain. Very cool right? PAGE UP will tilt your view back up. You can also use the controls on the right side of the navigational control panel for tilting. You can hit the "u" key to tilt back straight up automatically. The "r" key will reset to north and tilt up.
An easier way to tilt and pan your view is to click and hold the middle mouse button or scroll wheel button (those of you who have a Mac with one mouse button have to use the above key or navigational control techniques). While you're holding the middle button if you move your mouse forward and backwards it will tilt the view. Side to side will pan your view around the point you are looking at. Holding the SHIFT key will constrain your tilt and allow you to rotate your view about a point.
Check out other tips for using GE in the Google Earth Blog tips category. If you haven't seen it, read Google's basic tour as well.
Google has finally made Google Earth official - it's not a beta product anymore. Now even more people will be able to use Google Earth for sightseeing, business applications, GIS applications, sports, planes and flying, and more. Welcome to all the new Google Earth users downloading GE for the first time. Read Google Earth tips as you learn more about the program.
The announcement was made at the Official Google Blog. Also part of the announcement, the Mac version of Google Earth is now available (see this story). Google Earth version 3.0.0762 for Windows XP, which was released in November, was deemed worthy enough for the announcement of official release.
The Google Earth team has worked very hard in the past 6 months, since GE first went into beta, with several public updates addressing problems and adding features to the program. For some time now I've been predicting they were about to make the product official, and after the announcement of the Google Pack at the CES Keynote last Friday, I knew it had to happen soon.
So, now, as an official product, maybe Google will put even more PR muscle behind this really awesome program. I expect the media will be writing more about Google Earth in the coming weeks and months. If you haven't downloaded Google Earth yet, you are missing out on one of the most amazing free programs ever made available on the Internet. Congratulations go to the hard-working Google Earth team (with a little help from a few million beta testers).
Google Earth announcing Mac version today!
This is the one many people have been waiting for! Today, in time for MacWorld, Google has announced the availability of a version of Google Earth for the Mac! There's a link off the home page for GE at http://earth.google.com/ to the Official Google Blog announcement. There's also a screenshot of the new release. Also, the word "Beta" is missing from the Google Earth logo! The version released is for Mac OSX 10.4 and up, so upgrade if you aren't there yet.
GeoTag Your Flickr Photos WITH Google Earth!
Last November a new web site called FlickrMap was announced by Mark Zeman which is an excellent tool for viewing geotagged (tying earth coordinates to a photo) Flickr photos in a Flash map (a small US$5 subscription is required to have your own map, but it is free to just geotag). FlickrMap was already cool in its interface for viewing geotagged photos on an interactive map, but you still had to use a variety of tools and steps to geotag your photos. Well, Mark just contacted me to say he has written an AJAX application which allows you to quickly and easily geotag your photos using Google Earth for the interface. This is the fastest and best method I've seen yet for geotagging. Not only that, but Mark produced a really excellent video tutorial showing you the steps for using his application with Google Earth to Geotag.
4. Click on the placemark and click on "Geotag Flickr Photos with this location"
5. You will then go to Flickr and select the photos you want for this location. The ones you select are now geotagged.
After the first time, all you do is turn on the Flickrmap network link and start geotagging. It's really that easy. A very nice capability! Thanks to Mark for both writing this excellent application, and letting me test it.
This is another example of integrating other applications with Google Earth creating whole new capabilities never expected by Google themselves. A few days ago I wrote about Globe Glider which lets you use Google Maps within Google Earth. When Google improves the API and KML with new capabilities we will see even more exciting integrations like this in the coming months and years.
An off road enthusiast from the Google Earth Community (who calls himself TommyAfrika) forwarded me some forum threads dedicated to off road races. The first is for the Dakar 2006 which is probably the most grueling off road race in the world from Lisbon, Portugal to Dakar in Senagal in western Africa. The Dakar race goes through some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet. Unfortunately, the Dakar 2006 did not choose to publish GPS coordinates for the positions of its racers. So, all we have so far is an image overlay and waypoints of the course. Here's the forum thread which includes some good links to videos describing the course - here's a documentary video (English - other languages available in the forum) about the Dakar 2006. The Dakar 2006 is currently in day 9 out of the 16 days it is estimated it will take to complete the course.
Another off road race held in November, 2005 was the Tecate Baja 1000 rally. Here's an overlay showing the course of the Baja 1000 rally , and here is the GEC forum thread about it.
These races need to publish their GPS data so you can follow them in Google Earth like the current round-the-world sailing race called the Volvo Ocean Race.
Google announced during the CES Keynote last night that they have begun working with at least one car manufacturer (Volkswagen) to explore putting Google Earth/Local as an embedded application for car navigation. gpsreview.net has written some interesting thoughts about this announcement saying Google has all the makings of a good car navigation system now, except you would need $26,000 in equipment to store the entire Google Database in a car, since broadband connections to cars are not available yet. He was just speculating on what it would take to put the whole thing in the car of course.
Actually, you wouldn't need the entire database since cars rarely travel the entire surface of the Earth. In fact, existing car navigation systems usually get by with just a couple dozen Megabytes for maps and points of interest (POI - things like restaurants, addresses, hotels, etc.). You would need more space to store satellite/aerial photography though. I suspect a 200Gbyte hard drive could store all the data needed for Google Earth for an area covering several states in the US.
The other thing to consider is that with a WIFI connection in the car, the car could do literal "war driving" and pick up data as it moves from location to location from the Google database. A better solution would be legitimate WIFI connections placed in locations entering and leaving cities or states. Rest area WIFI maybe?
By the way, there are people already using Google Earth in cars today. You can read about people hooking up their GPSes to Google Earth if you go to the Dynamic Data Layers forum at the GEC and search for "+GPS +Navigation". And, someday a streamlined Google Earth for embedded car systems may be quite practical.
The CES Google Keynote just started 5 minutes ago. It started out with Google Earth being shown flying over the Eiffel tower, then to one of the Africa Megaflyover images, then to the Grand Canyon, and then to Las Vegas (where the CES is being held). Next, Larry Page (co-founder of Google) shows up in a lab coat on the stage on top of one of the robot SUVs which raced in the Darpa Robot challenge! (see live reports from the show at Engadget).
Larry said they are working with VW to put a live version of Google Earth in your car dashboard. They did a demo of it showing an aerial view of where you were driving. Very interesting!
Both the Google Video Store deal and the Google Pack mentioned earlier have been announced in press releases at Google (Video and Pack). The Google Pack includes Google Earth. You can download the Google Pack now at Pack.Google.com. As far as I can tell, it is the current beta version of Google Earth, nothing new.
Google Local Mobile was shown on a Blackberry earlier in the presentation. Here's a link to the new Google web page for downloading GLM. It reportedly works very well on the Blackberry.
They are doing the Q&A now, so it looks like there's no chance for any mention of new Google Earth stuff. From the comments being posted at Engadget it looks like Google's going to get a beating from a lot of analysts (especially Mac and Linux users). The Google Pack contains no real new products, and the Video Store won't really compete with the iTunes videos because they don't support the Mac. Apparently some people think the GLM thing is the biggest new product released at the keynote. I'll wait until I see the video of the presentation before I make any further observations.
Here's a link to a portion of the keynote on video from CNET. This part covers the Google Video Store announcement.
Just couple of hours from Google's big keynote address and I've just read a blog entry that a company is trying to have Google Earth shutdown due to patent infringement. Here's the article in the Arizona Republic newspaper (Arizona is where the case is being heard). Let's hope Google is able to settle this case before a shutdown is necessary. According to the story, Google has until January 18th to respond to the motion.
Google's Larry Page (co-founder of Google) will be presenting a Keynote address at CES today at 4PM PST. The rumors have been flying about what will be announced from a new Google PC to a software package called Google Pack. The Google PC rumor was shot down by Google themselves. The Google Pack, if this is true, will include a number of packages like Firefox, Norton AntiVirus, RealPlayer, and a number a Google packages like Google Toolbar and of course: Google Earth. You can read some interesting speculation about the Google Pack at the blog Inside Google.
It's my hope they will announce Google Earth is out of beta and/or even more forthcoming updates to the Google Earth databases. As soon as I find out what is announced, if it applies to Google Earth, you can read about it here at Google Earth Blog.
Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race (an around the world sailing yacht race) began on January 2nd. You can get the details about the race and Google Earth network link in my earlier stories here and here. Or you can just download the network link now.
By the way, two of the boats have turned back to South Africa due to damage near the start of leg 2. Team Ericsson stopped racing and turned back with a failure of one keel actuating ram, and then Brasil 1 turned back with structural failure in the region of the cockpit. These boats are very powerful, but the southern ocean is very menacing. The boats have to be very careful in these dangerous seas, winds, and ice. In order to win, you have to finish! The two boats returning may be able to effect repairs and return to the race.
A few months ago Declan Butler, a Senior Reporter for Nature Magazine, began publishing work he was doing to provide data on the Avian Flu outbreak using Google Earth. Declan has continued to work on the data, and recently announced an update on his blog. The update includes a greatly improved look and even more recent data on the outbreak of avian flu. As you would expect from a Senior Reporter of a scientific magazine, Declan includes details on the data, how he compiled the data, and issues with presenting the data within the Google Earth file. He also provides details on how he implemented the Google Earth KML, and credits suggestions given to him which helped him improve the data presented.
Stefan Geens at OgleEarth wrote about this today and he points out some of the issues Declan (and others) encountered in the GE user interface presented by large datasets like this. In particular, Stefan mentioned the need for a time-based animation feature in GE and points out that Google's Michael Jones recently demonstrated an in-house capabiility to do exactly that type of feature (so, we can only hope that feature will be availiable in a future release). Being able to show the spread of the flu over time with an animation would be quite powerful.
Tropical Storm Zeta was one of the only Atlantic Tropical Storms in recorded history to cross over into a new year (since tropical storms are so rare in the winter in the north Atlantic). NASA occasionally releases high resolution enhanced satellite photos, and I've created an image overlay for Google Earth of one for Tropical Storm Zeta . The image is a 1km resolution photo courtesy of MODIS Rapid Response Project at NASA/GSFC.
You might want to try this automatic Hurricane Tracker to keep track of this and other storms around the world. Read this story for more information on this hurricane tracker.
Ever since Google Earth was first released, I've thought teachers of all sorts would find it an indespensible tool for teaching. In particular, I'm sure geography lessons are being transformed by Google Earth. It turns out there are some web sites to help teachers use Google Earth for Geography.
There is a site dedicated to tools on the Internet for enhancing geography called JuicyGeography (www.juicygeography.co.uk) which is written by a teacher in Somerset, England. The teacher has a growing resource for teachers for using Google Earth to teach geography. Included are suggestions for lessons and resources (GE Files and placemarks) to build lessons. One of the most interesting lessons is a decision making exercise letting students evaluate the hazards in an earthquake in San Francisco. Ideas also include doing image overlays, using GIS data, mapping, using GPS, and more.
Another useful geography site from the UK is called GeographyPages.co.uk. The teacher responsible for the site recently was awarded Royal Geographical Society - Institute of British Geographers Innovative Geography Teaching Grant. He has also developed an extensive collection of notes and references for using Google Earth to teach.
Looks like the UK educators are first to see the opportunities with Google Earth and start writing about it on the web. Are there other similar web sites for educators who want to use Google Earth? Leave me a comment here, and I'll write about them in future stories and add them to the Reference section.
Another entry for the sports category. One of the Google Earth Community members who calls himself 'Up_The_Spurs' recently posted a collection of placemarks for the birth places of all the heavy weight boxing World Champions. His collection goes from John L. Sullivan in 1882 to Nikolai Valuev on December 17, 2005.
The collection of placemarks shows not only the location of the boxing champions' birthplace, but also provides details on the boxer. Included are date of birth, reign, a photo, and background on most of the champions. I've included a screenshot of Muhammad Ali for example. Nice work 'Up_The_Spurs'. | 2019-04-24T02:45:48Z | http://es.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2006/01/ |
Can you give insight regarding All Saints not being a Holy Day of Obligation? This was announced at a Mass my husband attended today in our diocese. It is also posted on Diocese website. There isn’t elaboration. I looked it up an apparently our American Bishops decided in 1991 to “abrogate the precept” to attend Mass for All Saints if it falls on a Sat or Mon.
My question is, does this abrogation make it no longer a Holy Day of Obligation? Second, why did they do that?
It is still a Holy Day. It just isn’t – I guess – a Holy Day of Obligation.
If I were Pope, I would wonder to myself whether it is a good idea allow the shifting of feast days (e.g., Ascension Thursday Sunday). I would wonder if it was a good idea to give people the impression that they only have to be Catholic on Saturday Evening and Sunday by eliminating the obligation to participate at Mass on other important feasts… feasts important for our identity as Catholics.
Apparently it is an undue burden to oblige Catholics to make room in their oh-so-busy lives for the worship of God and worthy reception of the Eucharist.
At the same time, I believe that bishops can, in their own dioceses, maintain the obligations. Perhaps a canonist can help, but I believe that to be the case. Conferences can’t bind bishops in their diocese.
This entry was posted in ASK FATHER Question Box, Wherein Fr. Z Rants and tagged Holy Days of Obligation. Bookmark the permalink.
Heaven forbid that people be required to attend Holy Mass two days in a row. That’s just unthinkable.
a very bad move…esp. with Ascension Day.
When the day of obligation is removed, Masses are said during working hours only, and not later in the evening. So if we wanted to observe the Holy Day, we wouldn’t be able to.
Blessed Solemnity of All Saints! At my parish, we will have a 7pm evening Mass so it does give the opportunity for those who work to attend Mass.
I do not know where you live, but in the Diocese of Charlotte NC, there will be a Missa Cantata for the Feast of All Saints at 6:30 pm at St Anthony of Padua church in Mount Holly, 108 Horseshoe Bend Beach Road.
I noticed on the Te Deum Laudamus blog that the Archdiocese of Detroit, under the leadership of their excellent Archbishop Vigneron, is indeed observing today as an obligatory Holy Day. May many more bishops be inspired by his example!
It seems so strange to me that we Catholics come out in droves for Ash Wednesday, but the bishops think we can’t be bothered by some of the Holy Days when they fall on Saturday or Monday.
BTW, our 6:30 am Mass had quite a few more folks than usual today.
I wonder if this mentality isn’t a consequence of the Saturday anticipated Masses. If one needn’t go on Sunday if one went on Saturday, then how much less should he need to go on Monday if he already went on Sunday.
My understanding is that due to the large numbers of people attending church on Sunday, there is a huge backlog of prayer for the Heavenly Host to get through on Monday morning, and therefore the abrogation of the Holy Day of Obligation is actually intended to relieve the burden on God to have to answer our prayers. That and the Ministering Spirits need a day off too, and in general they take either Saturday or Monday. HDOs on Monday and Saturday cut into their vacation schedule in a way that’s absolutely unacceptable.
Well, at least you’ve said one thing that’s absolutely true.
I drove all over my southern Minnesota town this morning looking for Mass for All Saints Day, alas, in vain. Because there is no longer any obligation to attend Mass for the holy day, there is apparently no need for the priests to say Mass. Philangelus is absolutley right. Monday is the priest’s “day off” (would that be akin to my taking a day off from being a father?), so it is a bit too inconveneinet for them to offer Mass today. Sheeesh!
P.S. (Off topic but intriguing) Has anyone else noticed that a lot of the parishes offering EF Masses are dedicated to St Anthony of Padua?
All the shifting and confusion surrounding holy days of obligation causes most Catholics, I’m afraid, to just ignore them altogether. If the Church were to be a bit more heavy-handed, I think the result would be more Catholics in the pews for holy days, if only because a bright-line rule is easier to follow. Far be it from me to assume I know how to implement such a heavy-handed approach, but I think the shifting and wish-wash actually causes people to ignore the bishops more than a bright-line rule would.
While I am saying Mass in each of my two parishes today, I wonder if some of the larger parishes, where they have Mass(es) on Sat evening, Sun morning and Sun evening have trouble with a Mass schedule for a Sat or Mon Holy Day. I can hear the questions of parishioners also. If the Holy Day falls on Sat, do the Sat evening Masses cover both the Holy Day and Sunday? Same questions apply to Sun evening Mass and Monday Holy Days.
If a parish needs all of the Masses from Saturday evening through Sunday evening, can they offer enough Masses to cover the Holy Day schedule without causing these types of questions? I think we need to pray for more priests so we can staff more parishes so we can have manageable schedules for a Sat or Mon Holy Day.
I don’t care why they do it, it is simply not fair for the bishops to promote this “do it yourself” sort of Catholicism. Can’t they just have Holy Days of Obligation on the actual days of the feast, and then tell the priests to tell people they have to come? Whatever you think, this is the reality for most Catholics today: They know they ought to go to church on Sunday but feel no obligation to do so, and the rest of the holy days of any kind are all optional. If you start going to mass on the HDoOs, then you have to decide for yourself to do so and, considering that you may not know anyone who does and your priest doesn’t tell you that you are obliged to go, you are not likely to. You can say they should do differently all you want to, but that is reality and it’s that way because it has been SET UP that way. How many kids would go to school every day if it were up to them to choose whether or not to go? Come on, bishops. In what I assume is an effort to make it easier for people, you are making it more difficult. The church year isn’t set up only for the most devout, it’s set up for everyone. But this way, only the most devout come — and even many of the more devout, who would muster up the will to come if they thought it was really required — will stay at home because it is set up to look like only the “super faithful” go.
My Pastor simply never mentions the fact that such and such a Holy Day is no longer obligatory. He schedules Mass at 8am and at 5:30pm and lets us assume it is obligatory as usual.
Of course, when a feast really IS obligatory, he also goes out of his way to let us know, in no uncertain terms, that it is obligatory.
in summary, these things drive me nuts, and it is no wonder that people outside the Church think we are legalistic.
SGCOLC – I like your pastor’s approach!
FrLeo – it might be worth having a couple of “two for one holy day Masses” ” (Sunday eve, Monday morn) during the course of a year to get the calendar back into shape.
The underlying problem is that there can be no obligation unless there are clear consequences for failing to meet the obligation. That would mean preaching about mortal sin.
Just a corrective to above – today is, unfortunately NOT a day of precept in the Archdiocese of Detroit, contrary to what has been said on some blogs. Not only is it not a day of obligation, but the archdiocesan offices are open today, which would seem in conflict with canon 1247 if it were a day of obligation.
Canon 1246 gives to the Conference of Bishops the right, with the prior approval of the Holy See, to suppress some of the Holy Days of Obligation or to transfer them to a Sunday. This privilege is not extended to individual bishops in their diocese – so an individual bishop cannot suppress a day of precept for his diocese.
The question of whether an individual bishop can add a day of precept – or impose an obligation that has been lifted by the Bishops’ Conference seems to be unanswered in the law. It would seem to me, that the mind of the Legislator, expressed in canon 1246, desires to have this issue treated at the level of the Conferences of Bishops rather than individual dioceses, so as not to cause further confusion among the faithful (e.g., say I live in the diocese of X, but regularly hear Mass in the diocese of Y, and work in the diocese of Z, to which law am I bound?).
I suppose that an individual bishop could impose an obligation and petition the Holy See for approval – or simply impose it and see if anyone objects.
Unfortunately, however, this seems to be left with Bishops’ Conferences, and our Bishops’ Conference, for whatever reason, has determined that Catholics are inconvenienced by having to worship God on days too close to Sunday. Sad.
One thing to consider is, this is a blessing in disquise for some traditionals, at least until Summorum Pontificum is taken seriously.
For me, the closet TLM is an hour away. My wife, expecting our third, would have to pack up our two youngest and drive over an hour in rush hour traffic to meet me at Mass — at 7:30pm, our children’s bedtime. We’d get home around 10 pm.
For those of us who will not, regardless of the arguments, expose our children to the Novus Ordo, this relaxing of the rules actually helps us a lot.
Hope that won’t be needed by the time my oldest turns the age of reason. We’d like them at Mass everyday — not just holy days.
I wonder what would happen if the Bishops’ had to function on their own without an intermediate?
I think we should just follow the Vatican on the Holy Days, how life would be so much easier.
In England & Wales this year, today, November 1st, is Feria of the 31st Week of Year 2!
I’m no big fan of the Bishops’ Conferences, and think that the bureaucracy that seems to go hand in hand with them has not been a good thing for the Church, but they do serve a useful purpose. I would hate to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
We are, actually following the Vatican on the Holy Days – it is the Supreme Legislator that permits Bishops’ Conferemces to suppress certain days of obligation, and that approved the US Bishops’ complicated scheme for handling Holy Days in the US – so the “guilt” should not hang entirely on the Bishops’ Conference – the Holy See could have rejected the scheme if it had wanted to.
I do wish there were some means of appealing against the decision of the US Bishops and the Holy See to allow this denudation of our liturgical year.
St. Anthony of Padua is an SSPX chapel and NOT a part of the Diocese of Charlotte.
Prior to the Second Vatican Council and the current Code of Canon Law, weren’t Holy Days of Obligation designated by entire countries, rather than dioceses? I’m thinking of the U.S. (and perhaps some of the largely Protestant countries of Europe), where January 1 was a Holy Day of Obligation and Janary 7, Epiphany (a Holy Day of Obligation in Rome and in largely Catholic countries, and arguably one of the highest ranking feasts of the year), wasn’t.
What might be interesting to compare is how those decisions were made with the current canon law reference to national bishops’ conferences, with approval of the Holy See.
From a lay perspective, of course I agree with most of the good folks posting here–having to wait for the bulletin to know whether or not we have a Holy Day of Obligation appears to be one more unsettling liturgical option assocated with the sixties and seventies. Fr. Leo, though, alludes to what I’ve heard about the matter from some priests. The argument is that, with vigil Masses and fewer priests, parishes find it difficult logistically in a number of places to support Holy Days of Obligation close to the weekend and still do everything that needs to be done with the Sunday. I am unsure, though, of how widespread such a problem is, or whether or not it’s a “fig leaf” to cover a different rationale.
It’s a Holy Day of Obligation in my diocese. Our parish had two Masses this morning and will have another this evening.
1) Ascension Thursday is transfered to Ascension Sunday.
2) The Assumption falls on a Sunday (no fault of the novus ordo, but just making a point).
3) All Saints Day is on a Monday.
4) Christmas is on a Saturday.
5) The Octave of Christmas is on a Saturday.
So is the only novus ordo holy day of obligation really the Immaculate Conception on 12/8??? Or did they at least spare Christmas?
Five more reasons why I will NEVER attend the novus ordo. Why do so many priests spend to much time talking about what is not obligatory?
wolfeken, I’m not sure it’s fair to say the novus ordo rejects Saturday and Monday holy days, but that the option to relieve Catholics of the obligation when they fell on those days was made available to local bishops.
Wolfeken, Christmas maintains its place regardless of what day it is. I believe that the Feast of the Immaculate Conception does as well.
I’m really not a fan of the Ascension Thursday nonsense. After growing up in Philadelphia where my Catholic school gave us the day off on Holy Days, including Ascension Thursday (which is still observed on Thursday in that diocese), it was weird to move and find out that the day is not observed here. Plus, with the “more flexible” schedule for Sunday Mass (allowing for Saturday evening masses, and Sunday masses late at night), I understand why they abrogate the Mass attendance requirement for monday and saturday holy days… but why move the Ascension?
I fail to understand why the Bishops did not just keep the calendar as it was and dispense with the Holy Days of Obligation. In effect this is what they have done by moving Feasts to the nearest Sunday. This weekend, as in the US, we celebrated All Saints day on Sunday but have to wait until Tuesday for All Souls Day which not being a Holy day has not been moved. However in my parish this evening we will be having another All Saints day Mass this time in the EF. I am certainly not complaining – but it feels odd to celebrate a feast day twice in this way. I know both are licit but I am tending to feel that tonight will be the ‘proper’ feast.
Between the Diocese of Arlington and the Archdiocese of Washington, there will be seven traditional Latin Masses offered today on the feast of All Saints.
If more time was spent promoting today’s schedule Masses instead of all this discussion on why one could play around online instead of attend Mass today, perhaps we would be a little stronger as a Church. Even priests who ordinarily are pretty solid seem to be wasting a lot of time this weekend and today talking about not having to attend Mass on All Saints Day. Priorities, people.
I am a “novus ordo” priest and I do not spend too much time talking about what is not obligatory. There are many of us priests who are frustrated at the bishops for relaxing these obligations, but they have the canonical power to do so and we have the obligation to inform the faithful when the bishops have passed this legislation. Of course, I strongly encourage the faithful to observe the day as if missing it was still a mortal sin.
But it is also frustrating dealing with some of those who are self-proclaimed traditionalists. They stand after Mass and berate me for announcing these changes from the bishops, which I have no control over. I in turn tell them that I always offer Mass during Holy Days, and in the evening for those who are working during the day. Then when I ask them later why they didn’t show up to Mass, they get red faced and don’t respond. I know why. They enjoy the hypocrisy of drama and indignation at “modernist changes” but also do not hesitate to excuse themselves from Mass as long as it is not mortal sin. So, the bishops and clergy are not the only ones guilty of enjoying relaxations. Plenty of laity do also, and among them those who think themselves to be traditionalists in all things (within their convenience).
MikeM: You are CORRECT that Christmas and the feast of our National Patroness (I.C.) are always holy days of obligation regardless of whether they fall on Saturday or Monday.
I think the better approach is the priest referenced above who does not mention the latest bishops’ nonsense. That is not to say he will answer a question if asked. But it’s not worth spending time on.
If there is some sort of “obligation” to promote the bishops’ elimination of holy days of obligation, then isn’t there an equal “obligation” to promote the bishops’ positions on how one should vote on Tuesday with respect to the minimum wage, raising taxes, environmental regulation, open borders, banning capital punishment and all of the other nonsense that they take positions on?
If priests want to spend so much time on this, then no one will attend Mass on holy days and liberal Democrats will prevail at the polls Tuesday. There comes a time when we have to ignore the bishops. Not lie or make up stuff, but just ignore them when we can.
These are Catholic parishes? I have never heard of a parish near me without a Mass on Monday (whether or not a holy day). In my local parish, the priest–who celebrates at least one Mass 7 days weekly–sang a simple EF high Mass (without incense) in a small but SRO side chapel around dawn this morning, then a half hour later celebrated a “big” OF Mass entirely chanted (including the Gospel) with all the smells and bells and about triple the normal weekday attendance, followed by the Litany of the Saints.
This is just crazy. Look, if it’s a Holy Day on Tuesday, it’s a Holy Day on Monday. I really don’t think this is that hard. The moving of Ascension Thursday drives. me. crazy.
My parish had two Masses today, per usual, and is having one tonight. Usually the first Monday of the month there’s an evening Mass for the Marian Movement of Priests, but tonight’s it’s going to be a celebration of All Saints’–incense and all that. (We have incense as a matter of course on Sundays, but rarely on weekdays.) So I’ll be going to Mass tonight.
You are speaking of apples and oranges. When you are dealing with an ecclesiastical precept that binds under pain of mortal sin, you are dealing with grave matters of conscience. It is not a game of “let’s see if you can guess right about the precept of this holy day.” I don’t care for clever or childish games with my parishioners. They are adults and wish to be informed, responsibly, as adults so that they can then examine their consciences properly.
On the other hand, by the bishops’ own admission, the advice about minimum wage, eco-sensitivity, immigration, etc. falls under the heading of “pastoral exhortation.” It is neither doctrinal nor binding and, in fact, many bishops do not go beyond informing their subjects that such and such exhortation has been published by the national conference or state conference.
There is no disagreement that All Saints is a holy day, and in the OF, has the rank of “solemnity” no matter what day it falls on.
The issue is whether failing to attend is mortal sin. Only the diocesan bishop, sometimes working with the other bishops in the same metropolitan province, can relax this precept. If he does so, we may not be happy, but we have no authority to “reinstate” the previous precept. Bishops have authority to impose precepts that bind under pain of mortal sin, and they have power to remove them–laity and priests do not. So, where the precept has been dropped for Saturday and Monday, there is no precept of obligation.
God forbid we make people go to Mass two days in a row.
I really wish these days were still days of obligation. Mass should be something people WANT to go to, not an unwanted burden in their day. I went to Mass this morning and was a little late for my 9am class and it would have been so much easier to explain if it had been a day of obligation but, as it is not, I simply responded “yes” when the professor asked if it was a religious holiday(I hope that is not a lie)–if I had gone into detail he would not have understood. For me it is a HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION!!
The fact that this is not a holy day of obligation does not stop anyone from attending Mass anyway. Many people have all kinds of obligations, kids, difficult bosses, long stressful days. Would be nice to live in a Catholic nation where everyone took off from work on the 1st of November, but in the absence of such a benefit I could find something positive about not being held guilty if you can’t make it to Mass today. If you think you have the time and the desire and the ability: go for it. No one stops you.
I happen to agree with Andrew.
I attended Mass at 0800. At lunch time, I walked to a local cemetary and said prayers for the dead. This particular local cemetary had man Civil War and Spanish American war graves. Worked a full day too.
Here at Wyoming Catholic College All Saints was a big day today. The choir went all out and most of the students were at the major college mass at noon. Did I mention that there were also no classes today?
Well that explains the low turn out for the 9 am Mass at a local church I attended this morning, it was still The Feast of All Saints, but only a dozen people there, and except for a couple toddlers with Grandparents, I was the youngest person there.
Of course, if All Saints’ was celebrated at yesterday’s Sunday Mass, then last night wasn’t “All Hallows Eve” and I hope you didn’t celebrate it (tongue-in-cheek)!
Someone mentioned above about different dioceses having different expectations and what one would do if they live, work, and worship in different ones. I don’t know if this still holds true, but I was taught that if, for example, one is in a European country on Jan. 6 and it is a holy day of obligation there, then you, by virtue of being in that country on that day, are obliged to attend Mass, even if you are a bona fide American not obliged in America. (I think that is a run-on sentence…sorry to any English majors).
I do so agree with “kat”.
If you are in Europe and the day is a Holy Day of Obligation there, then coming from another country where it is not a Holy Day of Obligation, does not excuse you from the obligation of attending Mass on that day.
As it happens, I live in a country where November the First is not a Holy Day of Obligation and we had Mass which was sparsely attended. However, today, the Second of November, Mass was in another, smaller chapel, not the main church, and there were people standing outside because they could not get into the chapel!!! How about that for foresight on behalf of our PP?!!
(You will gather from the way in which I denote the date that I am not an American. I do not say November One but either November the First or the First of November).
Here where I live (in Singapore), all saints day IS a holy day of obligation. Always has been, as far as I can remember. Extra masses are celebrated in the evening to allow working people to participate. I never knew it wasn’t in other regions, and never imagined it could be anything else (but a day of obligation, that is).
Glastonbury UK: NOM – Sunday “All Saints”; Monday – NOM (OT) and TLM – “All Saints”; Tuesday – NOM “All Souls” am & pm; TLM “All “Souls” 12:15.
So, if one attends the novus ordo (which rejects Saturday and Monday holy days), here is the summary of the six holy days of obligation: . . .
Nothing to do with the Novus Ordo.
Entirely the decision of the assorted bishops’ conferences.
I believe that if in Rome, the Monday and Saturday transference rule applies, but within the Vatican State itself, the days are kept on their original days. So should you find yourself in Rome, you will be able to go to a Novus Ordo Mass in the Vatican on the untransferred day.
That aside, surely one of the most significant things te Holy Father could do in pursuit of mutual enrichment between the OF & EF is harmonisation of the General Roman Calendar?
John U.K., if by harmonisation you mean a hybird of the 1962 calendar and the post-Vatican II calendar, I would rather the current messy state of affairs then have Christ the King moved away from Reformation Day, Ascension Sunday, the elimination of the Circumcision and all of the other nonsense that exists (and will likely continue) with the novus ordo. There is no need to change the traditional calendar just to say we’re splitting the difference.
The US Bishops could not recognize a Holy Day from a holy cow!
of the ignorance in society, but only prayer will correct the abuses they heap upon us. | 2019-04-22T15:04:57Z | http://wdtprs.com/blog/2010/11/quaeritur-all-saints-not-of-obligation-in-2010/ |
2013-06-28 Assigned to QUALCOMM INCORPORATED reassignment QUALCOMM INCORPORATED ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY, HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
A method and apparatus is provided for presenting a user with a visual indication of the likely user-perceived location of sound sources in an audio field generated from left and right audio channel signals. To produce this visual indication, corresponding components in the left and right channel signals are detected by a correlation arrangement. These corresponding components are then used by a source-determination arrangement to infer the presence of at least one sound source and to determine the azimuth location of this source within the audio field. A display processing arrangement causes a visual indication of the sound source and its location to be presented to the user.
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a visual indication of the likely user-perceived location of one or more sound sources in an audio field generated from left and right audio channel signals.
Methods of acoustically locating a real-world sound source are well known and usually involve the use of an array of microphones; U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,302 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,396 both describe sound source location detecting systems of this type. By determining the location of the sound source, it is then possible to adjust the processing parameters of the input from the individual microphones of the array so as to effectively ‘focus’ the microphone on the sound source, enabling the sounds emitted from the source to be picked out from surrounding sounds. However, this prior art is not concerned with the same problem as that addressed by the present invention where the starting point is left and right audio channel signals that have been conditioned to enable the generation of a spatialized sound field to a human user.
It is, of course, well known to process a sound-source signal to form left and right audio channel signals so conditioned that when supplied to a human user via (at least) left and right audio output devices, the sound source is perceived by the user as coming from a particular location; this location can be varied by varying the conditioning of the left and right channel signals.
More particularly, the human auditory system, including related brain functions, is capable of localizing sounds in three dimensions notwithstanding that only two sound inputs are received (left and right ear). Research over the years has shown that localization in azimuth, elevation and range is dependent on a number of cues derived from the received sound. The nature of these cues is outlined below.
Azimuth Cues—The main azimuth cues are Interaural Time Difference (ITD—sound on the right of a hearer arrives in the right ear first) and Interaural Intensity Difference (IID—sound on the right appears louder in the right ear). ITD and IIT cues are complementary inasmuch as the former works better at low frequencies and the latter better at high frequencies.
Elevation Cues—The primary cue for elevation depends on the acoustic properties of the outer ear or pinna. In particular, there is an elevation-dependent frequency notch in the response of the ear, the notch frequency usually being in the range 6-16 kHz depending on the shape of the hearer's pinna. The human brain can therefore derive elevation information based on the strength of the received sound at the pinna notch frequency, having regard to the expected signal strength relative to the other sound frequencies being received.
ratio of direct to reverberant sound (the fall-off in energy reaching the ear as range increases is less for reverberant sound than direct sound so that the ratio will be large for nearby sources and small for more distant sources).
It may also be noted that in order avoid source-localization errors arising from sound reflections, humans localize sound sources on the basis of sounds that reach the ears first (an exception is where the direct/reverberant ratio is used for range determination).
Getting a sound system (sound producing apparatus) to output sounds that will be localized by a hearer to desired locations, is not a straight-forward task and generally requires an understanding of the foregoing cues. Simple stereo sound systems with left and right speakers or headphones can readily simulate sound sources at different azimuth positions; however, adding variations in range and elevation is much more complex. One known approach to producing a 3D audio field that is often used in cinemas and theatres, is to use many loudspeakers situated around the listener (in practice, it is possible to use one large speaker for the low frequency content and many small speakers for the high-frequency content, as the auditory system will tend to localize on the basis of the high frequency component, this effect being known as the Franssen effect). Such many-speaker systems are not, however, practical for most situations.
For sound sources that have a fixed presentation (non-interactive), it is possible to produce convincing 3D audio through headphones simply by recording the sounds that would be heard at left and right eardrums were the hearer actually present. Such recordings, known as binaural recordings, have certain disadvantages including the need for headphones, the lack of interactive controllability of the source location, and unreliable elevation effects due to the variation in pinna shapes between different hearers.
To enable a sound source to be variably positioned in a 3D audio field, a number of systems have evolved that are based on a transfer function relating source sound pressures to ear drum sound pressures. This transfer function is known as the Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF) and the associated impulse response, as the Head Related Impulse Response (HRIR). If the HRTF is known for the left and right ears, binaural signals can be synthesized from a monaural source. By storing measured HRTF (or HRIR) values for various source locations, the location of a source can be interactively varied simply by choosing and applying the appropriate stored values to the sound source to produce left and right channel outputs. A number of commercial 3D audio systems exist utilizing this principle. Rather than storing values, the HRTF can be modeled but this requires considerably more processing power.
The generation of binaural signals as described above is directly applicable to headphone systems. However, the situation is more complex where stereo loudspeakers are used for sound output because sound from both speakers can reach both ears. In one solution, the transfer functions between each speaker and each ear are additionally derived and used to try to cancel out cross-talk from the left speaker to the right ear and from the right speaker to the left ear.
Other approaches to those outlined above for the generation of 3D audio fields are also possible as will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art. Regardless of the method of generation of the audio field, most 3D audio systems are, in practice, generally effective in achieving azimuth positioning but less effective for elevation and range. However, in many applications this is not a particular problem since azimuth positioning is normally the most important. As a result, systems for the generation of audio fields giving the perception of physically separated sound sources range from full 3D systems, through two dimensional systems (giving, for example, azimuth and elevation position variation), to one-dimensional systems typically giving only azimuth position variation (such as a standard stereo sound system). Clearly, 2D and particularly 1D systems are technically less complex than 3D systems as illustrated by the fact that stereo sound systems have been around for very many years.
As regards the purpose of the generated audio field, this is frequently used to provide a complete user experience either alone or in conjunction with other artificially-generated sensory inputs. For example, the audio field may be associated with a computer game or other artificial environment of varying degree of user immersion (including total sensory immersion). As another example, the audio field may be generated by an audio browser operative to represent page structure by spatial location.
However, in systems that provide a combined audio-visual experience, it the visual experience that takes the lead regarding the positioning of elements having both a visual and audio presence; in other words, the spatialisation conditioning of the audio sound signals is done so that the sound appears to emanate from the visually-perceivable location of the element rather than the other way around.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for providing a visual indication of the likely user-perceived location of one or more sound sources in an audio field generated from left and right audio channel signals.
(c) displaying a visual indication of at least one sound source inferred in step (b) such that the position at which this indication is displayed is indicative of the azimuth location of the sound source concerned.
a display processing arrangement for causing the display, on a display connected thereto, of a visual indication of at least one sound source inferred by the source-determination arrangement such that the position at which this indication is displayed is indicative of the azimuth location of the sound source concerned.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the visualization of a focus volume of a 3D audio field experienced by a user having portable audio equipment.
FIG. 1 shows the connection of visualization apparatus 15 embodying the present invention to a CD player 10. The CD player is a stereo player with left (L) and right (R) audio channel outputs feeding left and right audio output devices, here shown as loudspeakers 11 and 12 though the output devices could equally be stereo headphones.
The left and right audio channel signals are also fed to the visualisation apparatus either in the form of the same analogue electrical signals used to drive the loudspeakers 11 and 12, or in the form of the digital audio signals produced by the CD player for conversion into the aforesaid analogue signals.
The visualization apparatus 15 is operative to process the left and right audio channel signals it receives such as to cause the display on visual display 16 of visual indications of the likely user-perceived location of sound sources in the audio field generated from left and right audio channel signals by the loudspeakers 11 and 12. The display 16 may be any suitable form of display either connected directly to the apparatus 15 or remotely connected via a communications link such as a short-range wireless link.
a display processing stage 35 for causing the display, on display 16, of a visual indication of at least one of the detected sound sources and its location.
The present embodiment of the visualization apparatus 15 is arranged to carry out its processing in half-second processing cycles. In each cycle a half-second segment of the audio channel signals produced by the player 10 are analysed to determine the presence and location of sound sources represented in that segment; whilst this processing is repeated every half second for successive segments of the audio channel signals, detected sound sources are remembered across processing cycles and the display processing stage is arranged to cause the production of visual indications in respect of all sound sources detected during the course of a sound passage of interest.
Considering the apparatus 15 in more detail, in the present embodiment the input buffers 20 and 21 are digital in form with the left and right audio channel signals received by the apparatus 15 either being digital signals or, if of analogue form, being converted to digital signals by converters (not shown) before being fed to the buffers 20, 21. The buffers 20, 21 are each arranged to hold a half-second segment of the corresponding channel of the sound passage being output by the CD player with the buffers becoming full in correspondence to the end of a processing cycle of the apparatus. At the start of the next processing cycle, the contents of the buffers are transferred to the correlator 22 after which filling of the buffers from the left and right audio channel signals recommences.
The correlator 22 (which is, for example, a digital signal processor) is operative to detect corresponding components by pairing left and right audio-channel tones, potentially offset in time, that match in pitch and in amplitude variation profile. Thus, for example, the correlator 22 can be arranged to sweep through the frequency range of the audio-channel signals and for each tone signal detected in one channel signal, determine if there is a corresponding signal in the other channel signal, potentially offset in time. If a corresponding tone signal is found and it has a similar amplitude variation profile over the time segment being processed, then these left and right channel tone signals are taken as forming a matching pair originating from a common sound source. The matched tones do not, in fact, need to be of a fixed frequency but any frequency variation in one must be matched by the same frequency variation in the other (again, allowing for a possible time offset).
For each matching pair of tones detected by the correlator 22, it feeds an output to a block 24 of the source-determination arrangement 23 giving the characteristic tone frequency (pitch), the average amplitude (across both channels for periods when the tones are present) and the amplitude variation profile of the matched pair; if the pitch of the tone varies, then the initial detected pitch is used for the characteristic pitch. The correlator 22 also outputs to a block 25 of the source-determination arrangement 23, measures of the amplitudes of the matched left and right channel tone signals and/or of their timing offset relative to each other. The block 25 uses these measures to determine an azimuth (that is, a left/right) location for the source from which the matched tone signals are assumed to have come. The determined azimuth location is passed to the block 24.
The block 24, on receiving the characteristic pitch, average amplitude, and amplitude variation profile of a matched pair of left and right channel tone signals as well as the azimuth location of the sound source from which these tones are assumed to have come, is operative to generate a corresponding new “located elemental sound” (LES) record 27 in located-sound memory 26. This record 27 records, against an LES ID, the characteristic pitch, average amplitude, amplitude variation profile, and azimuth location of the “located elemental sound” as well as a timestamp for when the LES was last detected (this may simply be a timestamp indicative of the current processing cycle or a more accurate timestamp, provided by the correlator 22, indicating when the corresponding tone signals ceased either at the end of the audio-channel signal segment being processed or earlier).
Where the correlator 22 detects a tone signal in one channel signal but fails to detect a corresponding tone signal in the other channel signal, the correlator can either be arranged simply to ignore the unmatched tone signal or to assume that there a matching signal but of zero amplitude value; in this latter case, a LES record is created but with an azimuth location being set to one or other extreme as appropriate.
After the correlator has completed its scanning of the current audio signal segment and LES records have been stored by block 25, a compound-sound identification block 28 examines the newly-stored LES records 27 to associate those LES that have the same azimuth location (within preset tolerance limits), the same general amplitude variation profile and are harmonically related; LESs associated with each other in this way are assumed to originate from the same sound source (for example, one LES may correspond to the fundamental of a string played on a guitar and other LES may correspond harmonics of that string; additionally/alternatively, one LES may correspond to one string sounded upon a chord being played on a guitar and other LES may correspond to other strings sounded in the same chord). The block 28 is set to look for predetermined harmonic relationships between LESs.
a last detection timestamp corresponding to the most recent value of the last detection timestamps of the associated LESs.
The block 28 may be set to process the LESs created in one operating cycle of the correlator 22 and block 24, in the same operating cycle or in the next following operating cycle; in this latter case, appropriate measures are taken to ensure that block 28 does not try to process LES records being added by block 24 during its current operating cycle.
After the compound-sound identification block 28 has finished determining what LCS are present, a source identification block 30 is triggered to infer and record, for each LCS, a corresponding sound source in a sound source item record 34 stored in a source item memory 33. The block 30 is operative to determine the type of each sound source by matching the harmonic profile and/or amplitude variation profile of the LCS concerned with predetermined sound-source profiles (typically, but not necessarily limited to, musical instrument profiles). Each sound-source item record holds an item ID, the determined sound source type, and the azimuth position and last detection time stamp copied from the corresponding LCS.
Rather than the source identification block 30 carrying out its operation after the block 28 has finished LCS identification, the block can be arranged to create a new sound-source item record immediately following the identification of an LCS by the block 28.
If the source identification block 30 is unable to identify the type of a sound source inferred from an LCS, it nevertheless records a corresponding sound source item in memory 33 but without setting the type of the sound source.
The source identification block can also be arranged to infer sound sources in respect of any LESs recorded in memory 26 but which were not associated with an LCS by the block 28 (in order to identify these LESs, the LES records 27 can be provided with a flag field that is set when the corresponding LES is associated with other LES to form an LCS; in this case, any LES record that does not have its flag set, identifies an LES not associated with a LCS).
When the source identification block 30 has finished its processing, the corresponding LES and LCS records 27 and 29 are deleted from memory 26 (typically, this is at the end of the same or next operating cycle as when the correlator processed the audio-channel signal segment giving rise to the LES concerned).
Where sound-source items have been previously recorded from earlier processing cycles, the source identification block 30 is arranged to seek to match newly-determined LCS with the already-recorded sound sources and to only infer the presence of a new sound source if no such match is possible. Where an LCS is matched with an existing sound source item, the last detected timestamp of the sound-source item record 34 is updated to that of the LCS. Furthermore, in seeking to match an LCS with an existing sound source, a certain tolerance is preferably permitted in matching the azimuth locations of the LCS and sound source whereby to allow for the possibility that the sound source is moving; in this case, where a match is found, the azimuth location of the sound source is updated to that of the LCS.
The display processing stage 35 is operative to repeatedly scan the source item memory 33 (synchronously or asynchronously with respect to the processing cycles of the source-determination arrangement 23) to determine what sound source items have been identified and then to cause the display on display 16 of a visual indication of each such sound source item and its azimuth location in the audio field. This is preferably done by displaying representations of the sound source items in a spatial relation corresponding to that of the sources themselves. Advantageously, each sound-source representation is indicative of the type of the corresponding sound source, appropriate image data for each type of source item being stored in source item visualization data memory 32 and being retrieved by the display processing stage 35 as needed. The form of representation used can also be varied in dependence on whether the last-detected timestamp recorded for a source item is within a certain time window of the current time; if this is the case then the sound source is assumed to be currently active and a corresponding active image (which may be an animated image) is displayed whereas if the timestamp is older than the window, the sound source is taken to be currently inactive and a corresponding inactive image is displayed.
Rather than all the sound source items being represented at the same time, the display processing stage can be arranged to display only those sound sources that are currently active or that are located within a user-selected portion of the audio field (this portion being changeable by the user). Furthermore, rather than a sound source item having existence from its inception to the end of the sound passage of interest regardless of how long it has been inactive, a sound source item that remains inactive for more than a given period as judged by its last-detected timestamp, can be deleted from the memory 33.
In addition to determining the azimuth location of each detected sound source, the source-determination arrangement 23 can be arranged to determine the depth (radial distance from the user) and/or height location of each sound source. Thus, for example, the depth location of a sound source in the audio field can be determined in dependence on the relative loudness of this sound source as compared to other sound sources. This can conveniently be done by storing in each LCS record 29 the largest average amplitude value of the associated LES records 27, and then arranging for block 30 to use these LCS average amplitude values to allocate depth values to the sound sources.
As regards the height location of a sound source in the audio field, if the audio channel signals have been processed to simulate a pinna notch effect with a view to enabling a human listener to perceive sound source height, then the block 30 can also be arranged to determine the sound source height by assessing the variation with frequency of the relative amplitudes of different harmonic components of the compound sound associated with the sound source as compared with the variation expected for the type of the sound source. In this case, the association of LESs with a particular LCS are preferably explicitly stored, for example, by each LES record 27 storing the LCS ID of the LCS with which it is associated.
With regard to visually representing the depth and height of a sound source, height is readily represented whereas depth can be shown by scaling a displayed sound-source representing image in dependence on its depth (the greater the depth value of the sound source location, the smaller the image).
FIG. 3 illustrates the visualization of a focus volume 50 of a 3D audio field 44 experienced by a user 40 having portable audio equipment comprising a belt-carried unit 40 that sends left and right audio channel output signals wirelessly to headphones 42 (as indicated by arrow 43). The 3D audio field 44 presented to the user via the headphones 42 extends part way around the user 40 and has depth and height; the field 44 comprises user-perceived sound sources 46 and 47, the sound sources 46 (represented by small circles in FIG. 3) having a greater depth value than the sources 47 (represented by small squares).
In the FIG. 3 arrangement, visualization apparatus 15 and an associated display 16 are provided separately from the user-carried audio equipment; the apparatus 15 and display 16 are, for example, mounted in a fixed location. The left and right audio channel signals output by unit 40 to headphones 42 are also supplied (arrow 47) to the visualization apparatus 15 using the same or a different wireless communication technology. In the present example, the visualization apparatus is arranged to present on display 16 visual indications of the sound sources determined as present in the focus volume 50 of the audio volume 50. The position of the focus volume within the audio field 44 is adjustable by the user using a control input (not shown but which could be manual or any other suitable form, including one using speech recognition technology) provided either on the user-carried equipment or on the visualization apparatus 15.
As an alternative to the visualization apparatus 15 being associated with the fixed display in FIG. 3, the apparatus 15 could be provided as part of the user-carried equipment; in this case, the output of the display processing stage 35 would be passed by a wireless link to the display 16.
It will be appreciated that many variants are possible to the above described embodiments of the invention. In particular, the degree of processing effected by the correlator 22 and the source determination arrangement 23 in detecting sound sources can be tailored to the available processing power. For example, rather than every successive audio channel signal segment being processed, only certain segments can be processed, such as every other segment or every third segment. Another processing simplification would be only to consider tones having more than a certain amplitude thereby reducing the processing load concerned with harmonics. Identification of source type can be done simply on the basis of the pitch and amplitude profile and in this case it is possible to omit the identification of “located compound sounds” (LCS) though this is likely to lead to the detection of multiple co-located sources unless provision is made to consolidate such sources into a single source. Determining the type of a sound source item is not, of course, essential. The duration of each audio channel segment can be made greater or less than the half a second described above.
Where ample processing power is available, then the correlator and source determination arrangement can be arranged to operate on a continuous basis rather than on discrete segments.
The above-described functional blocks of the correlator 22 and source-determination arrangement 23 can be implemented in hardware and/or in software. Furthermore, analogue forms of these elements can also be implemented.
(c) displaying a visual indication of at least one sound source inferred in step (b) such that the position at which this indication is displayed is indicative of the azimuth location of the at least one sound source.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein in step (b) each component pairing being recorded as representing an elemental sound located in azimuth in said audio field at a position determined by the relative amplitude of the left and right channel components and/or their timing offset relative to each other.
3. A method according to claim 2, wherein in step (b) elemental sounds that have the same azimuth location, the same general amplitude variation profile and are harmonically related, are associated into a compound sound.
4. A method according to claim 3, wherein in step (b) the or each compound sound is used to infer the presence of a corresponding sound source with the type of that sound source being determined according to the harmonic profile and/or amplitude variation profile of the compound sound concerned.
5. A method according to claim 4, wherein in the course of a sound passage represented by the left and right audio channel signals, step (b) is carried out repeatedly with the elemental and compound sounds being newly determined at each repetition but sound sources inferred as present during any repetition having a continuing existence across at least one subsequent repetition.
6. A method according to claim 4, wherein in the course of a sound passage represented by the left and right audio channel signals, step (b) is carried out repeatedly or on an on-going basis with sound sources inferred as present at any stage having a continuing existence, step (b) involving seeking to match newly-determined compound sounds with known sound sources and only inferring the presence of a new sound source if no such match is possible.
7. A method according to claim 6, wherein in seeking to match newly-determined compound sounds with known sound sources, limited differences in location are allowed between the newly-determined compound sound and a candidate matching sound source the location of which is taken to be that of a previous compound sound associated with the sound source; said limited differences in location serving to allow for movement of the sound source in the audio field.
8. A method according to claim 4, wherein in step (c) at least one sound source inferred as present in step (b) is visually indicated by a visual element representative of the type of sound source.
9. A method according to claim 8, wherein in the course of a sound passage represented by the left and right audio channel signals, step (b) is carried out repeatedly or on an on-going basis with sound sources inferred as present at any stage continuing to be visually represented in step (c) even after the corresponding compound sounds are no longer detected.
10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the visual representation of a said sound source is varied according to whether or not a compound sound corresponding to the sound source has been recently detected.
11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the depth location of a said sound source in the audio field is determined in dependence on the loudness of this sound source, the determined depth location being reflected in the displayed visual indication of the sound source.
12. A method according to claim 4, wherein the height location of a said sound source in the audio field is determined in dependence on the variation with frequency of the relative amplitudes of different harmonic components of the compound sound associated with the sound source as compared with the variation expected for the type of the sound source, the determined height location being reflected in the displayed visual indication of the sound source.
13. A method according to claim 1, wherein in step (c) visual indications are displayed for only those sound sources located within a portion of said audio field, the position of this portion within the audio field being selectable by the user.
a display processing arrangement for causing the display, on a display connected thereto, of a visual indication of at least one sound source inferred by the source-determination arrangement such that the position at which this indication is displayed, is indicative of the azimuth location of the at least one sound source.
15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the source-determination arrangement is arranged to record each component by the correlation arrangement as representing an elemental sound located in azimuth in said audio field at a position determined by the relative amplitude of the left and right channel components and/or their timing offset relative to each other.
16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein source-determination arrangement is arranged to associate, into a compound sound, elemental sounds that have the same azimuth location, the same general amplitude variation profile and are harmonically related.
17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the source-determination arrangement is arranged to use the or each compound sound to infer the presence of a corresponding sound source with the type of that sound source being determined according to the harmonic profile and/or amplitude variation profile of the compound sound concerned.
18. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the correlation arrangement and source-determination arrangement are arranged such that, in the course of a sound passage represented by the left and right audio channel signals, they carry out their respective functions repeatedly with the elemental and compound sounds being newly determined at each repetition but sound sources inferred as present during any repetition being remembered by the source-determination arrangement across at least one subsequent repetition.
19. Apparatus according to claim 17, the correlation arrangement and source-determination arrangement are arranged such that, in the course of a sound passage represented by the left and right audio channel signals, they carry out their respective functions repeatedly or on an on-going basis, the source-determination arrangement being further arranged to remember sound sources inferred as present at any stage and to seek to match newly-determined compound sounds with known sound sources and only infer the presence of a new sound source if no such match is possible.
20. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the source-determination arrangement is arranged to permit, in seeking to match newly-determined compound sounds with known sound sources, limited differences in location between the newly-determined compound sound and a candidate matching sound source the location of which is taken to be that of a previous compound sound associated with the sound source.
21. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the display processing arrangement is arranged to cause at least one sound source inferred as present by the source-determination arrangement to be visually indicated on said display by a visual element representative of the type of sound source.
22. Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the correlation arrangement and source-determination arrangement are arranged such that, in the course of a sound passage represented by the left and right audio channel signals, they carry out their respective functions repeatedly or on an on-going basis, the display processing arrangement being arranged to cause sound sources inferred as present at any stage to continue to be visually indicated on said display even after the corresponding compound sounds are no longer detected.
23. Apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the display processing arrangement is arranged to cause the visual representation of a said sound source to be varied according to whether or not a compound sound corresponding to the sound source has been recently detected.
24. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the source-determination arrangement is further arranged to determine the depth location of a said sound source in the audio field in dependence on the loudness of this sound source, the display processing arrangement being arranged to cause the determined depth location to be reflected in the displayed visual indication of the sound source.
25. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the source-determination arrangement is further arranged to determine the height location of a said sound source in the audio field in dependence on the variation with frequency of the relative amplitudes of different harmonic components of the compound sound associated with the sound source as compared with the variation expected for the type of the sound source, the display processing arrangement being arranged to cause the determined depth location to be reflected in the displayed visual indication of the sound source.
26. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the display processing arrangement is arranged to cause visual indications to be displayed for only those sound sources located within a portion of said audio field, the display processing arrangement including a user-controllable input device for selecting the position of this portion within the audio field.
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Cloud computing systems provide large-scale infrastructures for high-performance computing that are "elastic" since they can adapt to user and application needs. , . Clouds are used through a service-oriented interface that implements the "as-a-service" paradigm to offer cloud services on demand. At the same time, multi-agent systems (MAS) represent another distributed computing paradigm based on multiple interacting agents that are capable of intelligent behavior. MASs are often used to solve problems by using a decentralized approach where several agents contribute to the solution by cooperating one another. One key feature of software agents is the intelligence that can be embodied into them according to some collective artificial intelligence approach that needs cooperation among several agents that can run on a parallel or distributed computer to achieve the needed high performance for solving large complex problems keeping execution time low.
When clouds and service oriented computing are popular, Web Service (WS) technology becomes essential, and it supports "as-a-service" nature for cloud to fulfill users' desires. WSs technology is based on the interoperation of many different software applications running on a variety of geographically dispersed systems in a complex, multi-domain environment via the Internet . The definition of W3C (working Group) states: "A WS is a software application identified by a URI, whose interfaces and bindings are capable of being defined, described and discovered as XML artefacts. A WS supports direct interactions with other software agents using XML based messages exchanged via internet-based protocols." Nonetheless, WSs are closely related to the agent programming paradigm. The definition of the WSs architecture states: "A WS is viewed as an abstract notion that must be implemented by a concrete agent. The agent is a concrete entity (a piece of software) that sends and receives messages, while the service is the set of functionality that is provided." Typical agent architectures have many of the same features as WSs. Agent architectures provide yellow-and white-pages directories, where agents advertize their distinct functionalities and other agents search to locate the agents so they can request those functionalities.
There are some advantages of Agents Computing over WS technology. A WS knows only about itself, but not about its users, clients, or customers. Agents are often self-aware at a meta-level, and through learning and model building gain awareness of other agents and their capabilities as interactions among the agents occur. Without such awareness, a WS could not capitalize on new capabilities in its environment or customize its service to the client, such as by providing improved services to repeat customers. Agents are naturally communicative, whereas WSs are passive until made invocation. A WS, as currently defined and used, is not autonomous. Autonomy is a characteristic of agents, and it is also a characteristic of many envisioned Internet-based applications. Among agents, autonomy generally refers to social autonomy, where an agent is aware of its colleagues and is sociable, but nevertheless exercises its independence in certain circumstances. Agents are cooperative, and by forming teams and coalitions can provide higher-level and more comprehensive services. Current standards for WSs do not provide for composing functionalities. According to the above facts, MAS can give a good hand for WSs to fill their blanks.
Therefore, for the cloud-wide information retrieval (IR) system based on WSs, it is sure that not a single WS can fulfill the user needs. To get the complete and desired information results, numerous related WSs should be cooperated. By compositing related WSs, we can get a new form of IR system for cloud based system. In this case, multi-agents system can give a great help to make data retrieving more intelligent, effective and time saving. Hence, not only to make composition of cloud services, but also to serve as an intelligent IR system, we can make a combination of Cloud Computing, Agent technology and WSs.
The contract net protocol (CNP) has been developed to specify problem-solving communication and control for nodes in a distributed problem solver. Task distribution is affected by a negotiation process, a discussion carried on between nodes with tasks to be executed and nodes that may be able to execute those tasks.
Contract net protocol is mainly used in Agent-based Systems that intend to apply in commercial and business area. CNP can also be applied in WS Composition, and Sub-contracting is also needed for commercial service composition. In our system, we use CNP to train Agents for service composition not for business but for IR purpose. Hence, sub-contracting is not needed. But Data composition is essential. It can be called Multi-Contracting because more than one contractor will be participated in service composition and they perform their data retrieving duties respectively. We named it as IR-CNP (CNP for IR Purpose).
Like CNP, IR-CNP is a network of loosely coupled asynchronous nodes. Each node contains a number of distinct knowledge sources. However, unlike CNP, nodes (agents) of IR-CNP are not fully interconnected. The data retrievers (i.e., contractors) live independently and have no interconnection between them. They only have to contact with the main task distributor (i.e., manager) to help it in data retrieving purpose. The main distributor sends a call-for-proposals to resolve the user's request to n data retrievers. In turn, these may reply with a proposal wrapped with retrieved datasets if they accomplish the user's request successfully otherwise they may refuse. The distributor evaluates the received proposals and sends accept-proposal messages to all the selected data retrievers to make contracts.
Recognition: An agent recognizes it has a problem that it wants help with. The agent has a goal, and either realizes it cannot achieve the goal in isolation (does not have the capability to fulfill the goal).
Announcement: The agent with the task sends out an announcement of the task that includes a specification of the task to be achieved. The specification must encode a description of the task itself, any constraints, and meta-task information.
Selection: The agent that takes the role of information searcher selects a collection of Agents who have the ability to solve the problem.
Distribution: The main distributor agent sends out the task to the selection of Agents that inside the contract net to make a contract.
Retrieving: Agents that receive the task decide themselves whether they can solve the task or not by own knowledge. If it is possible, then they do data retrieving according to the task they received from main distributor agent. They then send back the result respectively.
Composition: Main distributor Agent must perform data combining using own knowledge. It composites all the searching results received from other agents and produces the final result dataset.
In the propose system, Cloud nodes will play as distributed nodes. WSs orchestrated Agents (WSAGs) have to handle these distributed nodes. The middle agent, the Information Agent, will take the role of main distributor of the user request (problem) and will do combine (compositing) returned datasets of WSAGs. The very first initiator agent will be Gateway Agent. All Agents in the system will play the initiators and participants alternatively.
Chang et al. presented an Ontology based Agent Generation for IR on Cloud Environment . While user submitting a flat-text based request for retrieving information on a based on predefined ontology and reasoning rule, and then be translated to a Mobile Information Retrieving Agent Description File (MIRADF) that is formatted in a proposed Mobile Agent Description Language (MADF). A generating agent, named MIRA-GA, is also implemented to generate an MIRA in accordance with MIRADF. In short, this research paper mainly focus on building IR System for specific field (music field in this paper) using related ontology to generate mobile agent moving around cloud nodes.
Vadivelou et al.presented an agent and ontology-based approach that supports the semi-automatic composition of WSs . This paper provided the way to select an optimal composition of services and it also propose a framework for Semi-Automatic WSs Composition.
Energy-Saving Information MAS with WSs for Cloud Computing was given by Yang et al. from St. John's University in Taiwan . It employs the concept of SQL IC to construct the operational interface of cloud database as a data warehouse. It presented the three-stage intelligent decision processing strategy with four agents: Interface agent, Data Mining agent, Reasoning agent and Web-Service-Based Information Agent System (WIAS).
Vishal Jain proposed the IR practical model through the MAS with data mining in a cloud computing environment . He recommended that users should ensure that the request made to the IaaS is within the scope of integrated data warehouse and is clear and simple. In that research model/architecture, the use of cloud computing allows the users to retrieve meaningful information from virtually integrated data warehouse that reduces the costs of infrastructure and storage. In short, this research paper mainly focus on building IR System that retrieves information and knowledge from data warehouse by means of data mining concepts supplied MAS.
Our proposed system applies WSs in order to retrieve information instead of mobile agents. By the use of WSs, it does not need to know each Machine's database detailed schema and does not need to handle the whole database so that it can solve database security issue. By the help of agents, desired information can be searched in a set of WSs instead of single WS so that searching will be more effective at one sitting. Moreover, decision making on which web methods to be called can also be solved by agents' knowledge so that system will be more intelligent.
We propose a framework for WSs Based IR MAS for Cloud Computing Environment. For Service composition and communication, agents in the system adopt IR-CNP protocol. The proposed system framework is intended to apply in Medical field. We have already assumed that a private Medical Cloud Environment was been founded. In that environment, a number of hospitals, clinics and health care services are hosted and are providing WSs. Each WS of a specific hospital offers specialists (doctors) information worked at that hospital by numerous Web Methods. By using our Medical IR MAS, users (patients) can easily search the desired information by day (Monday, Tuesday,…), by time (1 pm-4pm,…), by doctor's name (Prof: Dr. Nay Win,…), by specific clinic (Asia Royal, SSC,..) and by disease type (Liver, Lung, OG,…) [Figure 1].
Gateway agent - Gateway Agent is the connection point between proposed IR MAS and JSP Servlet; in other words, it is the gateway of JADE Agent Platform to the Cloud environment.
Interface agent - Interface Agent takes the duty of accepting queries from end users to search required information from distributed cloud nodes and showing back the queries result. The behaviors of Interface Agent are to receive queries from end users, prepare the queries into a format match for Information Agent's working style, pass the well formatted data to Information Agent and to show back the queries results.
Information agent - Information Agent performs three main service composition functions: Service discovery, service selection, and service combination. It searches available WSAGs, makes selection WSAGs, distributes user input query to a set of WSAGs depending on conditions and then combines the returned result of WSAGs and sends the final result to Interface Agent.
Web Service Agent - There are a set of WSAGs which invoke specific WS associated with them. One WSAGs orchestrates with one WS. In that case, one WS may contain more than one web methods. The duty of WSAGs is to make the best choice in selecting the web method according to the data parameters sent by Information Agent. They will send back a message to Information Agent whether they get the desired data or not.
Web Service repository - WS Repository contains a number of WSs and WS Description files (WSDLs) published by various web applications hosted on the cloud nodes. In our system, to make comfortable for WSAGs in sending message and carrying data, we generate each WSDL into a set of client classes and so WSAGs can handle the retrieved results in object and can carry inside the messages.
Cloud nodes - There are four cloud nodes in the same cluster. Several web application systems from Cloud Nodes support services for Information Searching and Retrieving purpose. One Node represents one hospital. Each node contains a web application (dynamic web projects) for each hospital that desires to coordinate with our Medical IR MAS. They support WS with many web methods. They possess databases with different schemas. Each web method contains SQL statement to access the database according to the received parameter values. We use MySQL database for data storage.
Request is defined as Req.
Refined Request is defined as RefineReq.
Final Result is defined as FinResult.
The Returned Result from each Web Service is defined as ResWS.
ResWS1, ResWS2,…, ResWSn ϵ ResWS.
WS is the set of Web Services published in WSDL Repository.
WS1, WS2,…, WSn ϵ WS.
AG is the set of all agents in the System.
Interface Agent is defined as IfAG.
Information Agent is defined as InfoAG.
Web Service Agent is defined as WSAG.
Selecting the most suitable web method is the special duty of WSAGs. There will be more than one web methods are resided in one WSDL with various parameter types and values. For example, WSDL of Hospital1 possesses searchByDoctorName (String DoctorName) method. The return type is Class Hospital1DoctorSchedule Array. Some part of Hospital1 WSDL related with this web method is shown as below.
To accomplish it, every WSAG requires three main components. The first is Input Data Format File (IDFF) to learn the input parameter contained in the message sent by InformationAgent. The second is Web Methods Description File (WMDF) which states what web methods possess how much parameter passing values, describes what that values type are (String, Integer, etc), describes the return type and states their purpose. The mappings between IDFF and WMDF are described in Mapping Parameter and Methods File (MPMF) in which what web methods should be called according to the received parameter values are stated.
In IDFF, there are five input field: DoctorName (String), Disease (String), Day (String), StartTime (Integer), EndTime (Integer). These five input type format and received message parameters have to perform miss or match value checking. If the received message contains only one parameter that is for DoctorName field, the related web method must be with one String parameter passing type. So, according to the predefined rules and knowledge in MPMF, WSAG decides the method "searchByDoctorName (String DoctorName) to be called.
We implemented this proposed system based on J2EE and JADE platforms. We used apache tomcat server, axis for web development and MySQL database. The system has run on 5 machines and host OS are Ubuntu 12.04 LTS because of its private cloud building facilities. One machine is for main Metal-As-A-Service (MAAS) cloud server and others are represented as nodes in the same cluster.
[Figure 2] represents the MAAS main cloud server API opened by browser. There are total of 4 nodes in this MAAS.
Each cloud node status, FQDN and MAC are described in [Figure 3].
[Figure 4] is the sample Search Page for Medical IR MAS. Users can find their desired doctors' schedule by name, by doctor's specialized field (e.g. Cardiologist), by day (e.g. Tuesday…), by Time (e.g. 11 am to 8 pm). Users can search using at least one criterion or all. The example searching result will be in the form of [Table 1].
In the proposed Medical IR MAS, there are four main agent types: Interface Agent, Information Agent and WSAGs. The number of WSAGs depends on the number of WSs they must handle in the system. So, the more WSs exist, the more WSAG the system require and the more complex the system will be. Therefore, more time will be consuming. But according to our testing, the processing time difference between increasing WSAG usage and increasing retrieving data size (datasets) is quite small and is acceptable [Figure 5].
Multi-Agent based Cloud Service Composition using IR-CNP is proposed. Efficiently composed cloud WSs using multi-agents features can give new form for cloud wide IR systems. The proposed system will become an intelligent way for searching or retrieving information from Cloud environment. By implementing the propose system, it can give a good hand for the public to get the desired specialists' schedule completely and perfectly at one sitting and can make the right choice with their current situations. Moreover, this framework can be applied in other domain area efficiently.
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G. Vadivelou, E. Ilavarasan, and M. S. Yasmeen, "QoS based semi-automatic web service composition using multi-agents systems," International Journal of Computer Science Engineering and Technology, Vol. 1, no. 7, 2011, pp. 381-386.
S. Y. Yang, D. L. Lee, K. Y. Chen, and C. L. Hsu, "Energy-saving information multi-agent system with web services for cloud computing, Security-Enriched Urban Computing and Smart Grid Communications in Computer and Information Science, Vol. 223, 2011, pp 222-233.
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Dr. Yu Mon Zaw Yu Mon Zaw was born in Yangon, Myanmar. She got the Bachelor of Computer Science Degree (B.C.Sc) from University of Computer Studies (Yangon), Myanmar in 2006. She achieved the Master of Computer Science Degree (M.C.Sc) from the same University in 2009 especially studied and finished the thesis by Agent Based Searching model. in October, 2014, She got Ph.D (IT) degree from University of Technology, Yatanarpon Cyber City (UTYCC), Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar. Her field of interest is Cloud Computing and Multi-Agent. She works as a tutor at Computer University (Tha-Hton) since 2009. | 2019-04-18T20:56:15Z | http://www.onlinejet.net/article.asp?issn=0976-8580;year=2015;volume=5;issue=1;spage=26;epage=30;aulast=Zaw;type=3 |
This week the river Seine in Paris is rising and flooding very dramatically. . .perhaps an antidote to the “drought” in the title of my newest book. . .or merely a very stark reminder of the world that engulfs us, in its drama and in its harsh beauty, yet and still.
From a recent journey to Naples, in Italy. . .I stood beside a sculpture by the South African artist, William Kentridge titled Il Cavalieri di Toledo, a reference to the colonialism of the Spanish invasion of Naples. . .But it made me think as well of Quixote and his fierce spirit as he traveled on his broken down steed. . .and the battling of the windmills, and how that is also a part of the poet’s life. Fighting the realities and the illusions, to stay alive, and to keep writing.
The upstairs room at Shakespeare and Company where I love to hide away and write.
Reading one of my own poems in my window facing the courtyard.
On a long train trip in India. I wrote for hours and hours on that train.
My writing desk in Paris.
My crowded writing desk at dawn by candlelight.
What is your most recent writing project or what is a piece you’ve had published recently?
My most recent book was published by Glass Lyre Press in September 2017: Before the Drought.
What’s your favorite thing someone else has said about your writing?
It’s been a very good year for wonderful things said. I’m grateful for all of these comments.
What is one craft or writing book you love?
I love to recommend this one: Writing For Your Life by Deena Metzger.
Who is one other writer you’re excited about right now?
Quintan Ana Wikswo. I’ve just recently discovered her. Her writing and photography are brilliant. We have recently interviewed one another [at Full Stop].
What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve ever gotten? What’s the best?
Worst: An editor who had signed a contract with me for a poetic novel then said I should cut the book by 50% and remove all of the philosophoical and meditative sections.
Result: I broke the contract.
Best: A poet (Faye Kicknowsway) once inscribed her book to me with these words: “The words sing all the time. Break open their disguises.” I’ve treasured that advice ever since.
Do you have a dedicated work space? Do you write in your home or do you prefer to write elsewhere? Can you write while traveling?
What are some of your writing habits?
