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Understanding waits and sleeps is an essential component of forming a comprehensive Selenium testing strategy.
Waits can be used in Selenium to make our tests less flaky, help us debug, and to generally slow down our testing experience. Now, you might not want to do that for production code, but we’ll go through some examples later where it can be really helpful.
We’ll go over the best ways to use each one.
Implicit waits are a way to tell our entire test to poll the DOM, or wait and recheck for a certain amount of time, for an element to be present to continue on to the next step or fail our test.
You can simply write an implicit wait of, say, 10 seconds at the start of your test and your test will wait at most 10 seconds for any object in the DOM to be present before continuing its instructions.
Notice we said at most – if the DOM element is present before your Implicit Wait time, the test will continue.
In the example, we have added the implicit wait to the driver which will persist throughout all the commands. In this particular case, it will wait for 10 milliseconds to find the element and give time load the DOM to find the element. It will return an error if the driver is not able to find it in the given timeframe.
Note that Increasing the implicit wait timeout should be used judiciously as it will have an adverse effect on test run time.
What happens without using an implicit wait? Once the implicit wait is set, it will set for the life of the webdriver object, and if there is no implicit wait the default is set to zero.
The load time for different websites varies from each other. As we learned, implicit waits tell webdriver to wait for a particular number of seconds. If implicit wait is not included there will be error thrown up by the program because the webdriver did not wait until the DOM is completely loaded and it was not able to find out the “login-in-message”.
Explicit waits are more direct and narrow than their implicit cousins and help us pinpoint our wait times, giving us the flexibility to place a specific wait time on each individual web element. You must set your specific explicit wait time on each command, which is the biggest drawbacks to Explicit Waits. However, they come with a huge advantage to testers who use them correctly.
Explicit waits allow us to make incredibly robust tests with pinpoint accuracy allowing for a wait of 8 seconds for an animation to finish loading, but only a 1.5-second wait for a button.
In function searchForCrossBrowserTesting the webdriver will wait up to 500 milliseconds for locating an element “ q ” before throwing a TimeoutException. A successful return value for the function is a True Value i.e., boolean.
If the explicit waits are not included in the commands and the webdriver is not able to complete certain condition before running the next commands in the code, there will be an error while running the code.
Explicit waits are used when we know particular element will take more time to visible, so we put expected condition of time to wait.
Sleeps are used for to put your entire script to sleep for a set amount of time, and they will not be “woken up”. Waits will stop waiting once an object is found, making it sometimes difficult to debug tests. With sleeps, we can add consistent pauses to our tests – allowing you to watch exactly what’s happening with your test.
Sleeps completely stop script execution even if the next element you’re looking for has been loaded into the page, so they can make your tests take significantly longer to run. For this reason, you should avoid using sleeps in production tests where possible. Sleeps should generally be used only for debugging. Sleeping briefly while the page loads might be all right in production tests if waits simply can’t do the job, but it should be for a few milliseconds at most.
Implicit waits, explicit waits, and sleeps all have different use cases when it comes to testing with Selenium. Understanding when and how to use each will help you run passing tests and properly debug. As you begin learning Selenium testing, waits and sleeps will be an invaluable tool to write successful test automation.
If you are familiar with automated testing but haven’t yet explored the possibilities of parallel testing, we can tell you right now that you’ve been missing out. Rather than testing sequentially, or running each browser test one after the other, parallel testing allows you to run cross-browser tests simultaneously.
This means if you’re running a test in just two browsers at once, you’re already doubling your speed and productivity. When time is a factor to every software development team, parallel testing is a no-brainer. Selenium is able to run tests in parallel, but CrossBrowserTesting makes it even simpler – allowing you to test across multiple browsers and mobile devices with just a few extra lines of code.
Our example below will be using the Selenium’s Python library, and we’ll run our test against two browsers at once in CrossBrowserTesting with Selenium testing.
First, you want to choose the two browsers you’ll be running the test on. There are a few ways to choose which configuration to test, but the best way to do it for this purpose is to choose the two most common browser versions and operating systems your customers use to visit your web application with Google Analytics.
Next, we’ll actually create the test itself, printing out relevant information like browserName to make our debugging experience easier. Our test will simply open CrossBrowserTesting.com and just wait for 3 seconds.
For parallel testing, we’re going to use something called thread dependency, which you’ll see below. Multithreading is the implementation of parallel execution that communicates multiple processes on the CPU.
Parallel testing becomes really handy when trying to increase the speed of your testing or actual testing coverage without sacrificing quality. Running a test against two browsers is a really great place to start with this script and already allows you to test twice as fast as doing the same testing sequentially on different browsers.
Once you begin using this method of testing on multiple browsers to extend the reach of longer test cases, the value will be evident. A test suite that previously ran for 5 hours can now be affordably decreased to around 15 minutes, giving your development and testing teams quicker feedback. You can also take your testing suite and boost your coverage immediately, running it against the browsers and devices your customers are actually using. If you extend this over day, weeks, and months, you’ll be benefiting from hours on top of hours of productivity.
Testers know the value of using browser screenshots for manual debugging and regression testing, but we take it a step further with capabilities for full-page automated screenshots. CrossBrowserTesting allows you to automate screenshots on real browsers and devices and compare them against a baseline to evaluate layout differences and find issues that need debugging more easily.
But what do we mean by a full-page screenshot? A full-page screenshot is more than what you see when you look at a web page on your device (a.k.a. a windowed screenshot) — it’s a capture of the entire web page above and below the fold.
This means full-page screenshots account for any area you have to scroll up, down, or sideways to view. As opposed to manually taking multiple windowed screenshots of one page and trying to stitch them together and compare them to multiple screenshots of another page; our algorithm scrolls the page, captures an image at each viewpoint, and merges them into one view in order to provide a fast and accurate screenshot of the entire page.
By evaluating different browser versions visually, side-by-side with our comparison engine, it’s easier to not only see layout differences but detect smaller problems that might go unnoticed.
Exploratory testing – Exploratory testing is performed the first time a tester looks at new software or new features. Being able to multiply these efforts by visually exploring multiple browsers saves time while increasing coverage.
Regression testing – Any change to working code means the possibility that it’s been compromised. Regression testing is used to ensure that a recent change hasn’t impact any previously functioning features, and comparing them with pass/fail results makes the process easy, effective, and efficient.
Usability testing – Testing the UI/UX of a web page ensures that current and potential customers are happy with your application and will continue to come back. Usability testing across browser and devices configurations further considers diverse user experiences.
Responsive design – Responsive design by definition means that everything looks visually acceptable from screen to screen, device to device, and browser to browser, which means visually validating this on real devices is paramount.
Log into the CrossBrowserTesting app, click screenshots, and start a screenshot test by entering the URL of choice. Keep in mind, you can also take screenshots locally or behind a firewall so you can test and debug before your app reaches the public eye.
Choose from over 1,500 real browsers, devices, and operating systems to replicate real user scenarios. Hint: use Google Analytics to decide which browsers you should prioritize, or choose the “Popular Browsers” option.
Use the full-page setting and view high-resolution results within minutes. Compare to your baseline, filter by device, and easily examine highlighted layout differents that anyone could understand to find bugs, spot UI issues, and identify elements that are hidden or misplaced.
Download the results, save your reports, and share with your team through Slack, Hipchat, email, or Jira. These communication channel integrations make it easier to provide feedback, start discussions, and affect change by encouraging collaboration with different roles on the development team.
Take to live testing for remote debugging.
Full-page screenshots prove to be a great resource in many stages of testing, and automating them with a tool like CrossBrowserTesting makes the entire process much more streamlined. Or, you can just photoshop your own full-page screenshots together if you’d like, but we prefer our way.
By increasing test coverage and speeding up debugging time, you can more easily identify gaps in quality and quickly deliver better software to your customers. Additionally, the CrossBrowserTesting Comparison Tool provides the best of both worlds, striking a balance between manual and automated testing by a visual representation of your web page while eliminating shortcomings of human error.
A page that has dynamic content has elements of the page that are hidden when you first get to the website. For example, if you were to press a button on a page and it loaded new content, like a pop-up form, without going to another page, that’s a dynamic website. It can also be a user-specific web page that changes day-to-day depending on when it’s accessed, where it’s accessed, user preferences, etc.
Alternatively, some websites are static, which means they have unchanging text files, or information always stays the same while you’re on that specific page. However, static web pages are not the ones posing difficulties when testing with Selenium WebDriver, so we’re going to focus on testing dynamic web pages.
So, what exactly is Selenium’s solution for testing dynamic content? Can we put the thread to sleep and then just pick it back up after a hardcoded amount of time? Well, you could, but you’d have failures all over your test results and your manager might be pretty upset come that morning report. Selenium actually has two built-in solutions for testing dynamic loading content that we recommend you should use: the explicit and the implicit wait.
For when a locator cannot identify a new element, Selenium comes with an integrated Explicit Wait where you can specify an amount of time to wait for a process before automating a command. This should help give the page or particular object enough time to load and identify the element to interact with.
For example, if you wanted to test a newsletter pop-up you might put an Explicit Wait on the containing div, waiting for it to appear, then filling out an email address and clicking submit. You can see how with all the new trends in our dynamic web design, Explicit Waits are a great answer for complex UI testing.
There are a few different ways to use Explicit Wait to command different actions.
presenceOfElementLocated – This defines an expectation of identifying an element at the DOM level, such as recognizing that the button exists on the page.
visibilityOfElementLocated – This defines an expectation of identifying an element is present at the DOM level and visible so that the button is there and the user could see it.
visibilityOfAllElementsLocated – This checks that all elements are identified and visible, such as a button and an image.
elementToBeClickable – This defines an expectation to check for a visible element and click it, such as clicking a button.
There’s a few more than that in the ExpectedConditions class, but these are the most basic commands needed to test a dynamic web page. Since most dynamic content can be handled with either elementToBeClickable and presenceOfElementLocated, or a combination, the example will be using those. However, depending on your web application, you can use the previous Explicit Wait commands based on what you need to test.
This command should wait until the new element is identified and return it. If the condition can find the element, it returns it as a result and will move to the next step in the test. If it cannot, the wait will try again until it times out.
The explicit wait should work for both user-specific web pages and sites with hidden elements, so you can test a dynamic web page with Selenium WebDriver.
The Implicit Wait is Selenium’s other solution, which sets a default wait time if the Selenium script can’t perform the action right away. While some may say you can mix Implicit and Explicit waits, it’s recommended that you don’t because it can cause unpredictable wait times or a timeout. The Implicit Wait will stay set throughout your script, so if you set your Implicit Wait to 10, it will wait 10 seconds to load elements between each command.
Implicit waits are okay for generally slowing down your test execution, something testers may want to do when running tests against a remote device cloud ( allowing time for a certain amount of latency).
Learn more about testing Implicit and Explicit Waits in our Selenium Testing guide for Python and Java.
After 25 years of extreme consumerism had eroded any concept of customer support or service in the modern buyer, it has been wonderful to see the renaissance of customer-centric products and marketing strategies popping up seemingly everywhere. Never before has the consumer had so many options, forcing companies to keep with up with high-quality customer support or simply perish.
Companies like Zappos and Starbucks have literally built billion-dollar brands on the back of their customer service. As software grows and becomes even more ubiquitous in our everyday lives, tools like Intercom and Zendesk make it easier than ever for the customer to communicate their feedback. Where “world class support” used to be a generic term thrown on the footer of your website, actual support engineers, with highly technical skills ( like ours!), are now key product differentiators for many businesses.
But this acute growth of feedback and service between customers and customer support teams has not gone without its headaches or hurdles. The rise of ticketing systems has been anything but graceful, bug reproduction is getting enormously more difficult, and communication between support, product, and development teams now is a focal growing pain of many businesses.
The biggest challenge for many customer support representatives at SaaS or web companies is accurately reproducing bugs, or features, that customers are complaining about. With brick and mortar stores, or more traditional service companies, customers have a finite way of accessing and using the information; whether it be a kiosk or mail delivery, there are only so many things that can go wrong when customers buy shoes from an outlet mall.
When today’s digital consumer demands meet the fast pace of the digital age, the gravity of online customer support is increasing as web applications, features, and updates are constantly released. However, because the proliferation of devices and different browsers, it can be difficult for customer support representatives to replicate the bugs customers call in with or write a ticket for.
When the day comes that your customers find a bug on a device that you don’t have, it’s pretty hard for you to replicate the problem unless you want to expedite their exact machine via Amazon overnight or fly your developer to the customer site. And sometimes, you can’t fix their problem without having the same device in front of you. This is where CrossBrowserTesting’s 1500+ browsers and devices come in handy <– we even have Windows XP IE 6, a reps worst nightmare.
The beautiful thing about using a tool for cross-browser testing in the cloud, of course, is the unmatched access to thousands of device, browser, and operating system configurations at the drop of a hat. The best thing to do when a customer encounters and issue like this is to access a live testing session and offer test reproduction support. By going through the same steps that they went through in the same device via CrossBrowserTesting, your support team can approach their issues with the utmost accuracy.
While going through bug recreation, support reps have the ability to record their entire session, taking snapshots of problem areas and ultimately our error message or bug. Once the bug is documented in CrossBrowserTesting, you can share your test results through Slack, Email, or create a Jira ticket.
Replicating the test environment as closely as possible will assure that developers are able to reproduce the test as closely as possible to find the same bug your customers are encountering.
Previously, your developers would have to figure out how to rewrite test cases in order to reproduce the bugs with little information. By communicating with the customer and repeating the problem on their exact configuration, you can let them know where the issue originates with a definitive answer so they don’t have to wait for a solution and your developers don’t have to guess what went wrong.
By doing this, they know if there’s a problem with your application, a user error, or if it was the fault of the network configuration. You can also work with them to get the issues fixed faster.
Once your developers let you know that the new code is in place and the bug is fixed, make sure you test the solution yourself before firing off an email. There is nothing worse than sending a customer a “We Fixed It” only to have the bug still reproducible.
While customer support is becoming more difficult in the digital age – tools like CrossBrowserTesting can help alleviate the hurdles of the web. Reproducing bugs across environments will ensure that your application is optimized for the right devices, and more importantly, that your customer is satisfied, reducing the time it takes to recognize and effectively fix bugs or complications.
As software teams shift to a more agile, continuous approach to building and testing applications, collaboration becomes increasingly important. Software testing often times involves a large number of people functioning in different roles. Even on the most cutting-edge development or testing teams, there are still “swim-lanes” dealt out and hierarchies of accountability if not responsibility. That’s why CrossBrowserTesting has gone to great lengths to make almost any result easily shareable through multiple channels.
We have over five different ways to share test results and artifacts, and an almost unlimited number of options when you involve our easy to use API. Share test recordings with other developers, or your browser screenshot results with your project manager or CMO, assuring them of quality before launch.
Today, we’ll go over sharing your browser tests with our public URL, email, Slack, HipChat, and Jira.
The simplest way to share your test results, we supply a public link that you can share with teammates. Others can view almost any test result without being logged in.
CBT also makes it possible to manually or automatically share your tests results with emails. When selected before your screenshot test, we’ll email you the entered recipients as soon as they are finished. This is a great way to multi-task and keep historical archives.
Slack is a fantastic communication tool that is quickly growing in companies of all sizes. We’re big users of Slack, both at CrossBrowserTesting and company-wide at SmartBear, so we decided it would be our first third-party sharing integration. You can integrate with your Slack group, and then select a #channel to share with. If selected on the Screenshot Run Page, you can have any screenshot test automatically shared with a selected channel.
Another tool we use throughout our company, Jira is revolutionizing the project management market with great, agile software. With our integration you can share test results and artifacts with Jira as tasks or bugs, keeping your team up to date and pulling down tickets. | 2019-04-24T02:54:38Z | https://crossbrowsertesting.com/blog/category/how-to/ |
Zach: So Thank you for sending along that essay, and thanks for agreeing to talk with me – I’m really excited about having this conversation be part of the Undercommoning Project.
Zach: I really enjoyed reading both the “curricular objects” piece and the Critical Ethnic Studies piece again.
I guess if we could start out by you telling our theoretical listeners about — well, I guess from reading both of these pieces, one of your major scholarly interests seems to be the politics of institutionalization and disciplinarity. It seems like you’re reading it both as a form of capture but also as constitutive of the very conditions by which particular forms and fields of knowledge are shaped. I’m wondering how you became interested in that topic, and what your own history or genealogy of your approach to this topic is.
Nick: A couple things happened. I started grad school in 2005. So, a little over 10 years ago, and in the course of me being in graduate school, especially me being in graduate school in California, things just went wild – we had the financial crisis that played out more or less right in the middle of while I was studying for my PhD, and I was involved, to a certain extent, in the campus struggles in the UC system, especially in Santa Cruz, where I was studying for my PhD. I was living in Oakland at the time, so I was able to get involved with struggles at Berkeley as well. Along with that, I was also doing work, to a certain extent, in prison abolitionist organizations that were trying to think about — especially with regard to questions of state funding and institutional investments — what the relationships between the university and California’s investment in the prison system were.
At the same time, I started doing my PhD with the expectation that I was going to write on the discursive production of black masculinity in hip hop visual cultures, and realized pretty quickly that that wasn’t getting at the questions that felt urgent to me at the time. So I had some really good training, some really good comrades, that encouraged me to get deeply involved in studying the history of the field that made my study possible, and at the same time using that as an occasion to engage with the constitution of the university as the site that was making my own study possible. Two quarters of my six years in graduate school, I didn’t teach. The first quarter, I think it was my first year, my task was just to go into the library, I think the e187 section, which is how the Dewey Decimal System classifies black studies, and just try and read everything — to get a real immersion in what was where in the history of the field. Doing that gave me a deep appreciation of the amount of work that had gone into everything — the amount of sweat and tears and time.
Simultaneously, the constant struggles with the university to transform the labor conditions of graduate students contributed to the urgency of trying to think about what the contributions were of inhabiting the university at the moment, but also to think about when our movements were successful and when our movements weren’t successful how those successes and failures had to do with our own position in relation to the university. If nothing else, it gave me a real appreciation for both the extent and the degree to which social movements had been critical in the transformation of the university, but also to the ability of the university to respond — the university’s incredible flexibility to, if not absorb, to find inroads through the languages, through the demands, through the positioning and through the contradictions of social movements, and in some ways outmaneuver those very movements through those contradictions. Just inhabiting the university at the moment of that real complexity was really the foundation of the theories and projects that I’ve been involved with since.
Zach: it’s really interesting to hear you talk about the way that this project emerged from its own particular set of struggles, because it seems to me one that’s very attentive both to the longer duree of struggles over university resources and extra-university resources but also does have a lot to say about more contemporary moments. So, I wrote down a ton of question which fill up a page and a half of a google doc, and I’m a little worried that they’re all the same question. Hopefully we can kind of work through them and maybe have some kind of useful conversation will come out of them, but, uh, I’m warning you, I guess!
So I guess I wanted to start out by talking about the piece that you recently published in the Critical Ethnic Studies journal, which is a keywords piece on the Critical Ethnic Studies Intellectual. I think it’s a really powerful essay, and it gave me a lot to think through, and I think one of the most provocative aspects of it is the way you tackle “the material, discursive, and psychic forms that undergird a certain confidence that it is through knowledge that racial justice in one measure or another can be done.” You outline a series of fantasies that surround and constitute the intellectual. I’m wondering if you could talk about what you see as at stake in these fantasies, what work these fantasies of criticality and critique themselves do.
Nick: Well, the first thing I’d say is the terms the essay tries to sketch out, especially in thinking critically about the way that we think and talk about and perform critique, especially in the contemporary university, have to do with a set of conversations, and a set of works that have come out pretty recently. I’m thinking here certainly about Moten and Harney’s The Undercommons, I’m thinking about Robyn Wiegman’s Object Lessons, I’m thinking of course about Timothy Brennan’s important work in Wars of Position and his recent books, especially the one on Vico and Hegel – Borrowed Lights. And also Rita Felski’s recent book The Limits of Critique is something that I’m in conversation with but not necessarily in agreement with. So, what a lot of those works are pushing towards is reconsideration, at least, of the politics of critique.
I was invited to contribute a keyword to the inaugural issue of the Critical Ethnic Studies journal. I was present at the conference in Riverside in 2013 – critical ethnic studies and the future of genocide — and when I was writing that essay, I was just about to enter into a tenure track job at UC Riverside, so really the epicenter of this turn toward critical ethnic studies, which has been crucial in trying to reinvigorate the project of ethnic studies to try and confront the ways in which ethnic studies has in some ways become very complicit or comfortable with its positioning within liberal multiculturalist institutions – the same institutions that ethnic studies, at least in its inaugural moment, we imagine, was against.
I am, in the first instance, not the most convinced that, at least turning back to the historical record, that the oppositionality we would want to imagine ethnic studies having had in its inaugural moment, in the student-led social movements that were demanding it, was as opposed to the dominant logics of the university as it might be convenient to imagine that it was nowadays. And of course, we make our own historicities and we call on that history in order to try and animate the movements that we want to build today. So even if I think that’s not entirely accurate, I am definitely in step with so much of what the effort to reanimate ethnic studies through a turn toward criticality or critical ethnic studies would like to do, to embrace a radical, transformative, anticapitalist ethnic studies that imagines its aim as foremost being a critique of the dominant structuring logics and the historicities not only of the university but of global civil society writ large, whether it’s slavery, settler colonialism, global war, heteropatriarchy, genocide. Those languages are very important to my work.
And, at the same time, I think that what I want to do, and what I think that my contribution and the way that I approach my scholarship and activism pushes me to think, “what’s the investment in criticality, and what’s also motivating it beyond our own desires?” Part of what I wanted to get to there is these kinds of fantasies that we invest in, that make it so we can keep on going to work every day. It’s not easy to keep doing this work that’s extremely extractive in the university, to keep on imagining, and keep on imagining that we’re building momentum towards the movements that we want to build. Sometimes fantasy is the space where all the contradictions of our work can get resolved. It’s a psychic form through which all of these contradictions are playing out in particular. So thinking about the historicities of the kinds of fantasies that animate the critical work, and especially the critical turn in ethnic studies — where it all comes from is largely what’s at stake in that piece. First and foremost, the question for me is ‘what does fantasy crowd out?’ The fantasy of ethnic studies intellectualism.
My scholarship and activism pushes me to think, “what’s motivating our investment in criticality beyond our own desires?” What kinds of fantasies make it so we can keep on going to work every day and keep on imagining that we’re building momentum towards the movements that we want?.
And, just to back up for a second again, the reason that the essay focuses on the intellectual is that — rather than making pronouncements about the social world at the level of abstraction, which a lot of recent critical ethnic studies work has done, how do we make sense of the actual practitioner? The person who’s actually being inserted into the practice of critical ethnic studies?
So much of the fantasy I was thinking about had to do with the idea of criticality — criticality as an opportunity for renewal, criticality as an opportunity for communing with the version of the past that we imagine ourselves as in step with. Criticality as returning to the insurgent force of social movements that constituted ethnic studies. Just in the historical representation of the ethnic studies movements of the past, there’s already a kind of fantasy playing out. Some people will call it nostalgia. Nostalgia is certainly one way of representing it. I think in that piece I say that the dominant indication of the inaugural social movement that fought for ethnic studies often looks much more like family romance, like we could choose our own genealogy, choose our parents, rather than history. What brought ethnic studies into the university was not only social movements; it was the university itself, and that university was one that became in the course of engagement with social movements, incredibly adept in the absorption, rearticulation, and rerouting of activist desires into forms of institutionalization. By this I mean not only programs and departments, but schemas of labor, labor practices, and other social forms that were easily conformed with the transforming university that students were demanding in the context of ethnic studies. One of the arguments that I make in my book is that it’s actually an early form of university casualization that made black studies possible.
There’s a really direct history that gets us there. At San Francisco State, before the student strike where the Third World Liberation Front joined with the — I always get confused — at Yale the BSA, at San Francisco state, it was the BSU, the Black Student Union — so the Third World Liberation Front and the Black Student Union joined to demand a college of ethnic studies. The TWLF demanded 50 faculty positions. The Black Student Union demanded 20 faculty positions among other major demands. The BSU wanted across the board admission of all black students who applied to San Francisco State.
If we want to claim the radicality of the social and liberatory vision that emerged out the struggles of the late-60s we also need, simultaneously, to attend to the labor practices that emerged in that moment and that made it possible. If we’re thinking about the history of university casualization, this is a cycle that actually inaugurates it.
But the forms of study that make that possible emerge through an experimental college at San Francisco state that was institutionalized partly because of the intensely exploitative labor conditions that existed for San Francisco state faculty. There were professors there who were teaching 5-5 loads. One of the ways the San Francisco state administration responded to this glut of students for whom they needed classes was to institute an experimental college in which students could teach their own classes. All of the sudden, the university is extracting teaching labor from student populations. All of the sudden you have students who are paying fees – not necessarily tuition, to provide teaching labor for the university. If we’re thinking about the history of university casualization, this is a cycle that actually inaugurates it. So if we want to claim the radicality of the social vision and the liberatory vision that emerged out of that moment we also need, simultaneously, to attend to the labor practices that emerged in that moment and that made it possible. The forms of fantasy want to have one part of that history – the fantasies of that moment want the radicality without attending to the materiality of the labor practices that make it possible.
Another argument the book makes is that in this moment you see a major shift in the category of the adjunct. By the mid to late 60s the adjunct was still, not uniformly, but generally, kind of an honorific term. It was a term that acknowledged someone who had a form of expertise that the university desired, but who was employed elsewhere – who had a kind of full time employment elsewhere. But the university was acknowledging their specialization within a field, and therefore wanted to employ them and to use that expertise to benefit the student population, generally speaking. But the category of the adjunct becomes productive differently, in the context of trying to staff these emerging black studies, and, by the end of the 60s, women’s studies programs, where, by the turn of the seventies, there’s a full-fledged form of casualization that is being articulated through the adjuncts when university administrators realize it’s useful, particularly to be able to en masse hire people to be in these programs.
But also – this is how the administration is imagining that they can politically outmaneuver the student movements when there’s no longer the kind of large scale articulated force of student social movements, or when the political economy of universities has either pushed student activists out or graduated them (because graduated is a major term in the political economy of the university but one that masks it at the same time) it can either not rehire those same people who have been hired into the programs or fire them, as San Francisco state president (In the UC system the heads of different campuses are chancellors and at SFSC it was the president) so SFSC president Hayakawa, when the black studies faculty submitted their budget 20 minutes late, I believe in 1970, he just fired the entire department! They had no recourse. They weren’t tenure-track faculty. They had no structural recourse to protections. And then he just reconstituted black studies under his own vision.
Thinking about the specific kinds of labor conditions that were articulated within the institutionalization of black studies offers a different way of understanding that moment of emerging. But, because it doesn’t conform to the momentum and the shape of the desire that we ask when we’re fantasizing – when we want the past as a resource, it tends to get crowded out. My interest is in trying to embrace those contradictory moments to see what sense we can make of them when we think about what those movements signified in a fuller sense.
Zach: That’s really interesting – and my own research into very contingently related histories at other universities during the same time period confirms the same timeline of casualization. As you were talking about criticality, I was reminded of Moten and Harney’s line – I think they say that the critical intellectual is the privatization of the social through the professionalization of negligence, which is I think also what you’re building on, which is an incredibly provocative but generative analysis of what work universities do.
I’m also wondering – building of off that – and maybe I’m getting ahead of myself because I have a question I want to ask later about politics and “what is to be done” – I’m wondering (how) might Critical Ethnic Studies and folks working within it engage the university as a site of labor and as the fantastic/phantasmic commodity that their intellectual labor produces. What possibilities does this argument create for critical ethnic studies as a field-in-the-early-stages-of-defining-itself-as-a-field, and for allied fields?
Nick: I’m already getting at some of the terms that — for many good reasons, I think that in Ethnic Studies scholarship writ large just don’t get emphasized to the same kind of extent. I’m just finishing right now a graduate course called “feminist ethnic studies and the university.” One of the things I was trying to emphasize in that class was the irreducibility of labor without capitulating to a highly reductive form of old-school economic determinism. It’s also the reason why when you ask about fantasy, I go to labor, because I think that one of the reasons why fantasy is able to capture the force that it does, both in terms of inspiring us to try and build new intellectual-academic movements, while also as a term that seems to signify something labor isn’t. It’s one way in which the academic conditions of the labor environment get played out.
I would love to see a re-invigorated field-wide emphasis in ethnic studies on questions of labor while being attentive to histories of thinking about labor movements and without necessarily letting the dominant ways in which the subjectivities within labor history have been articulated predetermine the terms by which that inquiry would take shape.
I would love to see a re-invigorated field-wide emphasis in ethnic studies on questions of labor while both being attentive to histories of thinking about labor movements without necessarily letting the dominant ways in which the subjectivities within labor history have been articulated predetermine the terms by which that inquiry would take shape. I think one of the reasons I do that is just because I think it’s a useful thing to do when you’re engaging with graduate students. I think it’s particularly problematic to train graduate students in ethnic studies without training them in a way that allows them to theorize the institution that, ostensibly, they’re going to be entering into. Especially if you’re going to teach them to embrace the movements that made the field they’re going to be entering into as professionals possible.
So I think in that way it would be kind of a really important critical occasion to think about what would it mean to rearticulate some of our epistemological frameworks and theoretical frameworks in ethnic studies, not just in such a way that we can add labor to them, but [taking into account instead] how we’re already engaging with questions in which labor is at the center, but not articulated in a way that allows us to form political mobilization around them and think about different political coalitions that can emerge through and in relation to them. This, again, is where my formation is showing. I think workplace level organization is often times something that we’re doing but not necessarily understanding that we’re doing [it] at that level or thinking about the depth or the ways in which that might allow us to connect with other people who are working within the institution. I think the graduate student movements in the UC system have been pretty good at being able to do this, but I would just like to see it play out in scholarship a little bit more. I see the resources there. I see the thinking. It’s there.
I would certainly like to see, in the academy, people’s labor politics being more directly confronted. I have had, and people I know have had, rather horrific experiences with academic intellectuals who are considered radical, but their practical relationship to labor is not seen as an actual test of their radicality. That, to me, seems like an actual political failure.
And I just think in the critical pivot in ethnic studies, there’s a real opportunity to build a framework that can reinvigorate social movements in ways [we] haven’t necessarily been doing, or that aren’t necessarily visible within their present articulation. That’s one general framework within which I think this work can be done. I also think it would be, given certain experiences that people I know have had working in the field, I would certainly like to see, in the academy, people’s labor politics being more directly confronted. I have had, and people I know have had, rather horrific experiences with academic intellectuals who are considered radical, but their practical relationship to labor is not seen as an actual test of their radicality. That, to me, seems like an actual political failure. When people’s actual, on-the-ground labor politics is not one of the ways that we’re testing whether we think their scholarship is radical, then we have an actual epistemological divide and contradiction between what we think is radical scholarship and the very conditions that make it possible. So, having different ways of testing that, and having different ways of making it visible within the available-to-us scholarly frameworks, I think, is really urgent.
Zach: Yeah, I’ve certainly had similar experiences, and I think maybe one of the lessons of the wave of graduate employee labor struggles that stretched from late 80s and early 90s through the Brown Decision and the NYU Strike was the failure of the radical faculty member to step outside the managerial logic of the university. And I can cite personal examples.
Nick: I’m sure you can!
Zach: And I think it’s also important to be talking about labor, and labor in the university in, for lack of a better term, an intersectional way, in a moment when this kind of zombie class determinism seems on the march in the public sphere in a way that’s kind of puzzling, but that seems to reassert itself whenever some more radical understanding of how labor is inserted into other social phenomena is put forward, that under the sign of radicalism, or sometimes even under the sign of reaction, class gets held up in a way that wants to discipline those other forms.
Nick: And also — I don’t know if I’m at the place where I actually come out as the person who writes the low end theory blog, but I guess I’m there now. One of the things that I was trying to write about when I was writing in relation to the Occupy movement was the importance of not allowing the zombie class determinism — not implicitly accepting its terms in antiracist movement building. Because one of the unfortunate outcomes of that can be the way that antiracist social movements symptomatically imagine class — ultimately affirm class determinism — by understanding class as something that is white. Allowing the category of class to lose all of its critical purchase. And I continue to think it has extremely important critical purchase, but only if we don’t, from the outset, allow it to be a whitened category.
One of the things that’s at stake for me, and one of the real tests for me, in thinking about what’s the value of these critical turns within the fields in which I work is — it’s not only not about throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but also to really think politically about what’s available in these modalities of analysis that if we don’t allow them to be co-opted, or to be — if we don’t accept the terms on which they’re reinscribed through the dominant. In some ways, that contradiction led to the demise of so much of the momentum, at least on the Occupy Oakland front, because we couldn’t find a way to have a conversation about it, because the terms of the discussion, the terms of the dialogue, already presumed a certain racialized division between class and race that once it was accepted, was already over. Thinking about how to strategize around that is incredibly urgent and incredibly difficult, I continue to find.
Zach: Yeah, absolutely. So I guess with the time remaining, we should talk about the curricular objects piece a little bit, and one of the ways I wanted to transition was to think about the parallels – because you’re talking in that piece about the 1960s and 1970s, and the rise of women’s studies, and the way that it’s phrased in opposition to how black studies became a discipline. One of the most powerful things you do in that piece for me is framing the tension between “women of color” as a political subject, and “women of color” or “minority women” as a curricular object, which gets used to build women’s studies in a way that winds up buttressing racial liberalism in a kind of antiracist racism in ways that I think are really insightful – your read of it is really insightful and really provocative. Are there parallels between that moment in the sixties and seventies, and the one we’re in now (in the struggles that ethnic studies as a field is going through at the moment)?
Nick: Well, first of all, no historians would really call me a historian. I’m a bad one in the sense that I think that so many of my present political concerns are ones that I work out by turning to historical questions.
When I was writing the curricular objects piece, and the curricular objects piece, I should mention, for folks who’ll be listening to this — it’s not out, it’s been rejected twice from different journals. They want no part at all of it. [laughs.] I got one good readers’ report, so thank you to whomever anonymous reader who made some suggestions for it, but I also think that it’s intended to be a little bit provocative [laughs] because of the argument that is attempting to push against a prevailing tendency that is still very much with us today to invoke the language of women of color as a kind of uncompromised form of political subjectivity, and sometimes to use it as a vanguard of criticality. So, something about the animating conditions of that, to make it a little bit clearer.
The emergence of the term “women of color” says a lot about the institutional interests and needs of certain institutionally-privileged white women at the time in consolidating women’s studies as a field and also in investing, for reasons very good and also very problematic, women’s studies with antiracist credentials.
Part of it also goes back to the movement history of Occupy that I was just talking about, where I think I got myself into trouble with the people of color caucus for saying some things, and also what I thought were some of the uninterrogated class politics going on in that field. What the piece does is talk about the emergence of the category “women of color” through a lens that imagines that “women of color” does not simply have a genealogy of pure oppositionality, but is not in fact the autonomous self-naming, self-determining embraced category of women of color. In fact, its emergence says a lot about the institutional interests and needs of certain institutionally-privileged white women at the time in consolidating women’s studies as a field and also in investing, for reasons very good and also very problematic, women’s studies with antiracist credentials.
I was interested – and this is sort of a continued tendency that’s also in the Critical Ethnic Studies piece – in how these terms whose radicality is oftentimes taken for granted especially in the corners of the left that I consider my comrades as being located in is taken without too much question. What I was trying to do in “Curricular Objects” was just to mess with the confidence that animates those kinds of invocations of “women of color.” The lesson to be learned there that’s sort of alive to the present is we have this term “women of color” that’s often presented as inherently political or inherently radical, but there’s nothing beyond appropriation, and there’s nothing that gets established in the university, beyond curricularity or otherwise, that’s had the lifespan that women of color has, that is not in some way the outcome of a compromise with institutional liberalism. And that’s not a damning thing. It’s not a damning thing, but it’s a problem that we have to contend with. And so acting as if it’s not is not going to get us anywhere, and often it inures us to certain weaknesses in our politics or our analytical habits that we don’t have to have and that I think we would do well to learn from. [Learning from them] might offer different strategies, different angles of analysis, different forms of political imagination, might open up onto different political coalitions, or, they might open up questions that we already thought were solved.
So that’s the major stakes of the piece for me. I don’t know if that gets to the heart of the question, but it’s sort of operating in the background implicitly. I think it just goes back to what, for me, is an abiding concern about antiracism: that there’s no inherent revolutionary value in antiracism by itself. That antiracism is such a complicated and varied historical phenomenon, and this is something that I think that Jodi Melamed of course argues to a brilliant extent. It’s something that one of my continued antagonists, but one of the figures I find both the most frustrating and fascinating in the Black radical tradition, Adolph Reed, is always kind of pushing up against.
There’s no inherent revolutionary value in antiracism by itself.
But I would have to say, some of his writings, especially his writings in the 80s on the black revolution are, I would say, indispensable to thinking some of these questions, and got to questions that people in ethnic studies today are resuscitating as “cutting edge.” He was saying them in ‘79. The way that he does his politics I have all sorts of questions about. I do not share every conclusion with him, but when Adolph Reed writes, I read what he writes. There’s no inherency to antiracism because the meaty […] historical phenomenon that it embodies accommodates so much of the political spectrum that to say that one is antiracist oftentimes today says nothing. And so to be very explicit about what we mean by antiracism, and to put content to that, and to put questions of what we mean when we say antiracist to the test and to think critically and reflectively on them rather than allowing antiracism on its own to be a term that can signify some transparently left value, I think, is a problem.
I think it’s important today that activists pretty much across the board all want to imagine themselves as antiracists – i think that is generally great, but… If we want to actually learn something, if we want to create more rigorous politics, let’s actually get into what that means as a historical phenomenon.
Zach: Absolutely. So that kind of dovetails into my next question which is how or whether you see a similar logic of antiracism, official or otherwise, at work in the contemporary institutional framing and response to the movement against racialized police violence and what kinds of relations of force, what kinds of fields of power/knowledge are being produced through this contemporary moment of struggle and cooptation.
Nick: I think I would have gotten myself into trouble with Black Lives Matter in a way similar to how I got into trouble with Occupy, but I think that Black Lives Matter today is in some ways more interesting to me than what I found interesting or frustrating about Occupy. Especially because, from the start, having to do with the ways black lives matter has emerged through alternatives to traditional forms, especially within the context of black politics — traditional forms of institutionalized leadership. And so, the fact that you’ve got a movement at which queer black women, queer black gender non-conforming folks have been really at the heart of, I think is extremely important, and is not something I could have anticipated. It’s something I think is super, super, super exciting. I think it’s great.
BLM is a movement at which queer black women, queer black gender non-conforming folks have been really at the heart. I think is extremely important, and is not something I could have anticipated. I think the real question on the movement end is “what is the vision of success.” What is the interpretation of the origins of policing? Of police violence? What solutions does it call for? What movement strategies does it open onto? Who is the movement linking up with?
Then, at the same time, some of the problems with the history of black leadership still make themselves felt: the class constitution of the leadership, the ways in which police violence as an issue can often be extracted from larger structural questions. I think the real question on the movement end is “what is the vision of success.” What is the interpretation of the origins of policing? Of police violence? What solutions does it call for? What movement strategies does it open onto? Who is the movement linking up with? In general, movements against police violence have a structure that puts into place a certain kind of, if not leadership, spokesmanship: certain people being positioned as the people who speak for black people. I think, as always, it’s important to be critical of this. Who emerges as the leaders? What questions come to the forefront?
The unexpected turn of BLM recently toward the campus movement — and the folks both in Robin Kelley’s recent essay in the Boston Review and the folks responding to it have said this better than I can. The unexpected turn both raises a really important moment for that movement to expand in ways no one might have anticipated in the Ferguson moment but that I would love to see, and… both a deeper analysis of… what does it mean to say that this is the same as the Ferguson moment? Is it the same thing as the Ferguson moment?
In a sense, if this were other movements, and there were other populations who had stepped into this moment, we might call it appropriative, in fact, but partly because we don’t generally in the US Left, when we talk about black politics have a reflex way of thinking about “what is the class constitution of the kind of movements that conduct antiracism,” it’s very easy to imagine that movements that are taking place on college campuses are the same thing as movements where poor and working class people, many of whom don’t necessarily have the same institutional access to universities, many of whom do, but many of whom do not have the same kind of institutional access to universities go out in the streets and refuse to go home.
I think actually being able to embrace the complexity of what’s happened in that shift, especially in the shift from Ferguson to understanding Black Lives Matter as part of a movement that’s going on on college campuses, it raises a different set of contradictions.
I think actually being able to embrace the complexity of what’s happened in that shift, especially in the shift from Ferguson to understanding Black Lives Matter as part of a movement that’s going on on college campuses, it raises a different set of contradictions. It’s one that we can expect to see, of course, within any given movement, but one that if we don’t have the right kinds of lenses and we don’t ask the right kinds of questions, then contradictions that are there and are consequential in the way these movements play out don’t become visible to us.
One of the best articulations of campus student demands — I think they’re more radical than the SF State demands from the sixties! — especially in the context of neoliberalism. The student demands that were made by the Third World Liberation Front and the Black Student Union were not fundamentally at odds with the form of Keynesianism that was present within the US military liberalism of the time. The UNC demands are fully at odds with the educational logic of neoliberalism. So even if you imagine this movement as an appropriative one, then I think it might actually allow us to also come to terms with the radical inflections of the demands that are actually being articulated in ways that we might otherwise not appreciate – the different contours of the struggles playing out.
Zach: Last question: You draw, particularly in the Critical Ethnic Studies piece, on Moten and Harney’s Undercommons essay in what I think are really interesting and exciting ways, and you’re careful to frame your critique of the oppositionality of ethnic studies as an additive one — we can’t just do this, we also have to do this. I’m wondering where this leaves a formulation – where your critique of these disciplinary formations and intellectual formations, even radical intellectual formations as themselves always historically — I shouldn’t say always – you’re very historically specific with your account whether or not you or historians want to call you a historian, but I’m wondering where this leaves a formation like the undercommons – (I have to ask this because we’re the undercommoning project.) I’m wondering if that’s a term that has meaning for you, if that’s a useful way of understanding a scholarly collectivity to which you feel allegiance or you think is a useful political frame. And the other way of asking this is the “what is to be done” question, the question of the ways subjects of the university, within or beyond it, respond to or resist its discipline – the question about whether there’s a beyond to critique, and is that a useful question for you.
Nick: So I don’t think that Moten and Harney would take it as a slight to say that I don’t think I always understand what the undercommons is. And I think their refusal to define it as such is part of its generativity. It’s a necessary part of its generativity. It’s also part of what can be frustrating about it. And, you know, that’s what we work with. The part that’s more of a historian in me – i joke sometimes that to critical theorists, I’m a historian, to historians, I’m a critical theorist — the part of of me that’s a historian wants a “who,” — who do we mean when we’re talking about the undercommons. But I also embrace the generativity of the formulation – especially because I think the question of who is part of the logic that even people who find something animating in the term can find different fronts of struggle available to them that are extremely important.
As someone who occupies a tenure track position in a university, for me to say “I’m in it, but not of it” can feel a little bit disingenuous. It almost feels like, “I get to have my cake, I get to take home my paycheck, and also to claim that I am not part of the dominant logic of the institution, that it does not articulate itself through me.” Of course it does!
Within the general formulation of the undercommons by Moten and Harney, I think you definitely see this again in the Kelley piece and the dossier responding to it in Boston Review: one of the moments of important, profound confusion comes in when they’re talking about their relationship to the university being “in, but not of,” it. For me, I think this is the one that continues to raise a lot of questions. Who can claim that, from what position? And again, I don’t know if what I imagine when I’m thinking of “in the university but not of it” is the same thing that they would be thinking, or is the same thing that Robin Kelley is thinking when he’s evoking it, and the other people do. Actually wrangling with the phrase is part of what I think is useful but also vexing in the struggle over it. Who is in it? Who is of it? And for whom does that distinction mean something meaningful? To be in it and not of it. Does that place a privilege on the political gesture of refusal? To whom is that gesture available? To whom is it recognizable? To whom is it useful? As someone who occupies a tenure track position in a university, for me to say “I’m in it, but not of it” can feel a little bit disingenuous. It almost feels like, “I get to have my cake, I get to take home my paycheck, and also to claim that I am not part of the dominant logic of the institution, that it does not articulate itself through me.” Of course it does!
I think that can be part of the same kind of fantasy structure that I want to push against a little bit. And at the same time, it certainly animates important thinking about our relationship to the university. I think that, “Yeah! Repurpose the university.” Thinking about what it means to steal it, what it means to steal from it, what it means to violate the university’s property claim is an extremely important political question. Stealing from it doesn’t simply mean taking things from it, but also thinking about how to use its spaces, the dominant property claim of the university, for work that it would expel from the field. And at the same time I also think that we can use the imagination that people bring to the university that is generated by the university, and also repurpose that.
So when I think about the undercommons not necessarily as an existing coalition or collectivity we can bring to bear, but as a set of questions about how to use the institution and how to refuse the ways in which the question of our relationship to the institution is given to us in advance, I think can be an extremely generative formulation. And at the same time, like anything, I think that we ask, what are the desires that this kind of collectivity and these kinds of questions are doing for us? What’s the work that they are doing on us? My relation to it isn’t markedly different from any of the field formations or the object formations or the conceptual questions that I tend to work with in general would be, at the end of the day.
Zach: Thanks so much, that was great! Is there anything I haven’t asked that you want to respond to or say?
Nick: I think it’s really important for folks to think about the political economy of the university, but to think about how we can denaturalize it — meaning thinking about how it naturalizes itself, through the terms of opportunity and achievement. The way I start out the class that I mentioned before – the feminist ethnic studies in the university class – I actually assign Marc Bousquet’s book – and the challenge that I present to students is, “this is not a book where feminism as an object of analysis, where race as an object of analysis are central, and the point of this class is to get us to a point where the stuff that Bousquet is talking about in this book becomes, unquestionably, the object of feminist and critical race analysis.” Let’s not leave those questions to the parts of the field where they’re unmarked.
I guess the thing that’s been animating me nowadays and that I forgot to talk about, in your question about the movement against police violence, is, well, I hope that the Left can do more nowadays, and I could talk all day about even the usefulness of the Left as a political abstraction. But what the left, however fictional, should imagine as part of its work nowadays is to think about the historical demand for black vanguardism. Which is to say: the demand, which is sometimes nostalgically embraced in present day scholarship, to imagine that black struggle is always already the forefront of Left struggle. I think there is oftentimes, even for people I consider my comrades, an unquestioned way in which this happens.
I think that sometimes its political effects can be really, really problematic in the sense that we don’t account for the historicity of the demand for black vanguardism being one where the only way in which black subjects imagine themselves to be heard is by saying that our liberation is everyone’s liberation. “Our liberation is everyone’s liberation, and therefore our demands for black freedom are the most radical.” The factuality of that kind of statement is less based on analysis of the given circumstances as much as on the reproduction of a kind of condition of black legibility. Its effects can be seen not only on the demands that are placed on black subjects to imagine themselves as the most radical, the forefront of the struggle, or, by contrast, as the most oppressed, but also in the inability of the Left to recognize certain forms of complicity with neoliberalism that articulate themselves as black radicalism. Being able to recognize, to historicize that, and to think critically about that, and to not be complicit with the form of racism that says that we don’t need to think when black people speak, I think is really important right now.
The unthinking relationship to black politics is problematic not only because it perpetuates a form of racism, but also because — and i’m going to use a term that I hate — it’s not also able to recognize the forms of really hard-won excellence that have come out of black politics. I’m seeing that continually as one of the most important questions that I want to keep asking of contemporary politics.
Zach: Seems like there are really important questions around commodification there too.
Zach: Well, I can’t wait to see what comes out of that work, and to read your book when it comes out, and thank you again, so much. | 2019-04-22T08:11:40Z | http://undercommoning.org/nick-mitchell-interview/ |
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Disclosed is a lamp apparatus designed for both bleaching teeth and curing dental restorative materials. Both bleaching and curing modes of operation may be used in at least three different power levels designated as boost, ramp, and normal. The lamp apparatus contains a incandescent xenon-halogen bulb and a dichroic reflector which focuses filtered visible light on the end of a flexible light guide which is part a handpiece for directing the transmitted light by the light guide to a tooth being treated. The lamp apparatus employs a slave microprocessor in a control panel mountable at different positions on a housing for the xenon-halogen bulb and a master microprocessor within the housing which is detachably connected to the slave microprocessor.
This is a utility patent application based on a U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/057,154 filed Aug. 28, 1997 and entitled "Multipurpose Dental Light and Method for Use."
This invention relates to a dental lamp apparatus used for curing light activated restorative dental materials and for bleaching to whiten teeth. This lamp apparatus provides visible light with a sufficient power density to either rapidly cure restorative material or rapidly bleach a tooth. The lamp apparatus may be switched between these two modes of operation as desired by the dentist. Each mode has a plurality of power levels, one being a ramp power level, particularly suited for curing, enabling the dentist to select a light power density which changes in a controlled fashion best suited for the type of restorative material being cured.
In the current practice of dentistry, it is common to bond porcelain or acrylic laminates to teeth for restorative and cosmetic purposes. The popularity of this procedure is due to its ease, aesthetic appeal, and minimization of trauma to the patient. It is also common to use composite resins or white cosmetic fillings for restorative procedures.
The bleaching to whiten teeth is also a subject of much current interest in the dental community. Besides the pleasurable effects of white teeth, discoloration of non-vital teeth is often a consequence of endodontic treatment, or in traumatized teeth which have experienced a loss of pulpal vitality. Vital teeth may become stained due to tetracycline prescribed for the patient for various medical reasons. Other causes of stained teeth may be drinking water with a high mineral content. Coffee drinking and using tobacco products are also sources of stained teeth. This type of stain is not always removable by conventional prophylactic treatment.
Lamps and lasers have been used for both curing and bleaching. Lamps with a constant beam but low light power density take a relatively long time to cure restorative material, typically, in excess of about 40 seconds. Recently, flash lamps with a high power density have been proposed, but they are deficient because in curing restorative dental materials they are unable to deliver low power levels to produce a ramp profile or pattern which shall be discussed subsequently in greater detail. Such flash lamps must simulate a lower power using a pulse mode which may not have the same effect on the restorative dental materials. Moreover, such flash lamps present a hazard to the eye. Lasers, which are expensive, are deficient because they provide light essentially only at one wavelength. This is undesirable, because the light activated materials react most effectively with light over a selected wavelength band, usually from about 400 to 600 nanometers (nm). Moreover, the lasers cannot normally be used for both curing and bleaching. Because of the high light power density from the lasers, the time it takes to cure restorative material is relative short, usually less than about 10 seconds. But great care must be employed when using lasers because this high power density of light can cause severe injury if the beam of laser light accidentally, for example, strikes the eye even briefly.
Unlike the instant invention, high powered visual light sources (VLS) may use a mercury xenon plasma arc lamp. There are other light sources, such as flashes or strobes, that may be employed. Additionally, such a high-powered instrument can use a high voltage spike to initiate the arc and an expensive power supply. These arc lamps are hard to use as they are quite inefficient and expensive to operate. The bulbs and power supply are expensive. Some bulbs require a 15 minute warm-up period. Adding to the expense and inconvenience of these bulbs is their short life expectancy and deteriorating output.
An example of curing lamps used to cure certain composite materials applied is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,406 by Kanca, III. This device uses a fiber optic wand with a light transmitting fiber optic tip. This art is concerned with using solid fibers to transmit light to cure dental composite material. There is no mention of use of this device to facilitate tooth bleaching.
Optical fibers are again mentioned in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,622 to Gosner. This art is again dealing with fiber light conducting bundles to transmit light to cure dental resin material as well as for oral illumination. Again, there is no mention of bleaching.
Curing lights with other ancillary features include U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,842 to Hiltunen. In this patent, monitoring the depth of cure is key, as is curing dental restorations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,662 to Fitz discusses fiber optics with a liquid core and a fluoroplastic cladding. Fitz does not mention the light with relation to dental procedures.
Nath, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,934 also mentions a flexible light guide with a liquid center but does not mention dental use. Nath does mention the polymerization of dental resins in U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,382 in which a flexible light guide is described. There is, however, no mention of the light as a tool for bleaching, or whitening, of teeth.
There have also been various methods and systems available for tooth bleaching. Much of this technology, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,428 to Yarborough, show that laser technology plays a large part in bleaching, or tooth whitening. Yarborough uses laser light to activate bleaching agents to accomplish tooth whitening. More specifically, an oxygen radical is activated by laser light.
A non-laser method for bleaching stained teeth by applying a concentrated solution of peroxide to stained teeth and focusing a beam of light at the teeth has been patented by Friedman in U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,070. The focused beam contains the combination of ultraviolet and infrared energy for activating the peroxide solution.
Another composition for bleaching teeth comprises aqueous hydrogen peroxide and a non-aqueous component which are combined to treat the teeth in response to the application of optical energy as disclosed by Cornell in U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,178. This patent teaches the use of chemical compositions, such as manganese sulfate and ferrous sulfate, to activate catalytically the bleaching activity of the light-activated hydrogen peroxide composition. The process of the instant invention uses no such materials.
The use of bleaching, as with peroxide, to whiten teeth appears less often in dental literature than laser whitening for use by dentists. Options such as at-home bleaching kits and whitening toothpastes are limited in their abilities and not comparable to laser bleaching or the professional dental bleaching results of this invention.
(iii) enabling the dentist to recalibrate the light source.
The first feature of the lamp apparatus of this invention is that it includes a handpiece having a tip. The tip has an outlet of a diameter of from about 0.1 to about 20 millimeters through which an essentially continuous light beam emanates. In other words, the light from the tip is constant and non-intermittent.
The second feature is a light bulb positioned within a reflector which focuses light from the bulb at a predetermined point along an optical path. The bulb, when energized, for example, by a manually operated activation switch, emits light of sufficient intensity so that the light emanating from the tip has a power density of at least about 800 milliwatts per square centimeter, preferably from about 1000 to 2000 milliwatts per square centimeter. The bulb has an enclosure holding a mixture of xenon and halogen gases and employs a tungsten filament. At a predetermined applied voltage of about 24 volts the light emanating from the tip of the handpiece has a power of 250 watts or greater. The reflector has an ellipsoidal configuration with a longitudinal axis coincident with the optical path and a focal point along the optical path. The bulb has an elongated filament disposed axially along the reflector's longitudinal axis, and this filament, when the bulb is energized, has at one section thereof light which is brighter than at other sections of the filament. This brighter section is near or at the focal point. The reflector is of the dichroic type which passes infra red radiation through it.
The third feature is a filter along the optical path in advance of said predetermined point through which a predetermined wavelength of light in the visible range passes. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, there are a plurality of filters which are selectively moved into the optical path to vary the wavelength of light being transmitted to the tip of the handpiece. There is a first mode of operation for bleaching of teeth and a second mode of operation for curing of light activated dental restorative material. When in the first mode of operation for bleaching of teeth, the filtered light has a wavelength of from about 400 to about 550 nanometers. When in the second mode of operation for curing the dental restorative material, the filtered light has a wavelength from about 400 to about 500 nanometers. In each of mode of operation there are a plurality of power levels. These power levels include (a) a normal power level where the power density of the light emanating from the tip is substantially constant, (b) a ramp power level where the power density of the light emanating from the tip changes in a predetermined fashion, (c) a boost power level where the light emanating from the tip is from 15% to 25% greater than at the power density at the normal power level. At the normal power level the power density is from 800 to 1500 milliwatts per square centimeter. At the ramp power level there are a plurality of different patterns of power density which are selectable by the user.
The fourth feature is a flexible light guide between the handpiece and the predetermined point which transmits the light of said predetermined wavelength to the tip from which said light emanates. The light guide comprises a liquid enclosed in a flexible tubular member having an inside diameter ranging from about 2 to about 14 millimeters and a length from about 4 to about 10 feet. The tubular member is made from a material which is impermeable to the liquid and has a higher refractive index than the liquid. The liquid used to transmit the light in the light guide does not wet an internal surface of the light guide that it contacts, is not hygroscopic, has a refractive index lower than that of the material from which the tubular member is made.
The fifth feature is a control circuit including a detector which monitors the voltage applied to the bulb and a microprocessor electrically coupled to the detector and responsive thereto to adjust the voltage to maintain the desired power density of light emanating from said tip. a radiometer for reading the power density of the light emanating from the tip. There is a display for error or other messages and the microprocessor is programmed to include a routine for handing errors and providing messages for the display. There also is a signal device which alerts a user of the time elapsed while performing certain dental operations. Optionally, a light sensor detects light propagating along the optical path and provides a control signal used to regulate the voltage being applied to the bulb to maintain the power density of the bulb substantially constant. By substantially constant, it is meant that the power density may vary by as much as 15-20%.
The sixth feature is a housing enclosing the bulb and the reflector and a fan within the housing adjacent the bulb and reflector. The fan is operated to circulate air through the housing. There is a sensor which detects temperature within the housing and the fan is operated when the temperature exceeds a predetermined limit. The housing has a connector which enables it to be attached to a vertical structure. There is an opening in a wall of the housing at which the light is focused. The light guide is mounted on the exterior of the housing, and has one end detachably connected to the opening. A detector detects when the light guide has been detached and provides a control signal. The control circuit responds to this control signal to prevents the bulb from being energized or, if energized, deenergizes the bulb to discontinue light emission. On the exterior of the housing is a radiometer having a first operational mode for reading the power density of the light emanating from the tip, and a second operational mode for calibrating the bulb.
The seventh feature is a control panel on the housing which may be detached and attached to different locations. For example, the control panel may be at one or the other of two predetermined different locations on the housing, or attached to a remote location. The control panel includes a slave microprocessor and the housing includes a master microprocessor. The housing has a first cable for connecting the slave and master microprocessors together when the control panel is in the one location and a second cable for connecting the slave and master microprocessors together when the control panel is in the other location, thereby enabling the lamp apparatus to be disposed in different orientations. The control circuit is responsive to a control signal and deenergizes the light source to discontinue light emission whenever the control panel is detach and the light source is energized.
(b) irradiating the bleaching agent with a beam of light from a xenon-halogen bulb filtered to provide light having a wavelength from 400 to 550 nanometers and a power density in excess of 1000 milliwatts per square centimeter for a sufficient time not to exceed one minute to bleach said tooth.
The bleaching agent may be concentrated hydrogen peroxide. In this method, preferably the steps of covering the tooth with the bleaching agent and then irradiating with light are repeated at least three times separately.
(b) irradiating the restorative dental material with a beam of light from a xenon-halogen bulb filtered to provide light having a wavelength from 400 to 500 nanometers and a power density of 1000 milliwatts per square centimeter or greater for a sufficient time to cure said material effectively.
The restorative dental material cures essentially completely within 15 seconds or less when said material has a thickness of 2 millimeters or less.
(b) while holding from the restorative material the tip of the handpiece a distance which no greater than 5 millimeters, directing said light beam on the restorative material for a time sufficient to effectively cure said material.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the dental lamp apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 1A is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the bulb within the reflector.
FIG. 2 depicts the control panel of the dental lamp apparatus.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the dental lamp apparatus of this invention.
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the program for the master microprocessor for controlling the lamp apparatus' operation.
FIG. 4A is a flow chart of the program for adjustments made when automatic bulb calibration is performed, or for adjustments made during manufacture of the lamp apparatus.
FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of the electronic controls for the dental lamp apparatus of this invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of the main central microprocessor circuit used in the dental lamp apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a logic flow diagram depicting the routines of the program for the slave microprocessor housed in the control panel of the lamp apparatus.
FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the spectrum of the filtered blue light emanating from the tip of the handpiece used for curing.
FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating the spectrum of the filtered green light emanating from the tip of the handpiece used for bleaching.
FIG. 10 is a schematic side elevational view, partially in cross-section, of the lamp apparatus of this invention mounted to a vertical structure.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the major components of the dental lamp apparatus 10 of this invention include a bulb 100, an ellipsoidal dichroic reflector 101 which partially surrounds the bulb 100, two filters 102A and 102B in the optical path A (FIG. 1) of the light from the bulb 100, a light guide 108 which collects the filtered light and forwards this light to a handpiece 109 used by the dentist to direct the filtered light against the surface of the tooth structure being treated. A suitable light guide 108 is sold by Fiber Optics Technology of Ponifret, Conn. under Part No. 210098-1. Connected to the handpiece 109 is an image conduit 110. The image conduit 110 is fiber bundle of approximately 1800 fibers which may be made of quartz or a similar light conducting material. Although there is some loss of energy, the multiplicity of fibers reduces the loss through the bend 110a and the image conduit 110 may be detached from the light guide 108 and sterilized in an autoclave, whereas the light guide would be damaged by autoclaving. The image conduit 110 carries light passing through the light guide 108 to a curing tip 111 at the distal end of the image conduit 110. The curing tip 111 is positioned by the dentist adjacent the tooth being treated a distance d a few millimeters (mm), about 1-5 mm from the tooth's surface to complete curing or bleaching procedures.
The bulb 100, reflector 101, filters 102A and 102B are mounted within a box-like housing 20 and the light guide 108 with attached handpiece 109 extend from one side 20a of the housing 20. There is a holder 308 in which the handpiece 109 is seated when not being used. A fan 503 is positioned below the bulb 100 and reflector 101 and draws cool air into the housing 20 for cooling. Preferably, this fan 503 runs continuously while the bulb 100 is energized and for up to three (3) minutes after the bulb is deenergized. The fan 503 is turned on if the temperature inside the housing 20 rises to in excess of 50 degrees Centigrade. degrees Centigrade to dissipate heat from the power supply 505. A thermistor 508 in the housing 20 provides a signal to a master microprocessor 300 (FIG. 5) in a control circuit 200 for inhibiting the operations of the lamp apparatus 10 at excessively high temperatures. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the operation of the lamp apparatus 10 may be controlled alternately with either a trigger switch 509A or foot switch 509. The trigger switch 509A may be part of the dental handpiece 109.
As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lamp apparatus 10 has a removable control panel P including a pair of buttons 200A and 200B used to select the lamp apparatus's operational mode. Pressing the button 200A selects the BLEACH mode and pressing the button 200B selects the KURE mode. As shown in FIG. 3, the dentist turns the lamp apparatus 10 on by turning the keyed ON/OFF switch 310 (FIG. 3). The dentist will then select the desired mode of operation by pressing either button 200A or 200B on the control panel P. These mode selection buttons 200A and 200B allow the dentist to either cure dental resins or bleach teeth by indicating the desired operation. Each of the operation selections has its own power level indicators 201. These power level indicators 201 are marked "boost," "normal," and "ramp," and are illuminated depending on the power level selected by the dentist. Both KURE and BLEACH modes each have these three power level selections available. If the button 200B is pressed while in the KURE mode, the power level is advanced from "normal" to "boost." These messages etc. are displayed in an LED display 204. If the button 200B is pressed again, the power level will advance from "boost" to "ramp." Likewise, if the button 200A is pressed while in the BLEACH mode, the power level is advanced from "normal" to "boost." If the button 200A is pressed again, the power level will advance from "boost" to "ramp."
There are LED messages 205 which are illuminated when the calibration is in progress. The display 204 flashes "CAL" shortly after the power up sequence of the program as discussed in greater detail subsequently if calibration is needed. Also, the lamp apparatus 10 is equipped with a ready light 206 which is illuminated when the lamp apparatus 10 is ready for operation.
There are up/down buttons 203a and 203b which allow the dentist to scroll through different "ramp" power level patterns or set calibration values at the factory during manufacture, as will be discussed subsequently. Initially the ramping power levels are the same for curing and bleaching, typically following a linear or exponential increase in power density over several seconds, in contrast with earlier instruments which change from one fixed level to another fixed level. New restorative materials or bleaching solutions as well as research into properties of existing materials are likely to reveal more ideal light energy versus time profiles. Therefore, the up and down buttons 203 may be used to select from a plurality of factory defined ramping power levels, with light energy versus time profiles being recalled from tables or algorithms (not shown) stored in the memory of the microprocessor 300. The up and down buttons 203 signal the microprocessor 300, though they do not change from the initial ramp immediately, in order to reduce the possibility of an accidental change, but act after a delay of two seconds. Thereafter, the display 204 indicates r##, where the ## is a numeric or character message identifying the internally programmed alternative ramp selected.
Another refinement is the possibility for a user to store their own "user-defined" ramp or ramps, indicated by a display of "rU#", where # represents a digit 0-9. The user presses the KURE or BLEACH button 200A or 200B quickly, and then the subsequent values corresponding to seconds or power density slope per minute may be selected by quickly pressing the up and down buttons. Pressing KURE or BLEACH quickly advances through each value in a given user-defined ramp, for example, number of seconds at initial power level, ramp slope to next power level, number of seconds at next power level, and so on. Pressing and holding the up or down buttons 203 cancels the user-defining operation and reverts to displaying the factory or user defined display "r##". Pressing KURE or BLEACH for two seconds saves the values into a register file 81 (FIG. 6) and the microprocessor 300 and transfers the values to an EEPROM 90 (FIG. 6) so they will remain valid even after interrupting and restoring lamp power.
As shown in FIG. 3, at the rear of the housing 20 is a second removable panel D. The control panel P is located on the top of the housing 20 and the rear panel D is located at the back of the housing 20. This allows the dentist to reconfigure the lamp apparatus 10 for horizontal or vertical orientation by exchanging panel positions putting the control panel P at the rear of the housing 20 and covering the top of the housing with the panel D. A main control panel printed circuit assembly 300a is disposed within the housing 20 and it includes the master microprocessor 300 which is connected to a slave microprocessor 501 in the control panel P. A serial communication cable (SCC) labeled as cable 1 connects the slave microprocessor 501 to the master microprocessor 300 when the control panel P is positioned on the top of the housing 20. Another serial communication cable (SCC) labelled as cable 2 located near the rear of the housing 20 connects the slave microprocessor 501 to the master microprocessor 300 when the control panel P is positioned at the rear of the housing 20. Either cable 1 or 2 is connected easily with a modular connector C which is attached at the end of each cable.
For use in a horizontal, or counter top, orientation, the dentist will use cable 1 and position the control panel P on the top of the housing 20. If the dentist desires vertical, or wall mounted, orientation, the dentist will remove control panel P, disconnect cable 1 and then reposition the panel P at the rear of the housing and connect the cable 2 to the panel P and position the panel D on the top of the housing. As shown in FIG. 10, there is a connector 700 fixedly attached to the underside 309 of the housing 20 which is used to detachably connect the housing to a vertical wall structure 704 which has a mating connector 702 fixedly attached to the vertical wall structure.
There is an interlock switch 305 in the housing 20 near its top which detects when either panel P or D is on the top of the housing. The lamp apparatus 10 may be positioned on the countertop, on the dentist's air abrasion unit, or as a wall-mounted unit. The lamp apparatus 10 is thus designed for variable positioning and is portable, weighing less than 15 pounds. The lamp apparatus 10 can be easily carried from room to room. This leaves more free space in the dental operatory and allows easy portability and added accessibility.
As best shown in FIG. 1A, the bulb 100 has a glass enclosure 11 containing a mixture of xenon and halogen gases with a tungsten filament 12 having a major portion of this filament coincident with the longitudinal axis X (FIG. 1A) of the reflector 101. The optical path A is at least partially coincident with the longitudinal axis X of the reflector 101. When the bulb 100 is energized, this filament 12 has one section, a "hot spot" 13, at which the maximum brightness occurs which is substantially brighter than other sections of the filament. The bulb 100 preferably is positioned so that this hot spot 13 is coincident with the focal point f of the reflector 101.
The bulb 100 is within the dichroic reflector 101 so that some of the light from the bulb 100 is reflected along the optical path A to intersect with one of the filters 102A or 102 B, depending on the condition of a solenoid 103 which moves these filters into position in the optical path A. The filter 102A is for bleaching and the light passing through this filter has a wavelength ranging from about 400 to about 550 nm. The filter 102B is for curing and the light passing through this filter has a wavelength from about 400 to about 500 nm. A typical spectrum of the blue light passing through the filter 102B and emanating from the tip 11 of the handpiece 109 is depicted in FIG. 8. A typical spectrum of the green light passing through the filter 102A and emanating from the tip 11 of the handpiece 109 is depicted in FIG. 9. The filters 102A and 102B are mounted on a spring loaded mechanism (not shown) so that when the solenoid 103 is deenergized, the cure filter 102B is positioned in the optical path A. When the solenoid 103 is energized, the bleaching filter 102A is moved into the optical path A.
The preferred reflector 101 is an MR 16, ellipsoidal reflector having a focal length of 32 mm with the focused reflected light at the focal point providing a "spot" with a diameter of about 10 mm. Its internal surface is coated with a dichroic material. The bulb 100 is filled a mixture of xenon and halogen gases and provides 250 watts of power with an applied voltage 24 volts. The ellipsoidal reflector 101 focuses the light at a predetermined "spot" or circular area 14 along the optical path which corresponds to an opening or light guide port 307 (FIG. 3) having a diameter of from about 2 to 14 millimeters depending on the diameter of the "spot." The light guide 108 is flexible, and has one end 108a seated in this light guide port 308 and its other end 108b attached to the hand piece 109. There is an interlock switch 306 at the light guide port 307 which detects when the light guide 108 has been manually removed from the light guide port.
The light guide 108 comprises a clear plastic tube 108c holding a liquid, with a steel coil 108d wound about it to prevent the light guide from being bent excessively. Preferably, the radius of a bend should not exceed about 6 inches. This avoids kinking of the tube 108c. The tube 108c can be made of any of a variety of clear plastic materials. The plastic tube material must have a higher refractive index than the liquid it carries and be impermeable to that liquid. The dimensions of the tube 108c may range from about 2 to 14 mm in diameter and be from about 4 to about 10 feet long. The tube may be constructed of a plastic material such as fluoropolymer, for example, Teflon, or another halohydrocarbon polymer or polymers such as 4-methylpentene-1, polymethylpentene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, or silicone. The plastics for the tube 108c must be stable to the visible light. It is desirable to use inside the light guide 108 a liquid material that conducts light efficiently, and preferably in excess of 70% of the visible light transmitted by the guide reaches the handpiece 109 and emanates from the tip 111. The liquid should not wet the inside surface of the tube 108c or be hygroscopic. To maximize light transmission, the refractive index of the liquid is somewhat lower than that of the material of the tube that contains it. Particularly preferred liquids include alcohols free of any water, as for example, methanol. Conductive materials may be dissolved in the liquid and suitable conductive materials include compounds of alkali and alkaline earth metal halides. Preferred among this group are hygroscopic salts such as calcium chloride, cesium chloride, cesium fluoride and magnesium chloride. It is also possible to use such salts as nitrates, phosphates, and other such conductive materials.
There is a fiber optic 104 that has an end located in the optical path at or near the opening 14 to collect a sample of light from the filters 102A and 102B. The fiber optic 104 has another end terminating at a radiant energy sensor 106, such as, for example, a Golay sensor, photodiode, cadmium-sulfide cell, pyrometer, pyranometer, or thermopile, which is connected through an amplifier 106a to the microprocessor 300. In response to the energy level of the sample of light collected, the fiber optic 104 provides a control signal to the master microprocessor 300. The microprocessor 300 in response to the control signal from the radiant energy sensor 106 regulates the voltage applied to the bulb 100 to adjust or maintain the energy output of the bulb substantially constant despite external fluctuations such as power source variations or internal fluctuations such lamp warm-up characteristics. The light energy from the bulb 100 tends to diminish over time. This is especially true during the first 60 seconds each time the bulb 100 is energized. By varying the voltage applied to the bulb 100 as required, this energy output can be maintained substantially constant.
A radiometer 202 is disposed in the control panel P which is used during manufacture for calibration and by the dentist to check the power density of the light emanating from the tip 111 and, if desired, calibrate the bulb 100. As used herein "radiometer" refers to a device for detecting light energy, inclusive of a photosensor that the light strikes and the associated electronics and readout. A suitable photosensor is sold by Hamamatsu Corporation under the part No. S1087.
During factory calibration as discussed in greater detail subsequently, the tip 111 is placed against a standard radiometer which has been calibrated to national standards. Assume, for example, that this standard radiometer indicates that the light energy output from the tip is 1000 mw/cm2. The tip 111 is then placed against the surface of the radiometer 202. Assume, for example, that this radiometer detects a light energy output displayed on the display 204 in the panel P of 1100 mw/cm2. The radiometer 202 is then adjust using its potentiometer (not shown) so that the readout on the display is 1000 mw/cm2.
The lamp apparatus 10 is equipped with an audible alarm or beeper 207 that indicates precise elapsed time periods so that the dentist will know how long light has been applied to the tooth being treated. The lamp apparatus' power inlet, fuses, and foot switch connector are on the underside 309 of the housing 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the lamp apparatus 10 is plugged into a D. C. power supply 505 under the control of the keyed on/off switch 310. After the lamp apparatus 10 is plugged into an electric outlet, the user, who may be a dentist or a hygienist, will turn the lamp apparatus 10 on with a key for the keyed on/off switch 310. The user will then select the desired operating mode, BLEACH or KURE, and proceed with either bleaching or curing. The tip 11 is then positioned adjacent the tooth being treated.
The housing is cooled by either an DC fan 503 or AC fan 504. If the DC fan 503 is used, it is switched by a transistor (not shown) connected to the microprocessor 300. If the characteristics of an AC fan are more desirable, such as price, power usage, velocity, or durability are better met by an AC fan, the AC 504 is used. It is switched by a thyristor (not shown) and electronic optical isolator (not shown) connected to the microprocessor 300.
The bulb 100 manifests very low `cold` resistance, a small fraction of an ohm which increases to approximately 2.3 ohms within the first second after being energized. The bulb manufacturer advises that this can result in surge currents of over 140 amps upon application of power, possibly harming the power supply 505, or impairing its operation, as well as reducing bulb life, and requiring more expensive switching components. The lamp apparatus 10 uses an additional low-cost switching circuit which is switched on first, connecting the lamp apparatus to the power supply through a series resistor 100a (FIG. 5) of 1.5 ohms rated for 50 watts dissipation. The microprocessor 300 measures through the analog to digitial converter 88 the voltage at the power supply bulb terminal, then the switched bulb terminal, and by simple subtraction determines the bulb voltage. Upon obtaining at least 6 volts across the bulb 100, the microprocessor 300 signals a second switching circuit to bypass the resistor 100a, so that from then on the bulb voltage nearly equals the power supply voltage. This reduces the theoretical surge from 140 amps to maximum of 17 amps, or about 14 amps when taking into account the bulb, wiring and switching component resistance. Upon switching off the bulb 100, the main switching circuit is switched off but the starting circuit remains on, leaving the path through the resistor 100a connected. This improves the response of the power supply 505 which may otherwise react poorly when the entire load is removed, such as by its output voltage exceeding over-voltage protection. After a delay of 50-100 milliseconds the starting circuit is switched off.
Additional features that aid in convenience of use include an instant `on` feature, automatic calibration at power up, an integrated power measurement system that allows the operator to verify power density using the radiometer 202, the microprocessor 300 control for continuous light energy output regulation, system monitoring, and status notification, a detachable curing tip 111 allowing steam autoclave sterilization, disposable protective sleeves (not shown) for the curing tip allowing quick turn-around between patients, a 3-digit LED display 204 for monitoring power density output and exposure time, visual and audio signals indicating exposure time, and other messages including error messages.
The lamp apparatus 10 of this invention integrates advanced optics with a light source, an incandescent bulb 100, that can deliver at least 1000 mw/cm2. This is achieved by the use of a 150-600 watt xenon halogen light bulb 100 mounted in the dichroic reflector 101. This combination of bulb 100 and reflector 101 comprises the light source to achieve the power density required and to pass most of the infrared (IR) light back through the reflector 101 to avoid transferring the heat generated by the bulb 100 to the filters 102A or 102B or the light guide 108. Most of the light that is reflected by the reflector 101 is visible white light that is passed through the filters 102A or 102B to screen the appropriate wavelengths for curing or bleaching. Small amounts of infrared light are passed through to the liquid light guide 108, but this infrared light is absorbed by the liquid in the light guide over the length of the guide. The reflector 101 also focuses the light to an approximate spot size of about 8 mm. The 8 mm focused stream of light entering the liquid light guide 108 has a diameter size approximately equal the diameter of the guide of from about 2 to 14 mm. The liquid light guide 108 minimizes energy loss and maximizes energy. The inventors have devised this combination of bulb 100 and reflector 101 to achieve the power density required to cure restorative dental material in fifteen (15) seconds, or less. The image conduit 110 is made of optical-quality glassware. The image conduit 110 is part of the handpiece 109, which is detachable as necessary for sterilization.
The quality of light itself is substantially improved with all visible wavelengths, or colors, being transmitted equally well. The liquid light guide 108 transmits light more efficiently than a fiber optic bundle. Much of the curing light prior art use fiber optic bundles for light transmission. The reason that a liquid light guide 108 is more efficient for light transmission than bundles of fiber is due to packing loss. No matter how closely packed solid light fibers are, there is some packing loss. In fiber optics, light lost between fibers is known as packing loss. The light wasted by broken fibers is called spotting. These problems are avoided when the liquid light guide 108 is used.
Standard fiber bundles of borosilicate glass subtract blue light through absorption causing a "yellowing" of white light. This occurs as a result of the absorption of blue light. In addition, a small percentage of light at other wavelengths is absorbed for each foot of length in the fiber bundle. In this fashion, both total light and blue light are subtracted as light passes through the fiber bundle. This results in a more yellow light at the output end when compared with the true white light found at the end of a single quartz fiber or the liquid light guide 108 of this invention.
Further contrasting the liquid light guide 108 with the solid fiber optic bundle, the longer the fiber bundle, the more the light is degraded and diminished as it travels from light source to dental instrument. In contrast, the liquid light guide 108 will absorb very little visible light. As a result, a liquid light guide provides better quality illumination than bundled fibers for the purposes of the instant invention. Since the liquid light guide 108 is a totally conducting liquid, there is no such wasted space in the light-conducting tube of this invention. In the instant invention, the light-conducting liquid totally fills a clear tube that contains it. This is an inexpensive and efficient means of conducting light in the unit of this invention.
There are two microprocessors in the lamp apparatus 10. The master microprocessor 300 is the PIC 16C74A, made by Microchip. It resides on the main control panel printed circuit assembly 300a and controls the operations of the lamp apparatus 10 in conjunction with the slave microprocessor 501, which is in the panel P. The slave microprocessor is the Microchip PIC 16C62A. An advantage of using the microprocessors 300 and 501 to control the lamp apparatus 10 is that they may be readily replaced with another microprocessor for repair, upgrading, or reprogramming of the lamp apparatus 10.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the master microprocessor 300 includes a (not shown) to which are electrically connected the major components of the microprocessor. These components include a program storage memory 80 having memory components such as a PROM, ROM, FLASH, data storage memory 81 including various registers, a program counter 82, utility timers and counters 83, configuration registers 84, instruction decoder 85, arithmetic unit 86, serial communication port 87, an analog to digital converter 88, and input/output circuits 89. An EEPROM 90 is connected to the microprocessor 300 through the input/output circuits 89.
There is an external crystal resonator 81a connected to an internal oscillator 82a which determines the rate of execution of instructions for the program. The oscillator 82a further provides the time base required by the utility timers and counters 83, serial communication port 87, and analog to digital converter 88. The EEPROM 90, which provides a non-volatile read-write memory, is connected between the I/O circuits 89 and the slave microprocessor 501, which may be connected at either of the two locations corresponding to cable 1 or cable 2.
The program routines for the master microprocessor 300 are represented by the logic flow diagrams of FIGS. 4 and 4A and the program routines for the slave microprocessor 501 are represented by the logic flow diagram of FIG. 7. These routines shall be discussed in connection with the control circuit 200 shown in FIG. 5.
In the start-up routines 400 and 401, the microprocessor 300 powers up several registers (not shown) and latches (not shown) which are set to standard settings determined by the microprocessor's manufacturer. The firmware in microprocessor 300 configures I/O circuits 89 and timer 83 needed to respond to detector interlock switches 305 and 306, thermistor 508, and radiant energy sensor 106 and issue control signals for the lamp apparatus 10. User settings and baseline condition variables are set to starting values. The control panel link through cable 1 or cable 2 is established to connect the master microprocessor 300 and slave microprocessor 501, setting their communication ports to a common protocol and data speed. At this point the nonvolatile memory EEPROM 90 is scanned for a signature indicating that the lamp apparatus' data have been correctly stored. These data include factory settings, bulb 100 calibration voltages for each operating mode, KURE or BLEACH, lamp lifetime registers 81, and the like. These data are recalled and placed in working registers 81 to be used by the program for the microprocessors 300 and 501.
The initial state of the detector interlock switches 305 and 306, thermistor 508, and radiant energy sensor 106 is determined by the microprocessor 300 and compared to acceptable values. The program also monitors the state of the solenoid 103, and sets power supply control for the bulb 100 to 16-25 volts, as well as monitoring the interlock switches 305 and 306. Interlock switches 305 and 306 are in place to prevent accidental activation of the lamp 10. If the panel P is removed while bulb 100 is energized or the dentist accidentally activates either the footswitch 509 or trigger switch 509A while the panel is disconnected, the bulb 100 cannot be energized. Similarly with the interlock switch 306 indicating that the light guide 108 has been disconnected, the bulb 100 cannot be energized or is deenergized, if turned on. The thermistor 508 starts the fan 503 or 504 if excessive temperature is detected, but if the interlock switch 305 indicates that the panel P has been disconnected, the fan 503 is stopped or prevented from starting as a safety feature.
According to routine 403, with the footswitch 509 depressed (or trigger switch 509A if used instead of the footswitch), an error identified by the notice "E12" is displayed on the display 204 and the program switches to an error handler routine 440 via routine 404. The error handler routine 440 via routine 442 turns off the power to the bulb 100 and displays on the display 204 a notice, for example, "E01" for bulb failure. The error handler routine 440 will also display other error messages on the display 204 concerning failure of the bulb 100, fault in power supply 505 (FIG. 5), errors in the thermistor 508, failure of the solenoid 103, failure of drivers 507 (FIG. 5), EEPROM 90 memory failure, failure to pass processor self test, radiometer 202 failure, or serial communication port 87 failure, If the error condition has been cleared, and this has been detected in accordance with routine 446, control is again transferred to the routine 403 via the routines 448 and 402.
Upon start up without the footswitch 509 pressed (or trigger switch 509A if used instead of the footswitch), in accordance with routine 405, the microprocessor 300 is tested for the presence of a connector 510. When in the manufacture mode, a manufacturing technician adjusts the voltage applied to the bulb 100 by first connecting the microprocessor 300 to the shorting connector 510 which engages two or more pins (not shown) of the input/output circuits 89 of the microprocessor 300. The microprocessor 300 is then accessed by the technician to input values needed for the operation of the lamp apparatus 10 but not needed by the user.
One of the input/output circuits 89 is read to determine the absence or presence of the shorting connector 510. If the output is high this indicates the absence of the shorting connector 510. If low, the shorting connector 510 is connected to the microprocessor 300. With the shorting connector 510 present, control is transferred to manufacturing mode routine 480 shown in FIG. 4A. First routine 482 either provides for the loading of values in the non-volatile memory of the EEPROM 90 or recalls already stored values from the non-volatile memory of the EEPROM. Next the routine 484 displays on the display 204 a binary number from 0 to 255 which is retrieved from the EEPROM 90. This value represents the count received when reading 0.1 volts more than the maximum analog input voltage to the bulb 100, nominally 26.1 volts. This value is never used during bulb operation, but is used as a ceiling so that the program may detect having exceeded its proper operating value.
The program insures that the maximum voltage delivered to the bulb 100 is reduced from this amount by at least 0.1 volts, so that when accounting for wiring and switching components the preferred 24 volt bulb 100 never receives more than 8% starting over-voltage allowance designed-in by the manufacturer. The technician uses the up/down buttons 203 to make the appropriate adjustments in values via the routines 486 and 488. The routine 484 also sets the voltage regulator (not shown) as discussed subsequently in greater detail. The technician then presses the KURE button 200B to initiate the routine 490 which then displays a decimal point (DP) on the display 204 and activates the beeper 207 (FIG. 5), indicating that the inputted values are stored. The program will at this stage indefinitely continue to process routines 482 through 492 until the on/off switch 310 is turned off.
Voltage control and regulation are accomplished through a combination of processes. Power is converted from a universal AC input (100-240 volts nominal, 50-60 cycles per second) to a single adjustable output of approximately 24 volts DC. Line regulation nearly eliminates fluctuations in the output that would be associated with changes in AC input voltage. Load regulation minimizes changes in output voltage that would be expected to occur as inverse function of the 0 to 12.5 ampere operating current.
The power supply 505 is a Mean Well, Inc. Part No. SP-300 which includes a provision for output adjustment usually accomplished by a technician using a screwdriver, or by disabling this control and utilizing an electronic control path 506 (FIG. 5) through which a small current of approximately 0.5 milliamperes to 1.5 milliamperes produces an output voltage of 16 to 27 volts. The control current has less than an ideal response. For example, there is no reduction below 16 volts for any current from 0 to 0.5 milliamperes, the 24 volt level is reached at 1.25 milliamperes, and the last 0.25 milliamperes swings the rest of the way to 27 volts. Power supplies are available to produce a more desirable response but as this tends to be a feature of precision or laboratory power supplies. Such power supplies could easily cost more alone than the entire lamp apparatus 10. Therefore, it is a feature of the instant invention that the response of the low cost power supply 505 and low cost electronic control path 506 are collectively stabilized using a simple voltage regulator algorithm. One of the channels of the analog to digital converter 88 of the microprocessor 300 receives a fraction of the power supply voltage using a simple resistance divider of 22 K ohms and 4.7 ohms, so that the sampled voltage is within the input range of the analog to digital converter 88.
When FIG. 4A references a "voltage regulator," the program simply stores a numeric value in one of the resisters 81 of the microprocessor 300. This numeric value is compared to the value returned from the analog to digital converter 88 approximately 20 times per second. One of the timers 83 of the microprocessor 300 is configured during the routine 401 to generate a pulse-width modulated output. The output is fed through a resistor, capacitor, and transistor (not shown) to convert its duty cycle to a DC current in the range stated above. If the value read from the analog to digital converter 88 input representing the voltage is less than the value stored in the register 81, the microprocessor 300 increases the value in the timer 83 to increase the duty cycle. Likewise, if the voltage is greater than the desired value, then microprocessor 300 stores a reduced value in the timer 83 to reduce the duty cycle.
Assuming the shorting connector 510 is disconnected from the microprocessor 300 and power is removed and then reapplied to the lamp apparatus 10, the program again starts routine 401. The program now reads data from the control panel P and sends data to the control panel via the routine 408 and monitors idle conditions such as bulb voltage, the thermistor 508, and bulb continuity via routine 410.
An extremely low cost circuit detects bulb 100 failure. A 22K ohm and 4.7K ohm resistor (not shown) from a voltage divider identical to the one used for monitoring the power supply voltage as described above is connected to another one of the several inputs of the analog to digital converter 88 in the microprocessor 300. One of the bulb 100 terminals (not shown) is wired directly to the positive terminal of the power supply 505. The other bulb 100 terminal is wired to the switching components (not shown), the 1.5 ohm 50 watt resistor 100a used for the soft-start, and to the 22K/4.7K divider (not shown). The bulb voltage is monitored at both bulb terminals. When the bulb 100 is off, the voltage should be the same at both bulb terminals, within the few percent tolerance of the resistors. The microprocessor 300 periodically samples both inputs to the analog to digital converter 88 while in program routine 410, and upon finding a very low reading of the analog to digital converter 88 representing a lack of voltage at the bulb 100, an E01 error is produced to signal a lack of continuity, so that the operator may check for a loose or burned-out bulb 100.
The above method will not work while the bulb 100 is switched on, because the switching components (not shown) and resistor are returned to the negative side of the power supply 505, so that this bulb terminal has nearly zero volts present as readable by the analog to digital converter 88. Upon bulb failure, this bulb terminal will still have zero volts present, so there would be no difference in the reading. Therefore, the high speed of modern switching components is exploited so that approximately once per second the electronic switch (not shown) such as the HexFET RFP50N06 made by Philips Semiconductor Corporation, switches off for a period of approximately 50 microseconds, allowing ample time for the voltage at bulb 100 to return to the same level as its off state, so that microprocessor 300 may receive from the analog to digital converter 88 a value of only 0 to 1 (out of 255) indicating a bulb failure, or a higher value indicating proper operation of the bulb 100.
The program responds to commands produced by manipulation of the buttons 200A and 200B. Pressing 200A while already in the BLEACH mode advances to the next power level. If the lights 201 indicate "normal` power level, pressing 200A advances to "boost," and if in "boost," to "ramp," and if in "ramp" to "normal." The same in true when in the KURE mode.
The microprocessor 300 is programmed to require a new transition of the footswitch 509 (or trigger switch 509A if used instead of the footswitch) each time the bulb 100 is energized and deenergized. In this manner accidental triggering of light output is prevented. If no new footswitch transition is detected in accordance with routine 412, the program continues to cycle routines 408 through 412. If a new footswitch press is detected in accordance with routine 412, the program advances from routine 412 through routine 420. Routine 414 checks the interlock switches 305 and 306, starts the fan 503 or 504, turns on the bulb 100, activates the solenoid 103 if in the BLEACH mode to position the bleaching filter 102A, and initiates the display of numbers in the display 204 corresponding to the elapsed time that the bulb is energized. The display 204 is initialized to 00 seconds and set to maintain an updated display of elapsed time.
Routine 416 continues to check the interlock switches 305 and 306, monitors the D. C. power supply 505, updates the readout on the display 204, and detects bulb failure as discussed above. As a safety feature, routines 418 and 422 deenergize the bulb 100 if it is maintained on for a prolonged time period (for example, when the bulb 100 has been left on for more than 4 minutes in the KURE mode or 30 minutes in the BLEACH mode), or if the fan 503 fails to operate or the air intake or exhaust is blocked. The thermistor 508 is a fast-acting type positioned in the air stream and receives some of the internal light that could not be productively steered to the light guide 108. It will nominally remain cool but will quickly reach 80 degrees Centigrade if the air intake is insufficient to offset the received light energy, for example, if the fan 503 or 504 fail or an air intake (not shown) is blocked. Release of the foot switch 509 via routines 420 and 422 returns the program to repeat the routines 408 through 422. The routine 422 turns off the bulb and clears the display.
The following various operational problems or errors will switch the program over to the error handler routine 440. If the panel cable 1 or 2 is disconnected, the microprocessor 300 senses incorrect signal polarity at the serial communication port 87 and goes into the error handler routine 440 with EOS, turning off or suppressing operation of bulb 100, though the EOS will of course not appear at the panel if the cable 1 or 2 is completely disconnected, but only if the data wire from the panel is disconnected and power wires and sufficient data wires to the panel remain intact for the display to function. The bulb voltage, interlock switches 305 and 306, and thermistor 508 are monitored in accordance with routine 410. The DC fan 503 or AC fan 504 is started if excessive temperature is detected by the thermistor 508. The DC fan 503 or AC fan 504 may still be running as a result of bulb use in accordance with routine 414. In either case, the fan elapsed time is monitored and the fan 503 is shut off after 3 minutes. The fan is shut off by time rather than temperature since the thermistor 508 is in the air stream and will fall below the temperature level at which it is turned on within a few seconds. If the temperature remains excessive after the fan has been on for 3 minutes, the thermistor 508 will again respond to this condition within seconds.
The radiometer 202 is tested by the microprocessor 300 so that either the power density is displayed on the display 204, or automatic calibration of the bulb 100 will be accomplished depending on how long it has been lit. If the bulb 100 has been lit for one-half second or more in accordance with routine 424 and a radiometer signal is detected in accordance with routine 426, the display 204 will indicate power density in watts/cm2. If the bulb 100 has been on less than one-half second and a radiometer signal is detected in accordance with routine 428, control is transferred to the calibration mode 450 (FIG. 4A) which is discussed subsequently in greater detail. If no signal is detected from the radiometer 202 in accordance with routines 426 or 428, the bulb 100 remains lit and control of the lamp apparatus 10 continues through routine 416.
The up/down buttons 203 perform multiple functions. As discussed previously, the up/down buttons 203 raise or lower manufacturing settings at the factory. The buttons 200A and 200B rotate through the six possible curing and bleaching modes. If the startup procedure is successfully completed and the footswitch 509, or alternately trigger switch 509A on the handpiece 109, is activated and calibration is transferred to routine 450 (FIG. 4A) via routine 430. FIG. 4A illustrates the logic flow of the calibration mode for using the radiometer 202. On entry to calibration routine 450 in accordance with routine 430 (FIG. 4), the bleach filter 102A is turned off (if it was on) and the power supply 505 is set to the maximum voltage allowed for the KURE mode, normal power level in accordance with routine 452.
An iterating process begins in accordance with routine 454 which monitors power supply 505 voltages, interlock switches 305 and 306, thermistor 508 levels, footswitch 509 and radiometer 202 signals. If the footswitch 202 is released or the radiometer signal drops below 150 mw/cm2, as detected by routine 456, the user is terminating calibration so a message such as E14 is displayed on the display 204 indicating an incomplete calibration, the bulb 101 is turned off, previous calibration data are read from the EEPROM's 90 nonvolatile memory, and control is restored to the main loop routine 408 (FIG. 4) in accordance with routines 460 and 407.
If voltages are invalid, temperature is excessive, interlock switches 305 or 306 are violated, or elapsed time indicates calibration has taken longer than 30 seconds, or bulb 100 output is too low in accordance with routine 462, an appropriate error message is issued in accordance with routine 464 and control transfers to the error routine 440.
If the power density is excessive, for example, more than 1,100 mw/cm2 for the KURE mode, normal power level, BLEACH mode, normal power level, in accordance with routine 466, the voltage to the bulb 100 is reduced in accordance with routine 468 and the cycle continues to routine 454.
If the power density is not too low in accordance with routine 454 and not too high in accordance with routine 466, then the next bulb output power level to be calibrated is selected in accordance with routine 470. If the next power level is to be calibrated, in accordance with routine 472, the bleaching filter 102A is engaged or remains engaged in accordance with routine 474, and the voltage is reduced in accordance with routine 468 and measurement continues with routine 454. If the last power level has been calibrated in accordance with routine 472, the voltage levels for the CURE mode, boost power level, CURE mode, normal power level, BLEACH mode, boost power level, BLEACH mode, normal power level, are stored in the EEPROM in accordance with routine 476, and the calibration process ends, turning off the bulb 100 and bleaching filter 102A in accordance with routine 478, and returning to standby in accordance with routine 407.
The lamp apparatus 10 has this "calibrate-on demand" feature that may be used on a maintenance basis or if the dentist senses a problem. The calibration procedure requires the dentist to steadily hold the flat surface of the curing tip 111 flush against the front panel radiometer 202. The dentist then presses and holds the footswitch 509. The display 204 will read "CAL" for 10-20 seconds. When calibration is complete, the LED display will read "ON".
During calibration, the microprocessor 300 is in calibration routine 450. The lamp apparatus 10 may display a "CAL" message may momentarily when the lamp apparatus is turned on by switch 310. This indicates that calibration is recommended. This warning also appears after a bulb 100 has burned out. The "CAL" message stops after the bulb 100 has been successfully calibrated.
The Verify-on-Demand feature of the lamp apparatus 10 may be used to verify the power density at any time. To perform this function the dentist must hold the curing tip 111 away from the front panel radiometer 202, press the footswitch 509, then wait one second. The curing tip 111 is moved to the radiometer 202 target to verify the power density which is in units of watts/cm2. It is recommended that a verification be performed if there is a question or concern concerning performance or power density.
Routine 430 indicates that the full calibration state is entered. To enter, the dentist must both press the foot switch 509 and have the curing tip 111 positioned at the front panel P calibration target. In the calibration process, the bulb 100 is turned on and the voltage is brought up until the detected and displayed power density reaches 1.00 watts/cm2 (or 1000 mw/cm2) with a tolerance of +10%-20% for a period of three seconds. The bulb 100 voltage is then raised until the maximum bulb voltage for "normal" power level curing is reached. The detected and displayed power density is greater than or equal to 0.80 watts/cm2 (800 mw/cm2) and less than 1.00 watt/cm2, with the same error tolerances as stated above, for a period of three seconds. Following the successful calibration of the bulb 100, the program next reduces the bulb voltage. After stabilizing, the dentist is ready to execute bleach or cure.
The program routines for the slave microprocessor 501 are represented by the logic flow diagram of FIG. 7, and they are designed to signal the master microprocessor 300 in accordance with the operation of the buttons 200A, 200B, 203. Individual segments of the display 204 and the warning lights 205 and 206 and power level indicator lights 201 are illuminated in accordance with instructions from the program from the microprocessor 110 which are forwarded to the slave microprocessor 501.
The routine 600 configures output ports for the LED display drivers (not shown), and input ports for the buttons 200A, 200B, 203. The routine 600 further sets the timing functions (a) for serial communication with the microprocessor 300, and (b) for the rate at which display digits are multiplexed and button states are sampled. In routine 600 all the LEDs are enabled and lit for one second so that the user may observe that they are functional. The beeper 207 is also briefly activated so that the user may observe that it is functional and that power has been turned on.
The routine 602 compares the current state of the buttons 200A, 200B, 203 to a previous state sampled several milliseconds earlier, preferably from about 10 to about 20 milliseconds. If there is a change in the button state, a predetermined numeric code identifying which individual button has changed state and whether the the button is activated or deactivated. This information is transmitted from a serial port (not shown) on the slave microprocessor 501 to the serial port 89 of the master microprocessor 300. Signals from the master microprocessor 300 are forwarded to the slave microprocessor 501 independently of receiving updated information from the slave microprocessor. In routine 606 the master microprocessor 300 transmits a signal to either activate the beeper 207 or signals to update anyone or all of the LED's of the display 204 via the routines 610, 612, 614, 616, and 618.
For bleaching, the lamp apparatus 10 is powered-up and calibrated as has been described above, and then the tooth having a bleach applied thereon is irradiated. Commercial dental bleaching agents, as for example Superoxol, are available for this purpose. Superoxol is a 30% aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide. The commercially available peroxides for dental bleaching include activator powder such as silica. When irradiated with light, the temperature of the bleaching agent is elevated and the bleaching process is enhanced.
For bleaching operations, the dentist depresses the "bleach" button 200A on the control panel P. This activates the filter 102A and light having a wavelength of 400-550 nm is focused on the entry end 108a of the liquid light guide 108 and then transmitted through the handpiece 109 to the tip 111. The 400-550 nm wavelength range light activates the peroxy (--OOH) ion used in bleaching. This wider wavelength range also allows more heat transmission. The additional heat is beneficial for the bleaching process.
When light of 400-550 nm is shined on the peroxide solution, the temperature transmitted to the tooth rises as the solution breaks down. During the bleaching process of this invention, the temperature has been measured at a maximum of about 130 degrees F. This temperature, while warm, is not uncomfortable to the patient for the short amount of time the bleaching is performed.
The time for total whitening for the process of this invention is greatly shortened from what has been reported previously. The time for whitening is reduced in the current invention to about 3 minutes per tooth. This bleach time translates into about three applications of bleach/activator/indicator followed by about three irradiations of light for about one minute. For each arch of six teeth being bleached, about 18 minutes will be needed for completion.
The lamp apparatus 10 has the three power levels for both curing and bleaching: normal, boost, and ramp. When "normal" power level is selected, the power available is from 500-1000 mw/cm2. At the bleaching "normal" power level, the bulb 100 turns on at +16 V and rises to the adjusted calibrated voltage to reach 1200 mw/cm2 (+10%, -20%) at a rate of 4.5 V per second.
At the boost power level, the energy available is from 800-2000 mw/cm2. This power level offers a higher level of energy than is available under normal conditions. The bleach boost power level is used when extra power is needed, when faster activation is desired, or when bleaching badly stained teeth. The bleach boost power level starts at +16 V and rises to the adjusted calibrated voltage to reach 1500 mw/cm2 (+10%, -20%) at a rate of 4.5 V/second.
If the dentist desires to cure restorative dental materials, he or she depresses the button 200B and the filter 102B will be activated. The wavelength of light used will then be 400-500 nm to cure a restorative dental material of 2 millimeters (mm) in about 15 seconds, typically 10 seconds or less. This time is four (4) times the rate of conventional dental light systems. It is about as quick as that of a laser or a high-powered VLS instrument.
When the button 200B is pressed, the filtered light cures essentially all photo-activated dental materials. Included in this group are those materials used in direct restorations, sealants, bonding agents, primers, and the like. The normal power level has a power density of nominally 1000 milliwatts per square centimeter. The curing time for 2 mm thickness curing material does not exceed about 15, typically 10 seconds, for a full curing cycle when the bulb 100 calibrates to 1000 milliwatts/cm2 (+10%, -20%) output.
If the lamp apparatus 10 is set to the normal KURE mode by depressing the button 200A, the indicator 201 reads normal. The footswitch 509 must be pressed to initiate the curing cycle. The curing tip 111 should be placed a distance d of about 4 mm or less from the tooth surface that is being treated. The lamp apparatus' beeper 207 will "beep" at the beginning of a cycle and every 5 seconds thereafter. When operating at normal power level and set for curing, the lamp apparatus 10 typically produces a 10 second cure in dental resin to a depth of about 2-4 mm, with the filter 102B passing light of a wavelength from about 400 to about 500 nm.
If the lamp apparatus 10 is set at the boost power level by depressing the button 200B, the cure rate will increased by approximately 20% from the normal KURE mode. The boost power level may be used when extra power or faster curing is desired, when curing darker restorative dental materials, for bulk curing, quick `tacking` of veneers, or if the dentist desires a greater depth of cure. Boost power level has a power density of up to 2000 milliwatts/square centimeter. For the boost level, this power density is increased by about 20% above the normal power level.
At the ramp power level, the dentist simply selects which of the several pre-programmed patterns of power density changes he or she desires by manipulation of buttons 203. Each restorative material to be activated has its own manufacturer's recommendations for curing times. When curing, the ramp power level typically increases the energy from a low to a high output level over a specified time period, but any desired pattern of change in power density may be provided depending on the type of material being cured. At the ramp power level, the power density is, however, usually gradually increased. Preferably, the selected "ramp" power level best matches the changes in light power density called for to enhance the physical characteristics of the specific cured dental restorative material being used. As discussed above, these changes in power density will correspond to those suggested by the manufacturer of the restorative material. Published papers, for example, Mehl et al in "Physical Properties and Gap Formation of Light-Cured Composites With and Without Self Start-Polymerization," Journal of Dentistry, Vol. 25, pp. 321-330, (1997) indicate that ramping provides more complete polymerization of restorative dental material. Leinfelder discusses the benefits of intermittent polymerization in his article on "New Developments in Resin Restorative Systems in JADA," Volume 128, May 1997. He discusses that a short light exposure time followed by darkness optimizes cure of the resin. This is more evidence concerning the utility of the ramp power level of the instant invention.
In the examples which follow, specific cases of bleaching and curing using the lamp apparatus 10 and methods of this invention are presented. The various parameters and conditions for the methods achieved using the lamp apparatus 10 of this invention are disclosed. These examples are meant for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the instant invention in any manner whatsoever.
The dentist should consider certain factors important when selecting patients for bleaching. Those patients with yellow-brown stains of extrinsic origin will respond to the bleaching process of the instant invention with the fastest and best results. Tetracycline stains, fluorsis, and intrinsic mineral/metal stains are the most difficult.
Normally, teeth may be classified in the following Vita shades: A is brown discoloration, B is yellow discoloration, C is green discoloration, and D is red discoloration. Each of these categories of discoloration is then classified on a numerical scale with lower numbers indicating less discoloration and higher numbers indicating more discoloration. It is therefore an object of the bleaching procedures to grade the tooth color the lowest number possible.
It is usually the case that patients with A (brown) coloration will have the best results of color improvement. Patients with known thermal sensitivity, exposed dentin, large pulps, or leaking margins are not ideal candidates for bleaching for this process or any other bleaching process. Application of the bleaching treatment are also contraindicated if the patient has anesthetized teeth. Contraindications would also include porcelain crowns in notable positions in the arch. There is no whitening of porcelain crowns by this or any other bleach substance or process available.
1. The teeth are cleaned on labial and lingual surfaces with pumice. After this, they are rinsed well.
2. The tooth shade is measured and recorded using the standard technique of comparing the patient's tooth shade with standard Vita shade samples.
3. After recording the tooth shade, snip open the ampule of gingival protectant. This is an orange gel that is commercially available as Charisma by the Confidental Company. The orange colorant enables distinguishing the gums from the teeth. The protectant also absorbs heat which is generated by the bleaching process.
4. Apply the protectant to the gingiva surrounding the teeth that are to be bleached.
5. Carefully apply a properly punched and sealed rubber dam to the teeth selected for bleaching. Ligation of teeth is recommended but is not necessary if the bleaching gel is sufficiently thick.
a) Open the activator powder. For two separate mixes, pour the powder into the extra cup and seal with lid.
b) Open the peroxide ampule by holding the ampule between the thumb and forefinger so that the tip is not pointed toward a person. Without squeezing the contents, carefully snip the sealed tip.
c) Gently squeeze the ampule to dispense a portion of the peroxide into the activator powder and mix with spatula.
d) Dispense enough peroxide to achieve a smooth, creamy, shiny consistency. One ampule is sufficient to treat one arch.
7. To apply the fresh bleaching gel mixture immediately to the patient, the following procedure should be followed. Gingival protectant, rubber dam, and protective eyewear should all be in place on the patient.
a) Using an applicator brush, place a 2 mm thickness of activated bleaching gel on both the facial and lingual surfaces of the teeth. Care must be taken to not force bleaching gel over the tooth-rubber dam seal.
b) With the instant unit set on BLEACH mode by pressing 200A, the practitioner will depress the footswitch 509, or alternately the trigger switch 509A. The dentist will then hold the handpiece 109 so that the curing tip 111 is approximately 3 mm from the tooth surface for about 60 to 90 seconds. The intensity of the light energy may be varied by changing this distance. The audible beep from the beeper 207 is heard every 5 seconds to facilitate time measurement.
c) The light generated by the lamp apparatus 10 stops every minute when BLEACH mode is employed. If desired, the footswitch 509 can be again depressed to activate the lamp apparatus 10 and continue the bleaching process.
d) If more whitening is desired after one application, the gel should be wiped off the entire arch and the procedure repeated.
For a Caucasian male patient of 55, the initial tooth color was rated 3.5 A.
Six teeth were treated on the lower arch. Before mixing and applying the bleaching gel, the patient's gums were coated with Charisma gingival protectant. A dam was applied and cured with filtered light passing through the filter 102A to cure the dam. This light was used for about 10 seconds per tooth for a total of about 60 seconds (1 minute) to cure the dam on the lower arch of this patient.
When the dam was finished curing, bleach solution was applied to the front of the 6 teeth in patient's maxillary arch with a small applicator brush. The BLEACH mode selection by pressing button 200A to use filter 102A and the normal power level of the light was selected and applied. The bleach was 35% hydrogen peroxide solution.
The curing tip 111 was brought to about 4 millimeters from each tooth of the patient's lower arch for a total time of three minutes per tooth. The light automatically stopped every minute. At this time, the dentist checked the bleaching process was completed.
When the bleaching procedure was completed, the final shade was 2.0 A as measured on the Vita scale.
The patient in this case was a 27 year old Caucasian female with a fractured maxillary lateral incisor. The cavity preparation material utilized for repair was a Microhybrid composite sold under the same of Herculite by the Kerr Corporation. The material was placed in the tooth.
To initiate the curing cycle, the footswitch 509 was pressed. KURE mode was selected by pressing mode selection button 200B. Normal power level was indicated by `normal` light being on power level indicator 201. The beeper 207 beeped initially and continued to beep every 5 seconds thereafter. The exposure time was displayed on the LED display 204 in seconds. The handpiece 109 was lifted off the handpiece holder 308. The curing tip 111 was positioned approximately 4 mm from the restorative dental material.
For this curing example, the manufacturer's recommendations for curing the restorative dental material was 40 seconds. The light was activated for 10 seconds. The 10 seconds represent the full curing cycle. The restorative dental material was completely cured and hardened in 10 seconds.
said bulb, when energized, emitting light of sufficient intensity so that the light emanating from the tip has a power density of at least 800 milliwatts per square centimeter, and, after filtering, having a wavelength of from 400 to 550 nanometers.
2. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 where the bulb has an enclosure holding a mixture of xenon and halogens and at a predetermined applied voltage emanates light having a power of 250 watts or greater.
3. The lamp apparatus of claim 2 where the applied voltage is 24 volts.
4. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 where the power density of the light emanating from the tip is from 800 to 2000 milliwatts per square centimeter.
5. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 where the reflector has an ellipsoidal configuration with a longitudinal axis coincident with the optical path and a focal point along the optical path.
6. The lamp apparatus of claim 5 where the bulb has an elongated filament disposed axially along the longitudinal axis, said filament, when the bulb is energized, providing at one section thereof light which is brighter than at other sections of the filament, said one section being near or at said focal point.
7. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 where said reflector is of the dichroic type which passes infra red radiation through the reflector.
8. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 where there are a plurality of filters which are selectively moved into the optical path to vary the wavelength of light being transmitted to the tip of the handpiece.
9. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 wherein the energization of the bulb is controlled by a manually operated activation switch.
10. The lamp apparatus of claim 9 wherein the activation switch is either a footswitch or a trigger switch connected to the handpiece.
said bulb, when energized, emitting light of sufficient intensity so that the light emanating from the tip has a power density of at least 800 milliwatts per square centimeter.
12. The lamp apparatus of claim 11 where in each of mode of operation there are a plurality of power levels.
13. The lamp apparatus of claim 11, when in the first mode of operation for bleaching of teeth, the filtered light has a wavelength of from 400 to 550 nanometers.
14. The lamp apparatus of claim 11, when in the second mode of operation for curing the dental restorative material, the filtered light has a wavelength from 400 to 500 nanometers.
(c) a boost power level where the light emanating from the tip is from 15% to 25% greater than at the power density at the normal power level.
16. The lamp apparatus of claim 15 when at the normal power level the power density is from 800 to 1500 milliwatts per square centimeter.
17. The lamp apparatus of claim 15 when at the ramp power level there are a plurality of different patterns of power density which are selectable by the user.
18. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 where the tip has an outlet of a diameter of from 0.1 to 20 millimeters through which an essentially constant, non-intermittent, light beam emanates.
a detector which monitors voltage applied to the bulb and a microprocessor electrically coupled to the detector and responsive thereto to adjust the voltage to maintain the desired power density of light emanating from said tip.
20. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 having a housing enclosing the bulb and the reflector and an AC fan within the housing adjacent to the bulb and reflector fan within the housing adjacent to the bulb and reflector, and a DC fan within the housing adjacent the bulb and reflector, either fan being operated to circulate air through the housing.
21. The lamp apparatus of claim 20 where there is a sensor which detects temperature within said housing and said fan is operated when the temperature exceeds a predetermined limit and an interlock switch that indicates if a panel of the lamp his been disconnected.
a housing to which is selectively attached a control panel at one or the other of two predetermined different locations on the housing.
23. The lamp apparatus of claim 22 where the control panel includes a slave microprocessor and the housing includes a master microprocessor, with said housing having a first cable for connecting the slave and master microprocessors together when the control panel is in the one location and a second cable for connecting the slave and master microprocessors together when the control panel is in the other location, thereby enabling the lamp apparatus to be disposed in different orientations.
24. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 wherein the light guide comprises a liquid enclosed in a flexible tubular member having an inside diameter ranging from 2 to 14 millimeters and a length from 4 to 10 feet, said tubular member being made from a material which is impermeable to the liquid and has a higher refractive index than the liquid.
25. The lamp apparatus of claim 24 wherein the liquid used to transmit the light in the light guide does not wet an internal surface of the light guide that it contacts, is not hygroscopic, transmits in excess of 70% of the light to a handpiece, and has a refractive index lower than that of the material from which the tubular member is made.
a radiometer for reading the power density of the light emanating from the tip.
a display for error messages and a microprocessor programmed to include a routine for handing errors and providing messages for said display.
28. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 including a signal device which alerts a user of the time elapsed while performing certain dental operations.
29. The lamp apparatus of claim 1 including a light sensor which detects light propagating along the optical path and provides a control signal used to regulate voltage being applied to the bulb to maintain the power density of the bulb essentially constant.
30. The lamp apparatus of claim 27 wherein the display for error messages are selected from the group consisting of failure of a bulb, fault in power supply, thermistor errors, solenoid failure, microprocessor memory failure, failure to pass processor self test, radiometer failure, and serial communication port failure.
another filter providing light of a second predetermined wavelength that bleaches teeth.
a flexible light transmitting member which collects the focused visible light and transmits this collected light to an outlet in said member having a diameter of from 2 to 14 millimeters.
a microprocessor which is electrically coupled to the detector and in response to the control signal adjusts the voltage applied to the bulb so that the preset level of the light energy may be adjusted.
a signal device which provides a timing signal that may be detected by the user so that the user will know the duration the light source is activated.
a slave microprocessor within the control panel that is connected to the master microprocessor.
a control circuit responsive to the control signal which deenergizes the light source to discontinue light emission whenever the control panel is detach and the light source is energized.
38. The lamp apparatus of claim 34 where the control panel is adapted to be attached to different locations on the housing, thereby enabling the lamp apparatus to be disposed in different orientations.
39. The lamp apparatus of claim 36 where the housing has a connector which enables the housing to be attached to a vertical structure.
said bulb, when energized, providing light of sufficient power density so that the light emanating from the tip has a power density from 1000 to 2000 milliwatts per square centimeter.
a control circuit responsive to the control signal which prevents the bulb, from being energized or, if energized, deenergizes the bulb to discontinue light emission.
a radiometer having a first operational mode for reading the power density of the light emanating from the tip, and a second operational mode for calibrating the bulb.
44. The lamp apparatus of claim 43 where the applied voltage is 24 volts.
45. The lamp apparatus of claim 44 where the power density of the light emanating from the tip is from 800 to 2000 milliwatts per square centimeter.
an interlock switch mounted to the housing and positioned to detect when the control panel is attached to the top or attached to the rear of the lamp apparatus.
47. The lamp apparatus of claim 41 which weighs less than 15 pounds.
New Developments in Resin Restorative Systems, Jada vol. 128, May 1997 pp. 573-581, Karl F. Leinfelder.
Physical Properties and Gap Formation of Light-Cured Composites with and without Soft-Start Polymerization, Jrnl of Dentistry vol. 23, Nos. 3-4, pp. 321-330, 1997 A. Mehl, R. Hickel, and K-H Kunzelmann (no month).
ES2268481T3 (en) 2007-03-16 Bleaching device using electro-optical and chemical means, in particular in the medical and dental field. | 2019-04-25T15:26:08Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US6089740A/en |
Drafting squares allow you to become more accurate when you’re making cuts which are small. It is usually challenging to get accurate measurements when wanting to cut within the 2-3 foot range. Try stopping in your friendly neighborhood art supply store to grab a drafting square from an crafts and arts store. These are usually extremely accurate and easy to utilize.
There are various important hand tools that you should get before starting a woodworking project. A hammer is clearly essential. A claw hammer is the perfect that you can get. Select one that sits well inside your grasp. You won’t wish to be employing a hammer that might be too heavy. When building rustic furniture, you can use fewer finishing tools.
Wet any top of the wood before starting sanding. This will help to raise the grain to indicate itself. This allows you to to get rid of fine scratches. Furthermore, it gives your project an experienced carpenter. It helps save some money in the future as well.
It is possible to make customized sanding blocks inside the sizes you want. Just cut some wood for the specific size and shape needed. This provides you with a sanding block for the project.
It is actually possible to make the own sanding blocks. Just reduce your wood towards the shape and size your project requires. Then there is a sanding block for your personal job.
You can make your own reusable sanding block cheaply. Sanding blocks offer you extra control when sanding much easier. You can utilize some scrap wood instead. Cut the wood and apply sandpaper with spray adhesive.
Avoid creating an extension cord octopus while dealing with wood by utilizing merely one extension cord. Unplug one tool and plug in another if you want a whole new opening. This safely tip can prevent tripping hazards and enable you to avoid electrocution.
Drafting squares will help you be a little more accurate when you’re making cuts easier. It can be tricky to adequately measure wood from the range between two or three feet. Try stopping into your friendly neighborhood art supply store to buy a drafting square from an crafts and arts store. They are accurate and more accurate.
There are numerous of power tools you should be effective while utilizing wood. If you’re not already the owner of any jigsaw, invest in a circular saw, a small table saw, a sander of some type, circular drivers, a and saw table saw. Most power sanders will do the job, although an electrical power sander will work.
Consider the future when you map out a big project. For instance, if you are planning a shed, will you would like it to have power at some point? Be sure that you leave room for switches and wiring to be put in, as well as room forever lighting in that case.
Map out a woodworking projects. Find out how much your materials will cost you. Know exactly what you would need and the cost. You don’t desire to be compelled to abandon a task down the line since it is too expensive to keep.
Prior to deciding to sand, wet the top of the wood. Wetting the grain. This should help you to eradicate any fine scratches. It will help make your project a sleek look. It may also help save you sure you’re not doing extra work later.
Ensure you know everything which needs to be done before starting. You don’t want to glance at the directions or perhaps not read them because that only brings about mistakes. Read the instructions a few times to make sure that you are aware of it fully.
Make certain your measurements a few times. You may also consider making the effort to measure as many as 3 x before you decide to cut if you’re using pricy materials. Measuring incorrectly has become the most costly mistakes occur.
Wear tight or well-fitting clothes when you work with tools. Loose fitting clothing has caused countless accidents. By putting on a fitted shirt that is certainly tucked in, Protect yourself. Steel toed boots may also very beneficial when you use power tools.
Cheap tools will never get the job done and will make you injured. This can save you won’t must change it frequently.
Before staining, ensure that the surface is correctly prepared. A great way to accomplish that is to use a pre-stain conditioner for wood. The conditioners soak from the wood soaks the stain evenly. Right after the stain is applied, work with a rag to remove any excess which is on the wood.
The first question would be what the one consider cheap. I would put it out this way: If the marketing expert that you hired will optimize your website to appear on the 1st page of Google, which will lead to more traffic coming to the website and finally conversions and sales. How much extra money will you get from SEO clearly depends on your business and niche. For example: If you could make just extra $3 000 per month from SEO, would you be willing to pay someone let’s say $1000 of those three to put up with all work that brings the fruit while you do your job as usual?
I am sure that most of the people would say absolutely yes to this, and those who say no, guess what? Those will loose the business battle on the longer run, because there will be you standing above of the competition.
Some business would be even all set to pay a lot of money every month for keeping their website completely optimizes and on the fist pages of search engines. Photo that!
It’s simple mathematics, they are most likely investing double of that on marketing, and me as an SEO expert will cut the expenditures down to half of that amount, with the exact same results. And that’s the magic of online search engine marketing.
The only thing is, that there would not be that many individuals who in fact understand and master their craft. Likewise, as quickly as you find one, It may appear very costly to you. I understand that due to the fact that I am among those specialists, and I make every effort to obtain to understand exactly what I know. It’s been just months and month of battle and looking for out the genuine and trustworthy technique to enhance websites so they rank on the extremely top of the very first page in Google.
I merely couldn’t walk away from it with a half job done, how all the people around me are doing it and teaching it, however, ti really doesn’t 100 % work. I am really delighted to state that I do have a tested approach that is working. Simply Stay with me and you will find out more about ways to use beneficial SEO business or specialist, exactly what to state and ask.
Now we comprehend that SEO is mainly about building the quality links pointing to the site that we mean to rank. So the might think that merely to get a lot of links from the totally complimentary site platforms and social profiles hosted on various social media networks would do it.
To acquire the link from these complimentary platforms is basic and they are very important in the SEO structured strategy, however making use of merely those simply won’t do it. The essential is to have links from high authority self-hosted domains, blog site websites, that Google already rewarded with higher rankings and more traffic. It’s the single finest SEO approach, however, to obtain these links could be extremely pricey. We can look at this like– the more authority the website gets, the more traffic it gets, and more traffic it gets, the more authority it gets and so on.
Internet search engine Marketing is a big market that covers all internet activities such as paid and shown marketing, search engine optimization, social media marketing, video marketing, and It’s increasingly more crucial to make use of and implement at least among these into everyday business. Which is why the businesses and business hire SEO agency. Depending upon the size of the business project as well as the budget, it could be a full-time task for the specialist, so the price can differ somewhere from $200 to $10 000 per month as well as more. As I said, It’s clearly upon the client and her/his budget plan.
Certainly, we need to consider that the larger company It is, the more work and money an expert need to purchase SEO projects. That’s the way It is nowadays, forget about some totally automated SEO software application, these times are long gone. They worked 10 years ago, not now.
Damage triggered due water is extremely uncomfortable. It needs immediate interest. Often, the flood damage repair is so extreme that we don’t understand where to begin with. The water requires to be removed from every corner & things that have taken a long dip. This could be your carpeting, upholstery, furniture, utensils, clothing, home appliances, etc. Whatever it is. fast action is required. If the water is not extracted from floors within 48 hours then there are opportunities of 100 % structural damages. On top of this mild dew and mold development rate will be rapid with wetness growth.
H&R Block is taking a various tact. They are turning corporate owned shops into to owner operator franchises. In truth they turned 300 into owner operator franchises last year. H&R Block feels the owner operators will have the ability to focus on local neighborhoods and be more involved. Pricing on a franchise is between $30,000 and $75,000. Best thing about owning an H&R Block franchise is you only need to work four months a year.
Lots of people spend cash to have their homes tested for mold. This isn’t really typically necessary. Mold provides itself as a fuzzy, greenish-black development on walls, pipelines, or perhaps fabrics, generally accompanied by a mildewy or harmful smell. If you think that you have mold, then in all possibility you do.
Your washing device may be another perpetrator for water damage. If possible, change the rubber hoses it has to a stainless steel hose. The heavy duty structure of the steel will decrease the change of a leak while likewise keeping your device running much better.
Dealing with house damages can quickly be repair work in case you know the reason of the said damage. If you’re encountering water damage, much better you get hold of water damage repair service services. You might likewise fix water damage by yourself, if you think you could handle the damage. All you need to do is constantly to shut off the meter supply of the water. Get rid of all the home appliances that will be hit by the water because it might potentially cause additional damage to your home appliances. Safe and secure most likely the most high-priced devices which you have in your house. Keeping it secure from water. But if you have no time at all to fix the damage, you will find a lot of business that offers Water Damage Repair. Request these services to guarantee that they are able to start cleaning water damage.
The years in the occupation just isn’t really enough. It is also essential that you examine the background of the company. Explore the website of the company. web out the services they supply and take a look at reviews from consumers. This can assist you get a clue of how effective these are.
While going in a location affected by molds you need to take correct safety measures like wearing a high quality breathing mask, wear gloves and a protective suite.
Depending on the size of your home they will find out the kinds and sizes of dehumidifiers for use.You can get huge dehumidifiers that work for a huge location such as a basement or seller, and you have the option of purchasing portable dehumidifiers that can be put in each room of your house which are smaller to work with. Many of the dehumidifiers contain the star energy record, which indicates they utilize truly little energy and might be run 24 hours a day without stressing over your electric bill surging.
The vital factor in water damage remediation is to obtain all the wetness out as quickly as you can. And keep in mind to call a professional if the damage is excessive to securely handle by yourself.
Total cholesterol takes under consideration quantities of both low-density lipoprotein, or bad cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein, or good cholesterol. In accordance with the Mayo Clinic, your daily diet plays a crucial role in lessening cholesterol levels. Egg-whites, that incorporate a lot of an egg’s protein, is one option. Substitute eggs like Egg Beaters, who have zero cholesterol, are another. You must also use egg-whites instead of egg yolks in recipes and steer clear of eggnog, which has 149 mg of cholesterol per serving. The NIH advises that consuming lots of dietary fiber can assist in reducing your cholesterol level, particularly when you’re eating rich causes of soluble fiber. Accurate cholesterol test outcomes are a key point in determining your risk for cardiovascular illnesses. A lot more than 35 million Americans have levels of cholesterol sufficient to get them at significant risk for cardiovascular disease. Before you start to use some of these, discuss with your health care provider.
Researchers found that the participants’ excretion of cholesterol increased if they switched for an olive-oil enriched diet. They concluded that organic olive oil plays a part in lowering low-density lipoproteins, which make up the “bad” cholesterol. EPA is located in fatty, cold-water fish for instance salmon, mackerel, sardines, halibut, trout and tuna. Not consuming enough omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods can be a contributing consider low HDL blood choleseterol levels. Not Consuming the correct Plant Foods Depending on the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, consuming too much sodium could potentially cause high blood pressure levels. It says you need to consume not more than 2,300 milligrams daily, or about 1 teaspoon of table salt, or a maximum of 1,500 milligrams if you already possess hypertension. Red wine has three to ten times how much this plant compound when compared with other wines. Antioxidant Properties The grapes employed to make wine have a polyphenol called resveratrol. Your cholesterol values will be abnormally low should you be acutely ill, stressed, or recovering from surgical treatment or a cardiac arrest. Pregnancy leads to a rise in cholesterol, so women should wait at least about 6 weeks before taking a cholesterol test, www.x4-design.eu. To deal with your existing cholesterol, doctors typically prescribe statins, but also can recommend bile-acid-binding resins, cholesterol absorption inhibitors or a blend of 2 of three of the. With retinal vein occlusion, you might want to get a blood thinner like warfarin.
Hence it really is healthier and much more effective against cholesterol than milk chocolate, which contains added milk fats and sugar. The studies indicated that higher doses of cocoa plant compounds in dark chocolate — 2.2 grams per deciliter — reduced cholesterol absorption by 60 percent. Tom Mueller would be the author of “Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous Whole world of Olive Oil.” In a interview on National Public Radio, Mueller emphasized that extra-virgin extra virgin olive oil produces the highest translates into lowering cholesterol. Saturated fat affects your cholesterol more than dietary cholesterol, although the dietary cholesterol does make a difference. The Therapeutic Changes In Lifestyle, or TLC, diet recommends limiting your daily cholesterol intake to no more than 200 milligrams. In order to transform your diet to lessen your sugar and cholesterol levels, you may be thinking theres little you can eat, particularly when youre used to a meat-and-potatoes diet that has pie and cake for dessert. Nevertheless, you actually have many filling, nutritious choices. Foods from sources like salmon contain cholesterol, since animals, including humans, need cholesterol for a number of body functions. A 3-ounce serving of cooked wild Atlantic salmon contains 60 milligrams of cholesterol.
The famous fat burner, Phen375, blatantly reveals all the elements used in their product. Not like other dietary supplements that do not allow their users to recognize all the components that make up their product for a reason that a particular component is not really safe for consumption but can effectively eliminate body fats.
This particular component of Phen375 will solve the biggest battle dieters have in terms of losing weight, their diminishing metabolism. This component provides the improvement of their metabolic rate. The decreased metabolism is the only critical factor any fat burner can do, which makes this component very important in any diet supplement.
This particular component will help the body to convert fat deposits to a usable energy, which can make the body more energized instead of being lethargic. One common example is caffeine that can be found in coffees, teas and other foods.
Capsaicin is an interesting component that most dieters truly love because it enables your body temperature to rise even without doing some exercise. Its advantage from other dietary supplements is that it can burn more calories and fats at a very high rate levels, not like other diet pills.
This component that can be found in Indonesia is known to be a natural fat burner. It is an essential active component to incorporate in Phen375 because it can effectively cut down the shrinkage of muscle tissues of the body. With this function, the component is concentrating on the bad cells making sure that it does not lose durability.
The L-Carnitine effectively gets the stored fats and transports it to the circulatory system, which is an excellent way of transforming stored fats into a usable energy.
This component will help produce naturally the chemical called norepinephrine. This will also effectively manage the stored fat cells by converting it to usable energy and may also increase the body’s metabolic rate.
Its user may consider these active ingredients of Phen375 the most potent and very well collaborated components that can be found in one diet supplement. It is no doubt that the Phen375 can go a long way especially in giving satisfaction to those people that have been longing to lose those their stubborn extra weight. Different people will definitely experience a huge difference of their body and will be thrilled of Phen375’s result without exerting too much effort. It was said from the product’s reviews and testimonials found on the Internet that Phen375 is truly an effective dietary supplement for it was proven that all who took this supplement swore that they have lost weight.
Just visit this site Thephen375guide.com/ in order to get more valuable information about phen375.
However, no matter how effective the supplement is, it is advisable to consult your doctor first before deciding on using these kinds of products. It may show some side effects in a very minimal level, which can be prevented when a doctor will guide the user properly.
Why Would You Love Getting A Massachusetts Real Estate License?
Professional: Getting Massachusetts real estate license you know the ins and outs of your group. You can discuss neighborhood comps in your rest. You realize what regions have the most elevated positioning schools. Furthermore, you have more particular information, as whether that recently recorded home is in a surge plain, which would require costlier protection. Your customers can depend on you to be their trusted counsel in light of the fact that you’re the master.
Expert: As an operator Brighton Property, you’re solicited to do a ton from things that may fall outside your domain. You’re an instructor, a guide, a sitter, a monetary counselor and a holistic mentor. Land buys and deals with Brighton Property are frequently provoked by life changes, for example, marriage or separation. Purchasing or offering a house is a passionate ordeal, so you must insight your customers and guide them in the right course. The employment requires an identity that is adaptable and versatile to the necessities of the client. As an operator, you pick up life aptitudes, for example, multitasking and figuring out how to function with diverse identity sorts. Also, there’s nothing more compensating than helping somebody at long last locate the home they’ve generally needed.
When the business sector is blasting, all is awesome on the planet. Land feels like the best occupation ever. You may be so flush with money that you’re discovering $100 bills in old coat pockets. You’re occupied and not stressed over where the following lead is originating from.
A board of top entertainers conversed with a standing-room-just horde of specialists at a land meeting. Everybody in the room needed to comprehend what made those effective champions tick. One specialist in the gathering of people asked the board individuals, “What do you like best about the land business?” Everybody on the board positioned “opportunity and freedom” as #1. Cash was second for every one of them. Peopling was number three for a large portion of them, yet they all concurred that giving extraordinary customer administration was fundamental to an effective vocation.
When somebody pays you a pay, he or she has obtained in any event some of your time and vitality. In any case, when your pay depends all alone earned commissions, you control your time, and along these lines, your life. That opportunity and autonomy is extremely valuable to numerous land experts.
In many states, land operators and intermediaries are the main experts who can draft land contracts for customers without being an attorney. You will regularly offer guidance to customers about their significant land resource, whether it is their home, and you will be taking a shot at exchanges worth extensive wholes of cash. Corporate or institutional representatives may work for quite a long time before they are given that much obligation, if at any time by any stretch of the imagination.
When you land at a gathering, the room won’t go noiseless in amazement in light of the fact that the land specialist has at last arrived. In any case, you are in a regarded calling, and contrasted with different organizations and callings, land operators and merchants rank high out in the open endorsement surveys.
There are a couple of things as fulfilling as offering purchasers some assistance with finding another home or venture property, or offering venders some assistance with selling their property. That is not on the grounds that you will acquire a considerable commission; peopling fulfills their land objectives is a delightful prize in itself. On the off chance that you like assortment, rest guaranteed that no two days will be the same, and there is a significant improvement between helping a purchaser or dealer with one of a kind need or issue, and simply appearing at work. Each and every achievement in land appears to guarantee much more noteworthy triumphs later. It’s an invigorating way of life that occasional gets to be commonplace. For more information visit www.tazar.com.
Diazepam (Valium), carisoprodol (Soma), orphenadrine (Norflex), and chlorzoxazone (Parafon Forte) are other muscle relaxants prescribed for the short-term management of muscle spasms. In a paper published from the May 1988 “Journal of General Internal Medicine,” .66 percent of 1,975 patients going to a doctor primarily for back discomfort were found to get underlying cancer. By way of example, exercise the quadriceps with straight leg lifts as you lie on the ground, propped high on your elbows. And sit down on a chair or table and squeeze a rubber ball between your knees to bolster your hip adductors. Proper stretching exercises can loosen a stiff back You do not notice the pain immediately in the event the ligament is only strained, however it does swell up quickly once the day’s play has finished. An ACL tear hurts immediately and in most cases requires surgery to mend. Shoulder pain may appear from overuse, injury or a sickness. On one hand, a survey conducted in Argentina showed significant links between rheumatoid arthritis symptoms symptoms and barometric pressure and humidity, in addition to significant links between osteoarthritis symptoms and high humidity, http://www.research4smes.eu/. Also, utilizing your legs to squat whenever you pick something up as opposed to bending, wearing sensible shoes, sleeping in your favor, resting together with your feet elevated and seeking chiropractic treatments also may help you avoid difficulty with your back.
If you determine your hamstrings are tight and want to loosen them as much as limit the chance that you just develop low back pain later, act now before, during and after your workouts. Ahead of exercise, loosen with dynamic stretching that features Frankenstein walks. If pain occurs lying face down, then try placing a small pillow beneath the lower abdomen. This pillow serves to take some pressure from the lumbar region. If pain takes place when lying face up, it could be good to elevate the legs. This serves to bend the spine forward somewhat. In physical therapy, a physical therapist will teach exercises to better flexibility in the middle back. Adherence to your home exercise program may help maintain the flexibility of your middle back which will help prevent future instances of stiffness. Knee burning requires medical assistance. Isometric pushes help to strengthen the muscles on all sides within your neck. Place your palms against your forehead using your fingers pointing up, and gently press your mind into your hands. Then, place both hands on the rear of your face and do exactly the same thing. Include exercises to boost your hamstring, quadricep and calf muscles, all of these cross your knee joint, reducing your risk of calf and knee injuries.
It should feel comfortable. It’s also good to keep your hips and knees for a right angle plus a back support cushion, as reported by the Cleveland Clinic. Do not cross your legs, and make sure your feet are flat on the ground while you sit for many years. Examine your urine to watch out for signs of blood or burning during urination. Back discomfort linked to fever and blood within the urine may be because of kidney infection or kidney stones. This, too, takes a medical examination. Move gently to determine if there is certainly severe pain with any movement. Ensure that every movement you are making is controlled to prevent injuring yourself this way. Tendonitis is an additional possible grounds for your shoulder and shoulders ache during exercise. This could certainly occur any time you overuse a joint. It sometimes?s tough to remember which pain came first. Quite simply, did your back hurt first, causing knee pain or was it the other way around. A strain is definitely an injury, most likely a tear into the muscle, while a bruise, also known as a contusion, is usually the consequence of blunt force to the muscle, causing bleeding. If the strain is serious enough, a contusion may present itself as among the symptoms.
After you swim harder to move faster, it is possible to strain already taxed neck muscles, leading to pain and stiffness. Within your neck area, seven bony vertebrae surround your spinal cord the way it descends from the brain down toward your lower torso. Static stretching involves moving your whole body or limb in a posture after which holding that posture for no less than 20 seconds. Therapeutic massage could also help relax and loosen tight muscles. Alternate either the lower limb lifts or perhaps the arm and leg lifts, at the same time attempting to keep your core from “wobbling.” Start with two sets of 10 and build the right path up as you’re able. Lumbar pain on the right side could be a result of numerous factors. Cardiovascular exercise is very important in developing and looking after heart health and the right weight. Additionally, it improves flexibility and will help to ease back problems that?s brought on by inactivity. Eliminate this way to obtain back discomfort by evaluating your pedaling technique and correcting your riding imperfections gradually. Adjust your posture likewise, ensuring your back is rounded in lieu of sway-backed so that you could absorb the jolts in the road. | 2019-04-23T05:59:25Z | http://asaeonline.us/2016/01/ |
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The first autumnal afternoon sunshine of 1801--more than eighteen months after that parting of Adam and Arthur in the Hermitage--was on the yard at the Hall Farm; and the bull-dog was in one of his most excited moments, for it was that hour of the day when the cows were being driven into the yard for their afternoon milking. No wonder the patient beasts ran confusedly into the wrong places, for the alarming din of the bull-dog was mingled with more distant sounds which the timid feminine creatures, with pardonable superstition, imagined also to have some relation to their own movements--with the tremendous crack of the waggoner's whip, the roar of his voice, and the booming thunder of the waggon, as it left the rick-yard empty of its golden load.
The milking of the cows was a sight Mrs. Poyser loved, and at this hour on mild days she was usually standing at the house door, with her knitting in her hands, in quiet contemplation, only heightened to a keener interest when the vicious yellow cow, who had once kicked over a pailful of precious milk, was about to undergo the preventive punishment of having her hinder-legs strapped.
To-day, however, Mrs. Poyser gave but a divided attention to the arrival of the cows, for she was in eager discussion with Dinah, who was stitching Mr. Poyser's shirt-collars, and had borne patiently to have her thread broken three times by Totty pulling at her arm with a sudden insistence that she should look at "Baby," that is, at a large wooden doll with no legs and a long skirt, whose bald head Totty, seated in her small chair at Dinah's side, was caressing and pressing to her fat cheek with much fervour. Totty is larger by more than two years' growth than when you first saw her, and she has on a black frock under her pinafore. Mrs. Poyser too has on a black gown, which seems to heighten the family likeness between her and Dinah. In other respects there is little outward change now discernible in our old friends, or in the pleasant house-place, bright with polished oak and pewter.
"I never saw the like to you, Dinah," Mrs. Poyser was saying, "when you've once took anything into your head: there's no more moving you than the rooted tree. You may say what you like, but I don't believe that's religion; for what's the Sermon on the Mount about, as you're so fond o' reading to the boys, but doing what other folks 'ud have you do? But if it was anything unreasonable they wanted you to do, like taking your cloak off and giving it to 'em, or letting 'em slap you i' the face, I daresay you'd be ready enough. It's only when one 'ud have you do what's plain common sense and good for yourself, as you're obstinate th' other way."
"Nay, dear Aunt," said Dinah, smiling slightly as she went on with her work, "I'm sure your wish 'ud be a reason for me to do anything that I didn't feel it was wrong to do."
"Wrong! You drive me past bearing. What is there wrong, I should like to know, i' staying along wi' your own friends, as are th' happier for having you with 'em an' are willing to provide for you, even if your work didn't more nor pay 'em for the bit o' sparrow's victual y' eat and the bit o' rag you put on? An' who is it, I should like to know, as you're bound t' help and comfort i' the world more nor your own flesh and blood--an' me th' only aunt you've got above-ground, an' am brought to the brink o' the grave welly every winter as comes, an' there's the child as sits beside you 'ull break her little heart when you go, an' the grandfather not been dead a twelvemonth, an' your uncle 'ull miss you so as never was--a-lighting his pipe an' waiting on him, an' now I can trust you wi' the butter, an' have had all the trouble o' teaching you, and there's all the sewing to be done, an' I must have a strange gell out o' Treddles'on to do it--an' all because you must go back to that bare heap o' stones as the very crows fly over an' won't stop at."
"Dear Aunt Rachel," said Dinah, looking up in Mrs. Poyser's face, "it's your kindness makes you say I'm useful to you. You don't really want me now, for Nancy and Molly are clever at their work, and you're in good health now, by the blessing of God, and my uncle is of a cheerful countenance again, and you have neighbours and friends not a few--some of them come to sit with my uncle almost daily. Indeed, you will not miss me; and at Snowfield there are brethren and sisters in great need, who have none of those comforts you have around you. I feel that I am called back to those amongst whom my lot was first cast. I feel drawn again towards the hills where I used to be blessed in carrying the word of life to the sinful and desolate."
"You feel! Yes," said Mrs. Poyser, returning from a parenthetic glance at the cows, "that's allays the reason I'm to sit down wi', when you've a mind to do anything contrairy. What do you want to be preaching for more than you're preaching now? Don't you go off, the Lord knows where, every Sunday a-preaching and praying? An' haven't you got Methodists enow at Treddles'on to go and look at, if church-folks's faces are too handsome to please you? An' isn't there them i' this parish as you've got under hand, and they're like enough to make friends wi' Old Harry again as soon as your back's turned? There's that Bessy Cranage--she'll be flaunting i' new finery three weeks after you're gone, I'll be bound. She'll no more go on in her new ways without you than a dog 'ull stand on its hind-legs when there's nobody looking. But I suppose it doesna matter so much about folks's souls i' this country, else you'd be for staying with your own aunt, for she's none so good but what you might help her to be better."
There was a certain something in Mrs. Poyser's voice just then, which she did not wish to be noticed, so she turned round hastily to look at the clock, and said: "See there! It's tea-time; an' if Martin's i' the rick-yard, he'll like a cup. Here, Totty, my chicken, let mother put your bonnet on, and then you go out into the rick-yard and see if Father's there, and tell him he mustn't go away again without coming t' have a cup o' tea; and tell your brothers to come in too."
Totty trotted off in her flapping bonnet, while Mrs. Poyser set out the bright oak table and reached down the tea-cups.
"You talk o' them gells Nancy and Molly being clever i' their work," she began again; "it's fine talking. They're all the same, clever or stupid--one can't trust 'em out o' one's sight a minute. They want somebody's eye on 'em constant if they're to be kept to their work. An' suppose I'm ill again this winter, as I was the winter before last? Who's to look after 'em then, if you're gone? An' there's that blessed child--something's sure t' happen to her-- they'll let her tumble into the fire, or get at the kettle wi' the boiling lard in't, or some mischief as 'ull lame her for life; an' it'll be all your fault, Dinah."
"Aunt," said Dinah, "I promise to come back to you in the winter if you're ill. Don't think I will ever stay away from you if you're in real want of me. But, indeed, it is needful for my own soul that I should go away from this life of ease and luxury in which I have all things too richly to enjoy--at least that I should go away for a short space. No one can know but myself what are my inward needs, and the besetments I am most in danger from. Your wish for me to stay is not a call of duty which I refuse to hearken to because it is against my own desires; it is a temptation that I must resist, lest the love of the creature should become like a mist in my soul shutting out the heavenly light."
"It passes my cunning to know what you mean by ease and luxury," said Mrs. Poyser, as she cut the bread and butter. "It's true there's good victual enough about you, as nobody shall ever say I don't provide enough and to spare, but if there's ever a bit o' odds an' ends as nobody else 'ud eat, you're sure to pick it out...but look there! There's Adam Bede a-carrying the little un in. I wonder how it is he's come so early."
Mrs. Poyser hastened to the door for the pleasure of looking at her darling in a new position, with love in her eyes but reproof on her tongue.
"Oh for shame, Totty! Little gells o' five year old should be ashamed to be carried. Why, Adam, she'll break your arm, such a big gell as that; set her down--for shame!"
"Nay, nay," said Adam, "I can lift her with my hand--I've no need to take my arm to it."
Totty, looking as serenely unconscious of remark as a fat white puppy, was set down at the door-place, and the mother enforced her reproof with a shower of kisses.
"You're surprised to see me at this hour o' the day," said Adam.
"Yes, but come in," said Mrs. Poyser, making way for him; "there's no bad news, I hope?"
"No, nothing bad," Adam answered, as he went up to Dinah and put out his hand to her. She had laid down her work and stood up, instinctively, as he approached her. A faint blush died away from her pale cheek as she put her hand in his and looked up at him timidly.
"It's an errand to you brought me, Dinah," said Adam, apparently unconscious that he was holding her hand all the while; "mother's a bit ailing, and she's set her heart on your coming to stay the night with her, if you'll be so kind. I told her I'd call and ask you as I came from the village. She overworks herself, and I can't persuade her to have a little girl t' help her. I don't know what's to be done."
Adam released Dinah's hand as he ceased speaking, and was expecting an answer, but before she had opened her lips Mrs. Poyser said, "Look there now! I told you there was folks enow t' help i' this parish, wi'out going further off. There's Mrs. Bede getting as old and cas'alty as can be, and she won't let anybody but you go a-nigh her hardly. The folks at Snowfield have learnt by this time to do better wi'out you nor she can."
"I'll put my bonnet on and set off directly, if you don't want anything done first, Aunt," said Dinah, folding up her work.
"Yes, I do want something done. I want you t' have your tea, child; it's all ready--and you'll have a cup, Adam, if y' arena in too big a hurry."
"Yes, I'll have a cup, please; and then I'll walk with Dinah. I'm going straight home, for I've got a lot o' timber valuations to write out."
"Why, Adam, lad, are you here?" said Mr. Poyser, entering warm and coatless, with the two black-eyed boys behind him, still looking as much like him as two small elephants are like a large one. "How is it we've got sight o' you so long before foddering-time?"
"I came on an errand for Mother," said Adam. "She's got a touch of her old complaint, and she wants Dinah to go and stay with her a bit."
"Well, we'll spare her for your mother a little while," said Mr. Poyser. "But we wonna spare her for anybody else, on'y her husband."
"Husband!" said Marty, who was at the most prosaic and literal period of the boyish mind. "Why, Dinah hasn't got a husband."
"Spare her?" said Mrs. Poyser, placing a seed-cake on the table and then seating herself to pour out the tea. "But we must spare her, it seems, and not for a husband neither, but for her own megrims. Tommy, what are you doing to your little sister's doll? Making the child naughty, when she'd be good if you'd let her. You shanna have a morsel o' cake if you behave so."
Tommy, with true brotherly sympathy, was amusing himself by turning Dolly's skirt over her bald head and exhibiting her truncated body to the general scorn--an indignity which cut Totty to the heart.
"What do you think Dinah's been a-telling me since dinner-time?" Mrs. Poyser continued, looking at her husband.
"Eh! I'm a poor un at guessing," said Mr. Poyser.
"Why, she means to go back to Snowfield again, and work i' the mill, and starve herself, as she used to do, like a creatur as has got no friends."
Mr. Poyser did not readily find words to express his unpleasant astonishment; he only looked from his wife to Dinah, who had now seated herself beside Totty, as a bulwark against brotherly playfulness, and was busying herself with the children's tea. If he had been given to making general reflections, it would have occurred to him that there was certainly a change come over Dinah, for she never used to change colour; but, as it was, he merely observed that her face was flushed at that moment. Mr. Poyser thought she looked the prettier for it: it was a flush no deeper than the petal of a monthly rose. Perhaps it came because her uncle was looking at her so fixedly; but there is no knowing, for just then Adam was saying, with quiet surprise, "Why, I hoped Dinah was settled among us for life. I thought she'd given up the notion o' going back to her old country."
"Thought! Yes," said Mrs. Poyser, "and so would anybody else ha' thought, as had got their right end up'ards. But I suppose you must be a Methodist to know what a Methodist 'ull do. It's ill guessing what the bats are flying after."
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"Nay, Uncle," said Dinah, trying to be quite calm. "When I first came, I said it was only for a time, as long as I could be of any comfort to my aunt."
"Well, an' who said you'd ever left off being a comfort to me?" said Mrs. Poyser. "If you didna mean to stay wi' me, you'd better never ha' come. Them as ha' never had a cushion don't miss it."
"Nay, nay," said Mr. Poyser, who objected to exaggerated views. "Thee mustna say so; we should ha' been ill off wi'out her, Lady day was a twelvemont'. We mun be thankful for that, whether she stays or no. But I canna think what she mun leave a good home for, to go back int' a country where the land, most on't, isna worth ten shillings an acre, rent and profits."
"Why, that's just the reason she wants to go, as fur as she can give a reason," said Mrs. Poyser. "She says this country's too comfortable, an' there's too much t' eat, an' folks arena miserable enough. And she's going next week. I canna turn her, say what I will. It's allays the way wi' them meek-faced people; you may's well pelt a bag o' feathers as talk to 'em. But I say it isna religion, to be so obstinate--is it now, Adam?"
Adam saw that Dinah was more disturbed than he had ever seen her by any matter relating to herself, and, anxious to relieve her, if possible, he said, looking at her affectionately, "Nay, I can't find fault with anything Dinah does. I believe her thoughts are better than our guesses, let 'em be what they may. I should ha' been thankful for her to stay among us, but if she thinks well to go, I wouldn't cross her, or make it hard to her by objecting. We owe her something different to that."
As it often happens, the words intended to relieve her were just too much for Dinah's susceptible feelings at this moment. The tears came into the grey eyes too fast to be hidden and she got up hurriedly, meaning it to be understood that she was going to put on her bonnet.
"Mother, what's Dinah crying for?" said Totty. "She isn't a naughty dell."
"Thee'st gone a bit too fur," said Mr. Poyser. "We've no right t' interfere with her doing as she likes. An' thee'dst be as angry as could be wi' me, if I said a word against anything she did."
"Because you'd very like be finding fault wi'out reason," said Mrs. Poyser. "But there's reason i' what I say, else I shouldna say it. It's easy talking for them as can't love her so well as her own aunt does. An' me got so used to her! I shall feel as uneasy as a new sheared sheep when she's gone from me. An' to think of her leaving a parish where she's so looked on. There's Mr. Irwine makes as much of her as if she was a lady, for all her being a Methodist, an' wi' that maggot o' preaching in her head-- God forgi'e me if I'm i' the wrong to call it so."
"Aye," said Mr. Poyser, looking jocose; "but thee dostna tell Adam what he said to thee about it one day. The missis was saying, Adam, as the preaching was the only fault to be found wi' Dinah, and Mr. Irwine says, 'But you mustn't find fault with her for that, Mrs. Poyser; you forget she's got no husband to preach to. I'll answer for it, you give Poyser many a good sermon.' The parson had thee there," Mr. Poyser added, laughing unctuously. "I told Bartle Massey on it, an' he laughed too."
"Yes, it's a small joke sets men laughing when they sit a-staring at one another with a pipe i' their mouths," said Mrs. Poyser. "Give Bartle Massey his way and he'd have all the sharpness to himself. If the chaff-cutter had the making of us, we should all be straw, I reckon. Totty, my chicken, go upstairs to cousin Dinah, and see what she's doing, and give her a pretty kiss."
This errand was devised for Totty as a means of checking certain threatening symptoms about the corners of the mouth; for Tommy, no longer expectant of cake, was lifting up his eyelids with his forefingers and turning his eyeballs towards Totty in a way that she felt to be disagreeably personal.
"You're rare and busy now--eh, Adam?" said Mr. Poyser. "Burge's getting so bad wi' his asthmy, it's well if he'll ever do much riding about again."
"Yes, we've got a pretty bit o' building on hand now," said Adam, "what with the repairs on th' estate, and the new houses at Treddles'on."
"I'll bet a penny that new house Burge is building on his own bit o' land is for him and Mary to go to," said Mr. Poyser. "He'll be for laying by business soon, I'll warrant, and be wanting you to take to it all and pay him so much by th' 'ear. We shall see you living on th' hill before another twelvemont's over."
"Well," said Adam, "I should like t' have the business in my own hands. It isn't as I mind much about getting any more money. We've enough and to spare now, with only our two selves and mother; but I should like t' have my own way about things--I could try plans then, as I can't do now."
"You get on pretty well wi' the new steward, I reckon?" said Mr. Poyser.
"Yes, yes; he's a sensible man enough; understands farming--he's carrying on the draining, and all that, capital. You must go some day towards the Stonyshire side and see what alterations they're making. But he's got no notion about buildings. You can so seldom get hold of a man as can turn his brains to more nor one thing; it's just as if they wore blinkers like th' horses and could see nothing o' one side of 'em. Now, there's Mr. Irwine has got notions o' building more nor most architects; for as for th' architects, they set up to be fine fellows, but the most of 'em don't know where to set a chimney so as it shan't be quarrelling with a door. My notion is, a practical builder that's got a bit o' taste makes the best architect for common things; and I've ten times the pleasure i' seeing after the work when I've made the plan myself."
Mr. Poyser listened with an admiring interest to Adam's discourse on building, but perhaps it suggested to him that the building of his corn-rick had been proceeding a little too long without the control of the master's eye, for when Adam had done speaking, he got up and said, "Well, lad, I'll bid you good-bye now, for I'm off to the rick-yard again."
Adam rose too, for he saw Dinah entering, with her bonnet on and a little basket in her hand, preceded by Totty.
"You're ready, I see, Dinah," Adam said; "so we'll set off, for the sooner I'm at home the better."
"Mother," said Totty, with her treble pipe, "Dinah was saying her prayers and crying ever so."
"Hush, hush," said the mother, "little gells mustn't chatter."
Whereupon the father, shaking with silent laughter, set Totty on the white deal table and desired her to kiss him. Mr. and Mrs. Poyser, you perceive, had no correct principles of education.
"Come back to-morrow if Mrs. Bede doesn't want you, Dinah," said Mrs. Poyser: "but you can stay, you know, if she's ill."
So, when the good-byes had been said, Dinah and Adam left the Hall Farm together. | 2019-04-24T19:01:28Z | http://www.online-literature.com/george_eliot/adam-bede/49/ |
Capability, meaning the skills, intelligence, spirit, and desire — the full mental and emotional potentials to lead. For some of us, this word, capability, is a tough one. It means “equal to the task.” I know a number of people, clients and colleagues, who struggle with interior “voices” that tell them they are not ready to lead and may never be. For these folks, “capability” has come to mean “adequacy,” and is attended by feelings of frustration and self-criticism, sometimes depression. Actually, my sense is that the best leaders, not the worst ones, are closer to these feelings, precisely because they value leadership so much and are not blind to its requirements. There certainly have been times in my own life when I’ve known these feelings, too, and wondered about my own capacities.
I am reminded of the famous words of author, Marianne Williamson, often incorrectly attributed to Nelson Mandela’s inauguration speech.
As powerful as this statement is, it certainly can be in conflict with our actual personal histories and past conditioning, particularly the messages we received early in our lives regarding “stepping up” in more interpersonally exposed places. Stepping up may have been regarded as arrogant or impolite, foolish or useless, or simply reserved for others on the basis of cultural norms.
What can we do, if these feelings persist and stop us from living our dreams? How can we remove the whole mechanism of cultural belief and personal self-deception that keeps us from living our true capabilities? How can any of us realize and actualize ourselves as instruments of conscious, positive, confident change?
To me, the answer to these questions has to do with what a person sees when looking within for his or her own leadership. If I look and see nothing or feel drawn into a dark vortex of uncomfortable feelings, then I know I am at the starting point. If I can see and acknowledge my most positive attributes and values, then perhaps I have begun to move down the path. If I have gone even farther, to examine my own blind-spots, discovering a true gift or two and feel a rising tide of light within, then I know my confidence is beginning to genuinely express itself. And if this light, this “inner wisdom,” this “genius” is a radiance I can no longer contain, if it is music that I no longer play as an instrument of change but instead is what plays me, then surely, this is the way.
The stumbling block around adequacy is the assumption that confidence is about force rather than practice. If I try to force my confidence, all that is awakened are the brooding insecurities that hide within my unconscious Shadow side. I may be able to accomplish some things, but at a certain moment — quite possibly the one in which I need real confidence the most — I will be betrayed by the insecurities I am concealing. However, if I make a practice of simply standing in what I know to be my own insecure spaces, then light can begin to come in and begin to grow — light that can eventually disarm the ego and be the change for which I learn to stand. True confidence is always based on an acknowledgement of the truth about myself and my ultimate insecurities, and this truth in turn is what opens a portal to the greater wisdom that can pour through me. Inadequacy is not “overcome.” It is erased by a greater wisdom, passion, or beauty expressing itself in a human life.
Let me share, with her permission, an example from the work of Jory Des Jardins, an accomplished writer, media consultant and co-founder of BlogHer. In two especially beautiful posts on her weblog, Pause, (here and here), she shares her discoveries of how her writing is an aspect of what flows through her.
Since I was in high school I liked to go on long walks or bike rides, immersing myself in music on my Walkman/iPod. I always came back from these walks renewed. I started to pay attention to the thoughts that generated during these walks and realized that I’d always had conversations going on in my head, but I’d often ignored them. I also noticed that I didn’t “write” these conversations–they wrote themselves. The voices seemed to pre-exist–I never summoned or conjured them intentionally. I asked myself, what if these voices that I’ve ignored have something to say? I learned to still my mind and listen to the conversations play out, like I was listening to music. I also learned to take note of the interesting parts.
One day I challenged myself to write down one of these conversations. The process felt like dictation–like I was writing down someone else’s words, not my own. I pulled the dialogue into a short story and asked my writing group to review it. They thought it was the best thing I’d ever written. It occurred to me, almost painfully, that amidst the years of forced prose I had in old file folders–reams of bad writing, that divine energy, or flow, was tapping on my shoulder, saying, in effect, “Lady, you asked for insight, and you got it! Here it is!” I just never acknowledged it because it was too easy; I didn’t slave over each word or sculpt the writing. It wrote itself.
Jory’s words represent the non-egocentric power of a true gift, the thing that flows through without thinking, without the paralysis of an embarrassed or insecure self-consciousness, without the negative censoring voices that can cut any of us off from the source. The flow is not forced, but also requires a commitment to the practice of staying open; in Jory’s case, to a flow of words that write themselves. The gift just is. If you take the time to savor both of Jory’s posts, they may, as they did for me, remind you of what flow means for you. It is safe to say that her writing is an essential part of how she leads in the world.
Our leadership is a reflection of the Radiance pouring through us. For some, the process of awakening and allowing this Radiance is easier than for others. You might say, “Well, you are really describing the unfolding of a mythical, psychological or spiritual quest.” And you would be right about that, although this quest is not one I would associate with any particular religion or framing psychology as much as just my personal effort to find metaphors and images for our growth into true human beings. My words and symbols are just my own ways of speaking about something that is essentially divine. Radiance, I believe, comes of itself, and may be halted only by trying to coerce it. And this, I sense, has great implications for the nature of genuinely human leadership. Our job is practice, not pressure.
Below you will find three diagrams behind the heading links, three mandalas, intending to describe the course of development in our capabilities to lead. The stages are not necessarily linear and are not all-encompassing. Some aspects of our personalities may be more open in some circumstances than others, so we mostly hold these stages simultaneously in different parts of ourselves. Knowing we are in part imperfect, inconsistent and insecure, we can practice the art of gradually allowing more of these parts to open, allowing more of the Radiance intended for our personal “channel” to flow through us into the world.
When we are defending, the interior world is a dark and vulnerable place. We protect it, and we wear the mask of a fencer who is mostly “on guard” to defend our unknown territory. The darkness leaks out as we continually make sure neither we nor others see what is going on inside. If there are problems, they are caused by what is outside of us, not within.
If, by chance, we become curious about the interior world and just brave enough to begin the journey, we enter the stage of opening. Here we discover that there are more and less conscious aspects of Shadow — our unconcious side. The more conscious aspects sometimes appear as self-critical voices that remind us of our weaknesses and can sometimes overwhelm us. The more we enter, the darker it seems to get but, in truth, something waits for us on the other side of the Shadow’s darkest walls. Eventually light and life begin to appear in new forms. A seed we plant germinates. We discover some aspect of our interior light that, like an angel, contains the message of a destiny or purpose. Like the Roman god, Janus, the god of doorways and windows, we begin to identify with looking both inward and outward.
As more areas within us awaken, as we discover and break old patterns in our conditioning, we find ourselves to be channels for a Radiance that gets brighter the more it is allowed to pass through. While some Shadow energies always remain as mysteries to be gradually unlocked, the Radiance wipes out the distinction between looking out and looking in. What is left is the flow, an infinity that is neither wholly one or nor wholly the other, but both combined.
The trend-line in three diagrams depends on our willingness to enter into the darkness of personal and social unconsciousness in order to learn. The central learning is how to lose an ego-life in favor of a higher Self. How we express this realization in our own lives does not have to be in big ways. As much as we may want to change society or the world at large, the most immediate expressions may be in the smallest daily acts of leading: in compassion, in generosity, in acknowledging mistakes, in connecting with other people, in telling a good story. And then, perhaps, fate will bring us our possibilities and our larger chance to be of service.
So now, what is it that defines our capability to lead? Only this: the practice of allowing our Radiance to express itself in the world. If I have no idea of my own Radiance, then my leadership will at best be a partial thing; at worst, it may do damage. A person locked into defending an unexamined personal darkness, who never turns to find the interior Shadows, can loose incredible destructiveness and violence.
Instead, I must have a sense that there is something much larger than my ego at work and passing through me, even at this moment. And for that to happen, I may have to constantly ask myself, following Williamson’s famous affirmations, “Who am I not to lead?” Because of past conditioning, I may have to consciously learn as much as I can about my critical voices in order to still them. I may have to practice letting go the ego energies that erupt each day like small fires only to burn themselves out. I may need to clear the pipes of all my private negations so that Radiance pours like water outwards to do its healing work in the world.
I agree with you that it’s very difficult to overcome feelings of inadequacy; but thankfully we don’t have to.
It seems that whatever we give our attention expands in our awareness, and so it is in giving ourself the space (Jory’s walks and bike rides!) to allow our True Self to grow in our awareness that dissolves the ‘inadequacies of the ego’ ie. not by force but by the feelings of Love growing within us bringing the simple recognition that ego thoughts are totally unfounded – that they are based on a limited and fearful self perception that is simply not true.
Thank you, Nick. You understand completely.
Dan, thanks for the insightful and inspiring post! The Marianne Williamson quote is one of my all-time favorites — thank you for shining, and giving me permission to do the same.
Many other aspects of your post resonate deeply with me, weaving together several threads I’ve been following lately, consciously and unconsciously. I’ll just note three of these threads here.
The stages of radiance you so wonderfully outline are reminiscent of the stages of grief, but I like the enhanced simplicity and positivity that you express here (not to mention the mandalas — I’d love to see them compiled into an animated GIF).
I was also reminded of the Prayer of Saint Francis, especially its reference to where there is darkness, [let me sow] light.
Joe McCarthy sent me a great montage of the diagrams in this post. You can see it here.
Thanks so much for your insightful comments and links, and thanks again for the cool montage. You are true friend.
I may have experienced some of what you write about. Since last May’s BTE, I have had several occasions where I have had to make my way through some significant and challenging work problems that no matter how strategically I approached them, I could not find an answer or way to face them that made any sense. Essentially I gave up trying to find “the” answer and sent the problem out to the universe (much like the beach ball guy in Jory’s blog) and simply asked for whatever answer there might be. And by some experimenting with this sort of letting go I had built up confidence in the process enough to have faith that the right thing would be provided … if I were alert enough to see the answer. Paying attention and being unattached to any particular kind of answer became a crucial factor too.
I remember dealing with a particularly difficult personnel problem that I could not find a suitable answer for and it did not come until just before I had to address the problems in a face to face meeting … but it did come. I could say that I just made it up, but it came from somewhere and I have the feeling it was not “me” that provided the solution. I was the medium that allowed the solution to manifest in my “real” world. Throughout this situation the feeling that I was not up to the task would often wash over me but I knew I had to deal with it directly and decisively but I never really could solve things by just thinking through the problem and deducing the best, correct answer on my own. I had to let go of it, let things happen, and then respond as best I could from the heart. That is, I wanted to be fair, honest and as direct as I could be in the situation considering the multitude of masters I was serving.
I had thought that the “practice” you speak of was something that you did because it was following some way that had been laid out. That way might be from something I was taught, had experienced, how I perceive the world as working, how I perceive myself as being. However, I am coming to think that what may be more true to reality is that a person make’s the path or the practice by walking (doing) every day, by letting things happen but being in action. The path appears because I am interacting with things and it takes me to interesting sights. It mirrors your blog’s new name: life unfolds from what was there all along and what we have to do is interact with what is there. The trouble is that many times I fear letting go enough to walk on and let life unfold and then be response-able to what is presented. Sometimes I don’t want to deal with what is there; I want it to be something else, something nice. It presents a paradox, at least for me, in that “actionless action” where waiting and watching in the “stillness” for the right action to come (and it can come in a nano-second) works and striving, which is what I am used to and comfortable with, often does not. To get there I have to be open and unattached, not always an easy thing to do. The other part, and this can be uncomfortable too, is to be ok with not being the answer guy, but just being the guy who had the ability to let things happen in a natural way, which seems too simple and not enough hard work.
There’s a story that the Buddha once said, “the hardest thing is waiting.” I like the way you hightlight this in your comment, Dean, and contrast it to striving.
Many years ago, on a late night flight back to Seattle — after an especially bad consulting day — I found myself writing a poem called “Trust the Angel.” It was my version, I guess, of the release from striving. The poem became a mantra to me, a private prayer of opening, a source of energy that has carried me through many challenges, as if the sequence of moments in which I have genuinely trusted the angel is the real biography of my life. It helps me to remember (and this is reminiscent of Nick’s comment, above) that what comes through the portal is not just ideas or insights, but the most authentic affirmation possible for the person who is willing to just open and “receive.” Call it light or love or Intuition, in the moment of real receiving, there can be a remarkable sense of wholeness. I can no longer tell: is it me seeing into my True Self or is it my True Self seeing into me?
This is beautifully gifted coaching Dan. I remember reading this when you had first posted it, and getting lost within my own thinking about the abundance of capacity versus the desire and intuitive intention of capability. I love the two words (capacity and capability), and have long thought of a four-fold dimension to capacity (physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual) as what gets filled up with personal abundance by the driver of our capability.
Then today, it is a wonderful deepening to read (and listen to you read) this again when the value of the month we now celebrate within the Ho‘ohana Community is nānā i ke kumu, one I think of as self-respect and dignity of spirit. The illumination of Radiance is so self-affirming, as is trusting that we do have it, and simply need to release it.
Welcome to our Hō‘ike‘ike 2006 —A Collection of Bloggers’ Bests on Management and Leadership in the spirit of Managing with Aloha. This is a forum in which I ask for contributions that are a blogger’s best from the past year…. | 2019-04-18T16:37:53Z | http://www.unfoldingleadership.com/blog/?p=63 |
It’s Halloween! Need some music to get you through to the evening, or to play while the little darlin’s raid your candy stash? Here are some options!
Mussorgsky, Night on Bald Mountain.
And, of course, the grandaddy of them all, spooky power wise: Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.
Here’s a playlist of all of them, for your listening pleasure.
Do you have any additional favorites? I would love to hear them!
No, not that kind of gap.
English is a pretty cool language, all told.
We have adjective upon subtly nuanced adjective: wet, damp, moist, dank, humid, sodden, foggy, dripping, misty, muggy, steamy, soggy. Beautiful, gorgeous, lovely, pretty, handsome, darling, charming, comely, cute.
We’ve stolen–err…borrowed words from all the best languages around the planet: ghoul (Arabic), tycoon (Japanese), bagel (Yiddish), coleslaw (Dutch), to name a few.
And yet…we have weird holes in our language.
The other day I was reflecting on a day spent in the company of my nieces and nephews and found myself once again irritated that there is no collective, non-gender-specific term for nieces and nephews. Every time I want to talk about them, I have to spell it out: nieces and nephews. Three words, five syllables. It’s all very clunky.
Someone on Twitter mentioned that Norwegian has a word–søskenbarn–that, directly translated, basically means “sibling child.” I love that. I’m not sure it quite works in English (siblingbairn, maybe?), but…there should be a word!
But he also didn’t have the advantage of social media.
In a time and place where “cray” and “adorbs” and “on fleek” can sweep the nation to become common in a matter of years, at least among the youf who are our future, surely we can create and spread some new words to fill these holes in our great language.
Let’s get together on this, people. Let’s make it happen.
Missing morphological forms. Personally, I’m rooting for stupible.
This is his fixin’-to-pounce-on-sister face.
At some point in the past, one of the members of the typosphere coined the acronym UTJU: Update Just To Update. Sometimes you don’t have profound thoughts or an important topic on which to enlighten folks, but here you are anyway. So it is.
Had a very busy weekend, with more ups than downs, so that’s cool. Saturday afternoon I went to a craft fair/bazaar in the retirement community of Ryderwood, WA–a proper craft fair this time, with nothing but handmade goods of all sorts, plus a bake sale. A few of the more captivating things I didn’t buy: wind-chimes made out of bizarre conglomerations of found objects like colanders and cheese graters and flower pots all welded or glued together (I may have one of those someday), and a quilted hanging of a Christmas tree with lights woven into it. That’s probably the only kind of Christmas tree I could really get away with considering the cats, and I wanted it, but at $100 I couldn’t buy it. Would have been a lot of work to make, so I don’t question the price, but I couldn’t. Would be neat for someone, though–something you could bring out every year for years, and the kids would remember it for ages and no one else would have one quite like it.
I did buy a small assortment of items, and not all of them for me. Though, admittedly, two of them were for the cats, which I guess counts as me. There was a lady selling all sorts of felted things–hats and bowls and stuffed animals–and she had catnip stuffed felted mice. I also bought a little knotted braid of scrap material from a lady that made fleece dog beds and blankets–intended as a tug toy for dogs, but Timo thought it was pretty great. Cassia absconded with the mouse, and as of this writing, it is MIA.
Saturday evening, I saw Sierra Hull in concert at Traditions in Olympia, WA–a very small venue, probably only on their itinerary because her bass player (Ethan Jodziewicz) is a local boy. Speaking of Ethan, MAN, he’s good. I hate to say anyone is “the next so-and-so” because that implies they’re not a standout in their own right, so I won’t say he’s the next Edgar Meyer, but… Just a phenomenal musician. Used the bow quite a bit, too, and oh, bowed bass makes me weak in the knees when done right. He did it right.
Sierra has superb mandolin/octave mandolin chops (and is just so doggoned cute and endearing), and her other band member aside from Ethan (Justin Moses) can apparently play the heck out of anything with strings. And they all sing. It was a very good show. Tough in parts, for me–a lot of her recent album is about growing up and moving on and while in her case, this applies to being in her early twenties and dealing with being an adult, I’m kind of in a place like that again/still, and it almost hurt. Plus she did a song about missing your mother, and I bawled and didn’t have Kleenex and felt like a goober.
But yeah, it was a wonderful concert. And we were close enough to the stage that I could just about have kicked it. I don’t think they play places that small much these days, so that was pretty special.
Afterwards, some friends and I went out to eat at La Gitana. If you like thin crust, very fresh and flavorful Southern Italian style pizza, you must go here if you’re in town. Must. It was a little chaotic, though, being Saturday night, and a guitarist and singer were providing live music there (old jazz standards, mostly), which was great, but made it a bit loud for casual conversation.
The server was pretty patient amidst all the commotion, I thought, and made sure to check on us and was apologetic when things took awhile due to the crowd. I meant to leave a decent tip, but when I got home and started getting ready for bed, I discovered the tip money in my pocket. Apparently I absentmindedly stuffed it back in my pocket as we were picking up to go. Leaving her thinking and feeling…I don’t know what.
I felt so bad about it, I tossed and turned Saturday night, and had an odd dream in which I was a settler on a new planet, helping my brother and sister-in-law farm the land, but strangely the new town on this planet had several pizza parlors and I kept doing things that made the managers of all of them think I was an unpleasant nut case.
After discussion with a friend, I decided to bring the accidental non-tip down to the restaurant when they opened with a note, so I spent Sunday morning writing and rewriting that note. Also drawing margins in the notebook I plan to use for NaNoWriMo. I’d planned to use some smaller notebooks, but I kept eyeing these giant notebooks I had made a few years ago, before all the office stores in town went out of business in spite of all my efforts to keep them afloat.
Seriously, this side of town lost a Staples, an Office Max, and an Office Depot, all within the span of a few years. It makes me sad.
But I do still have several of these notebooks. They’re heavy and a bit awkward to lug around, but the paper is so, so very nice for fountain pen. The one issue I ran into with them for NaNo is that, although I’m pretty good at writing in straight lines on unlined paper, I tend to write almost to the edges, and (especially for fiction), I like to have space to add notes and corrections in the margin. So I’m trying something a bit like law ruling in these, with the help of a few penciled lines, giving myself a generous space on the left to doodle or add notes.
I’ve only treated the first fifty pages, so if I find myself hating this setup, I can go back to using the full page, or experiment with different margins.
Sunday afternoon, I went up to an October festival at the parish where my nieces and nephews go to school. They had half German food and half Mexican food, and my oldest niece decided it would be a very fine thing indeed to have one parent from each country for the sake of the food. And I decided I really need to make another batch of sauerkraut.
There was also a little bit of a bazaar there, with crafts and food and some second hand items. My sister-in-law bought me a late birthday present: a Russian (?) plate with an icon of Christ calming/walking on the sea. I need to find a hanger for it so I can put it up without Cassia experimenting.
The kids got to paint pumpkins and play games and make sticky messes with caramel apples, so a highly successful day, all told!
More random kitten pictures from the weekend, just because. Though they’re almost not kittens anymore! Eight months old now, probably almost as big as they’ll get. Little Cassia is still little Cassia–she’s still under seven pounds. Timo is just about ten now.
Cassia solemnly observing life from atop the fridge.
Cassia “assisting” with the sweeping up of SO MUCH DOG HAIR by taking sliding leaps into the piles. Thanks, Bitty Girl.
It is my last day of being in my 30s.
Last night I dreamed I held a sleeping newborn baby in my arms. I don’t remember anything else about the dream: only the sleepy warmth of that baby, and that she was not mine, and the pleasure and pain of looking into her face, and the love on her mother’s face as I gently returned her and walked away.
I am not where I thought I would be.
Life rarely turns out how we expect it to. No one has the life they imagined at 20. Lives are far more complicated than we can possibly dream, good and bad.
And I realize there is a lot of good in my life. I have a home. I have a job, if not my dream job. I have a good parish, and at least some connections there–people to pray for, people who pray for me. I have some pretty amazing pets who are great little companions. I have objects and instruments–musical instruments, pens and pencils and paper, cooking and baking tools, bicycles–that bring me enjoyment. I have friends and family, even if I’m separated from them a lot of the time.
But I am not where I thought I would be.
Up until recently, some part of me still half expected to be dealt an abbreviated version of just about every little girl’s dream life: meeting someone, falling in love, building a home, having children. The usual path, with variations.
Now I feel like I’m passing a point of no return, into uncharted waters.
As always this time of year, I want to call Mom so much, and yet, it occurs to me that even if I could, she couldn’t really have Big Life advice for me anymore. By the time she was my age, she’d been married for what, sixteen years? She had a big family. She was a homemaker. She had plenty of concerns and challenges, but totally different. I have sailed beyond her reckoning.
Likewise, many of my siblings have families of their own, very different circumstances. They have entered a world I can’t completely understand.
I don’t know of anyone quite like me.
I guess what I worry about above all is that I’m not where I’m supposed to be. What if I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque? What if I got lost in the fog for awhile and then headed toward the wrong star?
What if I’m outside of God’s will somehow, and have been for years?
I know that’s not how it works. But I also don’t think there’s an actual vocation to the single life. So where does that leave me? What am I? Where am I going? How do I keep going without the graces that come with an actual state, like marriage or holy orders? And, on a more practical level, what’s going to become of me as I age, alone?
At some points in our lives, we can’t really ask “what does God want me to do with my life?” We have to be content with “what does God want me to do in this moment?” But a) it’s really hard not to look up sometimes, and b) the first question still matters, and sometimes, it crushes me.
In any case, 40 is coming at me like a storm across the waters. I can’t avoid it, and I don’t think any sort of Pollyanna grin can prevent it from tossing me around for a period. It’s going to hurt. I’m going to feel regrets and anger and confusion. I’m going to feel doubt and loneliness.
But it won’t last forever. There will be rough days, I’m sure, but this isn’t the end of the story.
I’m not where I thought I’d be. I’m not really sure where I’m going. I feel like I’m forging my own path, now more than ever, and there’s no map for where I’m headed. I’m not very good at accepting that unknowing. But who knows, maybe at 60 I’ll look back at 40 and laugh.
The kittens are eight months old today! Getting all grown up, but still very much kittens in all sorts of ways. They both do a lot of knocking things to the floor and breaking them, for one, though their methods are very different.
Little Cassia is scientifically minded. She will navigate her way up onto a high shelf and push something very slowly to the edge (even as I scramble across the room saying “No, don’t, please!”) and then she watches curiously as it crashes to the ground. You half expect her to take out a pencil and notepad at the end to jot down notes on the results of the latest experiment.
Timo: so gorgeous…mayyyybe not so bright sometimes.
Either way, I’m down a lot of picture frames and bowls at this point. Le sigh.
2002 was not, shall we say, a very pleasant year for me.
For starters, the country was still reeling with grief and uncertainty over 9/11, and the economy was struggling. Tensions ran high at work even early in the year. At our sister company, employees who had worked the factory floor for decades were laid off, with no real hope of finding new jobs in the local area.
In February my mother–who was truly my best friend, for better or worse–finally went to see a doctor about feeling tired and sick, and that funny feeling in her throat. By April, she’d been diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer that had already metastasized to her liver. It was too far along for chemo or surgery. It was too far along for anything but attempting to say goodbye, really. She passed away on May 22nd, my brother Ben’s 20th birthday.
The summer went by in a sort of blur. I went to World Youth Day in Toronto, with three of my siblings and a small group from our parish. There were enjoyable, enlightening moments to be sure, but I also spent a certain amount of time hiding in bathroom stalls or facing into a window on the bus, crying because I couldn’t call Mom and tell her about the places we were seeing, the people we’d met, how much I was coming to love hanging out with my little sister now that she was getting all grown up.
For years, especially when I was overseas, everywhere I went, I tucked away facts and anecdotes to discuss with Mom. Now she was out of reach of even expensive long-distance phone calls. I couldn’t even write in my journal as a substitute–writing about real life brought me face to face with too many strong feelings. It was still too raw. It would be nearly a year before I started keeping a journal again.
And in October, I lost my job. There was a company draw-down and I was one of the group that was cut.
Just to add to the stress level, I had purchased a house less than a year before, with all the expense and responsibility that goes with that. The winter heat bills were starting up. And Christmas was just around the corner. And now here I was, in a rural area with a very limited job market, jobless and broke and with who knew how many weeks to sit alone contemplating my own dark thoughts.
And that was when a friend of mine told me about this crazy challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in the course of the thirty days of November. “You have to do it,” she told me. “It’ll be fun!” I wasn’t so sure, but I was intrigued, nonetheless. Could I actually pull it off? I was curious. And at least it seemed more positive than spending the month counting flowers on the wall and crying. So I agreed to join her (and other recruited friends) in the madness of NaNoWriMo.
And you know, it was a surprisingly wonderful experience. My plot that year was a sort of sci-fi / fantasy thing involving time travel and a sinister secret society bent on fixing history to their advantage. My main character that year was a guy who had recently lost his wife, and into that poor character I poured all my own sorrow and pain and guilt and anger. And I brought him through it. I gave him a happy ending. It was cathartic. The story? Eh. It was probably too big for me. It was most definitely not the Great American Novel.
But I finished the challenge. And, in a way, it pulled me through what could have been a much worse time than it was. By the end of the year, I’d had two job offers out of three interviews, I’d been able to go to a midnight opening of “The Two Towers” halfway across the state on account of not having to work the next day (coldest line party EVER at at least -20F, but we prevailed), and we’d managed to live through the first holiday season without Mom with more laughter than tears. And I could say I’d written my first novel. Life was looking up.
NaNoWriMo will never again be for me what it was that first year, but it’s largely because of that year that I keep coming back.
I really don’t know what I’m going to write about this year, but I think I’m in. I’ve signed up at the website, I have pens and notebooks ready. What I don’t have is a plot. Or a setting. Or any characters whatsoever. But hey, there are twenty one whole days left to figure that out, right?
Much of this post brazenly stolen from my past self at my old blog, Little Flower Petals.
What is up with “party” companies selling at craft fairs and bazaars? I never saw this until I moved out west (Washington State, from Vermont), but maybe they’re everywhere now, and it bugs me greatly.
I get that people gotta make a living somehow, but when I go to a bazaar, I expect it to be pretty much all local handmade crafts and foods (good, bad, and ugly) and maybe a section for donated “white elephant” junk.
We went to a fall bazaar yesterday, and while there were *some* local craftspeople (best: cool reusable bags made out of feed bags, pumpkins made out of welded horseshoes), I’d say close to half the space was dedicated to Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, one of those essential oil thingamabobs, etc. And if you ask many questions, they start trying to bring you into the cult by scheduling a party.
It just makes me sad. I go to bazaars to, you know, buy weirdly colored hats and lumpy mittens from some crazy old aunt (could be me someday!). The way life should be. No party people peer pressure.
But I guess a part of this is just me being all nostalgic this week. Would love to be able to go to the Christmas bazaar put on by good old St. John the Evangelist in St. Johnsbury, VT to buy some peculiar potholders and such and get a styrofoam cup of middling coffee and maybe a crumbled brownie wrapped in saran wrap by a kid all excited to be helping out.
I guess I’m just a party pooper.
I did get this cool bag!
Which the kittens are very interested in.
Proof that Orientals are kind of half dog / half cat: last night I got caught up in reminiscing about the last few years, and I was *so* caught up that when Timo bounded into the room and did that little chirrup greeting cats do, for a split second, I thought he was my dear, departed Tam.
And then I cried. And then Timo came over, put his paws around my neck, and gave me a big ol’ cheek-to-cheek hug. Aw.
And then he tried to steal my glasses. Because cats are jerks.
My parish has Perpetual Adoration, with parishioners taking turns being there in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Anyone can come and go, but, at least in theory, every hour has at least one person committed to being there every week. Wednesdays at 6AM are mine.
The Our Father is my fall back prayer when I just don’t know what to say. I never get tired of it, and it seems like there is always something new to discover.
What stood out for me today was the intimacy of Jesus giving this prayer to his apostles. What do I mean by that? Well…bear with my clumsy words and clumsy analogy for just a minute.
Before I begin, let me say that in real life, I had a pretty sheltered and stable upbringing. I have a cool father and family.
But for just a moment, imagine you’re a broken little kid from a broken home, unsure of yourself, lonely, longing for love and forgiveness and acceptance. And then you meet this guy, Jesus, who takes you under his wing, claims you as a brother.
He has a relationship with his father you can only envy, and his father is everything you’ve never really had: loving, forgiving, merciful, kind. And your new friend tells you to call him father. “Daddy,” even. It’s sort of embarrassing and sort of wonderful. He’s totally bringing you into his perfect family, telling you to forget whatever came before.
And so, he tells you. He encourages you, and gives you words. It’s so generous, and so gentle.
I’m not good at talking to strangers. I’m not good at new situations. I love that Jesus not only shares his Father with us, but also takes the time to give his disciples guidance as they learn to pray, gives them a formula to fall back on.
Maybe some of them were awkward introverts like me. I kinda like that idea.
I have a tendency to watch TV series after they’re long over–everyone else has moved on to new and shiny, and I’m over here SO EXCITED about something that was on “real” TV a decade or two ago. One case in point: Stargate SG-1. I finally got around to watching the first season of that in…hm, maybe 2013? It launched in 1997, so…yeah, I was a bit behind. It was kind of a shock to notice how styles had changed. Hey, wait, I had glasses a lot like Daniel Jackson’s back in 1997! Were they really that gargantuan and dorky? Holy cow.
Anyway, I enjoyed SG-1, for the most part, but I got kind of burned out on it. Didn’t finish the last few seasons. It just got to be more and more of the same things over and over, and the characters I’d first fallen for dropped out, and I just couldn’t bring myself to care anymore. I never got around to the spinoffs.
But Friday evening, I was bored, and I stumbled across Stargate SGU in the Prime free options on Amazon, and I started watching it.
So far, I like it. It’s very different in feel from the original series. That series, to me, always had a sense of being larger-than-life, like a comic book, everything just a bit skewed and exaggerated and not to be taken seriously.
SGU, on the other hand, is almost Stargate-meets-Battlestar Gallactica. It’s darker, for one. Oh, there’s a fair amount of humor. Eli’s primary role is comic relief (plus, perhaps, a that-could-be-me for all of us nerds), and there are light moments. But overall, the stakes are higher, the realism is greater.
But–and this is where my point finally gets thrown into this mishmash!–there is still a fair amount of what’s essentially magic.
One thing which, as a writer, I’ve always sort of envied about the Stargate universe is that you can pretty much dream up whatever sort of object with whatever sort of purpose or function you can imagine, dub it Ancient, and you don’t have to explain it. Little round stone looking things with no visible power source which somehow let you speak to someone on the other side of the universe with no time lag or distortion? Sure! How does it work? We don’t know–it’s Ancient technology, and they’re so far advanced our puny brains can’t even contain that knowledge.
It’s brilliant. You totally get to sidestep any pseudo-scientific rationalization. And you get total creative freedom.
When it comes right down to it, Stargate–like Star Wars, if you ignore (as you should) the prequels, which try to get all sciencey–is really just fantasy set in space. Oh, there’s a little bit of sci-fi, but mostly it’s jamming myths and magic into a space setting. And…I admit, I rather like that.
I do like pure sci-fi. But I admit, I tend to like the softer stuff, where technology isn’t practically a protagonist all by itself, and where aliens don’t have to have a clear evolutionary path and space travel doesn’t have to jibe with real physics. A lot of my favorites wander into this blurred territory where sci-fi and fantasy kiss. It’s kind of fun when the explanations can go by the wayside and anything goes. C.S. Lewis’s space trilogy has a lot of fantastical elements. Some Andre Norton could go here, too. I’m sure there are others that will occur to me once I’ve had a bit of time to think about it.
This year’s NaNoWriMo story may just be a sparkly sci-fi-ish fantasy-ish something. Let me let that rattle around a bit. | 2019-04-25T12:57:35Z | https://enoughicecream.wordpress.com/2016/10/ |
Moving to a foreign country is one of the biggest life transitions you can ever make. While it can be challenging and fraught with paperwork, it can also be an immensely rewarding and enriching experience. Whether the move is for business purposes or for personal reasons, being well prepared will make your transition much easier, and much more enjoyable. This article will show you the things you will want consider.
Make sure your passport is up to date and you have a visa that will allow you to move to a country. If there is a potential move, especially on short notice, make sure you are prepared for that eventuality. Everything that you can prepare ahead of time will be that much less that you have to prepare when the time comes. Problems with your visa may cause delays in your ability to go.
Make sure your passport is current. If you need a new one, that is the first order of business. It can take several weeks to apply for and receive a new passport.
Discussing the packing and shipping arrangements. Interview at least three different companies and get their quotes for the move. Find out what each company is prepared to do: specialized packing, dealing with your wine cellar (this can be problematic), helping with pets, timing guarantees, storage at the other end, etc. Also, discuss the possibility of storing possessions in your current country. If this move is short-term and you intend to return, it might be best to leave some—or even most—items behind.
Deciding what to do with your current home if you own it. Are you going to sell it or rent it out? If selling, talk to a real estate agent and tell them about your plans. Ask yourself if you have time to wait for the best offer, or you need to sell quickly to get the money. Be careful how you convey this to your agent—you still want the best price, whatever your hurry.
If renting it out, interview agents responsible for rental properties and be sure you are one hundred percent happy with their services. Ask for references and if possible, favor an agent used to renting out properties for overseas landlords—it's much harder to be an overseas landlord and much can go wrong in your absence if the agent fails to meet their basic obligations of checking the property regularly and vetting tenants properly.
Dealing with mortgages, leases and loans. You will need to talk to your bank or other lenders about handling these financial obligations most effectively.
Talking to your children's schools about the upcoming change. You will need evidence of your children's current level of schooling, as well as a guarantee of willingness to be emailed or phoned by the school in your new country, if relevant. Ask the guidance counselor about any transition issues you might find useful.
Vaccinations and visas. Be sure that you are up-to-date with relevant vaccinations and obtain all visas. Sort out any accompanying documentation needed for a permanent or long-term move.
If you're planning on renouncing your citizenship of your current country and taking on new citizenship, this will take considerable time, so start working on this from the beginning of your planning.
Developing a timeline for packing. Follow this with dedication, as it can give you plenty of time to deal with things that go wrong—and they will!
Think about your goals for your life in a new country. Archana Ramamoorthy, the Director of Technology Product Management at Workday, says: "When I moved to the US, the main things I looked at were visa requirements and the cost of living. I'd considered moving to the UK, but it was much more expensive to live there than it was in the US. I needed to understand what my financial burden would be. I also knew that I wanted to go to the best universities in the US, otherwise there was no point in moving abroad, so I took out a student loan to help with the cost. I knew that even though it was more expensive, I'd have better opportunities coming out of school."
Give adequate time. Some corporations and government entities that send their staffs overseas are quite happy to give anything from a few months to a few days notice that you are handpicked to move overseas. In this case, ask for as much help as they are willing to pay for—you will need it.
If you do have the luxury of your own timeline, give yourself at least six months. You will need every moment of this time to tie up many loose ends, including dealing with your property, car, pets, insurance, packing, and shipping, banking, educational transitions and more. In some cases, you may not have this luxury.
Consider looking for accommodation in the new country as soon as possible. Will you stay in hotel or serviced apartment accommodation while looking for a place to buy or rent?
Avoid buying a place over the internet. You could buy something terrible without noticing. You need to be on location to get a sense of the neighborhood, to see the dry rot at the base of the house, to realize that it is overpriced!
One way around this is for you or one family member to do a forward visit, to check out real estate to see what's on offer and whether anything is a good deal. You may also know somebody in your new country who can be your eyes and ears.
Even if you want to buy a house or apartment in the new country, it is recommended that you begin by renting. Renting gives you a quick out if you choose the wrong location or you simply do not like being in the new country. After at least six months, you will have a better idea of wanting to stay or not, plus a much better understanding of the real estate and preferred areas to live. This means less pressure for you and a greater likelihood of making the right decision.
Be aware that you will initially be without your shipped goods. This makes living in a hotel or a serviced apartment initially a good choice.
Set up banking accounts that work for you. It is becoming easier to transfer money between many countries without giving up too much in processing fees. Talk to your current bank to explore the options for setting up transfers—some banks even allow transfers to overseas accounts via cell phones, so look into all the options.
Unless you are planning to never return to your current country, it is advisable to keep at least one bank account open in your current country. The longer you have an account open, the better your credit standing. When you do return, it is easier to start where you left off than to have to open new accounts. Internet banking makes it easier for you to monitor the account in the country you have left.
In some countries, accessing money will be a lot harder than in others. Be sure to discuss the challenges and solutions with your bank and a reputable financial adviser with knowledgeable about the country that you are moving to.
See if people you know are already living in the country. They can be an invaluable source of help if you need information, support, and connection. Let them know about your plans and it is likely that they will do what they can to ensure that you get the information you need.
Do an honest evaluation of your goods and begin to let go. It is a reality that we need very little to live; despite that, our houses tend to be overstuffed with consumables we have accumulated over the years. We do not use or need many of those. Rather than dragging all this stuff with you, or paying to keep it in storage, do an honest appraisal of the need for keeping much of your belongings. Where possible, donate and give away the items you do not need. It is far better to travel light and not have to worry about items in storage than to burden yourself.
Receive cash for your items. Use online auction sites ad-listing websites to get rid of your items. Even if you are pressed for time, this can be a great way to sell items in bulk, even whole roomfuls. Tell people that you are moving overseas and that it all has to go. People love to grab a bargain!
Be ruthless. Every thing added means greater costs in shipping.
Occasionally, shipping containers fall overboard, while damage can occur to goods at any stage of transit due to rough handling and other mishaps. Bear this in mind when lugging your antique collection of whatnots with you––it may be better to place in storage or to sell and have the cash. Become adequately insured for any mishaps during shipping.
Is your pet allowed in the country you are headed to?
How will your pet travel? Find out about safety, costs, and all requirements, such as pet passports.
How is your pet's health? Your pet needs to be thoroughly vaccinated and medically fit to travel. There may be other requirements of the country of destination too––check.
Consider your pet's frailty when making the decision. Taking an old or disabled pet with you may be too much trauma for the pet.
Find out about your driver's license in the new country. Some countries are happy to accept your existing one from another country or to accept an international driver's license. Others want you to take their local tests after a set time. Avoid waiting to find out––it can be hard to be without your ability to drive in a new place.
Provide the appropriate amount of notice to your place of work. If you are not already traveling for the place you work at, you will need to abide with their policies on resignation. Be sure to plan in plenty of time to tell them. However, unless there is something obviously affecting your place of work because of the planning, it is not recommended to inform them until later in your planning. This is in case you change your mind or your place of work thinks about shifting you out earlier than what you might have counted on.
Know what to do if you have electronics. If travelling between North America/Japan and the rest of the world, you will need adapters and transformers. The wrong voltage/frequence combination can damage them. Even if travelling between two countries that use the same voltage, you will need adapters.
What should you do earliest in your moving process?
Yes! This is the most important step in your moving process and should be started as soon as you decide to move. A plan should include everything from deadlines and immigration requirements to packing lists and accommodation options. Read on for another quiz question.
Tell your employer you're moving.
Definitely not! While giving your employer notice is important, if you tell them right away they might decide to ask you to leave sooner rather than later. Consider your employer's policies of adequate notice before deciding when to tell them about your move. There’s a better option out there!
Not necessarily Pets are an important consideration when moving internationally, but you don't have to give them away! Even if you do decide that giving them away is the best option for everyone, you certainly don't need to do it first! Pick another answer!
Get a new driver's license.
Nope! Research what you'll need to do in your new country to get a driver's license, but this doens't need to be done as soon as you decide to move. In fact, you might not be able to actually do anything about it until you arrive in your new country! Choose another answer!
Get ready for big changes. Moving to a place, nothing like your home might give you a culture shock and make the move more difficult, but this will start to be overcome after a few months of immersion. People do things differently in different countries—which is why we call them "foreign" countries—and we are alien to their ways. Yet, this is the biggest and amazing opportunity you will have and to seek to understand a different culture. Once you let yourself into the thinking of people from another country, you will never go back; it is much harder to see the world as "us and them" once you know this experience.
If you're not familiar with the customs of the local people, do some research beforehand and get to know the ways as much as possible. It is better that you have a surface understanding than none at all—at least this gives you the opportunity to be understanding and to get more involved in cultural events and customs when you're in the new country. It will also help you avoid insulting the local people.
Realize that small comforts lost may become bigger issues than you ever imagined. That favorite coffee drink you loved at home and that favorite place you used to visit can become glaringly obvious to you when they are missing from your life. It is important to acknowledge the sense of loss you feel, but to remain open to finding favorite new experiences instead. The undiscovered may even herald favorite things you will learn to love more than what you were used to in your original home country.
It's normal to feel sad or depressed due to these losses; it will pass once you get used to the new country.
If you move from a country with a lot of choice in consumables to one with a lot less choice, you may find life challenging. No longer do you have the aisle of breakfast cereals (it is now down to a small rack) or the amazing choice in cars (you have either the blue or the gray one now). Initially, this can be extremely frustrating. You have two choices—one, accept it and realize that a lack of choice frees up thinking time and spares planetary resources, or two, travel back to your home country and buy up (or have understanding family and friends send you care packages). While for many people the lack of choice does not really fade with time (you will find yourself reminiscing frequently about the days when you could get X item in X different styles) but you do get used to fewer choices!
Be ready for the bloom to fade after a few months. Initially, the first few months will feel like an amazing vacation and you will spend a lot of it discovering things and feeling excited. However, eventually you will realize that you live there and it is not half as exciting as you thought. For some, this realization can hit sooner rather than later, as bureaucracy, household maintenance issues and minor crises interrupt the flow of settling in.
Early on, ask about decent tradespeople. Eventually, something is going to break. In addition, you are going to need someone reliable who turns up when they say, they will and who charges fairly. If you have not already lined up such people through asking others who do know, you are fair game for being taken advantage of, and overcharged. This can be a nightmare experience, and since you have the freedom to plan rather than wait for the ax to fall, plan.
Stay calm when dealing with bureaucratic procedures. Most countries have forms, most have queues, and most have the most insanely ridiculous reasons for filling out things and waiting. Yours is not to question why but to learn via locals and online sites how to manage these issues as best as possible. There is always a way, be sure to learn about the right way. If you do not ask, you will never know.
Be ready to accept limits on your usual routines and ways of doing things. Another form of culture shock is learning what you cannot do, even though you could do in your old country. You are not in a position to question it—reach an acceptance that this is how things are. Whether the society you have gone to is more or less permissive than what you are used to, be sure to do the right thing to fit in. If you wanted to create a ruckus or take a stand, then moving overseas is not the right way about it; stay home for that!
Get support. Moving countries is right up there at the top of the stress scale. Some days it will be fun. Other days it will be the worst experience ever. Other days, it'll feel just like home, because it has become home.
Your rollercoaster of emotions deserves to be taken care of. If you suffer from anxiety, unabated fears, depression, etc., seek help with a mental health therapist. Do not suffer in silence—it will only be compounded by the foreignness of everything and everyone around you and you can end up feeling completely isolated and terrified.
Be sure to build a network of close friends, to talk openly with family and friends about feelings and to listen carefully to the concerns of your children (if relevant).
Mental health therapy can be obtained online if you would rather deal with someone from your old country. The beauty of the internet is that you can remain close if need be.
Use social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and email to keep in touch with friends and family you've left behind. Use Skype to have face-to-face talks: it's almost like being there! This can be reassuring and beneficial way to keep your feelings in check and to get support from people who know you well.
Invite your closest friends over to stay occasionally for a mini-break.
Stay safe. Another issue related to culture shock is moving somewhere that is not as safe as where you came from. Ask locals for advice about where to stay away from and what issues are around the area.
Wear appropriate clothing for the place you are living in and try to blend in. Sometimes lack of safety happens because of criminals considering someone to be a tourist or to be inappropriately dressed.
Call in to the local police station to ask about safety issues. You might also ask about crime levels in areas you are researching for buying or renting a home in too.
How can you make yourself comfortable in your new location when the excitement of moving overseas starts to fade?
Decorate your home like your previous home.
Nope! Although a trinket or picture may help you feel better, it will probably not be possible to completely decorate your home like you did before. Embrace your new culture and put your own spin on the decorations that are available to make your new place your own! Guess again!
Splurge on little things from home that make you feel better.
Absolutely! This is one of the best ways to help yourself continue to feel excited and happy throughout your adventure abroad. Make friends in your new home and stay in contact with people from your home country. Read on for another quiz question.
Not necessarily! Unfortunately, this is sometimes unavoidable! While these issues (visa regulations, housing issues, etc.) may make international living more difficult, there are other ways to help yourself feel better in your new country! Choose another answer!
Determine what country you are interested in moving to. Unless you do not have a choice in the matter, such as with business relocation, the decision is yours to figure out where you see yourself living best. To the beautiful rose city of Toulouse in southwest France? To Berlin in Germany? To the beautiful Nordic country of Iceland? To Mexico? Venezuela? Spain? Russia? China? Perhaps even to an island like Hawaii or Tahiti?
Look online to find the stories of people who have already made this move. Ex-pats can be the best source of information; reading their experience will help you develop a wider sense of whether or not this is a sensible option or whether it is something that a majority find problems with. Give some credence to what they say, since they are experiencing it; however, also beware that individual experiences will vary considerably depending on the reasons for their move, their income levels, their job experiences, the area of the country they are living in, etc. Ask questions if the forums of the site permit.
Will you be able to work in the new country? Is there a demand for your profession? What hoops will you have to jump through for employment? Is there a possibility of getting a job there before moving so that you can be reassured of earning? Few people can afford to take the chance of not having a job in a new country unless they are already wealthy enough to cover the length of stay there. Also, find out about social insurance and what tests you'll need to meet to be eligible—be aware that you may not be eligible for months or years, or maybe never.
Take a vacation to the country so you can experience it before calling it home. Guidebooks are a good source of information, but do not rely on them completely. Try avoiding the touristy areas of the country and visit places "off the beaten path," where you can interact with locals on a personal level. However, be warned: If you are enthused to move overseas as a result of having visited a place during a vacation, realize that having a vacation somewhere and living there are two completely different experiences. On vacation, you have no daily grind, no interactions with the daily bureaucracy and routine that locals do and generally not a care in the world. Once you live there, the realities of life in that country may be something quite different from the pampered experience of a tourist. Do not base your decision to move merely on having visited a place!
Learn all that you can about the country. This includes local customs (very important), language (even more important), and the areas that make up the cities and regions. It is vital to know whether you think you can handle living under different laws, customs and routines because these will affect your everyday life. For example, stricter regulations about what you can and cannot do in a country like Singapore (down to not chewing gum in public at the risk of being canned) may cause a freedom-loving US citizen to feel constricted.
Learn about the country's immigration laws and procedures. Can you even shift to the country you would like to live in? Some countries have very strict requirements for immigrants based on income, age, skill set, training or family connection. You may find that if you are not rich, not skilled, too old, or without family already living there that you do not have a chance to move to the country in question. Read the rules laid out for the particular country on its immigration website. Call the relevant immigration department and ask for more specific information in relation to yourself—no amount of printed information can ever be as clear as laying out your personal situation before someone who can advise on the specifics.
Contact the country's embassy as your first port of call. They often keep information packs for those wishing to emigrate.
Be aware of language barriers. Do people speak a different language from your own in the country you are planning to move to? If so, do you speak that language? Be honest about your ability to pick up a new language—it is quite hard for some people to learn a new language, even when immersed in it. During the time that you do not know it, you will find yourself disconnected from a lot of what is happening around you. If you already lack confidence in yourself, this can be an extremely alienating experience.
Consider learning the language to a proficient level before leaving your own country.
Book lessons for language immersion the moment you arrive. Find a sympathetic tutor who understands both your language as well as the one they are teaching you. Ensure that this person can make the time for you to go to places together to help you learn the language in specific contexts, such as shopping, dealing with a landlord, banking, buying a car, registering for school/college, etc.
If you have children, moving overseas becomes more challenging. For starters, think hard about whether you want to pull your children out of their current routine and friendships. This could be a devastating change for them. Is the schooling in the new country as good as or better than where you are now or is it less reliable? What options are there for decent schooling as a foreigner if the local schooling is not good? Find out about these things well in advance because they really matter!
Don't forget that depending on where you go, your children will likely have to learn a new language or a new dialect of a language (for example, they may need to become familiar with differences between Australian English and American English). While some parents see this as a good thing because their child has an opportunity to become multilingual, if your child has educational issues of any kind, this might really throw them through hoops.
This is especially true if the local language functions on a different alphabet than the child's first language.
Why might taking a vacation to your chosen country be a bad idea?
It could make you think life in that country is easy.
Absolutely! On vacation, you don't have to worry about the daily necessities of life- work, groceries, bills, etc. If your only impression of a country is from when you were on vacation, you might not be prepared to face all the other parts of living there! Read on for another quiz question.
It could make you think life in that country is expensive.
You might not be able to enter that country more than once in a year.
You might decide you don't want to move to that country.
There is so much to do. Where do I start?
Start by getting a visa for the place. That will only be a temporary allowance to live in the country. However, if you go to a foreign country to study or work, you will have a student or working visa.
My parents have decided to move to a foreign country and I am sad that I won't get to see my friends again. What should I do?
First, you need to create ways to stay in touch. Some of these are programs on a computer or tablet, like Skype, or even iMessage. One drawback is that your pals will eventually move on, and there's not much you can do to stop it, but that doesn't mean you can't stay in touch. It's okay to be sad, but don't hang onto that for too long. Next, make some new friends. At your new school, try to find people you have something in common with. Joining a sports team or after school activity is a great way to meet new people.
I'm thinking of moving from England to Ireland (as I hate it in England), but I understand that the people there don't like England much! Will the locals hate me for being British?
If you are moving away from England because you hate it, then they should understand. As long as you don't display any kind of tactless disregard for the tension-filled history between England and Ireland (which is mainly England's fault), you should be good.
How do I move to South Korea?
You can check the immigration requirements on South Korea's government website at immigration.go.kr . Click the "English" in the upper-right corner to translate the page, then the Visas & Immigration tab.
What are the requirements to bring my car to another country?
You will need to find and fill out any appropriate forms from your country and the new country. Then you will need to arrange to transport your car to your new country. Any other requirements would depend on the specific countries.
What about my social security and P.E.R.S? That is all the money I have. Can I take it with me?
If you're not in one of the 50 states and also outside of the U.S. territories, and inhabited commonwealths, you would still be entitled to Social Security benefits. Once a retiree has been outside the country for 30 days in a row, he or she is considered outside the United States and the rules for collecting benefits apply.
I'm in the United States, looking to move to Australia. I have a 4 year old child as well. I want to take a chance and move! How do I assure a job? How do I contact someone there?
How do I move to the US from the UK? Is it more difficult?
I want to move without my family knowing where I'm going or when, but I don't know anyone in my country of choice. What will be the best way to get support (mentally/emotionally, financially, etc.)?
What is the most economical method of shipping belongings to a foreign country?
Will I need to learn French to move to Canada?
When learning a language, do not forget to learn slang terms and idioms—learn how people really talk. Use online language forums and sites to help you to be current with words and meanings. These are places to ask anonymous questions about things that are not understandable.
Don't burn all of your bridges at home—you might need to come back one day! For example, it is highly recommended that you do not sell your home. Rent it out and have it there should you ever need to move back. Equally, you should not give up your citizenship; you may want to go back to the country of your birth some day.
If you find yourself constantly complaining about the new life and wanting the old one back, be aware that you may have glossed your old country with rose-tinted glasses. If you do move back home, the culture shock on return can be as arresting as the one you had arriving in the new country! Give the new country a chance; if you are still complaining five years later, then maybe it is time to pack it in and go back to the country of your birth.
Avoid moving to another country being pessimistic and depressed. That will not lead you anywhere and might even hurt you when you make decisions.
You may experience discrimination. Remember, you are the foreigner in the new country.
Be aware that some people will tell you terrible things because they hate being overseas; this can be common with a spouse accompanying his or her spouse on an overseas posting. She or he wanted to stay home but went anyway, with a narrow frame of mind, and never stopped hating it. Be wary of such people—usually they're obvious because all they say is how much they hate the new country and how much they wish they were back home.
Beware of banking complications. If moving from the US to a less developed country, you may find it surprisingly hard to open a simple bank account. Anti-money-laundering regulations and additional hassles these banks experience dealing with the US can result in reams of paperwork and the need for references that may be hard to get once you are overseas. Make sure you have adequate cash to get by for a couple of months since it will be hard to get money until you have a local account.
Moving to a new country is exciting initially but often very hard on you (and your family) emotionally and physically. Be prepared for the worst and you will be ready for anything.
Don't romanticize the move. No place is perfect, and you will not turn into a completely new person overnight. Learn more about the culture and facts—do not just rely on your friend's exciting vacation story.
Be sure that you are clear on work and work rights in your new country. Many developed countries, for example, now offer eased work permits. These visas are similar to work permits, in that they are typically given for a specific position and may not be subject to as onerous restrictions as normal work permits.
Use a proper, well-known, and trusted real estate agent. There is a risk being ripped off when buying property.
Your experience may differ from others'. While it's useful to listen to or read about other people's experiences, realize that their experience is always going to be unique, as will yours be, and so don't assume it's all great or all terrible just on their say-so. Do your own research and stay open-minded.
Be realistic and make sure that you have the option of going back home.
When considering applying for a job, make sure to look up the place and see if anything sketchy/shady has ever happened there (as you should always do when applying for a job, foreign country or not!). You do not want to end up working in a place you regret ever considering!
To move to a foreign country, start by making sure your passport is up to date, and apply for a visa for that country as soon as possible. Then, find and set up a bank account that you can access from your new home country, but leave one old account open for a while to be safe. Next, donate or give away any stuff you don’t need, since shipping to a different country is expensive. Finally, find a temporary place to live when you arrive, such as a hotel or apartment, so that you can get a feel for the area before buying a permanent home. For tips on dealing with culture shock in your new home, read on!
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Though verse and chapter divisions were not part of the original Hebrew manuscripts, their inclusion in our modern Bible has given rise to the question of where to place Jonah 1:17. Though many Bible translations and commentaries place 1:17 as an opening event to chapter 2, it seems best to keep it as a fitting conclusion to chapter 1. The choice of where to place verse 17, while seemingly insignificant, actually makes a difference on how one reads the story.[ref]Estelle, 64.[/ref] If it begins chapter 2, it simply sets the stage for the prayer of Jonah. Verse 17 is read this way: God delivered Jonah with a great fish, and now Jonah is going to thank God for it. But if the verse is the conclusion to the previous events, then the verse is read this way: Jonah asked to be thrown overboard and the reluctant sailors complied, but despite Jonah’s wishes, this was not the end of Jonah for God miraculously sent a great fish to keep Jonah from drowning. On the other hand, Stuart makes a good point that if the book of Jonah is a series of scenes, 1:17 fits best with chapter 2 since the entire scene takes place inside the great fish.[ref]Sasson, 148-149; Stuart, 469.[/ref] Maybe it is best to see 1:17 as a “hinge” verse which transports the reader from the recently-calmed surface of the sea to the spiritual storm deep under the surface which is now raging in the heart and mind of a prophet and the belly of a fish.
Jonah 1:17. After Jonah is cast into the sea, Yahweh prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. If the sailors saw the fish, they likely would have viewed it as a personification of the sea god, Yamm.[ref]Walton, 109.[/ref] And though the terminology is different than the instructions of God to Jonah in 1:1-2, it seems that there may be a contrast between Jonah’s rebellion and how the fish obeys God (cf. also 2:11).
Though humorous and fanciful, the text does not indicate that the sailors “tested” the words of Jonah in such a way. Instead, it appears that after trying as hard as they could to reach the shore, they finally realized that they were all dead unless they cast Jonah into the sea. As a result of their actions, the sea stopped raging, just as Jonah said it would. From this, the sailors would have come to believe that what Jonah said about God was correct, that He could be appeased through human sacrifice.
1:14. Before they cast Jonah into the sea, they cried out to Yahweh. Up until now, they have been crying out to their own gods (1:5), which has not worked, and they have even pled with Jonah to cry out to his God (1:6), which he has not done. So now, they take it upon themselves to cry out to Yahweh.
They are uncomfortable about casting Jonah into the sea, and so they pray to God, asking that He would not destroy them for this man’s life. They know that what they are about to do is wrong, even though Jonah told them that this is what would appease God. Nevertheless, they want to make sure that God does not charge them with innocent blood. Based on what Jonah has told them, the sailors do not believe Jonah is innocent.[ref]Bewer, 39.[/ref] They know that he has committed the worst of all possible sins in refusing to defend God’s honor. Some believe that their statement about innocent blood means that they fear putting Jonah to death without a trial.[ref]Stuart, 463.[/ref] But this is modern notion of law and justice. Jonah has freely admitted his sin, and told the sailors what his punishment must be.
Therefore, by asking God to not charge them with innocent blood, the sailors are reminding God that Jonah is not innocent. They are in effect saying, “God, we are putting your man to death, but you heard him, he is not innocent, and he told us how you want to punish him.” Inherent in their plea, of course, is the implication that while Jonah is not innocent, they themselves are innocent bystanders, and God’s attempt to discipline His wayward prophet has threatened their lives. They pray that when they give Jonah up to the sea, that God will leave them alone, and not destroy them along with Jonah.
Jonah 1:13. The sailors now understand that Jonah’s great sin has led them all into great danger, but they have no desire to commit human sacrifice, and so rowed hard to return to the shore. The term rowed hard is used elsewhere of digging holes in a wall (Ezek 8:8; 12:5ff), tunneling into a house (Job 24:16), and trying to burrow into sheol to escape the wrath of God (Amos 9:2). So the word refers to a desperate and feverish attempt to escape the wrath of God.[ref]Sasson, 130.[/ref] In the case of the sailors, they are trying to burrow through the wrath of God in the storm.
Some have criticized this part of the story, since all mariners worthy of their wages know that the worst thing to do in a storm is head toward shore. In a storm such as this one, the boat and all who were on it would get dashed to pieces upon the shore if they reached it. Some suggest that this proves that the story of Jonah is invented, and the author who made this story knew nothing of proper sailing procedures.[ref]Ibid., 141-142, 341.[/ref] Others have argued that the sailors knew they were about to drown in the storm, and so decided to test their luck on the shore, though even that would likely result in their death. Finally, there is the theory that the sailors were not trying to land on shore, but were trying to get as close as possible before throwing Jonah overboard, thereby giving him a fighting chance to reach shore on his own.
The word return (Heb. shuv) is often the word used for “repent” and as repentance is a key theme in the book of Jonah, it is interesting that the first time the word is mentioned, it is used in connection with sailors trying to get the boat back to land. It is interesting that this is the first use of this word because it well illustrates the basic concept of repentance. In Hebrew thinking, repentance consists of two elements: turning away from evil and turning toward good.[ref]Harris et al., 909.[/ref] Since the storm has been referred to as “evil” (1:7-8), the attempt to leave the sea illustrates the first element of repentance, that of turning away from evil. Furthermore, since the sea holds death, getting to land would mean life. So getting to land illustrates the second aspect of repentance, turning toward good.