I’m really not a creature of habit, but I do aim to write every day. At least in my spirit. It may be by candlelight with my first coffee (Light comes late in winter time where I live, and the candle helps me to believe in the light.) But it may also come while I am walking and stop to fill a notebook page.
I also am rather dyslexic, so often my work begins with lines that I think are the start. . .and realize eventually that they are to be the ending. For me it’s a matter of trusting process rather than habit. And also, being willing to begin again and again and again, and not to be frightened of the silent times, the empty times, because there are such times for me. But I trust that the words can and do return. Also, I have two creative modes; I’m also a photographer. So times when words desert me, I open my eyes to images and allow them—to speak to me, and for for me.
When you are sitting down to write, what is the first thing you do?
I need to get silent. I try sometimes to listen for my own heartbeat.
When in your life have you felt your work/life balance to be most in sync? When in your life have you felt the most out of sync?
I used to tell myself that I could write best when I was happy, whatever that means. (Happy.) But I know that to be an illusion. Both the notion that I write best when I’m at peace and content, and the notion that I can possibly control when such a time is, or will come. The truth is that much of my best work has come out of my inner sense of being lost, or too alone, or feeling that I had to speak out or choke, or when the need and hope of being a voice in my time makes any other thought seem selfish, and I just allow. Also, as I have matured as a human, I deceive myself less as to what I need to write—and I just do the work.
What are the most pressing demands for your time, energy, labor (including emotional labor)? What has worked best for you in terms of balancing those demands with writing?
When a book is published, I feel overwhelmed by the demands to do the dog and pony show for it, and the need to work for “it.” To get the word out for it. To help with publicizing it. To query. Too often, to plead for notice for the book. Something I don’t enjoy, to be honest, but the reality of publishing is that the poet must collaborate with her press in this, or the book will not reach the readers she and it most desire. Because once published, the book is a living thing and I feel I owe it my best shots. When I am in this mode, I find it nearly impossible to write new works. I surrender to this, but the emotional price is huge.
What are the ideal conditions for your creativity?
A small whisper somewhere inside that says “trust yourself. . .it will come.” And then, patience. Enormous patience and a humility that comes from having written well, sometimes, and having written pages that only deserve to be burned. . .but knowing that I have found my way in the dark before, and I will again. I don’t know where such faith comes from. But I have known it, and known it to disappear, and known it to return. So I must call it a faith in my own faith.
Do you have any writing rituals? Or any non-writing rituals that feed your writing life?
A very old friend, the science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon used to speak of the need for a writer to spend “window time.” I understood that he meant allowing oneself to stare into space, to stare out the windows. For me, sometimes I stare into the dawn—and wait for the light. And sometimes I need to sit very quietly in the dark. And allow. And wait.
What self-care practices do you have and what, if any, routines do you have surrounding them? How does self-care relate to your writing life?
Long showers. Making good coffee. Long walks. Forests. Making love.
When I would go on walks at my last place of employment, I often passed this garden. I called this my Alice Walker Garden.
Victor LaValle describing one of my characters as petty will remain with me for a long time, if not forever.
I’m going to give you three.
I've found some good guidance in Jewell Parker Rhodes’ Free Within Ourselves: Fiction Lessons For Black Authors and Stacey D’Erasmo’s Art of Intimacy. Rhodes’ book is a fundamentals book that I’ve learned a lot of craft language from. It also places writing within the context of living a life so it’s motivational in that way. D’Erasmo’s book is more like a philosophical exploration of how writers write intimacy. As someone who often writes familial relationships, it’s helpful to see the tropes we get caught up in.
I'm reading Dionne Brand and Edward P. Jones right now. Writers who I've previously read and excite me in different ways. I'm enjoying the experience of reading A Map to the Door of No Return and All Aunt Hagar’s Children at the same time because I can carry one idea from one book and try to explore it in the other. For instance. they are both working with ideas around how black people carry history with them but Edward P Jones’ style really gets into the everydayness of life so it’s especially interesting to consider how one carries history at this very intimate level.
I don't know if I've received very bad writing advice. I think everything produces a learning experience. I will say a recurring conversation that turns me off is the idea that fiction writers give a lot of time to projects and that investment doesn’t guarantee anything (read: publication, especially with fanfare). I understand it but it's discouraging. I think if we really pay attention to the process, we see there are all sorts of nourishment.
The best advice: read craft books.
Do you have a dedicated work space? Do you write in your home or do you prefer to write elsewhere?
I do write at home. It's not my favorite thing though, particularly because my home is very small: living space is dining space is sleeping space is study space, etc. It can feel cluttered and overwhelming. If I’m on a daytime writing schedule, I might go to the public library or, if I have money to spend, a coffee shop with good lighting.
I don't work on my writing projects daily but on writing days, I do set a time goal. So maybe two hours of writing or a combination of reading and writing over four consecutive hours. The exception is when I’m writing the first draft. I try to use momentum to get to the story's ending.
When I don’t have many daytime commitments, I write late at night and into the morning. I prefer dark and quiet, not just for writing but also for taking care of household things. It seems my body/mind wakes up around 9 p.m.
I almost always turn on Alice Coltrane. I always do a short breath focused meditation to shift out of whatever mindset I needed for my previous tasks and into one for writing.
How do you pay the bills/financially support yourself?
I have no income right now so my savings account plus familial support plus social services like Medicaid and the public library system are my support.
I think my life is my work so it’s really hard to balance resting/taking care of myself/enjoying life with doing my work. I do a lot of unpaid work (programming art events and discussions). I love the work but I’m on a hiatus because I wasn’t balancing things well but also because I think a retreat or hibernation phase of making is necessary. I don’t want to be producing just to keep up with some arbitrary standard or because it feels like everyone else is producing.
Maintaining my household, my wellbeing, my relationships with family and friends, and being present in community (especially for the sake of my work) are all demanding. I have a personality that swings from being overwhelmed to being exhausted by (too many) people. I’m over 30 and managing a chronic illness that causes fatigue. I play around a lot less with my time. It’s my main resource. It’s a practice to not give it away to just anything or anyone. In the same way, I set goals for how much time I give my writing, I set up plans for these other demands. Like, I’m going to invest some time in this particular relationship or I’m going to these three events this month, or I’m going to clean for 15 minutes, and I’m going to be okay with staying at home, resting and not working.
I think we all know the ways solitude is necessary for artmaking. What’s been interesting is how community has been critical for my creativity. It’s fairly easy to generate ideas but it’s easy to feel stuck when too isolated. I’ve had breakthroughs during workshop, while talking with other writers, and while listening to artists talk about their work.
I think having a meditation practice has helped many aspects of my life and since everything is interconnected, my writing practice has benefited from me having healthier relationships, improved self-esteem, etc.
My self-care practices include: journaling, detaching from my digital attachments, walking, meditating, and asking my body what it needs (and getting answer like: to pee, to eat some greens or some root veggies, etc.).
I hope that my writing, as I do with all of my work, contributes to resisting the dominant culture (white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism). What I’ve learned is this isn’t possible without some self-care and self-actualization. bell hooks’ Sisters of the Yam is one of my favorite reference materials for this but also the older women I’ve met who do community work or political organizing. Like witnessing the ways these women live their values and care for themselves and other people was critical in my transition to adulthood.
Nina N. Yeboah was born to Ghanaian parents in Alexandria, Louisiana and raised in Stone Mountain, GA. She is a reader, prose writer, and cultural worker. She was the 2016 Voices Rising Fellow at Vermont Studio Center, a 2016-2017 FIELD/WORK resident at the Chicago Artists Coalition and is an alum of the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop and the Hurston/Wright Writers Week. In 2017, she was a finalist for the Guild Literary Complex Leon Forrest Prose Awards in the category of nonfiction.
Research books on the study desk.
Writing in local coffee shop.
Typewriter and painting my father bought because it reminded him of me always hidden behind a book.
What is your most recent writing project, or what is a piece you’ve had published recently?
My third collection of poems, Sometimes We’re All Living in a Foreign Country, came out with Carnegie Mellon University Press in October of 2017.
These were inspiring words from a poet who I so deeply respect and admire, and they also meant so much to me at a time when I hadn’t yet had a book accepted and when I was having trouble believing that someday I would. Hacker’s words were the encouragement I needed then, and I turn to them now when I’m feeling discouraged about making this particular project about my family history the book I dream it can be.
I love Mary Ruefle’s Madness, Rack, and Honey, and also another one of my favorites for teaching graduate students is Natasha Sajé’s wonderful Windows and Doors from the University of Michigan Press’s Poets on Poetry Series.
There are so many, so I will focus on a poet whose book I’m looking forward to: I loved Sally Wen Mao’s Mad Honey Symposium, and I can’t wait to see what her new book from Graywolf will be like next year.
The worst: Being told I was too young to write about what I was writing about. My students, no matter where I teach, always remind me that young writers can amaze and surprise you. I try to never restrict what they can write about.
We just moved, last summer, into the downstairs apartment of an old house, and I’ve built a nice little writing spot in the corner of the dining room. When I was living in Mississippi, I came across a wooden desk that had been in the old Tennessee House of Representatives. I now have it tucked under a window next to some weird built-in bookshelves that block an old doorway out of the dining room. The upstairs neighbor’s stairwell is on the other side of the shelves, and his beautiful aging golden retriever sleeps on the steps and snores all day. It is soothing and hilarious to hear her snoring on the other side of the shelves while I’m writing.
The truth is, I am used to writing poems outside of the house because for most of my writing life I was only able to afford a tiny studio apartment or a room in a house and so I have always sought out clear and quiet places to work. My past favorite writing spots have included The Writers’ Room of Boston, where I was lucky enough to have two fellowships; a tiny white windowless carrel I rented for fifty bucks a semester at the University of Southern Mississippi’s library; and the beautiful reading room at Harvard’s main library. And many a coffee shop! I’m still searching for my next spot.
Academic jobs: For the last two years I was the Jacob Ziskind Poet-in-Residence at Brandeis University, and in the spring semester of 2019, I’ll be the Distinguished Visiting Writer at Bowling Green State University.
I often read through other recent drafts of new poems and begin to fiddle with them and then I either get lost in the revision or move on to starting something new.
What are the most pressing demands for your time, energy, labor (including emotional labor)?
One of the most pressing demands outside of my academic jobs has always been my literary magazine, Memorious.org, which I’ve been running, and selecting all of the poetry for, for nearly fifteen years since I co-founded it in 2004; it keeps me busy. (I also handle all of our social media, which is time consuming!) And being a good citizen and support person to fellow writers–-whether friends or students or former classmates or whoever else gets sent my way–-can take a lot of my time and energy. But one thing I know: we writers need one another.
I love residencies. I love having a space that is only for writing, and I get so much inspiration from the conversations with artists and composers and writers that residency communities offer. My last book, The Spokes of Venus, was born in part from those conversations. But having a space that’s just for writing, whether a space of my own or a really wonderful library to work in, does the trick as well.
This question makes me want to create some elaborate writing rituals! Someday, when I have the time.
Rebecca Morgan Frank is the author of three collections of poetry: Sometimes We’re All Living in a Foreign Country (Carnegie Mellon 2017); The Spokes of Venus (Carnegie Mellon 2016); and Little Murders Everywhere, shortlisted for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Her poems have appeared such places as the New Yorker, American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, Guernica, and the Harvard Review. She is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online literary magazine Memorious.org. In Spring 2019 she will be the Distinguished Visiting Writer at Bowling Green State University.
The typical state of my desk, and representation of how external environment mirrors internal environment.
Plants at varying stages of decay (representative of recent emotional turbulence).
My book, Bridled, was published by Pleiades Press in February 2018.
Maybe nontraditional, but I love Ways of Seeing by John Berger.
Jenny Xie’s book, Eye Level published by Graywolf Press in April 2018 and Ben Purkert’s For the Love of Endings, published in March 2018 by Four Way Books.
During my MFA I went to a professor who almost exclusively wrote formal poetry. I wanted to have a gritty discussion with him about the craft of formal poetry. Instead of engaging me in discussion, he told me students should generally avoid writing formal poetry because it had to be much better quality than free verse or experimental poetry and was more difficult overall. I ultimately never shared any poetry with this instructor.
I think my problem is less with space than with time. Though I generally need to be somewhere other than my room to write, (I particularly recommend Paragraph: Workspace for Writers for NYC/Brooklyn writers) it doesn’t matter where I am if I haven’t done a good job setting aside time for writing. I need to schedule realistic amounts of time (e.g. not 8pm on Friday nights after a quick happy hour). I like to write at Paragraph for a few hours immediately after my 9 to 5 when I can.
I have no habits. I would benefit from habits. I write in little spurts and then don’t write for months — sometimes over a year—at a time. To be fair, I do nest-build during that time: I keep notes in my phone of ideas, lines, or images that come to me.
I turn on my computer. I almost always write on my laptop and feel great about it.
I divested from writing as a career, partly because I have a lot of financial anxiety and partly because writing while working in any career that depended on the goodwill of the literary community seemed like an enormous conflict of interest. Now, I work as a Project Manager at an education technology startup.
I’m bad at transitions. When I first begin a job, a relationship, a move, I take months and months to settle into a new routine. I’m bad at imposing structure and habit on my personal life, so when new elements are introduced I flounder indefinitely until I’ve broken enough things that I begin to triage my life and impose structure. That’s usually when I re-balance my work/life.
I divide most of my time between my 9 to 5 work, romantic relationship, and guilt. I think it’s useful to define what I want each of these relationships to look like: How important is work to me? What kind of relationship do I want with my partner? What else do I miss the most? Once I gain clarity on these boundaries, it’s much easier to know how to prioritize and say no to certain things. My therapist says guilt is usually an unhelpful tax I exact from myself, so I try to listen to her.
I like sound that I don’t have to listen to. Playing one song on repeat, or instrumental music (I like Max Richter), or noisli.com is great. Dim lighting and small spaces also help—basically whatever conditions are ideal for a snail are my ideal writing conditions. I also really like the Pomodoro technique and just purchased my second paid app ever: Forest. It’s an app that plants little digital trees whenever you go a stretch of time without breaking focus (with bonus of using your credits to plant real trees).
No, but I’m trying to develop this—I want to train myself to start writing whenever I hear smell burning sandalwood or something.
Self-care (or the lack of it) is a huge part of my writing life. When I’m in poor emotional or mental health, I don’t write. Usually when I stop writing it’s the first red flag that I’m about to drop into a depressive spiral. I’m looking into medication that’s compatible with existing meds I take for a chronic pain condition, but so far I don’t have a way to guarantee that I will be consistently well-adjusted and capable of writing / doing laundry / answering my emails on time.
Amy Meng holds degrees from Rutgers University and New York University. She is the author of Bridled (Pleiades Press, 2018) and a Kundiman Fellow. Her poetry has appeared in publications including: Gulf Coast, Indiana Review, New England Review, and Narrative Magazine. She currently lives in Brooklyn.
What is your most recent writing project, or, what is a piece you’ve had published recently?
Recently, the Nashwaak Review published a nonfiction story I wrote about my short stay in Wadi Rum, Jordan’s desert. Mostly I write fiction now, so this piece was unusual from that perspective but also because I travel a lot and almost never write about my trips for publication. And my first novella, The Finest Supermarket in Kabul, was launched January 31, 2018.
I always have writing projects on the go! My current list includes research for my next book, a novel with parallel narratives about a family separated in Germany’s WWII; a short story about a film camera in three distinct time periods, and another one set in Toronto’s art scene in the 1980s.
A good friend messaged me this comment: Holy f**k! I’m only on page 30 and I’m in love with your writing. . . sweet and human as well as smart and to-the-point!
At the moment, I’m reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. A few friends recommended it as a good writing tool. While it’s not exactly that, it is an amazing vote of confidence and pick-me-up for artists doubting the success or viability of their work in the public realm. I skirted Eat, Pray, Love after flipping through the first few chapters, but this book is lovely in its informality and enthusiasm for just putting it out there--like talking to a good friend or partner when belief in a new or on-going project is waning or dead. I’m about to get into two technical books, The Art of Description: World into Word and The Emotion Thesaurus.
I came across Lydia Davis when reading a New York Times article and loved Can’t and Won’t. I think micro stories don't get the love they deserve. I write flash fiction for an annual chapbook my writing group puts together, so I know how hard it is to “write short.” In fact, the shorter the story, the more difficult it is to satisfyingly cover all plot points. My blog stories are modeled after this style.
The worst piece of writing advice I ever received was to turn a short story with an experimental introduction into a screenplay. Instead, I standardized the first paragraph and liberally edited until I was happy with my narrative. The best advice was for characters to use all their senses when describing surroundings. Now when I write, I make a note: ‘see; smell; hear; touch; taste’ and lay it beside my laptop as a reminder for my characters to engage all or as many senses as possible.
No dedicated work space, I write mostly from my couch. There is a desk in my house, but my partner claimed dibs as soon as we bought it. And it’s become a mini man-cave covered in his film photography stuff. But that’s okay since writing is something I do at night and I prefer to be comfortable when being creative.
Other than short blog posts, I’ve found it impossible to produce substantive writing while on the road anywhere.
My biggest need while writing is WiFi because I like to see what a character or narrator is describing so it can be as accurate as possible. I google all kinds of images and flip back and forth as I’m writing.
I tend to write in the evenings, and sometimes on weekend afternoons. I would love to write every day, but it’s tricky with a full-time job and other time-consuming obligations. A friend wisely told me not to wait for inspiration to write, but to treat writing like any other job or task. I’m doing that more and more now and find I can write quick snippets here and there that will be ironed out in the editing anyway.
When you are sitting down to write what is the first thing you do?
Craft a title I like. Arguably this can take a while, and will often change as the story unfolds. But I can't write without one.
Before I became an author, I found an awesome partner (for that story see Single and dating in my 40s: It's no fairytale) and we both have full-time jobs. I also teach a college course, which is great because it means that money is plentiful. Yet, as I gain more writing successes, I’m craving more writing time even though I’m not ready to reinvent my work choices.
When I left my international development career and moved home to Toronto, I didn’t have a job. As I was exploring options, I joined Moosemeat Writing Group to feed my artistic side, but also to meet new people. Success on both counts and for the next few years there was more writing/life than work, which while stressful, but also gave me space to write the beginning chapters of The Finest Supermarket in Kabul. To transition to a new career, I opted to go back to school for a masters. During this year there was more work than writing/life and my manuscript did not get much love. I started working full-time directly afterwards and picked my draft back up once I’d settled in. Now I’m well balanced, although I do sometimes contemplate setting the alarm for 5 a.m. so I can increase my writing time. Mind you, that doesn’t work well since I'm not a morning person.
I find my most pressing demands are connected to activities I’m involved in beyond writing and work--I curl twice a week and help organize teams; I’m president of my condo board; I have a standing trivia game with friends; and I teach a course at a local college. More than a full plate. To get in some writing (beyond the highly unlikely 5 a.m. start), I give myself small word goals and focus on finishing scenes.
Ideal conditions for creativity are coffee, an image of the scene I’m creating, silence and perhaps a view outside of weather conditions that make me want to stay indoors.
I know an 85-year-old with boy trouble.
Nothing good ever starts with please.
No crazy people bothered me today because they think I’m one of them.
One very specific self-care practice is running, either at the gym or in High Park near my condo. I’ve always enjoyed the exhilaration of a good run, but will also use this time to work through sticky plot points. Sometimes I’ve found myself writing and quickly changing gears to head out for a run if I’m stuck in a story.
For more than a decade, Ele Paweleski has managed human rights projects in Kabul, Afghanistan and other danger-pay-locales. Now living in urban Toronto with her husband, she is always planning for her next travel adventure. Her stories have appeared in magazines, journals and newspapers. The Finest Supermarket in Kabul is her first novella.
My first book, California Calling: A Self-Interrogation, (Hawthorne Books) released on March 1, 2018.
Everything about writing a book is hard, but getting book blurbs was, for me, particularly fraught. When it came time to ask authors I admired and had learned from, my imposter syndrome kicked in. Like, who am I to ask for their time and attention, let alone their support? But you have to proceed. I was honored to get wonderful, perceptive blurbs, and it turned out that these were also some of the first outsiders (people beyond my inner circle) who saw my book. So their responses to it were hugely validating. In particular, a writer I have been in awe of for a long time, Abigail Thomas, said, “The delicate architecture of this book is stunning, and the originality of Ms. Singer’s voice and mind is as exciting as anything I’ve read in years.” Abigail’s memoir Safekeeping was literally by my side the entire time I worked on my book. Her formal tactics—telescoping point of view, breaking traditional prose rules, flip-flopping tenses, fragmented language that glints with awareness—have enabled me to push boundaries in my own work.
I can tell you a writer whose work I am most anticipating now (and always am): poet and essayist Lia Purpura. When I first read two of Lia’s essay collections—On Looking (2006) and Rough Likeness (2012), I felt the ground shift under me. Lia shows with her craft what is possible with the form. Her short, poetic vignettes thrum like self-contained worlds unto themselves. You read a Lia essay and time decelerates; it’s the literary version of a meditation. I haven’t ever met Lia but I’m kind of like a shameless teenage fangirl. She has a new essay collection, All the Fierce Tethers (Sarabande Books), coming out in early 2019, and I can’t wait for it.
Worst: Never start a sentence with ‘and.’ Never write fragments. Never use clichés (I feel like you get a once-every-five-years cliché allotment, but you’d better know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it). Best: My friend Theo Nestor, a writing teacher and author of the memoir-and-how-to book Writing Is My Drink, once talked to a writing class I took about special clubs. She said that we’re all members of certain special clubs—we all have inside knowledge of certain worlds, spaces, groups, and experiences. She told us, they’re all important—write about those. At the time, this gave me the confidence that I did in fact have the authority to write about some things.
I can write anywhere—this is a mother skill developed out of necessity—but as I’ve gotten older it’s gotten harder to get focus unless I’m in the right space (or maybe this is just procrastination!). I just recently created an office, which is really a third of a guest room and which I’m calling my writing cabin—that feels aspirational and Pinterest-y to me, which is strangely and sort of embarrassingly exciting. I painted the corner a foresty teal, put my desk in front of a window, and filled the space with items that are important to me and books that I feel I am in an ongoing conversation with. Before that, for the past eight years or so, I wrote everywhere—coffee shops, soccer practices, my bed, the car, the bathtub. When I finally made the writing cabin, I kept wandering into the space repeating the words, “I can’t believe I didn’t do this before,” over and over again. The cabin definitely makes me want to write.
I also find I’m very productive when I travel to write. A few times a year I do a writing retreat—either a getaway with writer friends or a writing conference out of town. The act of carving out a block of days just for writing really energizes me and is very freeing.
I’m not going to answer this because I feel like I should have a much more respectable, structured set of habits and, well. . .
I currently work as a managing editor for a corporate client; before that I was the managing editor of a magazine. On the upside, I have financial security and get to use some of my creative skills and journalism background in interesting ways. On the downside, it’s tricky to splice time and mental energy and to make sure I continue to push my art forward.
Ironically, I feel the most “balanced”—which for me means stimulated and engaged, but not necessarily at ease—when I am juggling the most. I entered an MFA program late, at 37. I went to night classes, worked on a thesis, parented my two young daughters, and worked full time at my day job. I was exhausted, but, creatively, it was one of the most fruitful periods of my life and I felt incredibly alert to the possibilities around my own art. I am still coasting off that energy.
My need to write and my commitment to my family are in constant tension. It’s not a negative tension, though it can sometimes cause frustration. For me, the more something becomes difficult to reach, the more I want it. And so when the demands of mothering cut into the space I want for writing, instead of allowing that tension to prevent me from creating, I try to use it to feed my work. Aside from my crazy MFA years, the other most productive period for me creatively was immediately after I gave birth, especially to my first daughter. Time for myself became the rarest currency, and so I learned to hustle for it like I had never hustled before. I wrote poems while my daughters breastfed endlessly; I plotted out stories at 3 a.m. when my hyper-aware mother clock wouldn’t allow me to sleep; later, I scribbled a sentence or two as a toddler struggled to pull on a rain boot. Time opened up in cracks, and I filled them. With motherhood, writer’s block evaporated—it’s a luxury I don’t have. Still, sometimes my own creative work loses out. Even now as I try to answer these questions with intelligent-seeming answers, there’s a 12-year-old repeatedly asking if I will watch her PowerPoint presentation on the güiña cat.
Not being asked to watch presentations on the güiña cat.
I’m not sure if it’s a ritual, but I’m a perpetual notetaker. I don’t journal, because I tend to recoil from rules and regulations, and the imperative to fill out your journal every day scares me. But I take a lot of notes, about questions that bother me, about obsessions that haunt me, about things I read and ideas I have for essays or stories.
I’m trying to become better about self-care now that I’m out of the fog of mothering very young children—there were years when I virtually ignored myself (mothers will understand this). I have a hard time clearing my mind, but I go to yoga and try to just be still a few times a week. Intellectually I know this is important for my health and because it brings new ideas into my awareness; emotionally, it’s hard because being alone with myself makes me feel lonely. My new commitment is to use nice face oil and try to get regular facials. How does that help my writing? I don’t know, but it seems important.
Natalie Singer is the author of the memoir California Calling: A Self-Interrogation (Hawthorne Books, March 2018). Her writing has been published or is forthcoming in journals, magazines, and newspapers including Proximity, Literary Mama, the Washington Post, the Seattle Times, ParentMap, Alligator Juniper, Brain, Child and Full Grown People. She has taught writing inside Washington State’s psychiatric facility for youth and Seattle’s juvenile detention center, and she has worked as a reporter at newspapers around the West. Natalie earned her MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics from the University of Washington. Originally from Montreal, she lives in Seattle. | 2019-04-22T01:03:32Z | https://www.habitandspace.com/ |
James Thomas : Writing samples.
SOME years ago, with a heavy heart, I undertook to attend the most spectacular event of the season—a Festival of Music, a coruscating panorama of the most exquisite delights—in the countryside, at the end of a particularly fetid July. I had, I hasten now to add, not ventured outside in some eight months, and the light in my study had cast a semipermanent shadow over my soul and, regarding my haunted mien in the mirror, I had resolved to grow re-accustomed to the daylight, for fear this eternal isolation would prove fatal. In the oppressive heat of a sleepless summer, such thoughts as visited me that year were not uncommon—though the manner in which the events that followed unfolded implanted in me the unshakeable feeling that they were nothing more than feverish hallucinations, the accoutrements of an overworked mind. I bade a silent farewell to my house, casting a sorrowful glance at the door, and departed without a word—for I could not say when I would return, nor could I know in what haggard state I would next arrive at my front door.
It was here—a vast, glittering panoply engineered, it would seem, to bring about a profound and emphatic derangement in all who came near—that, for the first time since my arrival, I felt privy to some unspoken arrangement; for, as we crossed the threshold— marked, it would seem, by a line of micturating savages arranged along the boundary— the mass dispersed, its form split, and various strands of the throng peeled apart, as though a host of ravenous starlings had gone to ground in an instant. Still clutching my briefcase to my breast, I moved with whatever purpose I could muster. Suddenly, there appeared to be a tremendous thrust in the direction of a looming structure in the distance. I followed in the furrow they were carving in the softening ground, past the soup-merchants, past the makeshift taverns that were spilling their grievances at our feet, past uncategorizable monstrosities, past catastrophes of the flesh and the soul, until we were delivered into the belly of the beast.
They were gathered here in their thousands, stretched across the land as a mortician might lay a shroud upon a cadaver. It was here that I first beheld the structure, an ossuary of twisted metal and canvas rising into the sky, furnished with battlements and draped with banners bearing slogans which were far beyond the realm of my comprehension. I recoiled, seized by a hitherto uncharacterized repulsion. There was too much of the unknown in it, in this vast, troubling arch, and I sought to escape by any means; for whatever lay in store for this doomed assemblage, I could not bear to remain. As I turned to seek a viable route of egress—examining the carnival wagons massed along the darkening horizon and training my gaze on the trees beyond—there immediately arose a cacophonous outcry so resounding and immense that it threatened to engulf the very air through which it passed. It signaled the arrival of some dreadful force in our midst—of that there could be no question. For, to a man, the revelers began to chant its name, hands aloft, braying in subservience. I could scarcely breathe, scarcely propel my cowering body through the congregation, but I continued apace, carrying my briefcase as a shield, praying that the birds would intervene and bear me away. No matter that I could neither abide their clamorous shrieks nor the brute cries of this intoxicated herd; I would sooner that than this. Yet no such relief was forthcoming, for upon that accursed stage there was sounded a clarion call of such preposterous hideousness that it may have reverberated through the catacombs of Paris and shaken loose the souls of the damned. It was then, Reader, that I shat myself.
Friends, family, loved ones, we are gathered here today to remember a companion, a friend, a one-of-a-kind. I would like to share a few words with you on this sad day.
We had a holiday ritual, the six of us. Each summer, our group of friends would get together for a few weeks, no excuses, and just get away from it all. I couldn’t recall whose idea it was, but once the pact had been made, we were so excited that it didn’t matter anyway. It’s so nice to know there’s always something to look forward to, something to take your mind off things. And so we began.
I remember with fondness that endless summer in the Sicilian countryside—Lily, Simon, Joseph, Nick, Articulated Hydromechanical Processing Interface ZM-200X, and me—ambling around the countryside near Taormina, sipping Nero d’Avola in the dappled sunlight in a quiet orchard. It was perfect. Well, close to perfect. That was the summer when we lost Lily. Who could say what happened that evening at the villa? Did she sleepwalk through the window, or just lean out too far? We chased these questions around our heads for months on end, hoping we’d get closer to the truth. But we could never find an answer, and instead we resolved to keep her memory alive, and to continue our holiday tradition in her name.
Every year, we were faced with difficult memories, sure, but great ones too—the summer when we crisscrossed Texas, eating all we could to keep our energy up between the long drives, telling stories into the wee hours as we trundled across the desert and the night gathered itself around us, the sky darkening imperceptibly with each passing road sign.
That year, again, saw the tragic disappearance of another of our group. He ventured out into the desert night on a whim, never to return. None of us knew why he’d gone; none of us had seen him leave. Joseph and Nick had been fast asleep. I was knocking back beers with a local bartender. Articulated Hydromechanical Pro cessing Interface ZM-200X was elsewhere and saw nothing. So we had lost another. Christmas came and went with no sign of our pal Simon. But together we were strong, and we strove to salvage a glimmer of hope as the months apart ticked by. We would not be beaten down by the cruel hand of fate.
The next summer, we rattled around Germany in an old VW camper— remember the lime one with the flame decals on the sides? We thought it’d last for years after we did it up. There we were, not a care in the world, listening to krautrock as we cruised on the Autobahn: Joseph, Nick, Articulated Hydromechanical Processing Interface ZM-200X, and me.
Two weeks went by, and the sky was always blue. We’d go from campsite to campsite, eating, drinking, laughing, making memories. And then, we lost Joseph. I’m not going to dwell on this, because we’ve been through it so many times. But what were we thinking? We could have been hiking in the mountains! We could have gone fishing! We should have gone fishing. But we thought: Why not? I can look at it now as an inevitable disaster, but hindsight is 20/20, and it was summer. The mood carried us; we were in high spirits. Whenever something was suggested, we all just went along with it. So we headed to the quarry. That quarry. I don’t like to think about it too much.
One year on, just twelve months ago, we were in the Lake District, battered by the wind and rain. Our little group huddled together in the hills, watching in silence from the chalet doorway as clouds rolled over clouds and the lakes shimmered in the dusk light with the cold breath of rainfall: Nick, Articulated Hydromechanical Processing Interface ZM-200X, and me. We looked on as the rainwater loosened rocks from the hillsides. We trained our ears on the wind, catching the faint traces of sheep bleating from the fields beyond, listening to tractors heave their way along distant lanes. The whiskey got us through the first night, the cider through the second. By the third, I suspect Nick had had enough of the chalet. I can picture him now, restless and determined, zipping up his raincoat, telling us he was going out to clear his head. I’m sure I warned him not to go out on his own, I’m sure I did. But I couldn’t stay awake, and by morning, he was gone. Perhaps the dark got the better of him. Maybe he lost his footing, or wandered into a cave, or—I didn’t know. It felt as though we had been cursed. Searches proved futile. Our friend Nick, whom we’d known since our days on the badminton squad. Vanished.
And so to this summer. Old friends, new adventures: Articulated Hydromechanical Processing Interface ZM-200X and me. Still together, as promised. Ready as usual on the first day of August, headed this time to Hungary, we set out with little more than our tickets and a book of memories. On the train to Budapest, leafing through our photo album, we thought about those golden times together, reading what we could into the smiles in those old pictures, the body language, the frozen moments. The journey, late in the day, was melancholy and sweet, long enough to allow the mind to wander and the quiet to bloom. Nearing the city, I marveled at our dwindling numbers, glancing once more at those holiday snaps, shaking my head in disbelief. When I eventually looked up, it seemed Articulated Hydromechanical Processing Interface ZM-200X was lost in a dream. We didn’t speak a word. But it was a time for reflection, not merriment.
Arriving in Budapest, we made our way to the hotel, around the corner from Kerepesi Cemetery, and checked in to our connecting rooms. I left my window ajar. A breeze lifted the soft trills of night into the room, the muffled street noises floating gently around my bed as my mind lingered on those photographs. Last year in England. Our final jaunt with Nick. Gray hairs around my temples. Straining to smile. Germany, where Joseph—well, where we lost Joseph in that horrible quarry. My heart felt heavy. The year before, in Texas, when Simon had left us forever. I could hear myself breathing above the din of the traffic. I remembered dear Lily, sister to us all. All gone before their time. Four years, four friends.
I stood up, suddenly alert. I could hear a noise from the next room. A low hum. There was something wrong, but I didn’t know what. I approached our connecting door, intending to check on my friend—how was I to know? But as the noise grew louder, the doorknob began to rattle. Now the door. I backed away, petrified. I should have known. How could I not have realized? But it all hit me at once. They were no accidents! All along, we were such fools! Don’t they say it’s always the quiet ones? And I was next! I had to fight for my life! Just as the door shattered, I managed to wrench the trouser press from the wall. There I was, for the last time, face-to-face with my oldest friend, my stalwart companion, my betrayer: Articulated Hydromechanical Processing Interface ZM-200X.
Please understand. I did what I had to do. I had no choice. Please understand.
10 Rillington Place, the London address, no longer exists. It was expunged, scrubbed away, deleted, plastered over, realigned, removed. It has undergone a process of damnatio memoriae, in the hope that its environs might thrive anew, free from association, rebranded and nondescript. But if you poke about for a minute, there’s nothing stopping you from pinpointing its former location. There are maps upon maps: digitised blueprints superimposed on ghastly graphs, the brazen frame of a house of death printed there in stark relief, inviting the curious to pay a visit and wonder where the old walls once stood.
10 Rillington Place was a world unto itself, a microcosm in which life functioned in its barest terms. Tenants arrived, families departed, people lived and people died. But the fulcrum around which these unacknowledged lives pivoted was John Reginald Christie. I don’t know why we emphasise the middle name. It’s almost as though the plainness of ‘John Christie’ requires a crutch, a buttress that imposes an awkward rhythm, a name with its own bizarre topography - an unwieldy gait that binds itself to his hideous persona. ‘John Reginald Christie’ and ‘10 Rillington Place’ are forever entwined, their syllabic patterns aligning, their similarities remarkable and undeniable: the place and the man were both possessed of an unsettling stillness and grubbiness, and filled with violence and secrets. For while most people bury things in the mind, John Christie buried people in his home.
10 Rillington Place is where Christie murdered at least eight people and hid their bodies, all the while acting as landlord. This was a man who saw down the well and cast his abject lamplight into the distant recesses, a man who wanted to kill and needed to kill, a man who lied and murdered and lied to hide his murders and perpetuated this self-made cycle, compelled by some internal mechanism to gain control by whatever means necessary. Up to a point, he hid in plain sight; however, as the mountain of evidence grew and the facade became more difficult to maintain, the mask began to slip.
He had done things we must never do. Where others have dreamed, Christie went; he acted out that which so many have suppressed and dismissed in the heady churn of subconscious thought. But killing is real. Terror is real. Here were things that men have done.
There is a dream, perhaps an archetype, in which the protagonist, whether by means seen or unseen, whether as engineer or bystander, becomes the sole proprietor of a burial plot, or at least a site of some decrepitude and unease, wherein something hidden has taken root, hijacked the pattern of life, disengaged the narrative from the prescribed. Only the protagonist knows; to speak of it would be fatal. The secret, the knowing, the horrifying uncertainty when the dream ends - these are the things we cannot bear.
In the case of John Christie, 10 Rillington Place became the outward manifestation of his loathsome compulsions - a place where the ornaments of his misdeeds would physically accumulate, where his arrogance and single-mindedness could forge new paths and scorch the very earth beyond his kitchen window. He lured strangers in need with the promise of medical assistance; he assured them a better place in the world, free from the burden of despair; he gassed them, defiled them and removed them from the picture. These helpless people, entrusting themselves corporeally in their time of greatest need, suffered deaths of the lowest order in the name of this man’s basest desires. He justified his murders as “mercy killings”, yet what he was actually doing was working through his fear of women, calculating and acting, creating opportunities, preying on trust. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the period following the murder of his wife Ethel: alone for the first time, he brought three women back to Rillington Place in three months. His victims were buried in the garden, kept under the floorboards, wrapped in the wash-house and stacked in the alcove. He essentially swept them under the carpet, untroubled by the potential repercussions.
What makes stories like this so remarkable is not how ordinary the circumstances seem, or how unassuming the protagonist. It’s the stark reality that, when something such as this rears its head, we’re faced with something for which we are entirely unprepared: we’re living inside someone else’s mind. Had John Christie not perpetrated his heinous crimes, we would never have heard of him. These innocent lives would not have been swept into oblivion. But there is only one reality, and only one timeline. Christie did these things and, in doing so, turned the inside of his mind outward, showering us in the minutiae of his transgressions.
The conviction and execution of Timothy Evans, a lodger of Christie’s whose wife and infant child were murdered - their bodies discovered wrapped in tablecloths in the wash-house - is known as one of the most infamous miscarriages of justice in the legal system. However - difficult as this may seem to reconcile - the death penalty may not have been reviewed with such vigour had Evans not been wrongly executed and the story reexamined in the ensuing years. Justice had not been swift in the wake of Christie’s trial and hanging. A subsequent reevaluation of the case, and of Evans’ wrongful execution, played a large part in the abolition of the death penalty in the following decade. As it stands, it took the courts 15 years to pardon the man - 15 years too late.
Decades later, we recognise the cycle of tragedy and voyeurism in cases like this: headline, speculation, encampment, rolling news, dissemination, analysis, et cetera. The spectacle is an ouroboros devouring itself - the news cycle feeding speculative grist into its own dreadful mill. The question of what is newsworthy is one that plagues news outlets with decreasing frequency as the years trundle on, but the uncovering of an unsanctioned burial site, a disordered allotment, a pixelated forensics tent in a suburban backyard: these are the things on which nightmares are built. Surely, we think, I deserve a peek behind the curtain?
Christie’s reality was a universal nightmare: the prospect of having murdered someone and concealed their body somewhere about one’s property. His downfall seems to have come about due to the simple desire to surrender - to the authorities, certainly, but also to his fate. It strikes me that he had given up by the time the police apprehended him. Given the opportunity - certainly the time - to leave London, at least under cover of darkness, by whatever means, he opted to wander its streets, floating about, grubby and desolate, perhaps no longer either able or willing to run. In a house full of lodgers, he made cursory efforts - bundling bodies into a flimsily boarded-up alcove, leaving them in shallow graves, or simply wrapping them in cloth - to cover up his crimes. There was an arrogance in his concealement; perhaps even laziness. A femur propped up a garden fence. Christie’s dog pawed at a human skull.
The story of 10 Rillington Place was made into a film in 1971, 20 years after those murderous events and 12 years after the publication of Ludovic Kennedy’s book about the trial. The film, starring the late Richard Atenborough, was shot in 1970 on Rillington Place itself, using number 7 for interiors.
Richard Attenborough’s perfomance in 10 Rillington Place was so triumphantly, shockingly convincing that those who see it must surely appreciate his total commitment to this story. His initial reluctance to inhabit the role was tempered by the passion he felt for the film’s message, declaring it “a most devastating statement on capital punishment”. As a study of postwar London, dangerous and unmade, it is peerless. As a horror story, unblemished by hyperbole or sensationalism, it has few equals. As a statement about the death penalty, it is indelible and haunting.
Here is a man who offered to help. Here is a man who saw women who were adrift, in a hopeless situation, beyond help; women who had given up, with nowhere to turn. Here is a man who took people in, who showed them compassion and then cut them loose. Here is a man who served his country and shattered his community. Here is a man who gained the confidences of his lodgers and tore them asunder with violence and deceit.
Attenborough portrayed Christie as a desperate, manipulative man. Christie was intensely and horrifyingly quiet - ostensibly as a result of a wartime gas attack - and we see onscreen how the critical focus of his shameful activities brings him to a shuddering, asthmatic climax each time he extinguishes another life, almost apologetically quiet and soft in the thick air of his crumbling home, the moment acrid and dismal. This is a performance of towering and unprecedented humanity, and one which nonetheless eviscerates this awful man’s brutal reality. John Christie was a dreadful soul, entombed within his appetites, neither capable of nor hoping for redemption. For his victims, of course, there was no hope at all. Here are their names: Ruth Fuerst, Muriel Eady, Beryl Evans, Geraldine Evans, Ethel Christie, Rita Nelson, Kathleen Maloney and Hectorina MacLennan.
The story of 10 Rillington Place is a very sad one, but it served to illuminate certain aspects of the legal system and society as a whole, and the book and film are credited with bringing about a fundamental and sweeping change in the law. In this case, a man who would otherwise have drifted through the system, a simple man who worked hard and bragged on occasion and got drunk and argued with his wife about petty things - whose child was born into adversity but would have been raised in good faith by her young mother - was framed for a hideous double murder, losing not only his young family but his own life, unable to devise a way out of his Kafkaesque situation, manipulated by a man whose true nature he could never have hoped to fathom. Tim Evans lost his wife Beryl and his daughter Geraldine in that house. In bringing this character to life, John Hurt produced one of his greatest performances, a work of considerable genius, drenched in grief and bewilderment.
Evans was pardoned 16 years after his execution. Christie casts a long and terrible shadow over the landscape of postwar London, and indeed suburban England, always concealing its truths, something unknown always lurking in the periphery. Richard Attenborough’s performance in 10 Rillington Place has become inextricably linked with the story, such is the diligence with which he applied himself to the role - one he rightly found abhorrent. It is now impossible to view the character of John Reginald Christie, that destroyer of worlds, that soft-spoken butcher of the back-streets, without imagining the endless desolation and self-loathing in Attenborough’s expression; the insidious scheming of this wretched degenerate plain to see in his petrified aspect. His appearance - the permanently anxious countenance, hovering between states of artificial calm and frenzied longing - spoke of impotence and fear, and a lust with no provenance.
Richard Attenborough created a deceitful creature, panicked by the monster within. His Christie exists in a world of heavy shadow and faint light, a hell indoors. He produced a performance characterised not only by its poise and the solemnity of his delivery, but by the most unsettling of characteristics: breathing. For Attenborough’s Christie breathed like an animal hunched in the throes of a carnal act. He grunted and strained with the burden of his freight. The shallowness of his breaths signalled his - and our - proximity to the next killing. The intimacy is frightening and all too real. We’re brought close to the crime, practically implicated by virtue of our claustrophobic closeness. Christie is tangible and loathsome. He is unquestionably the perpetrator. Evans has neither the evidence to bring Christie down nor the wherewithal to determine the truth; we, on the other hand, are left in no doubt that there was only one murderer here. We’re struck repeatedly by the mundane reality that formed a cocoon around his private acts. | 2019-04-19T22:30:08Z | https://www.astonishingsod.com/writing-samples.html |
It’s very encouraging that the AFL–CIO (see “Workers Mobilizing to Get Fair Play for Music Artists“), the leading council of trade unions in America, has come out foursquare behind their members in the creative unions twice in the last 6 weeks or so. First, there was a resounding defense of the AFTRA–DGA–IATSE-SAG anti-theft position paper in the net neutrality hearings (as well as several other major unions who filed comments such as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers). These unions were also in line with the Songwriters Guild of America that had been the lone voice opposing the loopholes in the “net neutrality” stalking horse that would permit rampant stealing to continue.
But yesterday the AFL–CIO backed the professional creators in the quest for a performance right for sound recordings in the United States, and idea whose time has definitely come (and is about 30 years overdue if you ask me). Bear in mind, practically every other country in the world has a performance right for recording artists, vocalists and musicians when their recording is played on the air (including producers in some countries). Currently–these artists get zero. The purpose of the Performance Rights Act is to create an easy to use and easy to pay license for the recordings–bearing in mind that broadcasters already pay for the songs. The sound recording is just the flip side of the same accounting and tracking that is already being done. In fact, for larger stations, the typical software packages that the big stations use to track their playlists already accounts for the sound recording in a different part of the data.
We definitely welcome the support of the AFL–CIO and the Obama administration in taking an aggressive posture to support professional creators, not to mention the domestic political clout of trade unions. We need all the help we can get to fight the hundreds of millions that Google alone spends in trying to undermine our rights and our business (Michael Geist notwithstanding).
And PS for those from Mollywood: No reason why you would know this, but “unions” are like these like people who come together to do like “collective bargaining” and they don’t take their pay in free food. In Mollywood, “collective bargaining” is venture capitalists setting a valuation, but in the United States, it’s a process that’s protected by the First Amendment of like the Constitution and stuff! OMG! And also by the National Labor Relations Act! It’s like the law, dude! And it’s not code! They also like negotiate working conditions and stuff, so don’t mention it to the code monkey in the next cubicle who you found laying on the floor naked in a pile of Ring Ding wrappers and Snapple bottles chanting “Lessig is God” or Eric might take back his options.
Geist goes after Canadian labels group for "access"
Yet another example of two-timing by Michael Geist (aka “he who shall not be named,” according to a prominent Canadian artist). (Geist is advisor to the U.S.-backed Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, the Alcan of IP with its almost 100% American board). Geist, the non-lobbyist beneficiary of tens of thousands of public dollars in “consulting” contracts from Industry Canada (not to mention the receiving over $1 million in funding for his academic seat and projects from Industry Canada and other government bureaucracies–most charged with developing copyright laws for Canada), is criticizing the Canadian label trade association for too many meetings. And how do the people know how many meetings were had? Because the trade association is a registered lobbyist and has to disclose the meetings publicly.
Either Geist, or his minders at Industry Canada, seem very interested in what is being said to Heritage Minister James Moore. Two thoughts: Before Geist whines about a lack of transparency in others, he should clean his own house. I can’t believe that he could have obtained as much money and benefit from Industry Canada as he has without having many, many, many contacts of his own. And presumably he was talking about policy. But we don’t know what he said in these discussions. And the “we” in that sentence includes “we” in the global creative community because Geist is daily becoming less of Lessig’s understudy and is taking more of a lead in policies that affect our business.
And I’m so sure that he paid his own way to testify in Europe and New Zealand with no reimbursements. I’m so sure.
“Lizard People Drop ACTA Draft from Black Helicopter” says Andrew Orlowski in The Register, in a factually correct but hysterical send-up of the level of paranoia and vitriol that was whipped up into a hate smoothie by the anti-artist NGOs and their fellow travelers. Sensing their grip on WIPO was slipping, the “let artists eat cake” crowd spurred their pale nags out to the front of what we believe was a rather sparse parade. A parade that was likely financed by those who favor the weakest copyright enforcement regime they can get, and what they can’t weaken in the law they will weaken in enforcement.
I actually had a breathless young IP student come up to me after a panel to enquire about my views on “the hated ACTA” that was being backed by “The Cartel” (obviously someone who reads certain blogs). I am ashamed to say that I could not resist.
She nodded knowingly. A neo-Baptist moment. I thought for a moment about whether I should tell her it’s a joke.
I think a survey of the literature would lead anyone fairly to agree that no one is more responsible for the recent ACTA paranoia and vitriol that works against the world’s artists than the very well funded Michael Geist (aka “he who shall not be named,” according to a prominent Canadian artist). (Geist is advisor to the U.S.-backed Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, the Alcan of IP with its almost 100% American board, and the paid consultant to Industry Canada under the many, many contracts that may—may—skirt the line on Canadian transparency laws and regulations for “untendered” payouts by government entities. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands that Industry Canada pays for his research chair.) Having cast himself in the play, he should expect to be reviewed.
But his recent obstructionist moves on ACTA have to be seen in the larger context of his role in blocking copyright reform in Canada that goes back years, and it is in this context and his recent ascendancy to the firmament of demigods of the global anti-artist movement that he must be examined. Lessig The Younger may not quite capture it, but it seems safe to guess that Geist is to certain of the Industry Canada bureaucrats what Lessig is to certain Google executives. A word to the wise—that’s not advice that is working out too well for Google.
As one of our biggest trading partners is gearing up for another attempt at bringing its copyright laws in line with the rest of the world, one can expect Geist to be taking a leading role in rallying the Cassandra chorus against professional creators and the working people who collaborate with them. His vocal opposition to ACTRA was just the prologue. The first act is yet to come. Double double, toil and trouble.
How did he know what was not in a bill that presumably was still being drafted and would not be introduced until the following June? And isn’t a draft bill subject to some kind of confidential treatment? It seems like it should be at least as confidential as the terms of an untendered contract.
“Prentice has simply decided”; “the talk in Ottawa”; “word is”; “why is Prentice throwing them in”; “Prentice hopes”; “have already been made”; “that did not exist in the delayed December bill”; “troubled by what is not in the bill”; “none of this will be in the bill”. This is not the language of guesswork, supposition or extrapolation.
It is very definite and precise.
It is the language of access.
Not only is it the language of access, it is language designed to confront. But is it designed to let Minister Prentice know that the source of his attack is Geist himself armed with inside information? Or is the attacker someone else? Someone speaking through a mouthpiece, but whose shadow is only seen on the wall of the cave?
Time will tell. Stay tuned.
The problem with high level leaks is that there are only so many people who can have had that inside knowledge and leaked it to Geist, or as one politician put it, who can coil in the tall grass and leak. Now we all know that the science of hardball realpolitik is in part the science of leakage. We are not naïve. But spewing from someone who beats the drum about transparency and then dutifully leaks that which he is told by one of the “dedicated group of likeminded people” who are Inside? Tisk, tisk, naughty, naughty schoolboy.
For what is going on here appears to be that someone in the government is leaking to an attention-starved academic who in turn is using that information to attack the government’s own Ministers, as well as trying to influence the electorate. Partly due to a desire to appear “in the know,” perhaps, or partly due to something else, perhaps something else far more tangible and mundane. Geist’s sophomoric “What Can You Do” post was mostly a list of whom in government his followers could write to about their views. Yes, literally about as sophisticated as “write your Member of Parliament.” Except that he offered a long list of people that his followers could write from the Prime Minister to their dog catcher, including some online “petitions”.
As we saw with the questionable practices that Industry Canada bureaucrats apparently did nothing to discourage in the most recent Canadian copyright consultations, this business of online letter writing is now being perfected into a rather bizarre exercise in mustering a ghostly army of secret “voters”.
Pretty stinky. (This kind of thing is jumping the gene pool–now it’s happening in the UK as well, see “Web Politics: The honeymoon is over“).
And I almost forgot—included in Geist’s “What Can You Do” list was an invitation to his followers to join Geist’s Fair Copyright Facebook group. What is amazing to me is that the fact that this group had a lot of “friends” was evidently viewed in some circles as evidence of some political influence. Yet any form of “protest” that involved mobilizing bodies by the Fair Copyright group was by any yardstick an abject failure.
So the point isn’t how people choose to express themselves politically (if these speakers really exist). All’s fair.
The point is spin. The point is bluff. The point is bootstrapping. It’s fair to ask how much weight should be attributed to various inputs from the electorate and whether having Facebook friends or online casual voting actually mean anything tangible on which policy should be based.
This is the point of the Obama administration’s recent cautionary memo and it’s the point of several posts on MTP (see below). It’s also common sense good government.
Now it would not surprise me if Geist, like most academics, thought himself intellectually superior to music industry types. But I promise you this—if any A&R at a record company came in all breathless about a band because the group had a bunch of Facebook friends but couldn’t draw a crowd at their local, they’d be laughed out of the music business. All the “impressions” in the world, all the “eyeballs” online don’t mean anything if there are no butts in seats. We live in RR—real reality—not AR—augmented reality. This is the oldest trick in the online playbook. Not to mention the fact that Canada’s privacy minister blasted Facebook for its privacy policies.
If you examine the literature of online political campaigning, you will see a sophisticated niche developing that is directed at the only thing that really means anything in political campaigns—on election day, can you get butts to the polls to vote for your candidate. Period. If you can’t do that, then your activities are weighted accordingly. As in not at all.
Now this is a very interesting criticism. The legitimacy of the “thousands of responses, the majority of which called on the government” to adopt the Geist agenda have been at a minimum found wanting and I think really have been shown to be a shoddy example of what Internet luminaries like Cass Sunstein of the Obama administration’s Office of Management and Budget have warned against.
Mr. Sunstein is clearly trying to establish best practices for the U.S. government to allow the government to benefit from the good of using the Internet to further legitimate policy making goals while avoiding the bad. Avoiding the bad includes a prohibition on basing policy decisions on the use of information that is or could be gamed in the formation of public policy by “a dedicated group of like-minded people”—inside or outside of the government. Several Canadian writers have discussed these issues at length, including the shoddy CCER form letters (as have MTP in Secret Ballots, Not Secret Voters, 100,000 Voters Who Don’t Exist, and A Dedicated Group of Likeminded People).
For the gaming can be played from outside—or inside—the government. I would submit to you that you are watching the process unfold before your eyes. Someone wrote a form letter to be used in the online submission process. That letter just coincidentally hit all of Geist’s criticisms of C-61 and then some. The CCER form letter not only could have been gamed, it was in fact gamed. I know because I gamed it.
As we have seen in the disclosed documents discussed in another post, Industry Canada bureaucrats clearly knew that the overwhelming majority of these form letters came from the same source—from CCER.
Pause there. The consultation had two key components for open public comment: live town halls and anonymous online submissions. The plan at Industry Canada seems to have been to have many more online submissions by God knows who than there were real live people show up at the town halls. Geist then could use those online submissions as the basis for claiming that a “majority” of Canadians favored his platform as expressed in the CCER letter. And when you read that quotation above “[T]he national copyright consultation…generated thousands of responses, the majority of which called on the government to abandon the C-61 approach….” did you think he was talking about Canadians? He doesn’t say that. He just says the “majority of” the thousands of responses.
If you read the CCER form letter that comprises the “majority of responses”, it is hard to believe that the drafter of that letter could just have coincidentally zeroed in on all of the issues important to Geist and that he plans on opposing if copyright reform legislation is introduced. The CCER (some of whose leaders apparently were among the first to join Geist’s new Facebook group for what that’s worth) just happened to have an articulate rendering of Geist’s principle beefs with past copyright reform legislation and that letter just happens to make up the “majority” of online responses. At the core of this bootstrapping seems to be the belief that the unelected academic somehow has superior legitimacy to the purportedly “unpure” elected representative—why, because Geist has more Facebook “friends”? No, the ministers are just blindly doing the bidding of the Yanks Under The Bed.
This is truly, truly cynical. Like Lessig the Elder, Lessig the Younger has yet to stand for office. The people he slags have. The voters have spoken on this score. They put “butts in seats” as we say in the music business. But Geist doesn’t focus much on the real people.
Just the ghostly army that Richard Owens demonstrates he tried to gin up.
It is simply Court etiquette.
There is an excellent opinion piece in Forbes by Ronald Cass, former dean of the Boston University law school. In Google’s Blind Side, he makes many good points about the unacknowledged liability exposure that Google has to the many copyright infringement cases pending against the company, and makes an overarching point that cuts against the Veoh case.
He also gives a very well-articulated explanation of why the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s interpretation of the DMCA (and that of many other Google apologists) is entirely wrong as a matter of law.
As we have said on MTP many times, Google has some serious exposure in the Viacom case and the often overlooked class action case which includes many plaintiffs who in theory could individually be entitled to damages equal to Viacom (such as the Premier League and the NMPA). A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money, even for Google.
And that’s just YouTube. This, combined with the litigation (perhaps brought by the United States, France, Germany or New Zealand for starters) that is inevitably going to arise out of the stunningly ill-advised Google Books debacle, is enough to put a significant dent in Google’s stock price.
And remember–the Google founders went way, way out of their way on the very edges of corporate law in the go-go years of the Dot Bomb boom to make sure that they and only they would have ultimate control of Google. (Does anyone doubt that the SEC would probably never allow another Google-type IPO in the current environment?) With control comes responsibility–and liability. And it all points back guess where? The smartest guys in the room.
There may be some companies that are “too big to fail,” in the popular mantra, but Google is not one of them. Neither are the artists who they are systematically destroying.
None of this should come as a surprise given the long, long line of cases where Google apolotists Lessig, Nesson, the EFF et al have done a brilliant job of making the losing argument.
See also: How Many DMCA Notices Are Too Many?
See also: Veoh: Is Continuous Monitoring Really the Law?
See also: Google to EMI: Stop Me Before I Infringe Again!
One of the unexpected highlights of the FCC’s request for public comments on its proposed “net neutrality” regulations was the coming together of many trade unions in the US. The American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, the Directors Guild of America, the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees and the Screen Actors Guild all filed a joint comment, the Songwriters Guild of America filed their own and the American Federation of Musicians filed separately. Several unions outside the professional creative unions also filed comments, as did the American Association of Independent Music.
It was encouraging to see this outpouring of union support for the speech-related aspects of the proposed regulations but resounding rejection of any gamesmanship with the “nondiscrimination” rules applied to the fundamental discrimination–between legal and illegal activity. This nuanced view is sadly lacking in these public discussions.
The far-ranging opposition of unions to the piracy that is ravaging their members was capped off by a statement by the primary association of unions in America, the AFL–CIO. The AFL–CIO clearly supported their member unions and should put to rest forever (although I know it won’t) the claims of “big media” opposing “the little guy” in discussions of piracy. As anyone who is even remotely close to our business can tell you, it is the independent artist who aspires to become a professional who is hurt the most by the consumer electronics industry and their many apologists masquerading as “consumer advocates”.
“Music Supported Here is a new movement from the Musicians’ Union.
It’s a campaign for all musicians.
not get ripped-off in the digital world.
and to remind fans that you want to control your rights.
their own stores and websites: a source of music controlled by the musicians.
And for music fans it’s a way to say that you don’t rip-off musicians.
Controlled Compositions: 10 x 3/4, 5 on EP, 2 on Single, bumps to 87.5 and full at gold and platinum, full on digital and club, 3/4 of 3/4 on mid and budget, protection for 2 outside, rate fixed on delivery, no crossing, paid on royalty bearing, US and Canada.
What did you just agree?
You just agreed to the following maximum mechanical rates, all based on 75% of the minimum statutory rate in effect at the date that you deliver your recordings to your record company. Each cap is multiplied times the minimum statutory rate. The current minimum statutory rate is $0.091 so we will use that rate for the example. 75% of that rate is $0.06825.
If the equivalent of 2 songs are written or co-written with songwriters who do not accept the controlled compositions clause, then those songs will be treated as controlled for purposes of calculating the maximum mechanical rate.
These rates only apply in the US and Canada (but note that the CMRRA sets special terms benefiting songwriters for sales in Canada under controlled composition clauses).
Mechanical royalties cannot be cross-collateralized to recoup advances under the artist agreement against mechanical royalties, except in specific circumstances (the “Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse”): Unexcused overbudget, union penalties, overpayments and indemnity claims.
Mr. Sunstein—who some might call something of an Internet evangelist—is clearly trying to establish best practices for the U.S. government to allow the government to benefit from the good of using the Internet to further legitimate policy making goals while avoiding the bad. Avoiding the bad includes a prohibition on basing policy decisions on the use of information that is or could be gamed in the formation of public policy by “a dedicated group of like-minded people.”And the gaming can be done before or after the fact, and the “like-minded people” can be outside—or inside—the government.
It is not a very large leap to imagine a truly Orwellian world where the government finds that the public supports its policies because it uses information that its anonymized supporters intentionally game or are encouraged to game to produce the desired result. As we noted in Fair Copyright Canada and 100,000 Voters Who Don’t Exist , the legitimate desire by governments to use the Internet to engage with the governed is to be admired. But if the process is selectively managed by bureaucrats with an agenda, it is to be greeted with considerable caution if not outright suspicion.
Neither Mr. Sunstein nor we are alone in focusing on these important issues–as reported in the Toronto Globe and Mail, fortunately for everyone Canadian lawyer Richard Owens has done some excellent research on the results of the failures of bureaucrats at Industry Canada in the copyright consultations (see “Noises Heard: Canada’s Recent Online Consultation Process–Teachings and Cautions” published on the IPOsgoode intellectual property blog at the prestigious Osgoode Hall law school in Toronto and “Re-doing the Math” by Canadian novelist John Degan). Remember—the consultations are conducted for the purpose of the government receiving testimony from Canadians to be used in the formulation of public policy regarding Canadian intellectual property laws. The total breakdown that followed during the Canadian experience is a lesson to us all. My references to the teaching moment in Mr. Sunstein’s memorandum is not by way of saying that the U.S. approach is the better one, but rather as an illustration of how one government is seeking to both embrace the Internet and insulate itself from the Internet at the same time.
“While the results of our study revealed a sharp gender, age and Anglophone bias in the submissions, of particular concern is the apparent lack of verification of identity, uniqueness, age (voting or otherwise) or citizenship of those making the submissions. For instance, 70% of the total submissions were “form letters” originating from a single little-known group of modchip distributors – the Canadian Coalition for Electronic Rights (CCER) – that had its form letter extensively circulated internationally on BitTorrent related sites. As a result, it appears that many of the submissions were not even made by Canadians. Our study raises serious issues regarding the design and results of the public consultations, and of the need to ensure that future online consultations are better designed to properly represent the views and interests of the Canadian body politic….
Mr. Sunstein’s admonition fits nicely with Mr. Owens’ conclusions. However, neither of them have the benefit of many, many leaked documents relating to the uncritical acceptance by Industry Canada bureaucrats of the overwhelming number of CCER form letters received by Industry Canada outside of their normal process.
I confess that the first time I saw this CCER letter writing wizard it seemed deeply, deeply flawed. So flawed, in fact, that it was hard to imagine anyone gullible enough to fall for it. But leave that to one side for now.
I would start by pointing out that we submitted our own version of the corrupted CCER form letter, clearly pointing out that if the Ministers received our letter, they had been gamed. Apparently they did, because we received a form response back over Minster Clement’s name (as described in detail in Fair Copyright Canada and 100,000 Voters Who Don’t Exist) that confirmed his receipt of our letter through the CCER wizard—which clearly stated that we were submitting it to test whether the system was being gamed. It appears that Mr. Sunstein’s worst fears materialized.
The entire process is so seamlessly designed to produce a particular result, it raises a serious question of who thought of what when and whether the CCER letter was all part of the plan hatched by Industry Canada bureaucrats with their fellow travelers to game the consultation process.
Malota’s response? “Thanks!” Pip, pip, cheerio.
Wasn’t it the responsibility of the more senior to temper the enthusiasm of the junior? Perhaps not for the “dedicated group of like-minded individuals”. Or said another way (with sincere apologies to Bay Area residents with long memories)—they drank the Koolaide.
At that point the die was cast, and appears to be how policy was to be made—a prime example of Mr. Sunstein’s concerns. It seems obvious that those who could have stopped using the CCER letters not only did not, but seem to have at least tacitly agreed among themselves that lack of probative value of the ubiquitous CCER form letters was to be downplayed and used by Industry Canada to further its own agenda.
If there were any form letters that were not CCER, I saw no mention of it in this exchange. The only place that there seems to be any doubt that the form letters were from CCER is in the way that the information was shaped that would flow up the chain of command.
Informally? What does that mean, informally? Since when does a bureaucrat do anything “informally”—so there is no paper trail? And what exactly does the passive voice “if that’s the best way to communicate it” trail off to mean? If you decide that’s the best way?
“We”, that is, Industry Canada, are about to tweet the good news to the general public that a shadowy association of dubious legality has created a nearly untraceable form letter. So this would seem to mean that Industry Canada is actively promoting the use of the CCER form letter by the general public.
Not once—not one time—in all of these emails does anyone say anything like, “Gee, we better be sure that only Canadians are responding” or even, “Gee, we better be sure we can distinguish Canadian from non-Canadian submissions”. The CCER letter writing wizard advocates a self-described “Canadian-to-the-core” solution—wouldn’t you want to be sure that the phrase had some meaning?
So—if you heard Mike Lake say these words, you would probably assume that he meant what he said—that Industry Canada was taking submissions through its website for lots of Canadians to participate. Sounds great, right? Very egalitarian and digital.
The only problem is that it was not true. I’m sure that Mike Lake thought that it was true, I’m sure Mike Lake had no reason to think it wasn’t because the “dedicated group of like minded people” who likely knew it wasn’t true didn’t tell him that the overwhelming majority of the submissions were form letters from a shadowy group that were not even coming into the government through its own processes. Form letters that were being sent to the government in a way that intentionally masked their origin. Form letters that were very, very likely not even coming from Canadians, yet were clearly being identified as contributing to making policy.
Let us ask a few questions about Derek Noon. Why would the copyright consultation “team” need to have someone in charge of reporting to them on the consultation website activity? Why wouldn’t the “team” just go look themselves? What was happening on the website that the experienced bureaucrat would want to insulate themselves from knowing? Why not just send an automated website analytics report? And even so, if they were going to pay special attention to what was being done on the web, why wasn’t that handled by the usual department PR hack or (digital) clipping service? Why did they need to burn up their headcount on one person in their group who was monitoring the web?
So on the eve of the Toronto town hall, certainly a significant, if not the most influential, audience the Minister is likely to have, what is Derek Noon’s report to the “team”?
Twitter, digital locks, “wary praise” and Geist. It actually sounds like a day in the life of Geist, doesn’t it?
And that’s it for the week of September 2? That’s all that happened online on a hot topic like copyright reform in Canada? Really? CCER, Howard Knopf and the Canadian Pirate Party. It is not entirely clear that the “Canadian Pirate Party” actually existed at the time, but the Pirate Party was important enough to Derek Noon to take up 1/3 of the internal reporting on the copyright consultation. CCER “Tweets”? Why in the world would Industry Canada be spending time on CCER tweets? I guess that would depend on who was tweeting, wouldn’t it.
Another bureaucrat provides the “stats” for the August 31 to September 4 period. 4,710 submissions, 3,585 from CCER as is duly noted. No one—no one—seems the least surprised at this gross disparity in the submissions.
Are you beginning to get the idea that Derek Noon has a very narrow view of what constitutes “online activity”? Or maybe he doesn’t.
Maybe he knows that his readers are not really interested in all online activity (because there was a lot more). Maybe he knows they are just interested in certain online activity.
Former Secretary of State George Schultz had a great line during the Iran-Contra hearings—“It all starts with a cigar.” If you are going to take the public’s money and with it the public’s trust, don’t take a lobbyist’s cigar.
The point of all this is that when you read the email threads from within Industry Canada, it becomes increasingly obvious that there was something unholy going on. If I’m wrong about that, believe I am all ears. Please show me the evidence. I haven’t found it, Richard Owens hasn’t found it, and I frankly doubt that anyone else will find it either–because it doesn’t exist.
There are strange redactions that don’t seem to be necessary. There are references to emails sent in response to voice mails, and the voicemail recipient saying “I hope you don’t mind” that they are responding to voicemail with email. There are requests that this matter be handled “informally”.
There are ambiguous edits of language that create clearly misleading inferences. But most of all, there seems to be a fixation on maintaining a letter writing process that was clearly being promoted by Michael Geist, Industry Canada bureaucrats and it’s anyone’s guess who else.
The only conclusion that can properly be deduced is that somebody wanted to game the online submission process during the consultations because they were unsure of the result from the town halls.
Meaning that they were unsure of how many real people would actually show up to town halls which was the one part of this process that was not easily gamed. Moreover, they were unsure what those real people would actually say, so they wanted to create a ghostly online army that would say what the “dedicated group of like minded people” wanted them to say to compensate for the lack of real Canadians showing up at town halls who might speak their minds. Hence the ubiquitous form letter.
Why did Derek Noon limit his reporting up the chain to the very few sources he used—like the Canadian Pirate Party, against copyright reform? Why didn’t he include the other online reporting on the consultations? Do you think that a bureaucrat at his level would go rogue and just decide that he would make up his own mind about what would be relevant to his immediate audience?
No. More likely—he was doing exactly what he was told to do, perhaps “informally” in line with the admonition from Colette Downey. He was providing “informal” reports on exactly the people and the kind of activity that he knew would interest his audience.
The direction of the Government is clear. Ministers, like cabinet secretaries, must rely on their staff. It seems obvious that Minster Clement was far too busy to reach down to the Derek Noon level, and he relied on his staff to provide him with accurate information, as did Mike Lake, I’m sure.
Little did they know that their staff was busily creating a ghostly “army” of voters who don’t exist. Or it sure looks that way.
Mr. Sunstein and Mr. Owens have put their fingers on an issue at the heart of incorporating the internet into the digital society–how can we preserve the confidence of the people in the democratic process in all its aspects while at the same time utilizing the tools that will enhance deliberation and responsiveness.
Ask yourself if the consultation is a shining example of government playing by the rules. I suggest to you that at least with respect to the online submission process, the opposite is true. However well-intentioned the minsters may have been in conducting the consultations, they got really, really bad advice and were ill-served by the bureaucracy.
Like the core principles of representative democracy, it’s not as important who wins as it is that they won fair and square and played by the rules. The artists, songwriters, actors, directors, screenwriters, authors, illustrators, photographers–the professional creative community–deserve–and expect–no less. Not only in Canada, but everywhere.
It now appears that Geist has offered some defense of the CCER letters that Owens’ criticizes, which should come as no surprise. You have to wonder if he’s being paid by Industry Canada to respond, as it seems he’s being paid by Industry Canada for so many other things, why should this topic be different?
As someone who played benefit concerts for René Lévesque when most English Canadians thought he was just a chain smoking whackjob (i.e., before his Parti Québécois swept into power in Quebec in 1976), I REALLY take issue with the idea that the carefree Québécois would rather go frolicking in Morin-Heights in the summer time than concern themselves with the weighty matters of state that concern Geist. This from a province that has produced a healthy professional creative class and international stars for decades when, frankly, their English countrymen were struggling for airplay on their own radio stations. But let’s let bygones be bygones on that score. | 2019-04-22T18:54:48Z | https://musictechpolicy.com/2010/04/ |
Members, prospective members, please come on out!
Is Your Home Wifi System Secure?
Even in the country, we need to be aware of our wifi set-up and make sure our system is set up securely.
What is a home wireless network?
In a few simple words, a basic home wireless network means connecting an Internet access point, such as a cable from your Internet Service Provider, to a (wireless) router in order to allow multiple devices to connect to the network very quickly.
In many cases, once a Wireless router has been installed, we find a place in our home for it and forget about it. As long as all our devices are set up and connected via the Wi-fi network, that’s all that matters, right? Wrong!
Probably many of you don’t realize, but the Internet router is one of the most important devices in our home. It’s the gateway to our Internet access and also prone to exploits by cybercriminals who can sneak into our devices and get access to our system.
Let’s not forget that we live in the age of data breaches, ransomware attacks, and many other online threats. Thus, you should be worried about the security of your home network and take all the needed security measures to increase Wifi security.
The only measure most people use to protect their home network is to set up a password and prevent neighbors and other people from taking control over your data. But we have to be more serious about security and do more than just setting a simple password. A serious risk is that an online criminal might exploit your poor Wi-fi security measures and “listen” to your traffic in order to retrieve sensitive information or take advantage of your network to launch malicious attacks such as Man-in-the-Middle attacks, network sniffing or data theft.
Though relatively easy to use and access, Wi-Fi networks are not always SECURE networks. Wi-fi comes with lots of security issues, and it’s worth reminding about the Krack vulnerability found in the Wireless Protected Access II (WPA2) protocol which affected all devices connected via Wi-fi.