Jonah 1:12. Jonah does have a suggestion for the sailors, but it is not the one the reader expects to hear. Since God sent the storm in response to Jonah fleeing eastward toward Tarshish rather than going west toward Nineveh, the simple solution to calming the storm would be for the sailors to turn the boat around and head west. God wants Jonah’s obedience, and the proper way for Jonah to repent would be have the sailor turn the boat back toward Joppa. Instead, and much the reader’s surprise, Jonah said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea.” There are two actions in Jonah’s commands, both of which have parallels to the preceding events. First, Jonah instructs the sailors to pick him up. This could also be translated as “lift up” and some have read into this a vague prophecy about how Jesus was later lifted up on the cross, and so Jonah’s actions are interpreted as a noble attempt to be a vicarious sacrifice for the sailors, just as Jesus was a vicarious sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.[ref]Estelle, 58-60.[/ref] Such an interpretation goes against the entire narrative and flies in the face of the way Jonah is presented in this story. Jonah is not nobly offering himself over to death for the sake of the sailors. Jonah is still trying to escape God’s instructions to go to Nineveh.
The next part of Jonah’s instructions—that he be hurled into the sea—is an allusion to verse 5 where the sailors hurled their cargo overboard. Since he was down in the bowels of the boat with the cargo, he is saying that they should throw the last piece (himself) overboard.
Jonah 1:10. Upon hearing what Jonah said about his nationality and his God, the men became extremely fearful. When the storm was raging about them and they were about to drown, the men were afraid (1:5). The word used for fearful is the same word Jonah used in his claim to fear Yahweh (1:9). Their fear is a result of what Jonah told them about God being in creator of all, the God of the sea and land, and seems to be more genuine than Jonah’s fear of God. Based on what he told them, they had no hope of surviving this storm, for Jonah had offended the most powerful God of all. Their fear is amplified further when they learn why God had sent this great storm upon them.
But in their culture, the blatant rebellion against God was not the biggest issue. The biggest area of concern was that he was fleeing from defending Yahweh’s honor. In an honor-shame culture, such behavior was unheard of. Defending your personal honor and the honor of your family were the highest goals. Sometimes, if a certain person dishonored their family, they would gladly commit suicide as this was the only way to partially regain some of the honor that had been lost. For Jonah to refuse to defend the honor of God was to commit the worst of all possible sins. His refusal to defend God’s honor was to invite the full force of God’s wrath upon him.
Although verse 9 only includes a short answer from Jonah to the sailor’s questions, it appears that Jonah told them more than what is recorded. He told them how he was refusing to defend God’s honor, and that is why God was out to destroy him. The sailors were dismayed at such news because it was suicidal for any person to refuse to defend his deities’ honor. The sailors were unlucky enough to get caught up in a destructive storm sent by a powerful God who had been insulted and offended in the worst possible way. Jonah’s explanation was a sentence of death to the sailors.
Jonah 1:11. Nevertheless, the sailors hope that maybe there is still a chance of surviving this storm. Since Jonah is the cause of the wind and the waves, they said to him, “What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?” They recognize that Jonah’s God is out to punish him, and so they wonder if there is something they can do to Jonah so that God’s anger will cease. They want to know if they can appease God. They are getting desperate now because the sea was growing more tempestuous. They do not want to die because of what Jonah has done, and are hoping that if they punish Jonah somehow, maybe God’s wrath will subside and the wind and waves will die.
Jonah 1:9. This is the central verse in chapter 1. The structure of this chapter forms a chiasm with 1:9 at the middle.[ref]See Alexander, 106-109; Hannah, 1465.[/ref] As such, the reader is intended to note with great care what Jonah says about himself and about God.
Jonah begins by answering their last question first, the question about his nationality and people. “I am a Hebrew,” he answered. Jonah answered their last question first because in his mind it is the most important. For Jonah, his national identity as a Hebrew, as a member of the chosen nation of God is of utmost importance. Jonah is proud of being one of God’s chosen people on earth.
The sailors would have known some information about the Hebrews, for they had just docked at Joppa, and likely had done some business with Hebrew merchants. They doubtless would have seen some of the ways that the Hebrews worshiped their God and heard some of what the Hebrews believed about Him. Though there was much idolatry in Israel at this time, they might have found it curious that no shrine or temple to the God of the Hebrews existed in Joppa. To the average foreigner, the Hebrew form of worship seemed very odd and even irreligious. To properly worship a deity, one needed to go to a shrine or temple and make sacrifices or leave gifts there for the deity. But since the Hebrew people did not generally erect shrines all over the place or build temples in every city, many foreigners thought that the Hebrew people did not care enough about their God to provide numerous places of worship for Him. If they were told that God had instructed them to not build temples and shrines in every city, the only other conclusion a foreigner could come to was that God did not care much for His people, since He made it so difficult for them to worship Him. However, the text does not say what the sailors thought about all this, or what they knew (or didn’t know) about the God of the Hebrews.
Jonah 1:8. Since the lot singled out Jonah as the one responsible for this storm, they bombard him with “religiously loaded questions”[ref]Allen, 208.[/ref] First, they seek to know the reason that this evil has come upon them. As in verse 7, they refer to the storm as evil (Heb., raa; cf. 1:2, 7; 3:7-8, 10; 4:1-2, 6). The reader knows the storm is from God, and must ask themselves whether or not the storm is evil. From the sailor’s perspective, the storm appears evil, but from God’s perspective, it is divine discipline upon a disobedient prophet. Jonah knows this, but since he refused to defend the honor of God by going to Nineveh, will he defend God’s honor to the sailors by admitting his fault and justifying God?
Next they ask, “What is your business?” This question could be understood in two ways. First, it could be that they want to know what his job is. At that time, occupations were frequently connected with certain deities. Craftsman and laborers would often join guilds, and part of the responsibilities of being in a guild was to pay honor to the god of that guild. Furthermore, certain occupations were more honorable than others, while some jobs, such as making tents or tending sheep, were viewed as particularly shameful. The sailors figured that if they could learn Jonah’s occupation, this might help explain the reason for the storm that has come upon them.
The other possibility is that they want to know what Jonah is doing on their ship. In this case, the question could be translated “What is your business on this ship?” Though he paid the fare to have them take him to Tarshish, they now want to know why he was traveling to Tarshish. Leaving your hometown, people, and family was generally considered deviant behavior in an honor-shame culture.[ref]John J. Pilch, The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1999), 171.[/ref] In this context, this second way of understanding of this question is more likely.[ref]Alexander, 105; Bewer, 36; Sasson, 114.[/ref] Now that the sailors know that their lives are threatened because of Jonah, they want to know why he got on their ship. Usually only merchants hired out ships, and the sailors know Jonah is not a merchant because he did not bring any cargo on board. So they want to know what he is doing on their ship.
Note also that the sailors refer to the storm as evil (Heb. raa; cf. 1:2, 8; 3:7-8, 10; 4:1-2, 6). From a human perspective, this storm was about to take their lives, and so it was evil. They are about to learn that Jonah’s God is the source of this storm. This introduces to the reader the concept of “evil” in the book of Jonah, and it becomes a major theme later in the story.
The captain tries to spur Jonah to action. He calls on Jonah to “Rise up!” and “Cry out to your god!” The call of the captain for Jonah to arise and cry out echoes God’s call for Jonah to arise and cry out against Nineveh (1:2).[ref]Alexander, 103.[/ref] The captain’s words remind Jonah of his “dastardly desertion from his prophetic duty.”[ref]Allen, 208.[/ref] But beyond this, the reader of this story is supposed to share the shock of the ship captain. What kind of man sleeps during such a storm? What kind of person seems not to care whether they live or die? What kind of man does not pray to his god in the face of imminent death?
Of course, the reader knows something the captain does not. The captain thinks that if Jonah prays, perhaps Jonah’s god will pay attention and they will not be destroyed. But the reader knows that Jonah is disobeying God, and that the reason they are all about to die is because of Jonah’s God. Jonah’s God sent the storm, and in this situation, praying to Him will not help. What God wants is obedience; not prayer.
So does Jonah pray? It appears he does not. Though the captain woke Jonah up, and pled with him to pray, the text says nothing about Jonah crying out to God. Ellison makes the unlikely suggestion that Jonah did not pray because he had never been at sea before and did not know that anything out of the ordinary was going on.[ref]Ellison, 371.[/ref] No, the reason Jonah does not pray is because Jonah knows that such a prayer is pointless and may only anger God further. In this situation, God does not want prayer; God wants obedience—God wants Jonah to go to Nineveh. | 2019-04-19T12:59:16Z | http://gracecommentary.com/ |
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A simple Google search of “case studies” will quickly show the truth: case studies mean different things to different industries.
While they are also used in the scientific world, the process and and reason why they are used is completely different in the business world.
A case study is a written account of a real customer's experience with your business. They describe the customer’s success thanks to your product or service. They typically include the problem the customer was facing before they used your product or service, and how you helped overcome that problem.
On this page, we’re here to talk about business case studies – what they are, why business professionals use them, and how to write your own. And, once you’ve got those basics down, (or if you already do!) we’ve got you covered for the next step – how to write a GOOD case study, and how to maximize it to increase sales.
We'll start at the beginning, what a case study is and how it works, but feel free to jump ahead to another section.
Case Study Format: Written or Video, Which Should You Choose?
So unless you're ready for something more specific, let's look at the case study basics! We've got lots of examples throughout this article to make you a case study expert!
If you’re ready to learn more about case studies, chances are you have some involvement in B2B marketing – meaning your company sells a product or service to other businesses. In a time where skepticism and demands for buyers' attention are at an all-time high, case studies are crucial parts of an effective business-to-business (B2B) marketing strategy.
You see the term “case study” in many places today, including medical journals dedicated to social and life sciences. So what are case studies? And what's the common thread uniting case studies across all industries?
All case studies describe a particular research method that provides factual evidence from a specific example. The methods of business case studies are similar to scientific case studies, but instead of trying to cure diseases, B2B marketers are trying to make their offerings more compelling to potential customers.
Simply put, a case study is a way to prove your product or service works, with factual evidence from your current customers.
Case studies usually follow a typical story structure, which means they have a beginning, middle, and end. Think of them as a “before and after” snapshot of a customer's business – complete with quotes, statistics, and images.
Business case studies are often created by the marketing team and given to the sales team. Sales can then use the case study to get a meeting with potential customers, or prospects. Case studies can also use them during the meeting to close the sale.
A lot of B2B marketers tend to focus on product specifications and other statistics. Those are important for B2B buyers, who need to know that the numbers add up to make the best rational decision for their businesses.
Case studies make this numbers-heavy approach even more effective.
How? By bringing those numbers to life.
Case studies explore how your products or services have affected specific customers. Framed as compelling stories, they help a new potential buyer visualize just how much their business could change once they invest in your solution.
Above all else, case studies serve as living proof that your product really can do everything you claim. Consider them the gold standard for credibility.
Now that you have a basic understanding of what a case study is, let's explore who use case studies, and how they work for businesses.
Let’s start by recapping the basics. A case study is used by businesses to help sell products or services to another business. They’re created by the marketing team, but the sales team is often involved in the process of choosing the customers that are featured.
Companies may have a different process for the creation of their case studies, but it is important sales and marketing always collaborate. Marketers create the case study, and working with sales helps ensure the case study will do what it’s meant to – get more customers!
Think about your typical B2B website. The language you find there is broad by necessity. That's because it must reach an entire pool of potential customers. Business case studies “zoom in” on what specific prospects might be looking for. This could include highlighting a specific product or feature, and also the results it can bring your future customers.
By examining a real-life example, potential customers get to see proven results. This brings credibility to your marketing materials – your product does what it says it will.
Finances and accounting Accounting equals money: something that matters (and matters a LOT!) to every company. There’s also that pesky business of making sure your company meets government regulations when filing taxes.
Industrial and manufacturing Industrial and manufacturing companies sell some of the most expensive (and complex) products around. Whether they're tailored to automotive companies, healthcare, defense, or anyone else, case studies help reassure buyers that they're making a sound investment. Production Modeling Corporation (PMC) includes an entire library of downloadable case studies on its website.
Marketing and advertising agencies It's easy for agencies to make bold claims about getting customers more leads, engagement, and customers. But businesses are understandably skeptical. Case studies prove that they can deliver the results they promise, making it more likely businesses will give them a chance.
Australian advertising agency Smart combines beautiful imagery with measurable results in its case study for the Whitsunday Apartments on Hamilton Island. In addition to examples of the agency’s work, the stats speak for themselves. Who can argue with an increased revenue of 49.9 percent?!
Software companies Case studies are perfect SaaS marketing opportunities for marketers to translate their product specifications and features into value that any potential customer will appreciate – even if they aren't tech-savvy. Marketo, a marketing automation SaaS vendor, devotes an entire section of its website to featured customers. Each individual case study combines written and video elements.
What are the benefits of case studies?
Now that you have a better idea of what case studies are and which businesses are using them, let's talk about why they use them. A staggering 73 percent of customers have used them to make a B2B buying decision within the last 12 months.
What makes them so effective? Certain elements unique to case studies – their length, structure, and depth of content – make them the perfect fit for B2B marketers.
To close as many deals as they can, even the most skilled B2B salesperson needs more than just conversations and handshakes. Case studies become valuable materials (called “collateral”) to help your sales representatives make all the sales they can. The proof is right there for the buyer to see. If someone is on the edge of deciding “yes” or “no,” a case study could be just the thing to tip the scales in your favor.
Case studies are also great opportunities to spread the word about some of your best customers. Featuring them as case study subjects gives them free exposure, which publicizes their success. In addition, it shows them that you appreciate the relationship: a huge incentive for customer loyalty. It also adds the customer voice to your materials.
B2B buyer behavior has changed dramatically the past few years. Thanks to online resources, 94 percent of buyers are researching problems and evaluating solutions all on their own – without talking to any salespeople.
Case studies fit nicely within a broader content marketing strategy; they provide the information your sales rep isn’t there to give people who are well into the buying process. Empower buyers with more information to help make the best decision possible. Then, if and when that buyer does contact you, your sales rep will already be one step ahead!
One of the key elements of persuasion, as made famous by Robert Cialdini's book Influence, is social proof. People want what other people want. Knowing that a business has other happy customers makes that company more valuable.
By telling the story of your successful relationships, case studies prove that you've done what you claim you can. You live up to your marketing promises! This makes it easier to convince prospects to give you a chance – especially if the customer featured in your case study is a well-known company.
Countless B2B marketers are creating content and distributing it online to attract customers, and finding perfect topics can be difficult. Every case study is unique because every case study subject is unique too. Working with your sales and customer success teams, you can discover customer stories with a wide range of variables that different prospects can relate to, such as company size or location.
Case studies give marketers the opportunity to translate key features and benefits into a compelling narrative. Storytelling engages us emotionally in a way that reading lists of statistics doesn't. This one-two punch – resonating emotionally and logically – is the biggest strength of case studies, and a key aspect of great marketing!
While looking at some of those example case studies from various industries, you may have noticed a quote in each. This type of quote is considered a testimonial, which is a key element of case studies.
Not exactly. Case studies are much longer and more in-depth than testimonials. A testimonial is just one piece of a larger puzzle.
Customer testimonials are quotes from happy customers. These quotes affirm that your product or service worked like you said it would and provides value. They can also speak to your company’s customer service. Testimonial length varies, but most are just a few lines long.
This testimonial is effective because it focuses on specific results every customer will value: more sales. Also, giving the name and title of the person who said the quote gives added credibility. It’s a real person – you can even look up Brian and his restaurant.
This testimonial is from a director at a well-recognized company. This gives the same advantage of consumer reviews that show the writer's company and title. It shows that LeadMD works for the company’s decision-makers, providing high-level strategy and guidance. Plus, LeadMD provides Mr. Bricker’s picture, again connecting the testimonial to the real person who said it.
Let’s face it – no one is too excited by the topic of insurance. Not many people get excited when they need to call their insurance agent, and anyone in sales has a tendency to bring out one’s cautious side. This testimonial quells the fear of an insurance agent who acts like a “typical salesman,” instead showing levels of customer service that go above and beyond. It also calms a prospect’s fears that the agent is after their money, instead of trying to actually help them.
Now that we’ve got an understanding of what case studies are and why people use them, let’s talk about format. As technology has changed, so have case studies – they can now be in video format, too! Or, if you’re ready to start writing you case study, you can skip ahead to Chapter Three, How to Write a Case Study.
The same way every customer's success story is a little different, so is every case study.
Just 10 years ago, case studies only came in one format: written. However, with the rise of video content creation (by both marketers and consumers), there is now a new case study format! We’ll take a look at pros, cons and examples of both written case studies and video case studies.
Written case studies are the most traditional case study format. They've been around for a long time and continue to be effective today. Readers get a visual representation of the data, and the ability to scan and focus on sections most important to them. Prospects can also save these case studies for future reference, or share PDFs and landing page links with coworkers or decision-makers.
You'll see print versions of case studies handed out at trade shows or networking events. They also make great sales collateral: documents salespeople can give qualified prospects to read and move them closer toward making a buying decision.
Nowadays, many written case studies are available in digital format. Some companies share their case studies in a PDF format, such as this B2B case study by RedHat, a company that provides enterprise companies (those with 1,000-plus employees) with open-source software products.
It is common to see B2B brands, like Cisco, which sells technology services and products, have entire libraries of case studies that readers can filter by industry, region, or the solution offered.
Instead of a PDF, some companies will have their case studies as landing pages. (Think of a landing page as any individual page on a website. When you’re surfing the web, it’s where you land, or enter a site!) It's also common to see businesses directing web traffic to specific “landing pages,” MediaValet, which helps manage customers' digital assets on the cloud, requires visitors to enter their work email address to download case studies.
S6, a digital marketing agency, uses a landing page case study to maximize the impact of its campaign for Cirque du Soleil. S6 has the statistics to prove the campaign was successful, but it also has beautiful images displaying Cirque du Soleil performances. This grabs your intention and draws in emotion.
Whether your case study is a PDF or a landing page, the format allows you to use hyperlinks within your content. You can put as many links as you want (make sure they are relevant, of course!), giving prospects the opportunity to find additional information if they have questions. You can also link directly to an email address or “contact us form,” enabling prospects to easily take the next step.
Instead of having to set up a time and fly out to film your best customers (or have them fly to you!), written case studies offer more flexibility and less commitment from clients. You can do it via phone or video streaming services such as FaceTime or Skype. If someone needs to rearrange the interview time, it’s not a problem – you’re not canceling or rescheduling on a big production crew. If needed, you can even email your customer a list of questions.
Someone may want to learn additional information about your company but only have limited time. Especially when you utilize a great case study format, making it easy to scan, prospects can take a quick look and scour for information most relevant to them. Charts and callout boxes featuring stats are especially helpful for this.
You can print out written case studies and take them with you to trade shows, sales calls, and other live events. It's easy to hand them out to busy event attendees, or leave with prospects after in-person meetings. While many people prefer digital, there are people who like a tactile sheet of paper to hold. Written case studies give that option. Video, on the other hand, makes it difficult to hand over something physical!
Written words pack less of an emotional punch than seeing a real live human describe the experience. Video can set a mood and engage additional senses with emotion. Even when you're marketing expensive B2B products, emotions have an impact on sales. MRIs have even shown that when evaluating brands, consumers utilize emotions over facts such as product features. Utilizing quotes, images, and storytelling in your case study are a great way to still get the emotional connection.
Creating a great case study is more than just spitting words onto the page. You'll need an editor and proofreader, as well as coordination with designers so everything looks super professional. Written case studies also go through multiple revisions and approvals before publication.
Attention spans are shortening. As of 2014, it was believed we were exposed to more than 5,000 ads a day, and chances are that number is only growing. In fact, some studies have shown our attention to be less than that of a goldfish! Without audio or video elements, case study writers must work that much harder to engage readers. Adding graphics to your case study, and breaking up the text, can help combat that.
While we looked at a few examples of written case studies above, the options for what text to include, and how you lay it out, can be almost endless. Here are a few more examples to get you inspired and spark those creative juices!
This written case study from media company Contently is short and sweet. But notice the logical structure (challenge, solution, results) and attractive design. Knowing the importance of ROI to any business, it starts with its product tripling Weebly’s ROI. On the back page, those results are front and center; there’s no way you can miss them!
This marketing agency seamlessly incorporates written case studies onto its website. The screenshot only shows the beginning of the page, but once again you can immediately see the results. They are big and bold – the first place your eyes go! The quote also serves as a fabulous testimonial, and including Rachel’s picture connects your brain with the real person who said it. In addition, as a landing page it is interactive – you can click and view the challenge, solution, and result.
The Grade.us review management platform case study used a combination of report generated data and tangible benefits (stars that appear in the customer's organic search results) to show both the analytic and visual benefits of the service. Grade.us also showcased the actual use of the service (the review funnel) and generated a few emotional pull quotes from the happy customer, which highlights the value that any future customer would benefit from using the platform with their own business.
Just like written case studies, video case studies dive in deep about the struggles a specific customer faced – and how the business solved them. But video does more than a headshot can, connecting you with the person who both experienced the problem and came out triumphantly: thanks to your company, of course!
Video case studies offer the possibility for increased brand exposure by putting them on your YouTube channel.
Team collaboration software company Slack created a short case study video featuring production company Sandwich Video. The video is fun, engaging, and gives viewers a taste of how Slack changed the way the Sandwich Video team works.
It also engages viewers with a sense of humor – something that can be more challenging in a written case study, where people expect exclusively factual evidence. Oh, and did we forget to mention? This video case study has racked up almost a million views on YouTube!
It's hard to say which case study format is “best.” Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so deciding which one is right for you depends on your company and the situation. Let’s dive further into the advantages and disadvantages of video case studies.
Video case studies allow us to see the faces behind the success stories. When you see a person, hear their voice, and observe their non-verbal communications, your brain makes a stronger connection to them. You develop a true impression (and opinion!) of them. Statistics are impressive, but it is easier to relate with another human being.
Reading a quote is one thing, but hearing it and seeing someone say it engages other senses. It also gives more credibility. Prospects know that a company hasn’t put any “spin” onto an interview conducted behind closed doors. Plus, video case studies can still incorporate charts, statistics and images. Additional elements, such as music, also help set the tone and invoke emotions.
Marketers can embed videos directly on their websites, as well as post them on huge platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. In addition, videos can be shared on social media, and often have higher levels of engagement. This increases reach and gives them access to different audiences. Videos often perform better in your social media marketing as well, giving you increased traffic and engagement with your audience.
Video isn't as prohibitive as it used to be, But the higher the production level, the better your brand will look.
Cameras, lights, microphones, and video editing software can be expensive to rent – let alone buy! In addition, you need someone skilled enough to know how to edit videos. Hiring a production company ensures your video looks as amazing as your company is, but there is a wide range in what they charge.
However, technology keeps improving – look at the pictures you can take on your phone! Easy and free video editing software tools continue to emerge as well. If you decide to produce your own videos, make sure the results meet a minimum standard. If your production level looks amateur, you risk your brand considered amateur by association.
Some busy prospects prefer written formats because they can read much faster than people speak. They can also navigate back and forth at their own pace and easily scan for key information. In addition, most people associate video with sound. This is a disadvantage for people who may come across your video at work or on the train. If they don’t already have those headphones plugged in, how many will dig them out to watch your case study?
Knowing this interview is going to be preserved for all time can bring about the nerves. And, even if someone is confident, the camera can be a funny beast. The most charismatic person in real life can come across reserved on camera. If someone hasn’t been on screen before, you risk not finding out until it’s too late.
A global business design partner of IBM, this digital marketing and creative firm created a video case study that illustrates the story behind Wendy’s phone app. Video gives the opportunity to illustrate exactly how the app works in a way static images can’t.
But like written case studies, it still includes statistics. When you create an app downloaded over 225,000 times in a few short months, it doesn’t matter if your case study is written or video – that’s a stat you want to share!
This video case study is simple but effective storytelling. By opening with Americo Silva, the credibility of the video is established thanks to his title. Americo immediately goes to the heart of their business – who Shell’s consumers are.
By mentioning a variety of customers – car lovers, mothers picking up their children, and B2B customers – the case study gives viewers several people to identify with. Silva also identifies a key challenge faced by marketers: the need to identify and anticipate consumer behavior in relation to media consumption. Then he explains how Google products, such as YouTube, have helped overcome those challenges.
This beautifully shot and edited video case study highlights how a company in the “traditional” industry of banking used Salesforce to adapt to a social and mobile-centric world.
Now that you know the pros and cons of each, how do you choose which is right for you?
One of the biggest factors in doing video case studies can be the technical expertise and equipment required for a high level of production quality. Whether or you have the budget to do this in house, or hire a production company, can be one of the major deciding factors.
Still, written or video doesn't have to be an either-or decision. Some B2B companies are using both formats. They can complement each other nicely, minimizing the downsides mentioned above and reaching your potential customers where they prefer.
Let's say you're selling IT network security. What you offer is invaluable but complicated. You could create a short (three- or four-minute) video case study to get attention and touch on the major benefits of your services. This whets the viewer's appetite for more information, which they could find in a written case study that supplements the video.
Each format has its strengths and creates a more engaging experience. Plus, because most B2B buying decisions are made by committees, different formats will appeal to different stakeholders. No one feels left out.
Should you decide to test the water in video case studies, be sure to test their effectiveness among your target audience. See how well they work for your company and sales team. And, just like a written case study, you can will always find ways to improve your process as you continue exploring video case studies.
Understanding how to write a case study is an invaluable skill. You'll make decisions large and small – everything from deciding which customers to feature, to the best format to use – to design and making them as engaging as possible.
This can feel overwhelming in a hurry, so let's break it down.
If you've been in business for a while, you have no shortage of happy customers. Which one should you feature in your new case study? With limited time and resources, you can't choose everyone.
Start by considering the case study's place in your overall marketing strategy. In most situations, you'll use case studies to help win over prospects who are close to making a buying decision.
What are their business challenges we can solve?
Which industries do these people represent?
Who are the key people making buying decisions?
Take some time beforehand to flesh out your target buyer personas. Many B2B companies already have these in mind. If you are a marketing service provider, such as a branding agency, you may want to consider asking customers to participate who show off the types of marketing you can execute, such as experiential marketing and omnichannel marketing.
Typically it's the marketing team responsible for creating content. But having marketing handle case studies on their own is a mistake. Bring in the sales team as well. Their insights from countless conversations with prospects are invaluable – who knows better what your customers want to hear than the people who speak to them every day?.
The ideal situation: have sales and marketing work together to create the most accurate buyer persona possible.
Once you know exactly who you're targeting, go through your stable of happy customers to find a buyer representative of the audience you're trying to reach. The closer their problems, goals, and industries align, the more your case study will resonate.
What if you have more than one buyer persona?
No problem. This is a common situation for B2B companies because buyers comprise an entire committee of people. You might be marketing to procurement experts, executives, engineers, and a whole lot more.
Try to develop a case study tailored to each key persona. This might be a long-term goal, and that's fine. The better you can personalize the experience for each stakeholder, the easier it is to keep their attention.
Some B2B companies have a regular case study production calendar. It takes time and employee resources to execute, but it might make sense for you because it produces a consistent output.
Though you have many happy customers, you won’t always have some eager to share results. If someone reaches out all on their own, they're showing a willingness to help out. Thank them for their feedback and try to set up something more formal: a case study interview.
B2B products tend to be expensive, complex, and require a long-term investment. That makes them all the more challenging to sell when they're new.
If you've successfully beta tested or launched a new product/feature, and had a few people use it with great success, approach them about a case study to help boost your credibility. Having an early adopter advocate for something new will help squash concerns from other prospects.
As B2B businesses expand into different geographic areas, case studies can help pave the way. This is a great way to show your target audience in the new area that you're capable of satisfying their regulations, customer expectations, and any other concerns. Such a case study will also feature a company that likely is familiar to others in the area.
Case studies can help skeptical prospects overcome last-minute objections and finally decide to buy. If the sales team is noticing a lot of people getting this close to buying, only to back out at the last second, empower them with more case studies. Within them, you have the opportunity to address the objections prospects have before they become a deal-breaker – and prove you can deliver what you claim.
Some customers might have a case study written into their contract. This guarantees that they'll be available when you call on them. Then it just becomes a matter of coordinating schedules and getting the information you need.
However you decide to handle the case study process, the important thing here is effective communication. Talk transparently and consistently as you develop a strategy to choose case study subjects, gather information, and present in a compelling way.
Unless a happy customer reaches out to you directly, you'll have to decide which ones to approach about becoming case study subjects. Limited time and resources force you to be selective.
These items are just a jumping-off point as you develop your own criteria. Once you have a list, run each customer through it to determine your top targets. Approach the ones on the top (your “dream” case study subjects) and work your way down as needed.
There's no one set way to ask customers to participate in case studies. Some companies stick to email. Others prefer picking up the phone or even discussing it in person.
First, make it as easy to work with you. Your customer’s time is valuable, so respect that as much as possible. The better prepared you are, the smoother the process will go. Ask as little as possible of them you can.
It might help to sketch out the interactions all the way from initial request to customer approval of the completed case study. Once you identify the key interactions, you can get organized and develop a system to make them run smoothly.
Second, remember to emphasize how the customer will benefit from participating. Talk about the publicity they'll get, whether it's potential revenue-boosting opportunities or just recognition for a successful project.
Here's an example: If a procurement specialist waded through dozens of products before finally choosing yours, and that decision increased the company's revenue by 30 percent, remind him or her that a case study is a chance to put that success “on the record.” They get acknowledged in their company as someone responsible for that incredible success!
Because you'll probably have different people on your team requesting case studies, you could create a script that incorporates these principles. This standardizes the process so you know exactly what to say. You can also track performance – and experiment with different appeals.
Once you find a customer willing to participate in your case study, it's time to set up an interview. This interview will give you the specific information you need to write the most engaging case study possible.
Case study interviews are kind of like exams in school. The more prepared you are going into them, the better they turn out.
Preparing thoroughly also shows participants that you value their time. You don't waste precious minutes rehashing things you should have already known. You focus on getting the information you need as efficiently as possible.
That starts by getting as much information on the customer as you can. Which products or services are they using? How long have they been a customer? What did their interactions with your company look like before they decided to buy?
Run this by the relevant account manager to get all the details. Memories fade, though, especially if they've been a customer for a long time. Confirm everything with your historical records as well just to be sure.
Once you've gathered preliminary info on your case study subject, shift your focus to your target audience. Consider what makes them hesitant to buy. Which pieces of information do they absolutely need to know? If you're targeting prospects with a more technical focus (engineers, IT experts, etc.) they'll want more specifications and data.
Pinpointing these major considerations now makes all the difference. We can't afford to assume that case study participants will volunteer this information on their own. Asking the right questions draws out the all-important answers, which brings us to the next section.
Before you interview your case study participant, figure out which questions you'll need to ask. Going into an interview with a list will keep you focused.
Let the research you've done be your guide. You already understand the history between your business and the case study participant. No need to ask about it. You also know what's important to the audience you're trying to target, so you can craft interview questions to draw out that information.
Remember: you'll be structuring your case studies like a story. That means you need a beginning, middle, and an end.
Delve into the customer's challenge that led them to ultimately do business with you. What were their problems like? What drove them to finally make a decision? Why did they choose you?
Your audience also wants to know about the experience of working with you. Your customer has taken action to address their problems. What happened once you got on board?
Describe the specific results your company produced for the customer. How has the customer's business (and life) changed once they implemented your solution?
When in doubt, think of the “golden rule of interviewing.” Ask open-ended questions! The quality of the answers you get – and the case study itself – will improve dramatically.
Also, don’t be afraid to go off script. If your customer gives you an answer that leads to something interesting and unexpected, definitely follow up to get more information, even if the question wasn’t on your original list.
If you're preparing for a case study interview and still aren't sure how to get started, don't worry.
Have a look at these 10 sample case study interview questions. This list isn't comprehensive, but it will get you thinking in the right direction.
What challenges did you experience before deciding to start looking for a solution?
What went into your decision-making process? Which criteria did you use to choose a B2B solution, and who was involved?
What made our product or service stand out from all the others?
What was your experience working with us after purchasing our solution?
Was there anything about working with us that surprised you? Exceeded your expectations?
How easily did your team adopt our product or service into their workflows?
How long did it take before you started seeing positive results?
How have you benefited from our products or services? Would you be willing to share some specifics?
How do you measure the value our product or service offers?
Hopefully those examples got your mind churning about what to ask. To get access to even more questions, you can download our ultimate list below!
Now that you have your questions prepared and a willing customer ready to answer questions, the only thing left to do is conduct your case study interview.
This is your chance to get the information you need to tell a story. With responses in hand, it then becomes a matter of structuring them into an engaging narrative.
Which Format Will You Choose?
You can conduct your case study interview in multiple formats – everything for exchanging emails to having the interview in person.
This isn't a trivial decision. As you'll see in the chart below, each format has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.
How Should I Conduct My Case Study Interview?
Being able to see each other's facial expressions puts everyone at ease and encourages case study participants to open up.
Good format if you're conferencing with several people from the customer's team at once.
Always be on guard for connection issues, and not every customer will be familiar with the technology.
Audio quality probably won't be as good as on the phone. Pieces of conversation can be lost when multiple people are talking.
More personal communication style than email because you can hear someone's tone. If they get really excited about certain answers, you can encourage them to continue.
Convenient and immediate. Dial a number and start interviewing without ever leaving the office.
Isn't as personal as video chat or an in-person interview because you can't see the customer's face. Non-verbal cues might be missed.
Don't get direct quotes like you would with email responses. The only way to preserve the interview is remember to have it recorded.
The most personal interview style. It feels like an informal conversation, making it easier to tell stories and switch seamlessly between topics.
Humanizes the customer's experience and allows you to put a face to the incredible results.
Puts a lot of pressure on customers who are shy or introverted – especially if they're being recorded.
Requires the most commitment for the participant – travel, dressing up, dealing with audiovisual equipment, etc.
Gives customers the most flexibility with respect to scheduling. They can answer a few questions, see to their obligations, and return to them at their convenience.
No coordination of schedules needed. Each party can fulfill their obligations whenever they're able to.
Less opportunity for customers to go “off script” and tell compelling anecdotes that your questions might have overlooked.
Some of the study participant's personality might be lost in their typed responses. It's harder to sense their enthusiasm or frustration.
Who Will Participate in the Interview?
You'll also have to consider who will ask, and answer, the questions during your case study interview.
It's smart to start thinking about this while you're still considering case study format. Why? Because the number of participants factors into which format will work best. If you're trying to juggle four or five people's busy schedules, for example, it becomes that much harder to pull off an in-person interview. Maybe try a video conference instead.
At a bare minimum, you'll need two people to participate. A one-on-one interview can work well because it encourages the interviewee to open up. Imagine an easy chat with a friend, rather than answering to a panel. There's less worry about making sure everyone is heard and no one dominates the conversation.
Bringing in multiple interviewees creates a logistical challenge, but it offers the advantage of different perspectives. After you get the information you need, you can weave in these different stories to make a broader narrative.
Your account manager or sales rep will probably have the closest relationship with your customer. But you can't assume they'll know exactly what to ask. That's why it makes sense to have a marketer there prepared with the most important questions.
You might want to interview top-level managers or executives because those are high profile positions. But consider how close they are to your product and its results. Maybe it would be better to focus on an office manager or engineer who uses your product daily. Look for someone with a courtside view of the effects.
Who asks the questions? That's up to you. Whatever you choose, make sure you decide before the interview to avoid any confusion.
It's easy to embrace the assumption that interviewing isn't much different from everyday conversation. You talk to your family, friends, and coworkers all the time. What makes this any different?
The reality: Conducting case study interviews isn't always as easy as people imagine. It's a skill (like negotiating and public speaking) that you can refine with practice.
Case study interviews don't need to be rigid. If you're working your way through your questions and your interviewee brings up something you didn't expect, go with it! Allowing them to go “off script” is where their human side shines through – along with the most precious feedback.
Make interviewees feel comfortable before getting started.
Don't just jump straight into “interview mode.” Put your interviewees at ease with a little smalltalk about their business and other personal information you might know (hobbies, vacations, favorite sports teams, etc.) Once everyone is comfortable, ask if they have any questions or concerns before getting started. Get those out of the way first.
It's impossible to predict how long it will take for an interviewee to answer questions. Some people are more talkative than others. You want to be respectful of your customer's time, so lead with your most important questions.
If you aren't doing your interview via email, you'll need to record it or else risk losing the valuable gems. Ask the customer if this is okay before you get started, and reassure them that you won't release anything without their consent. Recording lets you focus on them without scribbling notes and wondering whether you're getting it all. Then you can play back the recording and pull out all the insightful quotes.
With your interview wrapped up, it's time to take the insights you gained and turn them into a case study.
The challenge becomes figuring out how to structure everything so it's as compelling. You want to leave your audiences with a story that grabs their attention, not just a list of data.
Let's walk through the process one step at a time!
For people who don't write often, the writing process can seem a bit overwhelming. But there's no need to be the next Shakespeare or Hemingway. We can take comfort in the fact that we're simply trying to communicate. Nothing needs to be perfect the first time around. That's what revisions are for!
One of the best things you can do to stop agonizing over the writing process? Stop thinking of it as writing and start thinking of it as “written storytelling.” That's what case studies are when they're at their most effective.
Once you grasp what makes stories powerful, you'll know what to say and what to leave out. And you'll even know how to arrange everything so it resonates with your audience.
Case studies are written by businesses for businesses. That said, it's people who are reading them and making the buying decisions.
Applying the art of storytelling will make your case studies irresistible. No one can resist a great story. As busy as we are, we're still making time to watch “Game of Thrones,” go to the movies, and tell our friends about that hilarious thing that happened today at work.
It has been like this ever since humans started communicating. When we listen to stories, mirror neurons in the brain fire to make us feel like we're experiencing the sensations being described. We are “hard-wired” to tell them, listen to them, and use them to relate to the world.
You might be a great storyteller already. Being exposed to countless stories ingrains their patterns on a subconscious level. Once you understand the elements consciously and apply them to your case studies, it's like a secret recipe to make them unforgettable.
Best of all: It doesn't cost any more money to tell an awesome story than an awful one. It's a great equalizer, even if your competitors have larger marketing budgets.
Creating the perfect writing style for your case study starts by thinking about the audience. A network security specialist, for instance, will be a lot more amenable to technical jargon than an overwhelmed executive who isn't tech-savvy.
Your writing style is also a reflection of your company brand. If your website, logo, and social media posts all embrace a lighthearted conversational style, but your case study is denser than James Joyce's “Ulysses,” the mismatch will confuse readers.
Imagine a Venn diagram. One large circle contains all the language and preferences of your target audience. The other contains the tone in writing your brand has already established. Focus on that overlap for the ideal approach.
There's no need to force yourself to try to write beautifully. Put down that thesaurus! Don't use “antiquated” when “old” will do.
When in doubt, favor clarity over cleverness. Remember the end goal: communicate your message in a compelling way.
Every great study follows a narrative arc (also called a “story arc”). This arc represents how a character faces challenges, struggles against raising stakes, and ultimately encounters a formidable obstacle before the tension resolves. It's a visual representation of the plot.
Narrative arc transcends genre. You'll find it in mystery stories, romances, comedies, and everything else you can think of. Apply it in your case studies, and you'll bring them to life!
This is the background information of the company. It gives readers a taste of who the subject is and what their “old life” looked like prior to becoming your customer.
This is the problem that drove the customer to start searching for a solution. Whatever it was – losing customers, horrible productivity, frustration with a high-priced provider – that made them decide they couldn't go on like this anymore.
This describes the customer's search for a solution. The tension rises steadily as they research and compare different options.
Here's where everything changes. Discuss what finally drove the business to become your customer. What made you stand out? What were the most important factors in their decision?
This is where you explain the success your product helped them achieve.
Finally, here’s what the customer's business looks like moving forward. The final paragraph leads to a call-to-action (CTA), where you ask your reader to contact you, request a free consultation, or take another simple step to continue the relationship.
Now that you know what the key plot points are, let's see how they fit together. Took a look at the following plot diagram from writer F.C. Malby. An upward slope represents rising tension and challenges. A downward slope symbolizes the opposite.
Your case studies don’t need to be the greatest literary works of this era, but following these arcs that your potential customers are familiar with will help the message resonate with them.
Even if you are the next Hemingway, there's still something more powerful than your words: direct quotes from your customers.
Whenever possible, incorporate customer testimonials at every stage of the process. Hearing about a customer's experience in their own words is much more influential than hearing it from a salesperson or marketer.
Using testimonials positions the customer as the “hero” in the story. Your audience has someone to root for and relate to. And, if you're selecting case study subjects carefully, it's easy for the audience to imagine themselves in the customer's shoes because they are facing similar challenges.
If you'd like a few ideas about what great testimonials look like and how you can use them, just refer back to our examples in Chapter One: Understanding Case Studies.
You've heard the old adage about not judging a book by its cover. But the reality? People are doing it all the time! You could have a wonderful case study, but with a poor layout, no one will read it.
Start with a compelling title. You probably wouldn't read a newspaper article if the headline didn't catch your eye, and case studies are no different. Your marketing and sales teams can work together to brainstorm different options. It's a good idea to keep your title benefit-focused, like this example from HubSpot (“Stellar Recruitment Increases Leads by 5037% with HubSpot”).
Next, arrange your content and break it down into different sections – like challenge, results, and so on. Each section can also have subsections. Divide the content into digestible chunks so no one feels intimidated by walls of text.
Finally, don't go on any longer than needed. The best case studies are exactly long enough to introduce the customer's challenge, their experience working with you, and their remarkable results. Focus on clarity. Skip any sections that lose the plot.
Case Study Writers: Should You Outsource?
Some B2B companies choose to outsource the case study writing process. This is a case-by-case decision. What's best for your company might not be right for your competitor. It might even make sense to write this case study yourself, then outsource the next.
Cost is the first consideration. Obviously it costs more to bring in outside help than rely on someone who you're already paying. Expert B2B case study writers can be expensive. But if your budget allows, it's a guaranteed way to get a professional product. If you decide to write in-house, remember the opportunity cost. What else could your team have done with that writing time?
Another factor is perspective. While outsourcing a case study writer will leave you with a professional product, no one understands your customers or products like you do. The same goes for your target audience. Because you've spent so much time getting to know them, it might be easier for you to “speak their language” and connect on a deeper level.
Finally, think about how much the end product will likely change from the first draft. Some outsourced case study writers offer only a limited number of revisions. You don't want to end up paying more than anticipated.
Briefing Your WriterIf it makes sense for you to hire an outside writer, there are a few things to think about before the case study interview.
Some outsourced writers are also willing to interview your customers. They've spent years perfecting their interviewing skills and include this as part of the arrangement – or make it available for an extra charge.
Having an outsourced writer interview your customer might make sense if they're great at what they do. However, your team knows the customer better. So the customer is probably more comfortable talking to you. These are just things to be aware of.
We've already mentioned how written case studies aren't the only format available. What if you want to tell your customer's success story on video?
Who Will Produce the Video?
Plenty of professionals are available to help. Before you decide whom to hire, though, make sure you have a solid understanding of the costs. These include the production itself, as well as rounds of editing. How many rounds are included? What will it cost if you exceed them?
Video Case Studies: Should You Outsource Production?
Producing your own case study videos is cheaper than outsourcing the job.
Each video you produce is an opportunity to develop your skills and craft more compelling narratives.
The production quality is probably going to be lower than it would if you outsourced.
You're committing your team to a significant time investment they could have spent working on other marketing projects.
You might not have all the equipment needed for the job – especially if you're filming in an unusual location.
The production company will have a wider variety of cameras, microphones, and lights to get quality footage regardless of the circumstances.
It's easier to predict how long it will take to finish – as well as the costs involved.
You get access to experience and specialized knowledge you wouldn't find in-house.
You miss out on an opportunity to develop production skills in-house.
Video production and editing is expensive. The more required, the more expensive it gets.
You give up some creative control, and it takes longer to make changes because the video company is also serving other clients.
Some companies settle on a third option. They handle production themselves, then outsource editing. This could be worth exploring if you have the equipment and knowledge needed to shoot, but don't want to spend hours editing footage into a compelling story.
Setting the Tone: Music, Fonts, and Color GradingJust like a written case study has a tone, so too do video case studies. The only thing that changes is how you create it.
Using video case studies gives you more than just moving images – you also get to play with audio. When used well, music can support your message without being distracting.
You can use special intro and outro music to “bookend” your story and give viewers a sense of completion. Higher frequencies convey happiness or “you can do it” emotions, while lower frequencies signify power and reliability. Take a look at this incredible post from Vidyard for more information.
Video also gives you the ability to use written text, whether it's labeling someone's name, displaying a direct quote, or numerous other possibilities. Take some time to understand how your font choices can affect emotions. Choosing wisely will complement your brand and the tone of messaging you want to convey.
You also get to decide the lighting used to shoot your video case study. Color grading is the process of altering or enhancing color with digital tools. It breaks down into three elements: highlights, shadows, and midtones. Changing them affects the mood dramatically. Brighter colors convey an energetic, upbeat tone, while warmer hues are more relaxed – like a conversation in front of a fireplace.
Once you've finished the interview and created your case study, the hardest part is over. Now's the time for editing and revision. This might feel like a frustrating step for impatient B2B marketers, but it can turn good stories into great ones.
The first stop for editing and revision lies within the walls of your own business. What does your team think? Is your case study as captivating as it could be? Are there any embarrassing typos or grammatical errors?
You'll get the most from this feedback by bringing in a range of perspectives. Marketing might think it's great, for example, but sales could offer important suggestions for improvement.
Whenever possible, run your case study by the people who spend the most time talking with (and serving) customers. This could be anyone from managers to customer support specialists.
Once you've gathered enough feedback, patterns emerge. Use them to guide your revisions! Then keep these in mind for any future case studies you work on.
The second layer of feedback involves taking the case study to the customer. This makes them feel like a valued contributor. It also gives them a chance to check the quotes and data points to make sure they're accurate.
Because your customers are the “heroes” of your case studies and their logos will be featured prominently, make sure to run the study by them before publishing it. The last thing you want to do is damage a valued relationship with a great customer.
Your case study is ready to go. Awesome! It has been a lot of work, but it's bound to pay off with more credibility and interest from potential new customers.
Where you decide to publish your case study depends on its role in your overall marketing strategy. If you're looking to share your video case study to as many people as possible, then by all means, publish it on YouTube and Vimeo. Some B2B companies prefer to keep their case studies exclusive. They make them available only to people who specifically request them.
Before you make your case study public, run through it one more time and make sure the following details are in place.
A great story deserves a great package. This is especially true today, when we have endless ways to distract ourselves with social media, texting, and media consumption.
Beyond white space, there are plenty of other ways you can break up text. Incorporate visual elements like call out boxes, bulleted lists, and sidebars. A nice variety keeps things interesting.
Images are great for breaking up text-heavy content. They can also summarize results or simplify complex topics. A good image is worth a thousand words of explanation!
Walls of text intimidate readers. If reading your case study looks like hard work, they'll find something else to do instead. Use plenty of white space to make it as easy as possible. Break your story down into sections, and even shorter paragraphs and subsections. Use short words and short sentences. The idea is to have readers' eyes glide effortlessly down the page.
Now that you've found design perfection, there are only a few small steps left before you're ready for publication.
Proofread your case study one more time. Even if you're fairly confident you've caught all the errors, new ones can crop up when you incorporate content with a designer. Your case study will be an effective marketing tool for years to come. It's worth the investment to make it perfect!
Finally, send a copy of the completed case study to your customer. They'll appreciate the gesture. Some customers will want to hang onto it for their records. It couldn't have happened without them! They deserve to see the final product once it's polished.
Phew! You've just spent a lot of time and effort creating your case study. Which brings us to the next question: How can you make the most of it?
Business case studies differ from scientific research studies in the need for internal support. Meaning, you want your sales team to use them!
You are just one person at your company, and marketers are usually not the ones sharing a case study directly to prospects and customers.
Making sure all relevant parties at your company know about the case study is imperative to make sure it has the maximum effect. For example, aside from sales, your customer success team may be able to utilize case studies for retention and upselling.
Case studies can be just as valuable to your own sales team as your target audience. Unfortunately, some companies focus so much on external distribution that they forget the internal part.
Salespeople thrive on personal interactions and developing relationships. But when they can also draw on impressive, relevant case studies, it's easier to persuade reluctant prospects to buy. Case studies become “sales collateral,” the documents and hard numbers needed to support their points.
To get the most of your case studies, make them readily available to the sales team and communicate whenever there's a new study published. The last thing we want is for a library of resources to pile up without the sales team ever knowing about it.
Carve out a few minutes during regularly scheduled sales meetings. You could have someone from marketing attend and update everyone on the latest case studies. Open the conversation up so the sales team can bounce ideas off one another about the best ways to use them.
Beyond regular communication, empower your sales team by making case studies available in email-friendly formats. Consider how they interact with prospects. It's usually easiest to email a PDF file or link to a landing page. That keeps things convenient not just for the sales team, but also for prospects who want to access case studies or share them with other key decision-makers.
To make your case studies as effective as possible, you'll want to distribute them to the right audience. Similarly to when you learned how to write a press release, the “right audience” isn't synonymous with the broadest audience possible. It's the people most likely to influence B2B buying decisions.
The best distribution channels depends on those key decision-makers. The easier it is for them to find your case study, the greater the chance of them engaging with it.
Your website is your virtual storefront to the world. It's one of the first places buyers will look in their quest to find the perfect solution for their business.
Featuring case studies on your business website makes a lot of sense. Because customers will be doing their own research there anyway, making case studies available gives them the information they need while positioning your business as a true authority.
Once you decide to make case studies available on your website, it comes a matter of deciding how to display them. There are several ways to do this. One of the most popular choices is to either create a virtual library of case studies, which visitors can browse to find the case studies most interesting to them.
B2B buyers represent committees of people with different skills, industries, and areas of expertise. It's highly unlikely that every case study you create will appeal to everyone.
How do savvy marketers respond? They make it as easy as possible for every segment of their audience to find the case studies most interesting and/or relevant to them.
Creating a standalone landing page for each case study will help. Once people navigate to a page (usually from a library of case studies), the goal is simple: get them to watch, read, or download that study.
Think of landing pages as “movie trailers” that get people excited about finding out what's in each full case study. This preview is your last chance to convince them to engage.
The most effective layouts tend to be short and sweet. They grab your attention with a benefits-focused headline. They don't waste any time before jumping into a summary of the customer's challenge and how you helped them solve it. Choice quotes and statistics pique the reader's curiosity. Every element is streamlined to accomplish your goal.
Just like case studies themselves, landing pages work best when text is broken up with plenty of visual elements. Adding a screenshot or two of the content inside showcases the production value – and gets people curious to see more. Have a look at some of the landing page examples below for some ideas how you could apply this!
Forcing your website visitors to sift through a pile of case studies and find what's relevant to them is unrealistic. As busy as B2B customers are already, they just won't do it.
That's where categorization and filtering come in. Think of how you might buy something on Amazon. The homepage is just the jumping-off point. With the click of a mouse, you can narrow your results by certain categories (beauty & health, sports & outdoors, etc.) and subcategories. Results can then be filtered by price, best sellers, reviews, and a lot more.
You can recreate this personalized experience with your case studies. Instead of overwhelming people with a heap of content, give them the ability to focus on what's most relevant.
Modeling how successful B2B companies organize their case studies (including the landing pages below) might help you get started.
One of the best ways to create awesome case study landing pages is to study a few companies that are already doing them well.
The following pages make it easy for visitors to find exactly what they're looking for within seconds. And the specific landing pages themselves are optimized for engagement. Check them out!
Tip: Check out G2 Crowd's landing page builders category to find the right tool for your landing page.
Live events – conferences, trade shows, and even webinars – are mainstays of effective B2B event marketing. They're well-suited for B2B because the emphasis is on building personal relationships.
They're also great opportunities to distribute your case studies. You could print copies of written studies and give them to the prospects you meet. If you have a booth at a trade show, you could play video case studies for event attendees. The end of a webinar is the perfect chance to share a link to your case study library.
The possibilities here are limited by only your imagination. Blending personal interactions with compelling content will set your company apart as someone to trust.
Your sales team has limited time and resources. Why not give them another tool to increase their chances of closing every deal?
Sales collateral, the materials used to support the pitch, can make the difference between landing a new customer – or losing them to a competitor.
Case studies address last-minute objections and ease doubts. Even if the prospect leaves the meeting without buying, he or she can take the case studies and refer to them later.
Print out hard copies for sales reps to use in their meetings. Do the filtering for the prospect by focusing on studies that are the most representative (size, industry, problem faced, etc.) as possible. In the meeting, you can walk through the material together.
Industry journalists are always looking for new ideas for content. Your customer's success could very well become the subject of their next column!
Start by identifying the top publications for each industry you serve. If you notice certain journalists writing about similar topics, they might be open to yours. Another good sign: media outlets that write about your competitors.
Like B2B marketing in general, this is mostly a game of developing key relationships. HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is an excellent website to connect with journalists.
Case study videos work great on your website, but that's just the start. You can also learn how to upload a video to YouTube (the second-largest search engine in the world) and other video hosting sites such as Vimeo. Another option: cut them into interesting clips and share them via social media. Businesses like Samsung post their case studies as playlists on YouTube.
These are charts or diagrams used to represent data. They're also some of the most popular content shared on social media. You can distribute your case studies this way too. That's exactly what Kissmetrics did in its infographic calculating a customer's lifetime value at Starbucks.
Your sales reps can break down salient points from case studies and use them for slides during presentations. This is an engaging way to walk prospects through the results you've achieved. To distribute them even wider, upload them to platforms like SlideShare.
In certain situations, it makes sense to drive paid traffic to case study landing pages. You can use pay-per-click ads, social media ads, display ads in trade publications, and a whole lot more. You could also serve retargeting ads to people who have visited your website before.
Effective case studies are full of testimonials, which are effective in their own right. You can pull out the most impactful ones and feature them on a testimonial page on your website. That gives you another opportunity to engage visitors who might not be ready yet to read a full case study.
You've learned a lot about finding the best customer success stories to focus on, how to conduct case study interviews, and how to package everything into an unforgettable story.
Now's the time to take that knowledge and put it into action. Understanding the fundamentals will save you a lot of time. But there's no substitute for first-hand experience.
Here are few more case study tips and resources to help get you going in record speed.
As more of your competitors catch on to just how effective B2B case studies can be, the challenge is making your stories stand out from all the others.
Case studies aren't the place for generalities. When you're interviewing just one customer, anecdotes and results will come up that make them unique. These are the elements (“Your product saved our lives that time when...”) or (“We are saving $X a month since switching to your service...”) to focus on to make them compelling.
Most B2B companies are producing a lot of marketing content beyond case studies. But each study is full of opportunities to point the audience to your reports, white papers, blog posts, and more. This keeps them in your orbit while providing the information they need, increasing credibility.
If you do your job well, your audience will read (or watch) your case studies from beginning to end. They are interested in everything you've said. Now, what's the next step they should take to continue their relationship with you? Give people a simple action they can complete. That way you can move them closer toward becoming a customer instead of letting their interest fade.
Even if your case story tells a compelling story, without a compelling title to match, it won't get the attention it deserves. Consider your title like a newspaper headline; do it well, and readers will want to find out more. Try to keep titles focused on customer benefits. Study a few principles of headline writing, and don't be afraid to turn to newspapers or the magazine rack for inspiration.
A polished writing style and flashy visual effects are great. But they shouldn't come at the expense of clarity. For every sentence or second of video, ask yourself 1) what message you want to convey, and 2) whether you're being clear. Your busy prospects will thank you!
B2B buyers don't have the patience to navigate a maze of menus and submenus just to find your case studies. Ideally, someone should be able to visit your website the first time and find this information within seconds.
Some B2B companies fall for the temptation to go on and on about how great their products or services are. This makes their case studies difficult to relate to. Better to frame the story from the customer's perspective, because if you choose your subjects well, they'll be similar to the audience reading or watching them.
B2B buyers comprise groups of people with different skills and interests. They're interested in different things. So it's impossible to connect with everyone in a single case study. For every study you create, tailor it to a specific audience. You'll make each stakeholder feel special by delivering this personalized experience.
In most cases, your customers won't be in the same industry as you. It's easy to fall into old habits by using technical terms and industry jargon. But we can't afford to assume that our audience understands those terms. The risk of confusion is too great.
Itching to get started on your next case study? These excellent free resources will help you tell the most compelling stories possible.
Case studies are some of the most effective tools at a B2B company's disposal. Now you're well on your way to mastering them.
Case study formats (and how you distribute them) might change as technology evolves. However, the fundamentals that make them effective – knowing how to choose subjects, conduct interviews, and structure everything to get attention – will serve you for as long as you're in business. Compelling stories are always in demand.
Today's B2B buyers are tackling much of the research on their own. Many are understandably skeptical before making a buying decision. By connecting them with case studies, you're able to prove you've gotten the results you say you can. There's hardly a better way to boost your credibility and persuade them to consider your solution.
We covered a ton of concepts and resources, so go ahead and bookmark this page. That way you can refer back to it whenever you have a question or need a refresher. | 2019-04-26T10:30:44Z | https://learn.g2crowd.com/case-study |
So either my fever, which hit 102 overnight, finally burned itself out, or the Excedrin I took at 3 a.m. is just making me feel 100 times better for a little while. Either way, so glad to not have the fever/chills right now. The coughing, sneezing, congestion, and blocked ears are all just annoying.
In my haste to get up a blog post yesterday I neglected a few important details.
1) Nicholas struck out twice at yesterday's game... and hit a double. It. Was. Awesome. I still don't care one bit about baseball, except when something like that happens and I see my kid just light up. Add to that he was switched to first base (from left field) due to the first baseman out sick, and he got two runners out. This whole baseball thing is teaching my kid that good sportsmanship exists (after basketball and football in Virginia I don't think he believed it was true, here the other kids on his team are all helpful and supportive, high fives go around even for a strikeout), but it's also teaching him that speaking up can yield results. When the first baseman didn't show to practice, he asked the coach who would fill the spot, then volunteered himself. He tried the same thing when he did football a couple years ago and was so readily dismissed he gave up. This coach listens and encourages. Nicholas was moved to center field near the end of the game to give another kid a chance at first base and that's just the way it goes. Good stuff.
2) Jonathon had a private riding lesson. Rebecca had alternate plans and the other kids from his class didn't show (which is a good thing since one of them clearly is terrified of being on a horse which means the instructor spends a good deal of time cajoling her into doing anything while everyone else just walks in circles). So with plenty of space and the full attention of the instructor, Jonathon was cantering on purpose around the ring. He's done it a couple times before when the horses freak out about something, but to do it on purpose is a nice change of pace. Hah. Punny.
So here's everything from the past week in one post, from this side of the Mediterranean. Ian was in Germany this week for a conference and I'm assuming there will be some photos shared on FB.
Nicholas had his birthday last Saturday. He's officially our 3rd teen in the house.
We took him to Magic Planet.
And loved the popcorn bucket from gma and gpa.
A cookie cake for school, a baseball cake for home.
I started work on Sunday as a CLO at the Embassy. The person I'm replacing is still there for a few weeks which is awesome. Sorry, no photos. There was a Local Staff Breakfast on Thursday morning, the Easter Egg Hunt on Friday morning, on top of all the regular stuff like housing visits and meetings, Mgt meetings, a Cyber Security Awareness seminar, etc etc etc. I signed up for part-time.... I'm not feeling very part-time at the moment.
I received the box from my FS exchange partner. I sent her a box of items from Jordan, she sent me a box of items from Thailand. When she asked if there was anything in particular I'd like I asked for a frog. Not only did she send a frog, she sent a friend for the frog, which is totally awesome.
Nicholas got braces. He chose dark blue and now gets to eat a lot of pudding, jello-o, and ice cream.
Wednesday afternoon were parent/teacher conferences for the high school girls, and student-led conferences for the middle school boys. Student-led conference entailed the boys creating presentations on their laptops for showcasing highlights from each of their classes and talking about them. Sorry, no pictures. Rebecca's teachers all raved about her. Katherine is still struggling some. The boys have been challenged this year, which is great since they'll be better prepare for starting high school with its increased demands.
And Jonathon and I participated in the Embassy Peep-o-rama contest at Easter Brunch.
The traveler with his pet.
Waiting for arrivals... mail bag... lost luggage.
And now I have a nearly 100F fever, feel lousy, and will go to bed. It was a crazy long and busy week. The kids and cats don't quite know what's hit them.
Travel Tip: Amman-Petra-Dead Sea-Amman is too much for one day.
A friend of ours from our time in Chennai came for a visit. She's currently serving in a UT and takes breaks as often as she is allowed, and I don't blame her. Places to be outside, walk around, Jordan has them. The one thing she said she really wanted to do was Petra, and for good measure we encouraged her to stay overnight at the Dead Sea as well. Two birds and all that. What I don't suggest is trying to do it all in one day.
I do encourage a visit to Petra in the winter/spring, during a week day, before noon and after 3 p.m. There were times we were the only people visible and audible in the Siq.
It's fabulous for more than absorbing the vastness of the Siq and Petra in general, because without people shuffling along in front of and behind you, pushing you along to take a quick snap here and there trying to get an angle without folks traipsing through... you see some very cool stuff.
And every time you go, the sun is a little brighter or perhaps hazed over, the time of day is an hour off from your last visit, the sky is a little bluer or a little yellower, the rays cast new shadow angles. You walk down the trail in the middle this time, or maybe the side. Any way and time you go, it's a place that can be visited and revisited time and again without boredom.
And Petra has really cute, friendly cats. This little girl was very thirsty so we shared a drink during our break in front of the Treasury.
Further into the Nabatean city (fewer tombs, more paved road and excavated buildings), take the stairs on the left up to the Brown University excavation of a temple. Next time perhaps we'll take the path on the right up to the Byzantine church, but this was the temple's turn. A little lady was very persistent in wanting to sell her trinkets and ancient coins. A little too persistent as she followed us around a bit, then after retreating back to her mat spent more time just yelling her requests to come see her items. Kelly explored a little further in the temple while I took the time to sit and soak in the sights, and rest my weary feet.
I wore the wrong shoes and my feet did not let me forget it for a moment. Multiple trips and near ankle twists and for several hours I simply gritted my teeth and pushed on. It's not like there's a Timberland outlet cave stall.
The challenge of Petra, for those who dare, is the Monastery. Before our first visit we assumed that Petra was the Treasury (no, we didn't really read up, however we were not alone in that mistake). Yes, the Siq is gorgeous and the Treasury is a work of art. But there's so much more beyond. It takes a couple hours of slow and steady walking to reach as far as the restaurant at the "end." There's no fast walking, not with the uneven ground, the stones, the sand, the old road... a slow and steady plod gets you there, with stops for photos of course. But at the "end" you have the decision whether to continue on to the Monastery or to turn around for the 2+ hours back. Remember all that sand on the way down is still there for the way back. And the entire return trip, all several kilometers, is uphill. It's tiring.
But, well, you can keep going anyway, knowing you'll add a significant chunk of time to your visit with another kilometer or two and roughly 800 steps upward. The Monastery is worth it, just take your time. There was no crowd to fight against, so we didn't worry about taking 5 steps and taking a break, then another 4 and taking a break. Do watch out for the donkeys. As sure footed as they are, the most you can hope for is not careening off the side into a canyon. They still slip and jostle and miss steps as they bound up and down the hillside. Some portions have average steps, other portions are so worn that it's more slide-like than stair-like and takes full attention both up and down.
Go ahead and tell me it's not awesomely impressive. It's cut in one piece from a single rock face. We made it, and sank into a couch at the Monastery cafe. Kelly was so kind and bought both of us a drink and a sandwich. Considering we left Amman with coffee and tea in hand at 8:45 a.m., stopped for a few minutes in front of the Treasury for a water/oranges/crackers snack, and reached the Monastery at 3:30 p.m., we were due for some sustenance and rest.
The climb and descent offer amazing views. The grandeur is there. Not the Grand Canyon sort of grandeur, I haven't seen anything yet that matches the Grand Canyon, but the beauty of Wadi Mousa in general and Petra in particular is inarguable. The skies are often a shocking blue, the rocks vary from deep red to gold and white, and even streaks of blue can be found. There's no doubting that when you look at these hills and valleys you see history far deeper than carvings and etchings. With upheavals from earthquakes and weathering from wind and water, sliding a hand along the gentle curves of the Siq connect you directly to history a million years old. A rock casually kicked aside (or tripped over in my case) has strata formed by millions of tons of pressure. A little rubbing with a touch of oil (happened to have some sunscreen on my hands) and the rock practically glows.
Man made is awesome. Nature made is spectacular. I honestly am looking forward to going back and seeing what else we can "discover."
But next time with the proper shoes.
Playing his first baseball game in his entire life, Nicholas walked twice, got two runs, and nearly caught a ball in left field. Nerves got him there, he's usually an awesome thrower and catcher. Today we had our first experience with Amman Little League.
Baseball food is not peanuts, crackerjacks, hot dogs, or nachos. It is wraps with freshly baked bread (baked right then while you wait) with labneh, zataar, tomatoes, and olives. As well as whatever snacks we bring along. There are so many teams playing between 8:30-2:30 each Friday, from T-ball to Seniors, and it seems like every other person is an Embassy person.
Warming up, next at bat. Awesome uniform, Kid.
a pitch is a ball or a strike.
water parks. It's not open and it looks iffy.
The Reese's played as visitor.
There are rules to Little League I never knew. They play through 6 innings or 1 hour and 45 minutes, whichever comes first. There's also a run maximum per inning, 10 runs scored and you're turn is done. Our game managed 4 innings until time ran out, and the Reese's won 15-1. Nicholas was excited about playing on a team that not only does well, but that he participates in fully, and where all the teammates are encouraging and friendly. High 5s were everywhere, even for strike outs, for a job well-attempted. And there are snacks at the end. You know where we will be spending Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for a while. I never wanted to be a baseball person, I don't care about baseball, but I'll be the first to admit that watching my kid play, the good attitude of the other players, and the way his self-confidence is improving makes it all worth it.
Today was a rough day at riding. Above you see Rebecca on Sandy. Below you see Jonathon on Cheyenne. Sandy and Cheyenne don't get along. When Cheyenne gets a little too close to Sandy, Sandy starts to shy, and when Sandy starts to shy Cheyenne turns around, and when Cheyenne turns around Cheyenne kicks.
When Cheyenne kicks out, Jonathon falls forward and tries not to fall off, while frantically trying to get Cheyenne to move to the other side of the ring, which doesn't work because he's not that in control yet, and instead gets frightened and mad. When Cheyenne kicks, Sandy jerks away and freaks out, and Rebecca jumps off the horse to avoid getting kicked or getting thrown. Wash, rinse, repeat. Rebecca ended up on the ground twice, and Cheyenne ended up on the lunge and walked around the ring while the others did their exercises. After the other students were done and Jonathon had the ring alone he was given about 15 minutes of private lesson to make up for Cheyenne not behaving with the other horses.
Rebecca was shaken, Jonathon was shaken, I tried not to watch too much.
The kids are given some horse care chores.
They both were completely wiped out at the end. Stress, anxiety, frustration, it all took a toll. The important thing is that they both want to go back next Friday. Get back on the horse, kids. It's the only way to know that it's all OK.
Let bunny take the wheel.
A change of scenery was desperately needed for the family. Since our trip in January we haven't left Amman and while I really, really love living here, sometimes you just need to get out of the house, out of the Embassy, and out of the city. Ian has had a rough few weeks and even has visitors this week in his office, but I really didn't want to skip town without him. That means leaving later than I anticipated. But on the flip side, where I thought we'd have to come back early today he actually took the day off so we could stay as long as we wanted. Shorter on one end and longer on the other and we all got to take a break from the norm.
A nicer beach than the Movenpick, for sure.
We tried out the Holiday Inn, primarily because the Marriott and Movenpick are so expensive and we were booking last minute, not knowing if Ian would even make it. The folks at the front desk were a little surprised we were there, commenting that "Usually the American Embassy people stay at the Marriott." It's true.
It's a resort all on its own, the other resorts can be seen further down the coast but the Holiday Inn has public land on either side. It's a smaller resort with several pools, a small spa, a few restaurants, a snack bar, and an artificially created beach that is partially under construction. The rooms are nice and can sleep 3 with a king and a couch bed. The WiFi is free. The minibar contents are complimentary. A complimentary minibar makes any hotel 5-star with my kids.
We had temps in the 80s with a cool breeze.
Actually, when we arrived, everything was quiet as it was later than I hoped and the beach and pools close at dusk. We also remembered, too late, that a board game is always a good idea. Next time, Scrabble or Ticket to Ride, Tsuro or Monopoly Deal. Or all the above. The lobby has great seating with huge square tables perfect for a TableTop night.
But we didn't. We had a late dinner after exploring the resort (for those who are curious about the buffet: 11 and under eat free, 12-18 are at 50%), sent 3/4 kids off to their room, then watched the Caps-Lightning game instead. Free WiFi! Ok, I passed out since I knew the ending, but still. Free Wifi!
Today was our day to enjoy the Dead Sea. Rebecca and Katherine came down this way early in the school year with their classes. Jonathon too. Ian and I came down for a day away, one of those special days the Embassy is off for a U.S. holiday but the school is busy teaching. Nicholas had never been. Honestly, the one time we'd gone it was pretty hot, the food was OK, and the flies were atrocious. It was good to say we'd gone, but not a very memorable time.
This time was different. Sadly, staying at a hotel is one of our fun things to do. I guess we're spoiled like that.
This is just some weird sweetener.
Oh right... breakfast is included with the room too. The buffet breakfast didn't compare to Movenpick's, it was far smaller and much more basic, but again, Holiday Inn is a functional hotel and the breakfast is plenty functional.
On top of sleeping in a hotel and free minibar contents, a buffet breakfast tops my kids' list of awesome fun things. Ah, buffet breakfast. If it has an omelet station even better, and a waffle station? The best.
I still don't know what's in the yellow packet. Something sweet and corn based.
Unlike this stuff, which is so fresh and real we looked at it and had no idea what to do with it. Clearly you cut a chunk off and then... what? I told the kids you're supposed to milk it with your hands. I'm sure that's right. It wasn't next to the tea or the pancakes, but it was next to the Middle Eastern foods, but not the Middle Eastern desserts. Maybe it's a snack just as it is.
I'll continue to ponder on my own time.
Of course the big attractions at the Dead Sea are not the sweeteners but the sea and the mud with the floating and the salt. The Dead Sea will helpfully point out every nick, cut, and scratch on every millimeter of your skin. The salt gets on your lips and in your eyes and into every crevice. Mud offers a little protection, and lots of minerals and such, until it runs off. I think I read somewhere that staying in the water for a long time isn't recommended due to high levels of certain minerals. Well, if nothing else, you get dehydrated fast, so there's that.
After the mud runs off then the oily, slick sensation takes over and sticks until a shower cleans it all up. In the end it's actually kind of gross and painful, in a fun and mucky sort of way. After about 45 minutes everyone was out and ready to hit the pool. After the room, the minibar, the breakfast buffet... the pool. Any hotel, whether it's by the remote Dead Sea or in the middle of Washington D.C. is better when it has a pool. Or three. Or five. Or more. One of the reasons so many families pick the Marriott is for the large number of pools, one with a slide or two.
If you have kids, you know the power of the swimming pool. If you're a parent you know the power of the hot tub.
If you have teen girls, you have no idea what goes on in their heads but you humor them anyway.
And if you're a mom with 4 kids with a husband who is with them all in the hot tub, your view should involve your toes and a Kindle.
Even if there is but a single day to renew and rejuvenate, enjoy it. Who am I kidding, if there are 10 minutes to renew and rejuvenate, enjoy it.
No one recommended the Holiday Inn to us, but I'm going to recommend it now. No, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but the rooms are comfortable, the food is simple, the service is decent. It's a nice place to stay, affordable, and honestly, the size is attractive. There aren't a thousand places to eat or wander, nor is it a country mile hike to reach the water. There's a lot to love about the Holiday Inn and I get the feeling we'll go back.
The hotel across the street. Just because. | 2019-04-24T00:21:57Z | http://www.globehoppers.us/2013/04/ |
Last August 2013, the Bukit Batikap Monitoring Team found Tarzan and Edwan across the Joloi River. The mighty Tarzan was very healthy and when the Team located him, he was enjoying one of his favourite foods, rattan shoots.
Two months later, on October 30 2013, Tarzan was seen along one of our orangutan monitoring transects and the Team were able to observe him for an hour. He was very healthy and also very active. Whilst eating, he kiss-squeaked three times and delivered a longcall in the Teams general direction. His vocalizations were to make the Team aware that he was displeased with their presence and also to give a clear indication of his territory, which shows his natural wild behaviour. However, he then seemed distracted by a new food source he located. Apparently the food was so good that he decided to ignore the Team for once.
The next time he was seen was on November 4, 2013 across the headwaters of the Posu River. This dominant male who was reintroduced to Bukit Batikap on February 28, 2012, spends most of his time in the trees. That day, Tarzan built his nest early at 14.35. Most probably he was so full from the abundance of fruits he had consumed that day that he felt like resting. Tarzan built his nest 10 m above the ground very quickly and expertly, and soon he was resting comfortably.
The next day on November 5, 2013, the Monitoring Team observed Tarzan nest-to-nest to make sure that he was well and also that sufficient data were recorded. When the Team reached the bottom of the tree in which he had nested, Tarzan was still in the nest and looked healthy. He emerged out of the nest and started eating rattan shoots as his breakfast. That day, the Team lost his whereabouts for a short while. Apparently the agile Tarzan had crossed Joloi River through the interconnecting canopy across the river!
After almost two years of living in the Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest, Tarzan is thriving in natural habitat. He is the dominant male orangutan in the Camp Posu area. From two females who were released together with him two years ago Astrid and Monic, we believe that Tarzan has fathered two young orangutans Astro and Messi. Astro, Astrid’s first child was born in late 2012, while Monic gave birth to Messi in September 2013. During the gestation period for both of these females, Tarzan acted as a very protective guard, and now his two sons have become the most welcomed additions in Bukit Batikap.
At 10.45 am, four transport cages carrying Kitty and Kate, Dita and Halt, Zena and William, and Noor arrived at the drop point, Karangan Uban in Batikap. The day before, the Batikap team had traveled to Karangan Uban and spent the night by the Joloi River ready to receive the orangutans. The team had to ensure they were in place beforehand because the release point was far from Camp Totat Jalu and the receding river levels resulted in a longer travel time..
The seven orangutans were then transported to the pre-designated release points, 150 meters across Karang Uban using a ces, a traditional Dayak boat.
Kitty was the lucky number one. This made her the 100th orangutan to be reintroduced in Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest by the BOS Foundation- Nyaru Menteng. Meanwhile her daughter Kate was the 101st. Kitty and Kate were released by Dr. Jamartin Sihite, CEO of the BOS Foundation, assisted by Arfan, a Post-Release Monitoring (PRM) technician from Camp Totat Jalu who is originally from Tumbang Tohan Village, a neighbouring village in Bukit Batikap. Once her transport cage door was opened, Kitty climbed a tree with little Kate holding tight onto her.
The second cage to be opened was of Dita and Halt’s. They were released by Priadi, also a PRM technician from Camp Totat Jalu. Just like Kitty, Dita who is still caring for her child climbed straight up a tree. But Dita climbed down onto the ground not long after, apparently she was being chased away by a swarm of bees! She and Halt were unharmed, fortunately, and Dita went back up in the trees after the bees were gone.
Owang, another PRM technician, opened Zena and William’s travel cage. Zena seemed to hesitate before she stepped out when she saw Dita and Halt run away from the bees. But after Dita climbed the tree again, Zena climbed a tree confidently carrying her son, little William.
Meanwhile Noor, the very first orangutan who was received by Nyaru Menteng, was released by Lone D. Nielsen. This beautiful female stared at the team for a while as if she wanted to remember this last moment with her human friends, before she finally climbed into the trees and her true freedom.
After releasing the first seven orangutans, the Team went back to Karangan Uban to welcome the next group: Judy and Son, Sarita, Joys, and Hamlet. At 14.41, the orangutans finally arrived. This time, the Team carried the orangutans in their transport cages to their release points, 300 meters away from Karangan Uban.
Judy and her son Son were released by Tuek, a PRM technician who is also a local resident from Tumbang Naan village. Judy, carrying Son, climbed a tree right away as soon as the door was opened.
The next orangutan, Sarita, was opened by Monica Devi, Adoption Program Coordinator for the BOS Foundation. The beautiful Sarita, who is well known for her love of exploring the pre-release island she was previously placed on, also climbed a tree straight away.
Joys was released next by a PRM technician of similar name, Joy! Just like Sarita, Joys confidently climbed a tree as soon as the door was opened. She approached Sarita and the two spent some time together. Joys and Sarita have known each other for a long time since they both lived on Hampapak Island together.
Denny Kurniawan, our Program Manager at Nyaru Menteng, released the mighty male Hamlet who couldn’t wait to leave his transport cage. He impatiently stepped out of his transport cage, sitting on top of it with his strong hands grabbing a liana around him. The King of Palas would only move from his position after the Team left him alone.
Finally, Jane and Her Family are Home!
After successfully releasing 12 orangutans on February 7, some of the Team members returned to Camp Totat Jalu to prepare for the next day of releases, while the rest of the Team stayed at the flying camp (temporary camp) by River Joloi to start the post release monitoring on the newly released orangutans.
February 8, at 11.30 am the helicopter arrived at the drop point Karangan Kalaso carrying six transport cages. In those cages were Jupiter and Julfa, Jane and Jiro, Jojang, Mercury, Reno, and Manisha. They all were to be released in Karangan Kalaso.
The first cage to be opened was Jupiter and Julfa’s. After Purnomo, a PRM technician opened their cage door and Jupiter, with little Julfa clinging tightly, climbed a tree straight away. Following were Jane and Jiro who were released by Lone D. Nielsen, and Jojang by Nanggau, a technician.
After having to delay her homecoming for one year because of her pregnancy with Jiro, Jane was finally home, along with her elder son Jojang and baby Jiro who is now eight months old. Once the door was opened, Jane climbed a tree but she stopped halfway. She stared at Jojang’s transport cage as if waiting for Jojang to step out, but when the door was finally opened, the young boy climbed a tree in a flash ignoring his mother and baby brother. What a son you have there, Jane!
But of course Jojang was only behaving like any wild orangutan should. He is very independent and dislikes human’s presence. With the release team in close proximity we expected him to make a sharp exit.. Seeing her son move deep into the forest, Jane and Jiro followed him.
Dr. Jamartin Sihite opened the door of Mercury’s travel cage, followed by Reno’s by Tony, a technician from Nyaru Menteng. Both climbed trees right away.
Reno descended back to the ground and picked up a decomposed piece of wood to devour termites. Spotting his best friend, Mercury approached. They played and rolled around on the ground, but apparently Reno soon became bored. He didn’t want to play anymore and the playful wrestle turned into a bit of a fight.
But it didn’t last long and stopped as soon as Manisha’s cage door was opened by Elldy, a PRM technician from Camp Totat Jalu. Manisha climbed a tree right away. This beauty has known Reno since they both lived on the same pre-release island. Reno suddenly stopped his spat with Mercury and approached Manisha. They played together in the trees before finally engaging in a quick copulation. However, it was not only Reno who was delighted by the presence of Manisha; Mercury was happy too and Manisha didn’t mind being surrounded by her fans. After Reno, she copulated with Mercury and then spent time with him in the trees. Let’s hope we will soon have more babies in Bukit Batikap!
The new chapter has started for these three, along with the other 17 orangutans, in Batikap. Manisha has grown into an adult female who is ready to be a mother. The forest survival skills they acquired on the pre-release islands will guide them living their new life as wild orangutans. Enjoy your home! And thank you all for supporting the BOS Foundation to make this happen!
Text by: Monica Devi Krisnasari (BOSF Adoption Program Coordinator).
Photos by: Monica Devi Krisnasari.
After successfully releasing 12 orangutans yesterday, today the BOS Foundation team at Nyaru Menteng continued the orangutan release event by successfully reintroducing eight more orangutans into Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest.
Just like yesterday, the Orangutan Release Team at Nyaru Menteng had been preparing since 4.30 am at the Quarantine Enclosure. Vet Maryos V. Tandang, vet Barlian Purnama Putra, and vet Fiet were ready to sedate the orangutans to be released on this second day.
Today, the BOS Foundation were going to release eight more orangutans into Bukit Batikap. Unlike the first day when the orangutans were divided into two groups, today there was only going to be one group consisting of Mercury, Manisha, Jupiter and her daughter Julfa, Reno, Jane and both her sons Jojang and Jiro.
Mercury was the first to be sedated by vet Barlian and Manisha was the next, sedated by vet Maryos. While waiting for the two orangutans to fall asleep, the Medical Team observed Jupiter. They then decided not to sedate her, who by the way is famous for her habit of holding a leaf between her lips. Technicians and the Medical Team were able to walk Jupiter and her little daughter Julfa into their transport cage. Before going into the cage, Jupiter received a de-worming injection.
Meanwhile, vet Barlian was sedating Reno and not far away, Technician Mulyono was also sedating Jojang. Moving on from Reno, vet Barlian then sedated Jane.
As always, as soon as the orangutans were asleep, they were moved to their respective transport cage.
Manisha started to look a little sleepy and after Medical Team were sure that she was completely asleep, she was moved into her transport cage. The Medical Team had to give Jojang a small top-up dose since the young boy was quite resistant and didn’t fall asleep after the first attempt. In another enclosure, Reno had fallen asleep and the technicians moved him safely to his transport cage.
Mother Jane had also fallen asleep, with her small prince Jiro clinging tight onto her. Jiro was born in the Quarantine Enclosure; his mother Jane and older brother Jojang had previously been selected as release candidates and were more than ready for release, until health checks revealed that Jane was pregnant. To ensure both her and her unborn baby’s health, we decided to delay their reintroduction. Now they are strong and ready to go. Before release, the Medical Team had the chance to insert a tiny identification chip into the young boy. Jiro wasn’t too keen and tried to hide behind her Mother’s back. But he was very brave and the quick procedure was over in no time.
Jojang was finally asleep so he was able to be moved into his transport cage. Just like Jupiter, Jojang was also given a final de-worming shot.
All orangutans were safely in their transport cages, but before they were loaded onto the truck, which would carry them to Tjilik Riwut airport in Palangka Raya, the Medical Team needed to make sure the orangutans had all regained consciousness. Apparently Reno, Jane, and Jojang were still asleep so they were given a reversal to wake them up.
When everyone was awake, the truck was then ready to depart for Tjilik Riwut airport, from where the orangutans would then fly to Beringin airport in Muara Teweh.
In Muara Teweh, the weather was clear just like yesterday. The nine-strong Muara Teweh team was ready and excited to receive the eight orangutans. For everyone on this team, these orangutans are very dear to their hearts and they have special memories about the orangutans. Technician Suparman who has been with the BOS Foundation Nyaru Menteng team for 11 years talked about how Reno, who was known as the pig in Forest School because he simply ate everything; he has always been one of Suparman’s favourites. Technician Heri Setiawan also commented on how Jupiter was one his favourites. The team has seen all these orangutans grow up, some from a very young age, and throughout their learning process in Nyaru Menteng, and know them all individually. Today, they would say farewell; a happy-sad event. Sad knowing that they would not see the orangutans again, but the happiness and joy were even greater knowing these orangutans would live as they should have been from the very beginning, free in their natural habitat.
Back to Palangka Raya, the orangutan truck arrived at the airport at 7.20 in the morning. There was a delay for about one hour before we started the loading process due to foggy weather in Batikap.
Once we received news from Batikap that the weather had cleared up, we started the loading process. Reno was the first to be loaded onto the plane. Next was Jojang, Mercury, Manisha, Jupiter and her beautiful daughter Julfa, and lastly, Jane and little Jiro.
The loading process took about 15 minutes. After the final checks, at 08.50 they took off for Beringin airport, Muara Teweh. On this flight, vet Barlian and a representative from the Central Kalimantan Conservation and Natural Resources Authority (BKSDA), Pak Wachid, accompanied the orangutans.
At 09.30, they arrived at Beringin Airport. Jane and Jiro were the first to be unloaded from the plane, followed by Jupiter and Julfa, Manisha, Mercury, and Reno. The helicopter was already standing by with the cargo net ready. The orangutans in their transport cages were then placed into the cargo net and safely secured.
Before the orangutans left for Bukit Batikap, vet Agus Fahroni performed the final checks on the orangutans, making sure they were all safe and comfortable. Soon after, the team saw their beloved orangutans fly back to their true home. Farewell, our dearest orangutans! We will be keeping a close eye on you in the forest as you adapt to your new home.
The second day of this orangutan release event has been successfully completed. The Muara Teweh team are traveling back as we write and the Batikap team is coming back to Palangka Raya on February 10. The Batikap team is bringing us news of the orangutans once released and in the forest, so look forward to reading their story and stay tuned!
Last but not least, these are the excellent teams we have in Nyaru Menteng and Muara Teweh of whom, along with the Batikap team and your support, their hardwork has made this orangutan release event happen safely and successfully. Thank you, Team BOS Foundation!
Text by: Paulina L. Ela (BOSF Communication Specialist).
Photos by: Paulina L. Ela, Indrayana, Untung.
20 MORE ORANGUTANS FROM NYARU MENTENG ARE GOING BACK HOME!
Despite heavy rainfall in the area surrounding the Quarantine Enclosure in Nyaru Menteng, the orangutan release team was high in spirits, excited to start 2014 the way they ended 2013; releasing more orangutans! The first day of the orangutan releases started with the medical team’s preparation. At 4.15 in the morning the medical team and technicians gathered their equipment from the Nyaru Menteng Clinic and proceeded to the Quarantine Enclosure. It was dark and the rain was still drizzling so preparations for the tranquiliser gun and sedation doses took place under torch light. Vet Agus Fahroni coordinated the vet team who were ready to sedate the orangutans. Before starting the process, the team gathered for the final briefing and group prayer for today’s success.
Today, we were going to release 12 orangutans to Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest. They were divided into two groups; the first group consisted of Zena and her son William, Kitty and her daughter Kate, Dita and her daughter Halt, and Noor. While the second group comprised Judy and her son named Son, Hamlet, Joys, and Sarita.
Zena, William’s lovely Mother, was the first to be sedated, followed by Dita, Noor, and Kitty; the young ones William, Kate, and Halt didn’t need sedation.
Sucessfully sedated, they were carefully carried to their transport cages which had been labeled based on their passengers. Zena finally fell asleep and together with William they were the first to be moved to their transport cage. Meanwhile the effects of sedation started kicking in on Noor and she was immediately moved to her transport cage. Dita had also already fallen asleep by then and was ready to be moved. Her little daughter Halt however, was a little bit nervous when her Mother was about to be moved and ran away from her screaming. The vets and technicians tried to calm the tiny two year old. Dita was moved and tailing closely behind was technician Mulyono who was carrying Halt. The sedation worked a bit slower on Kitty. The Medical Team decided to add to the initial dose. After a while she too was finally asleep and moved to her transport cage with her daughter Kate. Just a moment before the cage door was closed, Kitty was given the anti-sedation (reversal) to wake her up.
All transport cages were delivered by truck to Tjilik Riwut airport in Palangka Raya to be flown to Beringin airport in Muara Teweh.
Meanwhile in Muara Teweh, the weather was reported clear. The team in Muara Teweh was ready to welcome the 12 orangutans from Palangka Raya. The helicopter was also ready to travel to Beringin airport to meet the orangutans as soon as they arrived.
The aircraft which would transport the orangutans had been on standby at Tjilik Riwut airport in Palangka Raya since yesterday. The truck arrived at the airport at 7 in the morning. Soon after, we received the signal to start the loading process.
This process took around ten minutes.
Then they were ready to fly!
09.10, the Twin Otter airplane arrived in Beringin airport in Muara Teweh bringing its passengers Kitty and Kate, Zena and William, Dita and Halt, Noor, a representative from Cnetral Kalimantan Conservation and Natural Resources Authority, BOSF Advisor Jacqui Sunderland-Groves, Vet Agus Fahroni, and Technician and HLO Abdul Azis. The process of unloading was immediately completed, and the orangutans were checked by Vet Agus and each given milk. The cargo net was ready and the transport cages were positioned and safely wrapped in it. And off to Batikap!
Back at the Quarantine Enclosure in Nyaru Menteng, the sedation process had commenced again, and the lucky number one was Hamlet. Sleeping Hamlet was moved to his transport cage immediately. The next one was Judy. Soon she was asleep and moved to her transport cage with her son who is conveniently called Son, holding tightly onto her belly. Handsome little Son looked a bit confused but kept his calm.
Next, Sarita was sedated and was soon sleeping peacefully. The team successfully moved her into her transport cage. Joys was the last one. She was a tough cookie and the Medical Team had to add to her sedation dose. After a long while, finally, she fell asleep and was moved into her transport cage.
After all the travel cages were loaded onto the truck, the team once again drove to the airport, this time with the second group. They arrived at Tjilik Riwut airport at 10.45 am, and coincided with the arrival of Twin Otter aircraft from Muara Teweh. The loading process took only a short time and soon all the orangutans were safely onboard.
They arrived at Beringin airport in Muara Teweh at 11.35 am. The weather was still excellent and the orangutans were unloaded as soon as the aircraft came to a standstill. The orangutans in their transport cages then waited patiently in a shady area next to the waiting room of the airport while waiting for the helicopter. All were given food and milk and continuously checked by Vet Agus and the rest of the team.
Soon the B3 helicopter arrived from Batikap. The team did a final check to ensure the safety and comfort of the orangutans during their travel, before loading the cages into the cargo net. It didn’t take long to make sure they were safely secured in the net, and the helicopter once again took off, this time carrying 5 of our beloved orangutans back to freedom.
And that’s a wrap for today. We will post a detailed update from Batikap after February 10 when the team in Batikap are back in Palangka Raya. Tomorrow we we have another exciting day of release activities planned so please make sure you follow the amazing journey of our orangutans and our team!
Photos by: Paulina L. Ela, Indrayana, Untung, Meryl Yemima.
December 1, 2013, the BOS Foundation program in Central Kalimantan at Nyaru Menteng released a mother-daughter pair and one female orangutan to their natural habitat in East Kalimantan. It was the first cross-province orangutan release activity by the BOS Foundation. Now, as part of the effort to meet the target stated in the Indonesian Orangutan Conservation Strategy and Action Plan 2007-2017, the BOS Foundation in Nyaru Menteng releases another 20 orangutans into the Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest. Since early 2012, the BOS Foundation program in Nyaru Menteng has released a total of 99 orangutans into Bukit Batikap. With these 20 orangutans, the BOS Foundation celebrates the 100th orangutan to be released into Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest.
Nyaru Menteng, Central Kalimantan, February 7, 2014. On February 7 and 8, 2014, 20 rehabilitant orangutans depart from the BOS Foundation Central Kalimantan Orangutan Reintroduction Program in Nyaru Menteng towards pre-designated release points in the Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest. This group consists of 13 female and seven male orangutans including six mother-infant units. Five of the orangutans to be released Jupiter, Mercury, Reno, Hamlet, and Manisha, were the stars of the Orangutan Island series produced by NHNZ and premiered on Animal Planet. The detailed profiles of all the orangutans being released can be seen in the attached Orangutan Release Candidate Profiles.
The 20 orangutans fly from Tjilik Riwut airport in Palangka Raya to Beringin airport in Muara Teweh. From Muara Teweh, they will be transported by a helicopter to the Bukit Batikap Conservation Forest. Due to the number of orangutans, they are divided into two groups. 11 orangutans are flying on the first day, and the rest will fly on the second day.
The orangutan release event is part of the effort to meet the target stated in the Indonesian Orangutan Conservation Strategy and Action Plan 2007-2017 which was launched by the President of Indonesia at the Climate Change Conference in Bali 2007. The Plan states that all orangutans within rehabilitation centers should be released by 2015 at the latest. Since 2012, the BOS Foundation has released a total of 120 orangutans to their natural habitat in Central and East Kalimantan, with 99 in Central Kalimantan and 21 orangutans in East Kalimantan. With the 20 orangutans now being released in Central Kalimantan, the BOS Foundation celebrates the 100th orangutan released into Bukit Batikap and in total, they have released 119 orangutans into this conservation forest which is located in Murung Raya Regency. Thus the total orangutans released in both Central and East Kalimantan are 140 orangutans.
The success of orangutan conservation efforts heavily relies on the support of many related parties, including the government, community, and private sectors. The BOS Foundation continuously works together with the Government of Indonesia at all levels, this includes the Ministry of Forestry, Central Kalimantan Provincial Government, Murung Raya Regency, and the Central Kalimantan BKSDA. On December 31, 2009, the BOS Foundation and Central Kalimantan Provincial Government signed a cooperation agreement on orangutan and habitat conservation in Central Kalimantan.
As an addition to the support from the government, this release event, as always, is also supported by the community of Murung Raya, individual donors, partner organisations, and all concerned conservation organisations all over the world. The BOS Foundation would like to convey its gratitude to BHP Billiton for the financial and logistical support given to undertake this event. The BOS Foundation would also like to reach out to the business community to fulfill their environmental responsibilities to ensure the nature conservation and preservation in Indonesia.
On June, 14 2012, Jane finished Forest School and was directly moved onto Kaja Island. She became very adventurous and independent. During her life in Nyaru Menteng, Jane has given birth to two baby boys. Her first son is Jojang who was born on Kaja Island on June 1, 2007 and her youngest son is Jiro, who was born in the Pre-Release Quarantine Area on June 17, 2013.
Confiscated from a resident of Palangka Raya, Manisha arrived at Nyaru Menteng on August 12, 2000. She was four years old and weighed only 14.5 kg. The motherless young was also very weak. | 2019-04-22T04:12:02Z | https://goingback2dforest.wordpress.com/2014/02/ |
Cover Art by Kiki Moch Rizky.
Pluder & Peril is sanctioned for use in Pathfinder Society Organized Play. Its Chronicle Sheet and additional rules for running this module are a free download (807 kb zip/PDF).
This is simultaneously one of the most interesting and most frustrating modules I've used. At a glance, it's a fun, rollicking swashbuckling sea adventure, with a good mixture of intrigue, skill challenges, and good old fashioned dungeon crawls to keep players on their toes. NPCs are well-developed and fun to flesh out. But as one digs deeper into the story--and the workings behind it as a GM--a bevy of inconsistencies, both mechanical and narrative, and poorly prioritized information plague the module and make it frequently difficult to run.
I recommend this module for experienced GMs who need a decent seafaring story but are able to adapt on the fly--and time on their hands to do so--and for those who can make use less of the module itself but would benefit from the appendices, e.g., the excellent Shackles map, the map of Lilywhite, the mini-guide to the Shackles in the back, the map of the Magpie Princess, etc. I do not recommend this module for those looking for ease of use or timesaving.
I should note I am judging this module as a GM, and I believe modules should first and foremost exist to make life easier for the GM, and evaluate modules primarily on this factor. While of course narrative and fun factor are important--after all, it's no fun to run a boring story--my key criteria for a module is that it saves time and eliminates--not creates--frustration factors of being a GM. People who purchase modules solely for narrative value will not find much use in my review.
In short, while there is a lot I admire in the module, that I found it frequently and deeply frustrating to run lowers its score quite a bit.
One of the advertised bonuses of this module is that you can use it as a substitution for Skull and Shackles part 2: Raiders of the Fever Sea. I purchased this module for this purpose, unsure my players would find Raiders as fun. Unfortunately, the module's introduction and guidelines provide far too little advice for how to insert the module into the AP, and barely address the key challenge to adaptation: at the end of Skull and Shackles' first part, the party has just gained its own ship, a huge and hard-won prize after a grueling and difficult adventure. The premise of Plunder and Peril, however, requires you join a different captain's ship and submit to a new captain's orders--not something very fair to ask of your players when they've just gained their own captaincy and own ship. There absolutely are ways to work around this--but it is nowhere near as easy to "slip" the module into the AP as the marketing and early product chatter suggested. By sheer chance, some of the choices my players made led this to be easier for me (their encounter with Hyrix and Mother Grund went poorly, and I had them wake up "rescued" by Varossa). Some of the changes I made to adjust to the AP also made more work for me down the line, though some of this was how I was trying to create some open ended options for my players. I accept any changes I made that caused things to be more difficult were MY choices, and the effect of my choices are not part of this evaluation. Regardless, using this module as a substitute for S&S part 2 is not as easy as implied.
As a standalone module, it will of course be much easier to use. Each of the three sections are also designed to be used separately if a GM needed a shorter adventure, and I would say that, with some adjustment, the first and last sections especially can be easily adapted to shorter adventures. If the GM is willing to do the (relatively minor) work of removing Varossa from chapter one and presenting the challenges within as simply activities available at the Rum Punch Festival, section one can also provide an excellent "shore leave" adventure for a low to mid-level party. Chapter 3 feels like a dungeon crawl designed for an entirely different adventure with Plunder and Peril shoehorned in, so it of course would be easy enough to extract and use as a standalone adventure--again, just remove Varossa and give the PCs a different hook to explore the island.
I found section 1 most fun to run--the town of Lilywhite is well-realized, with the Rum Punch Festival a refreshing backdrop to adventure compared to more gritty or typical spooky dungeon crawls and the like. Its lighthearted tone was especially welcome after the often dark and malevolent feel of the first book of Skull and Shackles--the PCs needed some respite and this provided it (and in a much better way than Rickety's Squibs would have offered). There is a lot of story potential for developing the town further, and the town's features are provided in just enough detail without distracting from the actual narrative. I enjoyed the variety of challenges offered in this section, from some fairly standard combats to some unorthodox skill challenges, including a race that uses a variation of Pathfinder's chase scene rules and a drinking contest, crucial for any pirate campaign worth its salt.
The only--but rather outstanding--flaw in the first section is the poor setup for the two "bosses" that challenge the PCs at the end of the story. Firstly, the narrative makes clear that one of the "bosses" is spying on the party, but it isn't clear how he is doing it, or if the PCs should notice (I think the presumption is that the PCs shouldn't, but I'm not sure why). Secondly, and more mechanically problematic, the second "boss" is described in detail about her actions, motivations, and ways of approaching combat---and then her statblock is for a creature that does not have any of the abilities described in the narrative. Per the product discussion thread, this was a development error: this "boss" was originally given a unique stablock, but it was removed for space reasons. Unfortunately, her narrative was not updated to match the new stats she was given. This is a glaring editorial error that absolutely should have been caught prior to publication--especially since verbiage is now wasted describing actions she could not possibly take. Personally, I would have gladly sacrificed any number of things--artwork, other statblocks, descriptions (especially much of the useless dungeon descriptions in chapter 3)--to have kept the creature's original stats, for as described, she had a lot of narrative potential. I opted to create new stats to reflect the story rather than use the stats listed in the module. This worked much better me, but it was work I was forced to do just to make sure mechanics and narrative matched, and should have been unnecessary.
The second section is solid series of sea adventures. A combat-heavy chapter, I wish some of the fights had offered the GM more tactical guidance--particularly in Blackwarns Gallows, where the players can approach the treacherous situation in numerous ways, and one has to navigate a potentially incredibly diffficult fight between land, rough waters, and high up terrain with almost no guidance as how to do so. Another encounter, with a ghost on a shipwreck, also needed more details--particularly, there is a potential fight and a hazard, but depending on how you enter, you might be able to avoid the fight/hazard entirely which makes the whole scenario anticlimactic. How to time events and manage the encounter (whether diplomatic or hostile) seemed very vague. I could have used less of another NPC's backstory there and more tactical guidance for what was an unusually set up scenario. At the same time, I liked indeed that there were several encounters and challenges that could be managed by skill, diplomacy and cleverness, counterbalancing some of the combat focus. My players seemed to really enjoy negotiating with the dragon in particular.
My only concern about chapter three was the final encounter. As written, the game presumes characters escape a situation by riding some creatures provided them. However, you have to interact with a certain NPC and navigate a fight a very specific way in order to be able to gain the new mounts. There are a number of missteps the PCs could take--or they could simply opt to avoid the NPC or situation--that would as written leave them stranded, with zero suggestions for alternatives. Because I was using the adventure as part of Skull and Shackles, I found a way out using characters and resources from that AP, but standalone, it would have been a challenge to find other solutions. The other problem with the mounts being the only presented solution to the PCs problem is Ride is seldom a skill most PCs prioritize having on a seafaring adventure. As written, this was a glaringly annoying railroad solution in a story that up to this point usually accounted for a few ways to resolve challenges.
The third section, the big finale, was sadly most disappointing. After two sections featuring a wide variety of challenges and creative scenarios, the third section moves into an uninspired, bog-standard dungeon crawl. What is worse is, as mentioned above, the dungeon feels very much like it was designed for an entirely different adventure and then shoehorned into the module---complete with hundreds of wasted words on background lore of the dungeon that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the adventure itself. The not-too-spoilery gist is the PCs are chasing someone who has run into an old cyclops fortress, which was repurposed at some point by a long-dead pirate queen, who is relavant to the plot. We get almost nothing on what the pirate queen did with the fortress, but paragraphs upon paragraphs about what some cyclops did there millennia ago that provides no information or insight upon the present story. Not to mention half of the information is translation of ancient runes that the PCs have a very small chance of actually being able to translate (and they gain absolutely nothing of value by doing so). If I want to read information on an ancient Golarion empire, I will purchase the appropriate campaign setting guidebook. For a module, I want material that helps me and the players tell the PCs' story in the best and most dramatic way. This section of the module utterly failed in this regard.
- Enough guidance on the approach to the area (which may vary considerably depending on how the PCs leave the ending of section 2) and different ways the PCs may deal with an enemy ship they approach, save from who might or might not attack them.
- Information on how to run an encounter with a bard NPC who could be friendly but whom the PCs may equally see as an enemy and attack immediately. We are given full stats for the NPC--but in the scenario he is supposed to be badly wounded after a fight, and it's not clear, for example how many spells or rounds of bardic performance he has left. Further, the stats provided show the bard can cast cure light wounds but the scenario describes him at zero hit points and thus helpless--but if he has spells left, wouldn't he heal himself? Yes, as GM I can make this call, but it is very unclear as to what his status would be--and how to respond if the PCs attack him and how difficult an encounter that should be.
- Information on the following NPC encounter, where a possibly-formerly friendly NPC is now hostile and insane. The too minimal text on the encounter seems to assume the encounter will turn into a combat to the death, and yet the party could very much want to try to subdue or talk down the NPC (and indeed, my PCs wanted to talk him down). There is NO guidance on if he can be talked down, how, or what to do with the NPC if he is subdued and captured (or how the other NPC interacts with him). We know what the g#$&~*n cyclops runes say, but no clue what to do with two extremely major NPCs whose presence could dramatically alter the PCs experience and challenge level in this dungeon.
- For the very crucial boss fight, additional guidance on placement and starting tactics. Especially given the big boss has telepathy and would likely sense the PCs coming, the module needs to provide some approaches both the PCs and monsters might take to the end game. There is SOME advice offered here, but not enough for how important and challenging the fight should be.
The boss fight also illustrates a distinct flaw in how Paizo overall chooses to organize its modules in general, which is that they put "lesser" enemy statistics in the adventure text, "important" NPC statistics in one appendix, and other "important" and additional monster statistics in a different appendix. This means in general the GM has to constantly flip through the book or .pdf to get different combat stats, which is very time consuming and frustrating. In this module's final fight, there are three enemies in the final combat. One enemy's statistics are included within the module's narrative text. Another enemy's statistics are in the Bestiary appendix. And to make things extra confusing, there are two sets of statistics for the third enemy, one in the NPC appendix and one in the Bestiary appendix (the latter of which is the correct one to use, but the module directs you to the NPC appendix). So to run the fight straight from the booklet, you need to be constantly flipping between separate sections of the module--the last thing you want to be doing while running an intense boss fight. I had to make my own combat sheet to make the thing runnable, which took time a module should not have to make me take. Personally, I think all enemy statblocks should be put in one place--a single appendix--that GMs can pull out or print separately from the running adventure text, so they can have all the stats they need in one place and can place it side-by-side with any relevant adventure text or maps. This alone would make the entire module line easier to use and, for me, I would purchase more of them were they organized in this fashion.
Finally, I must note that the third chapter ends on a bit of a disappointment--the whole point of the adventure is the hunt for a legendary treasure horde, which in the end turns out is not very much of a treasure hoard at all. I understand wanting to make the treasure level-appropriate, but I had to find some creative ways to bolster it (and explain why there wasn't more). (The in-game explanation for where some of it went doesn't make any sense--it says a dragon in the backstory stole most of it, but the whole way the adventure begins is that a background NPC killed said background dragon and found the key to this treasure in its hoard. If the dragon already had most of the hoard to begin with, then the background NPC would have already had it and there would be no point to looking for the treasure!) The larger "treasure" is really the ship and the cyclops fortress that the PCs can move into, but the narrative itself downplays this. I up-played it. Since I WAS indeed running this for Skull and Shackles, gaining an extra ship and fortress for establishing credibility in the Shackles was valuable. If this had ended as a standalone adventure, however, I think the ending as written would have been a considerable let-down for the PCs.
In the end I don't regret running this module--and I'm even glad I chose it over Raiders of the Fever Sea. But it did demand a lot more work than I had hoped, and the inconsistencies between chapters and chapter quality speaks to the fact that having three different people write three different sections of a module is a bad idea. Still absolutely the module was worth it for the first two sections, and a great set of NPCs on a ship crew that is usable for many seafaring adventures. I really loved the backdrop of Lilywhite and Captain Varossa and her loyal (and not so loyal) crew, so whoever was responsble for those developments especially deserve kudos. I hope the PCs can return to Lilywhite later and I can play more in it as a sandbox.
I like much of Plunder & Peril, but I feel it fails in certain key areas. It’s an interesting experiment to present three short adventures in a Pathfinder Module. However, I think trying to make them both linked and workable as stand-alones was not necessarily the best decision. It has resulted in three adventures that don’t work well on their own (except maybe “Rum Punch”), but as linked adventures, have many ways in which the PCs can go drastically off-script. I also feel it was a poor decision to conclude the three adventures with a dungeon crawl. It loses the style and flair of the other adventures and doesn’t have the opportunity to regain them that it might have if the dungeon crawl happened in the middle. In the end, Plunder & Peril ends up as a mostly mediocre module.
first off, I dinot play this module yet. I have just read this module.
All I can say its a must-have module for someone who realy like corsair storys / enviroment.
Its everything you want from a pirate adventure and more!
From a GM perspective, its has a good build up, the information is where you expect it to be, and if you want, you can easily expand on this.
After finishing this module last night, I have to say I will miss it. It has been an enjoyable time with my group and I wanted to say well done to the creator. There is variety here, and although the end may seem a little dungeon crawlish, it pays off in the end with a very interesting encounter. Each chapter has a different feel, with chapter 2 being the longest of the three. If I had to knock off a point for anything it was the lack of a ship to ship battle. I felt any pirate adventure on the high seas should include at least one ship battle. However, the way the game is designed you can easily create your own encounter and insert it as a "random" encounter, since you can roll for those anyway. If ship combat doesn't appeal to you, you can skip it and the module runs fine as is.
The only other criticism I got from the players was how the game really doesn't reward the players until the end, which is a huge haul to be sure. However, they felt some better rewards should have been sprinkled along the way more often. This could also be fixed by not following a strict path and allowing the players to sandbox more. It will just take more work from the GM.
Overall, if you are looking for some high seas adventure and want to see exotic locals and meet interesting NPC's while roleplaying or rollplaying your way to a hoard of treasure, look no further than Plunder and Peril.
Arrh! Can't ever get enough o' pirate-y goodness!
What levels can this be for?
There are so many details I need for this!
Are these quests linked, or are they fully separate stories?
I really liked the larger modules you started, this seems a step backwards. Will hold my reservations until I see it though.
The blurb is really unclear on what exactly this product is going to be.
Will I be able to buy it and enjoy it like a normal module? is it a series of loosely connected quests, or a single strong story? What exactly does it even mean "building upon the AP/card game"?
I really hope that the module line will remain a place for min campaigns, and not some weird hybrid product that supports other products.
It's got 4 authors, and given the blurb, I'm guessing it's probably sort of a "three adventures loosely linked but that can also be run independently" sort of thing.
If it was part of the card game sometimes they would give you the option to opt out of it for that product if that is what you chose.. But why would you opt out IF it is still a module? Even if it is a hybrid, it would still work as an adventure but also give the options as another something for the card game TOO.
Because I have no interest in the card game, I'm as yet unconvinced that including card game support in a Module is a worthwhile idea. How does adding card game support make a Module better?
Very cool. I am running Skull & Shackles and can always use more stuff in the sandbox.
I hope there is just ONE module author and the rest just help write magic items and the like.
Paizo picked the 64 page format and the quarterly release schedule, so they should pick an author that can handle 64 pages of coherent story.
I guess we'll find out more about this product as the release day gets closer. I have been impressed with The Dragon's Demand. So much so that I added the modules subscription to get Tears at Bitter Manor.
I've briefly skimmed Wardens of the Reborn Forge.
I have to say that these first three entries have been pretty much what I would hope for out of the new module format.
Now we have the summer release being a mega-dungeon. It's kind of steps outside that mold a little. Not my cup of tea, but we can't please everyone with every release.
But I was hoping for a single coherent adventure in the level 8-12 range (in between Bitter Manor and Reborn Forge). I'll anxiously await further details!
This will tie into the card game in the same way that the Pathfinder RPG version of Burnt Offerings ties into the first adventure deck of the Rise of the Runelords Base Set. For those who don't play the card game, this module will be completely playable as a standalone pirate adventure, or can be integrated in whole or in part into an ongoing Skull & Shackles game. Those playing the card game are likely to see locations, characters, and plots from this adventure appear in some form in the Skull & Shackles AP during its 6-month run.
So, which levels is this for? Or are there three different adventures which have different levels spread.
Finally, does this repeat some of the adventures from S&S but in a smaller and more compact format, or are these different adventures but in the context of S&S?
Mark, I think that Paizo may have wanted to create a blog post, or even a short blurb on YouTube, about the specifics of how this module will connect with the other product lines. I'm continually impressed with the quality of Paizo's products, which allows me to shrug off ambiguity in Paizo's favor. Not everyone shares my prospective, however.
That, and I'm really excited to see what these authors have in store for us!
While admit I'm confused about how this will work with the card game, Paizo has never given me reason to doubt them, so I'll wait and see.
My issue comes more from the fact that I just wish "Skull & Shackles" would just go away. But even then, that's because I had bad experiences with that AP as both a player and a GM.
I'm pretty sure "tie in" means that there will be cards and quests in the upcoming chapters of the Skull & Shakles card game that will share names and themes with the three adventures in this adventure module. Nothing more. There won't be cards in this adventure for use in the card game, or anything like that.
What TwoWolves said. If we were doing a PACG set that took place entirely in a remote Isgeri orphanage (which I can't imagine us doing), we'd likely release other products about orphanages, Isger, and other related topics. This is the same thing, just about pirates. It allows us to explore some of the new content presented in the PACG in a Pathfinder RPG adventure format. Other than involving some of the same themes, locations, NPCs, and so forth, this adventure and the Skull & Shackles Base Set won't interact.
I am still confused, is this one 64 page adventure with 3 different authors writing different chapters for it? 3 separate unrelated quests written by 3 different authors? Or something entirely different?
Without giving anything else away, I will say there are three separate adventures with a running plot or theme, that can be played together as an ongoing story, or played as stand alone adventures with little to no modification.
And there are a lot of fun things going on with this adventure. It's awesome working with the other guys on this. You'll definitely get a cohesive plot developed concurrently by the different authors.
And with that I'm back to writing an encounter that will freak you out.
And which levels are the three adventures for?
I'm immediately interested, but I'd like to know what levels it will be/is designed for, as others.
Any chance that this will be out in time for talk like a pirate day (Sept 19, 2014)?
They assume medium progression. each can be taken on its own, or lead into the next adventure. Interestingly that means you could also use Plunder & Peril in place of Raiders of the Fever Sea. Thematically it ties in nicely, the levels work out, and it can end in a place that can lead in to Tempest Rising.
A pirate is never late. Nor is he ever early.
Do these adventures assume the PCs have their own ship? In the case of using Plunder and Peril as a Skull & Shackles plug-in, does the PCs having their own ship defeat some of the adventures?
The adventures assume the PCs don't have a ship at the start of the adventure. Having a ship would require some adjustments on the part of the GM.
Awesome! After the disappointing flop of Razor Coast, I'm itching for a good pirate module.
Shouldn't the cover be updated now?
I think you might have an exclusive on that opinion.
Strange indeed, product entry not updated two weeks before the supposed shipping date to the subscribers.
Indeed, not a lot of information on this one yet. I just noticed that Matt Goodall is writing this thing (or at least one of the three adventures). He definitely proved his worth with the Islands of Plunder plug-ins. Those are great to use with Skull and Shackles. I'm curious to see how he tackles this one.
The only thing I find strange is this: Paizo went from 32 pages to 64 pages in its adventures, only to divide those into smaller parts again in this module. I certainly hope that the running plot is compelling enough to pull the scenarios together.
You can easily run the three adventures (Rum Punch, Dangerous Waters, and Black Coral Cove) as a single adventure with strong chapters, rather than three unrelated adventures.
So are these three adventures the same as the introductory scenarios in the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Skull & Shackles Base Set?
Yeah I am thinking the same thing here...should it not be updated by now?
No... see some of the reviews floating around. They're actually pretty accurate (it just depends on how much certain things bother you).
For Plunder & Peril - I too was a bit surprised at the '3 adventures'... but that might not be a bad thing. I'd like to see how it turns out.
I agree with everything you said, except for the "No" part. The OP did say "flop" and Razor Coast is the opposite of that. Endzeitgeist's review is right on the money (as usual). RC is brilliant, albeit it does have its flaws.
Flaws that could be seen as deal-breakers for some (which would constitute a "flop" for those people). And whether you agree with the "no" or not - it is highly unlikely that said individual has an "exclusive on that opinion". In fact, that's factually false (even as hyperbole).
And... that's enough of Razor Coast when this is about Plunder & Peril!
I do find it interesting that the level range for this particular 64-page module is (seemingly) less than the previous modules of this size (it is ~3-4 levels like a few of the others, but in a lower level range - and nowhere close to Dragon's Demand range, which I didn't like at all).
I consider that a very good thing.
If people want to see the cover you can find it in the new product catalogue. | 2019-04-23T22:25:46Z | https://paizo.com/products/btpy95dg/discuss?Pathfinder-Module-Plunder-Peril |
Ladies and Gentleman, it is a pleasure to be in Oxford. It is exactly three years since I last spoke at this conference, and it’s a sign of how much has changed in that time that it is not only three years, but four Culture Secretaries.
Back then, March 2016, it was John Whittingdale who had asked me to carry out an independent review of the BBC’s governance and regulatory arrangements, as part of the preparatory work for the new Charter.
These two main proposals, subject to a raft of detailed points, did find their way into the new Charter and Agreement, which took effect from April 2017.
We have worked inside this new framework for nearly two years, so it is reasonable to look back and ask how well it is doing.
We also have to bear in mind that the Charter calls for a mid-term review which is likely to start formally in 2022.
The Charter makes clear that the mission of the BBC, its five public purposes, and the licence fee model that underlies it, will not be in scope. But BBC governance and regulatory arrangements will be looked at in the light of recent experience.
Of course, compared to my appearance here in 2016, I now wear a different hat, as Chair of the BBC.
So I can no longer claim the label of independence. But I hope you will find my remarks today are still set in the context of what may be judged to be the public interest.
One thing that almost everyone is agreed upon is that, taken as a whole, the new governance and regulatory arrangements work substantially better than the old model.
But arguing that the new system is an improvement is far from claiming that it cannot be improved upon.
So this morning I want to consider some aspects of the current arrangements, particularly those which might arise in the mid-term review.
It may be a couple of years away, but some of the issues are complex. And I don’t need to relate how quickly time passes.
First, how have the BBC’s revised systems bedded in?
In the old model, the relationship between the BBC Executive Board and the BBC Trust was mired in a serious confusion around the responsibilities of each in the areas of governance and regulation.
And the regulatory responsibility of the Trust was subject to a complicated set of arrangements with Ofcom about the extent to which the latter would involve itself in regulatory competition issues.
I wrote towards the beginning of my review that governance and regulation needed to be thought of as separate activities. And that a regulator needed to be independent of those it regulates.
The old system ignored this key principle.
The BBC Trust was part governance Board and part regulator of the BBC. It was never clear whether its job was to champion the BBC, or stand apart and hold the BBC accountable for its licence obligations.
Today it is safe to say that the Trust is not mourned by anyone, certainly not the Chancellor of this great University, Lord Patten, who recently described being Chairman of the BBC Trust as “a terrible position to be in”.
The revised system under the new Charter has one unitary Board, clearly accountable for the governance of the BBC.
It has a single regulator responsible for regulation of the BBC, as well as the other public service broadcasters.
The new arrangements, for the BBC and Ofcom, are easy to understand, both inside and out. And they make entirely clear where responsibility lies.
For the BBC, I am particularly pleased with the way the Board has come together and is going about its work.
Non Execs have been critically involved in key decision making - engaging early with important issues, considering them regularly, and interrogating them closely, over time.
The result is a Board and Executive fully aligned behind the BBC’s strategic agenda.
BBC Studios is a good example.
The Board recognised how vital it was, in an increasingly competitive global market, to bring together programme production, sales and distribution into a single entity.
I’m delighted that Studios has made such a bold and confident start.
Another crucial issue on which the Board has spent a significant amount of time is the initiative to reinvent public service broadcasting for a new generation - making sure the BBC can reach and remain relevant to younger audiences.
The move in viewing hours from linear to non-linear is apparent to all.
It is why we have been so engaged in the modernisation of iPlayer; and in the development of BBC Sounds as a single personalised destination for all of our music, radio and podcasts.
Most recently, we have announced that - with ITV - we’re in the final phase of talks to launch BritBox in the UK.
This will be the first time British PSBs have come together to create a subscription VOD service in this country.
But, of course, at the moment there is no Board decision more important than the one we must make this year regarding the future of free TV licences for the over-75s.
As you know, under the Digital Economy Act of 2017, Government funding for the current TV licence concession is set to come to an end in 2020, and it is the responsibility of the BBC to consult and decide what - if anything - should replace it.
We are of course aware that some pensioners are still in poverty and that TV is an important source of companionship for this group. We must also be mindful of the implications for the BBC of continuing to provide a concession in the years to come.
If we continued the current concession it would cost the BBC around £745m, equivalent to almost a fifth of our budget.
It is clear that the scale of service cuts we would need to make would fundamentally change the BBC for everyone - for all licence fee payers and for the industry as a whole.
Recently we concluded our broad, three-month public consultation on the future of the over 75s concession.
Over the next few months we will study the responses we have received from the public and stakeholders very closely.
Second, financial impact - the cost of any concession to the BBC and the possible impact this might have on programming and services.
Third, feasibility - the need to be able to implement any concession effectively, clearly and simply.
The consultation process has proven that there are strong views on all sides. Any choice will have its merits and its drawbacks, its critics and its backers.
Ultimately, it is for the Board to decide. And I can assure you that none of us underestimates the significance of the decision.
At this stage we are still gathering the threads together from the consultation period. We will need to make the best and fairest decision for everyone, and we hope to do so before the summer.
Of course, good governance is not an end in itself. The biggest benefits of a well-run BBC come to those who pay for it.
Not surprisingly, when I go out around the country engaging with audiences, people don’t talk to me about the BBC’s improved governance arrangements. They want to talk about content and its availability.
They talk about the Bodyguard, the final episode of which was watched by an extraordinary 17 million people. Or Killing Eve, that had over 45 million iPlayer requests. Or Fleabag or Strictly, Springwatch or A Very English Scandal.
So this is the second area I want to touch on today: the Board’s responsibility to make sure the BBC delivers outstanding public service content and maximum value for licence fee payers.
And in particular, I want to cover how we are listening and responding to what our audiences tell us they want, and what constitutes value in the digital age.
It’s great that around 20 million people are now using their BBC accounts each month. That data is helping us better to understand their needs and transform how we personalise their service.
But ultimately you cannot have a conversation with data, and for the Board there can be no substitute for face-to-face discussion.
This is what we have been doing with our regular “meet the audience” events, all around the country. I have personally attended sessions from Coventry to Margate, Antrim to Dundee. And next week I will be in Aberdeen.
The focus has been on hearing from younger audiences, diverse audiences, and those the BBC finds harder to reach.
There is general agreement on what we are felt to be doing well.
In today’s world of fake news audiences recognise the value of a truly independent national broadcaster, free from political influence and interference.
We are seen as one of the ‘go to’ destinations, not just for news and drama but also for documentaries, such as David Attenborough’s Dynasties and Blue Planet II.
And we are felt to cater well for younger children, with CBeebies in particular.
We feel that the BBC can point to a strong track record of outstanding and distinctive content over the past year. And it’s encouraging that audiences in general agree.
But there is also broad consensus on where we are seen to be falling short.
In particular, these face-to-face sessions have underlined the extent to which distribution and availability are important: binge watching highly-recommended TV series is increasingly the norm.
The BBC is not felt to be meeting this desire well, especially because of the perceived limitations in the viewing window for BBC iPlayer.
The lack of ability to watch series all in one go, the wait for episodes to be uploaded, and the relative speed at which episodes and series expire and are no longer available on iPlayer, all are felt to be particularly frustrating.
As one person said at a session in Salford: “If I have to wait until tomorrow to watch it then I won’t watch it, I’ll go somewhere else”.
If these trends are marked across all audiences, they are particularly so with younger audiences.
The pace of change among this age group is remarkable. 16-34 year olds now spend more than half of their screen time each day watching non-broadcast TV. And the time they spend music streaming has grown by 40% in just a year.
For the BBC Board, these are extremely important insights. The principle of universality is fundamental to the BBC’s public service remit, and always at the forefront of our thinking.
We are acutely aware of our responsibility to ensure that the BBC not only continues to reach everyone with its public service mission, but also offers value to everyone.
And it is obvious that, increasingly, it’s through our online services that audiences will expect to receive more value for their licence fee.
More and more, they will see BBC iPlayer as the front door to our content offer. And, in the on demand world, it is clear that the 30-day viewing window, for example, offers less and less public value.
Where once it was a catch-up service, iPlayer now needs to become a destination in its own right - one that brings together our very best creativity and tailors it uniquely to each user.
Our research shows that audiences believe these changes will make iPlayer a better place to watch TV, and in the on-demand age will offer better value to licence fee payers.
This brings me to the third topic I want to focus on today: the future of our regulatory arrangements in a fast-moving digital world.
I am not alone in pondering what the best regulatory system is for an increasingly digital and global broadcasting market.
It is something that is increasingly at the forefront of Government and Ofcom thinking too.
Frances Cairncross recently published her report on the future of high quality journalism. She recommended new regulatory arrangements to redress the balance between platforms and publishers.
Last week, Jason Furman - a former advisor to President Obama - produced his report for the Treasury on competition in the UK digital markets. It highlighted that, where there is such dominance by tech giants in so many markets, it leads to less choice, less quality, and less innovation for consumers.
And very shortly we expect the Government’s White Paper on the future of online regulation - designed to address some of the harms and excesses of the internet.
But it is vital that we do have regulation that is fit for purpose. That protects citizens and consumers, and creates a level playing field for the industry.
I want to argue that effective regulation for the digital age is just as important for the future of the broadcast sector as it is for the social media sector. Not least because of the developing overlap between the two.
On the whole, I believe the BBC can be pleased with the relationship that has grown up between us and our new regulator, Ofcom.
But I want to return to the BBC’s strategy for iPlayer, and use it to consider, as a case in point, how our current regulatory arrangements are standing up to the pace of change.
It is hard to overstate how rapidly the giant global players are moving within the market around us.
In the last quarter of 2018, Netflix added a record 8.8 million of worldwide subscribers. In total it has nearly 140 million subscribers in over 190 countries worldwide. In the UK it is in over a third of all households.
Amazon is investing heavily in TV content across Children’s, Drama, Factual, Comedy, Films and Sport. Google has invested strongly in YouTube, including in new long-form TV programmes.
Apple will be launching a new video streaming service this year. We can expect new services from Disney, Comcast and WarnerMedia too - all well-positioned to make a major impact.
It’s a market in which to stand still is to go rapidly backwards.
This is why our plans for iPlayer are so critically important.
Our aim is to make some important but straightforward changes to bring it more into line with what the rest of the market is already doing.
More box sets, and more content, available for longer.
The Board determined that the BBC’s planned iPlayer changes for 2018/19 did not amount to a material change, and therefore should not be subject to the delay of a Public Interest Test.
Ofcom disagreed. That is their right. And we are now conducting a PIT process which we will publish shortly.
But every month is precious, and comes with the risk of lagging even further behind audience needs and expectations.
We have to put this in context of what is now the norm for the market - and for our audiences.
Netflix, for example, currently update their app over 50 times a year - around once a week - with no hold up, and no need for regulatory approval.
They can commission or acquire content and stream it for as long as they have negotiated with rights holders.
So in the current global digital marketplace I think there are important issues for us all to consider - Government, Ofcom and the BBC, as well as all UK media organisations.
We need to look again at whether regulation, born in a UK-centric linear era, remains fit for the global, digital age.
The current regulatory system has its origins in an era where the BBC was seen as the big beast in the jungle, the big beast against whom all others needed protection.
But that view of the world has now passed. Increasingly, our major competitors are well funded, international giants - Netflix, Spotify, Facebook, YouTube - whose financial resources dwarf our own.
Of course we recognise that, given our unique funding model, there must be constraints on how the BBC operates.
But we need to find a way forward that does not just play into the hands of global competitors at the expense in particular of UK PSBs.
The explosion of choice from the new online players has undoubtedly been a good thing for UK consumers. But in embracing the new we should also celebrate, and protect, what is good about our existing broadcast ecology.
I believe we need a system of regulation that promotes and protects public service broadcasting.
That means that, whilst genuinely promoting competition, we ensure that the UK PSBs are not disadvantaged against large global competitors.
And, in our efforts to be fair, we need to be mindful of the kind of approach that famously and demonstrably failed UK audiences when the Office of Fair Trading and Competition Commission blocked Project Kangaroo almost exactly a decade ago.
All this needs to be addressed with urgency, and will certainly need to be dealt with in the mid-term review of governance and regulation.
1. How should we define the presence of the BBC in the market place?
We are concerned that Ofcom take a narrow view of the market place, and in the area of iPlayer have looked just at our position against other PSB players and Sky’s Now TV.
In this context, iPlayer has done well and can be seen as a leader among UK players. But that hides the much bigger picture of what is happening in the UK video on demand market as a whole.
Over the last four years, Netflix and Amazon together have moved their joint market share to around 55%. At the same time, iPlayer’s share of the total VOD market has fallen from over 40% to around 18%.
Judged in the context of the whole market and not just PSBs, the challenge from the Board to the BBC has been to move faster.
Meanwhile, the response of the regulatory authorities has been to slow the BBC down.
So, there is a key question for policy makers about how we define the market context in which regulatory decisions need to be made.
2. At what point should the regulator exercise step in powers?
The BBC Board accepts that step in powers should be part of any good regulatory process.
I proposed such powers for Ofcom when I wrote my report three years ago, and nobody - then or now - argues against them.
In the past, the balance of opinion has favoured a system where regulators may step in and call “time out” where there is a hypothetical possibility that a BBC action might cause problems.
Increasingly, our view in a dynamic market place is that step in powers should be used when there is actual evidence of a harm, rather than based on analysis of hypothetical competition risk.
We regard this as a second area where further analysis needs to be undertaken to determine how best to maximise public value.
3. What can we do to increase the speed of the regulatory process?
Even in circumstances where regulatory powers might be legitimately exercised, there is an important question about timing.
The Charter and Agreement set time limits for Ofcom. Currently they are allowed nearly eight months to consider changes.
I think these limits need to be looked at again in the light of the pace that our competitors are able to move in a global digital market.
4. Finally, are the Government and Ofcom doing enough to strengthen the PSB ecology for consumers?
If we value Public Service Broadcasting, and the BBC in particular, we need a regulatory system which encourages PSBs to adapt and prosper.
I strongly support our campaign, working closely with the other UK PSBs, to ensure that, in the area of prominence, all our services should be as easy for people to find in the digital world as they have always been in the analogue world.
I urge the Government to take legislative action, and to take action to strengthen the PSBs as and when they get the chance.
Let me conclude at this point.
I put these four questions forward as the start of an important debate. Some of them need addressing now; some will form a crucial part of the mid-term review. . And, of course, at that time there will be many more questions to consider.
I urge Government and regulators to engage with them, seeking to determine where the public interest best lies.
The hypothesis I will leave you with is that the BBC is a critical part of the UK media sector.
A strong, dynamic BBC allows our media industry to punch well above its weight in the world.
It means a domestic player committed to serving all Nations and Regions in the UK.
It means a Corporation committed in its news output to impartiality and accuracy, a bulwark against fake news.
And it means a BBC iPlayer committed to showcasing the best of British writers, directors and actors, delivering great value for licence fee payers.
We must be able to adapt and innovate in the digital world. We must be able to make the changes our audiences demand, in real time. Not by revolution, every few years, but by rapid, ongoing evolution.
Working well together, in the public interest, we need to ensure we pave the way for the effective modernisation of BBC online services on which our audiences increasingly depend, and by which they will increasingly gauge our value. | 2019-04-18T12:51:30Z | https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/speeches/2019/clementi-omc |
I don't know about you, but I'm thinking that just maybe, the person who made this work of road signage should have also taken heed of the very warning he was creating . . . .
Every day, a new adventure. The last week in China has not disappointed. Even in the most congested and chaotic of traffic conditions, the now finely-honed riding skills of the group allow the entire convoy to move through the cities with alacrity and majesty. Riding "sweep" in the rear, it's an impressive sight. As we enter an intersection, riders split left and right, sometimes blocking encroaching traffic for others, always dodging pedestrians, bikes, tractors, trucks, the occasional horse-drawn cart, three wheeled bicycles and taxis, looking momentarily like the break on a pool table, magically re-grouping on the far side in perfect staggered formation.
What were once tourists are now travelers. We started out with questions like "Why doesn't the toilet paper tear on the perforations?", and understandable complaints about the lack of hot water in hotels. Now, the question is "Will there be water?" It's not whining. It's an experienced rider asking about conditions ahead; if there's no water, they know what to do and will plan accordingly. At first, some moaned about the lack of forks. Now, if forks are on the table, they ask for chopsticks.
Reaching Harbin has always been a seminal point for any World Tour. It's a big, sprawling city, but it's a very different city. As in year's past, we were met by riders of the Harbin Motorcycle Club. Outlandishly dressed, demonic drivers on every sort of motorcycle, they dodge and weave through our formation like we weren't even there. It's a wild ride to our hotel, but it's incredibly exciting to finally meet fellow riders. We make introductions and renew old friendships. The local media is present. Cameras whirring, microphones arrayed, they present Helge with a welcome bouquet. The motorcycle group hosts our visit for three days and two nights. It's a memorable event - ahead lies the frontier.
Heading for Inner Mongolia, we encounter sandstorms, harsh winds, and long, exhausting, unmarked detours due to continuing highway construction. There are no markers, no flagman, no lane dividers, no pavement. Instead, the "detour" winds it's way randomly around highway construction camps. We hit huge ruts, long expanses of coarse and ungraded gravel, sand, potholes, pea gravel, broken rock, and choke-points where buses, trucks and construction equipment play "chicken" for who will get through first.
Tired, sweaty, dirty with grit and sand in every pore, we arrive at our hotel, only to be met by a bevy of smiling beauties in traditional garb. One by one, the riders step forward and are given two ceremonial cups of potent liquor. An immaculate white scarf is carefully placed around each rider's neck.
And if only cold water awaits to wash away the grime, no one seems to care.
Siberia lies ahead . . . .
The many forms of "Hello" in over 800 languages and other useful words and phrases are courtesy of Jennifer's Language Page.
To find out what time it is there (or anywhere!), visit The World Clock.
To see where they are now, visit the Navigation Technology Chapter.
China’s landmass is less than that of Canada, yet with a population of 1.3 billion it outnumbers Canadians 43 : 1. To control populace a maximum of one child per family is permitted. A “natural” control may have engendered a trend, if persistent, of a 17% male dominancy.
The Chinese are homogeneous with the majority of Han origin. The official language is Mandarin (Cantonese in Hong Kong) with some 40 other minority languages. The majority of the Chinese are atheists with Confucianism (traditional beliefs) and Buddhism as the only significant exceptions.
The majority of the inhabitants live in China’s Eastern regions. The sophistication of the major cities is rather surprising. The initial impression is that of any major city in the world : big, busy and loud. Not until the metropolitan areas recede does the Chinese flavour surface . Agricultural modes are primitive, judged by our standards, but with abundance in labour, mechanization is not only unnecessary but often economically unattainable.
Driving in China is a study in behaviour. The first rule you learn: there are no rules or none to adhere to, surprisingly creating chaotic order. Passing is executed at any time, at any place preferably ignoring oncoming traffic, double yellow lines and with a total disregard for speed limits. All this is acceptable as long as you make your intentions clear with incessant use of your horn.
To add to this chaos, little blue trucks, moving at a snail’s pace, belching out a cloud of black exhaust, ride along in whichever lane they consider convenient. Somehow it all works, but there is no dozing behind the wheel.
Large motorcycles are unavailable in China making our presence of great interest imagine a group of nineteen rolling into town creating a sight to behold. Our appearance on the front page of a local newspaper attests to this. Celebrity status, however brief, is alluring. Plenty of stares with our western look, relative tallness and balding, greying heads, a rarity here.
What an incredible journey the GlobeRiders World Tour 2006 is proving to be, and we’re not even out of China!
It's been over eleven years since my first visit to China and the evident progress is quite amazing…even scary. In ’95 the bicycle was the vehicle of choice for the streets. While they are still in evidence, there has been a great change with the automobile being the predominant choice.
China’s outstanding economic progress is obvious. They are an energetic, hard working, and happy nation. Major construction on buildings and highways goes on 24/7.
China is an economic power that is truly to be reckoned with. They are on the move with a clear focus….to be No. 1 on the world stage. While we in the West are seemingly absorbed with policing the world, they are focused are building their nation towards being No. 1. They are not distracted as we in the US are by the political acrimony and divisiveness so all too evident. While China shows little concern for the environment, our environmental concerns have hindered our own economic growth and expansion. Their decisions are centrally made and carried out in a very expeditive and efficient way.
China is only slightly smaller in size than the U.S. Yet their population is 4 times greater. Their work ethic is higher and more driven than the U.S. Their natural resources are immense. They are busy buying up vast mounts of future iron ore from Brazil and oil from Canada. Their rate of industrial expansion is downright scary. They don’t have to go for a military conquest….they’re accomplishing it economically.
Thanks again to GlobeRiders for such another great Adventure!!!
China's not the only thing that's changing. For the first time in 35 years, Frank takes the razor and shows the man that lies underneath.
Het is tijd om jullie een kleine up-date te geven van deze globeriders motorreis. Ik begin met de laatste dag, niet alleen omdat deze vers in mijn geheugen ligt, maar omdat deze dag tot nu toe de mooiste is. We zitten in “Inner-Mongolia”, het behoort officieel tot China, maar de mensen die daar wonen zijn van het Mongoolse ras. Ik meende gehoord te hebben dat het lang tot Mongolië behoorde, maar dat kan ik niet met zekerheid te zeggen. Het begon al als de eerste frisse morgen en had daarom al een fleece truitje onder mijn jas gedaan. We zitten op ongeveer 1000 mtr hoogte en de hele week staat er al een behoorlijke wind, maar gelukkig is het droog gebleven. Het zou slechts een ritje van 277 km zijn. Na de stad te hebben verlaten, kregen we zoals onze trouwe Chinese gids Sim had voorspeld, een heel slecht stuk. Ze zijn in heel China aan het verbouwen en klaar te maken voor de economische vooruitgang . De bouwactiviteiten zijn gigantisch, het schijnt dat 80% van alle hoogwerkkranen van de wereld in China staan! De wegen blijven niet achter, dus ook deze liggen helemaal overhoop. En zeker het traject van vandaag van Yakeshi City naar Manzhouli! Een lange rit over zand, gravel en laatste restjes asfalt, afzien zal het worden. Het verlaten landschap van deze regio, met grote droge en kale vlaktes maakt het leven voor de bewoners wel bijzonder, wat een tegenstelling tot de steden en de omgeving van de eerste weken. Er is geen boom te zien en de heuvels glooien in elkaar over als de golven die binnen komen rollen op het strand van Bergen aan Zee. Adembenemend mooi, maar ook woest en ontembaar. De lage temperatuur en straffe wind, rond de 7 a 8 Beaufort, gevuld met zand, zou deze rit er niet aangenamer op maken. Ik voelde me op de motor als een van de schaapherders die we af en toe tegen kwamen; eenzaam en overgeleverd aan de elementen. Al te veel tijd van de schone woestenij te genieten had ik niet, de ene kuil of zandbak dook op binnen luttele seconden. Geen tijd om rustig in het zadel te zitten. Opletten voor deze verraderlijke hindernissen was prioriteit. Niet te dicht op je voorganger, want het stof wat hij opwierp verslechterde het zicht enorm. Af en toe in deze “mooie” hel een vrachtauto passeren, waarvan er een, een grote kei op mijn tank liet spatten, maakte het zelfs iets heftiger. De valpartijen waren vandaag dan ook aan de order van de dag, ik heb er zelf een viertal gezien. Gelukkig geen letstels. Mij is het bespaard gebleven, niet vanwege mijn skills maar voornamelijk geluk en veiligheid boven alles te zetten. Alhoewel het was niet toegestaan de voorste rijder in te halen, dus ik moest me wel inhouden ;-) Nee, het was echt op de grens. Na een paar uur rijden zijn we gestopt bij een Yurt kamp. Hier leven een aantal mongolen in (nu van stenen opgebouwd) rond huisje a la de bekende Mongoolse tenten. De ballonnen hebben hier ook hun werk weer gedaan ik, heb het kamp een beetje verfraaid met de Slaets ballonnen. Even tussen door: enkele dagen geleden, was een groep de weg kwijt, toen ze in een dorpje kwamen en allemaal kleine kinderen met ballonnen zagen lopen wisten ze dat ze weer op de goede weg zaten. Ook hier werden we opgewarmd met zang en muziek, want koud was het vandaag. Na een paar uur rijden in dezelfde hel heb ik een lekke achterband gekregen. Ik baalde hier enorm van, maar al gauw was ik met een groep van een stuk of 7 rijders mijn band aan het omleggen. Een prop konden we er niet in krijgen, want we konden het gat niet vinden?! Gelukkig had de volgauto nog van een andere rijder een reserveband in zijn kofferbak liggen. Dus met z’n alle aan het werk. De zandstorm maakte het er niet eenvoudiger op, maar met mijn gereedschap en de geleende electrische pomp (Thanks to Kasper) de reparatie uitvoeren gaf toch wel een goed gevoel. Uiteindelijk hebben we er in totaal 2 uur over gedaan. Veel tijd verspild met het zoeken naar het gat. De groep die doorgereden was wachtte ons op een 15 km op in een echte Yurt tent annex eettent. Zij hebben daar ruim een uur gewacht enerzijds op ons en anderzijds omdat de eigenaar geen eters verwachtte en eerst nog even een geit moest slachten. Dus toen wij arriveerde, was het vlees (met bot en huid) net gaar. Eerst aarzelend, maar uiteindelijk zat iedereen ervan te eten. De laatste kilometers waren over asfalt, in de nog harder waaiende wind waaide het “snot” letterlijk uit mijn neus. In Manzhouli werden we, zoals we al de laatste weken mee gemaakt hadden, door een ieder bewonderend en vooral verbaasd aangekeken. De ontvangst in ons hotel was dan ook weer hartelijk en zelfs een TV ploeg, kwam ons filmen. In Harbin haalde we met onze groep zelfs de voorpagina van de krant. Snel het stof uit mijn baard gewassen, ja want deze begint nu al echt vorm te krijgen, om daarna dit bericht voor jullie te schrijven. Nog 2 dagen in China, overmorgen gaan we de grens met Rusland over.
Aangezien ik vandaag geen tijd heb gehad om foto’s te maken, heb ik verslag met wat foto’s van de afgelopen periode opgefleurd.
China Wow!!...What else can I say? We’ve seen and done so many things in the first 15 days in China, people, traffic, temples, rides and food that it's impossible to cover it all in one letter.
We've eaten a ton of awesome Chinese food; so much that most of us are getting pretty good at using our chopsticks. But for sure, we have also all gotten good at riding as a group through the crazy city traffic. At first, traffic in the cities seems like total chaos, but once you’ve experienced it, along with guidance from our Helge and Mike, you learn the Chinese “system”. It is so wild that after driving a motorcycle in China’s cities we all will be much better/safer riders in traffic back home.
Everyday has been an adventure; there is always some highlight some where in the day that makes it a very special one. You never know when and where these special events will take place. You just have to be open, take things as they come, leave your expectation and paradigms at home and let the magic happen.
Sometimes I’ve thought, “. . . well, this will be a straight-forward ride, it’s only a couple of hundred kilometers, what could possibly happen?” Next thing you know, we get lost (or more like off route) and have a great ride through back roads, or along trails through some farmer’s fields. Or like the day we had taken the expressway and get pulled over by 3 police cars that send us off through miles of back roads under construction.
Then the other day we stopped at this hotel that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. It didn’t seem like there would be much to do, what possible adventure could be here? Maybe this will just be a blank kind of day. Well that didn’t last long, for as soon as we were about to park the bikes in the secure parking garage of the hotel, one of my fellow riders pointed to a dirt road and some hills in the distance and suggested we take an extra ride.
By the way, this fellow rider was introduced to me as Joe, “Joe Rocket” that is. Apparently he could ride fast very well. When I first heard him referred to as “Joe Rocket” I looked at him and thought hum?? With that white beard, he looks more like he could be driving a sleigh at Christmas time.
Well as we, “Joe Rocket”, two other riders and I blasted down a rough pot-holed dirt road heading for the distant hills, I start eating dust. I eat “Joe Rocket’s” dust for the next couple of hours, I couldn’t even come close! In fact, he has to stop for me at every fork in the road so I knew where the heck he was!! [Must have been a fast sleigh he trained on] But what a ride! The BMW GS just ate up the bumps and handled the rough terrain just great.
By the time our little group got back from our adventure ride, the other rides were having a great time with the local staff, taking group pictures and printing them on a portable printer that Mike brought along, right at one of the dinner tables. Everyone was enjoying the interaction regardless that we couldn’t speak each other’s language; smiles and laughter filled the restaurant.
China is a lot of things, but one thing that makes China so interesting is the people. Everyone in China has been great to us. From the cities to the small communities, they are very friendly, they help when they can and they try to communicate with us in anyway they can. They are interested in us and what we are doing, where we are from and they enjoy it when they can show or share something of theirs with us. Everywhere you look they are busy working, construction sites, road maintenance, open-air markets, stores big and small - everyone seems to be busy.
Wherever we go we get gawked at, even the people working in the rice fields stop and look at us ride by. Sometimes when we stop, we get quite a crowd of people around, it seems like maybe that they haven’t seen people like us before and most likely have never seen bikes like ours, which they call BMW “Bao Ma”, or “Treasure Horse”. The people of China have really made our experience just great.
We only have a day and bit left in China before going onto Russia, and I am already wanting to come back and experience this land and its people again. If you haven’t been to China, like to travel and can be open-minded and free of expectations, then put China on your list of places to visit.
I talk a lot about the joys of adventuring by motorbike. It is the perfect way to travel, it's immediate, it's real, it's about "the ride", speed, mobility, power, concentration, technology, pushing the envelope, planning, skill and execution. Best of all, there is a bond amongst riders that crosses cultural, religious, and political boundaries. It's genetic. It's in the blood. If you ride, you are part of a global community. If you don't, you'll never understand.
Harbin is special. Nowhere since leaving Beijing is the universal brotherhood of riders felt more strongly. As we roll into town, we see a large contingent of the Harbin Motorcycle club clustered at a street corner. We wave as we motor past. Watching my "six", within a few seconds, I see the swarm approaching, wildly dancing through traffic already overwhelmed by our passing. We're surrounded by a mad hoard of riders, weaving, dodging, racing ahead, helmetless, helmeted, wearing expensive leathers or T-shirts and slacks, the melee mixes it up with us as we ride into Harbin.
We park our loaded mounts in a square adjacent to our hotel. A crowd instantly materializes. The group is presented with a bouquet of flowers. A TV crew conducts interviews. A newspaper crew is not far behind. Handshakes and smiles abound.
That evening, we blow off the planned "tour" dinner, and instead, the entire group is invited to the BBQ and Beer restaurant of the club's captain. Pictures of bikes and riders adorn all the walls, some of the members of previous GlobeRiders World Tours. As the drink and food flow, the now traditional "signing" frenzy begin. Permanent markers are handed tour, and we're asked to put our signatures on shirts, Dianese and Kushitani leathers, sports coats, helmets, pictures, arms.
From dinner, we move on to a private rider's club, a richly appointed two-story affair, with a full bar, hookahs, neon lights, strobes, a DJ spinning hip-hop and Chinese rap, and motorcycle memorabilia everywhere. After this interlude, the hardiest move onto a disco - a good thing we added an extra recovery day this year!
The next morning, the World Tour and Harbin riders re-group, and an even larger crowd of curious on-lookers materializes. Word has gotten out that I'm on a sidecar, and a group of local sidecarists show up on their highly-customized rigs. We've made the front page of the city's newspaper. With a thunderous cacophony of raw unmuffled power, the club's "chairman" arrives on his immaculate V-Rod Harley. In addition to being the most outrageous rider in the club, he's also a master calligrapher, and proceeds to adorn our rider's bikes with Chinese characters of their choosing.
The signing formalities completed, we road march the tour, and head out of Harbin, once again surrounded by "the brotherhood". At the outskirts of the city, we wave our good-byes. It's been a heady and memorable visit. We promise to meet again in 2008. | 2019-04-22T00:28:37Z | http://globeriders.com/live!journal_pages/gwt06_live!journal/gwt06_journal_week03.shtml |
The interior lining or insulation was a very high tech product in the 1970 made from a closed cell foam called ensolite laminated to a tough vinyl outer layer, it is often called Elephant Skin. Both the lining and the fiberglass cabinets are extremely durable, most standard cleaners will work without causing any harm with one exception. It is always best to try to clean the vinyl surface first, often any staining and discoloration can be removed leaving a clean soft white interior. The non-painted surface will be easier to clean and maintain, on badly discolored walls some people have had success using Spray 9, Simple Green or even a Magic Eraser, but if all your attempts fail you can always paint the interior. I carefully researched and tested the following method and it has stood up very well over the years.
DO NOT USE HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS ON THE FRONT & REAR WINDOWS, you will permanently damage the window surface (see section on Windows – Care & Cleaning).
The tape used on the seams of the elephant skin was actually a two sided foam tape that talcum powder was applied to the outer side, often this tape is either missing or falling off. Finding a replacement tape that will actually stick and stay stuck is difficult to find, my recommendation is to apply a paintable latex caulking to the seam gap, you can blend this to almost make the seams disappear. The product I used was DAP Dynaflex 230, which is and indoor outdoor caulking that is incredibly easy to work with and offers a 50-year satisfaction guarantee (and it cleans up with water if you make a mistake, that is until it dries). To apply I recommend making two coats, the first one fill in most of the seam, the second coat fills to final level and can be textured. First clean the area using the cleaning instructions below in the “Painting the Inside” section and allow to dry, apply the caulking sparingly using a caulking gun, forcing it into the seam gaps with a small plastic putty knife or your fingers leaving s slight depression along the seam, clean up any ridges or mistakes immediately before it sets. After the first coat sets there will probably be some shrinkage, apply a second coat with a wider plastic scraper or putty knife (use plastic as I found metal tools left dark marks on the lining), let the caulking set-up some testing areas with your finger to where the surface is skimmed over but can still be shaped. Using a sponge lightly press on the line to apply a texture, you will find it will look very close to the rest of the lining. After it is fully cured you can paint the entire interior, it will look like new.
After a lot of research on the interior Elephant skin lining and trying to get the surface clean and white I came to the conclusion painting was the only alternative. Researching paint I found some very interesting information. First was surface preparation, I have always used trisodium phosphate (TSP) as a cleaner but discovered that many paint manufacturers will VOID their warranty if it is used. The reason appears to be related to insufficient rinsing which leaves a residue that the paint will not adhere to. The recommended cleaning agent is ammonia and water in a 1:1 ratio. The ammonia water cleaner works very well on oil, grease and stubborn stains, it also does not require rinsing and dries leaving no residue (again DO NOT get this solution on the acrylic front and rear windows). After cleaning the entire interior is primed using a high adhesive primer, I used Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3, this is a Rustoleum product that can be used to prime ceramic tile for painting so it should work. Over the primer use a high quality latex paint, I used Rustoleum Painter’s Touch in gloss white. The paint has currently been on since 2011 and I am extremely pleased with the look and durability at this time.
Was out this morning fiber-glassing the support in for the front bunk (old one was rotten). Some of the old paint on the ceiling is peeling off and we are planning on painting the interior anyway so I started peeling the paint back. Woah! Lots of mildew strewn across the ensolite. Not sure if this is because there is a leak between the fiberglass ceiling and ensolite or if it just formed on the outside of the foam and was not cleaned properly before the last person painted it. Regardless I’m now peeling as much of the old paint off as possible so we can spray the interior with ammonia/water (50/50). Then we will repair some of the ensolite that is releasing from the body with foam adhesive and then fill the spaces between the foam sheets with a paintable caulking. Lots of work but we are hoping to have it completed by Easter so we can camp……maybe wishful thinking.
Sounds like you are busy Ryan.
I am guessing the mold was not cleaned properly to start with, it will not penetrate the ensolite so a good cleaning, there is also a good chance that an oil based enamel was used previously which will trap moisture whereas a latex will breath and any moisture should dry. Best adhesive to use for the ensolite to fiberglass is a good quality contact cement or automotive headliner adhesive used according to manufacturers directions. Consider the temperature extremes your trailer goes through, the adhesive has to be designed for this, it is called “Service Temperature Range” look for a cement with a broad range.
Good luck on your project and make sure it is usable for the summer. You want to enjoy camping season.
Thanks for the reply Ian. So it’s coming along. I’ve taken your advice and filled all of the gaps with the DAP paintable silicone. Then I used the Zinnser Bull’s Eye 1-2-3 primer after cleaning with ammonia 1:1 (Highly recommended to wear a proper mask even with the door and all the windows cranked open). I didn’t see your reply in time and bought a foamboard adhesive from Rona to stick down any of the ensolite that was peeling back. I used a high quality latex paint (for it’s low toxicity and easy clean up) which we decided to add a very small tinge of black and yellow shade to. We found the white was just too white given the cabinets and other parts have an aged appearance.
I’m wondering if anyone has tips on what to paint the cupboards with? I was thinking the Bull’s Eye primer will probably work but I’m not sure what paint to use.
Next steps……..clean the inside and hide the wires from the Fantastic Fan. We are looking to camp on Saltspring Island, BC next weekend.
I actually painted the fiberglass step (curb) area around the dropped kitchen floor with the same products I used for the ensolite, it worked great, been 2 years now and no peeling, chipping etc, and easy to touch up if needed.
I painted the interior of my boler with paint that I can’t even recall what kind. Anyways, only afte one year it has already started peeling. I tried scrubbing it off with no avail and considering redoing the whole inside but I don’t have time. So what should I do? Am I able to repaint over again with the products you suggested? Please let me know. I want a quick fix just for this year cause we are going on a road trip.
Unfortunately there is no easy fix for your situation, any paint you put on top of the existing paint is only as good as the bond between the original paint and the wall. I think your best advice could come from your local professional paint supplier (not your local home improvement store, go to a paint supplier the professionals use) I think in the end the only solution will be to use a paint stripping chemical that is compatible with the vinyl surface, this will be a VERY messy job but that way you are sure the paint is applied and stick directly to the vinyl base.
When you talk about ‘painting the inside’ is this directly on the fibreglass you are referring to or onto the elephant skin?
When I got my Surfside eight or so years ago, the guy I bought it from told me I had to use marine paint for the interior. This I did, and it seems to be standing up quite well. Very “heady” during the painting/drying stage, though! You definitely need a well-ventilated area and maybe even good mask!
For the fiberglass items marine paint would be the best, thank you for the tip. These instructions are mainly focused on how to paint the vinyl cover ensolite wall insulation/covering. There are very few products better for painting fiberglass than Marine topside paint, but on a surface as soft and flexible as the lining I would be afraid of cracking and flaking because of the movement and/or bubbling if moisture were trapped behind it from interior condensation through the back side of the lining.
Bought a 1979 13′ and the guy had already stripped the ensolite off ,now i’m trying to clean the glue and pieces of foams that was left left on the walls and ceiling.What a job.
Where do you get Ensolite or could you suggest a finish I could put on the fiberglass.
Unfortunately the original lining (vinyl coated ensolite) is no longer available.
I am also glad you found our site. Dynaflex is easy to work with, it is also very forgiving because if you make a mistake or a mess you can clean it up with water, as long as it has not dried. For the screws, yes you could just go over the point with Dynaflex, you could grind the point off with a Dremel tool and a small grinding wheel, or you could replace the screws with either shorted screws, pop rivets, or machine screws (small bolts).
To get a smooth finish you could use a high build primer over the wood, may take several coats, sand this to a smooth finish then paint the finish coat. Talk to your local paint store for their recommendations.
Please correct me if I am wrong but I don’t think your 1979 17″ uses the vinyl covered ensolite insulation which is only about 1/8″ think, I think yours uses a coated open cell foam liner that is between 3/4″ to an inch thick and quite soft to the touch. If there are seams in the lining close to where it is separating then carefully pull the seam open to expose the area, apply contact cement to both surfaces (if you have the softer lining use water based contact cement). If there are no seams I would not cut it open, the thicker foam will not join together very well. I would probably use an aerosol adhesive like 3M Super 90 (just make sure is comparable with the foam as some will melt foams & plastic material so teat first). then I would poke a small hole in the lining and using a tube extension spray the adhesive behind the lining. It may take several holes but these should be easy to patch later.
you’re right.. I called it the wrong thing. It looks like popcorn but it’s soft and rubbery and thick. I wondered about trying to pump in some silicone calking in case the glue reacts with the rubber .Would that make it stick?
I wouldn’t use silicon, it produces awful smell and I just personally hate the stuff. A would still recommend a spray that can be applied through a very small hole yet able to cover a large area on the back side.
I have a 1975 trillium fiber glass trailer I want to restore. The interior insulation (elephant skin) had water damage underneath as well at the wood frames of the windows which were falling apart from rotting. I tore out the elephant skin and will replace the wood frames around the windows. I’m wondering if there is another alternative for the interior walls other than the insolite elephant skin and if there is not a better option where to buy it. I can’t seem to find any information on the stuff or how much it costs or how easy/difficult it is to install. Thought about lizardskin insulator and panting over that or even rhino lining the inside walls. But no one seems to have ever done either of those things. Just looking for advice and information on the insulation use orgibinally or other options. Thanks!
Although I am no expert with Trillium trailers many of the maintenance and repairs are similar if not identical. The embedded wood frames around the windows rotting are a common problem. For insulation if I were to re-due my Boler I find this product very interesting. Aluthermo Quattro Then cover this with a marine hull liner which is a very stretchy heavier cloth similar to automotive headliner or a fine woven carpet. It is used to line the interiors of boats and is both durable and designed for a moist environment.
Although I have never used Aluthermo Quattro the specification look like they would be ideal for use in our fiberglass trailers. Don’t use truck bed liner or similar coatings, these products do not have any insulating properties, it is important to have an insulating inner layer to reduce the amount of condensation which is an ongoing problem with small fiberglass trailers.
How did your walls turn out and what did you fix with?
I am planning on painting both the fiberglass, the cupboards and the ensolite. From all I read here and elsewhere, I’m planning on using the same primer as you did on all three surfaces.
I was planning on using some latex melamin finish paint. I’m sure it will work fine on fiberglass and cupboards. But do you think it’d be too stiff for the ensolite?
I have read and seen stories of people ripping everything out before painting: cupboards, fiberglass closet and seats, windows, etc. This is my first camper (1975 Boler) and just want to clean it up to use it and see how we like it. I’m not planning on ripping everything out. Is there something I miss?
Yes you can use the same primer on the interior ensolite and fiberglass, on the firberglass you need to prep the surface by sanding to provide a surface the paint will adhere to. You don’t need to remove the cabinets, I specifically don’t recommend removing the closet as it is a structural component and actually fiberglassed in place on the door side. I ran extensive tests on the paint I used on the ensolite, exposing it to temperature extremes, flexing & bending, etc. I cannot comment on the melamine paint you mention, I know most of these products are very durable on interior household surfaces but have no idea how well they will work on the softer surface of the ensolite or the temperature extremes. Most exterior or interior/exterior latex paints have a higher adhesion in temperature and moisture extremes. I would test the product on a small sample of ensolite you could get from inside a cabinet or under the sink.
Do you think chalk paint would work on the interior of a Boler? I just bought a 1971 and interior is salmon pink. After using the chalk paint I was going to finish it off with a wax.
I don’t know this paint product well so read the instructions and I would even test on an area for how well it holds and flexes, when I tested the products I recommend I tested them for several months in extreme conditions and stretched, twisted and bent the lining to make sure it would hold. What is important is that the paint used is for interior / exterior use and that it is a latex base. The reason for this is the inside of the trailer is exposed to an environment similar to the outside including temperature and humidity extremes. Latex because it “breaths” that is any moisture trapped behind the paint film can escape and dry whereas enamel paints can trap moisture and bubbles and blisters will form resulting in the paint peeling.
I want to do a good cleaning of the 1973 Boler we bought. It is pretty dusty especially the cushions. Fingerprints n the ensolite. What is the best product to clean the upholstery and ensolite?
The cushion covers are removable and can be cleaned with upholstery cleaners or laundry detergents. Use usual precautions for colour fastness and shrinkage.
Hey Ian, I love your site. another note for you. Before you paint the interior you can replace the foam tape with 3m double sided tape. you paint over the exposed sticky side and you are left with a taped seem that matches the original almost perfectly.
Good tip Morrgan, what 3M tape are you using? I have not found any tape that will stay stuck except for the 3M VHB tape which is quite costly.
I have a 1975 ECO 13 foot trailer. The elephant skin is real sticky. I have put primmer on it twice and the sticky still comes through. I used a latex primmer called Kill’s. Any idea what to do too stop this problem? I just love my little ECO. This one has a toilet in it. What a great thing to have when dry camping. Any idea how many Eco trailers where made in 1975 that had a bathroom? My first question was, what do I do about sticky elephant skin? I have put Kills on twice and it did not stop the sticky problem. I called scamp and they suggested pulling it out and going with there product. Not gonna happen. Any ideas?
Hello Jim The Eco was made from moulds supplied by Boler, but I am not sure how many were made.
I just acquired a sweet 13 foot 1976 boler. The ensolite was a bit grimy especially around the stove. I used spray nine and a fingernail brush and it cleaned up nicely. I am still considering painting as the seams were spray painted a bright white by the previous owner. My question is: Do I need to prep the walls with the acetone solution after using the spray nine or do you think I can prime directly over this product? Thanks for a great post!
Congratulation on owning a Boler. You would not want to use acetone but I would wash the walls very well with a solution of ammonia and water, this will remove any remaining grease, oil and even residue from the spray 9. Then prime and paint as I describe in the article.
I dove head first into my boler restro a few years ago, only work on it in winter because were busy using it in the summer! I stripped all the old ensolite off added a foil bubble insulation and now am on the hunt for the hull liner. Any chance you know how much linear feet need to do my 13 ft boler?
An ambitious project. I do not know exactly, Looking at the total dimensions that does not exclude any windows or openings you will need about 250 sq/ft.
I just bought a 1977 beachcomber, 15′. Are you familiar with them? They were only made for a handful of years I believe. I’m assuming that it’s made with the same interior materials as 70s bolers?
I’m located in Saskatchewan, Canada, and it will not be stored in a heated facility over winter, it can get to -40 C at times. How does the temperature extremes compare to yours? Wondering if I follow your advice and use the products you did, if it will be successful.
I live in Calgary Alberta so the temperatures are comparable, Calgary may even see more drastic temperature swings whereas Saskatoon probably experiences longer periods of extreme cold. Assuming the interior lining is a vinyl coated ensolite approx 1/8″-3/16″ thick I am confident the procedure and products I recommend will work very well.
Is the Painters Touch latex tintable?
Good question Melody, I am not sure.
Best to check with the paint expert at the paint store, they should be able to answer this.
Thanks for providing all the great information! We are restoring an 13 foot ’74 Boler. It’s last registration date was 30 years ago! The insurance company thought the old registration was quite interesting to see. Considering the Boler has been outside for years, it is in amazing shape. Dirty, yes, but no mice. We were thinking about changing a number of things; however so much of it can remain original that it may remain that way for now. We were thinking of putting a backsplash up behind the sink and stove area. Any ideas what would be the best material to use?
We are also planning to put stainless steel on the hitch side of the Boler to protect if from stones. The previous owner had some type of rubber material on it, we think. It is disintegrated in most areas. How would you remove it without damaging the exterior?
For a back splash many use the peel and stick tiles, there are some great options and they seem to stick very well, just clean the ensolite well to make sure there is no grease.
The rubber on the front may have been original, this rubber floor mat was standard on some models, to protect the front you could use stainless steel (although it is heavy and expensive, aluminum checker plate, a common solution is spray on truck bed liner, or even a tongue box (like I use) works to protect the front. Removing the rubber is a PITA, I had it on my Boler and it appeared to be attached with a carpet adhesive, I used a heat gun (carefully) then solvents to clean off the glue residue.
our trailer. We were thinking of taking off the material, but perhaps cleaning and painting sounds easier. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Debbie in Emma Lake, Saskatchewan.
I believe Surfside uses a similar lining. I would definitely try to clean it first, only paint if absolutely necessary.
You can use almost any household cleaner on these interiors, do test in a small hidden area but I hear of excellent results from Spray 9, Magic Eraser, etc.
When you say amonia for cleaning the inside of the trailer what do you mean? Something like sudsy amonia? or is this something else?
Hi Karen. Regular ammonia (NH3) available at most super markets or home improvement stores.
The ammonia I am referring to does not foam so a “sudsy ammonia” would be a cleaner with other ingredients added.
We have had a ’76 Boler for about 7 years. Three years ago the interior had a thin layer of black mold in the spring. I cleaned it with a spray product called concrobium mold control. This spring the mold is back! Will the ammonia solution that you recommend kill the mold as well as clean the interior?
Also the seams are starting to split. Do I have to remove all of the tape or can I just patch the bad spots with the Dynaflex 230. We will be travelling for 4 months so we want to do anything that needs to be done now in order that our travels can be maintenance free.
I checked the MSDS for and it appears the active ingredients are Trisodium phosphate and Sodium Carbonate. Although Ammonia and water have been tested to kill mold a better alternative would be a bleach based product. Mold also needs something to feed on and moisture to survive, there could be some oils of cooking residue on your walls that along with the humidity is supporting the mold growth. Always test any product before using and follow instructions. I would use a bleach based product first, rinse well then wipe down with the ammonia solution. As is pointed out in the next comment DO NOT mix ammonia & bleach, make sure the walls are completey dry and rinsed before hand.
You can definitely just patch the seam areas where the tape is missing or loose, it is easy to touch up any seams with the Dynaflex as needed.
Hi Ian, thanks for all the information. You’ve answered every question I had. One caution–do not use bleach and ammonia together as it is highly toxic or combustible (I can’t remember which, but just don’t use them together).
It’s not advisable to use bleach for cleaning the camper – reacts with the elastomers and rubber inside the vinyl and foams. Will either eat the material or degrade/embrittle it. Noticed this when trying to clean out some spots of mold on my cushions, and read up further on it.
I have just purchased a 1979 surf side triple e trailer. Interior elephant skin had to be removed completely. Can I spray the complete interior with a bed truck liner?
Although truck bed liner is a very tough and durable coating it does not have any insulating qualities. Fibreglass trailers are very prone to high levels of condensation inside, insulation of some type reduces this considerably, without any insulation or with just the truck bed liner the walls will literally be running with water.
I used an oil based paint on the elephant skin where the backsplash is. Will the oil-based paint harm the elephant skin? I plan to put peel and stick tiles on. Should I strip that paint and use the water-based paint you recommended or can I simply stick the tile on top? If I need to strip it, what should I use?
The reason I recommend latex paints are because they breath, any moisture that manages to get behind the paint can evaporate through the paint, where most oil based paint forms a moisture proof barrier, if any moisture gets behind it the result is usually blistering and peeling. The actual paint will not harm the ensolite. In your case I would leave it and only consider stripping if a problem occurs sometime in the future.
Hi Ian. Good to know about using latex instead of oil based for the breathable factor, I’ve noticed some bubbling on my boler and I’m guessing that is why. I do like the idea of having a little extra insulation on the inside and using that reflective foil with headliner fabric but I do have a few questions. Would I need to worry about moisture between the fiberglass wall and the foil, if I do get condensation then I would have to worry about the water pooling on the floor. Also, would it be better to strip off the ensolite first or do you think I could just glue the foil right over the ensolite? Any advice would help, thanks!!
What do you advise using to get the residue from the foam tape’s adhesive off the elephant skin? I tried using Goo Gone to no avail.
hey Ian…..just finished cleaning the ensolite with tsp….then read this…oops. I’m planning on repainting so what if I just give another quick once over with the ammonia and water solution?
Yes, rinse really well and you should be fine.
Hi Ian, I’m not sure if my interior insulation is ensolite, it’s the stipple style( popcorn) type. Do you think I can follow the same cleaning painting instructions as with the smooth elephant style? Thanks Marc, great site by the way!
I would really try to clean it first but if you have to paint, yes you should be able to use the same process I describe. The primer is designed to be used on ceramic tile and the top coat is very flexible.
Your price is great but fixing the interior paint will be a little challenging. I would start with trying a solvent like acetone (work with good ventilation and I would recommend an organic respirator). If that does not work you could try a citric paint stripper but test an area first, then only do a small area at a time and rinse really really well.
Hi, just purchased my 1974 Boler. It was sitting under a tree for 10 years. Thank you for the wonderful information, I’m eager to start working on this beauty.
I have a 1978 13 foot boler. My son and I have been restoring it. I have painted the ensolite with the recommended paint. Now to paint the fibreglass lower portion inside. What grit of sand paper is needed to scuff up the fibreglass? And will I need to use a primer also? Or two coats of the paint.
Hi Nancy, prep the fibreglass surface by sanding with 220 grit sandpaper, this will provide a surface the paint can grip to yet will not show any sanding marks in the finish. Follow the instructions on the paint you select, most will recommend a primer first to enhance the paint adhesion, but some newer paints may not require the primer. | 2019-04-23T08:08:47Z | http://www.boler-camping.com/boler-care-maintenance/cleaning-decorating-the-interior/ |
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Taxes. All fees listed in the Order are exclusive of any taxes. You will be responsible for all taxes, including sales or use taxes, VAT, export or import taxes, excluding taxes on Bromium’s net income.
TITLE AND OWNERSHIP. The original and any copies of the Software and Documentation, excluding OSS and Third Party Code, and accompanying documentation, in whole or in part, including translations, compilations, partial copies, modifications, enhancements, customizations, revisions, derivative works, updates, the Infrastructure, and the results of any Services, whether made pursuant to this Agreement or a separate statement of work (“SOW”) are the property of Bromium and are protected by United States and international copyright, patent, trade secret and other laws and treaty provisions. The License is not a sale and does not transfer to You any title or ownership interest in or to the Software, Documentation, Infrastructure, Services or any patent, copyright, trade secret, trade name, trademark or other proprietary or intellectual property rights related to the Software, Documentation, Infrastructure or Services. All right, title and interest in and to the Software, Documentation, Infrastructure and Services, excluding OSS and Third Party Code, remains with Bromium. The OSS and Third Party Code is subject to third party licenses and to the Warranty Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability set forth below. You may not remove, alter, or obscure any proprietary notices contained on or within the Software or Documentation and shall reproduce such notices on any back-up copy of the Software and Documentation.
FEEDBACK. Any comments, ideas, or reports you provide to Bromium regarding the Software, Documentation, Evaluation Software, Beta Materials, or Beta Programs, or installation, functionality, performance, accuracy, consistency, and ease of use of Bromium’s software or services (“Feedback”) will be considered Bromium’s proprietary and confidential information, and you hereby irrevocably transfer and assign to Bromium all rights embodied in or arising in connection with such Feedback. Bromium, in its sole discretion, may freely use all Feedback, without attribution or compensation to You.
DELIVERY AND ACCEPTANCE. ALL SOFTWARE PROVIDED HEREUNDER WILL BE DELIVERED ELECTRONICALLY. Bromium provides evaluation licenses of its products for testing and pre-acceptance before purchase. Thus, all Software will be deemed to be delivered and accepted, meaning the Software operates in substantial conformity to the Documentation, upon transmission of a notice of availability for download and Your subsequent downloading, installing, operating, registering or otherwise using the Software.
CONFIDENTIALITY. The Software, Documentation, Infrastructure, Services, and all information disclosed by Bromium to You hereunder or otherwise in connection with this Agreement, together with, for Evaluation Software and Beta Materials, all results of Your evaluation and participation in the Beta Programs (collectively “Confidential Information”), are confidential information of Bromium and shall not be disclosed by You to any third party. You shall only use the Confidential Information as expressly permitted by this Agreement, and in no other manner. You agree to take all necessary precautions to avoid disclosure and misuse of the Confidential Information. You shall promptly notify Bromium if You become aware of any breach of this confidentiality obligation and agree to remedy any such breach.
CLOUD SERVICES. Each Cloud Service User must have a paid subscription. Cloud Service User subscriptions are for named users and cannot be shared or used by more than one user but may be transferred to new users from users who have terminated an employment or contracting relationship with you.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. Any Professional Services, training or other requirements not expressly included in an Order or separate SOW signed by the parties are outside the scope of this Agreement and will only be provided for additional fees. Fees for such items are payable as specified in the applicable Order and unless otherwise specified will be due upon receipt of invoice. Changes in any SOW will be effective only if a change order request is signed by both parties.
SUPPORT SERVICES. Provided You have purchased Support Services for the Software, You will be entitled to receive the services outlined in the Maintenance Terms, attached as Exhibit A to this Agreement.
BETA AND EARLY RELEASE PROGRAMS. Bromium may invite You, or You may elect, to participate in Bromium’s beta or early release programs (collectively, the “Beta Programs”). Beta Programs may require You to provide Feedback or other information to Bromium related to your use of the Software or Services, including Evaluation Software (collectively, the “Beta Materials”), and You agree to provide such Feedback or information. Additional terms and requirements for Beta Programs may be communicated to you in writing, including by electronic mail. Additionally, You will promptly respond to all survey requests or other requests for information related to your participation in the Beta Program. In connection with Your participation in the Beta Programs, You agree to make use of then current version of the Beta Materials made available by Bromium to You. Upon Bromium’s request, You agree to return or destroy, or cease use of, all Beta Material. Beta Materials are provided without warranties or indemnities of any kind.
“Personal Data”, “processing”, “Controller” and “Processor” shall have the meanings given to them in Applicable Privacy Law(s). If and to the extent that Applicable Privacy Law(s) do not define such terms, then the definitions given in EU Directive 95/46/EC (as amended, superseded or replaced) will apply.
If You are sending Personal Data originating from the European Economic Area and wish to execute the standard contractual clauses for the transfer of Personal Data to Processors (as approved by the European Commission) and Bromium’s data processing addendum (“DPA”), Bromium will, upon Your request, provide and execute such standard contractual clauses and DPA.
TERM AND TERMINATION. You may begin exercising the rights granted to You under this Agreement upon accepting the terms and conditions of this Agreement. You may continue to exercise the rights granted to You under this Agreement so long as You continue to comply with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Bromium reserves the right to terminate this Agreement and Your License, upon commercially reasonable notice, for Your failure to comply with any term or condition in this Agreement. You may terminate this Agreement at any time by providing Bromium with written notice and removing the Software, destroying the Software and certifying such destruction, or returning the Software to Bromium, including all copies of the Software and any associated documentation. Unless otherwise stated in this Agreement, any fees and payments paid by You to Bromium under this Agreement are not refundable, even if either party terminates this Agreement.
SURVIVAL. Those provisions regarding title and ownership, confidentiality, Feedback, warranty statement and disclaimer, and limitation of liability in this Agreement shall survive any termination.
LIMITED WARRANTY STATEMENT AND DISCLAIMER.
Limited Software Warranty. Bromium warrants that, for a period of ninety (90) days from the date You are notified the Software is available for download or, in the case of Evaluation Software purchased after the evaluation period, upon receipt of an invoice (“Warranty Period”), the Software licensed hereunder (including any upgrades and updates provided within the Warranty Period) will perform substantially in accordance with the applicable Documentation. Your exclusive remedy under this warranty shall be, at Bromium’s option, either: (i) repair or replacement of the Product that does not meet this limited warranty; or (ii) a credit in the amount of the price paid to Bromium for the Software, resulting in termination of this Agreement. Bromium also warrants that any Services will be performed consistent with accepted industry standards.
Exclusion of Warranty. The above Limited Warranty will not apply if: (i) the Software is not used in accordance with this Agreement or the Documentation, (ii) the Software or any part thereof has been modified by any entity other than Bromium or (iii) a malfunction in the Software has been caused by any equipment or software not supplied by Bromium.
Warranty Disclaimer. THE ABOVE WARRANTIES ARE YOUR EXCLUSIVE WARRANTIES AND REPLACE ALL OTHER WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, TITLE, ACCURACY OF INFORMATIONAL CONTENT, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF RESPONSES, RESULTS, OR WORKMANLIKE EFFORT, LACK OF VIRUSES, AND LACK OF NEGLIGENCE, ALL WITH REGARD TO THE SOFTWARE, AND THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT SERVICES. IN ADDITION, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THERE IS NO WARRANTY OF QUIET ENJOYMENT, QUIET POSSESSION AND CORRESPONDENCE TO DESCRIPTION WITH REGARD TO THE SOFTWARE. YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY BROMIUM, BROMIUM’S AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES, OR ANY OTHER PARTY SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR AMEND THIS LIMITED WARRANTY. Some jurisdictions do not allow exclusions of implied warranties or conditions, so the above exclusion may not apply to You to the extent prohibited by such local laws. You may have other rights that vary from country to country, state to state, or province to province.
INDEMNIFICATION. Bromium, shall indemnify, defend, and, at its option, settle any claim, suit or proceeding brought against You based on an allegation that the Software infringes upon any patent or copyright of any third party (“Infringement Claim”), provided You promptly notify Bromium in writing of Your notification or discovery of an Infringement Claim such that Bromium is not prejudiced by any delay in such notification. Bromium will have sole control over the defense or settlement of any Infringement Claim, and You will provide reasonable assistance in the defense of the same. Following notice of any Infringement Claim, or if Bromium believes such a claim is likely, Bromium may at its sole expensive and option: (i) procure for You the right to continue to use the alleged infringing Software; or (ii) replace or modify the Software to make it non-infringing. Bromium assumes no liability for any Infringement Claims or allegations of infringement based on: (i) Your use of Software after notice that you should cease use of the same due to an Infringement Claim; (ii) any modification of the Software by You or at Your direction; or (iii) Your combination of the Software with other programs, data hardware or other materials, if such infringement Claim would have been avoided by the use of the Software alone. THE FOREGOING STATES YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY WITH RESPECT TO ANY INFRINGEMENT CLAIM AND DOES NOT APPLY TO EVALUATION SOFTWARE OR BETA MATERIALS FOR WHICH THERE IS NO INDEMNITY.
AUDIT. Bromium may, at its expense, upon reasonable prior written notice to You and during standard business hours, audit Your use of the Software no more than once each calendar year to assure compliance with the terms of this Agreement. If an audit reveals the You have underpaid fees to Bromium, You shall be invoiced for such underpaid fees based upon Bromium’s price list in effect at the time the audit is completed. The cost of the audit will be paid by You if the audit discloses that the amount of underpayment exceeds 5% of the amount due.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. IN NO EVENT WILL EITHER PARTY OR ITS SUPPLIERS OR DISTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY LOST PROFITS, LOSS OF USE, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF DATA OR COST OF OBTAINING SUBSTITUTE GOODS, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, OR THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF SUCH PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. EXCEPT FOR INFRINGEMENT INDEMNFICIATION, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF BROMIUM, ITS SUPPLIERS, RESELLERS AND DISTRIBUTORS, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT, HOWEVER CAUSED AND UNDER ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), OR OTHERWISE, EXCEPT AS RELATED TO THE INDEMINIFICATION PROVISIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT, EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF MONEY PAID BY YOU FOR THE SOFTWARE. THE FOREGOING LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SHALL APPLY NOTWITHSTANDING ANY FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY LIMITED REMEDY STATED HEREIN.
U.S. GOVERNMENT RIGHTS. The Software and Documentation are “commercial items” as that term is defined at FAR 2.101. If You are the US Federal Government (Government) Executive Agency (as defined in FAR 2.101), Bromium provides the Software and Documentation, including any related technical data, and/or professional services in accordance with the following: If acquired by or on behalf of any Executive Agency (other than an agency within the Department of Defense (DoD), the Government acquires, in accordance with FAR 12.211 (Technical Data) and FAR 12.212 (Computer Software), only those rights in technical data and software customarily provided to the public as defined in this Agreement. If acquired by or on behalf of any Executive Agency within the DoD, the Government acquires, in accordance with DFARS 227.7202-3 (Rights in commercial computer software or commercial computer software documentation), only those rights in technical data and software customarily provided in this Agreement. In addition, DFARS 252.227-7015 (Technical Data – Commercial Items) applies to technical data acquired by DoD agencies. Any Federal Legislative or Judicial Agency shall obtain only those rights in technical data and software customarily provided to the public as defined in this Agreement. If any Federal Executive, Legislative, or Judicial Agency has a need for rights not conveyed under the terms described in this Section, it must negotiate with Bromium to determine if there are acceptable terms for transferring such rights, and a mutually acceptable written addendum specifically conveying such rights must be included in any applicable contract or agreement to be effective. If this Agreement fails to meet the Government’s needs or is inconsistent in any way with Federal law, and the parties cannot reach a mutual agreement on terms for this Agreement, the Government agrees to terminate its use of the Software and Documentation and return the Software and Documentation and any other software or technical data delivered as part of the Software and Documentation, unused, to Bromium. This U.S. Government Rights clause in this Section is in lieu of, and supersedes, any other FAR, DFARS, or other clause, provision, or supplemental regulation that addresses Government rights in computer software or technical data under this Agreement.
COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS. Each party will be responsible for compliance with all applicable laws and government regulations in the process of marketing, delivering and/or using the Software, Documentation and Services. The Software, Documentation and any associated hardware, software, technology or services may not be exported, reexported, transferred or downloaded to persons or entities listed on the U.S. Department of Commerce Denied Persons List, Entity List of proliferation concern, or on any U.S. Treasury Department Designated Nationals exclusion list, any country under U.S. economic embargo, or to parties directly or indirectly involved in the development or production of nuclear, chemical, biological weapons or in missile technology programs as specified in the U.S. Export Administration Regulations. By accepting this Agreement You confirm that You are not: (i) located in (or a national resident of) any country under U.S. economic embargo; (ii) identified on any U.S. Department of Commerce Denied Persons List, Entity List or Treasury Department Designated Nationals exclusion list; and (iii) directly or indirectly involved in the development or production of nuclear, chemical, biological weapons or in missile technology programs as specified in the U.S. Export Administration Regulations.
PRESS RELEASES. Except as prohibited by law or with respect to government organizations, Bromium may use Your or Your company’s name and logo in Bromium’s marketing program including use on Bromium’s company website, marketing literature, and in press releases.
ASSIGNMENT. This Agreement may not be assigned by either of the parties by operation of law or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the other party, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld. Such consent is not required in connection with the assignment of the Agreement pursuant to a merger, acquisition or sale of all or substantially all of the assigning party’s assets.
ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement constitutes the final, complete, and exclusive understanding and agreement between Bromium and You relating to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous understandings, agreements, and communications, and/or advertising with respect to such subject matter. This Agreement cannot be amended, modified, or waived, unless done so in writing and signed by an authorized Bromium representative.
SEVERABILITY. If any term or provision of this Agreement is determined to be illegal or unenforceable, the validity or enforceability of the remainder of the terms or provisions herein will remain valid and in full force and effect. Failure or delay in enforcing any right or provision of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision with respect to any subsequent breach. Provisions herein, which by their nature extend beyond termination of the Software license, will remain in effect until fulfilled.
GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles. Each Party agrees to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Santa Clara County, California. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is specifically disclaimed. If the Software was acquired outside the United States, then local law may apply.
These Maintenance Terms form part of the Agreement between You and Bromium and set forth the terms and conditions under which Bromium will Support Services to You pursuant to the Bromium maintenance plan purchased by You in relation to the Software. Fees for Support Services shall be prepaid by You along with all applicable taxes, and are non-refundable.
In the event that You have licensed the Software and purchased Support Services through a Bromium-authorized reseller, You will be entitled to all the rights set forth in these Maintenance Terms for as long as Your maintenance payments are current.
MAINTENANCE TERM AND FEES. The term of your Support Services is for the period specified in the applicable Bromium order form. At the end of the initial term (and each renewal term thereafter, if any), the Support Services will expire unless You renew the Support Services by paying Bromium, or the applicable reseller, the fees for Support Services. Bromium may terminate Support Services if You fail to make pay the agreed fees for more than ten (10) days following written notice of delinquency. Either party may terminate this Agreement if the other party materially breaches this Agreement and fails to cure such breach within thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice of breach.
MAINTENANCE UPDATES AND UPGRADES. During the initial or a renewal term of the Support Services, Bromium will make any Update and Upgrade releases for the Software available to you, subject to Bromium’s End of Life policy set forth at https://support.bromium.com/s/article/Product-Support-and-End-of-Life-Policy-EOL (the “EOL Policy”). An “Update” shall mean a generally available release of the same edition of the same Software that Bromium makes available from time to time. An “Upgrade” shall mean a generally available release of the same Software that Bromium makes available from time to time that includes: (i) new editions of the Software that provide major enhancements to the features or functions, as determined by Bromium in its sole discretion; and/or (ii) new editions of the Software that provide additional features or perform additional functions. Upgrades do not include new products that Bromium introduces and markets as distinct licensed products. Bromium may designate a particular release of the Software as an Update or an Upgrade in its sole discretion. Updates and Upgrades shall be considered part of the Software and subject to the teams and conditions of the applicable License Agreement.
SOFTWARE DEFECTS. Bromium shall correct any defects or malfunctions in the Software or the Documentation discovered during the term of Your Support Services as per Bromium’s development schedule and the Priority Levels described below, subject to the EOL Policy. Bromium has no obligation to provide Support Services related to Errors, as defined below, that arise out of or results from: (1) modifications to Software made by you or a third party not authorized by Bromium; (2) Your operation or use of the Software other than as specified in the Documentation; (3) any End User failure, including failure to promptly install any Update or Upgrade; (4) continued use of a Software release after Bromium has recommended You install an Update or Upgrade; or (5) any material breach of the Agreement by You.
TELEPHONE AND EMAIL SUPPORT. Bromium will provide You with all reasonably necessary telephone and email consultation and support and instruction requested by You in connection with Your use and operation of the Software or any problems with the Software, as per the service levels described in Section 6 below and subject to the EOL Policy. You agree to provide Bromium with information regarding the Software problems, including transmission of certain diagnostic, technical, usage and related information and information about Your computers, systems, network and any third party software or hardware that may impact Your usage of the Software.
NOTIFICATION OF ERRORS. You will designate up to three (3) authorized employees/agents (or replacement individuals) (each a “Contact”) who are permitted to request Support Services under the Agreement and have access to Bromium’s Customer Support portal (https://support.bromium.com). Each Contact will be knowledgeable about the Software. These Contacts may request Support Services by sending reports and queries to [email protected]. Bromium may also provide to You a list of persons (in increasing positions of authority) and their telephone numbers (the “Calling List”) for You to contact to report an error. When reporting any Error, You shall provide the classification of the Error and a reasonably detailed explanation, together with underlying data, to substantiate the Error and to assist Bromium in its efforts to diagnose and correct the Error.
Priority 1 Error (Production Down).
Definition. Except for Bromium Enterprise Controller (BEC), a Priority 1 Error is any Error that renders You unable to use the Software on more than 50%, or 1,000 end points, whichever is lower, where it is installed, resulting in a critical impact to Your business operations. For BEC, a Priority 1 Error is defined as any issue that renders BEC completely unusable.
Key Deliverables. In response to a Priority 1 Error, Bromium will immediately provide an appropriate resource and deliver a resolution. Unless otherwise agreed, Bromium will service Priority 1 Errors on a continual effort basis until the Error is resolved. Resolution of Priority 1 Errors may include temporary solutions, enabling Your business to operate until a more comprehensive solution is provided. Priority 1 Error support requires: (1) Appropriate End User personnel are available 24×7 to work with the Bromium support analyst; and (2) End User system access and/or system information is available 24×7. Your failure to provide the required resources will result in the Priority 1 Error being downgraded to a non-critical Error and will be serviced during Bromium’s normal business hours (“Normal Business Hours”).
Priority 2 Error (Significant Business Impact).
Key Deliverables. Priority 2 Errors will be serviced as critical during Normal Business Hours until the Error is resolved. Priority 2 Error support requires: (1) Appropriate End User personnel are during Normal Business Hours to work with the Bromium support analyst; and (2) End User system access and/or system information is available during Normal Business Hours.
Priority 3 Error (Limited Business Impact).
Key Results. Priority 3 Errors will be serviced during Normal Business Hours until the Error is resolved. Priority 3 Error support requires: (1) Appropriate End User personnel are during Normal Business Hours to work with the Bromium support analyst; and (2) End User system access and/or system information is available during Normal Business Hours.
Priority 4 Error (Minimal Business Impact).
Key Results. Priority 4 Errors will be serviced as general issues during Normal Business Hours until the Error is resolved. Priority 4 Error support requires: (1) Appropriate End User personnel are during Normal Business Hours to work with the Bromium support analyst; and (2) End User system access and/or system information is available during Normal Business Hours.
Initial Response Time and Coverage.
Response Definitions. “Response Time” is the time between You reporting an issue to Bromium by opening a support ticket and the time in which a Bromium support analysis has responded to Your issue.
Contact Person(s). You will provide Bromium with a list of Contacts as specified in Section 5 above. Bromium is not responsible for Your failure to update your Contacts as may be necessary.
Supporting Data. You will provide reasonable supporting data to aid in the identification and resolution of the issue.
Installation. You will be responsible for installing any error correction, Update or, if applicable, Upgrade.
Current Release. Unless otherwise agreed, You will to run the current release of the Software. Bromium will provide support for the current and two previous releases of the Software.
EOL Policy. You acknowledge and agree that Bromium’s obligations are subject to the EOL Policy.
TRANSFERRING MAINTENANCE. Support Services may not be transferred or assigned without Bromium’s express written approval and, in any event, may only be transferred or assigned along with the Software and the applicable Agreement. | 2019-04-19T00:34:11Z | https://www.bromium.com/software-license-and-services-agreement/ |
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Where is the Best Place in Beijing to Buy Photo Equipment?
Where is the best place in Beijing to buy photo equipment? I get this question A LOT, so I thought that it was about time that I wrote a post which could act as an easy reference point for those living in, or passing through China’s capital who want to buy photo equipment.
First, let’s talk location. By far the most popular place to buy photographic equipment in Beijing, is a place called the Wukesong Camera Market, also referred to as Beijing Photographic Equipment City (北京摄影器材城 – Běi jīng shè yǐng qì cái chéng). Situated in the west of the city it can be found a short distance north of the Wukesong (五棵松 – wǔ kē sōng) subway station on (Red) Line 1. (If you’re not sure where this is, please head to the excellent site Explore Beijing, find Wukesong in the west, click on the station and it will bring up a detailed local Google map which is ‘zoomable’). Heading north from the subway station, you will eventually arrive at DingHui Qiao (定惠桥 – dìng huì qiáo), or DingHui Bridge. The camera market is on the South East corner. It is quite easy to spot as there will normally be a picture of Jackie Chan holding the latest model of Canon camera, looking down at you from a big billboard.
Once you enter the market, be prepared for photo-equipment overload. As the name of the market suggests, this place isn’t just one store, it’s a multitude of stores, all selling cameras of every different shape and size with the add-ons to go with them. There are stores selling all the latest Canons, Nikons etc., stores selling film cameras, medium format cameras, stories for tripods, stores for lights…you get the picture (excuse the pun).
When you enter, it is important to take your time and have a look around and not get overwhelmed by the selections on display. If there is a particular make and model of camera you are looking for, check out the price in a number of stores and compare prices. I guarantee, they will be different! Also important to note, is that you can haggle. Now, you may think that there may be a chance that the quality isn’t very high if you can haggle over the price but this is not the case. It’s normal practise to haggle and prices are flexible. Not extremely so, but flexible enough to save a little cash. It really helps if you can go to the market with a native Chinese speaker, preferably one with good negotiation skills, as this can make a real difference.
The next important thing to note is, when you are buying photo-equipment in China (at least in virtually all of the shops I’ve been to on the mainland) you are given two prices for your camera. The first price you are normally offered is the price without a receipt. Yes, that’s with no receipt. Photography isn’t a cheap pastime and even the cheaper cameras can still be a little pricey, so the thought of spending a lot of cash, only for it to fail an then having no receipt, isn’t a nice one. So, make sure you get the price for your equipment with a receipt. I was in Wukesong just last week and the price difference was 4% higher with a receipt. I am not sure if this is a standard figure in all stores, but it will be thereabouts. If you have gotten to this point, don’t forget to ask for a couple of small freebies. If you’re parting with a sizeable amount of money, they will usually throw in a gift or two.
The Wukesong camera market does have a good reputaion and I know of lots of professionals who go there. Saying that, if you do buy a piece of equipment and you will be in town for a while, it’s a good idea to take it to the local service center who can check the camera. They will normally do this for free, as the camera will only of just been bought and the warranty will still be in effect.
After I bought my new camera recently, I headed to the Canon Service Center to have it checked out. The Canon Service Center is located near DengShiKou (灯市口 – dēng shì kǒu) Subway station (Line 5) – see above for subway maps. Once you come out of the subway station, head east for 2mins and you will find the JinBao Building (金宝大厦 – jīn bǎo dàshà). Go up to the 15th Floor and you will find the excellent service center. Most of the staff only speak Chinese, but some do speak very good English. Once they complete your camera check (normally 15-20mins) they will give you a report and receipt (see pic above). If there is something wrong with the camera, you can take this report back to the store to get a replacement. If there is nothing wrong with the camera, then you can happily head out and start taking pictures!
As I am a Canon shooter, I obviously only use the Canon Service Center. I know this isn’t the only brand of camera out there, so will try and find out where the other service centers are and hopefully do posts on them in the future. If you know where they are in Beijing, please do let us know by posting below.
I hope that this post has been helpful. Please let me know about your experiences!
Are prices for camera equipment any better in Beijing (or elsewhere in China) than they are in the US?
Do you know how much I would expect to pay for a Canon 7D Body?
Warren…I think you are looking at a fraction under 10,000 Chinese Renminbi for the Canon 7D body. You can convert that figure into whichever currency you like here -> http://www.xe.com Hope that helps!
Warren — Sean is right. The 7Ds are going for about 9700-9900 RMB at most places out in Wukesong.
That’s actually about 10% cheaper than the prices I was seeing in Hong Kong 6 weeks ago. With Fapiao!
I’m going to Beijing next week. Anyone has any idea how much a Eos 5D Mark II costs?
Gonzalo…Not sure of the specific price but i just checked http://www.taobao.com.cn which is a good gauge for how much they will be in Wukesong. On Taobao they are listed around 17,000RMB (body only). Good luck shopping. Let us know how you get on.
Hi Sean! Thanks for sharing this info. do they accept bank cards there in Wukesong. I have mastercard but planning to get UnionPay especially for my china trip.
I’m not 100% sure on if they accept credit cards but have a feeling no. China is still very much a cash society. Normally I have to walk in with a wad of renminbi! Not the most secure, I know. If you have a Chinese card it may be okay. I have always payed cash when buying lenses/camera bodies. Don’t forget to get a receipt (fa piao)though if you do!
Anyone else out there payed with cards at Wukesong?
I dropped by the markets today and though there’s a fairly brisk trade, the concept of paying with a massive wad of cash isn’t appealing; most ATMs I have been to only give out 100 RMB notes and seem to have limits so low that you’ll never get anywhere near how much you need to pick up a decent lens or camera.
I was after a particular lens (Canon EF-S 17-55 f2.8) and after negotiating backwards and forwards with them (assuming no receipt price), I was literally within 20 USD of what I’d pay for the same lens from an online store in Switzerland (and shipped from Switzerland). So not exactly a bargain.
For such an enterprising country, I was surprised that nobody’s yet figured out the power of sticking an ATM capable of dispensing large bills within a few hundred metres of the place; not having it seemed just.. dopey.
Thanks, Sean, for this very useful guide.
I found someone to call to rayi shop in Wukesong. They say they dont accept foreign bank cards even its chinese UnionPay. Have to bring dollars to China and change them. I also found in forums that the maximum withdrawal amount at ATM is 5000 RMB. So it will take a week of withdrawal to buy something valuable ))).
Hi, Thanks a lot for this post! I’ll be in beijing for few months so I think that I will defenetly go there to by the few lens I need!
Yes, I understand your frustration at the lack of ATMs and inability to use credit/debit cards. I was quite shocked the first time I discovered this. Alas, there isn’t much we can do about this.
Glad that this post was helpful. Please let us know how you got on at Wukesong and what you purchased!
Hi, here is my feedback. On my first day in China I changed dollars at ICBC bank near hostel, it took about 40 minutes for paperwork, checking counting cash. Then I took a taxi to Wukesong. It was good idea that I had a map printed from google, there was also telephone number so taxi driver called that shop in Wukesong to ask how to get there. Chinese taxi drivers are not good at reading maps. this camera market is really big and you can buy there anything.. the only problem that no one speaks english there. My plans were to buy Nikon D700 and three top lenses, filters etc. I had to use a pen and a notepad to ask for the price. The prices for body were different for about 100-300 RMB but for lenses were the same. I found a store called RAYI. I saw their website before. One guy there spoke good english and I decided to purchase everything there. They didnt want to make any discount even after haggling for about 5 minutes. I know that rayi prices are higher a bit than in other shops and I payed 400 RMB more but at least I could communicate with staff and they were helpful, showed me all equipment and helped me with checking it. I didnot take fa piao as I didnt want to pay extra and didnt really need it as I left China anyway. They gave me 2 years shop warranty though)) with VIP card )). After that I went on shopping for accessories like remote control, filters and adapters. There I could haggle freely and I had in some shops 15-20% off. Thanks Sean again for posting info about this wonderful place. I had really good fun walking around this camera equipment city..
Hi Roman…Good to hear from you and thanks for letting us know how you got on. Sounds like you had an interesting day out there! It is hit and miss in Wukesong for good deals but they are there if you are patient and explore around. Glad you managed to find some. Hope all that nice new shiny equipment helps make some even better photos!
Can you reccommend me a place to clean my sensor (canon) ? I’m thinking of a place with a licence, so that I won’t lose my warranty..
I would like to check out the place and then head to a nikon service centre – sorry but do you know where a Nikon Service Center is? Thank you!
Also, would you recommend getting external flash and 50mms at that market?
And yes, I would recommend the market for flash and 50mm. They have everything there and many different kinds. Good Luck!
Stephanie, no problem. Glad I can help out. Not sure of prices because there are so many different things there! Perhaps we need start a list here of prices people have paid for equipment, so they can get an idea of what they should aim for.
Hi Sean! such an interesting post!! BRAVO !! I’m planning to be in Beijing in 2/3 weeks with the target to get my 550d (or Rebel t2i) with a base kit (or i’ll check for other “real” lenses….). Hope to find a bargain of few % respect Europe (I agree that today Switzerland and San Marino are the cheapest countries in Europe for such a camera). I hope to be ale to start soon shooting with my new “Beijin-er” Canon…i’ll let U know.
Hi all! This is my report.
As Sean suggest i went with a local native chinese speaker, and i tell him to make an all-around trip before i come into the building.
After a round trip prices were from 7000 to 7500 without any discussion.
When started discussing no kit available in the choosen shop (second shop base floor on the left) and on any other shop near it. so discussion has moved on a base kit 18-55 is with as addition a “simple” EF 75-300 f4/5.6 III, with sd 8gb and 2 UV Japanese filters.At end after showing the money an intention on buy price reached was 7100 yuan, more or less the same i can get i n Italy only for the base kit 18-55…..so at the end happy to start clicking with my new Canon….
Thanks a lot once more for precious instructions Sean!!!
hey sean I’m in Beijing and I’m staying here for another month I was thinking to buy the canon eos 550D,but I don’k know how works about the warranty seeing that i live btw NY and Milan,what do you suggest me?is it going to be fine even if I’m not in china?
I just sent you an email. Hope you got it.
For everyone else, my advice to Andrew re: warranties was that I had always been told that the warranty was only valid within China for a camera bought there. This is just what local sellers told me however, so it’s best to go and confirm with your specific brand/retailer etc. to make sure.
Warranty is only for China no any international warranty even if You got the receipt fron the shop.
Just for info i didn’t want the “Fa Piao” (Receipt) because the camera was sealed an i tested a bit before paying. (i’m not a pro like Sean, but just make some click in the shop to check pixels and pointing device screen).
So be confident if You ‘ll be in Beijing is definitively convenient to make some shopping there, if You plan to fly there just for the camera, i think bettter get it in US….
Just want to add: There is a 2000500 RMB limit when withdrawing from an ATM BUT…you can continue to withdraw on subsequent transactions up to about 20,000 RMB. So, don’t walk away from the ATM just because you have reached the limit on that transaction. Keep going. It’s why the Chinese are often so long at the ATMs.
That should read 2000 to 2500 RMB limit. Sorry.
This is a terrific and informative post. Sean, I’ve seen your work in the Globe a lot over the years. I’ve also been to China 5 times now and have gone to Wukesong a lot…this info is spot on.
I never saw the point of going through so much trouble to get pro gear there – however, if someone is spending a longer time in China then it makes sense.
Something I can recommend to anyone, who cannot bring a native Chinese speaker to assist, is the Lonely Planet app for the iPhone or iPod Touch. I had it and along with even a little ability to speak the language will make a big difference. (That, and a lot of patience and good humour, of course) It really helped me a lot, both in shopping and just in general.
On my last trip there, a fellow film shooter (I shoot digital for my job, and usually film on my own time) and I checked out the mall. It was a Sunday, and there was a huge ‘flea market’ type of thing going on there…dozens and dozens of tables packed with gear of every kind.
I’m not sure if this is a regular occurrence or a one-off, but some deals to be had, for sure.
Finally, I’d suggest taking the subway line. Beijing’s subway is really easy to figure out (even for a guy like me, living in a small prairie city in the middle of Canada) and Wukesong is a short walk away. It’s all marked out easily in Chinese and English, and the announcements are bilingual too.
Good to hear from you and read about your experiences at Wukesong. Sounds like you are an old China hand yourself, so your advice is more than welcome here!
To be honest, for the cheapest gear, you probably want to head to Hong Kong, however for us here in the north of China, the cost of going down south will probably eradicate any saving we would potentially make. Wukesong is the best option we have here. It’s a great place for anyone who is into photography, whatever their level.
Glad that you have seen my work in the Globe & Mail. Have been lucky enough to do quite a bit of work for them in the past couple of years. Even made the front page a couple of times. They and others keep me busy. China’s an inspiring place to take pictures, as I am sure you know!
Anybody know how much the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II and an Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim (or look alike) is around Beijing?
Was in Wukesong in November 2010, they accepted my credit card without question and I got billed properly for it aboout two weeks later. I traded in my 28-135mm IS USM with a new 24-105mm f/4 L and used my credit card to pay for the difference.
I found this post a few weeks ago as I was preparing for a quick trip north to Beijing and I’m just getting around to saying thanks for the detailed directions. I was easily able to find both Wukesong, where I picked up a second body, and the Canon Service Center, where I was able to get the old one cleaned/serviced and the new one checked out. I kinda’ went nuts there in Wukesong. I think about half the shops were willing to take credit cards, which was actually a bad thing for me!
Hi Michael…Really glad this post was useful to you. Yes, Wukesong is a dangerous place…It’s easy to get carried away! Best, Sean.
How are you.I am from Mongolia.I looking Canon Lens.Model- Canon 28-300mm IS Lens.And flash Canon 630EX. do you know anybody price in wukesong market this Canon products?
I will go to Beijing in December and i am looking forward to buying new gear such as lenses, tripod, flash and may be a new body from there. After searching, i found this threat is much useful about Wukesong but i have read about another place called Xietu Lu corner Luban Lu. Its called Xing Guan Photography Equiptment Building. the problem is that i supposed to be in china for only 4 days and the shopping time is so limited. What i really need to know is the better one between both of the previous mentioned markets as well as the working time for those places ( when they open an close ).
1. 35mm films, are they cheaper in beijing than in US? and do they have many variants there?
2. do they also sell films here in Wukesong or do you recommend any other place to stock on films?
what may be the price of a normal 18MP canon/sony camera?
Hi All… Thanks for the continued interest in this post on Wukesong camera market! I am sorry that I have been too busy to respond to all of the comments.
For questions about prices here in China, I recommend going onto the website Taobao Once on the site, put into the search box whichever camera, or piece of equipment you are looking for. It will then bring up the going rates for that equipment here in China. You can then compare these prices to your home country. This will be better than asking me, as I don’t have an encyclopaedic knowledge of all prices at Wukesong!
Do keep letting us know here how you get on.
hi Sean thank you for this blog.my brother has asked me to get him an EOS canon 7D firmware 2.0 (body only), battery +1, battery charger, memory card 8gb+8. i don’t know anything about it and how to buy it and how to make out the genuine one.i don’t have many days as well as i have someone carrying it back on flight this coming mon night.what would u suggest me to do to avoid hastles.please refer me to specific shops n an approx price range for that.my bro also mentioned if good deals available to get also battery grip,lenses,screen cover,etc.how can i go about this pls?
Many thanks Sean for your detailed information about how to find the place and how to do the shopping and check it with Canon support center afterwards. It worked perfectly fine for me. However I had to get lots of cash from my Credit Card since nobody there accepts international cards (I tried Master and Amex) which wasn’t that good (which means ~7-8% interest rate being paid to the bank).
I am headed to BEI in a couple of weeks. Can I expect a deal on a 50 1.2L? Or should I just get on here in the States?
LOL disregard…just saw your comment above.
I will arrive to Beijing in early April, I am planning to visit the camera market to porches a canon 70-200L f/2.8 USM ii, from what I saw in the wed site you recommended to check prices, (tiabia or something similar), the price is a but 40% less than the prices were I live… so it will be worth wail for me to buy this lens in this camera market.
1. Is it safe to buy there such expensive gear?
2. How can I tell what is original and intact?
3. Should I go to canon head office for check up to be sure or there is no reason for me to fear that the gear is damaged and I was fooled?
5. Do they let you check the gear to see if everything is ok?
As you notice my biggest issue is a mistrusts in the Chinese sellers.
I will love to hear any tips that you have on buying there.
I was just hoping you could advise me, does wukesong have a booth that fixes memory cards? My memory card’s busted and I’m trying to get it sorted. Any place you know that might help, I’d appreciate knowing about.
Thank you for your very valuable advice. I’ve just went back from Dongcheng Canon Repair Center. Service was really really good.
My 5D markII has problem with speedlite not working problem. They replaced top part of camera under 1 hour and free to cleaned CMOS sensor cleaning at Canon service center at JinBao building 12th floor.
I really happy on it.
Very helpful! Allthough I won’t be staying in Beijing long enough to do this. Do you think Shenzhen is a better place? Because I’ll be spending a whole day there just to buy stuff… in my case, eletronics.
Thanks for your post. I moved to Beijing about a year ago and my high school daughter wants to learn how to develop her own film (B&W for now). Do you know whether Wukesong is a good place to buy dark room equipment and supplies? NOTE: she’ll be learning from scratch and will need a good manual as well, unless you also know a good local teacher!
I purchase a Canon or Nikon camera in the Wukesong Camera market, but live in the USA, how will this affect the warranty included with the camera? Is there a means of obtaining an international warranty for the camera?
Did you ever find a suppliers, I’m looking to set up a dark room for a school from scratch. Any advice?
Wukesong has a very long New Year holiday, closed until February 09, so I went to Bai Nau near Chaoyangmen recommended by several others sites. I took it to the Canon Service Centre you recommended and it was fake. Of course I’ll never get my money back. It really looked good, how can I prevent this happening in the future?
That should have been Bai Nao Hui.
Hi Oxana… There are quite a few stores in Wukesong that sell steadicams. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Good luck!
I have seen people being ripped off at Buynow so I am quite concerned. I speak Chinese so it made it easier for me to talk with the guys there. I thought I should share this information with all photography enthusiasts.
My questions for you Sean are several. First, could you recommend any particular store (other than Ray) where you think I could consider buying a full frame? I am quite puzzled with prices and the investment is not a small one so I do not want to make a mistake. Besides I am not advanced enough in photography to be able to check the equipment.
Also, do you know of any photography courses for English speaking people in Beijing? I would be interested on one of those.
Thanks in advance and congratulations. I believe what you do is so important in nowadays society. I am trying to get Meltdown now but the download is rather slow here is China. Please continue raising awareness.
Hi again. Could not wait for your reply and went and bought a 5d Mark III. Ray would be in general a few hundred RMB more expensive than any other shop. They do though seem more PRO than others. Have a great range of bags and accessories.
Ended up buying in a shop labelled 51sheyuan.com which is one of the Canon Official Dealers. I check that on Canon website. Also used a Canon App for Android that allows you to check that the box and the camera are the same. Then I checked that all numbers match but I just forgot to tell them to write the number of the camera down on the invoice, just in case.
Anyway, I went to the Canon official repair center and they got all checked out. Everything was perfect. The only thing is that the changed the battery saying that they would give me an original one, that the one in the box was fake because they brought the box from a different shop. I left the battery with the Canon center to get it checked out. Hope it is real.
Other than that, I would recommend just to get the camera because you get ripped off on the accessories. I paid 21,500 for a 5D set with a 24-105 f4 IS USM lens. That is 2,540 euro or 3,460 USD. 1,500 RMB cheaper than the official price. Not a bad deal.
Hi guys, I am looking to buy light modifiers such a softboxes etc. Would it be better to go to Beijing or Hong Kong?
I’ve visited the electronics markets in Zhongguancun numerous times looking for a “GoPro” to no avail. I was wondering if any of you had come across a shop selling such a camera and its accessories at the Wukesong market.
He returns with the second box and shows me the seal (which seems to not mean a thing) and I tell him that I want to break the seal this time. I do this and it looks more legit than the last one. There were no scratches on the camera this time but the kicker was when I opened the battery cover to expose an after-market battery hiding inside!? So this was clearly also not a new camera! The assistant started to get uncomfortable when I asked him if he thought I was stupid. Asking to see the owner/manager revealed no results either as he had “gone home”! I turned down the offer of a third “new” camera and left the market.
China has no regard for copyright at the best of times so I have no doubt that they are prooducing Nikon “seals” and trying to pass off demo cameras as new ones. Surely if the seals were legit and the assistant had broken two of them, he would not have let me walk out the store so easily! I’m not sure where this rip-off attitude comes from but to me it seems prevalent in China and unfortunately the more I shop in here, the more I experience it. Needless to say that the bad taste left in my mouth will push me to spend the extra money and buy elsewhere.
For accesories and aftermarket products I’d say you can’t go wrong at this location, as long as you do your homework and keep your wits about you. But for the serious stuff, I’d rather go to a well known store with a good reputation, preferably outside of China.
Once again Sean, thank you for the advice and the blog. It’s great to find such detailed info attached to a google search!
I’ll be staying in Beijing for a year and would like to buy a 24-70 nikkor lens to take wonderful pictures of beijing. Can you recommend a trustworthy shop in wukesong, or maybe accompany me 🙂 I am not a pro photographer and could really use an experts help in buying a lens for my d7000 camera. Thanks!
i am heading to Beijing pretty soon for a trip, then at the same time i am planning to go to the camera equipment shop.
it seems the place i need to go.
but need to know before to get there the price of canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM lens price?
could you tell me the price of the lens and also is there any shipping service available? | 2019-04-22T02:43:42Z | https://gallagher-photo.com/2010/03/22/where-is-the-best-place-in-beijing-to-buy-photo-equipment/ |
When deciding upon the best front tiller you have to figure out what your requirements are, so we’ve put together this rototiller buying guide to help you consider a variety of factors before making a decision.
Anyone who’s even half interested in gardening knows how important it is to till the soil. Once or twice a year you need to loosen the soil to allow nutrients buried below to come to the surface and dig up weeds. It’s also the best way to churn in compost and other fertilizers, that will improve the quality of flower and vegetable beds.
Doing this by hand, using a shovel is back breaking work and it takes forever. By now most of us know the value of using a tiller to make the job mush easier. Most of you probably go out and hire one as you need it. But is this really the best option?
So spring is here and it’s time to get the garden ready for summer planting. You head off the hire shop and half the neighborhood has the same idea. So you stand in a line among all the other enthusiastic gardeners waiting to be served. An hour or two later you’ve successfully got the machine, loaded it, headed back home, offloaded it, set it up and you’re ready to get cracking on the task of churning the soil.
By now a lot of your enthusiasm has died down and the hours are passing rapidly before you have to load up the machine and get it back to the shop. So you set, rather resentfully to work and get the job done on time.
Have you stopped to think of all the wasted time and money that you’ve brought upon yourself? Take the cost of hiring the machine each time and once you’ve added a few dollars for the gas it takes to travel to and from the hire shop, multiply that by the number of times that you’ve hired the machine and you can be pretty sure that it’s not worth the cost. That’s not to mention all the time, stress and extra labor it takes just collect and return it every time.
In theory, it seems to make no sense to hire when you look at all of these factors. To test this theory, I set about to find out what the opinion is among those who have actually made the decision to buy one. This meant not only hearing first hand, but spending hours going through gardening blogs and discussion forums to get a good idea of what people really think. I can truthfully say that everyone I came across agreed that buying a front tine tiller is a worthwhile investment, and this was even the view of less enthusiastic gardeners who only use it once a year.
One thing that I didn’t think of, but that many people pointed out, is that having a tiller in the shed makes you more likely to use it. This actually makes a lot of sense. Let’s say that you’ve been planning for years to get a vegetable garden going so that you can enjoy fresh, healthy, organic veggies at a fraction of the price that you’d be paying at the store.
The problem is that every time you hire a tiller, you barely get done what you have to before it’s time to return it. So every time you promise yourself that next year you’ll work faster or better to make time for that elusive veggie garden. If you had the machine standing there waiting to be used, you’d get cracking on the veg patch the next weekend or whenever the mood grabs you.
There seems to be no good argument for not buying one. Though, before you set out and fork out a few hundred dollars for a new front tine tiller, it would be a good idea to arm yourself with some useful information. This article is intended to help you make an informed and educated decision. We’ll start off by looking at what exactly a front tine tiller is and how it works so that you know more about what you’re buying. We’ll also offer loads of helpful tips on choosing and safely using it and finally get around to offering the choice from our selection of the best front tine tillers.
What is a Front Tine Tiller?
You may well have used a front tine tiller many times and not really known what exactly it is or how it works. If you want to set out and buy the best front tine tiller, it would be wise to know a bit more about them in order to know what to look out for. Buying a piece of gardening equipment of this nature is quite an investment and you don’t want to find out too late that you didn’t make the best choice.
First off, let’s distinguish between a front tine tiller and a rear tine tiller. The basic difference, when you look at them is that with a front tine tiller, the tines are in front of the engine and as you might have guessed, a rear tine tiller has the tines positioned behind the engine. The different position of the tines will determine which one works best for you.
The Southland SRTT196E is powerful rear tine tiller for larger yard projects.
A rear tine tiller is larger, heavier and is not as easy to maneuver. They are usually used for large open areas that require more heavy duty work, so they’re best suited for starting a new garden on an open site. For use in your garden, a front tine tiller is what you’re looking for. They are able to work in smaller areas with a width that is typically adjustable from about 12″ to around 20″. They are also easier to turn which makes them better for working between beds and around trees and other obstacles that you will generally find in the garden.
Front tine tillers can be either electric or powered by a gas engine, which is usually four-stroke. Gas powered tillers are most common because they are more powerful. The engine size will be between 150cc and 250cc, depending very much on their size and working depth. A four-stroke is engine is best for this type of use because you get better low-end torque. This means that you get more power at lower revs and it will be less likely to stall when the revs drop while moving through soil that is harder to get through or cutting through thicker roots.
The tines are sharp edged blades that move in a circular motion, churning the soil and cutting through roots that lie in the underlying soil. Good quality tines are made from hardened steel which enables them to work in tougher conditions. The tines are adjustable for tilling depth – anything from around 4″ up to around 20″ on larger models. The depth adjustment is a simple device that operates using an adjustable rod at the back that controls how deep you are able to push the tiller down into the ground.
Safety is very important, so make sure you read the safety section of your instruction manual and follow all the manufacturer’s safety tips carefully. Wear boots, long pants, and safety glasses when operating the machine. You’re going to be operating a machine that has strong cutting power and want to be able to concentrate on what you’re doing, so make sure that children and pets are not around to get in the way.
Before you start working remove any rocks and chop thick roots with an ax, this will protect the tines from unnecessary damage. If you’re using a two-stroke machine check that you have the correct oil to gas ratio. On a four-stroke engine, check that the engine oil is at the correct level.
Set the tines to the depth that you want and the machine will churn to this depth as you push it forward. If you start working at the maximum depth, you’ll have to work harder to push the machine due to the fact that you will encounter greater resistance from the volume of soil that you are moving.
To work lighter you can start by not going too deep. This will mean that it’s going to take longer because you’ll be coming around a second or third time, each time increasing the depth – but it will take less physical effort to push the machine. Remember you’re not hiring the tiller, so if you take an extra day to finish the job it won’t cost you any extra and you won’t feel as much strain on your back and shoulders if you work your way through the depth settings and rest in between.
As always look for a quality machine that’s going to give you reliable service for many years. Spending a few dollars extra today will spare you a lot of stress down the line when it comes to spares and dealership service. You might not know too much about these machines but don’t worry, in the next section, we’ll look at four of the best front tine tillers in order to make your decision easier.
Choose something that is the correct size for your needs, so look at tine width to see if it can work in narrow areas if that’s important or if you’re looking at working in larger areas you may well want something a little wider. If you’re worried about storage space you may also want a smaller machine and for some people, the weight could be important when using it and moving around.
When it comes to engine size, you can be pretty sure that if you’re buying a reputable brand, the engineers have calculated the best engine for the size and cutting depth of the machine. So, again the emphasis is on buying a quality machine from a trusted brand.
The wheels are fairly important. Larger wheels at the back of the tiller make it easier maneuver in softer soil and across the driveway or any areas that you need to cover between storage and use.
Having covered these basics, all that’s left to do is to review the best front tine tiller and help you choose the perfect one for you.
All of the models we are going to review come highly recommended. Some may have better features, some may be cheaper. There are different sizes that will suit different user preferences. So you can select any of these models with confidence, knowing that you’re buying a quality piece of machinery. Consider the tips mentioned above to help you decide which of these are going to work best for you.
Ideal for homeowners who want to prepare garden patches & flower beds effortlessly.
Power Forward and Reverse : One gear forward and one reverse, for easy operation, maneuverability and transport.
OHV Engine : Powerful overhead-valve engine provides the torque necessary to cultivate the most compact earth.
✓ View or download the MANUAL for the Husqvarna FT-900 front tine rototiller.
I’ve used (and reviewed) quite a number of Husqvarna garden products over the years and may be a little biased in saying that I rate them very highly. They are always very dependable machines and spares are readily available even as the model becomes older. You always get a great level of dealer service, so you can be assured that you’re getting many years of satisfying use.
The Husqvarna FT-900-CA is a good size and weight for the average garden user, that’s if you consider 100 lbs to be a good weight. This might be a little heavy to lift but you won’t really be doing too much of that. The large sturdy rubber wheels will make moving it about an easy task.
The 12.69 cubic inch (208cc) overhead valve (OHV) Briggs and Stratton engine is a reliable workhorse delivering 9.5 lb-ft of torque whilst rotating the blades at 118 rpm. This is ample power to dig in most soil types and the tines are rated for a 6.5″ working depth. It has 6 depth adjustment steps, so you can easily choose the exact depth that you want to work at.
A 26″ working width gives you a good deal of coverage and versatility for working in more narrow areas of the garden. It has both forward and reverse gears, which gives it added maneuverability. The four blades are driven by a chain through the single speed transmission.
Being a Husqvarna product you can be sure of workmanship and quality that is backed by one the most comprehensive warranties available, with some components being covered for five years and the majority of components being backed by a two or three-year warranty. As with most warranties, this is a limited warranty, but with very reasonable conditions.
Designed with patented Bolo tines for improved efficiency.
Patented Bolo curve design allows the tines to cut and dig at an offset angle to easily break ground.
Innovative swept-back angle turns easily under the soil.
✓ View or download the MANUAL for the Troy-Bilt Colt front tine rototiller.
The Troy-Bilt is another quality product and is also powered by a 208cc OHV engine that drives the tines by using a chain through a single speed transmission. It’s a bit heavier than the Husqvarna, weighing in at 136 lbs. The extra weight is quite manageable considering that it’s equipped with impressive 8″ durable rubber wheels.
The width is adjustable between 13″, 22″, 24″ making it a very handy machine for working in different sections of the garden. The tilling depth is adjustable up to 8″, which gives you an extra 1.5″ over the previous one.
This model only comes with a forward gear and that makes it less user-friendly than the Husqvarna, which is the only model we’ve reviewed that has a reverse gear.
So there are some definite pros and a few cons to the Troy-Bilt, which is also a sturdy, well-built machine from a trusted name. It is backed by a 2-year limited warranty and a lifetime warranty on the transmission – which doesn’t count for too much as it only has one forward gear, so there really isn’t too much that can go wrong. All the same, you’re covered by a good warranty and you can be confident of your purchase.
✓ View or download the MANUAL for the Southland SFTT142 front tine rototiller.
The SFTT142 is a very attractive option especially considering it’s a fair deal cheaper than the previous two. You will be getting a little less, which makes sense since you’re paying less.
The first thing I noticed about this model is that the wheels are a bit smaller (6.5″) and appear not to be as rugged as the more expensive models, so it may be a little more tough to move around. I couldn’t get the weight specifications for it, but I would guess that it will be somewhat lighter because it has a smaller 150cc engine. The lower weight will make the smaller (and perhaps less tough wheels) less of a problem. Of course, the smaller engine means less power and it only delivers 5.75 ft/lbs of torque. This is pretty good power overall but the models with larger engines will fair better in harder soil.
The power is delivered to the tines using a poly-V belt system. This is the only one we’ve looked at that doesn’t use a chain and the manufacturers say the V-belt system has a longer life – I’m prepared to take their word for it.
Self-sharpening tines ensure you’re working at optimal efficiency.
It has pretty much the same width – adjustable for 11″, 16″ and 21″. It does, however, have quite a bit more depth at 11″. This seems surprising since it has the smallest engine. I’m pretty sure that you’ll only be able to use the maximum depth setting on softer soil, there’s no evidence that I can find to back this statement, it just seems logical to me if I look at the difference in power from the engine.
The Southland Outdoor Power Equipment SFTT142 may be a cheaper less powerful machine that the previous two but it deserves its place among the best front tine tiller list. It is a good quality machine, offers excellent value for money and is backed by a 2-year warranty.
Poulan Pro is an affordable brand balanced with solid build quality.
✓ View or download the MANUAL for the Poulan Pro HDF900.
Last but not least we have the Poulan Pro HDF900, which is also a very affordable option. Out of the two cheaper options, this one doesn’t sacrifice engine power for affordability and it has a 208cc engine like the first two, more expensive models. It weighs pretty much the same as the Husqvarna at 108 lbs, but like the previous one we looked at, I’m not sure that the wheels are up to scratch in terms of usability and quality. I might me making a bit too much fuss about the wheels, considering that they are cheap and easy to replace. That being said, quality is everything – even in the details.
For the rest, it deserves its place among the best, with very similar features: adjustable 6.5″ working depth and a width of up to 26″ – which is the most impressive width of the lot. It’s also chain driven, which seems to be the most common among all front tile tillers.
The all round build quality seems really good, except of course for my nagging obsession with the wheels. You can expect many good years of service from this baby and it also comes with 2-year warranty.
Conclusion | What’s the Best Front Tine Tiller?
Like I said in the beginning of this review, I may be a little biased, but my first choice would be the Husqvarna. It’s trusted for its quality, not that I’m saying the others aren’t, but if you take a look at the Husqvarna warranty agreement you’ll get a sense of how seriously they take their reputation for building quality machines. The Husqvarna is the only one with a reverse gear, which might be helpful in a tight spot.
The Troy-Bilt has its merits too, mind you, most noticeably the extra working depth – which if you consider that its sole purpose is to churn deep into the soil, this counts for a lot. If I put my personal bias aside it would be a very even match between the two.
Basically, there are two contests here, one between the more expensive two and then between the cheaper two. If you’re prepared to spend a bit more, your choice will be between the Husqvarna and the Troy-Bilt and in the end, it should be about which has the features that you most prefer. When it comes to the lower priced models the Poulan has the edge it terms of power, so this makes it a good bet. However, the Southland Outdoor has a very impressive working depth and if you don’t have exceptionally hard soil to work in, this might really appeal to you.
So take a look at the features in relation to your needs and gardening conditions, do your sums to determine which fits into your budget and make the choice. You can be sure that you’re spending your money on a machine that comes highly recommended and won’t disappoint you in terms of quality. | 2019-04-22T04:59:24Z | https://www.chainsawjournal.com/best-front-tine-tiller/ |
Nicolae Ceausescu is best remembered for his brutal demise. At a time when the various Communist dictatorships of Eastern Europe were crumbling due to peaceful protest and people-power, his was the only one that collapsed into violence. Largely hated in his own country by the late 1980s, Ceausescu presided over an impoverished police state where people didn’t have enough to eat. The economy had all but collapsed and the use of blood transfusions as a state-supported policy to make up for lack of baby food left a horrendous legacy of HIV infection. The hasty execution of both him and his wife was the result.
But it didn’t start out like this. Ceausescu had once been seen as a figure of hope. He emerged from the shadows of the communist bureaucracy because of his public opposition to the Soviet crushing of the Prague Spring in 1968. The rare sight of a Communist leader standing up to the Soviet juggernaught inspired popular support at home and abroad. Ceausescu played off both sides in the Cold War, courting both East and West for his own ends whilst simultaneously building an all-encompassing personality cult for both him and his wife.
Western companies, suffering from recession, leaped at the chance to trade with the newly emerging country that was asserting it’s independence. Massive loans were advanced to the Romanian government which they used to buy vast quantities of industrial equipment and modern technology from the West. This seventies spending spree ultimately created the seeds of Ceausescu’s violent downfall as he imposed crushing austerity on the population in the 1980s in order to pay back his lenders. The terrible human costs imposed in doing this undermined his legitimacy and created the sense of anger that was unleashed once fear of his police state collapsed in 1989.
This book, Epopee Pe Somes (The Poem of Somes), is from the early part of Ceausescu’s rule. Summer 1970 saw severe flooding in Romania with the death of over 200 people and making over 200,000 people homeless. There was significant loss to both agricutural and industrial production as a combination of heavy rain and a heat wave (that melted snow in the Carpathian mountains) led to rivers bursting their banks. This book deals with one incident in this broader natural disaster; the flooding of the county of Satu Mare by the Somes River.
Published by the Propaganda Section of the Satu Mare regional Communist Party, the book follows a fairly standard narrative structure in how it depicts the flooding. First we see images of the doomed battle against the floods as people pile sandbags in a desperate attempt to hold back the water. Then we see the flooding itself – towns, villages, factories all submerged underwater all depicted by blurred images taken in less than ideal conditions.
Boats appear on the streets and survivors wade through the floodwaters trying to find help. We are then shown images of the devastation left behind once the water recedes. The palpable human tragedy of the event is emphasised as traumatised survivors pick through the wreckage of their former lives desperately looking to salvage what they can and find some sort of shelter in aftermath of this natural disaster.
The narrative moves on. We now have the arrival of the benevolent messiah, Ceausescu, who tours the devastated area, inspecting for himself the extent of the damage. Unlike later publications where the Ceausescu personality cult consumed everything, his presence is relatively restrained and limited to a small section of the book. Here the wise leader comes to witness what has happened, sympathise with his people and direct the recovery effort. Like all such dictatorial regimes, the leader is presented as a substitute father-figure who knows how to direct his otherwise helpless children.
After Ceausescu tours the area and meets survivors, the forces of the Romanian state swing into action. Guided by the local communist party administration, they soon provide all the assistance needed. Temporary accommodation is constructed for homeless people, the army provides logistical support, aid comes from all corners of a country united in its determination to assist the flood victims.
Finally, as this is a communist regime where faith in man’s ability to overcome whatever nature throws at him and create a better future remains unquestionable, we are shown the rebuilding effort. New towns and factories are being built to replace the old. Construction cranes dot the skyline. Concrete tower blocks will replace traditional buildings.
The flood has become an opportunity to replace the past with a brighter future. Just as Ceausescu would later deliberately sweep away vast swathes of Bucharest in order to build his megalomaniacal new capital, so the flood has erased the historical baggage of the past that had held Romania back. Under Ceausescu’s wise and benevolent guidance a new and brighter future for all was on the horizon.
In the broader context, the damage caused by the flooding enabled Ceausescu to cement his leadership position. The flooding prompted increased national unity in the face of a crisis which has the effect of blunting all debate or criticism from alternative voices and prevents political challengers from emerging. Shrewd politicians can exploit events for their own advantage. By being seen to handle the crisis decisively, Ceausescu consolidated public support for his leadership which laid the foundations of the grotesque personality cult that of the 1980s.
Cars are powerful symbols of progress and modernity. As well as symbolising personal freedom and choice for individuals, they also conveyed an aura of industrial sophistication, national pride and power for countries that were able to produce them. In the Soviet context, the crash industrialisation of the 1930s and the demands of war production during the 1940s meant that making automobiles for ordinary people was not a priority. Cars were reserved for important officials, not mere mortals.
That all changed after the death of Stalin in 1953. People were sick of unrelenting terror and exhausted by hard-work and violence. They wanted to see the tangible results of all the sacrifice, death and destruction that had occurred over the past two decades. The idea of scrimping, saving and making-do in order to help build some glorious communist future had lost its appeal to a new generation. People wanted the good things in life and they wanted them now. This became all the more evident as consumer culture took off in the West and began to slowly seep in through the cracks of the Iron Curtain. Thus car production served as a way to demonstrate that life was getting better and it was capable of competing with the shiny wonders being churned out in the West.
As part of the reparations after the Second World War, much of the Opel factory and machinery was dismantled and taken back to the USSR where it was used to update the MZMA car that had been turning out copies of Ford Model A cars and vans since 1929. The new German equipment was used to update the line and the factory soon began to turn out rebranded copies of 1930s Opel Kadett’s, now called the Moskvich 400, for the Soviet market. From this a new line of models evolved during the next four decades of the USSR’s existence. Moskvich cars were small, rugged and cheap, designed for the average respectable Soviet citizen who didn’t rock the boat. In a society where money had little meaning (because the dysfunctional Soviet planned economy was incapable of producing things people actually wanted, there was nothing much to buy in the shops) the possession of consumer goods signified your importance and status in Soviet society. It showed that you were well connected and had influence. Ever since they were invented, cars have always been a very public way of showing off to the neighbours.
The book has a traditional company photobook format: it’s designed to showcase the product, the modern, efficient factory and the good care it takes of its employees. Published by the Ministry of Automobile Production, the cover of red leatherette with the company logo stamped into it is designed to impress. As part of a corporate rebranding exercise in the late 1960s, the MZMA name was ditched and an equally awful name chosen – AZLK (Avtomobilny Zavod imeni Leninskogo Komsomola or Leninist Communist Youth League Automobile Factory). Sadly the rest of the book design does not do such a good job. Using randomly chosen bright primary colours as page borders and for text printed over the photographs doesn’t work very well. The word kitsch springs to mind. I’m tempted to suggest that these represent the different colours the car was available in but somehow I don’t think so. The cars depicted appear to be the final model produced, the Moskvich 412, which rolled out of the Moscow factory between 1967 and 1976 before production was transferred to the huge IZHMASH weapons and motor manufacturing plant. No details of the photographers or even the date of publication is given but a photo caption proudly states that the 16 of August 1974 saw the 2 millionth Moskvich produced.
Beginning with a lineup of the different models produced over the years, the book moves into the factory itself. Here we see industrious workers and supervisors presiding over all aspects of the production within a bilious green environment. Once we move into the assembly line the colour palette lightens, helped by the addition of brightly coloured car bodies that serve the same purpose as the strategically placed figure in the red jacket used by postcard photographers of old. Like most company photobooks, the shop floor in such imagery is remarkably spotless; not a hint of clutter or rubbish that might hint at problems. The vastness of the factory is continually emphasised in the images to show the power and might of this industrial powerhouse. Everything is neat, tidy and clinically efficient and many of the images are remarkable for the absence of people in them, all adding to the hi-tech feeling the book tries to convey. Once the final cars roll off the line, a disapproving image of Lenin glowers down from above, undoubtedly dismayed at the sight of such consumerist frippery.
Just like corporate propaganda in the capitalist world, it’s important in such photobooks to have a section showing how well the company looks after it’s loyal workers. Again, we see interior shots of bright, clean and modern dining areas, corridors, classrooms full of eager young workers ready to do their bit for the glory of socialism. A couple of pages later we get to the middle management who look a decidedly more serious bunch, shown doing serious party political work that culminates in a trip to the war memorial to lay a wreath. Images of swimming pools, sports facilities, kindergartens and toy Moskvich pedal cars rolling off the production line are all used to show that a Soviet company, unlike those in the West, really cares about it’s employees.
The 1970s were a pretty miserable decade for design all round but Soviet products of that era are particularly crude. Everything from cameras to cars became clunky, blocky objects as if they’d been designed by a kid in a kindergarten using crayons. In fairness, the Moskvich wasn’t as ugly as the Lada which really just looked like a cavity block on wheels. But the wider point is that any attempt at making an object look aesthetically pleasing disappeared. In part this was down to the creeping malaise that took hold in the USSR during the Brezhnev era. Everybody just stopped caring during this prolonged period of economic and social stagnation. This book with its brightly coloured borders, full of images of cleanliness and order tries hard to project an aura of success at a time when the whole system was slowly rotting away from the inside.
P.S. The AZLK company went bust following the collapse of the USSR and the factory was abandoned. Some urbex photos of the site can be found here.
This is probably one of the more interesting Stalinist propaganda books produced during the 1930s because it touches on a lot of themes that are still relevant today; spinning bad news, myth creation, the media construction of heroism, as well as the all consuming need of political leaders to associate themselves with success.
Firstly, some context. As part of a broader strategy to conquer and exploit the arctic tundra, as well as showcasing the achievements of the new USSR to the rest of the world, great emphasis was placed on polar exploration during the 1930s. Here, the rational, scientific credentials of the new Soviet state would overcome the natural obstacles that had stymied previous endeavours by the old regime under the Tsar. Vast swathes of the Soviet Union (and Russia) were just blank spots on the map, sparsely populated by native peoples living upon subsistence agriculture and fishing. For a society that regarded itself as dynamic and revolutionary, with had a mission to change the world, these blank spaces within their own borders were completely unacceptable. Industry, new technology and human endeavour would turn these inhospitable wastelands into productive spaces to be exploited by man. This was the big idea. And the pursuit of this idea stimulated much of the scientific research and exploration on the part of the Soviet state throughout its existence. Indeed the possibilities opened up by global warming with the thawing of the arctic regions is still a seductive policy (albeit with short-term benefits) informing much Russian government and business thinking today. Crises produce opportunities which sociopathic leaders will exploit to their own advantage.
This policy tapped into a wider public fascination with polar exploration that had reached its peak during the end of the 19th and the early part of the twentieth century. All the dramatic elements needed to produce a heroic narrative were present in these stories of intrepid explorers risking life and limb in the vast frozen wastelands of North and South; an utterly alien environment of snow and ice, horrendous cold, unimaginable physical adversity, near escapes from disaster, extraordinary bravery, dogged determination to reach their goal, compassion for a sick comrade (or exemplary courage as they trudge on despite the pain), all while the shadow of death hangs over the group should they make a misstep. The end result is usually a feel-good moral fable in which the triumph-of-the-human-spirit overcomes adversity. Alternatively, the brave-but-doomed heroes meet their demise calmly, stoically and with dignified courage. In such cases, the narrative then becomes a guide for the reader, instructing them in the admirable characteristics they should emulate in the face of everyday hardship. This tale is no exception.
The ostensible purpose of the Chelyuskin’s voyage was to see if an ordinary cargo ship could sail around the Northern coast of Russia, through the Arctic Ocean. If you look at a map of Russia, the immense size of this country makes communication and travel immensely difficult. Essentially, Russia (and the Soviet Union) is a land power and that is the reason why it never developed a strong navy or shipping industry. It was simply not a priority for a huge country that only has a tiny usable coastline in Europe and Asia – the rest of the sea surrounding it being dangerous, frozen, ice-filled bleakness. Therefore, sailing from Murmansk (in the Baltic Sea) to Vladivostok (in the Pacific) was a very long and complicated voyage involving a long detour around the Suez Canal and up past China. Finding a route through the frozen Arctic sea above Russia (as you look at a traditional Mercator map) would have shortened this voyage considerably. But the problem was ice. Lots of ice. The unpredictable weather as well as the treacherous sea and ice conditions in this arctic sea could sink ships very easily. The quest for this Northern Sea Route around the top of Russia had been pursued for centuries without success. Should the new Soviet state succeed where others had failed previously, it would be a tremendous propaganda coup that would demonstrate the superiority of the new utopian society under construction.
So the Chelyuskin sets sail from Murmansk in July 1933 with 104 people on board (including one baby and another is born during the voyage itself!) into the ice-bound Northern Sea around the top of Russia. The whole set-up is a strange mix of macho polar expedition, geeky scientific exploration and what passes for a normal passenger cruise. The two main players are the expedition leader Otto Schmidt (the guy with the big beard in the photos) and Vladimir Voronin, the Chelyuskin’s captain, who had successfully managed the crossing a couple of years previously with a specialist icebreaking ship. Now they were trying to repeat the trip and show that an ordinary ship could do the job just as well. Everything goes well for much of the voyage until nature intervenes. Only a short distance away from the Pacific Ocean (varying from six to fifteen miles depending on the source), bad weather strikes and suddenly heavy ice builds up around the ship, trapping it completely. They were completely stuck and powerless as the ship drifted further and further northwards, away from land. Using their radio, the Chelyuskin contacted the outside world and made them aware of their plight. There was the possibility that they might break free from the ice and continue their voyage so all was not lost and Schmidt put a cheerful face on it.A contemporary account of the rescue from 1936 can be found here.
But after three months in the ice, the ship was finally crushed by the ice and sank on the 13 February 1934. Apart from one death, the rest of the crew managed to abandon ship and carry enough supplies of food and equipment with them to set up camp on the ice surrounding them. There they use the radios to alert the world that they were in dire trouble, trapped on the cracking, drifting ice with only 2 months worth of food and supplies left. Thus, the scene was set for an epic polar drama in which modern communications had alerted the rest of the world about the plight of these apparently doomed people. Anyway, our intrepid group of stranded pioneers set up camp on the ice waiting to be rescued. As part of the propaganda machine, an English language version of their exploits was published in 1935, The Voyage of the Chelyuskin, another collectively authored book in which members of the expedition narrate their stories. If you consider that their prospects were pretty grim, the tone of the book doesn’t really ring true. Basically, they were cast adrift on a floating lump of ice in the middle of the sea, completely at the mercy of the Arctic winter, little food, living in bodged-together shelters and completely dependent on a radio for some sort of lifeline to the outside world. Surely, anybody in that situation must have thought their chances of survival were low at best.
Certainly, the idea that everybody suddenly decided that this was a jolly good adventure and that the plucky survivors all pulled together to help each other out rings a little hollow. Even today, this would be an immensely traumatic experience. Such prolonged events usually bring out the worst in people, no matter how much goodwill exists at the beginning. Bitterness, bickering and petty squabbling over trivial matters takes hold as all the tension and suppressed fear that builds up in such a situation is released. But the people we are discussing were creatures of 1930s Soviet society, a place where violence, paranoia, uncertainty, back-biting and blaming others was the rule. Even if they were rescued, they must have been terrified about the possible consequences when they got back to the USSR. Stalin’s shadow hung over them all. I would imagine the reality of the experience was a lot more bleak and terrifying than the rosy narrative presented in the book. But of course this book is important in that it transforms a rather depressing story of failure, despair and death into an inspirational account of man’s triumph over nature. Central to this triumph is the application of Stalinist ideology to guide their decisions. So the Party organisation takes charge, builds a watch-tower, organises everybody to build a runway on the ice, proudly puts at least one snitch into each tent to keep an eye on what people are saying, holds meetings, makes personal sacrifices of food and shelter for the greater good, and generally holds the line while they wait for Stalin to rescue them. All very commendable – but I just don’t buy it.
Luckily, Stalin decides to allow a rescue operation be organised. Once the decision is made, top Soviet pilots and their flying machines are mobilised and make a bee line to the region in order to be of assistance. Well known celebrity airmen who had set world records a few years previously all play their part in this adventure, pushing their aeroplanes to the limit in the face of horrendous conditions. There are numerous close shaves, a crash en-route and all sorts of problems locating the survivors. But through sheer determination, skill and heroism, the airmen make it through successfully and begin to shuttle the survivors off their icy prison. The successful use of aeroplanes to rescue the survivors sends a couple of messages to the outside world. Firstly, that the USSR is capable of mastering the latest technology (aircraft) and operating them in extreme conditions, something that was in itself quite impressive for the time. Secondly, even though man had failed to overcome nature in this instance (the ship sank), ultimately the faith that the Soviet Union placed in technology to surmount all obstacles was proven correct thanks to the combination of radio and aircraft. Thus, the central guiding idea of the USSR, that man could change the world through the rational use of technology, was maintained. But all of this is not to diminish their very real accomplishments; flying in arctic conditions using the latest, temperamental, aviation technology, where disaster lurked around every corner was no mean feat in itself. All the ups-and-downs of this drama in the arctic is followed by the world with bated breath as they see whether or not the plucky survivors will make it back alive. There is widespread jubilation at a job well done when everybody gets out alive and the group then make their way towards Moscow. Parades and celebrations follow their progress through Russia as they travel towards a meeting with Stalin himself.
That’s the background. Let’s have a look at the book. Published by Pravda in 1935 and designed by Simon Telingater, amongst others, this is a grandiose Stalinist production. (By the way this book is not to be confused with a 3 volume editon of the same name that appeared in 1934.) They certainly spared no expense on this publication; photomontage, hand-tinted photographs, foldouts and small flags tipped are but a few of the design features that appear in this book. The photographs come from a number of individuals as there were a number of photographers and cinematographers on-board (the most prominent being P. Novitzki and A.M. Shafran). These do seem to have provided a steady stream of imagery that is incorporated within the book. 1930s ideas about the documentary authenticity of photography didn’t really apply in the USSR and there is a distinct possibility that some of the photographs may have been staged or recreated at a later date. This attitude towards photography can be found within the English language account The Voyage of the Chelyuskin which states that “our photographer Novitzki insisted on me repeating my handshake with Vodopyanov, as he had been too slow to register that “historic” act.” (p. 236) Furthermore, by deliberately mixing staged photographs with images that have a documentary aspect to them, the result is a blurring of the boundaries between truth and fiction. From the perspective of today’s Crewdsonesque constructions of reality this is not an issue – but back in the ‘30s people got really hot under the collar about faked photos of events.
The narrative structure of the book doesn’t deviate from the official myth promoted by the authorities. It can be broken down into sections depicting the Chelyuskin setting sail on a voyage of adventure, getting trapped in the ice, sinking, setting up camp, waiting for rescue, the arrival of the aeroplanes and then the triumphant welcome back home in the USSR. The sections dealing with the initial voyage and the camping on the ice are quite static – but I suppose that is understandable since there is very little in the way of action that can be shown. There is an interesting series of images when the crew try to cut a passage through the ice for the ship. But of course this attempt fails. Once they are trapped on the ice floe, the images change to depictions of rather pathetic looking tents and the immense scale of the mounds of ice surrounding them as they wait for rescue. But there are only so many ways you can take photographs of people sitting around waiting. The radio operator’s importance is emphasised in these images as he is the vital link to the outside world. But there are no signs of despair or hopelessness in these images – everybody looks determined and cheerful as they wait trapped on what is a giant ice cube floating in the sea. In many ways, the design helps to enliven this section of the book which is not so visually dramatic. A celluloid transparency showing a map of the camp and a fold-out of the hand-written newspaper produced by the eager communist party members in the camp provide some added details and interest to a rather static subject.
However, once the rescue gets underway the tempo changes and it becomes more cinematic in scope. A photomontage foldout depicts smiling portraits of the heroic pilots while a fleet of aircraft flies over the iconic lookout tower, topped by the red flag, that the stranded survivors built. Photographs show the pilots readying themselves back at base after being summoned to the rescue by the ever-concerned Stalin. Portraits of pilots wrapped up in their open cockpits, braving the freezing weather and horrendous conditions instantly demonstrate their unimpeachable heroism as they risk their lives for the sake of others. There is a real sense of urgency and energy in these images. Anticipation is conveyed by pairing photos of people looking to the sky with aeroplanes landing on the ice. That all adds to the drama of the event.
This is then followed by the triumphant return of the survivors to civilisation. Building on the excitement of rescue, there is a dynamism in these images that again contrasts with the rather static nature of the early sections of the book. Crowd scenes and trains are used to convey movement and energy as an expectant public comes out to greet their heroes. Aeroplanes make celebratory fly pasts, demonstrating again the Soviet state’s complete mastery of the new technology of the period, showing that they too could compete with the other big powers of the time. Flowers are handed out to our suitably modest heroes in provincial locations as the procession winds its way to the capital. Crowds throng the spaces where the survivors receive yet more flowers and make the predictable speeches attributing their survival to the glories of Communism and the genius of Stalin, without whom they would have met their demise.
Finally, our intrepid group arrives in Moscow where they receive a ticker-tape parade before being granted an audience with Stalin, where they hand him a banner from the ship. In the grand scheme of a rescue-narrative like this, the triumphant homecoming is usually only a peripheral aspect, used to provide a happy-ever-after bookend to the story. Yet, an inordinate amount of space is devoted to this train trip through Russia after all the excitement is over. Why? I think the answer may lie in the fact that in the USSR of the 1930s everything revolved around Stalin. Quite literally everything. The fact that the shipwrecked survivors had escaped relatively unscathed from an icy grave by the skin of their teeth thanks to a combination of luck, physical stamina and the advent of new technologies that made a rescue possible (radios and aircraft capable of flying in arctic conditions) all fade into the background. Stalin’s presence consumes all. All success is Stalin’s success. Everything they achieved was accomplished by strictly following his guiding principles and ideas. Thus, the entire narrative is transformed into a moral fable for others to emulate in Soviet society – place your trust in Stalin’s wisdom and you too can overcome adversity. | 2019-04-18T20:36:34Z | https://propagandaphotos.wordpress.com/category/totalitarian-regime/ |
This annual report on Form 10-K and other reports filed by SilverSun Technologies, Inc. (the "Company") from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") contain or may contain forward-looking statements and information that are based upon beliefs of, and information currently available to, the Company's management as well as estimates and assumptions made by Company's management. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. When used in the filings, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "future," "intend," "plan," or the negative of these terms and similar expressions as they relate to the Company or the Company's management identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current view of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors, including the risks contained in the "Risk Factors" section of the Annual Report on Form 10-K, relating to the Company's industry, the Company's operations and results of operations, and any businesses that the Company may acquire. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ significantly from those anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended, or planned.
SilverSun Technologies, Inc. is involved in the acquisition and build-out of technology and software companies engaged in providing transformational business management applications and professional consulting services to small and medium size companies, primarily in the manufacturing, distribution and service industries. We are executing a business strategy centered on the design and development of our own proprietary business management solutions, which now includes our MAPADOC(R) Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) solution and other proprietary solutions and enhancements; as well as on the acquisition of application resellers and software publishers of unique and proprietary solutions in the extensive and expanding, but highly fragmented, business solutions marketplace.
Our core strength is rooted in our ability to discover and identify the driving forces of change that are affecting - or will affect - businesses in a wide range of industries. We invest valuable time and resources to fully understand how technology is transforming the business management landscape and what current or emerging innovations are deserving of a clients' attention. By leveraging this knowledge and foresight, our growing list of clients are empowered with the means to more effectively manage their businesses; to capitalize on real-time insight drawn from their data resources; and to materially profit from enhanced operational functionality, process flexibility and expedited process execution.
A key tactical strategy for our Company is developing smart, proprietary business management applications that effectively and efficiently integrate with existing business management systems; and in publishing proprietary solutions for niche markets that address unique manufacturing and distribution challenges and needs. In this regard, through our wholly-owned subsidiary, SWK Technologies, Inc. ("SWK"), we publish proprietary EDI software, branded as MAPADOC. MAPADOC is a fully integrated, easy-to use, feature-rich EDI solution for users of Sage Software, Inc.'s ("Sage") market leading Sage 100 ERP, Sage 500 ERP and Sage ERP X3 software products and for users of the cloud ERP solution published by Acumatica, Inc. Providing seamless integration and dramatically decreasing data-entry time and associated costs, it is marketed and distributed worldwide by the Company's direct sales force, as well as through its platform partner, SPS Commerce, Inc. and a growing national network of independent software partners and resellers, to customers largely supplying big-box retailers, including Walmart, CVS, Target and Costco.
We also provide managed IT services to our customers. As Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers and Microsoft Certified Professionals, our staff offers a host of mission critical services, including remote network monitoring, server implementation, support and assistance, operation and maintenance of large central systems, technical design of network infrastructure, technical troubleshooting for large scale problems, network and server security, and back-up, archiving and storage of data from servers. We compete with numerous large and small companies in this market sector, both nationally and locally.
Distinguished as one of the largest Sage ERP X3 practices in North America, we resell enterprise resource planning software published by Sage, which addresses the financial accounting requirements of small- and medium-size businesses focused on manufacturing and distribution. We also offer services related to these sales, including installation, support and training. These product sales are primarily packaged software programs installed on a user workstation, on a local area network server, or in a hosted environment. The programs perform and support a wide variety of functions related to accounting, including financial reporting, accounts payable, accounts receivable and inventory management.
We employ class instructors and host formal, topic-specific, training classes, typically on-site at our clients' facilities. Our instructors must pass annual subject matter examinations required by Sage to retain their product-based teaching certifications. We also provide end-user technical support services through our support/help desk, which is available during normal business hours, Monday through Friday. Our team of qualified product and technology consultants assist customers that contact us with questions about product features, functions, usability issues and configurations. The support/help desk offers services in a variety of ways, including prepaid services, time and materials billed as utilized and annual support contracts. Our customers can communicate with our support/help desk through email, telephone and fax channels.
Led by specialized project managers, we provide professional services ranging from software customization to data migration to small- and medium-size business consulting.
We also are resellers of the Warehouse Management System ("WMS") software published by High Jump, Inc. ("High Jump"), which develops warehouse management software for middle market distributors. The primary purpose of a WMS is to control the movement and storage of materials within an operation and process the associated transactions. Directed picking, directed replenishment, and directed put-away are the key to WMS. The detailed setup and processing within a WMS can vary significantly from one software vendor to another. However, the basic WMS will use a combination of item, location, quantity, unit of measure and order information to determine where to stock, where to pick, and in what sequence to perform these operations. The Accellos WMS software improves accuracy and efficiency, streamlines materials handling, meets retail compliance requirements, and refines inventory control. Accellos also works as part of a complete operational solution by integrating seamlessly with RF hardware, accounting software, shipping systems and warehouse automation equipment. We market the Accellos solution to our existing and new medium-sized business clients.
Investing in the acquisition of other companies and proprietary business management solutions has been an important growth strategy for our Company, allowing us to rapidly offer new products and services, expand into new geographic markets and create new and exciting profit centers. To date, we have completed a series of strategic ventures that have served to fundamentally strengthen our Company's operating platform and materially expand our footprint to nearly every U.S. state. More specifically, over the past ten years, we have outright acquired, acquired select assets of or entered into revenue sharing agreements with Business Tech Solutions Group, Inc.; Wolen Katz Associates; AMP-BEST Consulting, Inc.; IncorTech; Micro-Point, Inc.; HighTower, Inc.; Point Solutions, LLC; SGEN, LLC., ESC, Inc., 2000 SOFT, Inc., Productive Tech Inc., The Macabe Associates, Oates & Co and Pinsight Technology, Inc.
1) Revenues increased 2.14% from the prior year.
2) Income from operations was $939,258 as compared to $1,267,3473 in the prior year.
3) Sales of the Company's proprietary and cloud-based business management solutions increased.
4) Recurring revenue from all sources represents approximately 40.7% of total revenue.
Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2017 increased $730,058 (2.14%) to $34,852,028 as compared to $34,121,970 for the year ended December 31, 2016.
Software sales increased by $567,720 to $5,275,266 in 2017 from $4,707,546 in 2016 for an overall increase of 12.1%. This increase was primarily due to an increase in sales of our accounting software products, such as Sage ERP X3, cloud solutions Netsuite and Acumatica, and Accellos Warehouse Management.
Service revenue increased by $162,338 to $29,576,762 in 2017 from $29,414,424 in 2016 for an overall increase of 0.6%. The overall increases are primarily due to the continued marketing efforts and aggressive competitive pricing, and the Company's strategy to increase its business by seeking additional opportunities through potential acquisitions, partnerships or investments.
Gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2017 increased $1,138,198 (8.9%) to $13,865,440 as compared to $12,727,242 for the year ended December 31, 2016. The increase in overall gross profit for this period is attributed to the increase in revenues from existing business. For the year ended December 31, 2017, the overall gross profit percentage was 39.8% as compared to 37.3 % for the year ended December 31, 2016.
The gross profit attributed to software sales increased $452,985 to $2,675,390 for 2017 from $2,222,405 in 2016 which resulted in an increase in the gross profit percentage from 47.2% in 2016 to 50.7% for 2017. The mix of products being sold by the Company changes from time to time and sometimes causes the overall gross margin percentage to vary.
The gross profit attributed to services increased $685,213 to $11,190,050 for 2017 from $10,504,837 is 2016 primarily due to the implementations of larger scale accounting systems. The gross profit percentage attributed to services increased to 37.8% in 2017 from 35.7% in 2016.
Selling and marketing expenses increased $491,762 (11.3%) to $4,849,996 for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to $4,358,234 for the year ended December 31, 2016 due to additional sales personnel and related expenses in anticipation of accelerated growth in 2018.
General and administrative expenses increased $979,991 (15.4%) to $7,354,201 for the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to $6,374,210 for the year ended December 31, 2016 primarily as a result of increases in payroll and related expenses associated with the addition of management personnel and relocation of two of the Company's offices.
Depreciation and amortization expense for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $620,297 as compared to $684,660 for the year ended December 31, 2016.
For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company's Federal and State provision requirements were calculated based on the estimated tax rate. The Federal effective rate is higher than the statutory rate primarily due to change in federal statutory rate from 34% to 21% and Incentive Stock Options (ISO) and 50% of general meal and entertainment expense which are not tax deductible. The total provision for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $1,394,031.
In addition to developing new products, obtaining new customers and increasing sales to existing customers, management plans to increase its business and profitability by entering into collaboration agreements, buying assets, and acquiring companies in the business software and information technology consulting market with solid revenue streams and established customer bases that generate positive cash flow.
On May 6, 2014, SWK acquired certain assets of ESC, Inc. pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement for a promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $350,000 (the "ESC Note"). The ESC Note matures on April 1, 2019. Monthly payments are $6,135 including interest at 2% per year. At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the outstanding balance was $102,742 and $173,535 respectively.
On March 11, 2015 SWK entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with 2000 SOFT, Inc. d/b/a ATR, a California corporation, and Karen Espinoza McGarrigle in her individual capacity as Shareholder. SWK acquired certain assets of ATR (as defined in the Purchase Agreement). In consideration for the acquired assets, the Company issued a promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $175,000 and paid cash of $80,000. At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the outstanding balance was $14,987 and $74,194 respectively.
On July 6, 2015, SWK acquired certain assets of ProductiveTech Inc. (PTI) pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement cash of $500,000 and a promissory note for $600,000 (the "PTI Note"). The PTI Note is due in 60 months from the closing date and bears interest at a rate of two and one half (2.5%) percent. The monthly payments including interest are $10,645. At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the outstanding balance was $319,249 and $437,403 respectively.
On October 1, 2015 SWK entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the "Macabe Purchase Agreement") with The Macabe Associates, Inc., ("Macabe"), a Washington corporation and Mary Abdian and John Nicholson in their individual capacity as shareholders. SWK acquired certain assets and liabilities of Macabe (as defined in the Macabe Purchase Agreement). In consideration for the acquired assets, the Company paid $21,423 in cash. As additional consideration, the Company paid $5,500 cash after twelve months from closing and paid $5,500 cash twenty-four months from closing on the net-to-SWK revenues for Software and Maintenance sales if certain estimates are met for a total of $11,000 and was recorded as part of the contingent consideration included in the purchase price. Additionally, the Company will pay 35% of the net margin on software maintenance renewals for former Macabe customers for the first twelve months, and then 30%, 25% and 20% of the net margin on software maintenance renewals for the following three years. The Company will also pay 50% the first year, and 40%, 30% and 20% the three years after on the net margin on EASY Solution Maintenance, new software & license to existing Macabe customers and EASY Solutions software and maintenance sales to new customers. On any former Macabe customers migrating to Netsuite, X3 or Acumatica, the Company will pay 50% of the net margin of the sale after applicable costs and commissions for the three years period after the acquisition. The Company estimated this contingent consideration to be approximately $417,971 at acquisition and which is included in the purchase price. Certain payments were made in each of these contingent consideration components, resulting in a remaining balance of $105,635 as of December 31, 2017.
On October 19, 2015, SWK acquired certain assets of Oates & Company, LLC (Oates) pursuant to an Asset Purchase Agreement (the "Oates Purchase Agreement") cash of $125,000 and a promissory note for $175,000 (the "Oates Note"). The Oates Note is due in three years from the closing date and bears interest at a rate of two (2%) percent. The monthly payments including interest are $5,012. At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the outstanding balance was $49,494 and $108,018 respectively.
On July 21, 2016, SWK entered into a Revolving Demand Note (the "Revolving Demand Note") by and between SWK (the "Borrower") and M&T Bank ("Lender"), a commercial lender. The Lender has agreed to loan SWK up to a principal amount of one million dollars. The interest rate on the Revolving Demand Note shall be a variable rate, equal to the "Prime Rate", plus ninety-five one-hundredths percent (0.95%) per annum. There is a minimum interest rate floor of four percent (4%). The Revolving Demand Note is secured by all of the Borrower's assets pursuant to a Security Agreement. Furthermore, on July 21, 2016, the Company and Mr. Mark Meller, individually, entered into Unlimited Guaranty agreements (the "Guaranty Agreements") with the Lender. Under the Guaranty Agreements, the Company and Mr. Meller personally, jointly and severally guaranteed the liabilities of the Borrower due and owing under the terms of the Revolving Demand Note. At December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the outstanding balance was $0.
The Company generated $2,308,825 in cash from operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to generating $1,794,160 of cash for operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2016. This increase in cash provided by operating activities is primarily attributed to a decrease in accounts receivable and an increase in deferred revenue.
Investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2017 used cash of $815,510 as compared to using $496,719 of cash for the year ended December 31, 2016. This increase is a result of increased purchases of property and equipment and investment in software development costs.
Financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2017 used cash of $879,017 as compared to using cash of $869,705 for the year ended December 31, 2016. This increase in cash used in financing activities is mostly attributed to the payment of a cash dividend, contingent consideration, and repayment of the long term debt and capital lease payments.
There was no significant impact on the Company's operations because of inflation for the year ended December 31, 2017.
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate these estimates, including those related to bad debts, intangible assets, and litigation. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of certain assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
We have identified below the accounting policies, related to what we believe are most critical to our business operations and are discussed throughout Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition or Plan of Operation where such policies affect our reported and expected financial results.
Revenue is recognized when products are shipped, or services are rendered, evidence of a contract exists, the price is fixed or reasonably determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured.
Software product revenue is recognized when the product is shipped to the customer. The Company treats the software component and the professional services consulting component as two separate arrangements that represent separate units of accounting. The arrangement consideration is allocated to each unit of accounting based upon that unit's proportion of the fair value. In a situation where both components are present, software sales revenue is recognized when collectability is reasonably assured and the product is delivered and has stand-alone value based upon vendor specific objective evidence.
Service revenue is comprised of primarily professional service consulting revenue, maintenance revenue and other ancillary services provided as described below. Professional service revenue is recognized as service is incurred.
With respect to maintenance services, upon the completion of one year from the date of sale, the Company offers customers an optional annual software maintenance and support agreement for subsequent one-year periods. Maintenance and support agreements are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized over the respective terms of the agreements, which typically range from three months to one year and are included in service revenue in the Consolidated Statement of Income.
Shipping and handling costs charged to customers are classified as revenue, and the shipping and handling costs incurred are included in cost of sales.
The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and adjusts credit limits based on customer payment and current credit worthiness, as determined by review of their current credit information. The Company continuously monitors credits and payments from its customers and maintains provision for estimated credit losses based on its historical experience and any specific customer issues that have been identified. While such credit losses have historically been within our expectation and the provision established, the Company cannot guarantee that it will continue to receive positive results.
The Company recognizes revenue on its professional services as those services are performed or certain obligations are met.
Goodwill is the excess of acquisition cost of an acquired entity over the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized, but tested for impairment annually or whenever indicators of impairment exist. These indicators may include a significant change in the business climate, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition, sale or disposition of a significant portion of the business or other factors.
The values assigned to intangible assets were based on an independent valuation. Purchased intangible assets are amortized over the useful lives based on the estimate of the use of economic benefit of the asset using the straight-line amortization method.
The Company assesses potential impairment of its intangible assets when there is evidence that recent events or changes in circumstances have made recovery of an asset's carrying value unlikely. Factors the Company considers important, which may cause impairment include, among others, significant changes in the manner of use of the acquired asset, negative industry or economic trends, and significant underperformance relative to historical or projected operating results.
Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes, as well as net operating loss carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are classified as non-current based on the classification of the related assets or liabilities for financial reporting, or according to the expected reversal dates of the specific temporary differences, if not related to an asset or liability for financial reporting. Valuation allowances are established against deferred tax assets if . . . | 2019-04-22T20:52:09Z | https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/10-k-silversun-technologies-inc-2018-03-26?mod=mw_quote_news |
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Post's combined estimates of Nigeria's MY2017/18 production for wheat, rice, corn and sorghum is set at about 16.3 million tons, representing a slight drop from the current MY2016/17 estimate of nearly 16.5 million tons. Overall MY2017/18 imports will likely decline by nearly three percent to 6.6 million tons from 6.8 million tons in MY2016/17. MY2017/18 exports are at 850,000 tons, an increase of more than 21 percent over that of MY2016/17 due to growing demand in neighboring landlocked countries. Limited GON support to farmers over recent years, rising cost of farming inputs, and insecurity are limiting private efforts at increasing agricultural productivity. Unfavorable foreign exchange measures and weakening purchasing power combined are causing declines of local consumption and imports of food and agricultural imports. After USDA’s year-long efforts, its Export Credit Guarantee Program (GSM-102) has increased U.S. wheat sales to Nigeria of 216,000 tons .
Nigeria’s Grain Prospects and Challenges to Food Security Nigeria's grain production began to stagnate with GON's lowering support to agricultural efforts over the last two years. The country's devaluing currency is expected to sustain rising domestic food prices. Interestingly, the same factor makes food prices relatively cheaper for consumers in neighboring countries, resulting in increasing demand for Nigerian grains in countries around the Sahel region. These emerging developments could indicate potential threats to Nigeria's food security.
Competition from neighboring countries has promoted informal exports of Nigerian grains by 40 percent; reportedly, the country's highest agricultural export level over the last 15 years. Over the last two years, market prices have been doubling just as costs of farming inputs such as fertilizers, farm labor, and agro-chemicals. Declining purchasing power and GON's lack of funds to continue with grain purchasing for strategic grain reserve are also discouraging farmers from increasing production. There are few farmers who are able to export to neighboring countries, where prices are higher and cover local production costs; however, the majority remains to be mostly subsistence farmers.
The GON continues to face challenges with conserving the country's depleting value of its local currency (the Naira), despite measures initiated by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 2015 that excluded importers of 41 selected goods (including rice) and services from officially accessing foreign exchange. The excluded items classified as ‘Not Valid for Forex’ would not be funded at the interbank from proceeds of exports or supported with port clearance documents issued by CBN—even when foreign exchange is procured from the legitimate market at high costs. This translated into a technical barrier to trade for the affected products.
In June 2016, GON reviewed the earlier foreign exchange policy and replaced it with the current "single rate flexible" forex measure. Through this action, the government aimed to increase its forex supply. However, rising demand continued to outpace the increasing supply, leading to continued local currency (The Naira) depreciation in the informal market. Presently, the exchange rate on the informal market is around ₦500 to $1 compared to the official rate of ₦320 to $1.
After a year-long effort made by USDA headquarters, its FAS Ghana/Nigeria offices and the U.S. wheat industry, U.S. exporters registered nearly 216,000 tons ($50 million) in U.S. wheat exports to Nigeria under the GSM-102 program. This success reflects a concerted effort to reverse a several year decline in U.S. exports to Nigeria, a market in which U.S. wheat once held a 90 percent market share. To accomplish these sales, USDA expanded the number of eligible Nigerian financial institutions, but limited these institutions to financing sales of U.S. commodities to only Nigeria.
Nigeria continues to employ trade restrictions such as high tariffs, levies, import bans and other measures to protect its domestic agriculture, despite the country's membership to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The country's current trade-threatening measures on essential grains (such as rice, wheat, and maize) will likely continue in the upcoming year. Levies continue to be imposed on wheat imports, and this will likely remain in force along with the technical import ban on rice and other food/agricultural items classified as "Not Valid for Forex". Import ban on corn was lifted about 10 years ago; however, "special clearances" are required before any buyer could import corn—a situation that is expected to remain during MY2017/18.
In late January 2017, GON re-launched the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) to provide support to farmers through subsidized agricultural inputs. Despite this news, rural/small holder farmers and cottage agri-businesses, who contribute to over 80 percent of the country’s agricultural production, continue to note the absence of government support which helped increase agricultural productivity under previous administrations and better economic conditions. Conversely, the few large-scale agri-businesses note that GON’s withdrawal of support, especially the Growth Enhancement Scheme, allows them to better plan as government support was typically provided towards the end of the production season when it was least beneficial.
Despite increases in local production costs, MY2017/18’s area harvest and production continue to be estimated at 60,000 hectares and 60,000 tons, respectively. Sources note that production costs for local wheat have doubled to approximately $420 per ton over the last six months. Domestic wheat prices (per ton) are currently $420 in the local markets and $600 for regional export markets. Public officials note that there have been government/humanitarian purchases at $500 per ton for feeding Nigerians living in camps who are internally displaced from Boko Haram insurgencies. As a result, wheat farmers are only encouraged to maintain production because of institutional purchases and the lucrative export sales to regional markets in countries within the Sahel region (Niger, Chad, Mali, and Burkina Faso).
MY2017/18 FSI Consumption estimate is marked 100,000 tons lower at about 4.0 million tons compared to 4.1 million tons from the previous year. Bread, semolina, pasta and other wheat flour-based products are staples in Nigeria. Consumption is expected to stall due to Nigeria’s economic downturn— including increasing production costs and weakening purchase power. In the rural areas, these factors and others continue to induce market resistance and shift consumers to less expensive domestic staples such as garri (local cassava product), yam, plantain, cocoyam, millet and other localized staples produced and consumed in nearby communities. In urban areas, wheat flour usage for bread, semolina and pasta are estimated at 65 percent, 20 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Wheat products, such as bread, noodles and spaghetti, are expected to remain the more convenient and readily available. Flour millers and bakers find it challenging to increase market prices in order to offset rising production costs. Nigeria’s local wheat quality is not desirable for bread making; however, in Nigeria, it is a popular staple for traditional meal powder prepared for consumption with soup.
Imports: MY2017/18 wheat imports are estimated at 4.4 million tons, a decline of 100,000 tons from the preceding year. This is due to continued declines in purchasing power and access to foreign exchange. U.S. wheat sells at a premium because of its higher protein content. The price difference is about $60 per ton compared to Russian wheat. In 2016, the difference between the import price per ton for U.S. wheat compared to that of Canada and Australia was about $21, and $24 respectively. Lowering consumer purchase power is not able to absorb any price increase, so flour millers continue to blend U.S. wheat with Russian wheat in order to minimize rising production costs and to stay competitive, a key reason for the observed lost market share by U.S. wheat over the past few years. After a year-long effort made by USDA headquarters, its FAS Ghana/Nigeria offices and the U.S. wheat industry, U.S. exporters registered nearly 216,000 tons ($50 million) in U.S. wheat exports to Nigeria under the GSM-102 program. To accomplish these sales, USDA expanded the number of eligible Nigerian financial institutions, but limited these institutions to financing sales of U.S. commodities to Nigeria only.
Exports:MY2017/18 exports are expected to remain at the 400,000 tons. Countries in the Sahel region (such as Niger, Chad, Mali, and Burkina Faso) continue to rely on Nigeria’s grains. Cross border trade in agricultural commodities continues even amidst insecurity across Nigeria’s northeastern borders which are among the major export routes for wheat flour and products.
MY2017/18 wheat stocks are unchanged. Millers continue to maintain low supplies on hand due to continuing foreign exchange challenges. There was also no evidence of GON-held stocks.
The import tariff remains at five percent, plus a 15 percent levy. Imports of wheat flour, pasta, including noodles and spaghetti, remain banned. GON continues to pursue its new agricultural policy, the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP), which aims at a 50 percent cut of wheat imports by 2018. Analysts and market insiders continue to be skeptical about the effectiveness of government policies, particularly its ability to implement proposed actions with limited funds.
The GON’s cassava inclusion policy in wheat flour remains, but the inclusion percentage is much lower than initially envisaged. Cassava consumption and prices have also increased significantly among the mass consumers, which makes the cassava inclusion policy not feasible even in the foreseeable future.
MY2017/18 area harvested is projected to increase by three percent to about 2.6 million hectares from 2.5 million hectares in MY2016/17. MY2017/18 milled production is projected at 2.8 million tons increasing by four percent compared to 2.7 million tons the previous year. GON’s backward integration for rice led to private investment in domestic rice milling with capacity totaling 1.2 million tons. With exception to the integrated operations, the dominant small holder farmers are mostly planting traditional low-yielding and the adulterated rice seeds.
During the last quarter of 2016, GON supported major integrated rice mills under its new Anchor Borrowers program to pursue its backward integration agenda. Although 80 percent of the mills run at less than 25 percent capacity mainly due to paddy scarcity, the Anchor Borrower program is expected to provide funds to the large-scale operators in local rice sector. Integrated mills are also assisting the out-grower farmers with capacity building, seeds and other inputs which are improving yield and overall production. Despite these developments, Nigeria’s rice sector is still driven by small/cottage mills operating outdated mills and applying mostly traditional methods. Millers prefer to sell to government and humanitarian buyers due to consistent purchases at favorable prices. Sources note that Nigeria’s paddy price is currently selling at ₦250,000 ($500) per ton and its local market price for milled rice is ₦260,000 ($520) per ton. Integrated mills indicate that the difference is insufficient to cover milling and marketing costs.
To attain self-sufficiency in rice, stakeholders note that it would take several years of effective policy implementation, funding in seed development and paddy production, and infrastructure investment. Many investors in integrated rice farming/processing also serve as major rice importers in the region.
Although local rice sells at ₦13,000 per 50kg ($26), about 28 percent less than the imported rice at ₦18,000 ($36), the quality of locally milled rice is poor as compared with imported rice causing majority of rice consumers, especially in the urban areas, to still patronize the available but higher-cost imported rice. Local rice is mostly consumed by the low income and rural people living around the producing areas. Many low income earners in the urban dwellers are not able to afford imported rice and prefer to consume other inexpensive staples rather spending time to de-stone and cleaning local rice.
Imports: MY2017/18 imports are noted at 2.0 million tons, the same figure as compared with the previous year. Despite increasing prices, Nigeria’s urban consumers still prefer imported rice as they consider it to be more convenient and easy-to-cook as compared with other staples. During the last quarter of 2016, GON amended its forex measures to exclude rice from its import and port clearance documentations. This implies technical import ban placed on rice as the commodity will not be issued the required document for port clearance even when its import purchase is funded through the parallel foreign exchange market. As a result, most rice consumed in Nigeria enters the market through informal cross-border rice trade.
The differential tariff between importers who have domestic rice production and the exclusive traders remain at 30 percent and 70 percent, respectively. With that said, rice is still among the 41 items excluded by CBN for accessing forex to pay for its import purchases. Moreover, rice importers must show evidence of their CBN forex allocation document before the consignment can be cleared at ports. The forex measures, the Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP), the Anchor Borrowers Program and other GON’s import-substitution policies have not translated into increasing supply of rice paddy for economic operation of the large-scale integrated rice mills.
MY2017/18 area harvested and production figures are estimated at 3.8 million hectares and 6.9 million tons, respectively, resulting in about 4 percent production decline as compared with MY2016/17 figure. Farmers indicate that they are shifting away from corn production because of lack of GON support schemes and inconsistent policies. In the past, farmers had largely depended on GON’s support through the Government Enhancement Scheme; however, this government support has been on hold since mid-2014. The Anchor Borrowers Program has been made available to a few corn-growing states in Northern Nigeria and is grossly inadequate to increase corn production.
The army worm (Spodoptera exempta) continues to destroy corn production across the country for the past few years. With limited government intervention, farmers increasingly perceive corn farming as a high-risk venture. Farmers are also sustaining huge losses because the GON has stopped purchasing corn supplies for strategic reserves, and operators in the poultry sector, who are principal consumers, are either downsizing or closing operations.
MY2017/18 consumption is projected at 6.8 million tons, a drop by 500,000 tons as compared with the 7.3 million tons recorded in MY2016/17. Production costs have more than doubled over the last two years and GON’s supports for the agricultural sector—including the GES—have remained dormant over that time. Current corn prices have increased nearly 300 percent from ₦40,000 ($80) per ton to about ₦154,000 ($300) over the last two years. Corn is a leading crop for human and animal consumption. The poultry sector is the major user of corn for feed, and many poultry farms are increasingly struggling with rising feed costs.
Imports: MY2017/18 corn imports are expected to decline by more than 33 percent to 200,000 tons compared to 300,000 tons noted for the previous year. Despite high and increasing domestic prices, importers lack the foreign exchange to purchase corn.
Exports: MY2017/18 corn exports are also projected at 300,000 tons, a 50-percent increase as compared with 200,000 tons estimated during MY2016/17. Corn prices have become relatively inexpensive to Nigeria’s neighbors in the midst of the country’s currency devaluation. Currently, farmers and agribusinesses with operational capacity to export to regional markets are mostly the ones that have remained in commercial corn production and distribution.
Import tariff for corn remains five (5) percent. Corn is included under the APP’s prioritized agricultural products and constitutes over 60 percent of poultry feed inputs. GON announced agricultural support programs following the APP, but they remain skeptical of the effectiveness of these programs at this initial stage.
MY2017/18 area harvested is expected to increase marginally by 50,000 hectares to 5.35 million hectares as compared with 5.3 million hectares in MY2016/17. Production is marked at 6.55million tons, a minimal increase from the previous year. Similar to other grains, there has been no GON support to farmers since the mid-2014. Sorghum production also occurs mostly within the northeastern part of Nigeria where Boko Haram insurgencies continue to limit land for sorghum production. However, farmers have continued to be encouraged by increasing prices and rising sorghum demand –both for food and for industrial use—over the last two years. Private sector industrial consumers are also expected to increase their supports to farmers through some out-grower arrangements that will support local farmers with inputs, improved seeds/ seedlings, storage and processing facilities, credits, etc. These are expected to assist with some increasing production during the out year.
MY 2017/18 consumption is projected at 6.5 million tons, a 2 percent increase as compared with MY2016/17. Increasing demand in the regional markets and the continuously growing use of sorghum by Nigeria’s beverage industry—both for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages— remains the major stimuli for sustained consumption despite increasing prices.
Sorghum prices increased nearly 90 percent from ₦80,000 ($160) per ton in 2014 to ₦150,000 ($300) per ton in 2016. Market analysts indicate that Nigeria has potential to exceed per capita sorghum consumption of 40 kilograms within the next 2-3 years. Import purchases were observed over the first four months of the MY2016/17 after many years of self-sufficiency. This is mainly due to increasing consumption amidst increasing prices and lowered purchasing power. However, rising prices have continued to diminish expected demand (especially by the poultry sector).
Imports: MY2017/18 is projected at 30,000 tons. For the first time in recent years, Nigeria imported about 20,000 tons of U.S. sorghum to meet local demand as Boko Haram insurgencies continue to limit access to Nigeria’s dominant sorghum-growing areas.
Exports:MY2017/18 sorghum export is estimated to 150,000 tons, an increase of 50 percent as compared with 100,000 tons projected to be exported in MY2016/17. With Nigeria’s lingering currency devaluation, sorghum produced locally attracts higher demand from Niger, Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso.
GON removed its sorghum export ban in 2011. Sorghum is imported into Nigeria at five percent tariff. | 2019-04-22T00:31:18Z | https://www.agrochart.com/en/news/6298/nigerias-urban-consumers-still-prefer-imported-rice.html |
Golar reported yesterday a 3Q 2017 operating loss of $22.9 million as compared to a 2Q 2017 loss of $24.0 million. A pick-up in utilization toward the end of the quarter resulted in a small rise in time charter revenues which increased $1.0 million to $25.0 million in 3Q 2017. Voyage expenses increased from $11.8 million in 2Q 2017 to $13.1 million in 3Q 2017, with the increase largely attributable to repositioning and cool-down costs for the Golar Tundra which departed Ghana in September and prepared for service as an LNG carrier.
As a result of higher fleet management and general vessel maintenance costs, vessel operating expenses increased $1.7 million to $13.8 million in 3Q 2017. Administration and depreciation and amortization costs at $11.0 million and $17.4 million, respectively, were in line with 2Q 2017.
· Operating Loss and EBITDA* in the quarter reported a loss of $22.9 million and $5.5 million, respectively, compared to a 2Q 2017 loss of $24.0 million and $6.6 million, respectively.
· Committed to sell an interest in the FLNG Hilli Episeyo (“Hilli”) to Golar LNG Partners (“Golar Partners”).
· Iain Ross appointed as CEO.
Golar Partners closes a Series A Preferred Unit offering raising net proceeds of $134 million.
Golar Partners issues first 50% of Incentive Distribution Right reset Earn-Out Units to Golar.
LNG shipping market shows solid signs of recovery in 4Q.
FLNG Hilli on site in Cameroon with production expected to commence shortly.
* EBITDA is defined as operating loss before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. A non-GAAP financial measure is generally defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission as one that purports to measure historical or future financial performance, financial position or cash flows, but excludes or includes amounts that would not be so adjusted in the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure. We have presented EBITDA as we believe it provides useful information to investors because it is a basis upon which we measure our operations and efficiency. EBITDA is not a measure of our financial performance under U.S. GAAP and should not be construed as an alternative to net income (loss) or other financial measures presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
Golar reports today a 3Q 2017 operating loss of $22.9 million as compared to a 2Q 2017 loss of $24.0 million. A pick-up in utilization toward the end of the quarter resulted in a small rise in time charter revenues which increased $1.0 million to $25.0 million in 3Q 2017. Voyage expenses increased from $11.8 million in 2Q 2017 to $13.1 million in 3Q 2017, with the increase largely attributable to repositioning and cool-down costs for the Golar Tundra which departed Ghana in September and prepared for service as an LNG carrier.
· The $7.1 million decrease in interest expense is the result of an adjustment to reflect capitalization of deemed interest of $7.4 million in connection with Golar’s equity investment in Golar Power. This has been partly offset by additional interest charges as a result of an increase in LIBOR.
· Other financial items reported 3Q 2017 income of $4.4 million. This non-cash income was derived from a mark-to-market gain on the three million Total Return Swap (“TRS”) shares following a $0.36 quarter-on-quarter increase in the Company’s share price, an increase in swap rates resulting in mark-to-market interest rate swap gains and a $2.5 million mark-to-market gain on the IDR Earn-Out Units derivative.
– income of $1.1 million in respect of Golar’s stake in Golar Partners.
Golar Partners reported a substantial drop in 3Q 2017 net income, primarily due to recognition of the Golar Spirit termination fee in 2Q 2017 and the loss of earnings from this FSRU post June 23, 2017. Golar’s $8.4 million 3Q 2017 share of net earnings in the Partnership is offset by amortization, principally of the fair value gain on deconsolidation of Golar Partners, currently equivalent to $7.3 million. At $12.9 million, the quarterly cash distribution received from the Partnership is in line with prior quarters.
The shipping market recovery is underway. Shipping demand has exceeded supply growth for the first time since 2013. Demand growth has been supported by a combination of additional liquefaction volumes and rising ton miles. Eight liquefaction trains with nameplate capacity of 34 million tons that commenced operations in 2016 continue to ramp up. A further six trains including Sabine Pass T4 and Wheatstone and Yamal T1 with a collective nameplate capacity of 28 million tons have commenced operations during 2017 to date. Start-up of the 5 million ton Cove Point facility is anticipated around year-end. After four years of declining ton miles, the advent of US volumes and the commencement of contracts with their Far Eastern off-takers are also contributing to rising sailing distances. Year to September 2017 ton miles increased 10% relative to 2016. This upward trajectory should continue given that new 2018-2021 liquefaction will be dominated by US volumes.
During September vessels began to pull out of the spot market to service dedicated volumes. Rising LNG prices in the East in response to significant demand from China and Korea also resulted in additional arbitrage opportunities and ton miles as more US volumes headed further eastward. Approximately 1.9 vessels are required to carry US volumes to Asia, more than twice the number required to deliver Australian volumes. Spot rates have steadily increased from 2-year highs in early October to 3-year highs today with sentiment continuing to improve as we move into peak winter gas demand. LNG prices have also surprised to the upside. Current JKM prices at around $9.80 per mmbtu compare to $7.10 this time last year. Similarly, European prices of $7.70 compare to $5.90 last year. The increase in Asia has, to a large extent, been driven by very strong Chinese demand where year to October imports are up approximately 48%, to 29 million tons.
Looking to 2018, around 45 vessels are scheduled for delivery, equivalent to 10% of the current fleet. This compares to more than 12% expected production growth for the year. Growth in ton miles is expected to further tighten the market and this sentiment is translating into a notable increase in enquiries for term charters.
On August 15, 2017, Golar entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (“PSA”) with Golar Partners for the sale of equity interests in the Hilli. The sold interests represent the equivalent of 50% of the two liquefaction trains, out of four, that have been contracted to Perenco Cameroon SA (“Perenco”) and Societe Nationale Des Hydrocarbures (“SNH”) for an eight-year term. The sold interest includes a 5% stake in any future incremental earnings generated by the currently uncontracted expansion capacity, but does not include exposure to the oil linked component of Hilli’s current revenue stream. The agreed sale price was $658 million less net lease obligations under the vessel financing facility that are expected to be between $468 and $480 million, which represents 50% of the Hilli post-delivery facility. Concurrent with execution of the PSA, the Partnership paid a $70 million deposit to Golar, on which the Partnership receives interest at a rate of 5% per annum. Closing of the sale is expected to take place on or before April 30, 2018.
On October 24, 2017, the Partnership priced a 4.8 million $25.0 per unit 8.75% Series A Preferred Unit offering. After exercise of the Underwriters Option for a further 0.72 million units, net proceeds received at closing on October 31, 2017 amounted to approximately $134 million. This capital raising positions the Partnership to acquire additional assets from Golar.
On October 31, 2017, Golar’s obligation to sub-charter the Golar Grand from the Partnership expired. From November 1, 2017, all daily hire from the vessel’s oil major charterer accrues to the Partnership.
Having paid the minimum quarterly distribution in respect of each of the four preceding quarters ended September 30, 2017, the Incentive Distribution Right (“IDR”) Exchange Agreement required that the Partnership issue to Golar 50% of the Earn-Out Units withheld at the time of the IDR reset in October 2016. Accordingly, on November 16, 2017, Golar Partners issued to Golar 374,295 common units and 7,639 General Partner units. The agreement also required the Partnership to pay Golar the distributions that it would have been entitled to receive on these units in respect of each of those four preceding quarters. Therefore, concurrent with the issuance of the above Earn-Out Units, Golar also received $0.9 million in cash. The Partnership will issue the remaining 50% of the Earn-Out Units in 4Q 2018, provided that it has paid a distribution equivalent to $0.5775 for each of the four quarters up to September 30, 2018. As of today, Golar owns 21,226,586 common units and 1,420,870 General Partner units in the Partnership which in total have a current market value of approximately $470 million.
The Hilli conversion and pre-commissioning is now complete. The vessel departed Keppel Shipyard on October 1, 2017 and left Singapore for Cameroon with 108 crew on board on October 12, 2017. The Hilli arrived in Cameroon on November 20, 2017 and hook-up and connection to risers and umbilicals is now underway. The next period will see tendering of a Notice of Readiness, which triggers commissioning rate toll fees. A ship-to-ship transfer of LNG for commissioning purposes will be undertaken followed by commencement of the full commissioning process. As part of this process, Golar anticipates production of first commercial LNG to take place around year end. Final commissioning is expected to complete during the second half of 1Q 2018 and the project remains well within budget.
The Mark II FEED study, a key pre-requisite to reaching a Final Investment Decision (“FID”) on the four 3.2mtpa FLNG unit US Gulf Coast Delfin LNG project is continuing on schedule and is on track to complete at the end of 1Q 2018.
On August 21, 2017, the Fortuna project participants agreed the LNG sales structure and selected Gunvor Group Ltd. (“Gunvor”) as preferred off-taker. Principal commercial terms have been agreed with Gunvor for a sale and purchase agreement covering 1.1mtpa of LNG over a 10-year term. The LNG will be sold on a Brent-linked FOB basis. For two years immediately following FID the LNG offtake structure also permits the Fortuna project participants to market the remaining 1.1mtpa to higher priced gas markets. The sellers also have the option to put up to 1.1mtpa to Gunvor at a price lower than the firm price, exercisable during the two year period following FID.
On October 2, 2017, Fortuna project partner Ophir awarded an upstream construction contract to Subsea Integration Alliance, a partnership between OneSubsea, a Schlumberger company, and Subsea 7. The award is structured as an engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (“EPCIC”) contract for the sub-sea umbilicals, risers and flowlines and for the sub-sea production systems scope of work. The EPCIC schedule is consistent with the planned delivery of first gas in 2021, and work will commence after FID.
With the Umbrella Agreement approved, a preferred off-taker and offtake structure agreed, and EPC and EPCIC contracts for midstream and upstream infrastructure now in place, the critical outstanding requirement for full FID remains financing. Progress has been made on bank and alternative financing approaches over the last month. Based on the solid economics of this project, the Board expects to approve a FID in the first part of 2018.
OneLNG is making very good progress with its remaining portfolio of FLNG projects and expects further projects to be concluded during 2018.
Development of the power project in Sergipe is progressing according to plan. A full financing package for the project is on track to close in 1Q 2018. There are now more than 1,200 workers on the ground with civil and earthworks nearing completion. Turbine, transformer and heat recovery steam generation modules are scheduled for delivery to site during 1Q 2018. Sapura Energy have been engaged in an EPCI contract for offshore works.
Golar Power’s agreement to provide the Sergipe project with an FSRU for 25-years has also been formalized in the form of a Time Charter Party and Operating Services Agreement for the Golar Nanook, the effectiveness of each being subject to financial close. The vessel remains on track for a September 2018 yard delivery ahead of commencement of commissioning activities offshore Sergipe in early-mid 2019.
Several projects have been targeted for the FSRU conversion candidate Golar Celsius and yards are being shortlisted for the conversion project. The standalone FSRU market remains highly competitive and challenging. Golar is therefore focusing on more profitable integrated gas to power projects where barriers to entry are higher.
The Hilli remains well within budget. As at September 30, 2017, $912.1 million has been incurred ($1,032.1 million including the original vessel and capitalised interest). As of today, $525 million has been drawn against the CSSCL debt facility. A further $175 million is available to draw to meet remaining pre-acceptance costs and up to a further $260 million can be used for remaining bills and to augment liquidity after acceptance. Drawdown of this facility is likely to significantly improve Golar’s liquidity and investment capacity. An agreement has also been reached with Perenco and SNH to reduce the LC from $400 million to $300 million and this too is expected to release additional liquidity.
Golar’s unrestricted cash position as at September 30, 2017 was $286.6 million. Discussions have been initiated with Golar Partners with respect to the possible dropdown of the second 50% of Hilli’s contracted capacity. The Partnership is financially well positioned for this following completion of its Series A Preferred Unit offering.
Included within the $1,102.6 million current portion of long-term debt is $702.1 million relating to lessor-owned subsidiaries that Golar is required to consolidate in connection with seven sale and leaseback financed vessels. The Company’s underlying exposure is therefore $400.5 million. Of this, the majority relates to the Hilli CSSCL facility, which will be replaced by the pre-arranged $960 million sale and leaseback facility after vessel acceptance.
On September 21, 2017, Iain Ross was appointed to replace interim CEO Oscar Spieler, who remains available in an advisory capacity to support the Hilli project. Iain joins Golar from project delivery firm WorleyParsons where he has held a wide range of Executive positions, most notable amongst them, responsibility for their global hydrocarbons, power, infrastructure and mining sectors.
At Golar’s Annual General Meeting on September 27, 2017, Tor Olav Trøim was appointed Chairman, replacing Dan Rabun. Dan remains a Director of Golar. Michael Ashford, Golar’s Company Secretary, was also appointed as a Director, replacing Andrew Whalley.
As at September 30, 2017, there were 101 million shares outstanding, including 3.0 million TRS shares that had an average price of $42.94 per share. There were also 4.2 million outstanding stock options in issue. The dividend will remain unchanged at $0.05 per share for the quarter.
The Board is pleased with the transformation the company has undertaken since ordering FLNG Hilli in June 2014. Golar is currently going through a process that will see it transition from a mid-stream shipping company into a fully integrated gas to wire energy company.
Supported by the successful execution of existing projects and contributions from key joint venture partners OneLNG and Golar Power, the project portfolio for the Golar group of companies continues to grow. This unique combination provides a differentiated and competitive value proposition in the gas to wire energy sector.
As a result of the above, Golar is a company likely to increase its earnings significantly over the coming three years. These results will be underpinned by secured contracts currently in execution, further augmented by a strengthening shipping market and a solid portfolio of projects that are expected to translate into new contracts. The company looks forward to providing confirmation of the above over the forthcoming quarters.
The Board recognizes the hard work invested in transforming Golar LNG into a fully integrated and uniquely positioned energy company, driven by a strong focus on technology and execution. The Board expects that this effort will translate into significant shareholder value as the various projects commence over the years ahead. | 2019-04-20T16:22:55Z | https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/lng-shipping-company-golar-lng-says-fourth-quarter-time-charters-double-compared-to-third-quarter/ |
Last week, Issa and I discussed his earlier game show appearances – on The Rich List, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Millionaire Hot Seat.
SH: Apart from those TV appearances, you’ve also long been a fixture on the Australian Quizzing scene. In fact, you’re a six-time winner of the Australian Quizzing Championships (2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) and six-time Pairs Champion (2012-17). Can you tell me a bit about that area of your life? Just how all-consuming has it been?
IS: It is probably my favourite part of quizzing nowadays. I discovered Quizzing Australia (the organisation that runs these events) back in 2008, and I decided to fly myself to Sydney to compete. I came second that year but was instantly hooked. It really is “next level” quizzing. It is run concurrently with the World Quizzing Championships and consists of a whopping 240 questions over eight categories, done in two hours with a break in between. As the questions are the same worldwide, you get a massive range, and the difficulty is very high. Last year I was fortunate to win Aussie title No. 6 and reached 57th in the world – absolutely delighted. For the first time, I finished ahead of Anne (The Governess) and she wasn’t necessarily thrilled!
SH: Do you still have time to compete in this arena, now that you’re working on The Chase Australia? If so, has becoming a Chaser helped your game there?
IS: Oh, absolutely. If anything, I am probably guilty of studying for international competitions more than The Chase. There is a little bit of a crossover, but naturally many questions in a world championship aren’t going to be suitable for a televised Australian quiz show – too obscure and many are too long, for example. But doing The Chase has definitely helped my general knowledge across the board. I remember one year at the World Quizzing Championships, Brydon and I had a little chuckle because a question asked had just come up at a recording the week before. Every month, there are two international quizzes of 100 questions each called ‘Hot 100’ and ‘Squizzed’, both of which are excellent and I always put time aside to compete in both. We have groups meet up twice a month to do these in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. It’s great just to socialise and be guaranteed a decent, interesting quiz.
Personally, I think this is sad, and I’m trying to teach my daughter to value and cultivate and exercise her general knowledge. It’s part of being a well-rounded, interesting human being, after all. What are your thoughts on this?
This week, I’m absolutely DELIGHTED to bring you my latest exclusive interview with one of The Chasers, from the hit show The Chase Australia.
Following on from my previous interviews with ‘Goliath’ (AKA Matt Parkinson), and ‘Tiger Mum’ (AKA Cheryl Toh)… Today, I’m delighted be talking to another firm fan favourite… ‘The Supernerd’ (AKA Issa Schultz)! Issa was very generous with his time in this very wide ranging conversation, and I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did.
SH: Issa, thanks very much for chatting to me today for HowToWinGameShows.com!
IS: An absolute pleasure Stephen, long-time fan! Delighted to have a chat.
SH: You grew up in England, moving to Australia in 1995 when you were 11 years old. Had you already been bitten by the quiz bug back in England? What quiz shows or game shows did you watch over there, as a child?
IS: Back in the UK, my father ran an establishment that I think he called “The Liberal Club” and he would host trivia nights every week. I would arrive at the club right near the end of these nights (after Cub Scouts!), and would occasionally overhear some of the questions – and it made me sit up and listen. I remember thinking “hey, I like this question / answer concept!” The big quiz shows of the day back then were Fifteen to One (hosted by the late great William G Stewart) and Mastermind (similarly the late great Magnus Magnusson).
SH: When and where did your interest in competitive quizzing begin?
IS: My family and I went to pub quizzes regularly up on the Sunshine Coast as I went through high school, but I think it got more serious once I moved to Brisbane in 2002, as I realised the pub quiz scene down here was more difficult and harder to win. I’d find myself buying quiz books and reading those instead of my uni books (!!). Likewise, back in high school I remember handing one or two assignments in late because I had chosen to go to a pub quiz the night before they were due!
SH: When you were 21 years old, you appeared on The Einstein Factor – I looked this up on imdb, and it appears your special subject was either ‘The Academy Awards’, ‘Australian Birds’, or ‘The Life and Times of Carl Lewis’… so, which one was it, and how did you do on the show?
IS: Aha, well researched sir! Yes that was back in 2005, and I had opted for Academy Awards. In hindsight my preparation was terrible, I think I had just looked at a couple of lists and some “weird Oscar factoids” and assumed/hoped that would do the trick. Back then of course, Wikipedia was very much in its infancy, so potential resources were all over the shop. I came second overall, the chap who did Australian Birds really knew his stuff. Funnily enough, the chap who came third in that episode I had previously met, on a recording of Millionaire. He said “Oh no, not you again!”.
SH: What did you learn from that experience?
IS: The wonderful thing about The Einstein Factor was that you were really playing for “the honour” rather than any cash prize. Sure I was disappointed, but equally as a struggling 21 year old it was so nice to have paid flights and accommodation at St Kilda. Little highlights like spotting Tim Ferguson (one of the show’s “Brains Trust”) afterwards in the local 7-11 stay in my mind. From a quizzing angle, I realised that going forward, I’d really need to do more preparation. That was my second TV quiz show and second loss at that stage. I also realised, watching it back, that I should jolly well get a decent haircut next time I’m on TV!
And that’s where we leave it for this week. When our interview continues next week, Issa and I discuss his biggest quiz show win, how he spent the money, and he reveals his insider tips for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire….
And, for those playing along at home, the next time he went on TV he DID have a decent haircut.
Yes, alright – fair enough Cheryl.
SH: What do your family think of the persona you’ve adopted for the show? How much of a Tiger Mum are you in real life?
CT: My family likes the nickname. It was either me or my father who first suggested it. Many women, especially in the Asian community, regard it as a compliment to be called a “tiger mum”. For me, I am having a bit of a laugh at myself. While tiger parents have many great qualities, it wouldn’t hurt them to have a bit of a laugh at themselves occasionally too, I reckon. My kids will have to answer your second question! My sister-in-law Yvonne leaves me in the dust though – she makes her son do 5 hours of homework every day.
SH: What sort of study or training do you do for the show each week?
CT: I read eclectically, go to a couple of pub quizzes, watch quiz shows and play on a few quiz apps. I have a very smart English friend in Harrogate (a surgeon) called Jon who sends me lots of challenges. He loves the British version of The Chase and hopes he can see one of my episodes someday. Sometimes I’ll trade questions that I think are challenging or interesting with my mates (including Issa) on email or WhatsApp. My good pal Alan talks a fair bit about sports, current affairs and movies and I pick up plenty of tidbits from him.
SH: And finally… (I understand entirely if you’d prefer not to answer this, but I feel I’d be neglecting my duty if I didn’t ask)… are there any tips you can share for any aspiring contestants wanting to go up against you on The Chase?
CT: Do your homework! That’s good general advice not just Tiger Mum advice. Like most things in life, you will do better on quiz shows if you have prepared yourself mentally. Watch lots of episodes of The Chase Australia, and read Stephen Hall’s marvellous book which covers many practical aspects of quiz shows. Going on a quiz show is not an experience that many people have, and reading this book gives you insights from people who have actually done it, and won! I do hope to meet many more contestants, as I’ve faced such lovely and interesting people so far. Andrew (O’Keefe) and the crew do an awesome job of making the day a fun and memorable experience for contestants. I think 99% of them go away having had an absolute blast, plus they get the chance to enjoy watching themselves on national TV later with family and friends. I certainly appreciate their courage, good humour and sportsmanship.
Which I most highly recommend you do.
Hello, and welcome to my first EXCLUSIVE interview for 2019. Today, I’m really pleased to bring you my chat with the newest addition to the cast of The Chase Australia… Cheryl Toh, otherwise known as The Tiger Mum!
As you’ll see, I was aware of Cheryl’s presence in the quiz community, and so was really pleased to see her pop up as the newest Chaser in the Australian version of the hit quiz show. I’m very grateful to Cheryl for taking the time to chat with me… now let’s see what she had to say!
SH: You have quite a background in trivia and quizzing – was it through Martin Flood that you and I met?
CT: I haven’t actually had the pleasure of meeting you in person, but yes, we first got in contact via Marty Flood. I was already a big fan of yours having watched you blitz it on Temptation. I also really enjoyed your work on The Hollowmen. You’re a VERY funny guy!
SH: Thank you, you’re very kind! Have you always been interested in trivia, and quizzing? Where did your interest come from?
CT: I started quizzing properly in my mid 20s. It came about by chance. I was living in Melbourne at the time and decided to go along to a Temptation audition, for some fun. To my surprise, I answered most of the test questions correctly and was contacted quite quickly to appear as a contestant. I was only on one episode but won over $8000 from a lucky Vault spin and some prizes from the Famous Faces board. The experience taught me to back myself on answers more confidently, as I hesitated in the final 60-second round and it cost me the game. I also discovered quiz shows are really fun! Although I didn’t quiz much before that, I really liked studying throughout my school years, so the interest in learning was there from quite a young age. I credit my excellent primary school teachers for enthusing me about knowledge, as well as my parents who emphasised the importance of doing well in my studies.
SH: And if memory serves, you appeared on The Einstein Factor – what was your special subject?
CT: You are right, I was on The Einstein Factor and my special subject was the TV series Poirot. I lost to Andrew McDonald, who went on to become the Series 4 champion.
CT: That Andrew knows a LOT about the Luftwaffe and heaps of other stuff! I picked up that buzzer technique (timing) is very important, and that in most quiz shows, you must stay very focussed as the outcome can change in a matter of seconds.
SH: Back in 2015, you were a contestant on Million Dollar Minute – how did you go there?
CT: I won $75,000 on Million Dollar Minute.
SH: And what did you learn from that experience?
CT: It was really important on that show to get into a good rhythm with the buzzing. I also found from my own experience, and from watching others who’d gone on this show before me, that staying calm helps one’s performance. I learned that I didn’t have the most resilient attitude towards failure, and I have tried to change for the better since then.
SH: Before The Chase came along, you had been a lawyer in your professional life. Did that help prepare you in any way for your role in the show? If so, how?
CT: Oh I’m still a lawyer Stephen! I still have a regular day job like most people. 🙂 I don’t know if training in any particular field gives you an advantage in quizzing. It’s true though that lawyers are used to reading a lot. And I think reading widely is one of the most effective ways to learn trivia, so maybe there is a connection there – not so much with the legal profession but rather with jobs that require a good deal of reading, because the habit might make you faster at reading and processing that information.
That’s where we’ll leave it for this week. Next week, we discuss the origins of Cheryl’s Tiger Mum persona, she reveals her training regimen for being a Chaser, and shares her Two Top Tips for anyone wanting to be a contestant on the show. Until then, then!
SH: What is something that you never do when you’re writing quiz questions?
AR: Social media. I have downloaded a browser plug-in that I set to yell at me if I try to open Facebook or Twitter or any of those things. You know those alerts come up, telling you so-and-so has liked your comment or some such, and before you know it, you’ve spent an hour down an unhelpful rabbit-hole of absolutely irrelevant crap. Every time I click on one of those, this browser plug in swears at me. Literally. Vile, angry language. It’s quite the motivator!
SH: What’s an example of a question you’ve written that you’re really proud of?
AR: Oh, so many! On Hard Quiz, it’s the ones that stump the experts. Especially if the expert is particularly smarmy and full of themselves. The first ever episode of The Chase Australia featured a question of mine that stumped even The Chaser herself!
I have tried to write a ‘Fanny Chmelar’ style question for The Chase Australia, but because of the timeslot, they’ve all been rejected, which is probably for the best. Did you know that an archaic term for an open-cut mine is ‘Glory Hole?’ I wrote it as a multiple choice “In which industry do people go to work in a glory hole?” Mining, Fishing, Theatre. It’s revolting, I know, but it is an actual true fact. You can’t argue with the truth… Well, you can if you are putting out a G-rated show.
SH: Are there any specific rules that you follow when you’re writing quiz questions?
Follow the rules of the show! The Chase Australia has a very detailed style guide, and some very restrictive rules about length of questions and answers, which I adore. I love the language puzzle writing those entails, trying to rearrange a question to be coherent and fun in as few words as possible.
The first round of Hard Quiz, where people are able to steal points, I really enjoyed writing dog-leg questions, that seemed like they were going off in one direction, but in fact were headed somewhere else entirely, trying to trick people into buzzing in early. Like one about Eurovision, where it seemed like it was going to be an obvious one about which song ABBA won with, but instead was about which venue they won at! It was the ‘British seaside resort’ of Brighton, if you’re wondering, which then of course gives (the show’s host) Tom Gleeson leeway to make a joke about ‘British seaside resort’ being an oxymoron.
The fact that Hard Quiz is a comedy show as well as a game show means that all the writers have to do double time writing questions and gags. Tom writes both questions and gags himself. He’s incredibly hands on. I worked in the office at Hard Quiz, whereas I have done all my work on The Chase Australia remotely.
SH: Have you ever written any questions that turned out to be controversial?
And here we are, with my first interview for 2017, and I’m delighted to say it’s with The Fabulous Adam Richard! For those who don’t know, Adam Richard is one of Australia’s favourite comedians, whose successful 20 year career encompasses stand-up comedy here and internationally, radio presenting, sitcom writing, TV acting, reality TV appearances, podcasting and much more besides. You can find all the details at his website.
But in addition to all of this, yet another feather in Adam’s cap is writing questions for game shows. To date, Adam has written questions for All Star Squares, (where he and I worked together) The Chase: Australia (which I’ve also written questions for) and Hard Quiz (which I haven’t – I must be slipping).
SH: Over the years, how many quiz questions do you think you’d have written for TV?
AR: I couldn’t even tell you how many I’ve written this week! It’s over a hundred. This week, I mean. When I started on Season 1 of The Chase Australia, I was working four or five days a week, which roughly works out to about 200 questions. Now I’m just working one or two days a week, but factoring in all the shows I’ve worked on, I’m guessing I’d be into the tens of thousands by now.
SH: What’s the secret to writing a good quiz question?
AR: It’s such a juggling act! The questions on The Chase Australia, especially in the timed rounds, need to be really punchy. There are a lot of comedians writing for the show, I think mainly because the structure of a question and a joke are essentially the same – you work really hard at giving out enough information that the punchline or answer, in the case of a quiz show, is both obvious and surprising at the same time. You almost want people at home to go “Oh! Of course! I should have known they’d say that!” So, even if people are learning something from the answer, it should have its own internal logic. Also, boring is bad. Numbers and dates are boring, names are boring. I try to avoid writing answers that are a number or a name, unless it’s something that is an emotional touchstone (there’s always an exception to every rule!). I wrote a question on Hard Quiz which was “How many double A batteries go into a Nintendo Game Boy?”. That’s the kind of thing that can really fire up the happy and nostalgic part of your brain, remembering fun things from your childhood, trying to picture yourself jamming the batteries in the back of your favourite toy.
SH: Are there any topics or subject areas that you return to often, when you’re writing questions? | 2019-04-26T13:44:07Z | https://howtowingameshows.com/category/the-chase/ |
Sitting around the dinner table to eat, uh, dinner, our high school senior confessed, "I think I'm the only senior who's still a virgin."
Our 7th grader erupted, "Whoa, dude! Ain't no way that's goin' to happen to me! What's wrong with you, bro?"
Their mother who also happens to be my wife scolded, "That's terrible! You should be proud of your brother! I was a virgin throughout high school, college, and graduate school!"
Me: "That's because I didn't go to your high school."
The boys thought it was funny.
Speaking of freezes, BBPBHO used the Monday (11/29/10) after Thanksgiving to announce no pay raises for most federal employees.
The two-year freeze will exclude military personnel but include grunts in the Department of Defense among the 2 million who will be affected.
Though it's gotta be approved by Congress, the political weather report is for clear sailing.
BBPBHO: "The hard truth is that getting this deficit under control is going to require some broad sacrifice, and that sacrifice must be shared by the employees of the federal government."
Rarely quotable New House Majority Leader Pachyderm John Boehner applauded the gesture while saying the freeze on federal wages should be followed by a freeze on federal hiring: "I welcome BBPBHO's announcement, and hope..."
Echoing the new political reality in DC since 11/2/10, BBPBHO sycophant Robert Gibbs admitted, "The American people want us to work together."
California Representative Darrell Issa, the top pachyderm on the House Oversight Committee, said the freeze was "long overdue" and echoed - that word again - the Majority Leader of the House.
House Whip Eric Cantor (R-Virginia), who must have attended Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, said, "I am encouraged...With so many Americans tightening their belts, Washington must do the same...We have to work together if we want to transform the culture of spending in Washington into one of savings."
Not everyone was ebullient about BBPBHO's latest oratorical eloquence about his devolving vision of hope and change.
American Federation of Government Employees President John Gage: "It seems like a PR stunt...a slap at working people...Cutting federal employees pay is really going to do nothing for the deficit...a panic gesture...hurts retention and recruitment...To symbolically hit at federal employees is just wrong...using federal workers as scapegoats..."
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka: "Bad for the middle class, bad for the economy and bad for business...We need to invest in creating jobs, not undermining the ones we have. BBPBHO talked about the need for shared sacrifice, but there's nothing shared about Wall Street and CEOs making record profits and bonuses while working people bear the brunt."
BBPBHO says the freeze will save $5 billion over two years, $28 billion over five years, and more than $60 billion over ten years.
That looks like lots of savings to start new wars or finish off old ones.
It's still a teeny tiny % of BBPBHO's hoped and changed total federal deficit now spied at almost $14 trillion.
A pathetic refrain comes to mind: "Let's save pennies while wasting..."
I asked some pewsitters, pulpiteers, and pagans what they think of such freezes - federal, corporate, ecclesiastical, personal, or, uh, whatever.
Businesswoman in Kansas: "The campaign for 2012 has begun. That's BBPBHO's motivation...As for me, our income is a 6 decades old family business. Employment has grown over the last 30 years from 15 to over 120...The value of our business has increased, but the cash has decreased while we have repaid the debt of growth...When they talk about taxing the rich, they assume I am pocketing income. Not true. A large portion goes to fund capital needed to employ people and grow the business. Raise my taxes and I have to let people go. Make it impossible for me to predict the cost of doing business because of ObamaCare, cap and trade, and every other program that he comes up with to redistribute wealth and I will stop hiring. I am convinced our country is now run by someone who never created a job, made a payroll, or made a dime apart from the public dole. We are in serious trouble...My prediction is we are in for many years of going sideways at best."
Pentecostal pastor of a megachurch in Illinois: "It should have been a cut not a freeze. Federal employees are paid far more than the average of their counterparts in the private sector. My income has dropped significantly. Unions have driven our labor costs of expansion so high that we are priced out of the market. As long as an uneducated person makes $51.33 per hour, we can't compete with foreign labor making $3.00 an hour."
Baptist pastor in Illinois: "Why not put Congress and BBPBHO under the same health and retirement plan as the rest of the country? That might save more than this freeze!...My wages have been frozen for two years...I was cut 10% in 2009...Fortunately, my wife works full-time."
Presbyterian pastor in Maryland: "It was a necessary gesture and will save some money. As the old maid who peed in the sea put it, 'Every little bit helps.' Personally, my compensation was frozen for 2010. I got a 10% increase in 2009. This church is generous: a plane ticket for my wife and 2K for spending money when I went to Cameroon...Gift cards are regular and I was treated very well this year on Pastor Appreciation Sunday in October."
Musician in New York: "You should be rewarded for good work but not poor or mediocre efforts. Pay freeze? Last time seen in the Carter administration only to be immediately suspended by Reagan. Nuff said."
A very influential renewalist in the mainline: "When you have to raise support for a ministry that serves a literally dying denomination, the prospect of increases is minimal. As the head honcho of such an organization, I determined to give everyone else a raise in 2011 since they haven't had any since 2009. However, we all took Thanksgiving week off...No, I don't expect an increase in 2011. Good news is, like Paul, I feel amply supplied."
Rainmakers MC (original): "Federal workers? I really feel sorry for them. Not! It would be nice to see some of that money that BBPBHO keeps tossing around go to people in need."
Photo-journalist in Pennsylvania: "Here's the deal! If anybody thinks we are not living in the end times, then they have their heads up their...Short term, freezes will affect us. Long term, only the anti-Christ will really care. The longer I live, the less I care about 'stuff.' Material things cost money. Spreading the Gospel and showing love to others costs nothing. Enjoy every day! Our earthly lives are short. Sure, my income is down. That just means I don't buy discretionary stuff. I buy what we need, not want. I'm tired of wanting. If you have a home, food, and can pay the bills, you are blessed. As far as Obama goes, he's a joke. That's what happens when you put a flunky community organizer in charge of what used to be the greatest nation in the world, at least, until he moved in."
Elder in New Jersey: "My husband and I have 'pay freezes' from Social Security. Our governor favors reducing my teachers pension and healthy care; if not totally eliminating them. I can live with reductions for about 13 more years on my savings. Then I will lose my home. Knowing I will be 75 in January, maybe the Lord will take me before this is a problem. As far as I can see, freezes and reductions only affect service workers and municipal employees. Where is the fairness in having one class of people being responsible for solving the whole financial crisis? I think we all need to give some back! Don't ask me how to do it!!!???"
Pastor in Illinois: "My wife and I have lived with compensation freezes for the last four years; as have the people we have served. I feel fortunate that my experience has been a freeze rather than reduction!...I don't see things getting better...I fear for the next two years that people will lose all hope. There will be a lot more pain before our nation gets its financial house in order. It would be nice if I could retire right now while I can still stand in a river and fish."
Recently relocated pastor in Colorado: "I did not receive a 'raise' at ___ my last two years. I did not receive one at my new church this year either; however, my change did increase my income substantially."
Recently relocated pastor in California: "The only way for a pastor to get a raise these days is to move! Churches take their pastors for granted even if they're sucking them dry. So, move or lose more financial ground!"
Pastor in Ohio: "I always negotiate the highest terms of call possible when going to a new call. I discovered that churches put on a very happy face when wooing a pastor; but then comes the truth after the seduction is complete - or at least they all seem to poor mouth a lot...In 20+ years of ministry, while serving 4 congregations, I have had a grand total of 3 pay raises...I have not had a cash raise in 8 years...I figure I am now making 85% or less of what I was when I arrived...So...I know that whenever I change calls again, I will again go for the highest possible package I can get; because I know that reality is I can't expect much of a change once I am on the scene."
Pastor in Delaware: "Wake up! A freeze is a decrease! Food, transportation, books, housing, and everything else goes up while we stay the same! A freeze is a decrease!"
Popular newswoman in Georgia: "As Sam Ervin used to say, 'A million here, a million there, pretty soon you're talking about real money.' It's all doom and gloom. I'm studying Isaiah."
My favorite musician in New Jersey: "What's the forecast? Increase in faith and more time on our knees! Nothing new. Cutting back. Canceling."
Retired ecclesiastical officer in Florida: "I don't understand the term 'pay raise.' It is not part of my vocabulary. I was always under the impression that by always receiving the same money, I was personally stabilizing the economy...An elder told me, 'I have learned that when somebody on the staff starts asking for money, it's time to just let them go!'"
A maverick in the mainline: "I am starting my 8th budget year with ___ and have received only 2 raises in those years...frozen for the past 2 years...They can't afford to pay me what I should be making anyway. If, given my starting salary when I arrived, and adding a modest 3% COLA raise for each year, I should be making $8-9 thousand more next year than I will be."
Really smart guy in Washington (state): "My pay increases are merit-based and not guaranteed...I am skeptical of the argument that freezes are actually cuts. This is heard frequently by those in government who howl at allegedly draconian cuts in this or that program, which turn out not to be cuts at all...as inflation is beyond an employer's control, and unless otherwise contractually mandated, not an employer's responsibility to compensate for...I'm not skeptical of this move [by BBPBHO]. True, it isn't much given the girth of the deficit and debt; but little things add up. It's taken governments a while to subject themselves to the same sort of austerity many in the private sector have needed to undertake. I'll be interested to see if high-level officials' compensation packages will also be frozen. Congress votes their own raises and that of the chief executive, correct?"
A gem amid the fiberglass in Oklahoma: "Regarding the freezes, we've got to start somewhere! Whether BBPBHO is authentic or just politically motivated, we should start with the higher ups in the federal government and not with the lower workers! And perhaps someone should take a look to see if we really need some of those top positions or redundant programs...Let's focus on what's really important...people...seniors...vets...the little ones who are struggling!...While I'm at it, jobs for Americans first in America! Let's start buying American products again using American laborers! Downsize Big Brother and upgrade American workers!...Working for a ministry has great rewards, but also challenges. One of the first things people do during economic hardships is to cut down giving to the church...It's hard to raise money if it isn't there...God is faithful and He will make up the difference! I am in a covenant relationship with Him because I tithe and give offerings. He has promised to supply all my needs...Favor with Him is better than the riches of men! Favor brings what money cannot buy!...To those who are in covenant, God will supply! To those who are not, times will get tougher!"
Lawyer in Kansas City: "Obama's plan? Symbolic but also mindless! Some fine employees should be paid double, while others should be fired...I am bullish on America! What difference does it make if I am bullish and the entire economy collapses worldwide with total chaos? It is kind of like the atheist's gamble who says God does not exist and loses whether God does or does not vs. the believer who wins if He does and we all lose if He does not. But He does so why even play such a gamble!
Political consultant and PR genius in California: "My compensation has not just been frozen. It has declined...The lowest unemployment rate can be found in federal employees. They are insulated from the recession...Obama's plan has PR gimmickry built into it. It sounds plausible but it is fiscal tokenism. Having created the largest peace-time debt in the history of the nation, Obama now tries to tack toward the middle fiscally? Does anyone think he will undercut his shock troops in the SEIU who just saved Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer?...Obama claims the freeze would save $28 billion over five years. This represents a sixth-tenths of 1% reduction in the projected $4.52 trillion deficit over that same period (2011 through 2015). This is the equivalent of a person who expects to rack up $10,000 of credit card debt over the next five years touting the fact that he's found a way to reduce his expenses by $60 over that time period!...Obama's plan is a joke...The unemployment rate hovers near 10%...This means there are 7.9 million fewer working Americans today then there were in December 2007. Not so for government employees! For them, the unemployment rate is only 4.4%, or about 1/2 the national private sector rate. While the private sector has lost nearly 8 million jobs, the federal work force is expanding. Thanks to Obama, between December 2008 and December 2009, the federal government added nearly 100,000 new positions. In 2008, federal employees received $408,000 in BONUSES at a time when the stock market was tanking and unemployment was starting to rage...Clearly, he has rewarded the SEIU for its bare knuckle political assault on America, so Obama now proposes to close the barnyard gate by freezing compensation at today's levels? Why not return federal employment totals to 2007 levels AND freeze compensation? If he did that, I might believe he is sincere about fighting the deficit."
Rainmakers MC (original): "I am never a fan of wage cuts! Let's face it! A freeze is a cut! There is nothing out there that is costing less that I know of. It is a mystery to me how the economy will recover if people have LESS money on their side of the scale!"
Funeral director and Rainmakers MC (original): "I have had a wage freeze for the last 3 years. With the cost of health insurance, unemployment insurance, work comp insurance and other business-related costs (taxes, taxes, taxes) increasing faster than income, the small business owner earns less while taking more responsibility to maintain obligations to their business."
Professor in Pennsylvania: "This is a PR stunt. The administration vastly increased the size of an already bloated federal government...The federal bureaucracy is like a malignant cancer that cannot be contained...Everything is frozen in my life. But I don't care. I have always lived on 50% of my income. Since the early 80s, we have been taxed at 30%, invested or saved 10% and tithed (10%) to charity...Secrets: use credit cards only when necessary (i.e., procuring a hotel room or airline ticket on line or buying books on line), pay off credit cards immediately (and if they raise your rates, call and threaten to cancel), never go out to eat or buy on impulse with a credit card, never buy a new car, buy in late January or February when car dealers are desperate, no vacations to exotic places, and link pleasure trips to business...I can tell you that federal salaries in the mid-range are high; however, you have to consider the cost of living in DC and other major cities where federal workers concentrate. If you can pull in a good federal job in a smaller town, you're in hog heaven."
Pastor in Illinois: "Just ask the unemployed if they would rather have their previous job at a 10% cut or be receiving unemployment checks."
Former pastor in Pennsylvania: "I get tired of people whining about their incomes being frozen when they're making 2-3 times more than I ever made! Reduce your standard of living! Get rid of the junk that's cluttering your life and diminishing your spiritual health! "
Personally, I'm part of a church staff that's had compensations frozen for two years.
I keep getting calls from churches that would provide immediate increases (read some of the comments above).
My call is compelling and conclusive.
I was called here to clean up a mess - bigger than expected five years ago but hardly noticeable anymore - and then join other authentics in town/county to build His church on earth as it is in heaven in that part of the earth entrusted to us.
As far as the rest of the staff goes, we'll lose one or two still marketable staff members in the next few years if compensations don't increase sooner than later; and because all of our employees have been under-compensated for years already, it's only the staff members with young families that will have to relocate if they expect to meet increasing costs with their decreasing - the euphemism is frozen - income.
I pray that doesn't happen.
We've got a great while thoroughly under-appreciated as well as under-compensated staff.
Money's down but we're happier in Jesus than ever before.
Psalm 46 comes to mind.
Robert: Thanks for sticking with it. I have served this congregation for 27 years. It has made me a big believer in long-term pastorates (research also shows that congregations with long term pastorates are more likely to grow). I think it takes about 5-10 years to figure out a congregational system and the community in which it is placed. By that point, many of our colleagues have moved on to a different call. And of course, the Methodists clearly think moving clergy regularly is a positive. To stay in a place for decades, one has to constantly dig deeper into what ministry could look like in that particular place. But isn't that what we should be doing--digging deeper rather than staying on the surface? So stay the course, you're just getting started.
I see no problem with a US Civil Service pay freeze. For the last two years military retirees (I am one), and Social Security recipients have not had a Cost of Living Increase (COLA).
Having worked with many civilians when I was in the military, there are many hard working civilians that take pride in what they do. However, getting rid of the ones that give the rest a bad name is harder than getting a Republican to vote for a tax increase.
The only way many pastors see an increase is if their Sessions actually take their Presbytery's COLA raise advice seriously. Unfortunately, maintaining the building is often more important than maintaining the Pastor.
Thanks, friend, for chiming in; and let's pray a renewed passion for Matthew 25 ministries! | 2019-04-20T12:53:31Z | http://www.koppdisclosure.com/2010/12/december-1-2010.html |
Four of the top sixteen seeds were eliminated in the second round including number four seed Maryland, number five seed Indiana, number six seed Stanford, and number ten seed Charlotte. UMBC upset Maryland 1-0, Xavier topped 2-1 Indiana, UC Irvine upset Stanford 1-0, and North Carolina slipped past Charlotte 2-1. All contests at this point are difficult but several third round match-ups stand out as extra special including number nine seed Syracuse at number eight seed Georgetown, Xavier at number twelve seed Creighton, number fourteen seed Washington at number three seed Michigan State, and number fifteen seed California at number two seed UCLA. The Coastal Carolina and Clemson match was postponed until Monday due to inclement weather. You can expect another upset or two at the conclusing of the Sweet Sixteen match-ups which will take place on Sunday, November 30 at campus sites throughout the country.
Notre Dame 2 - Ohio State 1 - This one was played at Alumni Stadium at Notre Dame in the rain. Notre Dame took a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute of the contest when defender Brandon Aubrey converted a penalty kick. Danny Jensen scored the equalizer for Ohio State out of a corner kick with Liam Doyle and Hunter Robertson credited with the double assist. Freshman forward Jon Gallagher who hails from Dundalk, Ireland scored the game-winning goal for the Irish in the 69th minute of the match after receiving a through ball from fellow freshman Jeffrey Farina. Number one seed Notre Dame improves to 12-4-4 and will host Virginia in the Sweet Sixteen. The Irish and Cavaliers tied 1-1 when they played each other during regular season play on September 21 in Charlottesville but the Irish thumped Virginia 3-0 when they played on November 9 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. Both defending national champion Notre Dame and Virginia advanced to the College Cup in 2013 but that dream is going to end for one of them in 2014 when they face each other on Sunday, November 30. Ohio State ends the 2014 season with a 9-8-5 overall record.
Virginia 3 - UNCW 1 - The visiting Seahawks from UNCW scored first when midfielder David Sizemore placed a shot into the lower left corner of the goal from inside the box in the 20th minute of play after receiving a cross from teammate Jamie Dell. It looked like UNCW would take a lead into intermission but Sam Hayward knotted the score at 1-1 just prior to the end of the first half with defender Scott Thomsen setting up the goal after making a nice move down the side and serving in a well timed cross. Virginia took a 2-1 lead in the second stanza when Jake Rozhansky collected a loose ball in front of the goal out of a free kick from outside the box in the 62nd minute of play and slotted it into the back of the net with Nicko Corriveau and Thomsen contributing the double assist. Kyle McCord skied above everyone else and converted a header after receiving a cross from Matt Brown in the 74th minute to make it a 3-1 contest and conclude the scoring for the evening. Virginia netminder Calle Brown and UNCW goalkeeper Sean Melvin both had a two save evening. Virginia coach George Gelnovatch stated, "The guys did a great job getting an equalizer right before half which was very important. I really felt like going into halftime after scoring that goal, we had them." UNCW ends a successful season with a 13-5-2 overall record. Number sixteen seeded Virginia improves to 11-6-2 and now must travel to face number one seeded and fellow ACC Conference member Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen.
Syracuse 2 - Penn State 1 - All the scoring in this one took place in the second half. Penn State forward Connor Maloney opened the scoring in the 60th minute of play when he converted a penalty kick. Syracuse kept the pressure up and netted the equalizer in the 74th minute of play when sophomore forward Emil Ekblom received a pass from midfielder Oyvind Alseth and pushed the ball forward at speed creating the space he needed to place the ball into the back of the net. Alseth netted what proved to be the game-winning goal ten minutes later coming out of a free kick put in play by Jordan Murrell when he served in a cross at close range from the end line that was deflected and found its wasy into the back of the net. Syracuse had a 19 to 5 advantage in shots and a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks. Senior Andrew Wolverton had eight saves in goal for the Nittany Lions. Junior Alex Bono had one save in goal for Syracuse. Penn State concludes a productive but up and down season with a 13-6-1 overall record. Syracuse head coach Ian McIntyre stated, "It was a big day for our program, just being able to host a postseason game." He added, "Not just winning, but having the chance to play a home game and now I hope we can win some games and maybe we'll get a chance to come back here later in the tournament." Number nine seed Syracuse improves to 16-3-1 and now travels to Washington to tangle with the number eight seeded Georgetown Hoyas at Shaw Field in what will be one of the premier match-ups in the Sweet Sixteen.
Georgetown 2 - Old Dominion 1 (OT) - This one looked to be destined to be decided by a penalty kick shootout until freshman midfielder Arun Basuljevic scored out of a long free kick with just five ticks remaining on the clock. Basuljevic stated, "There was thirteen seconds left and I was kind of just looking for anything to fall to me. Luckily enough it was bouncing around the box and I ended up swinging at it and hoping it would be on target." The goal was Basuljevic's sixth of the 2014 season and his fourth game-winner. Old Dominion got on the board first when they scored out of an own goal coming out of a corner kick. Junior forward Brandon Allen scored for Georgetown in the 74th minute of play to knot the score at 1-1 when he drove a shot into the back of the net from the top of the box with an assist from Rudy Tyler. The goal was Allen's eleventh of the season to date. Alex Tiesenhausen had eight saves in goal for Old Dominion. Tomas Gomez had one save in goal for the Hoyas. Georgetown outshot ODU nineteen to three and had a seven to three advantage for the evening in corner kicks. Georgetown head coach Brian Wiese stated, "We generated enough chances, I think that if we hadn't gotten the equalizer that would have been a tough one to swallow today. They're (ODU) hard to play against and they're good at what they do and I'm proud of the boys being able to find a way to find the tying goal and buying another week for the seniors." The always very competitive Monarchs from Old Dominion end the 2014 season with a 13-7-1 overall record. Number eight seeded Georgetown out of the Big East Conference improves to 13-4-4 and will host number nine seeded Syracuse out of the ACC in the Round of Sixteen.
Xavier 2- Indiana 1 - In one of the biggest surprises of the day the Xavier Musketeers traveled to Bloomington and topped the Hoosiers 2-1 with senior midfielder Will Walker converting the game-winning goal out of a penalty kick with just over sixteen minutes remaining in regulation. IU missed an opportunity to take an early lead when they failed to convert a penalty kick in the eighth minute of play that was awarded due to an Xavier handball in the box. Xavier drew first blood in the 29th minute of the contest when Matt Vasquenza received a long ball out of a goal kick that he drove into the back of the net from twelve yards out. Indiana tied it at 1-1 in the 34th minute when freshman Grant Lillard drove a header into the back of the frame that was served in by Jamie Vollmer. Xavier head coach Andy Fleming stated, "I want to congratulate Indiana on a strong season. Todd (Yeagley) and I, this summer sat down and talked about our teams. We were both hit hard by graduation and didn't know what direction the season would go. I thought they did a very good job of getting a lot out of their team and certainly the body of work speaks for itself." Indiana ends a very productive 2014 season with a 12-5-5 overall record. Xavier recorded its first ever win over Indiana to improve to 15-5-2 and advances to face number twelve seeded Creighton at Morrison Stadium in Omaha. The fifteen wins to date establishes a new school record for wins in a single season for Xavier.
Creighton 1 - Oregon State 0 - Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half of play. Creighton freshman midfielder Lucas Stauffer netted the lone goal of the contest in the 50th minute of the game when he placed a rebound into the back of the net from three yards out. Sophomore forward Fabian Herbers and senior midfielder Timo Pitter were credited with the double assist on the goal. Connor Sparrow had one save in goal for Creighton. Redshirt junior Matt Bersano had five saves in goal for Oregon State. Creighton improves to 15-3-2 and advances to the round of sixteen for the third time in the past four seasons under the direction of head coach Elmar Bolowich. Oregon State ends a very eventful and successful season with a 12-8-1 overall record. Oregon State head coach Steve Simmons stated, "It was another great challenge for us on the road. We had the one breakdown on the goal, we made some adjustments to press the game a little bit but it was not enough." Simmons added, "They are very good. We knew that going in." Creighton will host fellow Big East Conference member Xavier in the Sweet Sixteen. The two teams tied each other 1-1 when they faced each other in Cincinnati on October 18 in regular season play.
Louisville 2 - Saint Louis 1 - The Cardinals avenge a 1-0 regular season loss to the Billikens with a 2-1 win when it counts the most in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. All of the scoring in this one occurred in the second half. Saint Louis jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the sixty-eighth minute of the match when Francisco Vizcaino headed in a rebound out of a corner kick put in play by Filip Pavisic. Louisville netted the equalizer in the 70th minute when Andrew Brody scored from close range after receiving a pass from Tim Kubel. As in the case of a notable number of other second round matches, the game winning goal came in the final minutes of the contest with Tim Kubel netting the game-winner for Louisville with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. Kubel's game-winner was deflected by Saint Louis netminder Sascha Otte but it still managed to find its way into the net. Number thirteen seeded Louisville improves to 11-7-3 and advances to face UMBC which upset number four seeded Maryland 1-0 in the round of sixteen. Saint Louis ends a very solid season with a 14-5-2 overall record. Saint Louis head coach Mike McGinty stated, "It would have been nice to have more chances, but part of that was Louisville being good with the ball and not turning it over."
UMBC 1 - Maryland 0 - In what is without a doubt the biggest upset in the NCAA Tournament to date, the UMBC Retrievers upset the Terps to halt Maryland's twelve-year streak of consecutive trips to the Sweet Sixteen. UMBC junior midfielder Malcolm Harris also ended Maryland's eleven game unbeaten 2014 game streak when he recovered a ball that bounced off a Maryland defender and threaded it into the back of the net from five yards out in the seventh minute of the match to give the Retrievers the edge they needed to secure the win and advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in the history of the program. Maryland got the best of the run of play in the first half but the Terps were unable to put the ball into the back of the net. UMBC seemed to gain confidence and came alive in the second stanza and the momentum of the contest began to shift. UMBC head coach Pete Caringi stated, "In the second half, we responded really well. We played much more like we are capable of playing. We put a little bit more pressure on them." Caringi added, "I liked our chances the more we got into the second half." Maryland finishes the season with a 13-6-3 overall record. UMBC is unbeaten in their last eight contests and improves to 13-5-4. The Retrievers will seek to keep a banner season alive when they travel to face the number thirteen seeded Louisville Cardinals.
Michigan State 1 - Oakland 0 - This one was scoreless at the end of the first half of play and looked like it might continue that way until Spartan defender Zach Carroll drove a header from inside the box into the back of the net in the 67th minute of play out of a set piece. Carroll stated, "We had a nice play to get a corner kick. I picked my spot where I wanted to go and I was hoping the ball would clear Adam's (Montague) head, and luckily, he went up and it went over him." Zach Bennett had six saves in goal for Michigan State. Wes Mink had five saves in goal for Oakland. Michigan State head coach Damon Rensing stated, "I think you have to give our guys a lot of credit. It was an emotional game with a fantastic crowd and we found a way to survive and advance. At this time of year, that's what it's all about." Number three seeded Michigan State improves to 12-4-5 and advances to the Sweet Sixteen where they will host number eleven seeded Washington on Sunday, November 30 in what shapes up to be one of the most competitive third round matches. A determined and talented Oakland team ends a very successful season with a 10-7-3 overall record. Oakland head coach Eric Pogue stated, "Our expectation was to win today. I thought we played well enough to win, but if you don't score, you don't win and today wasn't our day.
Washington 0 - Furman 0 - Washington prevails in a penalty kick shootout. This one was scoreless at the end of 110 minutes of play. The outcome wasn't decided until the ninth round of the penalty kick shootout when Washington goalkeeper Spencer Richey saved Furman's penalty kick to enable the Huskies to survive and play yet another day. Washington prevailed in the shootout despite missing their first three attempts. Ian Lange, James Moberg, Steven Wright, Richey, Henry Wingo and Beau Blanchard converted their penalty kicks for the Huskies. Things don't get any easier for Washington who now must travel to face number three seed Michigan State in East Lansing in what shapes up to be a blockbuster of a third round match. Both Furman netminder Sven Lissek and Washington's Richey were both outstanding between the pipes. Washington had a 24-10 advantage in shots for the evening.
Providence 3 - Dartmouth 0 - The Friars top the Big Green 3-0 to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the history of the program. The contest was scoreless in the first half of play but Providence took control in the second stanza with Mac Steeves scoring in the 48th minute from six yards out. Phil Towler and Jeff Kilday played key roles in setting up the score through a nice combination of passes. Sophomore midfielder Dominik Machado made it 2-0 when he scored in the 56th minute after receiving a cross from Thomas Ballenthin. Machado netted his second goal of the evening in the 79th minute after making a nice move at the top of the box to create the space he needed to slot the ball into the back of the net to conclude the scoring for the evening. Keasel Brome had four saves in goal for the Friars. Stefan Cleveland had two saves between the pipes for the Big Green. Number eleven seeded Providence out of the Big East Conference ups their record to 14-4-2 while Dartmouth closes out the 2014 campaign with a 12-5-2 overall record. Providence will face a UC Irvine team in the Sweet Sixteen that upset Stanford 1-0.
UC Irvine 1 - Stanford 0 (OT) - In another second round upset, the Anteaters shock the number six seeded Cardinal compliments of a textbox give and go that resulted in a goal from redshirt sophomore Michael Sperber in the 97th minute of play. The goal began when Sperber skillfully controlled a clearance and sent a pass to teammate Cameron Iwasa who then played a great through ball back to Sperber whose nice run off the ball put him in position to receive the pass and send it into the back of the net. Sperber stated, "I envisioned the goal as soon as I intercepted the pass. I would have had to chip it over the keeper since he was coming out, so I went near post and it went perfectly under his arm. UC Irvine out of the Big West Conference which also topped UNLV in a first round matchup improves to 16-5-3 and must now travel cross-country to face number eleven seeded Providence in the Sweet Sixteen. Stanford ends their season earlier than hoped with a 13-3-3 overall record but it was still a highly successful season.
Clemson 2 - Coastal Carolina 1 - This one was postponed from Sunday till Monday evening due to inclement weather in the area. Clemson prevails to secure its fist NCAA Tournament win since 2006. Junior Paul Clowes gave the Tigers a 1-0 advantage and a big momentum builder just before the end of the first half when he collected the rebound of Diego Campos' free kick and placed it into the upper left corner of the net. Campos gave Clemson a 2-0 lead when he scored from close range in the 57th minute of the contest after receiving a cross from Manolo Sanchez. Alex Happi was also credited with an assist on Sanchez's goal. Coastal Carolina closed the gap to 2-1 in the 62nd minute when Tom Gudmundsson converted a header served in out of a free kick by teammate Elis Bjornsson. Coastal Carolina had a fifteen to eight advantage in shots for the evening but Clemson prevailed in the one statisic that really matters to secure a 2-1 win and advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they will host fellow ACC member North Carolina on Sunday. Coastal Carolina concludes the 2014 season with a 16-6-1 overall record.
North Carolina 2 - Charlotte 1 - A great crowd was on hand at Transamerica Field in Charlotte for this one despite the rain. North Carolina got on the board first in the twenty-seventh minute when senior forward Tyler Engel scored from close range that was set up by a pass from teammate Verneri Valimaa and an off the ball run by Andy Craven. The Tar Heels took a 1-0 lead into intermission. Charlotte came out firing in the second half and their pressure helped produce an own goal that tied the contest at 1-1. Engel netted the game-winning goal in the eighty-ninth minute of the contest when like the best finishers he alertly placed a rebound of teammate Craven's shot back into the left corner of the goal. Engel stated, "I saw the ball get out wide and in my head I just said get in the box, anything can happen. Andy (Craven) put a good ball in, the keeper had to make a save, it hit off the crossbar, lucky for me it bounced right to me and I just connected well and it went right in the back of the net. UNC head coach Carlos Somoano stated, "I'm proud of our guys. Charlotte was a great opponent and congratulations to them on a great season." He added, "We're looking forward to moving on." The Tar Heels improve to 14-5-1 and advance to the Sweet Sixteen. It was a heartbreaker for the tenth seeded Charlotte 49ers who end a banner season earlier than hoped but with a very impressive 14-4-1 overall record. Charlotte head coach Kevin Langan stated, "It was a tough one for us today. I could not be more proud of the guys on a phenomenal season."
California 1 - SIUE 0 - The lone goal of this contest came in the seventh minute of play when Stefano Bonomo's cross deflected off SIUE goalkeeper Kyle Dal Santo and senior defender Bobby Sekine redirected it into the back of the frame. The goal was Sekine's second of the season. Dal Santo had six saves in goal for SIUE and Alex Mangels had three saves in goal for California. Golden Bear head coach Kevin Grimes stated, "It was a great team performance today. SIUE is one of the best teams we have played all year - this is the second time we have played them - so we knew how good of a team they were." SIUE ends their season with a 8-9-4 overall record. Number fifteen seed California halts a three game losing streak and improves to 11-6-1 and advances to the Sweet Sixteen to face a familiar foe in Pac-12 rival UCLA.
UCLA 2 - San Diego 1 - There are no easy wins at this point in the season. The Bruins avenge a 1-0 regular season loss to San Diego with a tougher than many thought it might be 2-1 victory in overtime over the Toreros to earn the right to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Senior midfielder Leo Stolz scored both goals for the Bruins including the golden goal in the 97th minute of the match. The game-winner came when freshman forward Abu Danladi set it up by beating his man and then dropped a ball back to Stolz who ran onto it and drove it into the back of the net with his left foot from the middle of the box. San Diego got on the board first when sophomore defender Parker Price scored from close range in the 20th minute of play after receiving a pass from Josh Cintas. Stolz netted the equalizer for the Bruins in the 55th minute of the match when he drove a shot into the bottom right corner of the goal out of a free kick from thirty yards out. Earl Edwards had five saves in goal including several acrobatic saves that kept the Bruins from taking an early exit from the tourney this year. Thomas Olsen had three saves in goal for San Diego. UCLA head coach Jorge Salcedo stated, "It was a very good game by both San Diego and our team." Salcedo pretty much summed up the survive and advance nature of the NCAA Tourney when he stated, "There were a lot of highs and lows, but ultimately we found a way to win the game." UCLA improves to 12-4-4 and advances to the Sweet Sixteen where they will host California on Sunday, November 30. San Diego out of the West Coast Conference ends a productive season with a 11-6-4 overall record. | 2019-04-24T04:49:34Z | https://collegesoccernews.com/index.php/articles/717-ncaa-men-s-soccer-second-round-action-sixteen-teams-left-standing?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page= |
Recently, I got interviewed by Ravichand of Stock & Ladder. The interview was originally published here (at Investing Chat with Dev Ashish).
It covers my background, investment philosophy (and how it has evolved over the years), how I invest and other related aspects. I thought it would be useful to publish it here as well, for the benefit of existing readers of Stable Investor.
This investing chat is a long one at about 6000 words and may require some time. But I hope you find it useful and worthy of your time.
Ravichand (S&L): Hi Dev, Firstly a big thank you for sparing some time to share your thoughts with the readers of Stock and Ladder. First up, please tell us something about yourself especially the part about how you got into the world of investing and Personal finance.
Dev: Thanks Ravi, for considering me worth interviewing.
My story isn’t very inspirational or anything like that. I am just a regular person.
Being born in a family of lawyers and doctors, chances were high that I would take a similar path. But I have been the odd-man-out in my family. Maybe it was because of the powers above which had a very different plan for me and so, I began my journey in a completely different direction.
Currently, I am a practicing SEBI-registered Investment Advisor.
But even though I had a noticeable interest in finance since I can remember, I still went ahead and did my engineering. Later, I joined a government sector oil company and got posted in a remote location.
After working there for a few years, I made a conscious decision to gradually align my life and work towards my area of interest – which was investing in particular and finance in general.
This, however, was not going to be easy as for doing that, I would have to quit my safe government job. It was a tough decision but my family and then-friend-now-wife backed me fully for the decision.
So I quit, did my MBA and then joined a private bank. After a few years, I got a very good job offer from a startup. I was no doubt happy with the offer in my hand.
But I spent some time contemplating whether it was actually what I wanted to do. In the end, it didn’t seem like it. I realized that if I had to do something on my own, I had to take a call sooner or later.
So after having several rounds of discussion with wife, parents and a few people I consider to be my mentors, I quit my job and decided not to join the startup.
I decided to take a plunge into what I really wanted to do. I must mention here that I had sufficient savings by then to make this decision.
I took a license from SEBI to start my Investment Advisory practice and that’s what I am currently doing. After having worked in metros and other cities, I returned back to my hometown Lucknow, where I currently stay with my family.
Though my target eventually is to achieve financial independence, I think I can safely say that I will never actually retire, as is the norm in our family of doctors and lawyers.
As for my interest in investing, it got kindled when I was quite young. My father and grandfather had money invested in shares of a few MNCs. So every now and then, we used to get dividend cheques from these investments.
On enquiring, my father explained that these cheques were dividends – which he was being paid to hold pieces of paper (physical shares then).
This attracted me like anything. I just fell in love with the idea of getting a regular flow of passive income without going to work for somebody else! This was as clear a case of money working for you (rather than the other way around) that there could be.
So you can say that there wasn’t any one single moment when it happened for me. The seed was sown very early on and I tried to gradually align my life towards investing and working for my own self.
Ravichand (S&L): That’s wonderful Dev. Not everyone can make their passion the means for their paycheck and many usually end up spending their lifetime helping someone else build their dreams.
Let’s get into investing proper. Tell us something about your investing philosophy and how it has evolved over the years?
Dev: I am 33 but have been investing in markets for about 15 years now. But initial few years are a grey area from investment philosophy perspective. Consciously or unconsciously, I was trying out several things then.
And to be honest, I did not even have a philosophy in those initial years. I simply went after ideas where I felt the probability of making money was reasonably high. Luckily, I have had this inherent bias of being a little conservative when it comes to stock picking. So more often than not, I gravitated towards good companies with proven businesses (this is an approach that I am still loyal to).
I am not exactly sure why I have had this conservative bias. Maybe it was due to my family’s history and me as a child having observed that most of the investments were in mature, dividend-paying safe stocks.
But whatever it was, I still made decent money. Maybe I got lucky in several cases. And I cannot ignore that I was amply helped by the rising tide of our great Indian bull run of 2004-07.
Thankfully, I have had an inquisitive mind that tries to look for answers to how things work. Not just in finance but everywhere. And one of the things that I really wanted to understand (after a good experience during the Bull Run) was what actually made the stock markets work and behave as they do.
So this pushed me into reading about markets and investors. Luckily, I got exposed to Warren Buffett and his philosophy at the start itself. And Mr. Buffett led me to Benjamin Graham.
The more I studied these value investors, the more I felt that value investing was best suited for me. Here I must say that I have nothing against other schools of investing. 3 plus 7 is 10 and so is 5 plus 5. So there are several ways of making money. It was just that value-conscious investing attracted me the most.
So from then on and for many years, most of my investments were based on valuation attractiveness. And I loved investing in dividend plays. Being valuation sensitive, my process was numbers driven.
But slowly I started realizing that just focusing on numbers wasn’t enough. Why? Because I was regularly missing out on other attractive opportunities that were not attractive valuation-wise.
So in due course of time and after having missed many good money making opportunities, I decided to gradually tweak my way of investing.
Valuations still mattered for me. But I was now willing to pay up (more than what I was earlier comfortable with) if I could find businesses that were of high quality, had good conservative (or let’s say non-adventurous) management, predictable growth runway and manageable debts which gave them some ability to suffer for extended periods of time.
So from a pure valuation’s guy, I became a valuation conscious investor who was willing to embrace growth. Not too much but still ready to pay up to an extent.
So instead of focusing on the cheapest stocks available, I was going after comparatively higher quality cos. which were not very cheap.
Along the way, I continued buying good companies when they faced temporary bad events. So in a way, I was and still operate as a virtual bad news investor.
This reminds me of a good analogy about why we should stick to good companies. Tennis balls are costlier than eggs. And both the egg and the tennis ball will fall occasionally. But only the tennis ball will bounce back. As for the egg, you know what fate does to a falling one. So when buying businesses, buy tennis balls. At least they will bounce back when they fall.
As of now, my approach is a little more structured than what it earlier was.
I run a core portfolio of about 20-25 stocks. But to ensure that I bet convincingly in my main picks, about 80-85% is allocated towards the top 12-15 stocks.
Remaining are ideas that I am either still working on and/or where I am yet to build full conviction about. I generally try to ensure that none of the stocks hold more than 12-15% of the overall portfolio.
A majority of the stocks in the core portfolio belong to the top-150 universe. So you can say that I am a conservative investor when it comes to stock picking.
Many people think that large caps cannot make money. I don’t agree but I don’t try to convince anyone now. Large caps have worked wonders for me over the years. So I stick with them.
I also run a smaller (call it satellite) portfolio where I enter into short-medium term bets. This is more to take advantage of temporary mispricing and other low hanging fruits.
Of course, it is easier said than done and chances of being wrong here are immense. But that’s fine. It’s my way to tackling my urge of doing something every now and then and trying to be the next Buffett.
And luckily, the results haven’t been bad and provide for more money to be pumped into the core portfolio.
I also maintain a watchlist of stocks where I keep an eye on businesses that I wish to buy but which still aren’t in my portfolio for some reason or the other.
Over the years I have realized the power and option that cash brings in times of distress. So I ensure that I regularly put aside some money in suitable debt instruments to act as a Market Crash Fund.
You never know when the market might throw up some interesting opportunity. So better to be prepared. This way, I will not miss having CASH, when there is a CRISIS and I have accumulated enough COURAGE to venture out in tough times.
The above point, as you might have guessed, refers basically to the idea of sitting on cash. And I swear it is extremely difficult to do. More so when I see people around me making easy money.
But in the long run, I think restricting the number of bets I make in most convincing ones (in my view) is how a larger part of the wealth will be created. So I try to sit on cash and do nothing if there is nothing to do.
Apart from direct stocks, I have a goal-specific investment portfolio that has equity funds, debt funds, PPFs, deposits, gold, etc. One of my major life goals is to become financially independent by 40. So these investments are aligned towards that goal.
There is one thing that I have learned over the years. And maybe this is because I still pay my respect to valuations.
A good investor knows that it is only occasionally that he has to do something. And when the time comes, he has to and should do that ‘something’. And then, there is no need to do anything else. Money will be made in most such cases.
Ravichand (S&L): Dev, that was the most detailed way someone has ever shared their process. That’s a great blueprint on which we can build our own investing framework.
From philosophy let’s move on to putting the philosophy into action. Tell us, what are the criteria’s or characteristics you look for in a business for it to be considered investment worthy?
Dev: I don’t have a very long checklist.
But broadly, I check stocks around 3 things – quality of the actual business, quality of the management and price in relation to my view on valuation of the stock.
Obviously, there are several things to check within these 3 broad heads.
Quality of business is all about doing the typical number-oriented analysis like examining sales and profit growths, margins, etc. – for the company and the industry peers.
Analyzing how industry and economy-specific environmental variables have impacted company’s trajectory in the past. And that of its competitors. Cost and capital structures and power that suppliers and customers have on the company or vice versa.
Then a good return on equity and return on capital are no doubt important. A less leveraged balance sheet is preferable as it makes business more robust in trying times.
I prefer sticking with businesses that have some barrier to entry that is not evaporating at least in the medium term. These are just some of the factors that I try to assess the company on.
Then there is that grey area of having a view on future growth of the business and more importantly, longevity of this expected growth. There is a big possibility to get this wrong but you need to have an objective and unbiased view on this to make your bets.
I will be honest that the quality of management is a difficult one to judge. And quality not only means their business sense but also their integrity.
So no matter how deep I go with analyzing these factors (from various sources), there will always be a chance of being completely wrong. But that’s fine. Sticking to what information is available and what signs the management is sending via annual reports and other ways is what I stick to. I really cannot get it right every time.
Even after several years in the market, I regularly end up feeling like an amateur when it comes to picking stocks. I am improving but there is a lot to learn.
I do run excel models but none of them are extremely complex or fancy. That’s because I feel that if I need a very complex model to prove a stock as a worthy of investment, then maybe it’s not that good after all.
Also, businesses are run by people and not excel spreadsheets. An Excel model cannot be an alternative to thinking. And that is where our subjectivity and biases come.
I think that good investment ideas are very simple. And to be fair and acknowledging the limitations of my ability to analyze any and everything, I would say that a stock idea has to be so good on just a few parameters that it should just jump out and find me rather than me trying to find it out.
And last but not the least, and extremely important… there is valuation. It is very subjective and what is undervalued to me might look overvalued to someone else and vice versa. But that’s how it is.
The stock should be in a comfortable valuation range for me to buy it. I generally start buying in small lots and accumulate over a course of time. I am not very comfortable buying large quantities in one go.
Here I will say that I generally avoid talking about the stocks I own or am contemplating owning. It puts unnecessary pressure on me as an investor to defend my position every time there is a news (which may or may not be relevant for me as a long-term investor). The ability to ignore and filter out the short-termism is I think necessary to operate well as a long-term investor. And there is no competition. So I try to reduce the stress to the extent possible.
Generating alphas is in itself so difficult, so why take on additional stress to justify your picks to people who may have different investment horizons or risk taking capacity. Isn’t it?
Remaining silent is all the more important as a valuation-aware investment strategy does not work all the time. Markets don’t and won’t always agree with you.
So going through extended periods of under performance is necessary and fine with me. I am more than willing to have return-holidays if I can get better longer-term returns. As they say that as a real investor, you should be willing to be misunderstood in short-term to be right in the long-term.
Talking of investment criteria’s I think I should also share my views on the somewhat related and important aspect of cycles.
Over the years, I have come to appreciate the importance of mean reversion. Or let’s say how cycles play out. I don’t have any expert advice to offer on this front as this topic tends to tread in the territory of market timing.
But I believe that we can improve our long-term investment returns by adjusting our portfolio in line with cycle requirements.
Talking of cycles, think of it like this – when recent market returns are high, the attitude of the masses towards risk changes. People forget what their real risk tolerance is and get comfortable taking more and more risk in search of better returns.
This is exactly what sows the seed for future declines. And when the time comes and the delicate balance is disturbed by some external event, it pushes the market off the cliff. That is where the cycle turns. So if one learns from the past data, then there are indicators which highlight when people are getting irrational. The same case can be built around people’s unreasonable fear after the market falls.
It is at such junctures that some level of portfolio adjustment (by re-balancing or taking cash out or bringing it in the portfolio) can improve future returns.
This requires operating against the herd. This is about being contrarian in real sense and not just for the heck of it. Which is easier said than done but with each passing year, it becomes not too difficult.
Ravichand (S&L): Completely agree on the point of simplicity and thinking of simplicity, Peter Lynch’s famous quote comes to my mind “Never invest in an idea you can’t illustrate with a crayon”.
You also brought up the important topic of market cycles which I believe to be a topic that every aspiring investor should be familiar with. Howard Marks book Mastering the Market Cycle: Getting the Odds on Your Side is an excellent read on market cycles.
From checklist let’s talk rules. If there were to be “Dev’s 5 rules for successful investing” then what would that be?
Dev: I feel there are no perfect rules out there for successful investing. Any day it is possible that the bets we make due to all our successful investing framework (that we are proud of) and where we have the maximum conviction, turns out to be super bad.
Stick with good businesses run by capable and trustworthy management, which have the ability to survive bad years comfortably and operate in industries having clearly visible and reasonably long growth trajectory. As simple as it sounds, this I believe is the most effective filter to reduce the number of potential stock ideas.
Valuation should not be ignored at any cost. But be ready to pay a fair price for good businesses. Every now and then, the markets will surprise by offering unbelievable deals on a platter.
You may have the courage to go out, but if you don’t have the cash, forget about taking advantage of such few-in-a-lifetime events. So be prepared with surplus funds to the extent possible. It will test your patience. But that is the price that you should be willing to pay.
There is a time to be brave and there is a time to not be brave. Don’t try to be brave all the time. Protect and secure what you have earned. Remember Buffett’s 2 rules about losing money. Be willing to be laughed at for your investment ideas. But that is when it will work. In investing, you want others to agree with you…but later.
Ravichand (S&L): Great set of rules, Dev. The importance of protecting your investing capital cannot be emphasized enough. When you read the investing rules of super investors, the point that return of money is more important than return on money becomes obvious.
Next let’s talk mistakes. Mistakes are sometimes referred to as “unexpected learning experiences”. Can you share any investing mistake(s) you have made and what were the learning?
Dev: Let me talk about my mistakes.
One of my major mistakes (and I repeat it) has been to not average up when I entered in a good stock early on. You can say that I got anchored to the price I got in first. The result is obvious. I could have made a lot more money in absolute terms than what I made when you look just at the CAGR figures.
Selling early is also one of the crimes I regularly commit. The reason might range from increasing overvaluation to change in unintended negative signals that the management might be sending. But selling early has cost me in past. It’s like waiting for that elusive 20- or 50-bagger. For that to happen, you need to stay put and go through 5x, 10x, 15x and so on sequentially. You cannot jump straight to the 50x. Isn’t it?
At times, I did not pay attention to valuation when deciding to buy a stock. Very often, it backfired. One thing that we should not forget is that it’s not just what you buy that makes for a good investment.
It is also about what you pay for it. Valuation is something that really cannot be ignored. At least not for me. And you know what the biggest problem apart from these mistakes is?
I keep repeating these 3 all the time. The frequency is reducing. But maybe I can just never eliminate these fully.
Ravichand (S&L): To be honest, I believe that these mistakes you have mentioned would have been committed by every single investor. It’s only with experience and spending time in the market that we can avoid these potential investing landmines.
From Mistakes let’s talk on the skills required to succeed. What do you believe are the skills one need to hone for becoming a better investor?
Basic understanding of how businesses work and make money. Before investing, think of how you would be running the business of which you are planning to buy the stock. Have an owner’s mindset.
A fair idea of finance, accounting and what numbers are telling or what they are ‘forced’ to tell or what they are hiding.
A growing understanding of how the market works and more importantly, how market participants (and not just investors) behave under different market conditions. This isn’t exactly a skill but for this, there is a need to study market history.
Reading is essential. To learn about how others have successfully invested and also because you will need to read annual reports, etc. if you are serious about investing.
Now this isn’t exactly a skill but eventually, one needs to understand that just being right or wrong doesn’t mean anything. As they say, amateurs want to be right but professionals want to make money.
So allow me to invoke George Soros here who rightly said that it’s not whether you are right or wrong that’s important, but how much money you make when you are right and how much money you lose when you are wrong that’s important.
You may call it skill, insight or art… whatever. But this is required to grow the portfolio.
Ravichand (S&L): Cannot agree more on the importance of reading in the life of an investor. Munger famously quipped “In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn’t read all the time- none, zero” From skills required we move onto lessons learnt.
What has been the most important investing lesson(s) you have learnt from your time in the market?
Dev: You ask tough questions Ravi!
There must have been several important things that I must have learnt along the way. And to be honest, I may be still too young and inexperienced to know which one is the most important one for me.
But in recent years and as the portfolio size grows, I have come to realize that it’s not just important to push portfolio to grow faster. It is also important to start protecting what one has.
This may sound like being conservative at times. But that is what is necessary. As I said earlier, there is a time to be brave and there is a time not to be brave.
Of course when one decides to become aggressive and when one switches over to being conservative is fairly subjective. Mean reversion and how cycles work in the market is something that should be respected here.
We may not feel any urgent need to accept the cyclicity in market behavior when we start investing. But I think cycles are inevitable and more importantly, are heightened by the investor’s inability to remember the past.
Investor’s attitude toward risk also goes through a cycle. Of course the speed and timing of the cycle matters, but I hope you get the drift of what I am trying to say.
You need to position yourself and your portfolio after giving a deep thought to the cycle. Cannot ignore it. And that’s because at the extremes of the cycle, things can get really strange and uncontrollable if you don’t know what hit you or you aren’t positioned correctly.
From lessons let’s move on to advises. What has been the most important investing advice(s) you have received on investing? How has it influenced your investing process?
Dev: I admire a lot of famous investors as they have provided the intellectual base for my investing life. And I am grateful and lucky to be influenced by them early on.
But I think the most important investing advice I received was from someone whom I regularly interact to discuss ideas. He is a not-so-small investor but likes to remain in hiding.
What he told me (and keeps repeating) is that if I wanted to make good money in the long run, I needed to have a thick skin. And I needed to become deaf.
Because successful investing is all about being contrarian and making people agree with you…but later.
So in between, you will have to listen to all the reasons from others about why you are wrong and why they are right. But assuming you have done your homework before taking the position, you need to ignore all the pressure that is coming to you.
And for that, you need to have a thick skin and turn deaf. If you watch the movie ‘The Big Short’, this is exactly what Christian Bale playing Michael Burry is symbolic of.
Being contrarian isn’t easy. If I see some good opportunity to invest and the market seems to ignore it, then chances are that the particular opportunity exists because the conditions aren’t favorable for it yet. Or else price would have moved up already.
So if you have a thick skin and you are deaf, then you can be comfortable with people misunderstanding you in the short term. Eventually and in long term, you will be right and make money.
I know that there is always a risk of being arrogant if you do so. Who knows and it’s possible that you may be wrong in your judgment and others might actually be right. But that is fine. In investing, even if you are right 4-6 times out of 10, then you can make serious money (depending on your position sizing).
Other important advice is more on the personal finance front. My father has always been of the view that the allure for more wealth is an unhealthy obsession. It’s unnecessary and it’s not worth it.
He has time and again told me that we don’t need a lot of money to feel good. Having enough money and free time is more important. And as I age, I agree with him more and more.
Ravichand (S&L): John Neff described the essence of contrarian investing nicely “It’s not always easy to do what’s not popular, but that’s where you make your money. Buy stocks that look bad to less careful investors and hang on until their real value is recognized”. Indeed a contrarian strategy is highly rewarding as long as we take care of few key things about contrarian investing approach.
Next we move from advice to influencers. Is there any particular investor(s) or author(s) who have had a significant influence in your investment thinking?
Dev: I read a reasonable amount of text (and not just books). But as years pass, the incremental benefit I get from reading new books keeps getting smaller.
Nevertheless, the investors/authors that have had an impact on me are Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Peter Lynch, Howard Marks, Seth Klarman, Nassim Taleb and Daniel Kahneman.
But I must say here that one should read a lot. We really don’t know which idea in which book might influence us in ways we can’t even imagine. And who knows what learning we get from any particular book might be used for our life decisions.
And we are always just one decision away from a completely different life. So keep reading. It’s your mind’s software update mechanism.
Ravichand (S&L): Reading is a theme which gets emphasized by all the guests I chat with. Munger put it best “I don’t think you can get to be a really good investor over a broad range without doing a massive amount of reading.” Next up is one of my favorite question.
Let us say a bunch of enthusiastic beginners approached you for advice on how to be a better investor then what would your advice for them be?
It is very important to study great investors and also about companies that survived and ones that did not survive.
The market does not reward activity. Others will tell and push you to do something or the other at all times. But money is made by not doing anything most of the times. So be ready to do nothing 95% of the time.
Since you will have a lot of time, be willing to read a lot. And I mean a lot. And use this time to upgrade yourself with core knowledge as well as practical insights about how various industries actually work and make money.
Market cycles and investment behavior influence each other. Spend time learning about this aspect. For this read up on market history across cycles.
As you keep investing and learning, slowly build up your checklist of factors that you should judge a business and its stock on. No book or no one can teach you what comes from putting your money on the line.
So begin investing and learn in parallel. Losing hard earned money on your bets is the best teacher. It gives you a perspective that nothing else can.
Luck plays a lot bigger role in investing than you may attribute it to. Be humble and grateful and more importantly, acknowledge (at least privately) if you made money due to luck and not skill.
Have a thick skin but don’t be arrogant. This won’t come easy. So give yourself time to go through the process of growing a thick skin. Jokes apart, what I am trying to say is that be ready to take a contrarian stand and be ready to take brickbats for it.
But also be willing to acknowledge and backtrack if you have made a mistake. You are here to make money and not prove whether you are right or wrong. Bury that ego in a flowerpot.
This is difficult – as the years pass, try to be unemotional about investing. I don’t know how as there is no perfect recipe. But you have to gradually and intentionally reduce the role of emotions in your investing life.
If you are a beginner then you will not understand the gravity of this advice. But it is far more important than what people will ever realize.
You will only appreciate a good market when you have been through a bad one. So be ready to face the bad one sooner or later. It will humble you and help later in life when your portfolio is larger.
On a personal front, realize that time and health matter more than your wealth. And please do remember that you always know how much money you have, but you never know how much time you have. So act accordingly.
Ravichand (S&L): I think that’s a great set of advice for beginners. On studying great investors, that is precisely what Stock and Ladder is focused on. I also think your point on time and health is very important but we rarely bother about it when we are beginners. On health, I like what Jim Rohn said “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live” Next question is on my favorite activity – reading. If you have to recommend 5 books that every investor must read then which ones would that be?
Also, re-read these books (or ones you respect) every few years. You will gain new insights from the same books as by then, you would have gained more experience. Also because you could relate the information in these books to various other texts that you must have read elsewhere in between your re-readings. I must mention here that reading is fine. And necessary and there is no substitute for it.
But reading alone is not enough. Don’t expect to be rich and happy just by reading a lot of books. You need to read, adapt and use the understanding to invest and live well.
Ravichand (S&L): Wonderful reading list and a great point on applying the knowledge as Aristotle put it “The mind is not only knowledge but also the ability to apply that knowledge in practice”. Even good things need to come to an end like this wonderful conversation and here’s the last question: Outside your passion for stock market and investing, are there any other interests / activities which are close to your heart?
Dev: I like to travel. And I am lucky my wife shares this interest too. We try to visit a new place every 6 months or so.
Also, I believe that I am an ancient mountain soul! So every year, I just have to spend at least a couple of weeks in the hills or mountains. That you can say is my indulgence.
As you might have already guessed, I also like to read. Not just books on money but a lot of other stuff as well. My interests lie in space science, science fiction, aerodynamics, ancient civilizations, etc.
Walking is something that I do a lot. No particular reason for it. I just like it.
Formula 1 is my longtime favorite sports. So almost 20+ weekends a year (that’s the approx. number of races) are booked to watch it. My wife hates F1 as they take up the weekends at odd hours.
Other obvious sports interest is watching cricket. I don’t play but spend a lot of time reading up on cricket records now. Socializing a lot is not my cup of tea. But I am lucky to have a few good friends and we meet often. That’s it.
Thanks Dev, it was a very enlightening, interesting and insightful conversation. Wishing you the very best in your career and life.
Previous Entry Picking a Fund with 15% p.a. in 10 years Or a fund with 25% p.a. in 3 years?
Wonderful insights and pointers for aspiring investors like me. Thanks to both of you!
Very nice interview, lot of practical wisdom and time tested lessons. Good one Sir! | 2019-04-19T17:03:35Z | https://stableinvestor.com/2018/12/my-interview-stock-ladder.html |
All of all of us understands perfectly exactly what the sensation associated with food cravings is actually, however what’s hunger, Hunger is actually whenever a residing point passes away through deficiencies in meals material required for existence. It’s a good severe type of malnutrition.
Any kind of residing point may deprive, however the hunger of individuals is specially horrid since it is actually avoidable as well as unneeded. Like a individual starves, regardless of exactly how aged they’re, his / her entire body waste products aside. Once the entire body doesn’t have any kind of nutrition, this begins consuming its body fat, muscle mass as well as cells. This is unpleasant. Since the entire body consumes by itself, bodily energy reduce significantly also it gets hard to maneuver or even perform any kind of fundamental task. This particular is called sleepiness.
Like a individual starves, there’s excellent harm to not just the actual bodily entire body however the thoughts too. Since the entire body waste products aside, therefore will the mind. The depriving individual offers excellent trouble understanding or even considering. The human being mindset is actually broken. Confuses associated with pessimism type more than exactly what ought to be the vibrant as well as wholesome character. Hopelessness as well as lose hope, opponents of the wholesome human being thoughts, frequently occur throughout hunger. Occasionally the actual depriving individual might have illusions and never actually recognize the actual serious situation they’re within.
As well as the bodily as well as psychological results associated with hunger, you will find interpersonal results too. Depriving kids usually do not visit college. And when these people perform proceed, they do not discover nicely. They do not keep exactly what these were trained. Research show for many years which actually 1 dinner each day for any kid won’t have them likely to college, however it can help all of them focus as well as discover.
Generating revenue is almost, otherwise totally, not possible. Efficiency, with regard to the one who starves as well as locally, is actually method lower. An individual actually can’t function whenever depriving. This particular after that can make the worldwide economic climate endure which in turn proceeds the actual horrible period associated with lower income, hunger, struggling, do-it-yourself torture, as well as passing away. This particular poor period merely proceeds on a single poor route, and it has for hundreds of years.
Giving the actual starving, supplying meals on their behalf, is actually the only method in order to raise all of us from lower income. All of us can’t allow this particular treachery towards the human being situation carry on. One of the greatest factors in order to give food to the actual ALMOST 1 MILLION starving individuals around the globe would be to uplift the awareness about the planet. Through assisting an incredible number of people, all of us assist ourself within a lot of methods too.
Hunger is actually scary. It’s discomfort. Hunger eliminates a person… gradually. This makes a person weak as well as helpless. Helpless within muscle mass power, in your mind power, as well as within nature. What’s hunger, It’s a spirit-killer. It’s unjust. It’s a good injustice about this, Our world associated with a lot.
We request, as well as hundreds of thousands tend to be requesting beside me: exactly why is hunger nevertheless a real possibility about this abundant earth as well as with this educated grow older all of us reside in, Among the methods to closing globe food cravings, apart from awaiting the government authorities to complete some thing, would be to obtain anyone else such as me personally and also you to create this the company in order to give food to chronically starving individuals around the world.
There’s a good award-winning plan around which allows normal people that take care of their own other people to begin the altruistic gift COMPANY. This enables individuals to make money creating a substantial effect on the actual planet’s food cravings concern as well as conserve 1000’s, otherwise hundreds of thousands, associated with life.
Are you aware exactly what the significance associated with metal to the is, It’s obvious within our insufficient or even burst open of one’s. The powerful fingernails, excellent pores and skin as well as locks additionally show the significance associated with metal. Metal is actually 1 nutrient that people must always possess within our diet programs.
It is essential to understand the significance associated with metal, particularly according to the transportation associated with air in a molecular degree of our bodies. It is important within generating the numerous nutrients within our physiques. Daily all of us consume the metal supplies at the office, in your own home as well as once we rest. Going for a second in order to emphasize the significance associated with metal is a great point to enhance the complete well-being..
Metal is vital within the manufacturing in our red-colored bloodstream tissue (RBC).
Present in these types of RBCs tend to be iron-filled proteins hemoglobin which carries air to the lung area, and also to the remainder in our entire body. Reduced amounts of RBC as well as hemoglobin make all of us tedious as well as reduced upon power.
Metal is actually the main proteins myoglobin which shops air within our muscle tissue. Air is actually launched to the blood stream via myoglobin proteins. The actual sports athletes take advantage of this particular need for metal in the event of muscle mass accidental injuries.
Metal is essential for that transformation associated with broken down meals in to power. It is required for sports athletes as well as athletes so they have sufficient power for his or her routines as well as operates.
Metal additionally assists within the correct perform in our defense mechanisms.
Due to the need for metal, absence thereof impacts the bodily processes in lots of ways. It might trigger someone to possess reduced upon power, exhaustion, dizziness, insufficient concentrate, depressive disorders, sleeplessness, hair thinning as well as brittle fingernails. Metal insufficiency anemia is really a typical condition globally. You can not really discover of getting the problem till identified later on. If you are that great earlier indicators associated with anemia, go to your personal doctor with regard to feasible remedies.
A number of elements are thought within deriving the significance associated with metal within our entire body. They are the actual assimilation associated with metal, degree of saved metal in your body, the diet programs as well as the type of metal all of us consume.
The tissue as well as main internal organs depend within the need for metal it comes with an elaborate procedure for delivering this particular component to the entire body. Once the entire body requirements metal, meats mucosal ferritin as well as transferrin ensure that metal is actually sent to the bloodstream. Mucosal ferritin carries metal through broken down meals in order to mucosal transferrin. Consequently, the actual second option provides this particular nutrient mainly in order to myoglobin as well as eventually, the actual hemoglobin in our bloodstream. The majority of the saved metal is within the blood’s hemoglobin. The actual lean meats and also the spleen shop a few of the extra through mucosal transferrin. Once the entire body requirements additional metal, these types of internal organs deliver saved metal towards the mucosal transferrin is actually sent to the actual bloodstream. Individuals with sufficient saved metal doesn’t soak up much more from it in order to safeguards all of us through metal toxicity. With this respect, consuming chicken menudo along with chicken lean meats two times per week isn’t this kind of advisable.
A few of the metal through meals is actually dropped throughout digestive function. Other people tend to be dropped in the losing associated with intestinal tract tissue. Saved metal however depletes by means of perspiration, pores and skin exfoliation, urine, bar stools as well as blood loss. For ladies, metal is actually significantly exhausted throughout menstrual time period. Women that are pregnant can also be the danger of getting reduce way to obtain this particular component. In this instance, to savor the significance associated with metal, we have to refill upon metal through the diet programs. A few physicians recommend their own sufferers along with metal dietary supplements.
All of us obtain the normal way to obtain nutrition through the diet programs. You will find two types of metal — heme, metal originating from creatures as well as non-heme, metal originating from vegetation as well as milk products. Selecting the meals sensibly assists market the significance associated with metal in your body. A few meals that contains metal tend to be poultry, clams, chicken lean meats, red-colored meat, scallops, oysters (all heme); as well as broccoli, girl peas, dried out fruit, egg cell yolks, spinach, tofu (non heme).
Blend each heme as well as non-heme within our diet programs. For example, cooking food chicken lean meats meat having a aspect meal associated with salads along with broccoli create a really fulfilling as well as delicious dinner. Consuming meals full of Supplement D enhances the actual assimilation associated with metal (non-heme) through meals. For those who have metal inadequacies consuming espresso as well as teas throughout or even soon after meals significantly reduces metal (non-heme) assimilation. Dietary fiber as well as nut products could also reduce it’s assimilation. Consuming the well balanced vibrant dinner frequently might enhancing the actual saved metal along with other nutrition within our physiques. Observe that if you are reduced about this nutrient, you’ll very easily soak up this particular nutrient out of your diet plan because of the natural features in our entire body mentionened above previously along the way previously.
The significance associated with metal within our is accurate in order to everybody. Using a well balanced dinner assists all of us beat metal insufficiency as well as market over-all wellness.
Barley may be grown within the close to eastern as well as had been most likely very first consumed like a cereal from the Egyptians within the historic occasions. The actual Roman’s, Greeks as well as Hebrews additionally regarded as barley because their own perfect breads feed. The truth is this feed offers lots of proteins content material is the reason why it’s been given in order to creatures to maintain all of them wholesome as well as assist all of them develop.
Whenever considering barley nourishment all of us think about this like a area of the moving gold dark brown area associated with cereal grains, nevertheless from which phase the majority of the nutrition wealthy nutrients within the grow possess passed away away. That’s the reason the actual barley natural powder as well as barley liquid vegetation tend to be gathered once the grow is actually youthful in support of in regards to a feet high. Only at that grow older the actual grow is extremely full of chlorophyll that accounts for the quantity of nutrition within the grow.
Chlorophyll really is exactly what accounts for the actual eco-friendly skin tones within vegetation. Chlorophyll is actually exactly what absorbs power in the sunlight and it is in order to vegetation exactly what bloodstream would be to people. Within people, it can benefit develop as well as restore cells, reduce the effects of free of charge radicals, decreases poor inhale, decrease entire body smells as well as deal with contaminated injuries normally. There are lots of additional advantages in order to the body.
Many people don’t like the actual flavor associated with barley natural powder within meals, nevertheless other people such as the crazy as well as wealthy flavor barley natural powder provides for their meals. In certain places barley natural powder can be used within cooking food is really a well-liked breakfast every day dinner which supplies individuals with busy life, proteins as well as nutritional fiber. Actually investigation indicates it has 40% proteins. It’s loaded with fiber, selenium, phosphorus, copper mineral as well as manganese. Along with the amount of proteins within, one that is really a vegetarian can use this like a beef alternative.
Consuming the barley fiber diet plan assists market correct intestinal actions that removes waste materials in the entire body stopping poisons to develop and become soaked up within the bloodstream. Therefore may market the intestinal tract wellness which could help in weight reduction. Higher fiber meals may take just a little lengthier in order to gnaw and can bring about the mind to consider you’re complete. This particular complete sensation may makes all of us consume much less and obtain starving much less frequently.
The actual barley fiber aids in preventing constipation, piles as well as intestinal tract most cancers. An essential part associated with fiber would be to reduce the actual glucose levels if you find really little if any manufacturing associated with insulin in your body. Ladies that eat the best levels of this kind of fiber every day tend to be recognized to possess a lower danger associated with building breasts most cancers. Fiber is vital to keep the intestinal tract wellness within both women and men that keep your entire body wholesome.
Selenium is definitely an important find nutrient within the body, is really a essential nutrient antioxidant which safeguards tissue as well as tissue through free-radical harm. Selenium is important towards the defense mechanisms as well as thyroid gland.
Phosphorus is definitely an important nutrient how the entire body demands to keep a healthy body in assisting to construct powerful bone fragments as well as the teeth. Additionally, it helps with muscle mass restore as well as recovery, in addition to correct kidney perform.
Copper mineral enables your body to soak up metal with regard to wholesome red-colored bloodstream tissue. Manganese can help the body break up fat, carbs as well as meats.
Replacing whitened flour along with barley natural powder in to the food quality recipes is actually a terrific way to function the advantages of barley natural powder in to your diet plan. Exactly how actually if you’re not really incomplete towards the flavor associated with barley natural powder the following smartest choice is actually via supplements.
Make certain whenever selecting a barley nourishment health supplement which it’s been naturally developed as well as normally prepared. Make certain presently there procedures don’t consist of heating system the actual barley in order to ruin the entire advantages of the actual barley health supplement.
1 essential be aware is actually which if you’re producing barley teas along with barley natural powder how the wholesome nutrients within the grow is going to be wiped out away whenever place in warm water. It is advisable to permit the drinking water in order to awesome in order to around comfortable body’s temperature prior to including the actual barley natural powder to find the greatest many benefits.
An additional choice to Barley natural powder is actually barley liquid that is called the actual eco-friendly consume health supplement. Barley liquid may come inside a tablet type or perhaps a uncooked consume. Certainly barley liquid is actually soaked up faster through the entire body, exactly how actually has got the exact same many benefits because barley natural powder. Barley liquid is actually impressive within reducing pain as well as joint disease discomfort.
Once again make certain exactly where you receive your own barley liquid is actually natural as well as normally prepared.
With regards to wholesome consuming, many people might make reference to the fundamental meals organizations they have recognized as well as accepted just about all all through their own life. The actual proceed, develop, as well as shine meals led individuals to wholesome diet plan however it can’t be ignored which after a while and lots of points have transformed, it’ll truly end up being feasible how the typical meals organizations might no more supply the correct nourishment how the entire body requirements.
Adjustments upon meals options are essential to check the type of way of life that individuals adhere to which created method for the actual “New Fundamental Meals Groups” which were selected based on the system’s nutritional requirements. Beneath is definitely an summary of the brand new meals team, continue reading to obtain a few concept about this.
1. Grains — It will likely be essential for a person to make certain that 6 from 8 portions daily tend to be through wholegrain resources plus some good examples with this tend to be whole wheat breads, dark brown grain, wheat grains pasta, bran cereal, as well as oat meal.
2. Dried beans — Preferably, individuals ought to eat a minimum of 1 mug associated with coffee beans daily. The actual helping consists of half-cup prepared coffee beans, half-cup low-fat bean distribute, 1 mug non-fat soymilk and may end up being split in to 3 portions daily.
3. Veggies — 4 portions associated with veggies is needed daily and you ought to reach minimum the helping associated with darkish eco-friendly leafy veggies and something helping associated with uncooked vegetables such as carrot stays. You may also eat veggies around you would like so long as it does not have a greasy outfitting.
4. Fruit — It will likely be perfect in the event that 3 portions associated with fresh fruit is going to be eaten daily however it will likewise make a difference to bear in mind that you ought to restrict the consumption of fruit drinks. Consuming higher nourishment however reduced calorie meals is better and also the selections for this kind of consist of blood, kiwi, mango, blueberry, peach, plum, grapefruit, grapefruits, as well as raspberry.
5. Desserts — It will likely be essential to make certain that you’ll restrict your own consumption associated with desserts to 1 daily as well as it might be better to eat desserts which are free from body fat content material. Fruit can certainly fulfill your own urges with regard to fairly sweet goodies which means you possess much better choices to fulfill your own fairly sweet teeth.
The brand new meals organizations may stress the significance associated with a healthy diet plan to avoid unhealthy weight as well as way of life illnesses. You will find choices that must definitely be come to appreciate higher advantages which can begin via more healthy meals options.
Veganism offers ended up being a well known choice amongst various kinds of individuals as well as together with which items such as growing seed products, tempeh, soyfood, along with other beef alternatives discovered it’s devote food appears. Understand the very best meals which are right for a person and also the way of life a person adhere to as well as without a doubt, you’ll finish along with much less be concerned with regard to getting much more specific regarding your wellbeing.
The actual Butchers Panel Germs Bust line!
For a long time, there’s been an enormous fight flaming. It’s divided buddies, households, says, as well as nations! Okay, not necessarily, however it is actually, at the minimum a subject associated with dialogue. Wood butchers cutting up obstructs versus. Plastic material reducing planks! That is less dangerous, Through investigation which i possess study, the research began whilst looking for a great way to disinfect wood butchers obstructs in your own home, not really inside a industrial environment like a cafe, or even butchers store. The actual scientists desired to research such things as E-coli as well as salmonella, not really end up being baffled along with semolina that is the actual flour accustomed to help to make pasta. HUGE DIFFERENCE!
Germs had been distribute equally within the area associated with each wood butchers planks as well as plastic material butchers planks. That which was discovered may be the germs about the wood cutting up prevent weren’t recoverable following a really small amount of time. Germs had been discovered following much more from it had been used. Brand new plastic material permitted to germs to reside considerably longer, however had been really simple to wash. This is actually the insane component. Aged, chef’s knife scarred wood butchers cutting up obstructs behaved nearly just like completely new types. Aged plastic material, chef’s knife scarred butchers planks had been nearly impossible to wash as well as clean without needing the device washing machine. Picture a classic plastic material panel along with plenty of poultry body fat, bloodstream as well as pores and skin trapped within the chef’s knife gouges. That’s a foodborne sickness web. Drinking water is actually normally evil from the actual wooden as well as due to the restricted feed character from the forest selected to create high quality butchers cutting up obstructs, dampness doesn’t hold off, therefore producing germs proceed l8rs l8rs. The only method present in the research to achieve germs, in the event that any kind of whatsoever, had been in order to virtually ruin the actual butchers obstructs. These people divided the actual obstructs, gouged all of them as well as pressured drinking water via all of them. They are stuff that we’d not really wish to accomplish to the much loved butchers panel. Another concern personally is actually which wood butchers cutting up obstructs tend to be much better for the kitchen knives compared to plastic material, however that’s with regard to an additional post.
All this “science” things introduces an additional essential concern, and that’s HOW DO YOU THOROUGHLY CLEAN AS WELL AS CLEAN MY PERSONAL BUTCHERS PANEL, Once we understand, it’s wooden, as well as wooden may dry up as well as break otherwise looked after correctly. The easiest way all of us discovered had been at hand clean the actual Butchers Cutting up Prevent along with warm water as well as cleaning soap. Be sure you dried out this upon EACH attributes. If you wish to make use of whiten, achieve this along with tepid to warm water, NOT REALLY WARM! Be sure you wash the actual butchers prevent panel nicely. In addition, you might want to situation your own butchers panel meals secure the nutrient essential oil to maintain this wholesome as well as stunning. To conclude, It is important to comprehend concerning the fight in between Butchers Cutting up Obstructs as well as plastic material butchers planks is actually you’ll want to clean all of them EACH. Impure dampness may be the adversary. The actual scientists within the research found the summary which “Butcher Cutting up Obstructs really are a NOT REALLY risk in order to human being wellness. inch However, plastic material butchers planks might be. | 2019-04-19T14:17:12Z | http://www.healthgaintips.com/category/nutrition |
Whether you are lamenting or rejoicing, God is faithful!
“British scientist James Smithson never visited Washington, DC, but his name is prominent in the nation’s capital. In 1829 Smithson left half a million dollars to the United States to establish an institution for the “”increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.”” The Smithsonian Institute, with its sixteen museums, zoo, and collection of more than 140 million objects, was begun in 1846 with Smithson’s generous donation.
Since we know that God is true to His Word, we know that trouble will befall us. Let us depend on the faithfulness of our great and mighty God as we seek to survive and thrive in trouble.
In my last installment on atonement, I want to expand our concept of atonement. In more word for word translations of the original text, the King James and New American Standard versions of the bible do not use the word atonement. The word used there is propitiation. What does propitiation mean? It means to propitiate. Okay, as if that made things any clearer. Let’s define it. First according to dictionary.com, it means to make favorably inclined; appease; conciliate. Next according to Strong’s concordance, it is an appeasing or propitiating. In the New Testament, it is either one of two Greek words: hilasmos and hilastērion. Appease is to bring to a state of peace, quiet, calm, ease or contentment. Conciliate is to win an enemy or opponent over by displaying a willingness to be just and fair. God, through the incarnation, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, appeased His wrath and transformed man from adversary to ally by His justice executed on the cross of Christ. It was Christ’s suffering that met God’s requirement for sin to be punished.
It really is this simple. If you want your sins atoned or for you no longer to be an enemy of God but an ally/friend, you must not only cognitively accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior but also surrender the will of your heart. Christ is the conciliatory offering of God. For those who remain at odds with God, He will not show you any mercy at your death or at His coming which ever is first. He has provided a way (John 14:6), but you must take it.
We have gone here and there in trying, with brevity, to underpin what is atonement and why it’s needed. For those of you who are inclined to read the Word, this text today hits at the heart of the issue. Man either thinks that he is his justifier or that Jesus is his justifier. No other religion asserts that man sins and need his sin atoned for beyond what man could ever do. This is the distinction from other religions which generally assert that man must just ask to be forgiven. This simply renders their god unholy and unjust. To be just, there must be a consequence to violating the ways of any asserting deity. The notion that man could effective atone for his own sins is one of the major issues the writer of Romans addresses in Romans 3. The position that man in unable to atone for his sin without being eternally damned demonstrates that Christ met. Listen to these series of verses near the end of the chapter.
20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement (as the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away sin), through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
It is clear throughout scripture that man is a sinner, and sinners need their sin atoned. It is clear that Jesus is the only one who can eternally atone for the sins of mankind. It is through faith in Jesus’ birth, burial, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father that provides atonement for the sin of anyone who believes that and commits to living his life in light of all that Christ espouses. Of Christ, Hebrews 9 captures it this way “But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Those who are waiting on Him are those who have put their faith and action in Him. Then and only then will one have his sin effectively and eternally atoned.
In the post Atonement, we stated that ultimate atonement is the reconciliation of man with God through the incarnation, life, sufferings, sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. We know from Romans 3:23 that every human that has, that is or that will live sins. What’s the big deal about sin? Isaiah 59:2 says “2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” The basis of sin is that it separates man from God. If you are separated from the love of your mom, dad, spouse, child, family, friend, it hurts. We miss the benefits afforded from being united with that person. Here it is not so much a physical distance but a spiritual one. Our spirits/soul is separated from God’s Spirit by sin. If not united, we are divided. The old adage of United we stand, divided we fall is so true with man. Sin caused us to fall from unity with God. We lost our connection with God.
God desires to be united, to be in fellowship with man, but our sin prevents that from happening as God is holy and we are not. The heart is the life center of our bodies. Without a functioning heart, we die. Similarly, the spirit of man is the life center of our souls. Without a functioning spirit as designed by God, we die. Spiritual death is being separated from God. Remember, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6. When we sin, our condition is set. We are separated from God and dead unable to bridge that gulf.
Basically, the idea is that our sin needed to be covered, to be made up for. Covered because it presents us as unacceptable. This is a poor example, but it’s like when your car is involved in an accident. It’s damaged. It’s still the same car, but the original form has been marred by the accident. Maybe a fender or quarter-panel is all smushed. The panel need to be repaired or replaced. Since we each person could not be born again (physically) as a result of their sin, there needed to be a means to cover or repair their sin. God instituted priests as a means to do this.
We will continue tomorrow. Be blessed today. Remember that Jesus is the eternal priest. Salvation come through Him alone.
I am posting today as a matter of reflection and clarity. Last night after church, my daughter asked what did atonement mean. I responded by stating that it meant to make up for, but I knew that was an incomplete answer. We continued to talk as I tried to give examples to help her understand. While I know that true understanding can only be given by the Father, it is my responsibility to make concepts about the Lord as simple as possible. It got me to thinking. Of the people who read this post, who could really explain the atonement of Christ, so I would just like to take a few days to think with you, talk with you, build with you. Generally speaking, atonement is the reconciliation of man with God through the incarnation, life, sufferings, sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Sounds good, but what does that really mean. I will try to get it this to where my 8 year old will understand. Lord, I need your help.
Think about how Christ covers, purges or reconciles man. How does He do that? Why is that necessary? Is those needed for you? What does atonement mean? Let me know what you come up with.
More Claims: Whose the real prophet?
In the post Jesus’s Claims surrounding His Death, many claims were presented. We also gave saw God’s distinction between a false prophet and a true prophet. Remember in Deuteronomy 18:21-22, God says “21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Today, we will only look at two claims. One of Jesus and one of Peter. Again, we see who is the true prophet. Mark 14:28-31.
Here you have claims of Jesus and Peter. First, Jesus says that He will rise then He would go ahead of the disciples into Galilee. Peter declared that he would not fall away even if all the disciples did. Jesus stated more specifically that Peter would disown him three times before the rooster crowed twice. Peter claimed that he would die before he disowned Jesus. Well, this passage is so familiar that if you did not read any further you would know the outcome of the claims of Jesus and Peter.
Jesus did rise from the dead. Jesus did go ahead of the disciples into Galilee. Peter did disown the Lord three times before the rooster crowed twice. All just as Jesus said and contrary to what Peter said. In that case, Peter was false. God did use that series of events to establish Peter as the “rock” or foundation of His church. Later, Peter did give his life for the Lord both in service and in martyrdom. We all we have to decide if we will believe Jesus as a true prophet. If we do, we have no other choice than to surrender our lives to Him. In doing so, we have the full blessing of God which yields eternal life. If we don’t, Jesus declared that we stand condemned already which results in a life and eternity separated from God and His goodness.
Who is the real prophet? That is an all-important question you must decided. Your eternal estate hinges on how you decide. Choose wisely.
Over the past few days, we have talked about people making claims. Everyone makes claims. Some claims are true; some are false. This is nothing new. In particular, men have made claims about God and man. All the way back in the Old Testament, the term prophet was coined for those who claimed to have heard God speak relaying that message on to man. With all the deception in the hearts of man; how could one determine whether the person was a true or false prophet. God made that distinction clear for man. In Deuteronomy 18:21-22, God says “21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” In Jesus’ cases, Jesus made claims about God and Himself. In fact, that’s one of the issues that created trouble with the Jewish rulers at that time. Jesus’ claims and the results and response from them caused the leaders to be envious and afraid. It appeared that Jesus’ claims were coming true. Consequently, they were afraid that the vast majority of the people would begin to follow Him; thus, they would lose their power and position, so they began seeking a life-ending plot against Him.
1 Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. 2 “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or the people may riot.” – v1-2 The chief priests declared that they would not kill Jesus on the Passover, but Jesus’ claim over being the sacrificial lamb, clear allusions to the Passover lamb, had to be fulfilled. Jesus was crucified on the Passover. Chief priest claim false. Jesus’ claim. True!
She has done a beautiful thing to me. v6 This is in reference to Mary anointing Jesus with the very expensive perfume. Why was this beautiful? It paid homage to Him as He prepared to die for the sins of man. True!
The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. v7 – Jesus claimed that He would not always be with the disciples but the poor would. Physically, Jesus did leave the disciples when He ascended into heaven to be at the right hand of the Father. True!
I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her. v9 – Jesus claimed that what Mary did was so important that it would be included in the annals of the gospel. We are here today talking about Mary’s use of the very expensive perfume. True!
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. v10 – In Mark 10:32-32, Jesus predicts His betrayal, death, and resurrection after three days. True!
13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” 16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. True!
When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.” v18,20 0 “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me.- Again Judas. True!
21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. v21 – Here Jesus reasserts that what is written about how He would die is true and what the chief priest stated in verse 1 is not accurate. He died as predicted. True!
“I tell you the truth, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.” v 25 – Jesus tells them that He will not drink with them again until united in the kingdom of God. Still awaiting this to happen, but True!
27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” v27 – the disciples scattered when Jesus was crucified.
There is a lot that has been presented here. I will cut it off today. Look at the depth and accuracy of what Jesus said would be true. Tomorrow we will look at the rest of the verses.
In the post I am the resurrection and the life II, the notion of claims was discussed. In fact, every human alive has either been exposed to a claim or has made a claim himself. We discussed how we interpret claims. When we discern that claims are empty, we begin to quickly abandon faith in the person or entity that provided the empty claim if we are in our right mind. When the claims of a person or entity are continually proven true, we, again in our right mind, are drawn to him/it like flies to the aroma of a summer-time bbq grill.
Today, we explore another of Jesus’ claims. Now, we must pay special attention to the events and the surrounding of this claim. Our text is Mark 14. Jesus has been anointed. The people have shouted “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.” Mary has poured expensive oil on his feet. Jesus has proclaimed His death and claimed His betrayer as well as his abandoners and the one who would deny Him three times before the rooster crows thrice. All of those claims brings us to the crescendo of this passage.
57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’”59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ,[f] the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
Tomorrow, we will summarize all of the other claims in this passage that proved to be true. Today, we are looking at the main claim of Jesus. Of the false things accused, Jesus did not respond; however, of what He had claimed, to be the Messiah or Christ and the Son of God, Jesus replied, “I am”. Jesus publicly claimed to be the Messiah and the Son of God. Either Jesus was telling the truth or he was not. I choose to believe that Jesus was telling the truth. I happen to believe His claims in John 11:25-26 . Specifically, what did Jesus say ? ”25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” As such, I had to make choice, so do you. Follow Him as Lord and Savior and never die or die spiritually by spending eternity separated from God.
In one’s life, he/she may hear many claims from individuals or companies. You may be familiar with this through advertisements such as the Goodyear Tire slogan:”The best tires in the world have Goodyear written all over them”. The Gillette razor company offers its slogan too: “The best a man can get”. We also have the ubiquitous slogan from Verizon Wireless: “Can you hear me now?? Good!!” Lastly, we all know Kentucky Fried Chicken’s slogan: “Finger-lickin good.” People, companies and organizations are always making claims which are aimed at meeting a want or a need. We have to discern whether those claims are too far-fetched to consider or if they are plausibly true.
Like wise in John 11, Jesus made a famous claim to meet our most pressing need. What did he claim? Listen to verse 25: 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” What’s different about Jesus’ claims is that He requested and required a response. Jesus asked Martha, “Do you believe this?” The this was that Jesus claimed to be the resurrection and the life. Through Him, resurrection to life eternal is not only possible but is guaranteed to those who trust in Him as Lord and Savior. Listen to what Jesus told Martha in verse 40: ““Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” Jesus was still hammering away at Martha’s belief and depth of belief and understanding of who He was (is) and what He would do. Lazarus was raised for them to deepen their faith. He was raised for us for the same reason but also to show us that the resurrection has less to do with the physical. It more about the spiritual aspect of a person’s spirit/soul.
The believer in Christ has been given eternal life; thus, dying is not a possibility. 1 John 5:11-12 says,”And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” According to the Word of God, Jesus’ claim is true. If you believe in the Word of God, you have to accept that life is only in the Son, Jesus Christ.
Do you have the Son? If you do, you have “the life”. If you don’t, you do not have eternal life. You will live eternal but outside of the presence and goodness of God. Get the Life.
In yesterday’s post, I am judge, the notion of the end of the world and judgement was partially addressed. In that post, I alluded to was the importance of what happens to us after our physical death. I also shared that if one has belief (trust in Christ as Savior and Lord) in Jesus, he has crossed over from death to life. How could that be? How could one who is a living breathing person crossover from death to life before he actually died? The answer lies in what Jesus said in those verses and what Jesus says in our text for today, John 11. Specifically, what Jesus says in John 11:25. Again, this is another entry in the “I am” proclamations of Jesus to reveal more of who He is to us.
Resurrection as defined by dictionary.com is the act of rising from the dead. Resurrection as defined by the Greek word anastasis used in this text is a raising up, a rising from the dead. In the most commonly perceived means, resurrection refers to one rising after one has physically died. That is, one’s heart stopped pumping blood resulting a cessation of life functions of breathing, talking, walking and the like. In John 11, Jesus evidences that He can give life to the body. He raised Lazarus after he had been dead four days. As with everything Jesus did, He performed that task so that people would believe that God sent him; thus believe in Jehovah-God.
Ephesians 2 also tells us that “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air …But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions …And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” Now that folks is the true resurrection.
All of mankind will experience a resurrection, but only those who have trusted in Christ will have eternal life. Matthew 25:45 says, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Jesus is calling us to the true and blessed resurrection of life, not death.
You are currently browsing the Darron E. Franklin's Blog blog archives for May, 2011. | 2019-04-23T08:34:11Z | https://defranklin.wordpress.com/2011/05/ |
Gayatri Joshi or Gauhar Khan??
2000 was the second epochal year for Indian beauty queens after 1994. In 2000 all the Miss India winners happened won their respective international pageants - Lara Dutta (Miss Universe), Priyanka Chopra (Miss World) and Diya Mirza (Miss Asia Pacific). Lara Dutta won the title of Miss Universe in Cyprus, Priyanka Chopra clinched the Miss World title and Dia Mirza secured the title of Miss Asia Pacific.
The only other country to have won all three major titles in one year was Australia in 1972.
In the year 2000 Miss India won Miss World and was watched by an estimated global television audience of two billion. Priyanka Chopra, an 18 year old student and bookmakers' favourite, became the fourth Indian to win the title in 7 years and succeeded her compatriot Yukta Mookhe. In India, the event was watched by an estimated 300 million people.
A year after the title, Dia made her film debut with Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein opposite R Madhavan, and just three years later, both Lara and Prinyanka made their Bollywood debut in 2003 with the film Andaz, starring opposite Akshay Kumar. Since then, all three of them have won several accolades for their exemplary work in Hindi cinema. Priyanka, of course, has gone a notch higher to make her debut in singing, thus proving an all-rounder side to her charismatic personality.
The sensual Lara Dutta describes her winning the Miss Universe title as being "a culmination of a dream." Lara is now a successful actress in Bollywood. The beauty is married to tennis champ Mahesh Bhupathi. Lara Dutta of India is one of the few Miss Universes of recent history to win by unanimous vote at the Miss Universe 2000 contest.
Lara Dutta was born on April 16, 1978, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Her father is Wing Commander L.K. Dutta and mother is Jennifer Dutta. The Dutta family moved to Bangalore in 1981 where she completed high school from Frank Anthony Public School. Lara Dutta graduated in economics with a minor in communications from Bombay University at Bangalore. She was crowned Miss Universe in 2000 which led to her appointment as an unfpa Goodwill Ambassador in 2001.S he won the 2000 Miss India pageant, and went on to win the Miss Universe 2000 pageant.
Lara Dutta: Miss Universe 2000 did her sole film in Tamil ‘Arasatchi’ opposite Arjun in 2004.
Priyanka Chopra was born on 18th July 1982, in Jamshedpur, India, to Capt. Dr. Ashok Chopra and Dr. Madhu Chopra. Her father was a surgeon in the Indian Army Medical Corps. She has a younger brother, Sidharth. Miss India has done it yet again! Priyanka Chopra, 18, was crowned Miss World 2000 at a glittering ceremony at London's Millennium Dome on November 30.The event marked the crossing of more than one milestone in India's track record in international beauty pageants.
This Bareilly girl beat out 94 other lovely ladies to claim the Miss World 2000 title and $100,000 prize money at the Millennium dome, London. Priyanka Chopra is one of the top league actresses in Bollywood with hits like Don, Fashion, Dostana and Kaminey. The beauty has been honored with a national award too. Priyanka Chopra became Miss World in the year 2000. She made a place for herself in the glamour world and has acted in a number of films. Her latest film Krrish was a real hit in the box office. Priyanka has gained great popularity and a huge fan gathering.
Eighteen-year-old girl Priyanka Chopra was crowned Miss World at Johannesburg, South Africa in 2000. Priyanka Chopra made her film debut in the 2002 Tamil film ‘Thamizhan’ playing the love interest of the hero Vijay. In the mass action hero film she had precious little to do. But in Bollywood she is on the power list and today she is the highest paid Indian actress after Aishwarya Rai. Like Aishwarya, Priyanka is also beauty and talent in one. Tamil industry can rightfully lament for not having used her well.
Delicacy, poise, elegance and brains define Dia Mirza. This heavenly beauty from Hyderabad, won the prestigious Miss Asia-Pacific title and is an actress now.
The lawns of Poona Club were resplendent with a glitter that rivalled even the stars above. On centre stage were the winners of the Femina Miss India 2000 contest. In company of some achievers of before -- Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Diana Hayden and Yukta Mookhey.
Facing them was the panel of judges... Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Waheeda Rehman, Pritish Nandy, Mohammed Azharuddin, Anjoli Ela Menon, Zee Network chairman Subhash Chandra Goel, perfume queen Carolina Herrera, and Marcus Swarovski.
Lara Dutta, a 21-year-old model, bagged the Femina Miss India crown. She will represent the country at the Miss Universe contest. First runner-up Priyanka Chopra, crowned Femina Miss India World, will be the candidate for Miss World pageant. Hyderabad lass Diya Mirza, chirpy at sweet 17+1, was the second runner-up, the Femina Miss India Asia Pacific.
Preperations for the contest had begun much earlier. Pune was humming with activity almost a week before the event.
"Setting up the stage, rehearsals, co-ordinating the celebrity judges, getting permissions, getting reservations... There was so much work that it was unbelievable!" said an organiser.
The activities peaked on the evening of January 14. Late night, the crowds at Hotel Holiday Inn went into a tizzy when they espied moviestars Juhi Chawla, Mohammmed Azharuddin and Shah Rukh Khan entering through the back door. For a moment it looked like it would tear through the security cover and make a dash for the stars.
The preliminary rounds began around 0830 hours Saturday at the hotel. These included the swimsuit round and the one-to-one with the judges.
In the evening, the programme commenced 15 minutes late. Malaika Arora and Rahul Khanna were the comperes. Must concede that they did an excellent job. But the one who stole hearts was veejay Cyrus Broacha, with his on-the-spot interviews. He added the much-needed zing to the otherwise staid and 'purfeect' lines of the rest. Also humour.
But Shah Rukh's longish query about whom the contestant would chose between him, Azhar and Swaroski drew an equally longish reply. The contestant replied, to thunderous applause, that she would go for the ex-captain of the Indian team so that he could do the country proud and she could go home to tell him that she was equally proud of him as was his country!
The entertainment rounds were noteworthy. There was Shaggy with his 'boombastic' numbers, foot-tapping songs from Noble Savages and memorable ones from the Deep Forest. Breathtaking acrobatics by the Safari Cats, come all the way from Africa, drew terrific applause.
The former achievers at international pageants were called on stage. Thus, besides Sen, Rai, Hayden and Mookhey, there were Namrata Shirodkar, Madhu Sapre, Manpreet Brar, Diya Chohan, Ruchi Malhotra, Shweta Jaishankar and Diya Abraham.
The maximum applause went to Sen who spoke with tears brimming. She won the hearts of many by asking the audience to applaud the parents of the contestants. And then by telling the parents of those who did not make it to the finals not to be disappointed because she felt they would be achievers in some other field, that just making it to the event was an achievement in itself.
"My father told me when I became Miss Universe that my family did not now consist of just my father and mother," she said. "I am happy to have a billion Indians as my family."
The crowd went berserk clapping.
"Lara is a terrific girl. Though she has no formal training she has been working from an early age. She has bagged quite a few prestigious assignments to date. She had supreme confidence even when she was a novice. She always had this I-know-what-I-want-to-be-and-I-will-achieve-it attitude without a trace of arrogance in it. She is supremely confident.
"Speak to the people whom she began her career with her and they will only reiterate this statement. Never once was the Should-I-or-should-I-not?' attitude ever visible with her.
"An instance I remember was when we were on a show. We missed the train. There was panic and chaos and confusion galore. Everyone was snapping at each other, but she was cool. Very composed and thinking because she had an exam to give the following day. Even under such circumstances she was composed..." she ended.
To a large extent, it is that composure that got her the Miss India crown. Hopefully, it will see her through the rest of her dreams.
The year 2000 was a special year for India in beauty pageant world. Lara Dutta gave us the Miss Universe crown and then followed by Dia Mirza at Miss Asia Pacific and Priyanka Chopra at Miss World. Having seen Miss World and Miss Universe, I thought Lara was more impressive in Miss Universe. Not that Priyanka Chopra was the lesser. Priyanka charmed us in Miss India and Miss World in her own way but for me Lara impress me the most.
She had said she applied for Miss India 1999 and her focus was on winning the Miss Universe title and nothing else. But she withdrew her application because if she ever was going to become Miss India, she was going to be Miss India of the millennium. So the following year she applied and she became the Millennium of Miss India. Such was her confidence that one wonders Can we have another Miss India like her again. The answer is a big NO.
At Femina Miss India, 2000, the night belongs to her. From the beginning to the end, it was all about Lara. She was so good on stage. During the opening round there were photographers taking a photo shoot of the contestants walking on the stage. Lara did it like a supermodel. From her catwalk to her poise to her expression she screamed Miss Universe all over her face. It was like watching an International Pageant. I love the way she turns and moves, stop to pose and walks away from the chasing photographers. Look at her expression at that moment, the attitude and the confidence of a queen who is so control of herself and so calm despite the look-alike chaos on stage, it was mind-blowing and impressive.
At the top 10 interview round she impressed everyone and got the loudest cheer. Miss India Universe was written all over her face. The rests were fighting for the 2nd and 3rd place. Even the host Malaika Arora Khan nodded in awe of her answers in between. Waheeda Rehman asked her, “Is it really difficult to be a beautiful person?” Lara replied, “As someone else down this line, one of my contestants said ‘beauty lies within you’ and I think that if you are a beautiful person from inside, if you have a belief in yourself, if you trust yourself and you have confidence and determination to fight the odds, the stamina to last forever, conviction from within, a dream to be victorious that makes you a beautiful person and it’s not that difficult.” The judges and the crowd cheered with a thunderous applause.
Oh my God ! Look at her, the way she said it so confidently and convincingly with a smile on her face. That was brilliant and Even Malaika the host couldn’t agree more. There was a tie, and she had to go through a same common question again. It must have been nerve wrecking for the top 5 girls but among them Lara was the most confident who was so calm and ease with herself. It was like she owned the stage. Of course, She did!
The way she spoke and delivered her answers, it was so theatrical and her endings to her answers were interesting. Her command over English and the way she pauses after each sentence and pronounce each word so clearly is really impressive. It is like she is reading out a literature. I haven’t seen any beauty queen who spoke like her apart from former Miss World Diana Hayden. Her husky voice is to die for.
She won Miss India Universe and was all set to conquer the Universe. The judges and many people who were associated with her during her training thought she was definitely going to win Miss Universe. There was no doubt about that. Many praised for her dedication, determination and focus during pre and post Femina Miss India training. Lara knew she was going to compete with the best of the best at Miss Universe. She worked hard and it paid off. But for me the irony is that I didn’t find any change in her. She was still the same beauty queen I saw at Miss India unlike other beauty queens who transformed. She was the the same Lara who was breathtaking, stunning, gorgeous, and witty and the list goes on. At the Miss Universe contest she was a Queen who was just waiting to conquer another territory which wasn’t familiar with her wits and charm. Then she became a favourite of the press and fans. The only thing left for her was to speak on Miss Universe stage and wins people who weren’t familiar with her. The final night came, I was all excited and praying hard she wins. The stage was spectacular and the opening number with the delegates in white dress dancing around with the glow balls. It looked like a tribute to the Goddess Aphrodisiac which was incidentally the birthplace of Aphrodite also known as the Lady of Cyprus i.e. in Cyprus. Lara definitely matched upto being an Aphrodite goddess – the goddess of beauty, love and desire.
The top 10 were announced. This time the top 10 interview was axed and instead there was an introductory opening walk with a background voice-over introduction about the delegates. Lara did so well in this segment. She walked like a supermodel and she owned the stage with her runway skills. The way she moved and stop to pose was truly beautiful in a dramatic way and eye-catching indeed. In the swimsuit round, she was amazing. I love her perfect toned body. I think she is the only Miss India after Madhu Sapre to have such a perfect swimsuit body and till now no Miss India can match up to her – be it her runway skills or her toned body. Miss India’s in the past always failed either in swimsuit or in Evening gown round. I am sure Lara knows all this and prepared herself to be the best she can be at Miss Universe.
In the swimsuit round the background song was fun, peppy and catchy. She matched up her ramp walked with the background score. Her walked was so vibrant and when she stopped to pose bringing her right leg behind her left leg she was vivacious. No wonder she topped the swimsuit round and won Oscar De la Renta Best in Swimsuit. In the evening gown round, she wore a red gown with a scarf around her wrist. Lara definitely have a stage presence and knows how to project herself on stage and how to walk in each different round. She chose to walk a bit slower but calmly so that she was in tune with the slow and romantic song ‘Careless Whisper.’ This is what I called true beauty queen who knows how and what to deliver at each round. She exudes warmth, elegant and grace. I love the way she works her gown while posing at the centre stage. It was splendid to see her placing her scarf lying out open and let it flow freely and smoothly away from the gown. That was extraordinary. Who can forget that she carried the red dress so elegantly it just shined on her and those shining coming out from her gown reflects her personality so well.
Then at the top 5, she showed why she should win and deserved the Miss Universe title. Sinbad asked why she wanted to do skydiving. Adventurous Lara explained that she clocked in so much time as a passenger on a plane since both her father and sister were pilots that she wanted to try skydiving. When asked about women politicians in comparison to men, Lara responded that the difference lies in the degree of sensitivity carried by the women and women in India are very strong and are very well-educated (those that are educated) and are standing shoulder to shoulder with men and making a mark in their own field. She also was asked to demonstrate a classical Indian dance called ‘Bharatanatyam’ but she explained that she couldn’t do it in the gown she was wearing since she needed to squat to dance and she explained the concept behind that particular style of dance and showed three hand gestures that are part of the dance. She had such poise and eloquence. After this round people who weren’t familiar with her got to see her wit and intelligence side of her besides her beauty and charm. She was definitely the one to beat. She got the loudest cheered like her Miss India days. There was no stopping for her. She was there to win and she wasn’t coming back without a crown.
The Final question, “Right now there’s a protest that had been staged in outside the stadium posing pageants as an affront to women. Convince them that they are wrong.” Lara impressed the judges with her answered, “Pageants like Miss Universe give us young women a platform to foray in the fields that we want to and forge ahead, be it entrepreneurship, be it the armed forces, be it politics.” And added, “It gives us a platform to voice our choices and opinions and it makes us strong and independent that we are today.” When she took the microphone from Sinbad, she pulled in the audience and exudes so much of warmth and confidence. She knows how to work on the audience.
So can we say Priyanka and Dia won partly because of her?
LONDON, Dec 1 (PTI) — A cool and confident Miss India, Priyanka Chopra, charmed the world with her smile to become the fourth Indian in seven years to win the prestigious Miss World crown and keep the title home for the second consecutive year.
It was a moving and emotional moment for the 18-year-old belle as she took the crown from compatriot Yukta Mookhey here last night, amidst wide applause and cheers that greeted the hot favourite, who outsmarted 94 other damsels from across the world for the title.
Priyanka’s achievement, which follows Lara Dutta’s Miss Universe title in May, was reminiscent of 1994, when Ashwairya Rai and Sushmita Sen became Miss World and Miss Universe setting the trend for Indian winners in world beauty pageants.
A small goof notwithstanding, when she named Mother Teresa as “the most successful living woman”, Priyanka’s command over English and retention of nerves made her richer by $ 1,00,000 in the 50th year of the pageant.
Answering a question from Jerry Springer, famous American TV personality, the host of the two and half hours show telecast live for two billion people in 150 countries, Priyanka said she considered Mother Teresa as the most successful woman for her compassion and love and serving the leprosy patients with a smile.
The first runner-up for Miss World 2000 was Giorgia Palmas, 18, of Italy and the second runner-up was 20-year-old Yuksel Ak of Turkey.
Priyanka, a senior college student from a family of defence personnel, said she aspired to be a clinical psychologist and “enjoyed” dancing, listening to music, and reading and was associated with anti-polio and AIDS awareness drives.
The two other contestants to make it to the finals were Margarita Kravtsova of Kazakhstan and 18-year-old Thumsen Grien from Uruguay.
“I write poetry although none of my work has been published except in school magazines,” Priyanka who was 6 to 1 favourite at Ladbrokes, well-known betting house, said.
The golden jubilee year of the beauty pageant was a special evening studded not only with who’s who from the music and fashion worlds, but with most of the previous Miss Worlds to mark its 50th anniversary.
India’s first Miss World, Reita Faria Powell graced the occasion along with the Miss World 1952, May Louise Flodin of Sweden and an array of earlier Miss Worlds. Though former Miss World from India Diana Hayden was present Aishwarya Rai was conspicuous by her absence.
The panel of judges included well-known figures from the world of glamour, including Indian designer Hemant Trivedi.
NEW DELHI: For the middle class girl from Bareilly, it was not her physical beauty but her “Indianness” which took Priyanka to the winner’s podium at Miss World 2000 contest in London.
“My morals and values, which I inherit because I am an Indian, are embedded deeply in me. Nobody else can boast of the same kind of upbringing. I think that is what is going to make all the difference,” said a confident Priyanka, who was a hot favourite for the coveted title.
The dusky beauty, born on July 18, 1982 to army doctor Ashok Chopra and his wife Madhu Chopra, had a varied upbringing, that gave her the confidence, the poise and the intelligence which has stood her in good stead.
Though the 18-year-old quit studies owing to her involvement in beauty pageants in India and abroad, Priyanka said aspiring youngsters should plan their careers instead of following the beauty contests blindly.
“They should know the background we come from. The youngsters should not leave their studies and follow the models blindly. Whosoever has done it (quit studies), is regretting (the decision),” the winner said, adding she plans to continue her studies.
As for her future plans, she said she would continue to work for thalassemic children, besides being associated with the Pulse Polio and AIDS awareness programmes.
AMBALA, Nov 1 — “We are feeling on top of the world,” say family members of the beauty queen, the new Miss World Priyanka Chopra.
Grandparents, uncle and cousins of Priyanka Chopra, who was crowned the new Miss World early this morning, are thrilled about her achievement.
Talking to The Tribune, Priyanka Chopra’s grandmother, Mrs Champa Chopra, said that she was extremely happy to learn about the news. “I cannot describe how happy I felt on learning that Mimi (Priyanka is affectionately called by that name by her family members) has become the Miss World,” she said.
The phone at Staff Road, Ambala cantonment, the residence of the Chopras, has not stopped ringing since she became Miss World.
Mrs Champa Chopra said she had wished Priyanka good luck before she left for the Miss World beauty pageant. “I spoke to her on the phone before she was leaving. I told her that from my side, she has already become the Miss World. I am so glad that she has achieved it,” she said.
Priyanka’s uncle, Mr Pawan Chopra, said they watched the Miss World beauty pageant throughout the night. “When Priyanka’s name was announced it was an out of this world feeling. It is a matter of great pride and joy for us,” he said.
Mr Pawan Chopra said they had been receiving congratulatory calls from all over the world. “Immediately, after Priyanka became Miss World, her father and my elder brother, Lieut-Col (retd) Ashok Chopra called us up from London to convey the good news. Priyanka’s mother, Mrs Madhu Chopra, is also there,” he said.
He said since childhood, Priyanka had been a confident girl who was active in all spheres of life. “She used to spend her vacations with us in Ambala and she used to love eating pickles prepared by my mother,” he said. “We are yet to speak to Priyanka after her historic achievement,” he added.
Mr Pawan Chopra said he had spoken to Priyanka during the rounds taking place at Maldives. “Priyanka was the youngest contestant and she was under pressure. I spoke to her and reassured her of our complete confidence in her,” he said.
Mrs Reena Chopra, wife of Mr Pawan Chopra, observed that Priyanka was a very level-headed girl. “Despite winning the crown, she was quiet normal during her visit to Ambala early this year,” she said.
Young cousins of Priyanka, Shivang, Sahaj and Parineeti, are overjoyed with the success of “Mimi didi”. Shivang, who is a student of Army School, said that he has told his school mates and teachers about Priyanka didi becoming Miss World. “My teacher said very good when I told her about didi becoming Miss World,” he said.
To a query, Priyanka Chopra had then said that despite winning the crown, nothing had changed in her life. “I am absolutely the same person but definitely the sense of responsibility had increased,” she had said with a disarming smile.
BAREILLY, Dec 1 (UNI) — Mrs Madhu Jyotsana Akhauri, maternal grandmother of Priyanka Chopra, finds it hard to believe the little girl who was playing on her lap the other day has become a beauty queen winning the Miss World title.
“I watched the mega event the whole night and felt on top of the world when Mimi was adjudged the Winner”, she said. Priyanka was crowned Miss World at a glittering function in London last night.
This small town in Rohelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh has woken up to the fact that it is the home town of a beauty queen. Everywhere, people are discussing the mega event.
“I cannot believe the girl who was playing in our lap till yesterday has achieved this feat”, Mrs Akhauri said. Priyanka’s parents, Dr Ashok Chopra and Dr Madhu Chopra, had accompanied their daughter to London.
She credits Priyanka’s success to her determination and self confidence but also lauds the role of her daughter Dr Madhu Chopra behind the success of Priyanka.
The proud “nani” said it was she who practically brought up Priyanka as both her parents were employed.
Born on July 18, 1982, Priyanka, after completing her class X from St Maria Goretti School here, was pursuing her further studies at the Army School. At that time, she wanted to become a criminal psychologist, the grandmother recalls fondly.
However, winning the “May Queen” contest at Bareilly Club last year changed all that. She decided to take the plunge into the field of glamour and went on to take part in the Femina Miss India contest and the rest is history.
The 18-year-old idolises sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar and is greatly influenced by both Indian classical and western music. Priyanka relishes Indian, Mexican and Spanish food and is specially attached to her 11-year-old brother Siddhartha, she said.
Meanwhile, Bareilly, widely known for its “surma” and “jhumka”, is jubilant today over the success of Priyanka and the recognition it has brought to the town.
A banner reading “mimi, we are proud of you” hangs at a hotel on the station road here. Almost every one watched the whole contest on TV last night and felt proud over Priyanka’s success, the fifth Indian to be crowned the Miss World.
Another city hotel has decided to set up a fan cub of Priyanka while some local businessmen are planning to give the world’s longest greeting card to Priyanka on her return to get the town listed in the Guiness Book of World Records.
Dia Mirza was hand-picked by destiny to win the crown of Miss Asia Pacific 2000. She was the first Indian contestant to win this title in 29 years, completing a hat-trick of international wins for India in that year. Miss India Asia Pacific 2000 was one of the many milestones that she’s achieved and it marked the beginning of a beautiful journey ahead.
After winning the Miss Asia Pacific 2000 title, Dia Mirza gave a perfect start to her Bollywood career with an award-winning debut in the film, ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein.’ She appeared in over 40 movies like ‘Tehzeeb,’ ‘Dum,’ ‘Deewanapan,’ ‘Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge’ and many more.
Dia Mirza was born as Dia Handrich in Hyderabad to a German father and a Bengali mother. Miss Beautiful Smile and the Sony Viewers’ Choice Award are some titles bestowed upon her. She was also the second runner-up at Femina Miss India 2000.
This page was last modified on 20 June 2018, at 20:26. | 2019-04-21T18:37:45Z | http://indpaedia.com/ind/index.php/Miss_India_winners:_2000 |
Following the news that GCap Media are to scrap their theJazz and Planet Rock digital radio stations, it seemed that Classic FM, as an analogue station, would emerge unscathed. Unfortunately, the closures have had a knock-on effect that has changed Classic FM for the worst.
In the week, I’m only really able to listen to the station in the evening. Changes at this time of day include the scrapping of the 6:30pm Classic Newsnight programme. While this was not the best news programme imaginable, it was the only news bulletin I could catch after work, having usually missed most of Radio 4’s news. Instead, Smooth Classics at Seven has been extended by an hour, becoming Smooth Classics at Six . Smooth Classics , presented by John Brunning, was always one of my favourite programmes. Unfortunately, they have now pushed John out in favour of Margherita Taylor, who apparently used to present a programme called Easy Jazz at Six on theJazz. I’m afraid I am so far unable to get used to Ms Taylor’s voice. I don’t know if she’s supposed to be a celebrity because she’s been on TV; I’m not interested in celebrities. I liked John Brunning’s smooth voice presenting this programme. Margherita Taylor appears to have a “trendy” voice with an end-of-sentence intonation I don’t appreciate.
In turn, John Brunning has displaced Nick Bailey as the presenter of the Evening Concert programme, which has been renamed The Full Works . For around five years, Nick has presented the programme live, enabling him to read out listeners’ e-mailed comments as he received them (including several of mine over the years!) This gave the programme a much more personal touch, and meant it was better company for anyone listening alone. Early indications are that The Full Works is no longer presented live. Nick Bailey has now been pushed into the overnight slot, starting from 2am, displacing Mark Griffiths who has now left the station. I’m quite certain Nick isn’t happy about losing the Concert and having to present overnight.
One aspect of the new schedule that has proved most controversial is the introduction of two hours of jazz each night, starting at midnight. The programme is presented by Helen Mayhew, who is also a refugee from theJazz. Lisa Duncombe, the young violinist who was given a job after complaining that the station didn’t promote young artists enough, has also been given the axe. Classic FM used to promote itself as the country’s only 100% classical station, as opposed to rival BBC Radio 3, which has always played jazz. That distinction has now been lost. I should probably go to bed at midnight anyway, but I have to say that, despite my reservations, the jazz programme is the change I mind the least. The music is still quite relaxing, and at that time of night the music is only background to reading or whatever, rather than being for serious listening.
Radio stations periodically change their programming line-ups and our research shows that there is a very strong cross-over between listeners to classical music and jazz.
That is implying that they introduced the new schedule as a result of careful audience research. I would contend that they have done no such thing. The new schedule was introduced in a hurry after GCap decided to pull out of DAB. The evidence for this is clear. In the past, new schedules on Classic FM have been the subject of much fanfare and promotion for weeks beforehand. Now they are calling this the biggest change in 15 years, yet there was no mention of the new schedule until just before it started this week. In the just-released April issue of the Classic FM magazine, they have just managed to get the new schedule in there. But there is a detailed listing of the music that will be played on the Evening Concert in March, with an accompanying article by Nick Bailey who it says, “presents the Classic FM Evening Concert every weekday night from 9pm”. That shows these changes to the schedule weren’t carefully planned as the result of audience research. They were rushed through for commercial and contractual reasons as a result of theJazz closing, after much of the magazine had already been produced.
The jingle that accompanies the new programmes can only be described as naff. I don’t believe it was created by David Arnold, the composer of the famous Classic FM jingle, and of the many arrangements that are heard on the station. It was no doubt recorded in a hurry, again because the schedule change wasn’t planned very far in advance. And what on Earth is the slogan “We raise you up” supposed to mean?!
It seems GCap needed to find a job for Margherita Taylor as a matter or urgency. Perhaps she had some sort of contract that would have been expensive for GCap to terminate – more expensive than sacking Mark Griffiths anyway. Perhaps the contract also specified that Ms Taylor’s programme should be at a time when decent numbers of people are listening, not in the middle of the night. So to make way for her, they have shunted along two long-standing presenters on the station who had presented their respective programmes for many years extremely successfully. The same may be said for Helen Mayhew replacing Lisa Duncombe, although there the motivation is probably also an attempt to appease jazz fans: they can still listen to jazz, as long as they don’t mind staying up until 2am!
I am quite unimpressed with the changes to Classic FM’s schedule. Because of what are ultimately business decisions by the owners, they have spoilt my favourite station quite a bit. Now I can’t listen to the news, I can’t hear “Mr Smooth” present his classics, and I can’t enjoy listening to the concert with Nick Bailey. I hope some of these changes can be reversed when theJazz’s former presenters’ contracts expire. I know that other listeners are unhappy, particularly with the jazz programme. Yet they are unlikely to abandon the station as there aren’t many alternatives. Unless, that is, GCap’s own internet broadcasting strategy turns out to be the way forward, in which case people may well discover that there are many good classical music stations around the world (from countries without draconian copyright laws) and so they can consider abandoning the station that puts business before its listeners.
Today the Sundays presenters are so bad, that I have, after 16 years, stopped listening – the shining exception is David Mellor.
I dread the day John Suchet takes over after Simon B…..why not Nathalie Wheen, Anne-Marie Minehall or Mark Forrest? One more time to tune out from Classic FM.
Am I the only CFM listener glad the annoying UHOF is over? I found myself less likely to listen during the last few days. I’m not a miserable person—honestly!
I have stopped listening to Classic F.M. First of all they sacked Mark Griffiths without any notice to him, then they started dumping other decent presenters in favour of presenters like Katie Derham and Simon Bates. These two presenters are absolute garbage and in Katie Derham’s case, she has made so many errors when she presented her programme, that it was obvious she knew nothing about classical music, nor was she interested in the music. If she was she would have done some research.
Simon Bates is no better, his style of programme is all about film music. In my opinion, this type of music doesn’t belong on Classic F.M.
Mark Griffiths was one of the best presenters Classic F.M. ever had. I used to listen to him when I worked nights. I was disgusted when I found out how he was sacked without warning. He presented his programme and at the end of it, he was told that his services were no longer required. He had never put a foot wrong, Classic F.M. had just decided that his face didn’t fit.
Mark is now working for a Chinese radio station and presents a programme called Music Memories it’s an excellent programme and can be heard through the listen again facility. The Chinese radio station’s gain is Classic F.M’s loss.
in Katie Derham’s case, she has made so many errors when she presented her programme, that it was obvious she knew nothing about classical music, nor was she interested in the music.
I agree with this comment. Once I heard Ms Derham apparently waxing lyrical about the circumstances surrounding the writing of Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto. It amused me immensely to hear Ms Derham assert confidently when speaking of the composer’s lover that ‘SHE had been greatly loved’.
Does Ms Derham do no research at all? Or maybe she relies on the flawed work of others, and checks nothing?
Moving on, what does everyone think of the Ultimate Hall of Fame?
A highly enjoyable weekend. But I was disappointed and not a little annoyed when the top five were reserved for John Suchet’s new show – and on a working day when not everyone could listen in live.
I’m afraid I wrote to them accordingly!
I was a little puzzled by the recent post – have I missed something? So far as I can see, searching the CFM website, Katie Derham is not a current presenter. Has she been doing something over the Christmas/New Year period? I certainly haven’t heard her in a very long time. But I feel compelled to defend Simon Bates. He managed to present the breakfast show and then the morning programme quite successfully for many years and previous contributors to this site have been reasonably complimentary, or at least not too critical. He played no more film music than any other presenter during his prime time shows (though of course he did have a separate programme dedicated to film music). In any case he has gone now so it’s academic.
Happy New Year to you Jan, and thank you for your new year wishes. I’m glad someone else is of the same opinion as me regarding Katie Durhem. I didn’t hear the Ultimate Hall of Fame programme although I did used to vote for the Hall of Fame programme that was on over the Easter period.
Hi Phil and Happy New Year to you.
As I said in my previous post I no longer listen to Classic F.M. but the last time I did listen to it, Katie Durhem and Simon Bates were both presenters and Simon Bates was presenting a programme about film music. I didn’t hear his morning programme because I was in bed after working my night shift. Simon Bates was the only presenter I knew that had a programme dedicated to film music and I did say that it was only my opinion that the film music he played, did not belong on Classic F.M. I think it was radio one. I do admit that some presenters played music that was from films or television programmes Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto from Brief Encounter was frequently played, although Rachmaninov didn’t compose the music for the film.
I love John Barry, but I don’t think his music which was often played by Simon Bates, comes under the catagory of classical music. In fairness to Simon Bates, I did like him when he was a presenter on Radio One.
After I made my previous post, I listened to Mark Griffiths programme, on Beijing radio, using the listen again facility, he was about to play a piece of classical music and he gave information about the composer, which was what he used to do when he presented his Classic F.M programme.
I think perhaps I was a bit harsh about John Suchet in an earlier posting. I still think he is a strange choice to fill the Simon Bates slot. I admit I only hear him for a short time in the car, but I think he does at least research the music he plays (unlike the aforementioned Ms Derham).
On the subject of the “Hall of Fame”, sorry Jan, I have not changed my mind, although I realize an awful of people seem to enjoy it.
My wife and I have been avid Classic FM listeners since time immemorial! We are sorry John Suchet, but your DJ skills aren’t a patch on those of Simon Bates. You may have a great knowledge of the music but you come across as patronising and trying to be too nice. I’m afraid that at 9:00 the radio is switched from Classic FM to Smooth.
1) to provide fanfare for the big signing, John Suchet, who counted down the Top 5.
2) to defuse some of the resentment over the Lark. Now, come Easter, should that fowl piece top the charts again, the presenters can point to the UHOF in apology.
Two birds (one of them a lark) with one stone!
Josh, I loved your post. LOL.
Far be it for me to criticise Vaughan Williams – some of his work is quite good really (faint praise, I know!) – but no, I don’t understand Lark’s continuing success either. It passes me by, but then so does the subtlety of Delius….
I could just accept Tallis being there; but hey! with the might of Mozart and Beethoven and, to a lesser extent, Tchaikovsky and Bach (with Elgar still further down the corridor), hammering at the door I can’t see how Lark could have survived without some nefarious doings somewhere!
Unfortunately I am not a great fan of twentieth century music in general, though I do like some of it; but Lark definitely isn’t amongst that number. I was so glad to see that it was lower in the UHoF.
I have just emerged from listening to the glorious Mozart season on Radio 3. The BBC does this sort of thing so well. I was able to hear many pieces of music hitherto unknown to me. I know CFM’s primary purpose is to introduce people to ‘popular’ classical music, but every now and then I think they should take a leaf out of R3’s book and devote the airwaves for (say) one or two days to the music of one of the great composers. Then perhaps they could explore the lesser-known but in many cases equally good work that is around.
What an amazing find this blog is! Is this the only place on the internet where we can voice criticism of CFM? Does anyone listen?
I came here looking for somewhere to have a moan about John Suchet – a male version of that Jane ‘Miss-Always-so-Artificially-Cheerful’ Jones. Where can we get respite from these soporifors and listen to genuine people playing our favourite music?
With some notable exceptions (Nick Bailey especially! CFM is becoming a boring sleep inducing station – Everso-smooth music played by everso-smooth presenters, the bland playing the bland…….!
Anyway, now I have a decent Internet radio I’m off to surf the airwaves and see if I can find something better!