For this reason, learning how to secure your wireless home network against cybercriminals is a wise and smart move. Given how many Internet of Things devices you may own, making sure your network is extra safe carries even more weight, even though sometimes taking care of your cybersecurity can be a tedious but necessary task.
In this article, you will learn how you can better secure your home network and decrease chances of getting your valuable data compromised.
If you want to better secure your home network, the first thing you should do is to change the name of your Wi-Fi network, also known as the SSID (Service Set Identifier).
While giving your Wi-Fi a somewhat provocative name such as “Can’t hack this” may backfire at times, other names such as “this is not a wifi” or “too fly for a wifi” are perfectly acceptable.
Changing your Wi-Fi’s default name makes it harder for malicious attackers to know what type of router you have. If a cybercriminal knows the manufacturer name of your router, they will know what vulnerabilities that model has and then try to exploit them.
We strongly advise not to call your home network something like “John’s Wi-Fi”. You don’t want them to know at first glance which wireless network is yours when there are probably three or four other neighboring Wi-Fis.
Also, remember that disclosing too much personal information on a wireless network name may expose you to an identity theft operation.
You probably know that every wireless router comes pre-set with a default username and password, which is needed in the first place to install and connect your router. The worst part: it’s easy for hackers to guess it, especially if they know the manufacturer.
So, make sure you change them both immediately.
A good wireless password should be at least 20 characters long and include numbers, letters, and various symbols.
Use a strong password for your network. Friends coming over for a visit may complain about the unusual length of your password, but this might discourage them from needlessly consuming your data with boring Facebook or Instagram posts.
Wireless networks come with multiple encryption languages, such as WEP, WPA or WPA2.
To better understand this terminology, WPA2 stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 and is both a security protocol and a current standard in the industry (WPA2 networks are almost everywhere) and encrypts traffic on Wi-Fi networks. It also replaces the older and less secure WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy), and is an upgrade of the original WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) technology. Since 2006, all Wi-Fi certified products should use WPA2 security.
WPA2 AES is also a standard security system now, so all wireless networks are compatible with it. If you are using a TP-Link wireless router, here’s how to secure your wireless network.
The good news is that the WPA3 is already here and will replace WPA2. The Wi-Fi Alliance recently announced its next-generation wireless network security standard which aims to solve a common security issue: open Wi-Fi networks. More than that, it comes with security enhancements and includes a suite of features to simplify Wi-fi security configuration for users and service providers.
In order to secure your network, we strongly recommend you to disable the wireless home network, in case of extended periods of non use. You should do the same thing with all your devices that are using Ethernet cables or when you won’t be at home.
By doing this, you are closing any windows of opportunity malicious hackers might attempt to get access to it while you are away.
Security reasons – Turning off your network devices, it minimizes the chances of becoming a target for hackers.
Noise reduction – Although the modern home networks are much quieter these days, disabling your wireless home network can add calmness to your home.
Step 5. Where is the router located in your home?
You probably haven’t thought about this in the first, but where is your Wi-Fi place in your home can also have an impact on your security.
Place the wireless router as close as possible to the middle of your house. Why? First of all, it will provide equal access to the Internet to all the rooms in your home. Secondly, you don’t want to have your wireless signal range reach too much outside your home, where it can be easily intercepted by malicious persons.
For this reason, we recommend not to place your wireless router close to a window since there’s nothing to block the signal going outside your home.
To set up your wireless router, you usually need to access an online platform or site, where you can make several changes to your network settings.
Most Wi-fi routers come with default credentials such as “admin” and “password” which are such an easy for malicious hackers to break into.
Did you know that the number of wireless networks has increased dramatically over the last 8 years? In 2010 there were 20 million Wi-Fi networks around the globe, and in 8 years, that number increased to 400 million.
Smartphones, laptops, tablets and other devices have driven this growth, and because of how expensive data plans are, most people choose to connect their device to wireless Internet connections.
Changing the default IP address to a less common one is another thing you should consider doing to better secure your home network and make it more difficult for hackers to track it.
Change the IP address to preference, then click Save.
Note: After you’ve changed the IP address, you’ll need to type the new IP address into the web browser bar.
You can also change the DNS server that your Wireless router is using to filter the Internet traffic.
To enhance the wireless network security, you should turn off the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server in your router which is what IP addresses are assigned to each device on a network. Instead, you should make use of a static address and enter your network settings.
This means that you should enter into your device and assign it an IP address that is suitable to your router.
Most routers allow you to access their interface only from a connected device. However, some of them allow access even from remote systems.
Once you turned off the remote access, malicious actors won’t be able to access your router’s privacy settings from a device not connected to your wireless network.
To make this change, access the web interface and search for “Remote access” or “Remote Administration“.
The software is an essential part of your wireless network security. The wireless router’s firmware, like any other software, contains flaws which can become major vulnerabilities and be ruthlessly exploited by hackers.
Unfortunately, many wireless routers don’t come with the option to auto-update their software, so you have to go through the hassle of doing this manually.
And even for those Wi-Fi networks that can auto-update, it still requires you to switch on this setting. But, we remind you about the importance of software patching and how neglecting to do this can leave open doors for cybercriminals to exploit various vulnerabilities.
Firewalls aren’t just software programs used on your PC, they also come in the hardware variety.
A hardware firewall does pretty much the same thing as a software one, but its biggest advantage is that it adds one extra layer of security.
The best part about hardware firewalls is that most of the best wireless routers have a built-in firewall that should protect your network from potential cyber attacks.
If your router doesn’t have one, you can install a good firewall device to your router in order to protect your system from malicious hacking attempts against your home network.
Important: Do not leave any exposed vulnerabilities for online criminals to pick on!
Even though you’ve increased protection for your router and home network, you need to make sure you don’t have any security holes that can be exploited by online criminals.
Always apply the latest security patches to ensure no security hole is left open to malicious actors.
check which devices connect most often to your home network and make sure they have antivirus and/or an anti-malware security software installed.
Securing the home network should be a top priority for each of us interested in keeping the data safe and secure. These steps can be really useful even for the non-tech savvy person to apply.
Also, do not forget that your wireless network security can be sometimes weak, and prone to exploits. It almost doesn’t matter how strong your password is or if your software is up to date if cybercriminals can just hijack your Wi-Fi data.
So this is why we’ve written this guide on how to secure a wireless network. You still have to keep an eye out for insecure Wi-Fi routers out there, however, since most will probably still use WEP and not follow these safety procedures.
What is The Wise Owls Program?
For a presentation in your area, contact the Grande Prairie District Rural Crime Watch at [email protected]. Costs are covered by the Alberta Rural Crime Watch Association.
A 19-year-old caught trying to steal a truck was Tasered by Edmonton police in a dramatic arrest captured two Facebook videos.
The man now faces several criminal charges. The videos have been viewed more than 900,000 times since they were posted Monday.
The arrest happened around 4 p.m. Monday in a parking lot outside a Subway restaurant at 172nd Street and Stony Plain Road.
The first video showed a parked Chevrolet Avalanche with five men standing around it, two at the passenger door and three at the driver’s door. One man said the truck belonged to him.
The suspect was inside the truck, trying to start the engine. One onlooker was on the phone with police, giving a description of the suspect.
The second video showed the suspect still inside the truck as Edmonton police officers ordered him to get him out. Police eventually broke the driver’s window.
One officer could be heard saying, “Drop the f–king knife!” just before the sound of a stun gun being deployed.
At that point, a man shouted and groaned in pain.
The suspect eventually opened the driver’s door and police took him to the ground. One officer kicked away what appeared to be a knife that had fallen out of the truck.
While all that was going on, a red car pulled up. A woman got out, saying the suspect was her brother. She could be heard saying “Don’t resist,” to the suspect.
The videos were posted by Greg Johnson, who described the scene on his Facebook page.
“Having a bite at Subway and the owner says to me, ‘I can’t believe someone is trying to steal my truck,’ ” Johnson wrote.
Johnson said he provided his video evidence to police, who thanked him for it.
Officers tried to talk the suspect out of the truck before they broke the driver’s window, Maran said in an emailed statement. “The male continued to resist arrest and a conducted-energy weapon was used to take him into custody,” she said.
Police think the man was under the influence of drugs. Emergency Medical Services treated him on scene before transporting him to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Maran said.
The man was later released into police custody.
Police said the man had three edged weapons and firearm ammunition.
Court records show the suspect faces seven charges, including attempted theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public, possession of break and enter tools, possession of a controlled substance and obstructing a police officer.
Maran said the Edmonton Police Service thinks the officers’ actions during the arrest were appropriate.
Currently, the Edmonton Police Service receives approximately 1500 reports of missing persons per year. We recognize the need to investigate missing persons reports in an efficient and effective manner.Prior to reporting a missing person the following steps must be completed.
The primary question when determining if a person is missing or not is: Is this out of character for this individual?
To ensure all cases are handled appropriately and ensure the continuity of the risk assessment, all missing persons must be reported to your local police.
Each case will then involve a risk assessment where a series of questions will identify the nature and urgency of the missing persons case. If the person is deemed missing and depending on the urgency, a police member will be dispatched or the file will then be forwarded to Missing Persons Unit where the case will be further investigated.
Please note, inquiries through email cannot be submitted for investigations nor will Missing Persons Unit search for long lost relatives.
The federal government introduced legislation to legalize cannabis by July 2018. Alberta can decide how it will adapt to this legislation.
Bill 26: An Act to Control and Regulate Cannabis has passed to empower elements of the framework through legislation, which are largely in the form of amendments to the Gaming and Liquor Act.
Provide authority for the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission to carry out oversight and compliance functions as well as manage the distribution of cannabis.
Establish the authority to carry out public online sales, and to license privately owned and operated cannabis stores with strong oversight and provincewide rules.
Establish provincial offences related to youth possession, public consumption and consumption of cannabis in vehicles.
Details on private cannabis retail, including the process and requirements for obtaining a licence, are expected in the new year.
From June 2 to October 27, 2017, we held extensive public and stakeholder engagement so Albertans could share their thoughts, questions, expertise and ideas about cannabis.
More than 60,000 Albertans shared their input through two online surveys and in hundreds of written submissions. We also conducted additional public opinion research to ensure we heard from people across the province.
Please note: Details on the process and requirements for licensing private cannabis retail is expected in the new year.
Is it Legal to Shoot an Intruder in Canada?
“Get off my property or I’ll shoot” is a phrase one might hear in a Spaghetti Western.
It’s a phrase that one may well be permitted to utter in real life if a trespasser is on your property trying to steal your car. However, following through on that threat and killing the trespasser is likely to land you in police custody, facing a charge of murder.
But what if shots are actually fired? Historically, courts in Canada — unlike their counterparts south of the border — have not extended defence of property principles to excuse shooting a thief, whether or not death ensues. In order to justify that type of excessive response, there must be more than just the threat of a loss of property involved. Did the thief, when first confronted, aggressively attempt to attack the homeowner? Did the thief himself reach for or display a weapon? Did the homeowner, in addition to the possible loss of property, honestly believe he or she was also in grave danger? Every case is obviously different, but these are the types of factors that might justify the homeowner’s use of deadly force.
Many Canadians will likely feel a great deal of sympathy for Peter Khill, the man charged with murder for allegedly shooting that suspected car thief. Some may say they would have done exactly the same thing. Undoubtedly, some will say the thief deserved it. However, for Mr. Khill’s sake, I hope the evidence demonstrates that something other than the mere theft of the truck was occurring. Perhaps, Mr. Khill had a basis to fear for his own safety, leading to his alleged use of deadly force.
Otherwise, regardless of our sympathy, Mr. Khill faces a life sentence, the automatic penalty for second degree murder (he would be eligible for parole after 10 years). While this may seem harsh to some, it’s worth remembering a lesson from another Hamilton area case — the death of Tim Bosma — that no life is worth “a stupid truck”.
Successful crime prevention takes the entire community to become engaged. ACCPA is the hub for Alberta to share best practices in crime prevention between community members & organizations, government and law enforcement.
This years’ conference will bring together ACCPA members, partners and experts, many of whom are engaged in crime prevention initiatives across Alberta, with a focus on how we can come together as a group and collaborate to help prevent crime in Alberta.
Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association was established in 1989 as the Alberta Community Police Advisory Committee by provincial Police Services as a means to discuss mutual crime related issues within communities/police/government. In 1990 it became the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association (ACCPA).
Being a brick-and-mortar retailer these days is challenging enough, especially with competition from eCommerce sites. The last thing you need is to worry about losing sales to shoplifters.
But according to Sennco Solutions, more than $35 million worth of retail products are stolen every day. That adds up to $13 billion a year.
There are two types of shoplifting. Organized retail theft is the work of shoplifting rings that resell the items; they typically target bigger retailers. Small retail stores are more likely to be the target of opportunistic shoplifters, people who don’t walk in planning to steal something, but spot an opportunity and decide to grab an item. By some estimates, nearly three-fourths of shoplifting events fall into this unplanned category.
How can you protect your store from shoplifters of both kinds? Try these tips.
Products that are easy to conceal and sneak out are popular targets. So are “impulse” buys. Clothing and accessories, cosmetics, CDs, DVDs, and small electronics or electronics accessories (like smartphone cases) are common targets for theft.
If you have high shelves or secluded corners, use convex mirrors that allow you to see these “hidden” areas from the cash register. Merchandise these areas with products that are bulky and hard to steal.
Consider putting valuable items in locked cases so that customers need the help of a salesperson to access them.
Place your checkout counter near the middle front of the store so it’s centrally located — and so customers have to pass by while leaving.
Installing mirrors or security cameras (even fake security cameras) can convince thieves to go elsewhere or scare opportunistic shoplifters out of acting.
You can also post signs saying that the store is protected by security cameras. Even if customers can’t see the cameras, they will likely think they are hidden or disguised.
Have employees watch for suspicious packages, large bags or customers wearing bulky coats (especially in warm weather.) These are often used to smuggle products out of a store. You may want to ask shoppers with large bags to check them at the register.
Put locks on dressing room doors so customers can’t enter without help from an employee. Have employees count items when customers enter and again when they leave.
Hire adequate staff. A common tactic among retail theft rings is for one thief to distract the sales clerk while another thief stuffs a bag with products. If you don’t have enough employees on the floor, you’re setting the stage for shoplifting.
As you take advantage of these ways to prevent shoplifting, remember that you want your store to be a welcoming place to visit. Friendly staff who greet customers, stroll around, chat and offer assistance with a smile can do more to prevent shoplifting than any security system.
Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology is used for law enforcement and other purposes. In British Columbia, police agencies use ALPR to remove unlawful drivers from the road and to identify Motor Vehicle Act infractions and criminal activity that may otherwise go undetected. B.C. RCMP Traffic Services manages and delivers the ALPR program for all police agencies using the technology in B.C.
The ALPR program was started in B.C. as a pilot project of the RCMP and Police Services Division Road Safety Unit. ALPR supports auto crime reduction, and identifies unlicenced or uninsured drivers as well as drivers prohibited or suspended under the Motor Vehicle Act or Criminal Code. These drivers pose a significant risk to the public as they are disproportionally represented in serious collisions.
The ALPR system uses infrared colour cameras and special software to read licence plates at a rate of up to 3,000 per hour. The cameras are mounted on police vehicles and scan licence plates on parked or moving vehicles. The scans are compared with the ALPR hot list, which is generated daily from Insurance Corporation of B.C. (ICBC) and Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) databases.
The secure hot list is loaded into ALPR-equipped police vehicles at the start of each shift. There is no real-time access to ICBC or CPIC drivers’ databases. A sound will alert the police officer if a scan results in a hit. The police officer must then confirm the hit against the live ICBC and CPIC databases. If the hit is confirmed, the officer responds as appropriate.
In the case of a hit, ALPR records the image of the vehicle, as well as its plate number, the date, time and GPS coordinates of the vehicle and the type of hit. The police officer will record what action was taken. No distinguishing features of vehicle occupants can be seen in 98% of the pictures taken because the camera focuses on the plate.
When a licence plate scan does not yield a hit, data about the plate is deleted from the ALPR system at the end of the officer’s shift. The only data that are saved are the date, time and GPS coordinates, which are kept for statistical purposes. | 2019-04-23T02:40:26Z | https://gpcrimewatch.ca/news/page/2/ |
It's also important, especially for first-time homebuyers, to learn all the terminology and the buying process ahead of the property purchase, and to be prepared for any legal fees that accompany this buying process.
When you're in the market for a new home, building a budget is the first thing you have to do. You can't start house hunting until you’ve saved a deposit and come up with a working budget based on your current income and monthly debt. You need to know what you can afford before you start shopping for a loan.
Performing your own mortgage affordability calculations is necessary in order to set realistic expectations. While lenders will analyze your income levels, monthly debt payments, and credit information with a fine tooth comb, they're unable to break down your expenses or set workable budget limits.
It's important not to let lenders tell you how much you can afford. You need to do some groundwork and build your own budget one step at a time.
Along with your savings, income and expenses, it's also important to take interest rates and credit history into account. Interest rates change all the time, with the rates available at the time you get a mortgage greatly affecting what you can afford. The more you need to borrow, the bigger effect that interest rates will have on your monthly payments.
How much lenders are willing to offer you will also depend on your credit history, with a good credit score associated with a low default risk. In Canada, credit scores range anywhere from 300 to 900. A score of 650 and above is considered good, with 750 or higher deemed excellent, and a minimum score of 680 often required for mortgage approval.
Not all mortgages are created equal, with different products tailored to different housing market segments. Understanding your mortgage options is crucial if you want to get a loan that meets your individual needs and expectations. Before getting a mortgage, it's important to get pre-approved for a certain loan amount. While organizations such as the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) are there to help, there really is no substitute for doing your own homework.
In Canada, a conventional mortgage describes any mortgage loan up to a maximum of 80 percent of the lending value of the property. If your down payment is less than 20 percent, it's considered a high ratio mortgage and may have to be insured by CMHC or another organization against payment default.
Making a choice between a fixed and variable interest rate is one of the most important decisions that all homeowners have to face. Fixed rates are locked down for the term of the loan, with variable rates fluctuating according to housing market conditions. Adjustable loans are the third option, with both interest rates and repayment schedules changing according to the market.
An open mortgage is a flexible payment solution that allows for early and lump sum repayments. While these types of loans normally carry a higher interest rate, they give you the opportunity of paying down your loan sooner. In contrast, a closed mortgage loan always comes with a fixed payment schedule.
Along with your deposit, interest rate, and degree of flexibility, it's also important to look at your loan term and repayment schedule. This can be defined under the term 'amortization', which is the period of time over which your entire mortgage will be repaid. It's important to note that accelerated payments are only allowed in certain mortgage contracts. The mortgages can come in five-year term to up to 30-year term options.
Getting a mortgage doesn’t have to be difficult if you know what you’re doing. While many of the financial and risk factors analyzed by banks and other lenders are beyond your control, once you understand your mortgage options and how the mortgage process works, you can put yourself in the best possible position.
Before applying for a mortgage, it’s important to understand the difference between mortgage pre-qualification and pre-approval. While pre-qualification is an informal process that relies on information you provide the lender about your income and liabilities, pre-approval is based on a detailed risk assessment by lenders themselves in relation to a particular property.
Generally speaking, lenders will analyze your income, liabilities, assets, employment, and credit history. While unsustainable debt levels and a bad credit score will have a negative impact on your chances, high income and a good credit history will improve your risk assessment and enhance your chances of approval. Also look into getting a pre-approved mortgage. Pre-approval is a different process than pre-qualification, and it occurs after pre-qualification, and generally takes more paperwork. While generating more income and paying down debt is the best way to increase your options, shopping around between providers can also prove successful.
When shopping around for a mortgage, people can choose between direct lenders such as banks and mortgage brokers. While mortgage brokers don't actually make loans themselves, they have access to a greater pool of mortgage products by acting as agents for multiple lenders.
While a broker arrangement is not ideal for everyone, mortgage brokers may be able to access loans from multiple banks and wholesale lenders, who often discount their rates for brokers. While a mortgage broker can be a great way to compare products and access the most competitive mortgage rates and terms available, they may charge processing or origination fees.
Once you've analyzed your budget and researched loan options, it's time to choose a realtor. There's no shortage of realtors in Canada's bustling real estate market, which can make it difficult finding someone who is perfect for you. Finding a realtor you can trust is part art and part science, with a lot of hard work in-between. By following these tips, you can find someone who is on your side.
If you're in the market for a new property, there is no replacement for hard work. It's important to spend time researching realtors in your area, with real estate companies and real estate agents often specializing in certain locations or property types. It doesn't matter where you are in Canada, market and location knowledge is extremely important.
Once you have a short list, take some time to interview agents and ask them specific questions. Along with their level of expertise, it's important to find someone who you're comfortable communicating with. Since you're the buyer, this person will be your "buyer's agent".
When it comes to property, the numbers never lie. Realtors can be compared based on the number of houses they've sold, their commission, and even how many properties they own themselves. You should also analyze relevant figures relating to sales prices, sales volumes, and time on the market in your location of choice to see how well realtors can interpret market information.
All of this information is accessible to realtors, who should be more than willing to open up and discuss the cold hard facts with you. You should also ask agents about specific sales they were responsible for, including bid and offer amounts.
You need to find a realtor with a plan for the future, someone who is willing to help you meet your property goals. Marketing plays a crucial role in many heated Canadian markets, so choose a realtor with a solid marketing plan.
Whether it's postcard mailings, online marketing campaigns, or virtual tours, specific selling strategies are needed for certain locations or types of property. While some agents offer low commission fees in order to stand out from the competition, it's better to choose someone based on their industry knowledge and marketing talent.
Having a good lawyer by your side is just as important as a good realtor, with a legal professional needed to review paperwork, conduct a title search, register the deeds, handle the transfer of funds, and help you avoid litigation. While many Canadians wait until the last minute to bring in a lawyer, having someone on hand during the early stages of a property purchase can save you time and money and reduce the risks associated with your deal.
Buying property is one of the largest financial transactions that Canadian will ever make, so it's important to make sure your legal rights and obligations are adhered to. Among other things, lawyers help to prepare and review mortgage and transfer documents, handle closings, and provide legal guidance relating to the purchase or sale of a property. A property lawyer is particularly important if you're buying a pre-construction condo or any type of property that has not yet been built.
Before choosing a lawyer, it's important to check with your provincial law society to ensure their standing. It's also important to select a lawyer who specializes in property cases, along with someone who is able to give you a written quote including disbursements. A good property lawyer can be found through friends and family, realtor recommendations, or online reviews and testimonials.
Searching for a house is one of the most exciting parts of any property purchase. House hunting in Canada depends greatly on your location, with the heated markets of Toronto and Vancouver offering different challenges to other parts of the country. Demand for residential real estate is high in Canada's major cities, with the National Association of Realtors predicting a 3.2 percent rise in home prices over 2018 on the back of 2017's 5.5 percent increase.
According to Dana Senagama from the CMHC, houses will continue to be a hot commodity in Canada throughout 2018, especially in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary, where the demand outpaces the supply of affordable homes. When hunting for a home, whether it's for principal residence or rental purposes, it's important to compare locations based on asking prices, selling prices, price growth, sales volume, and time on the market. This will give you a basic understanding of the market depth and make it easier for you to compare individual properties in different locations.
You should always make a house-hunting checklist to keep on top of things, otherwise, you might fall into the trap of comparing properties on purchase price alone. Properties can also be compared by lot size, home type, age, parking, bedrooms, bathrooms, property tax, transfer tax and land transfer tax, utilities, interior and exterior condition, and location just to name a few.
You have to know what kind of a residential property you're looking for, if it's a single-family home, condo, apartment, etc. Single-family homes are likely to be more expensive than other types of homes. It's important to look into location carefully, including traffic, noise, pollution, and access to amenities such as schools, shops, entertainment venues, and transportation hubs.
Real estate negotiations can be complex and daunting if you don't know what you're doing. While sellers want to get the highest price and buyers want to get a bargain, especially the first-time home buyers, there's a lot of room in the middle to negotiate a good deal. Other than the purchase price itself, some of the other factors that may influence negotiations include closing costs, closing date, contingencies, warranties, leaseback, home repairs, appraisal contingency, appliances, furniture, inspection, and condo assessment if applicable.
Before making an offer, it's important to do some research. While you may need to act quickly to secure certain properties, it's crucial to understand wider market conditions such as price ranges, price growth, comparable properties, sales volume, and time on the market.
When you're ready to make an offer, it's important to specify all of the terms and conditions that you want to negotiate along with the price. It's very difficult to make changes that haven't been addressed during the initial stages of a negotiation. Real estate deals in Canada require a written contract, which may differ between provinces.
Once you've been presented with a response, you have three options. You can accept the offer in full, you can reject the offer outright, or you can make a counter-offer that stipulates specific changes. This offer and counter-offer process can repeat itself until both parties are happy and a final sale is made.
Making an offer for a new home is an intimidating process that can seem scary if you don't know what you're doing. Once you've found the perfect home, you need to make an offer and lock it down while still ensuring a fair market price. If accepted, an Offer to Purchase needs to be signed by the seller and buyer, with this legally binding agreement one of the most important documents you'll sign along with the mortgage itself. And if you're a first-time buyer, you may not be completely familiar with the process.
A professional home inspection is always a good idea if you're thinking about buying a new property. While some problems are easy to see with the naked eye, others require years of experience. From building foundations and roofing through to drainage, clearance issues and plumbing, a house inspection can help to identify significant problems before they lead to significant expenses.
You should always hire a home inspector yourself instead of relying on a recommendation from your realtor. While most real estate agents, agencies, and inspectors are above board, home inspectors may feel pressure to keep the realtor happy in order to get future referrals and stay in business. It's always better to isolate the home inspection from the real estate transaction.
It's also important to pay attention to the home inspector's background, reputation, and certification. This can be difficult in some parts of Canada, with home inspectors unregulated in Ontario but regulated in Alberta and British Columbia. You need to find someone with experience, someone you can communicate with easily, and someone who is aware of problems that may arise in your location due to building standards and weather conditions.
Moving can be exciting and stressful, often at the same time. Like many things in life, a successful move is all about preparation, from the early days of making lists and organizing insurance through to the final stages of packing and cleaning. Making and following a moving house checklist is the best way to ensure that everything is in place when the movers come around.
After months of house-hunting and weeks of waiting, closing day has finally arrived. This is a milestone moment in any property deal, and it's important to get it right if you want to avoid future complications. From organizing inspections and insurance through to arranging utilities and getting hold of the keys, closing day is the final hurdle to overcome before you start enjoying your new home.
Purchasing property in Canada as a foreigner or non-resident brings up a number of questions. While Canada welcomes foreign buyers from across the world, and there are no restrictions on the amount or type of property they can buy, there are some challenges regarding taxation and financing. It's important to note that each province in Canada is in charge of its own real estate transactions, with non-residents needing to do specific research for each location when hunting for a home.
International buyers sometimes need a bigger deposit compared to Canadian residents, with some lenders also restricting the number of properties they will finance to five per person. There are also tax challenges to overcome, with foreign buyers often faced with a withholding tax on capital gains when the property is sold. Additionally, a 15 percent Non-Resident Speculation Tax was introduced in 2017, with this tax needing to be paid by both non-citizens and non-permanent residents.
Foreign residents who spend less than six months in Canada can buy a home without needing to apply for residency. While owning property is not likely to improve your chances at immigration, it will be considered as part of your overall net worth. Anyone who is planning on living in the country for longer than six months needs to apply for permanent residency. Canadian banks will usually ask for a larger down payment for non-permanent residents, typically 35 percent compared to the 5 percent or 10 percent that is available to Canadian residents.
Q. What should I check before I sign an Offer to Purchase?
A. An Offer to Purchase is an important legal contract that should only be signed after looking into financing, tax arrears, title restrictions, and building inspections.
Q. Can I include conditions in an Offer to Purchase?
A. Conditions are possible and common when drawing up an Offer to Purchase, with typical conditions based on financing, the building inspection, the terms of the offer, and the sale of your present home.
Q. Is a lawyer needed to purchase a home?
A. While a lawyer is not required to buy a home in Canada, it's always a good idea to receive legal advice before signing important contracts.
Q. Who pays the real estate agent's commission?
A. The property seller is responsible for the realtor's commission unless it has been stated otherwise in the listing agreement.
Q. What is cheaper, fixed or variable interest rates?
A. While variable interest rates are cheaper than fixed rates, they also come with greater risk. If interest rates are relatively low, it often makes sense to lock in your loan at that fixed rate.
Q. What is the benefit of a fixed rate mortgage?
A. While they can be more expensive, a fixed rate mortgage provides additional security and makes long-term budgeting easier.
Q. How do banks measure risk when choosing to assign mortgage loans?
A. Banks and other lenders analyze the price of the property and the deposit amount in relation to your income, assets, debt levels, and credit score.
A. It is possible to improve your credit score by paying down your debt as quickly as possible, meeting your current financial obligations, and improving your credit history rating.
A. While a 20 percent deposit is needed for a conventional home loan in Canada, high ratio mortgages are available from some lenders with as little as 5 percent deposit. | 2019-04-23T04:55:23Z | https://www.condo.capital/blog/buying-a-home-in-canada-a-complete-guide |
becoming how do we rebuild it? as the flames spread the cathedral was already undergoing a large renovation. the biggest contributor was american catholics. now the price tag and time frame are about to expand dramatically. i spoke to an architecture professor at university of notre dame here that the states who specializes in preserving world heritage sites. so, i asked her, how bad is it. >> in the interior what people are going to -- as they walk in, everything will be very hot, but also wet. charred soot around. it's going to have a lot of destroyed wood. there is a big loss in what used to exist in the site. imagine you're walking in and the whole ceiling has opened up in front of you. only side walls remain. the front part of the building can be maintained, but the back part has been lost to the site now. this is actually millions of dollars of loss.
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services safer is now their mission. >> south carolina is in the process of passing the law for the illumination of the signs. i think that's great. it's a great start. >> put the signs up in the windows? >> yes. i think that's great. but with this, what happened was that samantha mistakenly thought this was her uber. >> it wasn't even an uber driver? >> it wasn't an uber, he was impersonating an uber driver. and one of the things that we want to do, there are 19 states that do not have front license plates on their cars. and south carolina happened to be one of them. so you can't see when the car's pulling up, you can't see the front license plate. i think -- i'm not saying to change all the states and make it mandatory, but if you're going to be in the ridesharing industry, then you should have a front license plate. and there are so many things that all of us have to do, all of us parents, that important question you ask before you get in the car, what's my name? >> it has to be automatic.
like putting on a seat belt. you have to ask, what's my name? because it can be anyone. if the only thing we can do is to help change the way everyone thinks so no one else has to go through this. >> i think also another real big thing that can change the rideshare industry is by putting the qr code on the back windows of both the driver's side and passenger side. >> like a bar code. >> a bar code. you put your phone up to it, it turns green, that's my ride. if it's not your ride, it turns red. the technology's out there, it's a very easy way to implement this -- the safety of the consumer as well as the driver. >> i can imagine you've probably been hearing from so many people across the country since this happened, reaching out with sympathy and help. >> yeah, we've heard from strangers all over the country. and so many people have told us, it could have been our daughter, our son, ourselves. and i think it's just become such a natural or new phenomenon, using uber. but we trust people.
and you can't. you have to change the way that the laws are to make it safer. because that's our nature. we automatically assume we're safe. but we all put our loved ones in an uber or lyft. >> we grow up teaching our kids not to get into cars with strangers, and what do we do? we get in cars with strangers. >> on the heels of that interview, lyft also came out with a statement saying that it's announcing new security measures. the company says measures include continuous background checks, enhanced identity verification, which those parents were just talking about, enhanced verification, and which are key to strengthening the security of our community. that was the statement from lyft. we've talked about when it comes to ridesharing, there are things that people can do to make sure they are in the right car and make sure their experience is safe. >> and your heart goes out to those parents because they are dealing with an unfathomable loss. it was such an innocent mistake that happened that night.
and their daughter got into the car with an apparent predator. but you know, when you're using those services, you have responsibility to also protect yourself and make sure you're checking those license plates.
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monument of paris. >> reporter: notre dame, our lady of paris to those who live here, a landmark ravaged by flames. this is one of the most important landmarks in france. there's a feeling of great sadness here. all along the seine, people are singing hymns. notre dame survived the french revolution. this is where napoleon was crowned emperor of france. it survived two world wars and the nazi occupation. the heart of france. while the cause of this fire is not yet known, authorities are investigating if it might have been linked to the construction work. now the reconstruction work will have to begin all over again with much more damage to undo. macron has vowed to rebuild. but what stood for centuries could take a generation to restore. can they rebuild?
across the world for this iconic building this cathedral as we mark holy week here across the world.
this morning on "world news now," the iconic heart of paris in ruins. >> the world watched in horror as the notre dame cathedral burned for hours. its spire falling, consumed by flames. new details about the priceless artifacts that were saved and new reaction from a nation in shock. >> with the 850-year-old cathedral nearly destroyed, catholic faithful are reflecting on its significance in history, what it symbolizes for the people of france and everyone around the world. we're just days away from seeing the mueller report. how president trump is reacting to its imminent release. as the king of the course prepares for a new tournament, we're meeting the man who bet big on tiger woods and ended up a millionaire. hear what he has to say to tiger himself.
only centuries old but it's believed that when the cathedral was built, that that wood was 300 to 400 years old. some really large oak trees. and again, it really provided the fuel for this blaze there. and we know that's this is just having a ripple effect throughout the world. so many people on social media have been posting images of themselves standing in front of that cathedral. i think if you open up instagram, facebook, you see those images of people really mourning the loss here. and coming up later in this half hour, our will ganss will take a closer look at the impact that cathedral has and continues to have on this world. >> we've been talking about this all morning long. back here at home in this country, we're days away from getting the first look at the much anticipated mueller report. the justice department expects to release a redacted version of the special counsel's findings on thursday. >> white house sources say president trump's advisers are concerned it may contain examples of obstruction of justice but the president says he's not worried.
influence in the political process. united airlines is extending cancelations for its fleet of boeing 737 max jets. the company says its 14 max aircraft will remain grounded through early july while boeing works on a software fix to a flight control system. that system has been linked to the two deadly max jet crashes since last october. united's move follows similar schedule adjustments from other airlines. american has canceled max flights through august 19th. southwest through august 5th. actress lori loughlin and her husband have pleaded not guilty to the charges they're facing in the college admissions bribery scandal. they are charged for allegedly paying $500,000 to help get their daughters into the university of southern california. last week actress felicity huffman was among 13 parents who entered guilty pleas in the admissions scam. huffman's next court appearance is scheduled for may 21st. for the first time since 2005 tiger woods is preparing for a tournament as the reigning masters champion but woods hasn't said publicly where that tournament will be.
the only thing he has said is his first win in a major in 11 years won't change his schedule. >> meantime, one man has cashed in on his tiger picking up his fifth green jacket. james adducci won nearly $1.2 million in las vegas after betting on woods to win in augusta. the wisconsin day trader was asked what he would say to the man who helped him become a millionaire. >> i would tell him that in that moment that he won and i won, what was the most special for me and it's why i placed the bet in the first place was just seeing him share that victory with his kids. you know, to me he's a real guy with super-human golf abilities. and in that moment, he had something with his kids that he's never had before. >> back to tiger, he's receiving another accolade for his masters win. president trump tweeted he's giving woods the presidential medal of freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
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yesterday we saw those flames and that smoke. we'll have a lot more ahead this half hour and all morning long as we continue following that. back here in the u.s., it's now the northeast's turn to clean up after severe storms. strong winds, heavy rain, and lightning damaged buildings and some of those people in the storm's path were hurt. >> a utility worker in central new jersey narrowly escaped death when the fallen live wire there he was handling exploded and set off a fire. his safety gear kept him uninjured. >> he got out of there fast. >> yeah, he did. >> about 50 miles to the north, lightning was striking 1 world center here in -- 1 world trade center in new york city. the spire was not damaged. >> a north carolina woman had to be rescued after a possible tornado knocked her home off its foundation, trapping her. >> she suffered only minor injuries. abc's marcus moore has details on the destructive weather. >> reporter: new destruction in the east from that severe weather outbreak. a tornado damaging a dozen buildings in laurel, delaware. from the air you can see the destruction.
torrential storms threatening to delay the start of the boston marathon. runners forced to huddle in shelters. this after 30 tornados tore through seven states. >> there it is. it's hitting shelby right now. >> reporter: this twister leaving a 17-mile path of destruction through shelby, ohio, sunday. six people were hurt. >> hurry, hurry, hurry, it's coming this way! >> reporter: in alto, texas, sunday an ef-2 followed by a ef-3. an hour apart, leveling parts of the town. there were three people here when it happened. they managed to escape by crawling out the front door there. they are thankful to be alive. >> we're still getting. the reports of tornados on the ground. >> reporter: the town of franklin, texas, taking a direct hit from an ef-3 tornado with 140-mile-per-hour winds. >> i've seen tornados but nothing like this. >> reporter: and tragedy in angelina county, texas. 3-year-old jace creel and brother dylan were killed when a tree crushed the car they were in. their parents survived. in cherokee county they're well into the process of trying to clean all of this up but the break in the clouds will not last long.
hour, how a dog was rescued more than 100 miles out to sea. but first what you didn't know about the cathedral of notre dame. that's next on "world news now." now."
the iconic facade and towers of notre dame are still standing this morning, and that is something that yesterday a lot of people did not think they would see as all of that smoke was billowing from the cathedral. we saw those flames roaring as the spire came down. so this is some good news, a silver lining in that awful, awful fire there. >> and it is a good point because as we saw those incredible images yesterday, the intensity of that fire, it really seemed that it was going to overtake that entire cathedral, centuries old, after we know that a lot of it is wood, especially the original framework there.
but today in the light of day in paris, in the heart of paris, in the heart of that city, we see that cathedral still standing. >> the landmark has been a pop culture staple for hundreds of years and our will ganss is here with the impact of notre dame all over the world. >> oh, yeah, you know, for so many of us, we've only seen notre dame in movies and read about it in religion classes or seen it referenced in art. but that's more than enough to make us stand in awe of notre dame from wherever we are in the world. this sketch echoing throughout the corners of the internet this morning like the bells of notre dame themselves. the instagram post showing quasimodo clinging to the cathedral he called home. this particular version of notre dame and its most famous fictional inhabitant from the disney film "the hunchback of notre dame." ♪ just to live one day out there ♪ >> reporter: the 850-year-old church a staple of pop culture, made famous worldwide in victor hugo's 1831 novel. almost two centuries ago hugo writing, the church of notre dame de paris still no doubt a majestic and sublime edifice. the film in 1939.
strong. even for those of us that have never been there, so many reasons to love that building. >> it really is a feat of architectural achievement. >> thanks, will. architectural achievement. >> thanks, will.
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call those, on an ultrasound it looks like they're already -- >> going at it? >> sibling rivalry, yeah. >> whoa. >> it looks like they're kind of boxing. >> who's winning, though? >> i don't know. >> the girls are boxing. >> this is so interesting. >> you know what there is a new sport called fetal boxing. >> oh stop it. it really does look like they're duking it out in there. the two baby girls, nicknamed cherry and strawberry online -- >> cherry and strawberry. >> we love those names. obviously this has gone viral because it's so interesting. >> there's only enough room in the womb -- >> for one of us. >> and you fought with your sister, right, growing up? >> no, not really. >> yeah, there we go, yeah. i fought and i won. hey, confetti popper back fires on dad here in a really, really bad way. wait for it. >> get ready, celebrate. >> wait for it. oh! >> oh. >> in the groin. >> oh.
>> yeah, father there in santa maria, california, the son's 5th birthday. america's funniest home videos on "world news now." oh!
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brought to shore and see who will adopt it. it's tuesday, april 16th. good morning, everyone. just incredible images that we saw in paris. >> yes, yesterday we saw the smoke billowing and the flames at the notre dame cathedral. >> that is where we begin this half hour with the beloved cathedral ravaged by fire as paris and the rest of the world watched in shock. >> overnight our first look inside the damaged cathedral, the cross near the altar still in its place. the flames apparently erupted in the attic filled with wooden beams dating back to the middle ages. much of the roof was destroyed but firefighters managed to save the structure of the church and many priceless artifacts. paris came to a halt as the flames raced through the cathedral, bringing many people to tears as others broke out in song.
>> notre dame is located on an island in the middle of the seine river which complicated the effort to extinguish the inferno. here's a live look at the historic cathedral now. the sun has risen over paris. you see the scaffolding there. we know there was some renovation work that was being done when this all sparked. but in the light of the day there, you see the walls of that cathedral still standing, which is good news for many who are walking up to that river there, to that site, to see it. >> some who really did not think that when the sun came up today that they would still see that. >> abc's david wright has more from paris. >> reporter: an icon of paris, the very heart of the city in flames. the whole world watching in disbelief. the spire of the 850-year-old notre dame cathedral collapsed, caving in the roof, engulfing this historic landmark in flames. american john dickas in pair watched from the balcony in shock. >> we watched the spire come down about two minutes ago from our apartment.
the sky is still full of smoke and you can smell it just standing on our balcony. you can smell it in the air. i mean, it's happening right in front of us. it's just sickening. >> reporter: the first reports surfaced at 6:50 p.m. paris time, an ominous image of smoke billowing from notre dame. >> there's fire in the background. >> no! >> reporter: then to the horror of onlookers, the first flames burst through the ceiling. the inferno quickly out of control. the cause unknown. but it engulfed scaffolding from a $6 million renovation project. authorities are investigating whether a construction worker may have accidentally sparked the blaze. crowds of onlookers transfixed. this building has withstood revolutions and two world wars. the history of france written in stone. 400 firefighters rushed to the scene surrounding the cathedral.
pictures. i've seen here a group of catholic people gathered and started singing different songs, different religious chants. so it's very emotional. very heavy. and for now people are kind of lingering. they're not sure when this will end. for french people here, this is a landmark we see every day and it's very imposing. so erasing it from the landscape is traumatizing for sure. >> amazing perspective she's able to give there as an american in france who saw all of this happening. stay with abc news for continuing coverage of the notre dame inferno, and we'll have live reports from paris later this morning on "gma." here at home the louisiana man accused of setting fire to three black churches is now facing hate crime charges. 21-year-old holden matthews was denied bail after prosecutors laid out evidence against him and added charges declaring the arsons as hate crimes.
political strife. weld is considered a long shot for the nomination. it's the lull before the storm in most of the u.s. today. a new severe storm system is moving into the plains tomorrow. a storm from the last system damaged two churches and a warehouse of a safety equipment company in pennsylvania. a tornado cut a path of destruction through laurel, delaware. one person was injured after a tree fell on a house. the rural northern ohio town of shelby is cleaning up after a tornado ripped a long swath through the area. it was on the ground for 17 miles, but today is shaping up much better with showers across the upper midwest and the pacific northwest. heavy rain and snow in the rockies. the weather should be rather pleasant in the rest of the country. bunrod has a new lease on life thanks to oil rig workers who pulled the dog out of the sea off the coast of thailand. >> way off the coast of thailand, 137 miles from land. the chevron workers saw the dog swimming in the gulf of thailand and used rope to rescue it. they don't know how it ended up so far from shore. >> their best guess is the dog fell off a boat. bunrod's condition is improving and one of the workers told us he plans to adopt it. >> adorable.
that dog is adorable. the whole story is great. >> the rescue took about 15 minutes. that is a lucky dog. >> very lucky. still to come, an outpouring from around the world about the tragic fire in paris. plus, we're at the marathon finish line in boston with a story of true inspiration. in "the skinny," see which "idol" contestants made the cut and the moment that brought nearly everyone to tears. you're watching "world news now." i'm alex trebek, here to tell you about the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month.
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by here any time. >> zion, come on down, we'll chat with you. >> come on, let's have some one on one. when we come back, see who got booted from a "game of thrones" watch party. >> will, was that you? and why kelly ripa is apologizing. "the skinny" is next. "the skinny" is next. skinny" is next. who's got the time to chase around down dirt, dust and hair? so now, i use heavy duty swiffer sweeper and dusters. for hard-to-reach places, duster makes it easy to clean. it captures dust in one swipe. ha! gotcha! and sweeper heavy duty cloths lock away twice as much dirt and dust. it gets stuff deep in the grooves other tools can miss. y'know what? my place... is a lot cleaner now. stop cleaning. start swiffering.
♪ caught me off guard. >> this is "skinny" time on a tuesday morning. we begin with "american idol." america voted sending four "idol" hopefuls home on last night's episode. >> ryan seacrest announcing the seven contestants who received the lowest amount of votes. each of those folks able to sing one last time, trying to convince the judges to save them. >> uche in the bottom belting out "diamonds" by rihanna, the performance prompting lionel to jump up and use his save. he's now in the top ten. >> luke surprisingly letting some fellow country crooners go, opting to save demetrius.
five decades. >> miss franklin died last august at her home in detroit from pancreatic cancer. she was 76. this was a well-deserved award and we miss her every single day. >> still putting respect on her name. ting respect on her name.
onlookers gasped. this is a silver lining in all of that darkness. | 2019-04-18T22:06:50Z | https://archive.org/details/KGO_20190416_094200_World_News_Now |
I just thought I would share my experiences this morning for those also undergoing testing in this area.
This morning I had 14 (Yes, fourteen) vials of blood taken!
Then on day 21 of cycle before IVF they will do the endometrial scratch and I will also have the NK Biopsy. Both these after the next FET transfer which I will have after my lap.
The clinic is doing a study on recurrent implantation failure to try and find a reason for it.
There is so much that could be wrong its a miracle that anyone gets pregant - ever!
welcome to the immune section!
Where did you have the tests done? and when do you expect the results?
hiya bravegirl I would also be interested in knowing where u got the tests done.
Do these include the chicago tests?
Also if the clinic is doing a study are the tests free?
Good luck and plz keep us posted.
I am not sure what the chicago tests are. Can you explain? If you mean NK cells they are going to do it but I could be waiting months and months for the results and they say its not worth stopping treatment to wait. I guess I might be able to get them back sooner if I paid but I don't know. Does anyone else know?
The study is being carried out by Jessops Hosptial in Sheffield. Mr BG also has to give blood for chromsomes and have his sperm re-checked too.
I am not having to pay for these test at the moment I think because I am part of a study.
I am expecting the results in 6 weeks but they told me to do my FET anyway as I am having an endometrial scratch as part of my laporoscopy on 21 January so to get the benefit of it I should doe FET in February.
I also have to complete a questionnaire about stress.
Can you plz tell me how u got on to the test in sheffield as I notice u live in wakefield so thats quite a treck for you and cant be your local hospital.
Did your hospital/doctor refer you?
The chicago tests are for immunology as well but more intense and the bloods are sent to the united states as they have the means to carry out the tests.
If they find that you may have an immunology problem will they also treat it for free as part of the study?
I wish you all the luck in the world and plz plz do keep us posted.
I am about to have my tests done at the ARGC - but Ive already had all of these tests, which showed all was normal! However, after 5 losses - it would seem I am in need of more specialist testing which are carried out at this clinic and it isnt uncommon to have normal results in the tests you described but abnormal in the Chicago tests (which are far more in depth).
Ive just been having a debate in my diary about having them done. But it's a personal decision and I have 5 losses personally which sort of twisted my arm a bit!
thanks Bunty I will have a look at that link. I have only had one loss and the study is being carried out by the recurrent miscarriage professor to see whether I think the same things that affect miscarriage also affect failed implantation.
Now it may end up being the case at the end of the study that it is none of these things that affect failed implantation. I guess they wont know until the study is finished and I have no idea when that will be.
With regard to my misacarriage I have been told that as I have only had one my chances of having a successful pregnancy are the same as if I had not had the miscarriage at all. They told me that I am not a recurrent miscarriage patient, rather they want to see what might be causing failed implantation generally and I fit into that category.
Now it may be that I get all clear from these tests and then I am not sure where that leaves me. Down to luck I guess! I mean some girls on here got pBFP on their 5th attempts. I guess if I get all clear I may look at the Chicago tests. Any idea how much they cost and how long they take?
The reason I am being treated in Sheffield is because its easier for me as I work in Sheffield. Plus Wakefield do not have IVF clinic. I went through the choose and book system which is open to everyone on the NHS. Basically, I saw my GP who referred me for my ONE free NHS cycle of IVF. I asked for choose and book and got a letter saying I could use Hull, Sheffield or Leeds. I hate Dr Sharma in Leeds so did not go there, Hull is too far and so Sheffield is perfect.
I then went on the internet and looked up the doctors at the ACU Unit in Sheffield. I read their biographies and so on and did some research into clinic success rates etc. I then chose my doctor and using the choose and book system I rang the central appointment booking line and asked for an appointment with my chosen doctor. I was then on his waiting list the same as everyone else. When a slot came free I met with him and had my free IVF cycle, again the same as everyone else.
The next cycle I paid for as a fee paying patient but with the same clinic because I liked them. My free cycle was not paid for by Sheffield PCT but by Wakefield PCT and I had to fit Wakefield criteria to get that.
Hope this explains and helps you.
Bunty I know you are with ARGC but is there no recurrent miscarriage unit at your local gynea department in the NHS hospital. You may well qualify for treatment there.
I did qualify and warrant further examination from my miscarriage unit - but the tests I am having (which cost about £750) are private and not covered by the NHS, as they are far more advanced and expensive. However, as you so rightly point out - although you have had one tragic loss, your chances are the same as if it never happened. And of course, my situation is entirely different.. so please dont worry you are missing out on something.
I think the sad thing is that a large proportion of ladies who have suffered first tri losses will never know what caused them. But it's great you're having all this testing now, as most places dont test you until you have had 2-3 losses.
I think the reason they are testing is that to qualify for the failed implantation study you have to have more than 4 reasonable embryos (we have had 6 very good ones) put back and no implantation.
I am hoping that one day studies like this may give answers to future women in our position. Even I do not benefit now from this research, others in yuears to come might and that is worth something I think.
£750 is a lot, can you tell me what you get for that?
Im thinking of having these tests due to 3 failed ivf, can they only be done private,as im thinking of going to CARE,any help or advice would be welcome.
I have had the 'chicago tests' done at CARE Nottingham under Mr George Ndukwe, he is lovely and really cares about his patients. The ARGC in London also does them as does Mr Gorgy at the fertility Academy in London. The chicago tests like Bunty says are in-depth immunological tests that the nhs do not do. The NHS will only treat you with streoids etc where as others might need drugs such as intralipids, humira, ivig etc to help calm down their bodies to help maintain a pregnancy. A good book to get is 'is your body baby friendly' by Dr Alan Beer. I wish i had got this book after my first mc, and by the third i wished i had gone to have the chicago tests but hey inhind-sight is great thing!
A person may develop antibodies against components of the nucleus. The best known component is DNA. But there are other components such nuclear proteins that include "histones". When a person has antibodies to nuclear constituents, it may be a sign that they have autoimmune disorders. These are abnormal responses where the immune system attack one's own body.
A new group of T cells has recently been defined within the broad category of lymphocytes. These cells are thought to perform a very important role in controlling the natural tendancy of the woman's immune system to reject the semi-foreign fetus. These cells are known as "T regulatory cells" or "Tregs". Higher numbers of Tregs in the blood have been associated with better pregnancy outcome. Measures of Tregs in the endometrial lining have also been shown to be associated with better pregnancy outcome.
and ordering the book recommended by Mel.
are those tests only for people who have had miscarriages or also for people who have failed implantation?
they do seem a lot more than the NHS ones so I might consider having them too. how many appointments do you have to go to?
These tests are also for those with failed implantation which can be a sign of an immune issue. It explains this too in the book by Alan Beer, as I flicked through it tonight. Nottingham Care also cover the tests too (but none of the other 'care clinics do).
As far as I m aware - you only need to go for one appointment for the blood assays descibed above ~ however, if you need or decide to go for immune therapy, there are a number of appointments needed depending of course on your level of problem, which continue when you get pregnant to help sustain a pregnancy.
thanks Bunty, that is helpful. I will see if any of the current tests come back positive which might supply some answers, if they don't I may well consider the full immunology ones.
A lot to think about there hun! I'll be following this closely.
to be honest chatterbox I feel sick and tired of the whole thing, you can test to kingdom come but I am not pregnant and have no idea when I will be pregnant.
I am having my tubes removed (probably) on Thursday which I feel sick and upset about and then more tests. a FET, another cycle. Will it ever end? I feel like giving up but know I can't.
SOrry in a terrible funk today.
Oh Bravegirl, I am so very sorry - you are definitely living up to your user name.
It can be very difficult cant it? As you may well know - I can GET pregnant but cant stay pregnant. Immune problems can cause lack of pregnancy at all, chemical pregnancies and blighted ovums, and miscarriage. I revisited Alan Beer's book and can relate to so many of the case studies. Have you read the book? If not reading it may help you make informed decisions as to whether you would want testing, in the unhappy event you dont get answers.
Do keep going... so many of us feel the same. I know I do. I am only a few weeks after my third second trimester loss, and I am terrified to try again because I just cant take anymore losses. Im hoping these tests will help and some extra immune treatment will help. I have already been on steroids throughout my last pregnancy to no avail, but we dont know why this baby died as the hospital stuffed up the testing.
for all of us. Stay strong.
thanks Bunty, I do feel your story is so much worse than mine and I know there are loads of ladies on here who have been to hell and back, I just feel low because of the operation in a couple of days I think.
I had one early miscarriage and was devastated, I cannot imagine how awful it is for you and want to send you love and hugs and to say that I am incredibly impressed with your bravey too.
Shocked good news - makes a change!
I had yet another hospital appointment this morning to get some of the blood test results and on the whole the news was far better than I was expecting!!
My AMH test results were 17.4. Now this is the newer test which show the amount of ovarian reserve that you have. A bad result is anything below 5; between 6 and 15 is considered normal range and anything above that is very good. So mine of 17.4 is a great result and should mean that I have lots of eggs left and for my age is brill. It can be a sign of PCOS but I do not have this as would have been seen in my operation. As my consultant said my ovaries are nice and "juicy" and this seems to be borne out by this blood test result.
My FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) test was 6.6. Again much better than I was expecting. What they like to see for IVF is anything below 10 for a good response (last time I was tested over a year ago I got 9). So I am happy with this too.
My LH (luteinising hormone) was within normal range too.
My thyroid antibody and function were both within normal range too.
The only test that was an issue was my clotting (lupus) test. This came back as indeterminate and so I have to repeat it. If there is a problem here it could be causing the failed IVF cycles so I have asked them (and they have reluctantly agreed) to treat me as though I do have an issue and the treatment is to take a very very low dose aspirin during the IVF cycle. I will take this from day 2 of the cycle and then if I get a positive result, continue throughout a pregnancy. If I do not get pregnant, then we would stop the aspirin and re-do the test. Apparently though it is a low chance that there will be a problem and if there was the treatment would be the same and if pregnant they would introduce clexane too.
I am still waiting for the chromosome test results and am nervous about this but they say of people with fertility issues it is less than 3% who have a problem in this area and if we do then they will send us to a geneticist to see whether they could get round the problem and would offer counselling on the issues. These results will be back before the next fresh cycle of IVF and the frozen embryos we have are what they are so there is no reason not to go ahead with those.
My NK cell has been sent off but they cannot tell me when I will get it back. Does anyone know how much it costs and where I could get it done privately?
So all in all I am quite pleased, along with the now right side open tube and ovary in the right place I do feel a bit that there is a chance that maybe we will be successful in time, whether IVF or naturally. I certainly feel that I am doing all I can to give us the best chance and that is better than doing nothing!
with the Nk test, you can either get a doctor, who you may find in this post Collaborating Doctors??? to take the blood and send it off to be tested. Or you can send it to the lab yourself.
If you send it to the lab yourself, you have to get the correct tubes, take the blood or get someone to take the blood (The nurses at my local Gp's agreed to take mine) and then package it, and send it using Fedex. I do this to a Lab in california and in total it costs me just under £250.
I have now had my anticoagulant back and that was normal so no clotting issues.
On the downside I have neen told that I have raised NK cells mine are 14.6 and they dont like to see higher than 13.9. Am gutted. They are going to give me 10mg of steroids this FET cycle and re-test me next cycle if I dont get a BFP becasue that test was done on day 11 and they prefer to do the test on day 21.
I don't really see that the cells will decrease later in the cycle though. Does anyone know?
Great about the coagulation tests!
Did you have the uterine biopsy for NK cells, or the blood assay within the Chicago tests? I had the whole raft of Chicago immune tests on the off chance. Im quite glad now, simply because my NK cells were normal but my TNF was not (they are linked). I did try steroids (25mg) but as it didnt work for me... I am now trying intralipids as well as 20mg of Prednisolone, after getting a shock last week.
I think the answer to your question is a difficult one to answer... and especially as I dont know if you have any other raised immune levels (in basic terms, they can be quite linked) ~ but also different women react completely differently to the various immune therapies. Some ladies have raised cells before pregnancy and need them bringing down significantly prior to treatment... and some ladies are borderline/ normal but flare WHILST pregnant (it is thought I am the latter). It really depends on the severity and/ or of your specific issue?
I do know Dr Alan Beer (who pioneeredthe Chicago tests) states that he says tx is likely to be far more successful if immune therapy is started prior to tx, rather than starting with a bfp.
Dont feel too down, your results on the face of it aren't super high and based on that.. it would seem easier to treat? Have you thought about having the other immune tests done?
The reason why they wish you to test re/ a biopsy on day 21,is because theoretically your lining should be at it's thickest at this time (if you have ovulated ~ and in fact my clinic asked me to MAKE SURE I had by using opks prior to the biopsy)... and for this reason, they are more likely to get a more reliable result and relevant cells from the biopsy itself. I suppose using this thinking, it could be that the number of cells would be unlikely to be reduced. I was told at the Lister, that the NK biopsy by itself can sometimes be misleading and results can vary significantly ~ which is why they like to do a panel of immune bloods tests instead/ along side it to give a much fuller picture. I think it's a personal choice, but it might be worth thinking about if you are worried?
congratulations on your BFP hon! that is brilliant.
It was the uterine biopsy that they did, not the blood tests.
the other tests I mentioned in my first post were the blood tests. I am not sure which sort they did but they said they have to buy in the testing stuff (although this time they sent it away somewhere).
I guess I could try the steriods on the FET cycle (especially as I have had the endometrial scratch already) and see what happens. As you say the levels are not mega high.
I have just been diagnosed with endometriois and from some of the reading I have done it appears that those with endo are more likely to have the high NK cells, that the two are linked. I had the endo removed in the same laproscopy that they took the biopsy from so who knows, maybe if they had tested again after its removal the NK cells would not be so high.
If it does not work I think I might look at paying a bit more to have the full set of tests done before I pay out £3K for another fresh IVF cycle. I am definately going to get another day 21 biopsy done if this FET with steroids does not work.
how much are the chicago tests?
I have just been diagnosed with endometriois and from some of the reading I have done it appears that those with endo are more likely to have the high NK cells, that the two are linked.
You are absolutely right, they are indeed. The initial blood tests you had done are the standard Level 1 bloods... but the immune tests are private and are referred to often as the Chicago tests, or the Level 2tests and cost about £780 privately from either Care, ARCG, or Lister. I had them done because I didnt want to spend money on a tx only to find out that it was a waste of money because I had an underlying immune issue. It's a very difficult decision to make because nothing is technically proven yet in terms of study evidence... but there is an awful lot of anecdotal evidence out there.
Hope you're holding up ok BG. | 2019-04-23T17:55:57Z | http://www.fertilityzone.co.uk/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=33135&s=2a119100195567e2d9ac7815c2c2d4a89de22283 |
(1) An indeterminate number of securities or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities and warrants are being registered hereunder as may from time to time be offered at indeterminate prices as shall have an aggregate offering price not to exceed $100,000,000. If any debt securities are issued at an original issue discount, then the offering price of such debt securities shall be in such greater principal amount as shall result in an aggregate offering price not to exceed $100,000,000, less the aggregate offering price of any securities previously issued hereunder. Any securities issued hereunder may be sold separately or as units with other securities issued hereunder. The proposed maximum initial offering price per unit will be determined, from time to time, by the registrant in connection with the issuance by the registrant of the securities registered hereunder. The securities registered also include such indeterminate amounts and numbers of debt securities, common stock and preferred stock as may be issuable upon conversion, redemption, exchange, exercise or settlement of any securities registered hereunder, including under any applicable antidilution provisions. Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), this Registration Statement shall be deemed to cover any additional number of securities as may be offered or issued from time to time upon stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations or similar transactions.
(2) The registration fee has been calculated in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities or accept an offer to buy these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
We may offer and sell, from time to time in one or more offerings, any combination of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, or any combination of the foregoing, either individually or as units comprised of one or more of the other securities, having an aggregate initial offering price not exceeding $100,000,000.
This prospectus provides a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell a particular class or series of securities, we will provide specific terms of the securities offered in a supplement to this prospectus. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you in connection with these offerings. You should read carefully this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as any documents incorporated by reference herein or therein before you invest in any of our securities.
The specific terms of any securities to be offered, and the specific manner in which they may be offered, will be described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of any of these securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement. Before investing, you should carefully read this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement.
Our common stock is presently listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol CTRV. On February 5, 2019, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $0.31 per share. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market or any securities market or other exchange of the securities, if any, covered by the prospectus supplement.
These securities may be sold directly by us, through dealers or agents designated from time to time, to or through underwriters, dealers or through a combination of these methods on a continuous or delayed basis. See Plan of Distribution in this prospectus. We may also describe the plan of distribution for any particular offering of our securities in a prospectus supplement. If any agents, underwriters or dealers are involved in the sale of any securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, we will disclose their names and the nature of our arrangements with them in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of such securities and the net proceeds we expect to receive from any such sale will also be included in a prospectus supplement.
Investing in our securities involves various risks. See Risk Factors contained herein for more information on these risks. Additional risks will be described in the related prospectus supplements under the heading Risk Factors. You should review that section of the related prospectus supplements for a discussion of matters that investors in our securities should consider.
The date of this prospectus is February , 2019.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, using a shelf registration process. Under this shelf registration statement, we may sell from time to time in one or more offerings of common stock and preferred stock, various series of debt securities and/or warrants to purchase any of such securities, either individually or as units comprised of a combination of one or more of the other securities in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $100,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell any type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain more specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. We may also add, update or change in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus any of the information contained in this prospectus or in the documents we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. This prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplement, any related free writing prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, will include all material information relating to the applicable offering. You should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, together with the additional information described under Where You Can Find More Information, before buying any of the securities being offered.
We have not authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we may have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information. This prospectus, any applicable supplement to this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do this prospectus, any applicable supplement to this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.
We are a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Edison, New Jersey. We are focused on the development of targeted therapies for liver disease arising from chronic hepatitis B, C and D virus (HBV, HCV, HDV), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, and liver cancer.
Cyclophilins are pleiotropic enzymes that play a role in injury and steatosis through mechanisms including cell death occurring through mitochondrial pore permeability (cyclophilin D). Inhibition of cyclophilin D, therefore, may play an important role in protection from cell death. Cyclophilin A binding to CD147 is known to play a role in inflammation, cyclophilin B plays a role in fibrosis through collagen production, and cyclophilins also play a role in cirrhosis and cancer (e.g., cell proliferation and metastasis).Cyclophilin inhibition with CRV431, therefore, may play an important role in reducing liver disease.
Important risk factors for development of liver disease include viral hepatitis (HBV, HCV, HDV), alcohol, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the more aggressive form called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The life cycle of certain viruses, including for example, HBV, HIV, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections is dependent on host proteins (cyclophilins) for the role they play in the virus life cycle and propagation of the virus. CRV431 has been developed to inhibit the role of host cyclophilins and therefore interfere in the propagation of these viruses. CRV431 does not directly target the virus and, as such, should be less susceptible to drug resistance, borne from viral mutations.
Thus far, in vitro testing of CRV431 has been conducted in-house and in collaboration with external groups including for example, the Scripps Research Institute (Scripps). Data in various cell lines of either transfected or infected HBV demonstrates nanomolar efficacy (EC50 values) and micromolar toxicity (CC50 values). The selective index (SI), therefore, is wide and suggests that CRV431 presents a viable clinical drug candidate for the treatment of viral infections, including HBV. Additional testing in a transgenic mouse model of HBV indicated that CRV431 reduced HBV DNA in the liver. CRV431 is orally active and appears to be well tolerated.
On May 10, 2018, we submitted an IND to the FDA to support initiation of our CRV431 HBV clinical development program in the United States and received approval in June 2018. We completed the first segment of our Phase 1 clinical activities for CRV431 in October 2018.
Ciclofilin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Ciclofilin) in June 2016. In October 2018, we also paid a related milestone payment of $1,000,000 to the Ciclofilin shareholders and issued 100,723 shares (approximately $55,000 value on the date of issuance) of our common stock, representing 2.5% of our issued and outstanding common stock as of June, 2016.
· important United States federal income tax considerations.
A prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference. However, no prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus will offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
We may sell the securities to or through underwriters, dealers or agents or directly to purchasers. We, as well as any agents acting on our behalf, reserve the sole right to accept and to reject in whole or in part any proposed purchase of securities. Each prospectus supplement will set forth the names of any underwriters, dealers or agents involved in the sale of securities described in that prospectus supplement and any applicable fee, commission or discount arrangements with them, details regarding any over-allotment option granted to them, and net proceeds to us. The following is a summary of the securities we may offer with this prospectus.
time out of legally available funds, subject to the preferential rights of the holders of any shares of our preferred stock that are outstanding or that we may issue in the future. Currently, we do not pay any dividends on our common stock. Each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote per share. In this prospectus, we provide a general description of, among other things, the rights and restrictions that apply to holders of our common stock.
We currently have authorized 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001. 1,250,000 of such shares are designated as Series A convertible preferred stock and 11,000 of such shares are designated as Series C convertible preferred stock. As of December 31, 2018, there were 85,581 shares of Series A convertible preferred stock outstanding and 1,974 shares of Series C convertible preferred stock outstanding. Any authorized and undesignated shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more additional series pursuant to a resolution or resolutions providing for such issue duly adopted by our Board of Directors (authority to do so being hereby expressly vested in the Board of Directors). The Board of Directors is further authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by law, to fix by resolution or resolutions the designations, powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of any wholly unissued series of preferred stock, including without limitation authority to fix by resolution or resolutions the dividend rights, dividend rate, conversion rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption (including sinking fund provisions), redemption price or prices, and liquidation preferences of any such series, and the number of shares constituting any such series and the designation thereof, or any of the foregoing.
The rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions granted to or imposed upon any series of preferred stock that we offer and sell under this prospectus and applicable prospectus supplements will be set forth in a certificate of designation relating to the series. We will incorporate by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part the form of any certificate of designation that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock we are offering before the issuance of shares of that series of preferred stock. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of preferred stock being offered, as well as the complete certificate of designation that contains the terms of the applicable series of preferred stock.
We may offer general debt obligations, which may be secured or unsecured, senior or subordinated and convertible into shares of our common stock. In this prospectus, we refer to the senior debt securities and the subordinated debt securities together as the debt securities. We may issue debt securities under a note purchase agreement or under an indenture to be entered between us and a trustee; forms of the senior and subordinated indentures are included as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The indentures do not limit the amount of securities that may be issued under it and provides that debt securities may be issued in one or more series. The senior debt securities will have the same rank as all of our other indebtedness that is not subordinated. The subordinated debt securities will be subordinated to our senior debt on terms set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. In addition, the subordinated debt securities will be effectively subordinated to creditors and preferred stockholders of our subsidiaries. Our Board of Directors will determine the terms of each series of debt securities being offered. This prospectus contains only general terms and provisions of the debt securities. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the particular terms of the debt securities offered thereby. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of debt securities being offered, as well as the complete note agreements and/or indentures that contain the terms of the debt securities. Forms of indentures have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of debt securities being offered will be incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part from reports we file with the SEC.
provided to you related to the series of warrants being offered, as well as the complete warrant agreements that contain the terms of the warrants. Specific warrant agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part from reports we file with the SEC.
We may offer units consisting of our common stock or preferred stock, debt securities and/or warrants to purchase any of these securities in one or more series. We may evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent will be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units. This prospectus contains only a summary of certain general features of the units. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the particular features of the units being offered thereby. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part from reports we file with the SEC.
We were incorporated in Delaware on May 15, 2013 for the purpose of holding certain FV-100 assets of Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc., or Synergy. We were a majority-owned subsidiary of Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Synergy) until February 18, 2014, the date Synergy completed the spinout of our shares of common stock. Our principal executive offices are located at 399 Thornall Street, First Floor, Edison, New Jersey 08837. Our telephone number is (732) 902-4000 and our website address is www.contravir.com. The information on our website is not a part of, and should not be construed as being incorporated by reference into, this registration statement or the accompanying prospectus.
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. This prospectus contains, and the prospectus supplement applicable to each offering of our securities, will contain a discussion of the risks applicable to an investment in our securities. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific factors discussed under the heading Risk Factors in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference in the prospectus supplement or appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should also consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed under Item 1A, Risk Factors, in our Transition Report on Form 10-KT for the transition period from July 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017, filed with the SEC on March 26, 2018, and any updates described in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, all of which are incorporated herein by reference, and may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC in the future and any prospectus supplement related to a particular offering. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations. The occurrence of any of these known or unknown risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.
This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, including the documents that we incorporate by reference, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). Any statements in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as believe, will, expect, anticipate, estimate, intend, plan and would. For example, statements concerning financial condition, possible or assumed future results of operations, growth opportunities, industry ranking, plans and objectives of management, markets for our common stock and future management and organizational structure are all forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement.
The foregoing list sets forth some, but not all, of the factors that could affect our ability to achieve results described in any forward-looking statements. You should read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and the documents that we reference herein and therein and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement is accurate as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus or such prospectus supplement only. Because the risk factors referred to on page 6 of this prospectus and incorporated herein by reference, could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which factors will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We qualify all of the information presented in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, and particularly our forward-looking statements, by these cautionary statements.
Except as described in any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus in connection with a specific offering, we currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered under this prospectus for general corporate purposes, including the development and commercialization of our products, research and development, general and administrative expenses, license or technology acquisitions, and working capital and capital expenditures. We may also use the net proceeds to repay any debts and/or invest in or acquire complementary businesses, products or technologies, although we have no current commitments or agreements with respect to any such investments or acquisitions as of the date of this prospectus. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for the foregoing purposes. As a result, our management will have broad discretion in the allocation of the net proceeds and investors will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the proceeds of any sale of the securities. Pending use of the net proceeds, we intend to invest the proceeds in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments.
Each time we offer securities under this prospectus, we will describe the intended use of the net proceeds from that offering in the applicable prospectus supplement. The actual amount of net proceeds we spend on a particular use will depend on many factors, including, our future capital expenditures, the amount of cash required by our operations, and our future revenue growth, if any. Therefore, we will retain broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds.
The following description of our capital stock, together with any additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus, summarizes the material terms and provisions of our common stock and the preferred stock that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future common stock or preferred stock that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any class or series of these securities in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. For the complete terms of our common stock and preferred stock, please refer to our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the Certificate of Incorporation) and our bylaws, as amended (the Bylaws) that are incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or may be incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of these securities may also be affected by Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL). The summary below and that contained in any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus are qualified in their entirety by reference to our Certificate of Incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws.
As of the date of this prospectus, our authorized capital stock consisted of 120,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our Board may establish the rights and preferences of the preferred stock from time to time. As of December 31, 2018, there were 16,608,512 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding, 85,581 shares of Series A convertible preferred stock outstanding and 1,974 shares of Series C convertible preferred stock outstanding.
Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share. Our Certificate of Incorporation, does not provide for cumulative voting. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared by our Board out of legally available funds. However, the current policy of our Board is to retain earnings, if any, for the operation and expansion of our company. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all of our assets which are legally available for distribution, after payment of or provision for all liabilities.
· the preemptive or preferential rights, if any, of the holders of shares of such series to subscribe for, purchase, receive, or otherwise acquire any part of any new or additional issue of stock of any class, whether now or hereafter authorized, or of any bonds, debentures, notes, or other securities of the Company, whether or not convertible into shares of stock with the Company.
The issuance of preferred stock may delay, deter or prevent a change in control.