My wife and I are avid R3 listeners but she doesn’t like Jazz much and neither of us likes World Music. Therefore we tend to listen to CFM on Saturday afternoons and after 11.15pm. That means Anne-Marie Minhall and David Mellor on Saturdays and, usually, the dreaded Margherita Taylor at night. Minhall is a nonentity. I can’t even recall what she sounds like. Mellor has some good stuff and is reasonably well informed. But why or why does he put on that mannered voice? He doesn’t seem to talk like that elsewhere. That leaves the gorgeous, wonderful, stunning, oooooh! (softly and gently descending) Miss Taylor. Last night, on introducing the Siegfried Idyll, she told us that it was beautiful music that Wagner wrote for his son! We must all have heard the story of how it got composed dozens of times – but clearly she hasn’t. If you’re reading this Miss Taylor, it wasn’t written for his son but for his wife after she had given birth to said son.
In conclusion, to help Miss Taylor, we perhaps we should dream up some more adjectives to add to her rather limited list – words like breathtaking, fabulous, fantastic and superb might do. Of course this is all to help cover up the fact that she doesn’t actually know anything much about the stuff she’s presenting.
Well said, Mr Cutts. I suggest a million of us gather in the streets of Cairo to demand Ms Taylor’s overthrow – not that this would cut any ice whatever with CFM management, of course. She is good for me in a way though – the only aerobic exercise I get in the course of the day is racing to the radio come 10 o’clock to turn her off, before being subjected to even a single smooth synthetic product of her smooth synthetic voicebox.
Btw, since January 1st, all presenters have been told to up their ‘here on Classic FM’ quotient from merrely saying it six times an hour minimum, to a compulsory saying of it with every breath they take. Who else has noticed this?
Oh yes. It’s enough to drive anyone over to Radio 3. Surely they know that the majority of their listeners have actually chosen CFM and are therefore aware that they are tuned to that station? I can understand the occasional mention of ‘Classic FM’ every 30 or 40 minutes in case a listener has just landed from Mars and is confused over the thousands of classical music stations broadcasting ;-), but it is increasingly irritating to have the name repeated over and over again mindlessly. It’s more repetitive than the adverts, and that’s saying something.
On the subject of Ms Taylor, I am still moderately optimistic that she will be dropped in due course. Surely her contract must be up some time soon?
However, I heard this morning on John Suchet’s show that the latest Classic FM Live show is to be staged at the Royal Albert Hall on 16 March. Mr Suchet was very enthusiastic about it, adding that the presenters of the show will be himself and Ms Taylor.
Bring back Late Night Lisa. All is forgiven!
What has happened to Classic FM? Who has damage the station?
They have enormous libraries and treasures of classic music, hundreds of years of composed and embalm music, many artist, orchestras, instruments and soloists……What do they use? A very small and narrow repertoire, a few soloists and solo-instrument, narrow genres and some composers. How did this happen? Why did the management do this?
The weekend presenters are horrible, so I stopped listening.
What has happened to the old producers and program-makers.
Why no show that presents new music, excavates music that have been buried and forgotten for many years and music of all genre that are not so very well known.
It is so sad that a the only radio station with a pure classic music-profile don´t use the goldmine that lay out before them.
I’m afraid it all comes down to money, Mika. They need to plug the popular stuff to get the widest possible audience for their adverts. So it’s smooth this and smooth that and relax, relax, relax.
Incidentally, last night we had the Rine-ish Symphony from everyone’s favorite presenter! And, unless my ears are deceiving me, she recently introduced a work by Max Bruckner!
Well done everyone who voted for Rachmaninov. Now we can focus on the AV campaign. Did you know the Lark would still be at number one under AV? Lol, sorry, I’ll try to keep politics out of future comments.
I’d kind of given up hope, but what a pleasant surprise!!!
While I’m here, does anyone else laugh in disbelief whenever they hear the Northern Rock ad on Classic FM? The sheer insolence of it! I would sooner vote for the Lark than move my money to Northern Rock.
Who knows what system they use to count the Hall of Fame votes? We already have to make three choices, but are they counted equally, or is first choice weighted more? No statistics on voting are ever released. They could make it all up as far as we know!
Jonathan, I agree that the system should be more transparent and the stats released. I think your first vote is given 3 points, your second 2 points, your third 1 point. I think this is what I remember from the voting form when the voting was on a few months ago.
Sorry, I was only joking around with the AV bit. I was just trying to mimick the ‘Gordon Brown would still be PM under AV’ message put forth by the ‘Yes’ campaign. I didn’t mean to imply that the Hall of Fame was run under AV. | 2019-04-20T02:59:48Z | https://jonathan.rawle.org/2008/02/29/not-impressed-by-new-classic-fm-schedule/comment-page-9/ |
Chris : Welcome to the tech lowdown show. Where each episode we talk with thought leaders and a tech space and entrepreneurs from the U.S and around the world. I’m your host Chris Jones. Recently one of the listeners to the show asked me about the future of social media. So I told him hey I’ll bring in a guest who can speak knowledgably on that exact topic quick shout out to Junior for the suggestion. Social media feels like it’s been with us forever. But it’s a still very young industry and what and how it’s being used is still in a state of transformation. Our guest today is Mark Shedlesky, founder and CEO of Vertical Mass based in Las Angeles. Vertical Mass hub celebrity entertainers in the like collect and safely store data on their fans across social media, websites, mobile apps, e-commerce and content streaming services. They raised over 8 million dollars from Blue chip VCs and even got the San Francisco 49ers to kick. A long time entrepreneur and entertainment executive Mark is a hustler in the best sense of the word. It’s a pleasure to have him on the show Shed welcome to the show my man. What’s the lowdown?
Mark: Jones, man thank you for having me excited to chat with you today.
Chris: Yea much appreciated it, much appreciated. So I want to dive right in, when I look at what you’re doing with Vertical Mass. It feels to me very much like the combination of all the work that you’ve prior to finding Vertical Mass. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you came to founding Vertical Mass?
Chris: Yea I know that makes a lot of sense you’ve been playing in and around this social media and entertainment space for a long time now. From a business perspective or from the entertainer celebrity’s perspective how have these areas evolve over the last decade?
Mark: You know I think it’s interesting right. So if you think about never mind sort of the evolution of MySpace where it was all about how many plays you got and that was your currency with record labels. Right that was sort of the original how to use some social facing numbers and currency against the number of friends you had plus the number of plays you had on your music. That was sort of a third party validation of who you were right and how popular you were. How relevant you were to certain audiences it kind of moved beyond that to Facebook and Twitter and the each took on a bit of a different. A bit of a different spin for celebrity or a content creator right. The first was Facebook you started to see some massive audiences and that grows the number of fans like your page. Was that same metric right was the same way as saying I’m the tenth most popular athlete in the world.
Or I’m the third most popular musician in the world is measured by social foot print. And that was important for a long time. I think Twitter became a very personalized messaging tool Facebook became little bit more of a broadcast tool. And I can talk about those in a sec in terms of how I think about them. And they had the evolution of Instagram and Snapchat. Which again were a little more about that public facing number how many people follow me on Instagram on Snapchat it’s very different. And each of those platforms Twitter Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and I’ll add YouTube obviously is a third maybe not a social platform. But certainly is a communication platform. Those 5 platforms today sort sit as the five most relevant ways to reach an audience. Each of them is treated in their own unique way by the different talent. And not to say that they all have a very specific the way they post on Facebook or Instagram or on Snap etc. but on a general level. They each sort of view those as a specific way to reach their audience and to engage with their audience. So I think that’s really been the evolution of the number one being how do measure how many fans we have. And that is a public facing number and important validation of who they are in their industry. And 2 thinking more specifically how I do actually engage properly with my audience and my fans on these platforms and that’s I think really worth the market is today.
Chris: That’s interesting so take a bit deeper into Vertical Mass. What is it exactly that you do for your clients why do they see the value in it how you deliver it?
Mark: Yea so I mean our company is really simple it’s a data platform. And we’re specific to the entertainment and sports verticals. Which means we only partner with celebrities or musicians or athletes or sports teams and record labels etc. just giving our focus on those verticals. And we help our partners collect and aggregate the data on their fans and so they can actually see those fans across platforms. They can understand whose engaging on the social and visiting their websites and downloading the mobile app. signing up for an email list. buying tickets to a show or to an event. Buying merchandise from the store and historically you had sorts of analytics tools that were available for each of those platforms independently. But not one that really aggregated that data together so that if a fan visited your website and a week later bought a ticket to an event. And 3 weeks later bought a t-shirt from your store. You necessarily know that before. And you know I sort of flip it around and say as a fan I mean I grab from Cansus so I’m hockey. I’m a big music fan; I’m a fan of a number of things. That’s one of the ways that I define myself and as a person. And it upsets me that the artist that I really like or the teams that I follow. Don’t necessarily have consistent way of communicating with; don’t necessarily know who I am. And I want to know when there’s a sale on at the store I want know when there’s tickets available to a show near me. I want to know all those things and so my perspective on it is there’s a very unique way that artist and athletes and companies treat their fans. And they treat them as their most important asset. And we set up in the middle as a data platform to help them do that.
Chris: Got it so at its core you’re providing some sort of maybe SDK or plugins that works across platforms to gather this information up. And then provide that data back to the celebrities, is that how you working or.
Mark: That’s it so they partner with us they sign up to use our platform. It’s our software across these websites or mobile apps it’s our ability to you know pull data through APIs and social media. Or through email services and all that data gets, sits in our eco system it’s structured and stored. So that we can build a unified to show you who that fan base is. That’s exactly right.
Chris: That makes a lot of sense so I know you got to work closely with a number of celebrities when you were in your previous business that you mentioned. Purchased by Simon Fuller so when you were at XIX Entertainment and prior to, what about that experienced has helped you as you thought about creating. And running Vertical Mass.
Mark: Yea So I think you’ve got a whole lot of talent who greatly appreciate the fact that they’ve got a direct communication tool with their fans. But there’s some risk with that and there’s a lot of work with that and so there’s a real nuance in understanding how to be effectively communicating across those platform. What I mean by that is you know often times on Facebook you’ll see sometimes first party posting meaning in a first person voice. So you might have a musician go on Facebook and talk in first person. But you also have the record label post on that page by the way new single available for pure order today right.
And the artist doesn’t necessarily want to be seen selling to their fans. And so the record label will have access and we’ll post to that page as well. And so Facebook you got a bit of a broader audience and it’s a bit more of a promotional platform these days. Twitter for many years, was the original voice of that celebrity or artist or musician right and still is to an extent. And that nobody had access to that account other than the celebrity and what we saw in their was their authentic and there was a very real time environment in which they had to be paying attention. And for some that’s a lot of work, right you’re in the studio and you’re recording you’re on the cords playing it’s a lot a work. And you got to be very careful about making sure that you understand everything that is happening in the world around you. Not just on that social platform and that your voice is sort of speaking appropriately to your audience and not just your fans but to the broader audience on that social platform. You then move into like the media space where you go Instagram for images and videos. And you’ve got Snapchat which is really just like let’s be real right. Again both of the same core attributes of it’s the artist or the celebrity often times themselves being in their first person voice talking to their audience and their fans and so you’ve got a nice little set of tools. That you can use to communicate and if you’re a consumer of you know celebrity content on social media or music content or etc. you know you probably get a different experience. Across all these different way that people communicate on them. And that I think takes a lot of understating not just by the talent themselves. But often times by their assistant or their social media person who’s with them and helping them do these things. And then in general by you know the broader industry because everybody who is related to that music artist. Wants them to use their Facebook to post about that new initiative you’ve got a new album, you’ve have a new tour. You have a new merchandise you’re the face of this brand you are launching your own products and you got to be careful. And everyone realizes you know both sides you got to be careful to not oversaturate your content with promotional or business goals. And there’s a fine line between having a conversation and being organic and real with your audience and at the same time saying, hey listen if I’ve got 50 million 100 million fans engaging with me. They would probably like to know that the fact that I’ve now the tour that’s going on. Or how I feel about tonight’s game and so there’s a bit of a grey area in terms of how much the promotion of products and services is really you know organic to that talent and how much of it is about them sort of leveraging that audience reach that they have. To help grow their revenue stream.
Chris: Interesting and walk us through I know you just completed a raise late last year operating in this particular arena. What was it about what you guys were doing that VCs found to be yes this is something I want to back?
Mark: Yea I think you know first and for most I think VCs will look at 2 things right. They’ll look at it team and then they’ll look at a market opportunity right. So is there a market that is big enough and if that’s interesting great then let’s go next on the checklist. And is this the right team to get there. And you know we’ve got a phenomenal team that we put together. And I think that can be really interesting big market opportunity. So I think those are 1 in 2. And then beyond that it’s how do you approach the business is the great traction does your product work. And does it well received by the people who sue it. Are you generating revenue what are the economics of the revenue that you generate how much margin do you make? What is your growth look like you know quarter over quarter, month over month? And so then that sort of leveled intricacies what you know investors will look at and you’ve got different investors with different appetites. For us it was really simple right. If there are a lot of data businesses out there that have built really interesting data companies but mostly in other verticals in travel. And auto and CPG and retail where they aggregate data or they help their partners aggregate data in those spaces. And we were really the first movers in the entertainment and sports category. And so our investors like the fact that we had some great traction we work with. About 85 of the top 100 music artist in the world. We work with a lot of the major companies. We now work with you know closer dozen sports teams and so I think that traction was something they looked at to say. Okay there’s a real need for this product here. The company is doing well financially and that’s sort of the first set of steps. And then ultimately you know they do a lot of homework.
They don’t even realize the amount of diligence that goes into it it’s not. You know you see every day to this company raise 3 million by 5 millio,n 20 million, 15 million, 200 million dollars. So it’s a lot of work that goes into finding the right partners for an investment standpoint and you know the amount of homework that those partners do. To make sure they’re putting the money in the right place. And that there’s a responsible team whose going to spend it in the right way.
Chris: So hear you there so can you walk us through really specifically. Very early days how you got traction like what exactly did you do to get that early traction?
Mark: So I think the first thing that we did was we had a thesis we had a Hypothesis right. And the Hypothesis was it’s really important to understand and aggregate data on your fans. And yet it’s really hard to do that. And so we tested that hypothesis by calling my equivalent at different artist management companies. And just asking them those 2 simple questions right. The first question is how important is it for you to be able to have this aggregated data and this unified view who your fans are. And unanimously the response was yea that’s super important to us we need to know who are fans are. It’s really a top priority for us. And the second question was how are you doing it today and the answer was some analytics on social and that’s about it. And so before we ever had a product we had about 10 partners signed up to work with us who were extraordinarily helpful and actually designing our first version of our product right. So we would sit down with the management teams behind some of the biggest music artist in the world. And say what tools you used today how do those work where are they not working? And me and my Tech co-founder would literally do those we’d had those lunches and sit down and just get some great intel and feedback. And then we went to some of the bigger companies like the Tech and masters in the world. And Spotifies in the world and said, what are the problems that you’re seeing? And so we really started building a product and getting some traction by you know kind of the old fashion way what’s the problem you have and how can we solve it. And if there’s somebody else solving it how can we do it different or better. And that was really the first 9 months of our business and once we had that traction we had that initial product. But we also had a number of folks saying like hey this is your actually solving a problem therefore you’re an important partner to us. That’s how we started raising our first run in capital.
Chris: Brilliant, social media seems to be evolving so quickly my listener asked. Where is social media going to be in 25 years and I chuckled. Because I told him well that’s pretty impossible to know since it haven’t even been around that long yet. But where do you see it evolving say in the next 3 to 5 years?
Mark: That’s an easier time frame I appreciate that. But 25 years I don’t know where all robots then. I think 3 to 5 you obviously the VR space is incredibly interesting and with Facebook buying Oculus. You know there’s a big play there in terms of social VR. So you know I think it’s both and to an extent so VR being virtual reality right. And I think to an extent you know AR a little bit but to me it’s, I think it’s becoming and staying incredibly visual right. So it’s images and videos probably more so than the written word. I think you’re going to start getting into opportunities where you have more immersive experiences that are greater touch points. I think you’re going to have a new generation of social platform that emerge with a cause at its core. I think you’ve got a millennial audience that’s grown up on these social platforms. And I think that there’s a real sort of fabric around how can we do better and I don’t mean to say each social network. Now what I mean to say like there’s a real reason to be in this social environment and the reason is where helping to solve whatever the cause is. And I think you’re going to see a decent amount of that. You know I think the Snapchat specs to me are really interesting. As a way of saying we’re always on in the visuals that we’re capturing. Let’s all become editors in some way shape or form I mean we had it through Instagram we had it through Snapchat we just do it through our phones. And so how does that movement to other variables. Where all of a sudden we’re capturing all of that you know data or imagery or video and then we sort of spend more of our time editing. That into a story as individuals and I think what we’re all I mean for those who like to tell stories. We all become story tellers even more so than today we’re I think we’re sharing other peoples content a lot. That continues but I think we’ve become stronger story tellers that’s my guest.
Chris: That definitely makes a lot of sense and I’m definitely seeing that in AR, VR seeing all over the place. So completely makes sense. Awesome I want to move into what I like to call the real low down segment of the show. This where we kind of rip off the bandage we get real. We get below it a little bit from the outside you appear to be on top of the world. Earlier exit now you got a funded start up doing well would have been a challenge that you personally faced as an entrepreneur.
Mark: Okay I mean how much time do we have, do we have 3 days, do we 6 weeks. You know I think it’s one of the hardest jobs in the world. I think anybody who’s an entrepreneur in any shape never mind technology in any business right. I think it’s the hardest thing in the world to do. No let me take that back there’s certainly harder jobs there’s people out there risking their lives every day. So but from a business standpoint I think it’s you know you’ve got to deal with every facet of the business. You’ve got to deal with the human components of hiring and managing employees. You got to deal with the financial aspect of the business. You got to deal with the operations aspects of the business and it doesn’t stop there. You cannot ever turn off. It’s just not possible, it’s not healthy right that certainly can’t be healthy and I think people who find a balance are my hero’s. Because I think it’s really tough. I think the biggest challenge for me at least has been work life balance is a most none existent. Right it’s really tough the amount that my kids say to me, hey dad put your phone down. Or my wife will say to me you know you can shut your laptop it’s 12:30 at night time to go to bed.
Mark: I mean 3 times a day right and that’s I mean c’mon is that fair no. of course not to them not to anybody so that’s easily the biggest challenge and it doesn’t get easier it doesn’t matter how much you grow how much money you raise. There’s always that challenge. No matter how successful a story might appear depending on who the company or what they’re doing there’s a ton of hard work that goes into it. And there’s also in a lot of luck right. That’s I mean you and I both know this well there is entrepreneurs who work their butts off who’ve got great ideas. Whose build great teams who’ve build great products and whatever reason the timing isn’t right the market’s not right. The investor appetite isn’t there because you know they invest in herds and the mentality gone to shift to something else. And there’s really interesting business that don’t get off the ground and some cases there’s businesses that probably shouldn’t get the proper investment that they get off the ground. And you know the nature of it and you got to be okay with the fact that there’s going to be a lot of things outside your control. And you got to be able to role with those punches because they come you know fast and furious every day, every day.
Mark: My favorite quote was a guy named Jason Hershorm who runs a platform called media Redaff. And is just a great creator of content. And Jason his analogy is that the open scene to running company it’s like the opening scene of saving Private Ryan. Where you land on the beach and there’s alarms going off around you and there’s bullets wising by your head and all you’re trying to do is like make it up that beach and not get killed out there. And it’s ground hog day. You wake up every day and that’s what it’s sort of its like. And I think it’s just like such an appropriate analogy for what it’s like behind the scene.
Chris: Spot on and absolutely we’ll finish up on this. You’ve been able to navigate your way in a notoriously fickle industry. What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs looking to break into this space?
Mark: That’s a good one and I think you know there’s a lot of people who have a lot of passion around music and sports. Right tend to be one of the reasons start companies in this space right. They really passionate about it and one of the things that I’ve heard from lots of entrepreneurs. And I wanted to do this myself with my previous company is just because your passion about music or passion about sports. Doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s the right place to start a business and it’s actually pretty quick. Most entrepreneurs will tell you this in their space there’s no quicker way to lose your passion than to work in that industry. So what I would say you got to love what you do every day that’s for sure. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that like because you’re a huge music fan you’ve got be running or working in the music space. You know and think tangentially right. So how to brands think about music how to you know all sorts of companies that are really interesting content companies etc. where there’s a tangential component to it. Where there’s either a technology piece that’s big or sport’s piece that’s big. And you know that gets you really excited about it.
But it doesn’t mean that you got to go start business that sells to sports teams. Or you got to start a business that works directly with musicians they’re really hard. And so my, if you found a real problem and you’re solving them there’s lots of them around phenomenal. If it’s because you’re really excited about something passionate about it. I think that’s great but you got to really gut check yourself on like is this a hobby business. Or is this thing scale and is there some real you know real problems that we’re solving. And that’s the most important thing.
Chris: I used when we were at school people who were coming in who were in sports. Or wanted to get into sports used to always come up to me because I worked in sports. My advice to them would be look every job that you do in sports and entertainment they’re someone who would do it for cheaper. They may not be as good as you, they may not be as smart as you but they’ll do it for cheaper. And that’s is definitely one of the challenges.
Mark: And you’re on man you know this too there’s a ton of smart people that work inside of our industry. Who are really passionate about what they do and I think you’ve got a lot established companies who are trying to be a lot more entrepreneurial and to me like. I’ve given them advice a few times to people who are saying I’m really coming out of school. I’m coming out of business school and I’m thinking about this business or just left my job I’m thinking about what’s next and you know they tend to have an entrepreneurial spirit. And I say there’s so many companies that are looking to get a whole lot smarter that are you know really being aggressive in hiring people who want to you know not be status quo and how they think about things. And that those to me are really interesting opportunities. So like an entrepreneur and helping build businesses from the inside.
Chris: Sweet Shed I want to thoroughly thank you. I have enjoyed this immensely can you please tell our listeners how they can find out more about you and vertical mass.
Mark: Yes we’re just Verticalmass.com and I’m mark[at]verticalmass.com. Jones man thanks for having me dude. It’s always fun catching up with you.
Chris: Folks if you like the show please download all of our episodes and leave us a 5 star review on iTunes. Of course you can find show notes at techlowdownshow.com and follow me on Twitter at Cjones2002. | 2019-04-23T17:56:39Z | http://techlowdownshow.com/2017/03/27/episode-15-how-big-data-social-media-are-changing-our-relationships-with-celebrities/ |
January 21 - Mark Lee Greenblatt is an attorney who has led investigations into criminal and ethical misconduct by senior officials in the US and foreign governments, homeland security vulnerabilities, Medicare abuses, and tax cheats. During his tenure at the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Mark led the their investigation into the United Nations’ Oil-for-Food Program. In that role, Mark testified twice before the Senate to present evidence of corrupt deals involving foreign politicians and U.N. officials. He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University, JD from Columbia University School of Law and was a Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. His book, Valor: Unsung Heroes from Iraq, Afghanistan and the Home Front tells true stories of extraordinary heroism by American troops, as well as a Navy rescue swimmer in the Atlantic. The book is modeled after JFK’s Profiles in Courage, describing incidents in which these people placed themselves in extreme danger to save lives or accomplish a mission. Click here to learn more.
January 28 - Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Joshua Starr began his career as a special education teacher in New York City, working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders. He held administrative and executive positions in urban and suburban school districts and served as Director of School Performance and Accountability for New York City Public Schools, the nation’s largest school district. A Harvard graduate and self-professed lifelong learner, he served as superintendent of Stamford (CT) Public Schools, where he distinguished himself by increasing academic rigor for all students, standardizing curriculum and building partnerships with the civic and business communities. He’s also been known to pick up his guitar and jam with students and staff!
February 4 - Gene Weingarten is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist known for both his serious and humorous work. Weingarten's column, Below the Beltway, is published weekly in the Washington Post Magazine and syndicated nationally by The Washington Post Writers Group, which also syndicates Barney & Clyde, a comic strip he co-authors. He is the former editor of the Miami Herald's Sunday magazine, during which time he hired Dave Barry, giving one of America's best known humor columnists his big break. His newest [children's, sort of] book, Me and Dog, addresses a kid, a dog and atheism in an incredible way. Gene's own edit on Wikipedia: "A college dropout, he was somehow awarded a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University."
February 11 - Receiving over 600 international, national and regional awards has made Elk Run Winery not only one of the top 100 wineries on the east coast, but, the most acclaimed winery in Maryland! Nestled in the rolling hills of Frederick County surrounded by dairy and horse farms and fields of wheat and corn, it was a land grant from the King of England to Lord Baltimore. Bob Cecil, the vineyard's Wine Ambassador, will describe their new world research and technology while maintaining the traditions and values of old world practices, Elk Run’s focus is on producing high quality wine from high quality grapes. We will also sample some of their production!
February 18 - Paula Johnson is a curator in the Division of Work and Industry at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. She is responsible for the food technology and marine resources collections and is the project director for the exhibition, FOOD: Transforming the American Table, 1950-2000. Johnson was one of the curators who collected the home kitchen of Julia Child and developed the exhibition Bon Appetit! Julia Child’s Kitchen at the Smithsonian. She has published books on the fisheries of the Chesapeake Bay and lectured widely on field research, oral history recording and documentation. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the International Congress of Maritime Museums and the National Historic Landmarks Committee of the National Park Service.
February 25 - Clarence Hickey is an master interpretive docent with the Montgomery County Historical Society's Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine, a 19th century and Civil War re-enactor as well as a living historian. Clarence portrays historic Rockville physician Dr. Edward E. Stonestreet, who practiced medicine for 51 years (1852-1903) and was a US Army Civil War Surgeon. He offers living history portrayals, some in first person Chautauqua format, and some using a life sized mannequin dressed as a wounded Civil War soldier or an injured farmer. Clarence was the Montgomery County Historical Society Volunteer of the Year and was the recipient of the Montgomery County Executive’s Excellence in the Arts and Humanities Volunteer Award. Clarence’s biography of Dr. Stonestreet, Send For the Doctor, received a Preservation Award.
March 4 - Are you up-to-speed regarding relevant tax laws and how they may apply to your estate? Rachel Burke is a partner in the estate planning group of Furey, Doolan & Abell, LLP who concentrates her practice in the areas of federal estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxation, and estate planning as well as estate and trust administration. She will discuss what every individual needs to know about planning for his or her medical care, potential incapacity, and estate disposition. Rachel will explain how different types of assets pass at death, whether one should plan to avoid probate of one's assets, and how to thoughtfully pass assets to loved ones. She will focus on the role of the caregiver particularly in the appointed role of health care agent, attorney-in-fact, executor, and trustee.
March 11 - Three-time Emmy Award winner Virginia "Ginger" Wolf, independent producer and founder of Virginia Wolf Productions, has worked for over 20 years on a wide variety of productions which include: documentaries, televised town meetings, PSAs as well as variety of non-broadcast programs for non-profit organizations, capital campaigns, schools and universities. Ginger takes pride in having a significant amount of her work be a means of raising awareness on issues that have social or humanitarian value. Her newest documentary, A Bridge Apart, opens with a large yellow train approaching a small town in southern Mexico: there are no seats on this train, so migrants ride on top of the boxcars, tying themselves down so as not to fall under the wheels. The narco-traffickers and gangs have come to realize that demanding ransom or sexual slavery (in New York and DC) can be just as lucrative as smuggling drugs. Click here to read more about A Bridge Apart.
March 18 - John McCarthy is a Jersey boy. But then he ventured into DC on a baseball scholarship at Catholic University, became a teacher at Good Counsel HS in Wheaton, and then headed for law school in Baltimore! Before becoming State's Attorney, John served as Deputy State's Attorney in Montgomery County for ten years and previously headed every major trial division in the office. Widely regarded as one of the top trial attorneys in Maryland, he has prosecuted many high profile cases has been nominated for judicial positions. John directed overseas training programs for the US Department of Justice Criminal Division's Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT) and the US Congress’s Open World Program. His team is responsible for drafting legislation addressing, among other things, aggressive panhandling, drunk driving laws, children's safety issues related to domestic violence crimes and school safety issues.
March 25 - The mysterious disappearance of Michael Rockefeller in New Guinea in 1961 has kept the world and his powerful, influential family guessing for years. Carl Hoffman's Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism and Michael Rockefeller’s Tragic Quest for Primitive Art uncovers startling evidence that finally tells the full, astonishing story. Soon after Rockefeller's disappearance, rumors surfaced that he’d been killed and ceremonially eaten by the local Asmat - a native tribe of warriors whose complex culture was built around sacred, reciprocal violence, head hunting and ritual cannibalism. The real story has long-waited to be told --- until now. Combining history, art, colonialism, adventure, and ethnography, Savage Harvest is a mesmerizing whodunit and a fascinating portrait of the clash between two civilizations that resulted in the death of one of America’s richest and most powerful scions. Visit Carl Hoffman's web site.
April 1 - Dr. Scott Braun is the Principal Investigator for the Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) which is a multi-year investigation of the processes that underlie hurricane formation and intensification, with special emphasis on the relative roles of the environment and inner-core processes. HS3 is using two of NASA's unmanned Global Hawk aircraft, one equipped with a payload designed to sample environmental winds, temperature, and humidity; the other with a payload focused on measurement of the 3D structure of precipitation and winds within the inner-core region. The Global Hawks will be deployed from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for 4-5 weeks during the hurricane seasons of 2012, 2013, and 2014. Dr. Braun is also the Project Scientist for the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) which is a joint project between NASA and the Japanese space agency, JAXA. It was launched on November 27, 1997 and continues to provide the research and operational communities unique precipitation information from space. The first-time use of both active and passive microwave instruments and the precessing, low inclination orbit (35°) make TRMM the world’s foremost satellite for the study of precipitation and associated storms and climate processes in the tropics. Visit the NASA site to learn more.
April 15 - Letting go may be the hardest thing we ever have to do as parents. No one knows this better than parent and author, Glen Finland, whose novel, Next Stop, is a memoir based on her Washington Post Magazine feature story about parenting an autistic child to adulthood. It recounts the complex relationship between an autistic adult child and his family as he steps out into the real world alone for the first time. Rendered without sentimentality, the story is grounded in the personal narrative of a mother’s perpetually tested hope. Hardwired to protect him, letting go turns out to be harder for her than for her son. It is a story that every parent can relate to who has watched their child, disabled or not, leave their nest. A former TV news reporter, Glen’s freelance work has appeared in the Washington Post and Family Circle Magazine and a featured autism advocate in various news outlets including NPR and CNN. Read more on Glen Finland's web site.
April 22 - Her father’s nomadic career in retail was particularly hard on satirist Susan Coll, who is shy by nature. With each new hometown she turned inward, first to books, then to writing. She met her future husband, Steve Coll, who would go on to win two Pulitzer Prizes and spend six years as managing editor of The Washington Post and by age 25 she became a mother. Fast forward, she is at her best skewering modern suburban life in general, and affluent Bethesda families in particular. Rockville Pike: A Suburban Comedy of Manners took the avenue of big-box stores and bagel chains as its backdrop. Acceptance set its gaze on the hyper-competitive college admissions process, while Beach Week looked at the inanity of a graduation tradition that has well-meaning parents trying to regulate a week of teenage debauchery, seaside. Her new book, The Stager, traces the crackup of an increasingly dysfunctional family, as their 6,200-square-foot Bethesda McMansion is professionally decorated pre-sale to give it the sheen of anonymous perfection. Hmmm, our backyard...... Visit Susan Coll's web site.
April 29 - Carol Flaisher is DC’s veteran location manager: when Hollywood calls, she answers. A native Washingtonian, she has been a part of Washington’s movie making community for more than thirty years. Working on more than 100 television shows and feature film projects, Carol has acted in many capacities including location manager, production supervisor and producer. Some of her movie credits include Philomena, SALT, Wedding Crashers, National Treasure I and II, State of Play, True Lies and the television shows The Amazing Race and The Biggest Loser. She has been featured in the Washington Post Sunday Magazine, and has received the Woman of Vision Award for Women in Film. Carol will share how she found the perfect location for Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Will Smith and why she’s been called the “Nightmare on Constitution Avenue”. If you've ever wondered how a film comes alive in our area, you’ll enjoy hearing her talk about the ins and outs of making a movie in Washington!
May 6 - Lidia Soto-Harmon has a proven track record of success in the corporate, non-profit and government sectors. She serves as CEO of the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital -- the area’s preeminent leadership organization for girls, serving 90,000 girl and adult members. Lidia was named one of 'Nation’s Top 90 Women, Mentoring Leaders by Women' of Wealth Magazine. She was also named Notimujer of the Week, by CNN en Español for her work to reach young Latinas. The National Hispana Leadership Institute presented her with the Regional Mujer Award (Woman of the Year) and she recently received the Woman of Vision Award from the Junior League of Northern Virginia. She also serves on the board of directors for the Meyer Foundation and the Greater Washington Nonprofit Roundtable.
May 13 - Dr. Andrea Bonior is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor, and writer. She currently maintains a private practice and has served on the staff of four university counseling centers, as well as various mental health agencies; additional clinical and research interests include eating disorders, women's issues, alcohol abuse, relationship issues, athletic performance anxiety, life transitions, and grief and loss. A musician, she holds a special interest in the performing arts and has served as a psychological consultant to university musical theater departments and even an off-Broadway show. Dr. Bonior is best known for "Baggage Check," her weekly mental health column in the Washington Post Express, unique among advice columns for its plentiful wit and pop culture references. Her expertise has most recently appeared on NPR, in Forbes, The New York Times, HLN, CNN.com, MSNBC.com, Yahoo!, Jezebel.com, U.S. News and World Report, Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, USA Today, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Glamour, Self, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and Seventeen. She blogs for The Huffington Post and Psychology Today's "Friendship 2.0" blog, and makes regular appearances on "Let's Talk Live" and in the Washington Post's Celebritology blog, providing a psychological perspective on current events and Hollywood. Her first book, The Friendship Fix: The Complete Guide to Choosing, Losing, and Keeping Up With Your Friends is an invaluable read. Learn more by visiting Dr. Bonior's web site.
May 20 - Laverne & Shirley actress Cindy Williams' family was very poor, and she grew up in near poverty. (Her father was an electronic technician who did spot-on imitations of Milton Berle and Jackie Gleason.) As a child, she dreamed of being an actress, wishing that one day, Debbie Reynolds would see her in one of those amateur shows and whisk her away to put her in a film. Her first step to fame was a movie in which she tap-danced with Gene Kelly and promptly stepped on his foot! Her next big role was in American Graffiti, as Ron Howard's girlfriend. Soon, she was set up in a writing team with Penny Marshall, and the girls were called by Penny's brother, Garry Marshall, to do a stint as two fast girls on Happy Days. The public received them so warmly that Cindy soon got her own show (along with Penny) and was referred to everywhere as "Shirley Feeney". She has made movies, starred on Broadway, co-produced The Father Of The Bride movies with husband Bill Hudson (previously married to Goldie Hawn) and has just released her new book, Shirley I Jest: A Storied Life. Visit Cindy William's web site to learn more.
May 27 - Best known for bringing synesthesia (how our brains perceive) back into mainstream science in the 1980s, Dr. Richard E. Cytowic is trained in neurology, neuropsychology, and ophthalmology. For many years, his colleagues refused to accept synesthesia as real and warned that pursuing it would ruin Dr. Cytowic’s career because it was too weird and New Age. Today, researchers in 15 countries are writing Ph.D. theses, books, and scholarly papers on this fascinating trait. From DNA and synapses, to child development, brain imaging, and psychology up to overt behavior that includes art and creativity are described in his book, Wednesday is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia. Numerous documentaries have been the subject of his work ranging from the BBC and PBS to National Geographic and has made over fifty television, radio and multimedia appearances. Learn more about Dr. Cytowic's work by visiting his web site.
June 3 - Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is the Co-Anchor and Managing Editor of the PBS NewsHour with Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff. Woodruff served as anchor and senior correspondent for CNN, where her duties included anchoring the weekday program, Inside Politics. She was the chief Washington correspondent at PBS for The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour and also anchored their award-winning weekly documentary series, Frontline with Judy Woodruff. Judy was a visiting fellow at Duke University's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy and Harvard University's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. At NBC News, Woodruff was White House correspondent and NBC's Today Show Chief Washington Correspondent. She serves on the boards of trustee of the Freedom Forum, the Newseum, the Duke Endowment and the Urban Institute. She also serves as a member of The Knight Foundation Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. She is the recipient of the Cine Lifetime Achievement award, the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award in Broadcast Journalism and Television, the USC Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.
June 10 - Chris Ullman is a four-time national and international whistling champion. From the steps of the Capitol, where he performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, to center court, where he whistled the National Anthem at several NBA games, to the Oval Office, where he serenaded President George W. Bush, Chris has shared his whistle with millions of people around the world in person and on television and radio. He first started his puckered pursuits at age five, whistled incessantly while delivering newspapers as a teen, jammed with jazz bands in college, and then worked the open mike circuit near his Washington, DC home in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. He entered his first whistling competition in 1993, taking second place in the popular division, and returned for eight consecutive years, winning the grand international championship four times. In 2000, Chris was named the Lillian Williams Whistling Entertainer of the Year. He has appeared on The Tonight Show, The Today Show, CNN, NPR, Voice of America, and many talk radio programs. Click here to visit Chris Ullman's web site. | 2019-04-25T16:02:58Z | https://www.wmgroup.org/previous-speakers/winter-spring-2015 |
Price was £5.99. Bought two of these adaptors for my son to to use his phillips bluetooth headset with his pcs, as well as his iphone. One on a quite new hp laptop, one on a very old dell (optiplex) desktop. Both pcs run 64bit win 10. Usb adaptors were recognised by both pcs, win10 installed drivers automatically, no problems. Worked fine with the headphones.
Characteristic: The Ultimate Easy Solution For Your Computer To Communicate With Bluetooth Enabled Devices Such As Mobiles, Ipods, Keyboard, Mouse, Printer, Headset, Speaker, Etc.
Characteristic: Lmtech Micro Usb Bluetooth Adapter Is With Licensed Cd Driver Compatible With 32 Bit And 64 Bit Windows 10 / 8. 1 / 8 / 7 / Xp, Vista.
Needed this as our pc does not support bluetooth and the new keyboard mouse combination was bluetooth. We wanted to move to a bluetooth set as the wifi units were causing issues and unreliability. This usb dongle worked as plug and play without any problems and both the keyboard and mouse connected without problems. Over the last week or so the dongle has performed without any issues, very happy with the performance and there is no interference with a local imac which also uses bluetooth. (windows 10) recommended. The Best bluetooth usb dongle adapter bluetooth ( Apr 2019 ) | Lmtech-Computer Component Review Characteristic LMTECH Bluetooth 4.0 USB Dongle Adapter Bluetooth Transmitter and Receiver For Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 / Vista - Plug and Play on Win 7 and above Latest bluetooth 4. 0 with low energy (ble) technology and it is backward compatible with bluetooth v3. 0/2. 1/2. 0/1. 1.. The ultimate easy solution for your computer to communicate with bluetooth enabled devices such as mobiles, ipods, keyboard, mouse, printer, headset, speaker, etc. Lmtech micro usb bluetooth adapter is with licensed cd driver compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit windows 10 / 8. 1 / 8 / 7 / xp, vista.. Usb bluetooth dongle offers high speed up to 3mbps wireless transmitter enables long range connectivity up to 20m. One year warranty .
bluetooth 4.0 usb dongle adapter bluetooth transmitter receiver windows 0 / 8. / 8 / 7 / vista - plug play on win 7 Personal Computer, lmtech bluetooth usb dongle creates cable-free connections between your pcs and other bluetooth devices such as bluetooth enabled mobiles, ipods, keyboard, mouse, printer, headset, speaker, etc at speeds of up to 3 mbps. and it is fully qualified bluetooth 4. 0 system and it smoothly supports backward compatible bluetooth v3. 0/2. 1/2. 0/1. 1 and bluetooth low energy. this bluetooth adapter is compatible with windows 10, windows 8, windows 7, xp, and vista. ultra-compact, easy carrying and space saving. experience stereo audio with advanced audio distribution profile (a2dp) support. bluetooth low energy (ble) protocol support. up to 3 mbps data transfer rate with enhanced data rate (edr) support. backward support classic bluetooth v3. 0/2. 1/2. 0/1. 1 networks a windows computer to bluetooth devices such as mobile, ipod, keyboard, mouse, printer, headset, speaker, etc compatible with windows 10, windows 8, windows 7, xp, and vista bluetooth version: 4. 0 with edr - data transfer rate up to 3mbps ism band: 2. 402-2. 480ghz operation range: class ii, up to 20 meters support profile: serial port, object push, file transfer, lan access, personal area network, audio gateway, headsets, hid, keyboard, mouse, hcrp (printer cable replacement), pim, synchronization profile, a2dp, avrcp the package include: 1 x g bluetooth 4. 0 usb dongle adapter 1 x bluetooth 4. 0 usb dongle adapter driver Lmtech Bluetooth Adapter Transmitter Receiver (LMBT001-Lmtech).
Nice piece of equipment, does what it says on the box. You have to be careful with the drivers though. It does set up as plug and play with windows, however, the sound quality i got from it was terrible. Not sure why. Make sure you install the driver thats provided in the box (or find them online if you have no cd drive) before you plug the dongle in for the first time or you might encounter device connection problems. After setting it up properly, the sound quality and distance are pretty good. It does have a flashing blue light which was kinda annoying, so had to use the black marker to cover it up.
The dongle does not auto-detect in windows 10 and requires a disc drive to install the drivers (so if you have a modern laptop without a cd drive, then you need a usb external cd drive to install the software). . After the software is installed you still can't use any of the native bluetooth features in windows, but rather have to exclusively use the software. . The audio quality is poor, sounding like it's compressed in a way old landline telephones used to be. (i. E. Devoid of bass or treble). I'd say the quality is barely good enough for audio conversations (voip), but don't expect to be doing any multi-media work with this dongle.
Didn't work on my lenovo pc. Installed software but couldn't get it to connect and there was no light on the dongle. Product was returned and refund made so no problem with seller.
Item does not work, for me at least! i'm sure when i iron out the problems, it will be ok. Sorry i can't be more positive, as yet!
Okay. So i d suggest not installing the software given. And install the generic bluetooth device option. It works properly with your system then. If you do this your controller will work. Headphones might be better. Etc. Because my controller didn t work unless i made it a generic bluetooth device . I hope this helps. It s a good little product that works flawlessly for what i use it for. Though it took me 3 days to figure it out as i m new to bluetooth adapters.
Lmtech Bluetooth 4.0 Usb Dongle Adapter Bluetooth Transmitter Receiver Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 / Vista - Plug Play On Win 7 Above Click to see Notice Lmtech Bluetooth Adapter Transmitter Receiver (lmdongle) "I bought this to use with an anker speaker and my pc. I use linux (manjaro) and it worked out of the box (well almost). Manjaro set up the bluetooth and found the anker speaker immediately but you need to make the speaker default . You do this in systemsettings/multi media and also ensure you select high fidelity playback for the device, otherwise it'll sound awful. For the price its a bargain."
(0) Question: Can somebody provide the device id for this under linux? it's the 8 hexadecimal characters divided by a colon in lsusb's output.
(1) Question: The bluetooth button doesn't show up on windows 10, it is plugged in and i even installed the driver. any help?
Answer: . . . Sorry i even forgot why i bought the damned thing!
Answer: . . . Assuming that you're on windows 10, just plug it in. Windows has built in bluetooth drivers. Then you just set off a search for your headset and that's it.
Easy to use:install the driver from the included cd. after the driver is installed, you can use the built-in wireless utility in your operating system to connect to a wireless network; whenever there is only wired internet connection, you can activate the softap function after installing the included cd software, and create a wi-fi hotspot for other mobile devices.
Powerful external antenna:2dbi detachable omni-directional antenna provides high performance and increased coverage for your wireless network.
Dual band ac600mbps wireless speed:the 5ghz 433mbps is perfect for hd video streaming and lag-free online gaming, while using 2. 4ghz 150mbps wi-fi for normal use such as web surfing and online chatting.
Display: extremely accurate digital display toggles between time (12hr or 24hr) , temperature ( or and date. you may also choose the mode where only the time is displayed.
Power save mode: set the clock to power save and wake it up with a simple clap of the hands! operates on 3aaa batteries (not included) or through the usb power supply cable (included). we recommend using a usb cable to support power because the clock works with the battery can only last about 2-3 days.
Multi-functional: multifunction led digital alarm clock, features three alarm settings, temperature, date and time(12/24hrs) alternately display, perfect for your home. this cube alarm clock can not only be uesd as an alarm clock but also a desk decoration for modern life.
Sound control: led digital alarm clock also works in voice mode. make some noise (clap your hands, rap on the table or pat the clock) nearby can wake it up, it give you a good details of you schdual with energy-saving power consumption meet low-carbon idea.
More conviencent and perfect for play games on mobile phone. hold tight of your smartphone without scratches.
Dismountable, can devide into 2 parts. easily to assembly, easy for carry.
Plugged into win 10 pc. Admittedly very close to b/t keyboard. Have tried with folding b/t keyboard works fine. Also tried connecting b/t headphones, again works fine. Don't install the software if using win 10, it won't work (in my experience). Easy pairing k/board with pc. Detected headphones with no problem.
Includes the csr stack with aptx support, easy to install, set up and connect and does the job it's designed to whilst fitting snugly into a pc or laptop.
- Y. Imelda "here at ekobuy online store store we want you to have the best shopping experience possible. " that's exactly what i've received ! this product proves that you don't need to pay a small fortune for an over-hyped and over-priced alternative that has been dressed up to make you think you're buying something special, with more features and so on. I wanted to turn my computer into a blue tooth device so i could use my new blue tooth headphones, and this simple looking dongle does everything i need it to do. Of course, it's easy to connect - just find a spare usb slot on your computer. But then what ? how do you use it ? this dongle comes with a driver cd, and it includes an amazing pdf file which gives you plenty of illustrations, and very thorough - but easy to read and understand - instructions. If, like me, you're not some egg head techie type, don't worry - the instructions really are easy to follow and understand, and for me they worked first time. They explain how to establish a link with your headphones, the so called 'pairing' that i had been dreading - i could hardly believe how easy it turned out to be. There's really no need to waste your hard earned money on very expensive alternatives - as the saying goes - 'this does exactly what it says on the outer packaging' and it does it very well.
Regularly updating the firmware with new system compatibility like the nintendo switch, raspberry pi, retron5 and more.
Easily pair your controller as an x-input or d-input device via bluetooth.
Wireless or wired modefree yourself from wires and connect easily to your devices with easy and stable bluetooth pairing. Support wired mode by plugging in the included audio cable when the battery is powered off. Fully enjoy your music with up to 8 hours of long playing time after fully charged. Hands-free callsbuilt-in microphone enables you to take hands-free calls with the versatile power button on the headset. Switch easily between songs and calls with our wireless bluetooth headphones. You can flexibly adjust the volume and switch songs via the multifunctional button. Noise cancellationacoustic seal cushions block outer noise , let you enjoy high quality, hands-free phone conversation and enjoy music better. Note: this headphones is passive noise isolating, not active noise cancellation ( anc )impressive 20-hour playtimewith updated technology, bluetooth 4. 1 is more stable and more efficient than ever. Coupled with a larger 420mah battery, you get up to 20 hours of continues playing time. Note 1. Please make sure the driver software for receiving adapter is fully updated when connected to pc or laptop, and you need a bluetooth adapter when connected with tv. 2. To better protect your ears and gain more wearing comfort, please do not wear them for too long to get your ears relax . 3. The microphone only works in the wireless mode. Specificationbluetooth version: 4. 1connection range: 33 feet (10 meters)talking time: 15-20 hoursplayback time: 15-20 hourscharging time: 2-3 hourscharging voltage: 5vbattery capacity: 3. 7v/420mahpacking list1 mpow h1 bluetooth headset1 3. 5mm audio cable1 usb charging cable1 carrying bag1 user manualwarranty: every mpow product includes a 2 year warranty and unconditional exchange of goods within 60 days .
Diwuer bluetooth wireless gaming headset deliver the high-fidelity audio is your perfect choice to play games, watch movie or enjoy music. Diwuer wireless stereo headphone with remarkable sound adopted latest v4. 1 bluetooth enhanced noise reduction, superior sound quality, bring you vivid sound field, sound clarity, sound shock feeling skin friendly leather earmuff , nicely cushioned skin friendly over-ear headset for gaming, reduces distracting background noise. Powered by fast charging battery, and 400mah high capacity enables enjoy a long voice call and playtime this gaming headset is lightweight and can be worn all day without your ears getting tired built-in sensitive microphone, so you can answer the phone or chatting online with our headphone wirelessly wide compatibility, good choice for listening music, watching movie, answering phone calls, etc. Specifications speaker impedance: 32ohm battery capacity: 400mah battery type: lithium battery charging time: 3 hours talk/music time: above 8 hours transmission distance: 10m/33ft without obstacles line-in cable length: approx. 1. 2m / 3. 28ft package included 1 * bluetooth wireless gaming headphones pc iphone 1 * usb charging cable 1 * user manual 1 * line-in cablewarranty and service diwuer is committed to offer you high quality product and friendly service. Diwuer extend a 12 month worry-free warranty and friendly customer services for every buyer of diwuer.
With the xbox wireless adapter, experience the advanced precision and comfort of your xbox wireless controller on windows 10 pcs, laptops, and tablets. Use it with pc games, and xbox one games streamed to windows 10, to elevate your game wherever you want to play. Contains 1 x xbox wireless adapter for windows 10 1 x usb extension cable please note, this item may not come with the original box or packaging and may be bulk packaged.
Warranty & support: 2-year warranty. step-by-step video guides & many faqs online for quick support and saving time. in addition telephone support (+44 20 8068 2023) and our responsive email support team are also available.
Wide device support - can connect with bluetooth headphones, speaker, receiver, keyboard, mouse, smartphone, tablet, printer, projector, xbox one controller and more ble (bluetooth low energy) devices. for ps4/3 controller, may need to install specific drivers for different games/software to configure button settings.
Low-power selectable 1. 2 to 3. 6 vi/o.
Bought this to use with my ps4. Small, no bigger than the dimensions of an ipad. The backlight is nice, the build quality good. The brushed plastic gives it a more exepnsive look. The keys operate as expected and are satisfying to type on. I wont be writing essays with it, so i can't comment on how it would hold up to daily use, but it managed to sync with the ps4 in seconds, and does what i need it to perfectly. . My only con, is it seems to have a standby mode, so if i'm playing a game, and then after 5 minutes want to type quickly, i need to wait a few seconds for it to kick itself out of standby and re-connect to the ps4. Not a huge issue and if i wanted seemless, i would have gone for a wired keyboard with a long lead. . Overall good product!
Tecknet bluetooth illuminated keyboard x366 day or night, you'll type in style with the elegant design of this illuminated wireless keyboard for your pc or tablets. With sharp, bright, backlit characters, this keyboard lets you create and communicate more easily on more devices-even in the dark better typing-day or night: bright, sharp backlit characters for easy reading in low light or no light. Illuminated keys automatically dim when you step away, and brighten when you return. Style meets substance: ultra-thin design with low-profile keys-looks right at home with your pc, tablet and smartphone. Rechargeable convenience? internal rechargeable battery gives you up to 200 hours of power between full charges. Usb cable included for easy recharging while you work. On/off switch helps save battery power. Battery indicator light lets you see when to recharge. Windows and mac. Android and ios: you'll find a familiar keyboard layout with all the shortcut keys you use the most. Type-on-anything universal keyboard: a keyboard for your computer that also works with your smartphone or tablet (bluetooth wireless devices, which support external keyboards) compatibility: compatible across android, ios 8. 0 or blow, and windows, enabling you to mix and match with devices. Tecknet 18 months warranty: at tecknet, we believe in our products. That's why we back them all with an 18-month warranty and provide friendly, easy-to-reach support note: 1. This keyboard doesn't support the win 8 mobile. 2. For android 4. 4 and 5. 0. 1 users: the caps lock indicator will not light, but will still function normally. 3. Apple ios9, the "fn + function keys" combination occasionally may not work. If this happens, please reconnect bluetooth by switching the device off and on again.
Tecknet Illuminated Ultra Slim Li Polymer Rechargeable (78863) FAQ.
It's tiny, weighs nothing, it works and the battery life is great. If not used for a couple of minutes the keyboard will have to wake up on using it again so quite annoying until you get into the habit of it, the backlit feature is genius. All for a reasonable price!
- X. Parker Neat little keyboard that is big enough to be useable and small enough to not take up much room if you have limited desktop space. Paired to bluetooth easily and looks cool with the backlit keys. Turns itself off after a while. Have only had ro recharge once so far after a couple of months of infrequent use but was dead easy via usb. I should say it is very thin and although appears flimsy it is strong with good keyboard action. I do tend to use it from my lap most of the time and of course it weighs next to nothing. Overall very good value.
It arrived very quickly and once out of the box i had it connected first to my tablet and then my phone in next to no time. For its size it is comfortable to use i. E. The keys are just right; it is light and portable. The keys light up but for me this is just a novelty but nice none the less. If there is one minor criticism (and i am nit picking) it would be nice to have a case to keep it in when not in use but i am being very critical. Great piece of kit at a decent price, i have no hesitation in recommending it.
Broad compatibility with bluetooth 3. 0: use with all four major operating systems supporting bluetooth (ios, android, mac os and windows), including ipad 1, 2, air, air 2 / ipad mini 3, 2, 1, retina / iphone / android tablets like samsung galaxy tab, google nexus / windows, etc.
The bluetooth stick comes with a small cd, however, i did not need it, it worked straight out of the box. Not sure how far the bluetooth reaches, but that's not something that is going to bother me. Great product, does what it says.
(0) Question: Will an xbox one controller connect to this ?
Answer: . . . Sorry can t help i only use it to transfer music from my pc to my android phone.
(1) Question: Is there a place to download the drivers online?
Answer: . . . The drivers should install automatically. However you can grab the drivers from broadcoms website if you really need to (it uses a broadcom chip).
(3) Question: Hi, does this dongle connect to an iphone, and can play the music of the iphone to the transmitter?
Answer: My positive experience of this item is in relation to using it with my windows 10 laptop which has a usb socket on it. I do not have an iphone but imagine that it has a mini-usb socket as my android phone has. It is probably possible that, if your phone has such, an adaptor is available to size up your mini-usb socket to the plug size of this dongle. Oh, and, the dongle (as you call it) is both a receiver and a transmitter (please see my earlier helpful replies ( 'm a customer not the sales person ).
(5) Question: Why do great headphones sound awful when using tis?
Answer: . . . Maybe try using it as generic bluetooth adaptor. See how it does. I couldn't use my controller till i did.
Answer: . . . I am not familiar with that printer, but at the price it may be worth the risk. Plug in and it does the rest.
(7) Question: Can i use as transmitter and receiver at same time? need transmitter for my bluetooth earphone and also need reveiver for bluetooth mouse.
Answer: You are in luck: this little item does both. Plug into a usb socket on your laptop, desktop or other device; your device will see it. You should then have the bluetooth icon on your taskbar. Right click this to initiate pairing (make sure that what you want to pair is on and in transmitting mode (i. E. Showing alternate red and blue flashing lights. You'll be good to go in an instant. Happy monday to you.
(9) Question: Can i plug this in to my tv to use my bluetooth headphones?
Answer: . . . I doubt it very much as it would need to "handshake" with the earphones.
(10) Question: Hi, could you use this to send photos to a pc or laptop that is not wi-fi enabled?
Answer: . . . While bluetooth can be used to transmit files, that depends more on the software you use. I have transmitted photos from my phone to my pc using bluetooth, yes. But i more often use wifi, and have a wifi dongle for my pc.
(11) Question: Will this work in ps4 for bluetooth headphones ?
Answer: . . . I returned mine for a refund. It did connect to my blue tooth headphones but the sound was distorted. The headphones were less than a foot from the device. I cannot recommend this product.
(12) Question: Will this allow me to connect my bluetooth headphones to my windows 10 pc?
Answer: . . . Yes, open the bluetooth menu on your pc and then start the scan on the headphones, they should appear on the list on your pc.
(13) Question: I am on windows 7. i ran the software disk provided. the pc says turn on the blue tooth radio ? what file runs it ?
Answer: . . . In the end i threw mine in the bin. Totaly rubbish. I got it to work ok on windows 7 but the sound from my pc to my bluetooth headphones was terrible. As for running i cant recall what i did but was not that hard. Sorry cant be more helpful.
(14) Question: Will this allow me to use my dualshock 4 ps4 controller on my pc?
(15) Question: Using win10 with updated drivers donle show up as csr8510 a10 but will not work, any suggestions pls?
(16) Question: Can you plug this in to a printer to make the printer wireless?
Thanks to the reviewer who stated was linux plug-n-play. . Worked within seconds on my fedora 25 desktop, simply plugged in, started bluetooth manager and within a minute of unpacking connected to my sony bluetooth speaker across the room and streamed high quality audio. All worked without any fiddling.
Arrived quickly, well package and product is of good quality and works well! happy. Also pro active follow up to see if i had received the item, and if i had any problems which was a unexpected but appreciated.
Amazing -. . I had purchased this to work with my online store echo & pc - works flawlessly and no issues at all, would highly recommend. It can go quite far too, to say the echo is outside my room slightly and my pc is on the other side. . Highly recommend, fantastic product.
Using this with a dualshock 4 and a bluetooth speaker (simultaneously! ), it works alright. The range and strength is not that great. If i even roughly block the emitter (say my dualshock 4) a bit it will have some interference. But at this price point it's not too big of a deal. I love it!
Installed on windows 10 with no problems at all. As soon as connected to the laptop, windows found drivers and item was ready for use. Just a case of turning bluetooth on, on the laptop and was ready to go. Very pleased with item.
What can i say about this tiny little device? a piece of cake to install (well, it is usb. ), it was recognised by windows 10 almost immediately and then installation of the provided software just gave further control. My wife and i were porting photos from our cameras to the desktop pc within minutes. Job's a good 'un!
Bit skeptical at first, but very quickly revealed how easy and good it was. My work pc doesn't have bluetooth and wanted to have a bluetooth keyboard to use between my macbook and pc, simple to connect and use. Small and descreat it just connected straight away no problems. I'm using a windows 7 pc upgraded software to windows 10. Price was excellent too.
Easy to use, i've been meaning to buy one for years and suddenly remembered and got this one! incredibly easy to use and set up.
This bluetooth device works perfectly for 3 devices where you can get mouse, headphone and mobile phone all connected in the same time. The only downside is the mouse. It takes time to reactive after laptop went sleep or hibernate. Not sure is the bluetooth device design failure or the mouse. But overall i m satisfied with this product. My advise to others is please read the installation manual stored inside the software. People who have the habit of ignoring installation manual will take longer time to figure out how it works.
Works straight out of the box, did not need any drivers on windows 10, connected flawlessly to my bluetooth headphones and works every time. I just keep it plugged in all of the time.
This review will focus solely on linux compatibility (it did work plug and play on win 7/10 during my usage). . Although not advertised as being plug and play for linux, i can confirm that it does indeed work out of the box with the 3 distros that i have used it on. . The distros in question are:. Antergos (arch based). Linux mint 18. 1 (ubuntu derivative). Feodora 25 and 26 alpha. . All distros were tested with a number of de's and their respective bt managers. The de's used were gnome, cinnamon, mate, kde and xfce. . With all 3, it was merely a matter of plugging in and pairing devices. . Now to those devices and some of the settings/features i tried:. Firstly there is my skull kandy uproar wireless bt headset. This was easily connected and changing between hi quality and headset mode was a breeze on all distros with their respective audio managers. Secondly we have the new xbox1 controller (the one with 3. 5mm headphone jack). This too paired easily and was working great under steam for most games (the headphone output does not work, but this is not a limitation of the device or the os but of the controller itself when connected through bt). Thirdly we have a generic bt keyboard that worked fine. Lastly i paired my android phone (lollipop) and a tablet (marshmallow) both were able to send the odd picture and mp3 without any issues. . As with most things linux, if you want to get it working perfectly with specific devices (bt headset in my case) then you might want to tweak a little to suit your needs (just google "pulseaudio bt headset auto switch" if you want a headset to connect and be used automatically as the default audio output). . In conclusion, the dongle is not only cheap but performs admirably with linux as well as windows and i have no qualms about recommending it to fellow linux users.
After i discovered that the supplied disc was unnecessary with windows 10 it worked & works fine. Very compact so can be left in a laptop permanently. Arrived promptly.
Works in the living room just don't leave as you will lose signal depending on the shape of your flat, eight foot away and two foot in the hall no signal for new headphones don't know which to blame. Sorry forgot to press submit.
It's a bluetooth receiver; what to say - i bought two through prime and had them delivered with the service you expect from online store. The receivers themselves (x2) have been plugged into a linux (running ubuntu 16. 10) and windows 10 desktops, which was a non-eventful affair and just worked. The linux desktop i wanted to connect my bluetooth headset up, which just worked. My daughter also wanted to use her headset from the desktop machine and transfer files - all of which worked without the need to install any additional software.
Range is a bit lacking. I am only 2 feet away from the dongle. I use bluetooth headphones.
Opened the box, plugged in and within seconds win10 recognised it and up came the bluetooth logo. Using win10 i then added my bt earphones which took less than a minute to find and pair, and the sound quality is no different to using my phone, tablet or ipod. . Disconnected after the test and plugged in again some hours later. Up shot the bt logo in seconds, followed by earphones connected. No problems.
Plug and play. My pc recognised it straight away and can now easily transfer files, photos, music etc back and forth between my phone and pc. Recommended.
Purchased to connect wireless ps controllers to raspberry pi after we updated the system. Works perfectly and saved a lot of messing around with software.
It was plug and play in linux (tried linuxmint and ubuntu). On windows it was quite tricky and i ended up getting the info on how to make it work from a youtube video in russian! . . Anyway. It is not the product's fault, sonce it is well documented that windows has problems with bluetooth drivers. . The workaround i had to do to make it work was to install the drivers from the cd. And then go into device manager and choose the generic adapter driver. Just leaving this here in case it helps someone.
Installed straight away without the use of any driver discs (handy as my computer doesn't have a disc drive). The driver is automatically downloaded via windows updates so the user has to do nothing at all, literally plug and play! very cheap and good for basically keyboard/mouse connections or headsets. No third party software needed, all done within windows bluetooth connection settings. Recommended!
Arrived very quickly, with a good price and free delivery, connected straight away to my windows 10 pc, without the need for the enclosed cd, and works very well , its now much easier to transfer my phone photos, to my pc , which did not have bluetooth before. Thanks, good product.
I recently got a bluetooth device, and i grabbed this as a addon to my computer. Its small and you can install and forget you even had this. The mini dvd it came with is worthless and didnt work. It did its job.
Unfortunately does not plug and play with windows 10. After much 'fiddling' around installing from the cd supplied i did get it to work however as soon as the computer is restarted all settings are lost again. As far as convenience is concerned this device scores 0/10 hence it's heading for the 'gadgets which don't work properly' draw.
Terrible has absolutely no range and disconnects all the time, i ended up buying ekobuy bluetooth 4. 0 usb . For the same price the ekobuy bluetooth 4. 0 usb worked perfectly with plenty of range and no disconnects.
Could only get a pulsating link. disappointed.
Rubbish, i try to connect my microsoft designer keyboard and mouse and pair only with the keyboard. For mouse didn't ask for any cod and the connection fail.
I bought this after my previous bluetooth adapter broke so i could use my wireless xbox one controller. I can't recommend this product as, like other reviews have mentioned, it is not auto detected in windows 10 and requires drivers from the provided disc. Using the drivers means using specific software in order to use the bluetooth - it disables bluetooth in windows 10 settings so the software is forced to be used. I'm sure it potentially works with devices but it did not work for my xbox one controller. After 30 mins of messing around with drivers and software it found my xbox controller but was unable to pair so i have given up. . My previous bluetooth adapter was easy to set up as it was a case of plugging it in and the drivers would automatically be installed, ready for use.
Advertised to work on widows 10. Does not work on windows 10. Csr bluetooth is no longer supported natively by windows 10.
Plugged it in (lenovo 310) - blue screen disaster. Just spent an hour trying to get booted up again.
It works up to about 2 meters in open air.
Crap, even after inserting the supplied disk it does not work. Took it to my local pc shop and they confirmed it does not work.
The ideea of having a bluetooth adapter on my pc is quite nice but the product isn't that good. Paired it with my wireless headphones, which work with my laptop perfect, and sound just goes off during any game. It works nice if you don't plan on gaming.
Could not get it to work with window 7 on my dell laptop. Conflicted with outlook.
- had some trouble connecting my sony 1000xm2 to my work computer through this dongle. Might have been the headphones, might have been the dongle. I'm unsure. Although i should say that i had no problem connecting my headphones to my laptop.
Really poor sound quality on this device. I'm using plantronics backbeat pro headphones to connect to my pc and the sound quality is really poor. I've connected my headphones with the jack to jack and it works great. With this bluetooth adapter it is awful and fuzzy.
Couldn't get it to connect to me new bluetooth speaker. Then blue screen of death twice. Running vista on a dual core pentium (9 years old laptop), definitely didn't get along with this device. Have gone with a wired option instead. Not to suggest this won't work with other people's machines, but don't recommend it if your machine is older or running vista.
Did not work on full updated pc win10: software no good: disappointing. Returned to online store. No problems there with return.
It did not plug and play on windows 10 and needed the disk. There are no instructions so it's a matter of trial and error (ensure you remove any other bluetooth drivers before you start). Initially, it would not see any devices, although my phone could see my pc, it would not pair. After a period of perserverance and using the bluetooth icon in the system tray (rather than the add bluetooth device in the pc settings) to select specific devices, eventually allowed my phone and my harmony ultimate hub to connect ok. It all works fine now, but took about 30 mins of patience. So 2 star for plug and play and 4 star for performance!
Disappointed. I have the drivers on windows 7 installed but i can't get it to discover any bluetooth devices, i tried my headphones or my phone and kept them right beside it.
Bought this for my pc to connect to my bluetooth headphones and to my mobile. Waste of money. Dont even bother. Very disappointing. The sound quality through my headphones from pc sounds as if under water and also watching you tube the sound is out of sync big time. Now searching for a decent one.
I bought this to use at work with my new bluetooth headphones for listening to music. The usb is tiny, uses plug and play (aka it installs the necessary software as soon as you plug it in) and does indeed work as intended. However the quality of the audio is pretty bad. Its distorted (even at lower volume levels) and quite choppy sometimes. Compared to my phone or laptop with inbuilt bluetooth there is a world of a difference, . . I'd personally recommend you look for something else if you wish to listen to music through this dongle.
I have tried several times to get this working without success on a hp windows 10 laptop. I have updated drivers, followed 3 youtube videos to fix it without success. The website suggested for downloading the drivers no longer has any drivers on it! sadly a waste of money.
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Iphone Cable , 3 Pack 0.4ft+4ft+6ft Zinc Alloyed Lightning To Usb Charging Charger Cable Lead Iphone 7/7 Plus, Iphone 6/6s/6 Plus/6s Plus, Iphone 5/5.. | 2019-04-23T06:46:15Z | https://puqus.com/uk/lmtech-bluetooth-adapter-transmitter-receiver-12821kuwsbiu/ |
Authors and editors should make a strong recommendation when very certain that benefits outweigh risks and burdens (such as difficulties of therapy and costs), or vice versa.
For a strong recommendation, write, "We recommend."
Authors and editors should make weak recommendations when risks and burdens appear to be finely balanced, or when there is appreciable uncertainty about the magnitude of benefits and risks.
For a weak recommendation, write, "We suggest."
We recommend/suggest that young patients with idiopathic DVT discontinue anticoagulation after one year of therapy.
A third way to interpret strong and weak recommendations is that for typical patients a strong recommendation means, "just do it."
In contrast, a weak recommendation means, "you may want to think about this."
When there is less confidence in estimates of benefits and harms of an intervention, we are more likely to make weaker recommendations.
In general, prevention of outcomes with high importance to patients will lead to stronger recommendations.
Which situation is more likely to warrant a strong recommendation?
Four patients may need to go to a respiratory rehab program for one patient to gain a small but important decrease in dyspnea in daily life.
In low risk patients after MI, one may need to treat 100 patients with aspirin to extend one life.
Which of the following are evidence?
Many early systems for grading methodologic quality relied primarily on the basic study design—whether the evidence came from a randomized trial, a cohort study, a case-control study, or a case series, for example.
The study design maintains a critical role in determining our confidence in estimates of benefits, risks, and burdens of the interventions we are recommending.
Because of the risks of bias and confounding, evidence from observational studies is usually much weaker than that from RCTs.
However, certain factors may increase our confidence in observational evidence or weaken our confidence in evidence from an RCT.
In general, high quality (Grade A) evidence comes from well-designed and well executed RCTs yielding consistent directly applicable results, or from systematic reviews summarizing the evidence from such RCTs.
However, overwhelming evidence of some other sort (such as observational trials with very large effects) may also be Grade A evidence.
The moderate quality (Grade B) evidence label is mostly applied to RCTs with important limitations. Often this occurs when there have been inconsistent results among RCTs, or the evidence from the RCTs is not directly applicable to the relevant patient population.
Very strong evidence from other types of studies and observations (such as observational studies with large measures of effect) can also be Grade B.
Low quality (Grade C) evidence mainly comes from observational studies. RCTs with very serious limitations can occasionally be Grade C as well.
Note that most observational evidence will be grade C whether it comes from case control studies, cohort studies, or other forms of observation.
In general, evidence from randomized trials is high quality evidence (Grade A).
What factors lower the quality of evidence from randomized trials?
Serious flaws in the conduct of an RCT may lower the quality of evidence.
Widely differing estimates of treatment effects across studies (heterogeneity or variability in results) typically leads investigators to look for explanations for that heterogeneity, such as differing effects in sicker or healthier patient populations.
If no plausible explanation for heterogeneity can be identified, the grade for the quality of evidence must be reduced even if the underlying RCTs all appear to have been well performed.
Evidence grades may be reduced because the RCTs provide only indirect evidence for the specific recommendation being made. Evidence may be indirect in a number of ways.
The population of interest may be different from the one studied.
Compression stockings have been studied for prevention of DVT in a number of populations, but not in trauma patients. The evidence grade on a recommendation about use of stockings in trauma patients might be reduced for indirectness.
The intervention being discussed may be different from the one studied. For instance, the dose or preparation of a drug may be different.
A number of ACE inhibitors have been shown both to decrease blood pressure and to reduce mortality in HF. If a new inexpensive ACE inhibitor is released but has only been studied for hypertension, the evidence for its benefits in HF would be somewhat indirect. The benefits of an antihypertensive agent in another class would be far more indirect.
Studies often look at surrogate endpoints rather than the clinical endpoints of interest.
For example, they look at a reduction in blood pressure rather than a reduction in cardiovascular events, or at a decrease in HIV viral load rather than at a reduction in progression to AIDS. When clinical outcomes have not been studied, the evidence is indirect and this may lower the graded quality of evidence.
Small RCTs may be all that are available for unusual diseases, and these may include very few clinical events. For example, an RCT of a low molecular weight heparin for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis found that 3 of 30 treated patients, and 6 of 29 control patients had a poor outcome. The 38% relative risk reduction was not statistically significant.
The grade for evidence supporting a recommendation for this low molecular weight heparin for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis would need to take into account the small numbers of events.
Evidence from observations and observational studies is generally low quality (Grade C).
What factors can increase the quality of evidence from observational studies?
The magnitude of the treatment effect is generally the most important factor in assessing the quality of evidence from observational studies.
The results of even well-performed observational studies are susceptible to bias and confounding when treatment effects are small.
Consider the enormous and well-performed Nurses Health Study, which erroneously concluded that hormone replacement therapy decreased the risk of CHD. The estimate of benefit in the NHS was only about 30%.
On the rare occasions when observational studies yield extremely large and consistent estimates of a treatment effect, we may be confident in the results.
Oral anticoagulation in mechanical heart valves has not been compared to placebo in an RCT. However, observational studies suggest the probability of a thromboembolic event without anticoagulation is 12.3% annually in bileaflet prosthetic aortic valves, and higher for other valve types. Estimates of the relative risk reduction with oral anticoagulation are in the range of 80%.
While the observational studies are likely to overestimate the true effect, the weak study design is very unlikely to explain the entire benefit. An ACCP guideline panel concluded that these data constitute high quality evidence of the effectiveness of anticoagulation in bileaflet prosthetic aortic valves.
As discussed, large effect sizes may promote observational evidence to be moderate quality, and very large effect sizes may promote observational evidence to be high quality.
On other occasions, all plausible biases from observational studies may be working to underestimate an apparent treatment effect.
For instance, a rigorous systematic review of observational studies compared for-profit and not-for-profit hospital care and found higher death rates in private for-profit hospitals. The investigators postulated two possible sources of bias. First, residual confounding from disease severity was possible, but patients in NFP hospitals were sicker than those in FP hospitals, so if there were residual confounding it would bias the results against NFP hospitals. Second, a higher number of patients with excellent private insurance could lead to more hospital resources that would spill over to benefit those without such coverage. Again, this bias would tend to be against NFP hospitals that are likely to admit a lower proportion of well-insured patients.
Because the plausible biases would diminish the demonstrated effect, one might consider the evidence from these observational studies as moderate rather than low quality.
Another factor that could increase the quality of evidence from observational studies is when a clear dose response effect is seen. In such a circumstance the evidence might increase from low to moderate quality.
Observational studies suggested that colchicine might prevent recurrence of acute idiopathic/viral pericarditis.
What are the important outcomes we would want to know about from studies of colchicine and pericarditis?
We want to make a recommendation about whether patients with acute idiopathic pericarditis who are treated with NSAIDs should also receive colchicine.
Before we decide on the strength of the recommendation, we need to decide the quality of the evidence for colchicine in this setting.
Now that we have decided we have moderate quality evidence, we want to grade the strength of the recommendation for colchicine in acute pericarditis.
"In patients with acute pericarditis that is idiopathic or due to a presumed viral infection and who are being treated with NSAIDs, we suggest the addition of colchicine (Grade 2B). A typical dose of colchicine is 1 to 2 mg on the first day, followed by 0.5 mg once or twice daily for three months. Patients who are concerned about gastrointestinal side effects might reasonably choose not to take colchicine."
Note that if we want to make a recommendation for NSAID therapy in this situation, we should evaluate the evidence and grade that recommendation separately. Note also that we did not include the dose of colchicine in the graded recommendation, since it is very unlikely that we have high quality evidence for a specific dose and regimen of colchicine. We do not usually grade doses or regimens.
Nearly all recommendations for treatment and screening that appear in the Summary and Recommendations section of an UpToDate topic should be graded.
We are not grading diagnostic recommendations at this point.
We also do not need to grade "slam dunk" recommendations where there is no reasonable alternative course of action, or safety tips for procedures. For instance, we would not grade a recommendation to administer oxygen to someone who is severely hypoxic.
There will be situations in which reasonable people can disagree about the quality of the evidence and the strength of the recommendation. We do not need to be perfect about evidence grades, just transparent.
When in doubt, make weak recommendations (Grade 2) rather than strong recommendations (Grade 1).
We are grading treatment and screening recommendations, but not diagnostic recommendations. We should still make recommendations about diagnosis, but should not grade these recommendations since we don't feel that there is currently a good system for grading the quality of evidence for diagnostic strategies.
Actually, all of these are types of evidence.
Randomized trials usually provide the highest quality evidence, but observational studies and sometimes even unpublished clinical experience can provide high quality evidence.
Experimental trials generally provide higher quality evidence than observational studies and unpublished clinical experience, but sometimes even clinical experience can provide high quality evidence.
Experimental and observational studies often provide higher quality evidence than published case series and unpublished clinical experience, but sometimes even clinical experience can provide high quality evidence.
You're correct that all these kinds of publications are types of evidence, but so is clinical experience.
Clinical experience is often very low quality evidence, but sometimes even unpublished clinical experience can provide high quality evidence.
Some of these may be higher quality, and some lower quality, but all are types of evidence.
Uncertainty in the estimates of benefits, risks, and burdens; benefits may be closely balanced with risks and burdens Evidence from observational studies, unsystematic clinical experience, or from randomized, controlled trials with serious flaws. Any estimate of effect is uncertain. Very weak recommendation; other alternatives may be equally reasonable.
This tutorial was created for UpToDate authors, section editors, and peer reviewers, but it is available for anyone who wants to learn about GRADE. We expect it will take you about 30 minutes to complete.
Before you start, we suggest you print this Grading Table.
Actually, the recommendation for aspirin after MI is likely to be stronger.
Even though many more patients require aspirin therapy than pulmonary rehab to improve one outcome, the outcome of preventing death is more important to most patients than mild relief of dyspnea.
Correct! The recommendation for aspirin after MI is likely to be stronger.
Even though many more patients require aspirin therapy than pulmonary rehab to improve one outcome, most patients place a higher value on preventing death than on mild relief of dyspnea.
We have an apparently well-performed randomized trial in exactly the population we are interested in. The trial examined all the important outcomes we were concerned about. However, the number of events was small, and so our confidence in the rates of events with and without colchicine must be reduced. This is best graded as moderate quality (Grade B) evidence.
No, the quality of evidence is better than that.
We have an apparently well-performed randomized trial in exactly the population we are interested in. The trial examined all the important outcomes we were concerned about. Because the number of events was small, and our confidence in the rates of events with and without colchicine must be reduced, we can downgrade one level from A to B. This is best graded as moderate quality (Grade B) evidence.
Yes, but we would like additional information as well.
While lowering the rate of recurrence is the primary goal of administering colchicine, we might reasonably wonder about the effects of this therapy on the time course of the pericarditis.
We would also want to know about gastrointestinal toxicity, a common side effect of colchicine, and rates of discontinuation of therapy.
Knowing the potentially beneficial effects of therapy on recurrence rates and time to resolution is clearly important. However, we also want to know about likely downsides to therapy.
We want to know about the potential benefits of therapy as well as the likely side effects of therapy.
We probably do not need information on sudden cardiac death.
Knowing the potentially beneficial effects of therapy on recurrence rates and time to resolution is clearly important, and we also want to know about likely side effects of therapy such as gastrointestinal toxicity.
Acute viral pericarditis is generally a benign condition with a very low risk of death. Similarly, colchicine in other settings (such as acute gout) has not been associated with sudden death. As such, it would likely take an enormous study to evaluate any effect of colchcine on sudden cardiac death. We should be able to evaluate the evidence without requiring additional information on sudden death.
First, our confidence in certain patient-important outcomes was reduced by the small number of events in the study.
Second, colchicine appeared to decrease the rate of recurrent pericarditis by about 20 percent, but required an extra pill that could be expected to cause diarrhea in many patients. In the COPE trial 8 percent of patients stopped the study pill because of diarrhea, and patients outside of clinical trials often have worse problems with side effects than those in such trials.
While some patients would likely be better off being treated with colchicine, a substantial subset of fully-informed patients might be expected to decline treatment with colchicine.
In this situation, a weak recommendation for or against colchicine is the best choice.
Short-term aspirin reduces the relative risk of death after MI by approximately 25% with minimal side effects and very low cost. If they understood the choice they were making, virtually all patients suffering an MI would choose to receive aspirin.
No, it should be a weak recommendation.
Long-term treatment with warfarin will decrease the risk of recurrent DVT (by about 10% per year), but warfarin therapy has burdens of taking a daily pill, maintaining a constant dietary intake of vitamin K, monitoring INR, and carries the increased risk of minor and major bleeding. Patients who strongly prefer to avoid the risk of DVT may choose to continue warfarin. Others are likely to consider the benefit not worth the risks and inconvenience.
No, it should be a strong recommendation. | 2019-04-24T14:50:57Z | http://s0www.utdlab.com/home/grading-tutorial |
So I painted my living room fireplace gray. Don’t even ask me what’s going on with me and grays. I’ve been telling you the last year (or longer) that I hate them, and now evidently I’ve painted my upper kitchen cabinets a light gray (greige…whatever), and now I’ve painted my fireplace a darker gray. And now, for some reason, I love grays. They look so pretty with all of the blues, greens and purples I want to use.
But my fireplace painting has turned out to be a fail. I can and will correct it, but this first attempt was definitely a misstep.
Two lessons learned here. (1) Don’t ever pick out a paint color “by memory,” and (2) any time I say, “I’m just going to take a break from this big project I’m working on and do this small quick project,” the quick project will almost always turn into some big, drawn out project.
I wanted to take a break from my kitchen cabinets (and I’m also waiting for more Timbermate to arrive) to work on this quick and easy fireplace painting project that has now taken up two days, and will take at least one more because I tried to pick out a paint color by memory. Ugh. I know better than that. I really do. But I was standing there in the Benjamin Moore store with all of their glorious paint swatches before me, and I thought to myself, “I just need a dark gray. How hard can it be to pick out a dark gray that coordinates with my Revere Pewter kitchen cabinets?” Well, evidently it’s much harder than I thought.
I mean, neither of those look as deep and rich as the top fireplace picture, but it sure doesn’t look as washed out as my fireplace.
Anyway, I’ll definitely need a new color. And this time, I’ll go to the store with that top picture actually in my hand and not just in my mind. I hate having to relearn lessons I already know, but I guess I needed a good reminder. Evens something so simple as “dark gray” isn’t quite so simple when you have hundreds to choose from.
You can see some of the wall colors I’ve tested in here, including the Revere Pewter that I’m using on my upper kitchen cabinets. It’s right there in the middle (the only neutral) and looks way darker on my wall than it does on my cabinets.
The color I’ve decided to go with in here is this really light blue called Iceberg (also Benjamin Moore). I think it’ll look so pretty next to a dark gray fireplace.
Excuse my messy painting job against the walls. 🙂 Since I’ll be painting the walls also, I wasn’t too careful with my gray next to the wall.
So now you know my goal — Iceberg walls and a dark gray fireplace. I guess I’m heading back to the paint store today. I’d love to get this finished today because my new chandelier arrived, and I’m so anxious to see my dark gray fireplace with my new chandelier. The new drapery fabric also arrived yesterday, so this room will start taking shape very soon.
Kristi, when you get a chance, will you post a picture of your painted piano before you painted it yellow? It was two toned and gorgeous. I would love to have a similar one but i need your picture!
All of my projects can be found by clicking on the “DIY Projects” link on the menu at the top.
I have Iceburg on a wall along with other sample colors. Against the other blue samples, it was coming off rather bright, cold, and almost neon-like. I wanted bright for my basement hall though but wanted a warm bright, if that makes sense! Can’t wait to see your room painted in it to help me finish my paint job!
How interesting. I tried it in my music room, and really couldn’t see any blue in it at all. It just looked really light gray. So I tried it in the living room, and can see some blue in there, but it doesn’t look like a bright blue at all. It’s all about lighting. It’s amazing what lighting does to colors.
Isn’t it? I’d say lighting has almost everything to do with how the paint comes off. But also the amount of color used in a room can affect its appearance. I’ve gotten to where I paint large sample squares (2×3) but still, once the entire room is painted, the color can be different enough, I’ve had to repaint the whole room again!
Why not use your gentleman’s gray on your fireplace? That way there’s no need to reinvent the wheel and you know it fits into your overall color scheme.
I agree that it’s too light. Can’t wait to see what you decide on. Grey-tones have come a long ways. There are so many these days that it’s hard to make a choice. When I get around to repainting my cabinets, they will be a light grey and I want a red backsplash.
Oooo. I like that light blue iceberg color. I actually think the grey you have on your fireplace looks nice, but maybe not with the iceberg.
Kristi, you need to paint your walls HUSK GOLD. It’s the perfect shade to complete the room with the dark grey and chandelier. Iceberg is going to be too weak and Husk Gold will offer the same depth as your other colors. It’s a top tier version of iceberg. Just try a swatch on your wall, it will not disappoint.
She’s been looking at Benjamin Moore colors. Who makes Husk Gold? Valspar???
We’ve been doing a lot of grey in our house. I really love it, and how it has the ability to play with other shades so well. Our main hallway and family room grey has a hint of green, but our kitchen is Benjamin Moore’s Oxford Grey, which is very icy blue. I LOVE it.
Whatever colors you pick, it’s very refreshing to see the excitement return to your blog and your writing. You sound SO much more upbeat, and that’s what working on your home SHOULD be!
I’ve always enjoyed your ideas, even the redos, but now it seems like you’re having as much fun as your readers. Looking forward to what’s next!
I think picking a colour can drive a person crazy. Sometimes I pick at random too. What colour is that on the fireplace you like above?
She doesn’t give colors and sources for client projects.
I think the fireplace color looks very similar to the color I painted the doors in my house – Iron Ore by Sherwin Williams. I’m sure I’ve seen doors painted the same color somewhere in the blogosphere, but I don’t remember where.
Looks like it could be Iron Mountain. I have used it both inside on my doors and on my shutters.
Is there a chance that they mixed the wrong color? I would take it back along with the paint chip if you can’t tell from the can.
Well, darn! It wouldn’t have saved your labor but it would have saved the paint cost. Love the dark gray in your inspiration picture.
With all of your changes, Kristi, will you be keeping your gorgeous mural? I hope so, because I love it!
It didn’t make the cut for the living room/entryway, but I’ll be using the pattern elsewhere.
The amount of light in your living room can really create havoc on a paint color. Even if you choose the same paint color as your inspiration picture, isn’t there a possibility that it won’t work? Maybe you should get more samples!
Enjoy reading about your adventures!
My favorite dark grey was, in a past basement that matched dust way to well for our cleaning habits. It created an effect similar to your inspiration picture, and was paired with a deep yellow on the walls. Suprisingly it worked well. When my inlaws were re-painting the upstairs to sell the home, they used a selection of lighter greys between different rooms, and it opened up the woes of greys how different they were depending on the room. My favorite was called “squirrel”, I think I liked it more from the name. I was still drawn to squirrel despite it “changing” what it looked like depending on the light.
How will the Iceberg work with your mural?
Behr has a really pretty dark gray… Urbane Bronze I believe.
You make me chuckle! I have done the darn thing a hundred times. You always make me realize that we both are normal!
Well, it is lovely, but not as stunning as the fireplace in the first picture. Lighting can change how the color looks in a room. I am not a “grey” fan either….but I am picking colors for projects that are on the grey spectrum. Go figure.
As you mentioned, lighting plays a huge role in how colors appear. Will you use LED bulbs or incandescent bulbs with your new chandelier? If you will have table lamps, be sure to use the same type bulb as your overhead. In my experience, LED can give the most true color. From your post yesterday, I thought perhaps you could paint the birds within frames for your TV disguise. Do you already have the tv or will that be a new purchase for the breakfast room? Like you, my favorite of the inspiration photos was the first one. I can’t see using any of the others for it. However, be sure you really will be closing it for when it is just you and Matt instead of only the rare occasions when family come. It might not be worth the trouble. It’s for you two, not for others as you came to realize with your living room…dining room….and again a living room.
You always make me feel better and free to take chances.Thank you.
Does it matter that your mantle is solid wood. Does that affect the paint color as opposed to wallboard?
I don’t think it affects the color.
Good to know, Krista! Thanks!
I’m just curious, you have lot’s of “new” stuff coming in the mail. What do you do with the “old” stuff you no longer want? Do you sell some of it or donate? I know anybody that is fortunate enough to snag one of you old projects will be thrilled with it, but have you thought about donating to a local charity/church that may be looking to furnish someone’s home for the Christmas holiday or any other time of year? I’d love to see HGTV give you a $1000, a month, a small crew and then just turn you loose in an empty house for a makeover. I absolutely LOVE your blog!
I do a mix of things. I’ve given things away, and I’ve also sold some things. And yes, I’d love for someone to give me money each month to make over rooms! 😀 That would be so fun! I’ve actually thought about what I might do when I finish my house. One thing I’ve contemplated is buying up old houses around us that need some love and attention and remodeling them and then renting them out. Another idea I’ve had is to maybe travel around and do room makeovers for people. I’d love that!
*making interested cat face: big eyes with ears and whiskers swiveled forward* Wow, by “travel around,” I’m wondering if you mean outside of Texas? If so, how would you like to come to Los Angeles? 🙂 I’ve got an apartment that needs so. much. help. – the bedroom, and the combo living/dining room. I just can’t get any of it together.
Maybe you could offer a service where you do a lot of the consultation/planning/product buying, etc. online, and have products delivered to the client location. Then you’d just travel to the location for the actual room makeover bit. And the client can help with painting, any DIY stuff, etc. Sounds like a great plan to me (LOL!). You’d have a list a mile long for something like that, but I wanna go first!
Did you use Advance for the fireplace? I have come to the conclusion that Advance comes 1 or 2 shades lighter than the sample paint (which is matte).
Also, I used iceberg in my Hall bathroom. It is a beautiful color but it has blues in it and really bright. My advice will be to try one wall first as I am not sure it will work with dark grey.
Yes, I did use the Advance! Interesting observation about the color. And I do think I’ll paint as much of a wall as I can with my Iceberg sample because you’re the second person to describe it as a bright blue. It looks so muted in my music room (almost just looks gray), and in the living room I can see the blue, but I really don’t want a bright blue.
I used a light grey that looks geyish-blue at night, & I used a “pencil grey” on an accent wall. While I had my doubts, I actually love the pencil gray – and I swear it really does look like you’ve taken a pencil and colored in the wall. With white framed black & white photos on the accent wall, it looks really nice! 😃 Good luck.
This brings up an interesting question. If you have a room to paint with lots of light, do you try to choose colors towards the cooler end of the spectrum to test (say, a gray with more blue in it) or go with hues that are warmer (using the gray example, one with more yellow in it) in order to balance the light? Or, another example, a north-facing room as opposed to a south-facing room. The quality of the light changes the color. Is there any way to predict what will look better? I always seem to miss the mark when trying to figure out what will end up being a good color. Too many swatches!
What about BM Amherst Gray or Kendall Charcoal? I think those would mimic your inspiration fireplace.
I agree. Kendall charcoal looks very much like the inspiration fireplace. Our tv/family room is painted that color with the ceiling painted revere pewter as is the rest of the house. They work well together.
Check out Thrifty Décor Chick’s Peppercorn fireplace: http://www.thriftydecorchick.com/2014/09/13-planked-wall-finished-fireplace.html She has used that color throughout her house with success.
This was the color I was thinking of. I think it is definitely close to the target.
Love the idea of a dark gray on the fireplace. Ditto the color Peppercorn Sarah uses at Thrifty Décor Chick. Truthfully, not sure on the wall color. It seems so light and cold on my computer screen that I can’t give a decent vote!
I painted a bedroom Iceberg by BM. It was suppose to be grey with a hint of blue. That bedroom is now called the blue bedroom in our house. I would suggest a big swatch before you paint much of the room.
I think that this color is really influenced by the lighting. It looks much more grey at certain times of the day in my home.
Take a look at Dior Grey by BM. I’m addicted to it.
I have Iceberg on my ceilings, with Palest Pistachio on my walls in my living room and I love it. I plan on using it on my bedroom walls.
Have you considered a glazed zinc to go over the light grey? I have a page dedicated to my favorite color; it’s grey, and it’s because grey simply goes with every other color imaginable – in my opinion. I did one of my guest baths in Grey Metal – which is very dark. Did not sand the oak stained vanity or wall cabinet, just cleaned them with alcohol, and they turned out great with two coats of the satin latex. The grain slightly shows, if you like that look as I do. Otherwise, it’s easy to cover, as I’m sure you know. I purchased Granite Grey for the masterbath vanity, the mirror frame that is essentially a three mirror cabinet with the light bar built in, and another large wall cabinet that hangs above the toilet. I am considering painting the block glass window shelf that has beautiful crown molding, which my husband made, and hangs just above the jacuzzi. Granite is much lighter and I am considering adding a coat of poly over the paint just to the vanity cabinets, then doing a light sanding and adding a zinc glaze for a nice satiny look and a little definition. You sound like me, in that you have too many projects going at one time! I am also trying to finish one mosaic of a waterfall, while doing another mosaic tile over a frame we made for the 2nd guest bath we are working on. Also, as a last minute chore, I designed an accent table my husband is just about to complete. That, I will sand, paint, poly and glaze; I spent a few minutes yesterday laying out some mosaic tiles for the top on cement backer until I was satisfied with the design, and I am gluing down at eleven p.m! It’s fun, and it’s exhausting and at times it can be daunting; but in the end – it is so worth it! It’s hard to do when, like you – I am also working on and planning future rooms for an entire home remodel and redecorating! You are doing a terrific job, so try not to stress over the color – you can add anything you like to darken it up, and until you rest up – it can wait because it certainly doesn’t look like an eyesore – it’s a nice warm tone until you get around to making your brand of perfect!
If you’re still looking for velvet sofas you m want to check this blog post.
We’ve had a fail with gray and it was our fireplace too. We picked a light gray, gorgeous in the samples and it turned out a purple-gray when we painted. Awful! We learned that never buy a gray that has red in it! Good luck with your fireplace. That rich gray you chose looks stunning!
As I was painting over the light gray last night, it struck me that the light gray actually looked like a very light purple. And not in a good way. :-/ I didn’t remember it looking like that during the day so it must be my lighting in that room, but the night time look was definitely on the purple side.
What I mostly noticed in your wonderful close-up was how uniform the paint finish looks. You used BM’s Advance, but did you brush again like with your cabinets?
Also, meant to ask you at the time of your new kitchen cabinets blog: Why did you decide to brush instead of spray your cabinets this time?
As always, your skill and speed just amaze me. I am in awe of your talent. So glad I found your blog!
I did use Advance, and I brushed it on. On my cabinets, I decided to brush because it puts the paint on thicker and pushes the paint down into the wood grain to create a smoother finish. On a wood with minimal grain, I would have sprayed. But my cabinets are oak with lots of grain. | 2019-04-20T00:29:46Z | https://www.addicted2decorating.com/gray-fireplace-fail.html |
Alfa-Bird has been identified as a success story by the European Commission.
The "4th International Conference on BiofuelsStandards: Current Issues, Future Trends" will take place on November13-15, 2012, in Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
This International Conference is being organized by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Brazilian National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (INMETRO) and the European Commission’s Directorate C (Renewables, Research and Innovation, Energy Efficiency). Biofuels are finding expanded utilization in ground transportation systems, and more recently in aviation systems. Biofuels are being produced from different feedstocks, using a wide range of processes. Documentary and measurement standards, and reference data on thermo physical and thermo chemical properties of biofuels, play a critical role in assuring consistency and quality of biofuels produced using different processes and feedstocks. Brazil, EU and the US are the three largest producers of biofuels; other countries where biofuel production and utilization is increasing are also expected to participate in this Conference.
The Conference will provide an overview of the state-of-the-art on biofuels used in surface transportation, such as bioethanol, biodiesel, other biofuels and algal biofuels; it will also provide an overview of the more recent developments in utilization of biofuels in aviation, and specific issues and requirements for biofuels that are utilized in commercial and military applications. Documentary and measurement standards needed to facilitate trade and applications in new areas will be identified. Requirements that result from new regulations and applications in different parts of the globe will be discussed. Utilization of biofuels in developing economies will be reviewed, implications for sustainability will be discussed, and future trends that may lead to the need for new biofuels standards will be identified.
For more information about the Conference, please click on http://nist.gov/mml/biofuels-standards.cfm .
To present a paper a the conference, please contact a member of the program committee to establish the suitability of the topic for the conference. Use this submission form to provide a title, authors, and abstract not to exceed 250 words and email it to [email protected] with "ICBS Presentation" in the subject line.
The 4th meeting of the Alfa-Bird project will take place in Airbus's premises in Toulouse on June 13-14, 2012.
in Toulouse, on June 13-14, 2012.
The Alfa-Bird consortium will organize its 4th Annual Meeting in Toulouse (France) on June 13-14, 2012.
This meeting will aim at presenting the main results and conclusions of the Alfa-Bird project.
The call for papers is open until May 4th, 2012.
To register, please click here (deadline: May 11th, 2012).
This Workshop is organised by the European Commission and the Biofuels FlightPath Core Team under the framework of the EU Biofuels FlightPath in Aviation.
Biofuels FlightPath - Workshop on Upstream R&D and Innovation for Paraffinic Biofuels: Call for abstracts "Session on Lab-Direct: Innovation & Prospects"
The event 'Upstream R&D and Innovation' will take place on Monday 18 June in Milan as a Workshop of the 20th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition in Milan, Italy, 18-22 June 2012. This Conference is the main European event on biomass and bioenergy in Europe and it is customarily attended by participants from the industry and the scientific and research community. The Core Team decided that it will be the appropriate event to host a Workshop addressing upstream and innovative pathways and value chains for the conversion of sustainable biomass sources to paraffinic biofuels for use in aviation.
The purpose of the Workshop is to discuss with key stakeholders the state of the art and recent advances by upstream research in new technology pathways and value chains for paraffinic biofuels.
The organisers have scheduled an 80 minutes session in which they invite PhD students to make presentations of their work. It is foreseen that 10 students will be given each 8 minutes (3slides, maximum 5 minutes presentation followed by 1 or 2 questions). All presentations should address innovative technologies on converting biomass to paraffinic biofuels for use in the aviations sector. The session will be followed by a 20 minutes discussion and Q&A directed specifically to the 10 presentations.
Please note that this session is dedicated to PhD students and young researchers and no professor or senior researcher will be allowed to give a presentation.
[email protected] by Friday 8 June 2012 close of business.The abstracts may address topics beyond "Microbial Conversion" and "Thermochemical conversionof sugars, alcohols and pyrolysis oils" which are the two main topics ofthe Workshop so long as they focus on paraffinic biofuels for aviation.
Following a successful meeting held on April 3, 2012 in Geneva, important observations and positive comments were received from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regarding EU-VRi's economic modeling developed within the ALFA-BIRD project.
The EU-VRi team presented its economic model for the implementation of alternative fuel in the aviation sector to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at a meeting held on April 3, 2012 in Geneva. Positive comments made by IATA during the presentation support the work developed and encourage further extension of the economic modeling within the ALFA-BIRD project.
The 2nd European Algae Biomass Summit will take place in London on the 25th-26th April 2012.
The 2012 European Algae Biomass Conference will include opportunities to hear from leading industry executives and experts, including; Algae Producers, Green Energy and Biotech Investors, Biodiesel Manufacturers, Cultivation, Harvesting and Oil Extraction Process Technology Providers, Government Representatives and other Industry Professionals.
This event will provide you with excellent opportunities to interact with your peers in constructive and informative round table and panel discussions. During these sessions you can express your views and participate in discussions about current and future industry activity, this will also be one of many chances to have your questions answered by industry professionals, providing you with the answers you want and need. You can listen in on informative and insightful presentations by the leading figures in the algae industry and maximise your contacts and build strong relationships to open up new and exciting business ventures.
The CAAFI R&D team is requesting topics for white papers addressing critical research and development barriers. These topics and the papers that will follow will form the basis for a formal CAAFI position on research and investment priorities.
Solicit input from the wider R+D team in the form of white papers addressing the gaps and necessary actions to overcome key R+D barriers.
Use the R+D team biennial meeting as a workshop venue, where the white paper inputs are a starting point in a robust collaborative process of narrowing down on critical technology gaps and R+D priorities.
Produce a CAAFI consensus position on R+D gaps and priorities in order to provide guidance on the most productive focal areas for universities, national labs, state and federal governments to invest in the development of alternative aviation fuels.
• What is the barrier?
• What is the basis/background that makes this a high R+D priority?
• Explain the solvability of the barrier by giving direction for R&D investment/effort.
The Alfa-Bird consortium has submitted several ideas of topics.
The compilation of these ideas is available here.
From submitted topics, a selection will be made by mid-May of the top five to eight research and development areas needing increased attention. CAAFI members who suggested those areas will be asked to prepare a short white paper by August 1,2012 (length and content guidelines forthcoming). After white papers are prepared, submitted and reviewed, they will form the basis for discussion at the bi-annual CAAFI R+D team meeting to be held in Q4 2012 (date and location TBD), with the intent to synthesize input and feedback into the official position paper that is produced by this process. This position paper is intended to provide guidance on the most productive focal areas for universities, national labs, state and federal governments to invest in the development of alternative aviation fuels.
Example 1: Fuel producers need less expensive/longer-lasting catalysts. Catalysts are currently a significant cost component for final fuel due to expense, short lifespan, and easy poisoning. This could be solved with new materials research or reaction condition optimization.
Example 2: Currently the collection and densification of biomass is energy and emissions intensive and potentially too capital intensive for distributed implementation. Modern agriculture has developed methods for automated collection of agricultural products that are not necessarily compatible with bioenergy crop needs, particularly the removal of water. This could be solved with effective low energy water removal techniques and low environmental-impact collection techniques.
Example 3: Development of testing methods (e.g., for ASTM) for oxygenates. A lack of oxygen is an important characteristic of aviation fuels, but the existing testing method is extremely expensive and very few places do it. Focused R&D efforts on new testing methods, or cost reduction of the existing method is critical for the success of drop in aviation fuels.
The Aviation Biofuels Webinar to hear from FAA, ASTM and British Airways on the latest developments in Aviation Biofuels: What impact will revised approval processes have on future feedstock pathways? took place on February 29th, 2012.
The 60 minute information-driven prelude to the 2-day Aviation Biofuels Conference in Rotterdam next week featured presentations from the FAA, the ASTM and British Airways. The webinar was an informative and thought-leading introduction to aviation approval processes with regards to future feedstock pathways, and included an exclusive insight into how they affect the end-users.
The full recording is now available to view - please click here.
CAAFI has updated the caafi.org "Fuel Readiness Tools" page.
The Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative® (CAAFI®) announced that they have updated the caafi.org "Fuel Readiness Tools" page (http://www.caafi.org/information/fuelreadinesslevel.html). This one-stop fuel readiness page aims at facilitating the use and cross referencing of these tools.
The page now includes the "Path to Alternative Jet Fuel Readiness" document, the Fuel Readiness Level (FRL) scale, the FRL Exit Criteria (a checklist for requirements to move from one step to the next) and the Feedstock Readiness Level (developed through collaboration with USDA).
The “Path to Alternative Jet Fuel Readiness” briefing document was developed by the CAAFI R&D Team to outline the process of fuel development, qualification and certification and the role of CAAFI in facilitating the process. It is intended for use by individuals and organizations interested in producing alternative fuels.
The “Path to Fuel Readiness” document provides information on how to become involved with the aviation community, the testing and environmental evaluations required to show the fuel’s suitability for aviation use, and how to best facilitate ASTM International certification for a new fuel.
formally accepted and approved by the European Commission (with less than 0.05 % adjustment needed!).
The 2011 CAAFI General Meeting will take place at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center in Washington, DC on November 30 and December 1, 2011.
The CAAFI General Meeting is the meeting place where alternative aviation fuel professionals from throughout the world gather to discuss, and solve, the challenges they face, and map the future of this new dynamic industry. The “by-invitation-only” CAAFI Conference format includes high-level keynote addresses from government and industry leaders, panel presentations, large and small group discussions, break-out sessions, and a series of networking events.
This year’s CAAFI General Meeting has two component parts: A ‘by-invitation-only” Conference for alternative aviation professionals, and an Expo that will introduce the industry to a larger audience. The Expo is located immediately adjacent to the conference room, providing a way for fuel producers and others in the industry to showcase the products they offer and the approaches they are taking.
For the 2011 meeting, conference participation for two full days, including refreshment breaks, lunches, and our traditional evening networking reception, is priced at $350 per delegate. Click here to link to the electronic registration form. The draft agenda can be found at www.caafimeeting.com under the “CAAFI Conference” tab at the top of the page.
SWAFEA workpackage reports have been published.
Resource efficiency is a policy priority for Europe. However, across the region there are many different approaches to ‘doing more with less’, as shown by a survey of countries’ policies, carried out by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
In coming years, societies will have to confront a huge challenge. While global population and economic production continue to grow, the resources supporting this upward spiral are finite. The United Nations (UN) recently noted that resource use will triple by 2050 if humans continue to use resources with the same degree of efficiency as we do currently.
The European Commission’s recent Resource Efficiency Roadmap states that while “demand for food, feed and fibre may increase by 70 % by 2050, 60 % of the world’s major ecosystems that help produce these resources have already been degraded or are used unsustainably.” Such unchecked resource use will increase environmental destruction and inequality; and ultimately lead to the disappearance of the natural and mineral resources which support modern societies.
To address this problem, countries across Europe have been working on strategies and policies to become more resource-efficient. When responding to the survey, countries cited several reasons for attempting to become more resource efficient, including concerns about environmental degradation, economic reasons or shortages of a critical resource such as water.
We are proud to inform that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has officially confirmed the liaison between ISO/PC 262 (Project Committee: Risk Management) and EU-VRi.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has officially confirmed the liaison between ISO/PC 262 (Project Committee: Risk Management) and EU-VRi. The ISO/PC 262 members, comprising 31 participating countries and 6 observing countries, have kindly accepted the liaison application of EU-VRi.
EU-VRi and its members are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration and exchange on standardization activities in the field of ISO 31000 family of standards, and ISO 31004 in particular.
Find out more about ISO/PC 262 by following this link.
The European Commission, Airbus, leading European airlines and European biofuel producers, have launched an exciting new industry wide initiative to try and speed up the commercialisation of aviation biofuels in Europe.
The inititive labelled “Biofuel Flightpath” is a roadmap with clear milestones which targets an annual production of two million tonnes of sustainably produced biofuel for aviation by 2020.
The biofuel will be produced in Europe from European sourced feedstock material and has the backing of The European Commissioner, Günther Oettinger, Airbus CEO Tom Enders, major European airlines, and a number of advanced biofuel producers.
In July 2008, the ALFA-BIRD (Alternative fuels and biofuels in aviation) program was started. Its main purpose is to develop an ambitious programme on renewable alternative fuels for aviation. The main results obtained so far will be presented in a note.
In July 2008, the ALFA-BIRD (Alternative fuels and biofuels in aviation) program was started. Its main purpose is to develop an ambitious programme on renewable alternative fuels for aviation. The main results obtained so far will be presented.
The fuel selection process – a two steps procedure - is completed, following the protocol agreed in the ALFA_BIRD proposal. The consortium has completed the second step, which consisted in selecting the 3-4 most promising blends of the fuel mixtures considered. This selection is based on the results of tests on the pre-selection of 12 blends (FSJF, FT-SPK, blends of FT-SPK with naphthenic cut or with hexanol or with furane or with FAE, in different amounts).
(iv) a blend of FT-SPK and 20% hexanol.
This fuel matrix offers the possibility to evaluate the potential of different chemical families which are paraffinic compounds, naphthenic compounds, and oxygenated compounds. This is also representative with respect to a short, middle, and long term view of possible alternative fuels.
In the same time, the Alfa-Bird project started the subproject SP3 – Technical analysis and future alternative fuels strategy. The partners are currently defining the methodologies which will be used for the environmental and economical evaluations.
The full note is available here.
ELOBIO project has published several report on biofuel.
The Elobio project (effective and low-disturbing biofuel policies) is finished.
The Elobio's objective was to introduce efficient and low-disturbing policy options that enhance biofuels while minimizing the impacts on e.g. food and feed markets and biomass for power and heat.
Elobio has published several reports on biofuel. These reports are available here.
Alfa-Bird, through the Workpackage 1.4 (LISBP, CNRS, Lesaffre), submitted an article to the Metabolic Engineering Journal.
The oleaginous yeast Y. lipolytica is one of the most extensively studied “nonconventional” yeast. Y. lipolytica is able to accumulate lipids up to 38% of its dry weight. Factors involved into lipid and particularly triglycerides accumulation are not well identified. Using different mutants of glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) shuttle (∆gut2 or overexpression of GPD1), we were able to modulate G3P concentration and to show that increase of G3P concentration leads to higher TAG accumulation. Our results indicate that increase of G3P accumulation is associated to a decrease of glycerol concentration, suggesting that Y. lipolytica does not possess glycerol-3-phosphatase enzyme. Analysis of genes involved into glycerol metabolism, let us think that Y. lipolytica presents a modified and original glycerol metabolism, which could contribute to the oleaginous character. Moreover, coupling G3P shuttle disorders and deficiency in β-oxidation increase TAG accumulation and by the way lipid accumulation in Y. lipolytica. Finally we obtained strains accumulating up to 65-75% of lipid (W/W dry). By quantitative PCR we were able to show that this is not only link to higher G3P concentration or inability to degrade lipids but it is link to overexpression of genes involved into TAG synthesis (SCT1 and DGA1) and to repression of genes involved into degradation of TAG (TGL3 and TGL4).
Alfa-Bird, through INRA, presented a poster during the LMO 09 (Levures, Modèles et Outils IX) in Strasbourg (France) on August 30-31 and 1-2 September 2010.
The third workshop and the third General Assembly took place in DLR's premises in Stuttgart.
The 2nd Internal Workshop and the 2nd Alfa-Bird General Assembly took place in Toulouse on 6-8 July, 2010.
Around 40 participants have attended three days Workshop. On these three days partners have presented progress on their tasks and the main results.
Presentations from the Internal Workshop, Open workshop and General Assembly are available on the website. To download the presentations click here.
Alfa-Bird, through the Workpackage 1.2 (IFP, DLR, SHELL, SASOL), submitted an article to the IASH Newsletter (The International Association for Stability, Handling and Use of Liquid Fuels).
To download the final article, click here.
The 18th European Biomass Conference & Exhibition took place in Lyon (France) on 3-7 May.
During this event, Marina Braun-Unkhoff (DLR) gave an overview on the possible use of alternative aviation fuels, and mentioned the work in Alfa-Bird. She concluded that for alternative jet fuels, algae, waste, and ligno-cellulosic biomass are the most important fuels to be researched at the moment.
You can read the full bulletin dated May 7, 2010 and find here the other daily bulletins.
The congress of World Biofuels Market 2010 took place in Amsterdam on 15-17 March.
To access at the presentations of the congress "World Biofuels Market 2010" took place in Amsterdam on 15-17 March, click here.
Alfa-Bird has reached an important milestone with the selection of 4 alternative fuels for the tests which will be performed during the second phase of the project.
To download the note justifying the choice of the 4 alternative fuels, click here.
Special Issue on "Combustion Dynamics and Heat Transfer for Alternative Fuels in Gas Turbines," which will be published in the journal "Advances in Mechanical Engineering" in May 2010.
Special Issue on "Combustion Dynamics and Heat Transfer for Alternative Fuels in Gas Turbines," which will be published in the journal "Advances in Mechanical Engineering" in May 2010. You can find the Call for Papers for this Special Issue at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ame/si/cdht.html and the deadline for submission is November 1st, 2009.
For more information on Alfa-Bird project you can download the leaflet and the slides.
The leaflet and slides presents the main partners of the project, as well as the basic idea, objectives, structure and its planned achievements.
Both documents are in pdf format. | 2019-04-20T00:46:51Z | http://alfa-bird.eu-vri.eu/news.aspx?lan=230&tab=489&nid=710 |
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In the state of Illinois, most construction contractors are licensed on a local level, rather than a state level, although roofing contractors and plumbers are the exceptions to those rules.
The plumbing permits are handled by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the roofing permits are handled by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulations.
If you are, or are in need of, the services of another type of contractor, which includes landscapers, remodeling and others, you need to check with the local city to understand their license requirements.
When you’re getting ready to move forward, we encourage you to use the form below to request quotes from competing contractors the easy way. Filling it out takes just 2 minutes, and it’s free. It will help ensure that you don’t end up overpaying.
Are you planning to work as a contractor in Illinois? If so, you need to determine if you need to get your contractor license at the state level or at the city or county level. This is because in the state of Illinois, only those under the roofing and plumbing trades may be granted licenses by the state. For other types of contractors, licenses are issued by the city or county.
Will you be working on plumbing systems and you need to get licensed? Then you need to get in touch with the Illinois Department of Public Health, since it is the issuing authority for plumbing licenses. To make inquiries, you can contact the Plumbing Program at (217) 524-0791. You can also go directly to their office at 525 West Jefferson Street, Springfield, Illinois 62761.
Roofing licenses, on the other hand, are handled by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulations. To contact them, you may call their hotline number 1-800-560-6420, or personally go to their headquarters located at 320 W Washington St, Springfield, IL 62786, USA.
Do you have an interest in bidding on projects handled by the state’s Department of Transportation? Then, you need to know that the state requires you to be prequalified for any of the 42 categories related to the project you want to bid on before doing so. These categories may be found at http://www.idot.illinois.gov/Assets/uploads/files/Doing-Business/Manuals-Guides-&-Handbooks/Highways/Construction/Rules%20For%20Prequal%20of%20Contractors%20.pdf#page=35&view=fit and you can also use it as your reference guide to be prequalified for any project. But if you have questions, you can direct them to the department’s Prequalification Section under the Bureau of Construction. To contact them, call (217) 782-3413 or go directly to the following address: 2300 South Dirksen Parkway, Room 322, Springfield, Illinois 62764. Once you are proven to be prequalified, remember to renew it every 16 months.
Don’t let the limited number of license classifications fool you. The state of Illinois is strict when it comes to regulating and issuing licenses for both the roofing and plumbing trades. Acquiring these licenses, like in any other state, will need you to prove your skills, experience, and knowledge about the trade. Licenses, regardless of classification, will not be issued to just anybody who wants it.
Plumbing, as defined by the state in the Illinois Plumbing License Law which you can read at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1343&ChapterID=24, focuses on work done on plumbing systems and their appurtenances, particularly their installation, alteration, maintenance and repair, and extension. While it also includes work on sanitary and building drainages, water supply systems, sprinkler systems, and ventilation systems, this does not allow anyone with a plumber license to work on building sewers, water well drilling and related pumping systems, water softening systems, and plumbing appliances and equipment, among others.
You can choose from three types of plumbing licenses in Illinois. However, you need to start first as an apprentice plumber before applying for the plumber’s and plumbing contractor’s licenses.
Plumber –has successfully completed an apprenticeship program, gained enough experience, and passed the necessary examinations to be able to work independently on plumbing systems within the state. They must be employed by a contractor to do so.
Not all states issue roofing contractor licenses at the state level and Illinois is just one of the 21 that do so. If you are issued a roofing contractor license, you are permitted to work not just on roofing systems per se, such as in terms of their construction and reconstruction, modification, repair, maintenance, and alteration, but also do waterproofing work on them.
A roofing contractor in Illinois is anyone that does roofing and waterproofing work after proving to the state that he or she possesses the knowledge, experience, and skills to do so.
Limited (Residential) Roofing Contractor License – applies to contractors who are restricted to working on residential property projects, but with a maximum of 8 units.
Applying for contractor licenses in the state of Illinois is a straightforward process. In general, you just need to meet all their requirements and pass the required examinations for you to be granted the license that you are applying for. Of course, the requirements will vary, depending on the license and where you will apply for it. Cities and counties in Illinois have different requirements for licenses issued at the municipal level, unlike those that are issued at the state-level.
Make sure to follow this guide if you are applying for the state-issued plumbing and roofing licenses. Also, don’t forget to inquire in the city or county where you will be filing your license application in if they have other requirements for these licenses, so that you can work in that particular municipality.
The steps to acquire a license will depend on the type of plumbing license you are applying for. Do note that Illinois requires apprentice and plumber licenses to be renewed every year.
Join an apprenticeship program where you will be mentored and supervised by a sponsor or licensed plumber. You also need to identify your sponsor in your application form, so make sure to find one before you apply.
Unless you will be strictly working on commercial or industrial properties, it is recommended that you acquire a Limited or Residential Roofing Contractor License first. This is because having a Limited License allows you to acquire the Unlimited License later on after passing the trade examinations for that license.
You need to take note that any Roofing Contractor license will expire every other year and you should renew yours before June 30th of those years.
It’s true that construction projects typically cost so much. Not only do you pay for labor but also for the materials needed for your project. This is something that you must think of when looking for a contractor for your property.
These are just some of the many issues that you will potentially face if you hire unlicensed contractors. The main point is that the risks far outweigh the possible benefits if you decide to do so. In the end, you’ll likely end up losing more money, despite your assumption that you should hire an unlicensed contractor to cut costs on your project.
Do you want to confirm the status of the license of a contractor? To do that, make sure that you have the necessary details, such as the full name of the contractor and the field he or she is licensed in. The online databases will require you to input that information.
In the state of Illinois, you can check license statuses online, especially for all state-issued licenses. For plumbing licenses, you can use the online database of the Department of Public Health, which you can find here: https://plumblicv5pub.dph.illinois.gov/clients/ildohplumb/public/verification/plumber_license_verification.aspx. Roofing licenses, on the other hand, the lookup tool is located at https://ilesonline.idfpr.illinois.gov/DPR/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx.
Contractor licenses issued at the municipal level, on the other hand, most often do not have this option. You can only verify contractor license by personally getting in touch with the issuing authority in that city or county. However, the bigger cities usually have a database where you can check the list of licensed contractors in that particular city. You can verify this by going to the official website of the municipality.
If the state only issues two general types of licenses, this is usually not the case for contractor licenses issued at the city and county level. More often than not, the cities and counties have more license classifications available, compared to the two general types offered by the state. Do note that the types of contractor licenses vary per state and you should always confirm with their issuing authority, usually the municipal hall, as to which contractor licenses you need to apply for.
If you aim to work on projects in Illinois that have big budgets, aim for those found on its biggest cities or wealthiest neighborhoods. This guide will show you how you can work as a contractor for some of those cities in the state.
The requirements for these licenses will depend on the classification you are applying for. To apply, you can get the necessary forms at http://continentaltestinginc.com/city-of-chicago-downloadable-forms/ and fill them out. Most of these licenses also require you to pass the trade examinations.
Licenses issued by the city of Chicago expire annually and are renewable.
General contractors need to have a license in the City of Chicago, Illinois which needs to be renewed on an annual basis. You can find a list of all the licensed general contractors in Chicago on the Department of Buildings website.
You can find the application to obtain a general contractor license on the website of City of Chicago. This is the list of things they require along with the application.
Except for Mechanical, Dumpster, and Fence and Driveway Contractors licenses applications, the application form that you should use is found at https://www.aurora-il.org/DocumentCenter/View/848/Contractor-License-Application-PDF?bidId=. Aside from applying for your license, you can also get licensed in Aurora through reciprocal agreements but only with other municipalities. However, this still does not guarantee that you will be issued a license.
The city also requires plumbing contractors who got their license from the state to get themselves registered in the city of Aurora. Registrations cost $200.
Only a selected number of contractor licenses are issued by the city of Rockford. In fact, it does not even require general and electrical contractors to be licensed in the city. However, the city does require an electrical contractor to register with the city’s Community and Economic Development Department.
On the other hand, Rockford requires demolition contractors and those working on the mechanical trade to get themselves licensed.
But before you can get registered, you should know that there are requirements that you should meet, such as bonds, licenses, and or certificates. Check with the city about the specific requirements when filing your registration. Do note that certificates of Insurance are also required for all contractors.
When registering with the City Clerk, you also need to pay the necessary license fees, such as $50 for electrical contractors and $30 for sidewalk contractors. Surety bonds are also required for contractors.
If you plan to work on projects in the City of Elgin, you are not only required to be licensed but you must also submit your letter of intent, which must either be written using your company letter head and sealed (done by a notary public) or stamped with the official seal of your business or company, that has been signed by the license holder and is addressed to the city.
License reciprocity applies for electrical and mechanical contractors, but this is a case-to-case basis. If you will be working on HVAC and electrical systems, you are also required by the city to take their trade examinations.
While not technically a city, the village of Hinsdale deserves to be included in the list. Why? Simply because it is one of the country’s wealthiest areas. This means that even the smallest projects can have big budgets. As a contractor, you need to go for these types of contracts.
Hinsdale, however, requires general contractors to be registered only. To do so, you must fill out the form found at http://cms4.revize.com/revize/hinsdale/Contractor’s%20Registration%20Application%201-8-18.pdf and submit it to the Village Hall, together with your surety bond and certificate of insurance. Remember to pay the $250 license fee.
This village is quite strict when it comes to hiring contractors for public property projects, and rightfully so, given the average cost of contracts. If you are interested in such contracts, you should inquire with the Village Hall on how you can be qualified to bid on them.
The Village of Winnetka is another wealthy neighborhood in the state of Illinois that contractors like you must aim to have projects in. Wealthy neighborhoods equal to higher contract costs. Not only can you bag high cost projects but you may also get referrals to work for other residents in the village, as long as you do a commendable job.
Before you can work as a general contractor in the village, you need to confirm the requirements with their Building Permit and Construction Department. This is because the requirements for contractors will depend on the projects up for bid. Make sure to provide surety bonds that have terms of just a year and have the village as its Obligee.
It’s a given that there’s legwork, paperwork, and money involved when it comes to applying for contractor licenses. But what if there’s a shortcut for it? The fact is, it does exist! This is best explained in two words: license reciprocity.
Acquiring your license through this method only applies if you already have a license that you got from another state that has a reciprocity agreement with the state you are currently applying in. If this is the case, then you’re exempted from submitting some of the requirements for your license application, such as your work experience and even the trade exams. There’s less hassle on your part to get the same type of license you already have that was issued in another state. Great, right?
In the case of the state of Illinois, however, license reciprocity with other states is only applicable on a case-to-case basis, particularly for plumbing licenses. The Department of Public Health will have the final say if your license from another state can be considered for the reciprocity method of application, regardless of which state you got it. You need to contact the Department if you want to use this method to acquire your plumbing license in Illinois, since there’s no exact criteria as to which plumbers and plumbing contractors can get licensed this way. Roofing contractors of the state, on the other hand, do not qualify for any license reciprocity.
Some cities will accept licenses, especially electrical and mechanical licenses, that were obtained in another city. But this applies only if the cities are both located in the state of Illinois. This is especially true for those that require electrical or mechanical licenses but do not actually issue them. In cases like these, you need to apply for an electrical or mechanical license in another city that does issue them, just for you to be licensed to work in the city you actually want. It’s unfortunately a time-consuming, and even costly, process that needs a lot of improvement. This is one of the state’s most problematic policies regarding construction-related licensing.
Other states such as North Carolina and Washington State both license general contractors and electricians, but since they’re not classifications that are regulated state-wide in Illinois, you will need to search for the validity of the claimed licenses through the local building departments. The same is the case when you’re trying to lookup HVAC licenses. | 2019-04-21T00:54:51Z | https://contractorquotes.us/illinois-contractor-license/ |
The rumour that I have undergone a brain transplant is (as far as I can remember) unfounded - or at least premature. But my thinking about the current Middle East crisis and its protagonists has in fact radically changed during the past two years. I imagine that I feel a bit like one of those western fellow travellers rudely awakened by the trundle of Russian tanks crashing through Budapest in 1956.
Back in 1993, when I began work on Righteous Victims, a revisionist history of the Zionist-Arab conflict from 1881 until the present, I was cautiously optimistic about the prospects for Middle East peace. I was never a wild optimist; and my gradual study during the mid-1990s of the pre-1948 history of Palestinian-Zionist relations brought home to me the depth and breadth of the problems and antagonisms. But at least the Israelis and Palestinians were talking peace; had agreed to mutual recognition; and had signed the Oslo agreement, a first step that promised gradual Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, the emergence of a Palestinian state, and a peace treaty between the two peoples. The Palestinians appeared to have given up their decades-old dream and objective of destroying and supplanting the Jewish state, and the Israelis had given up their dream of a "Greater Israel", stretching from the Mediterranean to the Jordan river. And, given the centrality of Palestinian-Israeli relations in the Arab-Israeli conflict, a final, comprehensive peace settlement between Israel and all of its Arab neighbours seemed within reach.
But by the time I had completed the book, my restrained optimism had given way to grave doubts - and within a year had crumbled into a cosmic pessimism. One reason was the Syrians' rejection of the deal offered by the prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres in 1993-96 and Ehud Barak in 1999-2000, involving Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights in exchange for a full-fledged bilateral peace treaty. What appears to have stayed the hands of President Hafez Assad and subsequently his son and successor, Bashar Assad, was not quibbles about a few hundred yards here or there but a basic refusal to make peace with the Jewish state. What counted, in the end, was the presence, on a wall in the Assads' office, of a portrait of Saladin, the legendary 12th-century Kurdish Muslim warrior who had beaten the crusaders, to whom the Arabs often compared the Zionists. I can see the father, on his deathbed, telling his son: "Whatever you do, don't make peace with the Jews; like the crusaders, they too will vanish."
But my main reason, around which my pessimism gathered and crystallised, was the figure of Yasser Arafat, who has led the Palestinian national movement since the late 1960s and, by virtue of the Oslo accords, governs the cities of the West Bank (Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm and Qalqilya) and their environs, and the bulk of the Gaza Strip. Arafat is the symbol of the movement, accurately reflecting his people's miseries and collective aspirations. Unfortunately, he has proven himself a worthy successor to Haj Muhammad Amin al Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem, who led the Palestinians during the 1930s into their (abortive) rebellion against the British mandate government and during the 1940s into their (again abortive) attempt to prevent the emergence of the Jewish state in 1948, resulting in their catastrophic defeat and the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem. Husseini had been implacable and incompetent (a dangerous mix) - but also a trickster and liar. Nobody had trusted him, neither his Arab colleagues nor the British nor the Zionists. Above all, Husseini had embodied rejectionism - a rejection of any compromise with the Zionist movement. He had rejected two international proposals to partition the country into Jewish and Arab polities, by the British Peel commission in 1937 and by the UN general assembly in November 1947. In between, he spent the war years (1941-45) in Berlin, working for the Nazi foreign ministry and recruiting Bosnian Muslims for the Wehrmacht.
Abba Eban, Israel's legendary foreign minister, once quipped that the Palestinians had never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity. But no one can fault them for consistency. After Husseini came Arafat, another implacable nationalist and inveterate liar, trusted by no Arab, Israeli or American leader (though there appear to be many Europeans who are taken in). In 1978-79, he failed to join the Israeli-Egyptian Camp David framework, which might have led to Palestinian statehood a decade ago. In 2000, turning his back on the Oslo process, Arafat rejected yet another historic compromise, that offered by Barak at Camp David in July and subsequently improved upon in President Bill Clinton's proposals (endorsed by Barak) in December. Instead, the Palestinians, in September, resorted to arms and launched the current mini-war or intifada, which has so far resulted in some 790 Arab and 270 Israeli deaths, and a deepening of hatred on both sides to the point that the idea of a territorial-political compromise seems to be a pipe dream.
Palestinians and their sympathisers have blamed the Israelis and Clinton for what happened: the daily humiliations and restrictions of the continuing Israeli semi-occupation; the wily but transparent Binyamin Netanyahu's foot-dragging during 1996-99; Barak's continued expansion of the settlements in the occupied territories and his standoffish manner toward Arafat; and Clinton's insistence on summoning the Camp David meeting despite Palestinian protestations that they were not quite ready. But all this is really and truly beside the point: Barak, a sincere and courageous leader, offered Arafat a reasonable peace agreement that included Israeli withdrawal from 85-91% of the West Bank and 100% of the Gaza Strip; the uprooting of most of the settlements; Palestinian sovereignty over the Arab neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem; and the establishment of a Palestinian state. As to the Temple Mount (Haram ash-Sharif) in Jerusalem's Old City, Barak proposed Israeli-Palestinian condominium or UN security council control or "divine sovereignty" with actual Arab control. Regarding the Palestinian refugees, Barak offered a token return to Israel and massive financial compensation to facilitate their rehabilitation in the Arab states and the Palestinian state-to-be.
Arafat rejected the offer, insisting on 100% Israeli withdrawal from the territories, sole Palestinian sovereignty over the Temple Mount, and the refugees' "right of return" to Israel proper. Instead of continuing to negotiate, the Palestinians - with the agile Arafat both riding the tiger and pulling the strings behind the scenes - launched the intifada. Clinton (and Barak) responded by upping the ante to 94-96% of the West Bank (with some territorial compensation from Israel proper) and sovereignty over the surface area of the Temple Mount, with some sort of Israeli control regarding the area below ground, where the Palestinians have recently carried out excavation work without proper archaeological supervision. Again, the Palestinians rejected the proposals, insisting on sole Palestinian sovereignty over the Temple Mount (surely an unjust demand: after all, the Temple Mount and the temples' remains at its core are the most important historical and religious symbol and site of the Jewish people. It is worth mentioning that "Jerusalem" or its Arab variants do not even appear once in the Koran).
Since these rejections - which led directly to Barak's defeat and hardliner Ariel Sharon's election as prime minister - the Israelis and Palestinians have been at each other's throats, and the semi-occupation has continued. The intifada is a strange, sad sort of war, with the underdog, who rejected peace, simultaneously in the role of aggressor and, when the western TV cameras are on, victim. The semi-occupier, with his giant but largely useless army, merely responds, usually with great restraint, given the moral and international political shackles under which he labours. And he loses on CNN because F-16s bombing empty police buildings appear far more savage than Palestinian suicide bombers who take out 10 or 20 Israeli civilians at a go.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has emerged as a virtual kingdom of mendacity, where every official, from President Arafat down, spends his days lying to a succession of western journalists. The reporters routinely give the lies credence equal to or greater than what they hear from straight, or far less mendacious, Israeli officials. One day Arafat charges that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) uses uranium-tipped shells against Palestinian civilians. The next day it's poison gas. Then, for lack of independent corroboration, the charges simply vanish - and the Palestinians go on to the next lie, again garnering headlines in western and Arab newspapers.
Daily, Palestinian officials bewail Israeli "massacres" and "bombings" of Palestinian civilians - when in fact there have been no massacres and the bombings have invariably been directed at empty PA buildings. The only civilians deliberately targeted and killed in large numbers, indeed massacred, are Israeli - by Palestinian suicide bombers. In response, the army and Shin Bet (the Israeli security service) have tried to hit the guilty with "targeted killings" of bomb-makers, terrorists and their dispatchers, to me an eminently moral form of reprisal, deterrence and prevention: these are (barbaric) "soldiers" in a mini-war and, as such, legitimate military targets. Would the critics prefer Israel to respond in kind to a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv? Palestinian leaders routinely laud the suicide bombers as national heroes. In a recent spate of articles, Palestinian journalists, politicians and clerics praised Wafa Idris, a female suicide bomber who detonated her device in Jerusalem's main Jaffa Street, killing an 81-year-old man and injuring about 100. A controversy ensued - not over the morality or political efficacy of the deed but about whether Islam allows women to play such a role.
Instead of being informed, accurately, about the Israeli peace offers, the Palestinians have been subjected to a nonstop barrage of anti-Israeli incitement and lies in the PA-controlled media. Arafat has honed the practice of saying one thing to western audiences and quite another to his own Palestinian constituency to a fine art. Lately, with Arab audiences, he has begun to use the term "the Zionist army" (for the IDF), a throwback to the 1950s and 1960s when Arab leaders routinely spoke of "the Zionist entity" instead of saying "Israel", which, they felt, implied some form of recognition of the Jewish state and its legitimacy.
At the end of the day, this question of legitimacy - seemingly put to rest by the Israeli-Egyptian and Israeli-Jordanian peace treaties - is at the root of current Israeli despair and my own "conversion". For decades, Israeli leaders - notably Golda Meir in 1969 - denied the existence of a "Palestinian people" and the legitimacy of Palestinian aspirations for sovereignty. But during the 1930s and 1940s, the Zionist movement agreed to give up its dream of a "Greater Israel" and to divide Palestine with the Arabs. During the 1990s, the movement went further - agreeing to partition and recognising the existence of the Pales tinian people as its partner in partition.
Unfortunately, the Palestinian national movement, from its inception, has denied the Zionist movement any legitimacy and stuck fast to the vision of a "Greater Palestine", meaning a Muslim-Arab-populated and Arab-controlled state in all of Palestine, perhaps with some Jews being allowed to stay on as a religious minority. In 1988-93, in a brief flicker on the graph, Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organisation seemed to have acquiesced in the idea of a compromise. But since 2000 the dominant vision of a "Greater Palestine" has surged back to the fore (and one wonders whether the pacific asseverations of 1988-1993 were not merely diplomatic camouflage).
The Palestinian leadership, and with them most Palestinians, deny Israel's right to exist, deny that Zionism was/is a just enterprise. (I have yet to see even a peace-minded Palestinian leader, as Sari Nusseibeh seems to be, stand up and say: "Zionism is a legitimate national liberation movement, like our own. And the Jews have a just claim to Palestine, like we do.") Israel may exist, and be too powerful, at present, to destroy; one may recognise its reality. But this is not to endow it with legitimacy. Hence Arafat's repeated denial in recent months of any connection between the Jewish people and the Temple Mount, and, by extension, between the Jewish people and the land of Israel/Palestine. "What Temple?" he asks. The Jews are simply robbers who came from Europe and decided, for some unfathomable reason, to steal Palestine and displace the Palestinians. He refuses to recognise the history and reality of the 3,000-year-old Jewish connection to the land of Israel.
On some symbolic plane, the Temple Mount is a crucial issue. But more practically, the real issue, the real litmus test of Palestinian intentions, is the fate of the refugees, some 3.5-4m strong, encompassing those who fled or were driven out during the 1948 war and were never allowed back to their homes in Is rael, as well as their descendants.
I spent the mid-1980s investigating what led to the creation of the refugee problem, publishing The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947-1949 in 1988. My conclusion, which angered many Israelis and undermined Zionist historiography, was that most of the refugees were a product of Zionist military action and, in smaller measure, of Israeli expulsion orders and Arab local leaders' urgings or orders to move out. Critics of Israel subsequently latched on to those findings that highlighted Israeli responsibility while ignoring the fact that the problem was a direct consequence of the war that the Palestinians - and, in their wake, the surrounding Arab states - had launched. And few noted that, in my concluding remarks, I had explained that the creation of the problem was "almost inevitable", given the Zionist aim of creating a Jewish state in a land largely populated by Arabs and given Arab resistance to the Zionist enterprise. The refugees were the inevitable by-product of an attempt to fit an ungainly square peg into an inhospitable round hole.
But whatever my findings, we are now 50 years on - and Israel exists. Like every people, the Jews deserve a state, and justice will not be served by throwing them into the sea. And if the refugees are allowed back, there will be godawful chaos and, in the end, no Israel. Israel is currently populated by 5m Jews and more than 1m Arabs (an increasingly vociferous, pro-Palestinian irredentist time bomb). If the refugees return, an unviable binational entity will emerge and, given the Arabs' far higher birth rates, Israel will quickly cease to be a Jewish state. Add to that the Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and you have, almost instantly, an Arab state between the Mediterranean and the Jordan river with a Jewish minority.
Jews lived as a minority in Muslim countries from the 7th century - and, contrary to Arab propaganda, never much enjoyed the experience. They were always second-class citizens and always discriminated-against infidels; they were often persecuted and not infrequently murdered. Giant pogroms occurred over the centuries. And as late as the 1940s Arab mobs murdered hundreds of Jews in Baghdad, and hundreds more in Libya, Egypt and Morocco. The Jews were expelled from or fled the Arab world during the 1950s and 60s. There is no reason to believe that Jews will want to live (again) as a minority in a (Palestinian) Arab state, especially given the tragic history of Jewish-Palestinian relations. They will either be expelled or emigrate to the west.
It is the Palestinian leadership's rejection of the Barak-Clinton peace proposals of July-December 2000, the launching of the intifada, and the demand ever since that Israel accept the "right of return" that has persuaded me that the Palestinians, at least in this generation, do not intend peace: they do not want, merely, an end to the occupation - that is what was offered back in July-December 2000, and they rejected the deal. They want all of Palestine and as few Jews in it as possible. The right of return is the wedge with which to prise open the Jewish state. Demography - the far higher Arab birth rate - will, over time, do the rest, if Iranian or Iraqi nuclear weapons don't do the trick first.
And don't get me wrong. I favour an Israeli withdrawal from the territories - the semi-occupation is corrupting and immoral, and alienates Israel's friends abroad - as part of a bilateral peace agreement; or, if an agreement is unobtainable, a unilateral withdrawal to strategically defensible borders. In fact in 1988 I served time in a military prison for refusing to serve in the West Bank town of Nablus. But I don't believe that the resultant status quo will survive for long. The Palestinians - either the PA itself or various armed factions, with the PA looking on - will continue to harry Israel, with Katyusha rockets and suicide bombers, across the new lines, be they agreed or self-imposed. Ultimately, they will force Israel to reconquer the West Bank and Gaza Strip, probably plunging the Middle East into a new, wide conflagration.
I don't believe that Arafat and his colleagues mean or want peace - only a staggered chipping away at the Jewish state - and I don't believe that a permanent two-state solution will emerge. I don't believe that Arafat is constitutionally capable of agreeing, really agreeing, to a solution in which the Palestinians get 22-25% of the land (a West Bank-Gaza state) and Israel the remaining 75-78%, or of signing away the "right of return". He is incapable of looking his refugee constituencies in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Gaza in the eye and telling them: "I have signed away your birthright, your hope, your dream."
And he probably doesn't want to. Ultimately, I believe, the balance of military force or the demography of Palestine, meaning the discrepant national birth rates, will determine the country's future, and either Palestine will become a Jewish state, without a substantial Arab minority, or it will become an Arab state, with a gradually diminishing Jewish minority. Or it will become a nuclear wasteland, a home to neither people.
· Professor Benny Morris teaches Middle East history at Ben-Gurion University, Beersheba, Israel. His next book, The Road to Jerusalem: Glubb Pasha, the Jews and Palestine, is published by IB Tauris. | 2019-04-24T22:07:42Z | https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/feb/21/israel2 |
A new lava field was formed at Holuhraun in the Icelandic Highlands, north of Vatnajökull glacier, in 2014–2015. It was the largest effusive eruption in Iceland for 230 years, with an estimated lava bulk volume of ~1.44 km3 covering an area of ~84 km2. Satellite-based remote sensing is commonly used as preliminary assessment of large scale eruptions since it is relatively efficient for collecting and processing the data. Landsat-8 infrared datasets were used in this study, and we used dual-band technique to determine the subpixel temperature (Th) of the lava. We developed a new spectral index called the thermal eruption index (TEI) based on the shortwave infrared (SWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) bands allowing us to differentiate thermal domain within the lava flow field. Lava surface roughness effects are accounted by using the Hurst coefficient (H) for deriving the radiant flux ( Φ rad ) and the crust thickness (Δh). Here, we compare the results derived from satellite images with field measurements. The result from 2 December 2014 shows that a temperature estimate (1096 °C; occupying area of 3.05 m2) from a lava breakout has a close correspondence with a thermal camera measurement (1047 °C; occupying area of 4.52 m2). We also found that the crust thickness estimate in the lava channel during 6 September 2014 (~3.4–7.7 m) compares closely with the lava height measurement from the field (~2.6–6.6 m); meanwhile, the total radiant flux peak is underestimated (~8 GW) compared to other studies (~25 GW), although the trend shows good agreement with both field observation and other studies. This study provides new insights for monitoring future effusive eruption using infrared satellite images.
Holuhraun is a lava field in the Icelandic Highlands, north of Vatnajökull (Figure 1). The 2014–2015 Holuhraun lava field was created by basaltic fissure eruptions [1,2]. The eruptions lasted from 31 August 2014 to 27 February 2015 and formed a lava flow field covering 84 km2, with a bulk volume of 1.44 km3 [1,2]. This eruption is the largest effusive eruption observed in the last 230 years in Iceland. Field observation during the 2014–2015 eruption has been documented in detail, i.e., Pedersen et al. compiled a detailed evolution of the lava field and created a corresponding database containing information of the lava flows. Most of these field observations are related to the modes of lava transport and emplacement and thermal camera measurement, along with the mapping of the flow field growth and evolution [1,3]. This eruption offers an opportunity to improve our understanding of large effusive eruptions using satellite-based remote sensing. Here we present a new approach based on infrared satellite images to derive thermal properties within the lava field during eruption and then compare the results with field measurement.
Phase 3: Tube-fed lava pathways: early December to 27 February (Figure 2c).
The first phase of the 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption was dominated by open lava channels. This phase had a discharge ~350–100 m3/s. The eruption began on a 1.8 km long fissure feeding up to 500 m wide, incandescent sheets of slabby pahoehoe [1,2]. Apart from fire fountaining in the first few weeks, in 15 days, the volcanic activity had formed an open channels lava flow that advanced 17–18 km towards NNE and subsequently the lava morphology changed to rubbly and aa types [1,7]. The second phase had a discharge ranging from 50 to 100 m3/s [1,6]. During this time, a lava pond <1 km2 was formed at a distance of 0.8 km east of the vents . This pond became the main point of lava distribution, controlling the emplacement of the lava flows [1,2]. Towards the end of this phase, the open channel in the first phase was inflated due to new lava injections into the previously active lava channel lifting the channel . The final (third) phase from December to the end of February had a mean discharge <50 m3/s. In this phase, the lava transport was confined to closed lava pathways within flows. Over 19 km2 of the flow field was resurfaced via surface breakouts from the closed pathways .
where Rx and Ry are the radiances in bands x and y, respectively, (Wm−2 sr−1 m−1) after adjusting for atmospheric effects and surface emissivity; p is the pixel portion occupied by the hot component; R ( λ x , T h ) and R ( λ y , T c ) are the radiances (Wm−2 sr−1 m−1) emitted for wavelengths λ x and λ y , at surface temperatures Th (hot component) and Tc (cool component), respectively. The dual-band method can be applied if the two bands of the short-wave infrared (SWIR) and the thermal infrared (TIR) data are available , whereby any two of the unknowns, Tc, Th and p, can be estimated if the third is assumed. This method has been successfully applied by several researchers [5,6,7,8,9,10,13,14]. Harris et al. and Lombardo et al. [11,16] used dual band method to retrieve the crust and the hot cracks temperature for active lava flows in Mt. Etna. They used band 5 (1.55–1.75 µm) and 7 (2.08–2.35 µm) from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and assumed Th to estimate Tc and p. In this study, we develop a new spectral index for Landsat 8, named the thermal eruption index (TEI), based on the SWIR and TIR bands (bands 6 and 10). The purpose of the TEI consists mainly of two parts: (1) as a threshold for differentiating between different thermal domains; and (2) applying a dual-band method to estimate subpixel temperature within thermal domains and differentiating between the types of lava surface. The active lava surface has thermal domain complexity and could contain more than one thermal component [13,21]; here we use two thermal component scenarios, with Th as temperature of lava surface and Tc as temperature surrounding the lava for different thermal domains. The remainder of this manuscript is organized as follows. Section 3 describes the datasets and the preprocessing. The proposed methodology for TEI, the dual-band method, the estimation of radiant flux (Φrad), and the crust thickness model of lava flow (Δh) is explained in Section 4. We also discuss the effect of lava surface roughness using Hurst coefficient (H) on Φrad and Δh. Further results are arranged in Section 5, and in Section 6 we give a brief discussion. In Section 7, we give a summary of our work.
Remote sensing observations were made using Landsat 8 Level 1 product band 6 (1.56–1.66 µm) and band 10 (10.60–11.19 µm). The eruption was well monitored from Landsat 8, and although Landsat 8 only has a temporal resolution of once every 16 days (making it of limited value for making time series studies of the eruption), the spatial resolution makes it a good tool to derive thermal properties within the lava flow. Landsat 8 has different spatial resolution for band 6 and band 10: band 6 has 30 m spatial resolution and band 10 has 100 m spatial resolution (resampled to 30 m). The selection of band 6 and 10 are considered to minimize oversaturation effects over active lava flows. According to Blackett , Landsat 8 has an enhanced dynamic range compared to Landsat ETM+: this means that temperatures of up to 747.9 K can be detected without saturation in band 6 as compared with those for the corresponding ETM+ band 724.5 K. Acquisition dates are selected according to the availability and quality of data covering the eruption (Table 1), we only took the data where cloud coverage is minimal. The data can be downloaded from the U.S Geological Survey (USGS) website (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov). In our work, we subset Landsat 8 images into 562 by 333 and then converted the satellite-recorded digital numbers (DN) to sensor radiance for both SWIR and TIR bands. In this study, we use radar Sentinel 1A data from 18 October 2014 to derive Hurst coefficient from the lava. This data represents roughness of the lava and can be downloaded from the website (https://scihub.copernicus.eu/dhus/#/home). We also use thermal camera (FLIR) measurement during 2 December 2014 that overlaps with the satellite data and theodolite lava height measurement in the field for result comparison.
where R SWIR and R TIR are the corrected spectral radiances at wavelength λ SWIR and λ TIR , respectively, L ( λ SWIR ) and L ( λ TIR ) are the spectral radiances at the sensor, L U ( λ TIR ) is the atmospheric upwelling radiance, L R ( λ SWIR ) is the atmospheric reflected radiance, τ is atmospheric transmissivity, and ε is the surface emissivity. In this case, we set the emissivity at 0.97 for the Holuhraun basaltic lava. R SWIR and R TIR will be used in Section 4.1 and Section 4.2 both as an input for the calculation of TEI and for the dual-band method.
where R SWIR and R TIR are the pixel corrected spectral radiances detected in the band 6 and band 10, respectively and R SWIR MAX are the maximum spectral radiances detected in band 6 for each scene. In this study, we applied the dual band method to automatically calculate the hot component temperature within the region defined by the hotspot threshold (TEI > 0.10). This selected value is explained in more detail in Section 5.1 and Section 5.3.
The dual-band method relies on a system of two equations (Equations (1) and (2)) and requires the assumption of one of three unknowns, Th, Tc and p. In term of this study, we consider that Th relates to the temperature of recently active lava and recently crusted lava, while Tc relates to the surrounding temperature that is influenced by the eruption processes (Figure 4). both of these can be assumed; meanwhile, p is typically difficult to assume accurately and therefore has to be derived .
which is the average surface temperature of lava for the two thermal components present on the lava flow surface [27,28]. H is the Hurst coefficient (0 < H < 1), where a higher H means a smoother surface. We set H for each thermal domain within lava field as shown in Table 2, these values were derived from radar image speckle pattern transect (H’) and we normalized with 0.5 according the study by Shepard et al. . Further details about the derivation of H from radar image are explained in Appendix A.
where the unit of Φ conv is W, h c = 5 W m−2 K−1 is the heat transfer coefficient for free convection , and T a is the ambient air temperature that is unaffected by eruption processes. In this work we use T a = 25 °C.
where Δ h is the crust thickness (m), M rad and M conv are radiative and convective flux densities (W m−2), respectively, k is the thermal conductivity, where we use 2.5 Wm−1 K−1 [14,31], and T i is the temperature of the lava flow interior. In this study, we use an interior temperature of 1128 °C (for lava outside vent) and 1200 °C (for lava surrounding vent); these values were selected according to thermocouple measurements for freshly exposed patches of lava in Holuhraun on the 19 and 20 November 2014 . M rad and M conv are obtained by dividing Φ rad and Φ conv by the pixel area A. Figure 5 depicts the physical meaning of Δh [10,20]. On rough surface (aa and brecciated surface) Δh is the thickness of the thermal boundary beneath a thermally mixed surface rubble [10,20]. Meanwhile, since there is no surface rubble in smooth surface (brittle layer and thin), we can assume that Δh is the complete thickness of the thermal boundary of the lava surface [10,20].
We detected different types of hotspots associated with the 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption by using TEI. In this section, we review some of these results to illustrate the utility of the TEI for differentiating thermal anomalies within the lava field. As noted in Section 4.1, TEI detects hotspots with TEI > 0.10, but it does not discriminate between the different types of the hotspot domains that occurs in the lava field. As a result, the interpretation can be difficult, as the active lava, hot crust and warm crust could be mistaken for eruptive activity. Therefore, accurate lava evolution where the hotspots occur becomes critical for determining the domain of TEI anomaly. Thus, we selected the image from 6 September 2014 to assess the TEI value, since the image has a clear difference between active lava and recently emplaced crust. Figure 6a shows the spatial distribution of TEI on 6 September 2014. In general, TEI values detect hotspots in the range from 0.10 to 0.53. We distinguish the two main thermal domains within the lava flow field. The first is the active lava domain, which is characterized by high TEI. The second is the crust domain surrounding active lava, characterized by TEI below active lava domain but exceeding the hotspot threshold (>0.10). Figure 6b shows that the active lava domains have TEI value of >0.51: this value is related to high emitted radiance in SWIR and TIR, whilst crust domains have value ranging from 0.10 to 0.51. The crust zone itself is divided into two sub-domains: (1) hot crust domain, having values ranging from 0.21 to 0.51; (2) warm crust domain, having values ranging from 0.10 to 0.21, This also can be seen during 29 September and 24 October (See Appendix B). Clearly, TEI allows better discrimination within the lava flow; active lava, crust and non-volcanic hotspot, offering the possibility that different mode of lava flows can be automatically discriminated based of TEI threshold as will be discussed in Section 5.3.
Table 3 shows the hot component temperature ( T h ) and the pixel portion of the hot component (p) computed by using the TEI based dual band-method for nine Landsat 8 time series during the eruption. Our solutions of Th ranges between 344 °C and 1208 °C, and p ranges between 0.10 and 13% with an average of 769 °C and 1.5%, respectively. Figure 7 shows the spatial distribution map of T h , and p obtained from the Landsat 8 time series. The highest Th and lowest p mostly relate to active lava locations such as channels, lava ponds and breakouts. Meanwhile, the lowest Th and highest p corresponds to crust zone in the edge of active lava and flow fronts that indicates lava cooling and formed thick crust, as lava cools the crust component increases and progressively thickens from the vent towards the distal end. Such results are broadly consistent with observed emplacement processes of aa flows on the 6 September 2014. The result points out that lowest p (0.10–0.17%) of a pixel), equivalent to 0.90–1.53 m2, can be occupied by small freshly exposed lava patches or breakouts; this will be discussed further in Section 6.
We plotted Th as a function of p and TEI, respectively for 6 September 2014, as shown in Figure 8a,b, respectively. The scatter plot of Th vs. p shows a logarithmic decrease in Th as p increases: this means that the higher the temperature, the smaller the pixel portion. This general trend is in good agreement with theoretical models [13,14,16,21]. There are three sub-trends (x, y and z) identified on the scatter plots (Figure 8a,b), and these sub trends allow for classification of lava thermal domain as shown in Figure 8c. The same trends are observed on open channel flow during 29 September and 24 October (See Appendix C). This classification shows that the active lava domain is associated with Th in the range 901–1208 °C and p in the range 0.1–0.13% with TEI > 0.51, while the hot crust domain is in the range of 400–900 °C and p in the range of 0.20–7.5% with TEI 0.21–0.51 and warm crust domain is in the range of 346–750 °C and p is in the range of 0.30–13% with TEI 0.10–0.22. This classification result has good agreement with lava flow field observations. In Figure 8a, we observe a nearly linear decrease for sub-trend x; on the other hand, the scatter plot associated with sub-trend y and z show logarithmic decrease as in the general trend. The scatter distribution for sub-trend x has its support in region enclosed by Th between 901 and 1185 °C and p between 0.10% and 1.30%. For sub-trend y, Th ranges between 400 and 900 °C while p in the range 0.10–7.5% and for sub-trend z, Th ranges between 346 and 750 °C while p remains in the range 0.10–13%. These trends are also apparent in scatter plots of Th versus TEI. The trends show large variation in Th within the subtrends. Examination of the scatter distribution for sub-trend y exhibits wide range of Th (346–1150 °C) being associated with a range 0.10–0.21 of TEI. For sub-trend z, Th ranges between 400 and 1160 °C while TEI is in the range 0.21–0.51. Meanwhile for sub-trend x, Th ranges between 901 and 1185 °C while exhibiting narrow range of TEI between 0.51 and 0.53. One can note from these results that maximum Th could occur in TEI < 0.51. This can happen for several reasons: (a) The effect of plumes from the eruption that mix within the lava pixels. This means that, due to the sensibility of band 6 , the plume was detected as high radiance in band 6. This makes TEI > 0.1 (hotspot threshold) and the dual-band produces very high temperatures, while TEI < 0.51: (b) A different spatial resolution between band 6 (30 m) and band 10 (100 m) causes lower TEI value due to the small fragments of high emission lava in band 6 that is not detected in band 10.
Figure 9 depicts the temporal evolution of the radiant flux (total energy radiated) for nine observations of the 2014–2015 Holuhraun effusive eruptions. As mentioned in Section 3.1, Landsat 8 has limited value for making time series studies of the eruption, since the temporal resolution is low and there are quite a lot of flux gaps. However, the trend shows good agreement with results from MODIS done by Wright et al. during the first 101 days of eruption, although our total radiant flux peak is underestimated compared to Wright et al. since we consider the effect of the Hurst coefficient (H) parameter that affects the total flux value (discussed in Section 6). The maximum peak detected is on day 7 of the eruption (6 September 2014), with a total flux of 7.8 GW, and then it continues to decline until it reaches a low level of 1.6 GW on day 46 before it rises again to a new peak of 3.2 GW on day 55. It then decreases to a new low on day 87 with 1.3 GW and then it increases to a new peak on day 110 with 1.6 GW. Then, it continues to decrease until day 158 with 0.2 GW, indicating that the eruption has almost stopped. This total flux peak trend is also in good agreement with field observations [1,2]: the first phase of eruption is related to the evolution of the vent system from a fissure with discrete vents distributed along the length of the fissure (day 7) decreasing in number with time to eruption from a single source vent (day 30) and formed a lava pond in the second phase (day 46) (Figure 7a–c). Then, on day 55, the pond becomes the main lava distributor and the pond size continues to decrease [1,2] until the final phase of eruption starts on day 110 (Figure 7d–f). In the final phase of eruption, during days 110, 126 and 158, the flow field was mostly formed via surface breakouts [1,2] until the eruption stopped (Figure 7g–i).
Figure 10a shows the crust thickness estimate of lava flow for 6 September 2014. The thickness estimates range from 2 to15 m. The thickest crust is located along the edge of lava flow and in lava flow front. Meanwhile the thinnest part is mostly located in the active lava flow (lava channel and breakouts). This result also has a good agreement with Rossi et al. that shows using TanDEM-X data, that the thickness in the lava field ranges between 0 and15 m during 9 September 2014 with the thicker part along the edge and the thinner parts in the middle of the channel. For comparison, 15 points of lava height measurement were done using Theodolite during 3 to 4 September 2014 (location measurement points are in Appendix D). Figure 10b shows the comparison between thickness measurement from the field and the satellite derived estimate. We found that the ground-based thickness measurement are closer to the satellite derived estimates in the middle of lava channel. Meanwhile, along the edge of lava flow, the satellite derived thickness estimates are thicker than the ground-based measurements. Presumably, this is because the lava in the edge cools down and fully develops into crust on satellite, since there are temporal gaps between the field observations and the satellite derived estimates. On the other hand, the lava in the middle of the channel is still active and has not completely cooled, and this leads to small thickness difference between the field measurement and the satellite derived estimates. We also note that we only derive the crust thickness and not complete thickness of the lava, since there are still have fluid interior layer beneath the crust, especially for active lava flow, as seen in Figure 5.
In Section 5.1 , Section 5.2 and Section 5.3, we have used TEI to automatically detect and derive thermal properties from infrared remotely-sensed data within the hotspot region defined by TEI > 0.10. This value provides encouragement that the TEI method yields robust estimates of hotspot anomalies during eruption. On the other hand, differentiating between thermal domains offers new possibilities to use different Tc setting for each domain to derive sub pixel temperature using the dual-band method. However, as explained by Lombardo and Buongiorno , the dual-band method provides a rough approximation to the thermal model when only two infrared bands are available. Figure 11a,b show comparison of active lava temperature obtained from satellite and forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera measurements during 2 December 2014 lava breakout in 64°54.644’N, 16°42.931’W. This comparison shows a good agreement for both satellite and field measurements. Satellite measurement yields Th of 1096 °C in an area of 3.05 m2 which is 0.33% of the pixel size, meanwhile FLIR shows a maximum temperature around 1047 °C for an area of 4.52 m2. However, this comparison is a rough estimation, since the temperature is not uniform within the active lava. Therefore, we recommend further improvement by using more than two thermal components. We also performed an experiment to study the effect of different Tc on Th for different thermal domains in this area. Figure 12 shows a logarithmic increase in Th as Tc increases ; therefore, Tc is an important parameter for deriving precise temperature estimates from the dual-band method.
In Section 5.4 and Section 5.5, we found that both the radiant flux estimate and crust thickness estimate agree closely with the field observations trends. In Figure 13a,b, we conduct an experiment by varying H: for very rough lava (H = 0.3), rough lava (H = 0.7) and perfectly smooth lava (H = 1). Smoother lava will produce the highest total radiant flux, but on the other hand, the crust becomes thinner. The higher H (0.7–1) agrees with the radiant flux peak result of Wright et al. (~25 GW), since the effect of surface roughness are not accounted in their study. Interestingly, in the channel and northern part of the crust (Figure A4, points 1 to 6) results are produced that are closer to the field measurements; this means that the lava in those thermal domains is mostly dominated by rough surface (lower H). This is in good agreement with field observations that show that brecciated surface is dominant in Holuhraun. Meanwhile, the southern part of the crust (Figure A4, points 10 to 15) is overestimated, which means that the H is higher (smoother surface) than we estimate. Simply, as we mentioned earlier, this is due to the temporal gap between field measurement and satellite. In Figure 14a,b, it is shown that the temperature of the channel decreases with distance from the vents and crust thickness increases from the vents on 6 September 2014 (Figure 7a); This trend has good agreement with past work from Oppenheimer during the Lonquimay eruption (Chile, 1989) which showed such trends. However, the H parameter is still open for discussion, and we recommend performing an alternative method to determine H (e.g., airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) and terrestrial laser scanning) and varying H based on LIDAR model during future eruption in order to get a better estimate.
In this paper, we introduce a new spectral index called the thermal eruption index (TEI) based on the SWIR and TIR bands, allowing us to differentiate thermal domains within the lava flow field. TEI detects hotspots with TEI > 0.10: this value provides encouragement that the TEI method yields robust estimates of hotspot anomalies during eruption. Two main thermal domains were distinguished within the lava flow field. The first is the active lava domain, which is characterized by high TEI (0.51). The second is the crust domain surrounding active lava, characterized by TEI below active lava domain but exceeding the hotspot threshold (0.10–0.51). The result from 2 December 2014 shows that a temperature estimate (1096 °C; occupying area of 3.05 m2) from a lava breakout has a close correspondence with a thermal camera measurement (1047 °C; occupying area of 4.52 m2). This paper also considered effect of lava surface roughness effects by using the Hurst coefficient (H) for deriving the radiant flux (Φ_rad) and the crust thickness (Δh), where the higher H (smoother surface) produce thinner crust meanwhile the lower H (rough surface) will produce thicker crust. Crust thickness in the lava channel during 6 September 2014 (~3.4–7.7 m) compares closely with the lava height measurement from the field (~2.6–6.6 m); meanwhile, the total radiant flux peak is underestimated (~8 GW) compared to other studies (~25 GW), although the trend shows good agreement with both field observation and other studies. These results show that the proposed techniques were successfully applied to Landsat 8 on SWIR and TIR datasets from 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruptions. In future work, the proposed methods will be applied to other satellite/airborne datasets which have both SWIR and TIR band and consider alternative method to determined H (e.g., airborne LIDAR and terrestrial laser scanning). This study provides new insights for monitoring future effusive eruption using infrared satellite images.
The first author has been supported by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), Institute of Earth Science and Vinir Vatnajökuls during his Ph.D. project. Authors also would also like to thank anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments for the manuscript.
All authors contributed to the work presented in this paper. Muhammad Aufaristama, Magnus Orn Ulfarsson, and Ingibjorg Jonsdottir were in charge in remote sensing analysis and signal processing. Armann Hoskuldsson and Thorvaldur Thordarson were in charge in geological interpretation and field observation.
where R is the maximum and minimum value detected in the transect, S is the standard deviation of the time series, and τ is the measured time period. Here, we assume that surface roughness represents the lava thermal domain, active lava is smooth, hot crust is rough, and warm crust domain is very rough. This situation also can be seen clearly in radar backscattering on 18 October 2014 (Figure A1A). The lava channel has low backscattering (dark signal) due to smooth surface, on the other way very rough lava has strong backscattering (bright signal). We pick random transects from Figure A1A that represent the roughness shown in Figure A1B. These transect lines are then used to derive H’. We normalized H’ by multiplying it by 0.5, since the study from Shepard et al. shows that geological surface has a strong tendency to cluster around H = 0.5. According to this technique active lava has H = 0.44, hot crust has H = 0.35 and warm crust has H = 0.21.
Figure A1. (A) Sentinel 1A VH polarization backscattering from 18 October 2014. The red, yellow and green transect represent smooth, rough and very rough surface, respectively; (B) Transect and Hurst coefficient that are derived from (A). According to this technique active lava has H = 0.44, hot crust has H = 0.35 and warm crust has H = 0.21.
Figure A2A–D show TEI anomaly on open channel flow during 29 September and 24 October.
Figure A2. (A) Spatial distribution of TEI during 29 September 2014 eruption; (B) TEI differentiates four different thermal domains within the Holuhraun lava flow at 29 September 2014. TEI allows the active lava domain to be distinguished from crust domain and the non-volcanic hotspot domain. (C) Spatial distribution of TEI during 24 October 2014 eruption (D) TEI differentiates four different thermal domains within the Holuhraun lava flow at 24 October 2014. TEI allows the active lava domain to be distinguished from crust domain and the non-volcanic hotspot domain.
Here we plot Th as a function of p and TEI with classification, respectively for 29 September 2014 and 24 October 2014, as shown in Figure A3A–F.
Figure A3. (A) Scatter plot of Th vs. p ; (B) Scatter plot of Th vs. TEI; (C) classification of lava thermal domain on 29 September 2014; (D) Scatter plot of Th vs. p ; (E) Scatter plot of Th vs. TEI; (F) classification of lava thermal domain on 24 October 2014.
The locations of the thickness measurement points are shown in Figure A4, where the arrows represent the order of points. The measurements were done using theodolite with certain distance and dates for each points. Table A1 shows the detailed acquisition from Figure A4 and a comparison with the satellite derived crust thickness estimate on 6 September 2014.
Figure A4. The Location of thickness measurement points, the arrows represent the order of points from 1 to 15.
Table A1. Detail of the lava height measurement during 3–4 September 2014 and a comparison with satellite derived crust thickness measurement on 6 September 2014.
Icelandic Meteorological Office Holuhraun. Available online: http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/articles/nr/3122 (accessed on 11 May 2017).
Figure 1. The new Holuhraun lava field map by Icelandic Meteorological Office (after modification) . The Holuhraun lava field is situated on the flood plain, which is situated south of Askja volcano and north of Dyngjujökull, which is an outlet glacier from the Vatnajökull ice cap .
Figure 2. 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption evolution: (a) First phase (b) second phase; (c) final (third) phase of eruption.
Figure 3. R SWIR and R TIR from Landsat 8 of the lava flow at Holuhraun, Iceland, on 6 September 2014. (a) Spectral radiances plot of SWIR (Band 6 and 7)–TIR (Band 10 and 11) and thermal mix model (hybrid Planck curve for the mixed pixel) (b) the band 6 detects the emissions from active lava (yellow-orange color); band 10 detects the emissions both from active lava and crust (red-green color).
Figure 4. The pixel mixture of the cool and the hot components. The region defined by the hot component temperature (Th) has pixel portion (p) and the region defined by the cool component temperature (Tc) has pixel portion (1-p): (a) A picture taken by Armann Hoskuldsson in Holuhraun, in 13 September 2014 showing the hot and the cool components; (b) The model of Landsat 8 mixed thermal pixel with 30 m pixel resolution.
Figure 5. Conductive model of the surface of lava and the basal thermal boundary layers for (a) an active smooth surface lava flow and (b) a crusted rough surface lava flow. (Adapted and modified from Harris p. 222).
Figure 6. (a) Spatial distribution of thermal eruption index (TEI) during the 6 September 2014 eruption: the four white dots show the location of the vents during the first phase of eruption : (b) TEI differentiates four different thermal domains within the Holuhraun lava flow on 6 September 2014. TEI allows the active lava domain to be distinguished from crust domain and the non-volcanic hotspot domain.
Figure 7. Spatial distribution map of T h and p during 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption: (a) 6 September 2014; (b) 29 September 2014; (c) 15 October 2014; (d) 24 October 2014; (e) 25 November 2014; (f) 2 December 2014; (g) 18 December 2014; (h) 3 January 2015; and (i) 4 February 2015. White dot show vent locations.
Figure 8. (a) Scatter plot of Th vs. p; (b) Scatter plot of Th vs. TEI; (c) classification of lava thermal domain on 6 September 2014.
Figure 9. Time series of the total radiant flux estimated from Landsat 8 for the 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption.
Figure 10. (a) Crust thickness estimate derived from Landsat 8 by using the dual-band method during the eruption on 6 September 2014 (The black box shows the location of the field measurement; further details are given in Appendix D); (b) Thickness comparison between the satellite derived estimates and field measurements.
Figure 11. (a) Lava breakout (yellow pixel) temperature from satellite from 2 December 2014, white star and arrow show the measurement location and the camera direction, respectively; (b) Lava breakout temperature measurement from a FLIR camera on 2 December 2014. The box shows the area of interest.
Figure 12. Th as function of Tc on 2 December 2014. Dots and solid lines are the solutions from dual-band method and the logarithmic fitting respectively.
Figure 13. Different values of H comparison for (a) radiant flux; (b) crust thickness, with the ground-based thickness in purple.
Figure 14. Trend for open channel lava flow on 6 September 2014 (a) temperature decrease as distance from the vent increases; (b) crust thickness increases as distance from the vent increases.
Table 1. Product ID and the dates of the Landsat 8 datasets that were used in this study.
Table 2. The values of the Hurst coefficient for different thermal domains.
Table 3. Maximum, minimum and mean Th, p, and TEI values derived from the Landsat 8 time series. | 2019-04-21T06:29:42Z | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/10/1/151/htm |
Written by: Joris Meerts (main author), Huib Schoots and Ruud Cox all working at Improve Quality Services in the Netherlands.
One of the cornerstones of context-driven testing (Lesson learned in software testing by Kaner, Bach, & Pettichord, 2001) is that the way of working when testing software is determined by the situation in which the tester finds himself. A good approach is not driven by a prescribed process or by a collection of steps that one habitually executes. Instead, it arises from the use of skills that ensure that testing matches the circumstances of the software project. Within the framework of context-driven testing, a wide range of skills is discussed, including critical thinking, modeling and visualization, note-taking and applying heuristics. It is not easy to learn these skills. One way to sharpen them is to do exercises and discuss the results. This was the purpose of a meeting of four testers at Improve Quality Services. In the following report we will elaborate on the exercises that were done during that meeting and on the results.
As we pointed out in the introduction, it is not easy to learn the skills associated with context-driven testing. Practitioners of context-driven testing regularly refer to professional literature that describes these skills. But applying these skills is a process of trial and error. That is why it is important to simulate real life situations and learn from exercises we do. That was the purpose of the meeting. In this report we share the steps we took and the results of those steps, for example in the form of notes, sketches or models. We also share our experiences to make it easier to apply the skills in practice.
The meeting was held on February 14, 2017 at the office of Improve Quality Services in Eindhoven. The participating testers, Jos Duisings, Ruud Cox, Joris Meerts and Huib Schoots are all employees of Improve Quality Services.
The assignment of the meeting is to select and execute tests on a software application. It is carried out by two teams of two testers each. This makes it possible to take different approaches and to provide feedback from one team to the other.
The meeting is divided into sessions in advance. The sessions each have their own goal and their own evaluation.
Performing a test session (charter) per team.
The application to be tested has been selected prior to the meeting. We choose the application Task Coach (Task Coach, 2018), an open source to-do list manager. This software is publicly available and runs on multiple platforms (Windows and Mac OS). The application is relatively simple but still offers sufficient complexity to be able to test thoroughly. According to the description on the website, Task Coach is ” a simple open source to-do manager to keep track of personal tasks and to-do lists. It is designed for composite tasks, and also offers effort tracking, categories, notes and more.” The participants have not worked with Task Coach before and are therefore not familiar with this specific piece of software.
Because Task Coach is new for all participants, the software will have to be explored. Only then can we say more about what can be tested in the given time. Such an exploration of the product can be done in many different ways. During the meeting we chose to make a ‘product coverage outline’, inspired by the Heuristic Test Strategy Model of James Bach (Bach, 1996). The product coverage outline provides an overarching view of the product in which the functionality of the software is divided into seven different categories. The categories are described in the mnemonic SFDIPOT. The software tester is reminded by this heuristic that when mapping a product he can look at Structure, Function, Data, Interfaces, Platform, Operations and Time. By looking at the application from these perspectives, a relatively complete sketch is created of what the software product is and what it can do. However, the mnemonic does not only serve for exploration. The ‘map’ of the application that is created in this way can also be used to visualize the coverage of the tests and to select the tests to be carried out.
We decide that both teams will be given half an hour for creating a product coverage outline and that each team is free to decide which in which format the outline is presented. The choice of a half-hour time limit is mainly motivated by the fact that the software must also be tested before the end of the day. There is no room to spend much more time making the product outline.
It turns out that half an hour is not enough time for mapping an application that, despite the fact that it claims to be simple, still contains a lot of functions. Team B decides to create a mind map in which the seven categories are elaborated. This mind map is not finished after half an hour. Especially the branch ‘Function’, in which the functions of the application are described, is very large and has a deeply nested structure. To build this structure, team B explores the application by clicking through it and captures the functionality (in text or in image) in the mind map. Due to time constraints, team B presents a product sketch that is not finished. This triggers a discussion about what we expect the mind map to look like given the available time. The expectations, such as completeness, can be related to the purpose of the mind map. Through a discussion it becomes clear that no clear goal has been defined for drawing up the product sketch and that the result of the assignment is difficult to assess.
A mind map is a tool that is used by software testers on a regular basis to create a product outline. The tree structure of the mind map lends itself to classifying (grouping) properties. It is easy to start with an empty mind map, enter the categories from SFDIPOT and expand these. Moreover, a navigable structure is created in this way. The mind map forms a kind of geographical map in which you can choose to zoom in and zoom out to determine the location of something in relation to the whole. Software essentially consists of zeros and ones and the software product is an abstract concept. By making the ‘map’ the abstract software gets a concrete shape. A mind map can also be used as an instrument for reporting on the results and the progress of the tests. So there are a number of good reasons to work with a mind map from the beginning.
Team A starts the session by creating a mind map but after a short time it switches to a different form. When studying Task Coach, the team finds out that there is a help file in the application. After a short study, the help file appears to describe a large part of the application. The categories from SFDIPOT all come back in the file to a sufficient extent and so Team A chooses to use this file, converted to Word format, as a product outline. By marking the categories in the document with different colors, structure is added to the document. In addition, the table of contents provides a global overview of the functionality in the application; the details are mentioned in the paragraphs. In this way, team A delivers a product sketch that is relatively complete within the stipulated time.
The result of the first session is a product outline. With this product sketch and the knowledge gained during the exploration of the software it is easier to discuss a test strategy. Because exhaustive testing of an application is not feasible for the majority of software applications and because exhaustive testing in many cases does not yield better information, it is desirable to make choices with regard to the test work to be performed. We find these choices in the test strategy.
By making the product outline we have gained insight into a number of aspects of the application. We take these aspects into account and we hope to indicate per category whether this category needs to be tested and if so with which depth. The most decisive factor in that decision is the risk the company encounters when the software is put to use. Risk is a multifaceted concept and can only be determined if the software product is highlighted from different angles. In any case, the perspective of the tester alone is not sufficient to get a good picture of the risks of a software product. During the second session it becomes clear that a representative is missing who can reason about risk from the perspective of a user or of the organization. This point is also discussed in the debriefing of the second session and we conclude that for that reason the risk assessment is incomplete.
In the Heuristic Test Strategy Model three dimensions are discussed that influence a test strategy. These dimensions are the project, the product and the requirements that are set for that product; the quality characteristics. Risks play a role in each of these dimensions. In the exercise, we decide not to look at the project risks. As far as product risks are concerned, we make our own assessment with regard to the categories of the product. We consider categories that are used the most, are the most prone to errors and categories where a possible error has the most impact. Because there are no users involved in the exercise, we try to place ourselves in the role of the users. This way the following product categories are discussed.
The primary process from the Operations category. This will tell us which functionality is used the most.
Using the application by multiple users from the Operations category. We recognize risks associated with synchronization: tasks are not updated properly.
The importing and exporting of tasks from the Interfaces category.
Dealing with reminders from the Functionality category. Reminders are crucial for not missing appointments.
Dealing with date and time from the Time category. Date and time play an important role in planning tasks, they touch the core of the application.
We briefly discuss the coverage of the tests that we want to carry out. Since the tasks that are maintained in Task Coach can have different statuses, the tester can, from the perspective of state transitions, visualize the coverage level of the tests carried out. The state transitions are covered in the different paths through the application that a user travels. These paths are helpful when mapping the coverage. Furthermore, coverage can be looked at from the perspective of the test data used.
We decide to make two charters (Session Based Test Management) and to execute them. We prioritize the product categories mentioned in the risk analysis based on our own insights. From this we conclude that ‘the primary process’ and ‘dealing with date and time’ are the two most important product categories. We translate these two categories into charters. In one charter we will look at the primary process, in the other charter the handling of date and time will be investigated. Each team selects a charter. After the charter has been executed, each team reports the work done to the other team in a debrief session. During this short evaluation, the tester will tell his story and answer any questions. The evaluation has several goals, such as assessing whether the mission is successful, translating new insights into follow-up sessions, looking at notes and descriptions of findings and coaching the tester. Due to the debrief, the understanding of the application under test grows.
To formulate a starting point for this charter, we look at the risks that can be associated with the execution of the primary process. There is a risk that no task can be created. Or it could be that the task is created but errors occur when saving or modifying a task or changing the status of a task. These considerations lead to the following mission that serves as the starting point for the charter: “Explore the basic flow of tasks using CRUD to discover/test the life cycle of a task”.
With these test ideas in mind, the following charter is drawn up: “Explore tasks using date/time to discover date and time related bugs”.
The charter for testing the primary process (basic flow) begins with the creation of a task. Several tasks are created using the button on the taskbar. Subsequently, several underlying tasks are created for a single task, up to 8 levels deep. Under one of the underlying tasks, a new tree structure of underlying tasks is created. During the creation of the task structure, questions arise about the maximum depth of the task structure and about the sorting of the underlying tasks. In addition, it is found that it is possible to delete underlying tasks and then to undo these deletions. It is proposed to further investigate this functionality in a separate charter, since it is suspected that this is not always going well. The resulting tree structure is removed by means of the ‘Delete’ button on the taskbar. After this, all tasks have disappeared.
On the taskbar there is also a button that offers the possibility to create new tasks from a template. There are two default templates available. Tasks are created with these templates. It appears that it is not possible to create underlying tasks from a template. The question is why this functionality is not available for underlying tasks. Finally, the created tasks are deleted.
To get a better picture of how templates work in the application, the help text is read over templates. Furthermore, the team explores the menu structure in search of more functionality that could be related to the use of templates. From the ‘File’ menu it is possible to save tasks as templates, to import templates and to edit templates. A template is created.
From the dialog that appears when choosing to import a template it appears that template files have the extension ‘.tsktmpl’. But when a task is saved as a template, it is not possible to find out whether a template file is created from this task and, if so, where this file is stored. The newly created templates are visible when one chooses to create a new task based on a template from the toolbar.
A task is created, saved and checked if this task can be imported. Again, all created tasks are deleted by selecting the menu option Edit > Delete. The team looks a bit further at the options for removing tasks. It appears that there is a shortcut combination for removing tasks. The combination is Ctrl + DEL. The team wonders why it is not possible to simply use the Delete key.
In summary, this session looked at creating, viewing, editing and deleting tasks and underlying tasks. A finding has been made regarding the undoing of changes. It turns out that undoing the removal of tasks in a tree structure of tasks and underlying tasks does not produce the same structure as the original structure. Following the session, it is proposed to look more extensively at the use of templates in new charters. Also the functionality for creating, viewing, editing and deleting tasks and underlying tasks deserves more attention, especially because this functionality can be called from many different places in the application. The various possibilities have not all been tested in the first session. Furthermore, a charter could be made for creating a task depending on another task.
At the end of the session, the report of the session was discussed with a member of the other team with the aim of obtaining feedback about the course of the session in a debrief. The feedback shows that there was not enough time to complete the charter. To complete the charter another thirty to sixty minutes would be needed. It is noted that the description of the detected bug is not clear enough. It also becomes clear that not all possible statuses of a task have actually been addressed in the session. Finally, a new charter is suggested for testing filtering and sorting.
The session is started with a clean installation of the application. First a new task is created. Attention is given to the Data tab on which various data can be entered. The date and time can be changed in separate input fields. The time can be changed by means of a dropdown or by using the arrow keys on the keyboard. It turns out that ’00:00′ cannot be used as time. It appears that the range of time can be set under the ‘Preferences’ menu. After an adjustment, ’00:00′ can be entered.
It is noted that the planned start date and the planned end date are not included in the calculation of duration. But it is unclear what this data will be used for. When the planned end date is in the past, the task will turn red. When the planned end date is in the future, the task will turn purple. It is remarkable that the planned start date can be after the planned end date. Apparently there is no validation on the order of data. Dates that are far in the future are accepted as valid dates. To change a date, the task will first have to be closed and then opened again.
An interesting finding occurs when, at the planned start date, the year is set for 1900. If this is the case, the planned start date cannot be changed after closing and reopening the task. During the study of this finding, the team finds out that the application creates a log file (in the Documents folder) in which any errors are logged. The attempt to adjust the planned start date results in the following error message: “ValueError: year = 1853 is before 1900; the datetime strftime () methods require year> = 1900”. After this finding, further attention is paid to other functionality around time and date. For example, a reminder on a task is set to 5 minutes. The reminder works.
In addition to planning tasks TaskCoach can also be used to keep track of the time spent per task. After some research it appears that this functionality is complex and that it is not easy to find out how TaskCoach deals with time spent. Time tracking can be started with a button, but can also be done by increasing the time spent in a separate tab. The team notices that when entering an hour of time spent, the actual time spent shown on the tab is just a few seconds. It is possible to aggregate time spent at month level. If we do this, we see that the descriptions that we have listed for each entry are combined in a single text field.
The time that an application uses depends on the time setting on the system. For this reason, the team manipulates the system time of a MacBook Pro. The calendar is changed to a Coptic calendar. This adjustment causes the application to crash after startup. In the log a line appears mentioning an error relating to an invalid date format.
Finally, the team looks at the connection between the budgeted time and the time spent. TaskCoach is able to calculate the remaining time on the basis of the variables mentioned. Some tests are performed with variations in hours, minutes and seconds. TaskCoach handles all these variations correctly.
A team member verbally reports on the session to a team member of the other team in a debrief. The feedback shows that this report contains a lot of detailed information. To be able to place the detailed information, a framework is needed. The product outline could have been used as a framework. One new charter emerges from the feedback, namely the testing of the synchronization of tasks between systems with different system times.
The meeting is concluded with the completion of the test sessions. Looking back we conducted, in a day with two teams, a number of tests on an application that was unknown beforehand. We have shown that techniques and methods exist that help the tester to acquire knowledge about the application, develop a strategy and perform tests. Exploring the application provides insights that serve as a starting point for risk assessments and for conducting test sessions with a well-defined goal. By quickly arriving at concrete and well-substantiated tests, the tester provides valuable feedback on the application in a short period of time. The test sessions are debriefed and this provides starting points for further deepening where necessary.
Due to the popularity of agile methods, it is common for the tester to be asked to test something, while at that moment he has incomplete insight into the functionality of the application. Moreover, the tester is expected to deliver results within a limited time. It requires an approach in which the tester quickly draws up and executes a strategy by modeling, thinking critically, discovering and investigating. This is the approach that we applied during the meeting described above.
The creation of the product coverage outline led to quite different outlines being delivered by the teams. These differences and their possible causes are discussed in a separate article, written by Joris Meerts and Ruud Cox. The article is called A Clash of Models.
Bach, J. (1996). Heuristic Test Strategy Model.
Kaner, C., Bach, J., & Pettichord, B. (2001). Lessons Learned in Software Testing. John Wiley & Sons.
Wanna know why I am context-driven? Published on the DEWT blog: Why I am context-driven! | 2019-04-19T18:20:15Z | http://www.huibschoots.nl/wordpress/?cat=18 |
Apparatus for locating and ablating cardiac conduction pathways is provided herein. This includes a catheter tube which carries, at its distal end, at least one electrode for sensing membrane potentials within a heart. The catheter also carries a device for ablating at least a portion of the thus located pathway.
4576177 March 1986 Webster, Jr.
Tripolar HIS-Bundle Electrode, USCI Corp., 10/1971. .
Gillette, "Catheter Ablation . . . ", Cardio, Mar. 1984, pp. 67-69. .
Morady et al, "Transvenous Catheter Ablation . . . ", N.E. J Med. Mar. 1984, vol. 310, No. 11, pp. 705-707. .
Lee et al, "Effects of Laser Irradiation Delivered . . . Myocardima", Am. Heart Journal, Sep. 1983, pp. 587-590..
conduction pathway ablation means independent of said locating means and carried by said catheter tube adjacent the distal end thereof for ablating at least a portion of the conduction pathway at the located site.
conduction pathway ablation means carried by said catheter tube adjacent the distal end thereof for ablating at least a portion of the conduction pathway at the located site, said ablation means includes means for transmitting laser radiation to said site for ablating the conduction pathway thereat.
3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for transmitting laser radiation includes elongated fiber optic means located within said elongated catheter tube and extending essentially throughout the length of said catheter tube.
4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said fiber optic means has a distal end located adjacent the distal end of said catheter tube and a proximal end which exits from said catheter tube and is adapted to be connected to a source of laser radiation so that laser radiation may be transmitted by way of said fiber optic means to exit from the distal end thereof.
5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said fiber optic means is mounted so that radiation is directed axially of the distal end of said catheter tube.
6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein the distal end of said fiber optic means extends slightly beyond that of said catheter tube so as to direct radiation axially from the distal end thereof.
7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein the distal end of said fiber optic means terminates short of the distal end of said catheter tube, said catheter tube having a window aperture in its side walls short of the distal end thereof and in alignment with the distal end of said fiber optic means for directing radiation therefrom transversely of the axis of said catheter tube.
8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 including mirror means mounted within said catheter tube downstream from the distal end of said fiber optic means and arranged to reflect laser radiation emitted from said fiber optic means transversely through said window aperture.
9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said mirror means is aligned to provide a reflecting surface inclined by an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the optical axis of said fiber optic means.
10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein said mirror means is pivotally mounted to said catheter tube so as to adjust the angle of reflection of said laser radiation.
11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 including means connected to said mirror for adjusting said angle wherein said adjusting means extends from said mirror means through said catheter tube to said proximal end thereof.
12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said adjusting means includes a wire member having a distal end and a proximal end and having its proximal end exiting from the proximal end of said catheter tube so that said wire member may be moved inwardly and outwardly to adjust the reflection angle of said mirror means.
13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 12 including motor means in engagement with the proximal end of said wire member for imparting driving forces to said wire member.
14. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said at least one electrode means includes an electrically conductive member mounted on the exterior surface of said catheter tube proximate to the distal end thereof.
15. Apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein said electrode means is a single electrically conductive member taking the form of an annular ring.
16. Apparatus as set forth in claim 15 including conductive means electrically connected to said ring and extending within said catheter tube and exiting from the proximal end thereof for connection with electrical signal measuring means.
17. Apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said fiber optic means extends beyond the distal end of said catheter tube and said ring electrode means coaxially surrounds said fiber optic means and said fiber optic means transmits radiation in a direction axially of the optical axis thereof.
18. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said at least one electrode means includes a first electrode means and a second electrode means carried on the exterior surface of said catheter tube proximate to the distal end thereof and wherein said first and second electrode means are longitudinally spaced from each other and serve to provide bipolar sensing of the membrane potentials at a site of interest within the heart.
19. Apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein said first and second electrode means each comprises an annular ring coaxially surrounding said catheter tube.
20. Apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein said catheter tube has an aperture formed therein intermediate said first and second electrode means for defining a side port for emitting radiation transversely of the catheter tube.
21. Apparatus as set forth in claim 20 wherein the distal end of said fiber optic means terminates within said catheter tube proximate said aperture so that laser radiation emitted thereby may be directed through said aperture in a direction transversely of said catheter tube.
22. Apparatus as set forth in claim 21 including mirror means mounted within said tube and positioned downstream from the distal end of said fiber optic means for reflecting laser radiation through said aperture.
23. Apparatus as set forth in claim 22 wherein the distal end of said fiber optic means is provided with a lens structure for directing the laser radiation therefrom.
24. Apparatus as set forth in claim 22 wherein said mirror means is pivotally mounted within said catheter tube so as to be pivotally adjusted to vary the angle of reflection for directing said laser radiation.
This invention relates to the art of catheters and more particularly to a catheter having means for locating and then ablating cardiac conduction pathways.
The heart, in a human, is a four chamber muscular organ that pumps blood through various conduits to and from all parts of the body. In order that blood be moved in the cardiovascular system in an orderly manner, it is necessary that the heart muscles contract and relax in an orderly sequence so that the valves of the system open and close at proper times during the cycle. The control is initiated by a special structure known as a sino-atrial node (SA node). This is the natural pacemaker of the heart and is specialized tissue located within the muscle walls of the right atrium. Basically, the SA node provides what may be considered dominance over the inherent or natural rhythmic contractions of the atria and ventricles. This dominance is transmitted by ionic impulses through cardiac conduction pathways in the atria and the ventricles thereby causing the heart to contract and relax in an orderly sequence at a rate dictated by the SA node. The sequence insures that each ventricular contraction maximizes the volume of blood flowing to the pulmonary and systemic circulation. The SA node has an inherent rate or rhythm which can be modified by the action of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
The impulses are transmitted from the SA node through the atria to the atrio-ventricular node (A-V node) and, thence, to the ventricles by way of cardiac conduction pathways (Bundle of His and Purkinje fibers). The A-V node transmits the impulses by way of a common pathway, also known as the Bundle of His and, thence, by way of two lower branches to a network of fibers which cover the inside of each ventricle. This conductive network extends to the outer covering of the heart and is called the Purkinje system. The ionic or current flow in the cardiac conduction pathways may be interrupted or altered by disease which can cause the formation of scar tissue. When injury occurs in the cardiac conductive pathways or to the microcardium, the electrical impulses as dictated by the SA node are not transmitted normally, then rythmic disturbances can take place in the heart which are called cardiac arhythmias (dysrhymthmias). A principle means used by physicians for analysis of cardiac dysrhythmias is the electro-cardiogram.
The term bradycardia is used to describe an abnormal slowing of the cardiac contractions. Tachycardia is a term used to describe excessive rapidity of heart action. Tachycardia dysrhythmia or tachydysrhythmia may impose substantial risk to a patient because diseased hearts cannot usually tolerate such rapid rates for extensive periods. Thus, when there is a marked underlying heart disease, such rapid rates may cause hypotension and heart failure. Tachycardia in those patients with underlying cardiac disease can degenerate into a more serious ventricular dysrhythmia such as fibrillation.
It is therefore desirable in situations of abnormal tachycardia, resistant to medical management, to terminate this rapid rate by ablating at least a portion of the cardiac conduction pathway either to decrease the heart rate or to disrupt the orderly sequence partially or totally.
If the origin of the tachycardia is above the ventricles it is termed Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT). SVT is only life threatening if the atrial rate is exceedingly high and the atrial activity is conducted to the ventricles in a 1:1 ratio. If during an episode of SVT the ventricular rate was 1/2 of the atrial rate, there would be no threat to survival. Thus, it may be desirable to create (via ablation) second degree heart block (wherein the ventricular rate is related to the atrial, but only 1 in every n beats are conducted). For example, if the atrial rate was 250 b.p.m. (beats per minute), the ventricular rate would be a safe 125 b.p.m. if there were chronic 2:1 second degree block. A drawback of this is that at rest the ventricular rate may be dangerously slow in the absence of an artificial pacemaker. Thus, a more desirable state may be to ablate sufficient tissue to cause only first degree heart block at rest. This implies slowed conduction through the AV node. At higher rates, as in SVT's, the degree of block progresses to second because the atrial depolarization occurs during the relative refractory period of the ventricles. So at rest there is 1:1 conduction and at higher rates there are occasional "dropped beats" or 2:1 or 3:1 block or more.
Additionally, where a patient suffers from brady/tachy syndrome, the abnormal slowness of the pulse rate may be such that the stimulation of the heart muscles can be better controlled as with an implantable electronic pacemaker and, in such cases, it may be desirable to ablate the conduction pathways in conjunction with implanting such a pacemaker.
Ablation of a portion of ventricular tissue may be sufficient to prevent the occurrence of ventricular tachycardia. Elimination of abberent ventricular conduction pathways should prevent VT's.
Additionally, in conducting research for the development of pacemakers and other implantable pulse generators, it is necessary to experiment with animals. In such case, in conjunction with implanting an experimental pulse generator, it may be necessary to locate and ablate a cardiac conduction pathway.
The techniques employed in the prior art, such as described in the patent to Bures U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,118, have included the difficult operation of surgically sectioning the His Bundle to produce A-V block. Bures proposed that the SA node be destroyed so that the heart rate may drop abruptly without the necessity of destroying the His Bundle, during the implantation of a pacemaker. In either event, however, Bures contemplates opening the chest to have access to the heart muscle.
It is therefore desirable to provide apparatus and method for ablating the cardiac conduction pathways without the necessity of surgically opening the patient's chest to provide access to the heart muscle. Instead, it is desirable to provide means which may be nonsurgically inserted into the heart muscle to locate and ablate such pathways.
Catheters are known in the art and generally take the form off an elongated tubular element having at least one lumen extending throughout its length. These catheters have a distal end which is inserted into a cavity, artery or the like within a patient's body and a proximal end located externally of the patient's body. Such catheters are known wherein fiber optic means extend from the proximal end to the distal end so that a surgeon may deliver light to a cavity or the like and view the illuminated cavity by means located at the proximal end of the catheter. Additionally, some catheters also carry additional fiber optic means for transmitting a laser beam to the illuminated cavity for applying laser energy to the body tissue thereat. Such a catheter is disclosed, for example in the M. Bass U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,577. However, there is no suggestion in Bass that the catheter carries some means, such as electrodes or the like, responsive to electrical impulses transmitted by the cardiac conduction pathways for purposes of locating such pathways and also some means for ablating the thus located cardiac conduction pathways.
Catheters are known, however, which carry electrodes and such is illustrated in the A. R. Bures U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,118, supra. However, Bures employs the electrodes for purposes of stimulating heart muscles, including both atrial and ventricular stimulation. No suggestion is provided in Bures of employing electrodes for purposes of locating cardiac conduction pathways as well as some means for ablating the thus located pathways.
It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus and method for locating and then ablating cardiac conduction pathways.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a catheter carrying means for locating and then ablating such cardiac conduction pathways.
It is a still further object to provide such a catheter which may be easily insertable into the heart chambers for locating elements of the cardiac conduction pathway including the SA node, the A-V node, the Bundle of His and areas of the V-A re-entry and the like.
In accordance with the invention, apparatus is provided for locating and ablating cardiac conduction pathway tissue within a heart employing an elongated catheter tube having a distal end adapted to be inserted through a passageway leading into a heart chamber proximate to a cardiac conduction pathway. The catheter carries conduction pathway locating means including at least one electrode means adapted to be located within the heart proximate to a conduction pathway for monitoring the level of electrical conduction at the site of interest. An ablation means is carried by the catheter for ablating at least a portion of the thus located cardiac conduction pathway tissue.
FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of the distal end of the catheter in FIG. 8.
Reference is now made to the drawings which are for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only, and not for purposes of limiting same. FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a heart 10 illustrating the anatomy of specific cardiac conduction pathways which, in accordance with the invention, are located and ablated by means of a catheter 12, to be described in greater detail hereinafter. In the schematic illustration of FIG. 1, the catheter 12 is shown as having entered the heart by way of the superior vena cava 14 and thence into the right atrium 16 in the area above the right ventricle 18. The cardiac conduction pathways are embedded within the walls of the heart, including a dividing septum wall 20 which separates the right ventricle 18 from the left ventricle 22. The left atrium 24 is located immediately above the left ventricle 22.
The cardiac conduction pathways to be discussed below are all embedded within the heart wall within muscular tissue and the like. For example, the sino-atrial node 30, hereinafter referred to as the S-A node, is embedded within muscular tissue in the wall of the right auricle or atrium 16. More specifically, the S-A node is located around the opening of the superior vena cava 14, in the right atrial myocardium. This is connected to the atrio-ventricular node 32, hereinafter referred to as the A-V node, by means of conductive pathways including a posterior internodal tract 34, a mid-internodal tract 36 and an anterior internodal tract 38. The A-V node is situated below the orifice of the coronary sinus in the atrial septum. The A-V node 32 transmits the impulses to sometimes referred to as the His Bundle 40, and thence by way of two branches known as the right bundle 42 and the left bundle 44 to the Purkinje fibers 46. The Purkinje fibers as illustrated in FIG. 1 are located in the myocardium of the ventricles 18 and 22.
The His Bundle 40 is situated below the medial leaflet of the tricuspid valve. The right bundle 42 is made of a long, thin fascicle which runs along the ventricular septum to branch out into the Purkinje fibers of the right ventricle. The left bundle 44 is formed by two fascicles, a long thin anterior fascicle and a short and thick posterior fascicle. Both fascicles branch out into the the left ventricular Purkinje fibers. The Purkinje fibers 46 are the last and finest ramification of the specific right and left bundles which propagate within the myocardium of the two ventricles.
The cardiac conduction pathways include automatic or pacemaker cells, such as the S-A node 30 and the A-V node 32. The pathways also include contractile cells, which do not have the ability to form spontaneous impulses while being excited. These include tracts 34, 36 and 38, the His Bundle 40, the right and left bundles 42 and 44 and the Purkinje fibers 46.
The cardiac muscle has a spontaneous and rythmic rate. It is the sequence of contraction which is of importance. Normally, the sino-atrial node has an inherently faster rate than does the atrial myocardium. The atrial rate is faster than the ventricular rate. The faster rate dominates so that the resulting rate is that of the sino-atrial node. If there is a block in the Bundle of His, one will see a faster atrial rate and a much slower ventricular rate. Usually, the ventricular contractions are not associated with atrial contractions. This disassociation can often result in a low cardiac output (this is one of the reasons patients with heart block faint--insuficient oxygenated blood to the brain) or the ventricles are inadequatey filled with blood from the atrium. Therefore, it is the orderly sequence of the atrial contractions filling the ventricles and then the ventricular contraction pumping blood into the pulmonary and systemic circulation that is of importance.
Reference is now made to curves a through d of FIG. 2 which are potentials with respect to time of different areas of the heart. Curves a, b and c, respectively represent the high right atrium (HRA), the His Bundle Electrogram (HBE), and the ventricular apex (VA) potentials. Curve d is representative of a surface measured electrocardiogram, sometimes referred to as an ECG curve. In curve b, the HBE shows in succession the atrial activity 2, the His Bundle activity 4 and the ventricular activity 6.
In accordance with the present invention, the catheter 12 is insertable into the chambers of the heart, such as into the right atrium 16 or into the right ventricle 18, so that the distal end of the catheter may be positioned against the heart walls in close proximity to one of the conduction pathways discussed above. The catheter, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter, carries means for electrically sensing the potentials illustrated in curves a-c of FIG. 2. These are monitored by means connected at the proximal end of the catheter. If, for example, the pathway of interest is the His Bundle 40, then the distal end carrying the electric potential sensing means is located proximate to the His Bundle and a potential corresponding with that of curve b in FIG. 2 is monitored by metering circuitry connected to the proximal end of the catheter. Assuming that it is desirable to ablate the conduction pathway at this location, a laser beam is directed from the distal end of the catheter to injure or ablate the tissue. The operator monitoring the meter may note some thermal enhancement of conduction time through the AV node, followed by asynchrony of the atria and ventricles, at which time lasing of the tissue is terminated. Suspension of lasing at the proper moment will result in 3.degree., 2.degree., 1.degree. or no heart block.
The catheter 12 which carries the conduction pathway locating means as well as the pathway ablating means preferably takes the form of a torque controlled catheter such as that constructed in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,707 to R. C. Stevens, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. Briefly, as described in that patent and shown herein at FIG. 3, the catheter 12 is an intravascular catheter having an elongated body portion 50 and a tip 52 at the distal end of the catheter. A lumen extends throughout the length of the catheter so that a fiber optic conduit or the like may be carried by the catheter. The body portion 50 of the catheter is reinforced so that it may be twisted at its proximal end to impart a twisting motion throughout its length. This body portion is constructed to have high longitudinal flexibility and high torsional control without being elastic. The body portion includes tubing made up of an inner plastic tubular core covered by a braided wire intermediate sheath and an outer plastic covering which penetrates through the interstices in the braiding of the sheath and closely overlies the tubular core. The tip portion 52 is designed to direct the catheter during insertion into a selected vessel and is formed with a taper having a pair of curves including a relatively sharp curve on the order of 45.degree. just before the distal end thereof and a less sharp curve 56 a short distance proximally thereof. The curve tip does not employ a braided sheath as it is preferably more flexible than the body portion. As is seen in FIG. 1, the curve 54 near the distal end of the catheter permits ease in locating the distal tip adjacent to a portion of the cardiac conduction pathways, such as at the Bundle of His 40.
In each of the embodiments to be described hereinafter, a torque catheter as described above with respect to FIG. 3 is employed. It is contemplated that the distal end of the catheter will be inserted into a vessel of a patient leading to the interior of the patient's heart, such as in either the atrium chamber or the ventricular chamber. The flexible distal tip 52 will be positioned so that the distal end thereof will be proximate to a cardiac conduction pathway. The distal end of the catheter carries electrode means, which when positioned proximate to the cardiac conduction pathway will sense the signal conduction level or membrane potential of an excitable cell (pacemaker cell). The electrode means is electrically connected by suitable electrical connection means extending through the lumen of the catheter and thence beyond the proximal end thereof to a suitable monitor meter at which a surgeon may view the potential appearing, for example as one of the potentials illustrated in curves a-c in FIG. 2. The tissue of interest may be ablated by laser radiation and the laser source is turned off once the surgeon notes that his external monitor indicates the properly modified activity at the site of interest.
Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is illustrated one embodiment of the invention and which includes a torque controlled catheter 12 constructed in accordance with that discussed above with reference to FIG. 3 having an elongated body portion 50 and a tip portion 52. The tip portion is not reinforced and has at least one bend as to assist in locating a conduction pathway of interest within a heart chamber. At the distal tip, the catheter carries a stainless steel ring electrode 60. This is electrically connected to a suitable monitor meter 62 as by insulated conductor 64 which extends through the catheter's lumen. A second electrode 66 is adapted to be positioned on the exterior of the patient's body, such as on the chest immediately over the heart and preferably over the superior vena cava. This electrode 66 is connected by an external insulated conductor 68 to the monitor meter 62. The monitor meter 62 may take the form of a strip chart recorder or an oscilloscope or the like so that a surgeon may visually monitor the electric potential, which depending upon the region of interest will vary in a manner similar to that of curves a-c in FIG. 2. For ablation purposes, the surgeon will activate an located laser source 70 which supplies laser radiation to the site of interest by way of an optical fiber 72 which enters the proximal end of the catheter 12 and extends throughout its length and protrudes slightly beyond the distal tip of the catheter, as is best shown in FIG. 5.
With the use of an external electrode 66, the catheter of FIG. 4 provides unipolar sensing of the membrane's potential in the cardiac conduction pathway of interest. The laser source 70 may take various forms well known in the art. For purposes of ablating conduction pathway tissue, it has been found that a relatively low power laser source may be used, such as an argon laser source, which may provide relatively low energy laser radiation pulses.
Reference is now made to FIG. 5 which provides an exploded sectional view of the catheter at its distal tip and is taken generally along line 5--5 in FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows. Here it is seen that the tip portion 52 is a tubular body of plastic material, preferably of polyurethane material and encases a single lumen 74. The catheter carries the optical fiber 72 within this lumen. Preferably, the optical fiber takes the form of a cladded single optical fiber. This fiber has a core 76 which may take the form of a 200 micra thick silica core. This is covered by a cladding 80 which may be of a thickness on the order of 25 micra and constructed of silica material. The cladding 80 is, in turn, encased by a sleeve 82 which may be on the order of 50 micra in thickness and constructed of a silicon polymer. The sleeve 82, in turn, is surrounded by a jacket 84 which may be on the order of 50 micra in thickness and may be constructed of Tefzel material or the like.
The jacket 84 and the sleeve 82 have been stripped away from the optical fiber for a short portion of its length adjacent the distal end where the fiber extends through the electrode ring 60. It is to be noted that the optical fiber protrudes slightly beyond the electrode ring on the order of about 1 milimeter. The annular spacing between this extended portion of the optical fiber and the surrounding inner wall of catheter 12 and ring 60 may be filled, as with a suitable epoxy 86, so as to hold the optical fiber in place. The epoxy 86 is chosen such that its degradation temperature is greater than the temperature generated. Alternatively, the operating temperature of the laser is chosen such that the temperature and rise time is less than the degradation temperatures of the epoxy. Sapphire may be substituted for the epoxy 86. The insulated conductor 64 also extends through the lumen 74 and is soldered or otherwise spot welded at 88 to the inner surface of the electrode ring 60 so as to make good electrical contact therewith. The proximal end of the conductor 64 exits from the catheter and is intended to be electrically connected to a meter, such as monitor meter 62 (FIG. 4).
In operation, the catheter 12 has its distal end inserted into a patient's vessel, such as peripheral vein, and is advanced as by way of the superior vena cava into the right atrium of the heart (see FIG. 1). The external reference electrode is placed on the patient's chest, preferably in the area over the superior vena cava. The recording electrode 60 at the distal tip of the catheter is advanced to a selected site at which the potential of a specific cardiac conduction pathway is to be monitored. This site, for example, may correspond with the Bundle of His 40 (FIG. 1). With the recording electrode 60 in place proximate to the Bundle of His 40, a surgeon may observe the monitor meter 62 and note that the potential between electrodes 60 and 66 appears similar to that of curve d in FIG. 2. Notice that the potential for each pathway has a characteristic waveform. When ablation of the His Bundle is desired, a surgeon may activate the laser source 70, as by closing a switch 71, connecting the laser source with a suitable source of energy such as a B+ voltage supply source. The catheter may be pulled back slightly as the laser source is energized with the radiation being then fired from the distal tip of the optical fiber 72. Disruption of the conduction pathway at the site of application may be achieved by using low energy pulses from the laser source. Complete disruption (ablation) of the pathway has occurred when the surgeon notes that the atrial and ventricular activity have become asynchronous.
The same procedure as stated above may be followed with respect to locating and ablating other areas of the cardiac conduction pathway. Depending upon which site is of interest, the distal tip 52 may need to be bent slightly different than that of another site. However, in using this technique, anomalous conduction pathways and ectopic foci can be located by monitoring the membrane's potential on the monitor meter 62 and then ablating the tissue in the same manner as discussed above. If desired, the distal end may be modified to include a port through which saline solution can be used for flushing purposes. The ring electrode 60 can either be attached to the end of the catheter tube or applied over the tube by a press fit in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5. Whereas the catheter body has been described as being fabricated of a polyurethane material, it may be fabricated of other suitable plastic materials permitting a preform curve and curve retention for positioning the catheter in the required location.
Reference is now made to FIGS. 6 and 7 which illustrate a second embodiment of the invention for bipolar sensing of the potentials at different locations of the cardiac conduction pathway. As illustrated in FIG. 6, this embodiment is quite similar to that as illustrated in FIG. 4, and consequently like reference numerals will be employed for identifying like components and only the differences of the two embodiments will be described herein in detail.
As shown in FIG. 6, catheter 12' is constructed essentially the same as that of FIG. 4 with the exception that its distal end is closed and just prior to the distal end there is provided a pair of longitudinally spaced ring electrodes 90 and 92 straddling a window aperture 94 which serves as a side port through which laser radiation may be emitted for lasing tissue at a site of interest. As best seen in FIG. 7, a pair of insulated conductors 96 and 98 each have one end soldered or otherwise electrically secured to the inner surface of electrodes 90 and 92, respectively. In this embodiment, the catheter 12' has two lumens 100 and 102 separated by a wall 104. The electrical conductors 96 and 98 are located in lumen 102 and extend from the electrodes 90 and 92 throughout the length of the catheter and exit from the proximal end thereof and are suitably connected to a monitor meter 62 for recording and/or displaying the electrical potentials existing between the electrodes.
An optical fiber 72, constructed in the same manner as that discussed with reference to FIG. 5, extends from a laser source 70 into the proximal end of the catheter and then is carried within lumen 100 to the area of the electrodes 90 and 92. As in the case of FIG. 5, a portion of the length of sleeve 82 and jacket 84 has been stripped away at the distal end of the optical fiber, as is seen in FIG. 7. This prevents burning of these components by the argon laser radiation. A microlens 106 has been provided at the distal tip of the optical fiber and this is accomplished by fire polishing the tip of the silica core 76. Spaced downstream from lens 106 there is provided a stainless steel, polished mirror 108 angled at approximately 45 degrees so as to deflect radiation from the optical fiber transversely through window 94 for side port lasing of tissue. The mirror 108 is conveniently provided by polishing a 45 degree angle at one end of a stainless steel rod 110 also located in lumen 100 at the distal end of the catheter but could also be a polished curved surface. The aperture or window 94 in the catheter provides a cavity within the lumen 100 between the optical fiber and mirror 108. This cavity is filled with a transparent epoxy 112, such as Epo-Tek or Tracon Bipax to prevent blood from contaminating the optical fiber or the mirror 108. Epoxy 112 is preferably chosen such that its degradation temperature is greater than the temperature generated by the heat it absorbs at the wavelengths of the laser. Alternatively, the on time of the laser is chosen so that the temperature is less than the degradation temperature of the epoxy. The epoxy 112 may be replaced with sapphire.
In operation, the conduction ablation catheter of FIGS. 6 and 7 is employed in the same manner as that discussed previously with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. However, since bipolar sensing is being accomplished, it is preferred that the distal end of the catheter be positioned so that the electrodes 90 and 92 somewhat straddle the tissue containing a conduction pathway. A surgeon may then note the membrane potential, such as that for a His Bundle as indicated by curve b in FIG. 2, and if ablation is desired, he will then actuate the laser source 70 by closing switch 71. The laser radiation will be reflected by mirror 104 and exit through the side port window 94 for lasing the tissue at the site. The lasing may continue by low energy pulses until the surgeon notes from the monitor meter that complete atrio-ventricular dissociation has occurred.
In the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 just described, the electrodes 90 and 92 are preferably ring electrodes which may be embedded in the outer wall of the catheter or may be applied, as with a press fit. Each has a width, as viewed along the length of the catheter, on the order of 2 millimeters and the window or aperture 94 in the catheter wall may also have a width on the order of approximately 2 millimeters. The electrodes need not be ring electrodes coaxially surrounding the catheter, as is illustrated in FIG. 7, but may be replaced as with small stainless steel plates, each on the order of about 2 millimeters in diameter and spaced apart as discussed above. Although two lumens are illustrated in FIG. 7, the catheter may also be constructed with but a single lumen. It is not essential that the tip of the catheter be closed, as is illustrated in FIG. 6, but may be open. However, the cavity area between lens 106 and mirror 108 is preferably filled with a transparent epoxy to prevent contamination by blood. Also, the mirrored stainless steel rod 110 can be fused into the nonreinforced polyurethane tip 52 during the construction, prior to joining the tip to the body portion 50.
Reference is now made to FIGS. 8 and 9 which illustrate a third embodiment of the invention which is quite similar to that in FIGS. 6 and 7 and like components will be described with like character references. The catheter 12" is quite similar to that in FIG. 6 except that it includes but a single lumen 120 which houses optical fiber 72. The optical fiber is constructed in the same manner as that as discussed with reference to FIG. 7 and includes a polished lens 106. This catheter also includes a pair of spaced apart ring electrodes 90 and 92 having insulated conductors 96 and 98 connected thereto and extending through the single lumen 120 to the proximal end of the catheter and, thence, to a monitor meter 62. The optical fiber 72 extends through the single lumen of the catheter 12" and exits from the proximal end where it connects with the laser source 70 in the same manner as discussed hereinbefore.
The main difference in this embodiment is the provision of a pivotal mirror 124 which replaces the fixed mirror 108 of the embodiment in FIG. 7. The pivotal mirror 124 is a polished stainless steel mirror which is pivotally mounted to a suitable pivot post 126 extending from a strut 128 secured to and depending from the inner surface of the catheter 12". Pivotal motion is accomplished by a steel wire 131 (which may be insulated) and which is secured to the bottom end of the mirror. The steel wire extends through the lumen of the catheter and exits from the proximal end thereof where force may be applied to the wire, causing the mirror to pivot about the pivot post. This will vary the angle of reflection of laser radiation which strikes the mirror so as to exit through the side port window 94. Preferably, the proximal end of wire 131, as it exits from the catheter, is connected to a suitable motor 130 having controls for driving the wire in a forward or reverse direction, as desired, to adjust the mirror's reflection angle. A support fixture, not shown, may be located within the catheter near its proximal end and having two lumens or apertures, one for supporting the optical fiber 72 and the other for supporting or guiding conductors 96, 98 and the steel wire 131.
In this embodiment, the catheter is closed at its distal end and preferably the window 94 is sealed as with a transparent epoxy 132 so as to permit the passage of laser radition while preventing contamination of the mirror and lens 106 as by blood and the like. Epoxy 132 is chosen as in the case of epoxy 112, discussed above, or may be replaced by sapphire.
The operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 is similar to that discussed with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 but offers additional features. After the operator has located a conduction pathway, such as a bundle of His, as discussed hereinbefore, he may activate the laser source 70 and apply low level radiation, such as on the order of 10 joules. The potential, as measured across electrodes 90 and 92, is displayed at the monitor meter 62. If the conduction pathway at the site is injured but not totally ablated and then allowed to stabilize, then the time interval between the activity in the atrium and that at the bundle of His should increase. For example, the time interval may be visualized with respect to FIG. 2 as being the time interval X between points on curve b. If the patient has a cardiac arrythmia indicating an abnormal rapidity of heart action, tachycardia, then an increase in the time interval X could well be indicative of a longer conduction time through the AV node; sufficiently long so that partial heart block improves the health of the patient. In other words, during an atrial tacycardia, not all of the atrial beats would be conducted to the ventricles. Therefore, despite the excessive rapidity of the atrial activity, and associated failure to pump blood, the ventricles would continue to pump at a slower and safer rate. However, if it is desired to totally ablate the conduction pathway, then the operator may increase the energy level of the argon laser radiation and destroy the conduction pathway.
On the other hand, if the time interval X does not increase after radiating the tissue at the site of interest, this may be indicative that the angle of the mirror should be changed. In this embodiment, the operator may now activate motor 130 to change the angle of the mirror, as desired, and then again activate the laser, first at a low energy level and determine whether or not the timing interval X decreases due to thermal enhancement of AV nodal automaticity. Alternatively, the mirror may be swept back and forth continuously until the operator notes a decrease in the time interval X. If it is desired to totally ablate the conduction pathway, the operator will increase the radiation level sufficient to destroy the conduction pathway. Modification can be made by providing a closed loop system wherein feedback from conductors 96 and 98 may be transmitted to a control circuit for operating the motor 130 and also the laser source 70 so as to coordinate the mirror sweep time to a particular time interval of for example, 2 seconds, and then automatically control the level of radiation emitted by the laser source in dependence upon a predetermined variation in the time interval X.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, it is to be appreciated that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. | 2019-04-24T05:56:08Z | http://patents.com/us-4785815.html |
Wait a minute, when something seems to good to be true, it usually isn’t true. Why, could something “be rotten in Denmark”, or in this case ”Detroit”. Might the Obama Administration be prevaricating again, say like feigning surprise over the AIG bonuses?
A view of the finely groomed Black Lake golf course owned by the UAW. (Michigan Golf) What do UAW executives and workers do to relax? They play golf at the union’s highly touted championship caliber Black Lake Golf Club, designed by Rees Jones. The UAW golf club is in secluded Onaway, MI, as part of the union’s Walter and Mary Reuther Family Education Center. Also part of Black Lake are a learning center, a practice facility with practice bunkers, chipping and putting greens, and a small, nine-hole par-three Little Course.Golf Digest named Black Lake as one of top “upscale public courses.” And Michigan Golf described the course as a “classic” that includes “wide, well-groomed fairways [that] provide ample room for big hitters.” But some big hitters get special privileges at Black Lake. Tee times can be reserved up to two weeks in advance by UAW execs, compared to only three days for non-UAW duffers. Cost to play Black Lake is $95 per round.
Remember all the much-deserved bad press Detroit’s high-paid Big Three executives received last month when they flew in their corporate jets to beg Washington for a tax-paid bailout? Has anybody in Congress or the media bothered to ask UAW head Ron Gettelfinger about his union’s assets and perks like Black Lake Golf Club?
As head of one of the nation’s most powerful unions, Gettelfinger doesn’t earn nearly as much as Detroit’s top CEOs. GM’s Rick Wagoner, for example, made more than $14 million last year. But Gettelfinger’s total compensation of nearly $160,000 annually far exceeds the U.S. median gross family income of $61,500 and puts him among the top five percent of all tax filers, according to U.S. Census Bureau and IRS data.
And the UAW is anything but poor, with net assets reportedly worth an estimated $1.23 billion. UAW membership has been declining for years, as it has for most major unions, but annual income from member dues, interest and other revenues exceeded $300 million in 2006.
Michelle Malkin does some digging and comes up with a bunch more information, including a Detroit News investigation that found the Black Lake course is a big money loser for the UAW.
LET YOUR CONGRESSPERSON KNOW WHAT YOU THINK – IS THIS WHAT CONGRESS PROMISED TO SPEND THE BAILOUT CASH ON?
President Bush and the Democrats are happily hammering out the final details of the UAW bailout. The union fatcats are laughing all the way to the…golf course. Their gold-plated golf course. Oh, wait, President Bush forgot to mention it.
And while everyone’s blabbering about “concessions,” here’s a question: If the auto CEOs have to give up their jets, what about the UAW brass and their posh resort?
Black Lake Golf Club is the newest addition to the UAW’s Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center, situated on 1,000 heavily forested acres along the southeast side of Black Lake, one of Michigan’s largest inland lakes near Onaway, Michigan.
Black Lake Golf Club complements the Center’s recreational facilities, which now include a beautiful gym with two full-sized basketball courts, an Olympic-size indoor pool, and exercise and weight room, table-tennis and pool tables, a sauna, beaches, walking and bike trails, softball and soccer fields and a boat launch ramp.
The UAW selected one of golf’s most acclaimed course architects, Rees Jones, to design an environmentally responsible, championship caliber course. It was a challenge eagerly embraced by Jones, Golf World Magazine’s “Architect of the Year” in 1995.
Down a lonely country road far from the interstate hangs a banner at the UAW’s golf course: “Public welcome.” But a review of the golf course and adjacent education center’s financial statements indicate that not enough people have been visiting.
The UAW International’s golf course and education center operations on 1,000 acres near Onaway have together lost $23 million over the past five years, independent audits obtained by the Free Press show. Both are run as for-profit corporations, according to paperwork filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, and the UAW has been propping them up with loans.
“There’s a lot of debate over what to do,” said Arthur Wheaton, a union expert from Cornell University. “They’ve been having trouble there trying to get enough people to go through there to justify the expense,” he added.
…While the UAW International has a huge reserve of money, the union filed financial records with the federal government stating that it spent about $2.7 million more than it took in during 2007 — the third time over the past five years that the union spending exceeded receipts, records show.
“All you have to do is look at the membership trends and realize that there was a golden age when they could easily support the education center,” said Hal Stack, director of the Labor Studies Center at Wayne State University.
“It could be that either things turn around or they sell it,” he added.
From a peak of 1.5 million members in the 1970s, the UAW ranks have dropped to just 465,000 regular members, according to its most recent federal filings.
In 2007 the UAW had receipts — union dues, fees and other income — of $327.6 million and it spent $330.3 million. While losing members, the UAW International, since at least 2000, has been able to hold fairly steady in the amount of money it brings in and spends, according to federal records. It has $1.2 billion in net assets.
Gregg Shotwell, a UAW activist, is not troubled to learn that the education center is losing money. “When you are educating and training union members, that’s the business of the union. That’s never a loss,” Shotwell said.
But the golf course is a different story to Shotwell. “We should be running a union — not a country club,” he said.
LET YOUR CONGRESSPERSON KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! – WAS THIS WHAT CONGRESS PROMISED TO SPEND THE “TROUBLED ASSET RELIEF PROGRAM” MONEY ON?
$17 Billion Dollars of Taxpayor Money for Two of the “Detroit 3” – General Motors and Chrysler are to receive $17 Billi0n Dollars in Taxpayor money. Ford Motor Company, Toyota Motor Company of American, Hundai USA, KIA USA, Honda of America, Volkswagon of America, nor any of the other Automobile Manufacturing Companies in the United States will, as a group, receive nothing in support of their activities in this Country.
What are GM and Chrysler doing for this $17 Billion Dollars?
Here is what they are not doing: They are not scheduling meetings with the UAW to work out a “NEW BUSINESS PLAN” that will allow the Companies to survive and prosper. They are not scheduling discussions with their supplier chain or sales and distrubution networks. They are NOT USING THE TIME TO FINALIZE THE SHUT DOWN OF THE “JOBS BANK PROGRAM” – THE PROGRAM THAT PAYS WORKERS NOT TO WORK, FOR UP TO 4 YEARS.
What are General Motors and Chrysler doing with your tax dollars – they a re closing their plants and shutting down production for 30 days – USING YOUIR TAX DOLLARS TO PROVIDE THEIR EMPLOYEES A 30 DAY PAID VACATION AT TAX PAYOR EXPENSE.
I wonder if you cab double dip – collect your “Job Bank Pay” not to work and get your 30 day paid vacation at the same time. I’m sure the UAW would consider that reasonable.
Let your Congressperson know how you feel about this use of taxpayor dollars.
IS THE AUTO BAILOUT NEXT?
WASHINGTON – It’s something any bank would demand to know before handing out a loan: Where’s the money going? But after receiving billions in aid from U.S. taxpayers, the nation’s largest banks say they can’t track exactly how they’re spending the money or they simply refuse to discuss it.
“We manage our capital in its aggregate,” said Regions Financial Corp. spokesman Tim Deighton, who said the Birmingham, Ala.-based company is not tracking how it is spending the $3.5 billion it received as part of the financial bailout.
The answers highlight the secrecy surrounding the Troubled Assets Relief Program, which earmarked $700 billion — about the size of the Netherlands’ economy — to help rescue the financial industry. The Treasury Department has been using the money to buy stock in U.S. banks, hoping that the sudden inflow of cash will get banks to start lending money.
There has been no accounting of how banks spend that money. Lawmakers summoned bank executives to Capitol Hill last month and implored them to lend the money — not to hoard it or spend it on corporate bonuses, junkets or to buy other banks. But there is no process in place to make sure that’s happening and there are no consequences for banks who don’t comply.
Pressured by the Bush administration to approve the money quickly, Congress attached nearly no strings on the $700 billion bailout in October. And the Treasury Department, which doles out the money, never asked banks how it would be spent.
Nearly every bank AP questioned — including Citibank and Bank of America, two of the largest recipients of bailout money — responded with generic public relations statements explaining that the money was being used to strengthen balance sheets and continue making loans to ease the credit crisis.
No bank provided even the most basic accounting for the federal money.
“We’re choosing not to disclose that,” said Kevin Heine, spokesman for Bank of New York Mellon, which received about $3 billion.
Others said the money couldn’t be tracked. Bob Denham, a spokesman for North Carolina-based BB&T Corp., said the bailout money “doesn’t have its own bucket.” But he said taxpayer money wasn’t used in the bank’s recent purchase of a Florida insurance company. Asked how he could be sure, since the money wasn’t being tracked, Denham said the bank would have made that deal regardless.
“We’re not sharing any other details. We’re just not at this time,” said Wendy Walker, a spokeswoman for Dallas-based Comerica Inc., which received $2.25 billion from the government.
“A year or two ago, when we talked about spending $100 million for a bridge to nowhere, that was considered a scandal,” he said.
WHEN CONGRESS PASSED “TARP” THEY PROMISED THE AMERICAN TAXPAYOR COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY – CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSPERSON AND DEMAND TO KNOW WHERE YOUR TAX MONEY IS GOING ! NO MORE BAILOUT FUNDS !
Outgoing Presdient Bush sealed his legacy with Republicans and Conervatives today when he caved into his own self impoosed pressure to complete a “bailout” of the “Detroit 3” against the wish of the American Public.
Public opinion polls show resounding opposition to a “Bailout” of the “Detroit 3” and despite this opposition, Bush choose a path he believes will improve his “legacy” with the American people.
Once again, Bush has failed to consider the unintended consequences and ultimate costs his decisions will have for the American taxpayor.
BUSH HAS PLACED HIS CONCERN FOR HIS OWN LEGACY OVER THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
Bush promised the “Detroit 3” 17 Billion in Taxpayor money – to be provided from the “Troubled Asset Relief Program” or TARP – a fund never intended to provide such funding. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28311743?GT1=43001 So instead of buying “troubled assets” or mortgages the “TARP” will not be used to pay UAW members 85% of their salaries not to work …. Brillant, just brillant!
Bush stated that “letting the Auto Companies collapse is not a responsible course of action”. What a ridiculous proposition. Letting failed companies collapse is exactly what the Government does every day – The US Government does not guarantee the success of failed businesses – nor should it support failed business at the expense of successful businesses as Bush now proposes.
Bush pretends to propose a whole new set of “conditions” for receiving the “loans”, “conditions” which are identical to the unkept promises made by Congress when they passed the “TARP” legislation. The “conditions” are nothing more than “political window dressing” to limit the public criticism of this failed President and his failed Congress.
AND THIS IS THE MAN WHO WILL PROVIDE AN ORDERLY “BAILOUT” TO THE “DETROIT 3” – AS OPPOSED TO THE ORDERLY ADMINISTRATION OF THE BANKRUPTCY COURTS.
I DOUBT PAULSON WILL EVEN BE ABLE TO PROVIDE AN ACCOUNTING OF WHERE THE MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT.
You might recall that the “Detroit 3” returned “empty handed” to Congress in December – that is right, they retruned without any type of plans – just renewed requests for taxpayor money.
The penalty for not having completed a plan to justify the requested loan – nothing – Bush granted $17 Billion in loans without any type of “reorganization plan”. A “take the money first” and come back with a plan later, if you like, approach. No wonder the “Detroit 3” can’t get a loan in the public market place – the Banks want to see the “restructuring plan” upfront.
This is just incredible. Do you know that the amount loaned to the “Detroit 3” is equal to every family in the Country making a $5,000 personal loan to the “Detroit 3”. If the professional lenders wouldn’t ake the loan with an “upfront” restructuring plan” why did Bush make that commitment on our behalf.
I, like the the rest of the overwhelming majority of Americans, are opposed making such a loan.
WHY DOESN’T CONGRESS STEP IN AND STOP THIS?
THE UAW IS ALREADY STATING IT WILL MAKE NO FURTHER CONCESSIONS, GEE WHAT A SURPRISE.
The UAW has idled “Detroit 3” plants with strikes twice in the last 14 months. The UAW lies to its membership when it failes to admit the “true” hourly “all in costs” of its labor contracts. Neither the UAW nor its membership believe that concessions are necessary. It is no wonder that the ‘Detroit 3″ is stuck with a failed business model.
Don’t you think that if a “voluntary” means of spanning these differences was possible, that path would have already been taken. Throwing $17 Billion down the drain while the Detroit 3/ UAW continue on as usual is a ridiculous path to follow.
So what happens in 3 months after $17 Billion of “good” taxpayor money has been trown down this rathole – and the “Detroit 3” have produced no restructuring plan …… Does anyone really think the Detroit 3 will suddenly find the money to repay the loans – of course not. Everyone in Washington knows the money will be “lost”. No one is predicting that the economy is going to turn around in 90 days – in fact – the predictions correctly predict a continued worsening of the economy for the next 12 months – maybe longer if the Government continues to prusue the failed “Bailout” and “Loan” policies.
Do you think there will be a sudden demand for the product currently being produced by the “Detroit 3”. To imply that will happen is simply fiction. Gee, is the American public lining up to buy a “Volt” – GM’s electrical car that won’t even come to market for 2 years and then the owners of the Volt can look forward to recharging their vehicle every 30 miles. Is this is the vehicle that will save GM in the next 90 days?
So what happens in 90 days? Is GM or Chrysler going to be economically viable? NO they won’t! Will the American Taxpayor be robbed of additional funds to continue to pay UAW members 85% of their salaries not to work? (YES, THE JOB BANKS ARE STILL OPERATING AT FULL STEAM).
Bush’s bailout of the “Detroit 3” is really nothing more than an adoption of the Plan proposed by House Democrats, the same Plan that was rejected by the American People and the Senate Republicans.
This “Bush Bailout” does nothing to “demand” or require any changes by the ‘Detroit 3″/UAW – changes necessary for the “Detroit 3” to survive and prosper.
Listen closely to what the “Detroit 3/UAW are saying – they don’t really believe fundamental change is required – thus they are doomed to fail – it will jst be a matter time and of how many Taxpayor dollars are spent making “political paybacks” before the American public says enough is enough.
So the curtain comes down on the last term of Bush’s Presidency. As the curtain closed Bush choose a path he thought might improve his legacy, not the path that was best for America or the “Detroit 3”.
When it really mattered most for the American public, Bush placed his concern for how he might be remebered in the short term over what was “right” for America in the long run. A final serving serving act of a failed Presidency.
This “Auto Bailout” will not improve the “Bush legacy”. Unfortunately the “Auto Bailout”, like the “TARP” or “Bank Bailout” will prove to be a failure. By ignoring the American Public’s opposition to this bailout, Bush has succeeded in alienating his last group of supporters.
The “Bush Legacy” is certainly one of his own making.
Providing loan amounts in excess of 300% of a Company’s Market Value Would Never Happen In The Private Marketplace. | 2019-04-22T14:09:28Z | https://mcauleysworld.wordpress.com/category/detroit-3/ |
Peter Brimelow writes: On November 21, 2008, I spoke in Baltimore at the inaugural meeting of the H.L. Mencken Club, part of the fascinating reformulation now proceeding on the Right in the wake of the collapse of the established conservative movement. The $outhern Poverty Law Center, which had a spy in the audience, posed an amazingly quick summary (they have more money than we do). Now a kind reader has provided a complete transcript. I was introduced by an old friend of VDARE.COM, Professor Paul Gottfried.
Thank you, Paul [Gottfried]. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
I want to thank Bill Regnery and Richard Spencer and all the directors of the H.L. Mencken Club. It's a great honor to be invited to speak at your inaugural meeting here tonight.
I know that this organization went through a number of fires to get this conference started. All I can say is it's clearly been purified!
There's nobody here for the money! There are no foundation executives or other careerists! We don't have that problem!
You are all here out of pure principle. And the fact is that the late, great American Conservative Movement used to be like this. I'm old enough to remember. I emigrated to it in 1970. This is how it used to be.
At one point at Forbes, I used to interview every year Milton Friedman, the great free market economist, who was actually also a great man. (Although I realize that he has critics here, Tom! [Piatak—see here]) And he once said to me, in the mid-nineties, that it was to his great surprise late in his long life—and he was 94 when he died—that he had suddenly started to meet stupid libertarians—stupid free market economists.
He said that, when he was a young man on the campuses, starting a career, he just didn't meet stupid libertarians, because they were winkled out by evolutionary pressure. So those remaining were, all of them, very smart. Of course, they were frequently mad, but that's a different matter. They were smart.
And I think that—putting aside the madness!—we can see that in this conference. This is a conference where the audience really matters. Looking around the room, I'm struck with the high quality of the individuals here. There are a lot of you making real contributions. That's not what you'd find nowadays in what's left of the conservative movement, a conference held by the conservative establishment.
"This is the most extraordinary collection of human knowledge that's ever been gathered at the White House with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."
So I was thinking what American statesman dining alone should we all be compared with. Jefferson Davis? [Laugher from Southern caucus] I'll give you the answer later.
The theme of the conference is "The Egalitarian Temptation". And I'm here to talk about equality and immigration.
Now, being English, I don't have Paul's Germanic bent for abstract philosophy. In fact, abstractions give me the creeps. I'll leave this to Lydia, the philosophy graduate. It's facts, rather than philosophy, that motivate me.
And I'm going to prove that by promptly fleeing from the title and digressing to briefly discuss the presidential election, because that does relate to immigration. Quite obviously American politics are being substantially driven by immigration and the resulting demographic change.
One of the things that American journalists apparently learn in journalism school's Equality 101 is never to mention race. I watched the CNN election night coverage, and I found that they never reported quite what the racial breakdown of the presidential vote was, although it was very clear from their own exit polls.
Of course, this is completely foolish—because race is destiny in American politics. Americans vote systematically differently according to what race they are. They sway back and to. There are some years when the Republicans get more and some years when they get less, but the differences between those different racial groups never goes away. The gaps always remain roughly the same.
Now, the fact is that white voters—who 50 years ago would have been called "Americans", because 50 years ago this country was 90 percent white—went for McCain 55%-45%. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was a solid victory.
In other words, it's not clear to me that the "American people" really supported Obama.
You know, there's a moment in the movie The Good Shepherd where the WASP hero, who is a CIA agent, is asked by a Mafia boss whom he is trying to recruit, "The Italians have food, the Jews have got family, what do you WASPs have?" And the hero replied "We have the United States of America. The rest of you are just visiting."
And that's what this election shows us. The whites vote one way and everybody else votes another way. And white Protestants voted much more for McCain than white Catholics (although a majority of white Catholics did vote for McCain).
Obama has been very widely credited with winning the youth vote. And the only part of the white vote he won was 18-30 year olds. But it wasn't by a huge margin—about 55%-45%, rather similar to McCain's overall margin among whites. It wasn't that great.
If you take the racial breakdown of the presidential vote this year and project it back, adjusting for the demographic shift that has been caused by immigration, you find that, with the proportion of the white vote he got, McCain would have actually won the election in 1976 when Carter beat Ford. In other words he ran better than Ford. Absent immigration, he would now be president.
Looking at it the other way—we did this calculation because Jared Taylor asked me too!—if the GOP could just get back to the share of the white vote it had in 2004, which was about 58 percent, it will win again in 2012. It will be close, but it certainly can win.
The GOP under Bush never did particularly well with the white vote. Back in 1984, Reagan got 65 percent of the white vote, which would be easily enough to win an election right now, particularly considering that white turnout was very low this year compared to black and other minority turnout.
What we should be looking at is the example of Alabama. Alabama, like the South in general, whites are only 65 percent of the electorate, whereas in the US at large they cast about 77% of the vote. So the GOP is in much worse shape in Alabama than in America generally. But still the GOP won overwhelmingly in Alabama—because it got 88 percent of the white vote in this last election.
They don't do it by sending out a fiery cross or anything like that. It's not clear to me how they do it. Maybe [audience member], who is an Alabaman, can explain it. It seems to be like an implicit thing. Everybody in the South understands the way things are and they all vote Republican. I don't know that the Republicans deserve this, but that's how it works.
So my conclusion here is that, for the Republican Party—or any party of the American majority—the way to win is with what we at VDARE.COM call the Sailer Strategy, after Steve Sailer, one of our writers who has written a great deal on it: Mobilize the white base; get them to turn out. Penetrate—get deeper into your base than you are now.
The Democrats carry their base votes by a factor of 70, 80, 90 percent. More than 90 percent in the case of the blacks. But for the GOP, whites have been below 60 percent for many years.
If the GOP did mobilize its white base, than even without actually cutting off immigration, it could continue to win national elections for quite a long time. Although of course, making immigration an issue would certainly help.
It's astonishing how hard it is to get Republican operatives to see this. In the case of Bush and Rove, Occam's Razor would indicate that they personally just want to be like Mexican oligarchs—patricians in a sea of peons. I can't think of any other reason for the strategy they followed.
But, you know, some time ago I was talking to a friend in Washington who used to work for Jesse Helms. I made this argument—that the Republicans need not outreach but "inreach", to mobilize their white base. And he said: "Peter, in this city, if you said that, you would be excluded from any further conversation. It's just not possible to say that."
This is a man who worked for Jesse Helms!
Elite journalists and political operatives literally can't think about race—about the role that race plays in American politics. And, therefore, about the role that immigration plays.
Richard [Spencer] mentioned a few moments ago the danger of being shut down by hate speech laws. I take that very seriously. I think one of the first things that Obama will do is push through this federal hate speech law that Teddy Kennedy has been trying to get through for so long. We're running a column tonight by one of our columnists, Joe Guzzardi, making the point that the big problem we have is not hate speech but what he calls "hate facts." These are things that everybody knows are true, but that can't be said. The arithmetical need for the Republicans to mobilize their white base is a "hate fact" and can't be said, apparently. But it still remains true.
Well, let's go back to philosophy. What's happened here, of course, is that this equality meme has gotten out of its cage. It's broken loose of any connection to equality before the law, which is a legitimate and traditional use of the concept, and it's been wandering around the countryside killing sheep and generally terrifying people for the last thirty of forty years.
"Equality"—"non-discrimination"—was a major rationale for the 1965 Immigration Act, which of course opened up the country to mass immigration after a long lull of 40 odd years in which there was almost no immigration at all. The argument was that all countries had to be treated equally as sources for immigration to the US. There was no discussion at the time of the possibility that immigration was actually going to increase. In fact, people who predicted it would were roundly denounced, in the most indignant terms.
Now, I suspect, as a matter of fact, that the insiders, the people who drafted the legislation, were always lying through their teeth. They always knew perfectly well that it would increase immigration and destabilize the American ethnic balance.
A little while ago, we ran on VDARE.COM (and this is one of the wonderful things about the internet) a clip of a film interview with Norbert Schlei. the Justice Department operative who actually drafted the 1965 legislation.
There are things that you can say in print and things you can catch on film. Schlei was discussing his role and whether he anticipated what was going to happen, and he sort of giggled in a sinister way. The person who showed me this compared it to Mona Lisa's ambiguous smile.
What did Schlei really think? Did he really know what was going to happen? You can't see that video without believing that he did. He knew they were pulling a fast one.
I became aware of this problem with the marauding equality meme when I was talking at the University of Cincinnati Law School some years ago. You know, polemical writers need to anticipate arguments, and one of the reasons I like speaking, and on college campuses in particular (that reminds me, K——, weren't you going to arrange some speaking engagements for me? Thank you!) is you can never anticipate the stupid arguments that people come up with.
I was discussing the idea of immigration reduction—what we call "patriotic immigration reform", to distinguish it from President Bush's so-called "comprehensive immigration reform".
And this kid gets up and says, in effect, "Any immigration reduction would obviously discriminate against foreigners, and therefore would violate American civil rights law."
He thought that foreigners were somehow covered by American civil rights laws!
[Comment from audience] Obviously a future Obama Supreme Court nominee? Yes ! You know, I hadn't thought of that!
Now, obviously, what we're talking about here is not equality. It's an activist agenda designed to destroy the American social order. It's antinomianism. It's nihilism. But it's not equality before the law as it's been traditionally understood.
In terms of this new definition of equality, some people are more equal than others. Right now, founding stock Americans and in fact Americans whites in general are more equal than others, because they're discriminated against by Affirmative Action.
Okay, that's my theoretical comment. I'm now going to move on briefly to discuss the practical impact of immigration on equality.
What happened in the US was that, in 1965, the country had the option of being Switzerland—a relatively smaller population, because all races in the U.S. were lowering their birth rates, so the population was stabilizing; heavily white; very homogenous, highly educated, very productive. Or, the U.S. could decide to be Brazil—much larger, very diverse, chaotic, rampant poverty, tremendous income inequality.
And, of course, what's actually happened is that the US is in the process of becoming Brazil—with gated communities and so on.
And it spreads right through every level of income by the way. It affects even college graduates. But it is particularly harsh on the lesser skilled.
Another way of looking at the impact of immigration is poverty. If you look at the government poverty numbers, they're really quite extraordinary. They fall like a stone from the 1930s through about 1972. In 1972 the proportion of Americans in poverty was 11.3 percent. And it's been around there ever since. It's oscillating up and down, but essentially we've been moving sideways for 30 years.
Directly—many of those people in the poverty population are themselves immigrants or the children of immigrants. We calculated somewhere around about a third of them are either post-1965 immigrants or their US born children.
Indirect—immigrants compete with and displace native-born Americans in the workforce, and that in turn drives them into poverty. So it's a major reason the poverty level has been irreducible.
We have had three tremendously long booms here: the 1980s and the 90s and 2000s. Yet we still haven't been able to get poverty below the level where it was in 1972. One of the reasons is immigration. It's no accident that both of these problems—income stagnation and irreducible poverty—developed 30 years ago exactly when the effect of the 1965 Immigration Act kicked in.
I'm not saying immigration is the cause of widening income inequality in the US. But I am saying that it is a cause—and that it should be discussed.
But, in fact, conventional economic debate invariably leaves it out. And I've had a terrible time, as a financial journalist, in getting editors to let me write about it.
I'm going to leave you with two closing thoughts which arise out of my long experience in the conservative wars.
The first one is that I've concluded that nobody actually knows what's politically possible.
Least of all professional politicians—they don't go around thinking about what's going to happen five years or even five weeks from now. They just react from day to day.
In 1975, I came down to New York from Canada, where I then lived, and interviewed Bill Rusher, the publisher of National Review, about his attempt to start a third party. (A very good idea by the way and it's a shame it didn't work.) We exchanged a number of signals, in the way that you do—I told him I worked for John Ashbrook (Ashbrook and not Ashcroft) against Nixon in 1972—he, of course, had been a great supporter of Ashbrook. So when the interview was finished, he said to me, confidentially, off the record: "You know, I think that it's all over" (remember, this was 1975) "and the Red Flag will one day fly over the world. The last chance we had to turn things around was 1968 when Reagan [some of you may not remember this, but Ronald Reagan actually ran against Nixon in that year and came quite surprisingly close to winning] was stopped by Strom Thurmond." Thurmond was the one who held the South for Nixon. But, Rusher said to me, "We keep on going. One reason is you never know what is going to turn up. And the second reason is that there are theological injunctions against despair!"
Well, just five years later, Reagan was in the White House. Things had changed around with extraordinary speed.
Similarly, you know, and again, the people in this room perhaps don't remember this, but the power of the Soviet Union was once omnipresent. We went around thinking about it every day—the possibility of nuclear war, what they were up to all over the world, and so on. It's hard to remember now, but it was a central fact of political life for a long time. And nobody predicted that the Soviet Union was going to collapse.
I interviewed Seweryn Bialer, who was supposed to be this great Kremlinologist, in 1986 for Forbes. That was just four years before the Soviet Union collapsed. But he had no idea it was going to collapse. He had spent his entire career studying it—and yet he had absolutely no idea.
So, because of that, I conclude that the ghost of the Soviet Union—because that's what this equality stuff really is, it's the unquiet ghost of Stalinism—can be exorcised. It appears to be all-powerful now. But it can be exorcised. And it will be.
The second conclusion I've come to about politics is actually not really drawn from politics. It's from my day job as a financial journalist. It's an axiom in the stock market that things that can't go on forever, don't.
For example, for six or seven years now, it's been obvious that the stock market has been massively overvalued by traditional measures. But the people who were saying this, almost all of them, eventually gave up—because it kept on going up anyway.
But it turned out that it couldn't go on forever. And it didn't.
And that's how I feel about American politics right now. I think that whites, that is to say Americans, will organize. They will ultimately throw off the leadership they currently have. I think immigration will become an issue, and the issue will become an important part of that self-organization process, with your help.
And this brings me to who I think the single statesman I think you all resemble. It has to be George Washington.
Not just because of his intelligence, but because of his character and courage—the heroic rethinking that they all did between about 1750 and 1775, to reformulate the American idea and what the future of the American nation was going to be.
Of course, from my point of view, George Washington was a rebel too!
But that's what we need. We need a rebellion. And I want to thank our hosts here for fomenting it. | 2019-04-24T19:24:46Z | https://vdare.com/articles/america-s-egalitarian-temptation-stalinism-s-unquiet-ghost |
The Masonic Care Community of New York is committed to safeguarding the privacy of your protected health information. This notice tells you about the ways in which we may use and disclose protected health information about you. It also describes your privacy rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information.
For purposes of this Notice, the term “Masonic Care Community of New York” encompasses the Masonic Care Community of New York Health Pavilion, the Wiley Hall Residential Adult Care Facility, the Acacia Certified Home Care Company, and the Acacia Licensed Home Care Company, each of which is required to abide by the terms of this Notice. This Notice applies to all Masonic Care Community of New York records that contain your protected health information, including medical records and billing records, in whatever form those records may be maintained, whether on paper or in a computer system. Protected health information may also include photographs, videotapes, digital images, or other images that record or document your care and treatment.
You have certain rights concerning the information that your health record at the Masonic Care Community contains.
Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and receive a copy of your protected health information, including information maintained in our medical and billing records. If you request a copy of your protected health information, we may charge a reasonable fee for the costs of copying. The standard fee is $0.75 per page for paper copies.
Under certain circumstances, we may deny your request to inspect or obtain a copy of your protected health information. If your request for inspection is denied, we will provide you with a written notice explaining our reasons for such denial, and will include a description of your rights to have the decision reviewed and how you can exercise those rights.
Right to Amend: If you feel that medical information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask the Masonic Care Community of New York to amend the information.
To request an amendment, your request must be made in writing and submitted to the Privacy Officer. Your request should include the reason(s) why you believe we should amend your information. We will respond to your request for amendment no later than 60 days after the receipt of your request.
If we deny your request for an amendment we will provide you with a written notice that explains our reasons. You will have the right to submit a written statement disagreeing with our denial. You will also be informed of how to file a complaint with us or with the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request an “accounting of disclosures.” An “accounting of disclosures” is a list of disclosures the Masonic Care Community of New York has made of your protected health information, except for the following:Disclosures to carry out treatment, payment, and health care operations;Disclosures made to you;Disclosures in accordance with an authorization you signed;Disclosures made in a facility directory or to persons involved in your care;Disclosures for national security or intelligence purposes;Disclosures to correctional institutions or law enforcement officials; andDisclosures made before April 14, 2003.
To request an accounting of disclosures, you must submit your request in writing to the Privacy Officer. Your request must state the time period for which you are requesting an accounting of disclosures, which may not be longer than six years and may not include dates before April 14, 2003. The first list you request will be free. If you request additional lists within 12 months, we will charge you for the costs of providing the list. We will notify you of the cost involved, and you may choose to withdraw or modify your request at that time before costs are incurred. We will respond to your request for an accounting of disclosures within 60 days.
Right to Request Restrictions: You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the protected health information we use or disclose about you for treatment, payment or health care operations. You also have the right to request a limit on the medical information we disclose about you to someone who is involved in your care, like a family member or friend. If you request a restriction on disclosure of your identifiable information to a health insurer or other health plan for purposes of payment or health care operations, we are required to honor that request only if (a) the disclosure is not otherwise required by law, and (b) the information pertains only to items or services for which our organization has been paid in full by you or someone else on your behalf. We are not required to agree to your request for any other restriction on use or disclosure. If we do agree, we will limit the disclosure of your protected health information unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency treatment or to comply with the law.
To request restrictions on disclosures, you must make your request in writing to the Privacy Officer. In your request, you must tell us (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply.
Right to Request Confidential Means of Communication: You have the right to request that we communicate with you about medical matters in a certain way or at a certain location.
To request a confidential means of communication, you must make your request in writing to the Privacy Officer. We will not ask you the reason for your request. We will accommodate all reasonable requests. Your requests must specify how or where you wish to be contacted, and how payment for your health care will be handled if we communicate with you through this alternative method or location.
Right to Receive a Paper Copy of This Notice: You have the right to request a paper copy of this Notice at any time. Even if you have agreed to receive this Notice electronically, you are still entitled to a paper copy of this Notice. You may obtain a copy of this notice at our website, www.masoniccommunityny.org. To obtain a paper copy of this Notice, please ask any staff member.
The following categories describe ways in which the Masonic Care Community of New York may use and disclose your protected health information. The examples given below are illustrative, and are not meant to be exhaustive.
Treatment: The Masonic Care Community of New York may use protected health information to provide you with medical treatment or services. We may disclose protected health information about you to physicians, nurses, technicians, or other personnel who are involved in your care and treatment in the Masonic Care Community of New York. We may also disclose protected health information about you to health care providers outside of the Masonic Care Community of New York who are involved in your care or treatment. For example, we may disclose your protected health information to your physician or a pharmacy for purposes of treating you after you are discharged. We may also share your protected health information with other providers in order to coordinate services, such as lab work and x-rays. The Masonic Care Community of New York Health Pavilion, the Wiley Hall Residential Adult Facility, the Acacia Certified Home Care Company, and the Acacia Licensed Home Care Company, as components of the Masonic Care Community of New York, will share protected health information with each other as necessary to carry out treatment, payment, and healthcare operations.
Payment: The Masonic Care Community of New York may use and disclose protected health information in order to bill and collect payment for the services and items you receive from us. For example, we may contact your health insurer to certify that you are eligible for benefits, and we may disclose protected health information to your health insurer in order to obtain payment for services, to obtain prior approval, or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment or service.
Health Care Operations: We may use and disclose protected health information in order to conduct our normal business operations as a health care provider. For example, we may use your protected health information to review the treatment and services provided, to evaluate the performance of our staff in caring for you, or to educate our staff on how to improve the care they provide for you. We may also disclose protected health information to other companies that perform business services for us, such as billing companies, technology and software vendors, attorneys, or external auditors, but only under a written agreement that protects the privacy of your protected health information.
Treatment Alternatives or Other Health-Related Benefits: We may use and disclose protected health information to tell you about possible treatment alternatives or health-related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
Fundraising: We may use certain types of information about you, on a minimum necessary basis, in order to contact you for the purpose of fundraising efforts that support our operations. The information that we may use for fundraising purposes is limited to: demographic information relating to you (names, addresses, other contact information, gender, age, and birth date); health insurance status; dates of health care provided to you; and information on department of service, treating physician, and outcome of care. We may also share this information with a charitable foundation that raises funds on our behalf. You have the right to opt out of receiving fundraising communications. In any fundraising materials that we send you, we will clearly tell you how to opt out of receiving any further fundraising communications.
Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for your Care: Health professionals at the Masonic Care Community of New York, using their professional judgment, may disclose to a family member, other relative, a close personal friend, or any other individual who is involved in your care or in payment for your care the information that is relevant to that person’s involvement in your health care or in payment for your care.
Emergencies: The Masonic Care Community of New York may use or disclose protected health information in emergency situations if an opportunity to object to such uses and disclosures cannot practicably be provided because of your incapacity or an emergency circumstance.
As Required By Law: The Masonic Care Community of New York will use or disclose protected health information to the extent that such use or disclosure is required by federal, state or local laws. For example, the Masonic Care Community is required to comply with lawfully issued government agency directives, court orders, and subpoenas.
Public Health Risks: We may use or disclose protected health information to authorized public health officials so they may carry out public health activities. For example, we may disclose your protected health information to public health officials for the following reasons, in accordance with law:To prevent or control disease, injury or disability;To report vital events such as deaths;To notify a person who may have been exposed to a communicable disease or may be at risk for contracting or spreading a communicable disease; orIn relation to quality, safety or effectiveness of FDA-regulated products or activities.
To Avert Serious Threat to Health or Safety: The Masonic Care Community of New York may use or disclose protected health information, if in good faith, we believe that it is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public, and the disclosure is to a person or persons reasonably able to prevent or lessen the threat, including the target of the threat; or it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to identify or apprehend an individual.
Victims of Abuse, Neglect, or Domestic Violence: The Masonic Care Community of New York may disclose protected health information to government authorities, including a social service or protective services agency, authorized by law to receive reports of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. For example, we may report your protected health information to the extent allowed by law to government officials if we reasonably believe that you have been a victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. We will make efforts to obtain your permission before making such a disclosure, except under circumstances where we are required or authorized to act without your permission.
Health Oversight Activities: We may disclose your protected health information to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law, such as monitoring of the operation of the health care system, government benefits programs, and compliance with government regulatory programs. Such oversight activities may include audits; civil, criminal, or administrative investigations or actions; investigations or actions; inspections; and licensure or disciplinary actions.
Workers’ Compensation: The Masonic Care Community of New York may, in accordance with law, disclose protected health information for workers’ compensation or other similar programs that provide benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses.
Lawsuits and Legal Proceedings: The Masonic Care Community of New York may use or disclose your protected health information in response to a court or administrative agency order, if you are involved in a lawsuit or similar proceeding. We also may disclose your protected health information in response to a subpoena or other lawful process by another party involved in the dispute, but only if we have received satisfactory assurances from the party requesting the information that reasonable efforts have been made to inform you of the request, or a qualified protective order has been obtained.
Law Enforcement Purposes: The Masonic Care Community of New York may disclose your protected health information to law enforcement officials for reasons such as the following:In response to court orders, warrants, subpoenas, or similar legal process;To assist law enforcement officials with identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness, or missing person;If you have been or are suspected of being a victim of a crime and you agree to the disclosure, or if we are unable to obtain your agreement because of your incapacity or other emergency.If we suspect that a death resulted from criminal conduct;To report evidence of criminal conduct that occurred on the premises of the Masonic Care Community of New York;In an emergency, to report a crime, including the location or victims of the crime, or the identity, description or location of the perpetrator, to the extent allowed by law.
Specialized Government Functions: The Masonic Care Community of New York may use and disclose protected health information regarding:Military and veteran activities;Intelligence, counter-intelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law;Protective services for the President, to foreign heads of state, or to other persons authorized by law; orAs to inmates, to a correctional institution or law enforcement official having lawful custody of the individual.
Coroners, Medical Examiners and Funeral Directors: The Masonic Care Community of New York may disclose protected health information to a coroner, or a medical examiner, as necessary to carry out their duties, as authorized by law. We may also release protected health information to funeral directors as necessary to carry out their duties.
Organ, Eye, or Tissue Donation Purposes: The Masonic Care Community of New York may use or disclose protected health information to organ procurement organizations or other entities engaged in the procurement, banking, or transplantation of organs, eyes or tissues for donation and transplantation.
Research: In most cases, we will ask for your written authorization before using or disclosing your protected health information to conduct research. However, in limited circumstances we may use or disclose protected health information without authorization if:The use or disclosure was approved by an Institutional Review Board or a Privacy Board, and we obtain representations from the researcher that the information is necessary for the research protocol, protected health information will not be removed from the Masonic Care Community of New York, and the information will be used solely for research purposes; orThe protected health information sought by the researcher relates only to decedents and the researcher agrees that the use or disclosure is necessary for the research.
Written Authorization for Other Disclosures: Uses and disclosures of your protected health information that are not described in this Notice will be made only with your written authorization. We are required to obtain your written authorization for certain special uses and disclosures of your PHI, such as:use or disclosure of protected health information for certain marketing purposes, anda use or disclosure that would constitute a sale of your protected health information.
If you provide us with a written authorization for use or disclosure of your protected health information, you make revoke your authorization at any time in writing. To revoke an authorization, you must contact the Privacy Officer in writing at the address shown in this Notice. After you revoke an authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your identifiable health information for the reasons described in the authorization; however, disclosures that were made while the authorization was in effect will not be taken back.
Notification of Breach: We are required to notify affected individuals if a breach of unsecured protected health information occurs.
The Masonic Care Community of New York reserves the right to revise the terms of this Notice of Privacy Practice. Any changes to this Notice will be effective for all records that the Masonic Care Community of New York has created or maintained in the past, for any of your records that we may create or maintain in the future.
If we make any changes to our Notice of Privacy Practices, the revised notice will be available to you on request, and will be posted on our website, www.masoniccommunityny.org. If we make a major change in this Notice that affect the use and disclosure of your protected health information, your rights, our duties, or our privacy practices, you will be informed in accordance with law. In addition, a copy of our current Notice of Privacy Practices is posted in a clearly visible, prominent location at the Masonic Care Community of New York at all times. You may request a copy of our most current Notice of Privacy Practices at any time.
Submitting a complaint to the Masonic Care Community of New York or to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services will not affect your status as a resident of the Masonic Care Community of New York. The Masonic Care Community of New York will not retaliate against you in any way for filing a complaint.
If you have any questions about this Notice of Privacy Practices, please contact the Privacy Officer. | 2019-04-21T19:07:55Z | https://www.masonichomeny.org/about-us/quality-of-life/resident-privacy/ |
Maintaining your plumbing system is an instrumental part of taking care of your home. There are times when plumbing needs attention from a local plumber in Maple Valley. The following article will give you advice that will improve your plumbing skills as well as when to call a plumber.
Ensure that if something goes wrong in your garbage disposal that you resist any and all urges you have that might make you want to put your hands inside to fix a problem. Garbage disposals always pose a possible threat, even when powered off or non-working all together. Research your disposal online to locate a detailed diagram or troubleshooting guide for your model.
Check the floors in your bathroom for any give in order to be sure that there is no damage in the floors. Stand over the toilet, then rock it back and forth to see if any weakening in the floor has occurred. It’s important to catch and address floor damage problems as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more expensive the repair will be. This is likely something that you will want to call on a local plumber in Maple Valley.
Avoid putting grease, fat, and other oils down your drain. When these oils cool, they become hard and create clogs. Even with a garbage disposal, you are going to cause it to be less efficient and risk drain backups. The best thing to do is to dispose of oil-based liquids away from your sinks.
Schedule all the Maple Valley plumbing work at one time. This allows you to save up for necessary parts and equipment while saving money on hiring a professional. It also saves you money because a lot of plumbers charge by the hour–they cannot charge for multiple hours every trip if they only make one trip out.
A great maintenance routine for bathtub drains is to pour baking soda and vinegar into the drain opening once a month. Cover the drain up with a plug or old rag, as there will be a chemical reaction in the pipes. Let that sit for a while, and then run boiling hot water down it. This should help clear your pipes of accumulated hair and soap scum.
Contact a local Maple Valley plumber to handle all of your plumbing needs for you and save you a ton of time. Contact Hagee Plumbing today at 206-519-5747.
A good website design is vital for any business organization in Bellevue, WA to succeed in the long run. The website is the online identity of the business. Excellent website design for the Bellevue business can be a powerful marketing tool.
There is nothing to stop business owners from foregoing the use of a professional web designer Bellevue and design their own websites. However, the multiple choices in layout styles, graphics, content, fonts, colors, etc. can make web design for Bellevue business quite complex.
Hiring the services of a skilled web designer Bellevue makes the job a lot easier and assures you of a professional-looking business website. Your website design conveys a lot about your company, products and brand to your potential customers. Make the right impression by getting your site designed by a reputable web design company in Bellevue. Come to iLocal, Inc.
Besides focusing on these fundamental requirements in web design, the web designer Bellevue must also ensure proper website maintenance. All elements of the website design Bellevue business should be periodically checked to make sure there is nothing to spoil the users’ experience.
It is unthinkable for a business to work without a website in this digital era. A compelling, credible website design for Bellevue company has a major role to play in attracting new business and developing a respectful corporate image.
A robust web design leads to increased web traffic and better conversion rate, boosting the revenue generated at the site. However, you must hire a web designer with the right expertise, experience and resources to create the high-class website design your Bellevue business needs and deserves. Our web design company has just the experts you are looking for.
Call iLocal, Inc. at (206) 790-1999. Discuss your web design needs with our web designer today!
Efficient plumbing is a crucial component of a well-organized and relaxed household in Tacoma, WA. Indeed, nothing wrecks your daily life quite like an improperly installed or a malfunctioning plumbing system does.
Blocked toilets, clogged drains and water heater breakdown are some dreaded problems that send homeowners frantically calling up Tacoma plumbers. And, even the seemingly harmless Tacoma plumbing issues like leaky sinks and dripping faucets can drive you up the wall if they linger on for long.
Though Tacoma plumbing troubles are not entirely unavoidable, it would not do to resign yourself to suffering these things as a normal part of life. You must do all that you can to ensure that the plumbing in your home functions smoothly and gives you minimal cause for hiring Tacoma plumbers.
Planning the Tacoma plumbing system intelligently when you begin with the home construction project can save you from many stressful and costly problems later on. After all, installing the Tacoma plumbing system is quite a huge investment and you should make sure it lasts really long.
Hire experienced Tacoma plumbers to ensure the most important thing – planning for the future. A seasoned plumber plans everything, including the water supply, drainage & waste disposal, venting, not just to fulfill the present-day requirements, but also include provisions for the probable increased needs in the future.
You can choose Tacoma plumbers who are veterans at residential plumbing and so, likely to deliver efficient and durable services.
Have the exceptional installation services of your Tacoma plumbers complemented by quality plumbing materials, pipes, appliances, fixtures, etc. that can stand the test of time. If you get tempted into reducing your investment in Tacoma plumbing system by using low-cost items and services, you will have to pay dearly for it in the long run by the way of frequent repairs.
Planning ahead should also include preparing yourself for handling Tacoma plumbing issues. No matter how high quality your home plumbing is, occasional snags in it will arise. You can handle such situations quickly and economically if you have already zeroed in on the dependable Tacoma plumber to call in.
Count on Beacon Plumbing for expert help with any routine or emergency plumbing needs you experience in your Tacoma home. Call our plumber at (253) 655-4599.
There would be hardly any business in Bellevue, WA and beyond that does not realize the importance of having a well-designed website. An imposing online representation of your business requires creating sound web pages.
The website design Bellevue has to be such that it attracts your potential customers and provides them the detailed information necessary to convince them to do business with you. Your web design Bellevue should also make it convenient for net users to actually do business with you.
For such a website, you need to hire a knowledgeable and experienced web designer Bellevue. You need a professional web designer who knows all about the essential features of an attractive website design Bellevue.
The website design Bellevue should be eye-catching, but not frivolous. It should convey your professionalism and inspire a reassuring feeling among the site users about your capabilities. The web design should have uniform style, with consistency in the text and graphics.
Your web design Bellevue should be packed with appropriate, accurate and well-written content. This arouses site users’ interest, holds them at the site and generates trust in you. The web designer should create a user-friendly website design. Simple, easy-to-understand and quick navigation pleases users and encourages their repeat visits.
Another thing that we focus on, as your web designer Bellevue, is the structure of your website. We believe that your web design Bellevue should be simple, robust and responsive.
With a simple website design, the site will load fast and all your target customers will love that. The other advantage of simplicity in web design is its cost-effectiveness. Our web designer Bellevue will take less time to create the website. Moreover, it takes up less bandwidth and disk space.
We also strive for a robust and responsive website design Bellevue that is compatible across different browsers and can be easily accessed through different internet-enabled devices. Our aim is to come up with a web design Bellevue that assures your target audience of a pleasant and thoroughly satisfying experience on the site.
Hire the skilled web designer at iLocal, Inc. to create an impressive and successful website for your business. Call (206) 790-1999 to learn more about our website design services.
When you renovate your home in Tacoma, WA, plumbing upgrades is most likely to be on the list. Replacing the worn-out plumbing components and installing latest appliances is a great way of making your living spaces more comfortable. Even so, you should strive for renovating the Tacoma plumbing in a way that you get maximum value out of your investment.
The key thing is to hire capable and dependable Tacoma plumbers to evaluate the existing plumbing system. If your Tacoma plumbing system has to be modified to meet your changed needs, it is important that the changes be made in compliance with the local codes. Hiring experienced, certified Tacoma plumbers can ensure this.
Installation of a new toilet by your Tacoma plumbers can revitalize the bathroom and even help you in water conservation. The replacement makes even more sense if the existing toilet is broken, cracked or chipped.
The bathtub and showers are key Tacoma plumbing items, upgrading which can alter the entire look of the bathroom. You can take the assistance of your Tacoma plumbers in choosing products that go well with the tiling and other bath furnishings, and can also be relied on for efficient operation for years to come.
You can get your plumber to replace the kitchen and bathroom sinks. This improves the aesthetics as well as efficiency of cooking and bathing areas. The upgrading can be enhanced by replacing countertops and vanities.
Faucets, taps and other Tacoma plumbing fixtures in your kitchen and bathrooms should not only look fantastic, but also offer convenient use. Worn-out fixtures fail on both these counts. So, when you call in plumber for upgrading the system, these are often the first things to be replaced.
Your Tacoma plumbing renovation project can also include making new installations that you might not have got earlier for some reason. You can get your plumber to install a water softener to ensure better-quality water for the showers and laundry.
No matter what plumbing upgrades you get, remember that it involves significant amount of money and impacts the comfort in your daily life in the future. So, invest in top-grade products & materials and entrust the project only to skilled and well-equipped Tacoma plumber like Beacon Plumbing.
Call Beacon Plumbing at (253) 655-4599 to upgrade the plumbing system in your Tacoma home.
Present-day businesses, based in Bellevue, WA and beyond must have a strong online presence. It starts with having an impressive website. Establishing the image of the company/product is an essential aspect of marketing. A striking web design Bellevue reflects favorably on your business and generates interest as well as confidence in your brand.
But, you must contact an experienced, professional web designer Bellevue if you want to get a fine website design that attracts the desired clientele.
The expert web designer Bellevue begins with developing a representative image of the firm – its logo. The logo should be eye-catchy. It should be displayed at every possible platform, like on product packaging, promotional materials, banners at corporate event venues, etc. It should also be placed prominently in the company’s web design Bellevue. This wide-spread visibility of logo encourages brand recognition and recollection.
A major part of shopping happens online these days. So, effective online marketing can pay rich dividends. Creating a good web design Bellevue is a part of any business’ strategic internet marketing.
The best way of getting the right business website design is by selecting an experienced web designer Bellevue like iLocal, Inc. with proven expertise.
An effective web design Bellevue attracts visitors. A knowledgeable web designer Bellevue incorporates elements in the website design that improve the site’s search engine rankings. The, factors like crisp information, simple navigation and interactive style of website design Bellevue helps holding visitors at the site.
Right choice of color tones by the web designer Bellevue can also help in promoting a business website. There are certain hues which human mind immediately retains and recall. Using these in the website design creates a lasting impression on the users’ mind.
Overall, a thoughtfully-designed website increases website traffic, encourages actual sales and builds a positive image of the business.
Enhance the online presence of your business by hiring the web design services of iLocal, Inc. Dial (206) 790-1999 to talk to our web designer.
Plumbing installation, repair and maintenance is as important for commercial properties in Tacoma, WA as it is for residential buildings. In fact, unless defective plumbing is repaired immediately by Tacoma plumbers, it can cause more problems in business places than in homes. This is so because apart from causing inconvenience and necessitating repair expenses, Tacoma plumbing issues cause an additional setback in commercial places, that of, loss of business.
If you want to avoid the damaging consequences of malfunctioning Tacoma plumbing on your commercial property, hire an experienced plumber to provide regular maintenance and occasional repairs.
You should know that Tacoma plumbers are of different types. While some offer general plumbing maintenance and repair services, there are others that specialize in either residential or commercial plumbing work. For best results, it would be better if you hire a commercial plumbing company in Tacoma with expertise and extensive experience in handling the plumbing systems in business places.
The major services that you can expect from your plumber include installation of new Tacoma plumbing fixtures and appliances; instant response at any hour of the day to solve your plumbing emergency and keep your business place operational; providing general plumbing repair service, when required; inspecting the pipes and replacing the worn-out ones in time; installing water-efficient measures to lower your water bill; maintaining the water filtration systems in your property; keeping the toilets efficiently functional; and maintaining the backflow prevention devices.
Commercial establishments such as restaurants, bars and hotels particularly require services of expert Tacoma plumbers for maintaining the drainage systems. Maintenance and timely repair of hot water systems is also necessary to ensure constant supply of hot water on the premises.
Maintaining Tacoma plumbing in commercial places can be quite challenging. Here, the plumbing system is more complex and more heavily-used. You should be very cautious as you go about selecting the Tacoma plumber you hire.
Choose a suitably qualified, licensed and experienced plumber. You should also ensure that the plumber can be there to resolve your Tacoma plumbing problems at a short notice.
Beacon Plumbing is the expert to call when you need reliable plumbers to keep your Tacoma business free from plumbing problems. Call (253) 655-4599.
The ever-increasing inflation urges most homeowners in Tacoma, WA to cut costs wherever possible. One popular way is by avoiding hiring professional help and using DIY solutions for several jobs around the house, which may include fixing Tacoma plumbing problems.
Every household will often come across issues such as clogged drains and leaking pipes and faucets. If addressed in time, these problems can be handled by anyone having basic Tacoma plumbing knowledge and simple tools such as plunger and pipe wrench.
Thus, you can find some people who do not call in the local Tacoma plumber every time a tap starts dripping. In fact, there are also many competent homeowners who think nothing of hooking up washing machines and sinks themselves.
While you may be tempted to save money by keeping the plumbers away, you must be realistically aware of your Tacoma plumbing abilities. Going the DIY way has often been observed to turn out to be more expensive than hiring an experienced Tacoma plumber.
Tacoma plumbing activities that involve soldering pipes or fittings with propane torch are other things that a homeowner should not even think of attempting. Sewer backup is another problem that can overwhelm a layman with no understanding and specialized equipment to deal with the mess. Homeowners looking for professional plumbers can click here.
There are many Tacoma plumbing installations and repairs that are not only very dangerous to do yourself, but also illegal. Working on the Tacoma plumbing without adequate knowledge and appropriate tools makes your property liable to damage and exposes your family to the risk of physical harm and illness.
Besides, certain plumbing jobs can only be carried out by a Tacoma plumber who has the mandatory qualification, permit or license for providing such services.
An average homeowner who is handy with tools may try setting certain minor plumbing issues right without an expert Tacoma plumber’s assistance. However, the fact remains that your home’s plumbing is too critical and complicated a system to be tinkered with by a novice.
Hiring the licensed plumber at Beacon Plumbing is your best bet to have the plumbing system in your Tacoma home restored to normalcy quickly, reliably and safely. Call (253) 655-4599 today! | 2019-04-19T18:49:58Z | http://blog.researchgiant.com/2015/09/ |
Adapted as a fighter bomber, the F-100 would be supplanted by the Mach 2 class F-105 Thunderchief for strike missions over North Vietnam. The F-100 flew extensively over South Vietnam as the Air Force's primary close air support jet until replaced by the more efficient subsonic LTV A-7 Corsair II. The F-100 also served in other NATO air forces and with other U.S. allies. In its later life, it was often referred to as "the Hun," a shortened version of "one hundred."
In January 1951, North American Aviation delivered an unsolicited proposal for a supersonic day fighter to the United States Air Force. Named Sabre 45 because of its 45° wing sweep, it represented an evolution of the F-86 Sabre. The mockup was inspected on 7 July 1951, and after over a hundred modifications the new aircraft was accepted as the F-100 on 30 November 1951. Extensive use of titanium throughout the aircraft was notable. On 3 January 1952, the USAF ordered two prototypes followed by 23 F-100As in February and an additional 250 F-100As in August.
The YF-100A first flew on 25 May 1953, seven months ahead of schedule. It reached Mach 1.05 in spite of being fitted with a de-rated XJ57-P-7 engine. The second prototype flew on 14 October 1953, followed by the first production F-100A on 9 October 1953. The USAF operational evaluation from November 1953 to December 1955 found the new fighter to have superior performance but declared it not ready for widescale deployment due to various deficiencies in the design. These findings were subsequently confirmed during "Project Hot Rod" operational suitability tests. Particularly troubling was the yaw instability in certain regimes of flight which produced inertia coupling. The aircraft could develop a sudden yaw and roll which would happen too fast for the pilot to correct and would quickly overstress the aircraft structure to disintegration. It was under these conditions that North American's chief test pilot, George Welch, was killed while dive testing an early-production F-100A on 12 October 1954. Another control problem stemmed from handling characteristics of the swept wing at high angles of attack. As the aircraft approached stall speeds, loss of lift on the tips of the wings caused a violent pitch-up. This particular phenomenon (which could easily be fatal at low altitude where there was insufficient time to recover) became known as the "Sabre Dance".
Nevertheless, delays in the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak program pushed the Tactical Air Command to order the raw F-100A into service. TAC also requested that future F-100s should be fighter-bombers, with the capability of delivering nuclear bombs.
The addition of "wet" hardpoints meant the F-100C could carry a pair of 275 U.S. gal (1,040 l) and a pair of 200 U.S. gal (770 l) drop tanks. However, the combination caused loss of directional stability at high speeds and the four tanks were soon replaced by a pair of 450 U.S. gal (1,730 l) drop tanks. The 450s proved scarce and expensive and were often replaced by smaller 335 US gal (1,290 l) tanks. Most troubling to TAC was the fact, that, as of 1965, only 125 F-100Cs were capable of utilizing all non-nuclear weapons in the Air Force inventory, particularly cluster bombs and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. By the time the F-100C was phased out in June 1970, 85 had been lost in major accidents.
The first F-100D (54–2121) flew on 24 January 1956, piloted by Daniel Darnell. It entered service on 29 September 1956 with 405th Fighter Wing at Langley AFB. The aircraft suffered from reliability problems with the constant speed drive which provides constant-frequency current to electrical systems. In fact, the drive was so unreliable that the USAF required it to have its own oil system to minimize damage in case of failure. Landing gear and brake parachute malfunctions claimed a number of aircraft, and the refueling probes had a tendency to break away during high speed maneuvers. Numerous post-production fixes created such a diversity of capabilities between individual aircraft that by 1965 around 700 F-100Ds underwent High Wire modifications to standardize the weapon systems. High Wire modifications took 60 days per aircraft at a total cost of US$150 million. In 1966, Combat Skyspot program fitted some F-100Ds with an X band radar transmitter to allow for ground-directed bombing in inclement weather or at night.
In 1961, at England AFB, Louisiana, (401st Tactical Wing), there were four fighter-bomber squadrons. These were the 612th, 613th, 614th and the 615th (Fighting Tigers). During the Berlin Crisis (approximately September 1961) the 614th was deployed to Ramstein Air Base, Germany to support the West Germans. At the initial briefing, the 614th personnel were informed that due to the close proximity of the USSR, if an ICBM were to be launched, they would have only 30 minutes to launch the 614th aircraft and retire to the nearest German bunker.
In 1967, the USAF began a structural reinforcement program to extend the aircraft's service life from the designed 3,000 flying hours to 7,000. The USAF alone lost 500 F-100Ds, predominantly in accidents. After one aircraft suffered wing failure, particular attention was paid to lining the wings with external bracing strips. During the Vietnam War, combat losses constituted as many as 50 aircraft per year. On 7 June 1957, an F-100D fitted with an Astrodyne booster rocket making 150,000 lbf (667.2 kN) of thrust successfully performed a zero length launch. This was accomplished with the addition of a large canister to the underside of the aircraft. This canister contained a black powder compound and was ignited electro-mechanically, driving the jet engine to minimal ignition point. The capability was incorporated into late-production aircraft. After a major accident, the USAF Thunderbirds reverted from F-105 Thunderchiefs to the F-100D which they operated from 1964 until it was replaced by the F-4 Phantom II in 1968.
The F-100 was the subject of many modification programs over the course of its service. Many of these were improvements to electronics, structural strengthening, and projects to improve ease of maintenance. One of the more interesting of these was the replacement of the original afterburner of the J-57 engine with the more advanced afterburners from retired Convair F-102 Delta Dagger interceptors. This modification changed the appearance of the aft end of the F-100, doing away with the original "petal-style" exhaust. The afterburner modification started in the 1970s and solved maintenance problems with the old type as well as operational problems, including compressor stall issues.
By 1972, the F-100 was mostly phased out of USAF active service and turned over to tactical fighter groups and squadrons in the ANG. In Air National Guard units, the F-100 was eventually replaced by the F-4 Phantom II, LTV A-7 Corsair II, and A-10 Thunderbolt II, with the last F-100 retiring in 1979, with the introduction of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. In foreign service, Royal Danish Air Force and Turkish Air Force F-100s soldiered on until 1982.
North American received a contract to modify six F-100As to RF-100As carrying five cameras, three K-17sdisambiguation needed in a trimetrogon mounting for photo-mapping and two K-38sdisambiguation needed in a split vertical mounting with the cameras mounted horizontally, shooting via a mirror angled at 45° to reduce the effects of airframe vibrations. All gun armament was removed and the cameras installed in the gun and ammunition bays covered by a bulged fairing under the forward fuselage.
Once pilot training was completed in April 1955, three aircraft were deployed to Bitburg Air Base in Germany, flying to Brookley AFB in Mobile, Alabama, cocooned, loaded on an aircraft carrier and delivered to Short Brothers at Sydenham, Belfast for re-assembly/preparation for flight. At Bitburg they were allocated to Detachment 1 of the 7407th Support Squadron, and commenced operations flying over eastern bloc countries at high altitude (over 50,000 ft) to acquire intelligence on military targets. Many attempts were made to intercept these aircraft to no avail, with some photos of fighter airfields clearly showing aircraft climbing for attempted intercepts. The European detachment probably only carried out six missions between mid-1955 and mid-1956 when the Lockheed U-2 took over as the deep penetration reconnaissance asset.
Three RF-100As were also deployed to the 6021st Reconnaissance Squadron at Yokota Air Base in Japan, but details of operations there are not available. Two RF-100A aircraft were lost in accidents, one due to probable overspeeding which caused the separation of one of the drop tanks and resulted in complete loss of control, and the other due to an engine flame-out. In mid-1958, all four remaining RF-100As were returned to the USA and later supplied to the Republic of China Air Force in Taiwan.
"High Wire" was a modernization program for selected F-100Cs, Ds and Fs. It consisted of two modifications – electrical rewiring upgrade, and heavy maintenance and IRAN upgrade. Rewiring upgrade operation consisted of replacing old wiring and harnesses with improved maintainable designs. Heavy maintenance and IRAN (inspect and repair as necessary) included new kits, modifications, standardized configurations, repairs, replacements and complete refurbishment.
This project required all new manuals (TOs) and incremented (i.e. -85 to -86) block numbers. All later production models, especially the F models included earlier High Wire mods. New manuals included colored illustrations and had the Roman numeral (I) added after the aircraft number (i.e. T.O. 1F-100D(I)-1S-120, 12 January 1970).
An USAF F-100D firing rockets in South Vietnam, 1967.
A USAF F-100F of the 352d TFS at Phu Cat Air Base, South Vietnam, 1971.
On 16 April 1961 six Super Sabres were deployed from Clark Air Base in the Philippines to Don Muang Airfield in Thailand for air defense purposes; the first F-100s to enter combat in Southeast Asia. From that date until their redeployment in 1971, the F-100s would be the longest serving U.S. jet fighter-bomber to fight in the Vietnam War. Serving as MiG CAP escorts for F-105 Thunderchiefs, MISTY FACs, and Wild Weasels over North Vietnam, and then relegated to close air support and ground attacks within South Vietnam.
On 18 August 1964, the first F-100D to be shot down by ground fire was piloted by 1st Lt Colin A. Clarke, of the 428th TFS; Clarke ejected and survived. On 4 April 1965, as escorts protecting F-105s attacking the Thanh Hoa Bridge, F-100 Super Sabres fought the USAF's first air-to-air jet combat duel in the Vietnam War, in which an F-100 piloted by Capt Donald W. Kilgus shot down a North Vietnamese Air Force MiG-17, using cannon fire, while another fired Sidewinder missiles. The surviving North Vietnamese pilot confirmed three of the MiG-17s had been shot down. Although recorded by the U.S. Air Force as a probable kill, this represented the first aerial victory by the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam. However, the small force of four MiG-17s had penetrated the escorting F-100s to claim two F-105s. The F-100 was soon replaced by the F-4C for MiG CAP which pilots noted suffered for lacking built-in guns for dogfights.
The Vietnam War was not known for utilizing activated Army National Guard, Air National Guard or other U.S. Reserve units; but rather, had a reputation for conscription (military draft) during the course of the war. During a confirmation hearing before Congress in 1973, USAF General George S. Brown, who had commanded the 7th Air Force (7 AF) during the war, stated that five of the best Super Sabre squadrons in Vietnam were from the ANG. This included the 120th Tactical Fighter Squadron (120 TFS) of the Colorado Air National Guard, the 136 TFS of the New York Air National Guard TFS, the 174 TFS of the Iowa Air National Guard and the 188 TFS of the New Mexico Air National Guard. The fifth unit was a regular AF squadron manned by mostly Air National Guardsmen.
The Hun was also deployed as a two-seat F-100F model which saw service as a "Fast FAC" or Misty FAC (forward air controller) in North Vietnam and Laos, spotting targets for other fighter-bomber aircraft, performing road reconnaissance, and conducting SAR (Search and Rescue) missions as part of the top-secret project Commando Sabre, based out of Phu Cat and Tuy Hoa Air Bases. It was also the first Wild Weasel SEAD (air defense suppression) aircraft whose specially trained crews were tasked with locating and destroying enemy air defenses. Four F-100F Wild Weasel Is were fitted with an APR-25 vector radar homing and warning (RHAW) receivers, IR-133 panoramic receivers with greater detection range, and KA-60 panoramic cameras. The APR-25 could detect early-warning radars and, more importantly, emissions from SA-2 Guideline tracking and guidance systems. These aircraft deployed to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand in November 1965, and began flying combat missions with the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing in December. They were joined by three more aircraft in February 1966. All Wild Weasel F-100Fs were eventually modified to fire the AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missile.
French Air Force Super Sabres might have flown combat missions, with strikes flown from bases within France against targets in Algeria. The planes were based at Rheims, refuelling at Istres on the return flight from attacking targets in Algeria. The F-100 was the main fighter-bomber in the French Air Force during the 1960s, until replaced by the Jaguar.
F-100As different tail fins, 1955.
A QF-100D pilotless drone near Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida (USA), in 1986.
It was the only allied air force to operate the F-100A model. The first F-100 was delivered in October 1958. It was followed by 15 F-100As in 1959, and by 65 more F-100As in 1960. In 1961, four unarmed RF-100As were delivered. Additionally, 38 ex-USAF/Air National Guard F-100As were delivered later, to bring total strength to 118 F-100As and four RF-100As. F-100As were retrofitted with the F-100D vertical tail with its AN/APS-54 tail-warning radar and equipped to launch Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. Several were lost in intelligence missions over the People's Republic of China.
Flyvevåbnet operated a total of 72 aircraft. 48 F-100Ds and 10 Fs were delivered to Denmark from 1959 to 1961 as MDAP equipment. The F-100 replaced F-84G Thunderjet as a strike fighter in three squadrons; 725, 727 and 730. The F-100s of Eskadrille 725 were replaced by Saab F-35 Draken in 1970 and in 1974 14 two seated ex-USAF TF-100F were bought. The last Danish F-100s were retired from service in 1982, replaced by F-16s. The surviving MDAP F-100s were transferred to Turkey (21 F-100Ds and two F-100Fs), while six TF-100F were sold for target towing.
The Armee de l'Air was the first Western-aligned air force to receive the F-100 Super Sabre. The first aircraft arrived in France on 1 May 1958. A total of 100 aircraft (85 F-100Ds and 15 F-100Fs) were supplied to France, and assigned to the NATO 4th Allied Tactical Air Force. They were stationed at German French bases. French F-100s were used on combat missions flying from bases in France against targets in Algeria. In 1967, France left NATO, and German-based F-100s were transferred to France, using bases vacated by the USAF.
The Turk Hava Kuvvetleri received about 206 F-100C, D and F Super Sabres. Most came from USAF stocks, and 21 F-100Ds and two F-100Fs were supplied by Denmark. Turkish F-100s saw extensive action during the 1974 military operation against Cyprus.
54-2265 French Air Force (painted as 54-1871) - Militaire Luchtvaartmuseum, Kamp van Zeist, Soesterberg, Netherlands. It was returned to USAF, repainted in USAF markings and in 1976 to gate guardian at RAF Wethersfield, England. It was then removed 20 January 1988 and reported at the time to be destined for AMARC, to be held in storage on behalf of USAFM (now NMUSAF).
53-1550 - Taiwan International (Chiang Kai Shek).
53-1589 - National Taiwan University.
53-1696 - Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School, CCAFPS.
54-2009/3-089 - Istanbul Aviation Museum, Istanbul.
54-2245/E-245 - Istanbul Aviation Museum, Istanbul.
56-3788/8-788 - Istanbul Aviation Museum, Istanbul.
56-3938 French Air Force - Lashenden Air Warfare Museum, Ashford where an aircraft accident at the museum damaged 938 and the remains were shipped to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio, USA.
56-3842 - Big Sky Warriors LCC in Belgrade, Montana.
56-3844 - Collings Foundation, Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
56-3916 - Big Sky Warriors LCC in Belgrade, Montana.
56-3948 - American Horizons Ltd. Inc. in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
56-3971 - Big Sky Warriors LCC in Belgrade, Montana.
56-3996 - Big Sky Warriors LCC in Belgrade, Montana.
52-5755 - Keesler AFB Air Park, Keesler AFB, Mississippi.
52-5759 - USAF History and Traditions Museum, Lackland AFB, Texas.
52-5760 - Air Force Flight Test Center Museum Edwards AFB, California.
52-5761 - New England Air Museum, Bradley International Airport, Connecticut.
52-5762 - Grand Haven Memorial Airpark, Grand Haven, Michigan.
52-5773 - Commemorative Air Force Headquarters, Midland, Texas.
52-5777 - Hill Aerospace Museum, Hill AFB, Utah.
53-1532 - New Mexico ANGB - 150th FG, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
53-1559 - Ohio ANGB - 178th FG, Springfield, Ohio.
53-1573 - Goodfellow AFB, Texas.
53-1578 - Colorado ANGB - 140th FW, Aurora, Colorado.
53-1712 - Grissom Air Museum, Peru, Indiana.
53-1716 - Luke AFB Air Park, Luke AFB, Phoenix, Arizona.
54-1752 - Dyess Linear Air Park, Dyess AFB, Texas.
54-1753 - Southern Museum of Flight, Birmingham, Alabama.
54-1784 - Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, Rantoul, Illinois.
54-1786 - March Field Air Museum, Riverside, California.
54-1823 - Pima Air & Space Museum (adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB), Tucson, Arizona.
54-1986 (painted as F-100C 54-1954 as flown by local northwest Florida resident and Medal of Honor recipient, Colonel George Bud Day, USAF Ret) - Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida.
54-1993 - Freedom Historical Air Park, Wichita, Kansas.
54-2002 - Iowa ANGB - 185th FG, Sioux City, Iowa.
54-2091 - Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California.
54-2106 - Wisconsin ANGB - HQ, Volk ANGB, Wisconsin.
unknown - Florida Military Aviation Museum, Clearwater, Florida.
unknown - Grissom Air Park - Heritage Museum Foundation, Grissom AFB, Indiana.
54-2145 - Air Power Park near Langley AFB in Hampton, Virginia.
54-2151 - Sheppard AFB Air Park, Sheppard AFB, Texas.
55-2884 - Ohio ANG - 121st ARW, Rickenbacker ANGB, Columbus, Ohio.
55-3503 - Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum, Pueblo, Colorado.
55-3595 - Nellis AFB, Nevada.
55-3650 - Ohio ANG - 180th FG, Swanton, Ohio.
55-3667 - Missouri ANGB - 131st FW, Bridgeton, Missouri.
55-3678 - Maxwell AFB Air Park, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
55-3754 - National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
55-3805 - Connecticut ANGB - 103rd FG, Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
56-2928 - Georgia ANGB - 116th FW, Dobbins AFB, Marietta, Georgia.
56-2940 - Cannon AFB, New Mexico.
56-2993 - New York ANGB - 107th FG, Niagara Falls, New York.
56-2995 - Massachusetts ANGB - 102nd FW, Otis ANGB, Falmouth, Massachusetts.
56-3000 - Texas ANG - 149th FG, San Antonio, Texas.
56-3008 - Massachusetts ANGB - 104th FW, Westfield, Massachusetts.
56-3020 - Louisiana ANG, New Orleans, Louisiana.
56-3055 - Arizona ANGB - 162nd FG, Tucson, Arizona.
56-3081 - MAPS Air Museum, Akron/Canton Airport Ohio.
56-3154 - Lone Star Flight Museum, Galveston, Texas.
56-3187 - South Dakota ANG - 114th FG, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
56-3220 - Holloman AFB, New Mexico.
56-3288 - Aerospace Museum of California, Sacramento, California.
56-3299 - Colorado ANGB - 140th FW, Aurora, Colorado.
56-3320 - Indiana ANGB - 181st FG, Terre Haute, Indiana.
56-3417 - Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum (former Lowry AFB), Denver, Colorado.
56-3426 - Iowa ANGB - 132nd FW, Des Moines, Iowa.
unknown - Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
56-3727 - Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
56-3730 - USAF Academy, Colorado.
56-3832 - Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.
56-3837 - National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
56-3897 - New Jersey ANGB - 177th FG, Atlantic City, New Jersey.
56-3899 - Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum, Middle River, Maryland.
56-3904 - Aviation Cadet Museum, Silver Wings Field, Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
56-3905 - Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum, Middle River, Maryland.
58-1232 - Edward H. White II Memorial Museum, Brooks AFB, Texas.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Knaack, Marcelle Size. Encyclopedia of U.S. Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems: Volume 1 Post-World War II Fighters 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1978. ISBN 0-912799-59-5.
↑ "F-100 video." youtube.com. Retrieved: 4 November 2012.
↑ Martin Caidin's book Thunderbirds was written while the team flew F-100s. He was the only journalist to ever fly with them.
↑ 9.0 9.1 "Official USAF F-100 accident rate table (PDF)." afsc.af.mil. Retrieved: 12 April 2011.
↑ Gordon, Doug. “Through the Curtain”. Flypast, December 2009. Key Publishing. Stamford. ISSN 0262-6950.
↑ USAF F-100 Super Sabre – Flight Manual – Technical Order: 1F-100D(I)-1S-120; 12 January 1970.
↑ USAF F-100 Super Sabre – Flight Manual – Technical Order: 1F-100C(I)-1S-65; 2 February 1971.
↑ Anderton 1987, p. 57.
↑ Davies and Menard 2011, cover image of F-100 attacking MiG-17, p. 21: photo of Kilgus's F-100.
↑ Toperczer, Dr. Istvan. Air War Over North Viet Nam: The Vietnamese People's Air Force 1949–1977. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1998. ISBN 0-89747-390-6.
↑ Anderton 1987, p. 71.
↑ Anderton 1987, p. 136.
↑ Anderton 1987, p. 144.
↑ Anderton 1987, pp. 136, 145.
↑ Thompson 2008, pp. 73–74.
↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Thompson 1999, p. 64.
↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Baugher, Joe. "QF-100 Drone." USAAC/USAAF/USAF Fighters, 30 January 2010. Retrieved: 12 April 2011.
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↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3154." Lone Star Flight Museum. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
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↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3220." aero-web.org. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
↑ "F-100D Super Sabre/56-3288." Aerospace Museum of California. Retrieved: 13 October 2012.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3299." aero-web.org. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3320." aero-web.org. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3417." Wings Over the Rockies Museum. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3426." aero-web.org. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/unknown." aero-web.org Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3727." aero-web.org Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3730." aero-web.org. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3813." Joebaugher.com. Retrieved: 24 May 2013.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3832." Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3837." National Museum of the USAF. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3897." aero-web.org. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
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↑ "F-100 Super Sabre/56-3904." Aviation Cadet Museum. Retrieved: 6 March 2013.
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Donald, David. "North American F-100 Super Sabre". Century Jets: USAF Frontline Fighters of the Cold War. London: AIRtime Publishing Inc., 2003. ISBN 1-880588-68-4CITEREFDonald2003.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to F-100 Super Sabre. | 2019-04-21T20:10:17Z | https://military.wikia.org/wiki/North_American_F-100_Super_Sabre |
The area along the Hudson River was first settled in the early 1600s, before being expanded upon by the English in 1664. At this time, the settlement was renamed New York. Over the past 350 years, New York City has become the epicenter of development and opportunity, and one of the most recognizable cities in the world.
For the enthusiastic history buff or aspiring fact checker, a trip to New York is a great opportunity to learn more about the historically significant events that took place along the Eastern seaboard. Here are some places you’ll want to visit on your journey to knowledge.
Ellis Island became the portal to America between 1892 and 1954. During this time, the island processed around 12 million immigrants coming to the new world. It is estimated that about half of the American population can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island. The Statue of Liberty became a beacon for these people, who often experienced weeks of hard travel over the Atlantic Ocean.
You can take a guided tour through the museum to learn more about the immigration process at the time, and see if any of your family members walked through the doors on Ellis Island. If you’re low on time, check the hop on hop off NYC reviews to see which tour option best fits your schedule.
The influx of immigrants to America during the late 1800s and the first half of the 1900s overlaps with another historically significant event which New York City took part in. Pier 54 was where the Titanic was supposed to dock upon arriving in America, and where the Carpathia landed with the 705 survivors of the nautical disaster.
History buffs will also be aware of the infamous Lusitania disaster in 1915. The British ship left Pier 54 to head back to Liverpool on May 1 that year, to later be sunk by a German U-boat, killing 1,193 people. Since then, would-be developers have had terrible luck in revamping this area.
Smallpox is a highly contagious disease that killed over 500 million people worldwide during its peak. It was officially eradicated by 1980 through the administering of vaccinations. Before science caught up with this disease, efforts were made to keep smallpox patients separated from the general public, hence the creation of the Roosevelt Island Smallpox Hospital.
The hospital has been abandoned since the 1950s, and now only the Gothic architecture of its stone walls and windows stands against the test of time. The area is quiet and eerie, and some believe it to be one of the most haunted places in the USA. If ghost stories are a non-issue for you, feel free to tour the ruins after sunset.
History doesn’t just include things that happened before you were born. The 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 changed the world. How we travel, security measures, and news reporting were all reshaped by this tragic event.
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum is located at the former site of the twin towers, with two pools encompassed by the names of the victims. The museum itself holds artifacts from that day, including the last steel beam removed from the site during cleanup. The site is also home to The Oculus, a state of the art transportation hub as well as the One World Trade Center, the tallest building in North America at an astounding 1,776 feet.
New York City is a blend of old and new, with historical sites dating back to settlement times and modern, trailblazing innovations that shape our modern culture. During your travels, be sure to take the time to appreciate both and expand your knowledge.
If you are in a different country, it is vital that you find the best accommodation possible. If you happen to be disabled, then you need to find disabled access hotels, apartments, B&B and more in particular. In fact, finding good accommodation is perhaps the most important part of all, because you have to be able to rest while you are on your trip. So what are some of the things that you should look for?
Naturally, price is a main factor to consider. You are likely to be traveling on a budget, and you should stick to that. That being said, you also shouldn’t spend less than your allocated budget. After all, why would you deny yourself some of life’s little luxuries if you are able to afford them? Mainly, however, you should be able to find somewhere to stay regardless of your budget.
The second thing to consider is location. Of course, the perfect location depends on a variety of different factors, including your particular needs and why you are on the trip at all. If you’re traveling for business, then you should find a hotel as close as possible to the business location you will be working with. But if you’re traveling for pleasure, then you should consider somewhere that is close to the different attractions. Of course, you also have to look at amenities such as transport facilities, shuttles, and so on. As a rule of thumb, the closer to the center of the city you are located, the more expensive the hotel will be.
Then, you need to consider amenities. You need to think about the facilities you need, particularly if you are disabled. Your room has to be fully accessible, but you may also want to look at the accessibility of things such as the gym, swimming pool, restaurant, and shops. These are all features that can help you narrow down your search, helping you to find accommodation that is both comfortable and suitable to your need. Do also look at the services offered at the hotel and what their quality is like. Read online reviews on popular sites such as Trip Advisor to see what other people have said, filtering them by comments on the issues that matter to you.
The final thing to consider is when you want to travel. There are always off peak seasons and high seasons, and there tend to also be differences between the days. For instance, business hotels tend to be more expensive during the week than on weekends, which means you could save a bit of money by changing your days. Consider, as well, whether there are seasonal issues that may cause you difficulties. For instance, if you are visually impaired, then perhaps traveling in winter in an area with notorious for black ice may not be the best solution for you.
UK Road Trip: 5 Safety Facts About Tyres To Understand!
If you’re planning a road trip in the UK, it’s well worth continuing reading to discover 5 basic tyre safety facts, which you should take to heart before embarking on your whirlwind tour of the UK. As the last thing that you want is to end up losing control of your vehicle on the open road or being involved in a serious car accident.
Every couple of days it’s well worth stopping making a pit stop at a gas station to check your tyres’ pressure. As not only is more expensive to drive with underinflated tyres but it’s far harder to brake and steer with underinflated tyres and you’re far more likely to crash if your tyres aren’t inflated adequately.
Before heading out on your UK road trip it’s crucial to check that each of your tyres boasts a minimum of 1.6mm of tread, which is the legal minimum of tread required for vehicles to operate legally in the UK. Ideally, your car should have 2-3 mm of tread.
If one of your car’s tyres has less than 1.6mm tread, make sure to change your tyre or replace it with the proper tyre like the ones you can find at, TyrePlus before you head on out the open road as if you drive on tyres that have little tread, you’ll be far more likely to lose control and end up in a nasty car crash.
As an example, if you plan on driving on a country road in the middle of winter, make sure to pack snow chains, which will give your tyres extra grip and will prevent your tyres from slipping and sliding on any snow covered roads which you may travel on.
It’s well worth sitting down and pre-planning your route so that you can choose to travel on well-maintained roads, which are far less likely to damage your tyres’ wheel alignment and tread than if you were to take little used, less likely maintained roads.
It’s well worth inspecting all of your tyres for cracks and bulges before you start filling your car with luggage as you should never embark on a long drive, with tyres which feature cracks and bulges. While any cracks or bulges may not reveal a serious issue, which could cause a car crash, it always pays to take preventive measures to make sure that you don’t end up in a potentially dangerous situation.
So before you head out on a fun-filled UK road trip, make sure that you understand each of the 5 tyre saftey tips listed above and remember to #TestYourTreads!
This park plays an important role in the lives of NYC residents, as it provides lakes and open spaces that make it possible to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Tourists are always impressed by Central Park because of its sheer size and beauty. It provides a quiet haven to listen to music, exercise, and picnic.
Ride the carousel: the current carousel has been there since 1950 and it features some of the largest hand-carved figures that have ever been made. You will need to pay three dollars for a ride – even children have to pay.
Take a walking tour: if you think that exploring Central Park alone is daunting, you should consider joining a walking tour. Take the Central Park Conservancy walking tour if you want other people to show you around.
Enjoy a picnic: you can shop for provisions in the city, then sit back, relax, and do some people watching while you enjoy food and drink. Great Lawn and Sheep Meadow are great picnic locations, but you can always find a quieter place.
See a concert: during summer, Central Park has many music concerts for everyone’s taste whether you prefer classical music or popular music. When seeing a concert at this park, you can also have a picnic.
If you want to stay near Central park, you will have great views from your hotel room. The hotels with a good view are in the southern part of Central Park and you will be closer to your favorite attraction. However, you should know that these hotels are quite expensive because of their proximity to Central Park.
The hotels that you should consider include the Plaza Hotel, The Pierre Hotel, Park Hotel, and Mandarin Oriental. Although they are expensive, you will save money because you will not pay much for transport.
Are you going to spend the whole day at Central Park? You do not have to eat food from expensive hotels; you can pack your own lunch after buying groceries for yourself. However, if you are intent on trying NYC food, you should buy from vendors who are scattered all over Central Park selling hot dogs, ice cream, pretzels, and beverages.
Central Park Conservancy tour – you can learn about the park’s ecology, history, and design by joining this guided walking tour. You can walk straight to the heart of Central Park and enjoy a selection of architectural, scenic, and sculptural elements. You will be given an insider’s look at the iconic features in the world’s greatest park.
Free Tours by Foot – you will pay however much you want for a walking tour of Central Park. This tour will allow you to see things from a New Yorker’s perspective.
Sunset Central Park Tours – if you want to see more sights than you would your own, you should tour Central Park at sunset. Seeing this magnificent park at sunset will reveal all its splendor to you.
If you want to take a bike tour by yourself, you should consider renting a bike. Some Central Park bike rentals start at $7, making them quite affordable even if you are on a budget.
Overall, NYC may be an expensive city but there are many activities, sightseeing locations, rentals, and affordable deals to make your experience one for the books. So, you won’t have to save lots of money in order to see the beautiful views NYC has to offer.
Most Canadians choose this trail every year. According to locals, the best time to travel is during the fall. You go round a 297 km loop around Nova Scotia. For the most part of the route, you will be just by the coast. They are numerous viewpoints overlooking the North Atlantic. You will also pass through Cape Breton Highlands National Park and many quaint towns. There is also wildlife on the trail such the moose and a variety of birds. At Pleasant Bay, you can go on a cruise to spot whales and seals. The trail will take you almost five days, but you experience the best coastal scenery.
Lake Louise is a beautiful lake full of crystal-blue water. It offers beautiful landscapes regardless if traveling during winter or summer. It also offers visitors the chance to behold stunning sunsets and sunrises. On your way from Calgary to Lake Louise, stopover at Columbia Ice field for snowmobile tours.
It is another great Canadian road trip and Newfoundland’s most popular drives. In fact, it has an online website with excellent resources that can help you plan your trip. The 463 km loop from Burin Peninsula takes you through cherished historical sites and gives you the chance to behold beautiful scenery.
This is one of the most worthwhile trips to do. Your trip begins with a ferry crossing across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island. Once you arrive at Nanaimo, you will take the Pacific Rim Highway (BC Highway 4). The following windy drive from Nanaimo to Tofino in your Ford Mustang through ancient temperate rainforests is sure to delight. You can stop at MacMillan Provincial Park to see the 800-year-old Douglas fir trees. If you are lucky, you may encounter a bear. Other stops include the Coombs Country Market full of locally made souvenirs. Tofino, your ultimate destination, is Canada’s surfing capital. The trip will only take you two days.
The 1500 km requires some good planning and takes almost a week. In 2011, the National Geographic Traveller featured it as one of their top 20 trips. You start at the metropolitan city of Montreal, which celebrated 375 years since its founding in 2017. The famous route also has a website to make planning easier.
You will need your car in prime shape for your trip across the nation. Car detailing is the process that makes the car any look new. There are several car detailing options you can see here.
To learn how to book your passage ahead of time online to visit Miss Liberty on her home turf, visit libertycruise.nyc. For seven helpful tips to make your Liberty Tour experience as pleasant as possible, keep reading below.
Often, you can get free or at least highly discounted Liberty Cruise tickets included in other tours you book. Double decker bus tours are a great way to explore New York’s most famous sites in only a day or two, and bus tours frequently offer the Liberty Cruise as part of some of their packages. Definitely look into it, so you can save and have a complete NYC experience, even with limited touring time.
Buying your tickets on-site at Battery Park (“The Battery”) will mean waiting in long lines and making last-minute decisions on what kind of tickets to buy. It will potentially create stress and could have you waiting hours till the a boat becomes available, during the busiest periods. Avoid all that by booking ahead online; but still arrive at least half an hour ahead of time to be safe. Arrive even earlier if you want a chance to explore Battery Park before departure.
You can get a ticket for anywhere between 9am and 3:30pm, at half-hour intervals, for most days. Choose morning hours to avoid the crowds (shorter lines and more room on the boat are the benefits.) Also choose the off season, fall and winter, to get a less crowded experience.
Expect the kind of security you’d see at an airport when visiting the Statue of Liberty. The security clearance before getting off the dock and onto the ferry is strict. You can’t bring anything that could be used as a weapon, not even a cigarette lighter, a plastic bottle with water in it, or a razor for shaving. Be prepared for this to reduce delays.
Get a spot on the Statue-facing boat side quick, so you won’t miss the view (especially if it’s crowded on the boat.) The ride is only twenty minutes or so long, so you can afford to stand the whole time in order to catch unforgettable glimpses of the New York skyline and harbor shore. And watch as Miss Liberty’s towering figure gets closer and closer: the ferry ride is an essential part of the experience.
You can usually get regular tickets anytime to see the statue, but to get pedestal tickets (that let you inside), you need to plan a month or more in advance. Only 3,000 per day can get inside the pedestal (it’s free, but you have to book your spot.) And to get in the crown for a look over the harbor, you may need to reserve your spot 3 to 6 months ahead of time.
You can stop by Ellis Island and see the amazingly interesting immigration museum there direct from Liberty Island and on the same ferry. There is not good reason to skip this historic site, which was once the busiest point of entry to the US for immigrants in the country. But note you have to get a Liberty Cruise ticket that departs before 2pm (1:30pm or earlier) to get Ellis Island included. | 2019-04-19T05:03:26Z | http://www.factchecked.org/category/traveling/page/3/ |
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This document is considered a legally binding contract once digitally signed/accepted during purchase or modification of any domain name or service on the DropCatch1350.com website. | 2019-04-20T20:40:29Z | http://dropcatch1350.com/Terms.aspx |
No. No stay where you are. Do not break the stillness of this moment. For this is a time of mystery. A time when imagination is free and moves forward swiftly, silently. This is? The Haunting Hour.
Ladies and gentlemen. Ladies and Gentlmen. For your pleasure and amazment the Seventy Eight club presents the great Marlow the Mental Marvel. Gifted with a seventh sense the great Marlow reads your mind, knows your every thought. Now I warn you, if you have a secret you don't want him to know, just don't think about it!
Thank you, thank you. Frankly I can't explain the performance you're about to witness. Science without explaining it calls it telepathy, thought transference.
The gentleman calls it hokum. Maybe, we will see. Now everybody in this room concentrate, think of a thing or a person. Concentrate. Think hard. Ah, I have a thought. Someone is thinking of the initials S.G. Will the person thinking of S.G. please rise.
Thanky-you. Young lady you are concentrating on the name of Stanley Green. Is that right?
Stanley is in the army I believe, correct?
(said in a dumb blonde way) Yes hehe. He's a sergeant.
And you want me to tell you Staley's serial number. It's ah, 3 - 4 - 0 - 0 - 7 - 6 - 7 is that correct?
I have another thought. Someone is thinking. Someone is thinking. Ladies and gentlemen please bear with me a moment. I have to stop this performance. Believe me it's important. I will be back very shortly.
I told you it was hokum. What happened professor, forget your code?
Eh, wads da idea stobbing da act like thad?
Where's your telephone directory Marino?
Wad you trying to do, ruin my clubs rebudation?
Shut up Marino. Where's your ? Oh here.
Now listen Marlow. I bay you two grand a week.
I expect to ged my monies worth.
Listen. Will you please leave? Just as soon as I'm through with this call I'll finish the act.
All right but make it snappy.
Hello, I'd like to speak with Helen Thorton.
My name is Marlow, a telepathist performing at the Seventy Eight Club. A few moments ago during my act I received a thought that is vital to you. Are you alone.
Do as I say Please. Lock all your windows and doors. Allow no one in under any circumstance?
If this is someone's idea of a practical joke?
No Mrs. Thorton. This is no joke. Some one in this nightclub is planning to kill you.
SFX: Phone being picked up.
This is Mildred, Helen, I just got in.
Oh I've been trying to get you for hours. I know its very late but could you come over.
Oh Mildred, I'm so frightened. I'm alone here.
He's out of town and it's Marie's night off. Mildred I don't know what to do.
Mildred, come over right away please. You could spend the night.
Rustling noise, door being opened.
Helen, what happened? What's wrong with you?
Helen, Helen, you all right?
Look, I'll be right over.
No Mildred, it's all right now, Jack's home.
I'll speak to you tomorrow.
What's the matter? What happened darling?
Helen. Helen for pray sakes what is it? Pull yourself together darling. Here, come over here and sit down. There that's better. Now what is it darling?
Oh Jack I'm so glad you're home. It's been awful and I didn't expect you and when I heard the door.
I finished my business in New York sooner than I planned. I would have wired but I thought I'd surprise you. I met Fred Hamilton on the train coming home. Remember the buyer from St. Louis; we stopped off for a drink downtown.
Oh Jack you should have called me.
As a matter of fact I did try to call you about eleven, just as we were leaving the Seventy-Eight club.
The Seventy-Eight club? You, you were there?
Nothing, I'm all right now.
Something is wrong Helen, what is it?
I guess I was just frightened being alone.
You've been alone before, many times.
Well, the police. There was a robbery in the neighborhood.
Oh that's it, that's why the door was double locked. Well darling there's nothing to worry about now. I'm here, all right?
There, that's better. A good night's sleep and you'll be as good as new.
Now you lie there and relax darling, I'll go to the kitchen and make you a cup of warm milk.
Paul, it's Helen. Didn't you get my message? I called twice.
Yes but I just got in, I thought you'd be asleep by now.
Paul you must help me. Please. Please Paul there isn't much time.
He's going to kill me.
Jack's going to kill me, he came tonight?
Helen, what are you talking about?
Paul you must believe me.
Now listen Helen, you've probably had a bad dream. Is Jack there?
Yes. Please you must believe me. I know what he's going to do.
Well we'll straighten this thing out. Let me speak to Jack.
No, no you mustn't. Please. He's coming now. You'll never see me again, alive. Good-bye Paul.
Don't bother folding up the dreses Marie, just throw them in.
Mrs. Thorton, isn't this kind of sudden your going away.
Don't ask questions Marie. Hurry, here, help me close this suitcase. You finish packing the other suitcase, I'm going down to get the car out of the garage.
You look so surprised to see me.
Marie said you had gone. I didn't expect?
I decided to come back. I see I caught you in time.
I was just going over to Mildred's.
We have an appointment for golf?
Darling, it's all right. Helen I'll tell you why I came back this morning. Frankly I'm worried about you, something's on your mind I know it. Won't you tell me what it is?
Ok now listen to me. I had some very important business to settle with Paul this morning but you come first.
You saw Paul this morning?
No I changed my mind on the way down and came back. Helen you need a rest. You and I are going away.
Yes, now there is no use arguing. I've already made a reservation for this weekend.
Where, where are you taking me Jack?
Remember that cabin we stayed at three years ago?
It will be wonderful, just the two of us all alone. We will drive out there tomorrow. Now there's no need to fuss either, just a few old duds, my rifle.
Yes darling, my gun. The hunting season is on. The shooting at Lone Acres should be very good this year.
Now Helen, what's this all about?
Paul, I had to see you.
Yeah but why here at Luigi's all the way across town?
Jack's going to kill me.
Aw don't be ridiculous. That's what you told me last night over the phone.
Oh I see. And why Mrs. Thorton is your husband going to kill you?
Because, because he's jealous of you.
Jealous? Ha, Jack, jealous of me?
He knows what we once meant to each other before I married him.
Why of course he does. So what? Why his winning you is a standard joke between him and me. Rivals in love, partners in business and all that stuff. Haha. Come on snap out of it. I think I better talk to Jack about you.
No, no Paul you mustn't. Promise me you won't.
All right Helen, if you say so.
Jack's taking me to Lone Acres tomorrow, for a rest he says.
PAUL: Good. It's just what you need.
I'll never come back, alive.
Now Helen get hold of yourself. Everything will be all right, your imaginations' overworked that's all. You should go to Lone Acres for a rest. It will do you a world of good.
All right, I'll go but I'm frightened. So frightened. We will be alone and he will have his gun.
You know Helen sometimes I think I love this gun more than I do you. There it's ok now, clean of a whistle and ready for the work at hand.
Say the fog's lifting, you can see clear across the valley. Now we'll get in some hunting today after all. Helen, what's the matter? You haven't said a word since breakfast.
I'm all right. I've been wanting to finish this story.
The Golden Goblet Murders. (chuckles) You know detective stories hand me a laugh. Now if I was planning a murder I'd use a gun, like this Springfield. Now lets say for instance I wanted to kill? Well say I wanted to kill?.
All right, say I wanted to kill you. Now lets see we have to have a motive don't we? I have it, motive, jealousy.
Yes, I'm jealous of Paul Allen. That's it, I'm jealous of Paul.
Come on, be a sport. Our murder plot is just beginning to get interesting. Now lets see we need a locale. Oh, Lone Acres, right here. What a perfect setting for a perfect murder. Now for the time.
Yes Jack, when are you going to kill me?
Well I shouldn't really tell you when I plan to kill you. But I will give you a break, this afternoon. How's that? We will be out in the woods hunting. No one will be too near, no one to see what happens. The hunting season, a gunshot, you're dead. A regrettable accident and there's our perfect murder.
Helen Thorton has discovered that someone wishes to murder her. A mental telepathist performing at the nightclub read the thought from among the guests. Later Helen was shocked to learn one of the guests present in the nightclub was her husband Jack. She fears that he might want to kill her because of his jealousy of Paul, a former suitor. Her anxiety is heightened and her husband suggests that they go away for the weekend to Lone Acres, an isolated hunting lodge. Once there Jack tells her it's the perfect setting for a possible perfect crime, her murder, a hunting accident.
Helen, here up this way. Follow this path around the bend here.
Would you mind if I went back to the cabin?
Helen, I'm going to circle this hill, you wait right here for me.
Jack, Jack please don't leave me here alone.
A regrettable accident Mr. Thorton.
But doctor I don't understand how it happened.
Now Mr. Thorton, it's really nothing serious, it's just a shoulder flesh wound. Your wife is perfectly all right.
When may I see her?
We can go in right now.
Go ahead wake her up. She'll feel better knowing you're here.
Mrs. Thorton, it's your husband.
Doctor, get him out of here. He's going to kill me. Please doctor you must save me.
Mr. Thorton. Perhaps you'd better leave the room a while.
All right doctor, I will wait outside.
Doctor, doctor, please don't let him in here again. You must believe me; he's planning to kill me.
Mrs. Thorton, what happened was an accident.
That's what he wants you to think. He planned it that way but it wasn't an accident.
Now Mrs. Thorton it's natural in a case like this for you to imagine strange things.
Doctor, you think I'm crazy don't you but I'm not. I know what I'm saying. You yourself took the bullet out of my shoulder. Doesn't that prove he was trying to kill me?
On the contrary Mrs. T on the scene of the accident they found your husband with a 32-caliber rifle in his hands. The bullet I removed from your shoulder was a 45-caliber pistol cartridge.
Yes Mrs Thorton I will be right up.
I was just cleaning up the scullery mam. Oh Mrs. Thorton you have the sling off.
Yes Marie, the doctor says the shoulder is OK now. Soon I will be playing golf again.
Aw that's fine Mam, I'm so glad.
Were there any calls for me while I was out.
Did he say what he wanted?
No mam, he said he'd try to get you later on. Oh and Mrs. Thorton, I was thinking. Do you suppose Mr. Thorton wants to keep this box of bullets downstairs on the open shelf?
I was thinking it might be dangerous.
Let me see that box Marie. 45-caliber cartridges. 45-caliber cartridges?
(distant - dreamlike) At the scene of the crime they found a 32-caliber rifle in your husbands hands. The bullet I removed from your shoulder was a 45-caliber pistol cartridge.
Evening, have you a reservation madam?
No I'm here to see the Great Marlow.
Yes madam, then perhaps a table on the side, this way please.
No I've come to see him on a personal matter, he's expecting me.
And when the doctor told me about the bullet he removed from my shoulder I thought it was all a terrible mistake. I was even too ashamed to explain to Jack why I acted the way I did. Now Mr. Marlow I'm sure what you told me over the phone that night is true. Someone is really planning to kill me. My husband.
Are you sure the doctor said it was a 45-caliber cartridge?
Yes. A 45-caliber cartridge, just like these Marie found in the basement.
Does your husband have a pistol?
I think so. He keeps his guns locked in the case. He has the only key. Mr. Marlow, he tried once and failed. He will try again. You must help me.
All right Mrs. Thorton I will do all I can. Where is your husband now?
He's out on business. He will be home late.
Then we will have to work fast. I go on again at nine o'clock. I want you to go home immediately and find some way to open the case where your husband keeps his guns. I will call you as soon as my act is over. Mrs. Thorton if you can find a 45-caliber pistol in that case I think we can put an end to this affair.
I opened the case there was no pistol.
I've searched all through the house and I can't find it anywhere, he must have it with him.
What can I do? I can't stay here tonight. He will kill me.
Mrs. Thorton, listen to me please. You must come down here immediately A few minutes ago during my act I received the murder thought again. Mr. Thorton is in this nightclub.
My husband is there now?
Yes, meet me in my dressing room. Be sure to come in through the back entrance and hurry.
Where am I supposed to be right now?
Jack? But he said you were, you were standing there the whole time, you heard everything.
It's not you. Then who is it at the Seventy-Eight club?
Me, Seventy-Eight Club? Helen are you going to tell me what this is all about?
It's not you. Oh yes darling I will tell you everything, everything! I should have told you before, I wanted to. Oh Jack, I need you so much.
Now look here Marlow, I want to get to the bottom of this.
Mrs. Thorton and I have told you everything?
Yes, well then explain to me why at the very moment I was standing in my own house listening to my wife talk to you on the phone you were telling Mrs. Thorton I was in this club planning to kill her. Oh don't you see Helen, this man is a cheap trickster. He's never even seen me before. Why didn't you come to me when this all started darling?
Because she thought you were the one and so did I. That's why I assumed it was you sitting out there. Of course I never saw you before you entered my dressing room a few minutes ago. You see Mr. Thorton I have a telepathic mind, not a magic eye. I know what your wife and I have told you is hard to believe.
I don't know what your game is but I'll find out soon enough. Come on Helen we're going to police headquarters.
That won't be necessary Mr. Thorton. The police know about this, I told them.
The police are here now in this nightclub. Mr. Thorton whether you believe it or not your wife's life is in jeopardy. Someone in this club now is planning to kill her. Perhaps this will convince you. You own a 45-caliber pistol with the serial number 75682.
Why yes, that's right. It's the pistol I reported missing.
Yes I know, the police told me tonight.
Jack, why didn't you tell me?
Well, darling you've been so upset lately I didn't want to cause you any more anxiety.
That pistol in all likelihood the pistol which was used up at Lone Acres in an attempt on your wife's life. Mr. Thorton that pistol was brought to this club tonight by the person who is planning to kill your wife. The police found it concealed in a coat in the hat check room. Whoever claims that coat is Mrs. Thortons intended murderer.
Why would anyone want to kill her?
We will soon find out. Mr. Thorton, do you recall the night you were in this club. The night I first received the murder thought.
That night did you see anybody here or were you with anyone who knows you and Mrs. Thorton very well.
Well let me see. Well yeah. No it couldn't be.
We got him Mr. Marlow, here he is.
Mrs. Thorton, your intended murderer.
That's right, he was here the night you received the murder thought.
It was Paul all the time.
Yes, and all the clues pointed to you Mr. Thorton.
But why? We were so friendly, the three of us.
Friendly? More than that Mrs. Thorton, Paul Allen was hopelessly in love with you.
Now ladies and gentlemen the Seventy-Eight Club presents the Great Marlow the Mental Marvel. He will read your mind and tell your every thought but let me warn you. If you have a secret you don't want him to know. Just don't think about it.
From shadows and stillness. Mystery weaves a spell of strangest fascination. Charging the mind with doubts and fears. The mystery is a strange companion, a living memory. | 2019-04-19T11:09:47Z | http://www.genericradio.com/show.php?id=YRRFVE3FO |
It's no wonder that audiences have been clamoring for a Mirror's Edge sequel since its release in 2008. DICE's brief detour from their best-selling Battlefield series was a slick, inventive, and gorgeous video game.
Unfortunately, it didn't sell well—not surprising for a $60 game that was only about six hours long.
Mirror's Edge is a first-person action game about flow. It's at its most fun when you're climbing, jumping, and running your way through a virtual obstacle course. It stops being fun when you stop moving.
Consider the gaming landscape in 2008, especially first-person shooters. Developers were releasing games like Call of Duty: World at War and Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. Crytek's Crysis: Warhead launched just a year after the first game, as did GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky. Ubisoft's African-set Far Cry 2 released to the acclaim of some and the consternation of others.
Mirror's Edge is nothing like them.
In 2008, shooters largely focused on a kind of 'start and stop' gameplay. Most still do. Players make their way to an encounter, decide how to deal with it, and then engage. How you got to where you were going could be interesting, but your decisions rarely boiled down to more than "I want to go in that basic direction" or "I want to get to that particular spot." Much of the meaning in these games could be found in the stories that emerged along the way, but even then, the gameplay loop was: approach, assess, engage.
With Mirror's Edge, the destination was the journey itself. The story, one about a dystopian future and couriers being its last hope for survival, was paper-thin. Even the objectives—the things you'd use your gaming skills to run to—amounted to simple barely-interactive cutscenes. They didn't matter all that much. What matters in Mirror's Edge comes up during all the running you do—the choices about how to handle individual motions, a stride, a vault and a lunging grasp at a time.
Out of all the levels in Mirror's Edge, Jacknife is my favorite. Like The Silent Cartographer in Halo, it's representative of the rest of game: from its successes in both flow and breathtaking leaps to its failures, namely its gunfights. In Mirror's Edge's second chapter, a former runner, Jacknife, has information that's crucial to you. You've got to go find him. It's a nice, simple objective.
The city in Mirror's Edge is too clean to feel human and too caged by barbed wire—even on the rooftops you often run across—to feel welcoming. This is not a pleasant place, especially for a runner like Faith, the game's player-character. Speakers in the city streets blare warnings that attempt to frame you for someone's murder. Yup, it's a dystopia alright.
In a game about free running, a dystopia that targets free runners makes a lot of mechanical sense. There's barbed wire everywhere, discouraging you from climbing the chain-link fences that define your boundaries. If you've ever climbed a chain-link fence, you know how clumsy and awkward you can feel while doing it. For a game that's all about flow, chain link fences wouldn't be that fun to climb, so Mirror's Edge cuts you off by sticking barbed wire at the top of a lot of them. It's a great way to say "hey. Don't do this. Do something else. Do something that lets you have flow."
DICE could have lined their playing fields with regular walls, but doing so would have made the game's maps feel more claustrophobic. Because you can see through chain link fences but not climb them, the world feels a lot larger and more open while providing a realistic reason for not being able to go places you might otherwise be able to go.
Fortunately, to get past this fence, there's usually a pipe you can climb.
One of the cooler mechanics in Mirror's Edge is something called "runner vision," where objects that help you progress are highlighted in red. In this case, we can climb those pipes, so we see them as red. At one point in the game, one of the news feeds in an elevator mentions that one of the ways to spot a runner is to note their fondness for the color red.
Red, of course, is the most attractive color to the human brain. It's a lesson I learned quite some time ago from an art teacher. If you want to draw someone's attention, a portrait painter once taught me, use red. It's why so many businesses have red signs as opposed to blue ones—they grab attention. Not only is red more extremely noticeable, it also has another strength. In Mirror's Edge, the color red stands out from the rest of the world. Why?. In design school, students are taught that cool colors on warm backgrounds "sink in," while warm colors on cool backgrounds "pop out." The color red is immediately noticeable, screaming "hey, over here!"
Once you've gotten good at the game, of course, you can turn runner vision off, but it's a great way to get a handle on Mirror's Edge, especially at the beginning. Plus, it's aesthetically appealing.
Look off to the left and you'll see a red pole. Leap to it, swing across—make sure you've got enough momentum, of course—grab onto the air conditioner, shimmy around it, leap to the next pole, and drop down. Congratulations, you've made it past a fence!
I realize that can sound sarcastic, but that's the joy of Mirror's Edge. In any other game, getting past thefence mentioned above might be trivial. Here, it's a series of distinct motions. Find the object, climb the object, time the jump right, maintain momentum, leap, shimmy, leap again, drop. There's a distinct rhythm here, and once you find your groove, even something this mundane can seem super fun.
Now you've got another fence, but this time, you can dash up to the wall, run up it a bit and use it to leap over the fence. Then the police start yelling at you. Uh-oh. These guys aren't messing around. Fortunately, on the other side of the fence is some sort of water runoff channel. You must dash through it, but there are plenty of ways to do so while maintaining your flow. Just try not to get shot by the snipers the police have called in.
I have no idea what I'd see if I turned around—I'm too busy running forward to take a look back—but based on the game's rich soundscape, I think I'd see dozens of police, police cars, police snipers, and, yes, a helicopter. All them for little old me? Gosh.
There's no way up out of the canal, but run long enough and you'll find an exit into a very, very blue room blocked off by a broken steam vent. Seriously, it's the most blue room I have ever encountered in a video game. Of course, this makes it easy to spot the bright red valve that can shut off the steam, but it looks nice, too.
This approach to visuals is one of the things that sets Mirror's Edge apart. As we saw with the color red, it serves a distinctive gameplay purpose—the color shows us where to go—but it also gives the game a distinctive visual style. It's just as important for a game to look good as it is for that game to look unique, and Mirror's Edge has that in spades.
But, more importantly, the distinctive color improves decision-making. Players can quickly determine which objects they need to maintain forward momentum. That creates a better play experience.
It's actually why I'm a bit concerned about all the Mirror's Edge 2 footage and screens I've seen. Sure, it's a work in progress, but every single image we've seen so far has given the impression that we're going to get a less eye-popping, less saturated visual style. It looks nice, but Mirror's Edge had ultra-clear communication and a distinct color saturation that the new game doesn't. The colors in Mirror's Edge 2 preview images look washed-out and bland, and I worry this might negatively impact the gameplay experience.
Back to Jacknife: Once you've shut off the steam, it's up some more pipes and into an air vent. I messed up somehow and ended up gripping the ledge at the top of the air vent and was unable to climb in it. I had to leap to the poles, then turn back and try the ledge again. It seems like a small problem. Once you've made it through the air vent, punch your way through a door (instead of using the regular interact key, you actually use your attack key to preserve momentum) to find a wonderfully large hole in the ground.
Actually, this is why I love Jacknife.
Each level in Mirror's Edge has a distinct personality, and Jacknife's is all about cool blues and greens set in surprisingly huge environments. I think it's the best-looking level in the game. Leap onto some eye-grabbingly red shipping containers, jump onto some hanging platforms, and begin your descent into the sewers. Narratively, it's supposed to be a way to avoid the police, but who really cares? There's a giant hole in the ground, and you get to descend into it.
Following a series of platforms, poles, and pipes, you quickly make your way down. If you're good, you can do the entire sequence without stopping. It's one continuous flow downwards. Mess up the timing of a roll or misjudge a jump, and you'll take a huge hit to health and momentum. At worst, you'll die and have to start back over.
This descent is one of those "you had to be there" moments. It looks cool to watch, but it's a heck of a lot more fun to play. Get to the bottom, hit a switch, and watch as the gigantic flood gates open. Actually, it's best not to watch—the doors are on a fifteen minute timer. Use your best wallruns and leaps to get in before it shuts. The first time I tried it, I leaped directly across a chasm and Faith nearly fell off the ledge. I mistimed another climb, and she had to slowly pull herself up. It was agonizing. As soon as I broke my momentum, the gameplay flow broke down ,and Mirror's Edge stopped being fun.
The second time, I ran along the wall, arced around, built up my momentum, and used it to leap up. In a matter of seconds, I'd managed to get to the same place but to do without frustration.
Passing through the door, you'll enter a sort of airlock. Another massive door waits. To open it, you'll have to climb up to a catwalk. Problem is, you've got no pipes to climb or springboards to use. All you've got is a wall that's angled out into an otherwise straight hallway. One move in your bag of tricks is the Q key. Press it and Faith will turn a hundred and eighty degrees. It helps you access areas you might not otherwise reach. This wall is just wide enough for you to use, but not too wide for you to miss your mark.
Imagine this same hallway without that angled wall. You'd have to find the right spot of the wall to run up and jump off. By having it jut out in the middle of nowhere, DICE has given us something that serves the gameplay flow well. We know right where to go. Run up it, turn around, jump across, grab the ladder, use a pipe to fling yourself across to the next catwalk, press a button, leap down… and the massive metal door will open, a parting curtain to reveal a breathtaking sight. Time to enter the sewer's huge heart.
As with Half-Life, this may seem like an unrealistic, needless room, but such a place actually exists. This room is modeled after a tsunami drainage system in Japan. Just the kind of place you'd expect to manage the kind of water volume that accompanies a tsunami. Both the real-life and virtual version are gorgeous, though Mirror's Edge's is much more colorful. For a sewer, the water throughout looks positively pristine. It seems like the kind of place we want to be, rather than a place we want to escape.
These tunnels are color-coded green, and in this room, Mirror's Edge's prebaked lighting works to wonderful effect, tinting everything slightly green without making it seem sickly. Far off in the distance, you can see a door. The room establishes its goal clearly: get to that door and get out. A small red ladder, red being the opposite of green on the color wheel, catches our attention.
A room this big can seem intimidating, but the red ladder assures us. We know what to do here, so we run straight for it. I can't think of a single time I've tried to explore the main floor of the sewers—I've always run right for the ladder and begun climbing it, which is, of course, precisely what Mirror's Edge wants us to do.
You begin looping around the massive concrete columns that fill the room, making our way up. The jumps are simple at first, but then we're introduced to a balance beam. It's a new method of traversal for the level, and it's different because it slows you down without breaking your flow. There's a new kind of risk here—a worry about height.
As you climb up, the jumps get farther apart. Where the descent into the sewers was all about small platforms, good timing, and wall-running, this room's all about running forward, building up momentum, and taking breathtaking leaps. The higher up you go, the scarier it gets, but the path breaks things up in such a way that it feels like each step closer to the goal is more dangerous than the last.
Then the game adds in snipers.
One of them shoots a rat dead right in front of you. Best to ignore them and keep moving, even if one of them did just say "shoot to kill." Your guide radios you, telling you to ignore them or engage—it's your choice. The first sniper you encounter, however, appears to be unavoidable. Frustratingly, he impedes your forward momentum somewhat. He's just one guy, though, and he's easily dealt with.
Now you're at the top. You can jump from column to column, exploring the columns above much like you could explore the sewers below, but it's best to make your way toward the exit. Mirror's Edge's level designers were kind enough to highlight your goal by making it the lighter side of the room. Head toward the dark areas, you're going the wrong way. Move to the lighter areas, and you're moving in the right direction. The game also highlights the sniper positions somewhat, giving you a good impression of where they are.
You'll find a zipline. Taking it will get you close to the door, but you'll have to shimmy across a narrow ledge to do so. Why is this necessary? Why couldn't the designers have just let you land right at the door? This is actually a neat bit of storytelling on their part: shimmying across the ledge requires you to look back at the room you just successfully cleared, and this serves two purposes.
First, it lets you go "wow, I made it through that!" It's one last look at a tremendous obstacle, and it makes you feel good about yourself. Second, you'll see a bunch of flashlights—presumably attached to people—entering the room. It adds impetus to push forward, a good reminder that you're still being chased. Static snipers are one thing, but these guys are on the move.
Smack a button and enter a new room. This one's simple: leap up to a ledge, turn around, and leap up to another. Easy-peasy. Then you get to take a water-slide. In any other situation, a waterslide might sound fun. This one has a bottomless pit at the bottom.
I take issue with whoever designed this section. Each time I attempted to use the momentum of the slide to leap across the chasm, I died. In a game that's all about momentum up to this point—and featured a sequence virtually identical to this in the previous chapter (that one had you sliding down the glass face of a skyscraper), the impression is given that the player is supposed to slide down, hit jump at the last second, and leap across the chasm to safety.
Passing this obstacle is somewhat counterintuitive. The only way I managed to survive it was to take damage, then wall-run around. Mirror's Edge provides a ledge to ease across, but I like speed, and wall-running is fun. When a designer deals damage to the player, that's usually a warning sign that the player has made a mistake. For this particular obstacle, it seems that coming to an abrupt stop before falling down the chasm and taking damage is actually the way to go. It's a weird wrinkle in the experience.
Press an emergency release button, open the giant metal door standing in front of you, and you'll find yourself in another giant pit, this time at the bottom. Climb up to the top, clambering across construction elevators, pipes, and platforms, at one point shutting off some water valves, and you'll find a button.
As with all buttons, you should press it.
Leap onto a hanging platform, and you'll see that a crane is bringing up another one. Time it right, leap onto the second platform, and let it carry you to the top, where you can escape the sewer drain and find yourself accosted by a bunch of very angry men with guns.
I despise this sequence. Most people do. I read a comment on a Mirror's Edge 2 video earlier that said something like "if DICE includes guns in this game, I'll lose faith in them entirely." For most people, Mirror's Edge is a great game aside from the fights with police, and while I agree that the fights with police are bad, I would hardly advocate their removal, not when I could argue for their improvement.
At its core, there's nothing wrong with spicing up gameplay with something you can fail. The problem with fighting cops in Mirror's Edge is that Faith, despite being an incredible and presumably strong athlete, seems incapable of bringing the hurt to anyone she hits. Furthermore, she seems incapable of movement at all if she picks up a gun.
It's not that guns are bad, it's that the way guns work in this game is bad. Arguing to remove guns entirely is like arguing to remove the Mako in Mass Effect. The Mako wasn't the problem; the terrain was. Make better terrain, and the Mako rounds out the game. With Mirror's Edge, make Faith a better fighter, and fights can round out the game experience.
In fact, guns can absolutely make Mirror's Edge a better game. Here's how.
All first-person games, in some way, are about movement. Some time in the late-90s, shooter design shifted to be more "realistic," as if anything aside from a simulator could be truly "realistic." What that meant was that shooters got a lot more flat in their level design. The gameplay slowed down. Enemies transitioned from obstacles that influenced your movement in games like in Doom to things that encouraged shooting gallery style pop-n-stop play, such as games like Call of Duty.
There's nothing inherently wrong with this—in a game set in World War II, as Call of Duty was, dodging bullets is pretty hard. In a game like Doom, where demons vomit fire at you, developers can get a bit more creative. Plus, I've heard from some developers that hit-scan weapons are easier to deal with in-game, especially in regards to multiplayer. I've also heard that it's better for consoles, where player movement is inherently limited by the use of analog sticks.
Unfortunately, "realistic" has always been an attractive idea in games—every graphical showcase, for instance, talks about how 'realistic' it is and has since the dawn of video games. At one point, this was "as real as it gets." Mirror's Edge certainly isn't realistic, even if it's got realistic locales, and that's what makes it fun. It's a game about doing all sorts of seemingly-plausible but ultimately-unrealistic things for the sake of fun gameplay.
Most of the response I've seen regarding Faith's use of guns is that it's "realistic," so of course it's bad. But in a game all about flow, it might be best to eschew realism, especially when it gets in the way of good flow. Faith could be more quick to dodge cops. The cops could more visibly telegraph their actions, alerting the player to the actions they need to take. Disarming cops could be a bit more generous.
Then there's all the things Faith could do with guns. She could actually use guns to manipulate the environment, opening up new methods of movement. All the stuff she does to move about in the game could be enhanced by guns. They don't need to slow her down or hurt the gameplay experience, because there's no reason for this to be the case. It's an unrealistic game. It's at its best when that's the case.
Gun fights could be used to impact flow in positive ways, rather than negative ones. Giving Faith things to dodge or new ways to interact with the environment is good.
Once you've dispatched the cops, you've… got to find a way out. I always get stuck at this part. There's a door you need to get to, but it's not as easily visible as others are in the game. It's almost as frustrating running around, trying to figure out where to go, as it is fighting the cops. Once you do figure out that you've got to climb up a truck, leap over a fence, and open a door, all becomes clear.
Find the elevator, and the game slows down, because you can't exactly do any cool parkour stuff in an elevator. Ride it to the top, exit the elevator, follow a hallway, open a door, and you'll meet Jacknife, who is a bit of a jerk. He also decides to run away from you. What else do you do but give chase?
Up until now, the primary impetus for your forward momentum has been "people are shooting!" Now it's "that guy is running away!" You stop being prey and become a predator, and its your job to chase Jacknife, who occasionally stops to taunt you. The level also starts to become increasingly orange the further you go, establishing a new identity, one that will pop up in later levels.
The chase is unremarkable, aside from the fact that there are multiple ways to do it, though they rarely diverge in any meaningful way. The outcome is always the same—Jacknife arrives at a pre-defined location, makes a bad jump, and you have to make a slight detour to get to him.
This is my least-favorite part in the level. Yes, even less so than the gunfight. Remember that one area earlier, the bit in the sewer 'airlock' where we had to run up a wall, turn around, and hit the ladder? This should have had something like that—some precise area to go to make a good jump, but it doesn't. Nearly every jump I made to the bright red pole I was supposed to get to killed me. I'm pretty sure Faith actually hit and bounced off the pole a few times, rather than grabbing on. I finally found a solution by running slightly toward the wall the pole came out of. It feels weird and awkward and unclear, unlike most everything else in the game.
This is followed by some basic pipe navigation. That's fine. You've done a bunch of it throughout the game. Shouldn't be a problem. In this situation, at least for me, it was. For whatever reason, Faith kept trying to jump between the third pipe and the wall rather than actually grabbing the pipe. That caused her to fall to an untimely death, which started me back on the roof before the troublesome pole, so I'd have to navigate it and the poles all over again. This was not a fun sequence.
Once you've navigated the roof, get to Jacknife, who will tell you about the target of your next level and generally just be a bit of a jerk. Whatever. Level's over. Didn't end on the best possible note, but it was still fun.
This flow, this focus on each individual movement, is what makes Mirror's Edge special. It's as much a rhythm game as anything else. Mirror's Edge is not about encounter design, like Far Cry 2 or Crysis: Warhead . Those games aren't bad, of course—many of them are the best games in their respective franchises—but the gameplay they're trying to provide is different.
Mirror's Edge is all about flow. It's not about planning how to tackle an encounter, but about picking your next move and doing it quickly enough that you move from one point to another without interruption. Where those games were about encounters that stop you from moving, Mirror's Edge is a game where stopping to make a decision is a bad thing. It requires a different kind of intelligence of the player, and that's what makes it such a special game. There's nothing out there quite like it.
GB Burford is a freelance journalist and indie game developer who just can't get enough of exploring why games work. You can reach him on Twitter at @ForgetAmnesia or on his blog. You can support him and even suggest games to write about over at his Patreon. For more of his Kotaku work, check out the GBB tag. | 2019-04-25T09:31:25Z | https://kotaku.com/what-was-so-special-about-mirrors-edge-and-so-wrong-wi-1671726926 |
Journal Article: APASL clinical practice recommendation: how to treat HCV-infected patients with renal impairment?
Elevated serum ferritin: what should GPs know?
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Do macrophages play a role in the development of endotoxin-induced biliary injury in rats?
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Woodward, A. J., Miller, L. J., Fawcett, J., Crawford, D. H. G. and Stuart, K. A. (2011). Hepatocellular carcinoma in an Australian tertiary hospital: No evidence of detection at an earlier stage over the past 10-years. In: Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Unknown, unknown, (46-46). unknown.
Sievert, W., George, J., Strasser, S. I., Crawford, D., Heathcote, E. J., Marcellin, P., Elsome, A. M., Sorbel, J. and Rousseau, F. (2010). Efficacy of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate treatment in patients with a suboptimal response to adefovir dipivoxil. In: Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. unknown, unknown, (A126-A126). unknown.
George, J., Gane, E. J., Sievert, W. S., Desmond, P. A., Crawford, D., Roberts, S. K., Strasser, S. I., Heathcote, E. J., Marcellin, P., Sorbel, J. and Rousseau, F. (2010). HBsAg kinetics of decay and baseline characteristics of HBeAg-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B following 3 years of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) treatment. In: Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. unknown, unknown, (A126-A126). unknown.
Roberts, S. K., Ferenci, P., Yoshihara, M., Crawford, D. H., Sieverf, W., McCaughan, G. W., Cheng, W., Weltman, M., Rawlinson, W. D., McCloud, P. I., Rizkalla, B. and Dore, G. J. (2010). Non-Svr to peginterferon Alfa-2a therapy and ribavirin is strongly predicted by baseline factors and week 8 on-treatment viral load in Hcv genotype (gt) 1 patients: New insights from cart analysis of the chariot study. In: Hepatology. 61st Annual Meeting of the American-Association-for-the-Study-of-Liver-Diseases, Boston, MA, United States, (801A-802A). 29 Oct-2 Nov, 2010.
Weltman, M, Dore, GJ, Sievert, W, McCaughan, GW, Crawford, DH, Cheng, W, Rawlinson, W, Yashihara, M, McCloud, PI, Rizkalla, B and Roberts, SK (2009). Baseline and ontreatment predictors of svr to peginterferon alfa-2a therapy and ribavirin in hcv genotype (GT) 1 treatment naive patients: New insights from the chariot study. In: HEPATOLOGY. 60th Annual Meeting of the American-Association-for-the-Study-of-Liver-Diseases, Boston MA, (1033A-1034A). OCT 30-NOV 03, 2009.
Marcellin, P, Jensen, DM, Roberts, SK, Hadziyannis, SJ, Dore, GJ, Diago, M, Weltman, M, McCaughan, GW, Cheng, W, Crawford, DH, Sievert, W, Rawlinson, W, Solsky, J, Tietz, A and Rizzetto, M (2009). PEGINTERFERON ALFA-2A (40KD) (PEGIFN alpha 2A) HAS A WIDE SAFETY MARGIN IN COMBINATION WITH RIBAVIRIN (RBV) 1000/1200 MG/DAY IN PATIENTS INFECTED WITH HCV GENOTYPE 1: POOLED ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM FOUR RANDOMIZED MULTICENTER STUDIES. In: HEPATOLOGY. 60th Annual Meeting of the American-Association-for-the-Study-of-Liver-Diseases, Boston MA, (1030A-1031A). OCT 30-NOV 03, 2009.
Sievert, W, Dore, GJ, McCaughan, GW, Yoshihara, M, Crawford, DH, Cheng, W, Weltman, M, Rawlinson, W, Rizkalla, B, McCloud, PI and Roberts, SK (2009). SIGNIFICANT HEMOGLOBIN (HB) DECLINE DURING PEGYLATED INTERFERON AND RIBAVIRIN THERAPY IN HCV GENOTYPE 1 IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUSTAINED VIROLOGIC RESPONSE (SVR): AN ANALYSIS FROM THE CHARIOT STUDY. In: HEPATOLOGY. 60th Annual Meeting of the American-Association-for-the-Study-of-Liver-Diseases, Boston MA, (1020A-1021A). OCT 30-NOV 03, 2009.
Hickman, I. J., Sullivan, C. M., Flight, S., Campbell, C., Crawford, D. H., Masci, P. P., O'Moore-Sullivan, T. M., Prins, J. B. and Macdonald, G. A. (2008). Obesity is linked with increased clot strength and impaired fibrinolysis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. In: International Journal Of Obesity. 16th European Congress on Obesity, Geneva, Switzerland, (S59-S59). 14-17 May 2008.
Abbott-Johnson, W. J., Abiad, G., Kerlin, P., Cuneo, R. C., Crawford, D. H., Ash, A., Clague, A. and Coroneo, M. (2003). Dark adaptation improves with intramuscular vitamin A in patients awaiting liver transplantation. In: C R Parish, Immunology and Cell Biology. 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Transplantation Societyd, Canberra, (A1-A1). 9-11 April, 2003.
Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score: Is it useful in predicting outcome following cadeveric liver transplant?
Meade, B. J., Yeung, S., Balderson, G.A., Crawford, D. H. and Lynch, S. V. (2003). Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score: Is it useful in predicting outcome following cadeveric liver transplant?. In: Chris R Parish, Immunology and Cell Biology. 21st Annual Scientific Meeting, Canberra, (A12-A12). 9-11 April 2003.
Brindle, K.R., Frazer, D.M., Crawford, D.H. and Ramm, G.A. (2001). Hepatic expression of iron transporters in patients with hemochromatosis or hepatitis C virus infection. In: Abstracts of the 52th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. 52th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Dallas, TX, United States, (505A-505A). 9-13 November 2001.
Butterworth, L. A., Cooksley, W. G. E., Crawford, D., D'Arcy, D., Dorrington, L., Garrett, L., Hourigan, K., Macdonald, G. and Walker, D. (2000). Early detection of response to interferon treatment in chronic HCV. In: 10th International Symposium on Viral Hepatitis and Liver Disease. 10th Int Symp on Viral Hepatitis and Liver Disease, Atlanta, USA, (). 9-13 April, 2000.
Crawford, D.H., Lott, W.B., Cooksley, G., HArrison, M., McDonald, G., Sloots, T. and Gowans, E.J. (2000). Effects of cobalamin on hepatitis C virus translation and replication. In: Abstracts of the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 51st Annual Meeting American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Dallas, TX, United States, (359A-359A). 27 - 31 October 2000.
Cooksley, W. G. E., Crawford, D., Gowans, E. J., Harrison, M., Lott, W. B., Macdonald, G. and Sloots, T. (2000). Effects of cobalamin on hepatitis C virus translation and replication. In: Annual Mtg of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. Ann Mtg of American Assn for the Study of Liver Disease, Dallas, Texas, ((abstract)). 27-31 Oct, 2000.
Thomson, R.K., Koorey, D.J., Angus, P.W., Crawford, D.H. and McCaughan, G.W. (2000). Lamivudine therapy for chronic hepatitis B patients receiving immunosuppression for non-hepatic diseases. In: Abstracts of the Annual Meeting of the British Society of Gastroenterology. Annual Meeting of the British Society of Gastroenterology, Unknown, (A59-A59). 2000.
Hickman, P. E., Hourigan, L. F., Powell, L. W. and Crawford, D. H. (1999). Automated measurement of unsaturated iron binding capcity is an effective screening strategy for C282Y homozygous hemochromatosis. In: World Congress on Iron Metabolism. Bioiron'99, Sorrento Palace, Sorrento - Naples, Italy, (72). 23 - 28 May 1999.
Angus, P.W., Gane, E.J., Crawford, D.H. and McCaughan, G.W. (1999). Combination low dose hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and lamivudine therapy provides effective prophylaxis against post transplant hepatitis B. In: Abstracts of the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 50th Annual Meeting American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Dallas, TX, United States, (301A-301A). 5-9 November 1999.
Butterworth, L. A., Cooksley, W. G. E., Crawford, D., D'Arcy, D., Dorrington, L., Hourigan, K. and Walker, D. (1999). Early detection of sustained responders to Interferon treatment. In: Third International Conference on Therapies for Viral Hepatitis. 3rd International Conference on Therapies for Viral Hepatitis, Ritz Carlton, Maui, Hawaii, (). 12-16 December, 1999.
Sievert, W., Gibson, P.R., Colman, J.C., Kronborg, I., Crawford, D.H., Keogh, J., Nyulasi, I.B. and Strauss, B.J. (1999). Energy and amino acid supplements in a malnourished patients with cirrhosis: a randomised controlled trial. In: Abstracts of the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 50th Annual Meeting American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Dallas, TX, United States, (434A-434A). 5-9 November 1999.
Thomson, R.K., Koorey, D.J., Angus, P.W., Crawford, D.H. and McCaughan, G.W. (1999). Lamivudine therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving immunosuppression for non-hepatic diseases. In: Abstracts of the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 50th Annual Meeting American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Dallas, TX, United States, (643A-643A). 5-9 November 1999.
Gilroy, R., Lynch, S. V., Strong, R. W., Kerlin, P., Balderson, G. A. and Crawford, D. H. (1999). Mayo risk score and child-pugh score are predictors of resource utilisation following orthotopic liver transplantation for primary biliary cirrhosis. In: Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology: Abstracts for Australian Gastroenterology Week 1999. Australian Gastroenterology Week 1999, Brisbane, (A175-A175). 4-8 Oct, 1999.
Thomson, A., Steadman, C., Balderson, G. A., Bansal, A., Crawford, D. H. and Lynch, S. V. (1999). Transplanation for primary cholangitis - the Queensland experience. In: Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology: Abstracts for Australian Gastroenterology Week 1999. Australian Gastroenterology Week 1999, Brisbane Convention Cen., (A210-A210). 4-8 Oct, 1999.
Hickman, P., Hourgian, L., Powell, L.W. and Crawford, D.H.G. (1998). Automated measurement of unsaturated iron binding capacity allows a cost effective, ongoing strategy for screening for haemochromatosis. In: Abstracts of the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 49th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (422A-422A). 6-10 November 1998.
Ramm, G.A., Coomer, J.M., Watters, D.J. and Crawford, D.H.G. (1998). Ferritin increases PKC-zeta expression in early rat hepatic stellate cell activation. In: Abstracts of the 49th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 49th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (537A-537A). 6-10 November 1998.
Busfield, F., Stuart, K.A., Gibson, P.R., Butterworth, L., Cooksley, G., Powell, L.W., Jazwinska, E.C. and Crawford, D.H.G. (1997). Association of the HFE C282Y mutation with porphyria cutanea tarda in Australian patients The 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics was held in Baltimore, Maryland, October 28 to November 1, l997. In: Abstracts of the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics. 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, Baltimore, MD, United States, (A270-A270). 28 October -1 November 1997.
Ramm, G.A., Shepherd, R.W. and Crawford, D.H.G. (1997). Contribution of parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells to hepatic fibrogenesis in biliary atresia. In: Abstracts of the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 48th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (1292-1292). 7-11 November 1997.
Crawford, D.H.G., Jazwinska, E.C., Cullen, L.M. and Powell, L.W. (1997). Expression of HLA-linked haemochromatosis in homozygous and heterozygous subjects diagnosed according to the C282Y mutation evaluation of previous diagnostic criteria. In: Abstracts of the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 48th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (279-279). 7-11 November 1997.
Ramm, G.A., Piva, T.J., Garrone, B.M., Watters, D.J. and Crawford, D.H.G. (1997). Role of tissue ferritin in regulation of alpha-smooth muscle actin expression in hepatic stellate cells via PKC zeta and/or nitric oxide. In: Abstracts of the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 48th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (1291-1291). 7-11 November 1997.
Stuart, K.A., Busfield, F., Jazwinska, E.C., Gibson, P., Butterworth, L.A., Cooksley, W.G.E., Powell, L.W. and Crawford, D.H.G. (1997). The C282Y mutation in HFE is common in Australian patients and can act independently of HCV to precipitate porphyria cutanea tarda. In: Abstracts of the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 48th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (1911-1911). 7-11 November 1997.
Houglum, K., Ramm, G.A., Crawford, D.H.G., Witztum, J., Powell, L.W. and Chojkier, M. (1996). Enhanced hepatic lipid peroxidation in genetic hemochromatosis; reversal by phlebotomy. In: Abstracts of the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 47th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (286-286). 8-12 November 1996.
George, D.K., Ramm, G.A. and Crawford, D.H.G. (1996). Evidence for altered matrix metalloproteinase and TIMP-1 activity in genetic hemochromatosis. In: Abstracts of the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 47th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (490-490). 8-12 November 1996.
Ramm, G.A., Gibbons, J.C., Butterworth, L.A., Crawford, D.H.G., Walker, N.I. and Cooksley, W.G.E. (1995). Correlation between hepatic stellate cell activation and hepatitis-C virus genotype, viral load and response to interferon therapy. In: Abstracts of the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 46th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Orlando, FL, United States, (1488-1488). 1995.
Cooksley, W.G.E., Crawford, D.H.G., Foley, P.F., Lawford, B.R., Franz, C.P., Ritchie, T. and Noble, E.P. (1995). The D2 dopamine-receptor a1 allele: a risk factor in hepatitis-C infection. In: Abstracts of the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 46th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Orlando, FL, United States, (556-556). 1995.
Crawford, D.H.G., Shepherd, R.W., Cui, T.C., Murphy, T.L., Cooksley, W.G.E., Halliday, J.W. and Powell, L.W. (1992). Body-composition analysis in nonalcoholic cirrhosis. In: Abstracts of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (526-526). 31 October - 3 November 1992.
Crawford, D.H.G., Murphy, T.L., Cooksley, W.G.E., Halliday, J.W. and Powell, L.W. (1992). Changes in body composition following liver transplantation. In: Abstracts of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (526-526). 31 October - 3 November 1992.
Crawford, D.H.G., Axelsen, R.A., Powell, L.W., Kerlin, P., Endre, Z.H., Baldersen, G.A., Strong, R.J., Lynch, S.V. and Fleming, S.J. (1991). Glomerular lesions in cirrhosis: relationship to post liver transplant renal failure. In: Abstracts of the 42ndAnnual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 42ndAnnual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (A280-A280). 2-5 November 1991.
Crawford, D.H.G., Cheng, W.S.C., Murphy, T.L., Cooksley, W.G.E., Halliday, J.W. and Powell, L.W. (1990). Changes in body water and its distribution in patients with compensated cirrhosis. In: Abstracts of the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 41st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (424-424). 3-6 November 1990.
Crawford, D.H.G., Cheng, W.S.C., Murphy, T.L., Cooksley, W.G.E., Halliday, J.W. and Powell, L.W. (1990). The effect of progressive parenchymal liver disease on body fat and body cell mass. In: Abstracts of the 41st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. 41st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease, Chicago, Il, United States, (424-424). 3-6 November 1990.
Crawford, D. H. G., Powell, E. E., Searle, J. and Powell, L. W. (1989). Steatohepatitis: comparison of alcoholic and non-alcoholic subjects with particular reference to portal-hypertension and hepatic complications. In: Papers from the International Symposium on Portal Hypertension and Digestive Organs. International Symposium on Portal Hypertension and Digestive Organs, Tokyo Japan, (36-38). 25 February 1989. | 2019-04-20T05:03:26Z | http://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/678 |
If you are faced with problems such as excessive heat in the kitchen, smoke coming from the hood cavity or steam and smoke not getting sucked into it, a greasy floor or stove top and similar problems; these can all be signs of trouble in the ventilation hood.
But now, you don’t have to look far to get it repaired; since Viking Repair also offers hood fan repairs in not just Toronto but also the GTA and surrounding cities. Our experts will repair your ventilation hood following your call and will give new life to your kitchen hood fan!
Bosch Ventilation Hoods are a wonderful addition to any kitchen adding either a simple effective means to remove the heat and steam from your cooking or a chic and eye catching addition that will stand out. Ventilation hoods are the kind of appliance that tend to only be noticed when they stop working well, so when you notice that there is an issue you should call for help right away, there has likely been a problem for a while and it has just gotten serious. Viking Repair provides professional repairs on European and high end brands such as Bosch and you can place your faith in our expert technicians. We offer our services 24/7 so you don’t have to live with the discomfort of trying to make dinner without a hood fan. Either call or email into our office to receive speedy service to your Bosch ventilation hood.
Jenn-Air Hood fans are stylish and well designed ventilation hoods that come in both tasteful and barely noticeable varieties or also bold and stylish to add impact to your kitchen where it will stand out best. No matter which style of Jenn-Air ventilation hood you have the professionals at Viking Repairs will be able to fix it for you, we are constantly training our technicians and updating our knowledge to handle even the most recent models. Appliances always seem to break down at the worst of times so we work during the evening, on weekends, and also on Holidays to ensure that you can still get your Jenn-Air appliances repaired by a professional when you need them to be. Call our office to see our availability for booking; we service all of the GTA and the surrounding areas.
Miele Ventilation Hoods are a wonderful addition to any kitchen adding either a simple effective means to remove the heat and steam from your cooking or a chic and eye catching addition that will stand out. Ventilation hoods are the kind of appliance that tend to only be noticed when they stop working well, so when you notice that there is an issue you should call for help right away, there has likely been a problem for a while and it has just gotten serious. Viking Repair provides professional repairs on European and high end brands such as Miele and you can place your faith in our expert technicians. We offer our services 24/7 so you don’t have to live with the discomfort of trying to make dinner without a hood fan. Either call or email into our office to receive speedy service to your Miele ventilation hood.
Thermador Hood fans are stylish and well designed ventilation hoods that come in both tasteful and barely noticeable varieties or also bold and stylish to add impact to your kitchen where it will stand out best. No matter which style of Thermador ventilation hood you have the professionals at Viking Repairs will be able to fix it for you, we are constantly training our technicians and updating our knowledge to handle even the most recent models. Appliances always seem to break down at the worst of times so we work during the evening, on weekends, and also on Holidays to ensure that you can still get your Thermador appliances repaired by a professional when you need them to be. Call our office to see our availability for booking; we service all of the GTA and the surrounding areas.
Viking Ventilation Hoods are a wonderful addition to any kitchen adding either a simple effective means to remove the heat and steam from your cooking or a chic and eye catching addition that will stand out. Ventilation hoods are the kind of appliance that tend to only be noticed when they stop working well, so when you notice that there is an issue you should call for help right away, there has likely been a problem for a while and it has just gotten serious. Viking Repair provides professional repairs on European and high end brands such as Viking and you can place your faith in our expert technicians. We offer our services 24/7 so you don’t have to live with the discomfort of trying to make dinner without a hood fan. Either call or email into our office to receive speedy service to your Viking ventilation hood.
Wolf Hood fans are stylish and well designed ventilation hoods that come in both tasteful and barely noticeable varieties or also bold and stylish to add impact to your kitchen where it will stand out best. No matter which style of Wolf ventilation hood you have the professionals at Viking Repairs will be able to fix it for you, we are constantly training our technicians and updating our knowledge to handle even the most recent models. Appliances always seem to break down at the worst of times so we work during the evening, on weekends, and also on Holidays to ensure that you can still get your Wolf appliances repaired by a professional when you need them to be. Call our office to see our availability for booking; we service all of the GTA and the surrounding areas.
AEG Ventilation Hoods are a wonderful addition to any kitchen adding either a simple effective means to remove the heat and steam from your cooking or a chic and eye catching addition that will stand out. Ventilation hoods are the kind of appliance that tend to only be noticed when they stop working well, so when you notice that there is an issue you should call for help right away, there has likely been a problem for a while and it has just gotten serious. Viking Repair provides professional repairs on European and high end brands such as AEG and you can place your faith in our expert technicians. We offer our services 24/7 so you don’t have to live with the discomfort of trying to make dinner without a hood fan. Either call or email into our office to receive speedy service to your AEG ventilation hood.
Alfresco Hood fans are stylish and well designed ventilation hoods that come in both tasteful and barely noticeable varieties or also bold and stylish to add impact to your kitchen where it will stand out best. No matter which style of Alfresco ventilation hood you have the professionals at Viking Repairs will be able to fix it for you, we are constantly training our technicians and updating our knowledge to handle even the most recent models. Appliances always seem to break down at the worst of times so we work during the evening, on weekends, and also on Holidays to ensure that you can still get your Alfresco appliances repaired by a professional when you need them to be. Call our office to see our availability for booking; we service all of the GTA and the surrounding areas.
Ariston Ventilation Hoods are a wonderful addition to any kitchen adding either a simple effective means to remove the heat and steam from your cooking or a chic and eye catching addition that will stand out. Ventilation hoods are the kind of appliance that tend to only be noticed when they stop working well, so when you notice that there is an issue you should call for help right away, there has likely been a problem for a while and it has just gotten serious. Viking Repair provides professional repairs on European and high end brands such as Ariston and you can place your faith in our expert technicians. We offer our services 24/7 so you don’t have to live with the discomfort of trying to make dinner without a hood fan. Either call or email into our office to receive speedy service to your Ariston ventilation hood.
Artisan Hood fans are stylish and well designed ventilation hoods that come in both tasteful and barely noticeable varieties or also bold and stylish to add impact to your kitchen where it will stand out best. No matter which style of Artisan ventilation hood you have the professionals at Viking Repairs will be able to fix it for you, we are constantly training our technicians and updating our knowledge to handle even the most recent models. Appliances always seem to break down at the worst of times so we work during the evening, on weekends, and also on Holidays to ensure that you can still get your Artisan appliances repaired by a professional when you need them to be. Call our office to see our availability for booking; we service all of the GTA and the surrounding areas.
Bertazzoni Ventilation Hoods are a wonderful addition to any kitchen adding either a simple effective means to remove the heat and steam from your cooking or a chic and eye catching addition that will stand out. Ventilation hoods are the kind of appliance that tend to only be noticed when they stop working well, so when you notice that there is an issue you should call for help right away, there has likely been a problem for a while and it has just gotten serious. Viking Repair provides professional repairs on European and high end brands such as Bertazzoni and you can place your faith in our expert technicians. We offer our services 24/7 so you don’t have to live with the discomfort of trying to make dinner without a hood fan. Either call or email into our office to receive speedy service to your Bertazzoni ventilation hood.
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Franke Ventilation Hoods are a wonderful addition to any kitchen adding either a simple effective means to remove the heat and steam from your cooking or a chic and eye catching addition that will stand out. Ventilation hoods are the kind of appliance that tend to only be noticed when they stop working well, so when you notice that there is an issue you should call for help right away, there has likely been a problem for a while and it has just gotten serious. Viking Repair provides professional repairs on European and high end brands such as Franke and you can place your faith in our expert technicians. We offer our services 24/7 so you don’t have to live with the discomfort of trying to make dinner without a hood fan. Either call or email into our office to receive speedy service to your Franke ventilation hood.
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Huebsch Ventilation Hoods are a wonderful addition to any kitchen adding either a simple effective means to remove the heat and steam from your cooking or a chic and eye catching addition that will stand out. Ventilation hoods are the kind of appliance that tend to only be noticed when they stop working well, so when you notice that there is an issue you should call for help right away, there has likely been a problem for a while and it has just gotten serious. Viking Repair provides professional repairs on European and high end brands such as Huebsch and you can place your faith in our expert technicians. We offer our services 24/7 so you don’t have to live with the discomfort of trying to make dinner without a hood fan. Either call or email into our office to receive speedy service to your Huebsch ventilation hood.
Milano Ventilation Hoods are a wonderful addition to any kitchen adding either a simple effective means to remove the heat and steam from your cooking or a chic and eye catching addition that will stand out. Ventilation hoods are the kind of appliance that tend to only be noticed when they stop working well, so when you notice that there is an issue you should call for help right away, there has likely been a problem for a while and it has just gotten serious. Viking Repair provides professional repairs on European and high end brands such as Milano and you can place your faith in our expert technicians. We offer our services 24/7 so you don’t have to live with the discomfort of trying to make dinner without a hood fan. Either call or email into our office to receive speedy service to your Milano ventilation hood.
Simpson Hood fans are stylish and well designed ventilation hoods that come in both tasteful and barely noticeable varieties or also bold and stylish to add impact to your kitchen where it will stand out best. No matter which style of Simpson ventilation hood you have the professionals at Viking Repairs will be able to fix it for you, we are constantly training our technicians and updating our knowledge to handle even the most recent models. Appliances always seem to break down at the worst of times so we work during the evening, on weekends, and also on Holidays to ensure that you can still get your Simpson appliances repaired by a professional when you need them to be. Call our office to see our availability for booking; we service all of the GTA and the surrounding areas.
Smeg Ventilation Hoods are a wonderful addition to any kitchen adding either a simple effective means to remove the heat and steam from your cooking or a chic and eye catching addition that will stand out. Ventilation hoods are the kind of appliance that tend to only be noticed when they stop working well, so when you notice that there is an issue you should call for help right away, there has likely been a problem for a while and it has just gotten serious. Viking Repair provides professional repairs on European and high end brands such as Smeg and you can place your faith in our expert technicians. We offer our services 24/7 so you don’t have to live with the discomfort of trying to make dinner without a hood fan. Either call or email into our office to receive speedy service to your Smeg ventilation hood.
Zephyr Hood fans are stylish and well designed ventilation hoods that come in both tasteful and barely noticeable varieties or also bold and stylish to add impact to your kitchen where it will stand out best. No matter which style of Zephyr ventilation hood you have the professionals at Viking Repairs will be able to fix it for you, we are constantly training our technicians and updating our knowledge to handle even the most recent models. Appliances always seem to break down at the worst of times so we work during the evening, on weekends, and also on Holidays to ensure that you can still get your Zephyr appliances repaired by a professional when you need them to be. Call our office to see our availability for booking; we service all of the GTA and the surrounding areas. | 2019-04-21T00:50:32Z | http://www.vikingrepairs.ca/ventilation-hood-repair-services/ |
Mr. Fishlegs is back & he showed up with two more boxes and another letter for the boys. & let me tell you, the boys were so excited to see him. As I laid in bed I could hear both boys screaming, "He's back. Mom! He came back." followed by joyful squeals.
Got into snowball fights right in the middle of the kitchen. Even the boys know the snow stays outside. Outside Fishlegs!
He was so embarrassed at all the mischief he created that he decided he would try and hide out for awhile but he didn't fool anyone.
We had a lot of fun last year with Fishlegs. It was the first year that the boys were really into it and I admit, I may have went a little overboard. I loved thinking up new ideas as much as I loved seeing the smiles on their faces the following morning. I loved that with one little mention that Fishlegs was "watching" the boys almost immediately changed their behavior. It did what it was created to do, encourage good behavior during the holiday season but we didn't want to encourage good behavior by threatening that Fishlegs would tell Santa or just during the holidays--I wanted good behavior all the time.
So this year we made a few changes when it came to Fishlegs. I had been seeing a lot of posts regarding Kindness Elves instead of the Elf on the Shelf & I figured why not marry the two. We would still move him around each night but this year we wouldn't think up elaborate settings for him, he would just be hung, stuck, or sitting on something. He would still have magic powers & report back to Santa but instead of threatening to tell Santa that they were making bad choices, we would ask them what acts of kindness they did each day.
The letter basically stated that Fishlegs needed help spreading Christmas Magic. He needed help making people smile. He needed help doing random acts of kindness & for each time Justin and I caught the boys doing something kind without being prompted, then they would get a Kindness Punch. & let me tell you, the boys are liking the Kindness Punch--they love us talking about all the kind things they are doing.
On Sunday Fishlegs showed up with a box of Rice Krispies & suggested that the boys make some yummy treats for their friends at daycare, so we did.
It won't be every day that Fishlegs comes with a note and a suggestion but thanks to Pinterest I have a few ideas that the boys will love to carry out. We will be handing candy canes out to strangers at church or gymnastics or at the store. We will donate some doggie treats to the local shelter. Hand out some hot chocolate to the bell ringers & leave some quarters taped to some of their favorite candy machines. Small random things that will hopefully make someone smile or even make their day.
And on Christmas Eve the boys will get to hug Fishlegs and say goodbye till this time next year. Even though Fishlegs won't be showing up on Christmas morning, and each morning thereafter, I sure hope the boys remember their acts of kindness can be a daily thing, not just a holiday thing.
This Thanksgiving was a little different than the past few Thanksgivings---we went back to Jasper, well Carthage but who's keeping track.
Now don't get me wrong, its not like I haven't been home during Thanksgiving in the past years its just that its a little later into the evening--we have met my parents halfway and did the handoff, Justin came back to KC as the boys and I spent a few days with my parents---this time we all went down and made it to the Hartley Thanksgiving.
& the next morning Grandpa Hartley came over for a quick Thanksgiving breakfast with the whole family. The house was full and it was so loud but so very wonderful too.
the two are just the cutest when together.
It wasn't long after this picture and Logan had crawled up on Justin's lap and was fast asleep, he had stayed up way too late the night before but then again, its suppose to be that way at Papa Tom's and Grandma Sara's.
The family fun didn't end there, we headed over to my Aunt and Uncle's house for lunch where we saw a few more cousins and other family members. We of course made Grandpa Hartley take a few pictures but I am not sure he quite understood where to look for the camera.
& let's take a moment to talk about the food for a second. My mom and dad were in charge of the homemade chicken and noodles---one of Grandma Hartley's signature dishes. They spent a lot of time on these noodles and everyone was looking forward to them except for one person, Logan!
As we went around filling our plates he told me no on the noodles and at the last second he changed his mind--he said he take a little bit. In the end, he went back for four helpings & he wasn't the only one smiling, he had just made Grandma Sara's day.
My day was made when I saw the blueberry pie my Aunt Sandy had made, for me. No joke, her kids don't eat blueberry pie & as much as I love my mom, she doesn't make a blueberry pie like Sandy, so I know its for me. & maybe my sister too but she wasn't there so it was basically ALL mine.
We weren't on the road for 5 minutes and the boys and I were out.
Our Thanksgiving celebrations weren't ending there, they continued on into the next evening where we met up with Justin's family at his cousin Jennifer and her husband's house. They have a lovly home and was spacious enough to host us all which this year was a lot because we had so many family members in from out of town. This was the second time in a matter of months that we have all been able to be together and although the first get together was a celebration of life, it was still a sad occasion so being together for no other reason than to be thankful for one another was a good change of pace. The boys and I ended up having to skip out a little early since I wasn't feeling very well but I didn't want to take Justin away from his family, well Chris, Justin loves cooking and well, Chris knows a thing or two about it so Justin was practically in heaven all night long.
The boys and I watched a movie when we got home and then Kaden climbed into the top bunk of his bed for the first time.
Ventured out to Sky Zone for some toddler time. The boys love jumping there & toddler time is perfect because there aren't any big kids to worry about and the rules are a little more relaxed. We made our way back to the foam pit & as quickly as I built the foam walls, they came crashing through. We even tried it in slow-motion so my camera could try and keep up but that wasn't happening.
Visited our favorite donut shop in the city--John's Space Aged Donuts.
Decorated the house for the holidays.
Thanksgiving was filled with everything that it should have been filled with--family, friends, faith, football, and yummy food. It's why it ends up being one of my FAVORITE holidays of the year, behind St. Patrick's Day of course!
You see that pretty teal box on the back wall. Yup, that one. We have stared at it for almost a year. I have been dying to paint the laundry room. Our house, although I love it, is pretty much your typical Johnson County Beige when it comes to paint & the laundry room WAS no exception. It would be our first POP of color.
Pretty boring. Now don't get me wrong, our laundry room is upstairs on our second level with all the bedrooms, right off the hallway and our master bathroom. No one but us really EVER sees it. I love its location--never having to truck laundry up and down stairs & the boys are actually pretty good about getting their dirty clothes not only in the laundry room but in the right baskets too.
& lets be honest, I don't do the cooking or the grocery shopping and although Justin does change out the loads from time to time, I do a majority of the laundry and most of the folding & ALL the putting of clothes away. & I was tired of looking at that Johnson County Beige. It was time for me to roll up my sleeves and to get to painting. This past weekend was the perfect time for a painting project because I have pretty much wrapped up all of my shoots---only took me a year to wind down my sessions since my announcements but they're done & now I have time for projects---hubby is super pumped.
Justin also wasn't all that excited about the color that was "tested" about a year ago so I went back to the drawing board. I wanted something blueish. Something that made me happy. Finally Justin gave in and just told me to pick it, if he didn't like it, I could just repaint it--or so he says.
I went with Sherwin Williams Quench Blue.
About 6 pm on Friday night I started taping and prepping 3 of the 4 walls. I had two "helpers" that watched almost every move I made. Pretty sure I said "Hey boys, please don't come in the laundry room. Stay on that side." To which I would hear, "Wow, Mom. You are doing an awesome job." and then they would worm their way back in by my step stool. Lil boogers.
But the verdict was still out on wether or not I liked it. I was starting to think it was too baby blue, too light but I kept plugging along. After Logan's gymnastics class on Saturday, I rolled my sleeves back up and went back at it. Pulled the washer and dryer out from the wall, started taping off the shelves and squeezed my way into the tight space to cover up the last bit of the boring Johnson County Beige.
As the kids went down for naps, I pushed the washer and dryer back in place to let everything dry. & one of my favorite things I learned, pulling up the tape from the trim while the paint is still a little wet, it made for a very clean line.
a little decor and some of my favorite black and white pictures of the boys. These were just a few of the images that I had laying around the house that were ready to be hung or displayed but the plan is to do a full gallery wall of black and white images---yes, in our laundry room. It may sound a little weird to have a ton of images in your laundry room but one thing is certain, it will be hard not to smile while tossing towels in the washer. I even catch myself walking through the laundry room instead of our bedroom to get to our closet now---all while smiling. & although it has only been a few days, I have managed to do about 6 loads of laundry and the baskets are pretty much empty. I think its safe to say it was a SUCCESS all around & our home finally has some color in it.
Kaden has had all the fun when it comes to activities and it was time Logan got in on the action. We had been talking awhile about finding something just for him, not something that Kaden would get to do too, something just for Logan. Like I said it was time.
We had heard great things about gymnastics & Logan is all about jumping and twirling around so we thought it would be a perfect match & it has been.
Unlike most of his classmates who are in cute pink little tutus and leotards, he goes in his comfy shorts.
I thought he would be a little shy when he first walked into class but when "Jitterbugs" were called, he popped up and headed straight for the door and never looked back. For the next 50 minutes he runs, tumbles, jumps, summersaults--forwards and backwards.
& his teachers are fabulous--Coach Carly and Coach Tyler. They make class so fun for this little dudes and dudettes. I'd be ling if I said Logan wasn't their favorite--he totally is. I am sure its because he is one of the ONLY boys in his class but with a smile like his, how could he not be their favorite.
As soon as gymnastics is over for the week he is already looking forward to the next time. We have NEVER had tears & honestly, the biggest problem we have, what way to take on the way there.
"Can we go the secret way, Mom?"
The kid does NOT like going on the highway.
Although we were only going to do this for a couple of months in the beginning, it looks like now we may just be sticking with it, he seems to LOVE it. I think he enjoys having something all his own too & who can blame him.
After the spring session of soccer ended, I wasn't really sure what the future held for Kaden. He had his highs and lows during the season which was fine but when it was all said and over, he wasn't the least bit upset. So when fall rolled around and a co-worker mentioned she was signing her son up for soccer again and asked if we wanted to join, I kind of just shook my head from side to side. I went ahead and brought it up to Kaden and to my surprise, he said yes. He actually wanted to play. Now, I am not sure if he really wanted to play soccer or if he just wanted to hang out with Jake but either way, we were going to give it another try.
This time around it was a little more structured. They would have practice each Wednesday night and then a game on Saturday. They would play 2 twenty minute or so halves--each with 2 defenders and a goalie plus 4 players that could run the entire field. In our last league we didn't have a goalie and we didn't have defenders, just 4 kids running around like chickens with their heads cut off.
Now I would love to say that Kaden was the STAR athlete on his team but he was far from it. He did fairly decent when he was a defender and had a specific task at hand. Frankly, at the beginning of the season he wouldn't go and kick the ball. He was always one of the first to the spot of the ball but never really engaged in advancing the ball. I finally asked him why he didn't kick it and he said because everyone else was faster than he was---which wasn't the case, speed was not an issue for him. Finally, I did want any great parent would do, I bribed him. If he kicked the ball 5 times during the game, we would stop and get ice cream.
& Justin was so happy to hear this since he was the one who took Kaden to most of his games when they were scheduled during Logan's nap time. Although I hated missing Kaden's game, he often did better when I wasn't there. Maybe that was a coincidence but more than likely it wasn't. If I wasn't there, he wasn't worried about where I was or wouldn't come and sit by me each time he was sitting on the sidelines. Plus it gave Daddy and Kaden some extra bonding time which is always good.
In the end, I would say this go around with soccer was much more positive one. We only had tears at one game and that was pretty much my fault, 4 o'clock game and he fell asleep on the way there, one tired little soccer player. He may not have scored any goals--for or against us--but he (and me too) certainly learned a little more about the game and Justin & I couldn't have been more proud of the effort he put forth.
"Hey Mom, I didn't get a trophy but I got something!"
"Really, Kaden, what did you get?"
"A trophy because we win & I was speedy fast, like Flash."
He was so proud of his trophy & it was nice to end on such a high note. & a big thank you to his coach, it takes a special type of person to teach soccer to 10 four and five year olds & he did an amazing job.
Over the last few weeks my dad has been spending more of his time in Kansas City for work & although no one is really happy that he is up here and not at home with my mom where he belongs, we are trying to make the most of it.
We have started implementing Thursday Night Dinner with Papa Tom. There is only one rule---we have to go some place that he has never been to & that is kind of a hot spot in Kansas City.
The first week it was a little like pulling teeth to get him to come. He was worried that he was imposing on us or that we needed to get things done at home but I wasn’t letting him back out.
First up on our KC Food Tour was Stroud’s. Now Justin, the boys and I have eaten here a handful of times, we are no strangers to the best pan-fried chicken in KC but my dad has never been there & during the days leading up to our dinner he was hearing a lot about this place.
Dinner was good but the cinnamon rolls were better. & my dad would probably give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars---you have to remember, I grew up in an area that had Chicken Mary’s, Chicken Annie’s, & Barto’s---its tough to find better pan-fried chicken than what you would get at one of these places.
The following week wasn’t as tough to get my dad on board, we mentioned the new-to-us Taco Republic & he was in. Although on this Thursday it was raining pretty good and my dad didn’t want me to have to drive and get him in the rain & I laughed. The boys were excited to see him and I was excited to try out a new place.
We all left there giving Taco Republic a 4.5 out of 5 stars---the food was delicious & I enjoyed the atmosphere. The only negative, those darn restrooms are sooooo tiny, unless you get the back one---its hard to fit a 3 year old and a 5 year old in there.
The next couple of weeks we unfortunately had to skip, dad had a meeting one evening and then we had a family gathering with Justin’s family when Nannie passed away.
Have no fear though, we resumed our dinner dates this past week. Dad had been hearing people talking about the Westport Flea Market and how great their burgers are. I hadn’t been there & it had been a long while since Justin had been so it made for the perfect spot.
Luckily the boys got more smiles than weird looks as they had dinner in their costumes & the food was spectacular. Another 4.5 out of 5---it was a yummy patty melt & the curly q fries--I haven't had any like that since the good ole' Dairy Cream in Jasper!
Its such a catch 22 with Thursday night dinners, I wish my Dad wasn't up here because that means he'd be home with my mom but if he is going to be here, we might as well spend a little more time with him. The boys are just loving it & I won’t lie, I’m kind of fond of our new little ritual too.
Last Halloween I spent the month prior working on homemade costumes. I was working on the Mr. Frederickson & Russell costumes all the way up to the time the boys walked out the front door and down the sidewalks to do a little trick-or-treating. & I swore, I wasn't going to go to all that trouble again, sure they loved their costumes but they never wore them after that evening. Not too mention they probably cost us a fortune to make after it was all said and done.
So this year, I didn't & we actually let the boys decide what they wanted to be. What a novel idea, right?!?
A few months before Halloween we started talking to the kids about what they wanted to be. Kaden declared he wanted to be Captain Hook which wasn't surprising knowing that is what he wanted to be when he grows up in his pre-school video. Logan he wanted to be Batman, also not surprising since he has been stuck on Batman and "Bad Guys" for some time now.
& we lucked out with Logan's costume, he was Batman for his 3 year old Superhero photo shoot so the costume was already in the closet. And if he changed his mind, we could run out and get something different.
I confirmed with Kaden one last time that he was certain he wanted to be Captain Hook before I ordered it from the Disney Store and he was still on board. At least he was for about 5 weeks and then it changed, he wanted to be a Power Ranger. The Red Power Ranger to be exact. So I quickly ran upstairs, pulled out the Captain Hook costume that had arrived a few weeks earlier and had him try it on, he was happy again. & so was I.
The boys got their first trick-or-treating outing when we went to visit my dad down on the Plaza. I picked them up from daycare and we headed out to get my dad for our Thursday night dinners & my mom had the great idea of having the kids dress up and trick-or-treat his hotel room. Usually we just meet him outside but they were so excited to knock on their Papa Tom's door.
They got way too much from Papa Tom--donuts, M&Ms, bubble gum (their most favorite thing in the world right now) & then the fun stuff came---they raided Papa Tom's bucket of food. They each took home instant mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, crackers, more bubble gum--two more packs, peanuts & wait for it, a potato--as in one you poke & put in the microwave. At first, Logan didn't want one but then when Kaden went for his, Logan couldn't be without.
After they loaded up on their "treats" we headed down to the lobby and ran into one of Papa Tom's buddies, who ran to his room and came back out with a few more treats for the boys.
Then it was off to dinner. & who better to go out to dinner with than Captain Hook & Batman themselves--Papa Tom was stoked.
On Friday we started the day off with Kaden's Halloween party at pre-school & then it was off to Brenda's for more Halloween fun.
After picking the boys up from Brenda's for the day we headed home to start one of our Halloween traditions--Mummy Dogs & of course we had to try and replicate the picture we took last year.
& then it was off for a cold evening of trick-or-treating. So cold that we made it to a few houses on our street and found our way back to trick-or-treat our own home. & then the boys handed out candy to those who came by our house.
It was a great spooky holiday & you know what, the boys have continued to wear their costumes this time around. Looks like I'll let them pick out their own costumes from here on out.
And Logan sure loved our Dracula Cookies. | 2019-04-20T14:29:10Z | http://www.keepingupwiththesouths.com/2014/11/ |
Palliative care is not a new issue in Indonesia, which has been improving palliative care since 1992 and developed a palliative care policy in 2007 that was launched by the Indonesian Ministry of Health. However, the progress has been slow and varied across the country. Currently, palliative care services are only available in a few major cities, where most of the facilities for cancer treatment are located. Psychosomatic medical doctors have advantages that contribute to palliative care because of their special training in communication skills to deal with patients from the standpoints of both mind and body.
Palliative care services in Indonesia are established in some hospitals. Future work is needed to build capacity, advocate to stakeholders, create care models that provide services in the community, and to increase the palliative care workforce. Psychosomatic medicine plays an important role in palliative care services.
The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has predicted around 240.000 new cases of cancer per year, with 70% of the patients already incurable at the time of diagnosis. There are a small number of excellent facilities, especially for cancer, however the rest of the facilities operate with limited resources. Palliative care has not yet developed in most areas. Until recently, most cancer patients eventually died in hospital, suffering unnecessarily due to a high burden of symptoms and unmet needs of the patients and their families Grassi et al. reported that in palliative care and oncology settings there are several dimensions, including emotional distress, anxiety and depression, maladaptive coping, and dysfunctional attachment, that need a broad psychosomatic approach .
A study in Japan that described the role of psychosomatic medicine doctors in palliative care has been published . Herein, the authors describe the role of psychosomatic medicine in developing palliative care in Indonesia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defined palliative care as an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing problems associated with life-threatening illness. It prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, correct assessment, and treatment of pain and other problems. Palliative care is the prevention and relief of suffering of any kind – physical, psychological, social, or spiritual – experienced by adults and children living with life-limiting health problems. It promotes dignity, quality of life and adjustment to progressive illnesses, using the best available evidence .
In 2014, a 67th World Health Assembly resolution, WHA 67.19, on palliative care recognized that the limited availability of palliative care services in much of the world leads to great, avoidable suffering for millions of patients and their families .
Addressing suffering involves taking care of issues beyond physical symptoms. Palliative care uses a team approach to support patients and their caregivers. This includes addressing practical needs and providing bereavement consulting. It offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death. Palliative care is explicitly recognized under the human right to health. It should be provided through person-centered and integrated health services that pay special attention to the specific needs and preferences of individuals. Palliative care is required for a wide range of diseases. The WHO reported that the majority of adults in need of palliative care have chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, AIDS, and diabetes (4.6%). Many other conditions may require palliative care, including kidney failure, chronic liver disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, neurological disease, dementia, congenital anomalies, and drug-resistant tuberculosis .
A study in 2011 of 234 countries, territories, and areas found that palliative care services were only well integrated in 20 countries, while 42% had no palliative care services at all and a further 32% had only isolated palliative care services .
Palliative care is most effective when considered early in the course of the illness. Early palliative care not only improves quality of life for patients but also reduces unnecessary hospitalizations and use of health-care services .
Actually, palliative care is not a new issue in Indonesia, where we have been developing palliative care since 1992. However, the progress has been very slow and varied across the country. Currently, palliative care services are available only in several major cities where most of the facilities for cancer are located. The progress of these centers varies in terms of personnel, facilities, and the types of service delivery. We should say that the palliative care concept and implementation are not really understood by some health care practitioners; however, the basic concept is understood by many.
A worldwide report in 2015 by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) about the Quality of Death Index ranked Indonesia 53rd in palliative care (Table 1). This measure was done of 80 countries around the world. Its ranking is based on comprehensive national policies, the extensive integration of palliative care into the National Health Service, a strong hospice movement, and deep community engagement on the issue .
WHO (2016) reported that palliative care is best delivered through a multidisciplinary team. Providers at all levels of care, from palliative care medical specialists to trained volunteers, work together to ensure the best quality of life for the patient. In tertiary care settings, most of them include oncologists, internal medicine physicians, radiotherapists, radiotherapy technicians, psychologists or counselors, nutritionists, physiotherapists, oncology nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and palliative care nurses.
In resource-poor settings, community health workers or trained volunteers – supported, trained and supervised by primary- and secondary-level health-care professionals – are the principal providers of palliative care. Trained community nurses (auxiliary nurses/palliative nursing aides), if permissible within the system, can play a major role in delivery of care. Family members also have a large role in caring for patients at home, and they need to be supported.
Primary care and community care are essential to provide palliative care services to the large majority of people in need. Much of the care of dying persons has to occur in the community and in all health-care settings, mainly conducted by health professionals who are generalists and not specialist practitioners. Most people with advanced chronic conditions with palliative care needs are living in the community, so primary care professionals should be able to identify and care them . A study by Kristanti MS et al. reported that family caregivers can enhance the quality of life for palliative care cancer after getting basic skill training in palliative care .
Currently, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital and other district hospitals in Jakarta are participating with Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and Singapore International Volunteers in partnership with the Jakarta Cancer Foundation and Rachel House to organize a three-year training program for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists working at public hospitals in Jakarta with the aim of improving care for the terminally ill in Jakarta province. SIF’s “Enhancing palliative Care Practice” project aims to make possible the sharing of palliative care knowledge and skill between the medical communities of two countries through capacity building activities and professional sharing platform. However the participants are still limited and it is not widely available to all clinicians in Indonesia.
Pain is one of the most frequent and serious symptoms experienced by patients in need of palliative care. Opioid analgesics are essential for treating the pain associated with many advanced progressive conditions. For example, 80% of patients with AIDS or cancer and 67% of patients with cardiovascular disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will experience moderate to severe pain at the end of their lives. Opioids can also alleviate other common distressing physical symptoms including shortness of breath. Controlling such symptoms at an early stage is an ethical duty to relieve suffering and to respect the dignity of ill people .
International Narcotics Control Board reported that the levels of consumption of opioids for pain relief in over 121 countries were “inadequate” or “very inadequate” to meet basic medical needs. A study in 2011 found that 83% of the world’s population live in countries with low to non-existent access to opioid pain relief . Setiabudy R et al. reported that Indonesia has an annual consumption rate of only 0.054 mg/capita for pain relief, making it among the worst ranking countries in the world. This indicates that opioids are extremely underused for their correct indications in Indonesia .
We use national guidance in pain management based on WHO stepladder analgesia. In 2016, the Ministry of Health issued a national standard for cancer palliative management and, as stated previously, morphine is only available in the hospital setting. There are several preparations available, such as immediate release and sustained release morphine (tablets), fentanyl patch, and intravenous morphine or fentanyl. Every doctor who has a medical practice license is permitted to write prescriptions for morphine.
However, the presence of pain affects all aspects of an individual’s functioning. As a consequence, an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates the knowledge and skills of a number of health care providers is essential for successful treatment and patient management. Treating problematic pain with drugs is not sufficient. The psychosomatic approach has been shown to be useful in treating patients with pain.
Witjaksono M et al. (2014) reported that palliative care in Indonesia was first established in 1992 in Surabaya, East Java Province. However, its development has been very slow.
Currently, palliative care services are only available in big cities, where most facilities for cancer treatment are located. Among these centers, palliative care is in different stages of development in terms of human resources, facilities, and types of service delivery. The challenges in developing palliative care in Indonesia can be related to government policy, lack of palliative care education, attitudes of health care professionals, and general social conditions in the country. Rochmawati E et al. has reviewed the facilitating factors supporting the provision of palliative care in Indonesia, which include: a culture of strong familial support, government policy support, and volunteering and support from regional organizations . Palliative care has been integrated in the National Cancer Control Program in the period from 2014 to 2019.
In 2007, the Minister of Health announced a national policy on palliative care. However, the policy has not been fully implemented in the health care system due to the absence of palliative care guidelines and standards, a proper referral system, and sufficient funding. Local government plays an important role in developing palliative care. In Surabaya, the Pusat Pengembangan Paliatif dan Bebas Nyeri (PPPBN), a center for palliative care and pain relief based at Dr. Soetomo hospital, was established in 1992. In Jakarta, 12 hospitals have had basic training by Singapore International Foundation in cooperation with Cancer Foundation Jakarta since 2015. However, due to a shortage of physicians certified in palliative care, these are not well developed. Government policy on opioids has also become a significant barrier to providing palliative care .
Barriers to the development of palliative care also come from health care professionals. Palliative care is regarded as an option only when active treatment is no longer continued. Psychological problems, social difficulties, and spiritual aspects are not considered to be part of medical services at the end of life. Fighting to the end, not discussing death and dying, opioid phobia, and possible loss of control and income have resulted in a resistance to the referral of patients to palliative care.
Finally, barriers come from the general condition of the country and society such as the wide geographic area and the heterogeneous society, low public awareness of palliative care, taboos around death and disclosure of prognosis, family decision making, reliance on traditional medicines, opioid phobia, and a desire for a curative treatment at all cost.
The development of palliative care in Indonesia has been supported by regional organizations of palliative care such as the Asia Pacific Hospice and Palliative Care Network (APHN) and the Lien Centre for Palliative Care, Singapore. The First International Conference in Palliative Care was successfully held during the 5th Indonesian Palliative Society Congress and in conjunction with the 12th APHN Council Meeting in Yogyakarta from 20 to 22 September 2012. More than 250 doctors and nurses and 150 volunteers attended. APHN country and sector members such as Singapore, Malaysia, India, Australia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan supported this event . On March 2017, the Indonesia Society of Psychosomatic Medicine (ISPM) in collaboration with the Indonesian Society of Hematology Medical Oncology, the Indonesia Palliative Society – Jakarta, and the Indonesia Society of Oncology and supported by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) was successful in presenting the 1st International Palliative Care Workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia. More than 80 participants, such as doctors and nurses, attended this event. The meetings brought a positive impact to the development of palliative care in Indonesia.
The psychosomatic medicine approach is an interdisciplinary, holistic study of physical and mental disease with a biological, psychosocial, and social-cultural base. Within the interdisciplinary framework of psychosomatic medicine for the assessment of psychosocial factors affecting individual vulnerability, holistic consideration in clinical practice and integration of psychological therapies in the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of medical disease are important components [13–15]. Matsuoka H, et al. reported that psychosomatic medicine is based on a bio-psychosocial-spiritual model of care and that it is related to physical and psychosocial factors and good communication. There are many similar aspects between psychosomatic and palliative patients , as shown in Fig. 1.
The type of doctor-patient communication in Indonesia is paternalistic because the majority of patients perceive their doctors to be of higher status and thus use a non-assertive style of communication during consultations to show respect and avoid conflict. Patients and their families tend to be afraid of asking too many questions, even though there are things they want to know further.
Regarding decision-making and delivering bad news associated with diagnosis or prognosis, collusion has been accepted as a common practice among doctors and their patient’s family. In Eastern countries, as well as Indonesia, disease is considered a “family matter”, so decision-making is centered on family discussion/joint decision. The belief that knowing about a terminal diagnosis and a poor prognosis would extinguish the patient’s hope and increase anxiety and depression causes the family to “protect” their beloved one from the truth of the illness.
The distress of palliative care patients is a total suffering that is a complicated combination of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual pain, thus whole person care is needed. Psychosomatic medical doctors have the advantage of contributing to palliative care without a stress overload or burnout because of their special training in communication skills to deal with patients from the standpoints of both mind and body.
In the Faculty of Medicine at Universitas Indonesia/Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital, internal medicine and psychosomatic programs have been teaching palliative and terminal care during their education and services since 2000. Consultants in psychosomatic medicine have been distributed to a few citiies, such as Medan in North Sumatera, Padang in West Sumatera, Palembang in South Sumatera, and Jogjakarta in Central Java. In the future, new psychosomatic clinics will be built in Banda Aceh, Makassar, and Solo. The Indonesian Society of Psychosomatic Medicine was actively involved in developing palliative care in Indonesia.
The assessment of other psychosocial dimensions among cancer and palliative patients has been raised by research in oncology . Fava et al. reported that The Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research consists of twelve clinical clusters that explore a variety of possible psychological conditions and emotional responses to medical illness .
A study by Mahendran R et al. that focuses on hope in the Asian cancer population showed that biopsychosocial factors that were most consistently associated with hope and hopelessness included socio-demographic variables (education, employment and economic status); clinical factors (cancer stage, physical condition and symptoms); and psychosocial factors (emotional distress, social support and connections, quality of life, control or self-efficacy, as well as adjustment and resilience) .
Psychosomatic and internal medicine doctors should be role models and work together with other specialty and health workers in the development of palliative care in Indonesia.
Palliative care is not a new issue in Indonesia, which has been improving palliative care since 1992 and developed a palliative care policy in 2007 that was launched by the Indonesian Ministry of Health. However, progress has been slow and varied across the country. Future work is needed to build capacity, advocate to stakeholders, and to create care models that provide services in the community and increase the palliative care workforce. Psychosomatic medicine is based on a bio-psychosocial-spiritual model of care and is related to physical and psychosocial factors and to good communication. There are many similarities between psychosomatic and palliative patients. Psychosomatic medical doctors have the advantage of contributing to palliative care without stress overload or burnout because of their special training in communication skills to deal with patients from the standpoints of both mind and body.
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to Prof. Masato Murakami for the opportunity to write this paper.
Rudi Putranto, E.Mudjaddid, Hamzah Shatri, Mizanul Adli, and Diah Martina performed the research and also contributed to writing the manuscript. All of the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Witjaksono MA, Sutandiyo N, Suardi D for the Indonesian Palliative Society. Regional support for palliative care in Indonesia. ehospice, 1 August 2014. www.ehospice.com/Default/tabid/10686/ArticleId/11661. Accessed 20 Dec 2016.
WHO. Planning and implementing palliative care services: a guide for programme managers. http://www.who.int/ncds/management/palliative-care/palliative_care_services/en/. Accessed 20 Dec 2016.
WHO. Palliative care for Non-Communicable Disease : A Global Snapshot in 2015. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/206513/1/WHO_NMH_NVI_16.4_eng.pdf. Accessed 20 Dec 2016.
The Economist Intelligence Unit. Quality of Death Index 2015. The Economist – Lien Foundation 2015. http://www.eiuperspectives.economist.com/healthcare/2015-quality-death-index. Accessed 30 June 2017.
Kristanti MS, Setiyarini S, Effendy C. Enhancing the quality of life for palliative care cancer patients in Indonesia through family caregivers: a pilot study of basic skills training. BMC Palliat Care. 2017;16:4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-016-0178-4.
Mahendran R, Chua SM, Lim HA, Yee IJ, Tan JYS, Kua EH et al. Biopsychosocial correlates of hope in Asian patients with cancer: a systematic review. BMJ Open 2016;6:e012087. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012087. pp 1–13. Accessed 13 May 2017. | 2019-04-21T03:10:07Z | https://bpsmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13030-017-0114-8 |
Note: Plastic bags should be perforated. See general notes for information.
Fresh: Don’t store wet. Store in fridge in a plastic bag lined with a towel or wrapped in a towel or in an open container covered with a towel.
Freeze: Freezing not recommended, however, if you choose to, blanch for two minutes followed by a cold water bath. Dry, then squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Dry pack without headspace. You can also freeze a purée or arugula and oil, a pesto, though withhold nuts and cheese until thawed and ready to use. Freeze in a rigid container or in ice cube trays. After cubes are frozen put into freezer bags and put back in freezer.
Fresh: Don’t wash before storing. Store in fridge. Wrap base of stalks in a damp paper towel; place in a plastic bag. You can also put stalks in a glass jar of water with a plastic bag loosely covering the stalks.
Freeze: Sort by size. Cut to fit freezer container(s) or into 2″ lengths. Blanch small stalks for 2 minutes, medium size stalks for 3 minutes and large for 4 minutes. Dry pack or tray pack.
Fresh: Susceptible to cold and wet. Store in fridge in a plastic bag on the front of the middle shelf or on the bottom shelf. Or put stems in a jar of water and keep in fridge or on the counter. You can also rinse the leaves, place the leaves on a towel, wrap them up gently and store in fridge. Use as soon as possible.
Freeze: You can simply tray pack the leaves, whole or chopped then put into freezer bags. Just break off the amount you need. Another method is to chop up the leaves and put from 1 t to 1 T in each cube of an ice cube tray, add water to top of cubes, freeze until frozen, then remove and place in freezer containers. Make a purée of basil and oil, leaving out nuts and cheese, and place in a rigid container with a layer of oil on top, then freeze. Or fill ice cube trays with the purée, freeze until frozen, then repack and put into freezer. Also, check out “Freezing Basil Leaves” in our recipe blog for another way to freeze basil.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag.
Freeze: Sort by size. Trim, leaving about 1/2″ of stem and the tap root. Boil or roast until tender. Cool, remove stem and tap root, peel, then slice, dice or julienne. Tray pack first or just pack in a freezer container and freeze.
Fresh: Remove rubber band. Store in fridge in a plastic bag or in open container covered with a towel.
Freeze: Stem if you wish, cut into pieces or not. Blanch 3 minutes, then cool in an ice water bath, drain, dry, squeeze out moisture, and package with some headspace.
Freeze: Trim, separate or cut into pieces not more than 1 1/2″ across. You can cut the florets from the stalks and freeze each separately. To remove possible insects, soak florets in a brine for 30 minutes (4 t salt to 1 gallon of water). Blanch for 3 to 4 minutes for florets and stalks, 3 minutes for florets only, 5 minutes for stalks only. Cool in ice water, dray. Tray pack or not, then package in freezer containers.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag or in open container covered with a damp towel to keep from drying out. Best if used within a few days.
Freeze: Remove large stems, which you can blanch and freeze separately, or combine with blanched leaves before freezing. Blanch leaves, chopped or not, for 3 minutes, cool in ice water bath, dry, squeeze out moisture, then dry pack.
Fresh: Cabbage can keep on a cool counter for about a week. Store in fridge in a plastic bag or unwrapped. Cold, moist conditions are best. Peel off outer layers as they begin to wilt.
Freeze: Frozen cabbage is only suitable for cooked dishes, not slaws. Remove coarse outer leaves, core. Cut into wedges, shred either medium or coarse, or separate into leaves. Blanch 1 1/2 minutes, ice bath cool, drain, dry, then dry pack.
Fresh: Separate tops from roots, if so attached. Store in fridge in a plastic bag. You can put a damp towel in the bag. If limp, carrots can be refreshed by soaking in cold water. Carrots turn bitter when exposed to ethylene.
Freeze: Peel or scrub well. Leave whole if not too large, otherwise slice, dice or julienne. Blanch whole carrots 5 minutes, cut carrots for 2 to 3 minutes. Ice bath cool, drain, dry, tray pack or dry pack.
Fresh: Remove rubber band. Store in fridge in a plastic bag.
Freeze: Not recommended. If you insist, then rinse, remove large stems, separate leaves or coarsely chop, blanch 2 minutes, drain, dry, then dry pack.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag or wrapped in a damp towel.
Freeze: Peel, slice, dice or julienne. Blanch 2 minutes. Ice bath cool, drain, dry, then dry pack.
Freeze: For Bok Choy, separate leaves from stems, steam blanch or water blanch separately or not for 2 minutes. Ice bath cool, drain, dry, then dry pack. For Joi and Pac Choy, you don’t have to separate the stems from the leaves.
Fresh: Remove rubber band. Store in fridge in a plastic bag or put stems in a jar of water covered loosely with a plastic bag. The front of the middle and bottom fridge shelves best for storage. You can also rinse, then place leaves and small stems on a towel, wrapping them up gently and storing in fridge.
Freeze: Chop finely (with stems or not), tray pack, then put into freezer containers. Chop finely (with stems or not), then put from 1 t to 1 T each in ice cube trays, fill with water, freeze into cubes, remove frozen cubes, then package in freezer containers. Purée with oil then put into a rigid container covering purée with a thin layer of oil or put small amounts of purée each in ice cube trays, freeze, then put frozen cubes in freezer containers.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag. Can be wrapped in a damp towel. Also does well with stems in a container of water on the counter or in the fridge.
Freeze: Stem, chop or slice leaves. Water blanching is better than steam blanching for collards. Blanch 4 minutes, ice bath cool, drain, dry, squeeze out moisture, dry pack.
Fresh: Leave husks on. Store in coldest part of fridge in a plastic bag as soon as possible. Best eaten as soon as possible, as natural sugars turn to starch quickly.
(1 1/4″ – 1 1/2″) 6 minutes, large cobs (+1 1/2″ diameter) 7 minutes. Ice bath cool for as long as blanching time. Drain, dry, then tray pack. Another method is to peel back the husks, remove the silk, put the husks back over the cob and tie the ends with string. Dry pack without blanching. Cut corn: Husk, remove silk, blanch 4 to 5 minutes depending on size, ice bath cool, drain and dry. Cut kernels off, then try or dry pack. Cream style: Cut kernels from raw cobs, scrape cobs to get as much of the ‘milk’ as you can, then put kernels in a double boiler and heat, stirring, for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Cool by placing pan or bowl in ice water, or if you have room, in the freezer, then package.
Freeze: Stem if necessary. Blanch 3 minutes, ice water bath, drain, dry squeeze moisture out, then pack.
Fresh: Store in fridge in plastic bag.
Freeze: Blanch 3 minutes, ice water bath, drain, dry squeeze moisture out, then pack.
Fresh: Leaves – store in fridge in a plastic bag or stems in a jar of water, covered with a plastic bag, on the middle or bottom shelf of fridge. You can also rinse, then place leaves and small stems on a towel, wrapping them up gently and storing in fridge. Flowers – store in fridge in a plastic bag.
Freeze: Leaves – Rinse, blot dry, chop finely, put from 1 t to 1 T each in ice cube, fill with water, freeze, remove frozen cubes, package. Can also chop finely and tray pack. Can wrap leaves in plastic wrap and put into a freezer bag. Can make a purée of dill leaves and oil, then pack in a rigid container with a thin layer of oil on top, or freeze in ice cube trays, removing frozen cubes and packing. Flowers – Dip in water to rinse, dry well, pack in rigid containers to freeze.
Fresh: Remove pods from branches. Store pods in fridge in a plastic bag. Store shelled beans in an airtight container or a plastic bag in fridge.
Fresh: Best stored on a counter in a cool room or in a paper bag in a less-cold zone of the fridge. Cold-sensitive, can develop surface pits and brown spots if stored at too cold a temperature. Use while stem and cap are still greenish and fresh looking.
Freeze: If going to be used for frying, cut into 1/3″ wide slices, otherwise dice or cut into strips. To prevent browning while prepping, put pieces in a a brine -4 t salt to 1 gallon water or 4 1/2 t citric acid or 1/2 c lemon juice. Blanch slices 4 minutes, dice or strips 2 minutes. Ice water bath cool. Tray pack slices then stack between sheets of freezer paper for easy removal. Dice or strips can be dry or tray packed.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag lined with a paper towel.
Freeze: Separate leaves, chop or not. Blanch 3 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, squeeze moisture out. Dry pack.
Fresh: Store pods in fridge in a plastic bag. Store shelled beans in fridge in an air-tight container.
Freeze: Remove beans from pod. Blanch 2 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain. Either peel membrane surrounding bean or leave on. If leaving on, dry, then dry or tray pack. For naked beans, dry or tray pack. Before cooking beans that were frozen with membrane left on, peel membrane first.
Fresh: Separate bulb from fronds. Fennel bulb – For a couple of days can be stored on a counter upright in a cup or bowl with water just touching the bottom bulb end. For longer storage, store in fridge in a plastic bag or in a closed container with a little water on the bottom of the container. Fennel fronds – Store in fridge in a plastic bag.
Freeze: Fennel bulb – Trim, pull away and discolored parts. Slice or chop. Blanch 3 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry. Dry or tray pack. Fennel fronds – Separate dill-like leaves from larger stems. Chop finely, put 1 t – 1 T into ice cube trays, fill with water, freeze, then remove frozen cubes and package for long-term freezing. Or chop finely or leave whole sections and tray pack.
Fresh: Don’t wash before storing. Don’t snap off ends until ready to use. Store in fridge in a moderate zone in a plastic bag or closed container.
Freeze: Sort by size, trim (tip and tail). Leave whole, cut into 1″ – 2″ pieces, or slice lengthwise. Blanch 3 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, dry or tray pack.
Fresh: Store roots in fridge in a plastic bag or in an open container with a damp cloth covering them.
Freeze: No need to peel. Trim any discolored bits. Slice into rounds, julienne or dice. Blanch 2 – 3 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, dry pack or tray pack.
Fresh: Separate greens from roots. Remove elastic band(s). Store in fridge in a plastic bag.
Freeze: Chop or not. Blanch 3 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, squeeze moisture out. Dry pack.
Fresh: For a few days can keep in a jar of water on counter or in fridge. In fridge in a plastic bag with a damp towel.
Freeze: Stem if necessary. Chop or not. Red Russian and Dino Kale: Blanch 2 minutes. Curly varieties: Blanch 3 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, squeeze moisture out. Dry pack.
Freeze: Peel. Slice, julienne or dice. Can leave whole if not large, though still peel. Blanch pieces 1 minute, whole 3 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, then dry pack or tray pack. Whole kohlrabi should be tray packed.
Freeze: Chop or not. Blanch 2 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, squeeze moisture out. Dry pack.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag or in an open container, leeks wrapped in a damp towel. For very short term storage, can put stems in a cup of water on counter (just very bottom of stems in water).
Freeze: Separate dark green tops from white and light green parts. Wash leeks well, splitting to make sure there’s no grit between layers. Either blanch 2 minutes or not (anecdotal reports that blanched leeks are mushy when thawed). If not blanching, make sure leeks are very dry before packing and freezing. If blanching, ice water bath cool, drain, and dry. Either dry pack or tray pack. Use frozen or thawed. Dark green tops: Can be used for broth or stocks. Wash, drain, dry, pack. No need to thaw before using.
Fresh: Wash or not before storing. Unwashed – Keep in fridge in a plastic bag or airtight container with a damp towel.
Washed – Dry very well and store in a plastic bag or salad spinner, with a towel to absorb moisture.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag lined with a towel.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag in a moderate zone of fridge.
Frozen: Chop finely. Put between 1 t and 1 T each in ice cube trays. Cover with water. Freeze. Remove frozen cubes and pack. Or make a purée of nettle and oil. Put in a rigid container with a thin layer of oil over top of purée. Or tray pack whole leaves, wrap in plastic, then put in a freezer bag.
Fresh: Do not refrigerate. Store in an open paper bag, open mesh bag or basket in a cool, dark, dry, well-ventilated area (40º-50ºF). Can keep for a week or so in an open basket on the counter.vDo not store with or near potatoes or other vegetables. Cut onions, if tightly wrapped, can be refrigerated briefly; keep away from other produce.
Freeze: Blanch or not. Peel, then slice, dice or leave whole. Blanch 2 1/2 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, then dry pack or tray pack. You can also freeze the peels. Dry pack. Use frozen in broths and stocks.
Fresh: Hardier than basil and cilantro. Store in fridge in a plastic bag or stems in a jar of water with a plastic bag loosely covering the jar. Can also store in a jar of water on the counter for a few days.
Frozen: Chop finely. Put between 1 t and 1 T each in ice cube trays. Cover with water. Freeze. Remove frozen cubes and pack. Or make a purée of oregano and oil. Put in a rigid container with a thin layer of oil over top of purée. Or tray pack whole leaves, wrap in plastic, then put in a freezer bag.
Freeze: Separate leaves from large stems. Chop finely. Put between 1 t and 1 T each in ice cube trays. Cover with water. Freeze. Remove frozen cubes and pack. Or make a purée of parsley and oil. Put in a rigid container with a thin layer of oil over top of purée. Or tray pack whole leaves, wrap in plastic, then put in a freezer bag. Can also freeze large stems for adding to broths or stocks, or for making Parsley Tonic (see recipe blog).
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag, with a damp towel if you like or in an open container covered with a damp cloth.
Frozen: Choose smaller parsnips. Wash, peel if large. May also want to remove woody core if large. Slice, dice or julienne. Blanch sliced or diced 3 minutes, julienne, 2 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry. Dry pack or tray pack.
Fresh: Use as quickly as possible, as the sugar in peas quickly begins to turn to starch, even while refrigerated.
Store pods in fridge loosely packed in a plastic bag or in a covered container. Store shelled peas in fridge in a covered container.
Freeze: Shell peas. Blanch 2 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry. Dry or Track Pack.
Fresh: Cold-sensitive. Leave whole. Can keep in a cool room for a few days in an open plastic bag or a bowl. Store in fridge in a plastic bag in warmer parts of fridge.
Freeze: Do not need to be blanched before freezing. Wash, remove stem. If you like you can cut the peppers in half and remove seeds and membranes, which is where most of the heat resides. Tray pack is best as this will allow individual peppers to be removed. Be sure, when removing one or two peppers from a frozen package, to try to take out as much air as you can from the package before putting back in freezer.
Fresh: Cold-sensitive. Don’t wash before storing, but wipe clean. Can keep for a few days in a cool room otherwise refrigerate. Store in fridge in a plastic bag in warmer parts of fridge.
Freeze: Can be frozen blanched or unblanched. Blanch for use in cooked dishes, unblanched for use in salads or uncooked dishes. Wash, cut in half, remove stem, seeds and membranes. Keep halves or cut up according to intended use. Blanch halves 3 minutes, smaller pieces 2 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry. Dry pack or tray pack. For unblanched, dry pack or tray pack, though tray pack is better for thawing of individual pieces.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag with a paper towel. Can also put stems in a jar of water on counter or in fridge.
Freeze: Remove stems from leaves if you like. Chop or not. Blanch leaves 2 – 2 1/2 minutes, stems, 3 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, squeeze moisture out. Dry pack.
Fresh: Do not refrigerate, except for new potatoes which are immature and have thin skins. Store in an open paper bag or a box in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Do not store exposed to light, which causes greening (solanine, a toxin); cut away any green parts before using.
Freeze: Wash, cut away any green spots, and peel. Cut into 1/4″ – 1/2″ dice, though small potatoes can be left whole. Blanch dice for about 4 minutes, small whole potatoes, 6 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry. Dry pack or tray pack. For hash browns: cook in jackets until almost done. Cool, peel, grate, form into desired shapes, tray pack, then package and freeze, perhaps with freezer paper between each shape. Reheat frozen shapes in oven until golden and heated through. For fries: Peel and cut into fry shapes. Rinse, pat dry, deep fry 4 minutes or in a 450°F oven until just brown. Cook quickly in fridge. Tray pack. To serve, deep fry or oven fry frozen fries again until golden and crisp.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag or in an open container covered with a damp towel.
Fresh: Cold-sensitive. Ttrim tap roots before storing. Store in a plastic bag or in an open container covered with a damp towel in warmer parts of fridge.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag or an open container covered with a damp cloth in colder parts of the fridge.
Freeze: Not recommended. If you decide to freeze, wash, peel, slice, dice or julienne. Blanch 3 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry. Dry pack or tray pack.
Fresh: More hardy than basil or cilantro. Store in fridge in a plastic bag or stems in a jar of water in the fridge.
Freeze: Separate leaves from stems, except for thin, non-woody stems. Finely chop. Put between 1 t and 1 T each in ice cube trays. Cover with water. Freeze. Remove frozen cubes and pack. Or tray pack whole leaves, wrap in plastic, then put in a freezer bag. Or tray pack, with or without stems, whole or chopped. Wrap in plastic before putting in a freezer bag or vacuum seal. Another method is to freeze stems with leaves on in a plastic bag until frozen, then take bag out and run a rolling pin over bag. The leaves should fall off. Remove leaves and repack.
Fresh: More hardy than basil or cilantro. Store in fridge in a plastic bag or in a jar of water in the fridge with a plastic bag covering it all.
Freeze: Remove leaves from stems. Finely chop. Put between 1 t and 1 T each in ice cube trays. Cover with water. Freeze. Remove frozen cubes and pack. Or tray pack leaves, then wrap in plastic and put in a freezer bag or vacuum seal. Or, lay out a long sheet of parchment or wax paper. Put dry leaves in a row, fold over, repeat until you’ve used all the leaves or used up the sheet of paper. Secure ends, put into a freezer bag or vacuum seal.
Freeze: Freeze without blanching. Chop or slice, tray pack, then package.
Fresh: Likes cold. Store in a plastic bag lined with a paper towel in colder parts of the fridge.
Freeze: Remove large stems or not. Chop or not. Blanch young leaves 1 1/2 minutes, mature leaves 2 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, squeeze moisture out. Dry pack.
Fresh: Susceptible to chilling injuries. Don’t wash before storage, wipe clean. Does fines if left out on a cool counter, whole or cut, for a few days. (Wrap if cut to prevent browning of flesh.) For longer storage, store in fridge in a plastic bag or wrap in a towel in warmer parts of the fridge.
Freeze: Wash, trim, slice into rounds, dice or julienne. Blanche 2 – 3 minutes, depending on size of pieces and age of squash. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry. Dry pack. For grated zucchini/summer squash: Grate unpeeled. Blanch 1 – 2 minutes in small quantities in a fine mesh colander or strainer until translucent. Ice water bath cool, squash still in colander. Drain, then dry in a towel (not terrycloth), pressing to remove liquid. Package. If watery when thawed, allow to drain before using, if necessary. Also, see recipe ‘Zucchini Soup Base’ in recipe blog.
Fresh: Do not refrigerate as refrigeration is too humid an environment for whole squash, though cut squash pieces can be refrigerated (remove seeds and fibrous strands) if well wrapped. Best stored in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area in a basket or a box with holes.
Freeze: Cook until tender, according to you preferred method, either whole (pierced first) or in pieces. Cool, remove seeds and fibrous strands if necessary. Purée if you like or cut or leave in pieces. Dry pack.
Fresh: Can put stems in a jar of water and keep on the counter for a few days, or longer in fridge with a plastic bag over all. Store in fridge in a plastic bag or in an open container with a cloth covering it.
Freeze: Separate large stems from leaves. Keep separate for blanching. Chop or not, though stems are better chopped up. Blanch leaves 2 minutes, stems 3 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, squeeze moisture from leaves, dry. Dry pack, either together or separately, depending on intended use.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag or with stems in a jar of water with a plastic bag over it, in warmer areas of fridge.
Freeze: Finely chop. Put between 1 t and 1 T each in ice cube trays. Cover with water. Freeze. Remove frozen cubes and pack. Or tray pack leaves, then wrap in plastic and put in a freezer bag or vacuum seal.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag or in an open container covered with a towel.
Freeze: No need to separate stems from leaves. Chop or not. Blanch 2 minutes. Ice water bath cool, drain, dry, squeeze moisture out. Dry pack.
Fresh: Store in fridge in a plastic bag in cooler parts of fridge.
Freeze: Rinse, dry well, wrap sprigs with leaves attached in plastic than put in a freezer bag or vacuum seal. Remove sprigs as needed, leaves should fall of easily. Or, after a few weeks in the freezer, remove bag of thyme, run a rolling pin over the leaves. Leaves should come off easily in the bag. Remove stems and compost or save for broth/stock. Refreeze leaves. Or, tray pack fresh sprigs, remove leaves or not, and package.
Fresh: Keep in husk until ready to use. Can keep like onions on counter in an open basket for a week or so. If you see mold on husks, remove husks, wash tomatillos, dry, and put in a plastic bag in the fridge. For longer storage, store unhusked tomatillos in a paper bag or in an open container covered with a towel in the fridge.
Freeze: Remove husks, wash well to get rid of sticky residue and dry. Tray pack. Can also purée and freeze, raw or roasted.
Fresh: Only refrigerate over-ripe tomatoes that you want to keep from ripening further, but it’s better to just eat them. Refrigerating tomatoes affects their flavor and they become overly soft and mealy. Wipe clean and store at room temperature away from sunlight.To hasten ripening of under-ripe tomatoes put them in a paper bag with an apple or ripe banana. Unripe tomatoes can also be individually wrapped in paper (newspaper, for example) and stored in a basket or box at room temperature until they ripen. Cut tomatoes can be refrigerated but you can also put them in a bowl covered with a plate or plastic wrap for a day.
Freeze: Tomatoes will become mushy when thawed after freezing so they will only be suitable for cooked dishes or for making juice. You can blanch for 30 seconds to loosen skin, but blanching is not really necessary as skins will come off easily when thawed. Leave whole or cut into pieces and pack. Juice: Either raw, as from a juicer or run through a tomato press or cooked. To cook for juice, cut into pieces, simmer 5 – 10 minutes, press though a sieve, cool, package. Leave a 1/2″ headspace, especially if packing in rigid freezer containers. Stewed: Remove stem ends, peel, quarter, and cook until tender, 10 – 20 minutes. Cool, package. Leave 1/2″ headspace. Tomato sauce, purée, ketchup, salsas: can be frozen for purée pack, leaving headspace. Green Tomatoes: Can be frozen, unblanched, either whole or sliced. If you’re going to fry the slices down the road, put freezer paper between the slices for easy removal.
Freeze: Wash, peel if skins are tough, slice or dice. Blanch 2 – 3 minutes, ice water bath cool, drain, dry, pack. Can also cook, then mash and purée pack. | 2019-04-19T15:26:47Z | https://nativeofferings.com/share-care/keeping-it-vegetables/ |
AN ACT TO Make Various changes to education laws.
"(10) To Assure Appropriate Class Size. – It shall be the responsibility of local boards of education to assure that the class size requirements set forth in G.S. 115C‑301 for kindergarten through third grade are met. Any teacher who believes that the requirements of G.S. 115C‑301 have not been met shall make a report to the principal and superintendent, and the superintendent shall immediately determine whether the requirements have in fact not been met. If the superintendent determines the requirements have not been met, he or she shall make a report to the next local board of education meeting. The local board of education shall take action to meet the requirements of the statute. If the local board cannot organizationally correct the exception, it shall immediately apply to the State Board of Education for additional personnel or a waiver of the class size requirements, as provided in G.S. 115C‑301(g).
Upon notification from the State Board of Education that the reported exception does not qualify for an allotment adjustment or a waiver under provisions of G.S. 115C‑301, the local board, within 30 days, shall take action necessary to correct the exception, as required in G.S. 115C‑301(g).
At the end of SeptemberOctober and end of February of each school year, the local board of education, through the superintendent, shall file a report with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in a format prescribed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, describing the organization for each school in the local school administrative unit, as required by G.S. 115C‑301(f).
In addition to assuring that the requirements of G.S. 115C‑301 are met, each local board of education shall also have the duty to provide an adequate number of classrooms to meet the requirements of that statute."
SECTION 1.(c) This section is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2017‑2018 school year.
SECTION 2.(a) Section 9.6(a) of S.L. 2013‑360 is repealed.
"§ 115C‑325. System of employment for public school teachers.
(1) Repealed by Session Laws 1997‑221, s. 13(a).
a. An an employee who has obtainedwas awarded career status with that local board as a teacher as provided in G.S. 115C‑325(c);prior to August 1, 2013.
d. A school administrator during the term of a school administrator contract as provided in G.S. 115C‑287.1(c).
(1b) "Career school administrator" means a school administrator who has obtained career status in an administrative position as provided in G.S. 115C‑325(d)(2).
(1c) "Career teacher" means a teacher who has obtained career status as provided in G.S. 115C‑325(c).
(1d) Repealed by Session Laws 2011‑348, s. 1, effective July 1, 2011, and applicable to persons recommended for dismissal or demotion on or after that date.
(2) Repealed by Session Laws 1997, c. 221, s. 13(a).
(3) "Day" means calendar day. In computing any period of time, Rule 6 of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure shall apply.
(4) "Demote" means to reduce the salary of a person who is classified or paid by the State Board of Education as a classroom teacher or as a school administrator.teacher. The word "demote" does not include: (i) a suspension without pay pursuant to G.S. 115C‑325(f)(1); (ii) the elimination or reduction of bonus payments, including merit‑based supplements, or a systemwide modification in the amount of any applicable local supplement; or (iii) any reduction in salary that results from the elimination of a special duty, such as the duty of an athletic coach or a choral director.
(4a) "Disciplinary suspension" means a final decision to suspend a teacher or school administratorcareer employee without pay for no more than 60 days under G.S. 115C‑325(f)(2).
(4b) "Exchange teacher" means a nonimmigrant alien teacher participating in an exchange visitor program designated by the United States Department of State pursuant to 22 C.F.R. Part 62 or by the United States Department of Homeland Security pursuant to 8 C.F.R. Part 214.2(q).
(4c) "Hearing officer" means a person selected under G.S. 115C‑325(h)(7).
(5) "Probationary teacher" means a licensed person, other than a superintendent, associate superintendent, or assistant superintendent, who has not obtained career‑teacher status and whose major responsibility is to teach or to supervise teaching.
(5b) "School administrator" means a principal, assistant principal, supervisor, or director whose major function includes the direct or indirect supervision of teaching or any other part of the instructional program as provided in G.S. 115C‑287.1(a)(3).
(6) "Teacher" means a person who holds at least a current, not provisional or expired, Class A license or a regular, not provisional or expired, vocational license issued by the State Board of Education; whose major responsibility is to teach or directly supervises teaching or who is classified by the State Board of Education or is paid either as a classroom teacher or instructional support personnel; and who is employed to fill a full‑time, permanent position.
(8) "Year" for purposes of computing time as a probationary teacher shall be not less than 120 workdays performed as a probationary teacher in a full‑time permanent position in a school year. Workdays performed pending the outcome of a criminal history check as provided in G.S. 115C‑332 are included in computing time as a probationary teacher.
(a1) This section shall apply only to career employees. No person who is employed as a teacher who did not acquire career status as a teacher by August 1, 2013, shall have career status.
(b) Personnel Files. – The superintendent shall maintain in his or her office a personnel file for each teachercareer employee that contains any complaint, commendation, or suggestion for correction or improvement about the teacher'scareer employee's professional conduct, except that the superintendent may elect not to place in a teacher'scareer employee's file (i) a letter of complaint that contains invalid, irrelevant, outdated, or false information or (ii) a letter of complaint when there is no documentation of an attempt to resolve the issue. The complaint, commendation, or suggestion shall be signed by the person who makes it and shall be placed in the teacher'scareer employee's file only after five days' notice to the teacher.employee. Any denial or explanation relating to such complaint, commendation, or suggestion that the teachercareer employee desires to make shall be placed in the file. Any teachercareer employee may petition the local board of education to remove any information from his or her personnel file that he or she deems invalid, irrelevant, or outdated. The board may order the superintendent to remove said information if it finds the information is invalid, irrelevant, or outdated.
The personnel file shall be open for the teacher'scareer employee's inspection at all reasonable times but shall be open to other persons only in accordance with such rules and regulations as the board adopts. Any preemployment data or other information obtained about a teachercareer employee before his or her employment by the board may be kept in a file separate from his or her personnel file and need not be made available to him.him or her. No data placed in the preemployment file may be introduced as evidence at a hearing on the dismissal or demotion of a teacher,career employee, except the data may be used to substantiate G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1)g. or G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1)o. as grounds for dismissal or demotion.
(c) (1) through (3) Repealed.
(4) Leave of Absence. – A career teacher employee who has been granted a leave of absence by a board shall maintain his or her career status if he or she returns to his or her teaching position at the end of the authorized leave.
(d) Career Teachers and Career School Administrators.Employees.
(1) A career teacher or career school administratoremployee shall not be subjected to the requirement of annual appointment nor shall he or she be dismissed, demoted, or employed on a part‑time basis without his or her consent except as provided in subsection (e).(e) of this section.
(2) a. The provisions of this subdivision do not apply to a person who is ineligible for career status as provided by G.S. 115C‑325(c)(3).
b. Repealed by Session Laws 1997, c. 221, s. 13(a).
c. Subject to G.S. 115C‑287.1, when a teacher has performed the duties of supervisor or principal for three consecutive years, the board, near the end of the third year, shall vote upon his or her employment for the next school year. The board shall give him or her written notice of that decision by June 1 of his or her third year of employment as a supervisor or principal. If a majority of the board votes to reemploy the teacher as a principal or supervisor, and it has notified him or her of that decision, it may not rescind that action but must proceed under the provisions of this section. If a majority of the board votes not to reemploy the teacher as a principal or supervisor, he or she shall retain career status as a teacher if that status was attained prior to assuming the duties of supervisor or principal. A supervisor or principal who has not held that position for three years and whose contract will not be renewed for the next school year shall be notified by June 1 and shall retain career status as a teacher if that status was attained prior to assuming the duties of supervisor or principal.
A year, for purposes of computing time as a probationary principal or supervisor, shall not be less than 145 workdays performed as a full‑time, permanent principal or supervisor in a contract year.
A principal or supervisor who has obtained career status in that position in any North Carolina public school system may be required by the board of education in another school system to serve an additional three‑year probationary period in that position before being eligible for career status. However, he may, at the option of the board of education, be granted career status immediately or after serving a probationary period of one or two additional years. A principal or supervisor with career status who resigns and within five years is reemployed by the same school system need not serve another probationary period in that position of more than two years and may, at the option of the board, be reemployed immediately as a career principal or supervisor or be given career status after only one year. In any event, if he is reemployed for a third consecutive year, he shall automatically become a career principal or supervisor.
(e) Grounds for Dismissal or Demotion of a Career Employee.
e. Physical or mental incapacity.
f. Habitual or excessive use of alcohol or nonmedical use of a controlled substance as defined in Article 5 of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes.
g. Conviction of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude.
h. Advocating the overthrow of the government of the United States or of the State of North Carolina by force, violence, or other unlawful means.
i. Failure to fulfill the duties and responsibilities imposed upon teachers or school administrators by the General Statutes of this State.
j. Failure to comply with such reasonable requirements as the board may prescribe.
k. Any cause which constitutes grounds for the revocation of the career teacher's employee's teaching license or the career school administrator's administrator license.license.
l. A justifiable decrease in the number of positions due to district reorganization, decreased enrollment, or decreased funding, provided that there is compliance with subdivision (2).(2) of this subsection.
m. Failure to maintain his or her license in a current status.
n. Failure to repay money owed to the State in accordance with the provisions of Article 60, Chapter 143 of the General Statutes.
o. Providing false information or knowingly omitting a material fact on an application for employment or in response to a preemployment inquiry.
I. Structural considerations, such as identifying positions, departments, courses, programs, operations, and other areas where there are (i) less essential, duplicative, or excess personnel; (ii) job responsibility and position inefficiencies; (iii) opportunities for combined work functions; and (iv) decreased student or other demands for curriculum, programs, operations, or other services.
II. Organizational considerations, such as anticipated organizational needs of the local school administrative unit and program or school enrollment.
2. In identifying which teacherscareer employees in similar positions shall be subject to a dismissal, demotion, or reduction to employment on a part‑time basis under the policy, a local school administrative unit shall consider work performance and teacher evaluations.
b. Before recommending to a board the dismissal or demotion of the career employee pursuant to G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1)l., the superintendent shall give written notice to the career employee by certified mail or personal delivery of his or her intention to make such recommendation and shall set forth as part of his or her recommendation the grounds upon which he or she believes such dismissal or demotion is justified. The notice shall include a statement to the effect that if the career employee within 15 days after receipt of the notice requests a review, he or she shall be entitled to have the proposed recommendations of the superintendent reviewed by the board. Within the 15‑day period after receipt of the notice, the career employee may file with the superintendent a written request for a hearing before the board within 10 days. If the career employee requests a hearing before the board, the hearing procedures provided in G.S. 115C‑325(j3) shall be followed. If no request is made within the 15‑day period, the superintendent may file his or her recommendation with the board. If, after considering the recommendation of the superintendent and the evidence adduced at the hearing if there is one, the board concludes that the grounds for the recommendation are true and substantiated by a preponderance of the evidence, the board, if it sees fit, may by resolution order such dismissal. Provisions of this section which permit a hearing by a hearing officer shall not apply to a dismissal or demotion recommended pursuant to G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1)l.
When a career employee is dismissed pursuant to G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1)l., above, his or her name shall be placed on a list of available career employees to be maintained by the board.
(3) Inadequate Performance. – In determining whether the professional performance of a career employee is adequate, consideration shall be given to regular and special evaluation reports prepared in accordance with the published policy of the employing local school administrative unit and to any published standards of performance which shall have been adopted by the board. Failure to notify a career employee of an inadequacy or deficiency in performance shall be conclusive evidence of satisfactory performance. Inadequate performance for a teacher career employee shall mean (i) the failure to perform at a proficient level on any standard of the evaluation instrument or (ii) otherwise performing in a manner that is below standard. However, for a probationary teacher, a performance rating below proficient may or may not be deemed adequate at that stage of development by a superintendent or designee. For a career teacher,employee, a performance rating below proficient shall constitute inadequate performance unless the principal noted on the instrument that the teachercareer employee is making adequate progress toward proficiency given the circumstances.
(4) Three‑Year Limitation on Basis of Dismissal or Demotion. – Dismissal or demotion under subdivision (1) above, except paragraphs g. and o. thereof, shall not be based on conduct or actions which occurred more than three years before the written notice of the superintendent's intention to recommend dismissal or demotion is mailed to the career employee. The three‑year limitation shall not apply to dismissals or demotions pursuant to subdivision (1)b. above when the charge of immorality is based upon a career employee's sexual misconduct toward or sexual harassment of students or staff.
(f) (1) Suspension without Pay. – If a superintendent believes that cause exists for dismissing a career employee for any reason specified in G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1) and that immediate suspension of the career employee is necessary, the superintendent may suspend the career employee without pay. Before suspending a career employee without pay, the superintendent shall meet with the career employee and give him or her written notice of the charges against him,him or her, an explanation of the bases for the charges, and an opportunity to respond. Within five days after a suspension under this paragraph, the superintendent shall initiate a dismissal, demotion, or disciplinary suspension without pay as provided in this section. If it is finally determined that no grounds for dismissal, demotion, or disciplinary suspension without pay exist, the career employee shall be reinstated immediately, shall be paid for the period of suspension, and all records of the suspension shall be removed from the career employee's personnel file.