The description of preferred stock above and the description of the terms of a particular series of preferred stock in any applicable prospectus supplement are not complete. You should refer to any applicable certificate of designation for complete information.
The DGCL, the state of our incorporation, provides that the holders of preferred stock will have the right to vote separately as a class on any proposal involving fundamental changes in the rights of holders of that preferred stock. This right is in addition to any voting rights that may be provided for in the applicable certificate of designation.
All shares of preferred stock offered hereby will, when issued, be fully paid and nonassessable, including shares of preferred stock issued upon the exercise of preferred stock warrants or subscription rights, if any.
Although our Board has no intention at the present time of doing so, it could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that could, depending on the terms of such series, impede the completion of a merger, tender offer or other takeover attempt.
Company shall not, without the affirmative vote of the Holders of the shares of the Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the Series A Preferred Stock or alter or amend the Certificate of Designation, (b) authorize or create any class of stock ranking as to dividends, redemption or distribution of assets upon a Series A Liquidation (as defined herein) senior to or otherwise pari passu with the Series A Preferred Stock, or (c) enter into any agreement with respect to the foregoing.
Registration Rights. In the event we close a Series A Subsequent Financing of common or preferred stock, which does not include any warrants or convertible securities, at an effective price per share that is lower than 160% (Series A Premium Price) of the then Series A Conversion Price (the Series A Registration Price) and the purchasers of the securities in the Series A Subsequent Financing are given registration rights for such securities or such securities are issued on a registered basis, the holders shall receive at such time (i) equivalent registration rights for the Series A Preferred Stock and the shares issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock in the event purchasers of the securities in the Series A Subsequent Financing receive registration rights or (ii) demand registration rights in the event purchasers of the securities in the Series A Subsequent Financing receive registered shares. In the event, the Series A Subsequent Financing includes warrants or other convertible securities, the Series A Premium Price shall increase by 1% for every 1% of warrant or other convertible security coverage in the Subsequent Financing. The holders rights under this section shall terminate upon us completing a Series A Subsequent Financing at an effective price per share equal to or greater than the Series A Registration Price which results in minimum gross proceeds to us of $20 million.
holder of the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock does not have the right to convert any portion of the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock to the extent that, after giving effect to the conversion, the holder, together with its affiliates, would beneficially own in excess of 9.99% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to its conversion.
· provide that vacancies on the board of directors may be filled by a majority of directors in office, although less than a quorum.
Blank Check Preferred. Our Board is authorized to create and issue from time to time, without stockholder approval, up to an aggregate of 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to establish the number of shares of any series of preferred stock and to fix the designations, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each series and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the shares of each series.
Advance Notice Bylaws. The Bylaws contain an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before any meeting of stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our Board of Directors. Stockholders at any meeting will only be able to consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of our Board of Directors or by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has given our corporate secretary timely written notice, in proper form, of the stockholders intention to bring that business before the meeting. Although the Bylaws do not give our Board of Directors the power to approve or disapprove stockholder nominations of candidates or proposals regarding other business to be conducted at a special or annual meeting, the Bylaws may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us.
Interested Stockholder Transactions. We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL which, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits business combinations between a publicly-held Delaware corporation and an interested stockholder, which is generally defined as a stockholder who becomes a beneficial owner of 15% or more of a Delaware corporations voting stock for a three-year period following the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder.
The DGCL authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of directors fiduciary duties as directors and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will include such an exculpation provision. Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws will include provisions that indemnify, to the fullest extent allowable under the DGCL, the personal liability of directors or officers for monetary damages for actions taken as a director or officer of us, or for serving at our request as a director or officer or another position at another corporation or enterprise, as the case may be. Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws will also provide that we must indemnify and advance reasonable expenses to our directors and officers, subject to our receipt of an undertaking from the indemnified party as may be required under the DGCL. Our Certificate of Incorporation expressly authorizes us to carry directors and officers insurance to protect us, our directors, officers and certain employees for some liabilities. The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation and by-laws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions may also have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. However, these provisions do not limit or eliminate our rights, or those of any stockholder, to seek non-monetary relief such as injunction or rescission in the event of a breach of a directors duty of care. The provisions will not alter the liability of directors under the federal securities laws. In addition, your investment may be adversely affected to the extent that, in a class action or direct suit, we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions. There is currently no pending material litigation or proceeding against any of our directors, officers or employees for which indemnification is sought.
The Transfer Agent and Registrar for our common stock is Philadelphia Stock Transfer, Inc.
The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplements or free writing prospectuses, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. We may issue debt securities, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future debt securities we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. The terms of any debt securities we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below. However, no prospectus supplement shall fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness. As of the date of this prospectus, we have no outstanding registered debt securities. Unless the context requires otherwise, whenever we refer to the indentures, we also are referring to any supplemental indentures that specify the terms of a particular series of debt securities.
· any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, including any additional events of default or covenants provided with respect to the debt securities, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations.
· to change anything that does not adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series in any material respect.
We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indentures provide that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company or another depositary named by us and identified in a prospectus supplement with respect to that series. See Legal Ownership of Securities below for a further description of the terms relating to any book-entry securities.
On May 8, 2018 we entered into a securities purchase agreement (the Securities Purchase Agreement) with Iliad Research and Trading, L.P. (IRT), pursuant to which we issued to IRT a secured convertible promissory note (the Note) in the aggregate principal amount of $3,325,000 for an aggregate purchase price of $2,000,000 cash and $1,000,000 aggregate principal amount of investor notes (the Investor Notes) payable to us in four tranches of $250,000 upon request by us. Closing occurred on May 9, 2018. The Note carries an original issue discount of $300,000, and the initial principal balance of $2,225,000 also includes original issue discount of $200,000 and $25,000 to cover IRTs transaction expenses. The Investor Notes have not been drawn as of January 31, 2019. The Note bears interest at the rate of 10% per annum and matures on November 8, 2019. Beginning on November 8, 2018, IRT has the right to redeem all or any portion of the Note up to the Maximum Monthly Redemption Amount which is $500,000. Payments of each redemption amount may be made in cash or shares of our common stock at our election (so long as the various conditions to paying stock set forth in the Note are satisfied) provided, however, that if our common stock is trading below $1.60 per share (as adjusted for the reverse stock split), the redemption(s) must be in cash. Common stock issued upon redemption will be issued at a price equal to 80% of the lowest trade price of the common stock for the 20 consecutive trading days prior to the date of redemption, subject to adjustments; provided, however, that in no event will the redemption price be less than $1.60. As of December 31, 2018, approximately $1.56 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes are outstanding.
We also entered into a security agreement with IRT, pursuant to which IRT received a security interest in substantially all of our assets, except for intellectual property. The Securities Purchase Agreement requires that we comply with certain non-financial covenants customary for financing of this nature which we complied with as of September 30, 2018.
We may issue the warrants under a warrant agreement that we will enter into with a warrant agent to be selected by us. If selected, the warrant agent will act solely as an agent of ours in connection with the warrants and will not act as an agent for the holders or beneficial owners of the warrants. If applicable, we will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from a current report on Form 8-K that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant agreement, including a form of warrant certificate, that describes the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering before the issuance of the related series of warrants. The following summaries of material provisions of the warrants and the warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to a particular series of warrants. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus related to the particular series of warrants that we sell under this prospectus, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.
Holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information, and paying the required amount to the warrant agent in immediately available funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on the reverse side of the warrant certificate and in the applicable prospectus supplement the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to us or the warrant agent as applicable.
If selected, each warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants.
The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements and free writing prospectuses, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the units that we may offer under this prospectus.
While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any units that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of units in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any units offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. However, no prospectus supplement will fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.
The provisions described in this section, as well as those described under Description of Capital Stock, Description of Debt Securities and Description of Warrants will apply to each unit and to any common stock, preferred stock, debt security or warrant included in each unit, respectively.
We can issue securities in registered form or in the form of one or more global securities. We describe global securities in greater detail below. We refer to those persons who have securities registered in their own names on the books that we or any applicable trustee or depositary or warrant agent maintain for this purpose as the holders of those securities. These persons are the legal holders of the securities. We refer to those persons who, indirectly through others, own beneficial interests in securities that are not registered in their own names, as indirect holders of those securities. As we discuss below, indirect holders are not legal holders, and investors in securities issued in book-entry form or in street name will be indirect holders.
A global security may not be transferred to or registered in the name of anyone other than the depositary, its nominee or a successor depositary, unless special termination situations arise. We describe those situations below under Special Situations When A Global Security Will Be Terminated. As a result of these arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole registered owner and legal holder of all securities represented by a global security, and investors will be permitted to own only beneficial interests in a global security. Beneficial interests must be held by means of an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary or with another institution that does. Thus, an investor whose security is represented by a global security will not be a legal holder of the security, but only an indirect holder of a beneficial interest in the global security.
in securities transferred to their own names, so that they will be direct holders. We have described the rights of holders and street name investors above.
The applicable prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular series of securities covered by the prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depositary, and neither we, nor any applicable trustee, is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders.
· any securities exchanges or markets on which such securities may be listed.
If underwriters are used in an offering, we will execute an underwriting agreement with such underwriters and will specify the name of each underwriter and the terms of the transaction (including any underwriting discounts and other terms constituting compensation of the underwriters and any dealers) in a prospectus supplement. The securities may be offered to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or directly by one or more investment banking firms or others, as designated. If an underwriting syndicate is used, the managing underwriter(s) will be specified on the cover of the prospectus supplement. If underwriters are used in the sale, the offered securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own accounts and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. Unless otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the offered securities will be subject to conditions precedent and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the offered securities if any are purchased.
We may grant to the underwriters options to purchase additional securities to cover over-allotments, if any, at the public offering price, with additional underwriting commissions or discounts, as may be set forth in a related prospectus supplement. The terms of any over-allotment option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement for those securities.
If we use a dealer in the sale of the securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, we will sell the securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale. The names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction will be specified in a prospectus supplement.
We may sell the securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. We will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities and we will describe any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus supplement. Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, any agent will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment.
In connection with the sale of the securities, underwriters, dealers or agents may receive compensation from us or from purchasers of the common stock for whom they act as agents in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents. Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities, and any institutional investors or others that purchase common stock directly and then resell the securities, may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us and any profit on the resale of the common stock by them may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.
We may provide agents and underwriters with indemnification against particular civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to such liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business.
In addition, we may enter into derivative transactions with third parties (including the writing of options), or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with such a transaction, the third parties may, pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. If so, the third party may use securities borrowed from us or others to settle such sales and may use securities received from us to close out any related short positions. We may also loan or pledge securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to third parties, who may sell the loaned securities or, in an event of default in the case of a pledge, sell the pledged securities pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement or in a post-effective amendment.
To facilitate an offering of a series of securities, persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the market price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involves the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than have been sold to them by us. In those circumstances, such persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by purchasing in the open market or by exercising the over-allotment option granted to those persons. In addition, those persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to underwriters or dealers participating in any such offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Such transactions, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time. We make no representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above, if implemented, may have on the price of our securities.
one or more underwriters may make a market in a class or series of securities, but the underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot give any assurance as to the liquidity of the trading market for any of the securities.
In order to comply with the securities laws of some states, if applicable, the securities offered pursuant to this prospectus will be sold in those states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and complied with.
Any underwriter may engage in overallotment, stabilizing transactions, short covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Overallotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of these activities at any time.
Any underwriters who are qualified market makers on The Nasdaq Capital Market may engage in passive market making transactions in the securities on The Nasdaq Capital Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the securities. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security. If all independent bids are lowered below the passive market makers bid, however, the passive market makers bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded.
The validity of the issuance of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, New York, New York. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.
This prospectus constitutes a part of a registration statement on Form S-3 filed under the Securities Act. As permitted by the SECs rules, this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, which form a part of the registration statement, do not contain all the information that is included in the registration statement. You will find additional information about us in the registration statement. Any statements made in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement concerning legal documents are not necessarily complete and you should read the documents that are filed as exhibits to the registration statement or otherwise filed with the SEC for a more complete understanding of the document or matter.
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read, without charge, and copy the documents we file at the SECs public reference rooms in Washington, D.C. at 100 F Street, NE, Room 1580, Washington, DC 20549, or in New York, New York and Chicago, Illinois. You can request copies of these documents by writing to the SEC and paying a fee for the copying cost. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference rooms. Our SEC filings are also available to the public at no cost from the SECs website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, we make available on or through our Internet site copies of these reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish them to the SEC. Our Internet site can be found at http://www.contravir.com. The information on our website is not a part of, and should not be considered as being incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.
*These fees are calculated based on the securities offered and the number of issuances and accordingly cannot be estimated at this time. The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the estimated amount of expenses of any offering of securities.
Section 145 (Section 145) of the DGCL, permits indemnification of directors, officers, agents and controlling persons of a corporation under certain conditions and subject to certain limitations. Section 145 empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director, officer or agent of the corporation or another enterprise if serving at the request of the corporation. Depending on the character of the proceeding, a corporation may indemnify against expenses (including attorneys fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person indemnified acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. In the case of an action by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification may be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine that despite the adjudication of liability such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court shall deem proper. Section 145 further provides that to the extent a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to above or in the defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith. The foregoing is only a summary of the described sections of the Delaware General Corporation Law and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such sections.
Our Certificate of Incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that it shall indemnify each of its officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145.
Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that no current or former director shall be personally liable to it or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL as the same exists or may hereafter be amended.
a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Certificate of Designation, Preferences and Rights of the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock of ContraVir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on July 2, 2018 (filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Companys Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 5, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference).
* To the extent applicable, to be filed by an amendment or as an exhibit to a document filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and incorporated by reference herein.
To be filed by amendment.
provided, however , that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii), and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is a part of the registration statement.
(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided , however , that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.
(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrants annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plans annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(d) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement on Form S-3 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in New York, New York, on the 6th day of February 2019.
· units consisting of Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Debt Securities or Warrants (the Units), which may be issued under unit agreements (each, a Unit Agreement), to be dated on or about the date of the first issuance of the applicable Units thereunder, by and between the Company and the other parties thereto (the Unit Parties).
We are delivering this opinion pursuant to the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act.
In connection with this opinion, we have examined and relied upon originals, or copies certified to our satisfaction, of such records, documents, certificates, opinions, memoranda and other instruments as in our judgment are necessary or appropriate to enable us to render the opinion expressed below. As to certain factual matters, we have relied upon certificates of officers of the Company and have not independently sought to verify such matters.
In rendering this opinion, we have assumed (i) the genuineness and authenticity of all signatures on original documents; (ii) the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals; (iii) the conformity to originals of all documents submitted to us as copies; (iv) the accuracy, completeness and authenticity of certificates of public officials; (v) the due authorization, execution and delivery of all documents where authorization, execution and delivery are prerequisites to the effectiveness of such documents; (vi) that the Registration Statement and any required post-effective amendment thereto have all become effective under the Securities Act and the Base Prospectus, any and all Prospectus Supplement(s) required by applicable laws and any and all free-writing prospectus(es) related to the offer and sale of the Securities have been delivered and filed as required by such laws; (vii) that the issuance and sale of the Securities do not violate any applicable law, are in conformity with the Companys then operative certificate of incorporation and bylaws, do not result in a default under or breach of any agreement or instrument binding upon the Company and comply with any applicable requirement or restriction imposed by any court or governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company or its properties or assets; (viii) a prospectus supplement will have been prepared and filed with the Commission describing the Securities offered thereby; (ix) a definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement with respect to any Securities offered will have been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and the other parties thereto, as applicable; and (x) if the holders of the Debt Securities are granted rights to inspect corporate books and records and to vote in the election of directors or any matters on which stockholders of the Company may vote, such rights will be set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation (as defined below) or the Certificate of Incorporation grants to the Companys Board of Directors the power to confer such voting or inspection rights and the Companys Board of Directors will have conferred such rights.
creditors rights, and subject to general equity principles and to limitations on availability of equitable relief, including specific performance. We have also assumed with respect to the Warrants offered under the Registration Statement, that (a) such Warrants will be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement, (b) the Warrant Agreement will be filed either as an exhibit to an amendment to the Registration Statement to be filed after the date of this opinion or as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed after the Registration Statement has become effective, and (c) the particular terms of any series of Warrants will be set forth in a supplement to the prospectus forming a part of the Registration Statement. We have also assumed with respect to the Units offered under the Registration Statement, that (a) such Units will be issued pursuant to a Unit Agreement, (b) the Unit Agreement will be filed either as an exhibit to an amendment to the Registration Statement to be filed after the date of this opinion or as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed after the Registration Statement has become effective, and (c) the particular terms of any series of Units will be set forth in a supplement to the prospectus forming a part of the Registration Statement.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, our opinion herein is expressed solely with respect to the federal laws of the United States, the Delaware General Corporation Law and, as to the Debt Securities constituting valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, solely with respect to the laws of the State of New York. We express no opinion as to any provision of the Debt Securities that: (a) relates to the subject matter jurisdiction of any federal court of the United States of America or any federal appellate court to adjudicate any controversy related to the Debt Securities or (b) contains a waiver of an inconvenient forum. We express no opinion as to whether the laws of any jurisdiction are applicable to the subject matter hereof. We are not rendering any opinion as to compliance with any federal or state law, rule or regulation relating to securities, or to the sale or issuance thereof. We express no opinions concerning (i) the validity or enforceability of any provisions contained in indentures that purport to waive or not give effect to rights to notices, defenses, subrogation or other rights or benefits that cannot be effectively waived under applicable law; or (ii) the validity or enforceability of any provisions contained in Warrant Agreements or Unit Agreements that purport to waive or not give effect to rights to notices, defenses, subrogation or other rights or benefits that cannot be effectively waived under applicable law.
1. With respect to the Common Stock offered under the Registration Statement, provided that (i) the issuance of the Common Stock has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company; and (ii) the certificates for the Common Stock have been duly executed by the Company, countersigned by the transfer agent therefor and duly delivered to the purchasers thereof against the requisite payment therefor, which the Company has received, the Common Stock, when issued and sold as contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus and the related Prospectus Supplement(s) and any related free-writing prospectus(es) and in accordance with any applicable duly authorized, executed and delivered purchase, underwriting or similar agreement, or upon conversion of any convertible Preferred Stock or convertible Debt Securities in accordance with their terms, or upon exercise of any Warrants in accordance with their terms, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
2. With respect to the Preferred Stock offered under the Registration Statement, provided that (i) the terms and issuance of the Preferred Stock have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company; (ii) appropriate certificates of amendment to the then operative certificate of incorporation relating to the terms and issuance of Preferred Stock have been duly approved by the Companys Board of Directors and been filed with and accepted by the State of Delaware; and (iii) the certificates for the Preferred Stock have been duly executed by the Company, countersigned by the transfer agent therefor and duly delivered to the purchasers thereof against the requisite payment therefor, which the Company has received, then the Preferred Stock, when issued and sold as contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus and the related Prospectus Supplement(s) and any related free-writing prospectus(es) and in accordance with any applicable duly authorized, executed and delivered purchase, underwriting or similar agreement, or upon conversion of any convertible Debt Securities in accordance with their terms, or upon exercise of any Warrants in accordance with their terms, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
3. With respect to any series of the Debt Securities issued under the Indenture and offered under the Registration Statement, provided that (i) the Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and the Trustee by all necessary corporate action; (ii) the Indenture in substantially the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and the Trustee; (iii) the terms of the Debt Securities and of their issuance and sale have been duly authorized by the Company by all necessary corporate action; (iv) the terms of the Debt Securities and of their issuance and sale have been duly established in conformity with the Indenture; and (v) the Debt Securities have been duly executed and delivered by the Company and authenticated by the Trustee pursuant to the Indenture and delivered against the requisite payment therefor, which the Company has received, then the Debt Securities, when issued and sold in accordance with the Indenture and as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the related Prospectus Supplement(s), and a duly authorized, executed and delivered purchase, underwriting or similar agreement, will be valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, or upon exercise of any Warrants in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement thereof may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, arrangement, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors rights, and subject to general equity principles and to limitations on availability of equitable relief, including specific performance.
4. With respect to the Warrants issued under a Warrant Agreement and offered under the Registration Statement, provided that (i) the Warrant Agreement has been duly authorized by the Company and the Warrant Agent by all necessary corporate action; (ii) the Warrant Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and the Warrant Agent as described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the related Prospectus Supplement(s); (iii) the issuance and terms of the Warrants have been duly authorized by the Company by all necessary corporate action; and (iv) the Warrants have been duly executed and delivered by the Company and authenticated by the Warrant Agent pursuant to the Warrant Agreement and delivered against the requisite payment therefor, which the Company has received, and assuming that the Warrants are then issued and sold as contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement(s), then the Warrants, when issued and sold in accordance with the Warrant Agreement and a duly authorized, executed and delivered purchase, underwriting or similar agreement, will be valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement thereof may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, arrangement, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors rights, and subject to general equity principles and to limitations on availability of equitable relief, including specific performance.
5. With respect to the Units issued under a Unit Agreement and offered under the Registration Statement, provided that (i) the Unit Agreement has been duly authorized by the Company and the Unit Parties by all necessary corporate action; (ii) the Unit Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and the Unit Parties as described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the related Prospectus Supplement(s); (iii) the issuance and terms of the Units have been duly authorized by the Company by all necessary corporate action; and (iv) the Units have been duly executed and delivered by the Company and authenticated by the Unit Parties pursuant to the Unit Agreement and delivered against the requisite payment therefor, which the Company has received, and assuming that the Units are then issued and sold as contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement(s), then the Units, when issued and sold in accordance with the Unit Agreement and a duly authorized, executed and delivered purchase, underwriting or similar agreement, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as enforcement thereof may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, arrangement, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors rights, and subject to general equity principles and to limitations on availability of equitable relief, including specific performance.
moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors rights generally, and general equitable or public policy principles.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the above-referenced Registration Statement and to the use of our name wherever it appears in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus and any Prospectus Supplement. In giving such consent, we do not believe that we are experts within the meaning of such term as used in the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission issued thereunder with respect to any part of the Registration Statement, including this opinion as an exhibit or otherwise.
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Prospectus constituting a part of this Registration Statement of our report dated March 23, 2018 and our report dated September 28, 2017, relating to the consolidated financial statements of ContraVir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., appearing in the Companys Transition Report on Form 10-KT for the transition period from July 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017 and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2017, respectively. Our reports on the consolidated financial statements contain an explanatory paragraph regarding the Companys ability to continue as a going concern. | 2019-04-25T23:52:31Z | http://ir.contravir.com/node/8476/html |
DECC have announced that FIT rates for systems <50kW will be subject to a 3.5% cut.
Despite this a 4kW solar pv system can still offer rates of return in excess of 10%!
The new rates are listed below. If you want to beat the 1st November deadline get in touch quick on 0344 567 9032 for your free 10 minute solar survey.
Customers who proceeded with their PV installations between 12th December and 3rd March still have no idea whether they will qualify for the pre-12th Dec rates, that is until a decision is reached in the governments controversial appeal.
As of the 1st April all properties where customer propose to install a solar PV system must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). The EPC must demonstrate that their property achieves a minimum level ‘D’.
Still out to consultation are the cost control measures for PV which propose reductions to tariffs every 6 months for all new installations. Based on how the government have managed previous “consultations” it is very likely that such changes will be implemented, irrespective of public or industry points of view. This could see cuts of up to 35% from the new 21p rate as of the 1st of July.
PV FIT have equipment in stock and installation teams ready to assist any customers wishing to proceed with a PV installation between now and the 1st of July. Even at 21p, solar PV still offers great rates of return due to recent and ongoing reductions in the cost of equipment.
Contact us today for your free solar survey and quotation.
The cost from PV FIT for a domestic Energy Performance Certificate is £99 including VAT. We are offering a full refund of the EPC cost for all customers who proceed with a PV FIT installation post 1st April, where their property achieves a level D. We can arrange everything so please get in touch today to book your EPC survey.
DECC have today announced their response to the much maligned FIT consultation (phase) which closed on 23rd December 2011.
To be eligible you must have had your installation completed and FIT application form and supporting documents received by your chosen energy supplier by the 3rd March.
Solar panels installed on or after April 1, 2012 will be required to produce an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D or above to qualify for the full FIT level. The tariff for a building is rated below ‘D’ will be 9p/kWh for the lifetime of the tariff, which means energy efficiency measures will have to be completed ahead, or on day, of your PV installation.
£530 for a mid-terrace house currently rated as E that already has loft insulation, but where cavity wall insulation and hot water cylinder insulation are needed.
The typical cost of obtaining an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is £50-100 (please contact us for a quote) and will require the visit of an energy assessor to inspect your property. The whole process will take 5-7 days to complete and upload to the central register.
Defined as installations owned by any individual or organisation a tariff level of 80 percent of the standard tariff, to reflect the lower costs that such installations benefit from.
As a response to feedback, DECC has changed the threshold for the lower tariff from more than one, to more than 25 installations operated by an individual or organistation. However, DECC is consulting on a proposal that would allow social housing, community projects and distributed energy schemes to be exempt from the reduced multi-installation tariff rates.
DECC’s proposed mechanism for changing tariffs after July 2012 will include an automatic baseline transgression of 10 percent every six months, which can be triggered early if deployment exceeds ‘pre-determined’ levels. The system will be reviewed annually to ensure that it is performing well against its objective.
Further cuts on 1st July 2012??
DECC is also proposing that solar FIT tariff levels should reduce from July 1, 2012. The rates for July will be 13.6p or 16.5p depending on the volume of deployment of PV in March and April 2012. Given the panic this is likely to induce we would predict the lower 13.6p rate coming into effect which constitutes another draconian 35% cut in the standard tariff rate.
What if I install a system pre-3rd March?
DECC still intends to pursue its appeal to the Supreme Court, which if they win will mean they reserve the right to apply new rates (see above) to all installations completed between 12th Dec 2011 and 3rd March 2012.
This still leaves installers, and consumers, in the position that we cannot guarantee the rate you will receive if we complete your installaiton within the interim period.
The government may consider an appeal in order to ensure demand for new solar installations remains low in the run up to March 3 – the new cut off date for the higher rate of feed-in tariff incentives.
If the government does not appeal against today’s court ruling the level of incentives available for installations completed before March 3 will be confirmed at 43p/kWh. Ministers are concerned that the ruling could spark a month long gold rush as households and businesses rush to take advantage of the higher rate, eating further into a feed-in tariff budget that has already been exceeded for this year.
We will provide more updates over the coming days, however please do not hesitate to call us on 0344 567 9032 if you have any questions/concerns.
The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court ruling that Government cuts to the Feed-in Tariff were unlawful. The three Lords Justices of Appeal announced their reserved judgement this morning following a hearing 10 days ago.
Today’s decision is a damaging blow to Ministers and officials at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, who must now introduce the contingency date of March 3 for the start of the 21p rate for solar PV and not the original December 12 deadline.
The court judgement also means customers who have had solar panels installed and are registered ahead of the new March 3 cut-off point will now receive the original 43p rate for 25 years. Therefore, the industry has another 5 week period to install at the higher rate of 43.3p.
Customers who register on or after March 3 will qualify for the current higher rate until April 1, when it will drop to 21p.
Dave Houston, MD of Chester based PV FIT Ltd, said: “We welcome the news of tariffs reverting to 43.3p until March 3rd, although this puts us in an even tighter position to deliver solar projects than before Christmas”.
“We will be operating on a first come first served basis in order to ensure customers who proceed with us have their paperwork completed and returned to the energy companies before the March deadline”.
It’s very simple to get a PV FIT quote over the phone by calling 0344 567 9032, or via our website survey request. It only takes 20 minutes and you will receive a quotation by email the same day!
As we explained in our article on the 11th Jan, it has been nigh on impossible to determine what the current FIT rates are, which has dented consumer confidence.
21p/kWh means a 4kW system on a South facing roof currently offers a 10% rate of return – that is until 31st March when FIT rates could reduce further, and home energy rating of level C or above may be introduced.
To get a quote call us today on 0344 567 9032, and beat the rush!
Feed In Tariff Review – A step-by-step guide to what happens now?
As the date for the consultation review of the ‘FIT’s review’ looms, there is uncertainty in the industry due to the current situation.
The Judge ruled that the 12th December reference date for the proposed cuts to the FIT, occurring two weeks before the consultation officially ended on 23rd December, would be illegal.
“We disagree with this for a number of reasons. The overriding aim of the proposed reduction in tariffs for solar PV is to ensure that over the long term as many people as possible are encouraged to install small scale low-carbon generation (including other technologies as well as solar PV) and benefit from the funding available for the FIT scheme.
Without an urgent reduction in the current tariffs, which give a very generous return, the budget for the scheme would be severely depleted and there would be very little available for future solar PV generators, or for other technologies. Our view is that the urgent steps we have proposed to protect the scheme for the future are fully consistent with the scheme’s statutory purpose.
Our MCS certifying body NAPIT (National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers) have been working closely with the DECC and sit on a number of official lobbying groups, part of which included meetings with Minister Greg Barker to discuss the long term plan for a sustainable renewable industry.
Statistics show following the FIT tariff reduction on October 31st the number of solar PV installations grew by approximately 50% per week, reaching around 30,000 installations in the last week leading up to the 12th December deadline.
If the Government does not win an appeal, a renewed period of tariffs at 43.3.p/kWh is inevitable, although how long this will be available for is not clear.
How do you get a quotation and what FIT rate will you get?
If you’ve read this far you will see the governments handling of the whole process has created a huge amount of uncertainty, leaving businesses and customers uncertain what FIT rate they will get.
We will therefore be issuing all quotes based on the post-12th December rates which were proposed in the FIT review – see Feed In Tariff (FIT) – which based on the information we have should be worst case scenario for installations completed before the 31st March 2012.
Due to further reductions in cost of equipment in Jan 2012 the lower rates still demonstrate attractive returns of between 7-10% per year.
We are expecting a rush up to the 31st march deadline, due to any new requirements/rates being introduced on the 1st April, so to avoid disappointment contact us ASAP for your free no obligation solar survey.
DECC have today confirmed the booming solar industries worst fears by publishing their “consultation” on feed in tariff cuts for PV systems.
The table above shows the proposed deep cuts will apply to all new installations completed after the 12th December 2011. This gives customers and installers just 6 weeks to complete any existing contracts at the current rates.What’s more although the proposals are “out for consultation” the changes in tariff levels come into effect before the consultation is due to close on the 23rd December.
David Houston, Director at Chester based PV FIT Ltd, says: “Today’s announcement confirms our worst fears and makes a mockery of the coalitions claims to be behind renewables and their intention to ween people off centralised produced power”.
The proposed domestic tariff levels, which are apparently “out to consultation”, mean a 4kW pv system on an optimum South facing roof will now take 11.3 years to payback, up from 6.5 years under current tariff levels.
“We accept that costs of PV equipment have come down in the 18 months since the FITs were introduces in April 2010. These savings however only translate to a 30% saving on a fully installed system. A knee-jerk 50% cut to FITs is disproportionate and will severely affect investor confidence in a sector which has already seen large PV systems disappear over night due to similar draconian cuts earlier this year” says Houston.
Introduce new multi-installation tariff rates for aggregated solar PV schemes i.e. where a single individual or organisation owns or receives FIT payments from more than one PV installation, located on different sites.
a new energy efficiency requirement for FITs for solar PV (see section 3 of consultation for more detail). The new requirement would apply to all new solar PV installations with an eligibility date on or after 1 April 2012 which are attached to or wired to provide electricity to a building.
Many are predicting a solar gold-rush up to the government’s imposed cut-off point of 12th December, after which solar firms will be left to reassess their offerings. There are likely to be severe job cuts in an industry which has created over 20,000 new jobs in the past year.
David Houston advised, “PV FIT currently have spare capacity in the lead up to the 12th December. To avoid disappointment you will need to book your installation ASAP – if you haven’t already had a quote we can survey over the phone in 10 minutes and will email a quote same day”.
Call today for your free solar PV quotation on 0344 567 9032 or fill in our free solar survey.
Ofgem says the profit margin for energy firms has risen from £15 in June, to £125 per customer per year.
The profit figure is a snapshot of the amount suppliers would make from dual-fuel customers if energy prices and bills stay unchanged for the next year.
Predictably energy suppliers argue that Ofgem’s figures were misleading and do not paint a realistic picture of profitability.
“A snapshot of profits every few months does not provide a realistic picture of the average profits over a year of companies in the sector,” said Christine McGourty, director of Energy UK, which represents energy suppliers.
“The approach adopted by Ofgem in calculating this figure is entirely theoretical and does not reflect how a responsible energy supply business manages its energy procurement strategy in reality,” said SSE, which estimates its profit margin at £62 per customer.
Ofgem also say they are intent on forcing suppliers to simplify their tariffs to make it simpler for consumers to see whether they are on the best possible deal.
Energy suppliers will be forced to have no-frills tariffs, as part of The simplification plan, which would consist of a standing charge – fixed by the regulator – plus a unit charge for energy used.
This would mean the only figure which consumers would need to look at when looking to switch deals is the unit energy charge.
Under Ofgem’s simplification plan, more complicated tariffs would still be available, but they would have to be for a fixed period, with price increases not being allowed for the duration of the deal.
The average dual-fuel bill is now £1,345 a year following recent price rises from all the big suppliers.
“When consumers face energy bills at around £1,345 they must have complete confidence that this price is set by companies competing in a fully competitive market,” said Ofgem’s chief executive Alistair Buchanan.
Why put up with constant price rises? Contact PV FIT today for your free solar survey and you could start earning in excess of £1000+ p.a. from the Sun!
New research conducted by utility and environmental consultancy Gemserv has identified huge demand from British households to ‘Go Green’ and produce their own energy.
Gemserv’s study of over 2000 British adults found that 61% of homeowners would consider installing means to generating their own energy, whether using solar PV panels, installing air source heat pumps, using biomass fuel or harnessing the power of nature by using hydro power. If the so-called ‘green gap’ could be bridged, approximately 15 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year, the report claims.
However, despite the UK’s appetite for renewable energy, Gemserv’s research found that the widespread lack of awareness about installation, cost savings and benefits is stopping people from reducing their carbon footprints.
In these challenging economic times, expense was understandably a big consideration, 57% of homeowners who would not consider installing any of the renewable initiatives from a list they were shown said it is too expensive and 32% of people were unsure how much money they could save and/or earn from renewable energy sources.
A further 65% of Brits weren’t aware of the government’s financial incentive for generating renewable energy.
Dave Houston, MD of chester based solar installers PV FIT Ltd says: “I am not surprised that Germserv’s survey identified that a significant proportion of the public would be interested to install a renewable energy technology on their homes. The costs of renewable energy systems can put many people off, despite the very attractive returns offered by schemes such as the Feed-in Tariff (FITs), due to the substantial capital outlay to install them in the first place”.
“In the past year FITs have vastly increased the size of the UK’s solar PV industry, which in turn has seen the cost of equipment & installation drop significantly. In April 2010, a typical 4kW PV FIT system cost £16,000 including VAT. In October 2011, the same system has reduced to nearer £12,000 – with a South facing system offering combined tax-free income and savings of £1700p.a”.
“With wider awareness of FITs and access to low cost, or preferably, zero interest finance we feel the renewables market could be vast, with capital costs reducing at an equally rapid rate”.
FITs are due to reduce by 9% for new entrants in April 2012, although many in the renewables sector are predicting a greater reduction due to the schemes success in reducing equipment costs. | 2019-04-19T08:15:19Z | https://www.pvfit.co.uk/category/blog/gov/ |
. Kirk is associate professor of New Testament at Fuller.
I saw this article several months ago in an earlier version, and, amid all the controversy and misinformation generated by others, I was excited to see Kirk weighing on this this issue. I hope the article gets the attention it deserves.
I want to open up the conversation to the possibility that the gospel does not, in fact, depend on a historical Adam or historical Fall in large part because what Paul says about Adam stems from his prior conviction about the saving work of Christ. The theological points Paul wishes to make concern the saving work of the resurrected Christ and the means by which he makes them is the shared cultural and religious framework of his first-century Jewish context.
1. What Paul says about Adam is set up by his prior conviction that in Christ the “new creation” has broken in to present time. Paul draws Adam into a conversation begun by the resurrection of Christ, not vice-versa, and in doing so recasts Adam’s significance beyond that which he has in Genesis.
2. To the extent that Paul sees Adam as the first man, Paul is not making a binding scientific or historical declaration but reflecting his view on such things as a first-century Jew.
In my opinion, both of these observations are absolutely key in coming to a biblically literate and historically knowledgable understanding of the role Adam plays in Paul’s theology.
What difference might it make to our discussions about a historical Adam that Paul was claiming, “Christ, is (un)like Adam, therefore God’s people are not demarcated by Torah”? This latter statement is, in fact, the point of Paul’s argument in Romans 5 (cf. 5:12–14, 20–21). Paul’s Adam theology is an avenue toward affirming that God has one worldwide people; therefore, the specially blessed people are not defined by the story of circumcision.
What if Paul’s Adam is not a lesson for us about where people came from, but part of Paul’s rhetoric to establish the oneness of God’s people–Jew and Gentile together–that so dominates his letter to the Romans?
[W]hat is a “given” for Paul is the saving event of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The other things he says, especially about sin, the Law, and eschatology, are reinterpretations that grow from the fundamental reality of the Christ event. Recognizing this relieves the pressure that sometimes builds up around a historical Adam….Adam is not the foundation on which the system of Christian faith and life is built, such that removing him means that the whole edifice comes crashing down. Instead, the Adam of the past is one spire in a large edifice whose foundation is Christ. The gospel need not be compromised if we find ourselves having to part ways with Paul’s assumption that there is a historical Adam, because we share Paul’s fundamental conviction that the crucified Messiah is the resurrected Lord over all.
I hope you have a chance to wander over to Fuller’s website and read the article for yourselves. At the very least, counterarguments would need to provide a more compelling account of Paul’s overall theology in Romans rather than simply lifting verses out of that carefully crafted work and using them for reasons Paul never intended–and never would have understood.
Yes and No. I think this is a simpler yet more complicated issue in some ways than Kirk is presenting. I really get annoyed at the idea that Paul is reinterpreting Genesis from its original meaning. I think the problem is that many scholars still want to interpret Genesis from something of a literal perspective as the original intent when the jury is still out (except possibly in their minds) regarding the original intent. Paul obviously applied a Midrash hermeneutic to Genesis as evidenced by his interpretation of Gen 2:24 in which he correlates that verse as prophetic toward Christ and the church.
Eph 5:30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
There is enough evidence from Paul’s and other 2nd T pieces of literature to indicate that Genesis written with prophetic intent was not that uncommon of an application. Paul didn’t really invent that hermeneutic would be my counter argument but instead Genesis was written with an analogical bent with messianic prophecy in mind in the first place and Paul is reading it as some trained Hebrew scribes would have.
Here is another point that I would raise; just because it’s quite obvious that Adam is a Hebrew construct for mankind doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a first man in the Hebrew mindset that can be assumed. The point being that Adam very likely is represented in the Hebrew mindset of someone much more Jewish than representative of humanity at large. The Jews segregated themselves between Jew and Gentile and I believe their literature recognizes and reinforces that acknowledgment. Adam is representative of the first Covenants man and not humanity at large and that entails Adam’s priestly expectation and duties in relationship to God thus him being called the “son of God” as was Christ. Adam was therefore “a representative type” that Christ fulfilled more completely and so Christ is designated the “last Adam”. Calling Christ the Last Adam tells us that Adam meant something more than just a representative human at large. Take the time to see how the 2nd Temple Jews and earliest Christians represented Adam. I can’t think of an example where Adam represented a Gentile man but was always Jewish in scope.
The Jews were writing this story from their perspective and there are plenty of side stories and implications to indicate an eventual folding in of Gentiles into this Covenant family if you will. The question is can one assume a literal first Covenant man whom God began His work with? I think literally we can actually say that at some point in history one can “assume” a covenant origin that eventually brought forth the covenant people. It doesn’t really matter to the Jews that they could identify that specific person but one is on solid ground assuming as much. Genesis is a Jewish story of origins and Adam I believe reflects that even in his Hebrew name which I believe connotes covenant man generally speaking. The Hebrews had other generic words for “man” and in fact Gen 2 & 3 conflates two of those terms together in their usage.
I don’t think we have to jump through hoops to impugn Paul’s interpretation, especially if we are possibly reading him through the wrong colored lenses still. I think it is important to sort out better what Paul understood about Adam and I think Kirk has good intentions but I think there is good evidence that the process is not as contrived as he is making out. There is plenty of work to be done in this study and I think our critical scholars would serve the faith community even better if they would enlarge the scope of this investigation. Sometimes the scholarly community runs with the fad of the times and about a generation later we find there arises even better analysis overlooked and had more potential to reveal Paul’s thinking. Just be patient and the cream will rise to the top over time.
Let me make another ANE comparison; the Romans “invented” the Romulus and Remus story to describe their origins. No one believes that story as a historical description but we also believe that indeed there was an origin to Rome but it just happens to be more mundane than that story. Doesn’t mean there wasn’t real people involved in Rome’s origins but that story wasn’t meant to satisfy us moderns and neither was the Genesis story of origins. The Adam story also has other purposes than we often suppose.
Norman, I don’t follow you. Can you boil down in a sentence or two why Kirk’s post annoys you? He is saying that Paul’s hermeneutic is midrashic and driven by Christology. It looks like you agree?
Briefly, I take it that the observation you make, that other 2TJ Jews were, also, doing midrash with Genesis and that no other 2TJ talked about the messiah and Adam quite like Paul does is fairly decisive evidence that all of them are doing rereadings in light of their contexts. This isn’t bending over backwards, it’s recognizing what’s there and trying to explain it as best we can.
Now, seeing Genesis as anti-legalistic Messianism 2500 years before anyone thought such a thing was needed, _that’s_ a _tour de force_!
Genesis similarly over at least 400 years?
the Genesis story line and carry it further.
to think that the redactor of Genesis wasn’t pushing the same envelope as well?
describing humanity and that was it?
Kirk helps us understand Paul afresh in a changing world. But we shouldn’t “part ways” with him too quickly, nor with his first-century take on science and history. We should first join him back there (as Kirk has done well) and see the world through his eyes in light of the game changing Christ event. From there, we do indeed “part ways” with the biblical writer even as all faithful Christians have done over time. We read Scripture to get the story right, but we also interpret it in both ancient and modern settings, even as we seek to apply divine truth to our lives of every day. Bible Study Methods 101. So we don’t really part ways with Paul at all!
Interesting, because of course that’s what Paul did.
What do you mean “interesting”?
What a question! … Well, if it was OK for Paul, is it obviously a mistake for us? Are you criticizing the method or just the results? I’ve just been reading Sanders trashing the persistence of Weber’s view of Judaism’s supposed legalism … heavy weather since I don’t know any of those people, but I plow along. In the meantime, where I go on Sundays for praise and worship, indeed we hear much about 618 (or so) commandments and how breaking even one means your ticket is revoked. Actually the church is coming from Holiness into Grace (eg Andrew Farley). While as an ex-liberal looking for a home with some substance to it I would vastly prefer historical criticism and acknowledgment of modern natural science (not to mention God’s original forgiving nature), our church seems to be religion that works. There is a “how you get in and stay in” to it, and it has been healing for me personally. So Paul felt free to recast elements of his tradition in order to go in a fresh direction (“Adam” => “All Nations”, yea JRDK), so why shouldn’t Pastor Ron do the same thing?
I’ve said before that if Genesis (and the rest) is inspired, then there’s no reason God couldn’t put in messages for us as well as the original and various other authors or redactors. I’m sure we don’t want to say that YHWH’s religion doesn’t progress. And that’s why I think Farley is quite wrong to write off the OT as de-covenanted, not directed towards moderns; we can read the ancient message as well as the modern one. But that just says I’m not really *in* Pastor Ron’s church although it is useful to me for praise, worship, and healing.
So I suppose what I mean by “interesting” is that there’s something here I can’t spit out and I can’t swallow, so I must continue to chew. I’m sure I sound confused.
Looks like the comments got all jumbled up moving to this new format.
Could you expand a little more on what you mean by this? Thanks.
This is hard to address briefly, but I’ll try–with the caveat that I’m only familiar with Kirk’s ideas as reproduced on or linked by Pete’s blog.
Kirk appears to set up a distinction between a “historical, scientific, or critical” reading of “scripture” one the one hand versus a reading of scripture as a “witness to … the crucified and risen Christ.” This suggests to me that Kirk sees some opposition between “faith,” understood as acceptance of “scripture,” and a “historical, scientific, or critical” reading of “scripture.” I, on the other hand, understand Christian faith as reasoned belief, i.e., belief based on articulable reasons rather than subjective certainty alone. Therefore, from my standpoint, historical and scientific knowledge in its full range is all grist for the mill in evaluating the credibility of the early Christian witnesses to the substance of Christian faith–that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and rose. From this standpoint there is not and cannot be an opposition between an historical/scientific reading of scripture and a “faith filled” my words, not Kirk’s own) reading. A “faith filled” reading that is not historically and scientifically informed is false to the nature of faith as reasoned belief.
Of course, I recognize that Kirk isn’t denying the applicability of history and science to an informed reading of “scripture,” but I am questioning, suggesting, that Kirk’s approach of “narratival theologizing” runs that risk–that it remains plugged into a reading of “scripture” that implicitly denies historical and scientific approaches. The prime example is one that Kirk himself suggests–that the Israelite scriptures should be read from a Christological standpoint. My contention is that that is an untrue approach, that historical and scientific study conclusively demonstrates that the Israelite scriptures were not written with Jesus in mind and are improperly understood when read from such a perspective.
I hasten to add, however, that I am not suggesting that there is no relationship between the Israelite scriptures and the Jesus of Christian faith. Rather, I’m suggesting that this relationship will remain an unresolvable conundrum until we reevaluate what we understand “revelation” to be. In a sense, you could say that I have a similar approach to Kirk’s, in this sense: while I deny that the Israelite scriptures tell us about Jesus (Jesus himself does that quite well, thank you), I do also maintain that revelation as a whole–in which the Israelite scriptures are included–is ultimately only to be understood in the person of Jesus. The difference is my understanding of revelation, which I see as embodied in the historical (and risen) person of Jesus, not in books per se.
Obviously there’s a lot more to be said, but this isn’t my blog and I don’t want to go on at too great length. I’ve attempted to expand on this entire topic at my own blog: meaninginhistory.blogspot.com.
We cannot have a conversation about what Paul was doing with his interpretation of Adam and what Genesis originally presented without wrestling with the intervening Jewish interpretation. I have argued that point extensively regarding the OT use in Jesus’ judgment sayings and John’s Apocalypse in my monograph http://www.amazon.com/Tradition-Synoptic-Sayings-Judgment-Apocalypse/dp/0567627659/. Concerning Romans 5 (and 7:7-13 for that matter) and Paul’s re-appropriation of Adam’s story, you must read and compare the Jewish discussions of Adam’s sin and its effects in 4 Ezra (look first at 4 Ezra 3:21; 4:30; 7:46-48) as well as the Apocalypse of Moses and the Apocalypse of Baruch. Paul’s language about Adam’s sin and its effects on all humanity is nearly a word-for-word match at certain points. We have good reason to believe from comparative analysis that Paul’s view of Adam is the same as these interpretations of his sinful act. 2 Baruch 4:3-4 views Adam and Abraham in parallel fashion as does Paul in Romans 4-5. So if there is no historical Adam, then let it be plainly acknowledged that Paul was wrong like his Jewish discussion partners in the first Century and the historical nature of Abraham, David, etc. is in play as well. Paul builds his argument in Romans in dialogue with contemporary religious and philosophical discussions throughout the epistle (think here of his allusions to and interaction with arguments found in Philo and Stoics like Epictetus in Romans 1 or the Wisdom of Solomon in Romans 2). He shares some common assumptions with those dialogue partners while correcting others along the way. However, he gives no indication that the historicity of Adam is an assumption he dismisses or considers non-essential.
My net from reading Pete Enns etc is that most of Gen chaps 1 thro 11 are fairy tales so what difference does it make how Paul treats the mythical person Adam. Obviously Pete uses words more carefully, judiciously etc than I do but my conclusion is as stated above except for “In the beginning God”.
A liberal Christian friend (from the old ASA email list Pete) takes the attitude that Paul, as just another early theologian, is irrelevant in any case. | 2019-04-23T18:20:36Z | https://peteenns.com/does-pauls-theology-require-a-historical-adam-thoughts-from-j-r-daniel-kirk/ |
Karen Witemeyer holds a master’s degree in psychology from Abilene Christian University and is a member of ACFW, RWA, and the Texas Coalition of Authors. She has published fiction in Focus on the Family’s children’s magazine, and has written several articles for online publications and anthologies. Tailor-Made Bride is her first novel. Karen lives in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children.
Hannah Richards bit back a laugh as Victoria Ashmont effectively put her nephews wife in her place with three little words. Trying hard to appear as if she wasnt listening to her clients conversation, Hannah pulled the last pin from between her lips and slid it into the hem of the controversial fabric.
Miss Victoria pivoted with impressive speed, the cane she used for balance nearly clobbering Hannah in the head as she spun.
You may have my nephew wrapped around your little finger, but dont think you can manipulate me with your theatrics. Like an angry goddess from the Greek myths, Victoria Ashmont held her chin at a regal angle and pointed her aged hand toward the woman who dared challenge her. Hannah almost expected a lightning bolt to shoot from her finger to disintegrate Nan where she stood.
Nans affronted gasp echoed through the room like the crack of a mule skinners whip.
The door slammed shut, and the resulting bang appeared to knock the starch right out of Miss Victoria. She wobbled, and Hannah lurched to her feet to steady the elderly lady.
Hannah nodded, not about to argue. She gathered her sewing box instead, collecting her shears, pins, and needle case from where they lay upon the thick tapestry carpet.
She had sewn for Miss Victoria for the last eighteen months, and it disturbed her to see the woman reduced to tremors and pallor so easily. The eccentric spinster never shied from a fight and always kept her razor-sharp tongue at the ready.
Hannah had felt the lash of that tongue herself on several occasions, but shed developed a thick skin over the years. A woman making her own way in the world had to toughen up quickly or get squashed. Perhaps that was why she respected Victoria Ashmont enough to brave her scathing comments time after time. The woman had been living life on her own terms for years and had done well for herself in the process. True, shed had money and the power of the Ashmont name to lend her support, but from all public reportsand a few overheard conversationsit was clear Victoria Ashmonts fortune had steadily grown during her tenure as head of the family, not dwindled, which was more than many men could say. Hannah liked to think that, given half a chance, shed be able to duplicate the womans success. At least to a modest degree.
Yes, maam. Hannahs forehead scrunched. She couldnt be sure, but she thought Victoria Ashmont might have just paid her a compliment.
Hannahs gaze flew to her clients face. Miss Victorias slate gray eyes assessed her, probing, drilling into her core, as if she meant to rip the truth from her with or without her consent.
Dizzy from the abrupt starts, stops, and turns of the strange conversation, Hannah kept her mouth closed and assisted Miss Victoria. She unfastened the brightly colored silk, careful not to snag the pins on either the delicate material of the gown or on Miss Victorias stockings. Once the dress had been safely removed, she set it aside and helped the woman don a loose-fitting wrapper.
Im anxious to have these details put in order, Miss Victoria said as she took a seat at the ladies writing desk along the east wall. I will pay you a bonus if you will stay here and finish the garment for me before you leave. You may use the chair in the corner. She gestured toward a small upholstered rocker that sat angled toward the desk.
Hannahs throat constricted. Her mind scrambled for a polite refusal, yet she found no excuse valid enough to withstand Miss Victorias scrutiny. Left with no choice, she swallowed her misgivings and forced the appropriate reply past her lips.
Masking her disappointment, Hannah set her box of supplies on the floor near the chair Miss Victoria had indicated and turned to fetch the dress.
She disliked sewing in front of clients. Though her tiny boardinghouse room was dim and lacked the comforts afforded in Miss Victorias mansion, the solitude saved her from suffering endless questions and suggestions while she worked.
Hannah drew in a deep breath. I might as well make the best of it. No use dwelling on what couldnt be changed. It was just a hem and few darts to compensate for her clients recent weight loss. She could finish the task in less than an hour.
Miss Victoria proved gracious. She busied herself with papers of some kind at her desk and didnt interfere with Hannahs work. She did keep up a healthy stream of chatter, though.
You probably think me morbid for finalizing all my funeral details in advance. Miss Victoria lifted the lid of a small silver case and extracted a pair of eyeglasses. She wedged them onto her nose and began leafing through a stack of documents in a large oak box.
Im sure your nephew will remember you. Hannah glanced up as she twisted the dress to allow her better access to the next section of hem.
Hannah poked her needle up and back through the red silk in rapid succession, focused on making each stitch even and straight. It wasnt her place to offer advice, but it burned on her tongue nonetheless. Any church or charitable organization in the city could do a great amount of good with even a fraction of the Ashmont estate. Miss Victoria could make several small donations without her nephew ever knowing the difference. Hannah pressed her lips together and continued weaving her needle in and out, keeping her unsolicited opinion to herself.
She was relieved when a soft tapping at the door saved her from having to come up with an appropriate response.
The sound of paper ripping echoed in the quiet room as Miss Victoria slid her letter opener through the upper edge of the flap.
Hannah turned the dress again and bent her head a little closer to her task, hoping to escape Miss Victorias notice. It was not to be. The older womans voice only grew louder and more pointed as she continued.
It seemed to be enough, and Miss Victoria turned back to her correspondence as she continued her ramblings.
An expectant pause hung in the air. Keeping her eyes on her work, Hannah voiced the first thought that came to mind.
Hannah tied off her thread and snipped the tail. She reached for her spool and unwound another long section, thankful that the discussion had finally moved in a more neutral direction. She clipped the end of the thread and held the needle up to gauge the position of the eye.
The needle slipped out of her hand.
If the woman was determined to have her speak her mind, Hannah would oblige. This was the last project shed ever sew for the woman anyway. It couldnt hurt. The only problem was, shed worked so hard not to form an opinion during this exchange, that now that she was asked for one, she had none to give. Trying not to let the silence rush her into saying something that would indeed prove her lacking in intellect, she scrambled to gather her thoughts while she searched for the dropped needle.
Victoria Ashmont considered her for several moments, her eyes piercing Hannah and bringing to mind the staring contests the school boys used to challenge her to when she was still in braids. The memory triggered her competitive nature, and a stubborn determination to win rose within her.
Exultation flashed through her for a brief second at her victory, but self-recrimination soon followed. This wasnt a schoolyard game. It was an aging womans search to create meaning in her death.
Feeling chastised and oddly encouraged at the same time, Hannah threaded her needle and returned to work. The scratching of pen against paper replaced the chatter of Miss Victorias voice as the woman gave her full attention to the documents spread across her desk. Time passed swiftly, and soon the alterations were complete.
After trying the gown on a second time to assure a proper fit and examining every seam for quality and durability, as was her custom, Victoria Ashmont ushered Hannah down to the front hall.
Thank you, maam. Hannah collected her bonnet from the butler and tied the ribbons beneath her chin.
I will settle my account with Mrs. Granbury by the end of the week, but here is the bonus I promised you. She held out a plain white envelope.
Hannah smiled as she stepped out the door, sure that not even the angels could drag Miss Victoria away until she was ready to go. Yet underneath the womans tough exterior beat a kind heart. Although Hannah didnt fully understand how kind until she arrived home and opened her bonus envelope.
Instead of the two or three greenbacks she had assumed were tucked inside, she found a gift that stole her breath and her balance. She slumped against the boardinghouse wall and slid down its blue-papered length into a trembling heap on the floor. She blinked several times, but the writing on the paper didnt change, only blurred as tears welled and distorted her vision.
She held in her hand the deed to her new dress shop in Coventry, Texas.
J.T.! J.T.! I got a customer for ya. Tom Packard lumbered down the street with his distinctive uneven gait, waving his arm in the air.
Jericho J.T. Tucker stepped out of the liverys office with a sigh and waited for his right-hand man to jog past the blacksmith and bootmaker shops. Hed lost count of how many times hed reminded Tom not to yell out his business for everyone to hear, but social niceties tended to slip the boys notice when he got excited.
It wasnt his fault, though. At eighteen, Tom had the body of a man, but his mind hadnt developed quite as far. He couldnt read a lick and could barely pen his own name, but he had a gentle way with horses, so J.T. let him hang around the stable and paid him to help out with the chores. In gratitude, the boy did everything in his power to prove himself worthy, including trying to drum up clientele from among the railroad passengers who unloaded at the station a mile south of town. After weeks without so much as a nibble, it seemed the kid had finally managed to hook himself a fish.
J.T. leaned a shoulder against the doorframe and slid a toothpick out of his shirt pocket. He clamped the wooden sliver between his teeth and kept his face void of expression save for a single raised brow as Tom stumbled to a halt in front of him. The kid grasped his knees and gulped air for a moment, then unfolded to his full height, which was nearly as tall as his employer. His cheeks, flushed from his exertions, darkened further when he met J.T.s eye.
I done forgot about the yelling again, huh? Sorry. Tom slumped, his chin bending toward his chest.
The General, huh? J.T. rubbed his jaw and used the motion to cover his grin.
Tom had names for all the wagons. Fancy Pants was the fringed surrey J.T. kept on hand for family outings or courting couples; the buggys name was Doc after the man who rented it out most frequently; the buckboard was just plain Buck; and his freight wagon was affectionately dubbed The General. The kids monikers inspired a heap of good-natured ribbing amongst the men who gathered at the livery to swap stories and escape their womenfolk, but over time the names stuck. Just last week, Alistair Smythe plopped down a silver dollar and demanded he be allowed to take Fancy Pants out for a drive. Hearing the pretentious bank clerk use Toms nickname for the surrey left the fellas guffawing for days.
Shop? J.T.s good humor shriveled. His arms fell to his sides as his gaze slid past Tom to the vacant building across the street. The only unoccupied shop in Coventry stood adjacent to Louisa Jamess laundrythe shop hed tried, and failed, to purchase. J.T.s jaw clenched so tight the toothpick started to splinter. Forcing himself to relax, he straightened away from the doorpost.
I think shes a dressmaker, Tom said. There were a bunch of them dummies with no heads or arms with her on the platform. Looked right peculiar, them all standin around her like theys gonna start a quiltin bee or something. The kid chuckled at his own joke, but J.T. didnt join in his amusement.
A dressmaker? A woman who made her living by exploiting the vanity of her customers? Thats who was moving into his shop?
A sick sensation oozed like molasses through his gut as memories clawed over the wall hed erected to keep them contained.
Toms question jerked him back to the present and allowed him to stuff the unpleasant thoughts back down where they belonged. He loosened his fingers from the fist he didnt remember making and adjusted his hat to sit lower on his forehead, covering his eyes. It wouldnt do for the kid to see the anger that surely lurked there. Hed probably go and make some fool assumption that hed done something wrong. Or worse, hed ask questions J.T. didnt want to answer.
Yes, sir! Tom bounded off to the corral to gather the horses, his chest so inflated with pride J.T. was amazed he could see where he was going.
Ducking back inside the livery, J.T. closed up his office and strode past the stalls to the oversized double doors that opened his wagon shed up to the street. He grasped the handle of the first and rolled it backward, using his body weight as leverage. As his muscles strained against the heavy wooden door, his mind struggled to control his rising frustration.
Hed finally accepted the fact that the owner of the shop across the street refused to sell to him. J.T. believed in Providence, that the Lord would direct his steps. He didnt like it, but hed worked his way to peace with the decision. Until a few minutes ago. The idea that God would allow it to go to a dressmaker really stuck in his craw.
It wasnt as if he wanted the shop for selfish reasons. He saw it as a chance to help out a widow and her orphans. Isnt that what the Bible defined as pure religion? What could be nobler than that? Louisa James supported three kids with her laundry business and barely eked out an existence. The building she worked in was crumbling around her ears even though the majority of her income went to pay the rent. Hed planned to buy the adjacent shop and rent it to her at half the price she was currently paying in exchange for storing some of his tack in the large back room.
J.T. squinted against the afternoon sunlight that streamed into the dim stable and strode to the opposite side of the entrance, his indignation growing with every step. Ignoring the handle, he slammed his shoulder into the second door and ground his teeth as he dug his boots into the packed dirt floor, forcing the wood to yield to his will.
How could a bunch of fripperies and ruffles do more to serve the community than a new roof for a family in need? Most of the women in and around Coventry sewed their own clothes, and those that didnt bought ready-made duds through the dry-goods store or mail order. Sensible clothes, durable clothes, not fashion-plate items that stroked their vanity or elicited covetous desires in their hearts for things they couldnt afford. A dressmaker had no place in Coventry.
This cant be Gods will. The world and its schemers had brought her to town, not God.
Horse hooves thudded and harness jangled as Tom led the grays toward the front of the livery.
J.T. blew out a breath and rubbed a hand along his jaw. No matter what had brought her to Coventry, the dressmaker was still a woman, and his father had drummed into him the truth that all women were to be treated with courtesy and respect. So hed smile and doff his hat and make polite conversation. Shoot, hed even lug her heavy junk around for her and unload all her falderal. But once she was out of his wagon, hed have nothing more to do with her.
Hannah sat atop one of her five trunks, waiting for young Tom to return. Most of the other passengers had left the depot already, making their way on foot or in wagons with family members who’d come to meet them. Hannah wasnt about to let her belongings out of her sight, thoughor trust them to a porter she didnt know. So she waited.
Thanks to Victoria Ashmonts generosity, shed been able to use the money shed saved for a shop to buy fabric and supplies. Not knowing what would be available in the small town of Coventry, she brought everything she needed with her. Including her prized possessiona Singer Improved Family Model 15 treadle machine with five-drawer walnut cabinet and extension leaf. The monster weighed nearly as much as the locomotive that brought her here, but it was a thing of beauty, and she intended to make certain it arrived at the shop without incident.
Her toes tapped against the wooden platform. Only a mile of dusty road stood between her and her dream. Yet the final minutes of waiting felt longer than the hours, even years, that preceded them. Could she really run her own business, or would Miss Ashmonts belief in her prove misplaced? A tingle of apprehension tiptoed over Hannahs spine. What if the women of Coventry had no need of a dressmaker? What if they didnt like her designs? What if . . .
Hannah surged to her feet and began to pace. Miss Ashmont had directed her to be bold. Bold and self-confident. Oh, and confident in God. Hannah paused. Her gaze slid to the bushy hills rising around her like ocean swells. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. The psalm seeped into her soul, bringing a measure of assurance with it. God had led her here. He would provide.
She resumed her pacing, anticipation building as fear receded. On her sixth lap around her mound of luggage, the creak of wagon wheels brought her to a halt.
A conveyance drew near, and Hannahs pulse vaulted into a new pace. Young Tom wasnt driving. Another man with a worn brown felt hat pulled low over his eyes sat on the bench. It must be that J.T. person Tom had rambled on about. Well, it didnt matter who was driving, as long as he had the strength to maneuver her sewing machine without dropping it.
A figure in the back of the wagon waved a cheerful greeting, and the movement caught Hannahs eye. She waved back, glad to see Tom had returned as well. Two men working together would have a much easier time of it.
The liveryman pulled the horses to a halt and set the brake. Masculine grace exuded from him as he climbed down and made his way to the platform. His long stride projected confidence, a vivid contrast to Toms childish gamboling behind him. Judging by the breadth of his shoulders and the way the blue cotton of his shirt stretched across the expanse of his chest and arms, this man would have no trouble moving her sewing cabinet.
Tom dashed ahead of the newcomer and swiped the gray slouch hat from his head. Tufts of his dark blond hair stuck out at odd angles, but his eyes sparkled with warmth. I got the General, maam. Well get you fixed up in a jiffy. Not wasting a minute, he slapped his hat back on and moved past her.
Hannahs gaze roamed to the man waiting a few steps away. He didnt look much like a general. No military uniform. Instead he sported scuffed boots and denims that were wearing thin at the knees. The tip of a toothpick protruded from his lips, wiggling a little as he gnawed on it. Perhaps General was a nickname of sorts. He hadnt spoken a word, yet there was something about his carriage and posture that gave him an air of authority.
She straightened her shoulders in response and closed the distance between them. Still giddy about starting up her shop, she couldnt resist the urge to tease the stoic man who held himself apart.
His right brow arced upward. Then a tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth told her hed caught on.
He dipped his chin in a small nod. Not a very demonstrative fellow. Nor very talkative.
Oh. Wait just a minute, please. There was no telling what foul things had been carted around in that wagon bed before today. It didnt matter so much for her trunks and sewing cabinet, but the linen covering her mannequins would be easily soiled.
Hannah sensed more than heard Mr. Tuckers sigh as she hurried to collect the quilt from the trunk she had been sitting on. Well, he could sigh all he liked. Her display dummies were going to be covered. She had one chance to make a first impression on the ladies of Coventry, and she vowed it would be a pristine one.
Making a point not to look at the liveryman as she scurried by, Hannah clutched the quilt to her chest and headed for the wagon. She draped it over the side, then climbed the spokes and hopped into the back, just as she had done as a child. Then she laid out the quilt along the back wall and gently piled the six dummies horizontally atop it, alternating the placement of the tripod pedestals to allow them to fit together in a more compact fashion. As she flipped the remaining fabric of the quilt over the pile, a loud thud sounded from behind, and the wagon jostled her. She gasped and teetered to the side. Glancing over her shoulder, she caught sight of Mr. Tucker as he shoved the first of her trunks into the wagon bed, its iron bottom scraping against the wooden floor.
The man could have warned her of his presence instead of scaring the wits out of her like that. But taking him to task would only make her look like a shrew, so she ignored him. When Tom arrived with the second trunk, she was ready. After he set it down, she moved to the end of the wagon.
Hannah set her hands on his shoulders as he clasped her waist and lifted her down. A tiny voice of regret chided her for not asking the favor of the rugged Mr. Tucker, but she squelched it. Tom was a safer choice. Besides, his affable manner put her at easeunlike his companion, who from one minute to the next alternated between sparking her interest and her ire.
She bit back her admonishments to take care as the men hefted her sewing machine. Thankfully, they managed to accomplish the task without her guidance. With the large cabinet secured in the wagon bed, it didnt take long for them to load the rest of her belongings. Once they finished, Tom handed her up to the bench seat, then scrambled into the back, leaving her alone with Mr. Tucker.
A cool autumn breeze caressed her cheeks and tugged lightly on her bonnet as the wagon rolled forward. She smoothed her skirts, not sure what to say to the reticent man beside her. However, he surprised her by starting the conversation on his own.
She twisted on the seat to look at him, but his eyes remained focused on the road.
That got a reaction. His chin swiveled toward her, and beneath his hat, his intense gaze speared her for a handful of seconds before he blinked and turned away.
She swallowed the moisture that had accumulated under her tongue as he stared at her, then continued.
Two years ago, I was hired by Mrs. Granbury of San Antonio to sew for her most particular clientele. One of these clients was an elderly spinster with a reputation for being impossible to work with. Well, I needed the job too badly to allow her to scare me away and was too stubborn to let her get the best of me, so I stuck it out and eventually the two of us found a way to coexist and even respect each other.
What kept her from selling it before then? His deep voice rumbled with something more pointed than simple curiosity.
A prickle of unease wiggled down Hannahs neck, but she couldnt quite pinpoint the cause.
A hard lump of dread formed in the back of Hannahs throat.
It was cold, wet and rainy! But the boys had alot of fun! It is fun to watch them find their friends and the ones they compete best with to team up with for competing. We came home with a couple ribbons for P. and H. in different categories!
H. got one in the three legged race….which was fun for him! It is so fun to watch them work together on things.
By the mid afternoon, I was freezing, in spite of two jackets and changing into dry shoes part way through! It is amazing what rain can do for you, as far as chilling you to the bone. I was ready for a cup of hot tea and a shower when i got home, but let the boys go first!
Later that night, we attended my niece’s concert. She plays the violin and did a beautiful job, she had a little dessert reception afterwards, which we stayed for and then I took them home to bed. She is growing up so fast, she is almost 12, already.
It was another late night though, so I am moving slowly again today, which is fine. But on to another busy weekend, with a wedding tomorrow. I just hope it is nice and we are not sitting in the rain again!
When a dressmaker who is smart, values beauty and has an eye on starting her own business is handed a gift that can fulfill her dreams, she is elated! What else could go wrong?
Her welcome to the new town is by someone who has reason to bear a grudge, through no fault of her own. He is too familiar with swallow women who seek only to indulge in fashion, instead of true beauty, or so he thinks. His whole has been effected by what he thinks dressmaking, ribbons and the like took from him and all joy has been taken from his life.
Hannah Richards tests those things he thought was true and by her winning smiles and kindness to others, puzzles him and makes him dig deeper into what he thought was true. Can Jericho Tucker find joy again?
This sweet, somewhat predictable love story, between these two characters was a fun read. This new author was someone I would for sure pick up again. Hannah was a fun character, smart and witty, which I found refreshing. She was not so stubborn, she was frustrating, but was genuinely sweet and warm hearted. She worked hard to help others, promote her business and did not really think about romance all the time. J.T. fights his feelings when he meets her, and is gruff, stern and even rude…..you start to just want to shake him to make him loosen up a bit and Hannah does a good job of it.
I was a bit frustrated by the many references to curves and moist pink lips and could have done without them, but mostly this was a pleasant historical fiction book.
You can buy this book from many book sellers, it retails for $14.99 and may be cheaper from other place like Amazon or Christianbook.com.
This book was provided for review from Bethany House Publishers.
Thursday: Roasted chicken in crockpot…..steamed frozen vegetables, sweet potatoes. I will be busy all day at Track and Field day, so hopefully this will be an easy dinner.
Sunday: Chicken, vegetable, potato soup….bread in bread machine.
Monday: Sweet and sour meatballs with rice and vegetables….
Tuesday: Fried rice and clean out the fridge dinner..
I had alot of apples to use up so i decided to make this easy apple cake recipe I had found awhile back. I changed a few things with it, and added more apples to it! It was great!
Cream sugar, eggs and butter. Add sour milk and mix well. Mix Flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to mixture. Fold in chopped apples.
Spread in greased 9×13 pan. Mix in a bowl 1/2 c. brown sugar (you can cut this down, i used probably a 1/2 per pan….which was really sweet with some molasses added) 1/2 t. cinnamon and sprinkle over top of cake. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until done.
It really vanished very fast! My boys loved it and we scraped the pan clean!!! We had it for lunch (I know, I know, not the healthiest lunch) with cheese sticks, sweet peppers and whole wheat crackers.
I know, everyone has something that really irritates them, and i am sure what irritates me does not irritate you…..but I needed to write it down. Just like non-capitalized letters irritate me (which if you notice I have a keyboard that only sometimes works properly and refuses to capitalize) I get irritated at people who attempt to make others feel guilty for the activities they enjoy.
When I am online, on forums, groups etc. often you will see these long drawn out emails or posts about how they have decided to take care of their family instead of being online so they will not be posting much anymore. They have loved the encouragement they have gotten, but they are feeling bad and neglectful of their family.
So, at first glance, this is great. I am glad they care so much about their family, they see they have a problem and are fixing it. But to me it is a temporary solution, if they don’t have the self control or the strength to take care of their children then there are other issues at play here.
Of course, everyone would laugh and say you were crazy, give you ideas on how to organize your life better, work in the kitchen with your children and other things so you could still feed your family and not ruin your life.
For me, the internet and the computer is a tool. It is something I really appreciate. I was very lonely as a teen and so instead of getting very depressed, I got several pen-pals. To me, the internet, properly used is like that. it can be a time waster, but on rare occasions, who says there is something wrong about wasting a little time?
Now, instead of wasting money i do not have on stamps, i can connect with people, use my brain, and utilize my time all while teaching school. Yes, i do not own a laptop, I do not want a laptop to carry around because I think it can become an addiction, but i think in some ways like the Amish and cars…..sorry, but the internet is the new way to communicate and make friends.
I have lived without electricity, running water, telephones, showers. Yes, I heated my water to wash dishes and hauled all my water in and out of my house. I know what the “simple life” is. But I think sometimes if we want to leave a group or not use the computer anymore, just don’t use it. Please don’t write me a long email about it. Yes, it used to take all day to go twenty miles on a horse, I bet they spent alot of meaningful conversation during that time, but does that mean we should go back to driving on horses? Maybe instead of making excuses we should look at our days and see how we can change it and spend time with our families, fellowship with our friends and balance it with modern conveniences.