(2) Disciplinary Suspension Without Pay. – A career employee recommended for disciplinary suspension without pay pursuant to G.S. 115C‑325(a)(4a) may request a hearing before the board. If no request is made within 15 days, the superintendent may file his or her recommendation with the board. If, after considering the recommendation of the superintendent and the evidence adduced at the hearing if one is held, the board concludes that the grounds for the recommendation are true and substantiated by a preponderance of the evidence, the board, if it sees fit, may by resolution order such suspension.
2. The disciplinary suspension is for intentional misconduct, such as inappropriate sexual or physical conduct, immorality, insubordination, habitual or excessive alcohol or nonmedical use of a controlled substance as defined in Article 5 of Chapter 90 of the General Statutes, any cause that constitutes grounds for the revocation of the teacher's or school administrator'scareer employee's license, or providing false information.
b. Board hearing for disciplinary suspensions of no more thatthan 10 days. – The procedures for a board hearing under G.S. 115C‑325(j2) shall apply to all disciplinary suspensions of no more than 10 days that are not for intentional misconduct as specified in G.S. 115C‑325(f)(2)a.2.sub‑sub‑subdivision a.2. of this subdivision.
(f1) Suspension with Pay. – If a superintendent believes that cause may exist for dismissing or demoting a career employee for any reasons specified in G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1), but that additional investigation of the facts is necessary and circumstances are such that the career employee should be removed immediately from his or her duties, the superintendent may suspend the career employee with pay for a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 90 days. The superintendent shall notify the board of education within two days of his or her action and shall notify the career employee within two days of the action and the reasons for it. If the superintendent has not initiated dismissal or demotion proceedings against the career employee within the 90‑day period, the career employee shall be reinstated to his or her duties immediately and all records of the suspension with pay shall be removed from the career employee's personnel file at his or her request. However, if the superintendent and the employee agree to extend the 90‑day period, the superintendent may initiate dismissal or demotion proceedings against the career employee at any time during the period of the extension.
(f2) Procedure for Demotion of Career School Administrator. – If a superintendent intends to recommend the demotion of a career school administrator, the superintendent shall give written notice to the career school administrator by certified mail or personal delivery and shall include in the notice the grounds upon which the superintendent believes the demotion is justified. The notice shall include a statement that if the career school administrator requests a hearing within 15 days after receipt of the notice, the administrator shall be entitled to have the grounds for the proposed demotion reviewed by the local board of education. If the career school administrator does not request a board hearing within 15 days, the superintendent may file the recommendation of demotion with the board. If, after considering the superintendent's recommendation and the evidence presented at the hearing if one is held, the board concludes that the grounds for the recommendation are true and substantiated by a preponderance of the evidence, the board may by resolution order the demotion. The procedures for a board hearing under G.S. 115C‑325(j3) shall apply to all demotions of career school administrators.
(g) Repealed by Session Laws 1997, c. 221, s. 13(a).
(1) a. A career employee may not be dismissed, demoted, or reduced to part‑time employment except upon the superintendent's recommendation.
b. G.S. 115C‑325(f2) shall apply to the demotion of a career school administrator.
(2) Before recommending to a board the dismissal or demotion of the career employee, the superintendent shall give written notice to the career employee by certified mail or personal delivery of his or her intention to make such recommendation and shall set forth as part of his or her recommendation the grounds upon which he or she believes such dismissal or demotion is justified. The superintendent also shall meet with the career employee and provide written notice of the charges against the career employee, an explanation of the basis for the charges, and an opportunity to respond if the career employee has not done so under G.S. 115C‑325(f)(1). The notice shall include a statement to the effect that if the career employee within 14 days after the date of receipt of the notice requests a review, he or she may request to have the grounds for the proposed recommendations of the superintendent reviewed by an impartial hearing officer appointed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction as provided for in G.S. 115C‑325(h)(7). A copy of G.S. 115C‑325 shall also be sent to the career employee. If the career employee does not request a hearing before a hearing officer within the 14 days provided, the superintendent may submit his or her recommendation to the board.
(3) Within the 14‑day period after receipt of the notice, the career employee may file with the superintendent a written request for either (i) a hearing on the grounds for the superintendent's proposed recommendation by a hearing officer or (ii) a hearing within 10 days before the board on the superintendent's recommendation. If the career employee requests an immediate hearing before the board, he or she forfeits his or her right to a hearing by a hearing officer. If no request is made within that period, the superintendent may file his or her recommendation with the board. The board, if it sees fit, may by resolution (i) reject the superintendent's recommendation or (ii) accept or modify the superintendent's recommendation and dismiss, demote, reinstate, or suspend the career employee without pay. If a request for review is made, the superintendent shall not file the recommendation for dismissal with the board until a report of the hearing officer is filed with the superintendent. Failure of the hearing officer to submit the report as required by G.S. 115C‑325(i1)(1) shall entitle the career employee to a hearing before the board under the same procedures as provided in G.S.115C‑325(j).
(4) Repealed by Session Laws 1997, c. 221, s. 13(a).
(5) Repealed by Session Laws 2011‑348, s. 1, effective July 1, 2011, and applicable to persons recommended for dismissal or demotion on or after that date.
(6) If a career employee requests a review by a hearing officer, the superintendent shall notify the Superintendent of Public Instruction within five days of his or her receipt of the request.
(7) Within five days of being notified of the request for a hearing before a hearing officer, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall submit to both parties a list of hearing officers trained and approved by the State Board of Education. Within five days of receiving the list, the parties may jointly select a hearing officer from that list, or, if the parties cannot agree to a hearing officer, each party may strike up to one‑third of the names on the list and submit its strikeout list to the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall then appoint a hearing officer from those individuals remaining on the list. Further, the parties may jointly agree on another hearing officer not on the State Board of Education's list, provided that individual is available to proceed in a timely manner and is willing to accept the terms of appointment required by the State Board of Education. No person eliminated by the career employee or superintendent shall be designated as the hearing officer for that case.
(8) The superintendent and career employee shall serve a copy to the other party of all documents submitted to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and to the designated hearing officer and include a signed certificate of service similar to that required in court pleadings.
(1) The hearing shall be private.
(2) The hearing shall be conducted in accordance with reasonable rules adopted by the State Board of Education to govern such hearings.
(3) At the hearing, the career employee and the superintendent shall have the right to be present and to be heard, to be represented by counsel, and to present through witnesses any competent testimony relevant to the issue of whether grounds exist for a disciplinary suspension without pay under G.S. 115C‑325(f)(2)a., a demotion of a career school administrator under G.S. 115C‑325(f2),G.S. 115C‑325(f)(2)a. or whether the grounds for a dismissal or demotion due to a reduction in force is justified.
(4) Rules of evidence shall not apply to a hearing under this subsection and the board may give probative effect to evidence that is of a kind commonly relied on by reasonably prudent persons in the conduct of serious affairs.
(5) At least eight days before the hearing, the superintendent shall provide to the career employee a list of witnesses the superintendent intends to present, a brief statement of the nature of the testimony of each witness, and a copy of any documentary evidence the superintendent intends to present.
(6) At least six days before the hearing, the career employee shall provide the superintendent a list of witnesses the career employee intends to present, a brief statement of the nature of the testimony of each witness, and a copy of any documentary evidence the career employee intends to present.
(7) No new evidence may be presented at the hearing except upon a finding by the board that the new evidence is critical to the matter at issue and the party making the request could not, with reasonable diligence, have discovered and produced the evidence according to the schedule provided in this subsection.
(8) The board may subpoena and swear witnesses and may require them to give testimony and to produce records and documents relevant to the grounds for suspension without pay.
(9) The board shall decide all procedural issues, including limiting cumulative evidence, necessary for a fair and efficient hearing.
(10) The superintendent shall provide for making a transcript of the hearing. If the career employee contemplates an appeal of the board's decision to a court of law, the career employee may request and shall receive at no charge a transcript of the proceedings.
(k), (l) Repealed by Session Laws 1997, c. 221, s. 13(a).
(1) The board of any local school administrative unit may not discharge a probationary teacher during the school year except for the reasons for and by the procedures by which a career employee may be dismissed as set forth in subsections (e), (f), (f1), and (h) to (j3) above.
(2) The board, upon recommendation of the superintendent, may refuse to renew the contract of any probationary teacher or to reemploy any teacher who is not under contract for any cause it deems sufficient: Provided, however, that the cause may not be arbitrary, capricious, discriminatory or for personal or political reasons.
(3) The superintendent shall provide written notice to a probationary teacher no later than May 15 of the superintendent's intent to recommend nonrenewal and the teacher's right, within 10 days of receipt of the superintendent's recommendation, to (i) request and receive written notice of the reasons for the superintendent's recommendation for nonrenewal and the information that the superintendent may share with the board to support the recommendation for nonrenewal; and (ii) request a hearing for those teachers eligible for a hearing under G.S. 115C‑325(m)(4). The failure to file a timely request within the 10 days shall result in a waiver of the right to this information and any right to a hearing. If a teacher files a timely request, the superintendent shall provide the requested information and arrange for a hearing, if allowed, and the teacher shall be permitted to submit supplemental information to the superintendent and board prior to the board making a decision or holding a hearing as provided in this section. The board shall adopt a policy to provide for the orderly exchange of information prior to the board's decision on the superintendent's recommendation for nonrenewal.
(4) If the probationary teacher is eligible for career status pursuant to G.S. 115C‑325(c)(1) and (c)(2) and the superintendent recommends not to give the probationary teacher career status, the probationary teacher has the right to a hearing before the board unless the reason is a justifiable board‑ or superintendent‑approved decrease in the number of positions due to district reorganization, decreased enrollment, or decreased funding.
(5) For probationary contracts that are not in the final year before the probationary teacher is eligible for career status, the probationary teacher shall have the right to petition the local board of education for a hearing, and the local board may grant a hearing regarding the superintendent's recommendation for nonrenewal. The local board of education shall notify the probationary teacher making the petition of its decision whether to grant a hearing.
(6) Any hearing held according to this subsection shall be pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 115C‑45(c).
(7) The board shall notify a probationary teacher whose contract will not be renewed for the next school year of its decision by June 15; provided, however, if a teacher submits a request for information or a hearing, the board shall provide the nonrenewal notification by July 1 or such later date upon the written consent of the superintendent and teacher.
(1) Is in violation of constitutional provisions.
(2) Is in excess of the statutory authority or jurisdiction of the board.
(3) Was made upon unlawful procedure.
(4) Is affected by other error of law.
(5) Is unsupported by substantial evidence in view of the entire record as submitted.
(6) Is arbitrary or capricious.
This appeal shall be filed within a period of 30 days after notification of the decision of the board. The cost of preparing the transcript shall be determined under G.S. 115C‑325(j2)(8) or G.S. 115C‑325(j3)(10). A career employee who has been demoted or dismissed, or a school administrator whose contract is not renewed, dismissed who has not requested a hearing before the board of education pursuant to this section shall not be entitled to judicial review of the board's action.
a. The superintendent shall report the matter to the State Board of Education.
b. The career employee shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the placement in the employee's personnel file of the written notice of the superintendent's intention to recommend dismissal and (ii) the release of the fact that the superintendent has reported this employee to the State Board of Education to prospective employers, upon request. The provisions of G.S. 115C‑321 shall not apply to the release of this particular information.
c. The career employee shall be deemed to have voluntarily surrendered his or her license pending an investigation by the State Board of Education in a determination whether or not to seek action against the employee's license. This license surrender shall not exceed 45 days from the date of resignation. Provided further that the cessation of the license surrender shall not prevent the State Board of Education from taking any further action it deems appropriate. The State Board of Education shall initiate investigation within five working days of the written notice from the superintendent and shall make a final decision as to whether to revoke or suspend the career employee's license within 45 days from the date of resignation.
(2) A teacher, career or probationary,career employee who is not recommended for dismissal should not resign without the consent of the superintendent unless he or she has given at least 30 days' notice. If a teachercareer employee who is not recommended for dismissal does resign without giving at least 30 days' notice, the board may request that the State Board of Education revoke the teacher'scareer employee's license for the remainder of that school year. A copy of the request shall be placed in the teacher'scareer employee's personnel file.
(p) Section Applicable to Certain Institutions. – Notwithstanding any law or regulation to the contrary, this section shall apply to all personscareer employees employed in teaching and related educational classes in the schools and institutions of the Departments of Health and Human Services and Public Instruction and the Divisions of Juvenile Justice and Adult Correction of the Department of Public Safety regardless of the age of the students.
(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or any other law, this subdivision shall govern the dismissal by the Secretary of Health and Human Services of teachers, principals, assistant principals, directors, supervisors, and other licensed personnelcareer employees assigned to a residential school that the State Board has identified as low‑performing and to which the State Board has assigned an assistance team under Part 3A of Article 3 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes. The Secretary shall dismiss a teacher, principal, assistant principal, director, supervisor, or other licensed personnelcareer employee when the Secretary receives two consecutive evaluations that include written findings and recommendations regarding that person's inadequate performance from the assistance team. These findings and recommendations shall be substantial evidence of the inadequate performance of the teacher or school administrator.career employee.
b. That assistance team makes the recommendation to dismiss the teacher, principal, assistant principal, director, supervisor, or other licensed personnelcareer employee for one or more grounds established in G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1) for dismissal or demotion of a career employee.
Within 30 days of any dismissal under this subdivision, a teacher, principal, assistant principal, director, supervisor, or other licensed personnelcareer employee may request a hearing before a panel of three members designated by the Secretary. The Secretary shall adopt procedures to ensure that due process rights are afforded to persons recommended for dismissal under this subdivision. Decisions of the panel may be appealed on the record to the Secretary, with further right of judicial review under Chapter 150B of the General Statutes.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or any other law, this subdivision shall govern the dismissal by the Secretary of Health and Human Services of licensed staff memberscareer employees who have engaged in a remediation plan under G.S. 115C‑105.38A(c) but who, after one retest, fail to meet the general knowledge standard set by the State Board. The failure to meet the general knowledge standard after one retest shall be substantial evidence of the inadequate performance of the licensed staff member.career employee.
Within 30 days of any dismissal under this subdivision, a licensed staff membercareer employee may request a hearing before a panel of three members designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The Secretary shall adopt procedures to ensure that due process rights are afforded to licensed staff memberscareer employees recommended for dismissal under this subdivision. Decisions of the panel may be appealed on the record to the Secretary, with further right of judicial review under Chapter 150B of the General Statutes.
(3) The Secretary of Health and Human Services or the superintendent of a residential school may terminate the contract of a school administrator dismissed under this subsection. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent the Secretary from refusing to renew the contract of any person employed in a school identified as low‑performing under Part 3A of Article 3 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes.
(4) Neither party to a school administrator contract is entitled to damages under this subsection.
(5) The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall have the right to subpoena witnesses and documents on behalf of any party to the proceedings under this subsection.
a. The State Board through its designee may, at any time, recommend the dismissal of any principal who is assigned to a low‑performing school to which an assistance team has been assigned. The State Board through its designee shall recommend the dismissal of any principal when the Board receives from the assistance team assigned to that principal's school two consecutive evaluations that include written findings and recommendations regarding the principal's inadequate performance.
b. If the State Board through its designee recommends the dismissal of a principal under this subdivision, the principal shall be suspended with pay pending a hearing before a panel of three members of the State Board. The purpose of this hearing, which shall be held within 60 days after the principal is suspended, is to determine whether the principal shall be dismissed.
c. The panel shall order the dismissal of the principal if it determines from available information, including the findings of the assistance team, that the low performance of the school is due to the principal's inadequate performance.
d. The panel may order the dismissal of the principal if (i) it determines that the school has not made satisfactory improvement after the State Board assigned an assistance team to that school; and (ii) the assistance team makes the recommendation to dismiss the principal for one or more grounds established in G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1) for dismissal or demotion of a career employee.
e. If the State Board or its designee recommends the dismissal of a principal before the assistance team assigned to the principal's school has evaluated that principal, the panel may order the dismissal of the principal if the panel determines from other available information that the low performance of the school is due to the principal's inadequate performance.
f. In all hearings under this subdivision, the burden of proof is on the principal to establish that the factors leading to the school's low performance were not due to the principal's inadequate performance. In all hearings under sub‑subdivision d. of this subdivision, the burden of proof is on the State Board to establish that the school failed to make satisfactory improvement after an assistance team was assigned to the school and to establish one or more of the grounds established for dismissal or demotion of a career employee under G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1).
g. In all hearings under this subdivision, two consecutive evaluations that include written findings and recommendations regarding that person's inadequate performance from the assistance team are substantial evidence of the inadequate performance of the principal.
h. The State Board shall adopt procedures to ensure that due process rights are afforded to principals under this subdivision. Decisions of the panel may be appealed on the record to the State Board, with further right of judicial review under Chapter 150B of the General Statutes.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or any other law, this subdivision shall govern the State Board's dismissal of teachers, assistant principals, directors, and supervisorscareer employees assigned to schools that the State Board has identified as low‑performing and to which the State Board has assigned an assistance team under Article 8B of this Chapter. The State Board shall dismiss a teacher, assistant principal, director, or supervisorcareer employee when the State Board receives two consecutive evaluations that include written findings and recommendations regarding that person's inadequate performance from the assistance team. These findings and recommendations shall be substantial evidence of the inadequate performance of the teacher or school administrator.career employee.
b. That assistance team makes the recommendation to dismiss the teacher, assistant principal, director, or supervisor career employee for one or more grounds established in G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1) for dismissal or demotion of a career teacher.employee.
A teacher, assistant principal, director, or supervisorcareer employee may request a hearing before a panel of three members of the State Board within 30 days of any dismissal under this subdivision. The State Board shall adopt procedures to ensure that due process rights are afforded to persons recommended for dismissal under this subdivision. Decisions of the panel may be appealed on the record to the State Board, with further right of judicial review under Chapter 150B of the General Statutes.
(2a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or any other law, this subdivision shall govern the State Board's dismissal of licensed staff memberscareer employees who have engaged in a remediation plan under G.S. 115C‑105.38A(a) but who, after one retest, fail to meet the general knowledge standard set by the State Board. The failure to meet the general knowledge standard after one retest shall be substantial evidence of the inadequate performance of the licensed staff member.career employee.
A licensed staff membercareer employee may request a hearing before a panel of three members of the State Board within 30 days of any dismissal under this subdivision. The State Board shall adopt procedures to ensure that due process rights are afforded to licensed staff memberscareer employees recommended for dismissal under this subdivision. Decisions of the panel may be appealed on the record to the State Board, with further right of judicial review under Chapter 150B of the General Statutes.
(3) The State Board of Education or a local board may terminate the contract of a school administrator dismissed under this subsection. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent a local board from refusing to renew the contract of any person employed in a school identified as low‑performing under G.S. 115C‑105.37.
(5) The State Board shall have the right to subpoena witnesses and documents on behalf of any party to the proceedings under this subsection."
"(3) If a teacher employed by a local school administrative unit makes a written request for a leave of absence to teach at a charter school, the local school administrative unit shall grant the leave for one year. For the initial year of a charter school's operation, the local school administrative unit may require that the request for a leave of absence be made up to 45 days before the teacher would otherwise have to report for duty. After the initial year of a charter school's operation, the local school administrative unit may require that the request for a leave of absence be made up to 90 days before the teacher would otherwise have to report for duty. A local board of education is not required to grant a request for a leave of absence or a request to extend or renew a leave of absence for a teacher who previously has received a leave of absence from that school board under this subdivision. AA teacher who has received a leave of absence to teach at a charter school may return to a public school in the local school administrative unit at the end of the leave of absence or upon the end of employment at the charter school if an appropriate position is available. If a teacher who has career status under G.S. 115C‑325 prior to receiving a leave of absence to teach at a charter schoolschool, the teacher may return to a public school in the local school administrative unit with career status at the end of the leave of absence or upon the end of employment at the charter school if an appropriate position is available. If an appropriate position is unavailable, the teacher's name shall be placed on a list of available teachers and that teacher shall have priority on all positions for which that teacher is qualified in accordance with G.S. 115C‑325(e)(2)."
"(3) Leave of absence from local school administrative unit. – If a teacher employed by a local school administrative unit makes a written request for a leave of absence to teach at the regional school, the local school administrative unit shall grant the leave for one year. For the initial year of the regional school's operation, the local school administrative unit may require that the request for a leave of absence be made up to 45 days before the teacher would otherwise have to report for duty. After the initial year of the regional school's operation, the local school administrative unit may require that the request for a leave of absence be made up to 90 days before the teacher would otherwise have to report for duty. A local board of education is not required to grant a request for a leave of absence or a request to extend or renew a leave of absence for a teacher who previously has received a leave of absence from that school board under this subdivision. AA teacher who has received a leave of absence to teach at a regional school may return to a public school in the local school administrative unit at the end of the leave of absence or upon the end of employment at the regional school if an appropriate position is available. If a teacher who has career status under G.S. 115C‑325 prior to receiving a leave of absence to teach at the regional schoolschool, the teacher may return to a public school in the local school administrative unit with career status at the end of the leave of absence or upon the end of employment at the regional school if an appropriate position is available. If an appropriate position is unavailable, the teacher's name shall be placed on a list of available teachers in accordance with G.S. 115C‑325(e)(2)."
"§ 115C‑287.1. Method of employment of principals, assistant principals, supervisors, and directors.
(f1) If, prior to appointment as a school administrator, the school administrator held career status as a teacher in the local school administrative unit in which he or she is employed as a school administrator, the school administrator shall retain career status as a teacher if the school administrator is not offered a new, renewed, or extended contract by the local board of education, unless the school administrator voluntarily relinquished career status or is dismissed or demoted pursuant to G.S. 115C‑325.
(h) An individual who holds a provisional assistant principal's license and who is employed as an assistant principal under G.S. 115C‑284(c) shall be considered a school administrator for purposes of this section. Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this section, a local board may enter into one‑year contracts with a school administrator who holds a provisional assistant principal's license. If the school administrator held career status as a teacher in the local school administrative unit prior to being employed as an assistant principal and the State Board of Education for any reason does not extend the school administrator's provisional assistant principal's license, the school administrator shall retain career status as a teacher unless the school administrator voluntarily relinquished career status or is dismissed or demoted pursuant to G.S. 115C‑325. Nothing in this subsection or G.S. 115C‑284(c) shall be construed to require a local board to extend or renew the contract of a school administrator who holds a provisional assistant principal's license."
"1. Continuing licensure of a teacher as defined in G.S. 115C‑325(6) G.S. 115C‑325(6), or a teacher as defined in G.S. 115C‑325.1(6), who has (i) 30 or more years of teaching experience in North Carolina upon the date of retirement of the teacher and (ii) served as a substitute teacher at least once every three years since retirement."
"(b) Salary Payments. – State‑allotted teachers shall be paid for a term of 10 months. State‑allotted months of employment for vocational education to local boards shall be used for the employment of teachers of vocational and technical education for a term of employment to be determined by the local boards of education. However, local boards shall not reduce the term of employment for any vocational agriculture teacher personnel position that was 12 calendar months for the 1982‑83 school year for any school year thereafter. In addition, local boards shall not reduce the term of employment for any vocational agriculture teacher personnel position that was 12 calendar months for the 2003‑2004 school year for any school year thereafter. In addition, local boards shall not reduce the term of employment for any vocational agriculture teacher personnel position that was 12 calendar months for the 2014‑2015 school year for any school year thereafter.
Each local board of education shall establish a set date on which monthly salary payments to State‑allotted teachers shall be made. This set pay date may differ from the end of the month of service. The daily rate of pay for teachers shall equal midway between one twenty‑first and one twenty‑second of the monthly rate of pay. Except for teachers employed in a year‑round school or paid in accordance with a year‑round calendar, or both, the initial pay date for teachers shall be no later than August 31 and shall include a full monthly payment. Subsequent pay dates shall be spaced no more than one month apart and shall include a full monthly payment.
Teachers may be prepaid on the monthly pay date for days not yet worked. A teacher who fails to attend scheduled workdays or who has not worked the number of days for which the teacher has been paid and who resigns, is dismissed, or whose contract is not renewed shall repay to the local board any salary payments received for days not yet worked. A teacher who has been prepaid and continues to be employed by a local board but fails to attend scheduled workdays may be subject to dismissal under G.S. 115C‑325 or G.S. 115C‑325.4 or other appropriate discipline.
Any individual teacher who is not employed in a year‑round school may be paid in 12 monthly installments if the teacher so requests on or before the first day of the school year. The request shall be filed in the local school administrative unit which employs the teacher. The payment of the annual salary in 12 installments instead of 10 shall not increase or decrease the teacher's annual salary nor in any other way alter the contract made between the teacher and the local school administrative unit. Teachers employed for a period of less than 10 months shall not receive their salaries in 12 installments.
Notwithstanding this subsection, the term "daily rate of pay" for the purpose of G.S. 115C‑12(8) or for any other law or policy governing pay or benefits based on the teacher salary schedule shall not exceed one twenty‑second of a teacher's monthly rate of pay."
"(b) Documents received under this section shall be used only to protect the safety of or to improve the education opportunities for the student or others. Information gained in accordance with G.S. 7B‑3100 shall not be the sole basis for a decision to suspend or expel a student. Upon receipt of each document, the principal shall share the document with those individuals who have (i) direct guidance, teaching, or supervisory responsibility for the student, and (ii) a specific need to know in order to protect the safety of the student or others. Those individuals shall indicate in writing that they have read the document and that they agree to maintain its confidentiality. Failure to maintain the confidentiality of these documents as required by this section is grounds for the dismissal of an employee who is not employed on contract, grounds for dismissal of an employee on contract in accordance with G.S. 115C‑325.4(a)(9), and grounds for dismissal of an employee who is a career teacheremployee in accordance with G.S. 115C‑325(e)(1)i."
"(4) Leave of absence from local school administrative unit. – If a teacher employed by a local school administrative unit makes a written request for a leave of absence to teach at the lab school, the local school administrative unit shall grant the leave for one year. For the initial year of the lab school's operation, the local school administrative unit may require that the request for a leave of absence be made up to 45 days before the teacher would otherwise have to report for duty. After the initial year of the lab school's operation, the local school administrative unit may require that the request for a leave of absence be made up to 90 days before the teacher would otherwise have to report for duty. A local board of education is not required to grant a request for a leave of absence or a request to extend or renew a leave of absence for a teacher who previously has received a leave of absence from that local board under this subdivision. AA teacher who has received a leave of absence to teach at a lab school may return to a public school in the local school administrative unit at the end of the leave of absence or upon the end of employment at the lab school if an appropriate position is available. If a teacher who has career status under G.S. 115C‑325 prior to receiving a leave of absence to teach at the lab schoolschool, the teacher may return to a public school in the local school administrative unit with career status at the end of the leave of absence or upon the end of employment at the lab school if an appropriate position is available. If an appropriate position is unavailable, the teacher's name shall be placed on a list of available teachers in accordance with G.S. 115C‑325(e)(2)."
"(b) Action Plans. – If a licensed employee in a participating school that has been identified as low‑performing receives an unsatisfactory or below standard rating on any function of the evaluation that is related to the employee's instructional duties, the individual or team that conducted the evaluation shall recommend to the principal that: (i) the employee receive an action plan designed to improve the employee's performance; or (ii) the principal recommend that the employee who is a career teacheremployee be dismissed or demoted as provided in G.S. 115C‑325 or the employee who is a teacher on contract not be recommended for renewal; or (iii) if the employee who is a teacher on contract engages in inappropriate conduct or performs inadequately to such a degree that such conduct or performance causes substantial harm to the educational environment that a proceeding for immediate dismissal or demotion under G.S. 115C‑325.4 be instituted. The principal shall determine whether to develop an action plan, to not recommend renewal of the employee's contract, or to recommend a dismissal proceeding. The person who evaluated the employee or the employee's supervisor shall develop the action plan unless an assistance team or assessment team conducted the evaluation. If an assistance team or assessment team conducted the evaluation, that team shall develop the action plan in collaboration with the employee's supervisor. Action plans shall be designed to be completed within 90 instructional days or before the beginning of the next school year. The State Board shall develop guidelines that include strategies to assist in evaluating licensed personnel and developing effective action plans within the time allotted under this section. The State Board may adopt policies for the development and implementation of action plans or professional development plans for personnel who do not require action plans under this section."
SECTION 2.(l) Section 9.6(i) of S.L. 2013‑360 is repealed.
"SECTION 9.6.(j) Subsection (b) of this section becomes effective July 1, 2014. G.S. 115C‑325.1 through G.S. 115C‑325.13, as enacted by this section, shall apply to all teachers on one‑ or one‑, two‑, or four‑year contracts beginning July 1, 2014. G.S. 115C‑325.1 through G.S. 115C‑325.13, as enacted by this section, shall apply to all teachers employed by local boards of education or the State on or after July 1, 2018."
SECTION 2.(n) Sections 9.7(o) through 9.7(t) of S.L. 2013‑360 and Sections 9.7(v) through 9.7(x) of S.L. 2013‑360 are repealed.
"SECTION 9.7.(y) Subsection (u) of this section becomes effective August 1, 2013. Subsections (a) through (n) of this section become effective July 1, 2014. Subsections (o) through (t) and (v) through (x) become effective June 30, 2018."
SECTION 2.(p) Section 8.38(c) of S.L. 2015‑241 is repealed.
SECTION 2.(q) This section is effective when it becomes law.
"(a) Annual Evaluations; Low‑Performing Schools. – Local school administrative units shall evaluate at least once each year all licensed employees assigned to a school that has been identified as low‑performing. The evaluation shall occur early enough during the school year to provide adequate time for the development and implementation of a mandatory improvement plan if one is recommended under subsection (b) of this section. If the employee is a teacher with career status as defined under G.S. 115C‑325(a)(6), or a teacher as defined under G.S. 115C‑325.1(6), either the principal, the assistant principal who supervises the teacher, or an assistance team assigned under G.S. 115C‑105.38 shall conduct the evaluation. If the employee is a school administrator as defined under G.S. 115C‑287.1(a)(3), either the superintendent or the superintendent's designee shall conduct the evaluation.
All teachers in low‑performing schools who have been employed for less than three consecutive years shall be observed at least three times annually by the principal or the principal's designee and at least once annually by a teacher and shall be evaluated at least once annually by a principal. For high schools with at least 1,500 students, the annual evaluation may be conducted by an assistant principal, provided that at least one evaluation in such a teacher's first three years of employment is conducted by a principal. All teachers in low‑performing schools who have been licensed as a teacher for less than two years shall be observed at least three times annually by the principal or the principal's designee, at least once annually by a teacher, and at least once annually by a principal, and at least two of those observations shall be conducted in the first semester of the school year, and if practicable, at least one of those observations shall be conducted within the first grading period of the school year. This section shall not be construed to limit the duties and authority of an assistance team assigned to a low‑performing school under G.S. 115C‑105.38.
A local board shall use the performance standards and criteria adopted by the State Board and may adopt additional evaluation criteria and standards. All other provisions of this section shall apply if a local board uses an evaluation other than one adopted by the State Board."
"(a) Annual Evaluations. – All teachers who are assigned to schools that are not designated as low‑performing and who have not been employed for at least three consecutive years shall be observed at least three times annually by the principal or the principal's designee and at least once annually by a teacher and shall be evaluated at least once annually by a principal. For high schools with at least 1,500 students, the annual evaluation may be conducted by an assistant principal, provided that at least one evaluation in such a teacher's first three years of employment is conducted by a principal. All teachers who are assigned to schools that are not designated as low‑performing and who have been licensed as a teacher for less than two years shall be observed at least three times annually by the principal or the principal's designee, at least once annually by a teacher, and at least once annually by a principal, and at least two of those observations shall be conducted in the first semester of the school year, and if practicable, at least one of those observations shall be conducted within the first grading period of the school year. All teachers with career status or on a four‑year contract who are assigned to schools that are not designated as low‑performing shall be evaluated annually unless a local board adopts rules that allow teachers with career status or on a four‑year contract to be evaluated more or less frequently, provided that such rules are not inconsistent with State or federal requirements. Local boards also may adopt rules requiring the annual evaluation of nonlicensed employees. A local board shall use the performance standards and criteria adopted by the State Board and may adopt additional evaluation criteria and standards. All other provisions of this section shall apply if a local board uses an evaluation other than one adopted by the State Board."
SECTION 3.(c) This section is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2017‑2018 school year.
SECTION 4.(a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall convene a work group to study effective and positive intervention measures or policy changes to address risky behaviors and encourage student health and mental health. The work group shall consist of personnel from within the Department of Public Instruction with expertise in student health issues, including mental health, as well as personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health. The Superintendent may also appoint representatives from various public and private stakeholder groups as well as representatives from local school administrative units and charter schools. The Superintendent shall report on the work group's findings and recommendations to the State Board of Education and the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by April 1, 2018.
SECTION 4.(b) This section is effective when it becomes law.
SECTION 5.(a) The State Board of Education shall not adopt or implement any policies or recommendations from the Interagency Advisory Committee established by the State Board of Education in Policy ADVS‑009 until October 1, 2018.
SECTION 5.(b) The State Board of Education shall change the timelines for the development and implementation of plans and training required by Policy SHLT‑003 regarding school‑based student mental health initiatives as follows for local school administrative units: (i) development of the plans to assess mental health and substance use needs shall occur during the 2018‑2019 school year; (ii) the implementation plan and three‑year review cycle shall commence in the 2019‑2020 school year; and (iii) school mental health training will be provided by the Department of Public Instruction to the local school administrative units during the 2019‑2020 school year. The State Board of Education shall change the timelines for the development and implementation of plans and training required by Policy SHLT‑003 regarding school‑based student mental health initiatives as follows for charter schools: (i) development of the plans to assess mental health and substance use needs shall occur during the 2019‑2020 school year; (ii) the implementation plan and three‑year review cycle shall commence in the 2020‑2021 school year; and (iii) school mental health training will be provided by the Department of Public Instruction to charter schools during the 2020‑2021 school year.
SECTION 5.(c) The State Board of Education shall provide notice to local school administrative units participating in the "Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child" pilot program regarding Parts IV and V of this act and shall allow the units to withdraw from the pilot program at their discretion.
SECTION 5.(d) This section is effective when it becomes law.
(1) Develop curriculum guidelines that are aligned with K‑12 Computer Science Framework (October 2016) developed by the CSforAll Consortium.
(2) Develop recommendations to increase the number of teachers prepared to teach computational thinking and computer science, addressing both preservice educator preparation for teachers and professional development for in‑service teachers.
(4) Align recommendations with the ongoing implementation of the Digital Learning Plan in North Carolina by the Department and the Friday Institute.
SECTION 6.(b) By January 15, 2018, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the recommendations, including any proposed legislation, developed in accordance with this act.
SECTION 6.(c) This section is effective when it becomes law.
SECTION 7. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law. | 2019-04-22T00:07:33Z | https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/HTML/2017-2018/SL2017-157.html |
In the current study, the research team, led by Hironao Miyatake, Surhud More and Masahiro Takada of the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, analyzed observational data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s DR8 galaxy catalog. Using this data, they demonstrated that when and where galaxies group together within a cluster impacts the cluster’s relationship with its dark matter environment.
An international team of researchers has identified and named a new species of dinosaur that is the most complete, primitive duck-billed dinosaur to ever be discovered in the eastern United States.
This new discovery also shows that duck-billed dinosaurs originated in the eastern United States, what was then broadly referred to as Appalachia, before dispersing to other parts of the world. The research team outlined its findings in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
“This is a really important animal in telling us how they came to be and how they spread all over the world,” said Florida State University Professor of Biological Science Gregory Erickson, one of the researchers on the team.
They named the new dinosaur Eotrachodon orientalis, which means “dawn rough tooth from the east.” The name pays homage to “Trachodon,” which was the first duck-billed dinosaur named in 1856.
This duck-billed dinosaur — also known as a Hadrosaurid — was probably 20 to 30 feet long as an adult, mostly walked on its hind legs though it could come down on all four to graze on plants with its grinding teeth, and had a scaly exterior. But what set it apart is that it had a large crest on its nose.
“This thing had a big ugly nose,” Erickson said.
That large crest on the nose, plus indentations found in the skull and its unique teeth alerted Erickson and his colleagues from McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Ala., and the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom that the skeleton they had was something special.
The skeletal remains of this 83-million-year-old dinosaur were originally found by a team of amateur fossil enthusiasts alongside a creek in Montgomery County, Alabama in marine sediment. Dinosaurs from the South are extremely rare. A set with a complete skull is an even more extraordinary find. The dinosaur likely was washed out to sea by river or stream sediments after it died. When the group realized they had potentially discovered something of scientific importance, they contacted McWane Science Center in Birmingham, which dispatched a team to the site to carefully remove the remains from the surrounding rock.
After the bones were prepared and cleaned at McWane Science Center and the University of West Alabama, they were studied by a team of paleontologists including Erickson, former FSU doctoral student Albert Prieto-Marquez who is now at the University of Bristol, and Jun Ebersole, director of collections at McWane Science Center. Among the recovered remains of this new dinosaur are a complete skull, dozens of backbones, a partial hip bone and a few bones from the limbs.
It is one of the most complete dinosaur skeletons ever to be found in the eastern United States. Its teeth, which show this dinosaur’s remarkable ability to grind up plants in a manner like cows or horses, were present in early hadrosaurids, allowing them to consume a wide variety of plants as the group radiated around the world.
During the late Cretaceous Period, roughly 85 million years ago, North America was divided in half by a 1,000 mile ocean that connected the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean. This body of water created two North American landmasses, Laramidia to the west and Appalachia to the east.
The area of what was considered Appalachia is a bit wider than what we call Appalachia today. It began roughly in Georgia and Alabama and stretched all the way north into Canada.
Erickson brought some bone samples and teeth back to his lab at Florida State for further analysis. He found it difficult to pinpoint the exact age of the dinosaur because no growth lines appeared in the bone samples. However, the highly vascularized bones show that it was growing very rapidly at the time of death, akin to a teenager, and stood to get much larger — perhaps 20-30 feet in length, which is typical of duck-billed dinosaurs found elsewhere.
The remains of Eotrachodon are housed at McWane Science Center in Birmingham and are currently on display in Ebersole’s laboratory for the general public to view.
How did the Universe begin? And what came before the Big Bang? Cosmologists have asked these questions ever since discovering that our Universe is expanding. The answers aren’t easy to determine. The beginning of the cosmos is cloaked and hidden from the view of our most powerful telescopes. Yet observations we make today can give clues to the universe’s origin. New research suggests a novel way of probing the beginning of space and time to determine which of the competing theories is correct.
The most widely accepted theoretical scenario for the beginning of the Universe is inflation, which predicts that the universe expanded at an exponential rate in the first fleeting fraction of a second. However a number of alternative scenarios have been suggested, some predicting a Big Crunch preceding the Big Bang. The trick is to find measurements that can distinguish between these scenarios.
One promising source of information about the universe’s beginning is the cosmic microwave background (CMB) — the remnant glow of the Big Bang that pervades all of space. This glow appears smooth and uniform at first, but upon closer inspection varies by small amounts. Those variations come from quantum fluctuations present at the birth of the universe that have been stretched as the universe expanded.
The conventional approach to distinguish different scenarios searches for possible traces of gravitational waves, generated during the primordial universe, in the CMB. “Here we are proposing a new approach that could allow us to directly reveal the evolutionary history of the primordial universe from astrophysical signals. This history is unique to each scenario,” says coauthor Xingang Chen of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and the University of Texas at Dallas.
While previous experimental and theoretical studies give clues to spatial variations in the primordial universe, they lack the key element of time. Without a ticking clock to measure the passage of time, the evolutionary history of the primordial universe can’t be determined unambiguously.
“Imagine you took the frames of a movie and stacked them all randomly on top of each other. If those frames aren’t labeled with a time, you can’t put them in order. Did the primordial universe crunch or bang? If you don’t know whether the movie is running forward or in reverse, you can’t tell the difference,” explains Chen.
Subatomic heavy particles will behave like a pendulum, oscillating back and forth in a universal and standard way. They can even do so quantum-mechanically without being pushed initially. Those oscillations or quantum wiggles would act as clock ticks, and add time labels to the stack of movie frames in our analogy.
“Ticks of these primordial standard clocks would create corresponding wiggles in measurements of the cosmic microwave background, whose pattern is unique for each scenario,” says coauthor Yi Wang of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. However, current data isn’t accurate enough to spot such small variations.
Ongoing experiments should greatly improve the situation. Projects like CfA’s BICEP3 and Keck Array, and many other related experiments worldwide, will gather exquisitely precise CMB data at the same time as they are searching for gravitational waves. If the wiggles from the primordial standard clocks are strong enough, experiments should find them in the next decade. Supporting evidence could come from other lines of investigation, like maps of the large-scale structure of the universe including galaxies and cosmic hydrogen.
And since the primordial standard clocks would be a component of the “theory of everything,” finding them would also provide evidence for physics beyond the Standard Model at an energy scale inaccessible to colliders on the ground.
A team of researchers has observed the brightest ultra metal-poor star ever discovered.
The star is a rare relic from the Milky Way’s formative years. As such, it offers astronomers a precious opportunity to explore the origin of the first stars that sprung to life within our galaxy and the universe.
A Brazilian-American team including Vinicius Placco, a research assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame and a member of JINA-CEE (Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics — Center for the Evolution of the Elements), and led by Jorge Meléndez from the University of São Paulo used two of European Southern Observatory’s telescopes in Chile to discover this star, named 2MASS J18082002-5104378.
The star was spotted in 2014 using ESO’s New Technology Telescope. Follow-up observations using ESO’s Very Large Telescope discovered that, unlike younger stars such as the sun, this star shows an unusually low abundance of what astronomers call metals — elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. It is so devoid of these elements that it is known as an ultra metal-poor star.
Although thought to be ubiquitous in the early universe, metal-poor stars are now a rare sight within both the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies. Metals are formed during nuclear fusion within stars, and are spread throughout the interstellar medium when some of these stars grow old and explode. Subsequent generations of stars therefore form from increasingly metal-rich material. Metal-poor stars, however, formed from the unpolluted environment that existed shortly after the Big Bang. Exploring stars such as 2MASS J18082002-5104378 may unlock secrets about their formation, and show what the universe was like at its very beginning.
Earth has some special features that set it apart from its close cousins in the solar system, including large oceans of liquid water and a rich atmosphere with just the right ingredients to support life as we know it. Earth is also the only planet that has an active outer layer made of large tectonic plates that grind together and dip beneath each other, giving rise to mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes and large continents of land.
Geologists have long debated when these processes, collectively known as plate tectonics, first got underway. Some scientists propose that the process began as early as 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after Earth’s formation. Others suggest a much more recent start within the last 800 million years. A study from the University of Maryland provides new geochemical evidence for a middle ground between these two extremes: An analysis of trace element ratios that correlate to magnesium content suggests that plate tectonics began about 3 billion years ago. The results appear in the January 22, 2016 issue of the journal Science.
The study zeros in on one key characteristic of Earth’s crust that sets it apart geochemically from other terrestrial planets in the solar system. Compared with Mars, Mercury, Venus and even our own moon, Earth’s continental crust contains less magnesium. Early in its history, however, Earth’s crust more closely resembled its cousins, with a higher proportion of magnesium.
At some point, Earth’s crust evolved to contain more granite, a magnesium-poor rock that forms the basis of Earth’s continents. Many geoscientists agree that the start of plate tectonics drove this transition by dragging water underneath the crust, which is a necessary step to make granite.
A logical approach would be to look at the magnesium content in ancient rocks formed across a wide span of time, to determine when this transition toward low-magnesium crustal rocks began. However, this has proven difficult because the direct evidence–magnesium–has a pesky habit of washing away into the ocean once rocks are exposed to the surface.
Tang, Rudnick and Kang Chen, a graduate student at China University of Geosciences on a one and a half-year research visit to UMD, sidestepped this problem by looking at trace elements that are not soluble in water. These elements–nickel, cobalt, chromium and zinc–stay behind long after most of the magnesium has washed away. The researchers found that the ratios of these elements hold the key: higher ratios of nickel to cobalt and chromium to zinc both correlate to higher magnesium content in the original rock.
Tang and his coauthors compiled trace element data taken from a variety of ancient rocks that formed in the Archean eon, a time period between 4 and 2.5 billion years ago, and used it to determine the magnesium content in the rocks when they were first formed. They used these data to construct a computer model of the early Earth’s geochemical composition. This model accounted for how magnesium (specifically, magnesium oxide) content in the crust changed over time.
The results suggest that 3 billion years ago, the Earth’s crust had roughly 11 percent magnesium oxide by weight. Within a half billion years, that number had dropped to about 4 percent, which is very close to the 2 or 3 percent magnesium oxide seen in today’s crust. This suggested that plate tectonics began about 3 billion years ago, giving rise to the continents we see today.
Invisible structures shaped like noodles, lasagne sheets or hazelnuts could be floating around in our Galaxy radically challenging our understanding of gas conditions in the Milky Way.
CSIRO astronomer and first author of a paper released in Science Dr Keith Bannister said the structures appear to be ‘lumps’ in the thin gas that lies between the stars in our Galaxy.
“They could radically change ideas about this interstellar gas, which is the Galaxy’s star recycling depot, housing material from old stars that will be refashioned into new ones,” Dr Bannister said.
Dr Bannister and his colleagues described breakthrough observations of one of these ‘lumps’ that have allowed them to make the first estimate of its shape.
The observations were made possible by an innovative new technique the scientists employed using CSIRO’s Compact Array telescope in eastern Australia.
Astronomers got the first hints of the mysterious objects 30 years ago when they saw radio waves from a bright, distant galaxy called a quasar varying wildly in strength.
They figured out this behaviour was the work of our Galaxy’s invisible ‘atmosphere’, a thin gas of electrically charged particles which fills the space between the stars.
“Lumps in this gas work like lenses, focusing and defocusing the radio waves, making them appear to strengthen and weaken over a period of days, weeks or months,” Dr Bannister said.
These episodes were so hard to find that researchers had given up looking for them.
But Dr Bannister and his colleagues realised they could do it with CSIRO’s Compact Array.
Pointing the telescope at a quasar called PKS 1939-315 in the constellation of Sagittarius, they saw a lensing event that went on for a year.
Astronomers think the lenses are about the size of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun and lie approximately 3000 light-years away — 1000 times further than the nearest star, Proxima Centauri.
Until now they knew nothing about their shape, however, the team has shown this lens could not be a solid lump or shaped like a bent sheet.
“We could be looking at a flat sheet, edge on,” CSIRO team member Dr Cormac Reynolds said.
Getting more observations will “definitely sort out the geometry,” he said.
While the lensing event went on, Dr Bannister’s team observed it with other radio and optical telescopes.
The optical light from the quasar didn’t vary while the radio lensing was taking place. This is important, Dr Bannister said, because it means earlier optical surveys that looked for dark lumps in space couldn’t have found the one his team has detected.
So what can these lenses be? One suggestion is cold clouds of gas that stay pulled together by the force of their own gravity. That model, worked through in detail, implies the clouds must make up a substantial fraction of the mass of our Galaxy.
Nobody knows how the invisible lenses could form. “But these structures are real, and our observations are a big step forward in determining their size and shape,” Dr Bannister said.
Caltech researchers have found evidence of a giant planet tracing a bizarre, highly elongated orbit in the outer solar system. The object, which the researchers have nicknamed Planet Nine, has a mass about 10 times that of Earth and orbits about 20 times farther from the Sun on average than does Neptune (which orbits the Sun at an average distance of 2.8 billion miles). In fact, it would take this new planet between 10,000 and 20,000 years to make just one full orbit around the Sun.
The researchers, Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown, discovered the planet’s existence through mathematical modeling and computer simulations but have not yet observed the object directly.
Batygin and Brown describe their work in the current issue of the Astronomical Journal and show how Planet Nine helps explain a number of mysterious features of the field of icy objects and debris beyond Neptune known as the Kuiper Belt.
The road to the theoretical discovery was not straightforward. In 2014, a former postdoc of Brown’s, Chad Trujillo, and his colleague Scott Shepherd published a paper noting that 13 of the most distant objects in the Kuiper Belt are similar with respect to an obscure orbital feature. To explain that similarity, they suggested the possible presence of a small planet. Brown thought the planet solution was unlikely, but his interest was piqued.
Fairly quickly Batygin and Brown realized that the six most distant objects from Trujillo and Shepherd’s original collection all follow elliptical orbits that point in the same direction in physical space. That is particularly surprising because the outermost points of their orbits move around the solar system, and they travel at different rates.
The first possibility they investigated was that perhaps there are enough distant Kuiper Belt objects — some of which have not yet been discovered — to exert the gravity needed to keep that subpopulation clustered together. The researchers quickly ruled this out when it turned out that such a scenario would require the Kuiper Belt to have about 100 times the mass it has today.
That left them with the idea of a planet. Their first instinct was to run simulations involving a planet in a distant orbit that encircled the orbits of the six Kuiper Belt objects, acting like a giant lasso to wrangle them into their alignment. Batygin says that almost works but does not provide the observed eccentricities precisely. “Close, but no cigar,” he says.
Then, effectively by accident, Batygin and Brown noticed that if they ran their simulations with a massive planet in an anti-aligned orbit — an orbit in which the planet’s closest approach to the sun, or perihelion, is 180 degrees across from the perihelion of all the other objects and known planets — the distant Kuiper Belt objects in the simulation assumed the alignment that is actually observed.
“Your natural response is ‘This orbital geometry can’t be right. This can’t be stable over the long term because, after all, this would cause the planet and these objects to meet and eventually collide,'” says Batygin. But through a mechanism known as mean-motion resonance, the anti-aligned orbit of the ninth planet actually prevents the Kuiper Belt objects from colliding with it and keeps them aligned. As orbiting objects approach each other they exchange energy. So, for example, for every four orbits Planet Nine makes, a distant Kuiper Belt object might complete nine orbits. They never collide. Instead, like a parent maintaining the arc of a child on a swing with periodic pushes, Planet Nine nudges the orbits of distant Kuiper Belt objects such that their configuration with relation to the planet is preserved.
But little by little, as the researchers investigated additional features and consequences of the model, they became persuaded. “A good theory should not only explain things that you set out to explain. It should hopefully explain things that you didn’t set out to explain and make predictions that are testable,” says Batygin.
And indeed Planet Nine’s existence helps explain more than just the alignment of the distant Kuiper Belt objects. It also provides an explanation for the mysterious orbits that two of them trace. The first of those objects, dubbed Sedna, was discovered by Brown in 2003. Unlike standard-variety Kuiper Belt objects, which get gravitationally “kicked out” by Neptune and then return back to it, Sedna never gets very close to Neptune. A second object like Sedna, known as 2012 VP113, was announced by Trujillo and Shepherd in 2014. Batygin and Brown found that the presence of Planet Nine in its proposed orbit naturally produces Sedna-like objects by taking a standard Kuiper Belt object and slowly pulling it away into an orbit less connected to Neptune.
Where did Planet Nine come from and how did it end up in the outer solar system? Scientists have long believed that the early solar system began with four planetary cores that went on to grab all of the gas around them, forming the four gas planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Over time, collisions and ejections shaped them and moved them out to their present locations. “But there is no reason that there could not have been five cores, rather than four,” says Brown. Planet Nine could represent that fifth core, and if it got too close to Jupiter or Saturn, it could have been ejected into its distant, eccentric orbit.
Batygin and Brown continue to refine their simulations and learn more about the planet’s orbit and its influence on the distant solar system. Meanwhile, Brown and other colleagues have begun searching the skies for Planet Nine. Only the planet’s rough orbit is known, not the precise location of the planet on that elliptical path. If the planet happens to be close to its perihelion, Brown says, astronomers should be able to spot it in images captured by previous surveys. If it is in the most distant part of its orbit, the world’s largest telescopes — such as the twin 10-meter telescopes at the W. M. Keck Observatory and the Subaru Telescope, all on Mauna Kea in Hawaii — will be needed to see it. If, however, Planet Nine is now located anywhere in between, many telescopes have a shot at finding it.
In terms of understanding more about the solar system’s context in the rest of the universe, Batygin says that in a couple of ways, this ninth planet that seems like such an oddball to us would actually make our solar system more similar to the other planetary systems that astronomers are finding around other stars. First, most of the planets around other sunlike stars have no single orbital range — that is, some orbit extremely close to their host stars while others follow exceptionally distant orbits. Second, the most common planets around other stars range between 1 and 10 Earth-masses. | 2019-04-21T12:50:11Z | https://scienceofcycles.com/author/alexa8/page/227/ |
What role should you play?
Shop to protect your rights!
Disclosure: The author of this section is a lawyer. I’m sitting here writing about when and how to select an attorney. So you need to know my perspective. I don’t think lawsuits are a particularly effective way to solve problems, particularly occupational safety and health problems. I think that strong action at the worksite by a group of organized workers produces the best result. That’s because it is quicker and it generally works. But you have to be knowledgeable and organized. That’s why I believe in unions. But even without a union at your workplace, if you get together with other workers and take action, you will have a decent chance of succeeding.
Are there risks in action? Always. One is that you will be fired. A bigger risk is if you do not stand up for safety on the job, you or a friend will be killed or maimed. Those risks are minimized when you have a union. If you don’t have a union, at least involve as many of the workers at the jobsite as is possible. BUT even then some risk remains.
Do you need a lawyer to file a complaint with a government agency — to protect your collective rights? Not necessarily. Will a lawyer do a better job? S/he might – but ONLY if s/he has experience filing complaints with government agencies. Unfortunately, few attorneys have experience filing occupational safety and health complaints. And most workers understand better what is going on at their workplace and can file an effective complaint. The workers just need to get together and take the time to do it well. Need help? Take a look at the Guide to Workers’ Health & Safety Rights and Filing a Cal/OSHA Complaint. The process described there should help you file a complaint with any government agency. And call your union before you act.
Do you need a lawyer to pursue individual rights? Depends (sounds like a lawyer huh?). It’s pretty difficult to pursue a legal action in a court without an attorney. It’s pretty difficult to fix an electrical problem without an electrician. It’s a bit easier for a worker to pursue a legal action in an administrative setting (workers’ compensation or an initial complaint with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing or the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, etc.) But there too the issues might get complicated and you might need to do something more than just change a light bulb.
If you are going to work with a lawyer, you need to find the right one. And you need to understand why you might want to work with one.
Remember, lawyers have political perspectives just like any other person. When individuals or unions seek a lawyer, they should be aware of the political perspective of that lawyer because it may well influence the type of legal arguments, the amount of energy the lawyer will invest, the fee, etc.
Plumbers generally don’t do electrical work and electricians generally don’t do plumbing. Attorneys also specialize as the law covers many subjects – although some are generalists. Whoever you chose, it is important to try to find an attorney who is familiar with, and has some experience in, handling your type of problem.
Lawyers give advice. They are trained to argue both sides of any issue, although most lawyers have a point of view and the best of the bunch usually stick with one side or the other (you’ll figure out who is always on your side).
Arguments are based on law and facts. Generally, there is no absolute right and wrong because both the law and the facts are often not black or white.
The law is not an absolute. It is often a matter of interpretation. The law is determined by looking first, at the words written by a legislature or at regulations issued by an administrative agency, and second, interpreting those words. Additionally, one must look at cases decided by courts and/or administrative judicial bodies interpreting those words. Facts too are generally not an absolute. They are often a matter of interpretation. Different people see the same things in different ways. Since the resolution of a legal case is determined by applying the law and the facts, the facts must be thoroughly investigated. A lawyer must not only know your understanding of the facts, but also must know your opponent’s version of the facts. Most important to remember is that arguments are based on the actual facts of a given situation. Thus no lawyer can or should give you an opinion without knowing both the law and the facts.
Consumers of legal opinions make decisions about how to proceed. The first decision the consumer must make is whether to get a lawyer. The next is whether to get a different lawyer. If the lawyer cannot speak to you in English or the language you understand, as opposed to “legalese,” get another lawyer. You also should make other critical decisions in the development of your case. A lawyer must be able to explain the categories of law and the particular laws that apply to you, your responsibilities, rights and remedies (what you can get) under the law. Good lawyers make recommendations, but you make the final decisions. They explain issues and present arguments on both sides of the issue. Then they ask you to make decisions. Ask a lawyer in an initial consultation to identify your decision making points so that you know what you will have to decide.
Be a good consumer. Interview more than one attorney. Many attorneys will give you, for little or no charge, a consultation as to whether you need an attorney. Ask yourself whether you like the person, and whether s/he is sympathetic with your situation. Does the attorney speak to you in English, as opposed to “legalese”? Does the attorney seem to know what s/he is talking about? Does s/he seem concerned with you and your problem? Will s/he let you make the critical decisions in the case?
Find out the differences among the attorneys you interview: fee structure, how they think the case might be handled, how you will be involved, size and experience of the firm and the individual lawyers in the firm, case load of the firm and the individual lawyers in the firm. Does the lawyer or firm specialize and do you need a specialist?
Remember, you are the consumer, the attorney is not doing you a favor by taking your case. On the other hand, the attorney is a professional and if you hire a lawyer, you should be prepared to consider his/her advice.
Don’t just surf the net and pick up the glitzy part of some attorney’s pitch. Study the content of the website. Does it tell you what attorneys are part of their firm and give you their biographies? Do those biographies let you know how much experience the attorneys have doing the kind of work you need them to do (are they trial attorneys and do you need a trial attorney, do they have experience doing the kind of law you need done)? Do those biographies tell you where they worked in the past and what they have accomplished in their legal lives? Do they tell you where they went to school, what else they do in their lives that might give you a clue about their commitment?
Does the website tell you something about the firm, give you information about the firm’s perspective (which side are they on), commitment to issues you think are important, etc.? Will you be dealing with a small firm or just one attorney who might not be able to allocate the resources necessary to sustain a fight? Will you be dealing with a large firm or so many attorneys that you won’t have any personal attention?
Don’t just call the guy with the flashiest website, the nearest billboard, or the biggest ad in the yellow pages. Check it out by phoning the local bar association and asking for information. Check the backgrounds of the attorneys in some of the standard books that publish this type of information (such as Martindale). Think about doing a quick website search of your local newspaper to see whether the firm or any of their attorneys has ever made the news (and whether it was good news).
Since fees are a pretty important issue to consider, let me note there are a couple types of fee structures.
First, some fees are governed by law. For example, in cases in the California Workers Compensation system, the injured worker’s attorney is limited to a certain percentage of the total cash settlement (usually from 12 – 15%).1 Of course the insurance company or employer’s attorneys get paid a lot more, but what did you expect?
Second, some fees are hourly. Lots of legal work is done on time and material at hourly rates. So you’ll need to comparison shop not only the actual hourly fee, but find out how long the matter might take and then figure out whether the estimate is reasonable. This is where a specialist should come in handy. He or she might charge more, but if they are truly a specialist (either by virtue of experience and/or experience plus a certification that is available through the State Bar), they might cost a bit more per hour, but be able to do the job quicker (and thus cheaper).
Third, some fees are contingent. That means the lawyer takes a percentage of your settlement (as in workers’ compensation), however, often the percentage isn’t controlled by law. Most personal injury lawsuits (not workers’ compensation which is a no-fault claim only against your employer) are handled as contingency fee cases. It also usually means that if the case is not successful, you get nothing and the lawyer not only gets nothing, but also has taken a loss both on their time and on the expenses.
So what do you need to think about when comparing contingency fees. Obviously the percentage is an issue. And be sure to find out exactly when the percentage increases. Many firms charge 33 1/3% up to a certain point and then perhaps 40% after that (usually when the case reaches some point where it is being worked up for trial and thus the lawyer anticipates they will have put in a lot more work).
Read the retainer fee language carefully.
With contingency fees one sub-issue is expenses. Some retainer agreements take costs out of the client’s share. A better way is to take the expenses from the entire settlement, off the top, and then the firm and the client take their respective shares. This keeps the attorney from wasting the client’s money on unnecessary and exorbitant expenses, perhaps charged by enterprises owned wholly or in part by the attorney or some other folks who are working closely with the attorney.
With contingency fees another sub-issue is what constitutes expenses. Some retainer agreements charge for things most reputable tort law firms would never charge for: postage, in-house copying, in-house phone and faxes, in-house word and data processing, in-house investigator fees, etc. Sometimes a firm will even assign a number — say $1,500 or more — to these general non-case specific expenses and state in the retainer they intend to take this out of the first funds received. In contrast, reputable firms charge costs in a personal injury suit for direct expenses on behalf of the client, such as expert witnesses, deposition transcripts from independent firms, court fees, actual expenses incurred when the attorney or investigator travels to some forsaken spot to track down and interview a witness specific to your case, etc., as opposed to office overhead type expenses.
Hybrid arrangements. Some attorneys may suggest a hybrid arrangement. You might have to come up with a promise to pay the expenses (and perhaps even the attorney’s hours at a reduced rate) whether the attorney wins or loses your case. You may have to pay just the direct expenses or maybe even pay the overhead type of expenses. These arrangements sometimes occur if the attorney or firm simply is not big enough to afford the expenses should you lose, but generally that concept is coupled with the fact that the attorney or firm may think that the case you have is a bit too risky.
So if you have been shopping around and find the more traditional and specialized tort law firms aren’t interested in your case, you need to get a reading on why. Usually their letter to you will simply say they don’t have the time, but you need to get some information (which will never be in writing because it would hurt you if it was) as to whether they think your case is too small for them (the damages aren’t solid enough because you haven’t been sufficiently injured, there is no defendant who has money, etc.), or too risky (the question of liability isn’t solid enough because the law is weak, your facts are weak, etc.) Liability in a tort case has to do with whether you were owed by duty by someone, whether that duty was breached, and whether the breach of duty caused you harm. Damages in a tort case involve loss of time from work, medical costs, loss of enjoyment of life, etc.
Comparison shop among law firms; look at their retainer agreements and anything else they may have in print or on the web. Don’t sign anything until you’ve had a chance to take it home and look it over. Always make decisions in a less stressful, less rushed environment. Then you’ll be able to make your own informed decision on how to proceed.
You might want to believe that the attorney will take care of everything and hopefully they will take care of most things, but you must stay on top of things no matter what. That means you must understand generally the time line for your case and check in to assure your case is on track. You need regular communication. You must carefully read everything your lawyer sends you and not sign things in blank. You must respond in a timely fashion to your lawyers requests for information and assistance. Etc.
One problem arises if a worker or his/her attorney doesn’t factor in what may happen in the future with respect to medical care. In workers’ compensation, a settlement is based upon amounts assigned to cover permanent disability, vocational rehabilitation, future medical care, etc. These are each separate numbers which together comprise the settlement offer. When a workers’ compensation case is settled, not everything needs to be settled. However, if certain parts of the case are “left open” – such as future medical care – the settlement offer is often much less than if the future medical claims are settled. If the worker settles out future medical care, this means the worker will be prohibited from going back to the workers’ compensation carrier for future medical care.
The total amount of cash offered to the worker will never really cover what the worker will need in the future to offset the disability, to pay for vocational rehabilitation, to cover future medical care, etc., but the case must either be settled or go to trial. Some injured workers may want to settle their case for more money and waive future medical care. Some attorneys may advise them to do so. Workers may need the money now. The worker may believe there will be fewer medical problems related to the work-related injury in the future or that some other insurance may cover the medical care. On the other hand, the worker may think the future will hold problems, not be willing to take the chance, be willing to take a smaller cash settlement and refuse to settle the future medical care component of their workers’ compensation case.
Some see a conflict here should an attorney advise a worker to settle out future medical care. Since that will provide a bigger pot of settlement money which provides both the worker and the lawyer more in their respective shares, some may think the lawyer is urging such a settlement just to have a bigger share in attorney fees. Does that mean that you and your workers’ comp attorney have a conflict about fees? Not necessarily. Remember there are other reasons to settle out future medical care. For example, you might be unable to get the medical care you want through the system it may just be too big a hassle and you might decide to take the money and get out.
A second problem arises in how the worker and the attorney view the temporary disability period. The temporary disability period may be flexible. It depends on the medical evaluator and other factors.
Again the workers’ compensation case will not cover what the worker will need in the future. Some injured workers may want to return to work as quickly as possible after the medical provider is sure that this is safe. Some workers may hesitate despite medical advice that it is safe to go back to work. Some attorneys may advise them to hesitate.
If one believes it is best for a worker to return to work as soon as it is medically appropriate and not rely on an inadequate workers’ compensation system, one may see a conflict should an attorney advise a worker to extend time on temporary disability. By staying longer on temporary disability, there is a larger pot of money that may ultimately go to the worker in the case; that larger pot is also the basis for a larger attorney fee. Staying off work longer can lead to problems. Going back to work to soon may also lead to problems. The solution here is that the attorney and worker should thoroughly discuss all options.
The key here is for the injured worker to make a reasoned decision. Know what you are facing. Consider the reality of the future. Listen to the advice of your attorney and then make your own decision.
1There are problems in the workers’ compensation system regarding settlements because the system does not provide adequate compensation to an injured worker. Sometimes this inadequacy leads to what may appear as a conflict between an attorney and his or her client. There is no need for conflict if the worker and attorney carefully discuss all aspects of the case. | 2019-04-21T08:17:00Z | https://www.oshaction.org/solve-osh-problems/how-to-select-an-attorney/ |
Home > Subjects > Optical information, image for ..
In this chapter, we present a method to analyze the image-sticking phenomenon of the liquid crystal display (LCD). Image-sticking phenomenon is one of the severe problems that deteriorate image quality of not only LCD but also other display systems such as OLED and CRT. First, we have categorized the main factors of the image sticking and then simulated the proportion of these factors by using the experimental data. We expect that this method of analysis can be utilized to understand the basic mechanism of the image sticking and to solve the chronic problem of LCDs.
Near infrared spectroscopy in both frequency domain and time domain has many biomedical applications: mainly brain measurements; monitoring tumour chemotherapy responses; diffuse optical spectroscopic tomography imaging; and pulse oximetry.
Advances in the eye care telemedicine system aid the diabetic patients in remote areas to stop the unwanted visit to ophthalmologist, reduces overall cost, time and money. Diabetic retinopathy, which is the primary cause of sight loss, has the most common symptoms like microaneurysms, haemorrhages, cotton-wool spots, exudates and drusen. In this work, an efficient approach for the automatic detection of haemorrhages in colour retinal images is proposed and validated. The colour retinal images captured from the diabetic patients are enhanced by an effective pre-processor. A bag of features based on intensity, colour and texture are extracted. Finally, the features are classified with the help of partial least square classifier. The classifier performance is validated on two publicly available databanks. The developed method obtains an area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.98 with an average execution time of 6 s. This application outperforms the existing approaches with high robustness and efficiency.
Roads as important artificial objects are the main body of modern traffic system, which provide many conveniences for human civilization. With the development of remote sensing and hyperspectral imaging technology, how to automatically and accurately extract road network from high-resolution multispectral satellite images has become a hot and challenging research topic of geographic information technology. In this paper, an automatic road extraction method from high-resolution multispectral satellite images is proposed by using multiple saliency features. Firstly, road edge is extracted by detecting local linear edge with Singular value decomposition (SVD). Secondly, road regions are constructed by K-means clustering after extracting the feature of background difference. Then road network is achieved by integrating multiple saliency features with Total variation (TV) based image fusion algorithm. Finally, the non-road parts and noises are removed from road network by optimizing multiple salient features with post-processing and morphological operations. The experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve a superior performance in completeness and correctness.
This paper aims to facilitate the macroscopic design of radiation-controlling metasurfaces with the goal of satisfying specific far-field performance criteria rather than a desired field or power patten. The source reconstruction method, a welldeveloped technique for antenna measurements, is modified to accept a collection of far-field performance criteria. Solving the resulting nonlinear inverse source problem results in a set of electric and magnetic currents that directly relate to tangential fields required for established metasurface design methods. The proposed technique is presented along with a preliminary example demonstrating the capabilities of the basic framework.
As the physical size of single pixels in digital cameras grows smaller, the captured images are increasingly affected by defocused blurring and consequently valuable details are lost. Different aperture patterns have already been proposed to mitigate this problem based on presumed conditions, which maybe violated in practise. Sensor characteristics and current photometric scene properties have been largely ignored in the design of aperture patterns in the literature. In this study, a number of perceptually optimised coded apertures are introduced for defocused deblurring. These apertures are specifically designed considering illumination conditions, sensor specifications and human visual system characteristics. The designed patterns are compared with circular apertures of equal throughput and pinhole aperture. Experiments show signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gains of up to 0.35 and 2 dB over circular and pinhole apertures, respectively. To study the trade-off between diffraction and deblurring gains, the proposed binary masks are enhanced by smoothing and morphological operations, which can yield non-binary and rounded binary patterns. The results of the authors’ study show that rounded binary patterns improve diffraction behaviour while maintaining the desired SNR level.
The depth measurement error of bionic eyes consisting of two active cameras is derived by considering the eyes’ rotation angle errors and image feature extraction errors. The effect factors of the depth measurement are obtained from the calculation formula of depth error. Based on the analysis of these effect factors, some effective guidelines for bionic eyes are proposed to reduce the measurement errors. The guidelines suggest keeping long baseline, observing the target as nearly as possible, controlling two active cameras with the same angular velocity and keeping the target on Z w axis if possible. The simulation experiments and practical experiments in bionic eyes platform validate the effectiveness of the proposed guidelines.
Can surgical simulation be used to train detection and classification of neural networks?
Computer-assisted interventions (CAI) aim to increase the effectiveness, precision and repeatability of procedures to improve surgical outcomes. The presence and motion of surgical tools is a key information input for CAI surgical phase recognition algorithms. Vision-based tool detection and recognition approaches are an attractive solution and can be designed to take advantage of the powerful deep learning paradigm that is rapidly advancing image recognition and classification. The challenge for such algorithms is the availability and quality of labelled data used for training. In this Letter, surgical simulation is used to train tool detection and segmentation based on deep convolutional neural networks and generative adversarial networks. The authors experiment with two network architectures for image segmentation in tool classes commonly encountered during cataract surgery. A commercially-available simulator is used to create a simulated cataract dataset for training models prior to performing transfer learning on real surgical data. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to train deep learning models for surgical instrument detection on simulated data while demonstrating promising results to generalise on real data. Results indicate that simulated data does have some potential for training advanced classification methods for CAI systems.
To improve the measurement accuracy of an absolute imaging position encoder, a novel edge detection method is developed to accurately detect the edges of grating lines based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD). First, according to the characteristics of the absolute position coding image (APCI), the vertical projection of the grey-level APCI is achieved by conventional grey-level transformation. Then, the vertical projection contour is decomposed by an EMD method and a finite number of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are achieved. Next, the last two IMFs are used to describe the trend of the projection contour. The trend is used as adaptive thresholds to divide the vertical projection contour into different intervals. Finally, the second derivate of the vertical projection contour is applied to obtain the accurate edges in each interval. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method is more robust to heavy noise, bad illumination and a slope compared with the existing methods with respect to edge detection. Also, the proposed method achieves better measurement accuracy than the existing methods.
In multi-sensor data fusion based on multiple features, the high dimensionality of feature space increases the runtime and computational complexity. The present study proposes a new algorithm based on the combination of random subspace (RS), linear discriminant analysis and sparse regularisation (LDASR), namely RS–LDASR for feature space dimensionality reduction, supervised feature selection, and learning. The use of RSs can effectively solve the problem of high dimensionality and high feature-to-instance ratio. The extraction of multiple features from the images raises the possibility of a correlation between features which reduce classification accuracy. In this study, after the construction of several RSs, supervised feature selection and learning based on LDASR were applied with very high accuracy. Classification and image fusion for remote sensing data analysis were tested by the implementation of feature-based fusion on two pairs of fused synthetic aperture radar and optical data. Four feature matrices were constructed using attribute profiles (APs), multi-APs (MAPs), non-negative matrix factorisation (NMF), and textural features. Support vector machine and rotation forest were applied as the base classifiers. The results show that use of RS–LDASR significantly improved the classification accuracy based on NMF plus texture features and even NMF alone.
Speckle noise is the main cause of image degradation in optical coherence tomography, which makes denoising an essential process to obtain quality images. This study proposes a wavelet-based denoising technique in which detail coefficients are assigned weights using similarity measures of Pearson's correlation coefficient and structural similarity index (SSIM). Stationary wavelet transform is used for SSIM which is an image quality measure is used as optimisation criterion to denoise images in this study. Procedure of weight computation is discussed in detail. Average of these detailed components is used to denoise the images. Comparison of proposed technique with the existing techniques has been carried out at length. Extensive qualitative and quantitative analysis reveal that the proposed technique is efficient and performs better in terms of noise reduction while maintaining the structural contents of the image.
Mining smartness from vision organs found in nature becomes of much interest in optical applications such as imaging, display, or lighting. Unlike conventional bulk optics, miscellaneous hierarchical structures at micro- or nanoscale deliver highly efficient light management with a small form factor. For example, natural species have evolved their eyes to obtain all necessary visual information from surrounding environment. Natural imaging schemes can be chiefly classified by three different types of pinholes, camera, and compound eyes. Pinhole eyes found in clam are sensitive enough to allow the animals to protect themselves from dangerous environment but not so sensitive to collect all visual inputs. Unlike other types, the pinhole eye as one of natural eyes with the simplest and thinnest optical configurations is well known for infinite depth-of-field, i.e., no blurred imaging depending on object distance and thus these unique features have been implemented on early-stage simple camera imaging systems. Besides, advanced pinhole eyes are also found in viper snakes of Crotalinae and some python of Boidae, which combine both pinhole eye and ordinary camera eye in order to confer infrared (IR) as well as visible imaging for warm-blooded preys. Compound eyes found in arthropods exhibit many intriguing features for wide field-of-view (FOV), fast motion detection, polarization sensing, color imaging, or high-resolution imaging with compact optical configuration unlike other types. They comprise arrays of integrated optical units called ommatidia. The individual component consists of a facet lens, a crystalline cone, a light-guiding rhabdom, and photoreceptor cells. Furthermore, nature exhibits ten different optical schemes of compound eyes, which have some attractive figures-of-merits for sustainable life style in visual acuity, photon collection efficiency, and polarization or spectral sensitivity. Such biological inspiration recently and actively provides new opportunities for improving optical capability of conventional imaging systems by incorporating nano- and microfabrication methods and furthermore it delivers technical solutions for miniaturized optical systems in medical, industrial, and military fields. In this chapter, we will review engineering approach inspired from diverse biological organs, which can be utilized for miniaturized optical systems in diverse optical applications.
In this reported work, three types of microlenses, the whole microsphere solid lens (W-SL), the melted microsphere solid lens (M-SL) and the microsphere solid lens semi-immersed in SU-8 resist (S-SL), have been fabricated from mircospheres with a diameter of 2.87 µm. Their imaging properties on the nanosphere arrays with diameters of 280–600 nm were experimentally studied. It was found that the shape of the microlens plays an important role in the imaging properties. The imaging resolution of the S-SL is the best as more high Fourier components of the object can be coupled into the lens, while the magnification (∼2.0×) of the M-SL is the largest.
Scanned laser pico projectors utilising laser light sources and microelectromechanical systems mirror devices introduce geometric distortion to the displayed images because of nonlinear mirror driving methods. A pre-processing algorithm is proposed that corrects the nonlinear geometric distortion of scanned laser pico projectors. The distortion is modelled as blockwise homography transforms. The geometry of the images being displayed is pre-distorted using the pixel indices obtained by the backward blockwise homography transforms. The pre-distorted images are displayed by the pico projector whose geometrical distortion undoes the pre-distortion such that distortion-free images can be displayed. The proposed algorithm requires a small amount of information stored in the memory and three bilinear interpolations per pixel, thus providing an efficient way to correct nonlinear distortion without additional optical components, such as aspherical lenses.
A three-dimensional (3D) terahertz (THz) computed tomography system with a THz quantum cascade laser as the source and a quantum well photodetector as the receiver is demonstrated. By utilising the algebraic reconstruction technique for image reconstruction, both the external and internal structures of the cross-section are revealed. The iterative algorithm not only reduces the projections, but also provides good suppression of the beam hardening effect. Finally, the 3D image is built by stacking the images at different heights.
Source: IET International Conference on Technologies for Active and Assisted Living (TechAAL), 2015, p. 6 . - 6 .
The Kinect v2 sensor, developed by Microsoft, enables low-cost 3-D motion analysis without the need of markers or other attachments on the human body. Via free Software Development Kit the spatial location of 25 body joints can be extracted at a frame rate of 30 fps. This study evaluates the accuracy of skeleton joint angles obtained by the Kinect in comparison to the golden standard, the marker based Vicon Nexus. A total of 28 subjects and 16 different static postures are analysed using the Bland-Altmann plot. The absolute median differences over all subjects and postures resolve in less than 10° per joint angle. The calculation of the upper body rotation along the longitudinal axis as well as the neck angle appear to be inefficient throughout the Kinect device as they result in high deviations (up to -31.0° ± 9.1° and 24.0° ± 3.5°, respectively) from the Vicon system in the end-range regions. This can be due to the image reconstruction algorithms of the Kinect sensor, which do not expect body segments in those postures evaluated. The remaining upper body inclinations and joint angles resolve in higher accuracies with a median difference of less than 7.2°. This features the Kinect to be a promising tool for kinematic analyses outside laboratories, where the use of marker-based motion capture systems is difficult.
Source: 2015 IET International Conference on Biomedical Image and Signal Processing (ICBISP 2015), 2015, p. 5 . - 5 .
A robust color image watermark scheme using kinoform is proposed. The kinoform has relatively less information than regular computer-generated hologram (CGH) as a watermark image embedded in a color Lena. The kinoform is transformed into a non-cascade iterative encrypted kinoform watermark with non-cascade phase retrieve algorithm and random fractional Fourier transform. This kinoform watermark is embedded in the color cover image, which can be extracted with the only right phase key and right fractional order, and reconstructed to represent original watermark image. In color image, our experimental results have been shown in high security, good imperceptibly, and robustness to resist attacks, such as noise, compression, cropping and so on. | 2019-04-22T08:02:15Z | https://digital-library.theiet.org/content/subject/a4230v |
The December 2013 online discussion group of the Mormon Transhumanist Association will be on Saturday, December 28, at 10:30am mountain time (9:30am PST, 12:30pm EST, 5:30pm UK, 6:30pm EU), in Google+ Hangouts.
The proposed launch of a “Transfigurist Network” as an umbrella organization to coordinate the work of different religious transhumanist associations, such as the MTA and the CTA. The term “transfigurism” denotes advocacy for change in form, and alludes to sacred stories from many religious traditions. This meeting will analyze the recent online discussions and plan the following steps.
We cordially invite you to submit papers, artwork, photography, poetry, and music for the 2014 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, which will be held on April 4th, 2014, in Salt Lake City, UT. The aim of this conference is to address the many issues and topics that lie at the intersection of technology and religion, and their impacts on society, and culture including art, music, and entertainment. Contributions need not focus only on specifically Mormon religious issues.
Selected artwork will be displayed at the venue during the conference. Poetry and music may be chosen to be presented or performed during the conference (similar to the choral performances last year).
Papers should be approximately two to seven pages in length.
Authors of accepted papers will be given either 5 or 15 minutes to present the ideas in their papers at the conference depending on whether their papers are accepted for a short or for a long presentation.
A selection of the best of these contributions (including the poetry and artwork) will subsequently be published in the conference proceedings, which will be made available online and potentially in print form. Therefore, papers should be written with the intent of eventual publication in mind (full citations, references, footnotes, etc.). Authors whose papers are selected for publication will be given an editor to work with, to prepare their final paper for publication.
Please send submissions in RTF, PDF, or MS Word format to [email protected], by email attachment. Include author's full name, contact information, and title.
For more information, visit the official website of the Mormon Transhumanist Association at transfigurism.org.
Conference Paper Deadline: February 1st.
Presentation Notification Date: February 20th.
For further conference related questions please contact [email protected]. For further publication / formatting questions, please contact the publication editor, James L. Carroll, at [email protected].
The November 2013 Discussion Group of the Mormon Transhumanist Association will be on Saturday, November 23, at 10:30am mountain time (9:30am PST, 12:30pm EST, 5:30pm UK, 6:30pm EU), in Google+ Hangouts.
Religious, social, and cultural differences between Mormonism and mainstream Christianity. One of the objectives of the discussion will be to find ways to take advantage of the MTA experience to facilitate the launch of a Christian Transhumanist Association (CTA).
The Mormon Transhumanist Association is co-sponsoring a lecture by Dr Amit Goswami on Thursday 14 November at 7pm Mountain Time in the Eccles Auditorium on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. He will speak on the subject of quantum physics and health, including discussion of integrating conventional science, spirituality and healing.
Goswami is a professor of theoretical nuclear physics (retired) at the University of Oregon where he served since 1968. He is a pioneer of the new paradigm of science called “science within consciousness”, an idea he explicated in his seminal book, The Self-Aware Universe, where he also solved the quantum measurement problem elucidating the famous observer effect. Goswami has written several other popular books based on his research on quantum physics and consciousness. More information is available on his website.
Admission to the lecture is free. The Eccles Auditorium is on the 6th floor of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Parking is underneath the Huntsman Cancer Institute and is free.
The October 2013 Discussion Group of the Mormon Transhumanist Association will be on Saturday, October 26, at 10:30am mountain time (9:30am PST, 12:30pm EST, 5:30pm UK, 6:30pm EU), in Google+ Hangouts. If you have already participated in an association online discussion group, you know what to do. Otherwise, please join Google+ and the Mormon Transhumanist Association community on Google+, add Giulio Prisco and Lincoln Cannon to a circle, and let us know that you wish to participate so we can invite you.
- Impressions from the recent London Futurists meeting on Futurism, Spirituality, and Faith, with Carl Youngblood and Giulio Prisco.
The Mormon Transhumanist Association and the Teilhard de Chardin Project have formed an institutional partnership to promote familiarity with Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a twentieth century philosopher and Jesuit priest whose life and works continue to inspire modern Transhumanism, an ideological identity that reflects Teilhard de Chardin's observations that humanity is approaching a critical "trans-human" stage in our evolution.
The Teilhard de Chardin Project will produce a two-hour television biography, tentatively entitled The Evolution of Teilhard de Chardin, interpreting the life and philosophy of Teilhard, a contemporary of Einstein, and a powerful voice for both evolutionary science and religion in the twentieth century, plus a robust interactive website. Produced by Frank Frost Productions, LLC, the documentary will be accompanied by a multifaceted Internet outreach that provides opportunities for viewers to dialogue with one another and scholars from around the world on topics introduced by Teilhard’s sweep of ideas. More information is available on the Teilhard de Chardin Project website.
The council of scholar advisors for the project includes Stephen R. White, professor in the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies at Appalachian State University, author of many articles contextualizing Teilhard’s thought in global education (including “Teilhardian Thought, Cyberspace and Educational Organization,” Sage Publications, 2013), and member of the Mormon Transhumanist Association.
The Mormon Transhumanist Association is an international nonprofit organization that promotes radical flourishing in compassion and creation through technology and religion, as outlined in the Transhumanist Declaration and the Mormon Transhumanist Affirmation. Although we are neither a religious organization nor affiliated with any religious organization, we support our members in their personal religious affiliations, Mormon or otherwise, and encourage them to adapt Transhumanism to their unique situations.
Association CIO Carl Youngblood will be presenting at the upcoming European Mormon Studies Conference, taking place Saturday, 14 December 2013 from 10am to 6pm at the Hyde Park LDS Chapel in London.
The subject of Carl’s presentation is “Demythologizing Mormonism.” Theologian Paul Tillich described “myths” as a special subset of the symbols of faith in the form of “stories about divine-human encounters.” Contrary to popular understanding, such myths are not untrue. They can even be, and often are, based on historical events. But their strength is not derived from their historicity. It comes from their being powerful motivational narratives that will still be relevant long after the historical incidents that led to their emergence. The experiences of the "mythic" heros of Mormonism, most notably Joseph Smith, continue to resonate with believers throughout the world. But the gap between the modern world and the one that Joseph inhabited continues to widen, and a work of translation is necessary if these narratives are to continue to motivate contemporary audiences. This paper explores how paradigm shifts can render myths inaccessible and how myths must be "broken" (in Tillich's parlance) in order to remain relevant. It also examines some potential applications of Tillich's theory to Mormon doctrines and practices.
Carl Youngblood has worked professionally as a software engineer for over fifteen years. He received a bachelor's degree in Portuguese from Brigham Young University and a masters in computer science from the University of Washington. He co-founded the Mormon Transhumanist Association in 2006, where he currently serves as director and CIO.
Metro World News interviewed Carl Young, director and chief information officer of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, on the subject of Mormon Transhumanism. Carl briefly addressed the challenges of working to bridge religious and scientific worldviews, while sharing some thoughts on God and human potential. Read more at the Metro World News website about "Transhumanism: Mormons and scientists unite for life-extension".
Adam Ford, a director of Humanity+, interviewed Karl Hale, director and chief financial officer of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, for a Mormon Transhumanist perspective on Calico, Google's anti-aging initiative. Humanity+ and the Mormon Transhumanist Association are affiliates. The interview is available on YouTube. It is also embedded below for your convenience.
Carl Youngblood, director and chief information officer of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, will present to the London Futurists at the Birkbeck College of the University of London on Saturday 21 September 2013. His presentation will be part of a conference on the topic of "Futurism, Spirituality and Faith".
Carl will emphasize the ongoing relevance of religion in modern life and how greater awareness of and accommodation for human religiosity will be essential for a successful transition to positive posthuman futures. Also presenting at the conference, association member Giulio Prisco will argue that future science may achieve all the promises and mental benefits of religion without being based on outmoded theories. Other panelists will present various points of view, including a defense of secular science in opposition to religion and an argument for the importance of being aware of religious trends. More details can be found on the event's meetup page.
On the June 23rd in a special leadership broadcast, Elder L. Tom Perry announced that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be rolling out a program to allow its full-time missionaries to use Facebook and other new media platforms to connect with investigators and potential converts. This change is part of a broader trend toward more online engagement by the LDS Church.
The Internet occupies an important place within the unfolding history of religion. The Internet is a powerful tool that presents many challenges and opportunities within religious communities. In recent General Conference addresses, high-ranking LDS Church leaders have encouraged members to be actively engaged in online communities.
A new internet survey examining how Mormons use the Internet aims to explore how Mormons engage with online communities. This survey fills a gap in the existing literature within the Study of Media and Religion. The field of Media and Religion is growing quickly and is in desperate need of quality research about Mormonism. The literature that does exist is outdated and only anecdotal. Existing studies do not capture the complexity of Mormon life or community on the internet. The unique place of Mormonism and the positive interaction with technology has the potential to expand the discussion within academic circles, creating a constructive conversation. This survey and subsequent studies will help situate Mormonism and Mormons’ experiences in this important moment in history.
To take the survey click on this link.
The survey was constructed to use questions from existing studies, such as research from the Pew Center. This design enables the researchers to to compare and contrast the findings of this survey with previous studies, creating a more robust analysis.
Many of the questions in this survey necessarily simplify complex religious and spiritual issues. Close-ended questions are difficult to craft and are necessarily blunt instruments. This is a huge limitation of all survey research, but it is unfortunately unavoidable. Please try to identify the answer that best reflects your opinion even if the choices presented don't exactly match your views.
When participating in the portion of the study directly related to internet usage, if the sites you visit are not listed, please take the few second to fill in the ‘other’ box. Your feedback in these boxes will improve this survey, and provide vital information for future survey construction. Despite the limitations of this survey, it does provide a snapshot of Mormon Internet usage and the more participants the clearer the picture.
The survey has ethics approval from the University of Cambridge and the results of this study will be shared with general and academic audiences. In addition to the general presentation of the results, participants who are interested in a report of the results of the survey will be sent a copy.
About the principle investigators of the study: Brad Jones is a Doctoral candidate in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Jessica Finnigan is an Advanced Diploma student in Religious Studies at the University of Cambridge.
Chris Bradford, Vice President of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, will speak at the Sunstone Symposium at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Saturday 3 August at 9:45am. Chris will present his paper, "Bodies without End," drawing on the work of James Faulconer and David Paulsen, dealing with Mormon conceptions of embodiment — both human and divine — and on the work of Antonio d’Amasio and Douglas Hofstadter, dealing with identity, embodiment, and emotion, to propose a model of embodiment that fits Joseph Smith’s teachings on spirit bodies, physical bodies, resurrected bodies, and God’s body. More information is available in the conference program and on the Sunstone website.
James Carroll answered the question, "What is Transhumanism?"
Carl Youngblood shared "Transhumanist Parallels in Mormonism" and "A Transhumanist Interpretation of the Gospel".
Lincoln Cannon explained why "Mormonism Mandates Transhumanism".
Chris Bradford wrote on "Mormon Transhumanism Criticisms and Responses".
What are the Talmage Awards?
James E. Talmage is a notable Mormon scientist who served as an Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1911 and 1933. In memory of Talmage, the Mormon Transhumanist Association seeks to identify and publicly recognize outstanding contributors to the work of promoting radical flourishing in compassion and creation through technology and religion. This year, Association members will nominate and vote for candidates in various categories, such as "Best Mormon Transhumanist Blog," "Best Speech on Science and Religion," "Biggest Idea in Religious Transhumanism," and so forth. The Association will then announce winners and provide "Talmage Award Winner" web badges that winners can post to their websites.
During the nominations phase, categories are proposed, as well as candidates for each category. Association members then vote on which candidate should win each category.
What are the rules for nominating?
Anyone is eligible to propose a category or a candidate in that category.
No more than three nominations per author per nominator: otherwise it's hard for the readers to read all the nominations and get exposed to their work.
Example 1: James is a big fan of Carl's work. James cannot nominate more than three of Carl's pieces.
Example 2: Carl thinks his own work is perfect for almost every category. He cannot nominate more than three of his own works.
Post your category and award nominations in the comments of this post. Discussion can of course take place anywhere (e.g. the Association's Google Group or Facebook page), but nominations must make their way into the comments of this post to be considered.
What will the award web badges look like?
Do you have a model you're patterning the Talmage Awards after?
Our inspirations are the Brodie Awards (voting and results) and the Association for Mormon Letters.
Who is managing this project?
Brad Carmack, with assistance from Karl Hale and others. You are welcome and invited to help manage the project. Contact [email protected].
Access: SYN provides open access for all young people to participate in its community.
Independence: SYN produces content free from commercial and other external pressures.
Participation: SYN supports young people to take charge of media creation, training and governance.
Diversity: SYN actively encourages a range of youth perspectives, cultures and ideas.
Innovation: SYN celebrates quality, and supports creativity and flexibility in its programming and operations.
The Mormon Transhumanist Association is pleased to announce the preliminary schedule for our 2013 Conference, which will be held on 5 April 2013 from 9:00am to 5:45pm in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the level four conference room of the Salt Lake City Public Library. Speakers will address the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion. Previous conferences sponsored by the Mormon Transhumanist Association include the 2012 conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, the 2010 Transhumanism and Spirituality conference, and the 2009 Mormonism and Engineering conference. Keynote speakers will be Aubrey de Grey and Richard Bushman. Special guests Carl Teichrib and Peter Wicks will offer critiques of religious Transhumanism. Other speakers will include association members and leadership. The conference is open to the public. Register now!
Future Day is 1 March, and the Mormon Transhumanist Association invites you to join us for lunch and casual conversation about the future at the Thanksgiving Point Tower Deli in Lehi, Utah, at 11:45am on 1 March 2013. Bring your friends and family, and of course your thoughts and questions about a future of radical flourishing in compassion and creation through technology and religion.
Please consider submitting a paper proposal for the “Transhumanism and Religion” Group session at the November, 2013 American Academy of Religion annual meeting in Baltimore. Deadline for submitting a proposal is Monday, March 4.
This Group welcomes papers on any aspect of transhumanism and religion and seeks perspectives from a variety of religious traditions. We encourage feminist analyses and more overtly philosophical critiques of posthuman discourse and we encourage original research. Papers may identify and critically evaluate any implicit religious beliefs, practices, and values that might underlie key transhumanist claims, goals, values, and assumptions. For example, are there operative notions of anthropology, soteriology, ethics, and eschatology at play in transhumanist quests? Papers might consider how transhumanism challenges religious traditions to develop their own ideas of the human future; in particular, the prospect of human transformation, whether by technological or other means. Papers may provide critical and constructive assessments of an envisioned future that place greater confidence in nanotechnology, robotics, and information technology to achieve virtual immortality and create a superior posthuman species.
“Transhumanism” or “human enhancement” refers to an intellectual and cultural movement that advocates the use of a variety of emerging technologies. The convergence of these technologies may make it possible to take control of human evolution, providing for the enhancement of human mental and physical abilities deemed desirable and the amelioration of aspects of the human condition regarded as undesirable. These enhancements include the radical extension of healthy human life. If these enhancements become widely available, it would arguably have a more radical impact than any other development in human history — one need only reflect briefly on the economic, political, and social implications of some of the extreme enhancement possibilities. The implications for religion and the religious dimensions of human enhancement technologies are enormous and are addressed in our Group. We are interested in encouraging and providing a forum for a broad array of input from scholars, including Asian and feminist perspectives. For more information, or to be placed on a very occasional mailing list, contact Calvin Mercer, East Carolina University, [email protected].
The Mormon Transhumanist Association invites you to help advertise the 2013 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, which will be held on 5 April 2013 from 9:00am to 5:45pm in the Salt Lake City Public Library conference room level 4, with keynote speakers Aubrey de Grey and Richard Bushman.
The Mormon Expositor podcast has published an interview with Lincoln Cannon, president of the Mormon Transhumanist Association, and James Carroll, a director of the association.
The Mormon Expositor is a biweekly podcast leveraging a panel discussion format and focusing on Mormon doctrine, practices, culture, and history. Its regular panel and board of directors is made up of both believers and non-believers. They value honest and frank discussions that entertain and enlighten while remaining respectful. Additionally, they strive to present accurate information supported by reliable and accessible sources.
The Mormon Transhumanist Association invites you to submit papers for its 2013 conference, which will be held on Friday 5 April 2013 in Salt Lake City. The association has extended by one week the deadline for submitting paper proposals. The extended deadline is Saturday 19 January 2013. For more information about the call, including suggested topics and important dates, see the original call.
For more information about the conference, including biographical information on keynote speakers Aubrey de Grey and Richard Bushman, see the original announcement. Early conference registration discounts are available, so register today!
The Mormon Transhumanist Association is pleased to announce that Dr Aubrey de Grey will be a keynote speaker at our 5 April 2013 conference in Salt Lake City. He will speak on "Why it is a sin NOT to strive to develop medicine that eliminates aging". Aubrey is a biomedical gerontologist based in Cambridge, UK and Mountain View, California, USA, and is the Chief Science Officer of SENS Foundation, a California-based 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to combating the aging process. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Rejuvenation Research, the world’s highest-impact peer-reviewed journal focused on intervention in aging. He has developed a possibly comprehensive plan for the repair of all the accumulating and eventually pathogenic molecular and cellular side-effects of metabolism (“damage”) that constitute mammalian aging, termed Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS), which breaks aging down into seven major classes of damage and identifies detailed approaches to addressing each one.
As announced previously, Dr Richard Bushman will also be a keynote speaker at the conference. He will speak on "From Humanity to Fulness the Mormon Way". Richard retired as Gouverneur Morris Professor of History at Columbia University in 2001, and then came out of retirement in 2008 to accept a position as visiting Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling and Co-General Editor of the Joseph Smith Papers. He chairs the Board of Directors of the Mormon Scholars Foundation which fosters the development of young LDS scholars. With his wife Claudia Bushman, he is the father of six children and twenty grandchildren. He has been a bishop, stake president, and patriarch and is currently a sealer in the Manhattan Temple.
Aubrey and Richard will be joined by guest speakers Carl Teichrib, speaking on "A Christian Critique of Christian Transhumanism", and Peter Wicks, speaking on "An Atheist Transhumanist Critique of Religious Transhumanism", as well as speakers from among the membership of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. Register for the conference today!
The association thanks Ben Goertzel for his gracious assistance, consequent to a schedule conflict, in making arrangements with Aubrey de Grey. | 2019-04-23T11:59:42Z | http://news.transfigurism.org/2013/ |
Please reply with your entry to the Story Teller event.
Quality of Story: 11/10 - Could be worse.
It was a peculiar day. The air was not too warm, not too cold and perfectly still. The blue-skinned man stood atop a hill, taking in the sweet smells and harmonious tunes of the morning. Endless forests stretched out before him in every direction, much to the elf's satisfaction. He sluggishly turned to the East upon hearing a faint noise, that of a wooden flute. It played a beautiful melody that might even have been mesmerising, had the druid not been aware of what it meant. He snapped awake and cast a Trumpet Spell.
"Faerie Rush to the East!" He cried out to anyone who would listen. "Has anyone seen the Earthbinder?"
A small cretinous imp approached him wearing a badge saying 'VIP 3'. He was grumbling furiously. "Ain't no Earthbinders 'round these parts. The gods should give out free Earthbinders because none of us can be bothered dealing with Faeries by ourselves". He continued, despite regular intervention from the gods explaining why they can't give out free Earthbinders. "You know, I bet if they do give out Earthbinders it will only be to the rich whale scum." The imp-creature showed no sign of calming down any time soon and the Elf had far better things to do, so he ignored the imp and moved on.
Before long, he arrived at the Castle, whereupon he was greeted by a line of human-angel soldiers. A stout man could be heard yelling across the battlements. "Alright people! Positions! Everyone with vigilance get to the back. I want a line of Magic Reflection as the vanguard, and every longbow we can find on the walls! Has anyone seen Sorann anywhere? If he's late, I'm not gonna forgive him!"
The hippie flute sounded again, this time much closer. "They're preparing to charge! Raise shields!"
There was a long flash of light, and the first row of faeries fell to the floor. "Good, the reflection is working. Keep it up!"
"Wait, sir, what's that?" A squire was pointing to a solitary figure on a mound, wielding a bow. "Oh god, they've got Plan B! Take cover!"
The horde of now very muscular fae overwhelmed the reflections and descended upon the vigilants and archers behind. Blood sprayed everywhere, limbs flying left right and center. Then, suddenly, a blinding aura appeared amidst the flurry of blades and wings. "Behold, the great Earthbinder has descended upon this earth to cleanse the battlefield!" The voice was great and booming, but not quite loud enough to hide the squire's saying "What's Blue Gandalf doing here? And why isn't he wearing a shirt?"
Peryton spoke, his voice very similar to that of Morgan Freeman. "Hello. I believe I'm here to kill all the faeries. First time on the job though, so I'll just be making it up as I go along." He began to speak to himself now. "The best way I know of to deal with fly people is to serve them. That's it!" Louder now, "Faeries, I challenge you to a Rap Battle!"
A Squire arrived, carrying a gramophone upon the instruction of "Lay down some sick beats.", and proceeded to lay down the aforementioned 'sick beats'.
irreducable damage; that's really just savage."
Extra movement and you even have flying?
C'mon, the Rangers just clearly aren't trying."
fusing with angels, you're worth less than some bagels."
It's a vigilance-beater even stronger than Soul Eater."
and your artist is really good with a brush.
but I've got one thing that turns you to mush!"
but that's your problem not mine - Now excuse me, I'm off to find the Whale Line."
At this point, Peryton dropped the mic and walked off the battlefield, leaving the Faeries to wallow in despair. "He's right. We're kinda arses. We should never have attacked such defenseles-" They were interrupted by the Earthbinder, who walked gingerly back onto the field. "Sorry, I forgot to actually use Stormwind." He conjured a blizzard, instantly obliterating the hordes of fae, and was approached by one of the squires. "Sir, why are you called Earthbinder if you use ice to attack?" "Ask Dema, my child. Dema knows."
Then, it came. It was like darkness had plunged into everyone's hearts. Falki had come, and he wasn't alone.
Falki drew two godlike cards from his deck, Plan B and Premeditation. One he threw to Narissa, the other he threw to the faeries.
With that, the faeries all grew in strength, and in numbers.
And with that she threw premeditation to the faeries, again they doubled is size, and in strength.
With a snap of his fingers, a huge blizzard stormed down on the faeries, grounding them and allowing the elfs to attack.
And with that, Falki never teamed with Narissa again, and the elven people of Elyria continued in living in harmony.
The Gods of Kings and Legends looked down upon their world of Elyria and were greatly distressed. Demadrend and LIlpwnd saw the ravages of Fairies powered by their wicked Generals Thoth and PomPom. They leaped over every creature in their path and destroyed even the fearsome Sorann with their Holy Power. Enough was Enough...The Gods whispered to the Developer and Earthbinder Peyton was brought into the world. Upon his birth every flying creature in the land was wiped out of existence, not only the Fairies that were rushing to dominance but Bats, Tengu, Pegasi, and The Mighty Winged Emperor. Ghast, The Justice, and brave priests using Judgement Gate pulled creatures from the grip of Deaths Graveyard and saved these races from complete destruction. Earthbinder was slain and each time the Fairies began to rise again was born anew to destroy the wickedness and restore the balance.
A week laiter a loud voice spoke : follow me i will help you to save the humanity by killing al the flying creatures for once so that you can feed the people and so that you can survive those hard days .
In a far away world ,Elyria was its name, lived a druid named Peryton who was born with a special ability: an ability that caused every flying creature an extremely gruesome and agonizing death. Although he was born a elf he was became considered as a renegade after he accidentaly killed his companions during a war and desobeying strict orders from the king himself: King Vel'Assar. The orders were pretty simple: he was to infiltarte then enemy's base in the surroundings of the Dragon empire and not leave that location untill he got order to do otherwise. How did that happen you ask?
It all started during a incredibly hot summer. Peryton was still a young druid so he was practising his magic in the woods like he usually did until something came, descending nfrom the sky at high speed, and crashed near a nearby vigilance tower; It was a beautiful fairy. He was astonished. The girl was gorgeous but it had wings! "How can it be?" asked Peryton, "She is alive!". He was perplexed; how can a living creature survive such a big fall? How didnt he killed her with his ability?
For the next few days Peryton took care of the girl who he found out was named "Queen Narissa" (she had been MIA for quite a while and the crown pretty much gave it away) but she didnt even remember who she was; she had amnesia. He figured out since she lost her flying capabilities his gift, or rather curse, didnt trigger.
Months went by and a strong relationship grew between them to a point they became lovers. Everything went well untill the dragons atacked. They were burning villages, freezing people and other creatures and causing havong among several nations.
King Vel'Assar had heard about Peryton and asked him to help them on the battlefield. Reluctant he acceped.
On the day he was parting Narissa followed him against his will, begging him to stay. But he didnt. He felt the need to protec his land, his home, his companions, his loved one; so he left.
Narissa, lost, searched for an audition with the King. She had to know, at least, where she lived, how did she lost her memory, what happened to the other fairies. Vell'Assar agreed under one circumstance: She were to help them fight the dragons; they would need all the power they could get to avoid more deaths, destruction and decay. After a little chat she left.
In a few days Elder Dragon Kane falled and, among the bloodshed, she remembered; she remembered everything. She was a ruthless queen, a fierce warrior and caused the undoing of many. She didnt kill to protect people, no. She did it to conquer the world, to gain power, to sow terror among the living creatures. She invaded the Dragon Empire several months before but she was careless and got caught by the Elder Dragon Cain, who removed her memories and disposed of her later since she was of no use to him. This war started out of her greed and the dragon's revenge. After the flashback ended she started to cry out loud; how could she do such terrible things? To redeem herself she asked Vel'Assar for Peryton's location so she could help him with is mission and try to stop the dragons fury; to which he refused saying it would be better for both to never meet again. She bursted into tears and left to the battlefield again. She was enraged and strted to slaughter everyone, enemies and allies alike. If she couldnt be with her loved one, how was she supposed to go on?
Notice spread about a traitor, who happened to be a fairy, in a nearby area. "Narissa" screamed Peryton while leaving his mission, in a hurry. He spend days searching for her untill he finally did; he saw an ominous version of the woman he fell in love with. He couldnt believe what he was seeing; she was annihilating everyone and everything with her holy light. He was so worried he ran to her trying to stop that madness and bringer to her older-self. But then it hit him; he was in the middle of the Elf's flying unit and they were all perishing. Once he saw Narissa fall, again, he held ner dead body on his arms among piles of pegasi corpses. He saw his loved one die in his arms;he couldnt handle the despair he was feeling. His world just died.
Peryton was judged by the Elf's court two months later. The veredict? He was to be exiled from the kingdom. His present killed more allies than enemies. The reason he had an infiltration mission was to not cause any harm to allies while giving them a hudge advantage. He failed, and the cost was high.
In the beginning there was only The World.
Zues king of gods favored the world. He would often notice The World was lonely and wept tears bringing rain. Zues blessed the skies, with lightning, turning The World's tears into shards as they fell.
These shards came in all forms. Human, halblood, elf, angel, undead, dragon, angel, demon,ogre. The shards glistened upon the ground. With one mighty bolt of lighting zeus shocked the land. Fusing shards into new life.
These new races walked the lands without direction. Savagely battling each other for no apparent reason. Every time a creature fell it returned to shards. The victors would eat the shards of there fallen foes and become even stronger.
The bloodshed was needless and zues consulted the minor gods, to resolve the imbalance of power among the races. The gods decided that each race must have a leader to lead its race. The gods forged generals with a maddening haste. Bringing forth life to great leaders such as Augustus, Bael, Chief Lionroar, and many more.
The humans that where not infused with the power of the shards created small containers that would hold the fragmented shards of fallen creatures known as cards.
Humans realized with there new technology they could harness the power of these races, so the humans made contracts with the weaker creatures promising them power and purpose. The more fights the humans won, the more resources they had to rank up the cards that served them faithfully.
These great battles became tradition for humans and all races alike. It was considered a great honor to do battle in the arena.
The gods saw these battles as one of the highest forms of tribute, watching all the creations that they had forged working together to entertain them. The gods continued to forge new more powerful creatures out of shards. They brought the world Tarots, Sins and Virtues.
The gods would not allow anyone to harness these powers, only the most devote that would pay tribute to the gods in gold and lesser tributes of silver for some of there lesser creatures.
The World was lonely no longer, and generation of life flourished across the land.
Mistakes were made, but whose?
"Peryton?", Silva inquired with a raised eyebrow, "Ah you're curious about the sullen, dutiful druid who stands guard at the silent forest edge. Undoubtedly you've heard what people call him, the Earthbinder. His tale is even more tragic then mine."
"Truth be told the story I've heard is hearsay, Druids live much longer then most of us due to ties to life itself, but I like to believe he told it to someone he trusted and it's been passed on honestly to those who wonder. Consider it for yourself..."
During his younger years Peryton joined the druids with the love of his life, Angelica. Together they learned to cherish life in all it's forms and with open-mindedness they were place on the forest border of Darkmoor. I say that because while we have a rough relationship with the neighboring Prince Serka, it was even rougher then we have now. They managed to befriend him and for a short time we had true peace between us elves and the undead. People like to rumor that he coveted Angelica but according to the story told to me the trio were inseparable friends.
Serka showed interest in the vampiric bats of the forest, unsurprisingly since they were like him, but living. They trained him even how to tame one, which he named Fleder. But this is another story. Unfortunately Prince Serka had a problem, he had found the love of his life among the living a while back and with her consent brought her over to the Undead. Lady Neferati though changed. No one was sure if it was relationship problems or the mentality of undeath, but they grew distant. But when he started hanging out with Angelica, nevermind Peryton, she grew deeply jealous.
For a while she tried her best to sabotage their friendship, even almost causing a war between the races before she was put in her place. Though despite being temporarily imprisoned she had sown one last seed of choas that came to fruit. A gift bottle of wine, supposedly from the prince.
Angelica took the first sip and was immediately beset by the poison, saving Peryton from mimicing it's fate. He quickly understood the fowl play and called upon Serka who would hopefully have the cure.
The Prince was there at once, but unfortunately there was only one way to save her, bringing her the embrace of undeath.
Angelica was comatose from the poison bringing her quickly to a swift death, which left Peryton to voice her fate.
"No, a druid understands the cycle of life and death. Even an early death, by unnatural means must be accepted in the cycle. Today she was a the prey, but it doesn't mean we have to forgive the preditor."
"But she can still live! Have I not proven to you that we are no different friend? We can save her and you choose to let her die?"
"She dreamed of being a druid, but she would be a druid no more. This is what she would want."
Prince Serka saw that he would not be moved but could not stand to watch her slowly succumb to death, he strode away but didn't get far before he had made up his mind. Utilizing Fleder he summoned his beast friends the vamperic bats and before Peryton could react swooped in and grabbed Angelica. "It's for the best Peryton! You'll see!"
Peryton grasped the forces of nature as he never had before waves of earth, vines jumped and branches bent but could not keep the bats from the sky with his love.
Days later, Angelica returned, no longer a Druid but a Vampiress. She tried her best to convince Peryton that nothing had changed, even the beasts she so loved reacted like normal to her.
But to Peryton she was dead and it was all his fault that she had left the cycle of life. He vowed to himself that never be left vulnerable to the creatures of the sky in stopping his duties to nature and trained his abilities thus.
Thus the tragic tale of Earthbinder Peryton continues as he remains watch of that border, no birds sing or insects buzz or bats fly near, in fear of his wrath. Even the fairies refuse to play in that area of the forest.
Silva the Frozen Heart smiled her rare smile, "So my Tengu friend you are safe walking through there but I wouldn't spread your wings... lest you tempt the fates."
Long ago the world was ruled by the 11 Master Races who were proud of their reign. Each race ruled their own side of this world.
Humans: Tried to stay together and civilized.
Beasts: These mighty beasts were located by caves.
Goblins: Were sneaky and lived by mountains.
Ogres: These fearsome creatures lived by the mountains as well to train their big bodies in combat.
Elves: Lived among nature protecting it from any danger.
Halfbloods: Were more tribal if anything they chose roles in their society and followed to the end.
Planes: These were gods and those only out of myths they didn't interrupt with the world unless necessary.
Dragons: These fearsome creatures have evolved heavily throughout time, some have become bigger monsters and some have become more human to increase their agility.
Celestials: Were beings that lived in the heavens and only came down to protect those in need.
Demons: These were the mightiest of them all and they resided in the Nether.
While all races respected each other some wanted to rise and take over their portion of the race. Multiple elves and celestials attempted and all failed. All were exiled and left to wander. This was what led them to meet and what started it all. These elves and celestials naturally hated each other but they knew they needed each other, they would train day and night to become stronger to only go back and attempt to take over their race once again, but to no success because once again they failed. This defeat would only lead them to farther rage and would do anything to get enough power to get back at them for this shame.
One day the mighty Diabolos ascends towards the human world to try and burn a city down, but all he sees is the burning rage of two different races and them working together. He notices their ambition for power and shares a special crystal with them and tells them, "If you want great power, you must come together and only then you will grow stronger." The two came together and fused to make a new class of creatures known as "Faeries." These creatures start off weak but their power increases as time goes on. Word quickly starts to spread throughout the forest and reaches the ears of the King Vel'Assar and at the time he didn't seem to care and neither did the heavens. This would come to be his biggest mistake because this led to many elves getting murdered because they wouldn't bow down to the faeries. This sparked the rage of King Vel'Assar and he would soon go out to combat himself. The main issue was that the faerie army had grown immensely.
When the King Vel'Assar went out to battle just looking at faeries sparked his rage even further. At the moment of picking up his bow, once he was about to shoot an arrow he would pull back harder than ever and shoot them down by shooting through their wings. (This is why King Vel'Assar deals double damage to flying enemies.) Except, even the mighty King couldn't take on a whole army of forest by himself so he was forced to retreat. The faeries had won this battle and it was well celebrated, but they knew that without the kings head this war wasn't over. The King went back home full of shame and couldn't show his people his face. A few days go by and a great tactician by the name Earthbinder Peryton comes to the King and ask if he may offer his assistance. He tells the King his tale of how he went to train on the mountains to fight the mighty birds who have assaulted his forest; tells the King that he might be off some use in getting rid of these "Faeries" he had troubles with.
The King asked Peryton to show him how he would be useful in this upcoming battle. Peryton took the King to the mountain he has been training, the birds in this mountain are large and are fast. Peryton steps forward and says "If you would step back my King," and just like that he summoned a storm of mighty winds. In this sense he proved to the King that he can be useful. The tactician explains his plan and ask the King to be bait and lure the faeries to the mountain. The King agreed to the plan and lured the faeries to the mountains. Once the King showed himself to the faeries they instantly gave chase because this was their chance to make all elves bow before them. The King ran as fast as he could until he finally made it back to the mountains, that was when he said "This is your last chance to surrender and serve under me to protect all of nature," the faeries simply laughed and went after the King. As they close in you hear a loud voice saying "STORMWIND" and suddenly a mighty storm came and destroyed all of the faeries wings. After the storm majority of the faeries were dead and those that lived weren't able to move. The King went home and made Peryton one of his highest ranked elites and second to no one but him. This was how the great Earthbinder Peryton came to be known.
In a world far, far away from here, in a galaxy not know as the milky way, existed another world... a world that was not know to anyone but the ones living on that world.
In this world were different clans of course. The Elves, the Undeads, the Halfbloods, Ogres, Goblins, and beast. Of course, every clan had their difference but they always kept to themselves even if there was problem from time to time. You keep to yourself and I'll keep to mines or so the saying says.
We could talk about many events that happened in the history of this world, but that would take too long to tell about don't you think? Instead, lets talk about one event in particular that changed the history of this world forever.
It all started a few years after clans who called themselves humans started coming to this world. It had supposedly been millenniums and finally the technology was advance enough to travel to this far, far world. Of course, the inhabitants of this world could not understand but gave it no mind as they saw they meant no harm to them. Yet soon enough, though they weren't sure if the coming of these humans had brought them, Demons, Dragons and Angels started to come to their world.
These three new clans started destroying everything, even though those that were part of the angel clan. A new clan also soon rise calling them selves the Planes. Humans who had seem them before started calling them as those part of religion and other mythical things that the original inhabits of this world did not understand.
Those part of the Royal family for each clan that existed in that world soon went into war with the new clans. They were destroying the beauty of their world just because. That angered them yet more betrayal came along as members of the existing clans started...merging with the new ones. One of the biggest betrayals was the one where the members of the Elf clan merged itself with the Angel clan. Fairies, what they called themselves, were not merciful. They would come to the clans, especially the Elf clan, and destroy everything. The King, Vel'Assar, was lost. There was so much that the clan could do against those new... monsters is the only word they would think about.
They could fight with their arrows and bows, but the fairies will just counter attack against them. Their cavalries and pegasus' could also fight back but as it was said before, there was so much they could do against them, especially when their power would just go up every time.
"My King," started a member of the Elf clan, "please rest. Not resting means we will have less power to fight these new monsters" said Velyn the Unscarred to their King. He was one of the few that could stand against the faeries and come out unscarred, just like his name said. Behind him was the human that always accompanied him. Ophelia West-Wind also stood next to Velyn. There was not much she could do, but she was the general of the cavalry/Pegasus army of King Vel'Assar and so she would stand with him whatever may happen. First Ranger Talenor stood silenced at the back of the room. He was ashamed that their arrows and bows could do nothing, specially the beautiful arrow and bow of their King who could stop anything from attacking. Kathryn Everwind stood next to the window of the room, looking down at the mages of their army. She was always quiet and like the wind but a great mage when needed.
They had been doing everything in their power to counterattack the fairies but nothing worked. The humans that were their friends now, those that actually still stood with their clan and not had gone to the others , especially with the fairies, had visited the Planes from time to time. They were not sure why they would do this and the Elves were suspicious that they might betray them like the other humans had. The humans had explained that this clan, the Planes, were like Gods in their world which was far away in the galaxy called Milky Way. They did not understand, they really didn't but the humans had said that these Gods could sometimes see into the future, or predict the future at that. yet nothing had been said by the members of the Plane clan.
"Wait and God will reward you." was the only thing that they had told the humans, but time had passed and nothing had happened, only more destruction and the death of their clansmen. This God did not exist, nothing like what the Plane clan said was truth, they were only playing with them, had brought their feelings of a savior coming to save them to only bring said feelings back down and stepped on them as if it was trash.
King Vel'Assar looked at the members of his army, those that protected his people, those that could not fight. What was he to do? What could he do? He trusted the humans as if they were part of his clans, his family yet at this moment, he wasn't sure if he should continue to believe them. Of course, the humans have help them in advance since they have come but in times of wars, only their own people matter. He understood that humans were not as strong as the clans from this world but nothing could be done about it.
The Humans had also said something about the angels that had combined themselves with the elves that had betrayed their clan yet nothing really had stayed in their mind. Like humans had said in one ear, out the other.
One question still puzzled the King, why were these faeries attacking? He was sure he had treated everyone in his clan good. After all they were his family. Yet, they had up and betrayed him, merging with the angels. Had the Demon clan tempted them? Sounded weird, yes. Or maybe it was the "holy' light, as the humans called it, from the angels that had called to them. Did it called them it a bad way? He did believe so if they were attacking them. The question that would already plaged his mind was, how could they retaliate?
And so, years passed like this. Each year, a pissed (bigger and bigger) disappeared as if it had never been there. The King stood over the little piece of land that now only held the castle that was part of the Elf clan. Just over the horizon he could see them all coming, as if today was finally the day that it finally was going to be the end of all. Soon enough, everything around them was a roar, a roar of fights happening everywhere. But of course, the hybrids, as they had their now because it was not only the faeries anymore who had merge with other clans, over took them. It felt like days when it had only been a few hours.
Eyes became wide as something seems to happened. The King's eyes also became wide as the faerie seemed to die right infront of them. he looked around and it seemed that what had been left of his pegasus army had also die and a big sadness washed over him. A shadow appeared on top of him and he looked towards the figure.
Someone with Antlers and ghostly wings looked down at him. Yes, the King had finally understood.
Later on, they will know that this someone was indeed send by the Gods, and the the Plane clan had been right.
Elyria world, mysterious world inhabited by a variety of dangerous and mysterious creatures.
many years they lived with the agreement and the rules they had agreed.
but the human greed for power and strength, change everything.
"Kings And Legends Earthbinder Peryton The Last Defender"
use the scarlet synth crystal to create a new army created the "faerie"
nation who know that they were attacked immediately form a defense. Pegasi led troops to confront ophelia Westwind but they were no match faerie, Pegasi forces easily defeated.
with horns carry a stick.
talenor first ranger said in his heart "if it is possible he is ??"
“Yes, sir, it will never happen again, sir” Nicole and I uttered, clearly showing they we frightened of General Velyn.
I couldn’t sleep that night… the screaming was louder than normal, the wind faster. And now and again a snowflake would fall through my window, sit on the floor of my room and slowly melt away into the emptiness that was there before it. But that wasn’t the reason I couldn’t sleep. Nicole and I had seen something earlier; I don’t know whether to tell the council or just leave it alone.
We had seen dragons, loads of them, filling every crevice, every cave; scaling every mountain. They’re leader… the sun! Worst of all, they were only in the mountains nearby…..
“Get up! Grab your weapons! Dragons…DRAGONS!” I woke up, the roof of my dormitory was alight; the flames were licking the walls, spreading down towards me.
That was when I saw them…The Earthbinders and leading them, was Earthbinder Peryton!
The sky filled with dozens of bright lights, the air turned cold around me, the winds picked up, faster than they were before, the screams of the dragons shrieked through the elven forest. I looked out of the window, the bright lights had subsided but there was, what seemed to be a blizzard. I looked closer and in the centre of the storm I saw him. His hair bellowing in the wind, his horns with wind swirling around them and his staff, the eyes lit up with an icy blue glare that could freeze someone just by looking at it.
They we’re no longer a myth, they we’re a legend!
I woke up, yelling and soaked by my own sweat.
“The nightmare again?” a sleepy voice asks. It’s the voice of my beautiful women Ryli.
“yes... the same as always” I repeat.
That night... The night in which I lost my parents, humiliated by bloodthirsty faeries.
The night happened 30 years ago, but is still preventing me from sleep. I will never forget how their body’s got ripped in parts in front of my eyes.
I was still a young and weak elfish boy back then... to weak to protect them. I was visiting the druid school in the silver forrest and people would have described me as friendly, innocent and a bit naive.
But that night has changed me, the young boy inside me died. I am out for revenge, I traveled through whole Elyira and trained with the mightiest druids and warriors to become strong enough to fullfill my revenge.
In all the years I have caught and tortured a lot of faeries, to find out who killed my parents and where she hides.
Most of them knew nothing, but killing them still statisfied my inner rage a bit. Luckily yesterday I found a group of Faeries that finally knew something, the murder of my parents should be a pink coloured Faerie called Narissa, the description they gave me fits the picture I have from her from my nightmares.
It won't be easy to get to her, as I found out she is the Queen of the Faeries, so she will be protected quite well. But I have to kill her to end my nightmares, this way or the other, they will stop soon. Either I kill her or I die trying!
"Try to sleep again Pery, you need your full strength for tomorrow" Ryli said while stroking my arm.
"You are right honey, after tomorrow I can finally close that chapter of my life" I responded.
In the next morning I woke up very early and Ryli was already in the kitchen, preparing the breakfast.
"wow that smells great, what do we eat?" I asked her while I put my arms around her.
"Skystone Nid Bacon and Eggs, your favourite dish!" She said with a smile.
We finished the food and I packed my stuff and prepared for leaving.
"I will ask Sorann and Velyn to support me, I could need their help with these faeries" I said when leaving the house.
Sorann was a small grown elf but you better do not underestimate him, he killed alot of Faeries already.
"Hey Sorann, I found out where the faeries have their secret basement, I plan to kill them all, so we can live in peace again"
"Thats suicide, you are crazy!" He yelled at me "You can't go alone!"
"I know, thats why I am here to ask you for your support" I repeated "I will also ask Velyn, she seems to be able to reflect the faeries attacks"
"Ok i am in, these little bastards took everything from me, I will help you" Sorann said with a very cloudy face.
"Ok great, lets get Velyn on board and then we can start" I said.
We went to the stables where Velyn was sitting with Talenor, the First Ranger of the Army of our Kingdom. He is almost an as good archer as our King, Vel'Assar. Maybe he can join our cause too.
"Hey Velyn, hey Talenor, what are you up to? We are about to kill the Queen of the Faeries" I said.
Talenor laughed and asked "You two? Thats a joke right?"
"Well, we were hoping you two would join us maybe... the encroachments on our people by the faeries have to stop, dont you think? I asked him.
"Yes you are right, but the Faeries are dangerous Peryton, you should know that the best of us." Velyn interpolated.
"Yes I know Velyn, and I trained hard, I am able to take down a lot of them by my own and with Sorann, yours and Talenors help we could manage it!" I yelled back to her, since I was a little bit angry that she believes I am stupid.
"Ok, so you know where they hide? I will talk to our King and mobilize our Army if he allows" Talenor said.
"Yes I know where, but we should go alone, we are all somehow specialiced in taking them down, if we go with an Army we will have alot of casualties"
"Ok, Pery. We will try it, but if something goes wrong, we will get the hell out of there and come back with the Army, alright?"
We followed the path the tortuered faeries descriped me and found a dark pit in a Mountain.
"They said it is a tunnle, on the other side they have their castle" I explained.
"Pretty dark, are you sure it is not a trap?" Talenor asked cynically.
"Lets stop talking and find it out" Sorann grumbled, obviously a little bit bugged from Talenors dissent attitude.
We passed the tunnle and reached the other side, it was a very beautiful area, full of trees and animals.
"Look, there it is!" Velyn pointed into the east and there was a huge Castle build with Rocks.
"Oh wow, it is bigger then I expected, How much Faeries do you think will be in there?" Talenor asked.
"None after we are done with them" Sorann responded with a smile.
As we reached the Castle a bunch of Faeries spotted us and attacked us straightly. Sorann killed a few of them easily, but the one with the blue wings seemed to be stronger then the others, she resisted his attacks and attacked him back.
Velyn jumped in front of him and reflected the attack of the Faerie. Talenor shot down a few of them in the meantime, his Bow seems to be very effective against them. Now I feel happy he joined us, even tho hes a bit annoying!
"Everyone alright?" I asked after we killed them.
They all seemed to be alright and we moved into the Inside of the Castle and killed a a lot of Faeries on our way to the throne room.
"No Elf, should I?" She answered with an arrogance that disgusted me so much, that I can't wait to kill her.
"You killed my parents, 30 years ago on the Road between the Town of Folksvangur and the Cathedral of the Goddess"
"I killed a lot Elfs, I can't remember you or your parents, but I bet they tasted great" She laughed.
"You will die for that!" I yelled and raised my Staff and she died!
Narissa is dead, there is finally peace in Elyria and Peryton can sleep again!
Born from the tears of those ravaged by Faeries and Pegasi, trained by the Druids and the Blind Master Tula in the Dark Forest,comes a hero like no one has ever seen before.Sworn to avenge those who have suffered by the hands of the flying,determined to bring them to their knees,he will not rest until all flying creatures have taken their last breath,until Pegasi and Faeries will only be seen in guide books.He is Earthbinder Peryton,nightmare of the flying.
expense to fulfill their opulent lifestyles.
to see if it was going to be a boy. (king vel does not like to miss his target!
runt to Dragalasar for his aunt to raise.
not making his developmental milestones.
think u can hit someone with a fist” also ill give u the ablity lush so your supporters can come fight for u!
and could only hope the gifts would serve the boy well.
defenses fell then all Elryia would be lost.
Kane, Laurel, yumi, and Humility I will be back for u preyton! This is how the legend of preyton began!
Peryton is now assumed to be located in server 17 which has no extradition laws. His goal is to create an aryan race. He wants to create a world with no flying creatures. He believes that the flying ability is a genetic disorder which must be erradicated from all servers, essentially creating a "master race". This obsession was what brought what is known today as the great holocaust of patch 2.0.
The "Earthbinder", as he is commonly known, is said to have grown in strength. He is considered godlike rank now due to the many followers that share his ideology. He has been hard to locate as he travels in a submarine called U-66. This allows him to hide from authority and helps him look for the lost city Atlantis. This is a lost city that is allegedly the origin of the "master race".
As of today 8.2.16, reports say that earthbinder has been caught. This is breaking news!!! Peryton was caught trying to enter Elyria through the seaport via his submarine. The elven legionaries on duty found him disguised in the seaport and when asked for ID, peryton attempted to ambush the 2 elfs. Security was maximized in this city due to a fairy convention going on there, where over 20,000 fairies from all over the world are meeting up. Since this was a covert security boost, earthbinder did not expect it. What a happy day. His trial will be this week at the s13 arena. Stay tuned.
Edit: i had to start writing from scratch cause i accidentally pressed back on my mobile and all that i typed was deleted so had to start all over.
Guys! Thank you so much for all stories As always I'm just amazed how many of you took a part in it!
Ignore vengeance, he's just trying to persuade you with words. | 2019-04-23T20:38:01Z | https://forum.kingsandlegends.com/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=7386&s=3671622ae30053dae3ed3587bf972d864fc9a77f |
The difference is men and women have different skin. With different types of skin come different problems. And, different problems require different solutions.
In this article, I’ll give you some advice on how to take care of your face the right way. You’ll learn how to treat male acne and how to prevent it from returning.
How is a man’s skin different from a woman’s?
For one, it is usually thicker. That makes it harder for the skin to absorb the nutrients in a face cleanser or cream. Even the best women’s face cream may not have what it takes to get down deep into a man’s skin where it is needed most.
The other key difference is that men produce more sebum. That is the oily substance released by your skin to get rid of waste. This sebum can clog pores and trap bacteria, which causes acne. And it can be a problem for men into their 40’s.
Luckily, there are a lot of face care products on the market specifically geared towards men and work well in giving you healthy skin.
But, different skin conditions require different products. The best face moisturizer for oily skin isn’t going to be the best facial cleanser for dry skin.
How do you know what to use to properly cleanse your face for healthy skin?
Let’s start be going through the different types of products for men’s skin care where I will highlight what it does best.
What is the difference between soap and face cleanser? Well, face cleanser is much more mild than soap.
The problem with soap is that it can’t tell the difference between good and bad oils on your skin. It just strips your skin of its oils and leaves a barren landscape behind it.
It leaves your skin dry and susceptible to damage and even acne.
A facial cleanser is more mild and solvent based. That means it dissolves the oil on the surface but leaves a moist barrier in the skin. It actually keeps the sebaceous glands from producing more sebum because it doesn’t leave the skin dry.
Facial cleansers still clean away the dirt and sweat, too.
Most men’s face cleansers can be used up to 2 times per day. More than that is not only unnecessary, but may also end up damaging your skin in the long run.
Before buying a facial cleanser take a look at the ingredients. There are some things you want to avoid.
Avoid a face cleanser with alcohol as that will dry your skin out. Same goes for sodium lauryl sulfate. They can both also really irritate your skin especially if you have sensitive skin.
Glycolic acid is something that I am conflicted over. It is an ingredient in the best facial cleanser and it does a great job at dissolving the oil on your skin without stripping the natural oils you want to leave behind. One issue though is that it may increase your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. If you plan on going to the beach, you may want to avoid using the cleanser that day. Or, find a cleanser without it.
I love the product line from Baxter of California. This daily face wash is a must have in your skin care arsenal.
First, it is formulated with the man in mind. It can give your skin a deep clean, but no matter how rugged your skin, it is still gentle.
They are careful to avoid drying agents like alcohol and instead rely on citric acid. Aloe Vera and coconut keep your skin moist and the caffeine definitely wakes it up.
I recommend this as a good go to for just about any guy since it works on just about every skin type. If you have oily skin, it can reduce the oiliness. If your skin is dry, it won’t make it drier. And if your skin is sensitive it is gentle.
Other benefits are that it is fragrance free, which is not only nice to not have a strong smell, but also added fragrances can be harmful, and that is is low foaming. To get a rich, thick foam requires some not so nice additives.
Bottom line is you will get exactly what your face needs from this men’s facial wash.
Our skin has to change to handle whatever gets thrown at it. From air pollution, to too much sun to the quality of the water we wash in.
The change in season can also do a number on your face. It stands to reason that if your skin changes by the season, then so should the products you use on it.
If you plan to go to the beach a lot or live in a very dry sunny area of the country then you will need the right skin care product.
Though this isn’t formulated specifically for summer use, it is the perfect face wash when your sun is sensitive from too much sun. Especially if you have a sunburn.
It has activated charcoal which gently cleanses your pores and eradicates any bacteria to prevent acne. Too much sun can really get the bacteria going and summer time see an uptick in acne for most guys.
The real key though, is that it is a moisturizing face wash. It rehydrates after a day spent out in the hot sun and dry air of the summer. The jojoba oil, olive oil and aloe vera help rehydrate the skin and keep it hydrated longer making it the best face moisturizer for dry skin.
Your skin will feel softer and, though I hate this word for some reason, suple. During the summer, shaving can be uncomfortable. If you add this face cleanser to your daily routine, then you will notice you get a better shave with less irritation.
They use only all natural ingredients making this an ideal summer skincare product for men.
There is a scent of peppermint, eucalyptus and lemongrass for an invigorating aroma. It doesn’t last very long to the consternation of some and the delight of others who aren’t necessarily looking for a scented face wash.
It can be used twice a day, once in the morning and once at night, without stripping your skin of its natural oils.
During the winter your face can take a real beating. Cold, dry air blasting your face. Then overly heated homes and offices make you sweat. On top of that, there are bacteria and viruses everywhere so it is very easy to get sick because you’re touching your face.
That’s when I recommend this daily face wash for men by Jack Black.
It not only does a great job at gently cleaning your face, but it contains witch hazel, sage leaf extract and rosemary to kill bacteria on your skin. The witch hazel is an astringent that tones your skin and tightens your pores.
Spending a lot of time indoors can really clog the pores and accumulate dirt and grime. This cleanser does a great job at cleaning without stripping. Chamomile and aloe vera soothe the skin and restore it to its natural glory after the winter has had its way with it.
Cleansers and moisturizers should definitely be a part of every man’s skincare routine. What about exfoliants? Should a man exfoliate his face?
The short answer is maybe. In other words, not every guy needs to exfoliate and even then maybe it should be a once in a while thing.
If you have thick or oily skin, then you should definitely be making it a part of a bi weekly routine.
Exfoliating strips away the dead layer of skin and helps your moisturizer do its thing. If you have rough, thick skin then it is especially important to give your moisturizer a head start by exfoliating.
If you work out a lot and sweat profusely, then exfoliating a couple of times a week is definitely a good thing to do.
If you often have clogged pores, then a good exfoliator will be the best pore cleanser for men since it can help reduce acne.
Be very careful when exfoliating and read the instructions carefully. Many exfoliants contain acids to removes the dead skin cells and can damage your skin if you aren’t careful. Exfoliants with scrubbing beads can be very aggressive and irritate your skin, use wisely if you want to feel that scrubbing action from beads.
If you have dry or sensitive skin and still feel that you could benefit from an exfoliant, make sure you choose a mild formula.
I love promoting products like this. All natural and work well. This Beau Brummell exfoliating scrub uses ground up walnut shells instead of beads to give you that deep scrubbing effect. It isn’t rough though. They are ground finely enough to not feel like you are rubbing gravel on your face.
In fact, the walnut shells are much more gentle than they plastic microbeads found in many facial scrubs.
It also contains activated charcoal so once the layer of dead skin is removed, it gets in there and absorbs the impurities lurking in your skin.
You get a wonderful invigorating sensation once you are done from the tea tree oil and peppermint oil. Your skin is left feeling fresh and vibrant.
This is so gentle on your skin that it is ok to even give yourself a shave after you’ve used it. It is gentle enough to work on any skin type. Perfect for guys with rough, oily skin, if you’re looking for a good facial scrub for sensitive skin then this is it.
Give yourself a quick dose of a good moisturizer and you are good to go.
If there is one thing I hate when using a moisturizer is that greasy feeling afterwards. I feel like my face is oily and wet and I want to wipe it off with a towel.
That’s why I love this moisturizer. It absorbs quickly into your skin and doesn’t leave it looking shiny either. It’s also the best face moisturizer for sensitive skin.
Once again, we see activated charcoal as an ingredient. This helps pull impurities out and trap the toxins.
You can even use it as an aftershave as it has the antiseptic properties and skin tightening qualities you look for. It can even repair the damage from shaving thanks to the presence of Argan Oil.
It’s one thing to moisturize the skin, it’s another to also protect it afterwards. The argan oil and also vitamin E can keep your skin protected from pollution and it also has SPF properties to protect you from harmful UV rays.
If you exfoliate your face, then you definitely need to be adding a moisturizer to your skin care regimen. In just a few days you will notice a huge improvement in how your skin feels and looks.
Prevention is the best medicine, it is said. Doing the above skin care routine can do wonders in preventing breakouts.
However, acne is a complicated thing and the cleanliness of your skin isn’t the only factor in getting acne.
If you are doing everything right with regards to your daily face care, but still see some pimples, then you need to treat the problem specifically.
We’ll get into the best skin care products for men with acne in a minute. For now, let’s take a look at what might be causing your acne so you know how you should treat it.
There are three main factors that cause acne, especially in men.
If you are having an outbreak of acne even though you are really committed to your grooming routine, take a minute and examine other outside factors in your life. Are you stressed at work? Money problems? Relationship issues? Stress can raise your hormone levels which then makes your body produce excess sebum.
Treat the stress and drop your hormones back to reasonable levels and you may find your zits disappear.
Ok, you’re not stressed. Life is grand. Everything is going your way. Except for your face. Just when you start feeling good about yourself you catch yourself in the mirror and are confronted with acne.
Take stock of your grooming habits. Have you been doing a good job of cleansing, scrubbing and moisturizing? If the answer is yes, but you still have acne, then you will need to make a few changes with regards to the skin care products you’re using. Read on and see what acne products you may need depending on your skin type.
Lastly, you don’t usually get zits, but your new job requires you to shave everyday. Since you started doing that, you notice you’re getting pimples around where your beard grows funny above your Adam’s apple.
You’re likely dealing with either ingrown hairs or pseudofolliculitis barbae. This is a nasty sounding word for ingrown hairs caused by shaving. Also known as razor bumps. The biggest problem with razor bumps is that they get worse as you shave more and can be quite painful.
The key is to change how you shave and to then use products that kill or prevent bacteria from forming, since it’s the bacteria trapped under your skin that is the culprit. Most times it is simply razor bumps, but in some cases it’s a condition called folliculitis. If your problem is getting worse, or is is painful to even the lightest touch, then consult with your doctor as if it is not pseudofolliculitis barbae, then you will need a prescription antibiotic to get rid of it.
Ok, let’s get into what products you need to use to treat male acne.
If you have persistent acne and want to eradicate it from the face of the Earth then this is the strongest acne treatment for men that you can find without a prescription.
10% Benzoyl Peroxide will get down to the toughest acne on your face.
It may seem like a scorched Earth policy that will do a number on your skin. As long as you don’t have very sensitive skin, then this isn’t so hard on your face as it sounds.
It is meant to be used as a face wash, but since it is so potent and absorbs so quickly, I think it really shines as a spot treatment.
Simply rub it into the affected area and let it sit for a minute or two. Then rinse with warm water and towel dry. If you needed to cover a lot of area because of a bad breakout then you should throw some moisturizer on there after.
They say that it can take up to 6 weeks to see results, but I think that is worst case scenario. You should see a difference in about a week and will be able to mostly eradicate the issue in the 6 weeks they recommend.
If it is important to you, it’s also worth noting that they don’t test on animals and none of the ingredients are animal based.
Most acne scars are the result of skin hyperpigmentation. In other words, dark spots. After you’ve had a bout of acne, you need to calm those spots. This all natural acne scar remedy will do the trick there.
The other issue is the scars themselves caused when you pick at a scab caused by pimples. Obviously the best way to prevent these scars is to not pick at your blemishes. If you already have the scars, that advice arrives too late, but you can diminish them with this product.
Most people that have scars from acne are still getting pimples. It isn’t like the acne is gone and the scars remain. So you need a skin product that reduces scars and prevents breakouts from happening again.
That’s why I love Keeva, because the formula cleanses, disinfects and moisturizes.
Instead of having a bunch of products, just use this and save yourself time and money. If you have cystic acne then you’ll find this is the best treatment for cystic acne.
The best part is it is all natural. It does all of this without any harsh chemicals that leaves your face a wasteland after. Your scars will be reduced and your skin looking healthier than ever.
Since razor bumps are essentially pimples, just pimples caused by shaving, you need to use products that treat the bumps as more than just irritation.
The bumps are ingrown hairs that are stuck under the skin that has grown over them. Bacteria forms around the follicles and they grow just like a zit. But, usually more painful than a zit. And the area around where the razor bumps occur can be irritated all over, not just the bump itself.
People who have coarse, wiry beards are usually more susceptible. Black, Hispanic or Middle Eastern men are the most afflicted, but it really can happen to anybody.
An effective, albeit painful, way to get rid of ingrown hairs is to use tweezers and literally pull the hair out. If you only have a couple this might be the way to go, but then make sure you are doing what you can to prevent them later.
If you have a lot of bumps and the whole area is irritated then tweezers are not an option. Patience is key as you will need to give it time for the product you are using to have an effect.
You’re only other option, really is to grow a beard. If you don’t want the chin rug, then take care of yourself with the right product to get rid of razor bump acne.
If you’ve read any of the other reviews of skin care products in this article then you may have noticed that I like to recommend 2 in 1 type products.
The reason I love LAVO is not just because it is great at treating razor bumps, but it also helps prevent them and can even be used as a shaving gel or aftershave.
If you’re susceptible to razor bump acne but currently are not suffering from any, then the best way to prevent them from coming is to use this as a preemptive strike.
The key to treating razor bumps is to exfoliate and disinfect. It has Salicylic acid to help calm the burn of irritation from razor bumps and acne in general while it acts as an exfoliant. The tea tree oil disinfects your skin deep down since it is exfoliated which will help kill the bacteria causing the pimple or razor bump. And then the aloe vera soothes the skin.
Which is precisely why it makes such a great shave gel. If you prep your face well for a shave, then apply the gel, you’ll give yourself a nice smooth shave with the added benefit of protecting from acne or razor burn.
It feels invigorating when you apply it, which is a nice way of saying it burns a little. That’s the combination of tea tree and peppermint oils doing their thing. But, after a couple of minutes, it leaves your skin feeling fresh and awake. Any irritation from the razor is gone due to the Salicylic acid.
If you already have a shaving cream or routine that you like, then add this to your repertoire as an aftershave and watch as your razor bumps gradually fade away. Any red splotches that you may get from shaving also disappear.
The best part is it works on other areas of your body that you may shave or have some irritation.
After reading this guide, hopefully you are more confident to tackle whatever skin care issues you are having on your face. Treat your face right and it will treat you right.
There are a lot of products out there, so if you decide that none of the ones from the list made your cut or you want to try something else, just make sure you do your homework on the ingredients. Many products actually make your problems worse if you aren’t using the right one for your particular problem.
As usual, feel free to reach out if you have any questions! | 2019-04-25T04:41:01Z | https://www.menshaircutadvice.com/the-best-face-washes-and-mens-acne-treatments/ |
A visual motif is an important component of an art project and is the thing initially detected in the visual art. A suitable introduction into visual motifs is provided by art education classes. A teacher can enable a successful execution of an art project to a pupil, only with a detailed introduction into visual motifs. These are not defined with the curriculum; instead, they are freely chosen by the teacher himself. The motifs should be more unusual, out of the ordinary, colourful and original. With the right approach and the selection of artworks, the teacher can develop artistic creativity in his pupils. At the same time, pupils can develop the ability for observation, critical analysis and evaluation of visual art.
In this article, a study is presented, whose purpose was to examine the preferences for visual motifs by gender and stratum of pupils on 4th level of primary school. The findings show the differences are more commonly reflected through gender, and less through stratum from which the pupils originate.
Dahrendorf’s conception of social differentiation poses some interesting theoretical problems inasmuch as it, owing to its putative associations with Marx’s framework, is regarded as a class theory, but in fact displays also some salient characteristics of stratification approaches, while lacking some core characteristics of class theory. Upon scrutiny, however, it turns out that it is most closely related to the framework of elite theory. This is revealed when Dahrendorf’s treatment of social differentiation is compared with some approaches representative of the aforementioned theory.
In addition to universal social changes, the information revolution also brought a lot of innovation to the workings of intelligence services, which are traditionally the part of the national security system that is conducting data analyses and for which information is the primary product. If in the past the main problem and challenge has been the timely acquisition of data, today most agencies are faced with an entirely different problem - information overload. This problem is being tackled by technical as well as systemic measures that combine various types of intelligence work. However, there are still unanswered questions regarding the applicability of intelligence products for decision makers. Here we have to point out information visualization as the subject of an interdisciplinary scientific research that definitely shows a lot of potential in the context of the defense science as well. This article points out three key requirements that allow the application of information visualization to defense research: (1) the concept of the intelligence cycle can be used as a good basis for the information that is subject to visualization; (2) the quality of decision-making support information depends on proper visualization; (3) the first two requirements offer a stable theoretical and empirical basis for the introduction of innovative scientific methods in the field of defense science, such as experiments.
Dejan Ulcej is a Ph.D. candidate and post-graduate student at University of Ljubljana.
Dr. Uroš Svete is an assistant professor at Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana.
This paper examines the impacts of the changes of the composition of the ageing labor force on the skills and knowledge transfer in an organization. The changing individual needs of older individuals are creating powerful, labor dynamic incentives. For the management organizations from private and public sector, this is an organizational challenge linked to cultural transformation on the level of organization. The results of the study show that the manager and non-manager respondents have the unique aspect of the role of senior employees in some small Slovenian organizations. Managers in the sample based on their managerial experience, see the older workers in an organization primarily as transformers of jobs to younger employees, which should be courteous and efficient and should help the organization competitiveness. Non – managers’ respondents give priority to employment and retirement strategy for senior employees and maintain a positive view of older employees’ motives and productivity. Further, non – managers point to the need to keep older workers with unique skills and competences in an organization. We conclude that organizations will meet the challenge of ageing labor force in the near future. They will have to start the organizational culture, which will promote business change and continuous flow of skills and competences through inter-generation model.
Having shortly delineated and theoretically defined the concept of stereotypes (as collective social constructs) and stereotyping as such, the author turns to much more complex issue as to how to identify and change stereotypes about Roma, which are deeply rooted in mainstream European societies where they live and also those stereotypes that are nurtured and strictly followed by the Roma and which relate to non-Roma. The author arrives at a conclusion that today one can note several factors and conditions in European countries which still nurture and further reinforce especially anti-Roma stereotypes. According to him, the specific and carefully elaborated stereotypes-oriented policies and strategies which favour mutual education, knowledge and understanding as well as ongoing contact and dialogue between the two different ethnic, social and cultural identities at both EU and member states levels are conditio sine qua non for the enhanced and overall Roma inclusion and integration.
Addiction of internet and problematic internet use is a growing problem in Bosnian scholars. There are many risk factors for addiction and problematic use of Internet found at school and at home. The purpose of this study is to examine scholar's habits and experiences while using the internet and to identify the most common dangers to which children are exposed during a web search. The main risks to which children are exposed while using the internet are: sexual or violent content, direct communication with persons seeking inappropriate relationships, exposure to disturbing, hostile or inappropriate messages, and the isolation of the child due to too frequent and prolonged use of the internet. The study was conducted on a sample of 1,941 scholars from fifth to eight grades in Sarajevo. Problematic use of internet is common among scholars in Sarajevo. Serious risk factors are found at home and at school. The results show that scholars of different ages differ in terms of their use of the internet, owning a Facebook profile, frequency and purposes of internet use, as well as releasing personal information on the internet, confronting pornographic content and internet addiction. Researchers did not find a statistically significant difference between scholars of different ages in experiencing violence on the internet. According to the search results, children whose parents did not pay enough attention to the activities of their children on the internet are more frequently confronted with pornographic content and are more likely to experience violence on the internet and show more signs of internet addiction. Effective measures are needed to prevent the spread of this problem.
Rapidly increasing numbers of sophisticated mobile devices (smart phones, tab computers, etc.) all over the world mean that ensuring information security will only become a more pronounced problem for individuals and organizations. It’s important to effectively protect data stored on or accessed by mobile devices, and also during transmission of data between devices and between device and information system. Technological and other trends show, that the cyber threats are also rapidly developing and spreading. It's crucial to educate users about safe usage and to increase their awareness of security issues. Ideally, users should keep-up with technological trends and be well equipped with knowledge otherwise mobile technology will significantly increase security risks. Most important is that we start educating youth so that our next generations of employees will be part of a culture of data and information security awareness.
Keywords: information security, blended threats, mobile devices, awareness.
Blaž Markelj is an assistant at the Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security (blaz.markelj (at) fvv.uni-mb.si).
Ph.D. Igor Bernik is an Assistent Professor at the Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs (igor.bernik (at) fvv.uni-mb.si).
European society has always been and still is diverse in many aspects, including language, ethnicity, culture, religion and economics. We may thus speak of diversity both within individual countries and among countries – and also within school classrooms. Immigrant children who enrol in the Slovenian school system come to Slovenia primarily because of the family reunion. This paper sets out four examples of good practices (two urban and two rural schools), where various support systems were developed for the successful integration of immigrant children. The integration of immigrant children has been a success at those schools that are familiar with the possibilities under the law and European guidelines for integration of immigrant children, that seek a variety of ways to cooperate with parents, those schools where teachers take regular and additional training, develop their own intercultural competence and collaborate on a variety of projects. The results are even better if the school has support on the local level, and if intercultural competence is developed among all inhabitants.
In this paper I address the problem of the unrealisticness of assumptions in neoclassical economics . Being accused of using highly unrealistic assumptions in its models, neoclassical economics replied through what later was called the F-twist. Shortly stated, it was claimed that descriptively unrealistic assumptions are ubiquitous in other sciences also, and that economics should be concerned with its predictions instead of its assumptions. The immediate implication of this statement was that all unrealistic assumptions are the same – they are harmlessly unrealistic. Philosophers of economics vivaciously debated this claim and argued that economics made use of several kinds of assumptions which ”had better be true” . Building on this debate I introduce the notion of uniformity assumptions and I argue that in certain conditions they ”had better be true”.
Keywords: unrealistic assumptions, uniformity assumptions, neoclassical economics.
Ph.D. Mihai Ungureanu is lecturer at the National University of Political and Administrative Studies (NSPAS), Bucharest, Romania.
Researching effects of media and advertising demands a search for a cost efficient, quick and verified method of testing the its emotional as well as rational effects on consumers. Thus a CASC (Communication Analytic and Syncretic Cognitions) scale was developed to meassure advertising effects and was selected for testing. In an extended research presented in this paper and based on 988 respondents evaluating 15 different ads we provided evidence that verify this scale on four different groups of ad motives. In addition we have tested individual ads and their complience with the suggested motives based on the theory and the four separate components (rational component, primary emotions, pro-social emotions and individualistic emotions). The findings confirm that CASC scale is able to detect differences between different motives and is thus an effective tool for measuring advertising effects.
Andrej Kovacic is a researcher at the Faculty for Media – Institute for Media Research. He is director of an advertising company CEOs and academic journal IIASS.
In this work, it’s given analyses of the Macedonian companies about making up a business culture and a comparison with the business culture in the world. As a result of the researches, a new management system is offered that is based on the TQM (Total Quality Management) philosophy. The solution was found in improvement of the management system by accepting the new TQM philosophy and utilization of its strategy, development of the staff and promotion of the processes, and all of that is done earlier, even before the new technology and the separate IT are bought.
One of the biggest changes that the new TQM strategy requests from the Macedonian companies is to change the mentality and quit the old habits and the transitional syndrome. That means that the positive characteristics in the Macedonian mentality should evaluate, and the traditional values should be successfully joined with the cultural values and the current trendy values from the west, which rule the world.
Keywords: TQM (Total Quality Management) philosophy, management system, traditional values, business culture.
This article examines the self-reflexion of Slovenian entrepreneurs to their own business activity, with a focus on their core values and virtues, which would consequently affect the performance, growth and development of entrepreneurship in Slovenia. The article starts with a theoretical understanding of organizational values and moral virtues of entrepreneurs and review of the recent empirical studies as the basis on which it is possible to achieve the explanation of the attitude of Slovenian entrepreneurs towards entrepreneurship. We have conducted our own empirical quantitative study on the representative sample of Slovenian entrepreneurs (n =114). Using the obtained results, we tried to verify the six hypotheses. We were particularly interested in those hypotheses that presuppose the entrepreneur who highly appreciates and respects the values and virtues of an ethical businesspearson in practice, will be more economically successful. Based on the results of our research we indicated that the Slovenian entrepreneurs are largely aware of the relevant organizational values and moral virtues, although this is not always obvious in their actions in everyday business practices. The article concludes with an interpretation of the results and discussion of the prospects and challenges for further exploration of the topics covered.
Keywords: business morality, moral virtue, organizational value, Slovenian entrepreneurship, business ethics.
Anita Kralj is M.A. in Busines Sciences, Gea Colege - Faculty of Entrepreneurship, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Prof. Dr. Dejan Jelovac is a Full Professor and Head of Department of Business Ethics, Corporate Culture and Management of Organisational Development at Gea College - Faculty of Entrepreneurship, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Vasilij Mate is M.A. in Organistional Sciences, Faculty of Organisational Sciences, Uviversity of Maribor, Slovenia.
Crises occur frequently and in very complex ways however routine responses of crisis management often do not follow the changing pattern, nature, intensity and scope of crises. Extensive research has been accomplished in Europe and North America to create bases for creative changes in this field. Common theory and methodology were developed and the huge amount of cases was empirically explored to this effect. The article brings about core findings on legal, system and functional dimensions of crisis management in Slovenia. Its assumption is that inconsistent legal and doctrinal solutions, and consequently system deficiencies hamper the development of effective and rational crisis management. The officials’ fear of innovations that change every day routine is not helpful in this process, either. The discourse of the article is analytical and prescriptive by its nature.
Keywords: crisis, crisis management (system), legal basis, coordination, innovation.
Prof Dr. Marjan Malešič, Head of Defense Research Center, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. The article is based upon research project Crisis Management in Slovenia sponsored by the Ministry of Defense of Republic of Slovenia and the Slovenian Research Agency.
In this paper the author gives a legal vision of the link between the local democracy and finances of the local self-government by comparing the legislation and its impact in France and in Russia, as well as by introducing some comparative elements with Slovenia. The analysis, made essentially on the basis of the Russian federal law n° 131-FZ and the French General Code of Territorial Entities (GCTE), reveals three main aspects of the interaction of the local democracy with local public finances: (1) direct elections of local officials and its impact on the municipal finances, (2) responsibility in front of the population of directly/indirectly elected mayors in the public finances field, (3) participation of the local population in the financial decisions. The practical influence of the legislation on the problem under scrutiny is mainly examined in the Russian case; for France there are normally predictions which are used in order to demonstrate the impact of legal dispositions, because the most of the provisions of French law n° 2010-1563, modified the GCTE concerning the local democracy or local public finances, are not still implemented or the short period of their application does not allow to assess its interconnection.
Keywords: local democracy, public finances, self-government.
Most cultural-led redevelopment projects in today’s global cities are devised with the clear objective of stimulating their economic growth. Redevelopment schemes usually aim to develop consumption services and urban settings to make the city more attractive for investors. In many cases, redevelopment has led to a diminishment in diversity of local cultural spaces in the inner-city areas. Historically and socially important services and institutions like Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market tend to be relocated and replaced by less traditional and culturally less attractive spaces. This short-term strategy cannot really succeed in preserving or integrating local cultures, which may in the long run help Tokyo to become distinctively different from other global competing cities and to benefit from these advantages. The article analyses the plans to renovate or redevelop specific local consumption spaces in Tokyo, and explores what mechanisms and strategies are being used by the involved actors to accomplish their goals.
The article provides for a critical overview of international and in particular EU human rights and non-discrimination frameworks relevant and applicable to unequal treatment of persons with disabilities. Having considered the contents and scope of relevant international human rights and non-discrimination provisions the author turns to the questions as to how these provisions might be exercised, who the rights holders and duty bearers would be and what the challenges of balancing different rights and needs are. The article also includes the definition of the concept of disability in the context of non-discrimination law and examines the dimensions of disability discrimination as defined in international and EU law. The author concludes that international and especially modern EU non-discrimination law establish a wide and inclusive legal framework for dealing with disability discrimination. However, the actual scope of the realisation of international and European legal standards on disability discrimination in each state will depend on the consistency and effectiveness of their national implementation and on the manner of putting them into practice.
PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY OF TOURISM BY CREATIVE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: HOW FAR IS SLOVENIA?
In this paper we introduce sustainability dimensions of creative tourism and develop a model of sustainable creative tourism. The concepts of culture-based creativity and sustainability as tools for a value-adding impact on cultural tourism and local culture are discussed in the theoretical part of the paper. Our empirical analysis reveals that higher GDP per capita does not necessary correlate with higher competitiveness of an economy: a comparison analysis of Slovenian and Estonian international competitive positions in various domains shows several weaknesses of Slovenian competitiveness and offers an explanation for indispensable systemic view on tourism competitiveness. Our world wide web analysis of the steps made in creative tourism development in both countries indicates Estonian advantage, which could be taken as an example of good practice. Some suggestions for Slovenian policymaking with regard to institutional support for culture-based creativity and creative tourism development are made in the final part of the paper.
Keywords: sustainability, culture-based creativity, creative tourism, competitiveness, Slovenia.
Romana Korez-Vide, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business (romana.korez-vide(at)uni-mb.si).
This paper addresses the problem of public administration politicization in Romania between 1990 and 2012. The approach taken here is that of Europeanization by conditionality and social learning, and of reform reversal hypothesis where the social learning is absent. This theoretical framework consists, briefly stated, in the belief that the adhering CEE (Central and Eastern European) states are subjected to a” sticks and carrots” mechanism and they respond to it by a (usually high enough) degree of compliance with the EU (European Union) norm. From this, once this mechanism gone (when EU membership is granted) if the social learning was unsuccessful, it is to be expected to observe a regress of reform or a reform reversal. I discuss this reform reversal hypothesis for the Romanian case. The paper is organized as follows: first, I briefly deal with the problem of Europeanization; second, I discuss the problem of the general class of international compliance theories and I analyze the specific case of compliance by Europeanization; third, I discuss the problem of conditionality and conditional regress hypothesis; fourth, I deal with a specific case of European compliance, the problem of civil service’s neutrality in CEE states before and after EU accession; fifth, I address the problem of Romanian public administration reform as a case of reform reversal. The argument I employ here is that the Romania experienced a reversal of reform after joining the EU and that might suggest a poor level of social learning in the case of de-politicization.
Keywords: politicization, public administration, Europeanization, conditionality, reform regress.
Ph.D. Diana – Camelia Iancu is lecturer at the National University of Political and Administrative Studies (NSPAS), Bucharest, Romania. The author would like to express her gratitutde to the helpful comments of Ph.D. Mihai Ungureanu.
The primary role of marketing within the competitive advantage is innovation. The customer value-based differentiation strategies will drive the company’s market research efforts, its selection of target markets, its product development processes, its market communications programs, and its delivery processes. These processes require many specific capabilities that enable the firm to carry out activities necessary to move its products or services through the value chain. We must explore the role of distinctive marketing capabilities in competitive strategy of the company. As sources of competitive advantage, companies try to create their product or service differentiation by developing higher product or service quality, by using their knowledge to solving marketing problems, by communicating with their customers, and by satisfying customer’s needs. We also would like to confirm that superior customer service lead to company’s innovation. The paper closes with the implications of the findings and highlights promising future research avenues. | 2019-04-19T13:06:33Z | http://www.iiass.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=126&Itemid=674 |
Shimbo et al. (2000) conducted PSP measurements on an 8%-scaled model of the Mitsubishi MU-300 business jet at the Mach numbers 0.6-0.8 and the angles-of – attack 0-4.6 degrees in the 2-m transonic wind tunnel at the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) in Japan. The main objective of their tests was to examine the feasibility of PSP combined with TSP for correcting the temperature effect of PSP. The model was equipped with 32 pressure taps in four rows on the upper surface of the starboard wing. A water-cooled 14-bit CCD camera (1008×1018 pixels) attached with optical filters was used. A xenon lamp was used as an excitation light source and the light was introduced through optic fibers to light reflectors. Each light reflector had an optical filter such that only the UV light went through for paint excitation. The classical PSP, PtOEP in GP-197, was applied on the upper surface of the starboard wing for pressure measurements, whereas a typical TSP, EuTTA in PMMA, was applied on another wing for temperature measurements. Since the emission peaks of both PSP and TSP were close in the emission spectra, the luminescent intensity from both PSP and TSP were acquired on the same image using the CCD camera mounted on the ceiling of the test section. Assuming the flow symmetry with respect to the model centerline, Shimbo et al. (2000) used the temperature distributions on one of the wings obtained by TSP to correct the temperature effect of PSP on another wing.
Using porphyrin-based PSPs (FIB, Uni-Coat, Sol-gel, FEM, and PAR paints), Mebarki and Le Sant (2001) studied the pressure fields on the supercritical wing of a Dash 8-100 aircraft model at the cruising Mach number 0.74. Experiments were conducted in a blow-down pressurized tri-sonic wind tunnel at the Institute for Aerospace Research (IAR) of National Research Council (NRC) in Canada. At Mach 0.74, the total pressure of flow was changed from 1.4 bar to the maximum value of 3.1 bar, and accordingly the unit Reynolds number from 18.7 to 49 millions/m. The duration of a run depended on the Mach number and total pressure p0. At Mach 0.74, the run duration varied from 11 seconds at Rec = 8.51×106 and p0 = 3.14 bar to 37 seconds at Rec = 3.81×106 and p0 = 1.41 bar, where Rec is the Reynolds number based on the mean chord. The start-up time to establish stable flow was 2 seconds. The supercritical wing without a nacelle had a zero swept angle at the 60% chord line. The steel wing with an aluminum half fuselage was mounted on an external sidewall balance. The overall length, wingspan and mean chord of the model were 1.73, 1.1 and 0.203 m, respectively. The airfoil sections were designed to sustain extensive laminar flow on the surface. The wing was equipped with four rows of 32 pressure taps (stations A, B, C and D), which were located at 11%, 27%, 35% and 57% of the wingspan, respectively.
The ceiling of the test section was equipped with 20 optical windows. To provide fairly uniform and stable illumination, 16 cooled green halogen lamps (Iwasaki JY 1562 GR/N/CG 50W) with filters (color filter KOPP 4-96) were used for all the PSP formulations since they used the same porphyrin molecule (PtTFPP) as a probe. A 12-bit CCD Photometrics camera (1024×1024 pixels) and an Infrared Agema 900 camera (136×272 pixels) were mounted in the plenum shell. The CCD camera, equipped with two interference filters (Andover 650FS40 and Melles Griot 03FIB014) in parallel, recorded the luminescent emission of PSP from the wing root (station A) to approximately 85% of the wingspan. The infrared camera focused on three rows of taps (from station B to D), thus covering 30% of the wingspan. Of the porphyrin-based (PtTFPP) PSP formulations used, the PAR PSP from IAR and FEM PSP from NASA Langley were not commercially available, and three other paints, the FIB PSP, Sol-gel PSP and UniCoat PSP, were commercially produced by Innovative Scientific Solutions Inc. (ISSI) in Dayton, Ohio.
imperfections near the leading edge of the wing. Fluorescent oil flow visualization on the surface confirmed this observation. As shown in Fig. 9.27, infrared thermography visualizes a surface temperature change induced by the flow separation at these stations and indicates that small turbulent wedges are generated by surface imperfections at the angles of attack of 0, 1 and 3 degrees. However, these turbulent wedges did not significantly alter the pressure distributions. In addition, using the Uni-Coat PSP, they studied the Reynolds number effect on the pressure distribution on the wing.
Mebarki and Le Sant (2001) evaluated the accuracy of PSP measurements at Mach 0.74 for all the PSP formulations through in-situ calibration. Table 9.1 summarizes the accuracy of the PSP results in terms of the absolute difference in Cp and the percentage error (%FS) over the full-scale range of Cp that is defined as the maximum range of Cp measured during a run on the wing upper surface by 39 pressure taps. The exposure times of the camera used for the PSP formulations are also listed in Table 9.1, depending on the luminescent intensity of a particular paint. Generally speaking, the accuracy was fairly good for all the PSPs at different Reynolds numbers despite their different temperature sensitivities, because a temperature variation over the wing chard during a run was relatively small (less than 2oC).
Engler et al. (2001b) measured the pressure distributions and aerodynamic loads on an AerMacchi M-346 Advanced Trainer Aircraft model at the angles of attack from -4° to 36° and the angles of sideslip from -13° to 13° over a Mach number range of 0.6-0.95. Their experiments represented a good example of PSP application to a complex model with flaps, air brakes, rudders and ailerons in a production wind tunnel, which utilized a two-luminophore PSP, eight CCD cameras and 16 fiber optics illumination heads. In addition, control of PSP hardware and interface with a standard wind tunnel data acquisition/processing system became an operational issue in a production wind tunnel.
Experiments were conducted in the industrial wind tunnel with a 1.8×1.8 m test-section at DNW-HST in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The AerMacchi M – 346 advanced trainer aircraft model had a 1.2-m length and a 1.0-m span. Figure 9.20 shows a surface grid and a painted model with exchangeable flaps, air brakes, rudders and ailerons. Since a total of 19 configurations were tested, 20 additional model parts were painted besides the basic model. All the parts of the complex model were illuminated and captured by CCD cameras placed around it in order to measure the aerodynamic effects at high angles-of-attack and angles of sideslip for maneuvers influenced by flaps, air brakes, rudders and ailerons. To overcome the problems of shadows and inhomogeneous illumination for excitation, the Pyrene – based two-luminophore B1 PSP from OPTROD was employed. In addition, since this PSP had weak temperature dependency, the error due to the temperature effect could be reduced.
As shown in Fig. 9.21, at each of four observation directions, an UV light source connected to four 20-m long optic fibers; thus, a total of 16 fiber optics heads connected with four UV light sources illuminated the whole model from all the four directions. Eight cooled 12-bit CCD cameras were used for image acquisition. At each observation direction, a twin-CCD-camera unit with different filters was used to acquire in parallel the pressure signal at 450-550 nm (blue) and reference signal at 600-650 nm (red). Figure 9.21 shows a twin-CCD-camera unit and illuminator heads installed on the wall of the test-section. The use of the twin – CCD-camera unit eliminated a filter-shifting device that could not be immune from unsteadiness of the light sources. In this arrangement of cameras and lights, the exposure time was typically 15 seconds for a camera placed at 1 m away from the model.
As PSP was integrated into a standard wind tunnel measurement system, accurate and rapid acquisition and transmission of data became an important issue to decrease the wind tunnel run time. An automatic trigger and data exchange system was used. After acquisition of a set of ‘blue’ and ‘red’ images by the four twin-CCD-camera units (eight CCD cameras), a TTL ready signal from the PSP system was sent to the wind tunnel control/data system, and the flow parameters and model attitudes were adjusted and recorded for next run. After the above process was completed, a TTL trigger signal from the tunnel control/data system activated all the cameras and lights for new PSP measurements.
Given limited illumination sources (16 illuminator heads) for the complex model, shadows were inevitably generated mainly by vertical rudders on the fuselage and horizontal tails. The effect of shadows was largely eliminated using the ratio-of-ratios approach for the pressure (blue) and reference (red) images in the wind-on and wind-off cases (four images in total). In some areas without PSP like registration markers, screws and damaged spots, pressure was given by a proper interpolation scheme from PSP data around these areas.
Figures 9.22 and 9.23 show the distributions of the pressure coefficient Cp on the upper surface of the model for the clean configuration and the configuration with positive and negative ailerons at Mach 0.6 and the angle-of-attack of 14o. It can be seen that the pressure distribution is significantly altered from one configuration to another. The pressure distributions along the lines on the wings indicate a symmetric pressure field with respect to the model centerline for the clean wing configuration, in contrast to the asymmetric one for the configuration with the positive and negative ailerons. Figure 9.24 shows a typical pressure field mapped onto a 3D grid of the model. PSP data were first mapped onto the upper, lower, left and right parts of the model grid, and then these parts were merged into a complete 3D surface of the model. From the 3D PSP data on the model surface, Engler et al. (2001b) calculated the coefficients of the normal force (CN), pitching moment (CPM), rolling moment (CRM), wing root torsion moment (CTM), outboard droop hinge moment (ODHM), and horizontal tail normal force (CNHT). Figure 9.25 shows the aerodynamic force and moment coefficients obtained from PSP along with data given by a balance at Mach 0.95 on the configuration with the leading edge droop set to zero. In Fig. 9.25, D1 denotes the data obtained by a six-component balance during PSP tests and D2 denotes balance measurements on the same model without PSP in previous wind tunnel tests. The PSP-derived aerodynamic loads were in reasonable agreement with the balance data except for the horizontal tail normal force. Previous balance data indicated the existence of the forebody side force at high angles-of-attack, which was caused by the asymmetric boundary layer separation and vortex system. In these cases, PSP indeed showed the asymmetric pressure fields on the wings.
Most PSP measurements were conducted in high subsonic, transonic and supersonic flows since PSP is most effective in a range of the Mach numbers from 0.3 to 3.0. Experiments on various aerodynamic models with PSP in large production wind tunnels have been made at three NASA Research Centers (Langley, Ames and Glenn), the Boeing Company at Seattle and St. Louis, AEDC, and Wright-Patterson in the United States. Also, PSP has been widely used in wind tunnels at TsAGI in Russia (Bukov et al. 1993, 1997; Troyanovsky et al. 1993; Mosharov et al. 1997), British Aerospace and DERA in Britain (Davies et al. 1995; Holmes 1998), DLR in Germany (Engler et al. 1995, 1997a, 2001b), ONERA in France (Lyonnet et al. 1997), and NAL in Japan (Asai 1999). Besides predominant applications of PSP in external aerodynamic flows, PSP has been used to study supersonic internal flows with complex shock wave structures in turbomachinery (Cler et al. 1996; Lepicovsky 1998; Lepicovsky et al. 1997; Taghavi et al. 1999; Lepicovsky and Bencic 2002). This section describes typical PSP measurements in subsonic, transonic and supersonic flows.
Torgerson et al. (1996) conducted PSP experiments in a low-speed impinging jet to determine the limiting pressure difference that can be resolved using a laser scanning system combining an optical chopper or acoustic-optic modulator with a lock-in amplifier. They tested three PSP formulations, Ru(dpp) in GE RTV 118, PtTFPP in model airplane dope and PtTFPP/Green-Gold in dope. Ru(dpp) in GE RTV 118 had a relatively low temperature sensitivity of 0.78%/°C compared to 1.8%/°C for PtTFPP-dope PSP. PtTFPP/Green Gold in dope was a two – luminophore PSP where Green Gold served as a pressure-insensitive reference dye. They compared the intensity ratio method, phase method and two-color ratio method to evaluate their feasibility for low-speed PSP measurements. The paint was coated on a white Mylar film attached on an aluminum impingement surface that was located at 10 mm away from a 5-mm diameter nozzle. A laser beam modulated by an optical chopper provided illumination for PSP at 457 nm. A 0.2mm laser spot was scanned across the impingement plate. The luminescent emission was detected using a PMT through a long-pass filter (>600 nm). The PMT signal was input into a lock-in amplifier connected with a PC either to reduce the noise for intensity-based measurements or to extract the phase angle for phase-based measurements. For Ru(dpp) in GE RTV 118, a typical chopping frequency was 500 Hz with a lock-in time constant set to 200 ms. Pressure was calculated from the intensity ratio and the phase angle after five scan ensembles were averaged. Figure 9.19 shows the pressure distributions on the impingement plate converted from the intensity ratio of Ru(dpp) in GE RTV 118, where the lateral coordinate is normalized by the nozzle diameter. These results indicated that the laser scanning system, working with Ru(dpp) in GE RTV 118, was able to measure an absolute pressure difference as low as 0.05 psi with a reasonable accuracy. However, it was found that the PtTFPP-dope PSP exhibited a stronger temperature effect distorting significantly the pressure distribution near the shear layer region of the impinging jet.
Phase measurements in the wind-off case for Ru(dpp) in GE RTV 118 and PtTFPP in dope led to a somewhat surprising finding that the phase angle showed a repeated variation or pattern over a scanning range even when pressure and temperature were uniformly constant. The phase variation introduced a considerable error in low-speed PSP measurements although it might not be significant for PSP application to high-speed flows. The phase variation was attributed to microheterogeneity of a polymer environment around a probe molecule that locally altered the luminescence and quenching behavior. To correct this intrinsic pattern of the phase angle (or lifetime), a ratioing process is still needed. Similarly, for the two-luminophore paint PtTFPP/Green-Gold in dope, a two-color intensity ratio was not constant over a scanning range because the two dyes were not homogeneously mixed into the binder. In this case, a ratio – of-ratios of the signals was used to remove this effect.
PSP measurements on delta wings, swept wings and car models at low speeds were performed at ONERA in France and DLR in Germany to optimize their paint formulations, hardware and software for low-speed measurements (Engler et al. 2001a). It is realized that PSP measurements at low speeds require the accuracy of 0.1% over a pressure range of 800-1000 mb. This accuracy is difficult to achieve using a typical PSP with a temperature sensitivity of 1%/K because a temperature change of 0.1 K could produce an error as large as a required pressure resolution. Furthermore, the accuracy of PSP is further reduced due to the camera noise and variation of the excitation intensity during a test run. The most common procedure to deal with the temperature effect is application of in-situ calibration to correlate the local luminescent intensity to the corresponding pressure tap data under an assumption that the temperature distribution on a model is uniform. In this case, the temperature-induced error is absorbed into an overall fitting error in in-situ calibration. Even though some systematic errors are removed, it is impossible for this procedure alone to reduce the error to a level equivalent to that caused by a temperature change of 0.1 K on a non-uniform thermal surface in wind tunnel tests. After investigating low – speed PSP measurements in large production wind tunnels at NASA Ames, Bell et al. (1998) pointed out that the most significant errors were due to the temperature effect of PSP and model motion. Therefore, a better solution is the combined use of in-situ calibration with a temperature-insensitive PSP. An illumination field should be measured in order to correct both the spatial and temporal excitation variations on a surface. Furthermore, a large number of images (up to 64) should be averaged to reduce the camera noise.
Engler et al. (2001a) tested three Pyrene-based PSP formulations for low – speed measurements. One was the B1 PSP developed by OPTROD in Russia, in which a pressure-insensitive reference dye was added to correct the excitation variation when performing a ratio between the pressure and reference emissions. The temperature sensitivity of the B1 PSP was 0.5%/K which could not be neglected when a high accuracy for pressure measurements was required. Another was the PyGd PSP developed at ONERA, containing Pyrene as a pressure-sensitive dye and a gadolinium oxysulfide as a reference component. The two components absorbed the ultraviolet excitation light and emitted the luminescence at different wavelengths. Besides its high sensitivity to pressure, the PyGd PSP displayed a very low temperature sensitivity of 0.05%/K because the temperature sensitivity of the reference component was almost the same as Pyrene and thus an intensity ratio between the two components compensated the temperature effect of Pyrene. Therefore, this paint was suitable to low-speed PSP measurements. The PdGd PSP, developed at ONERA mainly for transonic flows, was also tested to evaluate its feasibility and accuracy of measurements at low speeds. This paint was a mixture of PSP and TSP, containing a pressure – sensitive component Palladium octaethylporphine (PdOEP) and a temperature – sensitive component Gadolinium oxysulfide having a temperature sensitivity of 1.5%/K.
Illumination system used was a Mercury light filtered in a UV range (325±15nm or 340±35nm) and a xenon-flash lamp equipped with four optical outputs with 25-Hz repetition rate (308 nm); the lights were connected to liquid light guides to illuminate models. Cooled CCD cameras (512×512, 1024×1024 or 1340×1300 pixels) with back illuminated detectors were used. A filter holder was placed in the front of the lens or the CCD chip. The filters separated the emitted lights from the pressure component (430-510 nm) and from the reference component (615-625 nm). For the PdGd paint, the third filter was required for the temperature-sensitive component at 480-520 nm. The exposure time was typically 1-30 seconds, depending on the illumination source, camera, and size of a test section. Filter-shifting device and two-camera system were developed to acquire the pressure and reference images.
Preliminary measurements at low speeds were made on a delta wing to identify the major error sources and evaluate the performance of different paints (B1, PyGd and PdGd) under the same flow conditions. The delta wing with a 500-mm chord and a swept angle of 75° was successively painted with the three PSPs. The model was mounted in the ONERA low-speed research wind tunnel having a test section of 1-m diameter and the maximum speed of 50 m/s. The model was equipped with 47 pressure taps used to assess the accuracy of PSP. Ten images for each filter setting (blue or red filter) were taken using the CCD cameras (512×512 and 1340×1300 pixels) for frame averaging.
using the PyGd PSP are in good agreement with the pressure tap data and less noisy compared to those given by the B1 and PdGd PSPs. This is due to not only much higher luminescent emission from the PyGd PSP, but also very low temperature sensitivity of the PyGd PSP. Spatial averaging was applied to the PSP data over a 3-pixel-radius circle around each pixel. Since a 3-pixel radius in a 512×512-pixel camera corresponded to a larger area on the surface, spatial averaging on the image plane was more effective for the 512×512-pixel camera, which was evidenced by a reduced noise level of the results. Since the PdGd PSP was a mixture of PSP and TSP, the temperature fields were also obtained, indicating a temperature increase of 0.2 K on the wing surface from the left to right. Moreover, by comparing the TSP images taken before and after the test, a temperature increase of 1.6 K was observed in a test run of 30 minutes due to the heat dissipated by the motor of the wind tunnel. Other researchers also measured the pressure distributions on delta wings using PSP at low speeds (Morris 1995; Shimbo et al. 1997; Le Sant et al. 2001a; Verhaagen et al. 1995). The flow over a delta wing is particularly suitable to testing the capability of PSP at low speeds since there is a relatively large pressure change induced by the leading edge vortices on the upper surface.
Measurements on swept wings were performed in the Low-Speed-Wind-Tunnel (LSWT) of Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace at Bremen in German. This Eiffel-type wind tunnel with a 2.1×2.1 m test section was operated in a range of velocities from 30 to 75 m/s. Images were acquired at 10 minutes after the tunnel was turned on to stabilize flow temperature and minimize the temperature effect on PSP. During the tests, all ambient light sources were covered and the test section was painted black to minimize reflection of the luminescent light on the walls. After preliminary tests on a swept constant-chord half-wing model to examine the performance of the PSP system, PSP measurements were made on an Airbus A340 half-model. Figure 9.12 shows the wing of the Airbus model coated with different paints including ‘Gottingen Dyes’ (GD) PSPs and B1 PSP of OPTROD. A large number of pressure taps on the wing were available for comparison. Figure 9.13 shows a raw blue image of the wing of the Airbus model illuminated with a 308nm diffuse lamp when the integration time of the CCD cameras was 32 s for 16 images acquired. The GD146 PSP gave the most sensitive signal. Figure 9.14 shows a comparison of PSP measurements with pressure tap data along a chord at the spanwise location AB indicated in Fig. 9.13 on the Airbus model at 60 m/s and the angle of attack of 16o. Figure 9.15 shows a similar comparison between PSP and pressure taps for the wing/slat configuration of a swept constant-chord halfwing model at 60 m/s and the angle-of-attack of 16°. The resolution of ACp = 0.02 was achieved on the swept wings at 60 m/s.
9.18 presents a comparison between PSP and pressure taps on the rear window of the PSA Peugeot Citroen model at 40 m/s along the left-hand sideline A and the centerline C equipped with pressure taps. In this case, the absolute pressure accuracy was better than 1 mb. There was an interesting difference between the pressure distributions along the sideline A and centerline C. There was only one pressure minimum point along the centerline C through the roof/window junction. In contrast, two pressure minimum points existed along the sideline A, which corresponded to the roof/window junction and a vortex system around the car, respectively. PSP was able to visualize the pressure signatures associated with complex flow patterns that were completely missed in pressure tap data such as a pressure peak between the two pressure minimum points along the sideline A.
PSP measurements are challenging in low-speed flows where a change in air pressure is very small. The major error sources, notably the temperature effect, image misalignment and CCD camera noise, must be minimized to obtain acceptable quantitative pressure results at low speeds. Brown et al. (1997, 2000) made baseline PSP measurements on a NACA 0012 airfoil at low speeds (less than 50 m/s). The experiments systematically identified the major error sources affecting PSP measurements at low speeds and developed the practical procedures for minimizing these errors. After all efforts were made to reduce the errors, reasonably good pressure results were obtained at speeds as low as 10 m/s.
basecoat was lightly buffed to reduce surface roughness. The sufficiently thick PSP topcoat applied to the basecoat was insured to be as uniform as possible. After completing the PSP application, a hot-air gun was used to raise pSp above its glass transition temperature of about 70oC. This annealing process reduced the temperature sensitivity of PSP.
The first set of tests (Case I) provided useful PSP testing experience to identify the potential problems. The airfoil was secured onto the tunnel test section with the angle of attack of 5o. The camera and two UV lamps were secured onto a rigid double U-frame surrounding the test section mounted on the ground floor by bolts, which were approximately 18 inches away from the test section. The camera viewed perpendicularly the airfoil on which ten registration marks were placed for image registration. The total thickness of the basecoat and PSP was about 34 |am and the roughness of PSP was about 2.6 |am. The tests were run at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 m/s. For each tunnel run period, the tunnel settling temperature was recorded just priori to and just after image acquisition. The temperature change was within 0.17oC during a single period of image acquisition, depending on the flow velocity. The typical results for a speed of 30 m/s and the angle of attack of 5oare shown in Figs. 9.1-9.3. Figure 9.1 is the in-situ Stern-Volmer plot for PSP obtained using pressure tap data, indicating a large variation and a poor correlation between the luminescent intensity and pressure. The corresponding PSP image is shown in Fig. 9.2, where flow is from left to right. Although the low-pressure region near the leading edge is visible in the PSP image, apparent striation patterns and granular features corrupt the quality of the PSP data. This random spatial noise can be clearly seen in the chordwise pressure distribution at the mid-span, as shown in Fig. 9.3. The PSP data at speeds of 10, 20, 40 and 50 m/s had similar noise patterns.
Several problems were identified that might contribute to the large spatial noise. First, scratches on the tunnel plexiglass wall caused the streaky patterns. Secondly, PSP suffered from a considerable thickness variation due to poor application of the paint. The effect of the surface roughness could not be completely corrected using the image registration technique for the non-aligned wind-off and wind-on images. The third problem was related to model motion with respect to the lamps. Since the lamps were fixed on the ground floor, the test section underwent a lateral oscillation estimated to be on the order of 10 Hz relative to the lamps. If the model moved in a non-homogenous illumination field, the effect of the motion could not be corrected using the image registration technique. Also, this problem exaggerated the second problem associated with the surface roughness. Note that these problems might not be serious for PSP measurements in high subsonic, transonic and supersonic flows.
temperature change between the wind-off and wind-on images, the experimental procedure was revised such that the tunnel was run for one hour and the wind-off image was taken immediately after the wind-on image. In this way, the temperature distribution on the model in the wind-off case was close to that in the wind-on case. Figures 9.4-9.6 show results obtained in Case II tests for a speed of 30 m/s and the angle of attack of 5o. The in-situ Stern-Volmer plot in Fig. 9.4 has a better linearity and an improved correlation with the pressure tap data. The PSP image in Fig. 9.5 is also considerably improved, clearly showing not only a correct chordwise pressure profile, but also the 3D effect near the airfoil edges. The pressure tap gutter lines are also visible in the image since the gutter line epoxy has a different thermal conductivity from the stainless steel such that a small temperature difference exists. As shown in Fig. 9.6, the chordwise pressure distribution at the mid-span clearly shows a reduced noise level compared to the corresponding result in Case I.
In Case III tests, careful application of PSP led to a further reduction of the paint roughness to 0.46 pm. To increase the statistical redundancy in image registration, all 16 pressure taps were used in images as registration marks, in addition to the original eight registration marks applied to the paint surface. For better in-situ calibration of PSP, 32 ‘virtual pressure taps’ located at 10 pixels above and below the spanwise location of the actual taps were created and used in images under the assumption of two-dimensionality of flows near the mid-span. As shown in Fig. 9.7, it was found that the use of the additional virtual taps provided an accuracy of 10% better than that achieved by using the actual taps only in least-squares estimation for in-situ calibration. The results of Case III tests are shown in Figs. 9.7-9.9 for a speed of 30 m/s and the angle of attack of 5o. Overall, the results indicate the improved quality of the PSP data and a reduced noise level compared to Case II.
The valuable lessons learned from this study of low-speed PSP measurements are summarized as follows. (1) Vibration and model movement with respect to cameras and lamps must be minimized to reduce the image registration error. (2) The temperature-induced errors must be minimized. Not only the tunnel test section, but also the model surface should reach a stable equilibrium state of temperature priori to acquisition of the wind-on images. It is highly suggested that the wind-off image should be acquired immediately after the corresponding wind – on image as soon as the tunnel is shut down. (3) The quality of application of both the basecoat and PSP topcoat to a surface is critical and the paint roughness must be minimized to obtain good results at low speeds. (4) In-situ PSP calibration utilizing a sufficient number of pressure taps is required to eliminate the systematic errors and obtain quantitative results. (5) Image registration is critical to reduce the spatial noise. (6) Scientific-grade CCD cameras (14 and 16 bits) should be used, and averaging a large number of images should be performed to reduce the photon shot noise and other random noises. Note that some of the above procedures for controlling the error sources are not generally applicable to large production wind tunnels.
for this cooling process is t3 = kh/( aThc), where hc is the average heat transfer coefficient of the impinging jet and h is the paint thickness.
Figure 8.18 shows an experimental setup for step jet impingement cooling. A 475-nm blue laser beam was used for illumination at the impingement point. The luminescent intensity was measured using a PMT and then was converted into temperature using a priori calibration relation. To achieve a small response time, a sub-zero temperature impinging Freon jet generated by a Freeze-it® sprayer was utilized, where a mechanical camera shutter was used as a valve to control issuing of the jet. After the shutter opened within 1 ms, the Freon jet impinged on the surface of a hot soldering iron (about 100oC) which was coated with a 19-|jm thick Ru(bpy)-Shellac TSP. Figure 8.19 shows a rapid decrease of the surface temperature on the thin paint coating to the minimum temperature of about 44oC. The measured timescale t3 of TSP for this cooling process was 1.4 ms. Cool air impingement jet was also tested; the measured timescales were 16 ms and 25 ms for 19 |jm and 38 |jm thick Ru(bpy)-Shellac TSP coatings, respectively.
The characteristic timescale for the laser heating is t1 = n2m /(4aT ).
Eq. (8.36) describes an exponential decay of the averaged temperature, which gives the characteristic timescale t2 = knm /(2aT hc) for the cooling process due to natural convection.
temperature increases rapidly after heating at the film and then decays due to natural convection. To estimate the response times, the asymptotic solutions Eq.
(8.32) and Eq. (8.36) were used to fit the experimental data. The response time of TSP for the laser heating process was t1 = 0.25 ms, while the time constant for the cooling process by natural convection was t2 = 12.5 ms.
conductivity and hc is the convective heat transfer coefficient. In general, the thermal diffusion time is much larger than the luminescent lifetime for many TSP formulations, and therefore thermal diffusion limits the time response of TSP. In contrast to PSP where oxygen diffusion always obeys the no-flux condition at a solid boundary, heat transfer to the substrate through a non-adiabatic wall inevitably affects the thermal time response of TSP in actual experiments. Hence, the timescale of TSP depends on not only the thermal conductivity of the paint itself, but also the boundary conditions in a specific heat transfer problem for TSP application. To measure the time response of TSP to a rapid change of temperature, Liu et al. (1995c) conducted experiments of pulse laser heating on a metal film and step-like jet impingement cooling. | 2019-04-23T16:01:01Z | http://heli-air.net/category/pressure-and-temperature-sensitive-paints/page/3/ |
dates for the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are included along with the official end date for Operation New Dawn in Iraq on December 15, 2011, and Operation Enduring Freedom on Afghanistan on December 28, 2014. This report will be updated when events warrant. For additional information, see the following: CRS Report RL31133, Declarations of War and Authorizations for the Use of Military Force: Historical Background and Legal Implications, by Jennifer K. Elsea and Matthew C. Weed, and CRS Report R42738, Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2015, by Barbara Salazar Torreon.
Title 38, Part 3, Section 3.2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, dealing with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), lists official beginning and termination dates for most war periods from the Indian Wars to the present to be used in determining the availability of veterans’ benefits.5 The material below summarizes these dates. Where applicable, a summary of the Department of Veterans Affairs official beginning and termination dates is provided followed by a citation to the lettered C.F.R. section. For some entries, this initial summary is followed by an explanatory note or declaration, armistice, cease-fire, or termination dates cited by other official sources. Also included are dates for the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
January 1, 1817, through December 31, 1898, inclusive. Service must have been rendered with U.S. military forces against Indian tribes or nations. Code of Federal Regulations, 3.2 (a).
1 For background on the War Powers Act and use of military force abroad, see the following: CRS Report RL31133, Declarations of War and Authorizations for the Use of Military Force: Historical Background and Legal Implications, by Jennifer K. Elsea and Matthew C. Weed, and CRS Report R42738, Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2015, by Barbara Salazar Torreon.
2 The American Legion also follows these dates closely in determining who is eligible for membership; the Veterans of Foreign Wars has its own much more elaborate list of dates.
3 Code of Federal Regulation (C.F.R.) Title 38, Part 3, §3.2 Periods of war, at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx? rgn=div5&node=38:1.0.1.1.4.
4 Armistice—“In International law, a suspension or temporary cessation of hostilities by agreement between belligerent powers.” Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, Joint Publication 1-02, Department of Defense, November 8, 2010, as amended through 15 October 2015, at http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/dod_dictionary/ index.html?zoom_query=armistice&zoom_sort=0&zoom_per_page=10&zoom_and=1. See also the more detailed definition in the Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law (New York: Oceana Publications, Inc., 1986), p. 30.
5 Title 38 of the C.F.R., titled “Pensions, Bonuses and Veterans’ Relief,” is not to be confused with Title 38 of the United States Code, titled “Veterans Benefits.” Laws enacted in each Congress are first collected as session laws, published in the Statutes at Large for each session. These laws are then codified by subject and published in the United States Code. The general guidance given by these laws results in the issuance of more detailed regulations to implement these laws. Such regulations are first published in the Federal Register and are then codified by subject in the C.F.R.
April 21, 1898, through July 4, 1902, inclusive. If the veteran served with the U.S. military forces engaged in hostilities in the Moro Province, the ending date is July 15, 1903. The Philippine Insurrection and the Boxer Rebellion are included for the purposes of benefit determination under this C.F.R. section. Code of Federal Regulations, 3.2 (b).
Declared by an act of Congress April 25, 1898 (30 Stat. 364, Ch. 189). An armistice signed August 12, 1898. Terminated by Treaty signed at Paris, December 10, 1898 (30 Stat. 1754), ratified and proclaimed April 11, 1899.
May 9, 1916, through April 5, 1917. In the case of a veteran who during such period served in Mexico, on the borders thereof, or in the adjacent waters thereto. Code of Federal Regulations, 3.2 (h).
April 6, 1917, through November 11, 1918, inclusive. If the veteran served with the U.S. military forces in Russia, the ending date is April 1, 1920. Service after November 11, 1918, and before July 2, 1921, is considered World War I service if the veteran served in the active military, naval, or air service after April 5, 1917, and before November 12, 1918. Code of Federal Regulations, 3.2 (c).
Declared by Joint Resolution of Congress of April 6, 1917 (40 Stat. 429, Ch. 1). Armistice signed near Compiègne, France, November 11, 1918. Terminated July 2, 1921, by Joint Resolution of Congress (42 Stat. 105, Ch. 40, 1).
Declared by Joint Resolution of Congress, December 7, 1917 (40 Stat. 429, Ch. 1). An armistice signed near Compiègne, France, November 11, 1918. Terminated July 2, 1921, by Joint Resolution of Congress (42 Stat. 106, Ch. 40, 3).
December 7, 1941, through December 31, 1946, inclusive. If the veteran was in service on December 31, 1946, continuous service before July 26, 1947, is considered World War II service. Code of Federal Regulations, 3.2 (d).
Declared by Joint Resolution of Congress, December 11, 1941 (55 Stat. 796, Ch. 564). German representative Colonel General Alfred Jodl signed the unconditional act of surrender to Allied representatives in a Reims, France, schoolhouse on May 7, 1945. A second German surrender ceremony was held on May 8 in Berlin at the insistence of the U.S.S.R. Cessation of hostilities declared as of noon, December 31, 1946, by presidential proclamation of December 31, 1946 (Proc. no. 2714, 61 Stat. 1048). State of war with the “government of Germany” terminated October 19, 1951, by Joint Resolution of Congress of that date (65 Stat. 451, Ch. 519), by Presidential Proclamation 2950, October 24, 1951. No peace treaty with Germany was signed.
Declared by Joint Resolution of Congress, December 8, 1941 (55 Stat. 795, Ch. 561). Japanese representatives publicly signed unconditional surrender document on the deck of the USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. President Truman proclaimed this date Victory over Japan Day or V-J Day. Cessation of hostilities declared as of 12 noon, December 31, 1946, by presidential proclamation of December 31, 1946 (Proc. no. 2714, 61 Stat. 1048). Terminated by Multilateral Treaty of Peace with Japan, signed at San Francisco, September 8, 1951 (3 UST 3329), and ratified March 20, 1952, effective April 28, 1952.
6 May 7, 1945, is listed as V - E Day in commentary about signing the first German surrender document in Historic Documents of World War II by Walter Consuelo Langsam (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1958), p. 144. However, May 8, 1945, is cited as V-E day in The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates, p. 528; as the “Official V-E Day” in Louis L. Snyder, Louis L. Snyder’s Historical Guide to World War Two (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1982), p. 736; and the World Almanac of World War II, ed. Brigadier Peter Young (New York: Pharos Books, 1981), p. 347, states in its chronology for May 8, “The British and Americans celebrate VE Day (Victory in Europe Day). Truman, Churchill and King George VI all make special broadcasts.” Although President Truman did not officially proclaim May 7 as V- E (Victory in Europe) Day, he did proclaim Sunday, May 13, 1945, a day of prayer. To make for more confusion, his May 8, 1945, Proclamation 2651, proclaiming May 13 as a day of prayer, is titled, “Victory in Europe; Day of Prayer” (3 C.F.R., 1943-1948 Comp.), p. 55. In addition, his May 8 news conference in which he proclaims May 13 a day of prayer is titled, “The President’s News Conference on V-E Day”—Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. Harry S. Truman, 1945 (Washington: GPO, 1961), p. 43.
7 In his news conference of August 14, 1945, announcing news of the Japanese government’s complete acceptance of terms of surrender, President Truman states, “Proclamation of V-J Day must wait upon the formal signing of the surrender terms by Japan.”—Public Papers, p. 216. The proclamation of September 2 as V-J Day was given in his September 1, 1945, “Speech to the American People after the Signing of the Terms of Unconditional Surrender by Japan.”—Public Papers, p. 254. However, no formal, numbered proclamation was apparently issued. Both August 14, the day of President Truman’s announcement of the Japanese surrender, and September 2, the official day proclaimed by President Truman in his speech, are cited as V-J Day in Chase’s Calendar of Events 2002 (New York: McGraw- Hill, 2002), pp. 421 and 555. August 15 is cited as V-J Day by The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates, 9th ed., by Gordon Carruth (New York: Harper Collins, 1993), p. 530. August 15, on which the Japanese Emperor made his historic broadcast to the Japanese people telling of Japan’s surrender, is cited as V-J Day in The World Almanac of World War II, p. 353.
31, 1946 (Proc. no. 2714, 61 Stat. 1048). Terminated by Treaty of Peace dated at Paris, February 10, 1947 (61 Stat. 1247), effective September 15, 1947.
Declared by Joint Resolution of Congress, June 5, 1942 (56 Stat. 307, Ch. 323). Cessation of hostilities declared as of noon December 31, 1946, by presidential proclamation of December 31, 1946 (Proc. no. 2714, 61 Stat. 1048). Terminated by Treaty of Peace dated at Paris, February 10, 1947 (61 Stat. 1915), effective September 15, 1947.
Declared by Joint Resolution of Congress, June 5, 1942 (56 Stat. 307, Ch. 325). Cessation of hostilities declared as of noon December 31, 1946, by presidential proclamation of December 31, 1946 (Proc. no. 2714, 61 Stat. 1048). Terminated by Treaty of Peace dated at Paris, February 10, 1947 (61 Stat. 1757), effective September 15, 1947.
June 27, 1950, through January 31, 1955, inclusive. Code of Federal Regulations, 3.2 (e).
On June 25, 1950, North Korean Communist forces attacked South Korean positions south of the 38th parallel, leading to an immediate United Nations (U.N.) Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire and withdrawal of the North Korean forces. On June 26, President Truman ordered U.S. air and sea forces in the Far East to aid South Korea. On June 27, the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution asking U.N. members for assistance in repelling the North Korean armed attack and in restoring peace and security in the area. On June 30, the President stated that he had authorized the use of certain U.S. air and ground units wherever necessary. No declaration of war was requested of Congress and no authorization for use of force, by statute, was requested or enacted. An armistice signed at Panmunjom, Korea, on July 27, 1953, between U.N. and Communist representatives (4 UST 234; TIAS 2782). No peace treaty was ever signed.
The period beginning on February 28, 1961, and ending on May 7, 1975, inclusive, in the case of a veteran who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period. The period beginning on August 5, 1964, and ending on May 7, 1975, inclusive, in all other cases. Code of Federal Regulations, 3.2 (f).
stated in part that Congress “approves and supports the determination of the President, as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent any further aggression.” H.J. Res. 1145, P.L. 88-408, August 10, 1964 (78 Stat. 384). The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was formally repealed on January 12, 1971, by P.L. 91-672, (84 Stat. 2055). The Agreement Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam signed in Paris, January 27, 1973 (TIAS 7674). Joint communiqué implementing the agreement and protocols of January 27, 1973, signed at Paris and entered into force, June 13, 1973.
Panama. U.S. Marines deployed on August 21, 1982 and September 29, 1982, were part of a temporary multinational force in Lebanon. See S. 639, P.L. 98-43 (Lebanon Emergency Assistance Act of 1983).
Grenada. On October 25, 1983, U.S. troops were deployed to Grenada “to restore law and order” and to protect American lives at the request of the members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. Known as Operation Urgent Fury, by December 15, 1983, all forces had been withdrawn.
Panama. On December 21, 1989, President Bush reported that he had ordered U.S. military forces to Panama to protect the lives of American citizens and bring General Noriega to justice. Known as Operation Just Cause, by February 13, 1990, all the invasion forces had been withdrawn.
Note: Participation in these conflicts alone does not confer automatic veterans’ status for servicemembers. For more information, see CRS Report R42324, Who Is a “Veteran”?—Basic Eligibility for Veterans’ Benefits, by Scott D. Szymendera and CRS Report R42738, Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2015, by Barbara Salazar Torreon.
8 Cease fire—“A command given to any unit or individual firing any weapon to stop engaging the target.” Department of Defense Dictionary, p. 65.
9 This agreement is actually a transcript of the discussion held at Safwan Airfield, Iraq, between Coalition participants, U.S. Gen. M. Norman Schwarzkopf and Lt. Gen. Khalid of the Joint Arab Forces, and Iraqi participants, Lt. Gen. Sultan Kasim Ahmad, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Defense, and Lt. Gen. Sala Abud Mahmud, III Corps Commander.
10 Acceptance is in the form of a letter to the U.N. Security Council accepting the terms of U.N. Resolution 687 (U.N. document S22485, April 11, 1991).
Shortly after the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush called on Afghanistan’s leaders to hand over Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders and close their terrorist training camps. He also demanded the return of all detained foreign nationals and the opening of terrorist training sites to inspection.13 These demands were rejected. The Administration sought international support from the United Nations (U.N.) for military action against Afghanistan. U.N. Security Council Resolution 1368 of September 12, 2001, stated that the Council “Expresses its readiness to take all necessary steps to respond to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 ... ”14 This resolution was interpreted by many as U.N. authorization for military action in response to the 9/11 attacks. As a result, Congress passed S.J.Res. 23, “Authorization for Use of Military Force,” on September 14, 2001. This bill was signed by President George W. Bush on September 18, 2001, as P.L. 107-40, and it authorized the President to use “all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons.... ”15 Operations in the region began with U.S. military forces deployed to the region on October 7, 2001.
Operations began with U.S. military forces deployed to Afghanistan to combat terrorism on October 7, 2001, and designated Operation Enduring Freedom.
11 38 C.F.R. Part 3, §3.2 Periods of war, at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5&node= 38:1.0.1.1.4#se38.1.3_12. Note: Section (i) for the Persian Gulf War lists “August 2, 1990, through date to be prescribed by Presidential proclamation or law.” No specific end date is listed as of the date of this report.
12 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, Notice –Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Stabilization of Iraq, May 18, 2016, at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/05/18/notice-continuation-national-emergency-respect-stabilization-iraq.
13 President George W. Bush, Address Before A Joint Session of Congress on the United States Response to the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, September 24, 2001, at http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=64731.
14 United Nations, Security Council Resolution 1368 (2001), adopted by the Security Council at its 4370th meeting, on September 12, 2001, at https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Documents/1368.pdf.
15 P.L. 107-40, “To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United State,” at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-107publ40/pdf/PLAW-107publ40.pdf.
16 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, “Remarks by the President on a New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan,” press release, March 27, 2009, at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President- on-a-New-Strategy-for-Afghanistan-and-Pakistan.
On June 22, 2011, President Obama again addressed the American people about the way forward in Afghanistan: “We will begin the drawdown of U.S. troops from a position of strength. We have exceeded our expectations on our core goal of defeating al-Qaeda killing 20 of its top 30 leaders, including Osama bin Laden. We have broken the Taliban’s momentum, and trained over 100,000 Afghan National Security Forces.”18 As a result, U.S. forces began the withdrawal of 10,000 troops from Afghanistan.
On December 28, 2014, after 13 years of combat operations, President Obama and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced the end of OEF, a conflict that claimed the lives of more than 2,200 American troops, and the beginning of a follow-on mission on January 1, 2015.19 A transition ceremony was held at the International Security and Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, attended by U.S. commanders and allied troops from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). For more information, see CRS Report RL30588, Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, by Kenneth Katzman.
17 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, “Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation on the Way Forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” press release, December 1, 2009, at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press- office/remarks-president-address-nation-way-forward-afghanistan-and-pakistan.
18 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, “Remarks by the President on the Way Forward in Afghanistan,” press release, June 22, 2011, at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/06/22/remarks-president-way- forward-afghanistan.
19 U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), “Obama, Hagel Mark End of Operation Enduring Freedom,” news release, December 28, 2014, at http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123887.
20 DOD, “Statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel,” news release, NR-631-14, December 28, 2014, at http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid= 17091.
21 NATO Resolute Support Mission (RSM) “placemat”: Key Facts and Figures, at http://www.nato.int/ nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/pdf_2015_10/20151007_2015-10-rsm-placemat.pdf. As of October 2015, there are 13,110 troops from 42 nations including the United States. Note on numbers: The number of troops above reflects the overall contribution of individual contributing nations. They should be taken as indicative as they change daily, in accordance with the deployment procedures of the individual troop contributing nations.
22 NATO, Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, at http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_113694.htm.
23 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, “Statement by the President on Afghanistan,” October 15, 2015, at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/15/statement-president-afghanistan.
On November 8, 2002, the U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1441. This resolution found Iraq in breach of past U.N. resolutions prohibiting stockpiling and importing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).26 The Hussein government in Iraq continued to be uncooperative with U.N. investigators, which heightened the situation through spring 2003.
On May 1, 2003, in an address to the nation, President Bush declared that “major military combat actions in Iraq have ended,”29 yet U.S. troops remained in Iraq.
A ceremony at Camp Victory in Baghdad on January 1, 2010, marked the end of the Multinational Forces-Iraq (MNF-I) and the beginning of United States Forces-Iraq (USF-I), which merged five major command groups into one single headquarters command.30 As General David Petraeus, then head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), noted, “this ceremony marks another significant transition here in Iraq. It represents another important milestone in the continued drawdown of American Forces.”31 Troops from 30 countries have served in MNF-I since 2003.
24 CRS Report RL31339, Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security, by Kenneth Katzman.
25 P.L. 107-243, “Authorization for the use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002,” at https://www.congress.gov/107/plaws/publ243/PLAW-107publ243.pdf.
26 United Nations, Security Council Resolution 1441 adopted on November 8, 2002, at its 4644th meeting at http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/documents/1441.pdf.
27 U.S. President (G.W. Bush), “Address to the Nation on Iraq,” Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, March 24, 2003, vol. 39, no. 12, pp. 338-341.
29 Ibid, May 5, 2003, vol. 39, no. 18, pp. 516-518.
30 Staff Sgt. Luke Koladish and Sgt. Kat Briere, “New Command Marks Milestone in Iraq,” U.S. Army website, January 2, 2010, at http://www.army.mil/article/32437/New_command_marks_milestone_in_Iraq/.
32 The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, “Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation on the End of Combat Operations in Iraq,” press release, August 31, 2010, at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/08/ 31/remarks-president-address-nation-end-combat-operations-iraq.
For more information, see sections “Post-U.S. Withdrawal Iraq Unravels” and “U.S. Policy Response to the Islamic State in Iraq,” in CRS Report RS21968, Iraq: Politics and Governance, by Kenneth Katzman and Carla E. Humud.
Effective October 15, 2014, the DOD designated U.S. and coalition operations “Operation Inherent Resolve”35 against the terrorist group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, another name for the Islamic State) along the Syrian-Iraqi border. The commander of U.S. 3rd Army and Army Forces Central Command was designated the commander of the Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) on October 17, 2014.36 Airstrikes by U.S. and coalition forces continue.
For more information, see CRS Report R44135, Coalition Contributions to Countering the Islamic State, by Kathleen J. McInnis; CRS In Focus IF10328, The Islamic State: In Focus, and CRS Report R43612, The Islamic State and U.S. Policy, both by Christopher M. Blanchard and Carla E. Humud.
33 Cheryl Pellerin, “Dempsey: Iraq Campaign Was worth the Cost,” DOD News, December 15, 2011, at http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66488.
35 DOD, Operation Inherent Resolve, at http://www.inherentresolve.mil/About/.
36 CJTF-OIR, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve Fact Sheet at http://www.inherentresolve.mil/ Portals/1/Documents/Mission/History.pdf?ver=2016-03-23-065243-743. | 2019-04-26T02:34:51Z | https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/us-periods-war-dates-recent-conflicts.html |
Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia, with a population of 3,488,750 in the Melbourne metropolitan area (census 2001 (http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=91&pg=862)) and 52,117 in the City of Melbourne (which covers only the central city area). The city's name is pronounced "MEL-buhn", IPA: . The city's motto is "Vires acquirit eundo" which means "we gather strength as we go". Melbourne was the capital city of Australia from 1901 until 1927.
Melbourne has twice ranked first in a survey by The Economist of The World's Most Livable Cities on the basis of its cultural attributes, climate, cost of living, and social conditions, once in 2002 (http://www.investincostarica.com/news/economist.htm), and again in 2004. The US's Utne Reader puts it thus: "Add a long tradition of civic pride, communities of new immigrants from around the world, and the best food in Australia, and you have a recipe for what many claim is the hippest city in the Southern Hemisphere" (Nov/Dec 2001).
Melbourne has undergone a major urban 'revival', such that it is sometimes classed as being in a second tier of "world cities"; the GaWC study group in the UK ranks Melbourne, on the basis of relative availability of specialised "advanced services" as a "minor world city" comparable to cities such as Vancouver, Osaka, and Prague. It has one of the highest numbers of international students studying in its universities, after London, New York, and Paris.
Melbourne is located in the south-eastern corner of mainland Australia, and is the southernmost mainland capital city. It looks out on to Port Phillip, its suburbs sprawling to the east, following the Yarra River out to the Yarra and Dandenong Ranges, south-east to the mouth of the bay, and following the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries west and north to flat farming country. The central business district (the original city) is laid out in the famous mile-by-half-a-mile Hoddle Grid, its southern edge fronting on to the Yarra.
Melbourne is a large commercial and industrial centre, with many of Australia's largest companies, and many multinational corporations (approximately one-third of the 100 largest multinationals operating in Australia as of 2002) headquartered there. It is home to Australia's largest seaport, seven universities (the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Deakin University, Victoria University, La Trobe University, RMIT University, and Swinburne University), and much of Australia's automotive industry (including the engine manufacturing facility of Holden, and the Ford and Toyota manufacturing facilities) amongst many other manufacturing industries.
There is no overall governing body for the Melbourne metropolitan area. There is a directly elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne and an elected Melbourne City Council, but these are responsible only for the City of Melbourne, which takes in the central business area and a few adjoining inner suburbs. The Lord Mayor, however, is frequently treated as a representative of the whole city.
The rest of the metropolitan area is divided into 30 municipalities, all of which are styled as cities except for five on the city's outer fringes which are styled as shires (see a list of these at Local Government Areas of Victoria). These municipalities all have elected councils and are responsible for a range of functions delegated to them by the Victorian state government. These include planning, rubbish collection, beaches, parks and gardens, child-care and preschool facilities, local festivals and cultural activities, services to the elderly, supervision of public health, sanitation and similar matters. Councils levy rates from their residents to pay for these services. The councils are collectively represented by the Local Government Association of Victoria.
Most citywide government activities are controlled by the state government. These include public transport, main roads, traffic control, policing, education above preschool level, and planning of major infrastructure projects. Because three quarters of Victoria's population lives in Melbourne, state governments have traditionally been reluctant to allow the development of citywide governmental bodies, which would tend to rival the state government. For this reason the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, which had become a powerful semi-autonomous authority, was abolished in 1992.
Old and new Melbourne are represented in close proximity of each other.
Melbourne was founded on 10 May 1835 by a group of free settlers led by John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner, unlike some of Australia's capital cities which were founded as penal colonies (Adelaide and Perth are other notable exceptions). With the discovery of gold in central Victoria in the 1850s, leading to the Victorian gold rush, Melbourne quickly grew as a port to service the necessary trade. During the 1880s, Melbourne was the second largest city in the British Empire, and came to be known as "Marvellous Melbourne". Melbourne today is home to the largest number of surviving Victorian Era buildings of any city in the world other than London.
Melbourne became Australia's national capital at Federation on 1 January 1901. The first Federal parliament was opened on 9 May 1901 in the Royal Exhibition Building. The seat of government and the national capital remained in Melbourne until 9 May 1927 when the provisional Parliament House was opened in the new capital city of Canberra.
Melbourne continued to expand steadily throughout the first half of the 20th century, particularly with the post-World War II influx of immigrants and the prestige of hosting the Olympic Games in 1956. This was the first time the Olympic Games had ever been held in the Southern Hemisphere (the only other time was when Sydney hosted the Games in 2000). Throughout the 1990s, the Victorian state government of Premier Jeff Kennett (Liberal) began a campaign with aggressive development of new public buildings (such as the Crown Casino, the Melbourne Museum, and the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre) and publicising Melbourne's merits both to outsiders and Melburnians. This has continued under the government of current Premier Steve Bracks (Labor).
Melbourne is split into various Local Government Areas each with their own Councils. One of these is the City of Melbourne - covering the central business district. The City's current Lord Mayor is John So, who was inaugurated in 2001, after the first direct election of a Lord Mayor for the city.
Melbourne is built on the land of the Kulin nation, the original Aboriginal inhabitants of the area.
See also: Timeline of Melbourne history.
Melbourne as seen from the Yarra River, home of many rowers and active crew teams.
While having a large and vibrant arts and cultural life (notably including the yearly Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival), Melbourne is perhaps best known as one of the most sports-obsessed cities in the world. Melbourne is home to nine of the sixteen teams in the Australian Football League, whose five Melbourne games per week attract an average 35,000 people per game. Melbourne hosts the Australian Open tennis, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments; the Melbourne Cup - the most prestigious handicap horse race in the world; the hugely popular 'Boxing Day' cricket test match held each year from 26-30 December at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (a massive arena that can hold up to 100,000 spectators); the Australian Grand Prix Formula One championship.
Melbourne Storm, who play in the National Rugby League are based at Olympic Park. In 2003 it also co-hosted the Rugby Union World Cup, including many pool matches as well as a quarter final - all of which were played at the Telstra Dome. Melbourne has also broken new ground in the major events industry being the first city outside the United States to host the World Police and Fire Games 1995), and the President's Cup golf tournament (1999); and the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to host the World Cup Polo Championship (2001). The newest major sporting event to be brought to the city will be the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Melbourne is the home of The Australian Ballet, and the second home of Opera Australia. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is well-regarded. It was also (arguably) birthplace of Western art in Australia through the Heidelberg School; the National Gallery of Victoria has Australia's best collection of visual art, particularly early Australian western-tradition art. Several professional theatre companies operate in Melbourne, of which the Melbourne Theatre Company is the best institutionally-supported, and there is a wide range of smaller companies (though the scene is smaller than Sydney's).
Melbourne's rock and pop music scene is regarded (particularly by Melburnians) as the liveliest in the country, and has fostered many internationally renowned artists and musicians, with links to AC/DC, Nick Cave, Crowded House, John Farnham, Graeme Bell and Kylie Minogue.
Trains awaiting departure at Flinders Street Station, taken from Mark Bau's Victorian Railways (http://www.victorianrailways.net/) site.
Melbourne's public transportation network was government-run until the late 1990s. Today, the city's tram and train networks are run by two private operators—Yarra Trams and Connex—along with many dozens of bus companies under a franchise from the State Government. The system as a whole is currently being rebranded as 'Metlink'.
The outer north-western suburb of Tullamarine hosts Melbourne's International Airport, from which most commercial flights into and out of Melbourne operate. A secondary airport is located at Avalon, to the south-west between Melbourne and Geelong. A cut-price airline, Qantas subsidiary Jetstar, has recently commenced using Avalon for its flights to Sydney and Brisbane. Melbourne's first major airport, Essendon Airport, is no longer used for scheduled international or domestic flights. Airbase RAAF Point Cook, where the Australian Air Force originated, is located near the city's southwestern limits.
The Port of Melbourne is Australia's largest container and general cargo port. Regular shipping lines operate to around 300 cities around the world and 3200 ships visit the port each year. The Port of Melbourne is located in the inner west of Melbourne, near the junction of the Maribyrnong and Yarra rivers.