And this is not directed at any one person….just a general rant.
I hardly ever get sick…..i mean, but I think I may be…we will see tomorrow. But i feel miserable. My nose is all stuffed up and I am in pain, and of course the house falls to pieces the minute i do not feel good. i am not sure how that is. Maybe it is to show me how much work i do in the house or how when I am not on top of things, everything falls apart. Either way, I took a bath, i read a book and I think i will read another one and go to sleep after taking more GSE and vitamins.
Tuesday: Pepper, steak fajitas/tacos with avocado, tomato etc.
cornmeal crust (Make your favorite pie crust recipe but use 1/3 c. cornmeal for 1/4 c.
Sprinkle with one or all of toppings.
After her fatal choice… extraordinary hope.
Kristen Anderson thought she had the picture perfect life until strokes of gray dimmed her outlook on life. Once a happy child, Kristen’s world darkened after three friends and her grandmother died within two years. Still reeling from these losses, she was raped by a friend she thought she could trust. She soon spiraled into a depression that didn’t seem to have a bottom.
One January night, the seventeen-year-old made a decision: She no longer wanted to deal with the emotional pain that smothered her. She lay down on a set of cold railroad tracks and waited-for a freight train to send her to heaven…and peace.
Fear coursed through me. I squeezed my eyes tighter.
It’s going to be over now. The pain is going to end. I’ll be in heaven soon.
As the train whistle blew, the vibration of my body stilled.
The sound stopped. The wind stopped. The train stopped.
Amazingly, Kristen survived her suicide attempt… but the 33 freight cars that ran over her severed her legs. Now she not only had to deal with depression; she also had to face the physical pain and life without legs.
But Kristen’s story didn’t end there. After her darkest days Kristen discovered a real purpose for living. Now, in her compelling book Life, In Spite of Me, Kristen shares her journey from despair to hope.
Includes letters from Kristen that share messages she wishes someone would have told her-when she was depressed and struggling with loss, shame from sexual abuse, and suicidal thoughts.
You can find this book for sale in your local bookstores, Amazon, Christianbook.com etc.
There is also a contest if you would like to win a copy by doing one of these two thing!
For a chance to win a 5 book Tricia Goyer library any five books of your choice!
Leave a comment here http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-am-so-excited-to-announce-that-life.html for a chance to win 1 of 5 copies of Life, In Spite of Me. | 2019-04-20T13:12:05Z | https://homeschooling4boyz.wordpress.com/2010/05/ |
Confident she'd figured out the rare illness that afflicted her and her family, a young woman set out to convince her doctors--before it was too late.
Opening photo: Janet, 8, Aaron, 6, and Jill, 10, on the first day of school, 1985.
"Witches' Fingers Grab My Legs"
I feel like a spy who has gained entrance to a top-secret facility, as I await the start of an informal research meeting at Johns Hopkins. Around the table on this summer morning sit a half-dozen scientists, each armed with a pile of papers that represents the culmination of years of research and data. I sense their sideways glances as I awkwardly circle the table and draw a chair up beside them. I don't resent their curiosity, I welcome it.
I scan a newly published research article describing the 53 people in the world who share my diagnosis of autosomal dominant Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (AD-EDMD). I am comforted to learn that one to two new cases are being discovered each week, yet I feel alone as I recognize that my family may be the only one in the United States affected with AD-EDMD. I contemplate the stories hidden beneath the cumbersome text. Black circles and squares. Lives stretched to the limits of human endurance, now reduced to geometric simplicity. I trace my finger over the description of a young woman, similar to myself. I think about this person living far away, yet in a strange way, inhabiting the same body as mine. I wonder what she does for a living, who she loves, and what her family is like. But, most of all, I long to meet her someday. I imagine traveling to a small cafe in a distant country and out of the crowd of bustling patrons, eyeing someone with the same waddling gait as myself. Oblivious to the passage of time, I would speak endlessly to her like a woman reunited with a child given up for adoption.
But as I strum my fingers over the brief description, the text becomes all too real. The age, the surgical history, the pattern of muscle weakness ... I finally realize I am looking at a description of myself.
I took my first steps at my 1-year-old birthday party in 1975. Though my parents described me as delicate and feminine from infancy, my early milestones were unremarkable. As a toddler, my personality seemed made to match my slim build--I preferred dresses to all other choices in my closet, even insisting on a dress to play in the backyard sandbox. My slight build was initially the source of humor as my mother fondly recalled the afternoon she heard a gentle plea of "Help me! Help me!" echo through the house. She rushed to the bathroom to find the toilet bowl had engulfed my torso and limbs, yielding just a head peering out from the porcelain bowl, with patent leather shoes pressed against my ears. Her questions lingered as she watched my sister and me standing side by side as we prepared for a bath. Despite being 26 months my junior, my sister's contours were more rounded and full. My mother shared her concerns with the pediatrician but was assured I was simply a petite child and a picky eater.
I was baffled by my younger sister, Janet. I was the oldest and proud to boast of that fact. While posing for pictures, I'd duck behind her and perch my head atop hers, smiling through clenched teeth. A head taller, that's what I thought I should be. I learned that my kicks and punches posed no real threat to her bulky form. As she lumbered toward my wooden block towns, my clenched fingers dug into her skin, yielding a red-tinged crescent often present on her forehead in early family photos.
It was at the age of 3 that my prophetic imaginary friend made his appearance.
"Murphy broke his legs. Poor Murphy!" I explained.
"Murphy had two casts on his legs," I'd say as I gestured to his invisible legs.
Two hundred yards. Five falls. Something was terribly wrong. A phone call from my preschool teacher confirmed my mother's fears.
The creation of Murphy was soon accompanied by other oddities. While walking long distances, I'd often cry to be carried. My mother recalls losing sight of me one afternoon in Target. After frantically searching the store, she found me curled up asleep on the linoleum floor inside a round clothing rack. On Sunday mornings and school days I was known to flop back into bed, lying motionless atop my newly made bed after dressing and eating breakfast. Even the brief walk from my friend's house to my own was accompanied by protest.
"Witches' fingers grab my legs!" I'd insist, as I stumbled numerous times over the scattered leaves and twigs. My mother eyed the short distance behind us. Two hundred yards. Five falls. Something was terribly wrong. A phone call from my preschool teacher confirmed her fears.
"We never see Jill run, she just stands and watches the other children and she often falls while walking in the hallway," she explained to my mother that afternoon.
The idea that a genetic component was causing my muscle weakness was rebuked when my mother addressed her concerns once again in the pediatrician's office.
"Girls can't have muscular dystrophy, only boys," the nurse mistakenly advised her.
But my pediatrician eyed my curious waddle. His suspicions grew as he recognized a positive "Gower's sign"--or the use of the hands to brace the body when attempting to rise from the ground.
"That's my handle," I insisted, as I gripped my knee time and time again when asked to rise from the floor.
Though my muscle weakness was characteristic of muscular dystrophy, my tiny build was not. He explained that muscular dystrophy is counterintuitive. One would expect to see muscles wasting away, but this is not usually the case. Instead, big, lazy, often enlarged muscles, especially the calves, are a prominent feature.
A trip to the Mayo Clinic, at age 4, confirmed a diagnosis of muscular dystrophy. We learned that it's an incurable genetic disorder of skeletal and sometimes cardiac muscle, characterized by progressive muscle weakness, which may or may not be life-threatening. Initial symptoms may include frequent falls and awkward gait in childhood, though some forms of MD may not develop until adolescence or adulthood. The diagnosis was based on an elevation of creatine kinase in my bloodstream. Creatine kinase, an enzyme primarily localized within healthy muscle tissue, leaks into the bloodstream as diseased muscle tissue breaks down; thus, its elevation in the blood is indicative of muscular dystrophy. However, a definitive diagnosis from among the more than 40 types of neuromuscular disorders remained elusive.
I shared my own theory with my mother as we drove home from the shoe store one day.
"We have to go back!" I insisted, holding my new tennis shoe in the air. "I have to have red shoes, not blue ones!"
"But blue goes better with the clothes in your closet," she insisted.
"No, red is the color of fire and fire is fast, so if I wear red, then I can be fast!"
She opened her mouth to explain, but instead turned the car around. Later that day, she caught a glimpse of me on top of the picnic table, dressed in faded red corduroys and my new red raincoat and shoes. As I rocked on the edge, preparing to jump off, I closed my eyes and pictured myself running for the first time.
Each August during my childhood, my family piled into the station wagon for my annual visit from our hometown of Des Moines, to the Mayo Clinic. I became very aware of the fact that the doctors didn't carry a thick folder for Janet. My sister's presence made me especially angry as I returned from lengthy appointments to find her sprawled across the waiting room chairs with her dolls and toys. The lengthy visits proved taxing for Janet's patience as well, so as the years passed, I waved goodbye to her from the backseat of the car; she waved back from our grandparents' porch, clutching her favorite green plastic suitcase.
When I was 7, my heel cords contracted--a common occurrence in muscular dystrophy--causing my feet to freeze in a tiptoe position. I required surgery to lengthen the cords. Once again, I traveled to Mayo and my sister stayed behind with my grandparents. As I lay in the hospital bed recovering from surgery, my mom accidentally let it slip that my dad had taken Janet to see the movie E.T. Initially inconsolable, I was finally comforted by the addition of a stuffed E.T. to the nightstand beside me and pictures of the ugly gray extraterrestrial plastered about the stark white walls of my hospital room.
As I returned home with my legs in two bulky walking casts, I was greeted by Janet, with her arm in a sling fashioned from a doll blanket.
"I have to wear glasses and get allergy shots," she said.
"It's not the same," I shot back.
The Dopf family gathers on Labor Day 2000: (Seated from left) Aaron, Jill, Bobby, brother-in-law Ben, Betsy, and Janet. Standing: parents Robert and Mary.
In the eighth grade, as part of my Human Growth and Development class, we watched a slide show of genetic abnormalities. A chorus of snickers grew louder as a series of twisted bodies and empty faces was displayed. The final slide depicted a teenage boy with clumps of acne surrounding jagged teeth jutting from his misshapen lips; a rectangular black bar covered his eyes. The snickers exploded into raucous laughter as several students raised backpacks and books over their eyes.
"If I looked like that I'd shoot myself in the head!" shrieked a voice from behind me.
The nervous teacher dashed across the room and attempted to erase the disruptive image by turning on the overhead lights, but the boy's pale grin still loomed at the front of the room. Without bothering to silence the laughter or seize the moment to discuss the situation sensitively, she silenced the disruption by tugging the cord from the wall socket and erasing the image from view.
I learned to hide myself. Returning home to my closet, I pushed my short skirts and shorts to the back. At the mall, I passed by racks of sundresses with spaghetti straps that I would have preferred, settling instead for long-sleeved shirts and ankle-length skirts. I desperately tried to gain weight, keeping journals of my caloric intake and drinking endless cartons of high calorie supplements. Yet as a 25-year-old today, I'm still able to slide my junior high jeans over my narrow hips, and I remain a non-existent plot on the grid on the back of the pantyhose package.
As I completed my first year of college at Drake University, my introductory genetics professor arranged an internship with Dr. Thomas Horiagon at the Human Gene Therapy Research Institute in Des Moines, Iowa. Through my studies there, the once baffling world of DNA came to life as I found myself able to follow the articles in medical journals. Armed with my new vocabulary, I transferred to Iowa State University to pursue a degree in genetics and searched the Internet for clues. I was inspired by the film Lorenzo's Oil, in which a father and mother desperately search for, and eventually discover, a cure for their son's debilitating neurological disorder. I thought of this movie often as I spent more and more time in the dark, musty tiers of the ISU library. I wondered if someday I, too, would occupy a dark circle on a genetic chart cataloged on a dusty library shelf.
In the library, I stumbled upon photographs of people with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy. Though a rare disorder, typically seen only in males, I could readily identify with some of the bizarre symptoms unique to this form of MD, which included contractures of the Achilles tendons, elbows, and neck. A contracture differs from a muscle spasm in that it involves a permanent shortening of the muscle or tendon, which results in a loss of motion. Imagine if the musculature of a child was stretched over an adult skeletal frame--elbows frozen in mid-flexion, like a cowboy poised to withdraw a gun from a holster, and shortened neck muscles preventing even minimal bowing of the head.
I was encouraged to learn that the gene for the disease was identified by a team of scientists in Pavia, Italy, in 1994. Although initial references described only male EDMD cases, I uncovered reports suggesting the possibility of a second, much rarer gene, affecting males and females equally, though perhaps fewer than 100 such cases had been described to date. I wondered if the Italian team would be interested in studying my family in the search for the AD-EDMD gene.
Clutching an armful of research articles related to EDMD, I suggested this possibility during my yearly neurological exam in the fall of 1995, hoping my doctor would share my enthusiasm and offer to send a letter to the Italian scientists.
You don't have Emery-Dreifuss, though your symptoms are strikingly similar, my doctor insisted, suggesting my absence of cardiac symptoms excluded such diagnosis.
I told her that I sometimes sensed my heart beating oddly, like a dying fish flopping about. And sometimes when I felt dizzy, I pressed my fingers against my neck and counted beats, noting the peculiar pause of skipped beats. My doctor assured me this was perfectly normal, as did my father when I described the symptoms.
"My heart used to do the very same thing when I was your age," he said.
I decided to write to the Italian scientists myself to suggest my family as potential participants in their research. In a brief letter, I described my symptoms and introduced myself as a 20-year-old-college student. As I proofread the letter, I stared at the blank space following my name. No MD, no PhD. I didn't think anyone would believe me. As I prepared to seal the thin envelope, my eyes met the only thing that could prove my case. I placed a camera upon a makeshift tripod of biochemistry texts atop a table in my room, disrobed to my underwear, and set the timer on the camera. Before slipping the photo of myself in the envelope, I cut off my head with a pair of scissors and included a recent family Christmas picture. The photo included my two sisters and two brothers (three of whom are also affected with EDMD, though with wide variation in symptoms), as well as my parents and me.
I continued to collect articles on Emery-Dreifuss, and a month later I sat at the family room table one evening reading them. I grew frightened by the cardiac problems associated with EDMD, so I buried the reports of patients who died unexpectedly in the bottom of the stack. Interrupted by my dad returning home from work, I didn't have time to hide them, so I slid the stack underneath a pile of worksheets from another class, and buried them in the thick pages of one of my textbooks. I remained in the kitchen just long enough to make a bag of microwave popcorn, and upon returning saw my dad clutching the articles in his hands. I attempted to take them away from him, but he pulled them closer to himself, furiously scanning the cumbersome text.
"I have all of these symptoms," he insisted.
"You mean the muscle problems?"
"Yes, but I also have all of these heart problems described here. I've heard all these words before," he said.
I was puzzled by his response. My only recollection of cardiac problems was the bulky electronic device he carried around for a day during a trip to the Mayo Clinic nearly 15 years ago. He called it his proton pack and we pretended he was a character in Ghostbusters.
"They told me I had a virus and not to worry about it," he said.
"You don't have a virus," I insisted.
I was puzzled by what I should do next. Our frank discussion had scared me. I decide to make an appointment with my father's cardiologist, and inform him of what I'd found in the literature. Though not familiar with the cardiac problems that can accompany EDMD, after consulting the references he agreed to the implantation of a pacemaker.
Around this same time I received a letter with an Italian postmark. The Pavian team had written to request our participation in their genetic study!
I was convinced by this point that my family had AD-EDMD, but my physicians and family remained unpersuaded.
A few weeks later, while sitting in the waiting room of my primary care physician, I pulled out my chart and scratched out the diagnosis: muscular dystrophy, unknown etiology. In big bold letters, I wrote, "AD-EDMD."
"What are you doing?" my mother gasped.
"I'm changing my chart," I insisted.
Desperate for a confirmation, I searched through my stacks of journal articles for a physician to contact. So many were from other countries. Finally, I contacted two Boston physicians, Drs. Frederic Shapiro and Linda Specht, who'd recently collaborated on a review of EDMD cases.
"I don't understand. Why can't you see a physician in your area?" queried a representative from my insurance company.
I bit my lip and decided to make the trip to Boston anyway, with my family, in June of 1996. There, Drs. Specht and Shapiro finally made the diagnosis I had been waiting to hear: AD-EDMD. Now, as part of my yearly visit to the neurologist, I receive an EKG; I'm also scheduled to check in with a cardiologist every three or four years--visits that will increase in frequency once I enter my 30s. So far, I've experienced only the early symptoms of cardiomyopathy, and my doctors don't think a pacemaker is warranted.
Several years after my diagnosis, the team in Italy identified the gene for AD-EDMD, confirming the AD-EDMD diagnosis for my family; the scientists' results were published in the March 1999 issue of Nature Genetics.
Shortly following this exciting update, I received an inquiry from cell biologist Kathy Wilson at Johns Hopkins. She had come across my name in correspondence with a colleague and contacted me to see if my family and I wished to be analyzed as part of her research regarding the inner nuclear membrane and its role in hereditary disease (see p. 48). I inquired whether I might come join her lab as a summer volunteer. I was eager to meet the researchers behind the published papers, who were working 12-hour days in an effort to help people like me and my family. And I was hoping they'd grow to understand me, as well--not just as a research subject, but as a friend. Dr. Wilson offered me a paid internship and arranged for me to reside with two visiting colleagues, Yossef Gruenbaum and Merav Cohen from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Michael Zastrow, a graduate student in Dr. Wilson's laboratory, served as my mentor during my stay.
"I have all these articles and pictures of patients with their eyes darkened, who appear either angry or frightened or both, but it makes all the difference to talk to you face to face," he explained, gesturing to the tall stack of research articles beside him during my first day at the lab.
He continued to trace the advances in EDMD research across the dry erase board but paused momentarily as he stroked his goatee.
"You know all this already, don't you?"
Jill Dopf is currently completing her first year of graduate study at Iowa State University. She plans to pursue a career as a writer and creative writing instructor. | 2019-04-21T22:48:53Z | http://pages.jh.edu/~jhumag/1100web/witch.html |
This invention describes hydrophobic and oleophobic fibers, films and molded articles comprising synthetic organic polymer wherein dispersed within the fiber, fabric or molded article and present at the surface of the fiber, fabric or molded article are fluorochemical compounds. Method of preparing such fibers, films and molded articles, as well as articles made therefrom also are disclosed.
This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/901,363 filed Jul. 28, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,485.
This invention relates to fiber, film and molded article compositions comprising hydrophobic and oleophobic synthetic organic polymer. In another aspect, the present invention relates to methods for preparing hydrophobic and oleophobic fiber, film and molded articles from synthetic organic polymer. In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to fabrics comprising hydrophobic and oleophobic synthetic organic fiber and to methods of making such fabrics.
Synthetic organic polymers, especially polyolefins, are employed widely to create a variety of products. Included among such varied products are: blown and cascade films, extruded sheets, foams, fibers, products made from foam and fibers, woven and knitted fabrics, non-woven fibrous webs and molded articles. Many polymers used in these products, such as polypropylene, exhibit some hydrophobicity (i.e., water resistance), but exhibit no oleophobicity (i.e., oil resistance).
The use of various fluorochemicals to treat topically a variety of fibers and fibrous substrates, such as textiles, carpet, leather, paper and non-woven webs, to impart to those materials desired properties not indigent to the virgin materials, is known. See, for example, Mason Hayek, Waterproofing and Water/Oil Repellency, 24, Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, pp. 448-455 (3rd ed. 1979) or Banks, Ed., Organofluorine Chemicals and Their Industrial Applications, Ellis Horwood Ltd., Chichester, England, pp. 226-234 (1979). Such fluorochemical compositions include fluorochemical urethane and urea-based oligomers as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,182 (Guenthner et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,305 (Dear et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,205 (Landucci), U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,737 (Stern), U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,406 (Chang), U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,354 (Matsuo et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,073 (Kirchner); compositions of cationic and non-cationic fluorochemicals as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,981 (Howells); and compositions containing fluorochemical carboxylic acid and epoxidic cationic resin as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,466 (Schwartz). Also known are fluorochemical esters as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,715 (Dettre), U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,585 (Dettre), U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,484 (Patel); and, more specifically, fluorochemical esters derived from dimerized unsaturated fatty acids as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,006 (Langford) and World Published Application WO 93/10085 (Coppens et al.). These fluorochemicals can be applied to various fibrous substrates by methods known in the art, including spraying, padding, and finish bath immersion, or can be applied directly to the fiber before the fiber is woven by incorporating the fluorochemical into the fiber spin finish.
Blending fluorochemicals with synthetic organic polymers and melt extruding fibers from the molten blend to produce fibers and fibrous substrates exhibiting hydrophilicity and oleophilicity also is known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,052 (Crater et al.) describes fibers, films and molded articles prepared by melt extruding a blend or mixture of (a) fiber- or film-forming synthetic organic polymers and (b) fluorochemical oxazolidinones to produce fibers, films and molded articles having low surface energy, repellency to oil and water, and resistance to soils. U.S. Pat.
No. 5,380,778 (Buckanin) describes fibers, films, and shaped articles made by melt extruding a blend of a fluorochemical aminoalcohol and a thermoplastic polymer, such as polypropylene. U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,622 (Boardman et al.) describes shaped articles, such as fibers and films, made by melt extruding mixtures of fluorochemical piperazine compound and thermoplastic synthetic polymer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,576 (Jones et al.) describes an oily mist resistant electret filter media comprising melt blown electret microfibers and a melt processable fluorochemical having a melting point of at least about 25° C. and a molecular weight of about 500 to 2500, the fluorochemical preferably being a fluorochemical oxazolidinone, fluorochemical piperazine or a perfluorinated alkane having from 15 to 50 carbon atoms. U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,587 (Mascia et al.) describes oil-repellent polymeric compositions made by blending a perfluoropolyether and optionally a radical starter with a thermoplastic polymer, intimately mixing the resulting composition at high temperature for sufficient time to form macroradicals from the polymer, and cooling the final composition to room temperature. U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,717 (Rolando et al.) discloses fluorochemical graft copolymers derived from reacting monomers having terminal olefinic double bonds with fluorochemical olefins having fluoroaliphatic groups and polymerizable double bonds.
While these various fluorochemical melt additives can in some circumstances impart satisfactory hydrophobicity and/or oleophobicity to thermoplastic resins, they typically suffer poor thermal stability above 300° C., a melt processing temperature often encountered in the industry, and they also can be prohibitively expensive, lending self-evident limitation to their commercial utility.
A′ is the residue of a mono- or polyfunctional alcohol or amine with the proviso that A or A′ contain at least 34, or alternatively at least 36, carbon atoms when Q is —CH2CH2—.
The above-depicted fluorochemicals and those compositions containing them impart hydrophobicity and oleophobicity to synthetic organic polymers when blended as melt additives with such polymers prior to their thermal extrusion. These fluorochemicals and fluorochemical compositions also offer the additional benefits of thermal stability above 300° C. and yield lower material cost compared to currently employed fluorochemical polymer additives.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to methods of preparing hydrophobic and oleophobic fibers, films, and molded articles from synthetic organic polymers containing the described fluorochemicals.
In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to fabrics comprising hydrophobic and oleophobic synthetic organic fiber, useful, for example, in medical fabrics and apparel, and filter media. Methods for making such fibers also is disclosed.
A′ is the residue of a mono- or polyfunctional alcohol or amine representing an aliphatic moiety containing from 30 to 170 carbon atoms with the proviso that A or A′ contain at least 34 carbon atoms when Q is —CH2CH2—.
It will be understood that, as the necessary result of the manner in which the above-depicted compounds are made, the fluorochemicals actually employed in the practice of the invention typically will be mixtures of compounds having varying numbers of fluorochemical tails. The compounds preferably are made such that the number of these fluorochemical tails (the bracketed groups of the above formulas) for each compound will nearly equal the valency of the mono- or polyfunctional acid or alcohol utilized in its preparation (i.e., more than about 75% of the available valencies of the acid or alcohol will be filled by the fluorochemical tails). Where a polyfunctional acid or alcohol is used, there can, however, be a residuum of unreacted sites on that acid or alcohol for at least a portion of the compounds. Such mixtures are useful in practice of the invention, and are considered within the scope hereof.
Structures for components of trimer acids are similar to those of dimer acids except that they contain an additional carboxylic acid group terminating from another hydrocarbon chain, they contain an additional non-functional hydrocarbon chain, and they contain a greater portion of bicyclic compounds.
Dimer and trimer acids typically are prepared by condensing unsaturated monofunctional carboxylic acids such as oleic, linoleic, soya or tall oil acid through their olefinically unsaturated groups, in the presence of catalysts such as acidic clays. The distribution of the various structures in dimer acids (nominally C36 dibasic acids) depends upon the unsaturated acid used in their manufacture. Typically, oleic acid gives a dimer acid containing about 38% acyclics, about 56% mono- and bicyclics, and about 6% aromatics. Soya acid gives a dimer acid containing about 24% acyclics, about 58% mono- and bicyclics and about 18% aromatics. Tall oil acid gives a dimer acid containing about 13% acyclics, about 75% mono- and bicyclics and about 12% aromatics.
Dimer/trimer acids are commercially available from a variety of vendors, including Henkel Corporation/Emery Group (as Empol™ 1008, 1061, 1040 and 1043) and Unichema North America (as Pripol™ 1004 and 1009). For further information concerning these acids, see (1) Leonard, Edward C., “The Dimer Acids,” Humko Sheffield Chemical, Memphis, Tenn., 1975, pp. 1, 4 and 5, and (2) the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, John Wiley & Sons, 3rd ed., Vol. 7, 1979, pp. 768-770. Different grades exist for the dimer and trimer acids. Some have been hydrogenated to remove olefinic double bonds and/or distilled for purification.
Dimer diols and diamines can be made from the dimer acid by methods well known in the art. Dimer diols are commercially available from Henkel Corp./Emery Group as Empol™ 1070 and 1075 diols. Dimer amines are commercially available from Witco Corp., for example, as Kemamine™ DP-3695 amine.
Ester compositions of Formula (I) are made conveniently by heating a fluorochemical alcohol with either a dimer acid or a trimer acid in the presence of a standard acid catalyst, such as p-toluenesulfonic acid, preferably in a suitable solvent such as toluene. They also can be prepared by first making an acid chloride of the dimer/trimer acid by reaction with thionyl chloride, and then reacting the acid chloride with a fluorochemical alcohol at a slightly elevated temperature (50-60° C.) in the presence of an acid scavenger, such as pyridine, and preferably in a low-boiling solvent such as chloroform. Suitable fluorochemical alcohols include sulfonamido alcohols such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,656 (Ahlbrecht et al.), for example, sulfonamido-based alcohols such as C8F17SO2N(CH3)CH2CH2OH and C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2CH2OH and telomer-based alcohols such as C8F17CH2CH2OH. Suitable dimer and trimer acids include Empol™ 1008, 1061, 1040, and 1043 acids and Pripol™ 1004, 1009 and 1048 acids.
“Reverse” ester compositions of Formula (II) can be prepared by reacting a fluorochemical carboxylic acid with a dimer diol, using the same synthetic procedure as described for the preparation of the ester compositions of Formula (I). Suitable fluorochemical carboxylic acids include sulfonamido carboxylic acids such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,990 (Brown et al.), for example, C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2COOH. Suitable dimer diols include Empol™ 1070 and 1075 diols.
Amide compositions of Formula (III) can be prepared by reacting a fluorochemical amine with a dimer or trimer acid by heating the components together neat at an elevated temperature (at least 220° C.). Alternatively, they can be prepared by first making an acid chloride of the dimer/trimer acid by reaction with thionyl chloride, and then reacting the acid chloride with a fluorochemical amine at a slightly elevated temperature (50-60° C.), and preferably in a low-boiling solvent such as chloroform. Suitable fluorochemical amines include C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2CH2NH2, C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2CH2NH(Ch3) and C8F17CH2CH2NH2. Suitable dimer and trimer acids include Empol™ 1008, 1061, 1040, and 1043 acids and Pripol™ 1004, 1009 and 1048 acids.
“Reverse” amide compositions of Formula (IV) can be prepared by reacting a fluorochemical carboxylic acid with a dimer amine, using the same synthetic procedure as described for the preparation of the ester compositions of Formula (I). Suitable fluorochemical carboxylic acids include sulfonamido carboxylic acids such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,809,990 (Brown et al.), for example, C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2COOH. Suitable dimer amines include Kemamine™ DP-3695 amine.
As used herein, the terms “fiber” and “fibrous” refer to particulate matter, generally thermoplastic resin, wherein the length to diameter ratio of the particulate matter is greater than or equal to about 10. Fiber diameters may range from about 0.5 micron up to at least 1,000 microns. Each fiber may have a variety of cross-sectional geometries, may be solid or hollow, and may be colored by, e.g., incorporating dye or pigment into the polymer melt prior to extrusion. The fluorochemicals and fluorochemical compositions of the invention modify both the surface and the bulk of each fiber in a uniform way. Thus, if some fluorochemical is washed from the surface of the fibers, the fluorochemical reservoir within the fiber supplies more of each surfactant to the surface of the fiber and thus replenishes the fiber's desired properties.
The described fluorochemicals and compositions comprising those fluorochemicals find particular utility as additives to synthetic organic polymers. Synthetic polymeric fibers, films, and molded articles to which the fluorochemicals of the invention have been incorporated, have low surface energy, excellent oil and water repellency, and exhibit a resistance to soiling. Such polymers can be thermoplastic or thermoset including synthetic linear polyamides, e.g., nylon-6 and nylon-66; polyesters, e.g., polyethylene terephthalate; polyolefins, e.g., polyethylene and polypropylene; polyolefin copolymers; epoxy resins; urethanes; acrylics; polystyrenes, etc. The described fluorochemicals also can be used as blends with other fluorochemicals, e.g., with fluorochemical poly(oxyalkylene) compounds oligomers or polymers.
Fibers, films, and molded articles containing the fluorochemicals can be made by preparing a blend of the solid fluorochemical or fluorochemical composition with a chosen solid synthetic polymer by intimately mixing the fluorochemical with pelletized or powdered polymer, and melt extruding the blend into fibers or films by known methods. The fluorochemicals or fluorochemical compositions can be mixed directly with the polymer or they can be mixed with the polymer in the form of a “master batch” (concentrate) of the fluorochemical in the polymer. An organic solution of the fluorochemical or fluorochemical composition may also be mixed with the powdered or pelletized polymer, the mixture dried to remove solvent, then melted and extruded. Alternatively, molten fluorochemicals can be injected into a molten polymer stream to form a blend immediately prior to extrusion into fibers or films.
The amount of fluorochemical used as an additive is that amount sufficient to achieve the desired properties of oil and water repellency and/or soiling resistance. Preferably, the amount of additive to be used will be that amount which provides from about 100 to 20,000 ppm fluorine, more preferably 200 to 10,000 ppm fluorine, based on weight of the fiber or film, in the fiber or film after extrusion.
After melt extrusion of the fiber or film an annealing step can be carried out to enhance surface energy lowering and to enhance oil and water repellency for a particular fluorochemical additive. In addition to or in lieu of such an annealing process, the film or fiber also may be embossed between two heated roll where one or both of the rolls may be patterned. An annealing process typically is conducted below the melt temperature of the synthetic polymer, for example, in the case of nylon, about 150° to 220° C. for a period of about 30 seconds to about 5 minutes. In some cases, the presence of moisture can improve the effectiveness of the fluorochemical.
The fluorochemicals of the invention also can be employed as aqueous suspensions or emulsions, or as organic solvent solutions, in the treatment of textile fibers (or filaments) during their manufacture, e.g., in combination with spin finishes, or in the treatment of porous or fibrous substrates such as textiles, carpets, paper, and leather to impart oil and water repellency and anti-soiling properties thereto. The fibers or filaments as such or in aggregated form, e.g., yarn, toe, web, or roving, or the fabricated textile, e.g., articles such as carpet and woven fabrics, can be treated with the fluorochemical. This treatment can be carried out by applying the fluorochemical or fluorochemical composition as organic solutions or as aqueous organic dispersions by known techniques customarily employed in applying fluorochemicals, e.g., fluorochemical acrylate copolymers, to fibers and fiber substrates. The fluorochemical treatment, for example, with the fluorochemical being in the form of an aqueous emulsion or organic solution, can be carried out by immersing the fiber substrates in a bath containing a cationic, anionic, or nonionic fluorochemical blend, padding the substrate or spraying the same with the fluorochemical emulsion or solution, or by foam, kiss-roll, or metering the applications, e.g., spin finishing, and then drying the treated substrates if solvent is still present. If desired, the fluorochemicals or blends of fluorochemicals can be co-applied with conventional fiber treating agents, e.g., anti-static agents or non-aqueous fiber lubricants.
In addition to the use of the fluorochemicals of this invention in modifying the properties of fibers, e.g., carpet fibers, as described above, they also find utility as blend additives and blown microfibers for use in making non-woven fabrics having low surface energy, oil and water repellency, and/or resistance to soils. Such non-woven webs or fabrics are readily prepared by processes used in the manufacture of either melt-blown or spunbonded webs. For example, a process similar to that described in Wente, Superfine Thermoplastic Fibers, 48 INDUS. ENG'G CHEM. 1342 (1956), or in WENTE ET AL., MANUFACTURE OF SUPERFINE ORGANIC FIBERS, (Naval Research Laboratories Report No. 4364, 1954) can be used for the preparation of the nonwoven webs of this invention. Multi-layer constructions made from non-woven fabrics enjoy wide industrial and commercial utility and include uses as medical fabrics. The makeup of the constituent layers of such multi-layer constructions can be varied according to the desired end-use characteristics and can comprise two or more layers of melt-blown and spunbond webs in many useful combinations such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,145,727 and 5,149,576, both of whose descriptions are incorporated herein by reference.
Any of a wide variety of constructions may be made from the above-described fibers and fabrics, and such constructions will find utility in any application where some level of hydrophobicity, alcohol repellency, or oleophobicity is required. The fibers and fabrics of the invention may, for example, be used in woven and non-woven medical fabrics and related apparel, industrial apparel, outdoor fabrics (e.g., umbrellas, awnings, tents, etc.), raincoats and other outdoor apparel, as well as in home furnishings such as table linens and shower curtains and in myriad other related uses.
Films of the invention can be made from blends of synthetic organic polymer and the described fluorochemicals by any of the film making methods commonly employed in the art. Such films may be non-porous or porous (the latter including films that are mechanically perforated) where the presence and degree of porosity is selected according to desired performance characteristics.
The fluorochemicals of the invention also can find utility as additives to polymer coatings and articles, e.g., to improve water resistance, lower surface energy, improved dielectric properties, etc.
The following examples are offered to aid in the understanding of the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the scope thereof. Unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages are by weight.
Melt-Blown Extrusion Procedure—The melt-blown extrusion procedure is the same as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,357, column 10, which is herein incorporated by reference. The extruder used is a Brabender 42 mm conical twin screw extruder, with maximum extrusion temperature of 270-280° C. and distance to the collector of 12 inches (30 cm).
Fluorochemical and thermoplastic polymer mixtures are mixed by blending the fluorochemical and thermoplastic polymer in a paperboard container using a mixer head affixed to a hand drill for about one minute until a visually homogeneous mixture is obtained.
The process condition for each mixture is the same, including the melt blowing die construction used to blow the microfiber web, the basis weight of the web (50±5 g/m2) and the diameter of the microfibers (5-18 micrometers). Unless otherwise stated, the extrusion temperature is 270-280° C., the primary air temperature is 210° C., the pressure is 124 kPa (18 psi), with a 0.076 cm air gap width, and the polymer throughput rate is about 180 g/hr/cm.
Spunbond Extrusion Procedure—The extruder used is a Reifenhauser Extruder Model Number RT 381 (available from Reifenhauser Co., Troisdorf, Nordrhein Westfalen, Germany). The extruder is driven by an infinitely variable 3ø shunt wound DC motor, 37.3 kW & 2200 rev/min max. The maximum screw speed is reduced to 150 rev/min. The screw is 70 mm in diameter and 2100 mm in length. The entire extruder is 2.3 m in length by 1.3 m in width by 1.6 m in height, weighing 2200 kg. There are five 220 V heating zones at a total of 22.1 kW of heating power, giving a maximum heating zone temperature of 210° C.
The bonder is a Kusters Two-Bowl-Thermobonding-Calender (available from Kusters Corp., Nordrhein Westfalen, Germany). The effective bonding width is 1.2 m. The upper patterned metal roll has a 15% bonding area and a temperature of 270° F. (132° C.), while the lower rubber roll has a slick surface and a temperature of 265° F. (129° C.). The bonding nip pressure is 57-860 pounds force per linear inch (3000-46000 J/cm). The rolls are heated by convection from a continuously circulating furnace oil. The temperature range of the nips is 200-300° F. (93-149° C.). The bonder's speed is directly synchonized to the speed of the collection belt that has a range of 3.6 to 65 linear meters per minute.
The basis weight for the nonwoven web (g/m2) can be calculated by multiplying the speed of the spin pump (rev/m) times the constant 71.
Embossing Procedure—Nonwoven samples were embossed using a top roll with a 15% contact area diamond pattern metal top roll set at 98° C. and a rubber bottom roll set at 104° C., with a gap between the rolls of less than 2 mil (50μ), at a pressure of 30 psi (1550 torr) between the top and bottom rolls, and at a linear speed of 8.3 ft/min (2.5 m/min).
Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) Test—Unless otherwise stated, the sample is heated from room temperature at a rate of 10° C./min and the percent of the sample left when a given temperature is reached (usually 220° C., 280° C., 320° C. and 340° C.) is reported in most tables. It is desirable to have at least about 90% of the sample remaining after heating to 320° C. so that the fluorochemical is resistant to high temperature processing.
In running the Water Repellency Test, a nonwoven web sample is placed on a flat, horizontal surface. Five small drops of water or a water/IPA mixture are gently placed at points at least two inches apart on the sample. If, after observing for ten seconds at a 45° angle, four of the five drops are visible as a sphere or a hemisphere, the nonwoven web sample is deemed to pass the test. The reported water repellency rating corresponds to the highest numbered water or water/IPA mixture for which the nonwoven sample passes the described test.
It is desirable to have a water repellency rating of at least 4, preferably at least 6.
The Oil Repellency Test is run in the same manner as is the Water Repellency Test, with the reported oil repellency rating corresponding to the highest oil or oil mixture for which the nonwoven web sample passes the test.
It is desirable to have an oil repellency rating of at least 1, preferably at least 3.
Escorene™ PP3505 polypropylene—polypropylene, having a 400 melt flow rate, commercially available from Exxon Chemical Company, Baytown, Tex.
Escorene™ pp3445 polypropylene—polypropylene, having a 35 melt flow rate, commercially available from Exxon Chemical Company.
Escorene™ 3795 polypropylene—polypropylene, having an 800 melt flow rate, commercially available from Exxon Chemical Company.
Rexflex FPO™ D-100 polypropylene—polypropylene having a 15 melt flow rate, commercially available from Rexene Corp., Dallas, Tex.
Aspun™ 6806 polyethylene—polyethylene, having a melt index of 105 g/10 min (as measured by Test Method ASTM D-1238) and having a peak melting point of 124.8° C., commercially available from Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich.
Duraflex™ polybutylene 8510—polybutylene polymer, having a 45 melt index (as measured by ASTM D1238, Condition D) and having a Brookfield viscosity of 640,000 cps (measured at 177° C. using a #29 spindle), commercially available from Shell Chemical Co., Houston, Tex.
Engage™ 8400 poly(ethylene/octylene)—76/24 ethylene/octene copolymer, having a 30 melt flow rate, commercially available from DuPont/Dow Elastomers, Wilmington, Del.
Exact™ 4023 poly(ethylene/butylene)—ethylene/butylene copolymer, having a 35 melt flow rate, commercially available from Exxon Chemical Company.
Morthane™ PS 400 polyurethane—a thermoplastic polyurethane resin, having a Shore A Hardness (1 sec delay) of 89 and having a melting point range of 140-210° C., commercially available from Shell Chemical Co.
Morthane™ polyester-based polyurethane PS440-200—a polyurethane resin, commercially available from Morton Thiokol Corp., Chicago, Ill.
Celanex™ 2002 polybutylene terephthalate—unfilled polybutylene terephthalate thermoplastic resin, medium flow, commercially available from Hoechst Celanese Corp., Chatham, N.J.
PET 35 BASF polyethylene terephthalate—commercially available from BASF Corp., Mount Olive, N.J.
BASF Ultramid™ B3 nylon—nylon 6 polyamide resin, having a melting point of 220° C., having a number average molecular mass of 15000 and having a melt viscosity of 140 Pa.s at 250° C. (D=1000 s−1), commercially available from BASF Corp., Parsippany, N.J.
POSF sulfonyl fluoride—C8F17SO2F, perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride, commercially available as Fluorad™ FX-8 fluorochemical intermediate from 3M Company.
MeFOSE alcohol—C8F17SO2N(CH3)CH2CH2OH, having an equivalent weight of 540, made in two stages by reacting POSF with methylamine and ethylenechlorohydrin, using a procedure similar to that described in Example 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,656 (Ahlbrecht et al.).
EtFOSE alcohol—C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2CH2OH, commercially available as Fluorad™ FC-10 fluorochemical alcohol from 3M Company.
FC-129 Acid—C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2COOH—prepared from Fluorad™ FC-129 Fluorochemical Surfactant by acidification with sulfuric acid followed by extraction with isopropyl ether and removal of ether solvent.
Zonyl™ BA alcohol—F(CF2CF2)nCH2CH2OH, whose average molecular weight is 475, commercially available as from E. I du Pont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, Del.
having an epoxy equivalent weight of 640, made in two stages by reacting POSF with methylamine and epichlorohydrin, using a procedure similar to that described in Example 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,778 (Buckanin).
MeFOS-NH2 amine—C8F17SO2N(CH3)CH2CH2NH2, made from MeFOSE, methanesulfonyl chloride and triethylamine to give the intermediate methanesulfonyl chloride ester, followed by treatment with ammonia, using a procedure similar to that described in Examples 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,571 (Tokoli).
EtFOS-NH2 amine—C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2CH2NH2, made from EtFOSE, methanesulfonyl chloride and triethylamine to give the intermediate methanesulfonyl chloride ester, followed by treatment with ammonia, using a procedure similar to that described in Examples 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,571 (Tokoli).
EtFOS-NHMe amine—C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2CH2NH(CH3), made in the same way as MeFOS-NH2, except that methylamine was substituted for ammonia.
EtFOS-NCO isocyanate—C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2CH2NCO, prepared using the following procedure. To a 3-necked 500 mL flask equipped with overhead stirrer, thermometer and reflux condenser (connected to an empty washing trap which was in turn connected to a gas washing trap containing 20% aqueous NaOH) was charged 100 g (0.169 eq, based on an amine equivalent weight of 590) of C8F17SO2(C2H5)HC2H4NH2 (EtFOS-NH2 amine) dissolved in 250 g of ethyl acetate. Through the resulting mixture was bubbled about 7 g (0.192 eq) of hydrogen chloride gas, which produced as slushy mass. Next about 50 g (0.505 eq) of phosgene gas (COCl2) was added over about a 10 minute period, after which the reaction mixture was heated to 55° C. After 3 hours, an additional 36 g (0.364 eq) of phosgene was added and, after reacting overnight, the reaction mixture turned a translucent brown color. An additional 35 g of phosgene was added, but there was no further evidence of reaction. The reaction temperature was raised to 70° C, and excess phosgene and ethyl acetate were removed by distillation. After 1 hour, the reaction mixture was placed under reduced pressure (˜90 torr) to remove completely any residual volatiles. The now tan-brown reaction mixture (104 g) was heated to 110° C., causing the mixture to clear up, and the now clear mixture was transferred to a 100 mL round-bottom flask equipped with a 14/20 standard taper joint. The mixture was distilled at 145° C. and 0.1 torr to yield 86.88 g of product which was identified as the desired compound using 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, having a molecular weight of 596.
Empol™ 1008 acid—a distilled and hydrogenated dimer acid based on oleic acid, having an acid equivalent weight of 305 as determined by titration, commercially available from Henkel Corp./Emery Group, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Empol™ 1061 acid—a distilled dimer acid based on oleic acid, commercially available from Henkel Corp./Emery Group.
EmPol™ 1040 acid—a trimer acid based on oleic acid, commercially available from Henkel Corp./Emery Group.
EmPol™ 1043 acid—a trimer acid based on oleic acid, commercially available from Henkel Corp./Emery Group.
Empol™ 1008 acid chloride—prepared using the following procedure. To a 1-L 3-necked round-bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer, thermometer, addition funnel and reflux condenser (attached to an empty gas washing vessel which in turn was attached to a gas washing vessel containing 25% aqueous NaOH) and placed in an oil bath heated to 65° C. was charged 500 g (1.68 eq, based on an acid equivalent weight of 295) of Empol™ 1008, and 221.8 g (1.86 eq) of thionyl chloride (99% pure, commercially available from Sigma-Aldrich Chemical Co.) was added over a period of about one hour via the addition funnel. The contents in the flask were allowed to react for 72 hours at 65° C. Then the reaction mixture was heated to 100° C. at about 60 torr absolute pressure to remove volatiles. The product, a dark liquid, was characterized as containing the desired product by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and was used without further purification.
Empol™ 1004 acid chloride—prepared using the same procedure as described for Empol™ 1008 dimer acid dichloride except that Empol™ 1004 dimer acid (commercially available from Henkel Corp./Emery Group) was substituted for Empol™ 1008 dimer acid.
Empol™ 1070 diol—a dimer diol based on oleic acid, commercially available from Henkel Corp./Emery Group.
Empol™ 1075 diol—a dimer diol based on oleic acid, having a hydroxyl equivalent weight of 303, commercially available from Henkel Corp./Emery Group.
Pripol™ 1004 acid—a hydrogenated distilled dimer acid based on a C22 unsaturated acid, commercially available from Unichema North America, Chicago, Ill.
Pripol™ 1009 acid—a hydrogenated distilled dimer acid based on oleic acid, commercially available from Unichema North America, Chicago, Ill.
Pripol™ 1048 acid—a hydrogenated distilled dimer/trimer acid based on oleic acid, commercially available from Unichema North America, Chicago, Ill.
Kemamine™ DP-3695 amine—a dimer amine based on oleic acid, having an amine equivalent weight of 290, commercially available from Witco Corp., Newark, N.J.
stearic acid—C17H35COOH, commercially available from Sigma/Aldrich Chemical Co., Milwaukee, Wis.
stearoyl chloride—C17H35COCl, prepared by reacting stearic acid with thionyl chloride, having an equivalent weight of 351 as determined by titration.
stearyl alcohol—C18H37OH, commercially available from Sigma/Aldrich Chemical Co.
stearyl amine—C18H37NH2, commercially available from Sigma/Aldrich Chemical Co.
stearyl isocyanate—C18H37NCO, commercially available from Sigma/Aldrich Chemical Co.
commercially available from Sigma/Aldrich Chemical Co.
commercially available from Sigma/Aldrich Co.
dodecanoic acid—HOOC(CH2)10COOH, commercially available from E. I. DuPont de Nemours, Wilmington, Del.
adipic acid—HOOC(CH2)4COOH, commercially available from Sigma/Aldrich Chemical Co.
commercially available from Union Carbide Corp., Danbury, Conn.
benzyltriethylammonium chloride—commercially available from Sigma/Aldrich Chemical Co.
butyltin oxide hydroxide hydrate—commercially available from Sigma/Aldrich Chemical Co.
thionyl chloride—commercially available from Sigma/Aldrich Chemical Co.
Fluorochemical Ester F-1 was prepared by esterifying MeFOSE alcohol with Empol™ 1008 dimer acid at a molar ratio of 2:1 using the following procedure. A 500 mL 2-necked round-bottom flask equipped with overhead condenser, thermometer and Dean-Stark trap wrapped with heat tape was charged with 57.8 g (0.190 eq) of Empol™ 1008 dimer acid, 100 g (0.185 eq) of MeFOSE, 1 g of p-toluenesulfonic acid and 50 g of toluene. The resulting mixture was placed in an oil bath heated to 150° C. The degree of esterification was monitored by measuring the amount of water collected in the Dean-Stark trap and also by using gas chromatography to determine the amount of unreacted fluorochemical alcohol. After 18 hours of reaction, about 2.8 mL of water was collected and a negligible amount of fluorochemical alcohol remained, indicating a complete reaction. The reaction mixture was then cooled to 100° C. and was twice washed with 120 g aliquots of deionized water to a water pH of 3. The final wash was removed from the flask by suction, and the reaction mixture was heated to 120° C. at an absolute pressure of about 90 torr to remove volatiles. The product, a brownish solid, was characterized as containing the desired product by 1 H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis.
Fluorochemical Esters F-2 through F-22 were prepared using essentially the same procedure as was used for preparing Fluorochemical Ester F-1, except that the fluorochemical alcohol and carboxylic acid were varied as were their molar ratios.
Fluorochemical Ester F-23, a “reverse” ester made from a fluorochemical carboxylic acid and a dimer alcohol, was prepared using the following procedure. To a 250 mL 3-necked round bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer, nitrogen inlet adapter and open vertical tube was charged 60 g (0.115 eq) of C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2COOH, 34.1 g (0.118 eq) of Empol™ 1070 dimer diol and 0.1 g of butyltin oxide hydroxide hydrate. The reaction was then heated to 170° C. under a gentle nitrogen flow for 4 hours. After this time, analysis of the reaction mixture by 1H and 13C NMR showed about 15-17 mole percent unreacted hydroxyl groups, and analysis by gas chromatographic analysis showed some unreacted fluorochemical carboxylic acid. Next, 4 g (estimated 6.7 mole percent) of additional C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2COOH was added to the reaction mixture, which was heated to 170° C. for an additional 3 hours. GC analysis showed no unreacted fluorochemical carboxylic acid, but NMR analysis showed about 4 mole percent of dimer diol hydroxyl groups left. Then 4 mole percent of C8F17SO2N(C2H5)CH2COOH was added to the reaction mixture, which was heated to 170° C for an additional 4 hours. GC analysis showed no fluorochemical carboxylic acid remained, and NMR analysis showed about only a very small amount of dimer diol hydroxyl groups remaining.
Table 1 shows the various alcohols and acids used to make the esters and their approximate molar ratios.
Fluorochemical Ester F-24 was prepared by esterifying MeFOSE alcohol with Empol™ 1008 dimer acid dichloride at a molar ratio of 2:1 using the following procedure. A 1-L 3-necked round-bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer, thermometer and oil bath heated to 55° C. was charged with 100 g (0.185 eq) of MeFOSE, 15.6 g (0.197 eq) of pyridine and 95.9 g of chloroform. To this was added 56.5 g (0.180 eq) of Empol™ 1008 dimer acid dichloride over a 20 minute period. After mixing for about one hour in the oil bath, the contents in the flask were allowed to react by heating to 80° C., then were washed first with 150 mL of 2% aqueous H2SO4, followed by washing with 150 mL of deionized water. The washed reaction mixture was stripped in a rotary evaporator set at 80° C. and about 90 torr to yield 142.5 g of a solid product, characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis to be the desired product.
Fluorochemical Esters F-25 through F-27 were prepared using essentially the same procedure as was used for preparing Fluorochemical Ester F-24, except that the alcohol and acid chloride were varied as were their molar ratios.
Table 2 shows the various alcohols and acid chlorides used to make the esters and their approximate molar ratios.
Fluorochemical Ester Alcohol F-28 was prepared by MeFOSG epoxide with Empol™ 1008 dimer acid at a molar ratio of 2:1 using the following procedure. A 250 mL 3-necked round-bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer, thermometer and oil bath was charged with 38.4 g (0.15 eq) of Empol™ 1008 dimer acid and 0.42 g of benzyltrimethylammonium chloride, and the contents were heated to a temperature of 96° C. Over a 5 minute period, 83.2 g (0.15 eq) of molten MeFOSG was added via a dropping funnel, lowering the reaction temperature to 80° C. After 16 minutes, the reaction temperature increased to 107° C., then fell to 100° after an additional hour. After 1 hour and 51 minutes, the reaction mixture was clear and homogeneous, and the reaction was allowed to continue for an additional 68 hours. After this time, analysis using gas chromatography showed no residual epoxide, and the product was characterized by 1H and 13C NMR and thermogravimetric analysis to be the desired product.
Fluorochemical Ester Alcohols F-29 through F-31 were prepared using essentially the same procedure as was used for preparing Fluorochemical Ester Alcohol F-28, except that the carboxylic acid was varied as was the molar ratio of epoxide to carboxylic acid.
Table 3 shows the various epoxides and carboxylic acids used to make the ester alcohols and their approximate molar ratios.
Fluorochemical Ether Alcohol F-32 was prepared by reacting MeFOSG epoxide with Empol™ 1075 dimer alcohol at a molar ratio of 2:1 using the following procedure. A 500 mL 2-necked round-bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer and 70° C. oil bath was charged with 49.3 (0.163 eq) of Empol® 1075 dimer alcohol and 0.612 g (0.53 mL) of boron trifluoride etherate, and 100 g (0.156 eq) of molten MeFOSG was added dropwise via an addition funnel. The reaction mixture was allowed to react for a 5 hour period, after which time analysis using gas chromatography showed no residual epoxide. The resulting material, which solidified upon standing, was characterized by 1H and 13C NMR and thermogravimetric analysis to be the desired product.
Fluorochemical Ether Alcohol F-33 was prepared using essentially the same procedure as was used for preparing Fluorochemical Ether Alcohol F-32, except that stearyl alcohol was used instead of Empol™ 1075 dimer alcohol and the molar ratio of epoxide to alcohol was 1:1 rather than 2:1.
Table 4 shows the epoxides and alcohols used to make the ether alcohols and their approximate molar ratios.
Fluorochemical Amino Alcohol F-34 was prepared by reacting MeFOSG epoxide with Kemamine™ DP-3695 dimer amine at a molar ratio of 2:1 using the following procedure. A 250 mL 2-necked round-bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer and 80° C. oil bath was charged with 45.0 (0.155 eq) of Kemamine® DP-3695 dimer amine and 0.42 g (0.37 mL) of boron trifluoride etherate, and 95 g (0.148 eq) of MeFOSG was added dropwise via an addition funnel over about a 20 minute period. After reacting for a 5 hour 20 minute period, the reaction mixture showed no residual epoxide from analysis using gas chromatography. 1H and 13C NMR and thermogravimetric analysis showed the resulting solid to be the desired product.
Fluorochemical Amino Alcohols F-35 and F-36 were prepared using essentially the same procedure as was used for preparing Fluorochemical Amino Alcohol F-34, except that stearyl amine was used instead of Kemamine™ DP-3695 dimer amine and the molar ratio of epoxide to amine was 2:1 and 1:1 respectively.
Table 5 shows the various epoxides and amines used to make the amino alcohols and their approximate molar ratios.
Fluorochemical Urethane F-37 was prepared by reacting EtFOS-NCO isocyanate with Empol™ 1075 dimer alcohol at a molar ratio of 2:1 using the following procedure. A 500 mL 3-necked round-bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer and 65° C. oil bath was charged with 50.0 g (0.165 eq) of Empol™ 1075 dimer alcohol and 2 drops of dibutyltin dilaurate, and 98.3 g (0.165 eq) of molten EtFOS-NCO was added dropwise via an addition funnel. The reaction mixture, at first whitish in color, cleared and thickened after reacting for 1.5 hours. After 3.5 hours, infrared analysis at 2265 cm−1 showed no remaining isocyanate. The resulting solid was found to be the desired product by 1H and 13C NMR and thermogravimetric analysis.
Fluorochemical Urethane F-38 was prepared using essentially the same procedure as described for preparing Fluorochemical Urethane F-37, except that a 1:1 mole ratio of isocyanate to alcohol was used.
Fluorochemical Urethane F-39 was prepared using essentially the same procedure as described for preparing Fluorochemical Urethane F-38, except that stearyl alcohol was used instead of Empol™ 1075 dimer alcohol.
Fluorochemical Urethane F-40, a “reverse” urethane, was prepared by reacting EtFOSE alcohol with stearyl isocyanate at a molar ratio of 1:1 using essentially the same procedure as described for preparing Fluorochemical Urethane F-37.
Table 6 shows the various isocyanates and alcohols used to make the urethanes and their approximate molar ratios.
Fluorochemical Urea F-41 was prepared by reacting EtFOS-NCO isocyanate with Kemamine™ DP-3695 dimer amine at a molar ratio of 2:1 using the following procedure. A 250 mL 3-necked round-bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer, thermometer and 100° C. oil bath was charged with 29.0 g (0.10 eq) of Kemamine DP-3695™ 1075 dimer amine, and 57.2 g (0.096 eq) of molten EtFOS-NCO was added in one portion. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight at 100° C., after which infrared analysis at 2265 cm−1 showed no remaining isocyanate. The resulting solid was found to be the desired product by 1H and 13C NMR and thermogravimetric analysis.
Fluorochemical Urea F-42 was prepared using essentially the same procedure as described for preparing Fluorochemical Urea F-41, except that stearyl amine was substituted for Kemamine™ DP-3695 dimer amine and the molar ratio of isocyanate to amine was 1:1.
Fluorochemical Urea F-43, a “reverse” urea, was prepared by reacting EtFOS-NHMe with stearyl isocyanate at a molar ratio of 1:1 using essentially the same procedure as described for preparing Fluorochemical Urea F-41.
Table 7 shows the various isocyanates and amines used to make the ureas and their approximate molar ratios.
Fluorochemical Amide F-44 was prepared by reacting EtFOS-NH2 amine with Empol™ 1008 dichloride at a molar ratio of 2:1 using the following procedure. A 500 mL 3-necked round-bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer, thermometer and 65° C. oil bath was charged with 40.0 g (0.0642 eq) of EtFOS-NH2 amine, 40 g of chloroform (ethanol-free) and 5.59 g (0.0706 eq) of pyridine. Once the reaction mixture was homogeneous, 20.2 g (0.0642 eq) of Empol™ 1008 dimer acid chloride and 20 g additional chloroform were added via an addition funnel. After a total reaction time of 2.5 hours, the oil bath temperature was raised to 80° C., and the reaction mixture was washed with 126 g of 2% aqueous sulfuric acid. The reaction mixture was then poured into a separatory funnel and the layers were allowed to separate. The lower organic layer was saved, was washed with 126 g of hot water, was allowed to separate, and was concentrated by stripping on a rotary evaporator set at 90° C. to give a yield of 52.0 g of a dark solid which was found to be the desired product by 1H and 13C NMR and thermogravimetric analysis.
Fluorochemical Amide F-45 was prepared by reacting EtFOS-NH2 amine with stearoyl chloride at a 1:1 molar ratio using the following procedure. A 250 mL 3-necked round-bottom flask equipped with overhead stirrer and 120° C. oil bath was charged with 22.5 g (0.064 eq) of stearoyl chloride, followed by 40.0 g (0.64 eq) of molten EtFOS-NH2 amine. The reaction mixture was allowed to react for about 6 hours, after which 58.3 g of solid was isolated, which was found to be the desired product by 1H and 13C NMR and thermogravimetric analysis.
Fluorochemical Amide F-46 was prepared using essentially the same procedure as described for preparing Fluorochemical Amide F-44, except that EtFOS-NHMe amine was substituted for EtFOS-NH2 amine, and the molar ratio of amine to dichloride was 2:1.
Fluorochemical Amide F-47 was prepared using essentially the same procedure as described for preparing Fluorochemical Amide F-45, except that EtFOS-NHMe amine was substituted for EtFOS-NH2 amine.
Fluorochemical Amide F-48 was prepared by reacting POSF sulfonyl fluoride with piperazine in a 2:1 molar ratio, using the procedure described in Example 7 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,622.
Fluorochemical Amide F-49 was prepared by reacting POSF sulfonyl fluoride, stearoyl chloride and piperazine in a 1:1:1 molar ratio, using the procedure described in Example 6 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,622.
Table 8 shows the various acid derivatives and amines used to make the amides and their approximate molar ratios.
Amide Amine Acid Derivative Acid Der.
Fluorochemical Oxazolidinone F-50 was prepared by reacting fluorochemical chlorohydrin C8F17SO2N(Me)CH(OH)CH2Cl with stearyl isocyanate at a 1:1 molar ratio followed by ring closure using essentially the same procedure as described in Scheme I of U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,052 (Crater et al.).
Fluorochemical Oxazolidinone F-51 was prepared by reacting C8F17SO2N(Me)CH(OH)CH2Cl with hexamethylene diisocyanate at a 2:1 molar ratio followed by ring closure using essentially the same procedure as described in Scheme I of U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,052 (Crater et al.).
Table 9 shows the various isocyanates and amines used and their approximate molar ratios.
Fluorochemical amide urea F-52 was prepared by reacting POSF, piperazine and C18H37NCO in a 1:1:1 molar ratio, using the procedure described in Example 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,622.
Fluorochemical amic acid F-53 was prepared using the following procedure. A 250 mL 3-necked flask equipped with overhead stirrer and placed in a 120° C. oil bath was charged with 22.51 g (0.064 eq) of octadecen-1-ylsuccinic anhydride (ODSA) followed by 40.0 g (0.064 eq) of molten C8F17SO2N(C2H5)C2H4NH2 (EtFOS-NH2). After about 6 hours of reaction, 58.3 g of solid was isolated and was determined to be the desired amic acid product from 1H and 13C NMR analysis.
Fluorochemical amic acid F-54 was prepared using the following procedure. A 250 mL 3-necked flask equipped with overhead stirrer was charged with 62.49 g (0.107 eq) of C8F17SO2N(C2H5)C2H4NHCH3 (EtFOS-NHMe), 37.51 g (0.107 eq) of octadecen-1-ylsuccinic anhydride (ODSA) and 0.187g of benzyltriethylammonium chloride. The contents of the flask were heated 75° C. for 3 days, followed by heating to 100° C. for an additional day. The reaction product was determined to be the desired amic acid product from 1H and 13C NMR analysis.
In Examples 1-25 and Comparative Examples C1-C30, thermal stabilities of the various fluorochemicals listed in Table 1 through Table 10 (F-1 through F-54) were determined at 220° C., 280° C., 320° C. and 340° C. using the Thermogravimetric Analysis Test. The same fluorochemicals from Table 1 through Table 10 were then blended with Escorene™ PP3505 polypropylene chips at 1.00% (wt) solids, and the blends were thermally extruded into nonwoven webs using the Melt-Blown Extrusion Procedure. The nonwoven webs were evaluated for repellency using the Water Repellency Test and the Oil Repellency Test immediately, after 1-2 weeks at room temperature, and after the Embossing Procedure.
Results of these thermal resistance and repellency tests are shown in Table 11.
Ex. chem. 220 280 320 340 Init. 1-2 w Emb. Init. 1-2 w Emb.
The data in Table 11 show that the fluorochemical esters derived from fluorochemical sulfonamido alcohols or acids and all carboxylic acids or alcohols, respectively (Examples 1-4, 7-9, 11, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21 and 23-26), the fluorochemical esters derived from fluorochemical telomer alcohols and dimer/trimer acids (Examples 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, and 15) and fluorochemical amides derived from fluorochemical amines and dimer acids (Examples 24, 24A, 25, and 25A) each exhibited a balance of good to excellent thermal stability and good repellency when blended with the polypropylene resin. Among fluorochemical esters not based on dimer/trimer acids, those having sulfonamide groups (Examples 19, 21, 22, and 23) exhibit better thermal stability than those corresponding materials not containing sulfonamide groups (Comparative Examples C2, C3, C4, and C5).
Additionally, the data show that for the pairs of fluorochemical esters of Examples 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 12 and 13, which differ in that the first member of each pair contains statistically two fluorochemical esters per molecule while the second member contains statistically one fluorochemical ester per molecule, that the member containing two esters per molecule imparts better oil and water repellency than the member containing one ester per molecule.
In Examples 26-37, fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 was blended with various thermoplastic polymers at 1.00% (wt) solids, and the blends were thermally extruded into nonwoven webs using the Melt-Blown Extrusion Procedure. The nonwoven webs were evaluated for repellency using the Water Repellency Test and the Oil Repellency Test immediately, after 1-2 weeks at room temperature, and after embossing.
In Comparative Examples C31-C40, the same experiments were run as described in Examples 26-37 respectively except that no fluorochemical melt additive was blended with the thermoplastic resins.
Results from the evaluations of Examples 26-37 and Comparative Examples C31-C40 are presented in Table 12.
Ex. Name % (wt) Init. 1-2 w Emb. Init. 1-2 w Emb.
The data in Table 12 show that fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 improves the oil and water repellency of all the thermoplastic polymers evaluated as melt blown constructions, though the improvement for the PET 35 polyethylene terephthalate and the BASF Ultramid™ B-3 nylon were not as dramatic.
In Examples 38-46, fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 was blended with Escorene™ PP3505 polypropylene chips at weight percent solids varying from 0.50-1.25%, and the blends were thermally extruded into nonwoven webs at various basis weights using the Spunbond Extrusion Procedure. The nonwoven webs were evaluated for repellency using the Water Repellency Test and the Oil Repellency Test after time periods of 5 minutes, 2 hours (120 min) and 17-22 hours (reported as 1320 min) at ambient temperature after web formation.
In Comparative Examples C41-C42, the same experiment was run as described in Examples 38-46, except that no fluorochemical melt additive was blended with the polypropylene resin and two basis weights were run.
Results from the evaluations of Examples 37-45 and Comparative Examples C41-C42 are presented in Table 13.
The data in Table 13 show that fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 imparted excellent water repellency to all of the polypropylene spunbonded webs at all concentrations and basis weights evaluated. Good oil repellency was achieved at higher F-1 concentrations.
In Examples 47-50 and Comparative Examples C43-46, fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 was evaluated for weight loss using the Thermogravimetric Analysis Test as in Example 1, except this time the test was run under isothermal conditions (at 220, 250, 280 or 320° C.) and the amount of F-1 left was measured time periods of 5, 20 and 60 minutes.
In Comparative Examples C43-C46, the same experiments were run as in Examples 47-50 , except that fluorochemical oxazolidinone F-50 was substituted for Fluorochemical Ester F-1.
Results of these weight loss evaluations are presented in Table 14.
The data in Table 14 show that at every temperature run, fluorochemical ester F-1 exhibited superior thermal stability to fluorochemical oxazolidinone F-50.
Films were made from spunbond polypropylene nonwoven webs with and without fluorochemical dimer acid ester. These films were evaluated for oil and water repellency.
In Example 51, a film was pressed from spunbond Escorene™ PP3505 polypropylene containing 1.25% of fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 (from Example 45 of Table 13) using the following procedure. A sandwich construction was assembled consisting of a rectangular steel plate of 25.4 cm length and 15.3 cm width, a copper foil of dimensions similar to those of the steel plate, and a rectangular steel shim of 25.4 cm length, 15.3 cm width and 254μ thickness in which a centered rectangular cutout of 10.1 cm by 8.7 cm was made. Next, 2.5 g of spunbond polypropylene was folded into the center of the cutout area with approximate open margin border of approximately 1 cm on each side. The fabric was covered with more copper foil and another rectangular steel plate of the same dimensions used in the rest of the construction. Next, the sandwich construction was placed between the plates of a press, each plate being heated to 200° C., and the plates were brought together with a force of 5 tons for a 4 inch (10.2 cm) diameter circle (587,000 kg/m2) for 2 minutes. Afterwards, the sandwich construction was removed from the heated plates and was placed between two unheated plates on the press at a much lower pressure to cool for 1 minute. The construction was disassembled, the film was extracted. The film was then evaluated for repellency using the Water Repellency Test and the Oil Repellency Test; the same test liquids and rating scale were used as with the nonwoven web repellency test, with the reported value corresponding to the highest number test liquid for which a drop, when placed on the surface of the film, would not spread.
In Comparative Example C47, the same polypropylene film preparation and evaluation was run as described in Example 51, except that the fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 was omitted.
Results from Example 51 and Comparative Example C47 are presented in Table 15.
The data in Table 15 show that the film made from polypropylene having fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 added thereto exhibited improved water and oil repellency relative to the film made from polypropylene only.
Molded castings were made from a two-part, room temperature-curable, thermoset epoxy resin system (3M Scotch-Weld™ 2158 B/A Epoxy Adhesive Tube Kit) with and without fluorochemical dimer acid ester. After curing, the castings were evaluated for water and oil repellency.
In Example 52, 2.45 g of Part A, 2.45 g of Part B and 0.10 g of fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 were mixed together in an approximately 60 mm diameter aluminum weighing pan. The sample was cured for 1 hour at 80° C. and was left overnight at room temperature. The Water Repellency Test and the Oil Repellency Test were then run on the surface of the cured casting; the same test liquids and rating scale were used as with the nonwoven web repellency test, with the reported value corresponding to the highest number test liquid for which a drop, when placed on the surface of the film, would not spread.
In Comparative Example C48, the same epoxy resin preparation and evaluation was run as described in Example 52, except that the fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 was omitted.
Results are presented in Table 16.
The data in Table 16 show that the casting made from epoxy resin having fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 added thereto exhibited dramatically improved water and oil repellency relative to the casting made from epoxy resin only.
Molded castings were made from a one-part, moisture-curable, thermoset polyurethane resin system (found in 3M EC-5200 Marine Adhesive Sealant) with and without fluorochemical dimer acid ester. After curing, the castings were evaluated for water and oil repellency.
9.8 g of EC-5200 sealant and 0.2 g of fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 were mixed together in a vial, and the mixture was heated with a heat gun and stirred until a homogeneous mixture resulted. Equal portions were then poured into two approximately 60 mm diameter aluminum weighing pans. For Example 53, the resin system in the first pan was allowed to cure overnight under ambient conditions (roughly 50% relative humidity). For Example 54, the resin system in the second pan was baked for 15 hours at 50° C. above a pan of water. The Water Repellency Test and the Oil Repellency Test were then run on the surface of each cured resin; the same test liquids and rating scale were used as with the nonwoven web repellency test, with the reported value corresponding to the highest number test liquid for which a drop, when placed on the surface of the film, would not spread.
In Comparative Examples C49-C50, the same moisture-cured polyurethane resin preparation and evaluation was run as described in Example 53-54, respectively, except that the fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 was omitted.
Results are presented in Table 17.
The data in Table 17 show that the casting made from moisture-cured polyurethane resin having fluorochemical dimer acid ester F-1 added thereto exhibited dramatically improved water and oil repellency to the casting made from moisture-cured polyurethane resin only, cured either under ambient conditions or baked.
Various modifications and alterations of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention, and it should be understood that this invention is not limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein.
A′ is the residue of a dimer diol, a dimer diamine, a trimer triol, or a trimer triamine.
2. The film of claim 1 wherein said synthetic organic polymer is a thermoplastic polymer.
3. The film of claim 2 wherein said thermoplastic polymer is a polyamide, a polyester, or a polyolefin.
4. The film of claim 1 wherein said synthetic polymer is thermoset.
5. The film of claim 1 wherein said film is microporous.
6. The film of claim 1 wherein said film is a fibrillated film.
A′ is the residue of a dimer diol, a dimer diamine, a trimer triol, or a trimer triamine, said residue representing an aliphatic moiety containing from about 30 to 170 carbon atoms.
8. The film of claim 7 wherein said Q is selected from the group consisting of —SO2N(R′)(CH2)k—, —(CH2)k—, —CON(R′)(CH2)k— and —(CH2)kSO2N(R′)(CH2)k—, where R′ is hydrogen, a phenyl group or is a methyl or ethyl group and where each k is independently an integer from 1 to about 20.
9. The film of claim 7 wherein said p is nearly equal to the valency of A or A′.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein said synthetic organic polymer is thermoplastic and said fluorochemical or fluorochemicals are melt extruded.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein said synthetic organic polymer is a thermoplastic polymer.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein said thermoplastic polymer is a polyamide, a polyester, or a polyolefin.
14. The method of claim 10 wherein said synthetic polymer is thermoset.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said Q is selected from the group consisting of —SO2N(R′)(CH2)k—, —(CH2)k—, —CON(R′)(CH2)k— and —(CH2)kSO2N(R′)(CH2)k—, where R′ is hydrogen, a phenyl group or is a methyl or ethyl group and where each k is independently an integer from 1 to about 20.