Melbourne attracts large numbers of tourists, particularly young backpackers. It also hosts a disproportionately large number of spectator sports.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground, known as "the MCG" or simply "the G". From April to September, there are typically one or two Australian rules football matches there per week; the game can be spectacular, it is unique to Australia, relatively inexpensive to attend, and is safe and enjoyable for all, including children. It has also hosted two Bledisloe Cup rugby matches. During the summer, cricket matches are played there - the most important being the Boxing Day test match between Christmas and New Year's Eve, and several one-day international games in January and February which are perhaps more enjoyable for the casual spectator. The MCG is currently being renovated in preparation for the 2006 Commonwealth Games and will have a maximum capacity of 103,000.
The Melbourne Observation Deck located in the Rialto Towers, some 237 metres above the city streets, offers spectacular views of the CBD and beyond.
Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Open tennis tournament, one of the four Grand Slam tournaments (held in January each year).
The Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre is located in Southbank and was built in the 1990s as a replacement for the Royal Exhibition Building. It has hosted thousands of conventions and exhibitions since its opening.
The Melbourne Museum is located on the north-eastern fringe of the CBD, next to the Royal Exhibition Building. To many Melburnians, the most significant exhibit is the preserved body of Phar Lap, the famous racehorse of the Depression era. For those who cannot visit the nearby forested ranges, the Forest Gallery is a living internal facsimile. Technically-inclined visitors may be more interested in CSIRAC, the fifth electronic computer built and the only one of its generation to survive intact. The Museum complex is also home to Melbourne's IMAX cinema.
The Royal Exhibition Building located in the Carlton Gardens was built in the 1880s for the World's Fair and is only one of a few such buildings that still exist. The building and gardens was granted World Heritage listing on 2 July 2004. It is the first building in Australia to be granted this status. The building also held the first sitting of the Australian Parliament on 9 May 1901. Subsequent federal parliamentary sittings were then moved to the Victorian Parliament building located in Spring Street and the Victorian government moved to the Exhibition Building. It also was used as the set of Gringotts bank for the Harry Potter movies.
The State Library of Victoria on Swanston Street, with its massive Domed Reading Room and statue-filled front lawn.
The curiously-named National Gallery of Victoria (not to be confused with the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra), has recently been renovated, and is the largest art collection in Australia. The gallery is split over two sites, the Australian collection at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square (notably featuring key works from the Heidelberg School), and the NGV International collection housed in the recently renovated St. Kilda Road building.
The Victorian Arts Centre at Southgate (on the southern banks of the Yarra River is a Melbourne landmark with its enormous skyward spire. It hosts Opera Australia's Melbourne season, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Australian Ballet Company, Chunky Move (one of Australia's best-known contemporary dance companies), and other touring productions. The centre consists of two separate buildings: the State Theatre; and Hamer Hall (this was recently re-named in honour of the late former premier Sir Rupert Hamer; it was previously known as the Melbourne Concert Hall). The acoustics of the Centre are often favourably compared with those of its interstate rival, the opera theatre in the Sydney Opera House. There are also typically several musicals playing in theatres around the CBD, mostly several years after their production on Broadway or the West End, but usually of good quality and at quite reasonable cost.
Crown Casino, a short walk along the Yarra River from the Arts Centre, is a truly gargantuan gambling palace, also containing restaurants, upmarket boutiques, several nightclubs, two hotel towers, a cinema complex, and regular floorshows. Very much Las Vegas in miniature, it is either loved or hated by residents and tourists.
See also: Tall buildings in Melbourne.
Melbourne's restaurants are numerous, and are generally of reasonable quality and good value. Below are some of the major restaurant strips, however there are many other restaurants not in these locations which offer similar or better-quality food and usually at lower cost. The Age newspaper produces two "Good Restaurant" guides - one for low-cost eating and another for more elaborate restaurants.
Chinatown, on Little Bourke Street and now spreading out onto Russell Street in the CBD, offers numerous restaurants, mainly but not exclusively offering Cantonese cuisine, at the lower end offering Hong Kong-style noodle restaurants up to the Flower Drum, renowned for its Peking Duck and generally regarded as Melbourne's best restaurant. It was recently rated the 33rd best restaurant in the world by Restuarant Magazine. There are many other good restaurants throughout the CBD.
Lygon Street, in the inner-northern suburb of Carlton, offers a selection of mainly Italian-influenced food. To some extent a tourist strip, the quality is variable with some restaurants with decent reputations and others avoided by locals. Students from the nearby University of Melbourne know the better-value places; tourists may consider following their lead. Accessible from Bus Routes 20x (201, 203 and 207), which leave the City via Lonsdale and Russell Streets. Alternately, take any Swanston Street tram and walk one block east from the University.
Brunswick Street in inner-suburban Fitzroy used to be a grungy hotbed of students, musicians, actors and the like, and still retains some remnant of that edginess with the presence of several live music venues, all manner of eclectic stores, accompanied by restaurants and cafes, many of which serve varied and contemporary menus (though prices have crept up with the growing gentrification of the area). Brunswick Street went through a growth phase and rapidly became a casual place to eat. The rise in number and income level of people living within walking and hearing distance are changing the feel somewhat.
Chapel Street, south of the city is a popular destination for fashionable clothes shopping, eating and entertainment. The long street contains commercial areas providing goods and services for local residents. This variety makes the street arguably more interesting than Lygon and Brunswick Streets which have a higher proportion of eating establishments. Accessible from Tram Routes 78 and 79, which do not enter the CBD, but can be accessed from the rail network at East Richmond, South Yarra and Windsor, and many intersecting Tram routes. Chapel Street intersects with Toorak Road, itself offering entertainment, food and shops. Toorak Road is served by Tram Route 8, which leaves the city via Swanston Street.
Glenferrie Road, east of the city in inner suburban Malvern has a wide mix of different cuisines including Indian, Malaysian, Thai and Japanese. The street interects with High Street in Armadale, which also has a mix of antique shops, cafes and restaurants.
Glenhuntly Road, south east of the city in inner suburban Elsternwick is a busy strip that offers a wide range of different restaurant cuisines including Chinese, Malaysian Indian, Thai, and some Middle Eastern cuisines as well.
Nelson Place faces the water in Williamstown, and is especially popular for lazy weekend breakfasts and lunches. There are restaurants and cafes featuring the usual range of cuisines, and footpath tables outside many of the establishments.
As one would expect from a city its size, Melbourne contains all manner of pubs, bars, and nightclubs. The CBD contains a wide variety of venues, from the ubiquitous faux-Irish pubs and more traditional Aussie hotels, through some very upmarket wine bars, serious jazz venues on Bennetts Lane, fashionable nightclubs and dance venues, often hidden away down obscure grungy alleys, and massive pickup joints (of which The Metro on Bourke Street is perhaps the biggest).
The restaurant strips, particularly Brunswick Street have their own bars, some of which are the best rock venues in Melbourne. King Street, on the southern side of the CBD, was traditionally a nightclub strip and still hosts several, but many are now exotic dancing venues (a final note on this topic, small brothels are legal in Victoria and are found discreetly dotted throughout the suburbs). Chapel Street, Prahran, is perhaps the trendiest, most upmarket (and most expensive) nightlife strip. Another area of note is St Kilda, background for the TV show The Secret Life Of Us, which is the home of several huge music venues including the famous Esplanade Hotel (known as 'the Espy'), the Prince of Wales, and The Palace. On its beachside setting, it also combines the upmarket with the grungy.
The recent influx of city-dwellers have given rise to the numerous underground bars and sidewalk cafes in the alleys between Flinders Street - Flinders Lane and Bourke Street - Lonsdale Street Notable alleys include Block Arcade/Block Place (off Little Collins Street), Degraves Street (off Flinders Lane), and Hardware Lane (between Bourke and Lonsdale Streets).
Melbourne is a reasonably cheap and easy place to shop. There are innumerable clothing shops for every budget, though bargain hunters may wish to try the outlet stores in Bridge Road, Richmond and Smith Street, Fitzroy.
The Surf Coast near Geelong, with excellent surf beaches and the spectacular views of the Great Ocean Road (Voted the world's best road trip in 2003).
Ballarat, a small city once the centre of the gold rush and site of the Eureka Stockade. A requisite for any history buff's itinerary.
Gippsland region, home of the Gourmet Deli Tours, the Gippsland Lakes, Wilsons Promontory (the most southerly point of the Australian mainland), and many picturesque towns such as Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance, and Warrigal - one of the richest dairy farming areas in Australia. The ghost town of Walhalla is filled with goldmining memorabilia and can easily fill a day with interesting walks and activities.
See also: Urban walks in Melbourne.
Melbourne was strongly associated with the establishment of Australia's visual arts. The Heidelberg School, arguably the first distinctly Australian art movement (in the Western canon, at least), was largely the work of Melbourne-based artists, and many of its most significant works hang in the National Gallery of Victoria.
Melbourne has been the setting for many novels, television dramas, and films. Perhaps the best-known internationally is Nevil Shute's novel On the Beach. In 1959, it was made into a film starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and directed by Stanley Kramer. The film depicted the denizens of Melbourne quietly slipping off into eternity as the last victims of a global nuclear holocaust. Filmed on location in and around Melbourne (a huge novelty for Melbourne at the time), it is perhaps best remembered for a comment Ms Gardner never made - describing Melbourne as 'the perfect place to make a film about the end of the world', commenting on the dreary conservatism of Melbourne in the late 1950s. The purported quote was invented by journalist Neil Jillett. Similar filming was undertaken when a 2000 television movie remake was produced.
In recent years, many more films have been made in Melbourne. Some of the more famous include Mad Max, Romper Stomper, featuring a young Russell Crowe as a terrifying Melburnian skinhead; Jackie Chan's Mr. Nice Guy and The Castle.
Perhaps better known to a contemporary audience is the daily soap opera Neighbours, which presents a whitewashed microcosm of suburban Australian life. Other contemporary television shows set in Melbourne include Stingers (a police drama), The Secret Life Of Us, and MDA.
Singer Paul Kelly has written several well-known songs about aspects of the city close to the heart of many Melburnians, notably "Leaps And Bounds" and "From St. Kilda To King's Cross".
Melbourne-born satirist Barry Humphries created his main character Dame Edna Everage as a comedic version of a suburban homemaker. Through her he has performed cutting odes to Melbourne mores and the middle class suburbs of Moonee Ponds and Highett, among others.
Although not set in Melbourne, the film Queen Of The Damned was filmed in and around the city.
Carols by Candlelight, first held in 1938, is a Christmas tradition held annually at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Melbourne's daily newspapers include the "small-l liberal" broadsheet The Age, the conservative Murdoch tabloid Herald Sun, and the free afternoon tabloid MX.
The three commercial television channels and the ABC produce a nightly news bulletin in Melbourne, and the Seven network produces one edition of its current affairs show Today Tonight there. The ABC also produces a weekly state-based current affairs show, Stateline, in Melbourne. The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) provides world news coverage, as well as an assortment of foreign film and television. Channel 31 is a public access television station which screens mostly foreign-language television for migrant communities, and amateur lifestyle programs.
See also: List of Australian television channels.
Melbourne has a wide range of radio stations. In terms of current affairs radio, the most notable locally-produced stations are ABC Local Radio (774 3LO) and 1278 3AW, both featuring extensive local news coverage and talkback.
Australia's most successful community radio station, 3RRR, is a Melbourne institution. SYN FM, at 90.7 FM is another community station, with its unique policy of having no person at the station older than 26; it is staffed entirely by youth and students, and the shows are presented by the same. Other community stations in Melbourne include 3PBS, which plays mostly specialist music programming, and 3CR, a AM radio station run by a broad coalition of left-wing activists. Melbourne is also home to Australia's first and only gay and lesbian community radio station, Joy Melbourne 94.9 FM. For years, JJJ, the ABC's national youth broadcaster, has been extremely popular with Melbourne's youth, featuring mostly alternative or experimental music, and local talent, though in the late 1990s, the distinctions between it and commercial radio (especially stations with a more 'alternative' image like Nova FM) have become somewhat blurred.
See also: List of Australian radio stations.
Hook turn - driving manoeuvre that is common in the inner city area.
This page was last modified 10:11, 23 Jun 2005.
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Dear Zaid, Aldrich and all, This is to inform you that I have now received my Austrian Visa. Many thanks indeed to all your assistance. Your input was very professional, which I experience a rare commodity these days ! . Will return to you definitely for my future traveling/Visa requirements. Keep up the good work.
Tried calling few agencies, but was not satisfied with their customer service. I have to say Ms. Sumaira has been really helpful and professional. All queries were answered and very prompt. Highly recommended.
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We are a private company that is not affiliated with any government or embassy. You can apply on the government site but you risk a full registration fee if you do not qualify for a Visa.
نحن شركة خاصة غير تابعة ل أية حكومة أو السفارة . يمكنك تقديم طلب للحصول على تأشيرة على موقع الحكومة، ولكن هل خطر رسوم التسجيل الكامل إذا لم يكن مؤهلا للحصول على التأشيرة . | 2019-04-24T10:04:27Z | https://www.zabeeltravel.ae/product/cambodia-visa/ |
LEFT PHOTO. Enrollees from camp BR-45-O, Vale, Oregon CCC construct a cattle guard, 1940. (Note the second enrollee waving from below.) Author’s collection via William “Otis” Hickman.
RIGHT PHOTO. A camp commander and work foreman talk in a CCC camp, located in Custer National Forest, Montana. Photo courtesy Custer National Forest.
“The program that put city kids to work in the woods,” some will recall, or “the work camps run by the Army during the Great Depression,” others may remember. Most people have an inkling of what the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was, even if they are vague as to details and while both of the foregoing statements stand within the shade of the truth, they fall short of fully describing the CCC when all is said and done. This year marks the 81st anniversary of the creation of the CCC. As planners, public servants, citizens and Westerners, we would do well to remember what the CCC was, what it did, what it has meant to the western United States and in turn what the CCC experience in the West meant for the enrollees who worked there.
Immediately following Roosevelt’s address, identical bills were introduced in the House and Senate, and on March 31, 1933 Roosevelt signed the measure into law. According to John A. Salmond writing in The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942: A New Deal Case Study: “The CCC began its existence on a broad, bipartisan base of support, something it never really lost.” Republican governors, who might otherwise eschew New Deal programs in their states, embraced the CCC, seeing it as an immediate remedy for the problem of unemployed youth and, ultimately, a long-term boon for forestry, agriculture and tourism. And, while the CCC’s focus evolved over nearly a decade, the overall aim remained the salvaging of America’s unemployed youth while working to blunt the effects of years of waste and neglect in the nation’s parks and forests.
REMOTE WORK. In the left photo, enrollees from camp F-55-C, Beulah, Colorado, building picnic tables, 1937. From author’s collection.
If Roosevelt’s aim was to save the forests and a generation of American youth – primarily urban youth -what better way to do that than to transport that urban youth to the forests and public lands that were so desperately in need of conservation? Into the very places where they would be least likely to compete with grown heads of households for employment in America’s urban centers? Recruited largely from local relief rolls, CCC enrollees were in-processed by the military which ultimately ran the camps, organized into companies of approximately 200 men, then placed in camps across the United States. The day-to-day work projects were supervised by foremen from the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Soil Conservation Service, Division of Grazing (Bureau of Land Management) and the National Park Service, among other agencies at the local and federal level. Individual camps resembled small towns, often established near existing communities whose residents may or may not have been receptive to the presence of outsiders or young men on relief. Still other camps were built in areas that seem remote even by today’s standards, especially in the western United States.
An image from the Forest Service publication The CCC and Wildlife showing enrollees installing stream improvements in Montana. Remote, often anonymous work like this in the interior West was a common feature of the CCC. From author’s collection.
Regardless of where they ended up, for their efforts, CCC enrollees received $30 a month; $25 of which was sent home as an allotment to their needy families. In addition to the five bucks they were permitted to keep in their pockets, enrollees were provided with clothing, meals and housing – typically in barracks-style buildings or tents. An enrollee could gain promotion through the program to earn more money, but always, the allotment was sent home or placed on deposit for those enrollees who might not have dependent family. For the sake of comparison, an enrollee’s $30 monthly pay in 1937 is roughly equivalent to $495 today.
While the impact of the CCC on the nation and the western United States is known in its administrative details, the work may ultimately be undefinable in its broad scope and long term impact. The national statistics are stunning. More than three million enrollees cycled through the program in just under ten years, planting more than three billion trees, building 6.6 million erosion control check dams and spending more than 6.4 million man-days fighting fires, in addition to a myriad of other duties, before the program was cut short by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
For all it accomplished, the work of the CCC is surprisingly muted; the structures that they built blend with the local landscapes and erosion control systems they installed have largely accomplished their purpose even as they are swallowed up by terrain, vegetation and advancing urbanization. There are few contemporary markers or plaques on CCC structures to tell a modern day visitor its history; however, recent efforts to document the work of the CCC have resulted in the placement of commemorative plaques, as well as CCC Worker Statues in 38 states.
TRACES OF HISTORY. The base of what once was the camp flagpole for camps SP-3-A and SP-4-A, South Mountain Park, Phoenix, Arizona. Many of the enrollees who worked at South Mountain between 1933 and 1940 hailed from Texas and Oklahoma. Perhaps this star-shaped flag pole base was homage to the Texans’ beloved Lone Star State. Photo by Michael I. Smith.
What did the CCC mean to the western United States and in turn what did the western experience mean to the CCC?
The Civilian Conservation Corps built the museum building at Phoenix South Mountain Park in 1934. South Mountain Park is unusual in that it hosted two CCC camps simultaneously for certain periods during the 1930s. The establishment of a CCC camp in or near a community resulted in an average of $5,000 in additional money in a local economy each month because many supplies were purchased locally and enrollees often spent their $5 allowance “in town.” Photo by Michael I. Smith.
In California, in fiscal year 1942 alone, the CCC built nearly 8,000 miles of road and 550 bridges prompting the authors of the 1942 Annual Report of the CCC to conclude, “…the entire commonwealth of California benefited and will continue to benefit for many years from the enterprises that the CCC has completed for the protection and improvement of the public’s natural resources.” Over the lifespan of the program in California, the CCC built 306 lookout towers and houses, strung over 8,000 miles of telephone wire and dispersed more than $25 million in allotments to needy family members.
In Idaho, where an average of 51 CCC camps operated between 1933 and 1942, the CCC provided work for some 28,000 Idahoans along with nearly 60,000 individuals from other states. In fiscal year 1939, CCC enrollees working in Idaho constructed 31 vehicle bridges, 10 garages, 18 lookout towers and houses and built 68 camp stoves and fireplaces.
Colorado saw the construction of more than 500 impoundment and diversion dams and some 2,000 miles of truck trails. In 1937 alone, more than 5,000 men gained employment as camp supervisory staff and project foremen in Colorado, in addition to the work and allotments provided to the enrollees themselves. In fiscal year 1942, the CCC was winding down operations and closing camps, but the Division of Grazing continued to use CCC enrollee labor to construct and maintain range improvement projects on the public domain in Colorado, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. Eventually, the CCC transitioned to work projects deemed more in line with national defense needs, such as the construction of gunnery range facilities, improvement of access to local mines and the production of maps and photographs for defense agencies.
In Forest Service Region 2, which encompassed the states of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas, the CCC was responsible for an estimated $6.2 million in timber conservation through things like fire reduction, insect control and timber stand improvements by 1937 alone. In Oregon and Washington, in addition to forest protection and improvement work, the CCC built hundreds of recreational improvements to provide better access and use by campers and picnickers at places like the Eagle Creek campground on Mount Hood and in the Olympic, Wenatchee, Deschutes and Mount Baker forests to name just some examples. A 1986 administrative history estimated that as many as 1,200 CCC structures built in the Oregon-Washington region remained intact, which is roughly one-third of the total built between 1933 and 1942.
Between 1933 and 1942, CCC enrollees labored on infrastructure and aesthetic improvements that continue to provide benefit some 80 years later. In the West some of the work of the CCC is obvious, such as the rock wall along the south rim of Grand Canyon. Photo by Michael I. Smith.
The numerous western points of interest that benefited from the Civilian Conservation Corps reads like an eager tourist’s bucket list. Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Glacier National Park, Zion National Park and Yellowstone National Park are gems in a crown that includes projects both noteworthy and obscure. Works like the original museum building at Phoenix South Mountain Park and Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre stand out because of their lasting beauty and utility, and because thousands of visitors see them every year.
In the West some of the work of the CCC blends with the local terrain such as this flood control structure, (left photo) which continues to do its job in Farmington, Utah. Photo by Michael I. Smith.
When it comes to the CCC, however, even being remote and prosaic has the potential to inspire. Outside little known towns like Arlington and Congress Junction, Arizona, the CCC installed erosion control structures and built fences that are seldom seen today because they remain so far off the beaten path. Visitors to Mesa Verde National Park marvel at dioramas built using CCC enrollee labor. In Farmington, Utah, commuters buzz right by a CCC-built flood control structure that might very well have remained unheralded to this day were it not for the effort of a local Eagle Scout, who worked to have a commemorative marker placed nearby.
Such were the accomplishments of the CCC that even in the dry, bureaucratic prose of the final annual report the authors were moved to conclude that the CCC’s “…spiritual and cultural contributions to the American way of life are incalculable.” Beyond the CCC accomplishments, the young men of the CCC also impacted West. Some enrollees wound up in camps in their home town or county, but thousands of CCC boys found themselves on trains bound for camps in the West. Almost always West, it seemed. Pool hall toughs from Philadelphia, hill country lads from east Texas and boys of every stripe from across the United States found themselves shipped to CCC camps “out West.” And as events would transpire, some of those Philly boys tried to ship horny toads home from camps in Arizona, and a company of Texas enrollees would find themselves trapped by fire on a mountain ridge not far from Yellowstone National Park.
A series of quotes taken from a simple 1934 American Forestry Association publication entitled Youth Rebuilds: Stories from the C.C.C. describes the impact that working in the West had on the CCC enrollees.
It could be that we’ve forgotten most of what there was to know about the Civilian Conservation Corps, and it might be said that most people wouldn’t recognize a CCC-built project if they saw it. The important thing to consider is that the CCC shaped the men of what has come to be called “the greatest generation” and the CCC shaped the environment in which we live. Perhaps just as importantly, our western United States clearly had an impact on making those men what they were to become in later years.
Utilitarian in nature but aesthetically pleasing. The Bly, Oregon Ranger District includes a number of structures built by CCC enrollees including office buildings, garages and residential structures. Photo by Michael I. Smith.
Two of the U.S. Marine Corps flag-raisers on Iwo Jima’s Mount Suribachi were former CCC enrollees who’d worked in Arizona. Ira Hayes was a member of the Pima tribe, and he worked as an enrollee in what was referred to as the ICCC or the Indian CCC. Michael Strank was a CCC enrollee from Pennsylvania who was shipped West to work at a CCC camp at Petrified Forest in northeastern Arizona.
Rowdy enrollees from the Mesa Verde CCC camp in southwestern Colorado reportedly dragged the town jail into the river in an effort to free one of their own who was incarcerated there.
CCC enrollees built a fire break nearly 800 miles long in California. The Ponderosa Way Firebreak was reportedly the largest CCC project in the state of California.
Nine CCC enrollees, along with four of their supervisors, were killed in the Blackwater Fire near Yellowstone National Park in August 1937. Though dozens of CCC enrollees and camp staff would perish in the effort to suppress wildfire between 1933 and 1942, the Blackwater fire stands as the single worst tragedy in the history of the CCC.
Starved for recreational options, CCC enrollees carried a pool table from the south rim to their camp at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
The CCC camp at Kettle Falls, Washington was reportedly referred to as “Little America” because enrollees working there came from all over the United States.
The Annual Reports included state-by-state totals for dozens of specific work projects including construction of erosion control dams and various types of bridges, installation of telephone line and man-days spent fighting forest fires. The table below provides a snapshot of these particular project types for the western United States for fiscal year 1937. Bear in mind that these totals represent a single fiscal year in a program that operated from 1933 to 1942. Junior enrollees were paid $30 a month – roughly equivalent to $495 today - of which $25 was sent home to their family.
Michael I. Smith is a Certified Floodplain Manager and an Inspection Supervisor for the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, Arizona where he has worked since 1999. To access more of his research on the Civilian Conservation Corps go to: http://cccresources.blogspot.com.
Audretsch, R.W. (2011). Shaping the park and saving the boys: The Civilian Conservation Corps at Grand Canyon, 1933-1942. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing.
Brown, R.C., & Smith, D.A. (2006). New deal days: The CCC at Mesa Verde. Durango, CO: The Durango Herald Small Press.
Butler, O. (Ed.). (1934). Youth rebuilds: Stories from the CCC. Washington, D.C.: The American Forestry Association.
Davis, R. & Davis, H. (2011). Our mark on this land: A guide to the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps in America’s parks. Granville, OH: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company.
Federal Security Agency. (1942). Annual report of the director of the Civilian Conservation Corps fiscal year ended June 30, 1942. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Maher, Neil M. (2008). Nature’s new deal. New York: Oxford University Press.
Merrill, P.H. (1981). Roosevelt’s forest army: A history of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Montpelier, VT: Perry H. Merrill.
Office of the Director of the Civilian Conservation Corps. (1939). Annual report of the director of the Civilian Conservation Corps fiscal year ended June 30, 1939. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Purvis, L.L. (1989). The ace in the hole: A brief history of company 818 of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Columbus, GA: Brentwood Christian Press.
Salmond, John A. (1967). The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942: A new deal case study. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Audretsch, R.W. (2013). We still walk in their footprint: The Civilian Conservation Corps in northern Arizona, 1933-1942. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Press.
Cornebise, A.E. (2004). The CCC Chronicles: Camp newspapers of the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company Publishers.
Hinton, W.K. & Green, E.A. (2008). With picks, shovels & hope: The CCC and its legacy on the Colorado plateau. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Company.
Kolvet, R.C. & Ford, V. (2006). The Civilian Conservation Corps in Nevada: From boys to men. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press.
Melzer, R. (2000). Coming of age in the Great Depression: The Civilian Conservation Corps experience in New Mexico, 1933-1942. Las Cruces, NM: Yucca Tree Press.
Moore, R.J. (2006). The Civilian Conservation Corps in Arizona’s rim country: Working in the woods. Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press. | 2019-04-24T02:03:26Z | https://www.westernplanner.org/conservation/2016/1227/the-civilian-conservation-corps-1933-1942-a-model-of-cooperation-a-blessing-for-the-west |
Here at Reverse Mortgage Funding LLC (“RMF”) our Customer for Life Commitment means we’re with you every step of the way with personalized, ongoing service — from our first conversation on day one, throughout the entire loan process, and even after closing. We not only make loans, but after closing we also service all the loans we originate, and maintain a long-term relationship with our customers. We’re committed to ensuring that your experience is optimal every step of the way, and we’re here for our borrowers throughout the life of the loan. We offer our customers a transparent, informative lending experience. Our objective is to provide clarity at each step of the loan process, and to help our customers feel confident about their decisions.
We want you to be assured that RMF is a lender that is committed to providing our customers with competitive pricing and terms. When shopping for a reverse mortgage loan, RMF is confident that our program offering will be competitive with other HUD approved reverse mortgage lender product offerings in the marketplace. If possible, we will match or beat the Program Offering of any HUD approved competitor reverse mortgage lender. If we are unable to match or beat a competing lender’s Program Offering we will give you a $500 gift card (the “Reward”) after you close your loan with the competing lender.
NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM: Purchase of a product or service from Reverse Mortgage Funding LLC (“RMF”) is not required in order to be eligible.
ELIGIBILITY: In order to be eligible for the Price Match Program (the “Program”), a participant must be a legal resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia and meet the qualification requirements for a HECM or proprietary reverse mortgage product (the “Participant”). Must meet financial eligibility criteria as established by lender for a proprietary product or HUD for a HECM. Employees, officers, managers and directors of RMF, RMF’s parent companies, contractors, subsidiaries, distributors, sales representatives, retailers, advertising and promotion agencies, and any others engaged in the development, production, execution or distribution of this Program (the “Program Entities”) and the immediate family members (parents, children, siblings or spouse, regardless of where they live, or persons living in same household, whether related or not) of such employees, officers, managers and directors are not eligible to participate. Void outside of the United States and wherever else restricted or prohibited by law. In addition, as part of participation in the Program, if RMF cannot match or beat a competitors Program Offering, a claims form (the “Claims Form”) must be requested, completed and submitted by the Participant per the Claims Form process. Based upon the information provided, eligibility will be further determined. If Participants do not meet the screening criteria, they will be disqualified and ineligible for the Program. By participating, you agree to these Official Rules and all decisions of RMF which are final and binding in all respects.
DEFINITIONS: A “Program Offering,” is defined as the price, including the all-in margin and net closing costs after lender credits. The Program Offering only applies to a similarly structured reverse mortgage from a HUD approved competitor lender. A similarly structured reverse mortgage must be for the same property, term, product type, discount points, mortgage loan amount, and loan to value with the same or lower total closing costs and APR.
“Loan Comparison,” for the Purposes of this Program, a Loan Comparison shall have the same meaning as a Loan Estimate. The terms will be used interchangeably.
“Initial Price Match Documents,” is defined as the dated competing HUD approved lender’s issued Loan Comparison, Amortization Schedule and Total Annual Loan Cost.
“Final Price Match Documents,” is defined as the dated copy of the competing HUD approved lender’s Final Signed HUD1 Settlement Statement, Final Loan Comparison, Final Amortization Schedule, and Final Total Annual Loan Cost.
“Claims Form,” is defined as the dated RMF claims form that must be requested, completed and submitted by the Participant per the Claims Form process.
is available through Reverse Mortgage Funding LLC’s retail channel only.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: In order to participate in the Program, the Participant must have requested a price match from a RMF Mortgage Loan Originator and presented the competitor’s completed Loan Comparison(Estimate), Amortization Schedule and Total Annual Loan Cost (the “Initial Price Match Documents”) .Participants requesting a price match must obtain the Initial Price Match Documents from the competing lender that are dated no more than 14 days prior to the date they are presented to their RMF Mortgage Loan Originator. Written confirmation from RMF as well as a dated RMF issued Loan Comparison will serve as documentation that RMF was not able to match or beat the Program Offering of a competing HUD approved lender when the price match request was made along with the completed competitors Initial Price Match Documents. Alternative documentation used to show competitor’s Program Offering. will not be accepted. The Initial Price Match Documents from a competitor are required to be provided to RMF. In addition, to be eligible for a Reward in the event RMF cannot match or beat a competitors Program Offering, a claims form (the “Claims Form”)must be requested, completed and submitted by the Participant per the Claims Form process.
Participants that successfully complete and submit a verified Claims Form in accordance with these Official Rules as determined by RMF will result in Participants becoming “Qualified Participants”. Only Qualified Participants are eligible to receive a Reward. Failure to complete the necessary steps and provide the required information in their entirety will result in Participants being disqualified from the Program. If a Participant is found to be ineligible or otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules, or if the Reward is returned as undeliverable, that Qualified Participant’s Reward will be forfeited.
TIMING: A price match request must be presented in the form of a competitor’s Initial Price Match Documents issued by a HUD approved lender within fourteen (14) calendar days of the date RMF receives your application for a reverse mortgage loan. RMF’s Program is subject to change or cancelation at any time and without notice.
Participants requesting a price match must obtain the Initial Price Match Documents from the other lender that is not older than 14 days when presented to their RMF Mortgage Loan Originator. The Lender Information section on the Loan Comparison must be fully completed by the competing financial institution in order to have a valid Loan Comparison. Incomplete Loan Comparisons will not be considered for the Program.
To be eligible for the Reward if RMF is unable to match or beat a competitor’s Program Offering, a Participant must first request a Claims Form from RMF on the date RMF elected not to “match or beat” a competing lender’s Program Offering and then submit a completed Claims Form to RMF within 14 days of closing a loan with the competing lender in accordance with the Claims Form Process described below.
Please reach out to the RMF Price Match Program Administrator at [email protected] for a copy of the Claims Form. If you have any questions regarding the Claims Form process, you may contact Reverse Mortgage Funding LLC’s (“RMF”) at the above email address.
If RMF is not able to match or beat a competing lender’s program offer, you can request and then submit a completed Claims Form with supporting documentation, which must be returned to us after closing your loan with a competing lender.
A fully executed copy of the Final HUD1 Settlement Statement from the competing lender that is signed by the closing agent and all parties to the transaction.
If the Final Price Match Documents are accurate and prove that the loan closed with the product and terms previously quoted by the competing lender in the Initial Price Match Documents, we will send you a Reward within 6-8 weeks of receiving your complete and verified Claims Form.
If the Final Price Match Documents are accurate and prove that the loan closed with the product and terms previously quoted by the competing lender in the Initial Price Match Documents, we will send you a Reward within 6-8 weeks of receiving your complete and verified Claim Form.
All communications relating to the claim must be writing.
RMF will not be responsible for system failures, website downtime, undelivered mail, or any technical malfunctions that prevent your information from reaching RMF.
All documentation submitted by you to RMF will not be returned.
It is the sole responsibility of the Participant to provide a valid mailing address for distribution of Reward. RMF is not liable for failure of the Participant to provide valid contact information.
No phone calls regarding Reward claim will be accepted. All inquiries regarding Reward claim should be directed to the following email address [email protected].
RMF is not responsible for lost, late, or mutilated Rewards.
RMF will make all determinations and decisions as to eligibility and qualification for issuance of the Reward . All RMF decisions are final.
Limit of one (1) claim per person/household for the Program. Any attempt by any Participant to enter more than one (1) Claims Form by using multiple/different addresses, identities, logins and/or any other methods will void all of that Participant’s submissions, and that Participant will be disqualified. Late Claims Forms will not be accepted. RMF is not responsible for lost, late, mutilated or incomplete Claims Forms. All Claims Forms shall become the exclusive property of RMF and will not be returned. RMF and Program Entities have no obligation to acknowledge receipt of or to return any Claims Forms received. Claims Forms that: (a) are determined by RMF in their sole discretion to be indecent, offensive, inappropriate or morally objectionable, (b) illegal or are otherwise unfit for use; (c) incomplete or (d) violate these Official Rules will not be eligible.
By submitting a Claims Form , the Participant: (i) warrants and represents that he/she has read these Official Rules, is eligible to participate in the Program and agrees to be bound thereby; (ii) warrants and represents that all of the information provided in his/her Claims Form is accurate, (iii) warrants and represents that the Claims Form is the original work of the Participant and does not violate any third party's legal rights (including without limitation rights of copyright, trademark or other intellectual property right, privacy and/or publicity), and/or any applicable law; (iv) agrees that Participant will be solely responsible for any and all resulting tax consequences for participating in the Program; and (v) consents to allow RMF to use any information contained in the Claims Form materials for the purpose of providing Participant with information about available products or services in accordance with applicable law.
REWARD CONDITIONS: The Reward is not transferable and no cash redemption or substitution is allowed. RMF reserves the right to award no Reward, at any time. Qualified Participants are solely responsible for all matters that may become due in respect to the Reward, including, but not limited to, any expenses not stated herein and all applicable federal, state and local taxes.
REWARD: Limit One (1) Reward per Qualified Participant: Qualified Participants will receive a Reward with an approximate retail value of $500 subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable third party. The Reward will be mailed via USPS to Qualified Participants within 6-8 weeks from receipt of a completed and verified Claims Form.
It is the sole responsibility of the Qualified Participant to provide a valid mailing address for distribution of Reward. RMF is not liable for failure of the Qualified Participant to provide valid contact information. No phone calls regarding Reward claim will be accepted. All inquiries regarding Reward claim should be directed to the following email address [email protected] . RMF is not responsible for lost, late, or mutilated Rewards.
GENERAL RULES OF PARTICIPATION: This Program is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws. By participating, Participants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of RMF and waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Program or these Terms and Conditions. RMF is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, undeliverable or incomplete Claims Forms, whether due to system errors or failures, faulty transmissions or other telecommunications malfunctions, Claims Forms not received resulting from any hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, failed, incomplete or garbled computer or telephone transmissions, typographical or system errors and failures, faulty transmissions, technical malfunctions, or otherwise. RMF may prohibit a Participant from participating in the Program or receiving a Reward if, in its sole discretion, it determines that said Participant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Program by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices (including the use of automated quick entry programs) or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other Participants, RMF, or Program Entities. If for any reason this Program is not able to be conducted as planned, including, but not limited to, by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of RMF and Program Entities which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Program, then RMF reserves the right at their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Program and choose from those Claims Form received up to the cancellation/suspension date. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE PROGRAM MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, RMF AND PROGRAM ENTITIES RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY’S FEES) FROM ANY SUCH PARTICIPANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.
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Why The Entire Human Race Must Die?
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Look at us today. Look at our past history as a species as well and look at all of the harm we have done to the planet earth and to each other.
What the systems of religion have failed to do is make the connection between the events in the Garden of Eden and the curse the Most High God made upon the man Adam and his offspring (us) and why Jesus was inserted into the world of man.
It is assumed that Jesus was sent so that man would not die. That is not what Scripture teaches. The mankind we know at present – fathered by Adam – will die. That was the curse pronounced upon Adam and his offspring. Consider the following Scriptures.
Jesus was sent into the world – not to prevent man from dying – because mankind will die – but was sent so that man would not perish. Dying and perishing have different meanings.
The word perish carries the same meaning as the word destruction or to be destroyed.
Our deaths are not the end of us. We simply become dead souls, but souls none the less. Dead souls can be revived by God to become living souls.
That persons who die can be brought to life again, was demonstrated by Jesus when he performed resurrections. So it is possible for the dead to be brought to life again.
Even the faithful man Job, who had gone through a tremendous time of trial, pain, and hardship knew that his death would be the end of his suffering, not the end of him. Job also knew that dead are not conscious of anything (Eccl 9:5, 10). He knew that he would exist in God memory and that God would remember him in the resurrection. Notice carefully what Job says in prayer to God. In this prayer to God, Job is suffering very much and wants his suffering to end by dying (hidden in the grave) and yet Job mentions a time set for him to be remembered.
To perish means to be destroyed; to no longer exist. Dead persons still exist, they exist as dead souls. They are in God’s memory or what Scripture calls the Book of Life. As long as the dead are in God’s memory, they can be restored back to life again.
Perishing goes beyond death. One who perishes is gone, nonexistent. No longer in God’s memory. If not in God’s memory, they could never be remembered in order to be resurrected. Scripture calls this state of non-existence or perishing by two expressions: The Lake of Fire or The Second Death.
The above-quoted Scripture teaches us that a time will come when there will be no more death (it will be non-existent) and there will be no more Hell (Hades). That there will be no more death can be seen at Revelation 21:4. And, since Hades (Hell) is the grave – not a place of eternal torment – graves will no longer be needed because people will no longer die.
That God pronounced the death sentence upon all of mankind, Jesus had to be inserted into the world of mankind so that mankind itself would not perish or go into nonexistence as a species.
Jesus fully understood Adam’s genetic progeny would all die. Much of mankind today has not grasped this truth. The religious systems of mankind today has created elaborate work-a-rounds to this issue such as going to heaven or a rapture so as to not deal with the reality of what Jesus taught with regards to the death of the entire human race.
Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.
If Jesus promises that ALL of the dead in their graves will be resurrected, then what does that imply? It implies that ALL of Adam’s progeny – mankind – has to die in order for ALL of mankind to be resurrected.
If God had not sent his Son into the world of mankind, who, then, or what would cause man to perish – that is, go into a state of no longer being?
The answer is the original Serpent. The one we know today and who has become Satan the Devil.
And Jehovah God proceeded to say to the serpent: “Because you have done this thing, you are the cursed one out of all the domestic animals and out of all the wild beasts of the field. Upon your belly you will go and dust is what you will eat all the days of your life. And I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel.
This bruising of the Serpent in the head by the seed of the woman (notice the woman is a he) is a crushing or destroying of the Serpent. The Serpent will cause some damage to the woman, but it will not be long-lasting because it will be in the heel. Yet, a blow to the head of the Serpent will cause its destruction and go into a state of nonexistence.
So, Satan knows his outcome is one of nonexistence and his desire today has been the same as it was when he deceived Eve: To direct all of mankind away from the source of continued life, the Most High God, Jehovah. Jehovah God is the Tree of Life. The fruit on that tree is his words or utterances. Mankind has to depend upon and feed upon Him if they are to have continued life. It is to Jehovah God that Jesus leads us.
The Serpent has been successful in clouding this issue and directing mankind away from the source of all life and directing us to other sources that will lead to where he is headed: a state of nonexistence.
So, the Serpent has no hope for himself that he will exist indefinitely. He is really upset that his pronouncement was more severe than men. Man gets death, he gets “a bruising in the head” or a perishing.
Go in through the narrow gate; because broad and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are the ones going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.
The Serpent is the one who is leading the entire human race down this road that leads to where he is going: destruction or nonexistence.
Now there is a judging of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
This future casting out of Satan from among mankind will be his destruction.
Satan is the one who is influencing all of mankind today; he is the worlds unseen ruler and leader and he is leading all of mankind to “a perishing.” This process of misleading will continue until we all die, then it will stop for 1000 years during Christs 1000 year reign and while Satan is in the abyss in the interim, and the misleading to a perishing will resume after Christs future 1000 reign ends and Satan is released from the abyss.
It is for that reason God inserted his Son into the world. Jesus’ death made it possible that Satan will not be successful at causing all of man to go into a state of nonexistence.
So, upon being resurrected, we stand up as new creatures benefiting from Jesus conquering death in our behalf. At our resurrection and after Satan is released from his abyssing at the end of Christs 1000 year rule over the earth, he cannot cause our deaths again. That Jesus conquered death will have been proven by resurrecting all of mankind from the dead. So then at that time, Satan will create a system of rulership upon the earth at his unabyssing that will mislead all the resurrected to a perishing or state of nonexistence.
It is certain that there will be a future Great Resurrection of all of mankind. (John 5:28-29). That resurrection will prove once and for all that death will have no power; no sting over mankind. Since mankind cannot die again upon being resurrected to life, the only thing that would stand in front of mankind is not existing anymore. No longer being in God’s memory. Destroyed. Gone.
When Jesus spoke of the broad and spacious road and the cramped road, he was not referring to where mankind stands today – we are going to die and we are going to be resurrected – but he was referring to a time period after his 1000 year reign on earth where Satan will set up a beastly system of rulership (a roadway or path he wants mankind to follow) that will lead the entire earth to a perishing or destruction. Those who willfully support and follow that beastly rulership will perish.
Yet, Jesus says only a few will not support and follow the beast and its image or accept it’s marked upon them.
Cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.
Satan’s beastly rule over the earth in those future days after Jesus’ rule ends will be very difficult to give up or deny. Why? Because it will be a time of “peace and security” in all of the earth; just like the 1000 year kingdom of Christ. Yet, it is cleverly crafted to oppose the coming of God’s Kingdom to the earth – which will replace his beastly kingdom. If the earth rejects God’s Kingdom after having been taught by Christ during the 1000 years, they reject having continued life as only God and His kingdom can provide them with that.
Jesus’ one thousand year definite rule over mankind abysses Satan and restores them to their Creator, who is The Tree of Life. During that 1000 years, resurrected or re-created mankind will feed on the words that come from God’s mouth – his fruit. It will take 1000 years of feeding before mankind will reach a state of maturity and then able to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad. That is, knowing for himself what is good and what is bad. Mankind will not need a mediator after Christs 1000 rule ends. Man will know what he does. Man will not be ignorant as he is now. Any decisions man makes at that time will be made with full knowledge and understanding of what he is doing.
But Christs one thousand year rule over the earth is not the end of the matter. Satan is still in the abyss and must be released after Christ 1000 rule ends.
This is where things get very interesting. Upon his release from the abyss, Satan sees a changed world. A world in which he used to have a rule over. He sees a new creature, not of flesh and blood but water and spirit in this new world. This new creature has been taught by Christ and they are fully knowledgeable and are expecting Satan’s second coming. This new creature no longer has a mediator over them. Jesus has fulfilled his mission concerning them. This new creature now stands directly before their Creator – as Adam did – knowing his requirements.
Satan’s knows where he is headed: to nonexistence or external destruction. He has more reason to take as many of this new creature with him. So as Scripture teaches in The Book of Revelation, Satan ascends out of the abyss to mislead this new creature and take them down the road he is on. In the process, Satan will stand up something on the earth in those days that will facilitate this misleading this new creature to head down that road the would lead to their destruction and cause this new creature to oppose or war with God.
Satan sees a new creature with no ruler. He sees them living in a peaceful paradise. Satan will subtly usurp what Jesus established. With his ascension, he will not make drastic changes to what Jesus established on earth. He will use it to his advantage.
Many today do not realize that Satan ascension out of the abyss is rising up out of the sea the Beast of Revelation 13:1-2.
The sea that Satan rises up out of is the peaceful world of this new creature that Jesus had taught, enlightened and restored to their Creator and a paradise earth. What else is there to come out of the abyss to? Nothing, but a peaceful world.
This new creature will be much more enlightened than we are today, so whatever Satan will do to mislead them to oppose God and what is to come – His Kingdom – would have to be made by way of smooth words and reasoning.
When the Serpent got Eve to eat from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad, the act itself, opposed God because God told Adam that he was not to eat from that tree and Adam obviously told Eve the same. So Eve knew this. It was by smooth words and reasoning that the Serpent turned Eve against God.
It was also by the transference of the Serpents smooth words and reason from Eve to Adam that turned Adam against God.
Thus, the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad was not literal fruit, but the fruit of the lips or words. Eve listened to the Serpents words. This listening and accepting of his words were the actual partaking of the fruit.
Notice that God links listening to the eating.
So in those future days after Christs one thousand year rule ends, Satan is released from his prison and he will merge into an existing paradise a system of rulership over the people carefully designed to mislead the people down a road that leads to their destruction. And, since the populace in those future days “will know” God’s requirements, any decisions they make contrary will be a willful decision to disobey God.
It will take some time for Satan to establish such a system on earth. The Scriptures do not tell us how long it will take. We do know that it will not be one thousand years.
Yet, by the time God’s Kingdom is seen to be coming down, Satan will have had ample time to prepare the world to oppose it’s coming. There will be a relative few who will not go along with what Satan has been doing. They will not support (worship) Satan’s beastly system of government, its image, or accept its mark upon them.
Notice that this tribulation comes from people directed to his faithful followers in those days. Also, notice that this tribulation will occur at a time when his followers are objects of hatred by all the nations. So that time when all of the nations of people will hate his followers would have to be in a time period where the world is a much different place than it is now – divided – and in a world united under one government and image.
That world does not arrive until after Christ’s future 1000 year rule ends and Satan ascends out of the abyss and finds a world already united under Christ’s previous tutelage and established or superimposes his beast upon that world.
None of the events spoken of in Matthew Chapter 24, Mark Chapter 13 and Luke Chapter 21 has had a start at being fulfilled. Neither has any event in The Book of Revelation either.
The many religious organizations and persons out there who are saying that these events have already happened or are about to or who are saying we are in the last days do not get it. They are applying events that are to occur after Christs 1000 year rule ends (which as not occurred yet) to the present. They are looking in the wrong place and time period.
That God does not want us to perish (go into nonexistence), Jesus was sent to bring us back from the dead because we must die. The Adamic and flesh and blood persons we are cannot possibly see God’s Kingdom. If one can not see it, there is no way they can enter it. And, if God’s Kingdom will come down to us, then these Adamic flesh and blood bodies will not be able to see and later enter into that kingdom. So what has to happen?
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised up in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised up in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised up in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised up a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one.
We all must die because we all sprang from Adam. These bodies are corrupted. God’s kingdom is not. So in order to see and gain entry into it when it comes down, we must be re-created as totally new creatures with new bodies that have no sin in them.
Unless anyone is born from water and spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus was not referring to literal water. He was referring to one who has died and resurrected and having had a new body that has no sin in it – washed clean – as if by water. And, in spirit in that, it will be by God’s power that will stand this new creature up to live. It is quite possible that the man in future days may be able to animate the dead. If they could do this, then those persons will still be flesh and blood and have sin in them. This is speculation, of course.
This is information most will not be able to bear.
I have many things yet to say to YOU, but YOU are not able to bear them at present. However, when that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide YOU into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own impulse, but what things he hears he will speak, and he will declare to YOU the things coming.
These words of Jesus speaks of truths being spoken that he did not mention when he was with them after his ascension. One of those truths is the not easily digested truth that all of mankind must die off.
Given the conditioning campaigns and programs of the religious system called Christianity, the world has not been allowed to see this truth. Instead, the world is fed “pie in the sky” and “escapism” in a rapture for the faithful and eternal punishment for the unbeliever and unfaithful. That is not Scriptural and it is something Jesus did not teach.
That all of mankind must die is not a “doom and gloom” scenario. It is actually a great blessing and great news and it will afford each and everyone one of us a resurrection into Jesus’ definite 1000 year kingdom where we will become complete in every way and be restored to our Creator.
It will require a strong faith in God and Christ within this present world system and one to come after Christs 1000 year rule ends. At present, we take in knowledge of God and Christ; not through the established religions of the world, but through Christ himself in prayer to our Father in heaven. He fully and completely able to give us the knowledge and wisdom (bread) we need through his only channel, Jesus Christ.
It is important that we know and understand that this old world is going away. This world of mankind will perish. Did you get that? This mankind – flesh, and blood – must die off. Replacing it will be a time-limited one thousand year kingdom of Christ. All of us – who will have died – will be resurrected into it. At the time we close our eyes in death in this present world, we open them again to stand up as new creatures in Jesus’ 1000 year paradise. This is just the beginning.
Jesus 1000 year rule does end it all. It begins our journey that will lead us to everlasting life. Jesus’ 1000 year kingdom is a “road” that will get us at the entry point of God’s Kingdom that comes down after his rule ends.
When Christ 1000 year rule ends, we are not in God’s kingdom yet. Satan has to be released.
When Satan is released, he establishes a beastly system of rulership that will take advantage of the one Jesus established. Many in those days will not realize that Satan has established anything. They will not realize that he subtly blends his beastly system into an already existing system that was established under Christ’s rule. That system will be peaceful and beneficial to all within it. Yet, it has an agenda to turn all of the people in those days against God’s Kingdom which Satan knows is coming.
So our lives within Christs 1000 year rule will be wonderful and happy. We will stand as persons perfect and whole before our Creator. Jesus will no longer need to mediate for us.
After Christs 1000 rule ends and Satan ascends out of the abyss, he will establish a system of rulership over the earth that will demand allegiance and loyalty to it. That beastly system will view any who oppose it as heretics against God and his kingdom. That system and its supporters will cause great tribulation for all who oppose Satan’s Beastly system of rulership over the entire earth. The entire earth in those days will be of one mind and thought and will support Satan’s counterfeit kingdom.
So it will be after Christ’s rule ends and when Satan establishes his beastly system is when the Great Tribulation occurs. The Great Tribulation is as Jesus said it would be, a tribulation upon his faithful followers and in a time period when all of the world hates them. As stated earlier in this article, that time period is not now – not even close – but in a future time period when all of the earth will support (worship) a beastly system of rule. That time period is after Christs 1000 year rule ends and when Satan establishes is system of rulership.
Notice that Armageddon is the “War of the Great Day of God.” What does this mean? The Great Day of God is the coming of His Kingdom to the earth (It already exists in heaven)… So, it has to come down to the earth.
Satan’s beastly system of rule was established specifically to prepare the world of people in those days to have a mindset – like Satan’s – to oppose God’s Kingdom from being established. I believe that the earth’s population in those days will believe that God’s kingdom will have already been established. Satan’s beastly system of rule will mislead them into thinking that his system is that kingdom. Obviously, Satan will not literally be telling the earth in those days but will mislead them into thinking such.
The relatively small band of faithful ones not supporting this “beast” will be the ones actually accused of opposing God’s Kingdom. They will know, however, what Satan’s beast is.
These faithful ones see – through eyes of faith – God’s Kingdom coming. The rest of the world will not and will believe that they are already in it. It will be a peaceful world that they are in so why would they believe otherwise?
These supporters of the Beast will go after these dissenters and use threat and coercion to get them to support the Beast and its image and cast off their thoughts that God’s Kingdom is coming.
Armageddon is a situation where on one side we have those who support the Beast and believe that they will be already existing in God’s Kingdom; in other words, it had already come. On the other side are those few who do not support the Beast and have come to know that it is a counterfeit pretending to be God’s Kingdom come. They know that God’s Kingdom is coming. They see it by faith.
This should not be surprising as the Christian system of religion and the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society uses such things to get people to be loyal to them – believing God is with them. Christianity teaches being favored by God if one accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, which usually means joining a church. They label all who don’t as heathen and persons condemned to an eternity of punishment in their hellfire.
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, by comparison, is soberer. Yet, it does the same thing. It teaches that only those in association with the Watch Tower Society – which is viewed as God’s organization on earth – will have life everlasting. All outside of the organization will simply lose their lives and perish. Even those, like myself who was a former Jehovah’s Witness (more than 20 years) and one who loves God and Christ and have an intense concern and love of truth, are viewed by the Watch Tower as apostates because we view Christ as our only Head and channel, not a human organization.
So in both cases, the lure and pressure to be faithful to humans and human agency is strong. So it should not be surprising to see this same type of thing used when it comes to choosing God’s Kingdom over a system that will claim to be God’s Kingdom.
It is interesting to me that the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society claims itself to be God’s organization and channel by which truth flows down to the “domestics.” Millions of members within that organization sincerely believe this and it is a very difficult thing to reason with a Witness to get them to see otherwise.
Individual Witnesses are not allowed to speak to me or read anything I write or else they themselves face the threat of punishment of being disfellowshipped. The Watch Tower as a very effective system of information control in place. All it has to do is label one an “apostate” and it’s membership automatically turns on a switch and they have no interest in knowing why a person was given such a label. They never question what did the person do?
While it is true that many former Jehovah’s Witnesses become angry and disgruntled and have a vendetta against the Watch Tower organization, there some who do not, like me. I hold no ill-will towards the Watch Tower organization. I view Christ as my only teacher and Head and as the way, the truth, and the life, not a human organization.
So it can be appreciated how such a thing can happen in the future under a system of control over humans. If those persons speak against the beast and its image, they will be subject to being labeled “apostate” or “dissenters” not loyal to God.
That beastly system will cultivate a mindset in the earth that if one does not support it, they are ungodly.
… but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.
Previous ArticleWhat Is Christianity Really? | 2019-04-19T16:44:00Z | https://www.e-prophetic.com/articles/why-the-entire-human-race-must-die/ |
From idea to creation to execution, everything you need to start your travel blog. If you’re on the fence about whether you should start a travel blog to record your trip, or go with a few other options, I outline that entire decision process here. While it’s easy to set up a website, creating a successful travel blog in 2018 is not easy, nor is it the right move for every traveler. In my post on building a travel community I outline my ideas on how I built this site’s following — it was hard work coupled with an early mover advantage since I was among the first solo female traveler bloggers on the internet back in 2008.
If you’re sure you want your own place on the internet to call home (rather than a beautiful Instagram feed or a free blogging site), I get it. It’s nice to own a piece of the internet, and if you’ve read those other links, then you are going into it with the right expectations. Now, we’ll run through each step to get your site started today. From this moment to having a functional travel blog usually takes anywhere from a couple of days to a week. Once it’s all up and running, then you can do the infinitely harder part, which is filling it with content and building a following. If you’re planning to make money, that’s an entirely other discussion that I talk about here.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Either jump right to where you are in the process, or start from the top and work your way through.
This is the fun part! It took me several days to think of a name I liked, but A Little Adrift was the one that eventually came out the winner. For you, there are already going to be heaps of travel URLs taken, so you need to come up with a clever, fun, easy name that reflects your niche focus, your plans, and the blog you hope to write. Your travel blog name will most often be the URL you choose, so spend some time on this step.
be short and memorable. Stick to 10-20 characters and something that is catchy if possible.
be easy to type correctly from hearing it audibly. Use conventional word spellings and make it easy to shake someone’s hand and tell them your domain name.
be unique. I think A Little Adrift is fantastic, but you can’t have it because it’s taken! :) Likewise, the Nomadic____.coms and Wandering___.coms are also taken. Get creative.
avoid hyphenation. It’s possible, but not usually a good idea. Avoid numbers too, generally.
be unique and not trade on the fame of another travel blogger. That’s just poor form (someone has done this to me), and it will make you look bad within the community if you aim for ambiguity and build traffic from someone else’s hard work.
Are there any phrases you’ve always loved or others use to describe your life?
Famous quotes or song lyrics you love?
A specific philosophy you love?
Do you already know your niche? Any fun concepts or plays on words there?
Any cool plays on words with your name(s)?
Once you have a list of fun ideas, you have to see which are available. BustaName is a fun site that lets you input keywords and will output available domain names. I recommend a glass of wine on a Friday night and a couple of friends helping you toss around ideas, it’s more fun and will likely better reflect you if you have others weigh in on it.
So great, got a name you love? Now you need to register it.
This step is fairly simple. NameCheap is a good choice if you just need to register your chosen domain. If you go with Bluehost then it actually includes one free domain registration with a hosting package. I use GoDaddy simply because that’s where I started, but I don’t recommend them unless you already have an account and a reason to be there. Although some will recommend that you separate out your hosting and domain name registration, really you should just ensure you create a very secure account.
Whew, one step down and it wasn’t even that hard, right?
The best option for a new travel blog is usually one of the low-cost hosting providers like Bluehost . PC Mag lists out the best low-cost hosts for 2018 — Hostgator has won for several years running, which means it’s a great option. That said, I’ve only ever registered with Bluehost, which seems to always run a sale for new customers. The company’s servers are up more than many low-cost provider and let’s be real, affordability is the major selling point. That said, it’s also pretty perfect for novices starting a travel blog because it has a one-click install for WordPress (you don’t need to know coding or tech details to launch your travel blog). Hosting companies can test your sanity when things go wrong, so go with on that has good customer service and server uptime or you will just want to just rage (I rage-quit FatCow years ago because my site was always down, and I rage-quit GoDaddy hosting back in 2010 because they wouldn’t help when my site got hacked through their servers). Using a low-cost provider is, honestly, just the best all around option for new travel bloggers just starting out. The affordability wins out, and it’s dead simple to get started. Until you know you want to run your website long-term, and until your traffic exceeds what they can handle, go with Bluehost. I used a low-cost host for about three years, and it served me well. These options generally run between $3 and $10 per month.
If you’re cash flush and need a mid-range option, then you can choose a host like MediaTemple or the higher service form Bluehost (they have one that compares to MediaTemple in features). I switched to Media Temple in 2011 because my traffic had increased past the low-cost hosts (a good problem) and I needed better server performance. This option runs $20-ish per month and you can run multiple sites on one account. The perks of a mid-range host are better uptime for your site, faster speeds, and better customer service. But I found that mid-range companies can expect you to have a certain amount of knowledge to run things on the backend. MediaTemple has a good backend and one-click install, but I still had to use their wiki to figure out databases and such when issues crop up, and I hired help twice when it went over my head. I still run my sister site on my MediaTemple server, and my personal portfolio sit there as well (and the websites of several friends) — it all hums along pretty well with no issues. If you can afford it, if you know you’re running this site as a business for years to come, or if you need multiple sites hosted, there’s no reason not to start at the $20 a month level. But there’s also little need for this mid-range option for most starting bloggers. The low-cost hosts are a better bargain and will get your site up and running faster with the one-click installs. For media temple, you will need technical knowledge to get things rolling.
Companies like WebSynthesis are fantastic for larger sites. This is where A Little Adrift lives and it costs significantly more than the other options. For starting a new travel blog, it’s overkill. It runs $50 per month for a single site. The site runs quick as lightning and their customer service is great.
Which one is best? HostGator is highly reviewed; Bluehost is the company people love to hate — it’s cheap, and the free domain name is pretty handy if you are just staking claim on your piece of the internet. You can’t go wrong with either this early in the process, once your site is setup, you will entirely use the WordPress Dashboard and rarely again login to your host.
Let’s assume you’re taking my advice with Bluehost, which is a good bet for new travel bloggers. Buying a hosting plan is a cinch.
Navigate to Bluehost and hit the green “get started now!” button.
Go with their Basic plan — it’s affordable and you won’t need most upsells for the first year at least.
Buy at least a year; you only get that mega low introductory price if you buy it upfront. (Remember, I was on a low-cost host for more than three years and it worked perfectly for the size of your site as you grow).
If you have the money to upsel to “Domain Privacy Protection,” this will keep your home address blocked.
Add in billing details and hit submit.
Woo-hoo! You own a piece of the internet and a place for your new travel blog. Let’s get it set up.
WordPress is the industry standard and the only real blogging platform you should consider. You have a domain name and hosting, but you need a content management system that will help you load information to the internet. That’s what WordPress is. If you’ve used HostGator then this is a cinch and it has a “one-click” install for WordPress that will add all the files to your site and prompt you to build a back-end login.
It’s time to get started. Log into your new hosting you just bought. Then navigate to your 1) hosting tab, and in 2) cPanel, use the 3) “Site Builders” section to install WordPress.
On the next page click the “install” button in the “Do it yourself FREE” section. Then click the “Check Domain” button. Then accept the terms and conditions to get it all installing for you.
Importantly, that will take a few minutes, then you will get a message that says “Your install is complete!”— you need to“View Credentials” and write down all those details so that you can log into your site the first time. Once you do, then you can change your username and password.
Use that Admin URL in your browser, and log in with your credentials. Congrats, this is the WordPress Dashboard (aka Command Central) for your new travel blog.
If you are not on Bluehost, then you now have to login to your domain host (Namecheapo or the like) and “point” your DNS to your server’s IP address. (If you have used Bluehost and “bought” your domain through them, then your site is ready to roll). Your name registration account will include information on the series of numbers that you must use. This step is how your URL knows where in the world your servers and blog information is housed. This sounds more complicated than it is, and all of the domain name business and server companies have wiki pages explaining step-by-step how.
I loved Woothemes for years, but when they deprecated my theme in late 2017, I went back to the drawing board. I haven’t selected my next theme yet, but it will be Gutenberg compatible, responsive, and clean. I’ll let you know when I figure it out!
Elegant Themes: These are well priced and still excellent options, with a lot of variety to choose from.
ThemeTrust: This is a giant vault of themes, and the run the gambit on pricing, but they should be a good option too if you’re not a fan of the aesthetics of the other two.
Most of these are going to serve you well. Generally, premium themes in 2018 come with mobile responsiveness and decent customizability. You want both of those features.
In addition to a theme—which is the framework of how your site looks and how you navigate your site—you’ll likely need a logo. If you’re handy with graphics design, go to town. I am abysmal with graphics, however, so I hired Hannah from FurtherBound. She is exceedingly lovely and comes highly recommended. If you are in a pinch and just need something fast and cheap, you can design something yourself with Canva, generate one on the free engines like Hipster Logo Generator, or hire someone on Fiverr for $5.
WordPress SEO: The Yoast SEO plugin is the best out there. Start right now with the intention of building strong SEO and you will be grateful for it. Make sure you enable the sitemaps feature. Yoast published a fantastic tutorial for setting it up.
Akismet: This one is pretty standard and protects your blog from comment spam.
Share buttons: Social media sharing buttons on your posts are important. You can use the free ones built into JetPack (which comes with WordPress), or I think these ones are pretty, functional, and affordable.
And you need to consider where you will host your photos. If you are a travel blog, then you likely plan on sharing those beautiful photos from your trip. But your best bet is not to host them on your site, but to instead upload them to a dedicated photo hosting site and then embed them on your website. This is definitely trickier than just uploading them, but it’s a better long-term plan. Hosting photos off-site makes your site faster and cleaner. Photos take up a lot of space, so over the years they can build up and overwhelm your site database.
I use SmugMug and it is fabulous. Highly recommended. You could also go with Flickr.
Here I listed other resources I use to work to build my business from the road.
One final tip, and it’s a biggie—don’t get lost in this step! It’s easy to spend weeks and months tweaking and fine-tuning your travel blog to look perfect, but you should really spend your early efforts on content and community. Please trust me on this. Get the site functional, then get to work building the parts of it that will bring and keep visitors.
This is a huge next step. In addition to actually filling in your site (about page, contact, plans, etc), and starting to blog (stories, photos, plans), you need to consider how you are going to get people to your site, stick to your site, and generally love you so much they share your site with the world.
I wrote an entire post dedicated to building a strong community. It’s hard to pin down exactly how I managed to do that on A Little Adrift, but I did, and there are steps you can and should take from the very start.
Read my Travel Blog Community Building post.
Now that you’ve read that, you might be swirling around thoughts about your business model, your niche, and next steps. Here are a few more thoughts to get you started.
Start an email newsletter right now: Go to MailChimp and sign up for their newsletter software. Seriously, the first 2,000 subscribers are free. Now, go add a signup form to your blog. You can figure out freebies or incentives later, but for starters you just need to ensure you are collecting emails for a newsletter.
Learn Social Media: One of the best ways to grow your community and grow awareness will be through social media, both through your existing accounts and through new ones you join to promote your site. Jodi has a great social media primer guide here, it should help you decide which platforms you should join for networking and for building a community. SEOMoz also has a very comprehensive guide walking through all you need to know about social media right now.
Learn the SEO basics: This is what I do for a living, SEO, so I wrote up a whole list of SEO basic steps for travel bloggers right here. Seriously, read it and start right now on the SEO basics, your site will thank you down the line.
Build Great Content: You should pour your love and attention into this new site. Figure out your voice, write a lot, and write really great information that will help others travel within your niche topic. Chris G has a helpful guide to Flagship Content. I also recommend that you constantly better yourself from this point forward.
Since 2008 when I started this website, I have invested thousands of hours in bettering the site’s resources and also bettering myself. I took writing classes, I studied photography, I went to industry conferences, and I voraciously consumed information on how to better market and run an online business. You should have this dedication to this new site if you hope to make it a success and to make it into a business. It’s possible, there are so many avenues to success right now online, and if you are dedicated you can find a way to make your hopes of a travel community very real.
Share with me on Facebook.
So glad it resonated Kirsty!
Thanks for the info – helpful and honest, and I appreciate you keeping it updated. I’m starting to relaunch my travel blog now, and my biggest challenge is social media – it’s a necessary evil, such a time investment when I just want to be working on content!
I’m going to check out your social media account and follow you there !
Hi Shannon, This is a great post. I have just completed setting up my blog and have gone live last week. I was researching the net for the next possible steps when I stumbled upon your blog and must say I’m impressed. Your tips regarding Community Building are now going to be my guiding light for further effort on my blog.
Wow definitely going to do this.
What do you think about Wix? I was using it to make a free website (my first) bit I’m feeling to do what you’ve laid out here by the end of the month.
The Wix one looks great! I like these other options though because I found Wix a bit pricey over the other choices once you want to go on your own domain name. But if you like what you have and it is working for you, that’s good too! | 2019-04-22T22:36:31Z | http://laflordelaesquina.com/how-to-start-a-travel-blog/index.html |
Find a Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Program near me in Baltimore, MD.
Drug and alcohol rehabilitation in Baltimore, Maryland is going to be the most effective process if somebody has the opportunity to fully invest themselves into it. Short-term and outpatient programs in Baltimore, Maryland could be the most appealing choice because it seems like a quick and convenient option, but neither have very high rates of success at helping clients due to the insufficient intensity and length of rehab offered at such programs. For instance, anyone who has recently abstained from alcohol or drugs is going to have cravings for many months, and after 30 days these cravings can still be very intense. To send someone home at this time is setting them up to fail with an inevitable relapse. This can be the common outcome after short stints in alcohol and drug rehabilitation in Baltimore, Maryland, but one which may be avoided if a quality inpatient or residential facility in Baltimore is chosen instead of a more seemingly convenient choice. So meet with an alcohol and drug treatment counselor in an alcohol and drug rehab facility in Baltimore today which offers inpatient or residential long-term rehabilitation to hear about the benefits of choosing this type of center.
If someone outright refuses to go to alcohol and drug rehab in Baltimore, this doesn't mean they don't want help. Their hesitancy to go to drug and alcohol treatment in Baltimore, Maryland may just be because they are scared about the possibility of having to cope through life without alcohol and drugs after having done so for so long, or it could be because they will have to be accountable for everything that happened through the course of their substance abuse that may be incredibly overwhelming. An intervention is usually necessary to help them overcome these fears in addition to their hesitancy, to allow them to possess a quality lifestyle that doesn't rely on chemicals. Speak with an interventionist or drug and alcohol treatment counselor in Baltimore, Maryland to hold a drug intervention without delay.
Household and Income Statistics in: Baltimore, MD.
Pressley Ridge is located at 25 North Caroline Street Baltimore, MD. 21231. This is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. They accept Medicaid.
The phone number is 410-576-8300 x22701.
Serenity and Wellness Clinic is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Adolescent Treatment, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. The address is 1133 Pennsylvania Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21201 and phone number is 443-640-8231.
Man Alive Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders. The address is 2117 Maryland Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21218 and phone number is 410-837-4292.
Pine Heights Comp Treatment Center is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 888-668-9194. They specialize in Drug and Alcohol Treatment and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Private Insurance.
They are located at 3455 Wilkens Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21229.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Assistance For Hearing Impaired. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Payment Assistance.
Located at 1111 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD. 21201. The phone number is 410-837-2050.
Specialized in Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare.
Located at 5920 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21224. The phone number is 410-631-2772.
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. This facility accepts Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Military Insurance - located at 5200 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21224. The phone number is 410-550-0016.
New Vision Behavioral Health Servs Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-254-4343. They specialize in Drug and Alcohol Treatment and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment.
They are located at 5718 Harford Road Baltimore, MD. 21214.
Baltimore Crisis Response Inc is located at 5124 Greenwich Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21229. This is a specializing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. They accept Medicaid, Payment Assistance.
The phone number is 410-433-5255.
Lane Treatment Center is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-244-7350. They specialize in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Dui/Dwi Offenders and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Military Insurance.
They are located at 2117 Maryland Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21218.
JHBMC Creative Alternatives is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 1821 Portal Street Baltimore, MD. 21224 and phone number is 410-631-6148.
Specialized in Adolescent Treatment, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Payment Assistance.
Located at 5807 Harford Road Baltimore, MD. 21214. The phone number is 410-444-2100.
Open Arms LLC is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Adolescent Treatment, Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Military Insurance - located at 4201 Belmar Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21206. The phone number is 443-627-3593.
Specialized in Assistance For Hearing Impaired. Payment forms accepted: Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance.
Located at 4201 Primrose Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215. The phone number is 410-764-8560.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Various Payment Options - Contact Facility.
Located at 140 West Street Baltimore, MD. 21230. The phone number is 410-752-4454.
Addiction Treatment Services is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Assistance For Hearing Impaired. The address is 5200 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21224 and phone number is 410-550-0051.
Center for Addiction Medicine is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Drug and Alcohol Detox, Methadone Detox, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-225-8240. They specialize in Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance.
They are located at 827 Linden Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21201.
Apex Counseling Center LLC is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-522-1181. They specialize in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Spanish Speaking and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, Private Insurance.
They are located at 3200 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21224.
I Cant We Can is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program, Short-Term Drug Rehab, Long-Term Drug Rehab specializing in Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders. This facility accepts Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance - located at 4432 Park Heights Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215. The phone number is 410-728-5174.
Dayspring Village is located at 1125 North Patterson Park Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21213. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Long-Term Drug Rehab specializing in Adolescent Treatment, Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Women, Residential Beds For Client's Children. They accept Medicaid, Medicare, Private Insurance.
The phone number is 410-563-3459 x100.
Located at 5710 Bellona Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21212. The phone number is 410-878-6404.
Jewish Community Services Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-466-9200. They specialize in Drug and Alcohol Treatment and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Military Insurance.
They are located at 5750 Park Heights Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215.
Healthy Lives LLC is located at 2323 Barclay Street Baltimore, MD. 21218. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Adolescent Treatment, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. They accept Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment.
The phone number is 443-219-7901.
ABA Health Services Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders. The address is 3939 Reisterstown Road Baltimore, MD. 21215 and phone number is 410-367-7821.
Johns Hopkins Hospital is located at 1800 Orleans Street Baltimore, MD. 21287. This is a Hospital Inpatient Drug Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Assistance For Hearing Impaired, Spanish Speaking. They accept Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Military Insurance.
The phone number is 410-955-5280.
Focus on Recovery LLC is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Dui/Dwi Offenders. The address is 2115 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD. 21218 and phone number is 443-414-0917.
Therapeutic Soulutions Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Spanish Speaking. The address is 809 East Baltimore Street Baltimore, MD. 21202 and phone number is 443-869-6512.
Tuerk House is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Drug and Alcohol Detox, Long-Term Drug Rehab that can be reached at 410-233-0684 x104. They specialize in Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Assistance For Hearing Impaired, Spanish Speaking and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
They are located at 730 Ashburton Street Baltimore, MD. 21216.
Change Health Systems Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-233-1088. They specialize in Drug and Alcohol Treatment and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare.
They are located at 2401 Liberty Heights Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215.
Total Healthcare Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Assistance For Hearing Impaired. The address is 1501 Division Street Baltimore, MD. 21217 and phone number is 410-383-8300 x20845.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicare, Sliding Scale Payment.
Located at 3218 Belair Road Baltimore, MD. 21213. The phone number is 443-813-5677.
Chrysalis House Inc is a with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Criminal Justice Clients. The address is 4500 Park Heights Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215 and phone number is 410-483-8870.
Hebron House Inc is located at 2300 Garrison Boulevard Baltimore, MD. 21216. This is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. They accept Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
The phone number is 410-233-1990.
Specialized in Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
Located at 1515 East Biddle Street Baltimore, MD. 21213. The phone number is 410-534-2141.
Located at 2225 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD. 21218. The phone number is 410-366-4360.
Belair Road Health Solutions is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 4825 Belair Road Baltimore, MD. 21206 and phone number is 410-509-0205 x151.
Neuropsychiatry Program at is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 443-444-4540. They specialize in Drug and Alcohol Treatment and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, Private Insurance.
They are located at 5601 Loch Raven Boulevard Baltimore, MD. 21239.
Glass Health Programs Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients. The address is 817 North Calvert Street Baltimore, MD. 21202 and phone number is 443-290-6424.
All Walks of Life LLC is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Criminal Justice Clients, Spanish Speaking. The address is 107 East 25th Street Baltimore, MD. 21218 and phone number is 410-558-0019.
Medstar Union Memorial Hospital is a Hospital Inpatient Drug Rehab with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 201 East University Parkway Baltimore, MD. 21218 and phone number is 410-554-2193.
Changing Lives at Home Mental Health is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Military Insurance - located at 4805 Garrison Boulevard Baltimore, MD. 21215. The phone number is 443-463-9523.
No Turning Back is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Long-Term Drug Rehab specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients. This facility accepts Self Payment, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance - located at 2826 Oakley Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215. The phone number is 443-708-5249.
Maryland Community Health Initiative is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-728-2080. They specialize in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
They are located at 2410 Pennsylvania Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21217.
Gaudenzia Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 443-453-9075. They specialize in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients, Assistance For Hearing Impaired and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment.
They are located at 4450 Park Heights Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment.
Located at 500 Woodbourne Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21212. The phone number is 410-248-0257.
Center for Child and Family Traumatic is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 443-923-5900. They specialize in Assistance For Hearing Impaired, Spanish Speaking and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Private Insurance, Military Insurance.
They are located at 1750 East Fairmont Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21231.
Madonna Healthcare Services Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders. This facility accepts Medicaid - located at 2300 Garrison Boulevard Baltimore, MD. 21216. The phone number is 410-233-4039.
Dynamic Healthcare is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. This facility accepts Medicaid, Medicare, Payment Assistance - located at 516 South Conkling Street Baltimore, MD. 21224. The phone number is 410-864-8874.
Park Heights Health Services Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program, Short-Term Drug Rehab with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 5260 Park Heights Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215 and phone number is 443-352-8622.
NIH NIDA is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 800-535-8254. They specialize in Drug and Alcohol Treatment and accept the following forms of payment: Payment Assistance.
They are located at 251 Bayview Boulevard Baltimore, MD. 21224.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
Located at 7 West Randall Street Baltimore, MD. 21230. The phone number is 410-385-1466.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment.
Located at 1002 East 20th Street Baltimore, MD. 21218. The phone number is 443-854-7442.
Woodbourne Center Inc is a specializing in Treatments for addicts that are LGBT. This facility accepts Medicaid, Private Insurance - located at 1301 Woodbourne Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21239. The phone number is 410-433-1000.
Regional Institute for Children and is a with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 605 South Chapel Gate Lane Baltimore, MD. 21229 and phone number is 410-368-7800.
Payment forms accepted are Medicaid, Private Insurance, Military Insurance, Payment Assistance.
Specialized in Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment.
Located at 5900 York Road Baltimore, MD. 21212. The phone number is 443-873-8958.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Men. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Private Insurance.
Located at 1 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD. 21202. The phone number is 443-449-2996.
JHH Houses is located at 2122-2126 Mura Street Baltimore, MD. 21213. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Long-Term Drug Rehab specializing in Treatment for Women. They accept Self Payment, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
The phone number is 410-522-1142.
Specialized in Treatments for addicts that are LGBT. Payment forms accepted: Medicaid, Medicare, Private Insurance.
Located at 5601 Loch Raven Boulevard Baltimore, MD. 21239. The phone number is 443-444-3848.
My Life Behavioral Health System LLC is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 443-415-7413. They specialize in Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men and accept the following forms of payment: Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Payment Assistance.
They are located at 23-25 East North Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21218.
Institutes for Behavior Resources Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-752-6080. They specialize in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients, Spanish Speaking and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Private Insurance, Military Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment.
They are located at 2104 Maryland Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21218.
Marthas Place is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Long-Term Drug Rehab with a focus on Treatment for Women. The address is 1928 Pennsylvania Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21217 and phone number is 410-728-8402 x201.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Military Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment.
Located at 2520 Pennsylvania Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21217. The phone number is 443-438-4546.
House of Change Behavioral Health Ctr is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program, Short-Term Drug Rehab, Long-Term Drug Rehab with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. The address is 5209 York Road Baltimore, MD. 21212 and phone number is 410-323-3500.
Recovery Health Services LLC is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 3800 Frederick Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21229 and phone number is 410-233-1400.
VA Maryland Healthcare System is located at 10 North Greene Street Baltimore, MD. 21201. This is a Hospital Inpatient Drug Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Criminal Justice Clients. They accept Various Payment Options - Contact Facility.
The phone number is 410-605-7000.
Sinai Hospital is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Assistance For Hearing Impaired. The address is 2401 West Belvedere Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215 and phone number is 410-601-5355.
Urban Behavioral Associates PA is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 700 Washington Boulevard Baltimore, MD. 21230 and phone number is 410-779-3102.
Specialized in Adolescent Treatment, Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Women, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Assistance For Hearing Impaired. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment.
Located at 1107 North Point Boulevard Baltimore, MD. 21224. The phone number is 410-284-3070.
Bridge House Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Long-Term Drug Rehab that can be reached at 410-675-7765. They specialize in Treatment for Men and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
They are located at 30 South Broadway Baltimore, MD. 21231.
New Vision House of Hope Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment - located at 200 East Lexington Street Baltimore, MD. 21202. The phone number is 410-466-8558.
Weisman Kaplan House is located at 2521-2523 Maryland Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21218. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program, Long-Term Drug Rehab specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients. They accept Self Payment, Private Insurance, Payment Assistance.
The phone number is 410-467-5291.
Specialized in Adolescent Treatment, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Assistance For Hearing Impaired. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
Located at 2517 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD. 21218. The phone number is 410-366-2123 x115.
People Encouraging People Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Criminal Justice Clients, Assistance For Hearing Impaired. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, Payment Assistance - located at 4201 Primrose Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215. The phone number is 410-764-8560.
Friendship House is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program, Long-Term Drug Rehab specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance - located at 1435 South Hanover Street Baltimore, MD. 21230. The phone number is 410-752-2475.
Light of Truth Center Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid - located at 2233 Orleans Street Baltimore, MD. 21231. The phone number is 443-393-2109.
Reflective Treatment Center is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Drug and Alcohol Detox, Methadone Detox, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment - located at 301 North Gay Street Baltimore, MD. 21202. The phone number is 410-752-3500 x113.
Specialized in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. Payment forms accepted: Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Military Insurance.
Located at 2901 Druid Park Drive Baltimore, MD. 21215. The phone number is 410-467-6600 x38.
Contemporary Family Services Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 3455 Wilkens Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21229 and phone number is 410-525-8601.
Bridging the Gap Services LLC is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment - located at 1043 South Hanover Street Baltimore, MD. 21230. The phone number is 410-528-8692.
University of Maryland is located at 701 West Pratt Street Baltimore, MD. 21201. This is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Assistance For Hearing Impaired. They accept Medicaid.
The phone number is 410-328-3522.
Deborahs Place is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Dui/Dwi Offenders. The address is 28 East 25th Street Baltimore, MD. 21218 and phone number is 443-857-7987.
Specialized in Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance.
Located at 3243 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21224. The phone number is 410-276-0153.
University of Maryland Medical Center is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Seniors, Criminal Justice Clients, Assistance For Hearing Impaired. The address is 701 West Pratt Street Baltimore, MD. 21201 and phone number is 410-328-2207.
Bon Secours Next Passage is located at 3101 Towanda Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Drug and Alcohol Detox, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Dui/Dwi Offenders, Assistance For Hearing Impaired. They accept Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance.
The phone number is 410-728-8901.
Turning Point Clinic is located at 2401 East North Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21213. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Drug and Alcohol Detox, Methadone Detox, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Spanish Speaking. They accept Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance.
The phone number is 410-675-2113 x226.
Essential Behav Health Servs Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-617-8026. They specialize in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment.
They are located at 2204 Maryland Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21218.
Essential Behavioral Health Servs Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 2204 Maryland Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21218 and phone number is 410-617-8026 x114.
Northern Parkway Trt Servs Inc is located at 3007 East Northern Parkway Baltimore, MD. 21214. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. They accept Self Payment, Medicaid.
The phone number is 443-475-0737.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Women. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare.
Located at 3612 Falls Road Baltimore, MD. 21211. The phone number is 410-467-4357.
King Health Systems Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 3502 West Rogers Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215 and phone number is 410-578-4340.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Self Payment, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
Located at 28 South Broadway Baltimore, MD. 21231. The phone number is 410-675-7765.
Native American Lifelines is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Treatment for Women. This facility accepts Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Payment Assistance - located at 106 West Clay Street Baltimore, MD. 21201. The phone number is 410-837-2258.
Key Point Health Services Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 443-216-4800. They specialize in Drug and Alcohol Treatment and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, Military Insurance.
They are located at 1012 Soth North Point Road Baltimore, MD. 21224.
Deaf Addiction Services at Maryland is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 443-462-3416. They specialize in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients, Assistance For Hearing Impaired and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Payment Assistance.
They are located at 1001 West Pratt Street Baltimore, MD. 21223.
Located at 3425 Sinclair Lane Baltimore, MD. 21213. The phone number is 410-366-1151.
Chesapeake Wellness Collaborative LLC is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Treatment. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment - located at 5900 York Road Baltimore, MD. 21212. The phone number is 410-589-0999.
Healthcare for the Homeless Inc is located at 421 Fallsway Baltimore, MD. 21202. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Assistance For Hearing Impaired, Spanish Speaking. They accept Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
The phone number is 410-837-5533.
BNJ Health Services LLC is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare - located at 2701 Washington Boulevard Baltimore, MD. 21223. The phone number is 410-624-7894.
Specialized in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Criminal Justice Clients. Payment forms accepted: Medicaid, Payment Assistance.
Located at 5411 Old Frederick Road Baltimore, MD. 21229. The phone number is 410-744-8100 x103.
Baltimore City Counseling Center is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Criminal Justice Clients. The address is 3301 Belair Road Baltimore, MD. 21213 and phone number is 410-732-0983.
Concerted Care Group is located at 428 East 25th Street Baltimore, MD. 21218. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Dui/Dwi Offenders. They accept Self Payment, Medicaid.
The phone number is 410-617-0142.
Mi Casa Es Su Casa is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program, Long-Term Drug Rehab with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. The address is 3921 Old York Road Baltimore, MD. 21218 and phone number is 855-652-7376.
Echo House Multi Service Center Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Drug and Alcohol Detox, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Dui/Dwi Offenders. The address is 1705 West Fayette Street Baltimore, MD. 21223 and phone number is 410-947-1700.
Bon Secours Baltimore Health System is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program, Partial Hospitalization/Day Treatment that can be reached at 410-362-3524. They specialize in Drug and Alcohol Treatment and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, Private Insurance.
They are located at 2000 West Baltimore Street Baltimore, MD. 21223.
Hidden Garden Keepers Club at is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-764-2266 x7642. They specialize in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment.
They are located at 4120 Patterson Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215.
Bon Secours Hospital is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-945-7706 x2235. They specialize in Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
They are located at 2401 West Baltimore Street Baltimore, MD. 21223.
Helping Up Mission is located at 1029 East Baltimore Street Baltimore, MD. 21202. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Long-Term Drug Rehab specializing in Treatment for Men. They accept Payment Assistance.
The phone number is 410-675-7500.
MedMark Treatment Centers is located at 821 North Eutaw Street Baltimore, MD. 21201. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women. They accept Self Payment, Medicaid, Private Insurance.
The phone number is 410-225-9185.
Baltimore Cares Behavioral Health Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Dui/Dwi Offenders. This facility accepts Self Payment, Medicaid, Sliding Scale Payment - located at 2300 Garrison Boulevard Baltimore, MD. 21216. The phone number is 410-233-3111.
Behavioral Health Clinic is located at 2310 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD. 21218. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Drug and Alcohol Detox, Halfway House, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients. They accept Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance.
The phone number is 410-844-4110.
Mi Casa Es Su Casa Behaviorial Health is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program, Long-Term Drug Rehab with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Men, Criminal Justice Clients. The address is 411 Millington Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21223 and phone number is 443-219-7855.
JR Healthcare is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 2310 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD. 21218 and phone number is 410-844-4110.
Located at 2401 West Belvedere Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21215. The phone number is 410-601-5461.
Johns Hopkins Hospital Broadway Center is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Drug and Alcohol Detox, Methadone Detox, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program that can be reached at 410-955-5439. They specialize in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Assistance For Hearing Impaired and accept the following forms of payment: Self Payment, Medicaid, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
They are located at 911 North Broadway Baltimore, MD. 21205.
Fresh Start Comprehensive Center is located at 1 East Mount Royal Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21202. This is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program, Long-Term Drug Rehab specializing in Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Drug and Alcohol Programs for Pregnant Women, Treatment for Women, Treatment for Men, Dui/Dwi Offenders, Criminal Justice Clients. They accept Self Payment, Medicaid, Medicare, State Financed Insurance, Private Insurance, Sliding Scale Payment, Payment Assistance.
The phone number is 443-671-1414.
A Step Forward Inc is a Drug and Alcohol Rehab, Halfway House, Outpatient Drug Rehab Program, Long-Term Drug Rehab with a focus on Co-Occurring Mental And Substance Abuse Disorders, Treatment for addicts with Hiv/Aids, Treatments for addicts that are LGBT, Treatment for Seniors, Treatment for Men, Residential Beds For Client's Children, Criminal Justice Clients. The address is 807 North Fulton Avenue Baltimore, MD. 21217 and phone number is 410-462-6001.
Glory Health Center Inc is an Outpatient Drug Rehab Program with a focus on Drug and Alcohol Treatment. The address is 4705 Harford Road Baltimore, MD. 21214 and phone number is 410-444-0779. | 2019-04-18T13:22:29Z | https://www.drugrehabmaryland.com/drug_treatment_city/Baltimore.htm |
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Back it-up using a detailed case, if you produce a declaration in regards to the movie.
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If you don’t follow it, everything you send out will not appear professional.
The growing popularity of the World Wide Web has really caused it to be possible for writers to locate occupations using a significant pay check, called online creating careers. We are going to likewise choose at advice on what category of cash it’s possible to make and exactly what you need to expect as a net – centered college mentor. There are loads of jobs obtainable in this website plus a whole lot of the clients here particularly search for Filipinos. Composition editing is a required section of writing an article. Read on to learn why you should not ever spend cash for an essay on line. You could also write an insightful essay. Be a productive article author. There are several kinds of documents that are used within the present century.
Additionally notice that the poem remains a haiku.
In the present Planet, there’s huge variety of desire for essay writers. You’ren’t created to halt an composition within the middle of the hot issue. You could notice lots of documents on line. Nonetheless, online lessons are actually not the reply. Authorship on line was not that thrilling! These on-line writing classes, I’ve to say, really are a good concept for novices to begin thanks to several reasons. It is usually taught to students inside their college times. There are numerous kinds of article describe example for special goals. Article, short kind of composition which has read.
It assisted me recognize medical profession and public health care’s subtleties.
The tips delivered via the essay has to be exact. Powerful skill in stage form, with finish the principal ideas of your own documents have to write different frqs. You’ll undoubtedly have the capability to refine your creating here. Such a composing jobs doesn’t need fairly high standards and when you have practical writing skills then you may absolutely start work for a content writer. It is vital to understand that academic papers are extremely different than other kinds of writing. The professors or teachers who’ll be critiquing these organizations of documents are trying to find a special tone and sort of argument. | 2019-04-22T22:49:18Z | http://7figuremasterclass.net/category/students-essay-writing-service-2019/ |
So you've finished recording your tracks ...NOW ....Take your song to the next level!
With over 130 reviews for all our custom services, a 5 Star rating, and a 100% customer satisfaction ratio, you can trust I.T.B. Audio Solutions to take your songs to the next level!!!Check out my profile page!
I.T.B. Audio Solutions will correct those vocal tracks, making them pitch perfect with top of the line Industry tools! After we're done with correcting the vocals, we then slap a mix on your song, and master it.....all for only $95. Our prices are designed to fit in any musician's budget and our work is top notch.
By engaging I.T.B Audio Solutions, you can save yourself the extra work of going back to re-record your vocal tracks over and over again till you obtain the perfection you are looking for by letting us leverage our skill and expertise to make your vocal tracks "shine" in the mix!!!
With over 16+ years experience in post production work, I.T.B. Audio Solutions can meet your audio needs.
NOTE: Due to the manual editing required for Vocal Pitch correction this offer applies for 1 Lead Vocal Track, add $10 for each additional vocal track requiring vocal pitch correction.
Total number of tracks cannot exceed 32 tracks. For projects that contain more than 32 tracks, there is an additional charge of $2.50 for each additional track.
CUSTOM OFFERS: Have other audio needs??? Need a quote for an EP or Album? Need just a mix? Just a master? Only want a single vocal track brought into tune, making it near pitch perfect? Need specific instruments added to your song. Need special effects added to your tracks? No worries...message us for the audio needs you have, and we'll quote you a custom offer based on the work that needs to be performed.
Another great Mastered track from Robert! Robert went above and beyond the scope of this project, and I will continue to use ITB Solutions. Great provider.
Thanks again for your hard work and dedication ITBAudio, it sounds awesome!!
5 Stars. ITB Audio is easy to work with and take the time to make your track sound the way you imagined it.
Robert was fantastic to work with. It was a pleasure and he provided a great finished product!
The track which had some nice ingredients, but they weren't presented optimally and didn't sit well together. Robert took this raw material and turned into something which showcased the ingredients in a cohesive and ear-catching manner. Excellent work! When you involve Robert in your project you're adding a special pair of ears and some first rate audio know-how.
Robert has done it again, he does magic as always. The vocals were a mess, but he put them in place. Five star work!!!!
Robert provided an experienced pair of ears, and brought the arrangement for this moderately complex song into harmony. I'll use his services again, and I gladly recommend him to others.
3 words: WORK-WITH-ROBERT. You will absolutely NOT be disappointed. I handed him a track with the attitude of like, "well, God bless ya if you can make this sound even the least bit good" and I got back an expertly-crafted, A+ sounding mix & master that I am tremendously satisfied. Rest assured & have full confidence that you will be super satisfied with his delivered products.
Robert is a master at his craft. I am incredibly pleased with the outcome of my latest song. He is easy to communicate with and truly brings something special to the creative process. Highly recommend his work if you are looking for mixing and mastering a track. Thank you!
Awesome experience! Robert really brought my song to life. Thank you so much and thanks for being great to work and communicate with!!!
Thank you Robert. Your communication bar none has been the best on Airgigs that I have experienced. You provide valuable and honest, straightforward input which helps to bring clarity and improvement to the work. I appreciate your time and talent.
Robert is the best, when it comes to quality.
Robert is the best amongst the greatest, he is patient to work with. I'm happy with his top work.
The track came out sounding far better than expected.
Extremely cooperative, kind, and patient. This was our first time getting a recording mixed and mastered and it turned out far better than we ever expected! If you are looking to take your song to the next level, Robert is your guy!
Fast turn around and great work once again.
Amazing service, friendly tone, reliable and easy to work with, and offcourse exellent result. you get what you pay for, I highly recommend itbAudio. Thank You.
Robert is very patient and a great communicator. He is dedicated to music and working with artists. Thanks Robert!
Thanks for the awesome track again! Robert has tons of tricks up his sleeve.
100% very easy to work with done everything i asked perfectly great job. Thank you.
ITB Audio’s mixing and mastering gets better with every track I send. On top of that Robert is extremely flexible and willing to work with you until it sounds just how you want it.
Robert always comes through. Five stars every time.
This is my 4th or 5th song I've sent ITB audio. He always does a great job, but this time his talent really shown through. I'm more impressed with the end product this time than I ever have been, even though his past work was beyond good.
Another great sounding end product produced by Robert. He’s my go to guy!
Great work! Made good songs sound great. Easy to work with and provides a quality product.
Once again ITBAudio far exceeding my expecatations. Great mix and master on my song that really brought it to life. 5 stars.
Awesome service and product again! :) Thank you!
Great! Robert is a great listener and adjust well to my vision.
great job! Your audio is in good hands with I.T.B Audio Solutions!
Job well done by Robert, I will definitely do another project with him in the near future. 5 stars.
I listened the music file and It is ok.
Excellent job! High quality final product, responded nicely to my special requests, and quick turn-around.
Great experience! Wonderful, skilled work and amazing customer service. Work was delivered quickly and far exceeded expectations. This was my first experience with Robert of ItbAudio, but it certainly wont be my last!
Robert is willing to work with you until you are pleased with the result. His patience can only be associated with someone who loves his work and loves music.
I can't say enough good things about Robert and I.T.B. Audio Solutions! Robert consistently delivers better than what I'm hoping for. Great guy. I highly recommend him.
Robert did an outstanding job analyzing my mix, doing so with much detail, section by section, instrument by instrument. He has a great ear, not only as an engineer, but also as an experienced musician. I am actually taken aback by the amount of thoughtfulness he put into the project. I must also add he is an articulate communicator, which only adds to the pleasure of working with him.
He always make my music better.
great work . thanks again sir.
Another 5 star performance by Rob. Running out of superlatives to describe his awesomeness. He just gets it! Very happy as always.
Itb Audio did a super job mastering my song! They were able to tame some of the higher frequencies of the instruments and bring more warmth to my vocals, Robert is a very competent engineer who really strives to bring out the best in your song. I highly recommend his services.
I.T. B. Audio hits the mark every time.
Robert has taken on every challenge I've thrown his way and always exceeds expectations. I wouldn't hesitate to work with him again.
Rob is amazing. I've had hit records and i know that its very rare to find someone who's on exactly the same wavelength. You can hear his talent and enthusiasm right through the track. We wouldn't go anywhere else now for our mixing and mastering. Highly recommended!!
I can't say enough good things about working with Robert and Itb Audio.
Your song will be done on time, just the way you want it.
Robert is great to work with. Quick, professional and friendly.
Another project nailed by ITB, bringing the professional touch my tracks sorely need.
Jumped on the October Special for one more tune and was not disappointed. Only needed a couple of minor tweaks after the initial edit and ITB was very friendly and accommodating.
Thanks for all your help on this album. It is much appreciated.
Wonderful & pleasant to work with. He responds to every question very fast. Very knowledgeable and just great to work with! Thank you so much!!!
Robert is great to work with. Very pleasant and helpful. He has a great ear for sound, and made my song sound better than I expected. I will definitely work with ITB audio again.
Always a pleasure working with ITB AUDIO thanks to Robert, looking forward to the our next gig.
Can´t thank Robert enough! We´ve just finished a complete album. Some songs were really tricky but Robert made a great job and solved all problems. I´m happy to work with him!
Robert offered an excellent service and was very quick to work on the song and make the changes I asked.
I would definitely recommend working with Robert. He did a great job on my song.
Robert has truly magic ears to take the songs to next level and make really the best out of the input tracks.
This is another gig I made with him and I am fully satisfied.
I'm not surprised anymore when Robert delivers an exceptional product. The instrumental version that he created from our latest song is superb! Great communication, lots of patience, and technical expertise to get the job done right!
Robert overcame some significant technical challenges with the starting material and managed to assemble a beautiful song. The composer and I commend Robert for the way he brought out the instruments, built the dynamics across the mix, and enhanced the vocals in mastering.
Two thumbs up from both of us!
Business as usual with ITB On-Time and Under Budget and service with a smile thanks Robert! Can't wait for the next one!
Pleasure working with ITB super helpful and delivered a finished product exceeding my expectations I look forward to working with Them again! Well done Robert!!
Excellent communication and work from ITB/Audio.
He puts life into my demo songs that were forgotten on my hard drive.
Delivers on time every time.
I needed a mix a master done quickly and her got it done in 24 hours, and it sounds terrific. the fast and fabulous.
I had a pleasure working with Robert on my DIY tracks. He is not just skilled and knowledged but he is very very down to earth and cares about your projects. I had very less experience and knowledge on this getting in so he could have taken that and just mix my tracks, but he shared the tips and advices with me on how to improve or how to better organize for the next time!
Awesome! Robert was great and easy to work with!
Another outstanding job! Your audio is in good hands with I.T.B Audio Solutions!
Sterling work, only one revision needed . He nailed it almost immediately., huge relief!
Working with Robert was an absolute pleasure. Very easy to communicate with him. He listens well to your concerns.
Very fast in his turn around as far as my revisions. Good guy to work with :)!
It's a difficult job to do but Rob is a relentless cool headed operator who will stick with you to get it perfect.
I got nothing but admiration and praise for his skills and uplifting attitude.
Another outstanding job! Robert created a comped track from two vocal recordings, made some needed repairs, and leveled the volumes. Your audio is in good hands with I.T.B Audio Solutions!
Robert is outstanding and very experienced. However what was remarkable throughout my experience working with him was the exceptional level of professionalism and patience despite the fact that many revisions were due to my unclear requirement. He still handled them with high spirit and was always responsive to changes in a very collaborative aporoach. Collaboration online across different time zones is by definition an uneasy task. But with Robert it turned into pleasure and fun.
My experience of working with him was amazing.
I made my fusion jazz song perfect.
Do not hesitate to choose him.
Really great experience using the service from Robert, he was fast, efficient and super professional all the way. It made all the difference to the final mix, thanks to his fine work that he delivered promptly. Thank you Robert sir!
This was my first order with Robert ITB Audio.
Robert was patient and very understanding as this is my first time to record song completely on my own .
I must admit i was not so organised and Robert pointed out what i needed to do , so "Do your job the best you can to get the best results for your song".
All I can say Robert ITB Audio will the best they can to make you sound "Top" I was Amazed as my song needed some polishing ,especially on my Vocals.
Highly recommended, top quality and extremely easy to work with. my song was delivered prior to the set date.
I gave Robert 3 lengthy tracks and only 3 days to turn them around, needing semi-mixed/mastered tracks to submit for a deadline I was facing. Instead, I received (with very little direction from myself I might add) three polished, fully complete masters ready for the label. Expecting nothing more I requested a few adjustments, just in case he could squeeze those in. Less than a day later, the tracks came back just as imagined, in time for the deadline. He read my mind, thanks a ton Robert!
Another 5-star Job!!! Thanks Robert!
Robert is truly a master.
He took my tracks (12) and made magic out of them. He is very professional and pays attention to all details.
Highly recommendable. First time I work with him, and I say he will be my first option for mixing and mastering.
I'll be working with Robert again !!!
Robert went the extra mile (s) to make sure my song was the best it could be. 5 stars, and thanks Robert!
Robert is my go to option for music from mixing to adding live instrumentation, he can do it all and do it well. Excited to continue working together!
It´s just wonderful to work with Robert from ITB solutions. Thanks for another perfect collab !!!
This was my first experience with ITB Audio Solutions and I was favorably impressed from start to finish. I highly recommend Robert for your mixing and mastering requirements. He is knowledgeable, helpful, and personable. Robert took time to understand exactly what I wanted in the mix and the final master was superb. The price was very fair considering the time and attention to detail that went into this project. I look forward to working with Robert again on future projects.
Brilliant work as always, thanks so much, Robert !!!
I said that I would use Robert's services again and I have. When you find an honorable, dedicated, professional, there is no need to look elsewhere. Robert works hard on your song, but also puts in tremendous effort at building a rapport and friendship with his clients. I am exactly pleased with the song he delivered, and proud to say that he is truly my friend. I will be back for more. Can't thank you enough Robert.
Robert is a true professional and really made my song shine - I'm very happy with the result of the work! This was my first time on AirGigs and Robert exceeded my expectations. Very easy and accommodating to work with. I will be back!
Really communicated well with us about what we wanted. Broke everything down and gave us several takes to make any fixes we needed. Very professional. Thanks Robert!
Robert is an awesome all around musician and an even better person to work with. His ability to communicate effectively with me throughout the process made everything easy from the first message to the final products. If you want to work with a professionally-skilled musician and engineer with the ability to make you feel at home throughout, Robert is your guy. Excited to continue working together!
Very satisfied with the service provided by Robert. He is very polite and takes his time when trying to understand everything that is required for your mix. The mix that was provided on this occasion was very well balanced and Robert was happy to adjust levels as and when It was required. I would happily use this service again for future EDM projects and would also suggest his service to friends.
Robert provided exactly what he promised at the quoted price and on time. He is extremely professional in his work ethic, and puts a lot of effort into understanding what his client is looking for. He is very easy to deal with and communicates in an effective, timely and friendly manner. When working with him, it's easy to see that he has a passion for what he does. I couldn't be happier with the results, and highly recommend his skills and services. I know that I will use them again.
Fantastic work from Robert / ITB audio !!! We have been working on a couple of songs in the past months and it´s getting better and better. There is brilliance in the sound, dynamic in the mix and awesome work on some little issues (Robert repairs everythings!). It took just a few days and the result is perfect - thanks so much, Robert!!!
Another stunning job from Robert - incredible how he lifted up this song by his work in the studio!!! It´s my first album with Robert - and definitely not the last!!!
Another song mixed and mastered by Robert from ITB Audio - I´m happy with the result! There were some timing problems on a track I´ve sent but Robert "repaired" it pretty fast and now the song sounds really cool. Since we´ve worked together on a few songs pretty well I´ve decided to make a complete album with Robert.
A big thank you goes out to Robert from ITB!!! We had a lot of problems with this project but Robert solved them all in a very relaxed mood. It´s our third collaboration by now - and the next is already waiting! It´s a joy to work with this gentleman.
It´s the second song I asked Robert from ITB audio solutions to work on - and what he sent back is brilliant!!! Not only the result is just amazing, also communication / vibe is. It´s pretty easy to exchange ideas with him and he will work hard until you are absolutely happy with what he comes up with. He´s got very good prices and offers excellent work - so there´s absolutely no risk. I´m planning more projects with Robert. 5 stars!
It was a great pleasure to work with Robert from ITB. He had great ideas how to improve the song in details, find the best mix for it, worked fast, he´s very charming, engaged and professional and doesn´t see his work finished unless you´re 100 % happy with the result. Prices are absolutely accaptable - and that doesn´t mean that the quality isn´t top. I will definitely work with him again! | 2019-04-25T08:54:28Z | https://www.airgigs.com/mixing-engineers-for-hire/4169/Vocal-Pitch-Correction-Mix-&-Master |
Building and launching a new app carries a unique set of challenges and risks, particularly when your app lives in a competitive space. In 2019, most mobile apps are living a competitive space- but one that is also innovative and that rewards creativity and honesty.
Marketing your mobile app can be tricky. It can be hard to stand out in a competitive space, and often, apps are created by designers, developers, and engineers that are experts in their respective disciplines but lack expertise in marketing.
Once your app is designed and developed, it’s marketing that will make it successful.
This guide is meant to serve as a basic template that you can build your marketing strategy. The strategy called out here is the definition of basic but boring marketing, but it works and is based on proven techniques that will build subject matter expertise, niche authority, and most importantly, your install base.
In order to keep this article from turning into a mile-long blog post, I’m going to focus strictly on three main points: creating a marketing foundation, building app awareness, and driving traffic to your app.
This guide will “give you the basics” that will serve as a good first step. It also assumes you’ve already done your due diligence, validated your idea, and determined your business model. In other words, you’ve done everything but the marketing.
Sound awesome? Let’s dive in.
All of your marketing will hinge on these foundational elements. Make sure you have these things locked down.
The messaging that a 47 year old investment banker finds interesting will be vastly different than a young college graduate. Knowing how to reach these people is an important component of your marketing.
Start off by identifying why someone would use your app. Is it for help or reference? For entertainment, or for work?
Understanding the needs of your users will allow you to shape a message that resonates with them. Spend the time needed to get a clear picture of how and why people are choosing to use your app (or an app like it).
IE – Finance, video games, yoga, etc.
Determining demographic information is a rabbit hole that you could really dive into. For now, focus on those three points as they most significantly will shape your messaging, brand voice, and targeting.
Once you understand your target demographic, you should then look at finding ways to be present where those people tend to be. A younger audience is more likely to be on YouTube, Snapchat, or Instagram, while an older audience might be more readily accessible via Facebook or Google search.
There’s no faster way to kill interest in your app than to promote it with low-quality media and ho-hum experiences.
You want to showcase your app as best as you can, and often the best way to do that is to invest in good quality graphics, promotional videos, and website/content experiences. Cutting corners here could cost you big.
Create an awesome app icon – Your app store listings will look their best when you feature a creative and engaging icon. Be bold. Be different. Be interesting. But, most importantly, be memorable. Use interesting shapes, colors, and imagery to differentiate your app. This is one area where it may be valuable to be a contrarian- if you see your peers all going in one direction, try something completely different and see if it resonates.
Showcase high-quality screenshots and media – Whether your app is a game or a calculator, high-quality screenshots will go equally as far. Each screenshot should have a purpose, and its intent should be obvious. Point out key features and benefits, and make it easy for users to imagine themselves using your app by using engaging imagery that shows the best of what your app has to offer.
Demonstrate what your app can do with a promotional video – If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s that make a video worth? The bottom line is that a good video is a must. A good promotional video will not only shine on the app store, but on YouTube and your website as well.
These media assets are your virtual salespeople, living on the web and on app stores, tirelessly working 24/7 to drive downloads. Invest in them, and make them awesome!
Users have a high expectation for the quality of media they consume. I recommend finding a talented graphics professional or team to work with and having that person/team do all of your media. This will ensure everything is consistent and on-brand.
Your listings on the Apple App Store and Google Play, along with other alternative app stores, are a critical part of what will drive your apps popularity.
Optimize your app store listings. In fact, app store optimization is big business and there are plenty of firms out there that will be happy to help you.
Research the keywords someone might use to find your app and ensure they are present in the name, title, and description of your app listing.
Encourage reviews (and respond where appropriate) – Showcasing trust and quality by having tons of positive reviews is a great way to climb the ranks. Invest in strategies designed to curate user reviews, and don’t forget to respond to feedback (both good and bad) to let users know that you care about their experience.
Show off your awesome videos and great screenshots – This is where that awesome media we just talked about will really shine, after all.
Improve your app store conversion rate value (downloads) by split testing variations of your listing that try different creatives, messages, descriptions, or all of the above. Try different designs, images, and verbiage- and pay close attention to how these changes influence downloads.
View your app store listings at landing pages that you should constantly be analyzing to see how to improve. Never get complacent.
And by “great website”, I don’t necessarily mean the prettiest one. The goal of your website should be to convert a visitor into a download/user. The rate that your website does this is called its conversion rate, and the most important job of any website is to have a strong conversion rate.
Encourage action – Your website should be geared towards encouraging an action (whether that’s a download, a purchase, or something else). The top part of the page – the part that appears before someone has to start scrolling or swiping – is called the hero area. Hero areas are best used when they feature a strong call to action (CTA) paired with a compelling benefit statement.
Answer user questions – Include a FAQ area that addresses common questions new users might have. Provide clear and thoughtful answers, and ensure that it is easy for users to find the answers to the questions they have. Make it easy to get to the FAQ section.
Provide help – Show users how to use your app and take advantage of its functionality. Also, provide a clear method to help users solve problems/troubleshoot the app where appropriate.
Be mobile – More than 60% of searches are done on a smartphone. Make sure your website looks awesome on mobile.
Be SEO friendly – Search engine optimization (SEO) is a great way to drive new downloads/users to your app, but it can take a while to kick in. It also requires your website to have certain technical, formatting, and content best practices put into place. At the very least, your website should follow on-site SEO best practices so that it can start to drive traffic from Google.
Keep your website simple and to the point. Use a content management system, like WordPress, to make ongoing maintenance much easier than a typical HTML/CSS site.
With your marketing foundation in place, now it’s time to actually start promoting your app!
There are a million different ways to market and many different types of advertising available. Knowing which is best for you can take time, investment, and data.
If you’re just starting out, it can be overwhelming to determine which marketing techniques to utilize and which tactics are best for you. That said, you need to start somewhere. The sooner you start, the sooner you can start collecting data about what works/doesn’t work. This data will help you refine your approach moving forward, improving performance and profitability.
But where do you start, and how much do you invest?
Once you’ve got those five core areas mastered, you can then add Google Ads and Facebook ads to amplify results.
Everyone knows about the Apple App Store and Google Play. However, they are not the only games in town. There are dozens of alternate app stores that you may find worth exploring.
True, these stores are not as popular as Apple’s or Google’s first-party stores, but they still have a large audience and can drive many downloads and sales for you.
And, if you want to cast a really wide net, there are dozens more stores out there- some of which are huge in international markets, such as China.
Even if you aren’t interested in some of the smaller alternative app stores, listing on the Amazon App Store is always a good idea.
Get your mobile app reviewed by industry experts and app review websites. Focus on review sites that have an audience and decent social media following.
You also want to focus on review websites that will provide you an honest and unbiased review, as you may find the feedback valuable in improving your app experience. Users will also appreciate a genuine and honest perspective on your app- these types of unbiased reviews are very effective at building trust.
Review websites often charge for a review (reviews from us start at $129, for example), but this is money well spent as long as the website in question has an audience and can drive traffic to your app download pages or website.
How much traffic does the website receive? Ask for traffic data from the past year, broken down by month.
How big is the website in question? A site like BAPS, with hundreds/thousands of articles and more than 20,000 unique visitors per month (not pageviews, visitors), is more likely to drive traffic to you vs. a new site that is just getting off the ground.
How do they typically handle reviews? Are the reviews generally positive/one-sided, or are they impartial and critical? While it’s tempting to go out and “buy some good press”, ultimately Google will devalue a website like that and the value of the review is lost. Focus on sites that tell it like it is.
How big is their reach? More than just traffic, you should also look at other metrics that indicate their reach. These include social followers (Facebook and YouTube are best) as well as email list subscribers.
Is their audience looking for what I’m offering? Focusing on specialized review websites will yield a stronger return on investment, even if their total reach is smaller. This is because the more targeted and relevant they are to you, the more likely it is that their users will download your app.
Reviews also help your SEO, as reputable websites featuring your app/brand is a strong quality signal for Google. A few good reviews on popular app websites can really rocket your website up the ranks!
Aim for at least a half dozen reviews from quality websites. This is money well spent and will also help manage your brand’s overall reputation, which is always a good thing.
With a few reviews on reputable websites live, it’s time to kick your marketing into high gear via influencer marketing.
You’ve probably heard of influencer marketing already. It’s been a “thing” since about 2016 but really grew into something huge in 2018. Expect its influence (ha) to continue to grow.
So first, let’s address the most obvious question: what the heck is an influencer?
Simply put, an influencer is a figure (think: person, place, or thing) that has a large public profile/following.
That stay-at-home Instamom with 350k Instagram followers? Influencer.
That app review YouTube channel with 25k subs? Influencer.
Mom blog with 250k Pinterest followers and 25k/mo website visits? Yep, you guessed it- an influencer!
Now, here’s a secret: ignore the “big” influencers and instead focus on “micro” influencers when you first start your marketing efforts. Why? Because they tend to charge a heck of a lot less than bigger influencers.
And, interestingly enough, it’s the smaller influencers that tend to generate the most engagement from their audience. This is because their audience tends to be more involved with the influencer, and vice versa.
In my experience, influencer campaigns are most successful when they are paired with an incentive, such as a coupon code. This will also help you track how many downloads/sign ups/sales each influencer generated.
I love to find 3-5 influencers with small niche blogs and engaged social accounts and do a coordinated promotion. This can really work out well, especially if you choose influencers that have complementary skill-sets or audiences.
If you’re promoting a kids learning app, for example, you’ll want to get your app on mom blogs, teacher resource websites, and parent-focused Facebook groups. All three audiences will find value in your app, but each will approach it from a different angle.
Find smaller influencers that have engaged audiences. They’re more likely to be receptive to your pitch, and they’ll cost a lot less, too!
Growing your social channels is a great way to create long-term engagement in your app. A good social media marketing strategy involves understanding your audience and connecting with them.
Equally as important is understanding your value proposition in the eyes of your audience.
Fewer but more targeted fans/subscribers is more valuable than numerous but disinterested ones.
My social strategies tend to follow a formulaic approach at first. My go-to approach is a basic education/value-add content strategy paired with video. If budget is available, I’ll also commit to a small Google display/remarketing play or a Facebook ad campaign.
$50/week – Facebook campaign driving clicks to grow Facebook page.
$10/week – Ads to Facebook subs driving clicks to app store listing.
This type of strategy, while not free, is inexpensive and allows you to start collecting data about the effectiveness of your landing pages/marketing messages/etc. Optimizing these efforts over time can dramatically improve campaign effectiveness and profitability.
It has never been easier to create video that shares a story, delivers a message, or teaches a new skill. For the DIYer, there are many free or low-cost tools that make building video a breeze. If you’d rather throw a bit of budget at it, you can find inexpensive video creators on Upwork or Envato.
I believe that video is the best way to really connect with your audience.
Building a great brand video – one that showcases your app and mission in a thoughtful and honest way – is always a good first step. But keep the message on point, and avoid making lofty claims or setting expectations higher than what your app can achieve.
In other words, be open and honest about what you are offering your users.
You can run video ad campaigns on YouTube that are cost effective and targeted to your ideal audience. The best part is that you only pay when enough of the video is watched. If someone skips your ad, you don’t pay.
Investing a small budget in growing your YouTube channel is a great idea if you intend to grow that channel organically over time. If video is a part of your strategy, absolutely invest in its growth. But if you are unsure, invest the budget elsewhere.
Using tools like Animoto, it’s never been easier to make a snazzy video. Make some great content- video is powerful!
This type of strategy could perform well for a few hundred dollars per month and can help build early adoption and sustained growth in both your install base and overall reach.
First: establish your marketing foundations.
Next: execute on a simple but effective education-focused strategy.
Make sure your app store listings are designed to convert readers into new users!
Execute on the above in the order they are listed, as each piece builds on the efforts and successes of the elements before it. | 2019-04-23T15:51:02Z | https://www.bestappsforkids.com/2019/low-cost-mobile-app-marketing-strategy/ |
. Your quality guide to online sports betting lines and odds.
Sports betting is all about predicting sports results, while you bet on your predicted outcome. Worldwide, people bet billions on sports betting maybe even more than in any other type of gambling game. There are thousands of sites on the internet, that offer sports betting lines and odds and we test them all! We try to offer you the best and most reliable places for sports betting lines and odds. Please note that the legality and general acceptance of sports betting varies from nation to nation.
Sports bets are most commonly placed on the outcome of a single event or game. In virtually all contests, there is a favorite and an underdog.
In order to make wagering more even, the oddsmaker draws up a betting odds line, or the betting odds, such that you can bet on the probability of a competitor's win.
For example, former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson steps into the boxing ring to square off against "Rocky" star Sylvester Stallone. In this case, Tyson is obviously the favorite and Stallone the underdog.
To win $1 on Tyson, you must wager $9. If he wins, you get $10 back, the $9 you bet plus the $1 you won.
On the other hand, to win $7 on Stallone, you need only wager $1. If Stallone wins, you get $8 back, the $1 you bet plus the $7 you won.
By clicking on either -120 or +240, you are betting on who you think will win the match. To win $1 on Tyson, you must wager $1.20. If he wins, you get $2.20 back, the $1.20 you bet plus the $1 you won. If you bet $1 on Stallone and he wins, you get $3.40 back, the $1 you bet plus the $2.40 you won.
If you click on -3 for New York, they must win by more than 3 points for you to win your bet. If you click on +3 Philadelphia, they may lose by 2 points or win outright for you to win your bet. If the +/- 3 adjustment results in a tie, the wager is push and you will get your money back. Games featuring 1/2 points will never push and will always end as a win or loss.
A single or straight bet is a wager on the outcome of a single event or game. The wager is determined by a Point spread, a Moneyline, a Game Total, a Runline or Puckline. The team or event wagered on must win the game or event either outright or by covering the spread. The payout is determined by the odds posted.
Payouts for a single bet depend on the betting odds given by the house for the bet you have placed. Whether the bet is a moneyline, pointspread, runline or puckline, it's the betting odds that will dictate your payout.
Simply translate the betting odds (represented usually as a moneyline -110, -180, +140 etc.) to the multiplier (the Payoff Price plus one). Then, take the multiplier and multiply this by your bet to find out your Payout or Win (Payoff Price plus your original bet).
The Multi-Singles function is a convenient way for users to enter multiple single bets at one time. Users of this feature will be able to select a number of individual wagers, up to a maximum of 20, select the bet amount to apply to their single bets, and confirm their multiple single wagers with one single click.
Payouts for a single bet depend on the betting lines given by the house for the bet you have placed. Whether the bet is a moneyline, pointspread, runline or puckline, it's the odds that will dictate your payout.
Simply translate the betting lines (represented usually as a moneyline -110, -180, +140 etc.) to the multiplier (the Payoff Price plus one). Then, take the multiplier and multiply this by your bet to find out your Payout or Win (Payoff Price plus your original bet).
When you put a chip on a table in a casino, you have made a wager, a bet. Who "takes" your bet? The "other side" of your wager is the casino itself - the "house." The same is true when you bet in a sports book. Say that you put $22 down that the Giants will cover the spread in Sunday's game. The "house" is on the opposite side of that bet. In poker, the same concept does not apply. The "other side" of a bet at the poker table is "all other players in the pot." This is more like what happens in pari-mutuel betting at a racetrack. The pari-mutuel pool is the same as the "pot" in a poker game. If you win, your winnings come out of the pot in proportion to the bet you made, and you must share that pot with everyone else who won, just as you did. The major difference, of course, is that a poker player can, at any time in the hand, count up the poker pot by inspection and add up the money in his or her head.
Pari-mutuel betting nowadays employs high-tech methods to keep track of all the wagers made. The system reports the "pot odds" in real time, so that the players - the racing fans -- can just check the board to see what their odds are.
Pari-mutuel betting was an innovation that saved racing from almost certain death in the early 1900's. It was a safeguard against two different abuses common at the time: (1) the incorrect statement of betting propositions so that the house or bookie could keep all the edge for itself; and (2) speculation by the house or bookie on the outcomes of races, so that a gross miscalculation might cause funds not to be available for winners or to pay the purses.
The track posts the "track odds" on the "board" (really the big video screens) for each horse, prior to the race. Before a bets have been placed, the initial "track odds" can not reflect betting activity, so they are a prediction by track management on where each horse should start out in the bidding. This is called the "morning line." It stops being important after wagerers come into the picture. Pari-mutuel betting has this unique quality that the odds keep changing as bets are being placed, right up to the bell.
The "track odds" are nothing more than the result of this calculation: A $2 ticket with a possible payoff of $6 (based on the bets already registered) will have "track odds" of 2:1. This is parsed as follows: Of the $6 payoff, $2 goes to reimburse the wager. The $4 profit is twice the value of the ticket, so the payoff is "two-to-one." The implication in terms of the race itself is that the crowd thinks the horse has only one chance in three of winning. This would be a good bet to make if you thought the horse's chances of winning were better than 33%.
Once a bet has been made, and the bettor is sitting in the grandstands or standing on the apron, the question arises, "how much do I stand to win?" A "win pool" is the amount of money going to the winning horse. The "place pool" is shared between the two placing horses, and the "show pool" is divided among the three top finishers. To figure how much a win ticket might yield, take the amount of money in the win pool, subtract the takeout (15% to 20%, depending on the track, see below) and also the total amount bet on the horse to win (as that money is returned to all the winners). Then divide the result by the number of $2 bets on the horse, and add back $2 to represent the bet you made. The answer is an estimate of the payout on a win ticket in terms of a $2 bet. If your ticket is in a higher denomination, multiply the $2 yield accordingly. All the information required is available from the tot board in the infield and on the screens.
The value of a place ticket will be, approximately, the full amount of the "place pool," less the takeout, less the amount bet on the horse in question (as that is returned to the bettors), less the highest amount wagered on some other horse (assuming that horse will win and the funds are returned to those bettors). The result is the profit, which is divided by 2, as two horses share the place pool. Then divide that result by the number of $2 "place bets" on the horse and add back the $2 bet. Adjust for the size of your bet, if higher than $2. A similar approach can be used for a show ticket, subtracting out two horses and dividing the profit by three.
Not all the money collected in bets is paid out to winning bettors. Each dollar bet has to send a few cents to other places, too. This is called the "take out." The takeout will vary from track to track and sometimes from race to race. Generally it sits at around 20% or a little less. The takeout pays for the track operations, the purses, and the government. Yes, most state or local governments find horse racing to be an opportunity for a payday, too. This takeout can be thought of as the "vig" or the "hold."
"Breakage" is the odd cent or two that is rounded off a payout if the calculation is uneven. For example, if a bet of $1 was bet instead of $2 and the horse paid $2.90, a $1 ticket would be worth $1.45. Tracks do not pay out nickels. So the payment will be $1.40. The $.05 is "breakage." Who gets the breakage? A government. Tracks in some states have to deal with breakage to the nearest 1/5 of a dollar, so that $1.50 would break to $1.40. Others have breakage to the nearest dime, so that $1.50 would not have any breakage.
Race tracks must pay at least $2.10 on any horse that shows. (Given breakage, this would be the smallest amount of money that can be paid for a horse that is "in the money." It is also the law.) Sometimes, particularly since off track betting entered the scene, someone may bet a ton of money on a very strong horse to show. This would be as close to a "sure thing" as possible. Even though the horse only pays ten cents net of the bet, it can be a good profit if a lot of money was wagered. It's essentially 5% on a few minutes' effort.
Such bettors are taking advantage of one of the limits of the pari-mutuel system. They are called "show plungers" and sometimes bridge jumpers, and most often, even worse names. This is what happens. The heavy favorite in the race is almost guaranteed to place at least third. But taking into account the takeout, there are more winners than the pot can handle (since only 80% of the pot can go to winners). The track will have to "pony up" to make the pot big enough to reimburse the wagers made in the show pool and still pay a dime on each $2 ticket. Though tracks hate show plungers, the other bettors should not frown. The excessive wagering on the favorite almost certainly makes other horses have higher payouts that the "true odds" would require. Thus, they are bargain bets. Betting against a show plunger (i.e., on other horses to show) is a fairly low risk bet with a high "edge." In more correct racing parlance, the show plunger created nice overlays among the other horses to show.
Futures are single wagers placed on the outcomes of events, which are determined at sometime in the future. For example, a future may involve picking the winner of the NFL championship, the Stanley Cup, or the World Series.
Payouts for a futures bet depend on the betting odds given by the house for each bet you have placed. Usually futures bets are represented by basic, fixed betting odds (although sometimes a moneyline or a multiplier may be featured) with your payout being dictated by those posted betting odds.
To calculate your payout, simply translate the betting odds (a moneyline such as -110, -180, +140 etc., or fixed betting odds such as 3/1) to a multiplier (the Payoff Price plus one). Take the multiplier and multiply this by your bet to determine your Payout or Win Amount (Payoff Price plus your original bet).
Wagers must be on the outcome of a single event or game.
The team wagered on must win the league or tournament.
All wagers have action regardless of relocation or name changes.
For example, betting lines on how many yards Peyton Manning will throw in his next game: less than 100; 101-150; 151-200; 201-250; 251-300 or 300+. There will be posted betting lines for each outcome.
A common entry in Prop Bets is a Field entry. This is a catch-all category for any competitor not specifically listed in the prop, but is competing in the event.
For example, a prop on a PGA event might list betting lines for the best 30 players: Tiger Woods 1/1, David Duval 5/1, etc. As PGA events often have 75 or more competitors, the other 45+ players that do not have betting odds posted individually would be listed indirectly as part of the Field. If any of the players in the Field win, the Field would be declared the winner for wagering purposes.
Payouts for a proposition bet will depend on the betting lines given by the house for each bet you have placed. The type of wager, whether the bet is a moneyline, multiplier, or basic odds, will dictate your payout accordingly.
To calculate a payout, simply translate the betting odds (a moneyline such as -110, -180, +140 etc., or fixed odds such as 3/1) to a multiplier (the Payoff Price plus one). Take the multiplier and multiply this by your bet to determine your Payout or Win Amount (Payoff Price plus your original bet).
A parlay, also known as a combo bet, is a "selection of two or more wagering outcomes". All of the teams wagered on must win for the play to be active. If any one team loses, the entire wager is lost altogether. You may combine different sports, pointspreads and moneylines in win/loss and/or totals betting. If there is no action or cancellation, the parlay reverts to the next lowest number. For example, a 3-team parlay becomes a 2-team parlay. In the event of a tie in a 2-team parlay, the play becomes a straight bet. A "Combo" is the same as a parlay, except this term is used more commonly in soccer. A "Combo" bet is simply more than one selection from the games listed - usually from the soccer leagues. As in a parlay, you need to predict the result after 90 minutes of play (golden goals and overtime goals do not count) of all games that you pick.
Soccer on the moneyline is a three-outcome event, which means that you can pick either of the two teams to win, or you can pick a draw. If you do NOT pick the draw, and the game ends in a tie, then the wager is a loss.
In fixed betting odds bets, the betting odds are fixed at standard odds -110 or 10% juice ($110 bet winning $100). The fixed odds are set according to the chart below and only apply to football and basketball pointspreads or totals. All the picks must have standard betting odds. If any of the picks involve other sports, Moneylines, or off-standard lines (-115, etc.), then the parlay becomes subject to True Odds.
To calculate the true odds payoff, simply convert the moneyline or odds to a multiplier (by going to the calculation table), and then multiply your bet by the product of the multipliers. For example, if you make a $10 parlay on two picks with true odds of -140 converts to 1.71 and odds of +120 converts to 2.20. Therefore, your payout is as follows: 10 x 1.71 x 2.20 = $37.62. Note that this payout includes your original wager, so the net win in this example would be $27.62.
A tie in a parlay reduces the number of plays in the parlay. For example, if a 4-play parlay has two ties, then it will become a 2-play parlay and the payout will be recalculated based on the new number of plays. A 2-play parlay with one tie will reduce to a straight bet. In the case that a parlay is reduced to zero plays, the entire wager will be cancelled and the whole bet amount refunded.
All propositions must cover for the parlay to be considered a win (exception: ties reduce, see above). If any proposition loses, the entire parlay will be considered a loss. There are no partial payouts.
Games not played on the date specified are considered "No Action" and reduce the parlay to the next lowest number of plays. For Example: A 6-play parlay will be reduced to a 5-play parlay, a 2-play parlay will be reduced to a straight wager. Payouts are adjusted accordingly.
A teaser is a selection of two or more outcomes in a single wager in which either the pointspread or total is adjusted in the bettor's favor. Each sport has its own range of points for teaser selections. A teaser adjusts the spread for the favorite so that it decreases the posted spread, or conversely, increases the posted spread for the underdog. If you select a total, the adjustment makes totals higher-to-go-under or lower-to-go-over.
football spreads/totals by 6, 6.5 or 7 points.
basketball spreads/totals by 4, 4.5 or 5 points.
A Sweetheart Teaser is a special teaser for both basketball and football, where you have the choice of incorporating either 3 or 4 picks (teams). Instead of the regular points, you may tease football by 10 (3 team) and 13 (4 team) points and basketball by 8 (3 team) and 10 (4 team) points. The payout in a 3 team sweetheart teaser is 10/11 and the payout in a 4 team sweetheart teaser is 5/6. A push in a sweetheart teaser is a loss. Sweetheart teasers never reduce. There are no Sweetheart Teasers for baseball.
For example, if you want to tease your football picks by 6, you'll have to tease your corresponding basketball pick(s) by 4. If you tease your basketball picks by 5 points, you'll have to tease your corresponding football pick(s) by 7 points.
Note: You may not combine football/basketball in four team sweetheart teasers.
There are no partial payouts. All propositions must cover for the teaser to be considered a win. (Exception: a push in a regular teaser reduces the payout). If any proposition loses, the entire teaser will be considered a loss.
A push in a regular teaser of 3 teams or more reduces the number of plays in the teaser. For example, a 4-team teaser has two pushes, it will become a 2-team teaser and the payout will be recalculated based on the new number of plays.
A push in a 2-team regular teaser results in a push. Also, if any portion of a 2-team teaser has a result of "No Action", the entire teaser will be graded "No Action".
A push in a Sweetheart Teaser is a loss. Sweetheart teasers never reduce and must have ALL propositions cover for the teaser to be considered a win. If any portion of a Sweetheart teaser has a result of "No Action", the entire Sweetheart teaser will be graded "No Action".
Games not played on the date specified are considered "No Action" and will reduce the teaser to the next lowest number of plays. Payouts are adjusted accordingly.
Maximum number of selections in a regular football or basketball teaser is 10.
An 'If' bet is a selection of two straight wagers joined together on one betting ticket by an 'if' clause. This type of wager allows you to increase your betting power and limit your risk by placing two straight bets on one betting ticket where your second bet will only have action 'if' your first bet in the sequence is successful. An 'If' bet will place the second bet immediately upon success of the first bet. An 'If' bet is also useful if you want to make more than one bet, but do not have adequate funds in your account to cover the second bet unless the first bet wins.
There are two types of action you can select when placing an 'If' bet, 'If Win Only' and 'Action'. 'If Win Only' means the second part of the wager only has action if the first part of the wager is a win. If the first leg is settled as a push, no action, or canceled the amount risked is returned to your sportsbook account. 'Action' means if for any reason the first part of the wager is settled as a win, push, no action, or canceled the second part of the wager is then placed.
If the Patriots lose, the wager is a $110 loss and stops there. If the Patriots win, the account will be credited $100 and the wager continues with $110 wagered on the Bills. If the Bills win, the wager is a $200 winner and, if the Bills lose, the wager is a $10 loss. If the Patriots wager is a push, no action or canceled then the wager is essentially becomes a single wager, $110 to win $100 on the Bills.
Please note: The wager description will always display the MAXIMUM risk amount, being the most you can lose with a loss of the first or second of the two wagers, and the MAXIMUM win amount, being the most you can win with both wagers winning on the ticket.
Only two bets can be included in an "If" bet.
Circled games, parlays and teasers cannot be included in an 'If' bet.
An 'If' bet must be placed prior to the start time of the earliest event on the ticket.
The first bet amount may not exceed the normal house limit.
The second bet amount MUST EQUAL the amount of the first bet.
In an 'If Win' sequence, the second bet will not have action unless the first bet is a win.
In an 'If Action' sequence, the second bet will not have action unless the first bet is a win, push, no action, or canceled.
You cannot place 'If' bets including futures or props.
When placing an If-Bet with two different start times, the wager will be laid out according to the order in which the games appear on the wagering board. Therefore, the situation could arise, where the latter game appears on the first leg of the If-Betting slip. In order to switch the order of your picks, you must select "Switch my Picks", to bring the earlier game to the first leg.
A reverse bet is a series of 'If' bets going both forward and in "reverse" order. Each team included in the reverse bet will pair with the other team to form two 'if' bets.
If the Patriots and the Bills both win you will win $163 on the 1st part of the reverse wager and $163 on the second part, for total winnings of $326.
If the Bills win and the Patriots lose you will lose $110 on the first part of the reverse wager and $47 on the second part, for total losses of $157.
If one team pushes, is "No Action" or is canceled and the other team is a loss you will lose $220.
If one team pushes, is "No Action" or is canceled and the other team wins you will win either $126 for the Bills or $200 for the Patriots.
Please note: The wager description will always display the MAXIMUM risk amount, being the most you can lose with a loss of the first and second of the two wagers, and the MAXIMUM win amount, being the most you can win with both wagers winning on the ticket.
Only the four major sports: football, basketball, baseball, and hockey can be included in reverse bets.
Only two bets can be included in a reverse bet.
Circled games, parlays and teasers cannot be included in reverse bets.
A reverse bet must be placed prior to the start time of the earliest event on the ticket.
Both bet amounts MUST BE EQUAL.
In reverse bets, each part or sequence has "If Action". The second bet will not have action unless the first bet is a win, push, no action, or canceled.
You cannot place reverse bets for futures or props.
A Round Robin is a convenient way to enter multiple parlays at one time. They allow you to select between three and eight picks, choose to parlay or tease the bets, and combine them in parlays of two to six teams.
If you are confident in the New England Patriots -8, Buffalo Bills +4 and Minnesota Vikings -10, but you do not want to parlay them in a three-team parlay, you can choose to parlay them in three separate two-team parlays.
The minimum number of teams in a Round-Robin is 3, the maximum is 8.
The minimum number of parlay combinations is 2 and the maximum is 6.
You cannot place same-game parlays in Round-Robins.
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Sports Betting and sports betting online. Open 365 days a year. 24/7 customer support. Credit cards accepted. | 2019-04-21T08:35:22Z | https://www.onlinefootballbetting.com/ |
Dr. Takeshi Kimura, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS).
Background The prognostic impact of LVEF in severe AS remains controversial.
Methods Among 3,815 consecutive patients with severe AS enrolled in the CURRENT AS (Contemporary Outcomes After Surgery and Medical Treatment in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis) registry, the present study population consisted of 3,794 patients after excluding 21 patients without LVEF data. Patients were divided into 4 groups according to LVEF at index echocardiography (<50%, 50% to 59%, 60% to 69%, and ≥70%; conservative strategy: n = 388, n = 390, n = 1,025, and n = 800; initial aortic valve replacement strategy: n = 206, n = 170, n = 375, and n = 440). Echocardiographic data were site reported, and there was no echocardiography core laboratory.
Results In the conservative group, the cumulative 5-year incidence of the primary outcome measure (a composite of aortic valve–related death or heart failure hospitalization) was significantly higher in patients with LVEFs <50% and 50% to 59% than in those with LVEFs 60% to 69% and ≥70% (72.3%, 58.4%, 38.7%, and 35.0%, respectively, p < 0.001), whereas in the initial aortic valve replacement group, the negative effect of low LVEF was markedly attenuated (20.2%, 20.3%, 17.7%, and 12.4%, respectively, p = 0.03). After adjusting for confounders, LVEF <50% (hazard ratio: 1.82; 95% confidence interval: 1.44 to 2.28; p < 0.001) and 50% to 59% (hazard ratio: 1.77; 95% confidence interval: 1.42 to 2.20; p < 0.001) but not 60% to 69% (hazard ratio: 1.14; 95% confidence interval: 0.94 to 1.39; p = 0.17) were independently associated with poorer outcomes compared with LVEF ≥70% (reference) in the conservative group. In the initial aortic valve replacement group, the adjusted risk for the primary outcome measure was not significantly different across the 4 LVEF groups.
Conclusions This study demonstrates that survival in patients with severe AS is impaired when LVEF is <60%, and these findings have implications for decision making with regard to the timing of surgical intervention.
Low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is known to be a potent predictor of poorer outcomes in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) (1–4). In the current guidelines for severe AS, systolic function is regarded as preserved when LVEF is ≥50%, and aortic valve replacement (AVR) is strongly recommended for asymptomatic patients with peak aortic jet velocity (Vmax) ≥4.0 m/s or mean pressure gradient (PG) ≥40 mm Hg, if the patient has an LVEF <50% (Class I, Level of Evidence: B in the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines; Class I, Level of Evidence: C in the European Society of Cardiology guidelines) (5,6). However, this recommendation was based on previous small, single-center studies that reported better clinical outcomes with AVR compared with conservative management in patients with severe AS with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (LVEF <35% or 40%) (7–9), and there has been no previous study supporting the selection of LVEF <50% as the cutoff value for referral to AVR in asymptomatic patients. There remains considerable debate as to the impact of LVEF on clinical outcomes in patients with severe AS. It is unclear whether LVEF <50% is the appropriate threshold for predicting poor outcomes in conservatively managed patients with severe AS. Furthermore, some studies have suggested that LV dysfunction might portend an increased risk for perioperative mortality and affect clinical outcomes after AVR in patients with severe AS (4,10–12), whereas other studies, including a post hoc analysis of the PARTNER (Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve) I Cohort A trial reported that baseline LV dysfunction was not associated with 1-year mortality in patients who underwent surgical AVR or transcatheter AVR (TAVR) (13,14). There is no previous study comparing the effect of LVEF on long-term outcomes between the conservative and initial AVR strategies.
Therefore, we sought to investigate the impact of LVEF on clinical outcomes stratified by initial treatment strategy (conservative or initial AVR) in a large Japanese multicenter registry of consecutive patients with severe AS.
The CURRENT AS (Contemporary Outcomes After Surgery and Medical Treatment in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis) registry is a multicenter, retrospective registry enrolling consecutive patients with severe AS among 27 centers (on-site surgical facilities at 20 centers) in Japan between 2003 and 2011 (Online Appendix). The Institutional Review Boards at all participating centers approved the protocol. The design and patient enrollment of the CURRENT AS registry have been described previously (15). We searched the hospital database of transthoracic echocardiography and enrolled consecutive patients who met the definition of severe AS (Vmax >4.0 m/s, mean aortic PG >40 mm Hg, or aortic valve area [AVA] <1.0 cm2) for the first time during the study period (5,6). Among 3,815 study patients in the entire cohort, the present study population included 3,794 patients whose LVEFs were available at baseline (Figure 1). The study patients were divided into 4 groups according to LVEF at index echocardiography (<50% in 594 patients, 50% to 59% in 560 patients, 60% to 69% in 1,400 patients, and ≥70% in 1,240 patients). There were 2,603 patients managed with the conservative strategy and 1,191 patients managed with the initial AVR strategy, in which AVR was planned on the basis of the findings of index echocardiography (Figure 1). During the study period, TAVR was not approved in Japan and was conducted in the context of the pivotal clinical trial. In the present analysis, the baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared across the 4 LVEF groups in the entire cohort as well as in the conservative and initial AVR strata. The stratified analyses were conducted according to the initial assignment for the conservative and initial AVR strata regardless of the actual performance of AVR. Follow-up was commenced on the day of index echocardiography.
AS = aortic stenosis; AVR = aortic valve replacement; LVEF = left ventricular ejection fraction.
All patients underwent comprehensive 2-dimensional and Doppler echocardiographic evaluation at each participating center according to the guidelines (16). The biplane Simpson method of disks or the Teichholz method was used to calculate LVEF. Peak and mean aortic PGs were obtained using the simplified Bernoulli equation, and AVA was calculated using the standard continuity equation and indexed to body surface area. Echocardiographic data were site reported, and we had no echocardiography core laboratory.
The primary outcome measure in the present analysis was a composite of aortic valve–related death or heart failure (HF) hospitalization. Aortic valve–related death included aortic valve procedural death, sudden death, and death due to HF possibly related to AS. HF hospitalization was defined as hospitalization for worsening HF requiring intravenous drug therapy. Other outcome measures included all-cause death, cardiovascular death, sudden death, and noncardiovascular death. The causes of death were classified according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium definitions and were adjudicated by a clinical event committee (Online Appendix) (17,18). Sudden death was defined as unexplained death in patients previously in stable condition. Definitions of clinical events are provided in the Online Appendix.
Categorical variables are presented as numbers and percentages and were compared using the chi-square test or the Fisher exact test. Continuous variables are expressed as mean ± SD or median (interquartile range). Continuous variables were compared using 1-way analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis tests based on their distributions. Cumulative incidence was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences were assessed using the log-rank test. Consistent with our previous report (15), we used 22 clinically relevant factors, listed in Table 1, as the risk-adjusting variables, and the centers were incorporated as the stratification variable in the multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. With the exception of age, the continuous variables were dichotomized by their median values or clinically meaningful reference values. The unadjusted and adjusted risks of 3 LVEF groups (<50%, 50% to 59%, and 60% to 69%) relative to the LVEF ≥70% group (reference) for the clinical outcome measures were expressed as hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals. In the subgroup analyses, we assessed the effects of LVEF on long-term outcomes in patients with high-gradient (Vmax >4.0 m/s or mean aortic PG >40 mm Hg) severe AS and in patients with low-gradient (LG) (Vmax ≤4.0 m/s, mean aortic PG ≤40 mm Hg, and AVA <1.0 cm2) severe AS, as well as in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. We evaluated the interaction between the subgroup factors and the effects of LVEF using the multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. As the sensitivity analyses, we evaluated the effects of LVEF on long-term clinical outcomes in patients without coronary artery disease, in patients without any other valvular disease (moderate or severe), and in patients whose baseline LVEFs were measured using the biplane Simpson method of disks (16). Statistical analyses were conducted by a physician (T.T.) and a statistician (T. Morimoto) with the use of JMP version 10.0.2 (SAS Institute, Cary, North Carolina) or SAS version 9.4 (SAS Institute). All reported p values are 2-tailed, and p values <0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance.
Baseline characteristics were significantly different across the 4 LVEF groups in several aspects. Patients with LVEFs <50% were older, were more often male, and they more often had diabetes mellitus, prior myocardial infarction, aortic or peripheral vascular disease, renal failure, anemia, and coronary artery disease. Patients with LVEFs <50% also were more often symptomatic at baseline and had higher surgical mortality risk scores, such as logistic European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation score, European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II score, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons score. With decreasing LVEF, there were incremental decreases in Vmax and AVA and an incremental increase in LV end-diastolic diameter. Patients with low LVEFs (<50% 50% to 59%) more often had other valvular diseases (Table 1). The differences in the baseline characteristics across the 4 LVEF groups in the conservative stratum and in the initial AVR stratum were consistent with those in the entire cohort (Online Tables 1 and 2).
The median follow-up period in the entire cohort was 1,334 days (interquartile range: 1,019 to 1,701 days), with a 93% follow-up rate at 2 years. During the entire follow-up period, 1,734 patients (46%) actually underwent surgical AVR (n = 1,695) or TAVR (n = 39) patients in the entire cohort, with the highest cumulative incidence of surgical AVR or TAVR in the LVEF ≥70% group (Figure 2A). The cumulative 5-year incidence of the primary outcome measure (a composite of aortic valve–related death or HF hospitalization) was significantly higher in patients in the low LVEF groups (<50% and 50% to 59%) than in patients in the high LVEF groups (60% to 69% and ≥70%) (Figure 2B, Table 2).
Cumulative incidences of surgical AVR or TAVR (A) and the primary outcome measure (B). TAVR = transcatheter aortic valve replacement; other abbreviations as in Figure 1.
In the conservative stratum, surgical AVR or TAVR was performed during the entire follow-up period in 566 patients (22%), with no significant difference in the cumulative incidence of surgical AVR or TAVR across the 4 baseline LVEF groups (Figure 3A). The cumulative 5-year incidence of the primary outcome measure was significantly higher in patients in the low LVEF groups than in patients in the high LVEF groups (Figure 4A). After adjusting the confounders, the excess risks of LVEF <50% and LVEF 50% to 59%, respectively, relative to LVEF ≥70% (reference) for the primary outcome measure remained highly significant, whereas the risk of LVEF 60% to 69% relative to LVEF ≥70% for the primary outcome measure was not significant (Figure 5). The effect sizes relative to the reference group were numerically similar between the 2 groups of patients with LVEFs <50% and 50% to 59%. There also was a significant excess adjusted risk for sudden death in patients with LVEFs <50% and 50% to 59% relative to those with LVEFs ≥70% (Figure 5).
(A) Conservative stratum and (B) initial AVR stratum. Abbreviations as in Figures 1 and 2.
(A) Conservative stratum and (B) initial AVR stratum. Abbreviations as in Figure 1.
(A) Conservative stratum and (B) initial aortic valve replacement (AVR) stratum. CI = confidence interval; HF = heart failure; HR = hazard ratio; N/A = not assessed.
In the initial AVR stratum, surgical AVR or TAVR was actually performed in 1,168 patients (98%). AVR tended to be performed earlier in patients with LVEFs <50% (Figure 3B). The 30-day mortality rate after AVR in patients with the initial AVR strategy was not different across the 4 LVEF groups (<50%, 2.1%; 50% to 59%, 2.4%; 60% to 69%, 1.9%; and ≥70%, 1.2%; p = 0.68). The cumulative 5-year incidence of the primary outcome measure trended higher in patients in the low LVEF groups than in patients in the high LVEF groups; however, the negative effect of low LVEF was markedly attenuated in the initial AVR stratum (Figure 4B, Table 2). After adjusting the confounders, the risks of LVEF <50%, 50% to 59%, and 60% to 69%, respectively, relative to LVEF ≥70% for the primary outcome measure were no longer significant (Figure 5). The results for the secondary outcome measures were fully consistent with those for the primary outcome measure in both the conservative and initial AVR strata (Figure 5).
In the subgroup analyses (high-gradient AS vs. LG AS and asymptomatic vs. symptomatic), there were no significant interactions between the subgroup factors and the effect of the 4 LVEF groups on the cumulative 5-year incidence of the primary outcome measure in both the conservative stratum (interaction p = 0.46 and 0.61, respectively) and initial AVR stratum (interaction p = 0.32 and p = 0.51, respectively) (Online Figures 1 and 2).
The results of the sensitivity analyses in patients without coronary artery disease, in patients without any other valvular disease, and in patients whose LVEFs were measured using the biplane Simpson method of disks were fully consistent with the results in the entire study population (Online Figures 3 to 5).
The main findings of the present study were as follows. 1) In the conservatively managed patients with severe AS, LVEF 50% to 59% and LVEF <50%, but not LVEF 60% to 69%, were independently associated with poorer long-term outcomes compared with LVEF ≥70%. 2) In patients managed with the initial AVR strategy, the negative effect of low LVEF was markedly attenuated without any significant differences across the 4 LVEF groups in the adjusted risks for the long-term outcomes.
The impact of LVEF on long-term clinical outcomes after surgical AVR or TAVR in patients with severe AS remains controversial (10,12–14,28). A recently reported meta-analysis suggested that pre-operative low LVEF was associated with increased 1-year mortality after TAVR compared with preserved LVEF, although no statistical adjustment was performed for baseline characteristics, despite the fact that the studies included in the meta-analysis were mostly observational studies except for the PARTNER I Cohort A trial (28). Dahl et al. (12) reported that LVEF 50% to 59% and LVEF <50% were associated with increased mortality compared with higher LVEFs in patients undergoing surgical AVR. In contrast, post hoc analysis of the PARTNER I Cohort A trial and a report from TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapies) registry with adjustment for baseline characteristics reported that baseline LV dysfunction was not associated with worse 1-year mortality in patients who underwent surgical AVR or TAVR (13,14). The present study clearly demonstrated that the adjusted risks of the lower LVEF categories for long-term clinical outcomes were not significant in the initial AVR group. LV systolic dysfunction in many patients with severe AS has been reported to be caused by impaired adaptation to excessive afterload or LV hypertrophy (6,29). Recent studies reported that a rapid and substantial improvement in LVEF after surgical AVR or TAVR was observed in patients with severe AS and LV systolic dysfunction (13,30,31), which might be among the reasons why the short- and long-term outcomes after AVR were similar across the 4 LVEF groups in the present study. Considering the extremely poor outcomes of patients with severe AS with LV systolic dysfunction when managed conservatively, surgical AVR or TAVR should not be denied solely because of the presence of severe LV systolic dysfunction.
First, echocardiographic data were site reported, and we had no echocardiography core laboratory. Therefore, we cannot deny the possibility of measurement error and variations in echocardiographic measurements. However, echocardiographic measurements were performed according to guidelines by experienced cardiologists and/or ultrasonographers at each participating center (16).
Second, we included patients whose LVEFs were measured using the Teichholz method, which is not recommended as the method for LVEF measurement in the current guidelines. However, the sensitivity analysis in patients who had LVEF was calculated using the biplane Simpson method of disks was fully consistent with the results in the entire study population.
Third, we did not assess the changes in LVEF during follow-up, because of the retrospective study design that did not pre-define the timing of follow-up echocardiographic examinations.
Fourth, we did not collect data on flow and stroke volume index, considering their unreliable nature in a retrospective multicenter study, although they are known to be strong predictors of outcomes.
Fifth, we could not exclude the effects of unmeasured confounders, although we performed the extensive adjusted analysis together with the sensitivity analyses.
Finally, we did not collect data on dobutamine stress echocardiography, contractile reserve, and LV diastolic function.
Our study demonstrates that survival in patients with severe AS is impaired when LVEF is <60%, and these findings have implications for decision making with regard to the timing of surgical intervention.
WHAT IS KNOWN? In the current guidelines for severe AS, systolic function is regarded as preserved when LVEF is ≥50%. Evidence to date on the appropriate threshold LVEF for predicting poorer outcomes remains conflicting.
WHAT IS NEW? The present study demonstrated that LVEF 50% to 59% and <50%, but not LVEF 60% to 69%, were independently associated with poorer long-term outcomes compared with LVEF ≥70% with the conservative strategy. In the initial AVR strategy, the adjusted risk of low LVEF for the primary outcome measure (a composite of aortic valve–related death or HF hospitalization) was markedly attenuated across the 4 LVEF groups.
WHAT IS NEXT? We should revisit the optimal cutoff value of LVEF for LV systolic dysfunction in patients with severe AS.
The authors thank Ayano Ichiyanagi, Akiko Arai, and Hisako Fukazawa for secretarial assistance.
This work was supported by an educational grant from the Research Institute for Production Development (Kyoto, Japan). The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.
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(2002) Survival after aortic valve replacement for severe aortic stenosis with low transvalvular gradients and severe left ventricular dysfunction. J Am Coll Cardiol 39:1356–1363.
(2013) Impact of preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction on long-term survival after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 6:35–41.
(2015) Effect of left ventricular ejection fraction on postoperative outcome in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing aortic valve replacement. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 8. e002917.
(2013) Outcomes of transcatheter and surgical aortic valve replacement in high-risk patients with aortic stenosis and left ventricular dysfunction: results from the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves (PARTNER) trial (Cohort A). Circ Cardiovasc Interv 6:604–614.
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(2015) Meta-analysis of the prognostic impact of stroke volume, gradient, and ejection fraction after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Am J Cardiol 116:989–994.
(2002) Low-output, low-gradient aortic stenosis in patients with depressed left ventricular systolic function: the clinical utility of the dobutamine challenge in the catheterization laboratory. Circulation 106:809–813. | 2019-04-19T02:27:35Z | http://interventions.onlinejacc.org/content/11/2/145 |
Mississippi’s namesake river is the second-largest drainage basin in the United States after the Hudson Bay system, spanning 2,320 miles from Minnesota’s Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a variety of dam projects were undertaken by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to control regional flooding from the river and create reservoirs for public drinking water and recreational use. Today, major waterways within the region include the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway, a 234-mile waterway spanning between the Tennessee and Black Warrior-Tombigbee Rivers, featuring public use reservoirs at 10 dam sites along its routes. Other natural and man-made lakes within the region also offer state park facilities, campgrounds, and day-use areas for angler fishing, picnicking, and other outdoor activities.
Aberdeen Lake is a man-made reservoir located in northeast Mississippi along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway which was dammed by the Aberdeen Lock and Dam in 1981. The 4,121-acre lake and its surrounding recreational land areas are managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. A variety of outdoor day-use recreational activities are offered, including swimming, fishing, water skiing, boating, and nature hiking to the top of the area’s surrounding clay and limestone bluffs. Campsites are offered at the Blue Bluff Campground and Recreation Area, including RV hookup sites. In April, the lake is the site of the Tenn-Tom Bassmaster Classic, which draws competing anglers from across the region. Nearby activities in the city of Aberdeen include a lakeside restaurant, the historic Elkin Theater, and a number of historic homes open to the public as living history home museums.
Aliceville Lake is also known as Pickensville Lake and is one of 10 lakes dammed along the man-made Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, which is maintained by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The 8,300-acre lake was originally dammed in 1980, though it was not opened for public use until 1985. Today, the lake is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including white tailed-deer, quail, and wild turkey, which may be hunted with permits in designated hunting areas. Largemouth bass and crappie populate the lake, offering ample fishing opportunities. Swimming, boating, bird watching, and picnicking are also permitted, and children’s playgrounds are available for family use. Other visitor facilities include the Tom Bevill Lock and Dam Visitor Center, which recreates a historic plantation mansion, and the Pickensville Campground, which offers tent and RV hookups.
Arkabutla Lake is located within Tate and DeSoto Counties and is a man-made reservoir that was created as a result of the 1937 Flood Control Act. Today, the lake is dammed from the waters of the Coldwater River and is located approximately four miles from the community of Arkabutla. The lake and its surrounding facilities cover more than 57,000 acres and is visited by more than two million annual visitors. A visitor information center is provided, offering public exhibits on the lake’s history. 10 designated day-use recreation areas are located throughout the site, offering picnic space, playgrounds, and ADA-compliant amenities. Swimming areas, hiking and mountain biking trails, and disc golf courses are offered at several day-use sites, along with three Class-A camping facilities.
Bay Springs Lake is also referred to as the Jamie L. Whitten Lock and Dam and is the northernmost body of water along the 234-mile Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The lake spans a surface area of 6,700 acres and offers 133 miles of recreational shoreline for day use and overnight accommodations. A 150-boat marina, visitor center, and several recreational areas are available for visitor use, along with a Piney Grove Campground offering 139 Class-A campsites. Popular activities include swimming, boating, picnicking, and hiking. Fishing and hunting are allowed with permits, with available wildlife including largemouth and spotted bass, walleye, sauger, white-tailed deer, and turkey. The lake is also host to a variety of fishing tournaments throughout the spring, summer, and autumn months.
Chewalla Lake a 260-acre man-made reservoir located an hour from Memphis and Tupelo. It was created in 1966 by the damming of Chewalla Creek and is managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the Holly Springs National Forest. Four miles of shoreline offer activities such as swimming, kayaking and canoeing, and picnicking at a number of pavilions, which offer grills and children’s playgrounds. The lake is heavily stocked with smallmouth bass, catfish, crappie, bluegill, and redear sunfish and serves as a popular summer fishing site. A four-mile exploration trail offers access to nearby indigenous mound sites, and a seasonal campground allows overnight stays between April and November, including RV hookups. The nearby town of Holly Springs also offers historic bed and breakfast facilities, pre-Civil War-era historic homes, a golf course, a motor park, and an audubon center.
Choctaw Lake Recreation Area is open seasonally within Mississippi’s Tombigbee National Forest and offers a wide variety of outdoor day use activities, including swimming, boating, fishing, and bicycling. The recreation area is located between the 100-acre Choctaw Lake and the smaller adjacent Cabin Lake. A moderate-skill three-mile hiking trail is offered for exploration and wildlife watching, along with two boat ramps for water access and an ADA-accessible fishing pier. 18 campsites with hookups are offered, including accessible sites and sites with private picnic facilities. Nearby attractions include the Natchez Trace Parkway, Noxubee Wildlife Refuge, and Mississippi State University.
Clear Springs Lake is a 12-acre spring-fed lake within the Homochitto National Forest, offering a variety of day-use outdoor recreational activities, including fishing and picnicking. It is located off of United States Highway 84, approximately 35 miles west of the city of Brookhaven. Swimming is permitted between the beginning of March and the end of September. Four mountain biking and hiking trails are offered, though visitors should note that the area’s terrain is steep and most trails and access roads feature slopes higher than eight percent. Camping is available at 22 primitive campsites along with two secluded group campsites that sleep up to 30 people. A historic pavilion and amphitheater constructed in the 1930s is also offered.
Enid Lake is located approximately one hour from Memphis within northern Mississippi’s Hill Region and was dammed in 1952 with authorization from the 1928 Flood Control Act. Today, the lake is overseen by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and spans a surface area of 28,000 miles, providing 220 miles of visitor access shoreline. The lake is known as a popular fishing site, offering abundant populations of largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and bream and is the catch site of two world-record holder fish. Other popular day-use activities include hunting, swimming, water skiing, boating, hiking, and horseback riding. Primitive and hookup campsites are offered at six campsites throughout the recreational area, along with sites at the nearby George Payne Cossar State Park.
Grenada Lake is located within northern Mississippi’s Hill Region and is the state’s largest body of water that is entirely contained within state lines. It was dammed in 1954 following the disastrous flooding of 1927’s Great Flood and spans a surface area today of more than 35,000 acres. 148 miles of visitor access shoreline provide opportunities for outdoor activities such as swimming, boating, water skiing, and crappie fishing. The Haserway Wetland Demonstration Area is the country’s first public-use wetland demonstration site, offering 330 acres of wetland for wildlife observation and natural exploration. 25 recreation areas offer more than 250 picnic sites, along with a wide variety of sporting fields, children’s playgrounds, and an 18-hole golf course. 300 primitive and hookup campsites are offered, and a variety of accommodations and attractions are available off Highway 51.
Horn Lake and its surrounding city region are considered a suburb of Memphis, offering easy access to the city’s shopping, dining, accommodations, and visitor attractions. The lake was formed in the mid-19th century when a small section of the Mississippi River was cut off naturally, forming a dammed lake area. The ox bow lake spans 1,200 acres within Mississippi’s DeSoto County and Tennessee’s Shelby County and offers a variety of outdoor visitor activities, including boating, canoeing, kayaking, and pumpkinseed sunfish, flathead catfish, and largemouth bass fishing. Though no camping accommodations are provided on site, a variety of attractions and accommodations are available in the nearby city of Horn Lake, including restaurants and bed and breakfast facilities.
Lake Bill Waller is named for former Mississippi governor William Lowe Waller, Sr., and is located in Marion County, approximately seven miles southeast of the city of Columbia. The 168-acre man-made lake was briefly closed in 2003 for draining and renovation and was restocked with a wide variety of game fish. It is best known as the site of the state’s second-largest largemouth bass catch, weighing 15 pounds, four ounces. The lake is monitored by state biologists to maintain populations for freshwater angling. Though no campground accommodations are available on site at the lake, campsites are available at nearby Lake Columbia and a number of state parks within easy visitor access.
Lake Bogue Homa spans 882 acres within Mississippi’s coastal region, located in Jones County. The artificial reservoir was dammed in 1939 and is overseen by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. Its name is derived from the Choctaw words for “red creek.” Outdoor day-use activities include swimming, boating, hunting, and bass, crappie, and largemouth bass fishing. Waterfowl hunting is also permitted on select days with special permits. The nearby city of Laurel offers a wide variety of visitor activities, including a Central Historic District with a number of sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the acclaimed Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, and several annual music and arts festivals.
Lake Tangipahoa is the centerpiece of Percy Quin State Park and was created in 1940 during the region’s development for park use by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Its name is derived from the former nearby indigenous village Tangibao, which translates to “corn gatherers.” Today, the lake spans a surface area of 554 acres and offers five miles of visitor access shoreline. 1,700 acres of visitor activities are offered within the state park, including a swimming beach, an eight-mile nature trail, and a marina with boat launch facilities. Campsites with cable television and RV hookups are offered, as well as temperature-controlled rental cabins and a nine-unit motel and lodge overlooking the lake.
Lake Washington is a natural freshwater lake that was formed around the year 1300 due to diversions in the Mississippi River’s course. The double-crescent-shaped lake spans a surface area of more than 2,900 acres and offers 23 miles of visitor access shoreline, all located within a few miles of the Mississippi’s current course. The lake is a popular fishing spot, attracting fishermen from around the American Southeast region for crappie, bream, channel catfish, and largemouth bass fishing opportunities. Other popular visitor activities include swimming, boating, water skiing, tubing, and wildlife watching. Campground and RV hookups are available at several sites, and visitor services such as convenience stores are available in the nearby village of Glen Allan.
Okatibbee Lake is located near the city of Meridian within eastern Mississippi’s Pines Region and offers a wide variety of nature and water recreational activities. The 4,144-acre reservoir was formed in 1968 with the completion of the Okatibbee Dam and also serves as a drinking water reservoir for surrounding communities. 28 acres of visitor shoreline provide access to activities such as swimming, boating, and bass and crappie fishing areas managed by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. Recreational amenities on the shore include sporting fields, picnic areas, horsehoe pits, hunting grounds, and two campground facilities offering electric hookups and restrooms. The lake is also the site of the Okatibbee Water Park, which offers waterslides, a lazy river ride, a children’s play area, and a 25-room motel.
Okhissa Lake was the first reservoir completed as part of the Bill Dance Signature Lake program, opened to the public in 2007 with the aim of promoting economic and tourist growth within the state’s Capital/River Region. The 1,000-acre lake is located within Homochitto National Forest off Highway 98 and has been honored with the Forest Service’s National Rise to the Future Award. 39 miles of shoreline at the lake offer a wide variety of visitor activities, including largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, and threadfin shad fishing opportunities. Campground facilities are located at the Homochitto Hide-Away and the Clear Springs Campground. Planned additions to the recreational area include swimming beaches, nature trails, and environmental education sites.
Pickwick Lake’s name dates back to the mid-19th century and is a reference to the local post office’s colloquial name, which was given in reference to Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers. The lake was created in 1938 by the Tennessee Valley Authority with the construction of the Pickwick Landing Dam on the Tennessee River. Today, it spans a surface area of more than 43,000 acres and offers 496 miles of shoreline for visitor activities such as boating, water skiing, tubing, and swimming. Boat docks and rentals are offered at numerous sites, along with houseboat and jet ski rentals. The lake is a popular spot for anglers, offering ample populations of large- and smallmouth bass and catfish. 1,400 acres of state park activities are offered throughout the region, including a 2.8-mile hiking trail, an inn and restaurant, and the Pickwick Dam Tailwater Campground, which offers 95 electric hookup campsites. Nearby attractions include Shiloh National Military Park, which highlights indigenous sites and Civil War battlefields.
Ross Barnett Reservoir is colloquially referred to as “The Rez” by Capital/River Region citizens and was formed in 1965 by the damming of the Pearl River for drinking water supply. The lake is located approximately 20 miles from downtown Jackson and attracts more than two million annual visitors. It spans a surface area of more than 33,000 acres and offers 105 miles of shoreline featuring 16 parks, 22 boat launches, and several hiking and mountain biking trails. Popular visitor activities include sailing, boating, water skiing, wakeboarding, and visitor cruises. Channel, blue, and flathead catfish weighing up to 100 pounds are available to anglers, along with crappies and largemouth bass. Five campgrounds offer RV hookups, sporting courts, picnic tables, and children’s playgrounds, and hotels and bed and breakfast facilities are available in the nearby city of Madison. Nearby attractions include the Natchez Trace Parkway and the Pearl River Waterfowl Refuge.
Sardis Lake was formed in 1940 by the damming of the Little Tallahatchie River and was the first of four reservoirs created for the Yazoo Basin Flood Control System. Today, it is overseen by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and covers a surface area of 32,500 acres. More than five million visitors come to the lake every year, which offers a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities and overnight accommodations. Bass, crappie, and catfish angling is offered, along with hunting areas for deer, turkey, quail, and waterfowl. 20 recreational areas and six swimming beaches offer recreational spots for families, and a variety of amenities are offered within the nearby John W. Kyle State Park, including a swimming pool, sporting courts, and an 18-hole golf course. 514 campsites are also offered throughout the region, along with cabins for overnight rental.
Tunica Lake was developed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to straighten a channel of the Mississippi River by demolishing a horseshoe bend in the river. Today, the lake spans a surface area of 3,000 acres within Tunica County, approximately 40 miles south of the city of Memphis, and receives fish and water from the nearby Mississippi Delta. Bluegill and crappie are available for angler fishing, along with populations of largemouth bass, green sunfish, drum, and gar. A boat ramp and bait shop are offered along the lake’s northeast bend. Though no onsite camping is available at the lake, the nearby city of Tunica offers a variety of visitor accommodations, including hotels connected to several casinos and resorts. | 2019-04-19T20:59:41Z | https://vacationidea.com/mississippi-vacations/best-lakes-in-mississippi.html |
The 2018 BMW X3 ventures into M territory, but doesn’t lose sight of its SUV duties.
With the new 2018 X3, BMW may have its best vehicle–the one that best matches lofty expectations with nifty execution.
Other BMWs like the M2 make specific compromises to please niche audiences. With the X3, we can’t find many compromises BMW has had to make.
With the new X3, BMW doesn't shake the earth with radical design changes or size gains. The philosophy telegraphs itself: don't break it, just burnish it. The X3 has taller glass and bigger intakes, but the shape’s a clear and gradual progression of the X3, nothing radical. Inside, BMW has moved the ball too, with a cockpit that’s grown warmer and more infotainment-friendly. The X3's iDrive control puck rides shotgun to its space-age shifter joystick, and the dash wears interesting brackets of metallic or wood trim.
Performance issues from a 248-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo-4 in base models. All-wheel drive is standard, as is an 8-speed automatic. Base models don't want for power, a week behind the wheel of an xDrive30i was proof enough. The base BMW turbo-4 found in many of its models is one of the best and power arrives early and readily, and make stop-and-go traffic less of a chore. Coupled to a telepathic automatic transmission, xDrive30i versions don't disappoint.
We’ve spent miles in an X3 M40i, shod with BMW’s fabulous 355-hp turbo-6, M-grade handling hardware, and the same all-wheel-drive system and 8-speed automatic. Acceleration, ride, and handling have made a quantum step toward the 3-Series golden mean; as an M40i, the X3 delivers flat cornering, copious grip, and grin-generating flappy-exhaust sounds. The strut-and-multilink suspension copes well with its hybrid on-/off-road mission, but the steering and brakes could relax a little, we think.
In size, the X3 gains a couple of inches in wheelbase, but doesn't net out with much more interior space, whether it's leg room for front or rear passengers. An extra cubic foot of cargo space has been carved out of the extra length between the wheels. The sport seats cup front passengers well, and BMW carves out great space for four adults and their baggage.
The latest X3 hasn’t been crash-tested. Forward-collision warnings remain an option on this expensive SUV (prices start at $43,000). A surround-view camera system and adaptive cruise control are on the order list, as are high-end audio and a widescreen navigation system with iDrive infotainment control. BMW’s warranty is just average, and it packages features like Apple CarPlay in expensive ways that stir grumbles into what’s otherwise a deeply satisfying crossover SUV.
The latest BMW X3 has a taller stance, but the wagon-like SUV recipe hasn’t been altered too much.
The 2018 BMW X3 modulates its sheet metal in the usual ways in its third generation. The cabin benefits more from the gradual changes, as it becomes a cleaner, clearer place to work.
With the new X3, BMW doesn't shake the earth with radical design changes or size gains.
On its third trip through BMW's redesign studios, the X3 adopts the same philosophy of the current X5: don't break it, just burnish it. The X3 has some wider air intakes, and the crossover SUV sits somewhat lower and wider on its wheels than in the last generation. From the side, it has very tall glass areas, which gives it a slightly bulbous look but pays dividends in outward vision.
The front wheels have been moved forward, further away from the dash, for better proportions, and the rear end's been scaled up visually with more glass and larger taillights. The effect grows more pronounced as it adds body trim and aero kits in its new performance editions.
Inside, the center stack of controls has grown wider, and now gets capped with a wide, high-definition display for infotainment services. The X3's iDrive control puck rides shotgun to its space-age shifter joystick, and the dash wears interesting brackets of metallic or wood trim.
On the M40i, a 12.3-inch screen replaces the standard gauges. The digital gauge screen has big numbers and dials, a red band that denotes tach and speedo readings, even a legible clock. It’s coordinated in size and display style with the available 12.3-inch infotainment display.
The X3 can be configured with a Luxury package, which adds chrome grille bars and an upholstered dash. BMW offers a choice of wood trims or that diamond-etched aluminum in the cabin, and M Sport and M40i models get the usual badges and sill finishers and dark trim.
BMW charges for any paint color aside from white or black, and the basic synthetic leather costs more if you want it to come from real animals, in warmer hues.
The 2018 BMW X3 elicits some carlike road manners from its tall-wagon body, especially with the first M-badged model.
BMW has instilled more of the performance of its 3-Series sedans and wagons in the distantly related X3 SUV. In M40i trim, it’s a near faultless machine with great grip and poise.
BMW fits its workhorse 2.0-liter turbo-4 to the X3 xDrive30i. With 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, the standard-issue version can drop 0-60 mph runs in less than six seconds and reach 130 mph, even with the extra weight of standard all-wheel drive. An 8-speed automatic is the sole transmission offered on this model.
Like other BMW cars with the same engine, the turbo-4 in the xDrive30i is smooth and responsive, it blends seamlessly into the car's behavior. Its pickup is geared toward the lower rev range, its pep is best in stop-and-go grands prix duty. On the interstate, the 8-speed kicks down quickly enough to find a sweet spot for the engine, but there's still a hint of lag. On affordability alone, the xDrive30i is the smart choice between the two engines, but even those buyers can be confident that they're not sacrificing much.
Our stint behind the wheel of an X3 M40i model, a vehicle that’s watched Mercedes GLC AMG variants march out over the past two years, was even better. BMW’s response is to slot its 3.0-liter turbo-6 into the new X3 chassis, and to tune it to 355 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.
The first M-badged X3 does not disappoint. Coupled also to standard all-wheel drive and an 8-speed automatic, the X3 M40i hits 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and reaches a 155-mph top speed, according to BMW. Those strong figures counter the X3’s curb weight, 4,156 to 4,277 pounds depending on trim.
The turbo-6 gets excited easily; peak torque arrives at a low 1,520 rpm and holds steady until 4,800 rpm. A sport exhaust system pumps out a brappy exhaust beat. BMW’s 8-speed automatic doles out gearshifts like face cards; M40i models have their own code that dials in earlier shifts, even in the more relaxed driver-selectable modes. BMW’s dumb shift joystick gets superseded by plastic-backed shift paddles once it’s out of Park.
BMW's dropped the X3 turbodiesel from its lineup, no surprise given the existential storm clouds hanging over all diesels today. A plug-in hybrid model is expected, and BMW has confirmed an electric X3 will debut in 2020.
BMW’s all-wheel-drive system in the previous X3 split power delivery 40/60 percent, and could send 100 percent of its power (in theory, before frictional losses) to the rear. We've found it is especially good for maintaining traction and poise when the road surface is slippery, and BMW says it’s little changed. They were unable to confirm for us if the power split is the same this year, though they suggest the M40i’s ratio is more significantly biased toward the rear wheels.
With all-season tires that mitigate 8 inches of ground clearance and 19.6 inches of fording ability, it’s as much suited to real off-roading as any of its Eurolux rivals. The X3 can also tow up to 4,400 pounds.
It’s far more suited to quick passes through sweeping mountain roads. The new X3, particularly in M40i trim, has the fluid road manners of a really good sport sedan.
The X3 sports a double-pivot front strut suspension and a five-link independent rear, a layout not dissimilar to that of the sublime 3-Series.
Our M40i came with adaptive shocks and a drive-mode selector that spins through Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport+, and Individual modes. As an M model, it also sports a stiffer suspension tune, grabby four-piston M-spec brakes, variable-ratio electric power steering, and 245/50R-19 performance tires (versus 225/60R-18s on the base version).
Through the X3’s rather thin-rimmed steering wheel, the sensations are numbed by overly firm steering. Even with the drive-mode dial set to Comfort, the X3 pours a thick layer of unnecessary heft into the wheel motion. On-center feel isn’t as sublime and accurate as the 3-Series, though mid-speed sweepers bring out its best self as it tracks well and re-centers with good weight.
The suspension setup has a better sense of balance between its M mission and real-world driving. In Comfort mode there’s a pleasant firmness to the ride, not without gentle pistoning a few cycles after a Lincoln or Cadillac SUV would tackle and smother a bump. Set to Sport+ mode, the X3’s adaptive dampers let only a bit of body roll into the equation, just enough to remind you its center of gravity sits far higher than if you’d just bought a station wagon instead.
Our choice? Put the steering and damping in Comfort, set the powertrain to Sport, and enjoy an absorbent ride and responsive acceleration. Oh, and steer clear of the 21-inch wheel option. Nothing good happens beyond 20-inchers, or so engineers say.
The 2018 X3’s interior shows lots of thought, with right-sized human space and lots of small-item storage.
The 2018 X3 hasn’t grown much over its predecessor. It’s still a spacious SUV with room in all the right places, and with comfortable sport seats on the model we’ve tested.
By the numbers, the 2018 X3 measures 112.8 inches between the wheels. It’s 186.1 inches long in M40i trim, and 74.7 inches wide. It’s gained a couple of inches in wheelbase, but net interior space isn’t much larger in any dimension.
No worries. The X3 has excellent front-seat space. The M40i’s buckets have nicely padded seat backs and bottoms with good support and an adjustable lumbar pad. Power-adjusted front seats with synthetic leather coverings are standard.
Heated and cooled seats are an option, but standard is the spread-out space in every direction. The X3’s particularly abundant in head room: with the available panoramic sunroof, 6-foot-tall passengers will have no room to complain, what with a few inches of space left between their scalps and the headliner.
BMW promises 40.3 inches of front seat leg room, and 36.4 inches in back, and the X3 lives up to the numeric billing. In back, passengers can slide in easily thanks to the X3’s wide door cuts. The back seat looks flat but has enough support for long trips. Knee room allows 6-foot passengers to sit behind a 6-foot driver, no problem. If there’s a weak spot, the X3 simply wasn’t meant to be a three-across hauler for adults, though the grownups we know wouldn’t complain about a short stint in the middle back seat. The X3’s rear seat backs also recline individually for road-trip naps. A third seat row? BMW leaves that to the X5.
In-car storage is where the X3 shines. BMW’s thought long and hard about how drivers use the X3 on its U.S. home turf. The doors have 64-ounce bottle holders, and the console has space enough for a plus-sized smartphone to lie flat in a charging tray next to the USB port. In back, the rear seats fold nearly flat to open the 28.7 cubic feet of storage behind the rear seat to 62.7 cubic feet behind the front seats.
That cargo hold has vertical side walls, a minimum of intrusions by trim pieces, and a durable covering. It also has rails for cargo management, fold-down pulls for the rear seatbacks where you need them, even a damped cargo floor lid that covers a shallow hidden storage bin.
There’s no crash-test data yet for the 2018 BMW X3—and no standard forward-collision warnings, either.
There’s no crash-test data yet for the X3, so we’ll hold off on a safety rating until the data is in.
The X3 comes with the usual airbags and stability control on every model. For 2018, on the models announced so far, all-wheel drive also is standard, as are Bluetooth and a rearview camera.
Two packages add more safety technology to either X3. One for $900 adds lane-departure warnings and blind-spot monitors, as well as forward-collision warnings with automatic emergency braking. It’s a bit galling that on a luxury vehicle priced at nearly $44,000 base these features aren’t standard. The Honda Fit makes those active safety features standard at less than half the price to start.
For $1,700, BMW fits adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, active lane control, and traffic-jam assist for Level 2 autonomous driving ability. With the latter, the car takes over steering, braking, and acceleration for nearly a minute before it commands drivers to retake the wheel.
Other safety options include a surround-view camera system, parking sensors, and automatic park assist, for $1,300 on base SUVs or $700 on M40i models. Excellent outward vision is a hallmark of the X3, but we’re still more confident with those cameras and with parking sensors on board.
The 2018 X3 has the features to get tech-savvy buyers interested, but BMW walls them off behind expensive option packages.
The latest BMW X3 has the options and standard equipment we expect, and good resident infotainment.
It’s lighter on some of the custom touches found in high-end BMWs, and its warranty is just average. BMW has built some maddening walls between stand-alone options, which costs it a point, and gives it a 7 out of 10 for features.
The $43,445 X3 xDrive30i comes with the usual power features, 18-inch wheels with all-season run-flat tires, automatic climate control, AM/FM/CD audio, Bluetooth, a power tailgate, a rearview camera, power front seats, and reclining rear seats.
Want a color other than black or white? That’s $550. Synthetic leather is standard; the real stuff is $1,700. Apple CarPlay compatibility costs $300, and can only be ordered when navigation is also on board, at $1,700 as a stand-alone option.
The X3 finally has a 10.3-inch touchscreen for its iDrive system. It’s a beautiful high-resolution display and also can be fitted with the gesture controls found on the 7-Series. But the touchscreen only comes on X3s with navigation. Otherwise, the iDrive system and rearview camera display on a 6.5-inch screen.
BMW will let you trim up the base X3 xDrive30i SUV with some of the higher-performance model’s options. A Convenience package, at $2,850, includes the panoramic roof, LED headlights, and satellite radio. A Dynamic Handling package adds adaptive dampers, M Sport brakes, variable sport steering and Performance Control for $1,400.
On the sport tip, an M Sport package at $5,300 adds 19-inch wheels (or 20s for an additional $950), a sport-tuned suspension (with adaptive dampers for another $1,000), a panoramic roof, a soft-touch dash, aluminum interior or matte wood trim, LED headlights, satellite radio, gray exterior trim and aero add-ons, a sport steering wheel, and keyless entry.
Some option packages are available on either model. A Premium package ($3,300 on the xDrive30i, $2,550 on the M40i) gets a heated steering wheel, heated front seats (with rear heated seats another $350), navigation, a head-up display, and 19-inch all-season run-flat tires. An Executive package gets automatic high beams, gesture control, digital instruments, a surround-view camera system and parking sensors, and LED headlights ($3,500 xDrive30i, $2,550 M40i).
Stand-alone options include 21-inch wheels for the M40i, an adaptive M suspension for the M40i, a space-saver spare tire, a trailer hitch, cooled front seats, Harmon Kardon sound, and wireless charging, the latter two of which require the Premium package.
BMW will sell battery-powered X3s soon; until it does the 2018 X3’s good gas mileage will suffice.
BMW no longer offers a turbodiesel in the X3, but plug-in hybrid and battery-electric models are in the the offing.
Until then, we give it a 6 for gas mileage, given its competitive but not stellar numbers.
All the X3 models announced so far in the 2018 model year come with standard all-wheel drive. Coupled with the base turbocharged inline-4 engine and an 8-speed automatic, the X3 xDrive30i earns EPA ratings of 22 mpg city, 29 highway, 25 combined. Those numbers are 1, 2, and 1 mpg higher than last year’s base model.
The twin-turbocharged inline-6 in the X3 M40i has a surprise in its EPA numbers. They’re 20/27/23 mpg, just 1 mpg lower each than last year’s base model. If fuel economy is your chief concern, there’s not much angst involved in going all-out on power.
Of note, BMW’s stop/start system now is much smoother in the X3 than in early iterations, and its combined EPA ratings exceed those of some prime competitors, Audi and Mercedes, though Jaguar offers a turbodiesel that exceeds them all. | 2019-04-25T18:23:31Z | http://www.learningmultipleintelligence.com/2018/03/2018-bmw-x3-review.html |
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The Kindergarden "Drachenkinder" has been founded by an initiative of parents in the neighbourhood in April 1999. Since January 2000 "Drachenkinder" offers places for 50 kids in the age between 3 -6 years, out of these 9 stay at the kindergarden the whole day. The kindergarden is open Monday through friday from 07:30-12:30 and monday throuhg thursday from 14:00 - 16.00.
The pedagogical concepts includes some basic values, which have been identified by the members: The kindergarden accept the kids with their own personality and try to support the development by helping them to become tolerate, social active and responsible persons.
The thought of integration and sensitivity of the kids for the enviroment and nature in which they live is very important to us. Once a week we go for a walk through the forest. We do not depend on any religous group but cooperate with two churches (katholic & lutheran).
In the garden the kids have plenty of room to play and learn from each other. During the year there are different activities such like a bazaar, selling used clothes, books or toys of the kids. An informal internal newsletter appears four times a year. The community "Königswinter-Thomasberg" is close to Bonn the former capital of Germany, where still many international organisation have their offices. The town itself is not a major city (around 38000 inhabitants), but public transportation is available. The area has been growing for 50% in the last years and is siginifant the new house. Most of the inhabitants are working in Bonn.
"Königswinter-Thomasberg" presents a very beautiful landscape inside the "Siebengebirge" and holds one of the oldest nature reserves of Germany and the biggest in Nordrhein Westfalen.
70% of the greater region of Bonn are employees in the third sector, which markable grows in the area of IT and Communication.
The "Kindergarten Elterninitiative "Drachenkinder" e.V " is working since 2 1/2 years and was founded by 9 parents of the local area and is open to kids from3 to 6 years - split into 2 groups of 25 each. Both groups are supported by two professional staff members The main objectives of these kindergarden among others are the support of the integration and sensibility of the kids to live in the society and the support of their own personal development. Special values have been identified among others: to the live with the nature, be open to different cultures and religions.
The aim is to support the progress of the kids to develop an open mind to different cultures and religions. Therefore a volunteer from a different country will be one step to realize the goal.
There will be time to create new ideas depending on the iniative of the volunteer.
Additional ideas are very welcome for the outdoor activities.
After the arrival of the volunteer there will be a meeting with the support craft and they will discuss the main interest of the volunteer and find a common schedule for the period of the EVS.
The volunteer is welcome to help with the existing outdoor activities and create new ones upon interest. After an introduction time and when the volunteer, the staff and the kids are familiar with each other, the volunteer could start his/her own project. E.g. a special focus could be set on the nature to combine inside and outside activities following the seasons of the year. E.g. the live of different trees in the area. What makes the difference of a tree? How many trees do the kids know ? How does a tree change during autumn, winter, spring and summer? What kind of gifts can I do from the nature? What other products are made of my neighbour´s tree? Where else in the world can I find this tree?
The project will be very successful if the kids afterwards know different kinds of trees, have created christmas/easter/birthday-presents and know if this trees are growing in other parts of the world as well.
By creating this project the volunteer will learn about nature and the way kids are learning. The volunteer will learn something about project & time management as well as about the education process of children.
The Kindergarden opens every day at 07:30 in the morning and closes at 12:30 (Monday through Thursday) and opens again in the afternoon from14.00 till 16:30 from Monday till Thursday.
A typical day for the volunteer could look like this: 07:00 Staff meeting to talk about the program of the day, 07:30 kids are arriving, 08:00 breakfast with the children, 08:30 the children will be divided in groups according to their age. The volunteer will stay with one group and another staffmember until lunch. 12:30 - 14:00 lunch break, 14:00 the afternoon-kids are arriving, the volunteer will stay with one group of children and another staffmember until closing time, 16:30 the children are leaving, short staff meeting to talk about the day.
The volunteer will get responsibility as much as she feels comfortable. The volunteer will not be a job substitution, because our staff is big enough. By hosting a volunteer we want to enrich our Kindergarten activities.
Week-end are normally free. The volunteer will have 25 days of holiday if he stays for one year, the exact holiday dates will be arrnaged between the volunteer and the staff members.
The host organisation will arrange for the volunteer to eat at a canteen or in a host family. Volunteers will receive language training (formal or non-formal) throughout their stay, arranged by the host organisation. - The mentor will meet regularly with the volunteer to check on his/her progress and help solve any problems. They will also ensure ongoing support for the volunteer.
- Volunteers will be given any training necessary for them to carry out their tasks.
- Efforts will be made to help the volunteer integrate into the local community.
- Volunteers will attend the on-arrival training organised by the National Agency or host organisation as well as nationally organised mid-term meetings.
Activities: In August 2004 opened the first German-English (and in the future: French) trilingual children's day care centre in the South of Saxony-Anhalt. The multilingualism is brought about by native speaker staff in a normal kindergarten routine. The organisation also organises internal offers for children who are interested in the second and third language. We have an extra creative-place in the kindergarten. The centre is a place of tolerance and solidarity. This principle is based just on to become acquainted with different language and culture. To support the multilingualism and to assist and to strengthen the European awareness we are looking for two European volunteers.
Community: Halle/Saale is located in a very central place in Germany in the near of Leipzig. Both cities are reachable within 30 minutes by train. Halle is the greatest city of the federal state of Saxony-Anhaltt with approx 240,000 inhabitants.
Traditionally Halle is a worker and (chemical- and machine production-) industry town, but many businesses have not survived the last few years. As a result unemployment is very high and there are many social problems.
In Halle there is the large Marthin-Luther-University (since 1502) as well as a college of higher education active in many subjects and important institutions of technical research (Max-Planck-Institut, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft) and a center of Biotech.
There are many cultural offers and naturally not least of all in the easy to reach neighbouring cities of Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin. Its location on the Saale offers attractive surroundings. Meadows (valley of Saale), flood plains and the cycle path along the Saale invite in-depth investigation.
Aktivitäten: Im August 2004 öffnete der erste mehrsprachige Kindergarten (Deutsch-Englisch und zukünftig: Französisch) im Süden von Sachsen-Anhalt. Die (aktuelle) Zweisprachigkeit wird von einheimischen Mitarbeitern innerhalb der Kindergartenroutine vermittelt. Der Träger organisiert auch interne Angebote für Kinder, die an der zweiten und (künftig) dritten Sprache interessiert sind. Wir haben eine zusätzliche Räumlichkeit ("Kreativboden") im Kindergarten geschaffen. Die Einrichtung ist ein Ort der Toleranz und Solidarität. Dieses Prinzip basiert gerade auf dem Kennen lernen von Sprache und Kultur. Zur Unterstützung der Multilingualität und zur Förderung und Stärkung des europäischen Bewussteins, suchen wir zwei europäische Freiwillige.
Gemeinschaft: Die Stadt Halle/Saale befindet sich im Zentrum von Deutschland, in der Nähe von Leipzig. Beide Städte sind in 30 Minuten mit dem Zug erreichbar. Halle ist die größte Stadt des Bundeslandes Sachsen-Anhalt, mit ca. 240.000 Einwohnern.
Traditionell ist Halle eine Arbeiter- und Industriestadt (Chemieindustrie und Maschinenbau), jedoch sind viele Unternehmen in den letzten Jahren geschlossen worden. Die Arbeitslosigkeit ist hier sehr hoch und daraus resultieren viele soziale Probleme.
In Halle gibt es die bedeutende Martin-Luther-Universität (gegründet 1502) sowie weitere Forschungs- und Bildungseinrichtungen, mit vielfältigen Aktivitäten, von technischer Forschung (Max Planck-Institut, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft) bis hin zu einem Zentrum für Biotechnologie.
Es gibt vielfältige kulturelle Angebote in Halle - nicht zu letzt auch die Nähe zu den benachbarten Städten wie Leipzig, Dresden und Berlin sind vorteilhaft. Die Lage der Stadt an der Saale ist sehr attraktiv: Wiesen, Flutebenen sowie Wander- und Radwege im schönen Saaletal laden zu Ausflügen ein.
Motivations: The trilingual Kindergarten project supports European openness and acceptance of being different. Children get to know another language and culture in natural ways and means. European volunteers can contribute to stimulating the atmosphere in the children's centre as young people with openness and sensitivity for children by showing their culture and nature.
Objectives: Non-profit making project to encourage tolerance, solidarity and acceptance of being different by the natural presence of other cultures even for children of a very young age.
Encouraging own initiatives and creativity when dealing with one another and the environment.
Showing many aspects of Europe growing together.
Enabling a volunteer to gain experience in a familiar and institutional environment for their vocational further training.
Tasks: The kindergarten would like to offer the volunteers an intercultural experience. The volunteers begin their work in the Kindergarten under the staff's instruction and support as well as with the support of the tutor. They should smoothly become a part of the team and the general daily routine.
The volunteers will support the team in the kindergartens daily routine. Together with the staff members they will look after the children. Beside taking care of and playing with the children the daily routine consists of activities like singing, painting, handicrafts, acting and others. Together with the staff and member of the association the volunteers will support all kindergartens celebrations. The volunteers will live and learn with the children. They should be friend, parent persons, example and "teacher" of their own culture. As the saying goes "different countries, different habit" the volunteer will broaden and enrich the European and international atmosphere of the kindergarten. The staff wishes to influence the children with different habits.
A normal working day could look like this: 8.00 - 8.30 a.m. breakfast with the children, 9.00 - 10.30 a.m. activities in the small groups together with the professional staff, the activities can be e.g. stay outdoors with the children or to do handicrafts. At 10.30 a.m. there is a shared meal. Afterwards until 14.30 p.m. there is time for regular activities e.g. the volunteer's projects. At 14.30 p.m. the children have another small meal and then there is time for them to play on their own. The volunteers will be in the kindergarten until 16.00 p.m. During the day there is an hour of individual break time. Of course the described working day is only an example, since there may be special activities and different changes.
There is space for the volunteers own initiatives. They are invited to show to the children their country, its culture and language with typical songs, games or celebrations. These activities should correspond to the interest's und the preference of the volunteers and should be offered under the care of the head of the kindergarten. The volunteers can initiate, prepare and realise project groups corresponding to their personal preferences. The contents can e.g. show aspects of language and culture of their native countries. The methodology is open - for example music, dance and drama and fairy tales. Each of these groups can - on agreement - take place once a week for one hour.
The so called extra creative-place ("Kreativboden") of the kindergarten offers good opportunities to initiate additional offers for the children besides the normal playing. According to their interest and abilities, the volunteers are invited to realise their own ideas and projects on language and culture conveying in the framework of the extra creative-place independent or with help of the professional staff.
The volunteers are expected to be available 7 hours a day 5 days a week (35 hours). There is one week holiday between Christmas and New Year, one week in winter and 2 weeks in summer are available to be arranged together. German public holidays are naturally also free.
In the kindergarten are 6 regular groups of children, so there is enough meaningful work to do for two volunteers.
Since the SKV gGmbH has according to the legal conditions all of its staff positions occupied, the voluntary service will be additional and is no substitution to any regular employee.
Motivation: Das dreisprachige Kindergartenprojekt unterstützt europäische Offenheit und die Akzeptanz, des Anders sein. Kinder lernen andere Sprachen und Kultur auf natürliche Weise kennen. Europäische Freiwillige können dazu beitragen, die Atmosphäre in der Einrichtung, als junge Leute mit Offenheit und Sensibilität für Kinder, durch Präsentation ihrer Kultur und naturellen Besonderheiten, zu stimulieren.
Ziele: Gemeinnütziges Handeln, Toleranz, Solidarität und gegenseitige Akzeptanz durch die Gegenwart des Anderen zu vermitteln - trotz und gerade wegen des jungen Alters der Kinder. Eigene Initiativen und Kreativität fördern, von einander und der Umgebung lernen. Dabei zeigen sich viele Aspekte des europäischen Wachsens, das zusammen mit Freiwilligen ermöglicht, Erfahrungen in einer vertrauten und institutionellen Umgebung für ihre Zukunft zu sammeln, zu fördern und zu trainieren.
Aufgaben: Der Kindergarten möchte den Freiwilligen eine interkulturelle Erfahrung bieten. Die Freiwilligen beginnen ihre Arbeit im Kindergarten, sowohl unter der Weisung und Unterstützung der Einrichtung, als auch mit der Unterstützung des Tutors. Sie sollen zu einem Teil des Teams werden und in das allgemeine Tagesgeschäft eingebunden werden.
Die Freiwilligen wirken unterstützend im Kindergarten. Zusammen kümmern sie sich mit den Mitarbeitern um die Kinder. Das Tagesgeschäft besteht aus Aktivitäten, wie spielen, singen, malen, handwerken, der Schauspielerei u.s.w. Die Freiwilligen leben und lernen mit den Kindern und sind fester Bestandteil der Gemeinschaft. Sie sollten Freund, Elternteil, Beispiel für und "Lehrer" ihrer eigenen Kultur sein. Entsprechend der Redensart: "andere Länder, andere Sitten". Die Freiwilligen verbreiten und bereichern die internationale Atmosphäre im Kindergarten. Die Einrichtung möchte die Kinder mit verschiedenen Gewohnheiten vertraut machen.
Ein normaler Werktag könnte wie folgt aussehen: 8.00 - 8.30 Uhr Frühstück mit den Kindern, 9.00 - 10.30 Uhr Aktivitäten in kleinen Gruppen, zusammen mit dem professionellem Stab (wie z.B. Aufenthalt im Freien mit den Kindern oder handwerken). Ab 10.30 Uhr gemeinsames Mittagessen. Während des Mittagsschlafes der Kinder, erfolgt z.B. Unterstützung bei der Arbeitsvorbereitung (bis 14.30 Uhr). Ab 14.30 Uhr erhalten die Kinder eine kleine Mahlzeit, anschließend ist Zeit zum Spielen. Die Freiwilligen werden bis 16.00 Uhr im Kindergarten sein. Während des Tages ist eine Stunde Pause vorgesehen. Natürlich ist der beschriebene Werktag nur ein Beispiel, da es spezielle Aktivitäten und verschiedene Änderungen geben kann.
Die Freiwilligen können und sollen gern eigene Initiativen entwickeln. Sie sind aufgefordert, den Kindern ihr Land, die Kultur und Sprache mit typischen Liedern, Spielen oder Feiern näher zu bringen. Diese Aktivitäten sollten den Interessen und Vorlieben der Freiwilligen entsprechen. Die Freiwilligen können Projektgruppen initiieren, vorbereiten und realisieren, die ihren persönlichen Vorlieben entsprechen. Der Inhalt kann sein z.B. Aspekte von Sprache und Kultur seiner einheimischen Länder zeigen. Die Methodologie ist offen und kann sich zum Beispiel in Musik, Tanz, Drama und Märchen äußern.
Der Kreativboden im Kindergarten bietet gute Gelegenheiten, zusätzliche Angebote für die Kinder außer dem normalen Spielen zu initiieren.
Es wird erwartet, dass die Freiwilligen 7 Stunden am Tag und 5 Tage in der Woche (35 Std.) tätig sind. Zwischen Weihnachten und Neujahr ist arbeitsfrei. Darüber hinaus ist Urlaub für eine Woche im Winter und zwei Wochen im Sommer vorgesehen. Gesetzliche Feiertage in Deutschland sind natürlich ebenfalls arbeitsfrei.
Die Einrichtung verfügt über 6 permanente Kindergruppen, so daß es genug sinnvolle Arbeit für zwei Volontäre gibt.
Da die SKV gGmbH, entsprechend der gesetzlichen Vorschriften, die Kindereinrichtung mit Fachpersonal besetzt hat, wird der freiwillige Dienst zusätzlich sein und stellt keinen Ersatz für die regulär beschäftigten Mitarbeiter dar. | 2019-04-23T04:00:08Z | http://www.pgsga.ru/infocenter/news/5491.html |
We kick off the first round of changes coming with the Commander Revamp by looking at the British Forces. As with all December Balance Preview changes, the changes proposed below are NOT FINAL and will be put through weeks of iteration as we listen to your feedback and continue to test the changes in action. We encourage the community to test and play these changes as much as possible and give any feedback they may have in the Commander Revamp Feedback thread located in the Balance Feedback section of these forums.
If you would like to test these and all upcoming Commander Revamp changes, make sure to SUBSCRIBE to the December Balance Preview on the Steam Workshop.
The major limiting factors of the Commandos Regiment commander is that, most of the abilities are extremely map-dependent. At the same time, we feel that the low accessibility of the Commandos, as well as Commando’s poor synergy with the faction hurts the commanders versatility.
While Mortar Cover and Air Supremacy are extremely strong abilities by themselves, we feel this commander fails to provide any long-term sustainable abilities. The commander has been reworked to support aggressive infantry-oriented play. Since the commander is extremely munitions based, most of the abilities have been reworked to provide a smaller, but more concentrated effect for an affordable cost.
We feel that one of the issue of infantry-oriented British builds is the lack of field presence that stems from lack of on-map reinforcement options.
Commandos’ most powerful ability is throwing gammon bombs. We find that the Commando SMGs suffer from poor moving performance and tends to typically under perform. At the same time, Commandos’ ambush “bonus” which triggers a non-voluntary sprint is extremely powerful vs weapon teams and Grenadiers, but is becomes a liability vs OKW infantry. Finally, Commandos earn little benefit in terms of combat bonuses with their veterancy.
We are changing this ability to benefit all British squads but, again, keep its scope small, targeted and sustainable. The ability now revolves around ambushing, and making advances over enemy territory using smoke.
All infantry units will cloak during the duration of this ability, when in cover.
Light cover smoke is dropped on non-commando infantry every 15 seconds. Does not apply to commandos.
We are changing the way the ability works to give it a more offensive nature.
Accuracy bonus and speed increase now affects all infantry squads.
A recon plane will now fly over the area before being followed by autocannon armed Typhoons that will strafe vehicles and infantry once. Three heavy bombers will follow up afterwards, bombing the area.
* Cost reduced from 50 to 40.
* Effects end when the vehicle is fully healed.
We are readjusting some of the most extreme risk-reward elements of the ability to allow it to be integrated in more strategies.
Command Vehicle no longer affected by a speed penalty or a received accuracy penalty. Still retains the -50% accuracy and the +100% reload time modifier.
Loiter time reduced from 90 to 45.
Steadily drops 8 shells over 12 seconds at the target position.
Part 2 of the Commander Revamp hits the battlefield with some changes coming to the Eastern Front Commanders. As always, we encourage everyone to playtest and give feedback on these changes via the December Balance Preview mod (V1.5 now available) found on the Steam Workshop.
Recon Loiters are being adjusted to be more cost effective given their likelihood of being shot down after their first pass.
We are enhancing the utility of Shock Troops to reduce their long-time bleed and make them equally viable against both Axis factions. We are also improving the performance of the Shock Troops’ grenade to be on par with other anti-infantry specialists.
Hit the Dirt is being adjusted to allow Conscripts to better hold their positions behind cover. Accuracy is lowered to compensate as a trade-off for increased defense and immunity to suppression.
We are giving Guards a slight adjustment to improve their damage against infantry and survivability on the field. Their grenades are also being improved to make them better in line with their intended role and performance.
The purpose of the new Veteran ability is to allow Guards to provide additional firepower when they are being used in their intended role as a ranged support unit.
Increases range by +2.5 to ensure all Guard models can engage targets units on the edge of their maximum range.
We are increasing the number of planes to two to improve survivability and increase the number of targets that can be suppressed. Damage and tracking has been adjusted to prevent the IL-2 from wiping lone squads.
In order to add more depth to the doctrine, we are expanding its theme to cover a range of techniques used by the Red army to ambush and destroy Wehrmacht tanks and be less reliant on masses of Conscripts armed with PTRS rifles.
PTRS Packages are being changed from a simple weapon upgrade to an item that changes the role of Conscripts into an anti-tank unit that can locate and ambush armour at the cost of anti-infantry and anti-garrison power.
Requires the squad to be stationary.
We are combining Salvage Kits and PMD-6M Mines into one package and reducing the high cost of the Salvage Kits due to the changes in wreck values.
AT Gun Ambush Tactics is being given a First-Strike Bonus to improve the ability’s potency when firing from stealth.
To benefit other aspects of the army, Tank Hunters is gaining a new ability to allow the commander’s vehicles to also ambush hostiles. Credits for the animations go to the “Wikinger: European Theater of War” mod team.
Detection range of 20 for medium/heavy tanks, 15 for light armor.
The doctrine primarily relies on strong field presence with multiple Osttruppen squads. However, the lack of scalability of the Osttruppen into the late game hurts the viability of the commander. Thus, to give this commander some staying power, we are changing how the Artillery Officer, Osttruppen, Trenches, and Supply Drop operate.
Ostruppen are a cost-efficient utility-oriented infantry that performs well for their cost. To prevent Ostruppen from becoming too powerful when picking up weapons, we are restricting their accuracy bonus to only apply to their rifles. At the same time, we are giving them access to weapon upgrades at Battle Phase 3 to improve their late game scalability.
We find that the Artillery Officer has low synergy with the rest of the faction (including all of the doctrines the officer is in). To address this, we are giving the officer a better combat-oriented role, which will allow Wehrmacht players to be slightly more aggressive, even when picking a defensive-oriented doctrine such as the Osttruppen.
Squad size increased from 4 to 5.
Can temporarily increase squad’s own RA and moving bonuses to allow the officer to assault/draw fire.
Does not share a cooldown with smoke.
All abilities but Victor artillery remain active should the officer go down.
Squad can pick up dropped weapons with 1 weapon slot.
Given the doctrine’s reliance on support weapons to deal damage in the later stages, we are giving a supply drop that allows players to make use of the Osttruppen’s ability to cheaply recrew team weapons.
We are increasing the utility gained from the doctrine by allowing all infantry to construct defenses. This will give the doctrine more staying power later into a match.
G43s are having their timing adjusted to be more in line with other weapons, while being made more useful for elite German troops.
Now takes up both weapon slots for Panzergrenadiers and Stormtroopers.
As a way to supplement troops in the field, the doctrine is being given a special Panzergrenadier squad that has a number of abilities to support attacks.
The following changes iterate on the changes released in the Commander Revamp Part 2.
Sprint is being removed from team weapons and snipers to ensure flanks are rewarded.
We are increasing the way the commander enhances the utility of Soviet squads to provide better anti-tank support.
To prevent Assault Grenades from being a downgrade to the standard Anti-tank grenade, we are reducing their aim time so that more grenades can hit the intended target.
The AT Ambush damage bonus is being replaced by a bonus to reload speed, reducing the time to kill approaching vehicles.
The damage bonus is being removed due to its potency against infantry. In return, vehicles will be allowed to slowly rotate, allowing assault guns to adjust should units be out of their arc.
The IL-2 strafe is being adjusted to be more effective in its role as an anti-infantry weapon that causes suppression. Further adjustments have also been made to spread out the damage inflicted more evenly.
Osttruppen are receiving adjustments to allow weapons they pick up to scale better. Their LMG's price is also being adjusted to better match its value.
We are adjusting this unit to be less powerful while making it more accessible. The squad now better fills its intended role as a utility and disruption unit.
The final segment of the Commander Revamp preview has arrived and is now playable in the December Balance Preview. The changes below focus on the Western Front Commanders of the OKW and USF while expanding and iterating on previous changes of the British, Soviet and Wehrmacht. As always, be sure to test the proposed changes below thoroughly and then give your feedback in the Commander Revamp Feedback thread located in the Balance Feedback section of these forums.
The changes below intend to address the performance disparities of the commander without altering its feel. Thus, the commander will continue to perform its role of light-armour support while improving on its effectiveness throughout the course of a match.
We are improving the combat capacity of the Greyhound, allowing it to perform as an AI specialist unit that can accompany heavier armour in late-game pushes. The arrival time of the unit has been pushed off to allow opponents to better defend against it.
Command Points from 3 to 4.
Now has access to a M2HB Mount. Same performance as the M4 Medium, but with 40 range.
Canister now targets an area rather than the squad.
A collection of cluster bombs will drop over an area detonating on impact.
We are changing the air-dropped combat group ability to allow players greater flexibility when designing their army composition. To add the unit some flavour compared to Airborne commander, Support Paratroopers trade access to the Thompson upgrade for a special bazooka upgrade.
The paratrooper squad drops no longer drops with random weapons and it is up to the player to decide their loadout.
The performance of the special bazookas that paratroopers now get is half-way between vanilla bazookas and panzerschrecks in terms of firepower.
The commander has been altered towards heavier vehicle play thanks to improvement to the Dodge’s scalability, M3’s utility and the commander's late game power via more powerful tanks. Furthermore, the commander now includes the benefit of a mortar half track to bring rapid indirect fire to the battlefield and to support mobile advances.
In order to offset the commander's newfound power we are removing access to the off-map ability. We will continue to monitor the commander's performance to evaluate whether the presence of an off-map is necessary or not.
We are giving the dodge a more scout-oriented harassment role in the early game, allowing it to harass infantry via .50 cal upgrade and mark target vehicles to improve its viability later in a match.
We are experimenting with adding light artillery options to the commander. We are adjusting the Mortar HT performance to make it better able to support a mobile army when advancing.
We are turning the M3 assault group from a reinforcement halftrack to a unit that will offer the faction flexibility and viability throughout a match. Healing crates will help USF infantry to heal up at a rate much faster than afforded by the ambulance, and allow them to stay in the fight for longer.
The new commander ability will help the commander offer some additional offensive options into the late-game.
We are changing the main focus of the doctrine from fire abilities to also support aggressive close combat engagements. In order to make up for the doctrine’s lack of late-game super-heavy armour, we are experimenting with adding mobile reinforcement options and smoke.
Volksgrenadier infantry can buy the upgrade to change their role and support the aggressive orientation of the doctrine.
Largely due to the unit's fixed turret, we find that the unit is under performing for its price.
Range increased from 32 to 35.
We find that the ability has a high likelihood of failing to destroy stationary targets, for its cost.
We find that Luftwaffe Air Support is overly focused on Fallschirmjagers to the detriment of providing strong unit synergy. We are making modifications to the doctrine to allow for a combination of defensive play (fortifications) and abilities that assist in taking and controlling territories. Higher accessibility of smoke and an off-map strike will now improve scalability of the commander.
To prevent infiltration Fallschirmjager squads from being overly efficient at wiping squads when spawning out of ambient buildings, we are lowering the initial squad member-count on spawn. This change will allow the target a better chance to flee and also make poorly-planned infiltration missions riskier.
* Now also drops smoke.
We are improving the performance of field fortifications to allow greater flexibility to the doctrine. In order to avoid needless experimentation, we are giving the emplacement’s weapon strength to match that of the Flak HT.
A cost decrease with a small duration decrease will allow the ability to be used more more often,but more tactically when it is needed.
The ability, while useful for providing the doctrine with enough infantry presence fails at supporting assaults. The fact that the attack can only occur at territory points make this extremely map-dependent.
To prevent infiltration commando squads from being overly efficient at wiping squads when spawning out of ambient buildings, we are lowering the initial squad member-count on spawn. This change will allow the target a better chance to flee and also make poorly-planned infiltration missions riskier.
We find the passive tank detection ability available to this squad over performs for an already powerful squads.
To offset the reduction in performance we are reducing the cost of the ability to match similar abilities.
The reduced duration on Rapid Conscription will make the ability more of a tactical choice. In addition, due to the performance changes to Conscripts, we felt this ability over performs.
Our initial testing has found that while the commander lacks strong measures to draw opponents in to take advantage of the commanders ambush capabilities. In order to resolve this we are adding the ML-20 howitzer to the commander.
To improve the commander's competitiveness and to provide a unit that can absorb hits for both their infantry and armor, we have added the KV-1 tank.
We find that the KV-1 is under performing for its cost. By locking the unit to the Soviet T4 building, we are preventing the unit from being overused as a call-in, while making it available earlier for those who fast tech.
The ability is adjusted due to the performance of the Ostruppen squad.
We find that the commander ability is over performing vs buildings and stationary non-vehicle targets.
We find that the ambush camouflage bonus (+50% accuracy) is now too easy to trigger, especially in the late game where craters are abundant. Nevertheless, we believe that the changes to stealth and the addition of sprint already make this commander ability highly worthwhile.
We are making the officer less reliant on his abilities to perform their intended combat role. To prevent the officer from become too powerful, we are preventing them from benefiting from the Coordinated Fire aura.
For all core faction changes released in the December Update, check out the Company of Heroes 2 Changelog.
Infiltration is being adjusted to be less potent by forcing all abilities to be on cooldown. This will prevent players from spawning a unit and throw a grenade before the other player can respond.
A number of units have been changed from call-ins to requiring appropriate tech to be built. This will make the following units less dominant in 1 vs 1 scenarios where the punishment for the lack of teching is not as severe. Equally, these units will now arrive to the field earlier in larger game modes, making them more accessible.
Loiters would sometimes last longer than the denoted duration, and could even acquire targets outside the visual indication.
Shock Troops have been adjusted to have lower bleed effects on a player’s manpower due to their short-range while their grenade has been improved to assist with flanks and dislodging team weapons.
The ISU is being made more reliable against both infantry and armor, while lowering its potential to wipe out squads in a single shot.
We are adjusting the IS-2 to be more reliable against infantry due to its slow rate of fire.
The ML-20’s high manpower cost is being offset by moving a portion of it into fuel. Damage has been adjusted to be more reliable with lower wiping potential.
Loiters are being adjusted to be more cost effective as they are more vulnerable to being shot down after the first pass.
With the general changes to repair, Soviet repair stations are being given a manpower price to limit a player’s ability to mass produce them without sacrificing unit production.
The reduced duration on Rapid Conscription will make the ability more of a tactical choice. The adjustment was necessary due to the altered performance of the Conscript squad.
Duration from 60 to 45.
We are making the Forward HQ provide fewer bonuses to units fighting around them and requiring these structures to be converted in friendly territory. Cost has been slightly to compensate.
Due to KV-8 now requiring tech, the tank's armour is being increased to improve its role as a breakthrough unit.
The DShK is being adjusted to be less potent in terms of raw suppression and damage to match its appropriate cost.
We are reinforcing some of the pre-existing abilities of the commander to also revitalize numerous other overlapping Soviet Commanders. In addition to this, we are introducing the KV-1 tank as an armor option to increase the viability of certain commanders.
Hit the Dirt is being adjusted to allow Conscripts to trade mobility for survivability. Accuracy is lowered to compensate as a trade-off for increased defense and immunity to suppression.
To give the KV-1 a more defined role as a breakthrough unit, we are slightly increasing its durability, and significantly increasing the rate at which it can get repaired. The following changes will result in KV-1’s being 25% faster to repair.
Guards are gaining slight adjustments to their damage against infantry and survivability on the field. Their grenades are also being improved to make them better in line with their intended role and performance.
New ability: Hit the Dirt. Replaces Trip Wire Flares. Grants 0.75 weapon cooldown and +2.5 range, but renders squad immobile. 2 Second delay, 25 second recharge recharge upon deactivating.
To benefit other aspects of the army, Tank Hunters is gaining a new ability to allow the commander’s vehicles to also ambush hostiles. Credits for implementing the bush animations (AKA "Bush Tech") go to the “Wikinger: European Theater of War” mod team.
The Elefant is having its damage adjusted to be less capable of quickly bursting down medium tanks, in turn it is receiving improved accuracy to compensate.
The leFH’s high manpower cost is being offset by moving a portion of it into fuel.
The Pak 43 high manpower cost is being offset by moving a portion of it into fuel.
The dive bomb is being made less potent and more costly due to its pinpoint nature and lack of warning flares.
No longer deals an instant death critical to infantry.
Stuka CAS will now punish armor for being in the area, but be less capable of knocking tanks out in a single loiter attack.
We have adjusted the AT strafe to be less potent against non-vehicle targets to prevent it from wiping out infantry, howitzers, and structures in one pass.
We have lowered the duration to make the choice more tactical for the player using this ability. Model death count increased due to the stacking effects of later Osttruppen squads.
Smoke has been adjusted to be a multi-purpose ability and strengthen the doctrines it is in.
The doctrine primarily relies on strong field presence with Osttruppen. However, the lack of scalability of the Osttruppen into the late game hurts the viability of the commander. Thus, to give this commander some staying power, we are changing how the Artillery Officer, Osttruppen, Trenches, and Supply Drop operate.
Osttruppen have been adjusted to limit their ability to swarm the field in the early game and be less potent with fallen weapons. In return they can be upgraded to allow them to scale into the late game.
Osttruppen call-in ability now starts on cooldown.
Cover bonus for slot items from 300% to -25%.
The AF officer has received a major overhaul to allow this unit to not only provide a potent support role, but also act as a unit that can lead an assault to help breakthrough the enemy lines and push away infantry units at close range.
New ability: Diversion. Reduces squad’s incoming received accuracy by 20%. 25 munitions.
Coordinated Barrage ability from 80 to 45.
Coordinated Barrage no longer affects mortars.
Coordinated Barrage causes on-map artillery to fire at the target location regardless of range.
Now has 1 weapon slot.
Veternacy 1 Medical Kits replaced with Heavy Mortar Barrage.Drops 5 120mm mortar shells into the selected target area. 30 munitions.
Given the doctrine’s reliance on support weapons to deal damage in the later stages, we are giving a supply drop that allows players to make use of the Osttruppen’s ability to cheaply recrew team weapons. Credits to Wilderstreit for the animator set up.
Now drops 1 unmanned MG 34 and 1 unmanned Pak 40 at the target site.
We are increasing the utility gained from the doctrine by allowing all infantry to construct defenses. This will give the doctrine more staying power as Osttruppen start to become obsolete.
The newly-introduced Jaeger Infantry Command Squad will allow players to overcome the traditional munitions-heavy bottleneck the commander has been traditionally suffering from while additional changes have increased this doctrine’s focus on heavy infantry play.
Now provides 3 G43s for Panzergrenadiers. Takes up both weapon slots.
* Camouflage cost from 30 to 20.
* Camouflage now works when moving. Requires all squad members to be in cover.
* Infantry can now use the Sprint ability. No upgrade required. Snipers and weapon teams cannot sprint.
* Ambush bonus requires squad to be stationary and must have been out of combat for 10 seconds.
* 67% damage penalty against team weapons and structures.
Pathfinder have been adjusted to better reflect their in-game performance.
Beacons have been adjusted to allow more diverse strategies with paratrooper doctrines.
The Priest has been adjusted to deal more reliable damage outside of direct hit, but can no longer be decrewed, similar to the Calliope.
The Easy-Eight will still have lower moving scatter than most other tanks; previously the E8 had no scatter penalties for moving.
The following change will make rocket attacks more accurate, against stationary targets that could previously avoid rockets by being centered with the incoming plane.
Our changes aim to allow Recon the ability to have potent scouting units on the field with the advantage of light armor and combat groups that can provide rapid reinforcement, particularly in the late game when squads need to be replaced and/or additional Anti-tank is needed.
The goal of this ability is to allow players to capitalize on the presence of light armour and allow infantry to better scout out positions before attacks.
We find that this unit is too valuable for Recon company to only provide utility. Thus, the changes allow the unit to perform basic combat roles and scale better into the mid to late game.
We are improving the combat capacity of the Greyhound, allowing it to perform as a powerful anti-personnel unit. The arrival time of the unit has been pushed off to allow for opponents to defend against it due to its potency.
We’ve given the commander a light form of artillery. While much less potent than Pathfinders and easily dodged, this ability will help the commander shift defensive positions and deny territory.
We are changing the air-dropped combat group ability to allow players greater flexibility and add onto their current army composition.
Paratroopers no longer spawn with random equipment; stats standardized with regular paratroopers. Still able to plant mines, but cannot use Timed Demo Charges.
Any Paratrooper with a Bazooka gets the improved variant.
The commander has been altered towards heavy vehicle play thanks to improvement to the WC51's scalability, M3’s utility and the late game power via more powerful tanks. Furthermore, the commander now includes the benefit of a mortar half track to bring rapid indirect fire to the battlefield and to support mobile advances.
The WC51 has been modified to be able to fulfill a support / transport role at a low cost by hitting the field with no combat capabilities. Furthermore, The low cost will also allow the WC51 to be repurchased late game to act as a support unit with its MG upgrade and abilities.
Deploys a recon plane while target vehicles receives -25% armour and +25% received accuracy.
Drops a 155mm artillery barrage into the target area.
With the M32 Mortar HT, the goal is to give the Mechanized Doctrine the ability to maintain a strong vehicle composition rather than be forced to rely on infantry based support teams.
We are making this unit a more attractive purchase by lowering the cost and making the Assault Engineers more of a side addition to the ability. The half-track has also been improved to provide better support capabilities.
Assault Engineers are being boosted to better reflect their short-range nature and their support role.
The addition of this ability will give the commander better late game power through the use of more powerful Shermans and ensure that obstacles cannot stall the commander's mechanized nature in the late game.
Allows M4A3 76mm tanks to be deployed from the Battalion Command Post; same stats as the M4C, can use Smokescreen ability.
Panzerfusiliers have been adjusted to better reflect their performance as a six man squad that can deal with a variety of situations when upgraded.
Veterancy 4 accuracy bonus removed.
The unit's dominance in team games vs allied armour has been toned down while its Supporting Fire capabilities have been improved to assist the unit's viability against infantry heavy builds.
The Sturmtiger is being adjusted to better match its performance to its cost while making it more consistent.
We find that Luftwaffe Air Support is overly centered around Fallschirmjager squads to the detriment of the rest of the doctrine's abilities. We are making modifications to the doctrine to allow for a combination of defensive play and abilities that assist in taking other territories.
Fallschirmjager are being adjusted to have better stock performance with only minor changes to their veterancy.
Now paradrop into the field instead of infiltrating.
Recon run is being adjusted to provide more utility.
We are improving the performance of field fortifications to allow greater flexibility to the doctrine. In order to avoid needless experimentation, we are giving the emplacement an identical weapons used by the 251 variant.
A cost decrease with a moderate duration decrease will allow the ability to be used more more often as a core part of the doctrine to support offensives.
We are removing Fallschirmjager drops from the Airborne assault activity of the doctrine to make the ability more accessible.
We are changing the main focus of the doctrine from primarily fire related abilities to allow it to support aggressive close combat engagements. In order to make up for the doctrine’s lack of late-game heavy armour, we are adding mobile reinforcement options and smoke.
Volksgrenadier infantry can buy the upgrade to change their role and support the aggressive nature of the doctrine.
Allows le.IG 18s to fire 5 incendiary rounds into the target area; molotov damage over time, moderate scatter when fired in the FOW. 35 munitions.
In order to assist the doctrine’s aggressive role, we are adding a mobile reinforcement option.
High speed, but limited maneuverability and light armor 240 health.
Due to the unit's fixed turret and low maneuverability, we found it to be highly situational, struggled on close quarters maps and generally under performed for its price.
To prevent Infiltration Commando squads from being too efficient at killing squads without warning, we are reducing the squad's initial potency. A lower member-count on spawn will both allow the target a better chance to flee, and also make poorly-planned infiltration missions riskier. We are adjusting Infiltration Commando squad performance to match that of other Commando squads.
* Heroic Charge has been adjusted to match other aura based buff.
The Artillery’s regiment’s Concentration Barrage has been adjusted to be like other artillery abilities that require LOS while also being less reliant on Anvil to be used to its full potential.
The change will make rocket attacks more accurate, against stationary targets that could previously avoid rockets by being centered with the incoming plane.
We have adjusted the commander so the abilities are less map dependent to support heavy infantry play with the Commando Glider now playing a key component. Abilities have also been adjusted to be less costly, but also less potent, shifting them from an ‘All or Nothing’ scenario.
The glider is being made cheaper to deploy and will now allow the player to be aggressive when using Commando Regiment through its ability to reinforce infantry anywhere on the field.
Commandos have been adjusted to be more potent and less reliant on throw their Gammon Bomb to deal damage. They will now scale slightly better with veterancy and be able to blind enemies through their improved smoke grenade.
Smoke Grenade and Gammon bomb now share ability cooldown.
We have adjusted Smoke Raid to allow for the Commando Regiment to launch incursions into hostile territory while keeping their enemy guessing by providing infantry with smoke cover during the duration of this ability. Smoke has been adjusted to provide cover and the stealth mechanic now requires squads to be in cover.
Now delivers smoke at the target location.
Mortar Cover has been made less potent in terms on strength, but has also been modified to be less map dependent and can be used in conjunction with an assault to displace enemy forces.
We have adjusted Air Supremacy to be less powerful in terms of damage, but now the ability will be more readily available with Typhoons being launched to lead the air raid.
The abilities have been adjusted to now be more readily available to the player; they now have greater control of their repair abilities and now have access to a reliable off-map that will support their command vehicle and AVRE.
Crew Repair has been adjusted to be more focused on individual vehicles to provide greater control of which vehicles need to be repaired for a considerably lower munitions cost.
We have adjusted the Command Vehicle to be more in-line with other aura-based command vehicles. Given that the player must sacrifice a vehicle’s combat potential, we have lowered the direct penalties on the vehicle itself while providing a potent aura to other vehicles to compensate.
Two seperate auras for vehicles and infantry.
The AVRE has been modified to be more durable against head-on attacks, but also more vulnerable to flanks, requires the tank to expose itself to fire its mortar, and with more down time between shots.
This situational ability has been adjusted to be less map dependent and will act as a tool which can displace infantry and weaken structures prior to an assault. | 2019-04-24T08:55:17Z | https://community.companyofheroes.com/discussion/244493/december-commander-revamp-changlog/p1?new=1 |
ON May 18, Caremark Rx Inc., a pharmaceuticals services concern, surprised many investors when it disclosed that a day earlier federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission had notified the company that they were scrutinizing how it awarded stock options to company insiders. Caremark's shares tumbled 6.8 percent on the news.
Some investors, however, found the regulators' interest in Caremark not so surprising. As early as last January, SEC Insight, an independent research firm, warned its clients that regulatory risks might be brewing at the company — noting that federal authorities had refused to release records on Caremark because doing so could interfere with enforcement activities. SEC Insight reiterated its warning on March 20.
The stock of Caremark, which is based in Nashville, has been a top performer in recent years. But shareholders who heeded SEC Insight's warnings and sold their stock dodged a significant loss.
In a world where truly independent stock research is a valuable and rare commodity, SEC Insight is even more unusual. The firm makes its calls after poring through correspondence and other internal S.E.C. documents it secures by filing requests under the Freedom of Information Act. Ever since John P. Gavin, a former money manager and chartered financial analyst, founded SEC Insight six years ago in Plymouth, Minn., he has prided himself on its ability to sniff out regulatory trails like a corporate bloodhound.
During the last two years, however, Mr. Gavin says, his snooping and his ability to send early warning signals to clients have been stymied by an unlikely adversary: the S.E.C. itself. The agency, overshadowed by aggressive prosecutors like Eliot Spitzer, the New York attorney general, has gone to great lengths recently to reassert itself as Wall Street's top cop. But the S.E.C. has made it nearly impossible for Mr. Gavin to round up documents it once routinely provided to his firm. Mr. Gavin's experience, he says, suggests that the agency, which bills itself as the investor's advocate, is less than forthcoming about what it actually finds at the companies it polices.
"In this post-Enron era, as the S.E.C. demands record levels of disclosure from public companies, it's a shame that the agency itself has become disclosure-challenged," Mr. Gavin said.
It is a troubling paradox, Mr. Gavin says. The S.E.C., which requires public companies to make full disclosure of all meaningful facts, has stopped granting most of Mr. Gavin's requests for regulatory correspondence. For his part, Mr. Gavin has sued the agency in federal district court in Minnesota, seeking to compel compliance with federal disclosure laws.
The suit aims to force the S.E.C. to turn over records to Mr. Gavin on 12 companies, which the S.E.C. has so far flatly refused to do. The judge overseeing the case has given the S.E.C. a deadline of Thursday to prove that it has reviewed the documents that Mr. Gavin requested on six of those companies. The agency has appealed that ruling, arguing that the task is too onerous.
"We are defending the action to protect our ability to complete these law enforcement investigations, and to protect investors by enabling us to get relief where appropriate, including disgorgement of ill-gotten gains," said Richard M. Humes, associate general counsel at the S.E.C. He declined to comment further.
Mr. Gavin, 44, is not the only one complaining that the S.E.C. is keeping investors in the dark. An analysis by 10k Wizard, an online search engine for S.E.C. filings, indicates that the agency's two-year-old pledge — to publish all correspondence between it and public companies and mutual funds about their accounting and other practices — remains puzzlingly unfulfilled. As a result, SEC Insight says, shareholders everywhere are missing out on information that could help them make astute investment decisions.
Even as the S.E.C. plays hardball with Mr. Gavin, costing his three-person firm more than $100,000 in legal fees, Christopher Cox, the S.E.C. chairman, recently noted his agency's crucial role in providing investors with that most basic of needs: information. Testifying on May 3 before the financial services committee of the House of Representatives, Mr. Cox said: "When it comes to giving investors the protection they need, information is the single most powerful tool we have. It's what separates investing from roulette."
YET since August 2004, the commission has failed to provide documents relating to 1,700 of SEC Insight's requests under the Freedom of Information Act. Under the law, such requests are supposed to be answered in 20 days, but in most cases the S.E.C. says it is still looking for documents more than a year after SEC Insight requested them.
Lucy A. Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said she was dubious that the S.E.C. found it too onerous to carry out its responsibilities. "I'm sure it is very expensive and it is a burden and they are trying to draw a line in the sand because they don't like to do this," she said. "But so what? The law is the law and the Freedom of Information Act says that they have to comply with this. It is inconceivable that all the information about some of these companies is off-limits. That just flat-out doesn't pass the smell test.
"Probably an undercurrent here is that the S.E.C.'s internal documents are earning this guy a living. But if they are truly upset about this guy making money off their records — and they are not their records, they are public records — then they can do a better job of posting them on their Web site."
At least, Mr. Gavin says, the S.E.C.'s enforcement division provides bare-bones responses to some of his requests. The agency typically sends him letters saying that there are no investigative materials, or, when it denies requests, citing a need for investigative secrecy. It was just such a denial that caused Mr. Gavin to conclude in March that Caremark Rx might face regulatory risk.
A Caremark official declined to comment beyond saying that the company is cooperating with the government inquiries.
Mr. Gavin's firm acknowledges in each report it publishes that it does not know what an investigation might involve and cannot predict whether it will lead to an enforcement action. Moreover, he tells his clients that S.E.C. investigations are fact-finding exercises and do not mean that a company or individual has done anything wrong. But any question about a company's practices, especially when the S.E.C. is the one raising it, can be an important data point for investors. And it is the S.E.C.'s flat-out refusal to supply correspondence with public companies that Mr. Gavin said he finds disturbing. These communications, known as comment letters, have been enormously useful in revealing potential problems at companies in the past, he says. The letters have pointed to aggressive accounting practices and pension problems, for example, long before those problems hit the headlines.
In October 2001, the S.E.C. wrote to Computer Associates, the Long Island-based software company now known as CA Inc., inquiring about potential accounting problems. Sanjay Kumar, the former CA chief executive, and other top managers have pleaded guilty to an accounting fraud that inflated the company's results in 1999 and 2000 and cost investors hundreds of millions in stock losses.
The S.E.C. addressed its letter to Ira Zar, the company's chief financial officer, and provided it to Mr. Gavin's firm in March 2002, less than a month after Mr. Gavin made his document request. Mr. Zar pleaded guilty to fraud at CA in 2004.
The S.E.C. made 15 points in the letter, mostly about CA's accounting. One-third of the issues raised by the S.E.C. involved CA's revenue recognition practices; these became central to the government's subsequent case against CA executives.
CA's shares traded around $33 when the letter was written. The stock rose to around $38 in January 2002, but news media reports about possible accounting irregularities and investigations at the company pushed the shares down to around $16 in February of that year. In March, when CA's stock was at $18.50, SEC Insight issued an alert to its clients about the company. By July, CA's share price had fallen to under $8 as the company's troubles mounted.
The speedy S.E.C. response to Mr. Gavin's CA request contrasted sharply with a request he made in 2004 related to the Andrew Corporation, a maker of communications equipment. Although the S.E.C. has twice told Mr. Gavin that there are no investigative records pertaining to the company, he has waited almost two years for other correspondence he has requested. Last September, the S.E.C. said its contractor would send the correspondence to Mr. Gavin's firm; those documents have not yet arrived.
The S.E.C. has not posted any comment letters regarding Andrew on its Web site, even though Andrew noted in a regulatory filing last December that it had paid its auditor $68,300 during 2005 to respond to a comment letter from the S.E.C.
When the S.E.C. announced in June 2004 that it would post all comment letters, it said the change would give investors access to the information in them. If a company asked for confidential treatment, the S.E.C. said, it could exclude only that information from publicly posted letters.
Alan Beller, former director of the S.E.C.'s division of corporation finance, said a year ago that the agency believed " it is appropriate to expand the transparency of our comment process by making this information available, free of charge, to an unlimited audience."
Last week, the S.E.C. had posted on its Web site 2,224 letters it had sent to companies. Most were from 2004 and 2005, but there were also a few from this year. Even so, there are some 23,000 public companies and roughly 8,000 mutual funds in the United States, and watchdogs like Mr. Gavin say that the Web site's postings do not reflect that reality. Many of the postings are different letters written to the same company.
AN analysis by 10k Wizard raises questions about the S.E.C.'s progress. Combing through regulatory filings back to May 2005, 10k Wizard found that 212 companies had voluntarily disclosed receipt of an S.E.C. comment letter. (Such disclosures are not required under securities laws.) Matching those companies with the S.E.C.-posted correspondence showed only 21 companies' letters on the agency Web site.
"We were very excited when the S.E.C. announced that they were going to make these comment letters available," said Martin X. Zacarias, chief executive of 10k Wizard. "We'd gotten requests from all of our clients for that information."
But Mr. Zacarias said his excitement faded soon after the program began. "We were disappointed with the initial batch and with subsequent letters," he said. "We started to suspect that we weren't getting a complete availability of letters." After his firm conducted an analysis of comment letters for this article, Mr. Zacarias said the study "confirmed what we suspected."
Many letters that appear on the S.E.C. Web site relate to small, obscure companies of little interest to investors. Among the letters written in 2005, for example, about 20 percent went to companies whose shares either trade on the OTC Bulletin Board or no longer trade in any organized market. Of the roughly 470 companies whose communications with the S.E.C. were posted on its Web site from April 2005 to April 2006, 46 percent have market values of less than $100 million. Only 20 percent have market values over $1 billion.
John W. White, director of the S.E.C.'s division of corporation finance, said: "A few years ago in response to a deluge of F.O.I.A. requests for S.E.C. review and correspondence from several commercial providers that planned to resell the information, we adopted a plan to instead publicly post that information on Edgar so that it would be readily available to all investors free of charge. We have now resolved the technical hurdles of posting the information on Edgar, and we have committed our resources to getting correspondence arising since August 2004 posted as soon as possible so that it will be readily available to all investors free of charge. We expect a significant number of new postings in the coming months."
Mr. Gavin first saw the value of S.E.C. documents when he was an analyst at American Express in the late 1990's. In 1999, Arthur Levitt, then the S.E.C. chairman, announced that the agency was sending letters to 150 companies that it suspected were using aggressive accounting practices. That led to Mr. Gavin's first Freedom of Information Act request, for the names of the 150 companies. The agency denied it.
Mr. Gavin then requested information about Network Associates, a technology company whose shares American Express owned on behalf of its clients. The request generated a 12-page comment letter from the previous year. "The letter was comprehensive," he said. "It challenged them on dates when they reclassified things, challenged them on an acquisition, questioned them about restructuring costs."
Days later, Network Associates warned that it would miss its earnings forecast. "I said, 'Hey, we can get this cool stuff from the S.E.C.,' " Mr. Gavin recalled. "We started doing it inside Amex and I left about a year later and started SEC Insight."
The firm's success was anything but immediate. By July 2001, a year after it opened shop, SEC Insight had only one customer. Then Mr. Gavin made a few good calls, including one about a company named Enron and its chief executive, Kenneth L. Lay. A report from SEC Insight dated Oct 23, 2001, a month before Enron collapsed, began: "We believe Enron's S.E.C. troubles are far less welcome and potentially far more serious than Ken Lay and the company lets on."
Mr. Gavin's clients consist of mutual funds and hedge funds. He charges upward of $50,000 a year for his service and keeps a "focus list" of companies that reflects the information he receives from his requests.
Two types of companies are on the list. The first, which the firm calls "troubled," are those where it has found signs of "compelling S.E.C. or other investigative activity" that may not have been disclosed to investors. Less problematic are those companies that SEC Insight advises investors to "monitor," because of possible regulatory risk.
SEC Insight put The New York Times Company on its "monitor" list in April after the S.E.C. partially blocked the firm's request late last year for information about the company. Mr. Gavin speculated that the response could relate to the S.E.C.'s examination of newspaper industry circulation practices that began in 2004. Mr. Gavin currently tracks 32 "troubled" companies as well as 160 on his "monitor" list, which also includes the Tribune Company, Dow Jones & Company and the Gannett Corporation.
Spokeswomen for The New York Times Company and Gannett said that the companies had given the S.E.C. all the information it requested two years ago and had since heard nothing from the agency. A spokesman for the Tribune Company said that it did not comment on speculation. Dow Jones did not return a call seeking comment.
Mr. Gavin said he first encountered problems with the S.E.C. in 2002. The agency, he said, gradually stopped providing information on company investigations, refusing even to state that an inquiry prevented it from responding. So Mr. Gavin sued the commission in 2004. As a result, he said, the S.E.C. started providing investigation letters again but stopped turning over comment letters, which the agency had been freely issuing before the suit.
Rachel Rosen, a lawyer at Cundy & Paul in Bloomington, Minn., who represents Mr. Gavin, described the S.E.C.'s actions as counterproductive. "By not releasing this information they are asserting that it is going to interfere with their investigations," she said, "but we think their actions are going to do more harm for investors than good." | 2019-04-22T04:44:59Z | https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/business/yourmoney/28gavin.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin |
Continuous exposure to noise can lead to premature hearing loss, reduced cognitive performance, insomnia, stress, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Road noise affects the health of >125 million people in the European Union and Member States are required to map major noise hotspots. These strategic noise maps are usually derived from traffic counts and propagation models because large- scale measurement of the acoustic environment using conventional methods is infeasible. In this study, the authors surveyed the entire city of Southampton, UK using a mobile survey technique, capturing spatial variations in street-level sound characteristics across multiple frequencies from all sound sources. Over 52,000 calibrated and georeferenced sound clips covering 11 Hz to 22.7 kHz are analysed here to investigate variations in sound frequency composition across urban space and then applied to two issues: the definition of naturalness in the acoustic environment; and perceptions of social inequity in sound exposure. Clusters of acoustic characteristics were identified and mapped using spectral clustering and principal components analysis based on octave bands, ecoacoustic indices and dBA. We found independent patterns in low, mid and high frequencies, and the ecoacoustic indices that related to land use. Ecoacoustic indices partially mapped onto greenspace, identifying naturalness, but not uniquely, probably because urban anthropogenic sounds occur at higher frequencies than in the natural areas where such indices were developed. There was some evidence of inequity in sound exposure according to social deprivation and ethnicity, and results differed according to frequency bands. The consequences of these findings and the benefits of city-wide sound surveys for urban planning are discussed.
Noise pollution is a serious environmental stressor affecting human health, second only to ultra-fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in its impact (WHO 2011). Noise may be defined as unwanted and unwelcome sound which causes nuisance and irritability, or more simply as sound out of place (Murphy and King 2014, Beutel et al. 2016, DEFRA 2016). About 75% of Europe’s population lives in urban areas and with increasing urbanisation, population density and associated daily human activity, urban environments are becoming noisier and complaints against environmental noise are increasing (EEA, 2014a). Approximately 20% of the European population is exposed to unacceptable noise levels (WHO 2011, EEA 2014a). Road traffic is the main cause of noise pollution in urban settings (Sørensen et al. 2012, EEA 2014a, Brown 2015, Margaritis and Kang 2017) followed by rail and air traffic and industry (EEA 2014a). Beyond Europe the situation may be even worse since in those countries noise pollution is not always considered an environmental problem (Murphy and King 2014).
Although people are generally quite resilient to noise exposure, the level of adaptation (which is never totally complete) differs substantially from individual to individual (Sørensen et al. 2012). Long term exposure can lead to annoyance, stress, sleep disturbance and daytime sleepiness, affect cognitive performance in schoolchildren, and the performance of staff and patient outcomes in hospitals (Ramirez et al. 2004, EEA 2014b, Kraus et al. 2015, Leighton 2016). Apart from causing hearing loss and tinnitus, exposure to noise is also linked to the occurrence of hypertension and an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, ischemia and other cardiovascular diseases (Beutel et al. 2016, Fecht et al. 2016, Wang et al. 2016).
Noise pollution is characteristically a spatial and temporal phenomenon, largely shaped by urban form and land-use. Considering the elements of urban form in the assessment of urban noise is undoubtedly important for understanding exposure to noise at the street scale (McAlexander et al. 2015, Hong and Jeon 2017). It is widely accepted that the mapping and modelling of noise and sound across space is crucial for visualising and quantifying potential impacts in urban environments (Tang and Wang 2007, EEA 2014a, Murphy and King 2014, Torija et al. 2014). Yet, despite all the evidence and the ability to measure it precisely, the amount of averaged energy or peak levels of noise pollution that people are exposed to in cities has been neglected (Basner et al. 2014). Even less is known about the spatial pattern of the various sound frequency bands that make up the acoustic environment in urban areas. Indeed, very few large-scale surveys have been carried out to capture urban sounds and noise from all sources at street level in a spatially-explicit manner, most noise maps being based on traffic data and sound propagation modelling (Can et al. 2014). Assessing the acoustic environment of an entire city is important because the city is often the management and governance unit within which planning decisions are made. If planners knew the entire landscape they were managing, more informed decisions could be made. However, traditional large-scale acoustic surveys and soundscape assessments are complex, expensive and time-consuming to mount (Kogan et al. 2017, Votsi et al. 2017). Most involve measurement at a small scale (Maria Aiello et al. 2016) at either fixed locations or at stops along soundwalks (Jeon et al. 2013) where sound (or noise levels) and peoples’ reactions are recorded for at least five minutes per location (Hong and Jeon 2017, Kogan et al. 2017). In this paper, the authors present a different approach, using mobile acoustic surveys (Can et al. 2014) made by walking observers. Using this rapid survey approach, we were able to record ~52,000 sound clips across an entire city (~52 km2) and report here the findings from a data mining analysis of the spatial patterning in sound pressure levels according to frequency bands and band combinations. To illustrate the value of a city-wide sound survey, we consider two applications: one related to biodiversity conservation and human well-being; and the second to studies of environmental social equity.
Concern about the negative health and well-being consequences of noise has led many authors to ask where its impacts are least felt (Votsi et al. 2017), and this is especially relevant to urban greenspace (Taylor and Hochuli 2017) as a key provider of ecosystem services (Haase et al. 2014, Andersson-Sköld et al. 2018). There is also growing recognition that acoustic environments that are good for humans may also benefit urban biodiversity (Francis et al. 2017, Hedblom et al. 2017). The linking concept is “naturalness”, recognised as a desirable but elusive property in biodiversity conservation since the 1970s (Anderson 1991) and now applied in studies of well-being (Knez et al. 2018). Methods to characterize naturalness in the acoustic environment have come from soundscape ecology (Pijanowski et al. 2011, Sueur et al. 2014) although they have been developed mainly for natural areas (Fairbrass et al. 2017). Frequency bands have been divided into the characteristic sounds of the biotic world, human sources and the physical environment, known as biophony, anthropophony and geophony respectively (Joo et al. 2011, Sueur et al. 2014, Eldridge et al. 2016, Hong and Jeon 2017). There remains doubt, however, whether this classification is fully applicable to urban areas because of the potentially different spectral composition present (Devos 2016, Fairbrass et al. 2017). If ecoacoustic indices could be applied in urban areas, they could offer a useful way to characterize the spatial pattern in naturalness within cities (but also see Kogan et al. 2018).
One of the potential consequences arising from spatial pattern in the acoustic environment is social inequity in exposure (Havard et al. 2011, EEA 2014a, Casey et al. 2017, Leijssen et al. 2019). This applies not only to noise but also differential exposure to the various frequency components. There is often a general presumption that socially disadvantaged groups are more exposed to environmental stressors including noise (Mueller et al. 2018, von Szombathely et al. 2018) although this view has not been supported in some studies (Havard et al. 2011, Leijssen et al. 2019). Again, such questions are challenging to address at the whole-city scale and most studies have focused only on road traffic noise (Tonne et al. 2018) rather than sounds from all sources at street level. Using the data gathered from our rapid survey approach, we consider whether perceptions of inequity depend on the sound frequency bands being studied and not only the usual A-weighted noise levels (dBA).
How does sound frequency composition differ across urban space?
How useful are ecoacoustic indices at characterising naturalness across the city?
Do perceptions of social inequity to sound exposure differ according to the frequency bands considered?
Sound data were collected in the city of Southampton on the south coast of the UK and covered the whole area (51.8 km2) within the administrative boundaries of the City Council. Much of Southampton lies on a peninsula formed by the Itchen and Test rivers which funnel traffic towards the city centre and the busy freight and passenger terminals at the port. The city’s traffic congestion causes air pollution and noise problems yet is contrasted by many quieter areas of greenspace amounting to c.11.0 km2. This varied urban form might be expected to lead to a similarly varied acoustic environment.
Using a spatially-stratified sampling scheme based on land characteristics (see details below), continuous sound recordings were made by walking surveyors within the period 14 July to 25 August 2016 during the morning rush hour (7:00–9:00), afternoon (13:00–15:00) and evening rush hour (16:30–18:30). It was not practicable to define precisely the routes taken by surveyors due to road closures, traffic and other constraints beyond our control. Instead, start and finish points were defined and surveyors were asked to walk through as many land cover types as possible along their route. The data for all time periods have been merged for the analyses in this paper and temporal differences are not considered further.
Recordings were made using Fostex FR–2LE and TASCAM DR–40 recorders, with PCB sensor signal conditioners and microphones. Equipment was carried inside rucksacks, with the microphone mounted above the shoulders at a height of 1.65–1.70 m from the ground. To minimise impact on recordings, surveyors wore soft-soled shoes, soft clothes, no jangling accessories such as necklaces, and walked at a constant pace. Surveys were not carried out during windy and rainy days, although variations in wind during surveys were inevitable. The location of the walking observer was logged every ten seconds as a track using a Garmin Oregon 400t GPS unit.
The recording sampling rate used was 96 kHz to ensure coverage of the ultrasonic range, theoretically to 48 kHz but limited to 22.7 kHz here due to microphone sensitivity. Microphones were calibrated using a Brüel & Kær sound level calibrator type 4230 emitting 94 dB at 1000 Hz, at the beginning or end of survey days. Both low and high frequency components showed some difference between equipment sets and therefore an empirical calibration was additionally used with corrections of around 1 dB below 44 Hz and 2 dB above 5.7 kHz. Sound clips were saved as uncompressed wav files. Custom-written routines in Matlab used Fast Fourier Transforms to calculate the sound pressure levels (SPL) in octave bands (Table 1) for non-overlapping 10-second clips from each sound recording, centred on the timestamp of each stored GPS coordinate. SPLs were then used to calculate dBA (A-weighted decibel levels) through the logarithmic addition of the factors in Table 1.
Octave bands used for analysing the frequency composition of city sound clips and conversion factors for A-weighting (dBA).
Many ecoacoustic indices have been proposed (Joo et al. 2011, Sueur et al. 2014, Eldridge et al. 2016, Villanueva-Rivera and Pijanowski 2016) based on weighted combinations of SPL in frequency bands. However, most use narrow bands of 1 kHz in contrast to the octaves used here. Biophony is often defined as sounds between 2 and 8 kHz, and anthropophony as sounds between 1 kHz to 2 kHz (e.g. Gage & Napoletano, 2001). The nearest equivalent for biophony calculated from octaves would be bands 9 and 10 (i.e. 2.8 to 11.4 kHz) and anthropophony bands 7 and 8 (710 Hz to 2.8 kHz). In calculating approximations to ecoacoustic indices based on octave bands, here they have been re-named using the word “octave” to avoid confusion. Specifically, a Normalized Difference Octave Index (NDOI) was calculated as: NDOI = ([B9 + B10]–[B7 + B8])/(B7 + B8 + B9 + B10), where Bx refers to band x in Table 1. An Octave Diversity Index (ODI) was calculated using the Shannon-Weiner function as: ODI30 = –∑px ln px, where px is the proportion of energy in band x, included only if its SPL was >30 dB. (The 30dB cut-off was simply used to focus the index on higher SPLs). For both indices, the calculations were made on linear measures of power, e.g. an SPL of 50 dB was first converted using 10(50/10) before manipulation. These measures are not equivalents of the usual ecoacoustic indices but have some of the same characteristics.
Two approaches were used to detect patterns in the sound pressure levels among octaves within the sound clips. First, treating the dB levels in the 11 octave bands as variables, a variant of spectral clustering was used to identify natural groupings of the sound clips while making minimal assumptions about the data. Spectral clustering is a non-parametric eigenvector approach based on graph theory that is unaffected by outliers, noise in the data or the shape of clusters, and which often outperforms traditional clustering methods (Von Luxburg 2007, Hastie et al. 2009). It becomes computationally unfeasible, however, when the sample size and number of variables are large. To overcome this, we used the novel implementation in the R package SamSPECTRAL (Zare et al. 2010, Zare and Shooshtari 2015) which combines a faithful sub-sampling scheme with spectral clustering through a modification of the similarity matrix based on potential theory. Furthermore, it integrates an objective, data-driven method to identify the optimum number of clusters in contrast with techniques such as K-Means clustering or Kohonen’s self-organising maps that require the user to predefine the number of clusters to extract. In SamSPECTRAL this is achieved through two tuning parameters which determine the resolution in the initial spectral clustering stage, and then the extent to which the identified clusters are finally combined (Zare and Shooshtari 2015). After randomizing the order of sound clips to remove dependencies, the tuning parameters were defined on a random sample of 5000 clips for efficiency, and then used for clustering the entire data set of 52,366 sound clips based on the 11 octave variables. The result in our case is an objective definition of how many different patterns of SPL exist across the octave bands within the city.
In the second approach, standardized principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to identify linear combinations of the dB levels in the 11 octave bands that best summarised the variance across all sound clips. A varimax-rotated solution was chosen to provide good separation of octaves among principal components (PCs), and all PCs with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 were extracted. A second PCA was also run including the 11 octave bands plus dBA, NDOI and ODI30 since, according to Devos (2016), ecoacoustic indices are naturally co-linear with each other and other acoustic information. The aim here was to reduce the octave bands and ecoacoustic indices to fewer, zero correlated factors to ease interpretation and to facilitate mapping.
The PCs and sound frequency components were mapped in ArcGIS 10.4 and interpolated to 30 m resolution using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) with a power of 2 and fixed radius of 200 m. A resolution of 30 m is appropriate because the sound clips were gathered during 10 seconds of walking, positioned using GPS with 5–10 m error, making the longest axis of the sampled space around the recorder about 20–30 m in length. Each sound clip was assigned membership to a cluster identified by spectral clustering and a majority rule used to map the modal cluster per 30 m pixel.
To interpret the maps in terms of land use and land cover (especially relevant to the consideration of naturalness), we overlaid the sound data on OS MasterMap 1:1250 scale topographic vector data (downloaded 10 Mar 2015 from the EDINA Digimap Ordnance Survey Service http://digimap.edina.ac.uk). The vector data were rasterized to 1 m resolution and then aggregated to 30 m resolution, resulting in a % land cover classification based on 900 sample pixels. Only the % of vegetated cover is used here as a generalized gradient of urbanisation. In addition, we used the OS MasterMap Greenspace product (Ordnance Survey 2007) to identity polygons of greenspace within the city. To focus on vegetated areas, we removed the polygons whose primary function was classified as ‘Land Use Changing’ or ‘Private Garden’, and areas where the primary form was listed as ‘Beach Or Foreshore’, ‘Inland Water’ or ‘Multi Surface’.
To derive evidence on whether certain sections of society live in areas with less favourable acoustic conditions (European Commission 2016, Casey et al. 2017), we examined the relationship between sound characteristics and ethnicity or social deprivation for the 766 Output Areas (OAs) in Southampton. Output Areas are the UK’s base geographic unit for census data, comprising spatial clusters of a minimum of 40 resident households and 100 resident people, designed to have similar population sizes and to be as socially homogenous as possible. For the analyses here, ethnicity was collapsed into a single metric “% self-declared white” and deprivation into “% with no deprivation”, based on the 2011 Census returns (data available at https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/). Spatial multiple regression models (predicting three different sound characteristics from ethnicity and deprivation) were created using the R package spdep (Bivand and Piras 2015), spatial weights being defined using queen contiguity and spatial dependency calculated using Moran’s I and Lagrange Multiplier tests. The choice between spatial lag and spatial error models was based on the decision rules of Anselin (2005). Specifically, we first compared the probabilities associated with the Lagrange Multiplier tests for spatial lag and spatial error terms. Where these were both significant, we chose the spatial model based on the smaller of the probabilities when Robust Lagrange Multiplier tests were applied instead. In the one case where a spatial lag model was selected over a spatial error model (see Results), we ran both models (not shown here) and found no material difference in their interpretation, meaning the outcome was robust to the model used.
A workflow for the entire analysis is given in Figure 1.
Data analysis workflow. Input data are shown in blue boxes and outputs (with corresponding Table and Figure numbers) are given in pink boxes. Calculation stages are shown in parallelograms.
With the settings used (see Methods), spectral clustering classified 52,341 of the 52,366 sound clips into five natural groupings, the remaining 25 sound clips being unresolved. Of the classified clips, 45.7% fell into the first cluster, 35.7% into the second and 18.5% into the third, the remaining two clusters making up less than 0.1% of clips. The mean frequency profiles of the 99.9% of clips comprising clusters 1, 2 and 3 showed a gradual decline in SPL across the octaves (Figure 2), all profiles showing a slight peak in band 7 (710 to 1420 Hz). Clusters 4 and 5 were very different, showing a wide peak in octaves 7, 8 and 9 for cluster 5, and a pronounced single peak in octave 10 for cluster 4 (Figure 2). The elevations of the lines in Figure 2 show strong differences in the overall SPLs between clusters and this was also evident for dBA for the three dominant clusters (Figure 3). With the sample size being so large, p-values are unreliable indicators of differences between groups, but 95% confidence intervals for the means of dBA, ODI30 and NDOI did not overlap for clusters 1, 2 and 3. Effect sizes (eta squared) were 77.2%, 4.7% and 1.6% respectively for dBA, ODI30 and NDOI, meaning that despite the differences in spectral composition, the dominant feature differing among sound clips was loudness.
Mean frequency response profiles for the five clusters recognised by spectral clustering. The light blue, grey and orange profiles made up 99.9% of sound clips.
Frequency distribution of SPL (dBA) by spectral cluster. The means were 68.0, 49.7 and 58.8 dBA respectively for clusters 1, 2 and 3 (n = 52,296).
Principal components analysis extracted three rotated PCs from the 11 octave bands accounting for 48.8%, 31.3% and 14.2% of the variance respectively (Table 2). PC1 was dominated by mid-range frequencies from 177 to 11360 Hz, whereas PC2 featured frequencies below 117 Hz and PC3 high frequencies from 5.7 to 22.7 kHz. Note that PC1 included all the frequency range defined as characterising either biophony or anthropophony, without distinguishing them.
Rotated component matrix for the PCA on the 11 octave bands using varimax rotation with Kaiser Normalization. Highest weightings are emphasised in bold.
When the PCA was repeated including the ecoacoustic indices, PC1 was dominated by SPL in the frequencies from 117 Hz into the ultrasonic region, and overall SPL (dBA). PC2 again focused on lower frequencies whereas PC3 captured NDOI and PC4 the ODI30 (Table 3). As PCs are orthogonal, this is confirmation that NDOI and ODI30 represent characteristics not captured by the octave bands or each other, although together they accounted for only 17.5% of variance.
Component matrix for the PCA on the 11 octave bands, dBA and two ecoacoustic indices using varimax rotation with Kaiser Normalization. Highest weightings are emphasised in bold.
PC1 in Table 3, which represented all octave bands 5 to 11 and overall dBA, showed strong spatial patterning in the city and was, in fact, indistinguishable from an interpolated map of dBA alone (Figure 4). Although some quiet areas corresponded to greenspace (e.g. the Common outlined in panel b of Figure 4), others were simply suburban neighbourhoods and areas with less traffic. The main road network is obvious as the primary source of broad-spectrum urban noise in the city.
Almost identical spatial pattern in PC1 from Table 3(panel a) and dBA (panel b). The Common lies within the dashed polygon in panel b.
High octave diversity (as represented by PC4 in Table 3) visually correlated with the occurrence of trees in the city (red areas in Figure 5). This was especially obvious on the Common (marked on Figure 4). Whether the source of more diverse sounds is the trees themselves (e.g. the rustling of leaves) or associated birdlife is not known. However, this relationship was not universal and other parts of the city without trees also had high octave diversity. As the ODI30 index only included bands with an SPL >30 dB, these areas might simply be noisier across a wide spectrum of frequencies, but further research is clearly needed.
Spatial pattern in PC4 in Table 3 which mostly correlates with acoustic diversity above 30 dB (ODI30). Red colours show greater diversity in sound frequencies.
NDOI (PC3: Table 3 and representing the contrast between biophony and anthropophony) also showed strong spatial patterning although its interpretation was not always clear (Figure 6). By overlaying areas defined as greenspace in the city, it is apparent that not all greenspace has acoustic characteristics that might be regarded as natural (Figure 6b) and, equally, not all acoustically natural areas were greenspace (Figure 6a). This might partly be explained by the presence of major roads which are clearly highlighted by cluster 1 from the spectral clustering (also plotted on Figure 6) as the major source of noise in the city with a mean SPL of 68 dB and high frequency components.
Spatial pattern in PC3 from Table 3 (cf. NDOI) that lies outside areas defined as greenspace (panel a) and within greenspace (panel b). Cluster 1 from Figure 3 is overlaid as black pixels and shows a close match to the main road network.
Figures 7 and 8 focus on opposite ends of the sound spectrum. The hotspot map in Figure 7 shows areas with the highest SPL in frequencies from 5.6 kHz into the ultrasonic range. The pattern is difficult to explain but some city locations with high SPL appear to coincide with industrial and commercial premises while others might be transient sounds from road vehicles (e.g. motorbikes). The map of low frequency sound (11 to 88 Hz) in Figure 8 includes noise below the level of normal human hearing. The concentration of high SPL in the south-west might be related to port activity such as heavy goods vehicles and loading cranes, but sounds at this frequency are the ones most affected by wind noise and need careful attribution to source. Other locations with high SPL at low frequencies appear to be redevelopment sites undergoing building work.
Hotspot map of high sound frequencies concentrated at 5.7–22.7 kHz (PC3 in Table 2). Red colours show higher SPL.
Hotspot map of low sound frequencies concentrated below 88 Hz (PC2 in Table 2). Red colours show higher SPL.
When the fraction of vegetated land cover was binned into 20% quantiles and the mean SPL extracted for each octave band, there was a tendency for band means to decline with vegetated cover (Figure 9). The separated components for biophony (bands 9 and 10), anthropophony (bands 7 and 8) and dBA generally declined with vegetated cover over 60%, although there was little difference in the NDOI or ODI30 as vegetated cover increased suggesting that the greenest pixels tended to be quieter rather than possessing different frequency characteristics (Figure 10).
Mean SPL profiles across 11 octave bands for sound clips grouped according to vegetated cover within the 30 m pixel where the recording was made.
Sound characteristics grouped by percentage of vegetated cover within the 30 m pixel where the recording was made.
If sound characteristics are analysed only against the land cover in the immediate 30 m pixel, sound sources beyond the pixel are ignored, for example, an adjacent road. By relating the sound characteristics to clusters of pixels (Table 4), it is possible to account for the composition of neighbouring pixels too. Here there was a slight tendency for the percentage of vegetated cover to differ according to sound clip clusters both within the 30 m pixel where the recording was taken and in windows of 3 × 3, 5 × 5 or 7 × 7 pixels i.e. up to a distance of 195 m away (Table 4). Cluster 2 showed a slightly elevated percentage of vegetated cover at all patch sizes and cluster 5 was especially distinct although based on the smallest sample size. These results suggest there is some relationship between the sound characteristics identified by the clusters and vegetated land cover at the landscape scale. This further supports the visual interpretations of the maps (Figures 5 and 6) given earlier.
Percentage of vegetated land cover within pixel groupings associated with the sound clip clusters derived from spectral clustering. Values are mean % ± the standard deviation followed by the sample size of sound clips (slight differences between columns due to missing pixels in the land cover data).
The different spatial patterns in Figures 4, 7 and 8 (dBA, high frequencies and low frequencies respectively) suggest the possibility of different levels of sound exposure by residents across the city. If, in addition, those residents are spatially clustered according to socio-economic metrics, there may be different patterns to inequity of exposure depending on which sound frequency bands are used. To assess this, we applied multiple ordinary least squares (OLS) and spatial regression models to predict their mean values according to census Output Areas (OAs), using the percentage of self-declared white residents and percentage of residents showing no deprivation as the predictor variables (Table 5).
Evidence of social inequity in noise exposure as assessed by Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Spatial Lag or Spatial Error models. AIC = Akaike’s Information Criterion. ns = not significant, * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001. –ve or +ve indicate the sign of the regression coefficient. (For technical details of the tests applied see Anselin, 2005; Bivand & Piras, 2015).
For the three sound frequency groupings, Moran’s I showed highly significant spatial autocorrelation among Output Areas and highly significant spatial lag coefficients in the regression models (see rows 6, 12 and 15 in Table 5). This indicates strong bias if OLS is used to analyse these data instead of the spatial models. For example, the apparent highly significant difference in dBA and low frequencies according to the percentage of self-declared white residents disappeared to non-significance when spatial dependency was adequately modelled. Despite this, dBA and sound pressure levels at low frequencies differed significantly according to the percentage of the population showing no deprivation. As the regression signs were negative, this indicates decreasing SPLs and less noisy environments as the percentage of the population showing no indicators of deprivation increased. The sound pressure levels at high frequencies also differed significantly (p < 0.05) according to the percentage of self-declared white residents, again with a negative sign indicating lower SPLs as the percent of white residents increased. Some caution is needed in interpreting these results as the effect sizes were small and errors showed some signs of heteroskedasticity. Also, although the multicollinearity condition number (Table 5, row 7) was below the critical threshold of 30 (Dormann et al. 2013), a closer look at social deprivation and ethnicity as independent predictors may be warranted. The crucial point here though is evidence of different spatial patterns in perceptions of inequity according to which sound frequency band groupings are used.
In this paper, the authors mapped the acoustic environment of an entire city using a rapid field survey technique as opposed to the more usual traffic count and propagation modelling or spot measurement approaches. By recording sound on the move rather than at static recording stations, it was possible to gather over 52,000 georeferenced sound clips of 10 seconds duration each within a six-week survey period. Based on an average walking speed of 1.4 ms–1, the surveyors covered 733 km and produced 145 hours of sound recordings. These figures may help future researchers to decide whether a similarly extensive survey is appropriate in their setting. Short duration sound recordings show greater between-clip variation than longer recordings, and some form of spatial averaging (such as the Inverse Distance Weighted interpolations used here) is necessary to smooth out chance events (Can et al. 2014). More work is needed on the equivalence of mobile and static surveys (Guillaume et al. 2019) but we believe that our approach was successful in addressing the need for better information on the measured levels of sound energy citizens are exposed to from all sources at the whole city scale (Basner et al. 2014). Furthermore, extensive surveys can go some way to overcoming the limitations highlighted by Fairbrass et al. (2017) that arise when studying only a few land cover types. The outputs produced in this paper are largely consistent with expectation (e.g. dBA tracking the main road network – Figure 4) but with additional information across a wide frequency range. An important refinement for the future would be to include the temporal component of the acoustic environment (Hong and Jeon 2017), omitted in this paper for brevity.
No attempt was made here to consider the human perception of sounds in the city. Our survey therefore focused on the acoustic environment, defined in ISO 12913-1:2014 as the “sound at the receiver from all sound sources as modified by the environment”. In contrast, the term “soundscape” (formerly used in a general sense to indicate the combination of sounds in a landscape) is now reserved for the “acoustic environment as perceived or experienced and/or understood by a person or people, in context” (see ISO 12913-1:2014 and Hong and Jeon 2017). There is thus a distinction between studies that focus on perception (a psycho-acoustic problem) and those that consider exposure to levels of sound which may or may not be perceived. For example, there are potential health impacts from ultrasound which lies beyond the range of human hearing and therefore cannot be perceived by the individual being exposed (Leighton 2016). Human acoustic perception is also irrelevant in biodiversity studies.
By undertaking an empirical study of an entire city rather than at selected study sites, it was possible to address a number of research questions at the scale relevant to urban planners. To address our first research question (whether sound frequency composition differs across urban space), two approaches were used to identify groupings in the sound pressure levels among octave bands within the sound clips. In the first, spectral clustering was applied to find natural groupings in the data, implemented using the R code SamSPECTRAL (Zare et al. 2010, Zare and Shooshtari 2015). This code was developed for large flow cytometry data sets and we know of no other application to sound data. Despite the need to set a scaling parameter and separation factor, we found the number of clusters defined after the initial separation and then final combining stages was always low. SamSPECTRAL is good at separating rare and overlapping clusters (Zare et al. 2010), which are often challenging for other algorithms, and we therefore accept that only a few distinctive clusters exist in the city. In fact, at observer level, Southampton is dominated by broad-spectrum noise that naturally clusters 99.9% of locations into just three groups with mean levels at 50, 59 and 68 dBA (Figure 3). As these are averaged levels along the routes our surveyors walked, some routes taken by pedestrians are likely to include far higher noise levels that could potentially impact on human health. The cluster of locations with the loudest sounds were characterised by a broader shoulder at frequencies below 88 Hz and the largest difference in sound pressure levels between clusters occurred at around 710 to 1420 Hz, within our definition of anthropophony. This, plus the fact that the commonest cluster mapped neatly onto the main road network (Figure 6), leaves little doubt that road traffic is the principal source of noise in the city and, in our experience, there are few places where the sound of traffic is not audible. Further work is encouraged using spectral clustering on sound data, for example, examining how choice of similarity graph and associated metrics affect the outcome (Hastie et al. 2009).
As an alternative to spectral clustering, the simpler (but less robust) principal components analysis was also applied to the sound data as an unsupervised classifier (Hastie et al. 2009). Two key findings emerged: (i) that when octave bands were used alone, the first three principal axes extracted corresponded to mid, low and high frequencies; and (ii) when ecoacoustic indices and dBA were also included, these fell onto their own principal components. By definition, these findings indicate weak correlation between the SPLs in the low, mid and high frequency ranges that translate into different spatial patterns in sound frequency components. The PCAs also indicate that the ecoacoustic indices contain information that is unique between them and in comparison with octave band combinations such as dBA. This somewhat counters the view that ecoacoustic indices are colinear with each other and other acoustic metrics (Devos 2016). Thus despite the overwhelming nature of noise in the city, principal components analysis was able to recognise distinctive contributions (totalling ~17% variance) from the ecoacoustic indices used here. This suggests that some signal of the natural acoustic environment might be detected although in combination with anthropogenic sounds its influence in terms of SPL is weak (Devos 2016).
In examining our second research question, whether ecoacoustic indices are useful for characterising naturalness across the city, we found some (but not a unique) correspondence between the principal component summarizing NDOI and greenspace across the city (Figure 6). Furthermore, analysis showed some tendency for noise to decrease when vegetation cover was over 60% although this could be an artefact of those areas having fewer roads rather than an attenuating effect of vegetation. In reality, many areas of greenspace are affected by adjacent road traffic noise and there are few places where it is quiet enough to appreciate the sounds of nature (biophony: Joo et al. 2011, Pijanowski et al. 2011). This should not be seen as a failure of NDOI to recognise naturalness, but rather that other factors are involved. Possibly of more concern was the finding that NDOI was capable of suggesting naturalness where there was no greenspace. Although most anthropogenic sounds occur at low frequencies (Joo et al. 2011), even the upper frequencies more characteristic of biophony appeared to be dominated by human-generated sounds in Southampton’s urban environment. Thus NDOI (an index of biophony and anthropophony) showed limited value as a measure of naturalness when used in isolation. A similar conclusion was reached by Fairbrass et al. (2017) who found London’s urban environment to be dominated by a wider frequency range of anthropogenic sounds than occur in the more natural habitats where ecoacoustic indices were developed. One limitation of the data analysed here is that surveys took place only in the summer months when the breeding season of birds is over and they are less inclined to sing; this may have weakened the prominence of biophony in the recordings. A further complicating factor is the lack of a single definition of greenspace (Taylor and Hochuli 2017) and this is especially problematic in cities. We used as our starting point the OS MasterMap Greenspace product (Ordnance Survey 2007) but removed private gardens (and a few other features – see Methods) because gardens are mixed surfaces of unmapped composition which dominate the city. While some definitions of greenspace include private gardens, others consider only publicly-accessible land (Taylor and Hochuli 2017). However, in terms of the acoustic environment and indeed for biodiversity, gardens may actually function as “natural” habitats and could explain some of the anomalies in Figure 6a. More work is clearly needed on the role of private gardens in the urban acoustic environment.
These findings have implications for Southampton City Council’s Green Space Strategy which has the admirable aims of enhancing economic value, social inclusivity and cohesion, health and wellbeing, and biodiversity (SCC 2008a, 2008b). Neither document mentions the impact of noise or sound on greenspace and our data suggest that many green urban areas may simply be too narrow to preserve a natural acoustic environment. If the city were to devote space to soundscape design for the public good (Brown and Grimwood 2016) and for biodiversity, one obvious large location would be the Common (Figure 4) which already has protected status as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. (Opportunities for creating new greenspace are almost non-existent). However, the heavy traffic that travels north-south along the Avenue bisects the Common, lessening the chance for the development of a natural acoustic environment (see the dominance of noise in Figure 4b). The incursion of some noise into greenspace, however, may not lessen its benefits to human well-being (in contrast to biodiversity) since the perceived benefits of vegetation in noise reduction far outweigh the actual attenuation achieved (Van Renterghem 2018). Very little appears to be known about the difference between exposure to the acoustic environment and its perception in non-human species. The fact that wild species occupy noisy urban areas in which sounds interfere with their ability to breed (Warren et al. 2006, Halfwerk et al. 2011) might suggest that species perceive a site as suitable breeding habitat when it is not, an example of an “ecological trap” (e.g. Hale & Swearer, 2016).
Our third research question asked whether perceptions of social inequity to sound exposure differed according to the frequency bands considered. We found that residents living in different parts of the city partitioned by census Output Area were exposed to unequal levels of noise and from different frequency components. The strongest effect (but still relatively weak) was that those living with social deprivation were exposed to noisier environments at low frequencies. The difference was less significant for dBA and not significant (at p < 0.05) for high frequencies. There was also a very slight tendency for exposure to noise to be lower in areas with a higher percentage of white residents but only at high frequencies (once adjustment had been made for spatial autocorrelation). Other European studies have found similar inequity in noise exposure in London (Tonne et al. 2018), Hamburg (von Szombathely et al. 2018) and Bradford (Mueller et al. 2018), but not in Paris (Havard et al. 2011) or Amsterdam (Leijssen et al. 2019). However, none of these studies considered differences in exposure according to frequency band because measurement data were lacking. Given the relationship between the characteristics of the acoustic environment and urban land use, our findings for Southampton are possibly a consequence of the unequal access to greenspace experienced by different societal groupings, an effect previously noted for Leicester (Comber et al. 2008). The variation in people’s responses to sounds (Sørensen et al. 2012) makes it difficult to generalise about what the consequences of differential exposure to sound frequency components might be and also what might be regarded as a bad or a pleasant soundscape. This is something that might itself vary with experience and ethnicity (Moscoso et al. 2018). However, having acoustic data across an entire city makes it possible to consider the impacts of alternative locations for developments on issues of equity within the planning process (Comber et al. 2008), an important step towards sustainable urban development.
Surveys were conducted by TAS, PEO, Jerome Kreule, Dominika Murienova and Rodrigo Batistela, funded by the Excel and University of Southampton Placement Schemes. This work is part of the activities of the Energy and Climate Change Division and the Sustainable Energy Research Group at the University of Southampton (www.energy.soton.ac.uk). It is also supported by EPSRC under grants: EP/J017698/1, Transforming the Engineering of Cities to Deliver Societal and Planetary Wellbeing, EP/N010779/1, City-Wide Analysis to Propel Cities towards Resource Efficiency and Better Wellbeing and EP/K012347/1, International Centre for Infrastructure Futures (ICIF).
This study was conceived and designed by TAS, PEO and PW. Fieldwork was organised and led by TAS. PW wrote the Matlab routines and TAS and PEO undertook the data analyses. TAS generated the maps in ArcGIS and all authors contributed to writing the manuscript.
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WHO. 2011. Burden of Disease from Environmental Noise: Quantification of Healthy Life Years Lost in Europe [online]. World Health Organization – Regional Office for Europe. Copenhagen. Available from: http://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/publications/e94888/en/.
Zare, H and Shooshtari, P. 2015. Package ‘SamSPECTRAL’. | 2019-04-19T10:58:11Z | https://futurecitiesandenvironment.com/articles/10.5334/fce.54/ |
With the push to develop and deploy electronic health records (EHRs) and the need for more detailed documentation, there is a growing concern in the medical community regarding the time expended to capture information-electronic or otherwise. The time providers spend during a patient visit capturing and entering data rather than focusing on the patient can be a hindrance to the quality of care. One current solution gaining popularity is the use of scribes. Scribes can provide many benefits to the practice of medicine, ultimately impacting the overall quality of healthcare delivery.
The Joint Commission defines a medical scribe as an unlicensed individual hired to enter information into the electronic health record (EHR) or chart at the direction of a physician or licensed independent practitioner. A scribe can be found in multiple settings including physician practices, hospitals, emergency departments, long-term care facilities, long-term acute care hospitals, public health clinics, and ambulatory care centers. They can be employed by a healthcare organization, physician, licensed independent practitioner, or work as a contracted service.
This practice brief will explore some of the benefits and challenges of scribes within the physician practice setting. In addition, this practice brief will provide recommended practices for the use of scribes. Key components for implementation of a successful scribe program will also be discussed.
The role of a scribe is dependent upon the provider practice and setting. It is possible for a provider to select a clinical assistant (non-licensed clinical staff) who has performed clinical duties and worked with the provider to perform scribe services. It is not recommended, however, to allow an individual to fill the role of scribe and clinical assistant simultaneously during the same encounter. This practice raises legal and other issues regarding job role and responsibilities.
EHR security rights (role-based access) for a scribe and clinical assistant are different. Scribes have nearly the same security rights as a provider, while a clinical assistant enters information independently and only within the individual’s scope of practice. Thus, the individual security rights are more limited for clinical assistants than those of the provider and must be considered in the decision making process.
When a scribe is also acting as a clinical assistant during the same encounter, the scribe will log in with one set of security rights as a clinical assistant, log out, and then log back in with another set of rights to perform the scribe duties. The dual role results in the scribe logging in and out between roles multiple times during one encounter-wasting valuable time and resources. To avoid this situation, some practices limit the scribe to filling only one role during a single encounter.
The role of a scribe in the practice must be clearly defined and communicated, with documented job descriptions and set policies and procedures, to optimize their use and minimize challenges. It is also important to obtain a signed agreement between the provider and the scribe delineating expectations and accountability.
Since medical scribes are a relatively new phenomenon in healthcare, it is difficult to find information addressing the legal issues that have surfaced as a result of using scribes. Regulatory agencies have not forbidden the use of scribes, but regulatory requirements and guidance concerning their use differ. As a result of these differing guidelines and requirements, scribes may have more responsibilities in one care setting but face greater restrictions in another.
It is also important that individual state laws are thoroughly reviewed to ensure compliance and proper use of scribes by mid-level providers. For example, in some states physician assistants are not considered licensed independent practitioners and therefore may not be eligible to use scribes.
A scribe’s responsibilities are ultimately controlled by the regulatory requirements and policies established by a healthcare setting, and the level of risk an employer is willing to accept. As the use of scribes becomes more prevalent, the potential for expanded legal guidance and direction grows. Practices must monitor federal, state, and regulatory changes to ensure their practices consistently meet compliance with standards.
When using scribes, documentation guidelines for the place of service (i.e., inpatient, outpatient) must be followed. In addition to the normal documentation requirements of an encounter, a scribed encounter also carries separate authentication duties. It is imperative that any and all entries regarding a patient’s health information be completed in the presence of and at the direction of the provider. It is also important that authentication of each entry be completed in a timely manner as defined by a practice’s policies and regulatory requirements.
Scribes accompany providers into the exam room and enter information in real time, using their individually assigned security rights to access the EHR. Providers should direct the scribe on the proper responses for advisories and other alerts that may appear on the screen.
Third party payers may have specific guidelines for how a scribe documents and how the electronic signature must be applied. Each facility must contact their third party payers for any further requirements.
Verbal orders may neither be given to nor by scribes.
Orientation and training must be given specific to the organization and role (HR.01.04.01, HR.01.05.03).
Competency assessment and performance evaluations should be performed (HR.01.06.01, HR.01.07.01).
If the scribe is employed by the physician, all non-employee HR standards also apply (HR.01.02.05 EP 7, HR.01.07.01 EP 5).
Scribes must meet all information management, HIPAA, HITECH, confidentiality, and patient rights standards, just as other hospital personnel (IM.02.01.01, IM.02.01.03, IM.02.02.01, RI.01.01.01).
One option-that the provider employs the scribe-assumes that providers receive the greatest benefit from scribe services and should pay for the service directly. The cost of a scribe program can be offset if there are significant measurable increases in provider revenue. For the allocation to be made as a provider cost, providers can pay a scribe a set hourly wage based on the added value the scribe offers the provider in terms of revenue, time, and increased productivity.
A second option would allow the practice assuming responsibility for the cost to regulate what scribe service will be used, the hourly rate, and education and training requirements. Current transcription compensation models (i.e., paying per line, per minute, or a combination) are a good tool that can be used to determine how to pay for scribe programs.1 Governance of a scribe program at an organizational level presents other options for scribe compensation. For example, scribe reimbursement could include using the existing employee base and redefining currently existing job roles instead of layoffs or sharing scribes among specialties.
As previously stated, scribes are responsible for capturing medical information at the point of care which allows the provider to focus on bedside manner and provide hands-on, attentive, face-to-face care that increases both patient and provider satisfaction.
In today’s healthcare environment of increased regulations, documentation incentives, and reimbursement requirements, charting and documenting takes time. Scribes can help to reduce the documentation time needed by the provider during a visit. Many providers feel the pressures of increased clerical responsibilities and learning curves with the implementation of new and upgraded systems. The use of scribes can help to increase provider morale by reducing the amount of clerical tasks and resulting stress while learning a new system.
EHRs are becoming more commonplace in today’s practice. The patient may perceive their visit negatively if the provider spends the majority of their time looking at a computer monitor instead of the patient. A scribe can enter information into the EHR without intrusion or interruption, allowing the provider to focus more on the patient diagnosis and treatment plans.
Employing scribes to capture and enter health information into the EHR during a patient encounter may improve the overall quality of documentation-not only in the level of granularity, but also in the level of specificity. Improved documentation in turn can be used to support achieving “meaningful use” EHR Incentive Program criteria as well as improving compliance with quality monitors and billing and reimbursement.
Provider efficiency and productivity can increase with the use of scribes as well. When implemented with a successful clinical workflow, providers may see more patients rather than spend valuable time documenting.
The documentation completed by scribes is also often available more quickly for review. As a result, documentation by a scribe can be more detailed and more comprehensive. When the provider is verbally summarizing decisions and plans, the scribe is able to capture the details of the encounter in the provider’s words and in real time.
A non-physician provider (i.e., nurse practitioner, physician assistant) in the role of a scribe in a physician setting would only be counterproductive in most cases. The non-physician provider would be used most effectively by independently seeing other patients.
Scribes in the exam room may cause patients to be less honest and forthcoming with pertinent information for accurate diagnosis and treatment, impacting the overall quality of care.
Scribes will change current documentation workflows and responsibilities. These workflows will need to be redefined and responsibilities identified to streamline the process.
Provider verification and authentication of scribed documentation for accuracy may slow down overall workflow.
Use of scribes may help cut costs. However, if the scribe is inexperienced and does not have medical terminology and clinical workflow knowledge, this may cause documentation errors leading to greater issues (i.e., increased costs, decreased turnaround time, and billing and medical errors).
Some providers may not take the time to review scribed entries for accuracy before authentication. So, the possibility for errors is present. These errors can affect patients’ plan of treatment, coordination of care, coding, billing, and other documentation requirements due to lack of detailed and accurate documentation in the health record.
Scribes in the exam room may not result in the providers’ ability to generate additional revenue to offset the expense of the scribe.
When a scribe is not available, providers may not be able to navigate the system independently or efficiently.
Scribe documentation must be managed and maintained with the same quality assurance and compliance expectations of other patient care documentation. It is crucial that scribe programs are included in the organization’s overall compliance program. It should be closely monitored for accuracy and adherence to applicable guidelines through the development of policies and procedures, training, and overall management.
Communication is a tool necessary for meeting compliance. All staff must be educated and receive ongoing training for adherence with policies, procedures, and overall management expectations. Monitoring is also a key factor towards meeting compliance. The use of medical scribes must not only be audited for documentation quality and good privacy and security practices, but also to ensure that policy and procedures are being followed.
ACCIM also offers maintenance of certification through the Medical Scribe Continuous Certification (MSCC) to develop and maintain the highest professional quality of medical scribes. Further, ACCIM also certifies scribe programs to set apart those that offer a higher level of professionalism and skill set from those that do not.
There is no right or wrong answer to the implementation and use of medical scribes. The lessons learned from the early adopters of medical scribes helps to establish best practices and guidance for the industry. Regardless of practice type or size, the decision to use a scribe is a significant one and must be carefully managed and maintained as such. Below are recommended practices for optimal outcomes when implementing a scribe program.
It is essential that the healthcare entity set clear and specific goals. Goals can include increasing revenue, provider productivity, patient satisfaction, timely record authentication, or an improvement in provider morale. Regardless, all goals should be clearly stated and metrically tracked. Establishing specific measurable objectives for the medical scribe program may involve an interdepartmental team that includes multiple disciplines.
Scribes are responsible for capturing an accurate and detailed description of a patient encounter in the provider’s words. Scribes are clerical in nature and do not interview or have direct contact with the patient. They do not perform clinical services, administer medication, or perform treatments and procedures. Some facilities utilize clinical staff to perform scribe functions, so it is important to clearly define and differentiate their clinical duties from their scribe duties. When defining the role and responsibilities of a scribe, it is imperative that appropriate medical record access and signature authentication is established as well.
The healthcare entity should communicate with patients and introduce the position of medical scribe. It is important to recognize that some patients may not want an additional individual in the room while they are examined or when discussing sensitive medical information. Educate the patient on how the presence of a medical scribe provides them with more interactive time with their provider. However, the patient always has the right to refuse the presence of additional staff (i.e., scribes, residents) in the exam room. If the provider realizes that the patient is uncomfortable discussing an issue with the scribe in the room, a pre-arranged verbal signal such as “please check with the nurse about the blue form” would allow the scribe to leave the room without adding to patient discomfort.
Physician practices need to evaluate the size of the examination rooms. In some practices, these rooms are small and may not allow the presence of a third person in addition to the provider and patient. Another challenge may be placement of computer equipment. Some patients may become distracted if the scribe types on a noisy keyboard. It is important to minimize or eliminate distractions to patient care.
The physician practice can monitor the success of the medical scribe program by measuring key indicators compared to the set goals. Examples of goals may include reductions in transcription costs, improvements in overall documentation, reduced turnaround time for authentication and increased patient satisfaction. Information from the John F. Kennedy Medical Center states that the use of scribes contributed to a 15 percent revenue increase and improved patient satisfaction scores.2 Objective benefits of a scribe program can generally be analyzed through standard metrics currently in use in the facility or practice. Other metric examples include, but may not be limited to, relative value units per hour or day, number of patients seen per hour or day, percent of clinical time versus administrative time, number of incomplete medical records, arrival to discharge time, or the number of provider queries for additional information.
Physician practices need to ensure that providers remain connected to all patient information. When the provider no longer personally dictates or documents the services performed, he or she may miss computer prompts or not review the medical information in the same manner. The provider’s review and authentication of the scribed documentation ensures medical procedures have been performed, ordered, and documented; electronic record alerts have been addressed; and patient care has been accurately recorded.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to ensure proper documentation of clinical services when the billing provider has elected to utilize the services of a medical scribe. For the purpose of this policy, a scribe is defined as an individual who is present during the provider’s performance of a clinical service and documents (on behalf of the provider) everything said during the course of the service. Any individual serving as a scribe must not be attending to the patient in any clinical capacity and must not interject their own observations or impressions.
POLICY: Individuals serving as scribes must sign a scribe agreement prior to scribing. Scribed documentation must clearly support the name of the scribe, the role of the individual documenting the service (i.e., scribe), and the provider of the service. The provider is ultimately responsible for all documentation and must verify that the scribed note accurately reflects the service provided.
Any individual that desires to serve as a scribe must review the policy on the use of scribes and sign a policy agreement.
A scribed note must accurately reflect the service provided on a specific date of service.
Individuals can only create a scribe note in an EHR if they have their own password/access to the EHR for the scribe role. Documents scribed in the EHR must clearly identify the scribe’s identity and authorship of the document in both the document and the audit trail.
Scribes are required to notify the provider of any alerts. Alerts must be addressed by the provider.
Providers and scribes are required to document in compliance with all federal, state, and local laws, as well as with internal policy.
Failure to comply with this policy may result in corrective and/or disciplinary action (See Human Resources Disciplinary Action Policy).
I am aware that documenting in the EHR requires use of my own password/access to the EHR.
Documenting under someone else’s login is prohibited.
I, the undersigned provider, agree that the scribe will only perform duties as described within the Medical Scribe Policy. I also agree that I am solely responsible for the accuracy, review, and authentication of all health record information captured and/or entered by the above named scribe.
AHIMA. “Transcription Toolkit.” AHIMA Press: June 2012.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “John F. Kennedy Medical Center: ED Scribes.” Urgent Matters. 2008. http://urgentmatters.org/media/uploads/EDScribes.JFK.pdf.
American College of Clinical Information Managers. "CIMCAT." ACCIM website: May 2012. http://www.theaccim.org/the-clinical-information-manager-certification-and-aptitude-test-the-cimcat-purchase-page.
The Joint Commission. “Standards FAQs.” May 2011. http://www.jointcommission.org/mobile/standards_information/jcfaqdetails.aspx?StandardsFAQId=345&StandardsFAQChapterId=66.
Karen Zupko and Associates, Inc. “EMR Scribes: Real-Time Tech Support Boosts Physician Productivity & Reduces ‘Paper Care’ Hassles.” February 2011. http://www.physiciansangels.com/download.aspx.
Nunn, Sandra. “Managing Audit Trails.” Journal of AHIMA 80, no. 9 (September 2009): 44-45.
Virtual Staffing. Physicians Angels. May 2012. http://www.physiciansangels.com/.
AHIMA. "Using Medical Scribes in a Physician Practice" Journal of AHIMA 83, no.11 (November 2012): 64-69 [expanded online version]. | 2019-04-24T16:36:45Z | http://library.ahima.org/doc?oid=106220 |
Podcast: How Parkrun inspired ..
Training for sports performance? Clive Brewer for Human Kinetics details programme insight for developing running speed and agility skills.
In all arenas, sports performances have evolved continuously since competition became formalised and training modalities were developed to enable performers to push themselves to excel. Indeed, most sports have become more dynamic. The success of a play is often now determined by the intensity of action that the performers can achieve.
Running speed and movement agility are two performance characteristics that have been shown to correlate positively with game intensity in team and invasion sports. Running is the principal form of locomotion in many sports and is thus regarded as a fundamental motor skill.* Running is a ballistic mode of locomotion consisting of alternating phases of single-leg support (foot in contact with the ground) and flight, which occurs from toe-off to the beginning of the support phase of the contralateral leg. (See Running gait cycle.) By contrast, walking has no flight phase, and the support phase alternates between single- and double-foot contacts, depending on the stage of the cyclic action; therefore, walking can be considered a non-ballistic action.
*Mastery of fundamental motor skills is considered a precursor to their application in sport-specific contexts. Conversely, a lack of proficiency is recognised as a key reason for not participating in, or dropping out of, organised sport.
Technique and skill are functionally interrelated in the development of speed and agility. Indeed, an athlete’s running speed, usually regarded as a linear concept, can be determined by the technical skills and physio-mechanical abilities needed to achieve high movement velocities. Agility can be understood as the skills and abilities needed to achieve explosive changes in movement direction, velocities or techniques in response to one or more stimuli.
In basic terms, speed and agility are neuromuscular skills that rely on the athlete’s ability to express (or resist) forces; that is, they are a movement manifestation of the athlete’s functional strength. On the sport field or court, this strength is translated into sporting movements, and it can be improved in every athlete with correct coaching. Understanding movement and the way in which it changes with the performance context and the athlete’s level of development is essential when developing a speed and agility programme.
This chapter has three progressive aims. First, it enables an understanding of the biomechanical principles of running speed and agility so that the practitioner knows the factors that need to be influenced to enhance an athlete’s movement speed. Second, it introduces some basic technical models that can be used to analyse and develop the athlete’s skill when executing movement. Third, it provides some examples of skill practices that can be used to develop the athlete towards the required technical model.
Many resources focus on the provision of drills for developing both speed and agility. Without understanding and principles, these practices simply become drills to be followed; they cannot be progressed, regressed (as per the principle of differentiation based on competence) or usefully contextualised within an effective coaching programme. A holistic approach characterises practitioners who will have the greatest success in enhancing the athletic qualities of their athletes.
Drive phase: One foot pushes off the ground, and the other knee is forward.
Flight phase: Neither foot is in contact with the ground.
Ground contact phase: The lead foot is in contact with the ground.
The knee drives forwards as the opposite leg extends under and behind the body, bringing the ankle close to the buttocks as it moves forwards under the body. The ankles remain dorsiflexed (toes pulled towards the knees) in flight and through ground contact.
Stride length, the distance between toe-off on one foot and ground contact of the other foot, is determined by the force of the push into the ground. In sprinting (Figure 8.1), the aim is to keep the centre of mass over or in front of the ground contact point.
The speed of running influences the running technique. Sprinting (Figure 8.1) is different from slower running (Figure 8.2). In sprinting, the heels don’t contact the ground; the ball of the foot contacts the ground, and the toes are pulled up towards the knees. In slower-paced running, moving over the flat foot is generally considered an economical, energy-saving way to run, but individual styles vary. More of a heel–toe contact is evident in many runners.
To understand movement speed and agility, the practitioner must understand not only the athlete’s technique but also the objectives of the skill being exhibited. These techniques and objectives are underpinned by management of forces and therefore require an operational understanding of the concepts of impulse, momentum, velocity, acceleration and deceleration. The athlete’s control of posture is also crucial in appropriately placing the centre of mass relative to the base of support and in optimising the length, velocity and tension relationships in the musculature as a function of joint positioning.
Postural control helps the athlete maintain stability, making it easier to accelerate or decelerate while executing particular actions, such as when achieving full extension of the driving leg in the initial phases of acceleration mechanics. Indeed, the inverse relationship between stability and mobility is important to understand in the context of enabling accelerations from different positions.
Running is a cyclic activity that consists of a series of contralateral strides that launch the athlete’s body as a projectile. Running speed is simply a relative concept relating to the distance that the athlete travels within a given period. Therefore, analysing sport-specific running-speed requirements is a concept of the relative intensity of the activity. The marathon runner who achieves the fastest speed over the 26 miles, 365 yards (42.2km) of the course will win the event, in the same way that the baseball player who can beat the ball thrown to first base will be safe, whereas a slower player will be out.
The more intense the action requirements are, the greater the velocity of movement is required and the more explosively the athlete needs to be in applying forces to the ground to execute a movement. The intensity of running is usually differentiated into sprinting and submaximal activities. Sprinting requires the athlete to achieve maximal accelerations and maximal velocities, usually over brief distances and for brief durations. This chapter focuses on this specific running-skill requirement.
Outside track and field, sport-specific speed is largely determined by the variation in movement velocities and the direction of the movement required, giving rise to the concept of chaotic speed, the ability to sprint repeatedly and change direction efficiently without unnecessarily slowing down. Chaotic speed is a determinant of successful sport performance in field and court sports as shown by time and motion, and coaching analysis and validation of testing batteries for elite and non-elite performers, and coaching analysis for sports such as rugby, field hockey, soccer and American football.
Therefore, in most athletic contexts, chaotic movement, or agility, is as important an athletic quality as maximum velocity. Indeed, in court-based sports such as tennis and volleyball, agility is the key movement skill for a performer. The nature of required agility also changes with different sports (Figure 8.3). For example, in invasion sports such as rugby, soccer or American football, the predominant requirement is the ability to accelerate into a space that either is occupied by an opponent (in a tackle context) or will create a territorial advantage (i.e., by moving into and attacking available space). Court sports such as tennis and volleyball are slightly different; the player needs to move into a position to intercept and return a ball and then decelerate to regain a position of stability from which to play a returning shot.
Many athletes also need to achieve optimal speed, the maximal velocity that the athlete can maintain, and still be able to control the execution of key sport-specific skills. For example, the critical speed variable for the long jumper isn’t the maximal velocity he or she can attain during the run-up to the take-off board; it is the velocity at which the jumper can maintain control of the centre of mass and effectively apply force into the ground to change the trajectory of the centre of mass (i.e., jump) during the last three strides of the run-up. Spending lots of training time trying to achieve a maximum run-up velocity of 10 metres per second may be unproductive if the jumper’s optimum take-off velocity is seven metres per second. That doesn’t mean maximum velocity should never be trained for, because by raising the maximum velocity threshold the range of optimal speeds that can be controlled may also increase. The point here is to consider how much emphasis to place on maximum velocity within the training programme and where it fits into the athlete’s overall development plan.
Sprint coach Percy Duncan often described the difference between running and sprinting this way: ‘You run on the ground; you sprint over it.’ As the athlete accelerates by pushing the foot into the ground, the velocity of the centre of mass increases and the ground contact time decreases. A trained athlete typically requires 0.6 seconds to achieve maximal force production, but typical ground contact times in running are less than 0.2 seconds (submaximal running) and less than 0.1 seconds in maximal sprinting. Impulse and power are important training qualities for the athlete to develop; the resulting change in momentum is a product of the force produced and the time for which that force is applied.
Figure 8.3 Sport-Specific speed is a product of movement velocity and agility.
Pilsk (ref 1) illustrates that the mechanics of running should be analysed in light of how each of these variables influences performance. For example, more force is needed to accelerate and decelerate a predetermined mass (for example, the athlete’s body) at a greater rate, more impulse is needed to achieve a greater momentum in a set period (for example, the time available to accelerate into space between opponents), and more power is needed to achieve a higher maximum velocity with a set resistance (for example, the athlete’s mass).
The ability to achieve high movement velocities requires skilful force application across a spectrum of power outputs and muscle actions that need to be developed within the overall context of the athlete development programme. High rates of force are developed predominantly through the stretch-shortening cycle that underpins explosive strength development. In a running context, joint stiffness, particularly in the ankle, is essential to maximise the plyometric responses in the leg muscles, especially in the hip extensors of the rear kinetic chain. These forces, which may be many times bodyweight,(ref 2) are transmitted through a single-leg stance. Therefore, the athlete’s technical proficiency and functional strength need to be addressed simultaneously within the development programme to prevent injuries.
Developing positive, or acceleration, forces is not the only consideration in training for sport. For example, when decelerating, eccentric strength (especially in the knee extensor muscles in the thigh) is important in rapidly and effectively overcoming inertia to reduce the forward momentum in the athlete’s body without injury (Newton’s first law). The ability to produce high power outputs (high force, high velocity) is particularly important when collisions are a fundamental part of the movement problem, because the opponent’s body mass has to be either decelerated (defensive move or tackle) or accelerated (offensive collision), depending on the context.
Movement efficiency is the result of the mechanical actions of the body in sparing metabolic activity that relies on the athlete’s postural control, in particular the relationship between the centre of mass and the base of support. The stability of an object (i.e., its resistance to movement because of external forces) is inversely related to its mobility (i.e., its ability to move), a concept important to understand in the context of enabling accelerations from different positions.
To accelerate from a static position or to change direction when the body is moving, the athlete has to be able to move the centre of mass outside the base of support (i.e., move into a more unstable position). To decelerate, the opposite is true, and the athlete needs to bring the centre of mass back towards the base of support and create more stability. As shown in Figure 8.4, deceleration is achieved by reducing stride length, increasing both stride frequency (number of times the foot is in contact with the ground) and the foot surface area in contact with the ground (increasing frictional braking force). Lowering the centre of mass as the trunk becomes more upright brings the centre of mass back inside the base of support.
Acceleration (Figure 8.4a) requires instability. The centre of mass must be outside the base of support in the intended direction of motion. Deceleration (Figure 8.4b) requires stability. The centre of mass must be brought within a wide base of support, and friction must be increased to retard forward momentum.
Maximal velocity running is unsurprisingly best illustrated through the 100-metre sprint race, and the technical model for the various phases of a sprint performance in any sporting context is based on this. The application of speed within field sports, however, is typically quite different from the nature of speed in a linear track race. This consideration is important when developing programmes for athletes in a range of sporting contexts.
Those working within a particular sport should be familiar with activity analysis of a sport or event. In many cases, published papers provide this evidence for the coach, showing, for example, the number of accelerations, number of maximum sprints, number of transition movements as well as the sequencing, distances and patterns of such movements. Understanding such patterns is important, because the technique required for each activity will be different. Equally important, the transitions between activities should be smooth, effective and efficient.
Reaction time (RT): This phase comprises the delay between the stimulus (i.e., the starter’s gun being fired) and the first movement response (in this case derived from a sensor in the starting blocks) in the athlete. In a linear sprint activity such as the 100 meters, this phase is probably unrelated to the final time achieved. Practitioners should note that reaction time is not considered particularly trainable, but it needs to be distinguished from reactive ability, which is a product of neuromuscular system excitability that can be improved through reactive and explosive strength training (e.g., plyometrics). In an agility context, the training of reaction time is different and is an important part of ‘skilful agility’.
Acceleration phase: During this phase the athlete has to overcome inertia from a standing start to achieving the greatest rate of acceleration. This phase usually takes eight to 10 strides, or 15 to 20 metres. Note that track athletes still accelerate (increase their velocity) after this point, but the rate of acceleration slows.
Transition phase: This phase, which usually lasts for 2 to 2.5 seconds, represents the neuromuscular link between pure acceleration and maximum velocity running and the transitioning between the different technical requirements for each phase. The IAAF sprints editor and renowned coach Loren Seagrave often refers to this as the most difficult phase to coach, because the athlete often retains acceleration mechanics too long or, equally inappropriately, incorporates maximum velocity mechanics into the action too early.
Maximum velocity phase: Typically, sprint coaches analyse this phase of the race in two sections. In phase 1, quality sprinters usually achieve maximum velocity around 40 to 60 metres and maintain it for around 20 metres. In the second maximum velocity phase, usually around 60 to 80 metres, the athlete slows very slightly as he or she tries to maintain maximal velocity. (Note that female sprinters are usually less able to hold this speed than males are.) Sprinters can achieve maximum velocity earlier than this (and do so for specialist sprint races, such as the indoor world championships run over 60 metres), but those who achieve their maximum velocity too early through the 100 metres struggle to achieve a good overall time because they cannot maintain this velocity long enough.
Speed endurance phase: Although commentators in a 100-metre event talk about athletes ‘pulling away from others’ in the last 20 metres of the race, this doesn’t actually occur because of active acceleration. During this phase of the race, athletes decelerate because they cannot maintain maximum velocity. The athletes who are seen to be pulling ahead are actually just decelerating less than their opponents are.
In contrast, the activity analysis of field sport athletes shows different patterns of acceleration, deceleration and maximum velocity that are determined both by the positions the players play and the opportunities available for movement on the field at any one time. As Figure 8.5 illustrates, technological advances in athlete tracking enable individual player activity profiles to be established. Such analysis typically shows that field sport athletes sprint 10 to 30 metres, or for two to three seconds, which means that to be effective, they need to be able to achieve maximum velocity much quicker than the track athlete (even though maximum velocity will ultimately not be as quick, or held for so long).
Acceleration: The initial movement response is acceleration, often from an already moving position, such as a walk, submaximal run or landing from a jump.
Deceleration: In many movement sequences in field sports, space is initially limited, so periods of rapid acceleration are often followed, after a couple of metres or a second, by a (rapid) deceleration. Deceleration may enable the athlete to achieve a more advantageous body position to execute another movement skill (e.g., to change direction) or to initiate a movement response in an opposition player to create some space or uncertainty in the defender’s mind and therefore improve relative positioning.
This is an extract from the book: Athletic Movement Skills: Training for Sports Performance by Clive Brewer, by Human Kinetics and has been reproduced with permission. Use code FP25 for your FitPro member discount on this text. Visit: http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/athletic-movement-skills for more information about the text.
<1> Pilsk, S. 2008. Spend, agility and endurance development. In Essentials of strength training and conditioning, ed T.R Beachle, and R.W. Earle. Champaign, 1L: Human Kinetics. | 2019-04-23T01:11:40Z | https://www.fitpro.com/blog/running-speed-and-agility/ |
Seokguram Hermitage, which is located on top of Mt. Tohamsan, is known as “Stone Cave Hermitage,” in English. And alongside Bulguksa Temple, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The hermitage was first called Seokbulsa Temple (Stone Buddha Temple). And it was originally constructed under the guidance of then Prime Minister, Kim Daeseong. The temple was completed in 774 A.D. just after Kim’s death. It’s believed that Bulguksa Temple was constructed by Kim for his parents in his present life, while Seokguram Hermitage was built for his parents from his previous life. The grotto at Seokguram Hermitage is designated National Treasure #24.
Through the Iljumun Gate, and winding around the side of Mt. Tohamsan, you’ll make your way towards Seokguram Hermitage. As you first approach the hermitage grounds, you’ll notice the monks’ dorms, facilities, and visitors’ centre to your right. It’s up on the hillside, where two shrine halls reside, that you’ll find the world famous Seokguram Grotto.
So up a long set of uneven stairs, passing by the remnants of a failed Japanese reconstruction of the grotto from 1913-15, you’ll make your way towards the breath-taking grotto. And when you finally do get to the top of the stairs be prepared to see the very best that Korean Buddhism has to offer the world in artistic achievement!
You first enter the outer wooden chamber that allows you to look in on the Seokguram Grotto that is now shielded by protective glass However, you still get an amazing feel for the sophisticated artistry that resides inside the grotto.
The first thing to catch your eye is the centerpiece: a 3.5 metre tall statue of Seokgamoni-bul (The Historical Buddha). He looks out over the East Sea, while striking the Touching the Earth mudra. The elegant statue sits on a 1.34 metre tall lotus pedestal. With a serene look in his eyes, the Buddha welcomes all visitors to the Seokguram Hermitage.
After having your fill of what artistic serenity looks like, look around the rectangular antechamber. At the very front, there are a pair of Vajra warriors that guard the ancient entry. These two figures are very visible because they are muscular with clenched fists and grimaces adorning their faces. The next stone images that appear inside the narrow entry chamber are the Sacheonwang, or the Four Heavenly Kings. These four images are meant to ward off any evil from entering the inner chamber.
Looking a little deeper inside the octagonal chamber, and around the imposing image of Seokgamoni-bul, you’ll notice that he’s surrounded in back by two rows of stone figures. The bottom row are the Nahan (The Historical Disciples of the Buddha). The upper figures are images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
The most interesting image inside this vaulted chamber, other than the serenely seated Seokgamoni-bul, is the partially hidden stone statue of Gwanseeum-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Compassion). Hidden behind Seokgamoni-bul stands the eleven-headed statue of Gwanseeum-bosal. This statue stands 2.18 metres in height and holds a vase containing a lotus blossom.
Just below the grotto is another shrine hall: the Geukrak-jeon Hall. Housed inside this hall, and sitting on the main altar, is a statue of Amita-bul (The Buddha of the Western Paradise). It’s joined by a guardian mural and metal reliefs of Sanshin (The Mountain Spirit), Dokseong (The Lonely Saint), and Chilseong (The Seven Stars).
HOW TO GET THERE: Much like Bulguksa Temple, you’ll need to catch a bus out in front of the Gyeongju Intercity Terminal. From this bus stop, you should board either Bus #10 or #11. You should get off at the Bulguksa Temple Bus stop. This part of the trip should take about an hour. From the Bulguksa Temple parking lot, you’ll need to catch Bus #12, which will bring you the rest of the way up to Seokguram Hermitage. The final leg of the trip up to the hermitage takes about 10 minutes, and the bus leaves every 30 minutes.
OVERALL RATING: 10/10. With it being the most beautiful and crowning achievement of religious artistry in Korea, Seokguram Hermitage rates a perfect ten out of ten. In all of my travels throughout various temples in Korea, I have yet to be spell-bound as much as I am when I visit Seokguram Hermitage. Other temples and hermitages may be bigger in size and scope or have greater historical/cultural significance, but all pale in comparison to the simple beauty the hillside grotto radiates.
A look towards the East Sea as you make your way towards Seokguram Hermitage.
And a look towards Gyeongju.
The Iljumun Gate at the hermitage.
A look up towards the grotto.
Just before entering the grotto.
Finally, a look inside the grotto.
A closer looking at the amazing 8th century statue of Seokgamoni-bul.
The view from the grotto towards the East Sea.
The Geukrak-jeon Hall just below the grotto.
Amita-bul sitting all alone on the main altar inside the Geukrak-jeon Hall.
A mural dedicated to Jijang-bosal.
Two reliefs. To the left is Sanshin, while to the right is Dokseong.
And the final relief inside the hall is dedicated to Chilseong.
Continuing with our tour of Gyeongju, I’ve included a posting on Bunhwangsa Temple (분황사). Bunhwangsa Temple has the oldest pagoda in all of Korea, so enjoy!
In total, I’ve visited Gyeongju probably about six times, and of those six, I’ve visited Bunhwangsa Temple three times. Depending on how much time you have, how much energy you still have after walking all day, and how late you’re running in the day if you still want to visit Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Hermitage, you should visit Bunhwangsa Temple.
Bunhwangsa Temple (“Famous Emperor Temple”) is probably best known for its brick pagoda. Once one of the four most famous temples in the early Silla Dynasty, Bunhwangsa Temple is a lot smaller and in important in scope in present day Korea. The aforementioned brick pagoda at Bunhwangsa Temple is the oldest pagoda in all of Korea dating from 634. Originally, the pagoda was nine stories high; however, the pagoda only has three in the present day. At the base of the pagoda chamber openings, with doors that are slightly ajar, are the fiercely protective stone figures. Also, there are lions adorning the base of the pagoda. There is only one worship hall at this temple with an out of place, supersized, Buddha. There are future plans to expand the Bunhwangsa Temple grounds and return the temple to its past glory during the Silla Dynasty.
HOW TO GET THERE: To get to Buhwangsa Temple, you should walk down a country road that starts at the Gyeongju National Museum. The country road runs along a field. This field is the former temple grounds for Hwangnyong-saji. Cross over the railway tracks along this road and proceed for about a kilometer.
Also, if you don’t want to see Tumulus Park, Anapji, and the Gyeongju National Museum, and you simply want to go directly from the intercity bus terminal, you can catch a bus from the opposite side of Gyeongju Bus Terminal: take Bus #10 (15 minute interval), #11 (11 minute interval), #15 (3 times a day), #17 (6:20 am, only once a day), #18 (9 times a day), #277 (9 times a day) to get off at Bunhwangsa Temple (15 min ride). Also, you can take a 10 minute taxi ride from the bus station.
Admission for adults is 1,300 Won. And it’s open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m (except in winter when it’s open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
OVERALL RATING: 7/10. This temple, simply for possessing the oldest pagoda in all of Korea rates a 7 out of 10. Honestly, this pagoda is amazing, not only because it’s so old, but because it’s so beautiful, as well. However, there is very little else to this temple besides this pagoda. Let’s hope that the future temple additions will be as breath-taking as the historical pagoda!
A look at the kilometre long field that you’ll have to pass to get to Bunhwangsa Temple.
One of the four corners of the beautiful pagoda.
A look inside the slightly ajar doors with the fierce guards protecting its entry from any evil spirits.
A little less open, but no less protected.
A look at one of the ancient lions.
This one has seen better days, and yet, it’s still as fierce as ever.
The solitary worship hall at Bunhwangsa Temple with a view of the newly tidied courtyard.
The rather large Buddha statue inside the worship hall.
A painting of three Buddhas on the exterior of the worship hall.
Another unique painting on the exterior of the worship hall.
A faded painting depicting a court on the exterior of the worship hall at the temple.
The temple’s university for monks at Bunhwangsa Temple.
A faceless sculpture of a Buddha beside the temple’s university and behind the worship hall at the temple.
And a newer looking sculpture of Buddhas in the main courtyard at the temple.
Some beautiful irises were in bloom when we visited.
The restored bell pavilion with father and son paying 1,000 Won to bring the temple’s bell.
An extremely unique wooden drum at Bunhwangsa Temple.
A better look at the drum’s grotesque features.
A look at the temple remains of Hwangnyong-saji in Gyeongju.
Continuing with postings about Gyeongju, today’s temple is Hwangnyong-saji Temple remains (황룡사지). Unlike most temples that will be posted on this blog, Hwangyong-saji are the remains of a temple. Following our geographic walk through downtown Gyeongju, you’ll come across these remains.
After wandering the downtown area of historical Gyeongju, passing such sights as Tumulus Park, Cheomseongdae, Wolsang Park, Anapji, and the Gyeongju National Museum, you can come across the remains of Hwanngnyong-saji Temple. Walking east of the Gyeongju National Museum, towards a seemingly vacant farmer’s field, is Hwangyong-saji Temple remains. Cross over the railroad tracks and follow the path through the field; here, you’ll see the six metre high, three tiered, stone pagoda that rises out of a rice paddy. Originally, the pagoda dates back to the 9th century, but was resurrected in 1980. Where the pagoda stands is the former site of Mitansa. Just north of this pagoda is the site of the largest temple of the Silla dynasty: Hwangyong-saji (“The Imperial Dragon Temple”).
From a mound in the middle of this compound, you’ll be able to see massive cornerstones to the former temple buildings. From this vantage point you will also be able to tell that the former temple grounds were extensive and that the temple buildings were numerous. The temple was constructed in 553. In fact, there was a bell four times the size of the famous Emille Bell at the Gyeongju National Museum. Also, there was a nine-story pagoda in the temple courtyard that reached 70 metres in height! In total, this pagoda was destroyed five times over six centuries. But finally, in 1238, during the Mongol invasions, it was burnt to the ground never to be rebuilt again. Presently, there are 64 massive foundation stones on the lawn to indicate and highlight just how magnificent this temple formerly was. Additionally, there are a tall pair of flagpole supports that stand on the northern side of the field. From these flagpoles it isn’t much further to Bunhwangsa; probably, only a two minute walk. So if you’re going to one, you might as well go to the other. If you’ve packed a lunch, like some of the other Koreans during lunch time; it’s a nice little picnic area, or even a nice place to rest for a few minutes.
Admission is free to the field.
OVERALL RATING: 2.5/10. Because it’s more of an after-thought than it is the main reason you’re visiting Gyeongju, it rates so low. Because there are only remains, and not really a temple per se, it rates so low, as well. However, because it’s so close in proximity to everything else, and makes for a nice little mid-day break from your adventures, this historical site is worth seeing. Also, it is a rare insight into the brutality of Korea’s past. For all these reasons, Hwangyong-saji may not be at the top of your list for places to see in Gyeongju, but it should at least be on your list.
A view of the field that houses the remains of the temple with elevated earth highlighting where the former buildings stood.
A picture of two bases of destroyed pagodas at Hwangyong-saji Temple.
The elevated outline of Mok Tap Ji at Hwangnyong-saji Temple.
A better look at the remains at Mok Tap Ji.
More remains at Hwangyong-saji Temple. This time, the remains are from the elevated earthly remains from Geum Dang Ji.
A better look at the remains at Geum Dang Ji.
One final look at Hwangnyong-saji Temple, and the sprawling remains of the former temple spread out throughout a field.
One of the fierce guardians, Ha, on the entrance doors of Beopjangsa Temple.
In the next few postings I thought I would write about Gyeongju. I thought I would post the postings as you geographically move through the city towards your final destination of Seokguram Hermitage. That’s why, today, we’re starting off with Beopjangsa Temple (법장사); it’s the closest temple to the intercity bus terminal. So without any further ado, here’s Beopjangsa Temple!
Beopjangsa Temple is a rather unimpressive temple along the main road in Gyeongju. In fact, if it wasn’t between where you’re dropped off at the bus station and the rear entrance of Tumulus Park, I don’t think I would have noticed it. The temple is on small, cramped grounds. This temple has one main hall, and that’s about it. The one redeeming thing about this temple are the fierce guardian paintings of Heng and Ha on the entrance doors.
HOW TO GET THERE: This temple is very easy to get to. When you leave the intercity bus complex, you should walk straight towards Tumulus Park for about 300 metres. Remain on the left side of the main road. You’ll have to keep your eyes open for this temple because it’s really easy to pass it by without even noticing it, especially with all the beauty that surrounds you.
Admission to this temple is free.
OVERALL RATING: 2/10. The one noteworthy attribute to this temple are the two fierce guardians, Heng and Ha, on the front doors that protect Beopjangsa Temple from evil spirits. While this temple pales in comparison to the historical grandeur of Gyeongju, it’s worth a quick step inside the grounds to take a couple pictures of the impressive front door paintings of the temple guardians.
The second fierce guardian, Heng, that protects the temple from evil spirits.
And the main hall at Beopjangsa Temple.
NOTE: After receiving an overwhelming response for my first posting about Singyesa Temple in North Korea, I thought I would update the posting with even more pictures and some observations. I hope you’ll enjoy the update!
Hello Everyone, I decided to dig deep into the archive of Korean temples and find this gem. This temple comes from my two day adventure to NORTH KOREA in 2007!!!
Yours truly with a North Korean worker from the neighbouring hotel. This picture was taken by his co-worker at the hotel. In the background is Kim Il Seong and Kim Jung Il. We were instructed that if we wanted to take pictures we couldn’t cut the painting in half with our cameras because the Kim’s are gods and that would be sacrilege. So for most pictures the North Korean hotel workers took the pictures.
Recently, unless you’re Wolf Blitzer (of CNN fame), or Bill Richardson (former Governor of New Mexico), North Korea is virtually impossible to get into. This all started with the killing of a South Korean woman on July 11, 2008 when she was shot to death by a North Korean soldier. This shut down the Gumgangsan Mountain complex to tourists. And then it worsened in 2010 with the sinking of the Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong-do.
So when it was still possible to visit Gumgangsan Mountains in North Korea, I decided to jump all over an invitation to join a few other co-teachers at the hagwon I was working at in March of 2007. I actually didn’t even know that such a thing existed until they asked if I wanted to go. In total, there were six of us going. After living in Korea, at that time, for three and a half years, this was going to be the most unique opportunity of my entire adventures throughout the Korean peninsula.
So after work at seven on a Friday night in March, we made our way over to the Busan Station to catch a KTX (bullet) train up to Seoul. We had to be up there by 11, so we were cutting it close. But fortunately, everything ran smoothly and we got to the bus we needed to get to at a university in Seoul. Overnight, we slept in the bus as we made our way from the north-west side in Seoul over to the north-east side near Seokcho. We arrived at five in the morning outside immigration on the South Korean side of the border. The instructions we received just before brokering the DMZ were unforgettable. We were instructed to hand over all our cell phones, and that if we had cameras that zoomed past 5X we had to hand those over as well (I guess the North Koreans just don’t like to be checked out). Also, we were told that bags that had either U.S. or South Korean flag patches attached to them couldn’t be carried over the border. And we were instructed, when communicating with North Koreans, that we couldn’t smile, make eye-contact, talk politics (makes sense), and that our room and trails at the parks we would be visiting would be bugged. Lastly, we couldn’t take pictures, besides in the areas that were approved by the North Korean government. So this ruled out the road to and from the Gumgungsan complex we would be staying at. In fact, we were told there would be soldiers standing along the road and countryside with red flags; if we were caught taking unauthorized pictures of North Korea, they would raise a red flag, our bus would pull over, and it would be a quick trip to and from North Korea.
With all that being said, you might be wondering why I decided to go to North Korea; well, I guess the quickest answer to that is that you only live once. So with “Wonderwall”, by Oasis, playing on the bus radio, we crossed through the DMZ. And like we were warned, there were a countless amount of soldiers with red flags waiting our arrival. Looking around the barren landscape, I notice numerous missile silos up in the mountains pointing towards the south. It didn’t get much more real than this.
Well the surreal severity of the situation became even more intense when we got to the “Immigration Office.” And you might be wondering why I put that in quotes; well the “Immigration Office” was a massive wedding tent. In the background were two massive paintings attached to a local factory. And in the air was playing propaganda music. Like cattle, we were told what line and number we had to go through immigration. Sweating a bit, like all the other foreigners waiting to get into North Korea, it was finally my time to confront the immigration officer after I passed through the security check. Slapping my passport and visa down on the desk, the man scanned both, and looking up with frog eyes (he must have had a medical condition, because both eyes pointed in opposite directions), he proceeded to ask me “Poost time Gumgangsan?” I didn’t want to ask him anything, but I didn’t understand what he was asking, “Pardon,” I asked as politely as I could. Again, “Poost time Gumgangsa?” Scratching my head mentally for a second, I finally figured out what he was asking, “Yes, first time in Gumgangsan.” And with that said he welcomed me to North Korea. Now, almost in mockery of the all surreal situation, there were a row of portable toilets (I guess they were literally trying to make us crap ourselves) and a stuffed life-sized bear with a North Korean dancing inside. Surreal!
Finally, with everyone through immigration without any problems, we were on our way to the green-fenced complex that would be housing us during our two day stay in North Korea. After dropping our stuff off at the hotel (ie former palace of Kim Il Sung’s wife), we made our way over to the trail at Manmulsang. After the early morning and the afternoon of hiking, it didn’t take me long to crash after dinner.
The hotel we stayed at in North Korea.
Manmulsang: the first trail we hiked when we got to North Korea.
The next day we had a fully booked day to Samilpo Lake, Kuryongyon countryside,and Singyesa Temple. On the way to Kuryongyon we saw Singyesa. Our tour guide promised us that on the way back from climbing around the North Korean countryside at Kuryongyon, we would go.
The next day, in the morning, we visited Samilpo Lake.
This graffiti promoting the Dear Leader and the Greater Leader were everyone. Specifically, this one was located at Samilpo Lake. In translation, it reads: Our Friend, Kim Il Sung, Hooray!
And around lunch time we visited the trail at Kuryongyon.
So after a 2 to 3 hour hike, we returned to Singyesa Temple. Singyesa Temple (신계사) was built in 519. However, the temple was completely destroyed during the Korean War. The only thing that remained was, and is, a stone pagoda. In 2004, in collaboration with the Jogye Buddhist Order in South Korea and both Korean governments, the temple started to be resurrected. And in 2007 there was a lone South Korean monk/care-taker. In 2007, a lot of buildings had been resurrected, but had still to be fully furnished with internal and external paintings, as well as altar pieces. It must be noted that Singyesa Temple is more of a decorative piece than an active Buddhist temple. There are no followers at this temple other than the South Korean monk/care-taker in North Korea.
In total, there are 5 buildings at Singyesa Temple. There is a bell tower, living quarters, prayer halls, and the main hall. Some, in 2007, were incomplete, whether they were void of internal or external painting. Also, most noticeably, there was no bell in the bell tower. However, there were some gorgeously simplistic main altar pieces in the main hall. The colour scheme was uniquely orange, something I have yet to see in South Korea. The most unique aspect of this temple is a stone tablet marking a visit from Kim Il Seong in 1947 and 1948.
With a quick whirlwind tour of North Korea, and unforgettable moments along the way, it was time to get back to the South and work at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Admission is free and is only open when (and if, Gumgangsan is open up to foreigners again) the tour bus is willing to visit Singyesa.
OVERALL RATING: 9/10. Just for being North Korea alone, and being scared the entire time I was there, this temple is rated so highly. The temple itself is rather non-descript, other than the uniquely orange colour scheme. Also, when you first enter the temple grounds, there is the granite marker indicating a visit from Kim Il Seong in 1947 and 1948.
Enjoy the pictures of this temple, which is a rare inside look into North Korea from a foreigner’s perspective.
TRANSLATION: (left) National Heritage Sight 95: Shingyesa Temple.
(right) Our Great Leader Kim Il Seong, and our Dear Leader Kim Jeong Il and a communist revolutionary fighter/leader Kim Jeong Suk visited in Juche 36 (1947), on Sept 28th, and the Great Leader, Kim Il Seong visited here again in Juche 37 (1948), on Oct., where he taught us these meaningful words: that this temple was made with flying gable roofs and nice buildings and the three storied pagoda is worth being a national heritage treasure. Shingyesa Temple was a big temple which is amazing and graceful in its architecture. Shingyesa Temple used to have many treasures, but in our homeland’s liberation war, it was brutally bombed by America. So everything was burned and only the sights remain. Shingyesa Temple’s worth as a national treasure is to show Chosun’s history of architecture and progression.
The Singyesa Temple grounds as we approached.
The future sight of the bell tower. In 2007, and maybe still the same to the present day, there are no ceremonial bells common to all Korean Buddhist temples.
The main hall with the only remaining artifact from the original temple: the ancient pagoda.
A better look at the pagoda that has seen numerous kings and queens, wars, and communist rule.
A look out from the main hall towards the temple courtyard and with the Geumgang Mountains in the background.
A look across the main hall entrance and the uniquely coloured orange exterior.
A better look at the ornately orange woodwork at Singyesa Temple.
Some of the artwork on the exterior of the main hall. This is Bohyun-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Power) depicted on top of a white elephant.
A painting from the life of Buddha.
Another painting from the life of the Buddha decorating the main hall.
One of the guardians of the temple.
And just one more painting from the temple before I had to leave. We only had about 30 minutes to look around the entire temple. And for me, that’s not much.
The beautiful arched bridge at Songgwangsa Temple.
Songgwangsa Temple, which means Spreading Pine Temple, in English, sits on the western slope of Mt. Jogyesan, in Jogyesan Provincial Park. Songgwangsa Temple was first constructed at the end of the Silla Dynasty in the late 1100’s. Bojo Guksa (1158-1210), otherwise known as Jinul, built the temple as a centre for furthering Buddhism studies. As one of the three treasure temples, Songgwangsa Temple represents the seung (monk). In 1969, the temple was reorganized as a monastic centre for all sects of Mahayana Buddhism, and it was also made an international meditation centre.
You first approach the temple up a long winding path that intersects some beautiful pine and cedar trees. This 15 minute walk that neighbours the Sinpyeong stream will take you past a beautiful wooden bridge and an artificial pond that is cloaked in colourful paper lanterns. You’ll know that you’re getting closer to the temple grounds when you come across a field of budos dedicated to former monks at Songgwangsa Temple.
Just to the left of the ancient Bulimun Gate is one of the most picturesque entrances to a Korean Buddhist temple in all of Korea. Protruding out of the Sinpyeong stream is a temple building, as well as the Woohwa-gak pavilion that spans the width of the stream. The mirror-like surface of the stream coupled with the dragon-based bridge make for quite the photo-op.
Having passed through the Woohwa-gak pavilion, you’ll make your way through the Cheonwangmun Gate with the Four Heavenly Kings inside. These recently refurbished statues make for quite the welcoming committee at the temple. It’s only after circumnavigating the Jonggo-ru Pavilion, which also acts as the temple’s bell pavilion on the second story, that you finally enter the main temple courtyard at Songgwangsa Temple.
Straight ahead is the beautiful Daeungbo-jeon main hall at Songgwangsa Temple. This massive main hall is beautifully packed with Buddhist artistry both inside and out. The wooden latticework is second-to-none, as are the various Buddhist themed murals like the one dedicated to Wonhyo’s awakening. As for the interior, and sitting on the main altar, are seven golden statues. Sitting in the centre of the set is Birojana-bul (The Buddha of Cosmic Energy). He’s joined on either side by Munsu-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Wisdom) and Bohyun-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Power). To the right of this triad is Mireuk-bul (The Future Buddha) and Gwanseeum-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Compassion). And to the left sit Yeondeung-bul (The Past Buddha) and Jijang-bosal (The Bodhisattva of the Afterlife).
The other buildings you can enjoy to the right of the main hall, and open to the public, are the Jijang-jeon, Yeongsan-jeon, and the Yaksa-jeon. Both the Yeongsan-jeon and the Yaksa-jeon are extremely small in size. While the Yaksa-jeon is dedicated to the Buddha of Medicine, the Yeongsan-jeon is a hall dedicated to eight paintings from the Buddha’s life. As for the Jijang-jeon, this cavernously wide hall houses a green-haired seated statue of Jijang-bosal, as well as the Ten Kings of the Underworld. As for the murals that adorn this hall’s exterior walls, they are amazing in their masterful beauty.
As for the buildings to the left of the main hall, there’s the beautiful Seungbo-jeon, which is the very embodiment of the “seung” aspect that Songgwangsa Temple stands for as a treasure temple. The exterior walls are beautifully adorned with some amazing renderings of the Ox-Herding murals. Sitting inside this hall are row upon row of smaller sized golden monk statues. As for the main altar inside this hall, there sits a statue dedicated to Seokgamoni-bul (The Historical Buddha).
In total, and rather remarkably, there have been some 16 national masters that had once studied at Songgwangsa Temple. In fact, the first of these, Jinul, has a budo dedicated to him behind the Gwaneeum-jeon. This budo dates back to 1213, and you get a commanding view of the more than 50 buildings at Songgwangsa Temple. As for the Gwaneeum-jeon hall itself, it’s beautifully surrounded on all sides by lush gardens. Sitting inside this hall is a statue of Gwanseeum-bosal sitting all alone on the main altar. She is surrounded on all sides by beautiful murals, as well as a dragon altar that completely engulfs her.
HOW TO GET THERE: From Suncheon, there is city bus #111 or an intercity bus from Suncheon to Songgwangsa Temple. Both are roughly 3,000 won. Also, from Jeonju, you can take local bus #806, #814 or #838 to Songgwangsa Temple.
OVERALL RATING: 9/10. Songgwangsa Temple is beautifully situated in the mountain folds of Mt. Jogyesan. Its beautiful entry that spans the Sinpyeong stream with its dragon-based bridge is a feat of Buddhist artistry. With its numerous halls like the massive Daeungbo-jeon and Seungbo-jeon, Songgwangsa Temple has a little of everything for everyone.
The beautiful trail that leads to Songgwangsa Temple.
The Bulimun Gate at Songgwangsa Temple.
The gorgeous covered arch bridge and stream that flows down from the Jogye-San Mountains.
As I promised, one of the greatest views within a temple grounds.
A look under the dragon-based bridge.
A view from inside the bridge.
One of the four guardians of Songgwangsa Temple that you have to pass to get to the temple’s courtyard.
The main hall at Songgwangsa Temple.
The amazing view behind the main hall.
A look inside the Jijang-jeon at Songgwangsa Temple.
A look inside the Seungbo-jeon Hall.
The Gwaneum-jeon at Songgwangsa Temple.
A look inside the Gwaneum-jeon.
The stairway that leads up to Jinul’s stupa. | 2019-04-20T14:49:09Z | http://koreantemples.com/?m=201101 |
Neal Eller no longer has time, patience or interest in helping churches pursue life on the plateau.
Neal Eller, who has become a voracious reader in recent years, leads the church health team for the Baptist State Convention.
He focuses now not on building successful church programs but on making disciples.
Eller is known best in North Carolina for his 13 years in the BSC’s church music department, including eight as team leader, before shifting to church health in a reorganized Congregational Services group.
He is a “junior,” son of a Baptist minister who led churches across the state. Frequent moves as a child gave Eller the inherent ability to make friends quickly, and provided him many connections he’s found especially useful once he came to Convention staff.
Eller benefitted from adults in his life who invested in young people.
He named high school teacher and coach Jack Musten who created opportunities and pushed young people to assume leadership.
When Eller’s father was pastor of Union Grove Baptist Church near Winston-Salem, the minster of music at First Baptist Church, Fred Kelly, created a county-wide youth choir of over 300 students called the Good News Singers.
Later the group was pared to 75 and became the unofficial ambassador group for Winston-Salem, singing at numerous civic events. Kelly is now at First Baptist Church, Goldsboro.
“It was because of Fred Kelly that I began to see maybe God is calling me into this area of ministry,” Eller said.
The result of “biblical illiteracy” is that “a lot of our own church people may not believe that Jesus lived a sinless life, there’s a literal hell, the Bible is the inspired word of God without error, there’s a personal Satan. If they don’t believe the essentials of our faith as an evangelical, it is no wonder we look so much like the world,” Eller says.
“What we find is that many churches are so stuck and have so much ungodly behavior in them that they’re not willing to be like Christ,” he says.
Eller comes by his conviction honestly. His life was as he describes so many churches – programmed and shallow.
Although he lived all over, Eller considers himself to be from Kernersville because that is where he attended high school and where he lived as a student commuting to UNC-Greensboro, where he earned a music education degree in 1976.
He is a 1978 master’s graduate in church music from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Neal Eller, BSC team leader for church health, has worked closely with Jimmy (cap) and Ken Atkins, worship leader and pastor at North Catawba Baptist Church in Lenoir, as they lead the church to simplifying ministry and seek the heart of God. See related story.
While at UNC-G Eller directed music part-time at Bethany Baptist in Winston-Salem, a church that later called his father as pastor.
He also served at First Baptist Church Hazlewood, First Baptist Jacksonville and Winter Park in Wilmington from where he came to the Convention Jan. 1, 1991.
Eller leads one of three teams in Congregational Services. Members of the entire group, led by Lynn Sasser, intend to lead North Carolina Baptist churches in creating a disciple making culture.
“We’re about life transformation,” Eller says.
Team members “work off the same page” so any church that calls for consultation will receive consistent input.
Eller says the teams are utilizing technology to expand their reach, establishing a pastors’ disciple making network; adding a monthly ezine called Next Steps, centered on the pastor as disciple maker.
A monthly teleconference connects pastors with leaders from across the nation, including Dallas Willard, Christian philosopher at the University of Southern California and author of Renovation of the Heart and The Divine Conspiracy in June and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Danny Akin in May.
The group sponsors conferences such as Simple Church, Essential Church and Comeback Church.
He develops relationships through regular patronage of several Starbucks, and he hates lukewarm coffee.
He and his wife, Cherri, are getting into kayaking and are part of a church plant in Cary sponsored by Apex Baptist Church called The Creek Church. It launched in September 2008 and “there is nothing like” being a part of a new work, he says.
See One beggar tells another where to find bread.
With this issue, the Biblical Recorder begins a series — Body Parts — featuring one of your Convention staff members, and a church which has grown through that staff member’s ministry. Body Parts is inspired by 1 Cor. 12:12 — “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ” (NIV). The parts of the Baptist State Convention exist to serve you.
This week: Neal Eller of the church health team in the Congregational Services group and North Catawba Baptist Church in Lenoir.
Coming up: Johnny Ross, consultant with GuideStone Financial Resources.
AMEN to constructive nature of this discussion. At this point I see a level of communication not witnessed in NC in the last 20 years. If we had had such intelligent COMMUNICATION instead of POLITICATION we might have the large crowds at the NCBSC we used to have--same is true of the SBC convention meeting.
When things are foreordained only to rubber stamp the Executive Committee, we have become like the GOP and Democratic national conventions--just a good TV show with no real debate!!!
Let's PLEASE continue to pray WITH Neal and not leave the job of inspiring and discussing just to him at Starbucks! As long as the internet is free, I can afford this coffee break discussion. My Tree Surgery Company is rained out the 3rd day in a row so the offering plate is empty for 3 Sundays, if you know what I mean. At least the BR Coffee Shop is open and Norman Jamison has given us a great meeting place! Thanks, Norman, and all NC Baptists who get the BR and subsidize it. This is a true service for NC "thinkin" Baptists.
I agree with what you say about inerrancy, if you mean it as an interpretive/hermeneutical strategy. However, Daniel Wallace of Dallas Theological Seminary is a proponant of inductive inerrancy, in which we read the scriptures as they are. We do not gloss over tensions (note, not contradictions) and we do not attempt to harmonize "details."
However, at the same time, we "trust" that the end of reading scripture will lead us to a relationship with Christ, and a vision of God's plan of redemption for the world. We do not succomb to how modernism defines "perfection" or "historical." Rather, we read to encounter God. We interpret so that we may perform the text on the twenty-first century stage.
I agree that a creed would try to settle the matter. Convictions we hold come as the result of wrestling and stating honest conclusions.
Too, I really hope to hear more from Neal Eller. And, I appreciate the constructive nature of this conversation. God bless all!
Thank all of you who have responded to the article about Neal and his work. I've known and worked at times with him for more than 30 years. He is one of the best denominational workers I've ever had the privilidge to partner with in ministry. I love him as my brother in Christ. However, I disagree with his suggestion that biblical literacy will result in one believing the doctrine of inerrancy. The more likely result will be its rejection! Robert Parham's recent article on the subject 6-09 in Ethics Daily shed much light on the subject. The adoption of the 2000 BF&M did not "settle" the question. Parham shows others are beginning to see the damaging results of that action. One such result is an attitude I've oftern encountered that it created a group who would rather sink the ship than let anyone on board who thinks differently. Sharing different ideas has been a trade mark of being Baptist for me. I hope those who have been called of God with great language skills will boldly show and publish the error of biblical inerrancy. I repeat my earlier statement: if we can't be truthful about the bible in our hand can we be trusted for anything else?
Keith and Tim -- I enjoyed and appreciated your thoughtful comments. Thank you for constructive dialogue!
Are you tuned in to the renewed (and quite robust) attention being given to the hermeneutics and spiritual formation habits of the Church Fathers in a manner suggested by Thomas Oden and others like him. IVP has an excellent set called "The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture" that follows this path. A few other books that I have found helpful: D.H. Williams -- "Evangelicals and Tradition: The Formative Influence of the Early Church." Brian McLaren -- "Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices." Richard Foster & Gayle Beebe -- "Longing for God: Seven Paths to Christian Devotion." Robert Weber -- "The Divine Embrace: Recovery of the Passionate Spiritual Life."
I believe a fresh look at some of the ancient practices and categories of thought may help us move beyond the boundaries created by our more modern paradigms and the limitations of our linguistics that have left us bickering over terms such as conservative/fundamental and moderate/liberal. Those terms are so politically charged and nuanced that they should be scuttled. We should all be talking about what it means to be "Christian" in a post-Christendom world.
Good thoughts, my brothers, BUT the statement I made was: The opposite of Faith is not Doubt--the opposite of Faith is Absolute Certainty--has encouraged you to share a rebuttal along the lines of wanting some Absolute Ceertainty!
The heart of our Southern Baptist dilemma is a change from the basic concept of the Founding fathers--MAJOR on MISSIONS and MINOR on THEOLOGY. In other words, put aside theological differences in favor of unity in reaching people for Christ. The second the "Conservative Resurgence" took things over in 1979 we lost our way trying to prove whose theology is correct enough to get us into Heaven. Whose theology could get the most votes at the SBC and NCBSC--we showed how high the monkey could climb the tree. Therefore, we unleashed the damons of the Inquisition onto our theological schools and purged any professor who could not sign the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 with its Inerrency new statements. We are still on that track and wondering "What happened?"
http://blogs.indystar.com/thoushalt/2009/06/considering_a_o.html is a wise observation from a thinking person of faith as to why he does not like the current SBC! Read it and think!
In it he was trying to say the loss of his good friend brought about deep doubts as to the fairness of God if he is a Good God of Love. All of us in our hard places in life need to give room for doubt and the varying expressions of one's faith. If we restrict brotherhood to only those who use the words of Inerrency, then we are letting theology become our MAJOR and missions our MINOR.
This is the root of our lack of growth. Neal Eller, Jr. is my hero for his efforts to get us back to relational theology and growth, BUT how many of us can afford to go to Starbucks to discuss theology? Why not take our relational theology WITHOUT the iron clad requirement for Inerrency to Hardee's, McDonald's, the supermarket, street corner discussions, and the pulpits and SS classes of our Baptist churches. Why should be embarassed to be Baptist if we are Baptist in the good Founding Father way?
Again I remind you: MAJOR on MISSIONS / MINOR on THEOLOGY! Let's join Neal with additional approaches outside Inerrency and as Jesus said, "Since you are going, go making disciples." Just show those new converts we are a people of love and forgiveness rather than an embarassing bunch of political / hateful / anti-gay & abortion / etc. Jerry Falwell, Jr.'s!
I guess for me, finding that center has been at least a spring board for discipleship. Theologically - the Kingdom of God as realized in Jesus Christ and ethically, the command to love through the lens of Jesus Christ.
I am looking forward to hearing more from Eller. I have already familiarized myself with many of Dallas Willard's works, which he alludes to, along with Bonhoeffer, and others. Thanks for the invite!
Very thoughtful reply Tom. I also find much to commend in what you say. Historical, grammatical interpretive methods are not the final arbitrating authority of scriptural interpretation, as much as the scholars may press that upon us, but they are helpful in their spheres I suppose. For me, I study grammar and historical research in my passion to learn and because I love Scripture, not because it settles every interpretive question I might ask. Yet all the major questions theological are settled for me. I find that the more time I spend simply reading Scripture, asking God’s help, listening to the Lord, and interacting with other Christians, the more convinced and faithful I become. Somehow my engagement with Scripture as never led me doubt, but it has led me to deeper faith. I pray this is true for others.
Which brings me back to my original point. Neal is passionate for people, and helping them grow in their faith. I am one such person. God brought this man into my life as a brother in Christ and I thank the Lord for it. So instead of rehashing the inerrancy debate, I think I’ll grab Neal, head on down to Starbucks, get a cup of coffee, encourage someone in Lord, pray for church, share the gospel with a stranger, and look forward to the return of Jesus! I’d love for you to join us.
Great words about theology. Fisher Humphreys' final sermon as professor of theology at Beeson Divinity School came from 1 John 4, entitled: "The Simplest Thing in the World." His points: 1. Our theology is "God is love" 2. Our ethics, "We love because he first loved us."
However, I find that people are wrestling with scripture. I heard a debate between Bart Ehrman and Tom Wright on the "problem of evil" in which Ehrman point blank asked if he and Wright were reading the same Bible. He noted that Wright seemed to see unity, whereas he saw disunity and discontinuity.
Biblical illiteracy seems to me to be an excuse for the real problem.
You raise the question of inerrancy and historical, grammatical interpretive methods. While I find that inerrancy and infallibility are helpful confessions for the reliability of scripture, I find them lacking as interpretive strategies. Simply put, inerrancy as an interpretive strategy assumes the unity of the text without ever asking what that unity actually is. Furthermore, historical-grammatical interpretive methods by themselves, never account for rhetorical strategies employed by Paul, narrative theology of the gospels, and the apocalyptic genre of Revelation and Daniel. Interpreting scripture is more than acknowledging God as source of inspiration and parsing verbs.
For those who wrestle with scripture, we need to provide reading strategies. Richard Hays and Ellen Davis' The Art of Reading Scripture is a good start, as well as Fee and Stuart's How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth. What we do not need to do is offer the same patronizing suggestions to simply learn the stories and obey the moral of the story.
I agree with much of what you say. However, I do think that there is more engagement with the text than what we realize. When someone is asking enough questions as to have doubts, that means to me that there is an engagement with scripture, rather than a refusal to engage it.
I find it interesting that the content of these posts have pursued a secondary point from the article, biblical inerrancy and the conservative vs. moderate points of view. What Neal actually alludes to is "biblical illiteracy," which I would suggest sadly exists in great extent among both conservatives and moderates. That is, too many Southern Baptists have never read the Bible, much less made an in depth study of its major themes in grammatical, historical context, regardless of how such persons view inerrancy. That's a problem given the Bible is our only source of objective revelation concerning God and His acts. Thus we must deal with it honestly, and I believe many aren't dealing with it at all.
The primary point of the article, however, is Neal's passion for loving leadership in one on one, face to face, person to person, in the trenches discipleship amongst Southern Baptists. Neal's point is the people, not another program, and if his theological convictions have led him to love people face to face just a Christ did, then that is to be commended.
Also, we are all theologians. What we believe about God, His being and His works,(our theology) is what leads us to practical application in daily living. Thus saying we are known as Christians because of our love and not our theology is actually backwards. Our love flows out of our theology. Why? Because "God is love (1 Joh 4:8,16)" and, "if anyone loves Me (Jesus speaking), he will keep My word(John 14:23-24)." God connects love to Himself first (theology), then out of that flows love for God's creation (humanity, environment). Thus, theology does matter.
Finally, Christian faith is NOT based on the absence of certainty. Belief in the absence of certainty is foolishness, not faith. Christian faith results from what we 1) know; 2) accept/believe; and 3) trust in action. I have faith that Jesus Christ died for my sins, making atonement for me so that I might not stand before the just wrath of God. That is absolutely certain. I have faith that I will be resurrected from the dead and glorified in Christ at some point in the future. That is absolutely certain. I have faith God has prepared for me a place in His presence for eternity. That is absolutely certain. I have faith that as I declare the good news of this gospel, God's love will extend His promises to other sinners also. That is absolutely certain. Please tell me what about the essence of Christian faith is devoid of certainty?? It is certainty that impels me to act in Christ for God's glory. If a person is uncertain about the promises of God in Christ, then there can be no true faith. Please read 1 John, esp. 5:13. You may by chance convince me of many things, even some untrue, but of my faith in Christ, I am absolutely certain! In that, I believe the unbeliever to whom we declare this loving truth are looking for certainty in a world that is already overwhelmed with fear and doubt (social, political, economic).
It is great to see such mature response to our dialogue. Let me be the first to say I applaude Eller's entheusiasm. I just have my reservations about his ultra-conservative slant on things.
I believe we will get further with the average citizen of NC if we will be nicer to one another as NC Baptists and speak in terms which do not put down those who have an "enlightened" faith not afraid to ask questions about the basics.
Let me try this thought on you: "The opposite of Faith is not Doubt---The opposite of Faith is Absolute Certainty."
Think on this for a bit and give some good responses!
If you have not read Brad Waggoner's book, The Shape of Faith to Come: Spiritual Formation and the Future of Discipleship, I highly recommend it to you. Furthermore, I recommend Dallas Willard's book, "Renovation of the Heart" and his book, "The Great Omission." Lastly, be sure to check out research from George Barna and LifeWay on what people say that believe. Here's the disconnect, what people say they believe and how they actually live and behave are entirely different. Why do you think the unchurched and the dechurched have turned their back on the church? It's because the body of Christ looks more like the world than its head (Jesus Christ!) Do you want to know how to have a healthy church? I will be glad to show you what the scriptures have to say about that! We've got to return to The Great Commandment and The Great Commission. And thank you Norman for writing this article and for the words you said above about understanding my comments through the lens in which I speak.
I thought everything with Eller's interview was excellent and right on target. However, I hear "biblical illiteracy" a lot. Maybe that is so. However, I feel like discipleship issues (like non-discipleship, as Dallas Willard calls it) arise from failures in interpretation, rather than lack of interest in scripture or reading scripture.
Great article! I hope to hear more about Neal Eller and his endeavors.
Let's not miss the forest, fellas. Neal is not outlining a systematic theology, he is simply pointing out a biblical illiteracy he is seeing in churches that seek his help and he gave a few examples of basics that people seem to be missing. Look at the rest of the story and read the companion story from North Catawba Baptist in Lenoir and you'll see the fuller picture. Don't be guilty of proof texting Neal's statements.
I, too, am proud of 2 children. Eddie is a career USCG aviation specialist in Traverse City, MI. He has personally saved 2 drowning vicims and is the last check off person before a helo is out of the shop to fly. He WILL NOT sign it off for duty unless it is safe for the crew to take it out over hypothermic waters year round on the Great Lakes.
Sara, our daughter, is manager for Bed,Bath,& Beyond in Rocky Mount. She treats her staff and customers with utmost care and dignity. Her 4 sons are growing in a loving home and full of faith and love.
In no way would any of us disparage our children. I just encourage mine to live in faith and love without ramming any "right" theology down the throat of others. They believe in giving others room to express their faith in meaningful terms to them. In this way we can all share our faith in love.
The proper translation of Acts 1:8 is--"Since you are going, go telling..." Whether we like it or not, people know we are Christians by our love and not our theology--especially if it is narrow!
I am the proud father of Neal E. Eller, Jr. His mother and I have always been proud of our three children. They have grown up to be excellent in each of their fields of service. Our other son, Thomas, was a career military and now serves the Lord in a local church that is on fire for the Lord. Our daughter, Tina, is a registered nurse taking care of dying patients. She practices her faith as she exhibits the love of Christ with her patients and their families through long nights of waiting for those final moments of their loved ones.
Neal, Jr. has written out of his heart in this article and his mother and I have seen his zeal for the Lord as he travels tirelessly to share his love for the Lord and to help pastors, staff members, and church leaders see their calling from the Lord in a culture that desperately needs the Gospel - and it truly is the GOOD NEWS for every generation. God bless Neal and all who share the love of Christ with that passion.
WOW!!! Some good thinking, for a change rather than much of the mindless feuding around a good subject.
Let's keep it up my fellow Baptists!!! If we did this more often, we might not be divorced from one another as we are right now.
I think that Eller is on to something more than the usual "fundamentalist" rhetoric that Mr. Scarborough characterizes above.
Though the problem to some extent is "biblical illiteracy," an even greater problem is the failure to see a coherence within the content of scripture. That was the mistake of the Pharisees: "Follow all the commands given in the Torah, along with the 613 oral laws that we deduce from them. Follow them without asking questions because God is sovereign and he expects obedience." Thus, the reader of scripture concludes God is just one of many arbitrary authorities.
Jesus, rather, interpreted all the law in terms of love for God and love for neighbor. Love was the coherence behind the law that the Pharisees missed, according to Jesus. Furthermore, Jesus provided the paradigm of what love for God and neighbor ought to look like. Eller stated that his goal was to be Christ to someone. Seems like another way of saying, "Being the presence of Christ?"
Our ideas of Jesus' sinlessness or perfection must stem from what HE DID with his life, rather than what HE DID NOT DO. Though he is our savior (he did something for us that we could not do), He is first and foremost our Lord (he empowers us to do what He did in life and ministry).
In our engagement with Scripture, we must read with a focal lens, a criterion or criteria, that brings unity to the text. That focal lens must govern how we read the text, and how we are to embody it in the world.
Thank you Gene for your evaluation of the article by Neal. You have correctly assessed the situation. Most people are gifted enough to read and when they read the scriptures and discover the misinformation they have been given it's no wonder they back away. If we can't be truthful about the scriptures will we be truthfull about God's grace?
The statement above is the "battle cry" of the fundamental conservative ideology which has driven many from the SBC and NCBSC. Is it possible we could share in the passion to serve as "little Christs" without having to toe the line of words?
Is it possible that fellow Baptists in NC who do not express their beliefs in EXACTLY the same words, but believe to their core that the Bible is our guide despite minor inconsistencies in the text might have a chance to express that view and still have a dynamic church and ministry?
You see, there are many in the general public of NC who take the History Channel and Discovery Channel programs more seriously than we think and what we discover there is a graduate level of investigation of Scripture missing from our SS literature in the last 30 years. There are some who believe an enlightened faith is just as important as a "toe the line" faith.
The heart of the Faith is not "proper" theology, but a real and authentic relationship to the Founder of the Faith. All else takes care of itself. The Bible simply states to "Believe in your heart that Jesus is the Christ, and confess with your mouth that God raised him from the dead and you will be saved." The biblical statement has nothing of the first paragraph as its content.
If we are to reach NC citizens with zeal, it will take a real, loving and forgiving relationship to one another lest people see us only as fighting and feuding Baptists. Spiritual children want love and forgiveness modeled in any church of any denomination. The specific theology follows and does not lead. With the Bible as our guide we may have other words to express our understanding of our Faith.
Real Christianity is, first, at matter of the heart. If we cannot love God and love one another, no amount of "church health team" guidance will lead us to new levels of evangelism or church growth. | 2019-04-22T16:11:00Z | https://brnow.org/News/June-2009/No-more-programs-Eller-invests-in-discipling?feed=blogs |
v.44 - Even though Jonathan was saved by the power of the people, as it were, it would seem that he was still under the curse which had never come to his ears. It seems frightening to me to think that such a situation could exist. Could we be punished for not obeying a law we had never heard? Within the law of the land this is certainly possible. Let us be sure to study God's law and save ourselves this possible embarrassment.
v.45 We see an example of how Saul was swayed by the people. He was not in control. Of course he would have been foolish to have killed Jonathan. However it was the people, and not Saul. who saw the folly of his words.
v.6 gives us an insight into Jonathan as a man of great faith and courage. May we learn from him.
14:2 We learn that Saul had 600 men with him. This is so also in 13:15. Why do we find such a small number of men with Saul? Was it that the kingdom was really fragmented or was it that the people would not align behind Saul? Whatever the reason we must realise that it was a very small number of men.
In many ways we are like Jonathan. We are not in a position to do great things - to lead the whole of Israel against the enemy, but we can do what we are able to, within our sphere of influence. By controlling ourselves and being proactive in our own lives, we will motivate others to do the same and to follow our lead. Then, from small beginnings, we may be able to achieve great things with the help of the LORD our God.
Wasn't Saul foolish in cursing any of the people who eat food? (1Sam 14:24) It very nearly cost him the life of his son Jonathan - or it could have cost him the kingdom, in the light of the rising of the people against him, and in Jonathan's defence (1Sam 14:45).
Vs.31,32 A great decimation of the Philistines occurred and great spoil was taken. The Philistines had the latest weapons, such as the two-edged long iron sword. We have no further information, but would this not be a golden opportunity for the Israelites to gather the armour of the dead Philistines?
V.6 It may be that the Lord will work for us: This expression did not imply a doubt; it signified simply that the object he aimed at was not in his own power, but it depended upon God; and that he expected success neither from his own strength nor his own merit.
Jonathan put God to the test in this incident. It was as if Jonathan blackmailed the Heavenly Father.
Option 2 spelled certain death! The very sign that Jonathan had chosen to show that God wasn't with them, was designed by Jonathan to be the signal of their own death. Jonathan had given God an all or nothing ultimatum. "Refuse my request, and lose me as well", or in other words "if you want to save me, save Israel too!".
This is a very key principle. The same principle exists in the approach of Esther to King Ahasuerus. She gave him an ultimatum "revoke your irrevocable commandment, or you will lose me" or in other words "if you want to save me, save Israel too!" (Est 7:1-4). This principle is called mediation, and it is based upon using your confidence in the Love that God has for you in order to persuade, or even compel Him to save others. Jonathan was so confident that the LORD loved him and wouldn't want to lose him, that he could gamble his own life, and the life of his companion. This principle has its most perfect fulfilment in Jesus Christ, who with his death was declaring "if you want to save me, save my brethren too!".
14:18 More correctly Saul called for the ephod – the ark had been in the land of the Philistines and returned to obscurity in Israel by this time.
V.36,37,41 Saul seeks to act without first enquiring of the Lord by Urim and Thummim according to the Septuagint's rendering of v41 "Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault, respond with Thummim."
14:21 The seeming casual comment that there were Hebrews with the Philistines indicates the depths to which Israel had sunk. Not only were they afraid of the Philistines but they actually went and fought with them against Israel.
As we read through this chapter we clearly see that Saul's main concern was for his personal victory, even at the expense of the needs of the people. The people had spent all day chasing the Philistines, until they could go no further owing to the lack of strength, because of the decree issued by the king forbidding the eating of food. Jonathon, because he did not hear the order of his father, ate of the honeycomb. Once the time expired of the kings decree, we see that the army commenced killing and eating the animals without waiting for this to be done according to the law. (Lev 3:17). Saul's hasty and unnecessary decree caused the army of Israel to sin.
V.2 The pomegranate tree (more like a large bush) was brought to this region from Carthage. Its red fruit was used in making spiced wine as well as in the manufacture of Morocco leather. Morocco leather is made from sheepskin. The grain side of the hide is dyed red (pomegranate juice) and then the hide is tanned by hand. This whole effect produces the unique bird's-eye pattern.
V.21 The word Hebrews here does not indicate whether these people were deserters or captives. The Septuagint states slaves rather than Hebrews.
V.24 By making this ridiculous command, we see Saul's questionable mentality. Mental sickness (evil spirit) would later be imposed upon him by Yahweh (1Sam 16:14).
14:1-2 Notice Jonathan is involved in the battle but Saul is hiding away in a distant part of Gibeah!
Vs.11,12 The mighty Philistines would not expect any under-manned and under-armed Israelites to actually attack their military post. And so, they probably thought that Jonathan and his armourbearer were deserters. There were men of Israel who had deserted and joined the Philistines. With that assumption in mind, the Philistines welcomed them to come into the command post.
Vs.13,14 The Philistines’ guard was down, and Jonathan took them by surprise. All twenty men in the command post were killed, with divine help. The size of the command post was listed as half an acre. The measurement half an acre was probably a colloquial expression denoting a small area and not an exact measurement..
Vs.15,16 This unbelievable event sent shock waves through the people as the story spread. The camp of the Philistines was in commotion and disarray, and men began to disperse in all directions. The angels of Yahweh were at work just like they would be later against the Syrians (2Kin 7:5-7).
V.19 The priest’s hands had been raised to invoke Yahweh. Saul heard the increasing noise of confusion in the Philistine camp and perceived that the prayer had been answered. Now was the time to act.
Vs.20-22 Israel gathered itself together, joined by the Hebrew deserters from the Philistine camp and the fugitives who were hiding in the mountains of Ephraim.
V.24 The battle would last the whole day. Saul had sworn an oath that none of his soldiers should eat anything until the battle was over. This was a stupid and senseless thing to do as his soldiers would become needlessly weak.
Vs.29-31 Jonathan, who had inadvertently eaten the honey, thought his father’s oath was stupid, and said so.
V.32 The famished troops ate raw meat which contained blood. Eating blood was a sin (Deut 12:15,16).
V.35 All previous altars had been built by Samuel.
V.45 The soldiers’ conscience would not allow a foolish vow to kill the hero of the day. The king (God’s appointed) had been challenged, but there was no complaint from Yahweh. Saul was showing poor leadership.
14:16-18 Saul would not have needed the priest to tell him what was happening if he had bothered to lead the people into battle – like the kings of the nations round about did – he would have known what was happening. It is all too easy for us to sit on the sidelines and ask others what is happening rather than getting involved ourselves.
14:6 Jonathan’s description of the Philistines as ‘these uncircumcised’ is matched later by David – 1Sam 17:36 – clearly, as will become clear later in the record, Jonathan and David were of the same mind. Hence their immediate friendship.
14:7 What a wonderful armour bearer – after all he would be in the forefront of any action. A man who shared Jonathan’s faith, it seems.
14:6-15 Jonathan and his armour bearer’s victory against the Philistines shows that God will fulfil His promise – Lev 26:8 – that a large army would not be required to gain the victory if faith was shown.
14:12 Jonathan, against all that one might expect given the circumstances, sees God at work because the sign that he has asked for was given to him.
14:8-10 Jonathan, having made a decision to fight the Philistines, seeks a sign from God, showing that he placed his trust in God.
14:45 In telling us that Saul took any “valiant man” to himself we realise Saul behaved like a king of the nations. He was concerned to strengthen himself militarily. However it indicates also that Saul did not place his trust in God.
14:47-48 This inspired summary is about the most positive thing said of Saul in the whole of his reign.
14:3 No show, no ceremony for Jonathan. Simply he and his armour bearer left the camp quietly. When we see a job that needs to be done maybe we could learn from Jonathan. Just get on with it. No fuss. No need to draw attention to what one is doing.
v. 5-7 - Here we have a similar contrast between man's thinking and God's thinking to the ones put forward by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. There are lots of aspects of the New Covenant in these last chapters of Isaiah, where the inclusion of the Gentiles is paramount. Here is another aspect of Old Testament teaching that leads directly to the New Covenant which is powered by love. Matt.25:35-40, Luke 11:41, 19:8, Rom.12:20,21.
v.6 - The only time that God asked the people to afflict their souls was on the day of atonement [Leviticus 16:29]. The day of atonement marked the beginning of each year of release and jubilee. Hence 'let the oppressed go free' catches the language of the year of release also. Isaiah 37:30 also uses language of the year of release when it speaks of eating that which groweth of itself. [Leviticus 25:11]. Around the time of the Assyrian invasion there was a year of release which Isaiah alludes to on these two occasions. Despite the wonderful deliverance Yahweh gave them at that time the people did not think about His deliverance and so were unwilling to keep the law with respect to their slaves.
v.8 is full of pictures of the way God cares for His own. We see the crossing of the Red Sea where God protected them as their rereward, keeping the Egyptians at bay until they were all safely across - what great faith was required by those at the back! - We also see the salvation in Jesus, who is the great bringer of the light. A complete picture of salvation in one verse.
58:14 Ride upon the high places of the earth echoes Deuteronomy 32:13 which was a promise that Moses made by inspiration at the end of the wilderness journey.
:1-2 The whole context of the day of atonement here is set against the nation coming to God as if they were faithful but living a sinful life. Their actions belied their words. Whilst the day of atonement was for the forgiveness of sin it was of no benefit to those who only gave God lip service. Likewise for us. We must not only say we are new creatures. We should also live as new creatures.
58:3 We saw on a previous occasion that Isaiah is speaking of the day of atonement. A time when the nation were released from their burdens and sins - but they still require their servants to work for them - see RV mgn and AV mgn.
V.9-11 For us, the message is that faith without works is dead. The work of righteousness is peace; peace with God. Had they attempted to carry out the ordinance of God , the result would have been different.
God was not pleased with Israel’s supposedly pious attitude. Isa 58:3-7 describes the people who did fast, and did wear sackcloth and ashes, but they did it for show. What God really wanted was for them to help others in God’s Name, to encourage sinners to repent, and to “break every yoke”. There’s a great lesson about practical Christianity for us, there.
God doesn't respond well to proud demands. In v3 we see this attitude displayed by Israel. In effect they were saying "we've done good things, so why aren't you rewarding us?". Sometimes our own religion can get a bit like that don't you think?
God doesn't reward the proud for the good they've done. Instead He calls to mind all the evil they have done and brings them to account for it (v3-5). It is much better for us to quietly go about doing good without drawing attention to it. This way God will notice and reward us openly (v6-8).
58:3 So Israel, at a time when they should have been showing compassion were oppressing their brethren – see the marginal rendering and the RV marginal rendering.
58:13-14 The prophet, against the background of the way in which Israel had made a mockery of the feasts of God, speaks of the blessing that will follow on from obedience.
V.4 Contentious attitudes should give way to generous attitudes (vs.6,7).
The formalities of worship mean nothing unless the attitude is right. From the right attitude come the right actions. This applies to us as it did to the Israelites.
58:4 Israel had an outward show of piety but their actions showed what was truly in their hearts. Their hearts were busy practicing mischief making the outward show of no avail at all.
There is no point just going through the motions. We can pray, fast, read the Bible, attend the meetings and even give of what we have, but if all we are doing is just performing a religious duty, there is no value in it. Going through the motions of religious duty means that we do these things because they are a habit, because they need doing, or just because we feel we should. What God really wants from us is our heart. He wants to see spontaneous, loving action from us toward him and toward each other.
Let's not be left wondering what it would have been like if we had not just gone through the motions.
V.1 A trumpet was used to demand attention (Exo 19:16). Yahweh reacts loudly against hypocrisy.
V.2 Israel went through the motions of worship thinking that they were pious, yet their action did not back them up (Prov 25:14).
V.3 Israel was fasting in mock modesty but feeling self-satisfied (Prov 16:5).
V.5 Fasting for show instead of for humble intent is not acceptable to Yahweh (Matt 6:16-18).
Vs.6,7 Yahweh demands justice not religious window dressing (Psa 82:3).
V.8 This verse makes an allusion to Yahweh’s care of His people as they exited Egypt (Exo 14:19,20).
V.10 See Psa 37:6; 112:4.
V.12 Here is an allusion to the Kingdom age (Amos 9:11,12).
Vs.13,14 The heritage of Jacob is the Promised Land (Gen 13:15; Psa 135:12).
It is natural, when appraising our worship, to focus on what we do for God. So we might ask the question in v3 "we've worshipped you in the way you asked, so why isn't his enough for You?". But our focus instead should be to take the rest of the advice in this chapter to heart (v6-7, 9-10, and 13) for which the rewards are great (v8-9, 11,14).
58:3 So Israel fasted so that God could see their behaviour. How often do we do things to appear good in God’s eyes? We should do things because we love Him.
58:3Whereas the KJV has ‘exact all your labour’ the margin has ‘things wherewith ye grieve others’ which seems to catch what was happening. The people were observing the Day of Atonement but not showing mercy to others.
58:12 That there would be one who would repair the breaches clearly, ultimately, looks to Jesus. However the way in which Nehemiah appeals to this passage – Neh 6:1 – shows that Nehemiah was expecting the people to see, at least, a partial fulfilment of this promise in their own days.
58:3-6 It would appear that Israel were keeping a fast – possibly the day of atonement. However whilst the nation were going through the motions required by the law of Moses their hearts were not tuned to the requirements of the law. Their hearts were Godless and self-seeking. So even though the outward appearance of what they were doing might have indicated that they were faithful God knew otherwise. This is a warning for us Going to worship of itself is not sufficient. We should desire to go and focus on what we are doing.
58:6-7 The Day of Atonement could have been seen in Israel as a time for having a depressing view of oneself. The feast recognised that even though animal sacrifices for sin were offered all year round there was still the need for the people to annually confess their sins. It could have been quite depressing. God, through Isaiah, presents a better picture. A picture of generosity towards others. Why? Well the person who had experienced God’s generosity in forgiveness should be very willing to extend his own generosity to others as realisation of the generosity that God had shown him.
1. the second synague reading for the Day of Atonement is Isa 57:14-21 to Isa 58:1-14.
2. Isa 58:1 - the trumpet and the shofar sounded at the Feast of Trumpets and 10 days later to bring in the Day of Atonement; the prophets were commanded by God to be watchmen to the house of Israel (Eze 33:1-33); the sins of the house of Jacob are to be declared.
3. Isa 58:2-6 - V2 pretending to sincerely seek out God and His ways; VS 2-6 unacceptable fasting (Matt 6:16;Matt 9:11-17), only an outward show in approaching God (2Tim 3:5), but they oppressed the labourers and the poor, and they indulged in strife and debate; V4 God will not hear the voices of people who are sincere in their fasting; V5 God's dissatisfaction regarding their 'efforts' on the Day of Atonement; V6 fasting, the Day of Atonement and the Year of Jubilee should have been about the giving up of self to help others break free from the yoke of oppression, "to let the oppressed go free" in the year of Jubilee (and future ultimate deliverance).
4. Isa 58:6-7 - the proper type of fast was exemplified by Jesus who fed the needy literally and in offering his life feeds his friends with the bread of life spiritually; two types of attitudes in worshippers (Luke 18:9-17); V7 helping the hungry, poor and unclothed naturally and spiritually (Israel was expressing a hypocritical formality vs a sincere devotion and didn't truly care for the needy - Matt 25:35-36).
5. Isa 58:8,10- your light breaking forth as the dawn, combined with healing, righteousness and the glory of the Lord as a reward reminds me of the resurrection.
6. Isa 58:9-10 - V9 "Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer"; V9 "thou shalt 'cry<7768>', and he shall say, Here I am" (Mark 14:37;John 20:9-19); V9 the yoke (associated with oppression in V6); VS 9-10 "If...And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day" (Isa 53:12 Christ poured out his soul unto death, but will be given a portion among the great;John 15:13), during the millennium there will be very little darkness.
7. Isa 58:11 - (if you chose the path of light) the Lord will guide you and you will be like a watered garden (suggestion of Eden before the curse?) and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not (John 7:37-39;John 4:7-15;Eze 47:1-12;Rev 22:1-5).
8. Isa 58:12 - (KJV) "they that shall be of thee" (Thy people);(NIV) "Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins"; (KJV) "repairer of the breach" (this was literally done with Nehemiah, but will be spiritually accomplished when the sin and death is repaired during and at the end of the millennial kingdom era to come (Acts 1:9-11;Mic 4:1-4;Isa 11:1-12;Isa 9:6-10).
9. Isa 58:13 - but so far these conditions have not been adhered to, the observance of the Sabbath has degenerated into a largely superficial meaningless performance mixed with rabbinical superstition (Luke 13:13-17;Col 2:16-17).
10. Isa 58:14 - When Christ returns he will be recognized (Zech 12:10) by many and there will be joy in the Lord and a feasting on the inheritance of your father Jacob (Gen 27:19-29;Gen 28:10-15).
Isa 58:5-7 The transgression of the house of Jacob were such that they their fasting was done with outward show. Heads bowed like drooping bulrush, dressed in sackcloth and ashes scattered around (v.5). However, true fast that the LORD respected is defined as “…to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?”(verse 6).
“Is itnot to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?(verse 7).
True fasting, that is acceptable to the LORD, has nothing to do with our choice of eating habits or abstinence from food on certain days. Rather it is our committment to abstain from sin and transgressions and to feed the hungry and relief of burdens of others.
Jesus, by his example, showed us the fasting that pleases the LORD.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”(Matt 11:28-30).
58:6 God sought to lift “heavy burdens” off the shoulders of Israel in the provision of the Day of Atonement. By contrast – Matt 23:4 – the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day sought to increase those burdens by reproving the people and requiring them to observe men’s traditions which were designed to afflict the souls of the people. It is possible that we, in our talking about God, might oppress our fellows rather than edify them. Care must be taken to present a balanced Scriptural picture when speaking about Him and His message of salvation .
58:1-3 When Israel were astray form God they did not recognise that fact. Indeed they thought their approach was completely acceptable. However measured against God’s yardstick they were found wanting. We have to ask ourselves whether we truly appreciate what it is to obey God. It is more than giving assent to a set of rules. It has to be seen in the daily living of a Christ-like life.
“The prophet was not sent to the surrounding heathen to tell them of their sins, but to Israel—God’s own people. Sin is by no means confined to those who know not God. The need for condemning sin exists as much, and in a certain sense, more, within the house of God than in the outer darkness. The outer darkness is insensible to appeal; wickedness is its normal condition, so to speak. It knows not God and cares for none of His ways, and reproof would be altogether objectless. But the house of God is professedly founded on submission to the expressed and enjoined will of God. And the people composing it are in danger of resting on this collective profession while individually acting inconsistently with it. Thus it was with Israel: ‘They seek me daily, says the Spirit of God by Isaiah, ‘and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God.’ They crowded the temple at the appointed times; they brought the sacrifices and kept the feasts, and took a certain delight in these things, but privately, they acted in opposition to the spirit on which the whole institution was founded. Jesus tells us what this spirit was. He says, ‘All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets’ (Matt 7:12; Matt 22:37-40).
All these things happened unto them as ensamples; and are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are comes. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1Cor 10:11,12).
58:5-6 As with the feasts that God commanded Israel to keep they saw keeping the feast as some sort of virtue without realising that the feasts – on this occasion the Day of Atonement – that the feast was to be kept to remind them of their sinfulness that they might appreciate God’s willingness to forgive the repentant sinner.
2 v. 23 - This verse speaks as though Nazareth was not the original dwelling place of Joseph and/or Mary, but in fact a place that they settled in having fled Judea for fear of Archelaus (v.22), which brings about, we are told, a direct fulfilment of a prophecy, even though it is a prophecy which appears not to be recorded in our Old Testament.
1:1 - The mention of David and Abraham marks the two important milestones in the purpose of God. Abraham, through whom the promises were given and David the king to whom further promises were given. Both of these men had promises made to them of a singular seed who was to come [Gen 22:17, 2Sam 7:12] Both of these promises are applied in the New Testament to Jesus. Genesis 21 in [Rom 9:7] and 2 Samuel [Heb 1:5] Notice the preponderance of occasion where Jesus is spoken of as The son of David in Matthew. Matt 1:1,20, 9:27, 20:30,31, 21:9,15 Compared with Mark and Luke. [Mark 10:47,48, Luke 3:31, 18:38,39] It is a phrase never found in John.
1:3 - Whilst it is not strictly necessary to record the twin son that Tamar bare to Judah he is here. Num 26:20-21, 1Chron 2:3-4] Show that Zara is the twin son of Judah by Tamar. The inclusion of Pharez in the line would indicate that Judah took Tamar to be his wife. Thus, I presume, the second son is mentioned here to make the point clear that the irregularity was cleared up. This section of the genealogy quotes exactly [Ruth 4:18-20] In fact it is the only part of the family tree in Matthew which can be seen to be drawn from a specific area of the Old Testament.
Ch 2 - Matthew records the visit of the wise men whilst Luke records the visit of the shepherds. These two events took place some time apart. The wise men visited Jesus when the family had gone back to Nazareth.
ch 2 - There are a number of parallels between the narrative of the birth and death of Jesus.
Having gone through the entire forty two generations leading up to Christ, we find in verse 16 that they were the forefathers of Joseph, whom in verse 25 we’re told had nothing to do with the birth of Christ!
After tracing Joseph right back to his forefather Abraham, in verse 20 the angel calls him the son of David, when surely Abraham was more significant?
In verse 23 we’re told that “they shall call his name Immanuel..”, and then in verse 25 they name him Jesus!
These things must have been put there by God to make us think about them, but why?
A virgin conceiving isn’t actually uncommon. We should not mistake conception with birth. When this prophecy was made in the time of Isaiah, the people may not have been expecting a miracle. The prophecy may have had its fulfilment immediately in Hezekiah’s mother. Here in Matthew the wording of the prophecy is changed from “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son” (Isaiah) to “the virgin shall be with child”, which is of course a miracle!
Did you know all the women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus weren’t virgins, neither were they with their first partners when they begat their sons, except for Mary?
2:1-6 Here we find the reason why Jesus is called “the son of David” in Chapter 1. Jesus is shown to be the promised king of Micah 5v2. But why in verse 3 was all Jerusalem, including Herod, troubled at the thought of the promised Messiah coming? Surely they should have been glad? Herod's plan to kill the baby seems to have been done through popular demand (see verse 4).
The prophecy in verse 6 may give us a clue to this: “..a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel”. Would this remind the current shepherds of Israel that if the true shepherd were to come, then their deeds would be exposed? There is a clue in the word “shepherd”, which doesn’t appear in the quotation from Micah. The word of God seems to be giving us a flag to where we ought to look for illumination. In the search the scribes made of Christ in the books of the law, they would have found Jeremiah 23:1-6 which shows that wrath would be executed on the evil shepherds by the promised King, and replaced by good shepherds. Note how this prophecy is in the context of the return of the Jews to their own land, an event which had recently occurred.
In verse 23 we find that the prophet had said “he shall be called a Nazarene”. As far as I know the only place where we can find this is Judges 13:5 speaking of the birth of Samson. How can this apply to Christ if it was spoken of Samson, or am I looking in the wrong passage of scripture?
1 - The five women :3,5,6,16 all could be described as being unsuitable women to be in the line of Christ. Matthew could have left them out and the genealogy would have been complete. Therefore we have to conclude that the inclusion of these women is significant. It would, at least, teach the Jews, that their perception of purity in a genealogy was unsound. One wonders how often we judge people on the basis of their pedigree.
2 - Herod was an Idumean – that is a descendant of Abraham through Esau. So the antipathy Herod had towards Jesus was the continual hatred of Edom of Israel.
Synoptic means seeing together. They look at the same events from different vantage points. Thus, to understand an incident fully, the three accounts should be cross-referenced.
The four Gospel accounts mirror the four major Prophecies.
Matthew claims that there are fourteen generations between Abraham and David; fourteen between David and Babylon; and fourteen between Babylon and Christ (1:17). Actually there are more but Matthew has been selective with the genealogy.
The reference to Jesus' being a Nazarene in the Old Testament seems not to be found (2:23). But it is. Isa 11:1 designates Jesus as being the Branch. Branch in Hebrew is netzar. Coming from the same word, Nazareth also means branch. And so, there is the link.
Matt 2 From the very first there was indifference on the part of some towards Christ, and from others out and out hostility V.3-8 But it needed another thirty years, and another Herod before their scheme came to fruition. We are comforted how ever, that the hostility Christ encountered will be done away with in the near future with His return, and establishment of His Kingdom.
2:11 Matthew uses the word 'house' to speak of the place where the Magi worshipped Jesus. Luke 2:7calls the place an 'inn' where the shepherds saw Jesus. Thus the precision of Scripture demands that the two visitations occurred at different places.
2:4 The chief priests and the scribes would have been the Sanhedrin. This is the first time that they are called together to deal with Christ, they were able at this time only able to identify the place of his birth. The Sanhedrin, at there full complement, numbered seventy two. They provided Herod with knowledge that would be a stepping stone toward finding the child, and killing him. It was the highest tribunal, and did eventually condemn Christ to death.
1:22 This is the first of many times that Matthew uses the phrase 'that it might be fulfilled' or a similar phrase. It always worth following up the quotation which will be found noted in the marginal references. Maybe it would be helpful to underline the phrase whenever it occurs in your Bible.
2:5-6 That the religious leaders were able to cite Mic 5:2 to show where Messiah would be born shows that there was an active interest in, and Bible knowledge of, Messiah’s birthplace. Their problem was that they did not know the true nature of messiah – they anticipated a conquering king, not a sacrificial lamb.
1:19 Joseph who was ‘just’ did not rush thoughtless into dealing with the matter of Mary being pregnant. He ‘thought on those things’. Herein a lesson for us. Notice the first thing he did was not to talk about it with others. He applied his mind to the Biblical principles before doing anything. How we could learn from that! It is all too easy to make a snap decision – after all the case was quite clear with Mary. She was with child and the Law was very clear on this point. Of course the relevant thing was that the circumstances need to be thought through. It was the circumstances which cleared Mary of guilt though Joseph did not know this when he ‘thought’ about the issue. We would benefit from doing likewise, even when the matter seems so clear cut.
As you read through the Gospels, note how many prophecies about Jesus were made in the Old Testament (Luke 24:27).
1:21,25 Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew yeshua which means Yah saves. The Greek for wise men is magi from which the word magic comes.
2:1 Herod the Great was the Edomite who was made king by the Romans. Jesus was born in the year of his death. This fulfils the prophecy of Gen 49:10.
2:22 Archelaus took over from his father Herod the Great. However, the Romans gave him the position of ethnarch over Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. He was never granted the position of king. Archelaus did such an unfavourable job of governing that the Romans banished him to Vienna in Gaul. After that, the Romans governed the area as a Roman province. Thus, Gen 49:10 remained true.
2:2 By the time Jesus was born there had been a long time since the promise of ‘Messiah the prince’ Dan 9:25 – and a time period was specified. We also know that there were people at the time of Jesus’ birth looking for ‘the consolation of Israel’ – Luke 2:25– and others looking for ‘the kingdom of God’ - Luke 2:38 so the question about the birth place of ‘the king of the Jews’ was not really an unusual question to ask – doubtless it was a topic of conversation among the faithful Jews at that time.
4:11 Right at the start of his ministry, God sent an angel to minister to Jesus. This is undoubtedly an indication of what the temptation had taken out of him. A similar event occurred right at the end of his ministry Luke 22:43 when, again, much effort had been expended.
2:11 When the ‘wise men’ worshipped Jesus they were the first gentiles to do this - a foreshadowing of the response of gentiles to Jesus. The Jewish shepherds were the first Jews. So both Jew and gentile worshipped the young child Jesus.
There are three titles of Christ named in Matthew 1: Christ, Jesus and Immanuel.
As Matthew concludes his genealogy, he climaxes it with "Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." (Matt 1:16) Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew, Messiah, which means "The Anointed One". At the end of the genealogy listing the kingly line it is appropriate that Jesus is named as the Christ, our Anointed king.
When Joseph was told that Mary's child was from the Holy Spirit, he was told, "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (v.21) Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means "The Lord Saves". Jesus is our Savior.
And in the prophecy Matthew quotes from Isaiah we learn that "'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' - which means 'God with us'." (v.23) As Immanuel Jesus brings us into the presence of God.
What a blessing it is to know him - the Son of God, Anointed by God to be our king, our Savior and the One who brings us back into the presence of God.
While Matthew begins his genealogy with Abraham and ends with Joseph and the birth of Jesus Christ, born of Mary (not begat by Joseph), Luke reverses his genealogy and begins with Christ at age 30, “as was supposed the son of Joseph…” and ends in Adam, the son of God (Luke 3:23,28). Clearly, Matt 1 and Luke 3 offer different genealogies for Jesus. Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph, who was descended from the line of David, but the line he came from was banned from any further kings reigning over Judah after King Jechoniah. Jeremiah declares: “Thus saith the LORD, (Yahweh), Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah” (Jer 22:30; Eze 21:27). Jechoniah was the last king of Judah before the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. All the recorded names after Jechoniah reveal the truth of this. No descendant of David after Jechoniah occupied David’s throne, and no one ever occupied the throne that was not a descendant of David.
Joseph's ancestry did not disqualify Jesus' claim to the throne, not being his biological son, and thus Matthew concludes his genealogy as Jesus who was born of Mary. Iraeneus, a Biblical scholar of the 2nd century wrote: "But besides, if indeed He had been the son of Joseph, He could not, according to Jeremiah, be either king or heir…” Since Jechoniah's descendants were forbidden to fulfill their heir-ship to the throne, it is not surprising Matthew stated upfront that Joseph was not the father of Jesus (Matt 1:18-19,25).
We read in v. 24 that Heli was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi. This identifies him with the priestly tribe of Levi and descended from Aaron (Num 18). Luke by recording his genealogy right down to Adam reveals Christ’s both kingly and priestly line. Mary’s genealogy merged the priestly line of Levi with the Davidic royal line of Judah! According to Jewish custom, though, the actual genealogy of Joseph was the legal pedigree of Jesus, but Mary’s was the actual bloodline of Jesus as recorded in Luke 3.
2:13 The way in which Joseph is given the dream immediately after the visit of the wise men may cause us to think that these events happened in Bethlehem. However some time had elapsed since the events in Bethlehem and Joseph and Mary are back in Nazareth.
2:12 Isn’t it interesting that these gentile men could differentiate between a God given dream and the normal dream that man has?
What may this "star of Bethlehem" have really been?
Thanks to bro. Harry Whittaker, Studies in the Gospels, for a nice answer for this one.
So they came to Jerusalem, seeking the King, and perhaps somewhat mystified that the entire nation was not in a state of excitement over the appearance of Messiah's star. But, of course, it was not a star at all. A good deal of guesswork and a tremendous amount of futile mathematical computation has gone into attempts to establish that this star was a brilliant nova, or the planet Venus, or the conjunction of two, or maybe three, major planets. All such approaches fall down badly over one simple fact: the star "came and stood over where the young child was". In other words, it guided the wise men to the very spot. But if at the same moment two people ten miles apart both attempt to identify the star which is immediately overhead, they will both pick the same star thus because of the fantastically great distances between the stars and the earth, compared with their negligibly small base line. This consideration by itself dictates the conclusion that, whatever the star was, it hung comparatively low down in the sky, say, as low as the flight of a helicopter - this, at least. Thus all astronomy is ruled out.
"Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee...the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising (the word for "east" in Mat. 2 also means "rising") ...they shall bring gold and frankincense, and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord" (60:1-3,6). This prophecy hints at "myrrh" also, for the Hebrew text of the last phrase sounds like" "his drinking of myrrh shall shew the Lord" although the K.J.V. translation is correct. Here, in Isa. 60, was evidently the Scripture, known to the wise men, which dictated their journey.
If the star of the wise men were the Shekinah glory, it becomes easy to see why there was no excitement in the rest of the populace and no attempt by others to follow the star as the wise men did. On an earlier noteworthy occasion the Glory of the Lord was "a cloud and darkness" to the Egyptians, but "it gave light by night" to Israel (Exo 14:20). The same kind of thing could well have happened in Judea.
2 When we read this and the previous chapter about the early life of Jesus and his parents we are forced to appreciate that Godly people are not guaranteed an easy life. It was of God that Joseph and Mary had to make the arduous journey to Egypt and then back and find accommodation in Nazareth because of the wickedness of both Herod and Archelaus.
2:3-8 Herod’s instructions to the wise men highlights Herod’s paranoia. He was fearful that his position and status was in question and that he might be removed from his position of privilege. He is the first person who felt their position and status was challenged by Jesus – but he was not the last.
Joseph probably could have had quite a pleasant life. His plan was to get married to Mary, have children, work in his carpenter's shop and be the model of a family man for others to see. They may not have been rich, but they would have had a pleasant, comfortable and stable life. But Joseph kept hearing from God.
Firstly he had to get married to a pregnant woman, who was pregnant with a child that was not his. The shame and the wagging tongues would have followed him, and of course no one would have believed him when he said that it was God's child.
Then, after settling in Bethlehem, where the gossip was less, he suddenly had to get up in the middle of the night to flee to Egypt. Any business aspirations were left behind in the rush to exit Bethlehem before Herod killed their new baby.
Joseph couldn't even settle in Egypt. After another short period of time God told Joseph to move back into Israel and then go and live in the slums in Nazareth. No, Joseph was never going to get ahead now, and all because he listened to the Lord.
The point is this: When God spoke, Joseph obeyed. No matter what the consequences, Joseph obeyed God first of all. It is often hard to do, but it is important that we follow the example of Joseph and obey God in small things and in the big things, whatever he tells us to do.
2:16 The way in which the record speaks of Jesus being born might seem a little cumbersome. However it is precisely this description which forces us to understand that Mary was the mother and Joseph was not the father.
My reply: We are on very dangerous ground if we conclude from these incidences that lying is justified if it is for a "good cause" and take it upon ourselves to decide, which is which! This is opening Pandora’s Box. We need to stick to what Scripture reveals in this regard and act accordingly.
We are told Rahab acted in faith. Rahab knew that her actions against the King and soldiers were treasonous, the penalty being death, and risked her own life in so doing. On the other hand, Rebecca and Jacob demonstrated a lack of faith that what God had promised (Gen 25:23), He is able to perform (Rom 4:21), and went about in a deceptive way in taking matters into their own hands.
Rahab: While it is said that Scripture no where condones Rahab’s “lie,” just her faith and works, it does not condemn it either! In fact, Rahab’s words and actions cannot be separated; she acted on her words, and if her faith and actions are praised, why are her words condemned by us? Our thoughts reveal our actions and our words. The type of actions, as outlined in Mark 7:20-23 and spoken by Christ, makes this very clear (cf. Prov 23:7).
It was out of the abundance of her heart, her mouth spoke (cf. Luke 6:45) and brought forth good fruit and was rewarded (cf. Josh 6:23)! Rahab married Salmon, a Prince of the House of Judah, who was the father of Boaz who married Ruth. She is in the genealogy of Christ and the only other woman mentioned next to Sarah in the hall of the faithful!
The apostle Paul describes her actions as an act of faith (Heb 11:31; cf. Josh 2:9-13), James describes her actions as works justified by her faith (James 2:25; cf. Josh 2:8-13). We, on the other hand, describe her faith and actions as resulting from her lying! The Bible no where tells us Rahab “lied,” we do, along with numerous other Bible commentators. We base this on various Scriptures like, Exo 20:16; Prov 6:12-19; 12:22; Acts 5; Col 3:9 etc. and then take the incidence of Rahab and bunch it in – out of context! Rahab did none of these things, nor did she usurp God’s authority.
Rebecca and Jacob: Both were deceptive and Jacob also lied to his father, Isaac, and all done at the behest of his mother. In acting on their words, which proceeded first in their thought processes, Rebecca had to send Jacob away for fear Esau would kill him, and she never saw him again! Jacob, himself, was deceived by his uncle, Laban, when learning he first married Leah and not Rachel. Their lying was motivated by fear and acted on, which is contrary to faith, trust and love. Their lies and deception is what the Bible warns us against and as a result were not left unpunished. Jacob would have received the promise, regardless. God did not need their ‘help’ to accomplish it!
The differences between these two incidences are so significantly different! Consider further the following passages: Exo 1:15-21; 1Sam 16:1-5; 21:1-3; 27:8-12; Jer 38:24-27, which makes this principle very clear!
2:7 In saying Herod called the wise men “privily” we see a man using secrecy to plan his evil massacre of the one heralded to the wise men possibly indicates that Herod thought that the chief priests would not be in agreement with his policy. Whilst maybe they were not at the time of Jesus’ birth they certainly were towards the end of Jesus’ life.
1:19 “just” Joseph, understanding the principles of Prov 12:16 did not shame Mary. | 2019-04-19T00:24:55Z | https://www.dailyreadings.org.uk/default.asp?act=notesdisplay&displaytype=day&m=7&d=2 |
Since bailing out of his Liberal Studies in Science course at Manchester University in 1968, Peter Hammill has pursued an idiosyncratic career as songwriter, singer and musician. Until the late 70's he worked in the group Van der Graaf Generator. Their complex music, as often brutal as it was lyrical, fitted somewhat uneasily into the once and then niche of Progressive Rock. In the ethos of the group - one to which Peter has continued to subscribe since its demise - there was a marked aversion to the categorization of any sort; barely controlled chaos and a sense of adventure, rather than pomp, were the primary characteristics of their chequered nine album career.
By the time the group finally folded Peter had already recorded seven solo albums, covering many lyrical and musical bases in the process. If one did not know otherwise, the proto-punk of Nadir's Big Chance, the full blown emotion of Over and the scatter-gun arrangements of The Silent Corner could well have been the work of three entirely different artists: it is Hammill's voice, both artistic and physical, which unifies them. It is this diversity that the major labels absolutely dread and want nothing to do with. Small wonder that Peter chose the independent route.
Almost two years earlier, Van der Graaf Generator had already played with the idea of getting back together again. When Peter Hammill had a heart attack in 2003, he was not the only one feeling the urge to get that planned project to finally happen. There had been a strong feeling of unfinished business, David Jackson remembers. "The gig at the Jazzfestival in Leverkusen - the only one in Germany - was meant to be the climax of the reunion tour in 2005. We knew that it was going to be filmed and recorded professionally: something that was extremely rare in the history of Van der Graaf Generator. Up to this point in our career, a film of a whole live concert just didn't exist!" according to Jackson. There had indeed not been a video recording of an entire Van der Graaf Generator concert by then. "The Leverkusen concert came near the end of our 2005 reunion touring, by which time we were feeling comfortable on stage again," Hugh Banton recalls. Guy Evans raves about, "...the intimate connection that was built with the audience during the concert and helped making it a very special night; not least because it was Peter Hammill's 57th birthday." The first gentle flute notes of the opener The Undercover Man opened a door into the past. Now, Van der Graaf Generator played as energetically, dark and seductive as in their zenith in the mid '70s. Peter Hammill's voice was as powerful as ever which is very much outstanding regarding his eccentric, headstrong but most importantly emotional vocal style. But above all, the gig on hand is a document of honest devotion not only between the band and their fans but between the band members themselves reflecting their deep friendship. All the sadder is the falling-out with David Jackson shortly after the tour. Both parties maintain silence on the reasons. Therefore, Jackson sounds a little bitter when praising the current CD's amenities: You will not get another chance to see a better show by that line up!
Peter Hammill's first solo album since 2014's hugely ambitious ...all that might have been.... represents a return to a more intimate style of music. The songs on From the Trees are mostly based on single piano, guitar and vocal parts designed for live performance. Consequently the overdubbing is textural (supportive guitars, a central spine of bass, synth and string washes, multiple voices - backing, harmony, choral - behind the main one). The characters who pave their fretful way through these songs are in general facing up to or edging in towards twilight. What's coming to them are moments of realization rather than resignation. In the third act of life it's time to look with a clear eye at where one's been, at where one's going. Another unique entry in Peter Hammill's unique catalogue.
The follow up release to Peter Hammill's '80s solo work 'Enter K,' Madfish re-issue 'Patience,' recorded with the K Group following his split from the Van der Graaf Generator art rock band. Originally released in 1983, the record reached #15 in the UK Indie album charts. Hammill was known for covering dark motifs with his lyrics, which, along with his 34 solo studio albums and progressive work with the popular Van der Graaf Generator band, this led to him receiving the first ever Visionary Award in the Prog Awards 2012, and to collecting the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 alongside Van Der Graaf Generator bandmates. A founding member and primary song-writer for Van der Graaf Generator, Hammill's vocals have been a distinctive part of the Prog genre from 1967 to the Post-Prog output of the 2000s. Peter Hammill performed with the K group in the early 80s, following Van der Graaf's second split, writing more songbased, punchy new-wave rock. Originally set up as a touring band for Peter Hammill's solo work, Hammill brought material to the studio, where the band gave fresh and energetic backing to Hammill's philosophical lyrics.
Madfish re-issue the 1982 album Enter K by prolific UK based progressive visionary Peter Hammill on vinyl To set the ball rolling on a run of Peter Hammill's recordings, Madfish re-issue 'Enter K,' originally recorded following his split from the Van der Graaf Generator art rock group. Hammill was known for covering dark motifs with his lyrics, which, along with his 34 solo studio albums and progressive work with the popular Van der Graaf Generator band, this led to him receiving the first ever Visionary Award in the Prog Awards 2012. A founding member and primary song-writer for Van der Graaf Generator, Hammill's vocals have been a distinctive part of the progressive genre from 1967 to the Post-Prog output of the 2000s. Peter Hammill performed with the K group in the early 80s, following Van der Graaf's second split, writing more song-based, punchy new-wave rock. Originally set up as a touring band for Peter Hammill's solo work, Hammill brought material to the studio, where the band gave fresh and energetic backing to Hammill's philosophical lyrics. Hammill writes - "Enter K is very much a hybrid set of recordings which makes up a pair with Patience. By the time of recording the K Group was in full effect, having been formed to tour with songs from Sitting Targets and A Black Box. As I've said elsewhere, not exactly a Beat Group but probably the closest ensemble I've ever been in which would come under that category... And the K Group really was something else." Madfish are releasing 'Enter K' on 180g heavyweight black vinyl.
Esoteric Antenna are delighted to announce the release of the excellent new album by the legendary Van der Graaf Generator. "Do Not Disturb" is the band's 13th studio album and was recorded in the closing months of 2015 and the Spring of 2016. A true group effort, Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton and Guy Evans continue to follow in the tradition of Van Der Graaf Generator by delivering an album that is both powerful and possesses and emotive beauty. "Do Not Disturb" is another highlight of the band's career, during which their music has been influential on successive generations of musicians. It is surely one of the key album releases of 2016. Mastered and cut at Abbey Road studios, the 180 gram vinyl release of "Do Not Disturb" is limited. The vinyl features a different running order than the CD while the CD features two tracks not found on the vinyl. This will be an early October release.
The legendary Peter Hammill / K Group Rockpalast concert from 1981 available as a 2cd/1dvd (region 0, ntsc) in digipak. Includes a booklet with photos and liner notes. "We took the whole as a normal show. We were in the middle of the tour. Upfront, we had quite re-arranged the songs so they were playable by a rock quartet. When I'm asked about my thoughts on this specific event there lays a veil over my memory somehow. There are only two things that I remember exactly: First, I recollect the unbelievable professionality of the Rockpalast team; second, in a bar next to our hotel I wrote the song Happy Hour which was on the first K Group studio release." - Peter Hammill 2016. Songs include: The Future Now, Losing Faith in Words, Stranger Still, Sign, My Experience, Modern, The Second Hand, Sitting Targets, The Sphinx in the Face, Flight, Central Hotel, The Spirit, Door, My Room.
2014 release from the veteran Art/Prog Rock singer, songwriter and musician best known for his work with Van Der Graaf Generator. This is not a disc of conventional songs, though the fragments from which it's formed originally came from discrete examples of the standard form. These pieces, though, have been cut up and rearranged to form a continuous whole. As in a film, scenes blur into one another, moving backwards and forwards in time and space. Characters appear and disappear, wait in the shadows or are suddenly front of stage and under the spotlight. It's a chiaroscuro, quicksand world in which the music is both its own soundtrack and screenplay. Written and recorded over an eighteen month period - the longest ever for a PH solo work - the album has gone through many twists, turns and transformations before arriving in this final form. It's not a concept album as such but its use of jagged soundscapes, fletting and shadowed characters and elusive plotlines place it closer to a cinematic world than a narrative song one. The sound palate consists of guitars, synths, crushed beats and, of course, insistent vocals. This is unlike anything Peter has attempted before, even after 45 years at the game.
"Consequences" is Peter's thirtieth solo studio album of original songs. Ten jittery new pieces which stretch the boundaries of the form. Some are wordy, or about words - and miscommunication, mishearing, misapprehension. Around another corner, lives and actions are overheard, overseen, characters stalked and surprised. Sometimes these pieces stray into the territory of the short story or screenplay - something is happening just outside the frame, just beyond the range of vision. Distanced from the norms of songs though they are, a strong narrative thread runs through the heart of each recording. The instrumentation centres on electric guitars and a variety of pianos. Percussion is sparse. The occasional interjection of other instrumental colours enhances rather than expands the sonic picture. Central to the realisation of all the songs are authoritative vocal performances in lead, backing and choral roles. Once again the whole thing is written, performed, sung and recorded entirely solo. "Consequences" is a weighty addition to Peter's body of work. Songs include: Eat my Words, Bite my Tongue; That Wasn't What I Said; Constantly Overheard; New Pen-pal; Close to Me; All the Tiredness; Perfect Pose; Scissors; Bravest Face; A Run of Luck.
This is a brilliant new album by Peter Hammill. It is an extremely engaging and very personal statement, almost as if he were whispering a message to you.
'Incoherence' is Peter Hammill's twenty-sixth solo album of completely new sung material, the forty-ninth in which he has had principal involvement as writer, singer and musician, including those with Van der Graaf Generator, instrumental 'Sonix' and live projects. Peter has been noted for his words (and his care with and for them) since the beginning of his thirty-six year long career; in this continuous 42 minute song cycle his lyrics examine instances of language failing to work or to communicate...the impossibilities of words, where meaning, logic and intention fall apart into incoherence. The musical backdrop to the lyrics is kaleidoscopic, based on Peter's keyboards and guitars with significant contributions from his long-term cohorts Stuart Gordon (violin) and David Jackson (saxes and flutes). Percussion is completely absent. The arrangements move jaggedly from floating improvisations to full orchestrations to full-on riffs, reflecting the paradoxes, the dead ends, the cliff-hanging inconclusions of the lyrical content. All this is a long way from the Pop Song. It is just as far away from the Classical Conservatoire or the Jazz Club. Something else, again. Like it or loathe it, what else do you expect from PH by now? Surprise? A Conclusion? Peter finished the final mix on this project at 5pm on December 5th 2003; forty-two hours later he had a heart attack, from which he is currently recovering. The moving finger writes, wags, points...and moves on. All our stories are incoherent.
This is Peter Hammill's latest album, a collection of songs recorded between January 1999 and February 2000. Most of the vocals and instruments are performed entirely by Peter with some contributions from percussionist Manny Elias, violinist Stuart Gordon with Peter's daughters, Holly and Beatrice, providing some soprano vocals.
Perhaps inspired by the early Charisma recordings, "Singularity" is absolutely a solo record on which Peter sings and plays all instruments alone. This is not, though, a folksy singer-songwriter effort. Experimentation and change have always been important to Peter and some of the sonic landscapes encountered here are strangely new. Warped electric guitars and vocals crushed into slabs of noise are as likely to appear as grand pianos or acoustic guitars. Many definitions of singularity exist and though several of them have some bearing on and resonance in this work the principle ones with which Peter identifies here are the personal (unusual, strange) and gravitational (Black Hole). So...it's serious but it's not devoid of humour, though where this occurs it's often of a black variety...and often directed back at the singer himself. After all, we are all circling just outside the gravitational pull of our personal black holes...that's where we're heading. Meanwhile, though, we can whistle a tune, albeit a strange and singular one.
"Thin Air" is Peter's twenty-ninth solo album of original songs. It's been an eventful few years for Peter: a heart attack in December 2003 was followed by the Van der Graaf Generator reunion - both on stage and on record - in 2004/5. "Singularity," his last solo work, was released in 2006 and since then he has been deeply involved in the ongoing story of VdGG, now reconstituted as a trio and moving on from strength to strength. These new recordings, then, mark a return to solo territory, but in the knowledge that the band is still an ongoing entity. Peter therefore decided to make this set of recordings a genuinely one-man effort, playing and singing every note on the disc. As might be expected of an artist now more than forty years into his career, these are adult songs, addressing grown-up themes. The songs are of disappearance, of loss, of dislocation. Often we know in advance that what we hold will be lost; sometimes the loss comes as a complete surprise. The disappearances in our lives can be of culture, of people, of buildings, of relationships; this is the natural order of things rather than the exception. The themes of disappearance thread their way across nine pieces of impressionistic breadth. With piano, acoustic guitar and Peter's inimitable vocals to the front of the soundstage there is space left at the rear for fragmented sonic disturbances to be splashed across the songs. Familiar elements of Peter's writing and recording styles are here, of course, but the combinations are put together in such a way as to make something new and challenging out of the whole. This is a worthy, fascinating and mature addition to Peter's body of work, which remains uneasy listening. It doesn't look as if he will be disappearing just yet.
After the alarums and excursions of his appearances in the Van der Graaf Generator reunion of 2005 Peter Hammill's first release of 2006 on Fie! Records restates his interest in things stripped down, solo...and live. Over the last decade or so the most common line-up for Peter's shows has been a duo, with Stuart Gordon's electric violin augmenting Peter's own vox, piano and guitar. Not before time, "Veracious" provides an audio document of the way in which these two have set about their business onstage. A feature of Peter's shows has been a constant turnover of material and most of the songs represented here come from Peter's most recent studio albums; only "A Way Out" and "Primo on the Parapet" have appeared on live recordings before. As always, the tunes and lyrics are stretched and warped away from their original shapes: that's the nature of real live performance. "Veracious" is an essential addition to the Peter's catalogue of live recordings.
Peter Hammill has been a writer, singer and performer for the last thirty years. For most of that time he has been firmly planted in the 'Art/Weird' box. For a brief period in the early eighties, though, he had a Beat Group, albeit a somewhat unlikely one...The K Group. The rhythm section of Guy Evans (drums) and Nic Potter (bass) had, of course, played with Peter in Van der Graaf Generator. It should not be forgotten, however, that they were also members of Glenn Fernando Campbell's Misunderstood. Enough credentials? Lead guitarist was John Ellis, ex-Vibrators & Peter Gabriel. Peter had met him while both were performing with the Stranglers while Hugh Cornwell was in jail. Peter himself contributed his own brand of brutal rhythm guitar, piano & vox.
Taking material from Peter's solo career, from VdGG and from the two records which, under Peter's solo name, the combination recorded together (Enter k and Patience), the group toured consistently between '82 and '83. Clubs, mostly; Germany, mostly; high voltage, definitely. This release presents, on CD 1, the original 'The Margin,' as recorded live in the UK in '83, in a remastered form. A second CD contains live-wire performances from '82 in brutal stereo intensity. The K Group could and did play in funny time signatures and at times with great sensitivity. The dominant aesthetics of the group, though, were blasting guitars, bass string blisters, shredded drum heads, oxygen debt, sweat. Here it is. Ladies & Gentlemen, the bar is open.
Esoteric Recordings are delighted to announce the release of the first album collaboration featuring Peter Hammill, (Van Der Graaf Generator) and Gary Lucas, (The Magic Band, Jeff Buckley) . The fourteen tracks of "Other World" are the result of an invitation from Peter to Gary suggesting they might convene at the former's studio to see if some musical sparks might fly. Having first met in Aylesbury after a Hammill solo show in 1973, it was not until January 2012 that Gary arrived at the studio armed with instruments and some pieces which might be worth working on. As Peter explains in the notes below, sparks flew and against the odds, "Other World" unfolded with seamless speed. The majority of the recordings are produced by Peter and Gary's guitars and Peter's vocal though they are aided by a couple of pieces of found sound and loops. The duo are so pleased with the results of the recording that they intend to play live and dates are being booked for early 2014 and will be announced shortly.
A collection of VDGG's BBC sessions recorded between 1968 and 1977, After The Flood includes a host of VDGG classics, plus five previously unavailable recordings. Peter Hammill: "I think our music has stood the test of time because we always made the music we were driven to make without paying any attention to what anyone else was doing. We certainly didn't write music with an eye on what might or might not be successful, even though this was a recipe for absolute commercial disaster. We were very lucky to have maintained such a loyal audience. Everything we have ever done has been true and loyal to some bizarre Van Der Graaf ethos. That's the key to our longevity in my opinion." Experimental, savage and beautiful, these wonderful BBC sessions make for an excellent addition to VDGG's enduring legacy. Mastered by Paschal Byrne in 2015.
In late 2008 and early 2009 preparations began for Van der Graaf Generator's next set of recordings. Song fragments were gathered, ideas exchanged, theories, policies and directions discussed. In April 2010 the band met up for intensive tracking sessions in Cornwall, arranging, rehearsing and recording the album in a week. Some of the pieces were already fully-formed songs; others, even at this stage, remained more sketches than fully realised works. Over the next months the tracks were overdubbed, edited and adapted by the band in their own studios. A constant exchange of files over the internet or on CDR kept the project in full alignment. By September the project was ready to be mixed. Hugh Padgham had agreed to take on this part of the process - the first time anyone outside the band had been entrusted such responsibility. After three weeks in Hugh's London studio, Sofasound (which shares its name with Peter's original home set-up), "A Grounding in Numbers" was completed. With a fantastic clarity and depth of sound and a helter-skelter stretch of tunes, "A Grounding... " sees VdGG pushing ever further forward into the twenty first century. Clearly, they know they're a group with a certain history - but they are also an emphatically modern one. "A Grounding in Numbers," the stunning new album is the 12th studio record by the band and is their first since 2008.
The VDGG terror trio's intimate performance at Studio A, Metropolis Studios, London in December 2010. Captured beautifully on audio and video in a deluxe digipack cd/dvd set, Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton and Guy Evans produced an intense set featuring material spanning the band's 40 year plus career. Contains an illustrated 12 page booklet with sleeve notes. The DVD contains an interview with all the band members. Region 0 DVD in 16.9 NTSC format with DTS 5.1 Surround Sound. | 2019-04-25T00:04:54Z | http://artist-shop.com/fie/index.htm |
One reason why students do poorly in mathematics problem solving tasks and on achievement tests is a lack of good reading, comprehension, and writing skills.
Therefore, Assisting Readers is designed to provide resources that should help you, if your K-12 students are struggling with reading and language arts, or if you'd just like to better connect math to reading.
Approaches to K-12 Reading Instruction --a brief essay.
The Common Core Standards require changes in approaches to instruction for English Language Arts and Literacy, as well as for mathematics. "Across the English language arts and mathematics standards, skills critical to each content area are emphasized. In particular, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and critical-thinking skills are interwoven into the standards" (About the Standards, FAQ section). Research has shown the link between reading skills and students' problem-solving abilities.
What are the most effective approaches to reading instruction?
In A Synthesis of Quantitative Research on Reading Programs for Secondary Students, Baye, Lake, Inns, and Slavin (2018) noted other approaches for reading used with middle and high school learners, which they grouped into categories: tutoring, cooperative learning, whole school approaches, writing-focused approaches, content-focused approaches, strategy instruction, personalization approaches, and group/personalization rotation approaches. Their findings suggested, "secondary readers benefit more from socially and cognitively engaging instruction than from additional reading periods or technology" (p. 2).
In Common Core Standards: Starting Now, David Liben and Meredith Liben (2012) provided strategies and resources related to implementing the ELA-literacy standards, beginning with a recommendation to read the standards themselves. Anchor standards for reading include the role of text complexity, in which they noted that syntax plays a role in understanding complex text. "A solid academic vocabulary is essential not only to reading complex text successfully, but also to becoming proficient at writing, speaking, and listening" (Academic Vocabulary section). Students will need to expand the scope of their reading to include more informational texts.
Provide a description, explanation, or example of the new term.
Engage students periodically in activities that help them add to their knowledge of the terms in their vocabulary notebooks.
Periodically ask students to discuss the terms with one another.
One-to-one tutoring by teaching assistants. The most effective tutoring uses teachers, however. Volunteers and paraprofessionals can also be used.
Small-group remediation (e.g., groups of 3-6 students) works less well than one-to-one.
Valerie Chrisman (2005), who conducted a study of California's primary and secondary reform program schools, reported on the benefits of teaching academic English to students learning English as a second language and for those who were academically below grade level. Teachers in successful schools "presented instruction that directly reinforced the students' understanding of how the English language works instead of teaching students conversational English" (p. 19). They taught students how to use root words, suffixes, prefixes, and verb endings and believed this focus on academic English gave all their students an advantage on the state test.
K-N-W-S: Students create a four-column chart for the word problem in which they identify "what facts they know (K), what information is not relevant (N), what the problem wants them to find out (W), and what strategy can be used to solve the problem (S)."
SQRQCQ: This acronym stands for survey, question, read, question, compute or construct, question. Students begin by skimming the problem to get a general idea as to its nature. They ask what the problem is about and what information is needed to solve it. They read the problem again to highlight details needed to solve it. They question again what is needed to solve it (e.g., what operations, with what numbers, units needed, strategies). They then compute the answer, set up and solve an equation, or construct any needed graphs, tables, diagrams, and so on. Finally, they question again about the correctness and reasonableness of their answer.
Three-level guide: This is a graphic organizer with three parts. Early-on the teacher creates this, but later as students become familiar with the strategy they might create it and share with others. It addresses literal, interpretive, and applied comprehension. In part 1, there is a set of true-false facts suggested by information given in the problem. Part 2 has the math concepts, ideas, or rules that might apply to the problem. Part 3 contains specific calculations/methods that might be used to solve the problem. In each part, students decide which element(s) in the list can help solve the problem.
Word Problem Roulette: This is a collaborative strategy in which groups of three to four students solve a word problem jointly. Then each takes a turn to write the steps in words for its solution. The first member writes a step, then passes the group solution paper to the next member of the group who writes the next step, and so on. Groups then present their solution to the class. As a group member reads the words, another puts the math symbols on the board. When all groups who tackled the same problem have presented, methods and solutions can be compared.
Process Logs: Students write about their thinking during the problem-solving process answering question prompts found on a writing-math worksheet, which guides them through the process. They can use ordinary language and math language.
Note that the RAFT method is also useful for formative assessment. You'll find examples within our Math Methodology: Assessment Essay.
In Building Mathematical Comprehension: Using Literacy Strategies to Make Meaning Laney Sammons (2011) applies reading comprehension strategies and research into mathematics instruction to help in building students' mathematics comprehension. Chapters address comprehension strategies for mathematics, recognizing and understanding mathematics vocabulary, making mathematical connections, increasing comprehension by asking questions, the importance of visualizing mathematics ideas, making inferences and predictions, determining importance, synthesizing information, monitoring mathematical comprehension, and the guided math classroom.
Districts might consider the Four-Blocks® Literacy Model, available for grades 1-3 (shown) and 4-8, which incorporates four different approaches to teach children how to become better readers, writers, and spellers: guided reading (comprehension), self-selected reading, word study, and writing. The program was designed primarily for learners in lower elementary grades. Canton City Schools in Ohio adopted this model for curriculum alignment for reading instruction, and tied Ohio's academic content standards closely in classroom instruction. They used technology for whole class instruction, and adopted the engaging, adaptive technology content of Riverdeep's Destination Success (Reading and Math) program, all of which contributed to a substantial increase (124%) among grade 3 learners in passing the Ohio Achievement Test for Reading at one of its elementary schools (Eaton, 2005). [Readers should note that Riverdeep merged with Houghton Mifflin in 2006 and the company later became known as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.] Dr. Andy Johnson provided a brief overview of the Four Blocks Literacy model in his YouTube video.
Richard Allington (2007), past president of the International Reading Association, shared another view on assisting struggling readers. He proposed intervention all day long, as new hope for struggling readers, rather than the current situation in many schools where struggling readers are provided 30–60 minutes of appropriate supplemental reading instruction with a reading specialist. Students "then spend the remaining five hours a day sitting in classrooms with texts they cannot read, and that cannot contribute to learning to read, let alone contribute to the learning of science or social studies" (p. 7), and, I would add, any other content area.
Allington (2007) noted that "too often, the texts in students’ hands are appropriate for the highest achieving half of the students" and "only the best readers have books in their hands that they can read accurately, fluently, and with understanding. All students need texts of an appropriate level of complexity all day long to thrive in school. Once we have a more differentiated set of curriculum materials, then we might expect a better balance of whole-class, small-group, and side-by-side lessons. While all students benefit from small group and side-by-side teaching, it is the struggling readers who seem to benefit most, perhaps because they have the greatest need for explicit teaching and scaffolded, personalized instruction" (p. 13).
Screen all students for potential reading problems at the beginning of the year and again in the middle of the year. Regularly monitor the progress of students who are at elevated risk for developing reading disabilities.
Provide differentiated reading instruction for all students based on assessments of students’ current reading levels (tier 1).
Provide intensive, systematic instruction on up to three foundational reading skills in small groups to students who score below the benchmark on universal screening. Typically these groups meet between three and five times a week for 20–40 minutes (tier 2).
Monitor the progress of tier 2 students at least once a month. Use these data to determine whether students still require intervention. For those still making insufficient progress, school-wide teams should design a tier 3 intervention plan.
Read: Evaluation of Response to Intervention (RtI) Practices for Elementary School Reading by Rekha Balu, Pei Zhu, Fred Doolittle, Ellen Schiller, Joseph Jenkins, and Russell Gersten (2015). Per the Executive Summary: "This report provides new information on the prevalence of RtI practices in elementary schools, illustrates the implementation of RtI practices for groups of students at different reading levels, and provides evidence on effects of one key element of RtI: assigning students to receive reading intervention services." Among findings for the school year 2011-2012, "For those students just below the school-determined eligibility cut point in Grade 1, assignment to receive reading interventions did not improve reading outcomes; it produced negative impacts" (p. ES-1).
Do you have a learner with dyslexia?
Several websites provide reading resources for learners with dyslexia. It can be difficult to help such learners to read and write, if you have no experience with this disability. When reading, words and letters can jump around on the page, as seen in this realistic simulation of reading with dyslexia (Ritschel, 2017).
The University of Oregon is home to the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) to assess reading progress. DIBELS is "a set of standardized, individually administered measures of early literacy development. They are designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of pre-reading and early reading skills." Download the materials for free, along with instructions for administering and scoring.
The University of Oregon also has posted 5 Big Ideas in Beginning Reading, along with resources for addressing each: phonetic awareness, the alphabetic principle, fluency with text, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Do you need apps for reading?
Graphite.org is a free service from Common Sense Media "designed to help preK-12 educators discover, use, and share the best apps, games, websites, and digital curricula for their students" (About Us section). Ratings are provided by teachers. Search by type (apps, console and PC games, websites), subject areas, grade level, and price (free, free to try, paid). When searching for apps, you can also select app devices that include iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, and Nook HD. Graphite also offers Common Core Explorer to help with locating tech resources in its database aligned to the Common Core Standards. See a list of its top 8 Apps to Introduce Reading posted at T.H.E. Journal (2014, February 20).
As grade 3 is thought to be a transition grade between learning to reading and reading to learn, Biancarosa (2012) recommended "reading instruction after 3rd grade should target skills, strategies, and behaviors that research has identified as central to reading in digital environments" (p. 26). Such skills would include teaching search strategies and text structures of informational websites so that learners can find their own background information on a topic rather than relying on the teacher to provide it, how to gather relevant information from targeted reading, and how to gain efficiency when reading digital content, as reading online is slower than reading digitally for deep meaning and developing higher-level literacy.
Further, "online reading comprehension includes the online reading and communication skills required by texting, blogs, wikis, video, shared writing spaces (such as Google Docs), and social networks such as Nings" (para. 2).
ORCA resources are available for this endeavor, including classroom lessons on reading to locate, evaluate, synthesize, and communicate. There is also a Checklist of Online Reading Skills. ORCA provides its alignment with Common Core Standards.
Become familiar with issues surrounding use of print-based texts versus digital or e-texts.
Read Points to ponder on pixels and paper by Patricia Deubel (2006, October 4) in T.H.E. Journal. You'll find features of an ideal e-textbook and concerns about using e-textbooks.
Read Print versus digital texts: understanding the experimental research and challenging the dichotomies by Bella Ross, Ekaterina Pechenkina, Carol Aeschliman, and Anne-Marie Chase (2017, November 3) in Research in Learning Technology. The authors elaborate on benefits of print-based texts, the importance of a reader's preference for print-based or digital text and use based on familiarity with a particular technology, the advantages of e-texts, and recommendations for impactful e-text learning.
Center on Instruction contains publications and presentations on reading, the research syntheses, and exemplars of best practices in reading arranged by grades K-3, grades 4-12, special education, and English language learning.
Early Readers from the Pacific Regional Education Laboratory includes a set of early reader books for K-3, which can be downloaded or printed in any of nine Pacific languages and English. Some also include an audio version.
English Biz includes pages devoted to writing better essays and writing to inform, persuade, argue, describe, explain, review, and so on. Punctuation, grammar essentials, and better spelling are included. Parts of this site are devoted to English literature for secondary learners.
Get Ready to Read from the National Center for Learning Disabilities contains free early literacy and early math resources for preschool children. Users will find early literacy games, webinars, checklists, and tips for parents. The site contains screening tools, a transitioning to kindergarten toolkit, skill-building activities, and early learning and childhood basics.
International Reading Association has numerous resources on topics and issues as adolescent literacy, beginning readers, children's and young adult literature, critical literacy, language and cultural diversity, No Child Left Behind, reading assessment and comprehension, struggling readers and writers, teacher education, technology, and urban education initiatives.
KidsAndReading from the UK contains numerous articles for helping children to learn and enjoy reading. Also find classroom methods, tools and techniques, reading games, printable puzzles, and more. The section on encouraging your child has suggestions for books for boys and girls and teens and helpful tips. A special concerns section deals with learning to read when learners have ADHD, autism or dyslexia, are struggling readers, have parents who cannot read, or have English as a second language.
Learning First Alliance is a partnership of 12 educational associations that have come together to improve student learning in America's public elementary and secondary schools. Through the website, visitors may download Every Child Reading: An Action Plan, and Every Child Reading: A Professional Development Guide, which provide reading tips for parents, teachers, and schools.
Lexile Framework for Reading helps connect your students to books of interest based on the students' reading levels. "The Lexile Framework for Reading is a scientific approach to reading and text measurement. There are two Lexile measures: the Lexile reader measure and the Lexile text measure. A Lexile reader measure represents a person’s reading ability on the Lexile scale. A Lexile text measure represents a text’s difficulty level on the Lexile scale. When used together, they can help a reader choose a book or other reading material that is at an appropriate difficulty level. The Lexile reader measure can also be used to monitor a reader’s growth in reading ability over time." There is an extensive database, also with books for educators on mathematics teaching and learning.
Math and Reading Help for Kids is an American Library Association corporate member. While there are several sections at this site, the reading section "covers several age groups ranging from early childhood to high school. Topics range from building strong literary skills to suggested reading lists for all age groups."
National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI) has a comprehensive collection of information of direct instruction research. According to NIFDI, "Direct Instruction (DI) is a model for teaching that emphasizes well-developed and carefully planned lessons designed around small learning increments and clearly defined and prescribed teaching tasks. It is based on the theory that clear instruction eliminating misinterpretations can greatly improve and accelerate learning."
National Reading Panel Publications: One such document is Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read, which includes the findings of the National Reading Panel Report. This booklet provides analysis and discussion in five areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and text comprehension. Each section suggests implications for classroom instruction.
Promoting Reading Strategies for Developmental Mathematics Textbooks by Anne E. Campbell, Ann Schlumberger, and Lou Ann Pate (1997) of Pima Community College includes three reading and study strategies designed to facilitate student comprehension of and learning from developmental mathematics textbooks. The discussion includes a preview, predict, read, and review reading strategy; concept cards; and a Question Answer Relationship technique. For example, concepts cards can include definitions, characteristics, examples, and nonexamples. Common kinds of concept cards in math include: (a) strategy cards for solving problems; (b) fact cards that include rules, laws, or theorems; and (c) cards for symbols and specialized vocabulary.
Readability is a free tool that educators might use to help readers better focus on the content of web pages they encounter. It removes the clutter on web pages. The installation provides a button to put on your browser's tool bar. Clicking on the button will convert content on the page to show only text on a white background. Settings can be adjusted, including font-size and margins. Readability also stores articles you find on the web to read at a later time.
Reading Resource.Net: Stephen Griffin and Katie Appel provide free resources and materials for teaching children with dyslexia or other reading difficulties to read. They say, "We can explain why children can't read and tell you what you can do to improve their reading skills. Whatever you are seeking, be it reading strategies, teacher resources, reading activities or just a better understanding of the causes of dyslexia and reading problems themselves..."
ReadWriteThink.org, supported by the National Council of Teachers of English, is devoted to free standards-based resources for reading and language arts instruction. It also contains resources for high school students. The ReadWriteThink Webbing Tool is particularly useful "free-form graphic organizer for activities that ask students to pursue hypertextual thinking and writing. The tool provides a quick way for students to trace out options and rearrange connections. Students can use the Webbing Tool to analyze readings as well as a prewriting activity and flowcharting tool." Activities using the tool are provided. The graphic organizer can also be used for math activities and is freely available. Results can be printed. A site search reveals several classroom resource lessons for elementary grades exploring math and literacy.is particularly useful "free-form graphic organizer for activities that ask students to pursue hypertextual thinking and writing. The tool provides a quick way for students to trace out options and rearrange connections. Students can use the Webbing Tool to analyze readings as well as a prewriting activity and flowcharting tool." Activities using the tool are provided. The graphic organizer can also be used for math activities and is freely available. Results can be printed. A site search reveals several classroom resource lessons for elementary grades exploring math and literacy.
Reading is Fundamental contains resources for parents and educators, including articles on the latest reading research, books, activities, web resources, advice and tips.
Rewordify.com "helps with reading comprehension and vocabulary development by simplifying English to a lower reading level. It lets you reword a sentence or reword a paragraph. It will simplify English by reducing text complexity. It's a dictionary alternative that will improve comprehension and teach vocabulary. It's an important part of reading instruction and vocabulary instruction for ESL students, people with reading disabilities, people with a learning disability, or anyone who wants to improve reading skill" (Site Summary). The software creates the easier version and words changed are highlighted. Clicking on those words allows users to hear and learn the original harder words. This free site was developed by teacher Neil Goldman.
Sightwords.com includes free resources to help educators and parents teach sight words to kids from Pre-K to 4th Grade. Features include sight word games (e.g., Bingo, Go Fish) that can be customized and printed, customizable flash cards, and classroom-tested lessons with "how-to" videos. The Georgia Preschool Association is noted as a sponsor of this site.
SpellingCity.com: Along with learning to read and write well is the need for learning to spell. This site enables students to practice spelling with their own personalized lists, rather than just random spelling words. Students can see their list in flashcard format, hear them spoken by a real human voice, play games with the words, and even take practice spelling tests. The site also has a database of over 37,000 words and eight spelling games. It was selected for a Parents' Choice Recommended Award in 2008.
In The Common Core: Teaching K-5 Students to Meet the Reading Standards , Maureen McLaughlin and Brenda Overturf (2012) explain the CCSS reading standards and align them with appropriate research-based reading strategies. They show how to use those and include classroom applications and student examples. McLaughlin and Overturf have similarly written The Common Core: Teaching Students in Grades 6-12 to Meet the Reading Standards (2013).
Part I highlights what comprehension is and how to teach it, including the principles that guide practice, a review of recent research, and a new section on assessment.
Part II contains lessons and practices for teaching comprehension.
Part III, Comprehension Across the Curriculum, deals with comprehension strategies and includes chapters on social studies and science reading, topic study research, textbook reading and the genre of test reading.
Part IV has Resources That Support Strategy Instruction.
Literacy Strategies for Grades 4-12: Reinforcing the Threads of Reading by Karen Tankersley (2005) includes five chapters. Chapter 1 is on Struggling Readers, chapters 2-5 address Fluency, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Higher Order Thinking. There is also a study guide for this 202-page book. Effective strategies for improving reading skills are provided, along with suggestions for doing well on high stakes tests (see this latter in chapter 5). Supporting Web site links for additional information are provided throughout. The author's Web site is http://www.threadsofreading.com/ Threads of reading include phonetic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and higher order literacy (i.e., reading for analysis, synthesis, interpretation, and evaluation).
Consider linking mathematics to literature.
The Best Children's Books features Math for Kids: Children's books that build a love of math. This collection was created by teachers. You'll find engaging books ranging from basic operations, to telling time, money, geometry, fractions, probability, graphing, and so much more.
Chart of children's literature featured in the Math Solutions Publications series Math, Literature, and Nonfiction, listed with grade levels (K-8) and topics.
Mathicalbooks.org features award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for kids aged 2-18, sure to inspire them to see math in the world around them. "Award-winning Mathical titles are selected by a nationwide committee of mathematicians, educators, librarians, early childhood experts, and others. Each year’s selections joins a growing list of stories ranging from picture books and graphic novels to chapter books and young adult literature.
Do you want evidenced-based reading programs?
Best Evidence Encyclopedia, created by the Johns Hopkins University School of Education's Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education, includes a list of programs to consider for what works for struggling readers, which are based on reviews of research conducted by Robert Slavin and colleagues. You'll also find top rated reading programs for beginning, upper elementary, elementary, middle/high school, and English language learners. Additional reports on the effects of technology use on reading achievement in K-12 classrooms and the effects of technology use on reading outcomes for struggling readers are available.
Additional research by Robert Slavin (2016) revealed at least 24 proven programs for elementary struggling readers that meet the new ESSA evidence standards. Of those 24, 14 met the "strong" ESSA criterion, eight met the "moderate" standard, and two met the "promising" standard.
In A Synthesis of Quantitative Research on Reading Programs for Secondary Students, middle and high school, Baye, Lake, Inns, and Slavin (2018) found 17 programs (see Table 12, p. 79) meeting ESSA evidence standards with strong (n=16) and moderate (n=1) ratings. These were grouped into categories: tutoring, cooperative learning, whole school approaches, writing-focused approaches, content-focused approaches, strategy instruction, personalization approaches, and group/personalization rotation approaches.
Evidence for ESSA is a free website from the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University, which began in 2017. It's purpose is to provide educators with the most up-to-date and reliable information regarding K-12 programs (e.g., in math and reading) that meet the strong, moderate, and promising evidence criteria per the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015.
Accelerated Reader from Renaissance Learning has research evidence for its effectiveness, such as that noted at What Works Clearinghouse and the National Center on Student Progress Monitoring. Students choose books at their reading level; this computer-managed program helps assign those readings, then provides quizzes to help monitor students' reading performance and vocabulary growth; immediate feedback is provided. Students do not work directly on the computer, however. For a discussion on Accelerated Reader see Slavin, Cheung, Groff, and Lake (2008).
Book Adventure "is a FREE reading motivation program for children in grades K-8. Children create their own book lists from over 7,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read, and earn points and prizes for their literary successes. Book Adventure was created by and is maintained by Sylvan Learning," according to the website.
BrightStar Reader from BrightStar Learning is an internet-based "game-like program that improves reading fluency and focus by enabling reluctant, slow, dyslexic readers to effortlessly and automatically recognize sight words. The BrightStar Reader also helps those who have been diagnosed with dyspraxia or visual attention deficit disorders" (What is BrightStar Reader? section). The program is recommended for learners at least 8 years old. An assessment suite helps to customize the program to the individual and there is progress tracking. There is a fee for this program.
Failure Free Reading, a research-based program, targets and is most effectively used with At-Risk and English as a Second Language Students, nonreaders, Special Education students with severe learning difficulties and others in the lowest 10% of the reading population.
Fast ForWord is a product of Scientific Learning designed for K-12 students who are reading below grade level. "The Fast ForWord program develops brain processing efficiency through intensive, adaptive exercises." The program is based on more than 30 years of neuroscience and cognitive research.
Istation: Reading and Writing is a comprehensive internet based reading and intervention program that helps ensure students reach their reading potential through continuous progress monitoring and layered instruction and intervention. It is designed for students in grades preK-12, including English Language Learners and at-risk students. Istation Math is also available, which "offers game-like computer-adaptive formative assessments appropriate for Pre-kindergarten to 8th grade students and adaptive online instruction appropriate for Pre-kindergarten to 5th grade" (Math section).
Lexia Reading Software: The What Works Clearinghouse rated this program, which is from Lexia Learning in Concord (MA), as “potentially positive” for comprehension and alphabetics, based on data from three studies involving 314 students in kindergarten and 1st grade. See the WWC report for additional details.
Mindplay software is for struggling readers, including mainstream students, ESL, ELL, and students with learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia, ADD,and ADHD). It's award-winning and based on scientifically-based research.
MightyBook "specializes in children's illustrated, animated read-aloud eBooks and Story Songs for ages 2 to 10, plus children's sing-along songs" (More About MightyBook section).
QuickReads from Pearson is a research based program for students in grades 2-6, designed to increase fluency, automaticity, and comprehension. Text length corresponds to grade-level reading rate for 1 minute.
Read 180 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a research-based intervention program for students in grades 4-12 whose reading level is below proficient. Students using Read 180 have shown gains at least double the equivalent control groups. For a discussion on the research for Read 180 see Slavin, Cheung, Groff, and Lake (2008). In its November 2016 update on Read 180, the What Works Clearinghouse stated, "READ 180 was found to have positive effects on comprehension and general literacy achievement, potentially positive effects on reading fluency, and no discernible effects on alphabetics for adolescent readers" (Evidence Snapshot section).
Reading A-Z has over 1000 leveled books in multiple genres spanned across 27 levels of difficulty. Books and resources are correlated to the Common Core Standards and primarily for K-6, although they can be used with a "range of grade levels in special education and special needs, remedial reading, ESL, and ELL" (About section). Guided reading lesson plans, worksheets, and assessments are available. There are resources for phonics, fluency, vocabulary, poetry, assessment, and the alphabet.
Reading Bear, a WatchKnowLearn.org project, "is a fun way to learn to read." You'll find over 1,200 vocabulary items and 50 presentations that cover all the main phonics rules. Best of all--it's free.
Reading Horizons provides a systematic, explicit, sequential, and multi-sensory approach to teaching reading via the 42 sounds of the alphabet, 5 phonetic skills, and 2 decoding skills. Products are available for K-3 instruction, K-12 intervention, special education, ESL instruction, adult literacy, and home use. Interactive reading software helps differentiate instruction for each learner. Per its description, "scripted, non-consumable direct instruction materials make it possible to provide research-based, multisensory reading instruction that easily adapts to whole-class, small-group, and one-on-one instructional settings." Resources include articles on reading strategies, blended instruction, dyslexia, early literacy, and more. There's also a blog.
Reading Recovery: The Reading Recovery Council of North America describes this reading program as a research-based "short-term intervention for first graders having extreme difficulty with early reading and writing" (Reading Recovery section). Reports on effectiveness are incuded.
Reading Rockets offers strategies for kids who struggle, strategies for teaching reading, books, free reading guides, reading research, blogs about reading, PBS shows on reading, and so much more.
ReadWorks is a "FREE, research-based, and Common Core-aligned reading comprehension curriculum for grades K-6." ReadWorks delivers "lesson plans directly to teachers online" and "provides over 1,000 non-fiction reading passages with question sets to support reading activities."
Starfall is a free site designed to teach children how to read. Select one of the online books with its associated activities.
StudyDog is designed for K-6 struggling readers. There is also a free online placement test that is appropriate for children Pre-K through 1st Grade, and struggling readers in 2nd and 3rd grades.
Success for All includes reading programs for preK-8. For example, The Reading Edge is the reading component of the Success for All middle school program. See Slavin, Cheung, Groff, and Lake (2008) for discussion on its effectiveness. You'll also find PowerTeaching: Mathematics for middle school at Success for All. This program is "an instructional approach that links Common Core, state standards and school curricula to research-proven instructional strategies and classroom resources that promote rigor and student engagement" (Overview section).
SuccessMaker from Pearson Education is an "adaptive and prescriptive scheduling intervention program delivering both reading and math curriculum" (SuccessMaker description). It was rated by the What Works Clearinghouse. In its November 2015 updated review of 10 studies, SuccessMaker “was found to have no discernible effects on comprehension and reading fluency for adolescent readers." See the WWC report for additional details.
Superkids Reading from Rowland Reading Foundation (WI) is primarily for grades K-2. It integrates learning to read, write, and spell and features explicit, systematic phonics and multimodal instruction. Studies of effectiveness have been conducted.
Text Project offers free, downloadable informational books for students with summer reads, a beginner series, talking points for kids, and read-aloud favorites.
Voyager Passport from Voyager Sopris Learning is a comprehensive K-5 reading intervention that meets the needs of all struggling readers. It was reviewed by Slavin, Cheung, Groff, and Lake (2008). Note: The latest version is aligned with Common Core standards.
Biancarosa, G. (2012). Adolescent literacy: More than remediation. Educational Leadership, 69(6), 22-27.
Chrisman, V. (2005). How schools sustain success. Educational Leadership, 62(5), 16-20.
Eaton, C. (2005). Sparking a revolution in teaching and learning. T.H.E. Journal, 32(13), 21-24.
Marzano, R. (2009). Six steps to better vocabulary instruction. Educational Leadership, 67(1), 83-84.
Shaywitz, S., & Shaywitz, B. (2007). What neuroscience really tells us about reading instruction. Educational Leadership, 64(5), 74-76. | 2019-04-24T12:38:06Z | http://www.ct4me.net/reading.htm |
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