17. The method of claim 15 wherein said p is nearly equal to the valency of A or A′.
19. The molded article of claim 18 wherein said synthetic organic polymer is thermoplastic.
20. The molded article of claim 18 wherein said synthetic polymer is thermoset.
22. The molded article of claim 21 wherein said Q is selected from the group consisting of —SO2N(R′)(CH2)k—, —(CH2)k—, —CON(R′)(CH2)k— and —(CH2)kSO2N(R′)(CH2)k—, where R′ is hydrogen, a phenyl group or is a methyl or ethyl group and where each k is independently an integer from 1 to about 20.
23. The molded article of claim 21 wherein said p is nearly equal to the valency of A or A′. | 2019-04-19T09:43:53Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US6262180B1/en |
PoliticsDefinitions: It is a process by which decisions are made within groups. Although the term is generally applied to behavior within governments, politics is observed in all human (and many non-human) group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious institutions. The art and science of governance; the means by which the will of the community is arrived at and implemented; the activities of a government, politician, or political party. In its broadest sense, it is about individuals living together in a certain kind of order and under its given authority. Education is an important aspect of politics, for one of its aims is to see that those educated contribute, rather than destroy, the order of the society.
Scope of Politics: 1. Domestic Politics 2. International Politics Can we avoid politics? Is politics all dirty? Political Solution a settlement arrived at through negotiations and compromise amongst conflicting individuals or groups processes which are reality of politics.
Dictionary defines, "the art and science of government". Textbook definitions, notably, a "process of conflict resolution in which support is mobilized and maintained for collective projects". Theorists, such as Harold Lasswell, who defined politics as "who gets what, when, where, and how." and Practitioners like: o Mao Zedong, who said "Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed." o Otto Von Bismarck's cryptic remark, "Politics is the art of the possible." o Jovito Salonga defines as simply the capacity to say no to something dangerous and inimical to the public interest.
Are Statesmen and Politicians the same? A statesman is a person whose main preoccupation is the betterment of the state and its governed society. To accomplish this, he must be adept at the art of politics; that is to negotiate, persuade, and make compromise. He is a politician who puts affairs of the state above his other interest; he rule for the sake of the state. A politician is a person who uses their power to rule others solely to serve their own interests.
Political science - is the study of political behavior and examines the acquisition and application of power. - is an academic and research discipline that deals with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior.
THE ISMS OF POLITICS POLITICAL IDEALISM is the kind of politics that tells us in detail what is right. - It is the law of our being by which we desire what is right. 10 Point prescriptions on effective political leadership Niccolo Machiavelli. 1. The good prince must avoid despicable and hated. 2. The best fortress for a state and its prince is the love of the people. 3. It is safer to be feared than loved, but it is best to be feared as well as to be loved. 4. The good prince should abstain from taking the property of others, for men forget more easily the death of their father, than the loss of their patrimony. 5. It is better to trust in your power than in the goodwill of others. 6. Legislate good laws and back them with good arms. 7. Laws are the ways of men and force is the way of the beasts, but you cannot rely on law only. 8. Imitate the fox and the lion. The fox is the shrewd and cunning, the lion is strong and brave. If you want to be one or the other, it is better to be a fox. 9. Do not put your trust on mercenaries, for they can easily be bought by your adversaries. 10. Be prudent. Prudence is the ability of knowing, the nature of difficulties and making that, which is least harmful as good.
POLITICAL REALISM if you want to survive, even be successful, start by studying how people behave, not how they ought to behave. POLITICAL RATIONALISM Reason uses next the idea of freedom. Reason teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions. POLITICAL EXTREMISM the reality of today is the reality forever. - Believes that the world is sub divided.
LANGUAGES OF POLITICS: What is power? comes from the Latin term potere meaning to be able. It is being able, physically, intellectually, or a combination of both to achieve what one wants. It permeates (present in all aspects) politics. It is concerned with the authoritative allocation of scarce resources in society, about who gets what, when, and how. Lord Acton once said, power tend to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Power according to political theorist, Hannah Arendt, is "the human ability not just to act but to act in concert." It is considered integral in politics and is the subject of a great deal of debate and definitions have evolved over time. *The ability to get somebody to do something they wouldnt otherwise do. *The ability to set agendas. *Access to decision makers. *The ability to participate in decision-making. Influence - is the ability to persuade or convince others to accept certain objectives or behave in a certain way. Coercion - opposite of influence, it involves control by force; compliance is achieved through punishments or threats. Theories of power: *Majoritarian: The majority decides. Elections are typically decided on a majoritarian basis. *Pluralist: Different groups coalesce around different issues at different times, each competing for desired outcomes in decisions made by government. *Elitist: Wealthy and powerful elites tend to dominate decision-making, with relatively little meaningful competition. What is authority?
Authority is the ability to enforce laws, to exact obedience, to command, to determine, or to judge.
Agency of the state that expresses the will of the people. Comes from the Latin term gubernaculum which means a rudder gives direction.
Legitimacy is an attribute of government gained through the acquisition and application of power in accordance with recognized or accepted standards or principles. It is a moral or ethical concept which involves perception of what is right.
What is sovereignty? Sovereignty is the ability of a government to exert control over its territory free from outside influence. Max Weber identified three sources of legitimacy for authority, known as the tripartite classification of authority. He proposed three reasons why people follow the orders of those who give them: 1. Traditional Traditional authorities receive loyalty because they continue and support the preservation of existing values, the status quo. Traditional authority has the longest history. 2. Charismatic Charismatic authority grows out of the personal charm or the strength of an individual personality. Charismatic regimes are often short-lived, seldom outliving the charismatic figure that leads them. Examples of Charismatic regimes include: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Hitler, Napoleon, Mao, and Fidel Castro. 3. Legal-rational Legal-rational authorities receive their ability to compel behavior by virtue of the office that they hold. It is the authority that demands obedience to the office rather than the office holder. Modern democracies are examples of legal-rational regimes. People also abide by legal-rational authority because it makes sense to do so for the greater good of society.
Ten Lessons from Presidents There are as many styles of leadership as there are leaders. That is very evident from three American presidents whose legacies loom large thirty years and more after they left office: Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy, and the one of the greatest president of this century, Franklin Roosevelt.
when to go before ones constituents and when to hold off is a crucial skill. As president, Johnson mastered one of the great skills of leadership knowing when to go forward with each of his goals. He had an instinctive sense of timing about when to introduce a bill, and a sense of which ones would create momentum rather than divisiveness for the next bill. For instance, Johnson introduced the Voting Rights Act on the heels of the bloody march on Selma, Alabama, when police assaulted peaceful demonstrators and Congress faced overwhelming public pressure to act. On the wall of the oval office Johnson kept a map that showed him, which bills were in which committee at every moment. He would come to his office at 5:00 A.M. and start calling the congressmen and senators who he knew were going to have to vote on a provision of the bill that day. If they didnt answer the phone, he would talk to their wife, husband, son, daughter, or grandchild, and he would make each senator and his family feel that the senator was the key to success.(Cohen,1999).1 John F. Kennedy on the other hand, he did not possessed the instinctive sense of timing that allowed Johnson to capitalize on dramatic moments and build on each success. By contrast, Kennedy introduced a series of bills when he first came into office that by the time of his death were stymied.
claim credit is an easy and effective way to get results. Johnson for instance, was able to share credit to the Congress. He understood that he had to make the Congress feel that his landmark legislation was their triumph as well.
keep his word. This happened when he made a fatal decision with respect to the war in Vietnam. In contrast to Johnson, Roosevelt never promised that victory would be quick or easy. After giving people his sober estimates, however, he said he was certain eventually a democracy would beat out a dictatorship because a democracy releases the free energies of a free people while the most efficient dictatorship never can.
make people feel they have a stake in common problems. Kennedys strength and weaknesses as a leader were the mirror image of Johnsons. Johnson was brilliant in small groups, making deals with individual congressmen, making Congress feel part of a team effort to create the Great Society; Kennedy was never really comfortable with the world of legislative politics. He didnt enjoy the backroom schmoozing and didnt believe in the process of political give-andtake. His ambitions were always a step beyond the House and Senate, and his colleagues there felt that he wasnt really one of them.
acknowledge and understand and improve on their shortcomings. One of Kennedys best temperamental qualities is his ability to learn from mistakes. For example, after he made the disastrous mistake at the Bay of Pigs, authorizing an ill-advised, ill-prepared intervention in Cuba, he reshaped his foreign policy decision-making structure. Never again he depend on a narrow group of advisers who may have leaded their own agendas. Roosevelt on the other hand, understood the need for personal renewal, and he drew sustenance from a remarkable group of people around him.
self-confident, sometimes to a fault; the real gift is the ability to extend faith in oneself to others. That means actually believing in their gifts. Probably Roosevelts greatest gift as a leader was his absolute confidence in him and, more important, in the American people. It was a confidence shaped in part by his parents, by the possession of his talents, and by the transforming experience of triumphing his polio. It was a confidence so deep that it provided an inner well of security through the worst days of World War II. Contrast that with Johnson waking in the night, worrying about whether the bombing targets he had chosen had been right. Roosevelts confidence allowed him to be flexible, to try everything and meet defeat with serenity, knowing hed do better next time.
Effective partnerships require devotion to ones partners.
themselves and find their own sources of strength. For Johnson, his retirement was almost unbearable to him, because he knew he had failed at the moment that his triumph had almost been achieved. In the end, his greatest enemy was not his political or military adversaries, but his own arrogance. Roosevelt on the other hand, understood the need for personal renewal, and he drew sustenance from a remarkable group of people around him.
is itself a key talent.
and effectively manage the best and brightest people including people unlike oneself To be sure, every leader uses talent differently. Roosevelt deliberately appointed to his cabinet people of diverse points of view who werent afraid to challenge one another, or him. Indeed, their public squabbles often-deflected criticism away from him. Language is ones most powerful tool. Without the ability to communicate, leaders can possess all the other attributes and still fail to have an impact. Kennedy understood the power of language, the importance of symbolism, humor, and image to give the public a sense of connection to the presidency. He made millions of people feel that they were a part of the New Frontier. Thats the mystery and the art of leadership the ability to mobilize people to feel included and to care about the tasks ahead. Kennedy made politics exciting and fulfilling. He conveyed the most important sense that a leader can convey: that the problems of the society, however large they might seem, can be solved by public connection.
Ideology it is what people believe about politics and how government should be run. An ''ideology'' is an organized collection of ideas. The word ideology was coined by Count Destutt de Tracy in the late 18th century to define a "science of ideas." An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things, as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies, or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to all members of this society. - The word "ideology" was coined long before the Russians coined "intelligentsia", or before the adjective "intellectual" referred to a sort of person (a substantive). Meta-ideology - It is the study of the structure, form, and manifestation of ideologies. It posits that ideology is a coherent system of ideas, relying upon a few basic assumptions about reality that may or may not have any factual basis, but are subjective choices that serve as the seed around which further thought grows. According to this perspective, ideologies are neither right nor wrong, but only a relativistic intellectual strategy for categorizing the world. Ideologues is a person who believes in ideology. David W. Minar describes six different ways in which the word "ideology" has been used:1. As a collection of certain ideas with certain kinds of content, 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
usually normative; As the form or internal logical structure that ideas have within a set; By the role in which ideas play in human-social interaction; By the role that ideas play in the structure of an organization; As meaning, whose purpose is persuasion; and As the locus of social interaction, possibly.
For Willard A. Mullins, an ideology is composed of four basic characteristics: 1. 2. 3. 4. It must have power over cognitions It must be capable of guiding one's evaluations; It must provide guidance towards action; It must be logically coherent.
Political ideologies - a political ideology is a certain ethical, set of ideals, principles, doctrines, myths or symbols of a social movement, institution, class, or large group that explain how society should work, and offer some political and cultural blueprint for a certain social order. A political ideology largely concerns itself with how to allocate power and to what ends it should be used. It can be a construct of political thought, often defining political parties and their policy. - Political ideologies regard policies of many different aspects of a society, the most central of which are: economy, education, criminal law, management of criminals, minors, animals, environment, immigration, eugenics, race, use of the military, forced nationalism, and forced religion. Political spectrum - A political spectrum is a way of comparing or visualizing different political positions. It does this by placing them upon one or more geometric axes.
- They view men as - They view men as - They view men as good individual. rational. evil. - Government is not Government is - Government must needed. needed for control everything. intervention.
- Laws exist and are - There are laws to be being followed. implemented to achieve order in the society.
- The terms Left and Right to refer to political affiliation originated early in the French Revolutionary era, and referred originally to the seating arrangements in the various legislative bodies of France. The aristocracy sat on the right of the Speaker (traditionally the seat of honor) and the commoners sat on the Left, hence the terms Right-wing politics and Left-wing politics.
the governments and corporations of major industrialized nations, such as meetings of the Group of Seven, the World Trade Organization, and the World Economic Forum.
It is a political ideology that seeks to establish a future classless, stateless social organization based upon common ownership of the means of production. It can be classified as a branch of the broader socialist movement. The term communism also refers to a variety of politics claiming the establishment of such a social organization as their fundamental intention. It is a higher and more radical stage of Socialism. In ancient Greece the idea of communism was connected to a myth about the "golden age" of humanity, when society lived in full harmony, before the development of private property. The word "communist" itself was coined in 1840 by Goodwyn Barmby, after the French word communisme. Theories within Marxism as to why communism in Eastern Europe was not achieved after socialist revolutions pointed to such elements as the pressure of external capitalist states, the relative backwardness of the societies in which the revolutions occurred, and the emergence of a bureaucratic stratum or class that arrested or diverted the transition press in its own interests. Comparing "Communism" to "communism"
communism and derived words are written with the lowercase "c" except when they refer to a political party of that name, a member of that party, or a government led by such a party, in which case the word "Communist" is written with the uppercase "C." Thus, one may be a communist (an advocate of communism) without being a Communist (a member of a Communist Party or another similar organization).
4. Marxism - is the philosophy, social theory and political practice based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German socialist philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary. Marx, often in collaboration with Friedrich Engels, drew on G.W.F. Hegel's philosophy, the political economy of Adam Smith and David Ricardo, and theorists of 19th century French socialism, to develop a critique of society which he claimed was both scientific and revolutionary. The four basic elements in Marxist ideology can be summarized as follows: 1. Capitalism is unjust and doomed. 2. Capitalism has internal contradictions which provide economic depressions. 3. Capitalism should be abolished and replaced with the collective ownership of the means of production. 4. The Communist party, the instrument of the working class will provide the means to carry out the overthrow capitalism, which will lead to the new society and the withering away of the state. Largely public ownership of productive resources; no meaningful political participation outside of party apparatus.
To defend against foreign attack. To establish an administration of justice. To undertake providing goods or projects which are not profitable in a free society, but which will provide collective benefits and to ensure that all individuals pay a fair share toward them.Broadly speaking, liberalism seeks a society characterized by freedom of thought for individuals, limitations on power, especially of government and religion, the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a market economy that supports relatively free private enterprise, and a transparent system of government in which the rights of minorities are guaranteed. There are three important aspects to classical liberal thought; Political it is concerned with basic political rights.
The word "fascism" comes from fascio (plural: fasci), which may mean "bundle," as in a political or militant group or a nation, but also from the fasces (rods bundled around an axe), which were an ancient Roman symbol of the authority of magistrates. Fascism is associated by many scholars with one or more of the following characteristics: a very high degree of nationalism, economic corporatism, a powerful, dictatorial leader who portrays the nation, state or collective as superior to the individuals or groups composing it. Nazism was the ideology held by the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, commonly called NSDAP or the Nazi Party), which was led by Adolf Hitler. The word Nazism is most often used in connection with the government of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 (the "Third Reich"), and it was derived from the term National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus, often abbreviated NS). It is the brainchild of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945). He was imprisoned and wrote the book entitled My Struggle Adherents of the Nazi ideology held that the Aryan race was superior to other races, and they promoted Germanic racial supremacy and a strong, centrally governed state. Nazism has been outlawed in modern Germany (including all types of its propaganda), yet remnants and revivalists, known as "Neo-Nazis", continue to operate in Germany and abroad. No public participation in politics, low to heavy government involvement in the economy. *Strength: Decisions get made. *Weakness: Allows for systematic persecution of unpopular groups; economically not as efficient; concentrates power in too few hands. Racism was a key component of Hitlers nationalist ideology. (social Darwinism to legitimize the supremacy of the white skinned people on the basis of biological superiority. 8. Feminism Feminism is theory that men and women should be equal politically, economically and socially. This is the core of all feminism theories. Sometimes this definition is also referred to as "core feminism" or "core feminist theory." Notice that this theory does not subscribe to differences between men and women or similarities between men and women, nor does it refer to excluding men or only furthering women's causes. Most other branches of feminism do.
plundering and destroying of the Earth. They feel that the patriarchial philosophy emphasizes the need to dominate and control unruly females and the unruly wilderness. Ecofeminism states that the patriarchial society is relatively new, something developed over the last 5,000 years or so and that the matriarchial society was the first society. In the matriarchial society, women were the center of society and people worshipped Goddesses. This is known as the Feminist Eden.
support that, they are silent regarding men being able to enter traditional all-female schools. Another example could be how N.O.W. is quick to support women as public icons who are victims of sexual harassment, yet offer no public support for men as pulbic icons who are victims of sexual harassment. In both instances, N.O.W. feminism encompases only women and fights to offer special privilages to women with the intent of making women equal to men.
Pop-Feminism Pop-feminism is often mistaken by people to be feminism in general... the negative stereotypical man hating ideology. There is no proof that such feminists exist, I have yet to meet a feminist who hates men and indeed, many men are feminists. But, if such a category of feminists exist, they should be referred to as 'pop-feminists.' This would be the type of feminism that degrades men in all manners and glorifies women. Radical Feminism Radical feminism is the breeding ground for many of the ideas arising from feminism. Radical feminism was the cutting edge of feminist theory from approximately 1967-1975. It is no longer as universally accepted as it was then, and no longer serves to solely define the term, "feminism." This group views the oppression of women as the most fundamental form of opression, one that cuts across boundaries of race, culture, and economic class. This is a movement intent on social change, change of rather revolutionary proportions. Radical feminism questions why women must adopt certain roles based on their biology, just as it questions why men adopt certain other roles based on theirs. Radical feminism attempts to draw lines between biologically-determined behavior and culturallydetermined behavior in order to free both men and women as much as possible from their previous narrow gender roles. Separatists Separatists are often wrongly depicted as lesbians. These are the feminists who advocate separation from men; sometimes total, sometimes partial. Women who organize women-only events are often dubbed separatist. The core idea is that "separating" (by various means) from men enables women to see themselves in a different context. Many feminists, whether or not separatist, think this is a necessary "first step," for personal growth. However, they do not necessarily endorse permanent separation.
It is inaccurate to consider all lesbians as separatist. While it is true that they do not interact with men for sexual fulfillment, it is not true that they automatically shun all interaction with men.
Political culture Refers to what people believe and feel about government, and how they think people should act towards it. To understand the relationship of a government to its people, and how those people are going to act toward that government and others, it is necessary to study what those people believe about themselves and government. Attitudes, values, beliefs, and orientations that individuals in a society hold regarding their political system. Refers to peoples attitudes and values of the members of society influence social and political decision-making. It can constrain or encourage certain behaviors and relations. It is useful in understanding different domestic institutions in a comparative perspective.
History: It was first coined in the United States in the 1950s and has since been defined in various ways. Sidney Verba, a leading scholar on the subject, defined political culture as the system of empirical beliefs, expressive symbols, and values which defines the situation in which political action takes place.
ATTITUDES psychological orientations toward political objects, frequently involving normative conceptions of how things ought to be. BELIEFS conception on how things are, which may or may not be accurate. FEELINGS emotional attachments and reactions. COGNITION - knowledge and information. VALUES priorities and goals.
Political socialization where political culture and public opinion started. Political Efficacy the extent to which individual citizens feel that they can affect political decisions. Civil Society refers to the social and economic arrangements that counterbalance the powers of the State by providing an alternative source of power and prestige to that offered by the State itself. Political Culture vs. Ideology Political Culture is broader; it refers to a vaguer, more implicit orientation, which may include more than one ideology. Ideology refers to an explicit doctrinal structure, providing a particular diagnosis of ills of society, plus an accompanying action program for implementing the prescribed solutions. Political Culture vs. Public Opinion Public Opinion focuses about specific leaders, policies and issues. | 2019-04-21T22:04:57Z | https://vdocuments.site/can-politics-be-avoided.html |
Over the holidays, I was able to visit Boston again. Since I’ve been working on this series, this time, Melissa and I ventured to Concord. We started with a nice lunch and then went over to the Old North Bridge.
To borrow from Julius Ceasar, Concord est omnes divisa in tres partes. Though Concord was a small farming village, the Concord River and the Assabet River that flows into it, divide the town into three separate parts. To get from the main part of town to either north or western parts of Concord, you need to cross the Concord River using either the Old North Bridge or the South Bridge. Thus, if you wish to occupy the entire town, your troops will have great difficulty supporting each other. On the other hand, if you only want to occupy the center of town, you could post small contingents at each bridge and be able to send your main force to reinforce whichever gets threatened.
The west end of the Old North Bridge is on a flood plain and is dominated by a ridgeline directly north of the bridge. A battery on that ridge, supported by infantry would easily prevent any passage over the bridge. The range of the smooth bore musket would not cover the bridge, but with the flat and perhaps marshy ground leading up to a steep slope, no sensible officer would launch an attack over the bridge and at such a battery. That open ground was reportedly flooded at the time, keeping any advance to only the road. Without any artillery, it would still be a formidable position.
As noted previously, this expedition was intended to seize weapon caches that colonist had gathered. Within Boston itself, General Gage had negotiated with town leaders to collect all personal firearms in lieu of some kind of forced confiscation. Out in the countryside, it wouldn’t be so simple. Not only had the colonists brought existing weapons to Concord (including cannons stolen from the Boston garrison!), but they had also started manufacturing firearms there as well. The British were aware of these preparations due to both loyalists and spies. They even had lists of what ought to be found where.
Interestingly, down in Virginia, the colonial Governor was able to quickly and quietly secure the weapons gathered in Williamsburg and blame it on concerns about a fictional slave revolt being planned.
Having engaged in that brief exchange of fire that was the Battle of Lexington, British troops marched west to their goal. Colonial minutemen had been gathering at Concord for hours, due to the rapid spread of the alarm. Initially, they began to march on Lexington, but turned back once they learned that the British column outnumbered them. The 250 militiamen turned and marched back to Concord, about 500 yards ahead of the 700 regulars. I was almost like leading a parade back into the village, drums rolling. The militia retired to the highest point in town, 289-foot high Punkatasset Hill, from which you might even see all the way to Boston.
LTC Smith divided his troops in order to seize the various weapons caches. He sent CPT Mundy Pole to the South Bridge with the grenadier company from the 10th Regiment. CPT Lawrence Parsons of the 10th Regiment was sent with 7 light infantry companies (about 100 men, reportedly) to both secure the Old North Bridge and raid colonial Colonel Barrett’s farm to seize cannon there. Parsons left half his force under the command of CPT Walter Laurie to guard that bridge and took 4 companies the 2 miles to the weapons cache.
Anyone in these regiments with less than 13 years of service would have likely never seen combat, since their last action would have been in the Seven Years War (French and Indian War in the colonies), so Laurie may have been an inexperienced officer. He may even have allowed his troops at the bridge to seek food and drink at nearby houses. Nonetheless, he did post two of his companies on the high ground that directly overlooked the bridge.
Meanwhile, the grenadiers in the main force began searching in the main part of town for the hidden weapons, munitions and food. This included digging up 3 large cannons (24-pounders) and smashing their trunnions, rendering them unusable. When setting fire to a few gun carriages, they ended up setting the town’s meeting house on fire. Fortunately for the people of Concord, the troops did assist in putting out the fire.
CPT Laurie sent back for reinforcements as the militia swelled, perhaps over 400 men for his 3 small companies of light infantry. The militia was overlooking the Old North Bridge from that commanding height we noted above. Before any help could arrive, Colonel Barrett’s men began to advance on the bridge. The two companies posted on the hill fell back to the bridge, then Laurie pulled his entire command back beyond the bridge. One of his officers began pulling up planks from the bridge to prevent the militia from following them. The militiamen advanced in column up the road toward the bridge, with Major John Buttrick shouting for the regulars to stop destroying the bridge.
CPT Laurie ordered his men into a curious formation – forming for “street firing” – of basically matching the militia’s column with his own column. The wisdom of which was questioned by at least one officer,a Lieutenant Sutherland, who ordered flankers out from the rear of the formation. Like most officers assigned that day, he was unknown to most of the men, and only a couple of men followed his counter-order.
The exchange of fire that followed left a few men dead and wounded on each side, but lead to the rapid retreat of Laurie’s command. In their retreat, they were met by the reinforcing grenadier company Smith had sent, but all of them fell back on the main force together.
The British command did not take this incident as a sign to depart from Concord rapidly. CPT Parsons and his troops marched back to the bridge when they heard the firing, marching through the battlefield and past the militia, which had crossed the bridge but not advanced much beyond that.
As this is mainly a review of the failure of the British command in the seizure of a weapons cache, we will analyze their performance.
I think that in each encounter during this mission, the British command underestimated the enemy. At Lexington, they had underestimated the defiance of the colonists, but at Concord, they grossly underestimated the numbers that might turn out to oppose them. As the numbers swelled, CPT Laurie seems to be the only one who recognized a problem, but even his response didn’t particularly help.
LTC Smith gathered his men, but then spent hours before setting out on his return trip. He did not take the fight at the Old North Bridge as a signal that the militia would attack the regulars. I cannot puzzle out why, given that fight, that he didn’t send a strong force to the bridge to ensure the safe return of CPT Parsons and his other four companies. Perhaps the fact that these companies passed the ‘scene of the crime’ without harassment fed Smith’s confidence that no serious fight could be expected. He and his men would pay the price for this miscalculation over the next several hours.
Since Smith knew that the weapons were dispersed, he divided his command to secure them. I would say that he did so in the interest of time, but his failure to depart quickly after being blooded acts as counter-point to that concept. Sending companies to secure each bridge seems prudent, but his underestimation of opposition numbers meant that he didn’t send sufficient force to hold those bridges. His main party proved too far away to support CPT Laurie and, when he did send reinforcements, he only sent a single company anyway.
Worse yet, CPT Parsons’ command was nearly cut off with the retreat of troops from the Old North Bridge. Imagine, Smith’s command was a fraction of the forces in Boston; the Old North Bridge force was a small fraction of that; Parsons’ companies were the isolated tip of the spear. Later in the day, let alone later in the war, all of his men would have been killed or captured due to Smith’s command decisions.
At Concord, as at Lexington, the ad hoc nature of the officer selection (and the inclusion of a variety of supernumerary officers along for the excitement) meant that neither the officers nor the men were familiar with each other. At the Old North Bridge, the contradiction of orders issued by a Captain and a Lieutenant was especially confusing to the men, as the officers were unfamiliar to them. It surely helped create the disarray that led to the accidental or, at least, undisciplined shot and the ragged volley that followed. The responding fire from the militiamen resulted in the fatal wounding of an officer, wounding of some sergeants and compounded the confusion. It would be interesting to find out how the retreat unfolded and what effect the reinforcing column had on the cohesion of those troops.
The final point to bring up in regards to Concord is one that concerns our troops in afield today. What are the rules of engagement?
It becomes apparent in reviewing this escapade that no rules of engagement had been formally discussed among the officers, let alone written down. Assuredly, no one communicated any rules that had been formulated to the troops.
The action at the Old North Bridge is symptomatic of this problem. CPT Laurie didn’t know how to handle the advancing armed militia, and one of his officers actually followed the orders of the militia’s Major – stopping the destruction of the bridge to protect their position. Then, CPT Parsons’ troops marched right past a few dead regulars, with everyone apparently uncertain what should be done.
From the instant I started looking at the Battles of Lexington and Concord from the British perspective, I was struck by the number of mistakes made. I do wonder how much of my compounding analysis is due to a preconceived notion, but I think the preponderance of evidence is that the failure was a failure of command. I will continue to investigate, as I am still a novice in this arena.
During our visit, we stopped in Reverend Emerson’s house, now known as the Old Manse. Concord’s minister, William Emerson, preached in favor of resistance to Parliament’s oppression of the colonists and remained faithful to the revolution until his war-time death from dysentery. On April the 19th, Reverend Emerson encouraged the gathering militia to attack once the British column entered Concord, remaining nearby to witness the fight. His grandson is the Emerson most of us think of, author Ralph Waldo Emerson. The important part of that visit was that I got a recommendation on a book about the fight at Concord. While I’m not sure there is a book that deals specifically with the tactics of the short fight (and the effect of terrain on those tactics!), but Robert Gross’ The Minutemen and Their World does a marvelous job of introducing all the Concord-based participants. It details their pasts, their motivations, their financial and social positions, as well as the eventual fate of each.
In our recent trip to southern France, I did manage to squeeze in some time down at Green Beach, where most of the 36th Infantry Division came ashore. Since our stay in France was focused on two weeks in Avignon, Green Beach was quite a long drive – over two hours from our lodgings. The short trip up to the Montelimar battle square was far shorter.
We drove into the area Frejus, having used the A8 highway to come east from Avignon. Having spent a lot of time in rural France, enjoying the quaint and quiet villages, Frejus itself is something of a shock. We kept saying to each other how much it reminded us of going to Ocean City or the Outer Banks of North Carolina, since it was so Americanized. Well, maybe I shouldn’t say Americanized, just commercialized. The long plage in front of St. Raphael is a marvelous sandy beach and bikini-clad ladies parade past statues to the Senegalese troops, to General de Lattre de Tassigny and to Charles DeGaulle. It’s hard to argue with the people enjoying the beaches that were used in the liberation of France, since the soldiers fought exactly so that the beaches could be used this way. It’s still a little jarring to see a band playing for a crowd next to the statues of 5 soldiers who landed here.
Nonetheless, seeing Frejus Bay, you can understand how this soft sandy beach could have been a nightmare to assault. With the curve of the coastline and the rough terrain on anything that is not a sandy beach, you’d be landing troops into a kill zone. As they’d attack into Saint Raphael, they’d be exposing their backs to gun positions directly to their west. Since the remote-controlled explosive boats sent in to attempt early destruction of the obstacles were unsuccessful (radio interference likely helped scramble the signals and lead to some of these “drone” boats heading back at the fleet instead of into the beach), the Navy wisely decide to divert the planned landing of the 142nd Infantry Regiment from Red Beach and land them on Green Beach, secured hours earlier with the landings of the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 141st Infantry Regiment.
Because the 142nd diverted to Green Beach, where the 143rd Infantry Regiment had followed the landings of the 141st, all of the troops of the Division, other than the 1st Battalion of the 141st, ended up landing on Green Beach. So, it comes as no surprise that when it came time to commemorate the landing of the Division in France, that the monument went up on Green Beach. Of course, when we go to the parking area, I had to race to the beach first (and not just because there was a restroom down there, but that did spur me forward).
The map above does not at all convey what the terrain in the area is like. It’s rocky and hilly, imposing and difficult terrain, even with modern roads in place. Looking at the arrows on that map, you get no sense whatsover of how challenging the route along the coast eastward to Cannes really is. Some the materials I’ve read point out the challenge facing the 141st heading along that road. If you drive it, you can certainly understand how a few determined soldiers with machineguns and some explosives could halt a battalion-sized advance. The Germans, having been at war for half of a decade were experts at such actions. Thus, in this terrain, and later in the war in the Vosges Mountains, during the Battle of the Colmar Pocket, small groups in an army which some thought was already beaten, could inflict devastating casualties. This may help explain why, when General Truscott visited General Dahlquist’s headquarters during the battle of Montelimar, saw the terrain and the condition of the 36th Infantry Division troops and refrained from relieving Dahlquist on the spot.
As I find so often, when you walk the ground, you gain an understanding that is simply impossible to acquire from books and maps. I wish we’d had more time at Green Beach and been able to visit the drop zones, but mostly, I wish we’d been able to do so with a guide. I could relate some of what I’d read to the places, but it really takes significant study of the history and the terrain to be able to do more than scratch the surface.
As I’ve said many times, there is no substitute for walking the ground. Looking at maps, reading unit/battle/campaign histories, or even using my new favorite tool, my tablet, never give you the same understanding as actually being on the ground where the fight took place.
We’re over in France and this time we’ve come to the south. This has given me an opportunity to walk the ground at Montelimar. Before we arrived, I’d contacted retired French Army Colonel Pierre Balliot to see if he could recommend a guide. He volunteered himself, driving 200+ kilometers to show us the ‘battle box’. The Colonel has written a marvelous book, of which I now possess a signed copy, entitled La Drome dans la Guerre: La bataille de Montelimar, which details the battle. So, my wife, our friend Tom and I got a half-day tour of the 20 km by 20 km ‘battle box’ in which Task Force Butler, the 36th Infantry Division and French partisans attempted to block the escape of 130,000 men of the German Army from southern France.
The battle of Montelimar had the same goal as the sealing of the Falaise Pocket in Normandy, trapping an entire Army Group. So, for me, the Battle of Montelimar is the most important action of the campaign.
Walking the ground here, you get a far better sense of why they chose the ground they did, what worked and what did not. The first thing to note is the height of the high ground. While the tablet and Google maps did point out the value of Hill 300, it gave no real sense of the true height or the slope. Somehow, I thought of 300 feet when I read about the Hill. It’s 300 meters or about 1000 feet. The slope is also extreme, making it difficult to dislodge any defenders. The Hill is so tall and long that it completely shields any troops coming up the Rhone valley through that choke point from observation or attack from the east. While there is plenty of high ground north of this, none overlooks such a tight passage as this. Thus, it comes as no surprise that there was tremendous fighting at La Coucourde, where the main road, Route Nationale 7, emerges from behind Hill 300 and where General Truscott had directed General Dahlquist to ‘put the cork in the bottle’, entrapping so many Germans.
Dahlquist and Butler faced many challenges here. The terrain that provided such an opportunity was itself a great challenge. The mountains restricted movement, inhibited communication, and provided endless opportunities for ambush. The narrow roads were difficult for armored vehicles and the slopes a great challenge as well. The vast distance from the landing beaches made resupply slow and the lack of sufficient transport compounded that.
The rivers helped, but not nearly as much as one would think when looking at the map. Walking the ground at the same time of the year, you see how low they are, how much vegetation would conceal movement and how challenging defending along those lines would be. Looking out from Dahlquist’s headquarters you see how broad a front he needed to defend.
Dahlquist himself may have been a part of the problem, never seeming to move fast enough for Truscott’s taste – Truscott flew to his headquarters twice during this campaign to hasten him along.
The few troops that reached the fight first shocked the Germans, but a few hundred men, even at strategic points, can only do so much to stop an Army Group.
Yesterday, I was able to walk parts of the Brandy Station battlefield with Clark “Bud” Hall, Eric Wittenburg, Craig Swain and 150 of my closest friends. The Loudon County Civil Roundtable arranged the tour.
The folks from Civil War Trust were there, and, often during the day, we talked about their ongoing efforts for battlefield preservation.
Sadly, I had to head back to Washington early and missed being on Fleetwood Hill and an evening of conversation with my friends and fellow historians. It was a good day, but too short due to my prior commitments.
Understanding Battles: Can a tablet replace my books and maps?
As I prepared for my talk on the 36th Infantry Division at our Operation Dragoon seminar, I’ve had an opportunity to use my new tablet (a Motorola Xoom) to the utmost. It really is a “killer app” for a historian.
My friend, Eric Wittenberg, first wrote about his tentative use of his Nook early last year, then replaced it with an iPad in December. Despite being a software developer in my paid work, I was apprehensive. I love books and maps. The look and feel of each has always been special, and I felt no computer would be able replace them for me.
I tried Kindle, first as a PC app, then on my smartphone. Not the same as a ‘real’ book, but quick and easy. With a library of a few hundred books, I never ventured to read history via Kindle. I had too big of a physical book backlog to consider it.
Then, I needed more detail on the 36th in less than a week. So, I used Google books to buy “First to the Rhine”. I kept flipping pages to review maps, then realized that I could use Google maps on my tablet. Zoom, twist, slide zoom out, add the terrain overlay. I’m sold. I just hope I can figure out how to Bluetooth or connect to the projector with my tablet because it makes understanding the fight at Montelimar so much easier. Maybe this or maybe at the Colmar Pocket seminar in December. It is an amazing tool.
Update: I’ve got a 15-foot mini-HDMI to HDMI cable on order from Amazon so that I can hook to the projector we use at these conferences and to my TV at home for Netflix.
Spot on. Great to see midshipmen actually on battlefields…. | 2019-04-21T16:38:49Z | https://werenotlostwereinfrance.com/category/understanding-battles/ |
to Sarepta and his being helped by the widow, of his confounding the idolaters on Carmel, and of the uprising of the cloud by whose rain all things were refreshed. He compared this rain to Baptism, and admonished His hearers to reform their lives and not, like Achab and Jezabel, continue in sin and dryness of heart after the rain of Baptism. Jesus alluded also to Segola, that pious pagan woman of Egypt, who settled at Abila and performed so many good works that she at last found favor in the sight of God. Then He showed them how the pagans ought to strive to practice virtue that thereby they might attract upon themselves divine grace, for His pagan listeners knew something of Elias and Segola.
After the Baptism of the bridegrooms, Jesus and His followers, along with all the bridal parties and the rabbis, were invited by the Jewish Doctor of the place to an entertainment at the village of Leppe, west of Mallep. The daughter of this Doctor was the bride of a pagan philosopher of Salamis, who had there heard Jesus preach and received circumcision. The way to Leppe ran in a gently undulating course through beautiful walks like those of a garden. Near Leppe ran the highroad to the little port Cerinia, about two miles off. The other road, upon which Jesus spoke with the travelling Arabs, led to the haven of Lapithus more to the west. The pagans of Leppe occupied a row of houses built along the highway, and carried on commerce and other business. The Jews lived apart and had a beautiful synagogue. I saw in the pagan gardens idols like swathed puppets and, in an open square a short distance from the road and surrounded by a hedge, an idol larger than a man and with a head bearing some resemblance to that of an ox. Between the horns was something that looked like a little sheaf. The figure was squatting on its legs, its short hands dangling before it.
brides and bridesmaids, veiled, sat by themselves at the end of the table. They wore long, striped dresses with wreaths of colored wool and tiny feathers on their heads.
Both during and after the meal, Jesus spoke of the sanctity of marriage. He insisted on the point of each man's having but one wife, for they had here the custom of separating on trifling grounds and marrying again. On this account, He spoke very strenuously, and related the parables of the wedding feast, the vineyard, and the king's son. The groomsmen invited the passersby to share the feast and listen to Jesus' teaching. The three cured boys played on their flutes, while little girls sang and played on various instruments.
It was already dark when Jesus and His disciples returned to Mallep. From the heights along the road, the view was exceedingly beautiful. One could behold the sea, whose surface reflected a most wonderful luster. Great preparations had been made in Mallep for the nuptials of the seven bridal couples. The whole city appeared to be taking part in the feast. One would have said that all the inhabitants constituted one great brotherhood. No poor were to be seen, as they were lodged and provided for in a separate part of the city.
Mallep was built very regularly. It looked like a pancake divided into five equal parts. The five streets that divided the city converged toward the center where was an elevated place ornamented by a fountain, around which were trees and terraces. Four of these quarters, or city wards, were cut through by two cross streets, which ran in a circle around the fountain, the central point of the place. In one of these circular streets was a house in which childless widows and aged women lived together at the expense of the community, kept school, and took care of orphans. There was another house here also for lodging and entertaining poor strangers and travelers.
The fifth quarter comprised the public buildings. It was cut into halves by the aqueduct that conducted the water to the fountain. In one half were the public marketplace, several inns, and an asylum for the possessed, who were not permitted here to go at large. Jesus had already cured some of them who had been led to Him with the rest of the sick. In the other half stood the public house used for feasts and weddings, the top of its roof being almost on a level with the fountain near which it was. Its entrance was not facing the fountain, but on the side opposite. From the court in front, a walk about a hundred feet wide and bordered by green trees ran down through the cross streets to the forecourt of the synagogue. It was as long as about two thirds of one of the five streets. There were other avenues leading thither from the cross streets, but they were open to the people only on feast days and by virtue of special permission.
Now on this day of the marriage festivities, the whole morning was spent in adorning the public feast-house. Meanwhile Jesus and His disciples retired to the inn whither came to Him men and women, some seeking instruction, others advice and consolation, for in consequence of their connection with the heathens, these people often had scruples and anxieties. The young affianced were longer with Jesus than the others. He spoke with the maidens alone and singly. It was something like confession and instruction. He questioned them upon their motives in entering the married state, whether they had reflected upon their posterity and the salvation of the same, which was a fruit springing from the fear of God, chastity, and temperance. Jesus found the young brides not instructed on these points.
grounds below. In front of the synagogue especially, an open arbor was formed of numerous beautiful little bushes and plants in boxes. Into the courts and bowers around the feast-house, I saw people transporting all things, viands, etc., necessary for the entertainment. Whoever brought from the city something for this end, had a right to take part in the feast. The viands were brought in a kind of long barrow, which served at the same time as tables. The various dishes, bread, little jugs, etc., stood in them and, from little side openings, could be drawn out by the guests as they reclined before them. The upper surface of the barrow was covered with a cloth, from which they ate. These barrows, or hand-carriages, were woven baskets, long and shallow, provided with a cover and side openings, as I have said, by which to get out the food. The guests reclined on mats and were supported by cushions. All these things were prepared and transported hither from various quarters.
ends with a riband. The veil fell over the face and down the back. On the head was a metal band with three points and a high, bent piece in front upon which the veil could be raised. They also wore little crowns of feathers or silk. Several of the veils glistened, as if made of fine silk or similar material. In their hands they carried long, golden flambeaux, like lamps without feet. They grasped them with a scarf, either black or of some other dark color. The brides likewise wore white shoes or sandals.
removed from the brides their headdress, and covered them with a veil. It was then that I saw that the large net was woven of false hair.
Three rabbis presided at the nuptials, the whole ceremony lasting three hours. Then the brides with their attendant trains went through the embowered walk to the feast house, followed by their husbands amid the good wishes and congratulations of the bystanders. After taking some refreshments, the bridal couples went to the pleasure garden near the aqueduct, there to amuse themselves.
That evening an instruction especially intended for the newly married was given in the synagogue. After the rabbis had spoken, they requested Jesus also to address some words of advice to the young people.
no bones. The brides, as also all the other women, had their veils raised on the golden hook of their headdress. After the dance all took refreshments which had been placed on stands in each corner of the arbor. Again the music sounded, and all filed out into the garden near the fountain.
Here were exhibited, in the arbors and on the mossy sward, various games of running, leaping, and throwing at a mark. The men played by themselves, as did also the women. Little prizes were awarded and fines imposed, in the shape of money, girdles, small pieces of stuff, scarves for the neck, etc. Whoever had nothing with which to pay his fine, sent to purchase it from a peddler who, with his goods, had taken his stand not far off. Lastly, all the prizes and fines were handed over to the Elder, who distributed them to the poor among the lookers-on. The brides and maidens played games in circles and in rows. Their dresses were raised to the knees, their lower limbs bound with strips of white, their veils thrown up and wound around the head back to the forehead and ear ornaments. They looked very beautiful and nimble. Each caught hold of her neighbor's girdle with the left hand, and thus formed a ring which they kept constantly revolving. With the right hand they aimed at throwing to one another and catching a yellow apple. Whoever failed to catch in her turn had to stoop, the circle still revolving, to pick it up from the ground. At last, they played in company with the men. They sat in opposite rows and threw into furrows very ripe yellow fruits, which when they met and smashed, gave rise to shouts of laughter. Toward evening, all returned in festal procession. The newly married rode on asses gaily adorned for the occasion, the brides sitting on sidesaddles. Musicians led the way and all followed, rejoicing, to the feast house at which an entertainment was awaiting them.
before the rabbis a vow to observe continence during certain festivals, binding themselves to some penance if they broke it. They promised besides to watch together on Pentecost night and spend it in prayer. From the feast house, the bridal couples were conducted to their future homes. The party that had brought the house as a dowry, stood on the threshold while the relatives led the other thither from the feast house and three times made the rounds of the premises. The wedding gifts were borne in ceremoniously, and the poor received their share.
Mallep was now astir in preparation for the coming feast: all were busy cleaning, scouring, and bathing. The synagogue and many of the dwellings were adorned with green branches and garlands of flowers, and the ground was strewn with blossoms. The synagogue was fumigated with delicious perfumes, and the rolls of Sacred Scripture were wreathed with flowers.
In the special halls set apart for the purpose in the forecourt of the synagogue, the Whitsuntide loaves were baked, the flour having been previously blessed by the rabbis. Two of them were made from the wheat of that year's harvest. For the others, as also for the large, thin cakes (which were indented, that they might be more easily broken into pieces), the flour had been ordered from Judea. It was ground from the wheat raised in the field upon which Abraham had participated in the sacrifice of Melchisedech. The flour had been transported hither in long boxes. It was called the Seed of Abraham. The baking of these loaves and cakes, in which there was no leaven, had to be finished by four o'clock. There was still another kind of flour there, as well as herbs, all of which received a blessing.
On the morning of this day Jesus gave an instruction at His inn to the baptized pagans and aged Jews. He took for His subjects the Feast of Pentecost, the Law given upon Sinai, and Baptism, all of which He treated in deeply significant terms. He touched upon many passages relating to them in the Prophets. He spoke also of the holy bread blessed at Pentecost, of Melchisedech's sacrifice, and of that foretold by Malachias. He said that the time for the institution of that Sacrifice was drawing near, that when this feast would again come round, a new grace would have been added to Baptism, and that all the baptized who would then believe in the Consoler of Israel, would share in that grace. As difficulties and objections were here raised by some who did not wish to understand His teaching, Jesus chose about fifty whom He knew to be ripe for His instructions, and sent away the others, intending to prepare them later. Taking with Him those that He had selected, He left the city, went to the aqueduct nearby, and there continued His instruction. I saw them on the way sometimes standing still and with many gesticulations putting questions and raising objections; and I saw Jesus, His forefinger raised, frequently explaining something to them. In talking, they gesticulated freely with hands and fingers. As Jesus insisted upon the great grace, upon the salvation that would be conferred upon man by Baptism, and by Baptism alone, after the consummation of the Sacrifice of which He had spoken, some of them asked whether their present Baptism possessed the same efficacy. Jesus answered, yes, if they persevered in faith and accepted that Sacrifice; for even the Patriarchs, who had not received that Baptism, but who had sighed after it and had had a presentiment of it in the Spirit, received grace through both that Sacrifice and that Baptism.
Jews of all times had observed and upon which they conjured God for the promised Consoler of Israel.
Jesus told them many other deeply significant things which I cannot now rightly repeat. I saw that they sent, from the wedding feast, food to Jesus and His disciples at the inn to which He had returned with them toward the Sabbath.
The heathens from Salamis started for home, and Jesus with the disciples accompanied them part of the way. He warned them not to return again to their worship of idols, and not to engage in business speculations, but as soon as possible to leave their country, for in it the new way would be full of obstacles for them. He directed them to different regions, among which I can recall Jerusalem, the Jewish district between Hebron and Gaza, and that near Jericho. Jesus recommended them to go to Lazarus, John Mark, the nephews of Zachary, and to the parents of Manahem, the disciple whose sight had been restored.
purpose. On the day of the feast itself, the whole morning was spent in the synagogue, praying, singing, and reading the Holy Scriptures. They made, likewise, a kind of procession. The rabbis, with Jesus at their head and followed by crowds of the people, went processionally through the halls around the synagogue, paused several times at points that look toward different directions of the world, and pronounced a benediction over every region of land and sea. After an intermission of about two hours, they again returned to the synagogue in the afternoon, and the alternate reading and other exercises were resumed. At some of the pauses, Jesus asked: "Do ye understand this?" and then He explained different passages for them. The portions of Holy Scripture read were those from the Departure of the Israelites through the Red Sea to the giving of the Law upon Sinai. During the reading, I saw these events in detail, and of them I can recall the following.
a veil that the Egyptians entirely lost sight of them. Then Moses stepped to the shore with his staff (which was forked at the bottom and had a knob on the upper end), prayed, and struck the water. Then appeared before each wing of the army, right and left, as if springing out of the sea, two great luminous pillars, which increased in brilliancy toward the top and terminated in a tongue of flame. At the same time, a strong wind parted the waters along the whole of the army (it was about an hour broad), and Moses proceeded by a gently inclining declivity down to the bed of the sea. The whole army followed, at least fifty men abreast. The ground was, at first setting out, somewhat slippery, but soon it became like the softest meadowland, like a mossy carpet. The pillars of fire lit the way before them, and all was as bright as day. But the most beautiful feature of the whole scene were the islands over which they shed their light. They looked like floating gardens full of the most magnificent fruits and all kinds of animals, which latter the Israelites collected and drove along before them. Without this precaution, they would have been in want of food on the other side of the sea.
in the waters. Another wonderful thing was that the Israelites crossed in three hours, whereas it would have naturally taken nine hours to do so. Higher up the shore, about six to nine hours distant, stood a city which was afterward destroyed by the waters.
About three o'clock, Pharao carne down to the shore, but was again repulsed by the fog. Soon, however, he discovered the ford and rolled down into it with his magnificent war chariot, after which hurried his entire army. And now Moses, already on the opposite shore, commanded the waters to return to their original position. Then the fog and the fire uniting to blind and perplex the Egyptians, all perished miserably in the waves. Next morning upon beholding their deliverance, the Israelites chanted the praises of God. On the opposite shore, the two pillars of light united again into one of fire. I cannot do justice to the beauty of this vision.
known throughout the country. Many children were brought to Jesus in the different houses, to receive from Him a benediction.
That afternoon, He went to a large house where, in a hall back of the court and separated from one another, numbers of distinguished men lay sick. On the other side of the court lay the women. Among these poor invalids were some melancholy and quite inconsolable, whose tears flowed unceasingly. Jesus cured about twenty of them, prescribed what they should eat and drink, and sent them to the baths. He afterward caused them all to be assembled together and taught first the women, and then the men. This lasted almost till evening, when He went to the synagogue.
1. Lev. 26 et Jer. 17.
pride, against subtle erudition and the close investigation of trifles. By this He alluded to the doings of the great school of Jewish learning here established for such Jews as would afterward add to their store of knowledge by travelling.
the disposition of the child itself. Many subject to convulsions, many possessed by the demon, owe their condition to this source. The illegitimate children themselves I generally see possessed of remarkable advantages of nature, though of an order earthly and prone to sin. They have in them something in common with those that, in early times, sprang from the union of the sons of God with the daughters of men. They are often beautiful, cunning, very reserved in disposition, agitated by eager desires and, without wishing it to appear, they would like to draw all things to themselves. They bear in their flesh the stamp of their origin, and frequently their soul goes thereby to perdition.
sinned with the pagan was completely transformed. He very humbly invited Jesus to dine with him. Jesus accepted and went, accompanied by His disciples. A couple of the rabbis also were invited and they, as well as the whole city, marveled at the courtesy, for their host was known as a frivolous, worldly man who did not trouble himself much about priests and prophets. He was rich and owned landed property cultivated by servants. His house was near that hospital in which Jesus had cured the victims of melancholy. During the meal two of the little daughters of the family entered the dining hall, and poured costly perfume over Jesus' head.
of their own ease. They hankered after the wealth of the pagans and sought to win it by their usury, traffic, mining, and marriages, but the day would come when they would see themselves stripped of all their ill-gotten gains. Jesus warned them likewise against such marriages with the heathens as those in which both parties, indifferent to religion, enter into wedlock merely for the sake of property and money, greater freedom and the gratification of passion. All were deeply moved and impressed by Jesus' words, and many begged leave to be allowed to speak with Him in private.
The whole of the following day and even until late at night, was Jesus engaged visiting the different families in their homes, admonishing, consoling, and pardoning. Two women presented themselves before Him lamenting to Him over their illegitimate children. Jesus sent for their husbands, forgave the guilty parties, and united them once more to their lawful spouses. The children also—without understanding the ceremony, however—were received by the husbands and blessed as their own. It was harder for the wife to admit among her own the illegitimate children of her husband; she had to gain a great victory over herself. But all on this occasion did it so sincerely that they forced, so to say, their husbands to love them more and to bless children of their wives not their own. And so a general reconciliation was brought about, and scandal avoided.
of the pagans. They were not tormented by the Pharisees, not oppressed by Pilate. They were, as regards this life, in a most agreeable position, but their connection with the pagans was highly censurable. Pagan property and workshops were in their neighborhood. The pagan girls liked well to unite in marriage with the Jews, because they were not treated by them in so slavish a manner as by those of their own religion, and so they enticed the young Israelites in every way, by presents, attentions, and all kinds of allurements. When converted to Judaism, it was not from conviction, but from sordid views, and so insubordination and tepidity easily made their way into the family. The Jews of Mallep were besides less simple-hearted and hospitable than those of Palestine, their social surroundings were more studied and refined, their Jewish origin not so pure; consequently they brought forward all kinds of scruples and difficulties against Jesus' counsel to emigrate to the Holy Land. Jesus argued that their forefathers owned houses and lands in Egypt, but that they had willingly and gladly abandoned them, and He repeated once more His prediction that if they persisted in remaining, misfortune would fall upon them. The disciples, Barnabas especially, went around a great deal in the environs teaching and exhorting the people. They were less timid in his presence and laid before him all their doubts. He always had a crowd around him.
had by the family of Barnabas and several people of Chytrus been invited to this mining village, because the Jewish miners of the place were celebrating a feast at which they received from their employers various presents besides their share of the harvest. Jesus took a circuitous route to the village, that He might be able to speak to His disciples without interruption and also that He might not arrive too early. During the journey, He permitted the disciple from Naim to deliver the messages and relate the news with which he had been charged; for although Jesus knew all Himself, He was careful not to let it appear, lest such knowledge might be a source of annoyance or anxiety to those around Him.
The disciple had left Jerusalem on the eve of Pentecost just after the money offering in the Temple, and the execution of Pilate's plot. He had gone straight to Naim, thence through Nazareth to Ptolomais, and from the latter place to Cyprus. He told Jesus that His Mother and the other holy women, together with John and some of the disciples, had quietly celebrated the feast of Pentecost at Nazareth; that His Mother and friends sent greetings and entreated Him to stay some time in Cyprus, until minds had grown calm in His regard. The Pharisees, he continued, were already reporting that He had run away. Herod also wanted to summon Him to Machaerus under pretext of conferring with Him upon the subject of the prisoners freed at Thirza, but really to make Him prisoner as he had done John. | 2019-04-25T06:36:28Z | http://tandfspi.org/ACE_vol_03/ACE_3_0391_out.html |
So, I visited Prague. Again.
This should not surprise anyone, as Prague is a MUST.
This time – my Prague was without haste. And finally with a good guide; a girl in love with her City, and capable of talking about it with passion.
When we bade farewell, I had enought free time, so – just like a doggie released from the leash – I set off to explore the city. I immersed myself in the colorful and multilingual crowd, remembering however, to tightly hold my bag, as such crowded places are the paradise for thiefs and pickpockets…. I had my city map so deep in my bag that to get to the map, I would have to finish a crash course in archeology… So I set off, entrusting my intuition. Of course the main goal was the Hradčany Castle.
My favorite Prague church is the Church of Our Lady before Týn. The north portal of this exceptional edifice was supposedly built by Peter Parler, and it is the main reason why I like this church so much… I could photograph it continuously. And of course – I finally had time to almost “sniff and touch” all the walls of the church thoroughly, and guess what! I found fire pits. Fortunately, in Prague almost everyone is smiling, so my smile of joy surprised nobody.
After more than a hundred years or so, I finally reached Prague Castle. Knowing I did not have to hurry anywhere, (that in the worst case I might die along the way from hunger 😉 ) I stopped from time to time for a photo, and even sat on the curb to stare at people. This made me feel quite like on vacation.
My head was ringing Smetana, with his Vltava … The sun was shining, the multilingual crowd around fell into the same childish delight in front of the Golden Gate and the famous “Parler’s rib”. I felt wonderfully.
And finally I went inside the castle. The main reason of entering the building was to see the famous room, where the “Second Defenestration of Prague” took place in 1618. A room … Nothing special, but just to think to what symbol it soon grew, makes one look around the room differently.
And if Wrocław will be on the route, it is necessary to visit Swidnica with its outstanding and impressive Church of Peace, which became one of the symbols of the Peace of Westphalia.
How I longed for East Prussia! Winter was gloomy and long, yet very busy with unexpected tours, and expected trainings. Some translations, and lectures made me quite busy – so my favorite place on earth had to wait… Till yesterday, when I took my camera and went east. To East Prussia.
As the road through Paslęk and Orneta is under permanent construction, I decided to drive though Młynary, a small town, situated on the boundary of the Oberland (Upper Prussia) and Warmia. And this was not the best of my ideas. I nevertheless ended up in Orneta, cursing the road works, and narrow roads under renovation – where the big lorries and trucks tried to fit in like a cat in a matchbox… This however was not the worst of all. The worst hit me on the way, when I drove through the villages.
Today’s life in the former East Prussia is difficult, the villages are poor (and so are the people). Many places are being sentenced to social death and abandonment by the new political system in Poland; the residents are not able to get out and away from the gloomy and sad reality and seem to have no bright future. The lack of future means also the lack of historical consciousness. This results in a thoughtless destruction of what the Red Army did not destroy in 1945, nor did the Communists – during the long years of the regime. So, the once splendid palaces of East Prussia, many richly equipped churches – all are slowly decaying. Not speaking of the cemeteries, which are continually treated as German and are unwelcome. Those thoughts accompanied me, when I stopped village after village, taking pictures of what is still left. Some places I remember as unharmed… Untill a mysterious fire or collapse of walls. So symptomatic for this land.
Why is it like this? Well, after WWII, Stalin divided former East Prussia, taking the port of Königsberg (after destroying it thoroughly), and leaving the farmlands to Poland. After the flight of the original residents of the region – new people were brought in by the Communists. They came from the poor areas of Lithuania, and south Poland, brainwashed with propaganda. Not many understood how rich historically is this land. And here I am not speaking of the times of the Teutonic Order, nor the later German nobility like the Eulenburgs, or the Zu Dohna, or Dönhoff.
I am speaking of a much older times. Prussia’s history dates long before the German settlement. It is the history of the Old Prussians. Also there were many outer influences – as this was (is) the land “en route”. So when we speak of this region – we also need to speak about Truso. It was a port, where influences from all around the then world were found during the archaeological excavations. For those who want to find more – read the notes on Wulfstan of Hedeby.
By the way – nowadays in England’s Brittish Museum there is a wonderful exhibition about the Vikings. Do not miss the display of the artefacts found in Truso (near Elbląg east of Gdansk), which have been sent to the Museum, to enrich the exhibition.
But – so as not to complain too much about the sad reality – I must state, that there is also a “light in that tunnel”. Some of the young generation residents of this absolutely magic land – are already very much conscious of the historical inheritance. They re-enact the medieval battles, life, Prussian jewelry, household, customs, language, etc. They also save and keep what still can be saved.
Every year brings more tourist interest in this land. Scenic landscape, historical heritage, unpolluted environment, and still existing splendid monuments of engineering, art, and architecture – all that make the North East province of Poland worth visiting.
HERE are my photos of the unfinished construction of the Masurian Canal.
HERE are photos I took in the famous Wolf’s Lair – known for the July 1944 plot.
This year is a very special year for Elbląg (North East Poland). The city is celebrating its 777th anniversary. It owes its existence and prosperity to the Teutonic Order, which in the 12th century was invited by one of the Polish Dukes to help against the Baltic Prussian Tribes (Prussians). As it sometimes happens (simplifying the history), the invited knights-monks decided to stay in “the land beyond”, rather than return to uncertain western world. Thus they created their own piece of state. And it was quite a piece -as it is estimated, that the area of the Teutonic State had c.a. 58thousand sq. kilometers. Some historians say that even more. The history was never very gentle with the Hanseatic Town of Elbląg… The last tragic episode – having an impact on today’s shape of the town, was in 1945, and right after the seizure by the Red Army. Post war times were equally dramatic – as most of the brick “went” to rebuild Warsaw and Gdansk… Today slowly the town is being rebuilt. In a different shape, yet with a slight reference to once splendid architecture.
HERE are some photographs I have taken recently.
Yesterday I went to Warsaw. Nothing special, as I travel there very often. Having a good bus connection – it takes only about 5 hrs to get there. I had a good reason to go – even though I had to wake up at 4:00 am to catch the bus at 6:30. That reason was a new arrangement of a Gothic art exhibition in their National Gallery (Museum).
So I went – and what I saw – took my breath away. I was not alone there – as there were about a dozen of us – guides – who came for the training from nearly all around Poland. It was not a strictly understood training. It was rather an exquisit lecture exclusively for us. The same lady lectured to us, as did during the splendid Europa Jagellonica exhibition in 2012. So we knew, that the quality of the training would be just exactly matching the quality of the exhibition, as well as our expectations.
Sadly we noticed many of the pieces, originally belonging to Wrocław or Gdansk, which were appropriated right after WWII. This is a big problem still discussed in Poland widely, and probably will never be solved. However, I thought that with the quality degradation of the National Gallery in Gdansk – it is far better to have those splendid art pieces being exhibited in Warsaw.
So, not to fall into a sad mood – HERE are some pics which I took during the visit.
I will definitely return there – as soon as possible – for more wonderful sensation.
I have always wanted to visit Lübeck. It influenced my Gdansk – as far as the City Rights are concerned, and city outlines (to some extend) too. So when a friend of mine (a guide as myself) called me one evening with a suggestion to go to visit the town, where the Hanseatic League started – I agreed without hesitation.
And so we went, for three days. The flight from Gdansk takes about 50 minutes.
We got off the plane at half past 5 p.m., into a little airport – somewhere in the middle of nowhere. With no idea where to get to the bus to the town’s center, nor how long does it take to get there.. 😉 Luckily today, the modern lingua franca is English – so we managed to get some information from the Airport Information Desk. We found the bus stop, and for 3 EUR per person we bought tickets to the town. It takes 30 minutes’ drive to get off at the Lübeck bus station. And this was exactly where we wanted to get off. We had a room booked in one of the small hotels in the near vicinity of the station. We left our luggage and started off to encounter with the city. We walked to the Holstentor, which looks splendid every hour of the day (or night), and past it – to the center of the old town. We walked it for about 4 hours. And I can say – we saw most of it. At the same time – we knew, and planned what to see next day.
Here are some photos I have taken during the short three days visit to Lübeck. It is a pity, that out of 2000 photos, only about 1600 have relatively good quality. I had no tripod, so especially in bad light the pictures turned out to be somewhat out of focus… But – still those, which I have seem to be a fine memory of an interesting trip.
It is not to expensive to stay in Lübeck, as cost of coffee starts from 2 EUR, the cost of a snack starts from 2 EUR. Museum and church entrance fees vary from 3 to 6 EUR. Hotels can be easily booked through booking. com.
Remember, that you will not be allowed to take ANY pictures in the St. Anne’s Museum nor in the Buddenbrook House (situated in the house of the famous Mann family). Besides – DO NOT await any impressive interiors in the Buddenbrook House, as unfortunately it was thoroughly remodelled after the last film adaptation of 2008. However – one can take a walk – tracing the Buddenbrook family story – with the book and the map of the town.
NB. anyone wanting to see a perfect example of a merchant house interior – will have to come to Gdansk – to visit the Uphagen House, which has been perfectly rebuilt and refurnished after the destruction of the City by the Red Army in 1945.
So – this is what I was thinking – while walking the streets of the Hanseatic Town of Lübeck… The Hanseatic tradition is still seen everywhere – while in Gdansk only few know what was this organisation, and few only realize that Gdansk was one of the mightiest Hanseatic cities of its times… In Lübeck no-one fights against history. It is accepted and present, and is a source of pride. Whilst in Gdansk it is clearly seen that the history is not accepted at all by majority, being the descendants of the post-war settlers. There is a great and foolish crusade against the Hanseatic look and tradition of the town. The latest exmaple of the lack of common sense and the lack of any taste (!) was the consent to build the so-called Shakespearean Theater (although nobody knows for sure whether any of Shakespeare’s plays were ever played here centuries ago). Well, but what can be awaited of the people, who in majority are the post war settlers, or their descendants – having no will to dig into the rich history of Gdansk!!
Those of us, who have Gdansk roots going back several centuries, or those who are lovers of the town’s great history, fear that untill the next elections – the city will be spoiled with such unwise, disgusting and ugly designs, amidst political quarrels, and corruption.
Envy – sad envy – this is what we both felt when taking hundreds of photographs and enjoying the views of splendid Lübeck, and while inhaling its atmosphere. We somehow felt at home there. Even though neither of us speaks German – the atmosphere of a Hanseatic Grandeur felt familiar – but we both come from Gdansk, also once proud and rich Hanseatic and Royal city.
Some time ago, in 2012, I went to Scotland.
To be exact, I drove do Scotland. A friend of mine proposed he’d take me there on his way to his son. Well, I have always flown by plane, I have never taken Europe in a car. Well, not true – I have – but never that far. I decided to give it a try. I had some business to attend to in Edinburgh, so I had to go anyway. I got into the car and off we went. Travelling through Europe is great – now as the borders do not exist anymore, it is open for touring.
The first stop was at the Channel Tunnel. It was an experience for me – as I am claustrophobic, so I feared a bit – especially having in mind what happened in 2009. But the trip took about 20 minutes or so, so I managed, I survived. And here I was on the British Isles. The route “up the map” was quite easy. And finally we crossed the “border”, and drove into Scotland.
I went back in my memories, and remembered how many times in my life, still in Nigeria, I had heard about Robert the Bruce, Sir William Wallace, Arthur’s Seat, the Scottish mountains, and heather, and the Scotch broom (which also grows here in the north of Poland even more yellow, and which by the way, gave the name to the House of Plantagenet – from “planta genista”).
So next time, I know what to see, what and where to visit, what to focus on in the city. And next time I shall take a train to Glasgow, to visit the Hunterian Museum too.
HERE and HERE are some pictures I have taken during my two days’ stay in this Grey Stone Town.
Well, this is all I had to say about Edinburgh.
* That it was here the first time I heard myself loud and clearly. Being silent.
* That here I discovered the lack of common sense in the officials’ decisions concerning preservation of historical monuments of architecture.
This little settlement in the middle of nowhere has nothing to offer except an outstanding example of baroque architecture. This church is one of absolute MUST SEEs when in Poland. See yourself how beautiful KROSNO is.
Once again I was stricken by the simple beauty of my piece of the world.
However I took my time, amazed by the sunset, and autumn colors on the way.
So HERE are some pics I took en route – enjoy.
We had wonderful weather, with sun and wind and clouds forming beautiful patterns in the sky.
First of all we visited the church in Palczewo (Palschau). It is the only existing example of a wooden church architecture here in the Delta of the Vistula. It was built in 1712! and still exists! After all the turbulences of history, and the unfriendly post war conditions – it still pleases the eyes of the visitors!
Nevertheless, the interior of the church today shows how the Past luckily survived till Present.
Palczewo was first mentioned in writing – in 1321. It was granted privileges in 1344 (in the times of Ludolph Koenig, the Grand Master in Marienburg), and was a very important village – as a ferry across the Vistula operated there. After the 13 years’ war Palczewo was incorporated to the Polish Kingdom as one of villages in the Gdansk domain. In 1772 Poland lost independence, in the First Partition (this was also the year when Capt. Cook set off onto his second “voyage around the world” as G.R Forster of Dirschau wrote later). In 1773 this part of formerly Poland was named now West Prussia. And new outlines of districts were organized by the German-Prussian occupant. So now – Palschau was situated in the district (Kreis) of Marienburg. Such situation lasted till the end of the I WW, when Poland regained independence BUT without its main port – Gdansk (Danzig). This was turned into the Free City of Danzig in 1920 by the decision of the League of Nations.
Still in the 19th century – out of 289 inhabitants there were 31 Mennonites. Among them were: a Claasen, Peter Dau, Isaak Dyck, Adolf and Jakob Harder, a Wiebe and a Wiens, all noted as land owners, and Johann Nickel, noted as a merchant. The Flemish Congregation of Palschau belonged to the Ladekopp-Orlofffelde Mennonite Church.
Today it is a little village in the Pomeranian Region, with little more than 200 inhabitants, . The place is neat and clean, and the church has lived to a renovation of the interior, partially financed by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (partially forced by the growing number of foreign visitors). Unfortunately ONLY the interior. The outside of the church – still cries for renovation. As it is timber, better the funds are found before it is too late….
We also went to see the amazing water gates in Marzęcino (Jungfer)… This must have been an enormous undertaking.
The water gates were built in late 19th century, to prevent the waters from Frisches Haff bursting into the land during the north and north-east winds. So it was decided to shelter the land – with the water gates. They were built within a huge action of protecting the Delta from the floods. Within few years after the construction the bed of the Frisches Haff retreated, and then in 1940′, Germans dredged the Pillau Strait (in preparation for the aggression on the Soviet Union) which lowered the waters even more.
HERE are some pictures of the whole trip as well as a short PRESENTATION of the church in Palczewo, I made in youtube. | 2019-04-19T14:37:51Z | https://tourpoland.blog/category/en-route/ |
This paper researches the history of the causal problems that led to U.S. government policy resulting in the No Child Left Behind Act. It explains how the topic became a public policy problem, who placed it on the policy agenda and when, what the Act does and how it works, the institutions that have acted according to its requirements so far, and the current situation as of 2012.
According to a U.S. Department of Education document “A Guide to Education and No Child Left Behind” (2004) the origins of the Act and the principles on which it is based can be traced to the Supreme Court decision in the case of Brown v. Board of education in May 1954.
Wolff (1997) stated that the verdict in the Brown case was a judicial landmark in the U.S. because it effectively overturned “separate but equal” racial segregation principles established in an interpretation of the 14th Amendment in the much earlier case of Plessy v. Ferguson. That Plessy decision effectively meant that U.S. society was segregated in many aspects; not just in schools and colleges but on buses, in restrooms, using drinking fountains and even separate black and white witness stands in courts. In effect, the “separate but equal” concept had in reality produced a very unequal society in which, following the decision in the Brown case, non-whites had to battle for true equality through civil rights marches and other actions in a campaign for true equality. Wolff mentions a prayer pilgrimage for integrated schools in May 1957, attended by circa 35,000. Then in 1959, a petition signed by 400,000 was presented to Congress, again urging the President to implement an urgent program to integrate the country’s schools.
Then, as described in “1964 Civil Rights Act” (n.d.), John F Kennedy campaigned before his 1960 election for a new act to protect civil rights. In a televised speech in June 1963, he forcibly reminded his audience of the inequalities that disadvantaged the blacks in America, but was assassinated in that November while his Civil Rights Bill was still going through Congress. Lyndon B Johnson took up the cause and – despite strong opposition from factions in the southern states – on 15th June that year the Civil Rights Act passed into law. That legislation made it illegal to discriminate on racial grounds in any public location such as a restaurant, a theater or hotel, and permitted projects federal funding to be withdrawn if racial discrimination was found. Also, firms were obliged to offer equal opportunities in employment.
Then in 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) also became law, as described in Hanna’s article in the summer 2005 issue of “Ed.”, the magazine of the Harvard School of Education. Her article states that following Kennedy’s assassination “President Lyndon B. Johnson made education and civil rights the foundation of his War on Poverty”.
Following the ESEA success came the task of ensuring that schools were observing the laws regarding racial integration, which was not always consistent. In the following years various amendments or “reauthorizations” were implemented to ensure that Act’s intents were fulfilled. One such in the Clinton era in 1994 effectively rewrote ESEA so that all states introduced a standards-based philosophy into their schools. Children were subjected to tests to measure their abilities and progress against defined standards.
Then, in his 2000 election campaign, George W Bush declared that a high priority for new legislation during his first year as President of the United States was to overhaul Federal education policy. At the very center of his plan was to introduce a compulsory annual tests regime in U.S. schools, thereby monitoring students’ progress and to penalize both states and individual schools if low scores in tests were not improved upon. This was a way to facilitate closer observance to ensure that equality actually was being achieved.
According to the report “No Child Left Behind Act of 2001”(n.d.) by the OLPA, Representative John Boehner introduced the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on 22 March 2001. Following committee hearings and amendments in March through May, the House passed the Act (as amended) on June 14 and it was eventually signed into law by President George W Busch on January 8, 2002. It was noted in “A Guide to Education and No Child Left Behind” that the final votes taken in Senate and in Congress produced overwhelming majorities in both cases.
According to “A Guide to Education and No Child Left Behind” the NCLB Act “ensures accountability and flexibility as well as increased federal support for education”. It also follows the principle implicit in the Brown v. Board verdict by continuing to develop a fairer, more inclusive system of school-based education.
Jorgensen and Hoffman (2003) published an assessment report on the NCLB Act. They reported that NCLB introduced a new era of accountability, with involvement at local level and including parents, to ensure that children were learning as they should. Their report quoted Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education, who said that the aim of NCLB “is to see every child in America––regardless of ethnicity, income, or background––achieve high standards.” Under NCLB, funding provided to schools has been made directly linked with accountability. Working with state-defined standards for the various grades, schools must ensure every student acquires the expected skills and knowledge levels. As the authors noted, “All means all.” The prescribed NCLB reporting systems require that every individual student is included in the data reported.
Jorgensen and Hoffman reported that at the state level, NCLB requires that each state creates an assessment system that tracks – against commonly applied instructional standards – the progress of every student. However, the NCLB regulations allow schools and school districts to have flexibility of control of teaching methods, yet at the same time remaining accountable for the results obtained. States have to assess all students in both reading and math, from third through to eighth grades. Tests are based on state standards and the results published so that performance of any school is available for all to see. In addition, schools have to demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) of disadvantaged children. Schools unable to show the required progress are not just assisted in that regard, but may also be subject to corrective procedures. The states themselves are also accountable under NCLB; they are required to submit detailed reports about their plans, their standards, their reporting procedures and so on.
In return for that increased duty of accountability, states have been given much greater flexibility and control of just how they utilize federal funding made available to them. Through state administration, schools are able to assign funding as best needed, for example to help keep the best teachers, or for the purposes of professional development or training, without needing to seek federal approval separately. The states are also afforded more freedom and control in respect of programs established and operated for students learning the English language.
Jorgensen and Hoffman also point out that parents having children who are attending schools they consider might be unsafe or under-performing have the options within NCLB regulations to arrange transfer to a different school or additional tutoring. The scope of the NCLB includes the facility to support schools in the identification and utilization of successful instructional programs and to make funds available for scientifically-based teaching systems, and for teachers to use in enhancing their effective teaching methods and skills.
Education opens doors to children for a lifetime and leads to their success. NCLB is the engine driving a new era of accountability for every child’s learning journey. Children who are being left behind must be identified and states will have the responsibility to provide the resources to teach every child how to read, to apply mathematics, to study, to learn—to succeed.
Although that summary statement is inspiring, not everyone saw the effects of NCLB in a positive light. Toppo (2007) writing in USA Today, discussed a range of effects of NCLB, as perceived by schoolteachers and others. Responses were mixed, although those views and reactions to NCLB pre-dated a then upcoming reauthorization of NCLB.
Although senior education officials like and support NCLB, teachers generally dislike the mandated testing, especially for the younger children.
Because of the specific math and English teaching rules under NCLB, schools find they have less time to teach other subjects, so narrowing the curriculum.
Children previously overlooked (under-achievers and minority groups) now receive much more attention and even additional tutoring.
Schools that consistently don’t meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets can be made to add free after-school tutoring; lengthening the school day.
NCLB’s annual reading funding of circa $1billion targets the 5,000+ schools that teach America’s poorest 1.8 million children, though not all teachers support the teaching methods used, especially the DIBELS test method.
Martin (July 2012) in an article published by CNN, discusses the current situation with the NCLB. Because critics complain that the Act has created a “teach to the test” culture, federal officials are permitting states to apply for waivers that allow them to set their own state standards for elements of the law, so long as they can show they will initiate reforms approved by the government, including linking test results to evaluations made by teachers. The article reports that currently around half of the country’s schools are not yet meeting NCLB targets for reading proficiency and graduation. Meanwhile, changes to NCLB that could result from a further reauthorization of the Act are blocked in Congress. It is for that reason that President Obama has agreed to these waivers, which vary in detail from state to state. In Michigan for example, Martin reports that the NCLB target date of 2014 for every student to pass the tests no longer applies. Instead, the Department of Education in Michigan will set its own date.
Racial inequality in U.S. education policies going right back to the Plessy v. Ferguson case in 1896 was the principal causal problem that in due course led to U.S. government policy resulting in the No Child Left Behind Act. The Act was placed on the policy agenda following introduction by Representative John Boehner in March 2001 and eventually signed into law by President George W Busch on January 8, 2002.
Good intentions are no excuse to continue a failed policy. Many bad policies in history were surely paved with good intentions. For instance, President Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" was intended to dramatically reduce poverty and, in Johnson's words, "elevate hope." Those who support the so-called "War on Drugs" may have some good intentions, but their program has turned into a nightmare more properly referred to as a "War on (Certain) Drugs" or a "War on Liberty" specifically aimed at minorities.
The same applies to the No Child Left Behind Act. According to President George W. Bush, he wanted to "enact a plan to improve all of America's public schools, so that no child is left behind." Even the late senator from Massachusetts Ted Kennedy praised the intent, "'President Bush has made education one of his top priorities." Kennedy expressed his support for the program. The results of this disastrous agenda, however, not only contradict the very name of the program, but trump whatever alleged "good intention" was behind it.
On January 8th, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), intended to improve proficiency in math and reading. It sets the expectation of 100% compliance among Title One public schools by 2013 or 2014. It passed in the House on 13 May 2001 by 384–45, and it passed in the Senate on 14 June 2001 by 91–8.
According to the bill, students in the schools must pass standardized tests. If an insufficient number pass the first year, there are no sanctions. If the school's students fail a second year, then "technical assistance" is provided, whereby parents can send their children to different schools. If the parents decide to do so, then the transportation is provided by the school district of where the child lives. If the school fails a third year, then the school must pay for supplemental educational services for the students. If they fail a fourth year, then management restructuring takes place. On the fifth year of failure, all staff are replaced, and the school could turn into a charter or private school.
There are rare instances where extreme advocates on both the Left and Right agree on public policy and are opposed to a specific program. This is one of those instances, and for good reason. Notable and respected conservative George Will claims that the program "spawned lowered standards." Walter E. Williams, another respected conservative and a professor of economics at George Mason University, condemned the program "that billions of dollars are spent on." He argues that "without a civilized learning environment, academic excellence is impossible no matter how much money is spent." Former Republican presidential nominee Pat Buchanan denounced the program as part of Bush's "big government," rhetorically asking "what Republican ran last time for cutting back George Bush's big government?… Who stood up and said no to No Child Left Behind?"
Noted economist Milton Friedman said, shortly before his death, regarding the program, "Recent federal legislation in the No Child Left Behind Act requires all states to develop regular performance measures of student learning and to make these measures publicly available. As for the typical parent who still believes his or her child attends an above-average school, what will happen when many of them learn they are wrong?" Libertarian Charles Murray said that the program "set a goal that was devoid of any contact with reality."
Of course, many left-liberals are opposed to the program as well. Al Franken, for instance, in his book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them criticized the NCLB program, saying that since "Congress authorized a $5.6 billion increase in Title One spending for low income children," and "President Bush budgeted only $1 billion for Title One … if Title One calls for $2,800 per poverty-level student," then "1,643,857" children will be "left behind" (pp. 349–351). Prominent socialist James Flynn, in his debate with Charles Murray in 2006, also criticized the Act.
Barack Obama said of the act, "don't come up with this law called No Child Left Behind and then leave the money behind.… Don't tell us that you'll put high-quality teachers in every classroom and then leave the support and the pay for those teachers behind.… Don't label a school as failing one day and then throw your hands up and walk away from it the next."
The reasons for opposing the program are manifold, and they are largely dependent upon whom the criticism comes from. I am opposed to the program from a libertarian, government-reduction perspective. The No Child Left Behind legislation has vastly increased standardized tests and created a muddle of federal regulations with results opposite from their intentions.
At first glance, the concept of standardized tests seems reasonable. Children should be tested, and the tests are clear indicators either of how intelligent they are or of how much the school is teaching them. But what is the school "teaching" them, exactly? The answer is simple but unfortunate: they're teaching them how to take the test.
Linda Valli, Maryland associate professor of education, conducted a long study on the federal program and determined that standardized testing "actually undermined the quality of teaching in reading and math" and that the decline in teacher quality and tangible information being taught to the students is because of "the pressure teachers were feeling to 'teach to the test.'"
Alfie Kohn, author of over a dozen books on education, parenting, and anthropology, decries NCLB's "overemphasis on standardized testing and punitive sanctions." He generally disparages the program, saying that the "law is not about narrowing the achievement gap; its main effect has been to sentence poor children to an endless regimen of test-preparation drills." And furthermore, "even if the scores do rise, it's at the expense of a quality education." According to a 50-state survey by Teachers Network, a nonprofit education organization, only 3% of teachers think No Child Left Behind helps them teach more efficiently.
One infamous criticism that English teachers gave concerned the time spent on the proper use of a comma as opposed to on developmental writing skills. As Richard and JoAnne Vacca noted in their book, Content Area Reading, "good readers are often good writers," and "wide reading improves writing." However, since the federal, standardized tests place more emphasis on grammatical correctness than on reading comprehension, in the class, reading is sacrificed to punctuation precision. Virtually no person, however, would seriously argue that in the real world, reading comprehension is less important than knowing where to put a comma or knowing what verbs and nouns are. This is especially true in the real world of contracts, newspapers, etc.
NCLB is simply a way for the federal government to tighten its grip on schools by threatening them with punishment. Those who control the schools control the future. The tests and regulations indirectly control what children learn in school (and what they do not learn in school).
"Those who control the schools control the future."
More importantly, what are the results of the program? One should keep in mind, however, what Kohn said regarding the scores: the higher test scores may come at the cost of learning. However, in 2006, for example, math and reading test scores dropped significantly, showing that only 32% of high-school students were proficient in math.
What about high-school graduation rates? Surely the rate of graduations is reflective of school quality and efficiency, which No Child Left Behind was supposed to improve. In 2008, a report sponsored by America's Promise Alliance, which was prepared by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, showed that schools in major cities in the United States had a horrible 52% graduation rate after four years; the national average is 70%, which still isn't good. In areas like Baltimore, with a graduation rate of 34%, Columbus, with a graduation rate of 41%, and Detroit, with an awful rate of 25%, their suburbs are at 80% or higher. These urban areas were supposed to be the ones No Child Left Behind would target.
Roughly 1.2 million students drop out every year, according to researchers. Thus, any test-score improvement is itself only representative of those who are still in school. It's similar to a charlatan like Pat Robertson bragging that the divorce rate is down and not bothering to mention that marriage rates are down even further.
Most important, perhaps, is the fact that the No Child Left Behind Act is completely unconstitutional. There's nothing in the Constitution that permits the federal government getting involved in education. This fact was ignored by President George W. Bush, who, in November 2005, infamously referred to the US Constitution as "just a goddamned piece of paper." In February 2005, a bipartisan panel of state lawmakers concluded that the program is unconstitutional since it trumps state and local control over schools. They claim that "This assertion of federal authority into an area historically reserved to the states has had the effect of curtailing additional state innovations and undermining many that had occurred during the past three decades."
Some claim that, since participation in NCLB is optional at the state level, it's not coercive at the federal level. This excuse is ridiculous, and the same federal/state policies apply with highway funds if BAC isn't lowered to .08, for instance. Opting out doesn't mean they don't get taxed (via their citizens) in proportion to the money not spent by the feds on education, so it's really not much of an option. Tax money is extracted out of the state, and then states are given the "option" to participate in the program in order to get some of that money back. It's passive-aggressive coercion. Optional or not, the federal government has no authority to be involved in education.
Many people who support the program applaud the vast sums of money that are sunk into it. Is money the answer? The author of Savage Inequalities, Jonathan Kozol, thinks so. According to him, "grossly insufficient funding" is to blame for poor results in Chicago. Kozol claims that the children's "problems stem from short funding," and that the "low funding of the schools that they attend confirm the wisdom" that more funding is necessary. Kozol does, however, concede that "it is obvious that urban schools have other problems in addition to their insufficient funding."
In 1984, a federal judge in Missouri ordered that the property tax in Kansas City be doubled, the income tax be increased, and other state funds be redirected in order to give Kansas City schools an extra $2 billion ($4.1 billion in 2008). In 1991, Kansas City was spending $9,412 per student, compared with $2,854 to $5,956 in the suburbs. Kansas City schools were furnished with brand new textbooks, state of the art computers, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, television studios, and even funding for taxi drivers to drive children to school if there were any problems with bus fare! According to those who believe money is the answer, this would be the place to see success. Did the test scores of students increase? Not even a little.
In the year 2009, in Washington, DC, funding was about $15,000 per student, and the student-to-teacher ratio was 15.2 to 1, yet the students' achievement rate was one of the nation's lowest. Perhaps the most ironic part is that parents are sending their children to other districts, which receive as little as $7,500 per student annually, in order to escape the highly-funded school district! That flatly undercuts the entire argument of those who claim that more funding of public schools is the answer to most, if not all, problems.
In conclusion, it's apparent that government intervention in schools is an utter failure. The notions that standardized tests will fix the problem and that pouring money into a government project will churn out superior results are likewise absurd.
Educators pouring money into a failed school are like farmers pouring expensive fertilizer onto a concrete sidewalk: the only thing you're going to promote the growth of are undesirable weeds. Even left-liberal Juan Williams, in his book Enough, acknowledged that the poor, namely the poor black, "in defiance of black politicians, have told pollsters they favored vouchers, charter schools and magnet schools to give them some chance to get their children out of those bad public schools."
Why would anyone be opposed to this? Teaching to the test, increasing government centralization, and forcing teachers to turn into robots by mandating nearly everything they teach has been shown to be a failure.
Schools operate as a taxpayer-funded monopoly, answering unconstitutionally to the federal government and the teacher's union. Further, since it is a monopoly run by a coercive monopoly, it has all the attendant problems, i.e., it has no profit-loss mechanism. This monopoly is also subject to the whims of politicians, who can mandate that something either be taught or not taught as dictated by their beliefs. These beliefs are thus foisted upon the kids, who are required by law to study the given material or else.
Technically, it's a little more complicated than that. The bureaucrats generally subdivide students into groups such as Blacks, Native Americans, Whites, Students with Special Needs, etc.
If just one of those groups fails to meet standards, the whole school will "fail." So a more accurate title for the program would be "No Group Left Behind."
"LBJ Announces 88 New Projects," Lodi News-Sentential, 18 Jan. 1965.
Chomsky, Noam. Understanding Power. The New Press, 2002.
"Bush, GOP Senators Lick Wounds but Say They're Not Too Conservative", Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2001.
"On Way to Passage, Bush's Education Plan Gets a Makeover", The New York Times, 4 May 2001.
George Will, "Getting Past 'No Child,'" The Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2007.
Williams, Walter, "Patterns of Black Excellence," Creators Syndicate Inc., 2008.
Buchanan, Pat, "Even in Massachusetts, Trouble for the Party of Government," The Union Leader, 19 Jan. 2010.
Murray, Charles, "The Age of Educational Romanticism," The New Criterion, May 2008.
Kohn, Alfie, "NCLB: 'Too Destructive to Salvage,'" USA Today, 31 May 2007.
Walsh, James, "Math, Reading Test Scores Drop; Only 32% of High Schoolers Were Proficient in Math on Test Designed to Match Stiffer Learning Standard," Star Tribune, 15 Nov. 2006.
Grey, Berry, "High-School Drop Out Rate in Major US Cities at Nearly 50 Percent," World Socialist, 3 April 2008.
Thompson, Doug, "Bush — Constitution 'Just a Goddamned Piece of Paper,'" Op Ed News, 11 Dec. 2005.
"Desegregation's Broken Promises," Forbes.com, 10 Nov. 2003.
Williams, Walter, "Dumbest Generation Getting Dumber," Creators Syndicate Inc., 2009. | 2019-04-24T12:19:44Z | http://qidqk.euweb.cz/294-argumentative-essay-on-no-child-left-behind.php |
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College tuition has risen by an average of 5.6 percent per year in the past decade, higher than the rate of general inflation, and the average graduate has between $22,000 and $28,000 in student loan debt. Parents are often confused about student loans, so they turn to credit cards to pay for their children’s college. Students themselves do not realize the importance of student loans and how their terms can affect them down the road. There is a growing trend in the use of nontraditional, high-priced private loans offered by, or in partnership with, for-profit colleges prior to a student exhausting all federal options available. These private loans are made with little to no evaluation of the students’ ability to repay the obligation. Colleges themselves have admitted that these loans will likely end up in default. Private loans generally come with variable interest rates and stricter repayment terms upon graduation.
In response, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is calling for greater transparency in the student lending market. The CFPB indicated that it hopes this scrutiny will spur competition among schools and lenders to create a fair marketplace. On October 25, 2011, the CFPB and the U.S. Department of Education unveiled a model disclosure form for presenting financial aid offers to students. These plans coincide with the recent White House announcement of plans, using an executive order, to cap monthly student loan payments at 10 percent of a student’s discretionary income and offer a .5 percent interest rate reduction for consolidating federal loans.
The CFPB has also released a student debt repayment assistance tool that provides information on income-based repayment, deferments and alternative payment programs. The tool does not actually accept applications for loan modification, but it does ask a few basic questions to understand the user’s economic situation. The tool then uses this information to provide advice and guide borrowers through their various options.
Continuing with its work on a combined TILA/RESPA application disclosure, the Bureau has posted yet another round of model disclosure forms for comment by consumers and the industry, this time focusing on the differences between fixed and adjustable rate loans. The fixed rate form (Pinyon Bank) is fairly straightforward. The adjustable rate form (Yucca Bank) includes additional information, including projected payment calculations in subsequent years of the loan, as well as an Adjustable Interest Rate (AIR) table that highlights the terms of the adjustable rate feature. The Bureau has also indicated that it is currently testing a new disclosure prototype design in New Mexico.
The Bureau has indicated that it has turned its attention to disclosures to be provided at loan closing and has begun working on a disclosure form that informs borrowers of final loan terms and costs. It intends to post a prototype loan closing disclosure for comment in the near future, noting that the application and closing disclosures must be both clear and effective and must work together to further borrowers’ understanding of their loans.
Former Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. (“Skip”) Humphrey III has been named to lead the Bureau’s Office of Older Americans. In addition to serving four terms as the Minnesota AG, Humphrey, the son of the former U.S. Vice President, has previously served as Minnesota state senator, president of AARP Minnesota and a member of the AARP national board.
The Office of Older Americans is charged with helping seniors aged 62 or older improve their financial decision making, and with preventing unfair, deceptive and abusive practices targeted at that group. This office is yet another team at the Bureau aimed at protecting vulnerable segments of the population such as students and service members. The new office will begin operation at a time when seniors are experiencing deepening financial problems, being hurt badly in the recent recession and experiencing a depreciation in their savings, possible foreclosure and financial abuse (seniors are losing an estimated three billion dollars annually to such abuse).
The Bureau has introduced the Office of Older Americans on its website and has listed the problems seniors may be facing and what the Office is planning to do to help them with these issues. In addition, the Bureau website offers assistance to seniors on avoiding scams, elder financial abuse, housing, long-term care, protecting investments, retirement, support on financial decision-making and legal issues, end-of-life issues, and taking care of loved ones. The Bureau refers seniors to its hotline and to additional resources for assistance with these matters.
Absent from the list of signatories to the letter was Mike DeWine, who defeated Cordray for the position of Ohio Attorney General in 2010. DeWine has since commented that Cordray is “highly qualified” and will “do an excellent job.” DeWine stated that he did not sign the letter because he prefers not to tell his former colleagues in the Senate what to do.
The Senate Banking Committee approved Cordray’s nomination along party lines in early October. Cordray’s confirmation is in question, however, because a bloc of 44 Republicans has threatened to prevent consideration of any nominee to the CFPB until Democrats agree to make changes to the Dodd-Frank Act, including (1) replacing the CFPB director with a board of directors, (2) subjecting the CFPB to the appropriations process and (3) establishing tools for bank regulators to use to prevent unnecessary bank failure.
Republican Senator Richard Shelby has complained that President Barack Obama has been “ignoring Republicans’ calls to make [the CFPB] accountable to their elected representatives.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, on the other hand, has labeled the Republicans’ actions as “obstructionism.” President Obama also has lamented that the Republicans “have threatened not to confirm [Cordray] not because of anything he’s done, but because they want to roll back the whole notion of having a consumer watchdog.” The White House stressed its continued commitment to getting Cordray confirmed. In their letter, the attorneys general maintained that disagreements about the Bureau should not be confused with Cordray’s suitability for the job.
On October 31, the CFPB invited the general public and other federal agencies to comment on proposed generic information collection procedures that will enable the CFPB to satisfy responsibilities under the Dodd-Frank Act. Written comments must be received on or before December 31, 2011. Written comments submitted in response to the CFPB Notice will be summarized and/or included in a request for Office of Management and Budget approval.
The proposed generic information collection will help facilitate the collection and monitoring of, and response to, consumer complaints about certain financial products and services. There is general concern in the financial industry, however, that the CFPB has been lax on its information collection controls, which could result in potential harm to the industry. Specifically, many claim the current procedures do not address the accuracy of complaints or adequately protect industry participants from unfair reputational harm due to frivolous or illegitimate consumer complaints. From a consumer standpoint there are also privacy concerns relating to the CFPB’s control of personal information contained in consumer complaints, which could ultimately lead to identity theft.
Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology, such as permitting electronic submission of responses.
Industry leaders should take a close look at the CFPB’s proposal to determine whether to submit comments, recognizing that all comments will become a matter of public record.
On November 2, 2011, the Bureau published a Notice and Request for Public Comment in the Federal Register regarding its collection of generic information in connection with the development and testing of its model forms and related material. This notice, required by the Paperwork Reduction Act, invites the general public and other federal agencies to comment on the proposed information collection. Comments must be received on or before January 3, 2012.
The CFPB expects to collect qualitative data through a variety of collection methods, including interviews and research, to assist in the design, development and implementation of the model form(s), disclosures, tools and other similar related materials. The information collected through qualitative evaluation methods will inform the design and content of the model form(s), using an iterative process to improve the draft disclosures. For example, information collected from consumers will help the CFPB design model forms, disclosures, tools and similar related materials that are responsive to consumer needs and present complex information in an understandable form.
Information gathered will yield qualitative information; the collections will not be designed or expected to yield statistically reliable results or used as though the results are generalizable to the population of study.
The core objective of the data collection is to help identify, evaluate and refine specific features of the content or design of the model forms, disclosures, tools and other similar related materials to maximize communication effectiveness while minimizing the compliance burden.
Below is Dykema's up-to-date chart of pending and final regulatory activities and proceedings at the CFPB.
**NOTE: Click here to access a printable version of the Scorecard.
Two proposals issued in August of 2009 contained revisions to disclosures for closed-end mortgage loans and HELOCs.
Proposed rule to: (1) expand the right to rescind to additional loan types, (2) amend disclosures to explain the right to rescind, (3) clarify lender’s responsibilities upon rescission, (4) mandate disclosures for loan modifications, (5) change reserve mortgage disclosures, and (6) place restrictions on certain advertising and sales practices for reverse mortgages.
In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, Department of Treasury provided notice of the establishment of a Privacy Act System of Records.
Proposed rule to: (1) extend the minimum period an escrow account must be maintained for first lien, higherpriced mortgage loans from one to five years, (2) provide an exemption from the mandatory escrow for certain loans, (3) exempt from the mandatory escrow requirement creditors that operate primarily in “rural or "undeserved” counties, and (4) require new disclosure explaining how the escrow account works or what the effects would be of not having an escrow account at all.
CFPB and Judge Advocate Generals will work together to identify potential violations of consumer law involving service members and their families.
DFA §941 requires sponsors of assetbacked securities (ABSs) to retain at least 5% of the credit risk of assets underlying the securities; proposal includes loan-level requirements such as minimum down payment.
Consumer credit transactions and consumer leases with transaction amounts up to $50,000 will be covered by Regulation Z and Regulation M. Beginning the end of this year (December 31, 2011), the threshold will be adjusted annually based upon the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
DFA §1071 amended ECOA to require financial institutions to collect and report credit application information for women- or minority-owned businesses and small businesses. CFPB issued guidance to financial institutions clarifying that DFA §1071 does not take effect until the CFPB issues necessary implementing regulations.
DFA §1411 requires creditors, when making loans covered by TILA, to determine the consumer’s ability to repay before making a loan and also to establish minimum mortgage underwriting standards; proposal includes alternatives for final regulation.
Proposed rule to clarify that motor vehicle dealers temporarily are not required to comply with certain data collection requirements in the DFA until the board issues final regulations to implement the statutory requirements.
CFPB posted “sample” forms on its website and sought public feedback; U.S. Treasury has solicited comments “concerning a proposed generic information collection for development and evaluation of integrated loan disclosures” (combining Regulation. Z mortgage disclosure and the RESPA Good Faith Estimate (GFE) into a single, integrated disclosure form).
DFA §1024 provides that CFPB may supervise covered persons in the residential mortgage, private education lending and payday lending markets. For other markets for consumer financial products or services, CFPB’s supervision program will apply only to a “larger participant” of these markets, as defined by rule.
CFPB published consumer financial protection authorities that would be transferred from seven federal agencies and that it would enforce after the Transfer Date.
CFPB published interim final rule establishing Regulation D pursuant to the Alternative Mortgage Transaction Parity Act and the Truth in Lending Act.
FTC is rescinding its Statements of General Policy or Interpretations under the FCRA.
Interim Final Rule establishes procedures for the public to obtain information from the CFPB under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). CFPB also established its rules regarding the confidential treatment of information it obtains in connection with the exercise of its authority.
Interim Final Rule establishes procedures regarding the conduct of adjudication proceedings under §1053 of the Dodd-Frank Act, used to enforce compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act or any laws for which it has enforcement authority.
Interim Final Rule establishes procedures to be used by state officials to notify the CFPB of their actions or proceedings in enforcing the Dodd-Frank Act or its regulations.
Interim Final Rule describing the CFPB’s procedures for investigations regarding compliance with the federal consumer financial laws.
Notice of new records system to collect process, log, track and respond to all FOIA- and Privacy Act-related requests.
Notice of new records system used to enable the CFPB to carry out its responsibilities with respect to certain banks, savings associations, credit unions, and their affiliates and service providers, including coordination and conduct of examinations, supervisory evaluations and enforcement actions.
Notice of a new records system used to enable the CFPB to carry out its responsibilities with respect to individuals related to non-depository covered persons, including the coordination of examinations, supervision evaluations and enforcement actions.
Notice of a new records system used to enable the CFPB to carry out its responsibilities with respect to the enforcement of federal consumer financial protection laws.
Notice of a new records system used to assist the CFPB by providing effective, social media-based ways to share information and interact with the public.
Notice of a new records system that will provide the CFPB with a single, agency-wide repository of identifying and registration information concerning entities offering or providing, or materially assisting in the offering or provision of, consumer financial products or services.
Policy requiring public disclosure of ex parte presentations made to the CFPB staff concerning a pending rulemaking.
Request for input regarding consumer financial products and services tailored to servicemembers and their families.
Generic Clearance Request regarding information collection to OMB in connection with research in the development of disclosure forms and request for comments on the collection of information and the estimated burden on respondents.
Written comments due to OMB reviewer and to Treasury Department Clearance Officer on or before October 26, 2011.
Provides that motor vehicle dealers are not required to comply with Dodd-Frank’s data collection requirements on credit applications by women- and minority-owned businesses until the FRB issues final regulations to implement the statutory requirement.
(76 FR 67128) CFPB is soliciting comment for a proposed generic information collection that will help the CFPB satisfy responsibilities under the Dodd-Frank Act—the collection and monitoring of and response to consumer complaints about certain financial products and services.
Written comments due on or before December 30, 2011.
CFPB is soliciting comment for a proposed generic information collection for development and/or testing of model forms, tools, and similar related materials.
Written comments due on or before January 3, 2012.
For more information about Dykema’s Financial Services Regulatory and Compliance team, please contact the group's Leader, Don Lampe, at 704-335-2736, or any of the listed lawyers.
As part of our service to you, we regularly compile short reports on new and interesting developments regarding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Please recognize that these reports do not constitute legal advice and that we do not attempt to cover all such developments. Readers should seek specific legal advice before acting with regard to the subjects mentioned here. Rules of certain state supreme courts may consider this advertising and require us to advise you of such designation. Your comments on this Alert or any Dykema publication are always welcome. ©2011 Dykema Gossett PLLC. | 2019-04-23T06:47:50Z | https://www.dykema.com/resources-alerts-cfpb-alert-v1n5_11-2011.html |
Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination (2016) 8 (1): 123-134.
A spent tanning bath contains high concentration of salts, chromium and protein. The treatment system for removal of chlorides or chromium from this effluent is expensive. In this context this waste has to be reused. Our study focuses on the application of advanced oxidation processes for protein removal present in a tanning bath. To improve the quality of the chromium tanning bath, two electrochemical processes (electrooxidation and peroxi-electrocoagulation process, PEP) are investigated in a batch reactor. The effects of operational parameters such as reactor configuration, current density and electrolysis time on chemical oxygen demand (COD) and protein removal efficiency are examined. Results indicated that under the optimum operating range for process, the COD and protein removal efficiency reached 53 and 100%, respectively. The optimum values are determined for the hybrid process (PEP) under 0.13 A·cm−2 over 2 h. The treated tanning bath is used as a tanning solution in leather processing. The influence of chromium salt dose, pH solution, stirring time and contact time on the leather characteristic is evaluated. The hides tanned after the addition of 0.25% of commercial chromium salt, at pH solution, leaving them stirring for 4 h with a contact time of 2 days, and showed good hydrothermal stability and physical characteristics of leather.
Chrome tanning produces leather better suited for various applications, particularly for the upper parts of boots and shoes, and requires less processing time than traditional vegetable tanning.
For each kg of hide processed, 35–40 L of water is used. This gives rise to two major problems for the leather industry: the availability of good quality water and the treatment of such large quantities of effluent. Tannery effluent contains high levels of organic materials, heavy metals including chromium, chloride, sulfide and other pollutants (Uberoi 2000).
Furthermore, electrolytic chromium plating baths have a high concentration of chromium as dichromate owing to the high acidity of the system. Usual chromium concentration ranges between 110 and 130 g·L−1 of chromium (Torras et al. 2012). The metal finishing industry and chromium plant generate substantial quantities of liquid waste containing chromium (Sozhan et al. 2006; Vasudevan et al. 2007). However, the maximum contaminant level of total chromium in the effluent is set to be 2 mg L−1 in Algeria.
The long-term persistence of effluent metals has put adjacent environmental areas at risk (Zeshan et al. 2013). It is reported that a single tannery plant is capable of groundwater pollution over a radius of 7–8 km. The release of untreated tannery effluent causes extensive damage to the ground water, land stream, surface water, and air due to its toxic procedures and the organic nature of the hide (Aravindhan et al. 2004; Ramteke et al. 2010). Bhattacharya et al. (2016) assessed the toxic impacts of a composite effluent from the tannery industry, evaluated using the snail, P. globosa, as an aquatic model. The study revealed that the protein and carbohydrate content reduced largely in the whole body tissue, gonad as well as mantle tissues and a significant genotoxicity. The literature has identified a number of health risks related to the leather industry. Occupational cancers such as cancers of the nose, hematological disorders such as aplastic anemia and leukemia, neurological impairment, dermatological disorders and musculoskeletal problems are all health risks related to the leather industry. Chromium is known to cause contact dermatitis and eczema in susceptible individuals. In addition, chronic exposure to inorganic chromium may also result in impairment of immune functions in experimental systems (Mbbs et al. 2010).
In this context, new technologies have been investigated for the recovery of chemicals and water in order to avoid discharging these products into the environment. Chromium recovery from tanning exhausted baths represents a significant economical and environmental advantage for the leather industry (Kiliç et al. 2011). The measures adopted for minimizing chromium pollution should include the chrome recovery and reuse methods; high exhaustion chrome tanning or by chrome recycling and reuse methods (Kanagaraj et al. 2008).
Many researchers have adopted various approaches to recover chromium from spent tanning baths. With a chemical precipitation technique the efficient removal of Cr from wastewater samples reached values higher than 99%.
An electrochemically assisted coagulation for the removal of chromium from water has been studied using zinc or magnesium as anode and galvanized iron as cathode. The results showed that the optimum removal efficiency of 95% was achieved at a current density of 0.2 A·dm−2, at a pH of 7.0 (Vasudevan et al. 2010; Vasudevan & Lakshmi 2011). The use of Al-Zn-In as anode material allows a removal efficiency of 98.2% (Vasudevan et al. 2011).
In the electrocoagulation tests, the best removal efficiency of Cr is 97.76% with Al electrodes (3.0 V for 110 min), 69.91% with Cu electrodes (2.0 V for 100 min) and 90.27% with Fe electrodes (2.5 V for 100 min). In tanning tests with recovered chromium, the hides tanned with Cr recovered by chemical precipitation and by electrocoagulation with Cu electrodes showed the minimum required amount of Cr2O3 for the tanning technical specifications (2.5%) (Mella et al. 2015).
In any case, the residual tan bath cannot be reused directly, because its characteristics (e.g. higher amount of neutral salts and organic components) are not appropriate to begin the tanning process because the leather obtained would present a poor appearance and would not meet the required physical properties.
One available treatment technology of these processes widely used in recent years is advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) (Selvabharathi et al. 2016). It is said that the electrochemical oxidation could be applied as a process treatment in order to remove organic compounds (Ferrag-Siagh et al. 2013) (Figure 1).
Mechanisms of different compounds on combined electrochemical processes.
Da Costa et al. (2016) have reported the treatment of fuel station effluent. The results showed that dissolved organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand (COD) abatements of 55.2 and 61.5% were achieved, using Ti/Pt anode adding K2SO4 as supporting electrolyte.
Fenton's oxidation process is influenced by the advantages of both oxidation and coagulation processes. In this advanced oxidation process, the organic substances are reacted with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of inexpensive ferrous sulfate to reduce toxicity and COD. Research has demonstrated that the oxidation mechanism by Fenton's reagent is due to the reactive hydroxyl radical generated in an acidic solution by the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Hence the process presents some disadvantages such as potential risk in transportation of H2O2, and sludge production. The electro-Fenton method has the advantage of allowing a better control of hydroxyl radical (•OH) production and ensures the production, in situ, of H2O2 by O2 cathodic reduction in acidic medium, thus avoiding acquisition, shipment and storage of H2O2. Moreover, there is no production of iron sludge during this process, and consequently, no subsequent disposal problem has been found unlike the Fenton reaction (Särkkä et al. 2015a).
Treatability of bilge water was investigated by electrochemical processes: electrocoagulation/electroflotation process and also the electro-Fenton process as an indirect electrooxidation process is studied by Ulucan & Kurt (2015). The results showed that the aluminum electrodes are more efficient than iron electrodes for 10 minutes of treatment. COD and oil–grease removal values obtained are 64.8 and 57% and 36.2 and 12.5% for electrodes of Al and Fe, respectively. On the other hand, by the electro-Fenton process, it is seen that higher removal efficiencies are obtained in comparison to the electrocoagulation method, with the COD and oil–grease removal being equal to 71 and 69%, respectively. Brillas & Casado (2002) evaluated the efficiency of electro-Fenton process in treating tannery effluent, where they reported that the COD removal obtained at pH 3 and at neutral pH is 70 and 60%, respectively. The electro-Fenton process and electrochemical oxidation processes are studied by Kurt et al. (2007), where they reported a 60–70% reduction in COD within 10 min. Zhang et al. (2016) assessed the degradation of perfluorinated compounds in wastewater treatment plant effluents by electrochemical oxidation with Nano-ZnO coated electrodes.
where M, R and RO represent the anode surface, organic matter and oxidized organic matter respectively.
Indirect electrooxidation using electro-generated oxidizing agents, such as chlorine, hypochlorite and oxygen peroxide, ozone and hydroxyl radicals formed as intermediates from water oxidation to O2 at the surface of the anode (Rajkumar et al. 2007; Oh et al. 2010; Särkkä et al. 2015b).
Aziz et al. (2016) reported that peroxi-electrocoagulation process yielded 88.36% COD removal from distillery industrial effluents within the reaction time of 240 min.
Consequently, this process may be used to treat tannery wastewater containing organic compounds. The presence of salt and chromium in the tanning bath are serious environmental concerns of leather making. The treatment system for removal of chlorides or chromium from this liquor seriously affects the viability of the tanning industry (Sundar et al. 2013). So, it is necessary to reuse this chromium liquor after a decrease of organic compound concentration.
The objective of the present work is to study the electrochemical processes application on the treatment of chromium bath wastewater using a graphite anode, stainless steel cathode and steel electrode placed between them. The electrochemical process is used to improve the quality of the chromium tanning bath by reducing organic pollution for a possible recirculation of this effluent in the tanning process. Unlike PEP that uses an iron sacrificial anode, we have used a graphite one to improve organic compound oxidation. The steel sacrificial electrode is connected on bipolar configuration to generate Fenton reactions without the addition of oxygen peroxide.
In this study, the effects of several process conditions such as current density and electrolysis time on the protein and COD removal efficiency are studied. The reuse of a treated chromium bath in the tanning process is investigated. The influences of commercial salt chromium amount, pH solution, time of stirring and time contact are studied. Leather's mechanical characteristics are examined.
The chromium tanning bath is collected directly from the tanning drum of an Algerian leather plant processing 1,500 hides/day and generating a total average effluent flow of 180 m3/day.
A batch electrochemical reactor is used for the treatment of tanning wastewater with a net volume of 1 L. A magnetic stirring (MINI MR D7813 Staufen) is used to maintain the homogenization of the water during the electrochemical run. The current is applied by a constant voltage/current controlled DC power source (Dazheng DC power supply PS-305D).
A comparison study between electrooxidation process and hybrid treatment PEP (Figure 2) is conducted at a current density of 0.06 A·cm−2 during 1 h. Different kinds of electrodes are used: stainless steel electrode used as a cathode, the anode is in graphite (8 cm2). In the case of PEP, a steel electrode (0.63 cm2) is placed between the anode and the cathode in hybrid configuration with an inter-electrode distance of 3.5 cm.
The reaction started with the application of the specified current density (0.06, 0.13, and 0.19 A·cm−2) and electrolysis time is studied (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 h).
At appropriate time intervals, samples were taken from the reactor to determine the COD and protein values.
The physical and chemical parameters of the tanning bath were determined. The pH and the electrical conductivity of the raw and treated wastewater were determined using pH 210 HANNA and HI 2314 HANNA respectively. The analyses of biological oxidation demand (BOD) was carried out by Thermostat schrank Aqua Lytic.
The influence of the different experimental parameters was studied by following the change of COD and protein concentration. COD was analyzed following standard procedures (ISO 6060, 1989) using the ECO® Thermoreactor Closed Reflux Titrimetric Method. Protein was analyzed using a spectrophotometer at 595 nm in the presence of Bradford reagent; and the total amount of Cr in the wastewater was determined by using an atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS Varian AA240). The titration method was used to determine chloride concentration (Mohr method).
The tanning tests were conducted in a tanning drum with a pickled hide sample (1 p2 of surface) in the presence of different commercial chromium salt concentrations: 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.375 and 0.5%. Initial conditions to reach optimum conditions were fixed at pH 3.2 (standard process) and at pH of treated water (pH = 3.8). The stirring was continued for a period of 1–4 h. Then the liquor was allowed to settle for a period of 1, 2 and 4 days. To assure the fixation of tanning metal, the pH was controlled (pH = 4) by adding calcium bicarbonate.
A control sample using standard tanning processes, was carried out to compare the experiments.
In order to check the tanning performance, the samples of leather were analyzed through the determination of the shrinkage temperature (Tg) at 80 ± 2 °C.
The wet blue leathers were further processed to upper leathers employing a standard process. Physical properties such as bending, wet and dry friction tests were examined in the leather factory.
Typical characteristics of sample from chromium tanning are presented in Table 1. The low pH value of the tanning wastewater was due to the presence of acids in the tanning bath.
At the pickling step, sodium chloride (NaCl) was also added to prevent acid swelling of the hide; therefore, the conductivity of the tanning wastewater was high. The presence of organic materials in tanning liquor, such as dissolved proteins, were detected by measurement of COD, BOD5 and protein concentration. The spent waste showed a COD value of 1,776 mg O2·L−1 higher compared to the Algerian regulation (1,000 mg O2·L−1) and we noted that wastewater contains an amount of protein (1.41 g·L−1).
The BOD5/COD ratio represents the proportion of biodegradable organics matter in the effluent. If this ratio is less than 0.4, the sample has a low biodegradability. In this study, the BOD5/COD = 0.0028 < 0.4 which means that the biodegradability of sample is certainly very low. However, the presence of chromium and Cl− contribute to increase the value of COD.
The effluent from tanning showed a strong blue color due to the presence of chromium (4,040 mg·L−1) which is higher than the regulation (4 mg·L−1). Therefore, it may be concluded that it is more valid to recover chromium from the spent liquor. After appropriate treatment for removing organic compound, the tanning bath can be reused in the leather factor.
A performance comparison of PEP and the electrooxidation reactor for the treatment of tanning wastewater was conducted at constant current density.
The COD and protein concentration of treated water are shown in Table 2. In these experiments, the current density was kept constant at 0.06 A·cm−2 and electrolysis time was 1 h. As expected, the COD and protein concentrations were much lower in wastewater treated by PEP than that treated in the electrooxidation reactor. COD was reduced to 1,664 and 1,248 mg O2·L−1 with the electrochemical process and hybrid process respectively. Protein attenuation was increased significantly when using the hybrid electrochemical process in the presence of steel electrode; the protein concentration was reduced to 0.02 g·L−1. These results indicate a decrease of organic compounds, especially in the presence of steel anode.
The fastest protein removal under hybrid processes could be ascribed, in principle, to the higher production of •OH by the continuous generation of Fe2+ from steel electrode (Vasudevan 2014).
The main reason for combining on-site, steel and graphite anodes is to improve the oxidation capacities of the two individual processes creating a synergetic system.
The efficiency of the hybrid electrochemical processes for COD and protein removal is tested under different operational conditions of current density and electrolysis time. Current density has a significant influence because it is the driving force in electromigration of charge. The experiments were carried out varying the current density from 0.06 to 0.19 A cm−2 over 5 h. In these experiments, the pH of wastewater was not adjusted.
Figure 3 shows the effect of the current density on the COD removal efficiency in the electrochemical process. COD attenuation was increased significantly when the current density increased. That is, COD was reduced by 49.2, 53.5 and 65.25% at 0.06, 0.13 and 0.19 A·cm−2 respectively after 5 h electrolysis. This is explained by increased production of oxidants such as hydroxyl radicals, peroxy radicals or ozone from electrodes at higher current densities (Wu et al. 2012). At the same time, an extent of steel electrode dissolution of iron increases, according to Faraday's formula, which will help the electrochemical oxidation of organic compounds (Yazdanbakhsh et al. 2015). Therefore, the dissolution rate of iron electrodes increases with current density and consequently more ferrous ions are produced.
COD evolution under different current densities (initial COD: 1,776 mg O2 L−1; initial pH: 3.7; distance between electrodes: 3.5 cm).
As can be seen, the initial reaction rate decreased slightly with time. The increase of the electrolysis time up to 3 h did not significantly affect the removal of COD. This may be due to the fact that the hydroxyl radicals produced may be consumed by the organics present in the effluent (Sekaran et al. 2013). The result is in agreement with the observation made by Sekaran et al. (2013) for the oxidation of refractory organics by Fenton reaction to reduce organic load in tannery wastewater.
The application of the highest current density can be suggested in order to obtain maximum degradation of the organic content after 3 h electrolysis.
Alternately, the conversion of Fe3+ to Fe2+ was inhibited, and thus, the concentration of Fe2+ available for generation of hydroxyl radical decreased substantially, and the removal of COD was impaired (Karthikeyan et al. 2012).
Kang & Hwang (2000) have observed that the overall COD removal efficiency is shown to be a maximum around a reaction of pH 3.5 for the treatment of non-biodegradable landfill leachate by Fenton's oxidation. Yazdanbakhsh et al. (2015) studied COD removal of azithromycin from synthetic wastewater by peroxi-electrocoagulation process. The results showed that the optimum removal efficiency of 95.6% is achieved at a current density of 20 mA·cm−2 at pH 3.
Figure 3 shows slow efficiency in removal of COD (<1,000 mg O2·L−1) from tanning wastewater. As is presented in Table 1, the used water contained a considerable amount of Cl− (16 g·L−1).
Figure 4 shows the effect of current density on the removal of protein with different electrolysis times. The removal efficiency is independent of the current densities. For example, the maximum removal efficiency of 100% was observed with a current density of 0.13 A·cm−2; and the efficiency decreased to 12 and 15% at current densities of 0.19 and 0.06 A·cm−2 respectively.
Protein concentration evolution under different current densities (initial protein concentration; 1.41 g L−1; initial pH: 3.7; distance between electrodes: 3.5 cm).
In addition, it can be seen that the protein removal efficiency was nearly 100% when the electrolysis time was 2 h, however it remained constant afterwards. So, increasing the detention time did not have a considerable impact. The result may be attributed to the chemical oxidation of the dissolved organic matter in the wastewater. In other words, the PEP system allows an indirect oxidation of organic compounds by the action of the homogeneous oxidants: hydroxyl radicals generated in the Fenton reaction, active chlorine species and hydrogen peroxide (Un et al. 2008). According to Fernandes et al. (2015) the presence of Cl− promotes the indirect electro-oxidation, mediated by electrogenerated active chlorine, which increases EO efficacy. It has been reported that Cl− acts as a scavenger for •OH radicals generated in solution and decreases the concentration of these radicals (Kiwi & Nadtochenko 2000).
To clarify the oxidation effect of active chlorine in oxidation treatment of the tanning bath, the changes in the concentration of chloride were monitored. As shown in Figure 5, the chloride concentration decreased from 16 to 12 g L−1. This result revealed that chloride was consumed during the electrochemical process. Similar results were observed by Souza et al. (2015) for organic pesticide in the presence of chlorides. It was suggested that when NaCl is present in wastewater as an electrolyte, Cl− ions are transformed into HOCl (Guenfoud et al. 2014). The higher production of oxidants in the solution accelerates the degradation of organic compounds.
Chloride concentration evolution with different electrolysis times (initial chloride concentration: 16 g L−1; initial pH: 3.7; distance between electrodes: 3.5 cm; current density: 0.13 A cm−2).
Hydrogen peroxide concentration evolution with different electrolysis times (initial pH: 3.7; distance between electrodes: 3.5 cm; current density: 0.13 A cm−2).
In these experiments, we used the chromium tanning liquor treated by PEP in the appropriate conditions parameters.
Pickled hide was used for tanning studies. Chrome tanning was followed for all the experiments. Two hundred mL of treated tanning bath with different amounts of fresh BCS (basic chromium sulfate, the trivalent form of chromium) were used for the tanning process. Also, the effects of operational parameters such as pH liquor, time stirring in the drum and contact time of hide and chromium liquor was studied. The final basification was adjusted to pH 4.0.
The procedure followed for tanning was the same for both experimental and control processes. The wet blue leathers were further processed for upper leather by employing standard processes.
Some representative experiments are given in Table 4. The chromium salt used influences the behavior of the leather. The dose rate plays an important role: at high dose, wet blue leather presents a good hydrothermal stability. On the other hand, a decrease of the stirring time decreases the quality of the leather. However, the decrease of contact time at higher chromium doses stabilizes the obtained leather.
As shown in Figure 7, the hide tanned with a spent liquor bath (sample control) at pH 3.2 over 4 h of stirring time in the drum and 2 days of contact time (sample a) is sensitive to high temperatures. However, when using the treated chromium bath at pH 3.8 over 4 h of stirring time in the drum and 2 days of contact time, the obtained leather showed low hydrothermal stability (sample b). Also, when this liquor, obtained from PEP, is pre-acidified at 3.2 and reused for tanning in the drum over 2 days in 4 h of mechanical stirring, the leather has low hydrothermal stability (sample c).
Tanning with treated chromium bath: (a) spent liquor bath (sample control) at pH 3.2 during 4 h of stirring time in the drum and 2 days of contact time; (b) treated chromium bath at pH 3.8 in 4 h of stirring time in the drum and 2 days of contact time; (c) treated chromium bath at pH 3.2 and reused for tanning in the drum during 2 days in 4 h of mechanical stirring; (d) 0.25% of chromium salt at pH 3.8 with stirring time of 4 h over 2 days of contact time.
The experimental results show that the efficiency for tanning hide was obtained when using 0.25% of chromium salt at pH 3.8 with a stirring time of 4 h during 2 days of contact time (sample e). The obtained samples present a brown color due to the presence of the metals chromium and oxidized Fe (Mella et al. 2015). In fact, iron has been considered as an effective mineral-tanning agent. Wenzel et al. (2010) proposed a process for preparation of chromium–iron complex which was used in the leather industry.
When the contact time is higher (4 days), we observed the swilling phenomenon. This could be possibly due to the fact that chrome compounds of the treated liquor forms an aqua hydrocomplex during hydration and undergoes hydrolysis liberating acid. This acid binding to skin protein causes swelling (Sundar et al. 2013), however, when the contact time was 2 days, the swelling phenomenon was not observed.
From the results we have observed a high hydrothermal stability of leather when BCS was introduced on tanning solution. That is because of the crosslinking capability of metals (chromium and iron) with that of collagen carboxylic groups with a covalent coordinate bond (Rao et al. 2002). The tanning process, by inducing cross-linking, stabilizes the crystalline of collagen (Wang et al. 2010). As a consequence of crosslinking, a hydrothermal stability is conferred. However, when the chromium complex does not bind to different side chain carboxyl sites of collagen, which depend on the amount of chrome on the liquor, hydrogen bonds in the triple helix are broken by rising temperature which is observed as shrinking (El Boushy & van der Poel 1994).
According to the technicians from the tannery, the visual and physical properties of the leather after reusing the treatment tanning bath of the tanning operation are excellent and identical to those obtained when the standard process is followed. The flex testing leather (up to the standard value of 50,000 rpm), and dry and wet friction tests were not altered by using recovered chromium in the tanning experiment.
The main objective of this study was to reuse a chromium tanning bath in the tannery after appropriate electrochemical treatment of the wastewater.
We evaluated the performance of a hybrid electrochemical reactor for the removal of organic pollutants, especially protein, from the tanning bath. According to the results of the present study, we found that PEP using steel and graphite anodes helped to improve the removal of protein and COD by direct and indirect processes. Increasing the current density had positive impacts on the performance of the reactor. In addition, it was found that electrolysis time has no effect on electrochemical performance. The hybrid electrochemical process degraded 100% of protein and 53% of COD under a current density of 0.13 A·cm−2 over 2 h.
Finally, tanning tests with a treated chromium bath showed good hydrothermal stability with a minimum required amount of commercial chromium salt (0.25%) at the pH solution during 4 h of stirring and 2 days of contact hide-treated bath.
The physical properties of the experimental leathers, including flex testing, dry and wet friction tests, were carried out for the control and experimental leather. We observed that leather tanned with treated spent chromium liquor was comparable to chrome tanned control leathers.
We would like to thank Miss Lekkam Abida for her assistance.
W. M. A. B. W. | 2019-04-22T20:45:54Z | https://iwaponline.com/jwrd/article/8/1/123/38018/Electrochemical-treatment-of-spent-tan-bath |
I had the honour of being accepted into O’Reilly’s Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship Program for the inaugural O’Reilly Security Conference this year from 31/10-02/11. I am thankful for the opportunity from O’Reilly and Etsy (who sponsored 3 other folks for a total of 13 scholars). It was an instant sheer awe at the range of experiences and diversity; folks actively working on bachelors to doctorates; those working in various industries already. Engaging conversations throughout the conference, a mutual understanding and solidarity in many of the hurdles facing us, and overall support across the group for each other. I am so excited to see where everyone goes from here on further.
It makes things quite a bit more exciting as I view it as a challenge. I want to show that nontraditional individuals—such as myself without any college education or degree—do belong here, too. Not only that I want to challenge the de facto way the industry views hackers and routes to getting into the industry.
Side tracking for a while I want to talk about my experience in an intersectional way.
While it was absolutely phenomenal seeing so many folks of multiple underrepresented groups present we were still significantly outnumbered by the de facto norm in this field: white cisgender men. Speaker wise it was phenomenal seeing a much more proportionate amount of variance but with actual attendees it was definitely clear when looking into a room. Connecting with several folks of colour was a relief to be able to relate in certain experiences.
Regardless this was by far the most diverse conference I have ever gone to. The fact that O’Reilly consistently showcased and shared their love for diversity is beyond anything I have ever come across. This will be the de facto set everywhere and O’Reilly is one of the pioneers setting our course forward.
There were various looks of confusion from folks when they saw me. Granted I didn’t help the case with my blue hair nor my Transtocat, Defcon pride, and Queercon shirts considering this is a much more business and corporate-y conference. Due to the infancy of the conference I’m sure eventually they’ll have a more solid identity in the type of folks they attract. This time it was quite a range of folks. It was a mix of t-shirts, hoodies, button downs, suits and ties.
Being trans, nonbinary, and queer: I express myself fairly across a good part of the gender expression spectrum. Thank you to those who asked me for my pronouns when unsure (it’s just Avi, they/them/theirs, or he/him/his). While I did run into a few queer folks if there was someone else who is also trans and/or nonbinary from the conference please reach out, I’d love to chat to see how our experiences were similar or varied!
Bathroom wise I had the occasional terrified middle age white guy in the bathroom freak out upon seeing me, leave without washing their hands (ew). That said I am also thankful that O’Reilly had the Code of Conduct prominently all over the conference. I’ve never seen anyone proactively feature it to that degree until now, major props and kudos to O’Reilly. I hope this becomes a thing everywhere.
Really though to have had a taste of the future in terms of inclusivity, genuine warmth, and kindness from the diverse community at the conference I know I’ll be craving this from now on. They have set the bar for every conference I’ll be attending when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
Cats, Zyrtec, morning. I got to the venue fairly early where I got to meet the lovely Suzanne Axtell (@SuzAxtell) of O’Reilly Marketing Operations and Diversity Outreach. I met another scholarship recipient at the same time while checking in. Immediately became enchanted by the O’Reilly polar bear and I ran around the venue for another day to get all the O’Reilly animals.
The first workshop I attended was Writing secure Node code. Initially while I tweeted favourably towards the workshop it could have easily been an article online with the points made. This was not an interactive workshop more so than a talk. That and with the “casual” show of their company’s product for the last 20-30 minutes it was off putting as I do not like that it was vendor biased without being warned in advance of it.
I met the vast majority of the scholarship recipients during lunch. Sitting next to a PhD candidate on my right and someone working at Apple with a college degree on my left (they’re both really lovely), it was one of those, “Oh golly did this actually just happen to me,” moments. It felt rather stark to introduce myself as being nontraditional and having no college education whatsoever next to them. Even with that it was a relief to relate with so many folks and also see the differences in paths taken.
My favourite workshop was Using Python to automate forensics. Interactive, engaging, and actually having the instructor walk around the room was phenomenal. Philip Polstra (@ppolstra) teaches at a university which clearly showed throughout the three or so hours. Unfortunately my new Chromebook with Kali did not stand up to the test due to not having enough storage (ouch) and I didn’t have time to set up a VM (this was a really engaging and fast workshop). I did follow along best as I could and will be re-doing it once I figure out if my old Macbook Pro is recoverable or if I need to go an alternative route.
What I really appreciated about Polstra’s workshop was that it showed the gaps of knowledge I had. I recognised quite a lot of the material from self studying and messing around with Arch (which I swear is not the bane of my existence, it’s adorable). Yet there were procedures and material I hadn’t come across yet or hadn’t thought of before to look into. It is in times like this that the difference of nontraditional versus traditional education is stark: there is no guided route to take and focus on. Bridging the random bouts of information together and hearing about something I knew in a different way was darling.
I do want to say so much love to Github for sponsoring the event. After going to O’Reilly it made me realise I should begin putting up my work online. Not sure how long it’ll take me but eventually I’ll get some code out there to share with folks. Once I change it all from Java that is. That said the most darling part of all this was seeing someone else with a Pridetocat shirt so we matched! Hello Transtocat and Pridetocat. Jamesha (@jamfish728) and I had met briefly at Queercon this past year so seeing someone I recognised was lovely.
This day had the most profound impact in terms of solidifying things I have been struggling with. I went about the conference after the morning keynotes from Heather Adkins, Richard Thieme (@neuralcowboy), and Becky Bace with a weight lifted off of me. Going about the sponsor pavilion and the conference after I couldn’t help but feel like I had already gone through the looking glass. It was a moment of recognising I had been past it, just didn’t know where I was yet. There were many who gave me advice during the day saying that I should hold myself in, let myself be a part of a [bureaucratic] system even if it was soul sucking, to gain work experience. This is advice I have gotten outside of the conference also.
Cold air in my lungs is exhilarating when I sing walking home at night. Counting all the screws and panels by type on trains because they’re cute. My dream of getting an English degree back in high school was crushed by a teacher who took me aside and told me in my analysis of literature I found meaning in smaller details no one else found significant and expanded on them. Interesting but it was implied not seeing the main theme as the most fascinating was wrong somehow.
My determination to go about this in my own way has already received some criticism. I am trying to break into a world that is oddly traditional in an area that is not traditional but being tackled as if it were so.
I am challenging those who proclaim we must find new ways to truly look for those new ways because many of the talks throughout the conference focused on this but most gave traditional polarised solutions.
By the way whoever wrote that on the board is awesomesauce, I had to follow up with my rabbit doodle. Even if I haven’t actually seen the movie yet and my entire experience with it was through the Queercon badge contest.
Throughout the day I got to hug Becky Bace, Jessy Irwin (@jessysaurusrex), and a few other lovely folks. I learned about [Docker] containers from Jessica Frazelle (@jessfraz) during the first part of lunch briefly as she prepared for her talk (which was fantastic). Educating the steel pipeline was a wonderful panel on hearing a diverse range of experiences. Maybe I was born 5 years too early for nontraditional paths to be more commonplace but nonetheless it was a relief knowing this is being talked about. The discussions afterword was wonderful relating and sharing. The OSINT tips for malware investigations talk was another one I liked going to. The rest of the time I spent socialising (yeah I actually did!) and having great debates and conversations with folks.
I should mention I learned how to do networking for the first time at this event. The speed networking event in the morning was an eye opening experience for me. It confirmed I do not know how to network. I struggled quite a bit with talking about myself, getting business cards that I still need to respond to. I also really abhor the idea of having to “play the game” as some told me to get opportunities. That isn’t me. I’m going to have to try to push my projects fast I can so I have something physical to show my skills.
Richard Thieme’s keynote even now is something that won’t leave my head. Hearing truths and several controversial opinions I hold be spoken with such passion openly was refreshing, piercing, and everything I have struggled, worked on, and thought of for years. During lunch I ended up accidentally sitting next to him. Explaining my dilemma moving forward with life job searching wise I asked him a few questions. While he did say he knows at some point of my life I will end up compromising it was reassuring to know I am doing more alright than I thought I was.
That line really summed up my life and how I view the world. Hopefully I can maintain, as he said in his keynote, my conscience, integrity, authenticity, ethical wholeness, and freedom to express my life as I choose it to be. This is something I already was standing inside the edge of the looking glass with but something I now fully followed the rabbit into.
It might be fairly clear I definitely was at several opposing crossroads with a great majority of folks at the conference because of this. Not good at all for networking to find jobs at all is it.
I really love Möbius strips. I need to find my Möbius triangle necklace soon.
Likewise this day also began with keynotes. I have to admit I couldn’t help but cringe at all the times ‘cyber’ was mentioned. Simply because a word is being used so much now does not give it legitimacy. It is a buzzword that is hollow of meaning. Can we please let the word die now? I refuse to use it in a way that gives it legitimacy.
Mike Walker of DARPA’s keynote about AI and the CGC was fascinating. It felt a bit chilling at times hearing several of his points, many of which were inspirations for my short story this past year. I’m not quite sure on my opinion of AI right now.
About two weeks prior I saw Jack Daniel (@jack_daniel) at BSidesDC (@BsidesDC) while volunteering and running around everywhere. Watching him receive the O’Reilly Defender Award for Shoulders of InfoSec was sweet to see. I really wish I knew how long his beard was but that would be too invasive to ask I think. I’m not sure actually, maybe I should ask.
Then of course the final keynote happened with Cory Doctorow (@doctorow). The first time I read his book was 7 years ago when I was sitting at the Governor’s mansion in my former ‘home’ state relaxing flipping through it. I had been a part of the state’s youth literacy committee for years helping choose books with a few other select students and teachers for the next year’s worth of books to read and feature. Growing up not owning a lot of things this was a treat to get so many free books each year (Mrs. Doyle was and is still one of the most wonderful human beings out there I’m sure).
That copy of “Little Brother” has been with me through everything since that summer before I began high school. I hate to idolise the book or Doctorow but it gave me a glimmer of hope (more on that in a minute) in the years to follow where I did not know or think I could ever make it into adulthood.
That said his keynote really tied and helped close the cover to the last 7 years of my life. In a very personal way to me one of his strongest points repeated my dead name over and over and over. I was 5 years of age, long before fully recognising I am trans, when I decided I was going to change it because it didn’t fit. I refused to believe it was possible to believe in my birth name when it seemingly felt that there was no such thing. The future did not exist which landed into an culminating, “What now?” when I did make it to 18 years.
The world can be so beautiful, darling, and exciting, and I’m grateful to know this now. I will never return to my birth name. It still isn’t me. I’m finally at peace though.
For a few hours I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I went to Building effective security alerting, had lovely conversations and engaging talks with folks across the conference. By saying ‘porcupine’ I even got a free book!
The two talks I waited to go see were Alex Rice’s Hacker quantified security and Dan Kaminsky’s (@dakami) A technical dive into defensive trickery.
I wear a few HackerOne t-shirts as they have sponsored Queercon for the last few years. Going from hearing about HackerOne from a hacker perspective at Defcon and Queercon to hearing the more business end of things at the conference was a nice way to fully understand it. It also reminded me that this is a more corporate conference again.
Kaminsky was everything I always thought he’d be and more. He was really darling when he accepted my (odd? I’ve been told it’s really odd and to stop before I actually look like I’m older than a middle school kid) request to stand next to him to see how tall he was and give him a hug. He was taller than I thought he’d be. I missed the last 10 or so minutes of his talk but to end the conference on such a fiery happy note was a great way to sum up how much I’ve accepted the future that awaits me.
With that here I am now 21 years and 1 month of age. Happy 5th of November!
The conference really showed a lot of my weak points that I need to work on. Networking I knew from the start I’d struggle with but hopefully folks I talked with will remain in my life as mentors or friends. Working on bridging gaps in my brain on certain topics is another area I’ll be targeting alongside with working on pushing my projects out into the open.
A lot of the advice given to me was meant to be helpful I realise. On the other hand to tell me to not speak publicly on being trans, nonbinary, queer, or other social and political opinions is something I cannot stop. These are all things intersectional to me and impact every aspect of my life. To not say something in these times is to be part of the larger collective issue. You cannot complain about a system if you refuse to challenge it.
For an industry that talks quite a bit on looking ‘outside of the box’ (another phrase I really don’t like) people are surprisingly very traditional. There were a lot more folks who work in the government than I expected. A lot of folks kept saying that the only way I could work in security was through the government. Which with how I am going about life now is not likely unless I am less ‘out’ of myself.
I am more than happy to intern or work for a smaller team or company. I am not in love with the things I am for the monetary value of it. I’m in love because it matters to me and impacts my life in some shape or another.
My eventual goal is someday be on a red team. How I am going to showcase these skills is going to be a challenge. It seems like going for various contests will be the best way (and also as a way to actually see how I do with other folks).
I know the next few months are going to be rough without knowing where I’m going yet or what I’ll be doing work wise. Once my work and projects are out there and accessible I simply can only keep doing more things while I wait and see if taking a chance was worth it. If it wasn’t for someone else I’ll find my own path regardless.
This ended up being a lot longer than I thought it’d be, thank you for reading it to the end if you did! | 2019-04-21T04:44:25Z | https://avizajac.com/2016/11/05/oreilly-security.html |
While great theorems are arguably the end goal of mathematics, it is often a great conjecture that does the most to advance understanding and create new theories. For no field has this been truer than computational complexity, the study of which computational problems are within reach of a standard computer. The famous P versus NP conjecture, still unsolved after 40 years, has done more than perhaps any other single mathematical assertion in modern times to set the ground rules and the very language of its field.
Formulated in 1971, the conjecture focused the attention of computer scientists on the contrast between two classes of problems: P, the class of problems a computer can solve efficiently, and NP, the class of problems for which a computer can check efficiently whether a proposed solution is correct, even if it doesn’t have the capability to come up with that solution in the first place. Natural computation problems tend to fall into one of these two categories. The conjecture states—and most computer scientists believe—that these two classes are distinct, meaning that there are some problems in NP whose solutions are beyond the reach of any efficient computer algorithm.
Now, the field of computational complexity has been electrified by a new conjecture, which, while not as monumental as the P versus NP conjecture, in some sense picks up where that conjecture leaves off. If the ʻUnique Games Conjectureʼ is correct, then for many of the problems people would most like to solve, it’s hard not only to find an exact solution—finding even a good approximation of the solution is beyond the reach of a computer.
Over the four decades since the original P versus NP conjecture was formulated, it has stubbornly resisted proof. But at the same time, computer scientists have amassed a wealth of evidence suggesting that it is correct. They have shown that thousands of practical problems—for example, figuring out the best design for a chip, the best airplane schedule, or the lowest-energy configuration of a protein—are NP-hard, meaning that an efficient algorithm for any one of them would automatically produce an efficient solution to all the problems in NP (which would mean that P = NP). So far, no one has managed to produce an efficient algorithm for any one of these thousands of problems, and not for want of trying. If the conjecture is correct, no one ever will.
But suppose that instead of, say, a perfect chip design, you would be content with one that is simply pretty good. Over the past few decades, computer scientists have come up with good approximation algorithms for some such problems, and for other problems they have proved that good approximation algorithms do not exist. However, for many of the problems people are most interested in solving, computer scientists are in the dark about whether, and how well, they can be approximated.
Now, the Unique Games Conjecture (UGC) has given researchers a new hook on which to try to catch some of these slippery problems. Formulated in 2002 by Subhash Khot, currently at New York University, the UGC simply proposes that one particular problem about assigning colors to the nodes of a network is NP-hard to solve even approximately.
This conjecture may seem, on the face of it, like a pretty parochial statement (though possibly hard to prove, or even false). Over the past decade, however, computer scientists have found to their surprise that if the conjecture is true, then a host of problems—some of them seeming to bear little resemblance to the original Unique Games problem—are also hard to approximate. The findings have left researchers scratching their heads about just what is so special about this particular network-coloring problem.
Like many great conjectures, the UGC has led to findings in a wide range of fields seemingly far removed from computational complexity, including the structure of foams, the geometry of different ways to measure distance, and even the merits of different voting systems.
And also like many great conjectures, the UGC has the potential to advance the field of computational complexity regardless of whether it is eventually proved or disproved. If it is proved, it will give exact hardness results for a wide range of approximation problems, and in the case of a wide class of problems known as constraint satisfaction problems, it will show that the ‘obvious suspect’ method for solving these problems truly is the best one, bringing a satisfying closure to that research area. Disproving the UGC might be even more exciting, since it would require the creation of a powerful new approximation algorithm that would presumably be very different from the approximation algorithms known today.
To get a sense of the types of approximation problems on which the UGC has the potential to shed light, let’s turn our microscope on a classic problem known as Minimum Vertex Cover, which has applications in communications, civil and electrical engineering, and bioinformatics. Given a network—a collection of nodes (also called vertices) and edges connecting some of the vertices—a vertex cover is a subset of the vertices (called the cover) such that every edge in the network touches at least one vertex in the cover. The Minimum Vertex Cover problem asks for a vertex cover with the smallest possible number of vertices.
Vertex Cover: In the four networks above, the red vertices form a vertex cover, since every edge touches at least one red vertex.
One way to find the smallest possible vertex cover is simply to look at all subsets of the vertices, weed out the ones that aren’t vertex covers, and then see which of the remaining subsets are the smallest. However, for a network with n vertices, there are 2n subsets to check. Exponential functions such as 2n grow so quickly that even for fairly small values of n, this algorithm would take longer than the age of the universe for even the fastest computer to run.
The consensus among computer scientists is that for a computer algorithm to be efficient, its running time must be at most a polynomial function of the size of the input, n—that is, something like 2n2+1 or 4n3+n (this is, in fact, what it means for an algorithm to belong to the class P). In 1972, Richard Karp of the University of California, Berkeley famously showed that a polynomial-time algorithm for Minimum Vertex Cover does not exist unless P = NP: in other words, this problem is NP-hard.
Thus, short of a proof that P = NP, the best that researchers can hope for is an efficient approximation algorithm: one that is guaranteed to produce vertex covers that are pretty small, but maybe not the smallest.
Luckily, one very simple such algorithm exists: Start by choosing any one edge of your network, and put both its endpoints in your subset. Delete from the network those two vertices and all edges that touch either one of them, and then repeat the process by choosing any one edge from the new, smaller network and putting its two endpoints in your subset. Keep repeating this process until all the edges have been deleted. This will take at mostn⁄2 steps, so it is very efficient, unlike the previous algorithm. The resulting subset is a vertex cover, and although it may not be the smallest, it has at most twice as many vertices as it needs, since every vertex cover must have at least one of the two vertices chosen in each round. Computer scientists say this algorithm achieves a factor-of-2 approximation.
Since this algorithm is so simple, it might seem likely that a more ingenious algorithm could do better, coming closer to the smallest number of vertices needed. Indeed, in the first couple of decades after the P versus NP conjecture was formulated, many computer scientists believed that getting good approximations must be easier than finding the exact answer to an NP-hard question, says Sanjeev Arora, of Princeton University. “The intuition was that there are so many different things you could throw at a problem to get approximate solutions,” he says.
But no one has ever come up with an algorithm that approximates Minimum Vertex Cover to within any constant factor better than 2. Experiences such as this one made computer scientists start to wonder whether there are some problems for which finding a good approximation is every bit as hard as finding an exact solution—that is, NP-hard.
In 1992, computer scientists achieved a breakthrough: the famous PCP theorem, a powerful but very technical result that allowed researchers to prove that some problems are NP-hard even to approximate beyond some factor. Using the PCP theorem, for example, Irit Dinur, currently at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and Samuel Safra of Tel Aviv University showed in 2002 that assuming P is not equal to NP, there is no efficient algorithm for Minimum Vertex Cover with an approximation factor better than 10 √ 5 – 21, or about 1.36—that is, an algorithm guaranteed always to produce a vertex cover at most 36% larger than the minimum size.
Results like this one—in which there is a gap between the approximation factor of the best known algorithm and the approximation factor of the hardness result—create a tantalizing question for researchers. In the case of Minimum Vertex Cover, is the factor-of-2 approximation achieved by the simple algorithm we described indeed the best possible, and the PCP theorem is simply not powerful enough to prove that? Or is there a better algorithm out there, one perhaps that achieves a factor of 1.36?
Such questions are of interest not just to theoretical computer scientists. Improving a chip design algorithm from a factor-of-3 approximation to a factor-of-2 approximation might mean millions of dollars saved in improved efficiency, but it would be useful to know ahead of time if there is no point in searching for such an improvement because none exists.
In the late 1990s, in a landmark paper, Johan Håstad, of the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, figured out how to get exact hardness results for a few specific problems. Some researchers managed to adapt his arguments to handle more problems, but for many problems, there were seemingly insurmountable technical obstacles to applying this paradigm.
“There were a lot of important problems we just couldn’t do,” says Wigderson.
And that’s where matters stood in 2001, when a young Princeton graduate student knocked on his advisor’s door to share a new approximation-hardness idea he had been playing around with.
The student, Subhash Khot, had noticed that a lot of the hard parts about an approximation problem he was working on seemed to be encapsulated in a conjecture about the hardness of assigning colors to the vertices of a network. A few days later, he told his advisor, Sanjeev Arora, that the conjecture was helpful in another problem as well. Arora thought the conjecture was worth writing up, but probably not important enough to submit to the best computer science conferences.
“We had no idea it would become so central,” Arora recalls.
Khot’s Unique Games Conjecture has its roots in the Network Coloring problem: Given a network and a set of colors, is it possible to color the vertices of the network in such a way that two vertices that share an edge always have different colors?
Vertex Coloring: Given a network, is there a way to color the vertices red, green and blue such that vertices that share an edge are always different colors? Figuring out which networks have this property is an NP-hard problem.
In the case of only two colors (say, red and green), it’s easy to answer this question efficiently for any given network: Simply start with a random vertex and color it (say) red. Now all the vertices connected to that one have to be colored green. Color those, and continue to color every vertex connected to an already colored vertex, until you’ve either reached a contradiction or successfully colored the whole network.
If you are working with more than two colors, choosing the color of one vertex does not force the color of any of the vertices connected to it, so it’s impossible to carry out an algorithm as simple as the one described above. In fact, for more than two colors, deciding which networks can be colored is an NP-hard problem.
Khot decided to bridge the gulf between the two-color algorithm and the situation with more than two colors by considering networks that come equipped with a set of coloring rules, or constraints, such that if two vertices are connected by an edge, then whenever one edge gets colored, the constraint specifies what the color of the other edge must be. For such networks, an algorithm similar to the one for two colors determines, easily enough, whether the network can be colored in a way that satisfies the constraints.
For theoretical computer scientists, the natural next question is the optimization version of this problem: For a network that can’t be colored in a way that satisfies all the constraints, which coloring satisfies the most constraints possible? We will call this the Unique Games problem (the name has its origin in a different form of the problem, which is more complicated to state).
Khot conjectured that this innocent-looking question is in some sense the ultimate in hard-to-approximate problems.
More precisely, Khot’s Unique Games Conjecture makes the following rather technical statement: For every value of ε > 0, no matter how small, there is a number of colors k (possibly very large) for which, looking at constraint networks with k colors, it is NP-hard to tell the difference between networks for which at least (100 – ε)% of the constraints can be satisfied and networks for which at most ε% of the constraints can be satisfied.
So for example, choosing ε = 1, there is some number of colors k for which it is NP-hard (that is, effectively impossible) to distinguish between networks in which it is possible to satisfy at least 99% of the constraints and networks in which it is possible to satisfy at most 1% of the constraints.
On the face of it, this seems like an improbable assertion. Intuition suggests that constraint networks in which almost all the coloring constraints can be satisfied should look fundamentally different from constraint networks in which almost none of the constraints can be satisfied, and it should be easy to spot the differences between them. Yet when the colors and size of the networks start to number in the billions or trillions, this intuition suddenly starts feeling a lot less obvious.
It follows from the conjecture that the Unique Games coloring problem cannot be approximated efficiently up to anyconstant factor (in contrast with, for example, Minimum Vertex Cover, which you may recall can easily be approximated to within a factor of 2). To see why this is so, we’ll show that the Unique Games problem can’t be approximated up to a factor of ½. A similar argument (with different numbers) works for any other factor you choose.
So suppose, for a moment, that we could approximate Unique Games up to a factor of ½—that is, we could produce an efficient algorithm that, for any number of colors k and any constraint network, would produce a coloring of that network that satisfied at least half as many constraints as the best possible coloring.
This algorithm would immediately give us an efficient way to distinguish between (for example) networks in which one can satisfy at least 99% of the constraints and networks in which one can satisfy at most 1%: For the former networks, the algorithm would produce a coloring that satisfied at least 99/2 or 44.5% of the constraints, whereas for the latter networks, by their very nature the algorithm could produce no coloring that satisfied more than 1%. Thus, the existence of such an algorithm would violate the UGC. In other words, assuming the UGC is true, approximating the Unique Games problem up to a factor of ½—or indeed any constant factor—is NP-hard.
This reasoning is called a reduction argument: we reduced one problem (distinguishing between the 99% and 1% cases) to another problem (approximating the Unique Games problem up to a factor of ½), and then we used the hardness of the former problem to argue about the hardness of the latter problem. Reductions are the standard approach to proving hardness results in computational complexity.
Perhaps because of the relative simplicity of the coloring problem Khot studied, in the years following his statement of the UGC, computer scientists started noticing that the problem seemed to lend itself to reduction arguments—much more so than the complicated PCP theorem. Thus, it gave researchers a way to make hardness arguments for problems that had previously been beyond their reach.
“The UGC seems to encapsulate and simplify some very hard technical stuff,” O’Donnell says.
The first glimmer of the importance of the UGC came in 2003, when Khot and Oded Regev, of Tel Aviv University and the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, proved that if UGC is true, then computer scientists’ intuition about the Minimum Vertex Cover problem is correct: the problem is NP-hard to approximate up to any constant better than 2.
Max Cut: Given a network, which division of the vertices into two clumps produces the most edges that go from one clump to the other? The above division “cuts” through the six red edges.
Two years later, the UGC generated a truly startling finding, one that made computer scientists sit up and take note. It concerned a problem called Max Cut, which asks, given a network, how to divide up the vertices into two subsets in such a way that this division cuts through as many edges as possible (that is, separates the two endpoints of the edge into opposite subsets).
In 1994, Michel Goemans of MIT and David Williamson of Cornell University used a geometric argument involving trigonometric identities to come up with an efficient approximation algorithm for Max Cut that comes within about 87% of the best possible cut. Most computer scientists, says Luca Trevisan of Stanford University, believed that this particular number was an artifact of the geometric arguments involved and that there was probably a better approximation algorithm out there, since Max Cut is not inherently a deeply geometric problem. Håstad had used the PCP theorem to show in 1999 that it is NP-hard to approximate Max Cut better than about 94%, but that left plenty of room to improve on the 87% algorithm.
In 2005, however, Khot, O’Donnell, Guy Kindler of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Elchanan Mossel of the Weizmann Institute showed that if UGC is true, then the 87% algorithm is the best possible efficient approximation to Max Cut.
Since that time, researchers have proved numerous results of the form ‘If the UGC is true, then problem X is NP-hard to approximate better than a factor of Y.’ And in 2008, while at the University of Washington, Prasad Raghavendra—now of the Georgia Institute of Technology—astonished computer scientists by proving that UGC gives exact hardness results for all constraint satisfaction problems—problems such as the Unique Games problem in which the goal is to fulfill as many of a given set of constraints as possible. “Almost all problems in all disciplines have versions that look like that,” Wigderson says.
What’s more, Raghavendra showed that the UGC implies that the best approximation for any such problem is achieved by a very simple algorithm that uses a paradigm known as semidefinite programming.
In a certain sense, the results we’ve just described are like a house of cards: If someone disproves the UGC, they will all collapse (although some weaker versions might survive). As computer scientists started making this observation to Khot, he became determined, O’Donnell says, to show that it is possible to use the ideas in the UGC to prove some unconditional theorems: statements whose conclusions do not depend on the UGC ultimately getting proved.
Taxicab Geometry: The effective distance between two buildings is different for a bird than for a taxicab confined to city streets. The distortion between different ways of measuring distance turns out to be intimately connected to the Unique Games Conjecture.
Khot zeroed in on something called the Goemans-Linial Conjecture, an assertion about the geometry of metric spaces: spaces that come equipped with a metric, that is, a definition of the distance between any two points. While we’re all familiar with everyday, ʻas the crow fliesʼ distance (which mathematicians call the L2 metric), many other metrics exist. For example, there’s the taxicab metric, also known as the L1 metric: it specifies that the distance between two points is the length of the shortest route that follows a combination of North-South and East-West streets. And for some subsets of an L2 space, the square of the L2 metric is another metric, called the L22metric.
A fundamental geometric question is how much distortion occurs if you take objects in a metric space and view them through the lens of a different metric. For example, if you take two buildings in Manhattan, how much distance would you save if you could fly instead of drive between them?
The Goemans-Linial Conjecture asserts, roughly, that the L22metric is a not-too-distorted version of the L1 metric. Specifically, it says that there is some universal distortion constant K such that if you take any finite collection of points in an L22metric space, there’s a way to embed them (or in unscientific terms, to plunk them down) in an L1space so that the distance between any pair of points has been distorted by at most a factor of K.
Computer scientists have known for years that this conjecture is related to the problem of finding a good approximation algorithm for a problem called Sparsest Cut. This problem asks how to divide the vertices of a network into two clusters of roughly equal size, in such a way that as few edges as possible go from one cluster to the other. Algorithms that divide networks into natural clusters are useful for problems in fields such as computer vision and data analysis, since they give a way to find collections of related objects in large data sets.
The Sparsest Cut problem is NP-hard to solve exactly, so the best computer scientists can hope for is a good approximation. One approach to creating such an algorithm is to try to embed the vertices of the network in an L1space in such a way that the vertices are far apart on average, but those vertices connected by an edge are fairly close together. Doing so would give a geometric way to ‘see’ the natural clusters in the network, and computer scientists have shown that this process would lead to a good approximation algorithm for Sparsest Cut. Unfortunately, no one has found an efficient way to create such an embedding.
What computer scientists can do quite well, however, is embed the vertices in an L22space. If the Goemans-Linial conjecture could be proven, then computer scientists would know that this embedding was just a distorted version of a similar embedding in an L1 space. Using this knowledge, they could prove that there was an algorithm that approximated Sparsest Cut up to a constant factor.
In the early years of the new millennium, computer scientists had proved various results that seemed to be leading towards a potential proof of the Goemans-Linial conjecture, and by 2005, excitement was running high. However, working with Nisheeth Vishnoi, currently at Microsoft Research India in Bangalore, Khot found that if UGC is true then Sparsest Cut cannot be approximated up to any constant factor. This would imply that the Goemans-Linial conjecture is in fact false.
Since the Goemans-Linial conjecture is a purely geometric statement, Khot and Vishnoi felt that it should be possible to disprove it without depending on the UGC, a statement that is, after all, about computational complexity. In 2005, they managed to do just that, using ideas from the UGC but not relying on the statement of the UGC itself.
This finding is not the only unconditional result to emerge from studying the UGC. The conjecture has led researchers to prove fundamental results about voting systems and the structure of foams (see, respectively, the sidebars Stable Elections and Spherical Cubes).
While the unconditional results that have emerged from the UGC have already proved its value to the mathematics and computer science community, it would nevertheless be nice (to put it mildly) to know whether it is in fact true.
What has emerged is a jumble of intriguing, halfway-there results. One finding, for example, says roughly that if the UGC is indeed true, it takes a very, very large number of colors to make a Unique Games network coloring hard to approximate, much more so than in corresponding problems involving the PCP theorem. Researchers have also shown that, unlike with many problems, randomly chosen networks are not hard to approximate and so will not be an avenue to proving the UGC.
And last year, Arora, together with Boaz Barak and David Steurer of Microsoft Research New England, proved that there is a sub-exponential algorithm for Unique Games—that is, one that is faster than an exponential algorithm, but still not as fast as a polynomial algorithm. That means that Unique Games joins a small and exclusive clique of problems for which the best known algorithm falls between exponential and polynomial time. “That was a surprise,” Arora says.
The assortment of findings about the UGC are reminiscent of the allegory in which a collection of blind people touch different parts of an elephant and each get a different impression of the elephant’s nature, says Dana Moshkovitz of MIT.
If someone does unveil the UGC’s inner elephant and comes up with a proof some day, it will be a cause for celebration, since that would mean (among many other things) that constraint-satisfaction problems have been thoroughly understood. “It would very much complete the theory,” O’Donnell says.
At the same time, if someone can disprove the UGC, it might give researchers even more to think about. “People suspect that to show the UGC is wrong, someone would have to come up with an amazing algorithm involving a lot of new ideas,” Arora says.
Unlike some other famous conjectures such as the Riemann Hypothesis and the P versus NP problem, for which most mathematicians agree about the expected answer, the UGC’s believers and disbelievers form two pretty even camps, O’Donnell says. “This may be an open problem for a very long time,” he says.
As anyone who has gone on a cross-country road trip will know, trying to fit a large assortment of objects into the trunk of a car may require many attempts, a very long time, and a bit of divine inspiration. By contrast, if someone else is kind enough to pack your trunk for you, checking whether he has accidentally left any items on the curb takes a matter of seconds.
The P versus NP conjecture concerns the difference between problems that can be solved efficiently and problems, such as trunk packing, that may be hard to solve, but for which it’s easy to check efficiently whether a proposed solution is correct.
Efficiency is an intuitively clear concept, but what precisely does it mean for a computational problem to have an efficient solution? One thing it does not mean is that every instance of the problem can be solved in a reasonable amount of time. For most computational problems, the length of time it takes to get an answer increases as the size of the ‘input’ — the lengths of some numbers we are trying to add, or the number of objects we are trying to fit in a suitcase—grows. For even a simple problem like adding two numbers, there are numbers long enough that adding them together would take longer than a year, or a million years, or any length of time we’d care to specify.
In practice, though, we never need to add numbers that large. To be practical, an algorithm does not have to solve every instance of a problem quickly—just those instances with reasonable input sizes (something that will vary from problem to problem). As long as the running time of the algorithm doesn’t grow too fast as the size of the input grows, the algorithm should be able to handle the practical examples we would actually want to throw at it. But how fast is too fast?
In the 1960s, computer scientists decided that the most reasonable definition of not-too-fast growth is what is called polynomial time. An algorithm is said to run in polynomial time if, for some constants C and k, the algorithm takes at most Cnk steps to solve any instance of the problem with inputs of size n.
It’s not hard to show that this concept is independent of which computational model we use: if a problem has a polynomial-time algorithm on one type of computer, that algorithm can be translated into a polynomial-time algorithm on any other type of computer. Computer scientists have named the class of problems that can be solved by polynomial-time algorithms class P.
Polynomial functions grow comparatively slowly—much, much more slowly than exponential functions such as 2n, which typically appear, for example, as the running time of brute-force search algorithms. Algorithms whose running times grow like exponential functions are so slow that they are impractical for all but the very smallest inputs. And while an algorithm whose running time is bounded by a large polynomial such as n100 may not be very practical to run either, such algorithms don’t seem to happen a whole lot, for some reason: for most of the problems known to be in P, computer scientists have found algorithms whose running time is bounded by a polynomial with a small exponent, such as n3 or n4. Thus, most computer scientists take the view that for a problem to belong to class P is equivalent to it being feasible to solve.
The problem of adding two numbers belongs to P, since the standard algorithm schoolchildren learn is efficient (though it may not seem so when being carried out by a seven-year-old): Its running time is proportional to the length of the two numbers. By contrast, computer scientists have not so far been able to find a polynomial-time algorithm to solve the trunk packing problem. Thus, this problem may not belong to class P; however, as we have seen, it does belong to another class, which computer scientists call NP: the class of problems for which there is a polynomial-time algorithm to verify whether a proposed solution is indeed correct.
Any problem in P is automatically in NP, but what about the reverse? In the early 1970s, Stephen Cook, currently at the University of Toronto, and Leonid Levin, currently at Boston University, independently formulated the famous P versus NP conjecture: that these two classes are not the same. In other words, there are problems in NP that can never be solved in polynomial time by any computer algorithm, no matter how clever.
In a sense, the conjecture asserts that creativity cannot be automated—that there is a fundamental gulf between the ability to solve a problem and the ability merely to appreciate someone else’s solution. If the conjecture is false, a proof of that fact would have profound implications for a wide range of disciplines.
For example, in mathematics, it is a simple matter to create an efficient algorithm that checks the correctness of any proposed mathematical proof. A proof that P = NP would allow mathematicians to transform this algorithm into an efficient algorithm to come up with a proof of any true mathematical statement. If this could be done, the field of mathematics would be transformed from its current form into something completely unrecognizable.
To many mathematicians, it seems unfathomable that mathematical insight could be automated in this way, and indeed the majority of mathematicians and theoretical computer scientists believe that P does not equal NP. Yet the conjecture has held out against all attempts to prove or disprove it over the last 40 years.
Sometimes, even a failed attempt to prove the UGC can bear fruit. When O’Donnell, Kindler and Uriel Feige of the Weizmann Institute tried to get at the UGC using a technique called parallel repetition, they found that the statement they wanted to prove reduced to a simple, elegant question about the structure of foams.
Spherical Cube: While studying the UGC, Kindler, O’Donnell, Rao and Wigderson discovered this three-dimensional shape, which tiles all of space when copies of the shape are placed along a cubical lattice. Of all known shapes with this property, the shape above has the lowest surface area..
The most basic question about foams, which has been studied for more than 200 years, asks, for each dimension d, for the shape with the smallest surface area that divides up d-dimensional space into bubbles of volume 1. This problem was solved for dimension 2 in 1999 by Thomas Hales of the University of Pittsburgh—the best shape is simply the regular hexagon, although proving that fact was no easy matter. In dimension 3, a candidate shape has been identified, but a proof has eluded researchers. In higher dimensions, even less is known.
The researchers’ attempt to prove the UGC boiled down to a question closely related to the basic foam problem, which we’ll call the integer lattice foam problem: If the allowable bubble shapes are limited to those that can tile space by shifting copies of the bubble whole numbers of steps along the coordinate axes, which shape has the lowest possible surface area?
So for example, in dimension 2, a square would be a viable candidate, since it tiles the plane by shifts to the left and right, up and down. The regular hexagon, however, would not be a candidate, since to fill space with regular hexagons involves some diagonal shifts of the hexagon, and some horizontal shifts that are not by whole numbers. It turns out, though, that the best integer lattice tiling is in fact a hexagon, though not a regular one: In 1989, Jaigyoung Choe of the Korea Institute of Advanced Study in Seoul proved that the best shape is an irregular hexagon whose perimeter is about 3.86, slightly edging out the square, whose perimeter is 4.
A d-dimensional cube has 2d sides, so the cube of volume 1 has surface area equal to 2d. Thus, the shape that solves the integer lattice foam problem in dimension d must have surface area at most 2d (since otherwise the cube would beat it out). And since the shape of volume 1 with the lowest surface area overall is the sphere, the solution to the problem must have surface area at least that of the sphere, which in large dimensions is roughly proportional to the square root of d.
The researchers expected—and needed for their attempted proof of the UGC—for the solution to the integer lattice problem to have surface area roughly proportional to that of a cube (that is, 2d) when d is a large number. To their surprise, however, O’Donnell and Kindler—together with Wigderson and Anup Rao, currently at the University of Washington in Seattle—found that for large dimensions d, there exist shapes that tile space by whole-number steps, and whose surface area is roughly proportional to the square root of d—in other words, their surface area behaves more like that of a sphere than that of a cube.
“There are shapes that are almost spherical but still tile space in a cubical pattern, which is rather counterintuitive,” O’Donnell says. The fact that the UGC led researchers to such an intrinsically interesting, natural question about foams “adds to its mystique,” he says.
In a typical election, there’s a reasonable chance that some votes will be misrecorded. How likely are misrecorded votes to alter the outcome, and how does that likelihood depend on which voting system is being used? This question is not just theoretical: In the 2000 Presidential Election, after all, the outcome hinged on whether a handful of votes in Florida had been counted correctly. Had plurality voting been the law of the land, instead of the Electoral College system, the outcome would not have been in dispute: Everyone agrees that in the national vote, Al Gore won by more than half a million votes.
The voting methods that are the most stable with respect to misrecorded votes—that is, the least likely to flip outcomes if a few votes are misrecorded—are rather unsavory ones. A system that always chooses the candidate selected by Voter A, or that always awards the win to Candidate 1, will seldom or never be affected by a misrecorded vote. Since no one presumably would choose such a system for a democratic election, it makes sense to ask which voting system is stablest among those systems that give all voters roughly equal weight and are not biased toward or against any particular candidate.
When there are two candidates, this problem is, in fact, related to the Sparsest Cut problem. Imagine a network in which each vertex stands for one possible combination of candidate choices by all the voters (so if there are n voters, this network will have 2n vertices). If your election is happening in a setting in which, say, about 1% of the votes are typically misrecorded, then connect two vertices by an edge if they are identical except for about 1% of the voters.
A voting system is simply a rule that assigns a winner to each vertex in the network. Thus, it divides the network into two subsets: the vertices that result in a win for Candidate 1, and the vertices that result in a win for Candidate 2. These two sets will be roughly equal in size, assuming we’ve left out the unfairly slanted voting systems discussed above.
For the voting system to be stable with regard to misrecorded votes, it should assign the same outcome to both the endpoints of each edge—in other words, it should not put vertices that are connected by an edge into opposite subsets. Thus, looking for the most stable voting system corresponds to looking for the sparsest cut of the network.
The researchers found that when they plugged Max Cut into the framework of the UGC, the statement about 87% being the best approximation for Max Cut boiled down to proving a simple statement about voting systems: namely, that if the two types of extremely unbalanced voting systems are excluded from consideration, then majority voting is the stablest system. The following year, O’Donnell, Mossel and Krzysztof Oleszkiewicz of Warsaw University were able to prove this “Majority is Stablest” theorem, vindicating the intuition from the 2000 Presidential Election.
“Other people had thought about voting stability before, but the UGC really narrowed us in on the exact statement and gave us a strong motivation for proving it,” O’Donnell says.
S. Arora, B. Barak and D. Steurer. Subexponential algorithms for unique games and related problems. InProc. 51st IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, 2010.
U. Feige, G. Kindler, and R. O’Donnell. Understanding parallel repetition requires understanding foams. InProceedings of the Annual IEEE Conference on Computational Complexity, pages 179-192, 2007.
J. Håstad. Some optimal inapproximability results. Journal of the ACM, 48: 798-859, 2001.
S. Khot. On the power of unique 2-prover 1-round games. In Proc. 34th ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing, 2002.
S. Khot. On the Unique Games Conjecture. In Proc. 25th IEEE Conference on Computational Complexity, 99-121, 2010.
S. Khot, G. Kindler, E. Mossel, and R. O’Donnell. Optimal inapproximability results for MAX-CUT and other two-variable CSPs? In Proc. 45th IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, 146-154, 2004.
S. Khot and O. Regev. Vertex cover might be hard to approximate to within 2-ɛ. In Proc.18th IEEE Conference on Computational Complexity, 2003.
S. Khot and N. Vishnoi. The unique games conjecture, integrability gap for cut problems and embeddability of negative type metrics into l1. In Proc. 46th IEEE Symposium on Foundational of Computer Science, 2005.
G. Kindler, R. O’Donnell, A. Rao, and A. Wigderson. Spherical cubes and rounding in high dimensions. InProc. Annual IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, 189-198, 2008.
E. Mossel, R. O’Donnell, and K. Oleszkiewicz. Noise stability of functions with low influences: invariance and optimality. Annals of Mathematics 171 no.1, 295-341, 2010.
P. Raghavendra. Optimal algorithms and approximability results for every CSP? In Proc. ACM Symposium on the Theory of Computing, 245-254, 2008.
L. Trevisan. On Khot’s Unique Games Conjecture. AMS Current Events Bulletin, 1-21, 2011. | 2019-04-18T18:51:13Z | https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2011/10/06/approximately-hard-the-unique-games-conjecture/ |
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Termination for Cause: Drake may terminate Licensee’s rights under this Agreement immediately and without notice if Licensee fails to comply with any term or condition. The License granted pursuant to this Agreement will immediately terminate and Licensee shall immediately uninstall the Software from all computer(s) and/or networks, return the Software to Drake and destroy all backup copies. Any termination of this Agreement shall not affect Drake’s rights hereunder, including suspension of access for Web Based Applications.
Other Termination: Drake reserves the right to suspend or otherwise limit electronic filing of tax returns by Licensee at the direction of any valid governmental agency, legal authority, court order, or other reasons which Drake may, at its sole discretion, determine may put at risk Drake’s responsibilities to the IRS E-File Program.
This Agreement applies only to the 2013 version of the product(s) referenced herein and DOES NOT constitute an offer or in any way guarantee the availability, now or ever, of any other Drake products or versions to Licensee.
Support. Drake reserves the right to limit support to the current tax year’s Software, and to only current Licensees.
Licensee will utilize the Software for the sole purpose of commercial preparation of federal and state tax returns and electronically filing tax returns for taxpayers. Any other use of this Software is EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED.
Licensee will comply with all federal, state and other regulations.
Licensee represents to Drake that the information provided to Drake by Licensee concerning the EFIN, firm name, contact name, address, and all other identifying information of Licensee is correct and accurate. Any changes to this information must be provided to Drake in writing within 30 days of changing.
Right to Change and Modify Software. Drake may in its discretion change any feature or aspect of the Software or services provided without prior notice to Licensee.
Evaluation Software.If Licensee is utilizing the Evaluation Software, all provisions of this Agreement will apply, except as modified by this section. The Evaluation Software will have certain limitations, including but not limited to the inability to electronically file or produce or process live tax returns. It is to be used for evaluation purposes only, and not for commercial purposes. To utilize the Software for commercial purposes, the Licensee must purchase a valid License.
Service Bureaus and Multi-Sites. . If Licensee is providing services to multiple offices, including purchasing Software for those Sites, Licensee must execute Drake’s Multi Site Agreement prior to this License being valid. Reselling, charging separate fees for the Software or representing the authorization to sell the Software on behalf of Drake are all prohibited.
Web Based Applications and SAAS.
Subscriber acknowledges and accepts the terms and conditions of this Agreement by using the SAAS.
In consideration of and upon receipt of payment of a subscription service fee by Subscriber, Drake grants to Subscriber a non-exclusive, nontransferable, limited license to use the SAAS at such time as it is generally available, solely as permitted by these terms. This Agreement does not grant Subscriber access to Drake’s Software, data, or property other than for the purposes of using the SAAS.
Subscriber agrees to pay a fee for each return activated, and all payments for returns purchased through the SAAS are NON-REFUNDABLE.
Drake reserves the right to place limitations on the SAAS including access to the 1040 series of forms only.
Subscribing to the SAAS does not grant to Subscriber the right to use any other Drake products, including the Desktop Applications.
Subscriber agrees not to provide access to the SAAS to any party other than those authorized to use the SAAS under the Subscriber’s Online Account. Drake specifically prohibits access to the SAAS by more than one (1) EFIN. Subscriber will take reasonable precautions to safeguard Subscriber’s password and keep it confidential. Subscriber agrees to use the SAAS only for lawful purposes. Subscriber is responsible for providing, at their expense, all necessary connections and equipment needed to access the SAAS. Subscriber must maintain the confidentiality of all assigned user names and IDs for the SAAS and Subscriber is responsible for all charges incurred under those user names and IDs, unless otherwise provided under these terms.
The availability of the SAAS may be subject to interruption and delay due to causes beyond Drake’s reasonable control.
Pay Per Return. If Licensee is using the Software under the Pay Per Return (PPR) option, Licensee agrees to pay Drake $19.00 for each return activated in excess of the number of returns included with this option. Licensees who choose the PPR option may convert to an unlimited package with no additional fee any time prior to the IRS accepting tax returns for the tax year. If Licensee chooses to convert to an unlimited package after such date, the price will be $1,615 less amounts previously paid for current tax year returns. This price is subject to change. Converting from the unlimited package to PPR is NOT ALLOWED.
Refund Policy. Licensee may elect to terminate this license prior to December 31, 2013 and receive a full refund with no penalty, provided Licensee returns all materials, undamaged, to Drake by REGISTERED MAIL within 30 days, with a written statement that Licensee has retained no copies of the Software, and has uninstalled all downloaded copies of the software, and that Licensee has not disclosed any of the materials to any third party whatsoever. After December 31, 2013, Licensee may request a refund within 72 hours or 3 business days of payment, provided Licensee has not electronically filed any tax returns with Drake. Drake will, in this case, refund the License Fee that Licensee has paid, less $200.00 for shipping, handling and restocking. NO REFUND OF FEES WILL BE MADE if Licensee has activated, prepared or filed any returns. No other offer of refund is provided. Where return of materials is concerned for the purposes of a refund, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.
Customer agrees to pay for Software prior to receiving, installing or commercially using the Software, unless a separate agreement is entered into.
Licensee grants to Drake an irrevocable right to offset unpaid Software License Fees with any and all fees collected by Drake remittable to Licensee. If Licensee does not comply with all terms of this Agreement, including payment of fees in a manner prescribed by Drake, Drake reserves the right to immediately cease offering all services and products to Licensee, including access to databases, e-filing systems and Software updates.
All sales, use and other taxes are the responsibility of the Licensee, and Licensee agrees that Drake may, at its sole discretion, charge and collect applicable taxes and fees as part of the purchase.
Applicable taxes are calculated on a product basis and are subject to variables determined by Drake, including Licensee’s ship to address and Licensee potentially providing a tax exempt certificate to Drake.
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Indemnification of Licensee. Drake hereby agrees to indemnify and hold Licensee harmless from and against any and all liabilities, losses, costs, expense, damages, and deficiencies during the term of this Agreement, including, without limitation, court costs and reasonable attorney fees, which directly or indirectly arise out of, result from or relate to any and all liabilities, obligations, or claims, whether accrued, absolute, contingent, or otherwise, which have as a basis the intellectual property ownership of the Software. Licensee agrees to notify Drake of such claims in writing within 30 days of becoming aware of said claim.
Drake represents and warrants it has the authority and right to grant the Licensee use of the Software as described in this Agreement.
Drake warrants that the Software shall operate substantially in accordance with the specifications contained in the user manual or other specifications provided by Drake (the “Specifications”) until October 15, 2014 (the “Warranty Period”). DRAKE MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ALL SUCH WARRANTIES BEING EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED. If during the Warranty Period the Software does not operate in accordance with this warranty, Licensee shall promptly notify Drake in writing of any claimed deficiency and provide information sufficient to permit Drake to recreate the deficiency. If a deficiency exists which breaches the warranty, Drake shall, at its sole discretion and within thirty (30) days: (i) correct the deficiency so that the Software operates substantially in accordance with the Specifications; (ii) provide Licensee with a plan acceptable to Licensee for so correcting the deficiency; or (iii) with Drake’s prior written authorization and upon Licensee's de-installation of the Software and return of all copies of the Software to Drake, refund any License Fee paid to Drake, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate. The warranty shall not apply if the Software was not used in accordance with the specifications, the Software was altered, modified or converted by Licensee, the Licensee’s equipment malfunctioned and the malfunction caused the defect, or if the deficiency resulted from any other cause within the control of Licensee. Drake will exercise due care in conforming the Software to the requirements of the Federal and State authorities; however, the Licensee acknowledges that income tax preparation is subject to change and is of such complexity that the Software may have inherent defects.
THE REMEDIES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE LICENSEE’S SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES FOR BREACH OF THE WARRANTIES CONTAINED IN THIS AGREEMENT. DRAKE SHALL HAVE NO OTHER LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY TO LICENSEE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF OR RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE OR ANY PROGRAMS, SERVICES OR MATERIALS MADE AVAILABLE HEREUNDER OR THE USE OR MODIFICATION THEREOF. LICENSEE SHALL INDEMNIFY AND HOLD DRAKE HARMLESS AGAINST ANY CLAIM BY A THIRD PARTY RELATING TO LICENSEE’S USE OF THE SOFTWARE OR THE RESULTS THEREOF.
Amendment, Modification and Waiver. This Agreement may be modified, amended or supplemented by Drake without prior written notice or consent of Licensee. Drake reserves the right to change, modify or update this Agreement with NO PRIOR NOTICE by posting the revised agreement on its website located at www.drakesoftware.com .
Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed under the laws of the State of North Carolina.
Arbitration. Any controversy or claim arising out of, or relating to, this Agreement, or the making, performance, or interpretation thereof, other than a claim by Drake for injunctive or other equitable relief, shall be settled by a single arbitrator in the City of Franklin, North Carolina, in accordance with the Rules of the American Arbitration Association then existing. Any judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction over the subject matter of the controversy. The arbitrator shall be experienced in software-related issues.
Other Products Provided by Drake. . Licensee understands that Drake may provide to Licensee other products and services other than Software, such as a preparer web site, on-line filing through www.1040.com, on-line research, Drake user forum, etc. Drake makes no guarantee as to delivery time or availability of such products and services. Licensee agrees to hold Drake harmless for any failure in providing or delivering these products and services, and Drake shall have no liability or responsibility to Licensee for damages of any kind, including special, indirect or consequential damages, arising out of or resulting from such other products or services provided to Licensee by Drake. Use of the forum and editorial control of content is at Drake’s discretion. All Drake website content is controlled by Drake, including but not limited to the Drake Forums, Facebook, or other sites and Drake reserves the right to edit, delete, or withdraw access to support and public media websites at its sole discretion.
Other Terms. Supported systems are available in documentation and User manual for each Product. All Web Based Products require internet access. | 2019-04-23T00:22:41Z | https://cloud.drakezero.com/taxty13/web/155355/ |
There will be a coaches clinic run by Bridgewater Little League and Al and Al Baseball at Danvers High School on Sunday March 2nd. This is a very good clinic where you can learn a lot of different practice drills. The clinic is free to all of Bridgewater Little League coaches as Bridgewater Little League has already paid the costs.
There are two different training sessions offered depending on the age of the players you will be coaching.
Session Two: Registration starts at 12:30PM Session starts at 1:00PM.
For more info, please visit the event website by clicking here.
Chief of Police George Gurley and the Bridgewater Coalition Against Community Violence are pleased to announce an Introduction to Women's Self Defense course. The course, offered to women 15 years old and up, will be an instructional series focused on the best techniques for self defense.
To register for the event, please contact Anne Schuster at 508.697.6118 or Lorraine Carrozza at 508.697.0929.
The event costs a suggested donation of $35.00 to the Bridgewater Coalition Against Community Violence.
Bridgewater State College professor Dr. James Hayes-Bohanan, who posted about the coffee tastings at Rockin' K Cafe on Friday evenings, is perhaps Bridgewater's coffee expert. Though we all might enjoy a good cup of coffee on an hourly basis, Dr. Hayes-Bohanan has focused on the interesting science behind the geography of coffee.
To check out Dr. Hayes-Bohanan's website documenting the geography of coffee, please click here.
Friends of the Bridgewater Public Library: 9a.m.-10a.m.
This is a name your own price event. The book sales always feature something for everyone. Whether you prefer romance novels or historical non-fiction, you will surely find something for you!
The book sale is held at the Bridgewater Public Library at 15 South Street and will take place in the lower level of the library.
A five week beginner American Sign Language course will start on March 3, 2008 from 6 to 8 PM at the Conant Community Center. The program is designed for those who have little to no experience with signing, especially those who are in the education or social services fields. Class space is limited, therefore, pre-registration is required.
To register, please call Marianne Molinari at 781-447-2470 or email her by clicking here.
Please call Uplifting Connections to register in advance.
Have you ever wondered how to start eating healthier? Many of us get confused about what the "right way to eat is. Come and learn some tips and ideas to start transitioning yourself to a cleaner and healthier lifestyle.
The event is presented by Noelle Armstrong, Holisitic Health Counselor, AADP. Armstrong is a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and a Certified Holistic Health and Wellness Counselor. She is the Founder and Owner of Holistic Health and Wellness.
The Bridgewater Garden Club is offering two, fifteen hundred dollar scholarships to graduating high school seniors or students enrolled in college who live in Bridgewater or Raynham. Study must be in specified fields.
Application forms are available at the Guidance Office at Bridgewater-Raynham High School, Coyle Cassidy, Southeastern Regional, West Bridgewater, Bristol Plymouth and Cardinal Cushing. Deadline to remit forms back is April 1.
BTV9 will be airing a special presentation, immediately following Bridgewater This Week on Friday through Monday (normal news times), which will take their viewers on a virtual tour of the Academy Building, Memorial Building, Town Hall, and McEllwain School giving a historic perspective and current conditions of the building. This program was co-produced by BTV and the CPC, who will be holding a forum to discuss the future of these buildings on Monday evening at the Academy Building meeting room.
Who doesn't like a good pile driver or body slam from the top rope every now and again?
The World Wrestling Alliance is coming to Bridgewater! Wrestling stars including former WWE/ECW Champion Rob Van Dam along with former WWE/ECW Tag Team Champion Spike Dudley will come amped up for a premier wrestling event here in town.
The wrestling event will benefit the Bridgewater 4th of July Celebration so not only will you be catching some great entertainment, but also will be helping out a great community event.
The event will take place at the Bridgewater Knights of Columbus on Bedford Street on February 29th beginning at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $15.00 at the door or $12.00 in advance.
Tickets can be bought in advance at Bridgewater Liquors and Emma's Pub & Pizza. Tickets can also be purchased by contacting Jeff Fowler at 508.631.0544.
Interested in learning about some of the different varieties of coffee?
Come to the Rockin' K Cafe every Friday night between 4PM and 8PM to sample some of their coffee offerings. Rockin' K Cafe serves coffees from Equal Exchange and their line includes Love Buzz, Ethiopian, Midnight Sun, Breakfast Blend, Dark Roast and more!
Admission to the coffee tastings is $3 and along with the sampling of the different coffee roasts, you are also welcome to sample some of the homemade cookies and organic brownies that Rockin' K Cafe is well known for.
Rockin' K Cafe is located at 132 Broad Street in Bridgewater.
Planning on doing some early spring cleaning? Have some things lying around the house that you were planning on throwing away at the transfer station?
Rather than adding to the landfills, consider joining Freecycle Bridgewater. This a free online group to join that allows you to post items that you are looking to get rid of. People post a variety of items and the site allows for free trading of goods that you might no longer need but someone else might be interested in. Also, it is a great way to find things that you might be on the lookout for!
Again, this is a complete free site and is a huge benefit to all residents and businesses in Bridgewater. Log in today and check it out for yourself!
The Board of Library Trustees will meet this Tuesday, February 19th, at 7PM at the Bridgewater Public Library. This meeting is open to the public and anyone wishing to attend should ring the buzzer at the delivery door toward the back parking lot of the library as the main door will be locked.
America's Little Angels Preschool is currently collecting can tabs and Shaw's receipts to benefit Athena's Hope.
Athena, a young child from the South Shore, has metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD). This is an extremely rare, progressive, genetic disease. There is no cure or treatment. The disease has caused loss of all muscle control, she is unable to chew or swallow and can go deaf and blind. Most are left in a vegetative state. Life expectancy is 3 to 6 years old.
America's Little Angels Preschool is also collecting new child themed blankets to donate to a hospital that gives them to children who are getting different treatments and services at the hospital.
Shaw's receipts, can tabs, blankets can be picked up from you by emailing America's Little Angels Preschool by by clicking here.
Russo's, located on Bedford Street in Bridgewater, was voted Best Liquor Store in Bridgewater. Stop in today to visit Dean and Greg and tell them you saw their victory on Around the Common!
Congratulations to all the other vote getters, as well.
The Rita Dziergowski Memorial Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce that applications for the 2008 scholarship are now available. The Rita Dziergowski Memorial Scholarship this year will be for $1,000.00 and will be awarded to a Bridgewater student graduating from high school and looking to further their education. The scholarship application consists of a short essay and some background questions.
Completed applications will be due back by April 11, 2008 so do not delay your opportunity to receive this significant $1,000.00 scholarship.
The Bridgewater Knights of Columbus Council 488 will hold its monthly meat raffle this Saturday from 1PM to 3PM.
There will be five meat raffles and two 50/50 raffles.
The event will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall at 582 Bedford Street in Bridgewater.
The Bridgewater Senior Little League will hold its registration at the Recreation Building on Cottage Street this Friday from 6PM to 9PM and this Saturday from 9AM to 2PM.
The age requirements for the league are 13-15 year olds and registration can be completed with two checks, one payable to Bridgewater Little League for $100 and the other to the Bridgewater Recreation Department for $25.
This upcoming election is about our future. It is about achieving meaningful change, not serving personal agendas, or maintaining the status quo.
I am the first candidate in this race who has offered a substantive plan on how to adequately address the full-blown fiscal crisis in our town. I will provide CLEAR positions to the many challenges that face Bridgewater rather than offer vague stances for political expediency. What people will hear throughout this campaign are my core beliefs on what needs to be done to turn Bridgewater around.
* Stay away from “politics as usual”.
*Support a more responsive pro-business approach to the permitting process that welcomes, not discourages commercial development.
VOTE FOR MEANINGFUL CHANGE ON APRIL 26!
I look forward to talking and listening to you throughout this campaign. Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please feel free to contact me directly at 508-279-1971.
Where is Bridgewater on the ladder?
Currently, Bridgewater is a town divided. In 2007, Bridgewater cut 28 town employees from the payroll. Although we have created a wonderful infrastructure for our schools, they remain on probation and have never restored 30 of the positions they lost three years ago. Our library is on the brink of being de-certified. We have turned off many of our street lights; de-funded our recreation program and our senior center has been forced to run on private contributions and fundraisers. In the last year, two override propositions failed by a narrow margin; a vote to re-certify the regional school budget passed by an equally narrow margin. Citizens have lost services, property values are jeopardized, town employees and teachers often feel de-valued and we are unable to agree about a course of action to change direction.
The Hunt for Unity platform proposes a way to restore Bridgewater. Climbing the ladder represents positive forward motion. This, however, cannot happen until confidence and trust in government are created. Trust requires two-way, responsible, respectful interactions between government and its citizens.
Philosophy: Every Board of Selectman action should be guided by an attitude of respect, responsibility and responsiveness. Bridgewater has a “town meeting” form of government. Thus, citizens vote openly to direct the Board of Selectmen (BOS) on a majority of Town issues. The BOS should listen and respond respectfully to the citizens of Bridgewater. Although particular citizens may support a candidate for his or her election, once elected, that Selectman represents all citizens.
•Maintain regular office hours, remain listed in the phone book, answer email and phone calls and advocate for a public forum at BOS meetings.
•Recommend the establishment of open public meetings in advance of town meetings so citizens may ask questions of their elected officials in an informal setting.
•Communicate respectfully and consistently with both elected officials and general citizens.
•Be a responsible leader and encourage other members of the BOS to be responsible not only to the citizens but to the various state and local statutes/regulations under which the Town operates.
•Be respectful to the various appointed and elected boards and committees in Bridgewater and communicate with them in a consistently professional and responsible manner.
•Respect the findings presented in reports from town departments, boards and standing or appointed committees. While she might disagree or have ideas other than those presented in a particular report’s findings, she will always listen respectfully, respond appropriately and be responsive to those entities.
•Always make her views known as early as possible so the citizens of Bridgewater may express their support or opposition. She will listen respectfully and attentively giving due weight and consideration to arguments that contradict her opinions.
•Marilee will always explain her positions and the reasons she reaches her conclusions.
Philosophy: Trust is built through consistent actions. Marilee is absolutely committed to consistency. She will bring that commitment to Bridgewater government. Her word is her bond.
•Use management methods which will provide solid leadership in fiscal, personnel and general practice arenas.
Philosophy: When respect, responsibility and responsiveness have been proven consistent in Bridgewater, trust will be established.
Citizens of Bridgewater cannot be expected to trust government that is not transparent and responsive--- which means no hidden agendas, no “found money,” no misleading presentations explaining what the results of a particular vote will be, then changing the impact after votes are cast. Trust is difficult to build and easy to lose.
•Hold herself to the “higher standard” expected of a public servant.
Philosophy: With trust restored, Bridgewater can take action to move forward.
•Advocate for a clear reporting schedule by all departments and boards overseen by the BOS.
•Fiscal responsibility. Bridgewater will benefit from Marilee’s experience as a state and federal grant-manager. She has both personnel and fiscal management experience that will allow her to take a thoughtful, disciplined approach to budgeting. She has assisted numerous non-profit agencies across the Commonwealth as they replaced unproductive “crisis management” with best-practice management.
•Changes in town by-laws to promote better fiscal management. Marilee supports the intent of the proposed draft by-laws that are available on her web site and on the Citizens for a Better Bridgewater web site. Such by-laws will bring fiscal responsibility by creating a stabilization account, free cash policy and general reserve policy.
•Research and understand the Tax Incentive Financing (TIF) and District Improvement Financing (DIF) in hopes that they may provide some helpful answers to Bridgewater’s fiscal problems.
•Implementation of the Master Plan. The Master Plan Implementation Committee has worked to encourage implementation of the Master Plan. However, there is little “ownership” of the Plan by various departments, committees and boards. As one member of the BOS, Marilee will encourage their advocacy in encouraging all town agencies to take seriously their roles in the implementation of the Master Plan.
•Completion and implementation of the Four Building Study. Funded through the Community Preservation Committee and undertaken by Newport Collaborative Architects, the Four Building Study, due in April 2008, will outline a 10 year road map for the use, preservation and restoration of the Academy, McElwain and Memorial Buildings and the Town Hall. As chair of the Community Preservation Committee, Marilee has proactively promoted this comprehensive and responsible approach to the use and preservation of municipal buildings. Implementation needs to be coordinated with both the Master Plan and any recommendations being implemented from the Government Study Committee.
•The Government Study Committee. The request for a Government Study Committee was presented to the town by a citizen’s petition at the 2007 Fall Town Meeting. The Town Meeting voted in favor of forming the Committee and the citizens of Bridgewater now await its report/recommendations on the best type and structure for our government. Marilee pledges to listen respectfully to the report/recommendations brought forward by the Committee. Her acceptance/rejection of the Committee’s report/recommendations will be based on thoughtful consideration of what is in the overall best interest of Bridgewater. Implementation must be coordinated with the Four Building Study recommendations.
•Investigation into best practices for streamlined permitting for development in hopes that it may hold some answers to help us attract businesses to Bridgewater.
•School De-regionalization Study Committee Marilee pledges to listen respectfully to the report/recommendations brought forward by the School De-regionalization Study Committee. Her acceptance/rejection of the Committee’s report/recommendations will be based on thoughtful consideration of what is in the overall best interest of Bridgewater.
•Establish a budget planning calendar to assure scheduled, timely, annual review and construction of the town budget.
o Schedule mid-fiscal year meetings with all department heads to ascertain budget status.
Philosophy: Bridgewater will be stable when fiscal responsibility and government efficiency result in a balanced budget that provides for the needs of all citizens. Continued stability requires ongoing responsiveness to the citizens, and continued reevaluation of plans. Stability will maintain a …..
Midgets: Girls entering Grades 7 & 8 in fall, 2008.
Peewees: Girls entering Grades 5 & 6 in fall, 2008.
Any current 8th grade girl that is interested in coaching a team for the 2008 year should contact the Bridgewater Badgers Cheerleaders Board by clicking here.
Bridgewater State College will be hosting a film series in celebration of Black History Month for the month of February. The film series is sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program, the Anthropology Department, The Ethnic Studies Program and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program. The series is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 508.531.1799.
Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice - Though virtually forgotten today, Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a household name in Black America during much of her lifetime (1863-1931) and was considered the equal of her well-known African American contemporaries such as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice documents the dramatic life and turbulent times of the pioneering African American journalist, activist, suffragist and anti-lynching crusader of the post-Reconstruction period. Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison reads selections from Wells' memoirs and other writings in this winner of more than 20 film festival awards.
After a full week of online voting and with a tremendous turnout logging in, here are the results for the Selectman's race poll.
A salute to Handi Kids Valentine's Dinner Dance.
This event is sponsored by the Bridgewater Kiwanis Club. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased by calling Hank Boudreau at 508.697.5923 or Rich Gosselin at 508.580.8900.
Along with the National Marrow Donor Program, Bridgewater State College will sponsor a marrow registration drive. Individuals must be between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good health. To register, only a cheek swab is needed. There is no cost to those that register.
The registration drive is dedicated to Alyssa Correira, a 10 year old from Rehoboth, who was diagnosed with leukemia this fall and is in need of a life saving bone marrow transplant.
For more information about the drive, call 800.283.8385 x. 720.
The visioning session sponsored by the Bridgewater Community Preservation Committee on February 25th at 6:30 PM will be held at the Academy Building and not the Senior Center as previously reported.
Interested in how Bridgewater residents voted in the Super Tuesday primary?
Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney win Bridgewater!
Bridgewater Sports Photographs Now Offering Senior Photos!
Bridgewater Sports is combining with Captured Moments to offer you the best Senior Portrait sitting available!
They are currently booking on-location senior portrait sessions at a variety of great locations. Unlike most of the studios shooting senior portraits, Bridgewater Sports actually spends more than fifteen minutes with you taking what will be one of the most important photos of the year. Each portrait session is booked for you, or you and a friend. During the sitting they will give you all the time needed for you to become comfortable with our photographer and to make a truly spectacular photograph. There are never any time limits on how long Bridgewater Sports will take to make your portrait the best that it can be. After the sitting you can view you photos on-line or have actual proofs delivered right to your home.
Compare their packages. Then call 508-941-5891 to schedule your sitting with Bridgewater Sports!
Looking for the perfect cake?
In the past few years, television shows have been popping up all over many different channels highlighting the artwork and precision that goes into custom cake making. The ability for a baker to not only create a fabulous tasting cake but also an artistic masterpiece is an amazing quality to have and Bridgewater is lucky to be home to Cake by Paula Surrette.
Paula Surrette started her custom cake business a few years ago and has seen her business grow by leaps and bounds into one of the most successful custom cake businesses in the region. With a knack for perfecting her customers' specific and individual custom cake requests, Paula ensures her clients not only a cake that is fun to look at but equally as fun to taste.
Cake by Paula Surrette has completed hundreds of cakes ranging from weddings to birthdays and from baby showers to bridal showers.
Check out Cake by Paula Surrette's website the next time you are in need of a custom cake. Not only will you be supporting a Bridgewater business, but will also be talking about your cake for a long time after the last piece is gone!
WATCH THE 2008 RED SOX IN STYLE!
It seems like everyone is hankering for a Sony 40" LCD TV. Do yourself a favor by donating to the 4th of July community celebration with the possibility of a little something extra for yourself! Raffle tickets are $5.00 each and tickets and are going fast! At $5.00 a chance for a prize valued at over $1,500.00 you will want to get yours as soon as you can! Do not miss out on this opportunity, as the Bridgewater 4th of July Committee has a limited number available.
Tickets are being sold at: BTV Cable - Spring Street, Bridgewater, MA and by 4th of July Committee Members around town! Again, there is a limited supply of tickets available for this raffle! Get your raffle ticket today -- get the 4th of July Committee closer to their fundraising goals -- and get a chance to win this great TV for your home!
Call Jeff Fowler at 508.697.1833 for more information or email him at [email protected].
The Bridgewater Water Department would like to inform its water users that the Water Department is currently rehabilitating it’s 4-million gallon Water Tower, off Broad Street. The tower is 32 years old and is now in need of sandblasting and painting, both inside and out. There is much labor involved in this process and the projected completion time of this project is the last week of May 2008. The water Tower had to be drained and taken off line. As a result, the work had to be scheduled through the winter months and early Spring, so the tower could be filled and put back into operation for the water peak demands of the summer months.
In taking this 4-million gallon tower off line, the Town’s wells are now pumping our water supply to the 1-million gallon water tower up on Burrill Avenue. With the water supply now flowing in a different direction, up to the Burrill Avenue Water Tower, instead of the Broad Street Water Tower, there has been periodic discoloration associated with the flow reversal. This is common in other cities and towns when Water Towers are taken off line for scheduled maintenance.
The Bridgewater Water Department would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may cause during the maintenance of the Water Tower. However, this work has to be performed to keep the structure of this Water Tower operational. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter please feel free to call the Bridgewater Water Department Office at (508) 697-0910.
The delivery of meals to seniors takes from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Drivers can work alone or as a team of driver and runner. The drivers pick up meals at the Bridgewater Senior Center, 10 Wally Krueger Way, between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. and deliver them to a specific list of recipients in Bridgewater. There is a small stipend for mileage. Drivers can drive on a daily basis, or an on-call, emergency basis.
Please call 508-697-0929 and ask to speak to Director of Elder Affairs Lorraine Carrozza or email [email protected] as soon as possible if you want to deliver meals to the town's seniors.
This event is open to the public. Adult price is $8.50 with children's meals being sold for $5. Reservations are accepted by calling 508.697.6241.
After coming off a large victory as best place in Bridgewater to get a coffee, Uplifting Connections has won this week's poll of best place in Bridgewater to get a massage. Congratulations to all the other businesses, as well. | 2019-04-22T14:42:18Z | http://www.aroundthecommon.com/2008/02/ |
It’s now possible to get Sentinel-2A orthocorrected imagery (Level 1C) from the Sentinel Data Hub.
The Sentinel Data Hub is pretty easy to use and is much better than previous ESA data discovery systems! Sign up, and you have access to a web map based search.
To quickly view the products, use the SNAP Sentinel-2 Toolbox.
All these images are displaying data which is 10 metres resolution.
So I have a great blogging platform, now for the fun stuff. Geo-blogging from Antarctica and how I did it.
I will divide up the types of geospatial data input that was loaded into Geoarctica maps, into three main categories. Flight paths, activity tracks and static point and polygon features.
My job when I was in Antarctica was to conduct an aerial photography survey campaign from a Twin Otter aircraft.
The camera system consists of not only the actual sensor and lens, but also a GPS antenna and reciever, and an IMU (innertial measurement unit). By processing the outputs from the GPS and IMU, the position (or trajectory) of the aircraft can be determined to within centimetre level accuracy.
After each flight it was necessary to quality check the data from the GPS and IMU, and process up the trajectory. This gave me the data for the flight paths.
I made sure that whilst I was in Antarctica, I made use of the outdoor activity opportunities available at Rothera Research Station. To provide data for my geo-blog, I tracked many of these using my Garmin Vivoactive.
I bought my Vivoactive last summer and I love it. Apart from logging my daily steps and sleep patterns, it also has GPS functionality for tracking activities. Perfect for quickly switching on for spontaneous skiing, boat trips, climbing and walks.
There were a few steps I had to go through to create geojson to upload to Geoarctica.
Garmin FIT files were transferred from the Vivoactive onto my laptop, using the freely available Garmin Basecamp.
These were exported into GPX format using Garmin Basecamp.
I then loaded the GPX tracks layer into QGIS, simplified the geometry if required and exported to a geojson format layer.
… and a set of polygon features which I used in a few posts to show the building layout on station.
These features were all digitised using trusty QGIS. The buildings were traced from a high resolution aerial photograph, and I created point features with a ‘popup’ attribute, as required.
I have recently returned from a month long trip to Antarctica and had a lot of fun blogging about my experiences over at Geoarctica.
In the run up to my trip, I was often faced with blank expressions when I tried to explain to people where I was going, and more specifically what I would be doing over there. So I was keen to be able to communicate my journeys by harnessing the power of mapping, loosly inspired by Strava.
This is part 1 of two posts about Geoarctica and blogging from the far South.
Confession… I didn’t create the blog itself. I have @orangemugdev to thank for that. It would have been nice to learn some new skills and put something together myself, but I ran out of time. After explaining my vision, I ended up with something really excellent that I was very excited to start using.
The original plan was to use a polar projected map with MODIS imagery acquired on the day of the post as the basemap, similar to another recent project of ours, Leafarctica. But I only gave @orangemugdev one day to get this up and running (terrible client…) and we came across some problems.
The MODIS imagery wouldn’t have worked without a coastline to give it some context because of the large amount of cloud in each image. Since attempting to add a coastline to Leafarctica ourselves and not achieving anything satisfactory, someone else has done an excellent job of this! Check out Leafarctica2 by @zeigert.
The available zoom levels of the MODIS dataset did not allow for my smaller scale adventures around Rothera Point to be displayed. The larger scale flying posts would look great, but the detail of skiing and climbing for example, would be lost.
I really like the map tiles from Stamen Design that we settled on. However, they lack any kind of indication of what the ground looks like, which is where a satellite image basemap would have been nice.
Overall though, super chuffed and ready to go!
PyCon 2015 was a great experience. I went to a wide variety of talks, from those that were super technical to others that were widely applicable to work and life in general.
Here are two of the latter, which I particularly enjoyed.
My highlight talk of the conference was by Kate Heddleston presenting insights into workplace cultures and diversity. Everyone should watch this, or just read her blog posts on Criticism and Feedback, Onboarding, Argument Cultures and The Null Process.
A great talk for anyone who has felt Imposter Syndrome, was the keynote by Jacob Kaplan-Moss. Well worth a watch.
I decided it was about time I made a web map using Leaflet.
To help with this, I teamed up with Orange Mug, and together we created Leafarctica.
We used a nice dataset of daily Antarctic MODIS imagery from GIBS and implemented an idea for a really simple viewer with date selector.
Because when it comes to web mapping, all seems very simple until you want to use a projection that is not web mercator. So this added a nice, challenging component to the plan.
Here’s a walk through of the features we explored and used.
We used Proj4Leaflet to add support for Antarctic Polar Stereographic (EPSG: 3031). We found this to be well documented and pretty straight forward to use.
We were really impressed that Leaflet.Graticule plugin worked beautifully on this projection.
Antarctica is big. So when zooming around the imagery, it’s easy to loose track of where you are. We tried to implement the Leaflet-MiniMap plugin. However, we didn’t have much success in getting this to work. We think it’s an issue with the not using straight forward web mercator, but more investigation is required.
Leaflet-hash is used to retain the current map view when switching between imagery dates.
map.fitBounds() wasn’t working with our polar projection, so Orange Mug had to hack a solution. You can find it here. This isn’t perfect however, because it stops any pan animation.
If you want to look more closely at this pretty simple implementation, head to the repo on GitHub.
In the meantime, I’m continuing to use this project as a way to learn and experiment with Leaflet.
I have created my first complete QGIS plugin. Introducing the Sea Ice Concentration Downloader.
The plugin downloads sea ice concentration data of Antarctica within a time range, does a few data conversions, then displays the results in QGIS.
The dataset is derived from spaceborne microwave radiometer readings of brightness temperature from a series of satellites, and is designed to be a consistent time series going back to 1978. A complete picture of the sea ice conditions is produced everyday, gridded at 25km resolution. Refer to official docs for more info.
As with all QGIS plugins, installaton is easy and is explained here. I’m hoping to enhance it with a few more features in the future and potentially add it to the official QGIS plugin repo.
You will need to get your DEMs into stl format. To do this, I exported my DEM into a point cloud x,y,z text file. I then loaded this into the freely available MeshLab, created a surface from the points and exported it to stl format. Detailed instructions can be found here on how to do this.
DISCLAIMER: I’ve found sometimes the models don’t load with slow internet connections. If it doesn’t work first time, try reloading.
The QGIS built in Python console is great. But the real power comes in being able to use PyQGIS in external scripts.
The PyQGIS developer cookbook explains how to fix this problem for Windows and Linux, but not Mac. So Mac users, here’s what you do.
Add this line to load external opengeo libraries, so you can save out your layers in various formats.
Save this and type the following into the terminal.
Now you will be able to import PyQGIS modules into any of your external scripts.
Back to this set of GDAL tools, that I’ve talked about previously.
The green boundary is the output, outline.shp.
How many atolls are in this Landsat image of the Northern Maldives?
This isn’t really a question that needs answering, but it is quite fun to come up with a fairly accurate count based on simple morphology and thresholding operations.
By eye, I’ve counted a total of 34 atolls, all differing in size and characteristics with varying texture across and between each atoll. Helpfully, they are all set against a relatively homogeneous backdrop (the darker sea).
Pythons scikit-image is a collection of algorithms for image processing and computer vision. It contains a number of packages for segmentation, filtering, morphology and colour manipulation, amongst others. It also has nice documentation.
This post demonstrates using morphological opening and closing and thresholding with the Otsu method to count the atolls.
Firstly, the image needs to be read in as a NumPy array and its projection and geotransform information recorded. Then later on, we can save out any results as image files.
This is defined as an erosion followed by a dilation. By passing a window of a certain size over an image, it will emphasize the lighter areas that are larger than the window and suppress the light areas that are smaller. The window can be a rectangular array, or a disk (by using the inbuilt disk constructor in scikit-image). The result of this is that the small sun glints on the sea will be suppressed, while the atolls will be enhanced, making an automated thresholding much more effective.
By using all bands and summing the result to create a grayscale image, the atolls have a higher pixel value than the surrounding sea. Making use of all bands in this way ensures all available information which helps define the atolls is retained.
# after some testing, a disk with a radius if 4 pixels seem to work the best.
Saving all_open to an image file gives you this.
Ultimately we need a binary image, so the objects can be counted computationally. Using the Otsu method, we can automatically select a threshold which will bring out the clusters of brighter objects.
Lets add to the code.
Using the selected threshold value generated from the Otsu algorithm, we can create bin_im which gives a value of 0 to all pixels below thresh and 1 to pixels higher.
Saving out bin_im, we get this.
Counting the objects in this image will results in a value of 166. Much too high. We need to close the smaller black areas.
This measurements.label function from scipy allows the output of a labels array, giving a grayscale image showing each object as a different value. Also we get an integer number of objects.
In this case nbr_objs has given us a value of 32. Which is pretty close to the true number.
We now have the count, so time to save the resultant bin_im2 to a georeferenced image file.
There are a few omission and commission errors. But the varying size of the atolls makes this hard to correct. All the larger atolls have been accounted for and some of the smaller ones too. This is a simple technique demonstrating the use of scikit-image on satellite imagery.
In an earlier post I have talked about the usefulness of NumPy’s masked arrays. Now here’s a simple implementation, which I put together after getting a bit unstuck while using them myself.
Level 3 Global mapped SMOS Ocean Salinity dataset accessed from the Centre Aval de Traitement des Donnees SMOS (CATDS).
To convert this data from NETCDF with integer values into a scaled GeoTIFF with real salinity values for easy use and visualisation in a desktop GIS. Data centres will store grids of integer values to cut down on data storage volume. So a simple linear scaling can be applied to convert them into their true float values.
The masked values turn into zeros after performing the linear scaling. So my resultant GeoTIFF had values of zero rather than -32767 in areas of land and sea ice.
Convert the input integer array to a float array before creating the masked array. Here’s the function I wrote. Firstly I converted my data into a NumPy array in my usual way, taking acount of projection and transform information. The key is then to change the input array to data type float before creating a masked array.
# Here is where I define the arrays data type as float.
# ... and very quickly apply the linear scaling, ignoring the no data pixels.
First we convert the GDAL dataset to a NumPy array. os is the GDAL dataset.
Then we create the masked array.
And perform the linear scaling.
… even though areas of real data do scale (picking a pixel in the sea).
So instead we add this line to define the array as datatype float.
So when we write this to file and we get a dataset with all areas of land remaining with the no data value of -32767.
What is the basic skill set required for our profession? Of course, the geospatial community is vast with many specialisms within it, from data collection, data management, data analysis and data display. I try to keep abreast of everything, but of course this is not really possible. The industry moves very quickly and technology leaps ahead all the time. However when we start out early in our careers, there are probably some things we should know. The rest, we can learn as we go along.
The ways of gathering spatial data are increasing as technology improves. Even if you are not the one out there capturing the data, knowing the method can be very insightful. Take GNSS as an example. At some point we are all likely to make use of data from positioning systems, so being aware of the differences between accuracies of data from handheld recreational GNSS receivers compared to data processed using differential methods is important. And what about alternative data gathering techniques, such as crowd sourcing and space based remote sensing with nano satellites. Knowing the inherent advantages and problems of these techniques is vital.
Although I am a huge proponent of open source GIS, I still consider it valuable having some working knowledge of ArcGIS. Any of us who have used it will know its quirks, and where it is likely to crash. These things are learnt through putting in the hard yards with what can sometimes be a frustrating piece of software. At the same time as being familiar with this, it is also beneficial to keep in mind where this huge industry leader is headed in the future. Whether we like it or not, ESRI products are still heavily used, and it pays us to be aware of them.
More and more businesses are going open source when it comes to making decisions about budgets. Uptake of QGIS is increasing for this very reason. As a GIS professional, it should be increasingly easy to put together a business case to ditch ESRI and go open source, because the options just keep getting better. Freely available, with a willing and helpful online support community. What more do you need?
And of course, lets not completely rely on big software packages. Quite often the job is better done using smaller, cheaper (and sometimes free) software and command line tools. So knowing these can be very advantageous. If you can churn out some custom programs and scripts, even better.
Cartographic teaching is declining, but in my opinion it is still important. Whilst the days of hand drawn maps are well over, the need to present information in map form to create impact is definitely still at the forefront of the profession. Maybe these days it should be called geovisualisation rather than cartography, but ultimately, the underlying drivers are the same. It is a tall order to ask us to be experts in design and visualisation as well as geographical data wizards, but having a good understanding of how a map should be laid out and how colour is perceived is very useful. This can go as far as knowing web accessibility guidelines, as after all, our mapping products should be creating an impact on everyone.
With advances in web mapping, getting our message across with a beautiful map is becoming easier. Web mapping is a huge area of growth, so knowing your OGC standards and the difference between WMS and WCS is another useful piece of knowledge.
And because the earth is not flat, the most important fundamental concepts of our profession are datums and map projections. It might be true that for many purposes, the difference between WGS84 and ITRF08 are not important. But as geospatial professionals, this should be something we are all paying critical attention to and we should know when the difference becomes important. I would argue that we should never assume it does not matter. Datums and map projections are a complicated concept. I have spent many hours scratching my head over datum transformations and what projection I should use to do certain calculations on? But at every stage our work, this is absolutely critical. From data collection, data management, data analysis and data display. And this doesn’t stop at horizontal reference frames. Know what is meant by the geoid.
The last point here is probably the most important, if I had to pick something. But all the above points are useful knowedge areas for early career geospatial professionals.
I have just completed the O’Reilly School of Technology Python 1 course, part of the Python Certificate qualification (consisting of four such courses). I thought it might be useful to write a little summary of what I thought of it.
Whilst I have had previous Python experience, much of this was self taught. I have had a small amount of formal programming and scripting teaching, using IDL and csh. I quickly realised that Python would be a good language to learn in my chosen specialist area and given that I was having to use it more and more at work, I felt a formal education was required to fill gaps in my very basic knowledge (rather than trying to work through a book).
Generally, I have found this course extremely beneficial. The guideline time for completion is 90 hours. As Python was not completely new to me, I completed it quicker than this. I imagine for someone completely new to programming, the 90 hours is a good guide. When you consider the price of the course, that is pretty good value.
Now that I’ve completed the course, I feel more confident with Python, I have learned some really valuable concepts and picked up some ‘good practise’. It is a good introduction and I think it would suit someone completely new to programming, who wants to learn from scratch.
Positives: - The course is well structured. It starts slowly, and gently introduces new concepts. It is broken down into manageable ‘lessons’ consisting of exercises, quizzes and assignments. These lessons are a good length meaning its easy to fit this course into a busy lifestyle. - A real person marks assignments, and very quickly too, generally within 2 working days. Feedback is detailed where it needs to be and quite often you are shown different ways in which you could have written the same assignment. If you don’t pass first time, you are given guidance on how to correct your work. - The web learning environment is simple and uncluttered.
Sometimes hard to read through the lessons on screen and there does not seem to be an easy way to download course material.
I have now signed up to the next Python course, which should keep me busy for the next 6 months.
In order to do bulk raster analysis, or anything slightely bespoke, I will generally opt for using GDAL with Python. However, its possible to achieve similar things within an ESRI ArcGIS world if you want to, using ArcPy.
If all you need to do is a simple point operation (in this case, multiplying each pixel by 2), then this can very quickly be achieved using ArcPy’s raster calculator. The Spatial Analysis extension is required for this.
If this is implemented using the Python prompt in Arcmap, as soon as x has been created it will appear as a layer in the “Table of Contents” labelled x. At this point it’s only saved in memory. If you quit Arcmap, the raster will be lost.
To do anything more complex with rasters such as filtering and neighbourhood functions, this method won’t cut it. In this case it’s necessary to start using NumPy arrays. Just as I have previously written about using NumPy arrays for raster processing with GDAL, below is a similar example using ArcPy.
Just for the purpose of this post, I’m only going to multiply the raster by 2 again. But obviously once data is in an array, anything in possible.
# NB: I find it useful to use the optional argument `nodata_to_value`.
# what number represent no data in the array.
Remotely sensed data can be riddled with no data (or null) values. Take this grid of sea surface chlorophyll A (CHLa) concentration for example, which represents 8 days worth of repeat observations and still has lots of big data gaps (shown in black). With products such as these that use optical data as their input, cloud cover is always going to be a problem.
If you wanted to do any raster processing with this data, identifying no data gaps as invalid is essential. And if you’re creating your own processing scripts, it can become problematic.
You could simply build in conditions to ignore this number. However, I find a much nicer way to deal with no data if using Python, is with NumPys masked array operations. They lend themselves really well to remote sensing analysis. With a basic example, here’s how this can work.
If you want to visually display where your no data cells are in a GIS, you can easily change the mask into an integer array and then save it out in a visual format.
Equally powerful, if you already have a mask raster, you can build the mask and the data part of the masked array yourself.
These are basic operations only. The documentation for masked array operations shows the range of possibilities. I’ve used masked arrays very frequently when developing bespoke raster processing scripts.
I found this set of GDAL tools recently which I’ve found to be really useful. I thought it would be good to show some of these in action.
The -rgb option is used for each input band, the -lum option is used to simulate a low resolution panchromatic band, each band requires a weighting (0-1). -pan is needed to select the panchromatic band (band 8 for Landsat ETM), -ndv to specify a no data value and finally -o to give an output filename.
A quick read of the tools wiki page points us to this paper in order to derive the weightings for the low resolution simulated image. I also refer you to the wiki page for further information on the maths behind the technique.
Using GDAL with Python opens up a lot of flexibility in raster processing. By converting your raster data into a NumPy array, you can make use of all Python’s array operations.
So in this very simple example, I will convert a single band georeferenced raster (GeoTiff), to a 2D NumPy array, and back again. Once the raster has been read in as an array, any raster operations are possible.
With the launch of the new Landsat satellite last month, it’s a great time to look back over some 40 years of continual high resolution multispectral data acquisition, achieved by the Landsat program. And with it’s free data access policy, the Landsat archive represents a fantastic resource for students and researchers interested in remote sensing analysis. From a general interest point of view also, some of the images are stunning.
Although I completed a Masters degree in Remote Sensing, I was never actually taught how to search for and download Landsat data for myself. Although its not particularly complicated, I hope this post will help save interested people a bit of time in figuring out the best way to do this.
There are two access points to the archive, both run by the USGS. GloVis and Earth Explorer. I recommend the latter. It’s newer and more intuitive, and runs without having to install a Java plugin! It’s also probably one of the better online image searching sites I’ve come across. In order to download data from EarthExplorer, you must first register.
I think searching for images is pretty self explanatory. Under the data tab on the left, start by just selecting L7 ETM+ SLC-on (1999-2003). Data from Landsat 7 collected after 2003 unfortunately suffers from stripping. You can still use the small middle section of these images, but I find it unlikely that the feature you want the image of will be convieneintly resting in the middle section. The benefit of Landsat 7 is the panchromatic band with 15m spatial resolution.
If images have been processed already, you will be able to download the GeoTiff straight away. If not, they will have to be added to the cart and sent off for processing. You will be notified by email when your images are ready for download, which usually takes a maximum of a couple of days.
Unfortunately, the data comes with each band as a separate image file. So to view as colour composite, you will need to merge these together. One way to do this is with Quantum GIS or QGIS for short.
The tool you require within QGIS is called Merge. Which is hidden in the Raster menu. If you select the Layer Stack option, you can stack any number single images together.
Command line options for layer stacking include gdal_merge.py (using the -separate option), and gdal_merge_simple.
And here’s the result of a quick search, download and visualisation of Cornwall,UK as a false colour composite. Red areas show vegetation, Cornwall gets a lot of rain.
GDAL is amazing. I use it everyday for various raster handling tasks, such as converting weird file formats to more useable ones, reprojecting and querying datasets.
Below is a quick guide to getting GDAL command line utilities up and running on Ubuntu.
You’re ready to start using GDAL. | 2019-04-21T13:03:27Z | http://blog.remotesensing.io/ |
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