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PAPER READ BY DR. MALCOLM D. McLEAN,
an engraved presentation sword.
Scabbard inscribed:
Blade inscribed:
DR. MALCOLM D. McLEAN
This prestigious award, established by ten friends of Earl R. Davis, one of three brothers who founded the Davis Brothers Printing Company, is conferred biennially, and is usually presented by Mr. Earl Ray Davis, grandson of the man for whom the award is named. Dr. McLean becomes the ninth recipient of this award for contributions to Texas-Confederate history.
March 31, 1990
In making this talk I am going to try to follow the advice which I found in "Ecclesiasticus," chapter XVII, verse 8, of the APOCRYPHA, which says:
"Let thy speech be short; be as one who knoweth and yet holdeth his tongue."
Before entering upon the topic for discussion this evening, I should like to pause a moment to express my profound appreciation to my very good friend and fellow historian, Mr. Robert E. Davis, President of the Davis Bros. Publishing Company, for his vision and generosity in continuing this most distinguished tribute to the memory of his father, Earl R. Davis. Likewise I am deeply touched by the fact that the late Colonel Harold B. Simpson, founder of this Hill College History Complex, stated, just before his death, that he wanted this honor to come to me this year. Finally, we are also indebted to Dr. R. B. Patterson, who, despite a very busy dental practice, has cheerfully and enthusiastically agreed to be the successor of Colonel Simpson, as Director, and to carry on the brilliant research program which he established here at Hill College.
Now I want to say a few words about the man who built the E. S. C. Robertson Home, a two-story pre-Civil War mansion, located near Salado, Texas, back in a pasture just to the west of Interstate Highway 35. He was born on August twenty-THIRD, according to entries in the family Bible and on his tombstone, but, in turning through his papers, I came across a voting registration certificate, dated February 7, 1871, which he had endorsed in an outburst of indignation against the Yankee carpetbaggers who had forced him to prove that he was a Texas citizen. He wrote: "Bah! I was born in Giles Co. Tenn on the 20th Aug 1820 -- Came to Texas in Dec 1832, and have been here ever since -- Strange proceedings that at the end of fifty years, the enclosed paper is necessary to make me a citizen!"
This is an excellent example of the fact that, even six years after the Civil War was over, the mere thought of those Yankees made him so furious that he even forgot the day he was born!
The next biographical information that we have found are these notes, scribbled in pencil in the front of his diary dated June 10, 1863:
1820 The year I was born
1821 Commenced talking
1822 Commenced walking
1823 Running about considerably
1824 Improving in play
1825 Learned my A. B. C -
1826 Started to school.
1827 Spelling & reading
1828 Commenced to write
1829 Did not go to school
1830 Went to school partime
1831 Did not go to school
1832 In the fall [traveled] to Texas
1833 In San Antonio at school
1834 In San Antonio to July -
1835 Writing in Land Office
(He was copying land grants in Spanish in the
Robertson Colony Land Office at the Falls of the
Brazos. That must have been a pretty boring
assignment for a fourteen-year-old boy, but the
tedium was broken on July 29, 1835, when he
received a grant for 1,107.1 acres in his own name.)1836 In the army -
(Actually he enlisted on January 17, 1836, as a
Private in his father's Ranger Company, where he
served for three months, and he also served under
Captain Calvin Boales, from September 17, 1836, to
January 16, 1837. Thus he became a Texas Ranger at the age of 15.)1837 Went to Tennessee (to attend Jackson College in Columbia.)
1838 In Tennessee at college
1839 came to Texas in May (He became Chief Clerk in the Post Office
Department in June, 1839, and he was appointed
Acting Postmaster General of the Republic of Texas
on October 10, 1839, at the age of 19, and he
served in that capacity until December 14, 1839,
when he returned to his former position as Chief Clerk.)
In his brief outline Robertson does not have any entry for 1840, but in that year he resigned his job as Chief Clerk in the Post Office Department, went to Washington County to board with a cousin, Henry Villars Robertson, and announced himself as a candidate for Sheriff in August, 1841, but was beaten by a plurality of thirteen votes.
There is no entry for 1841 either, but in that year he was planning to go back to the United States and study law, but he was unable to borrow the money. However, on November 1, 1841, he started to work as Assistant Secretary of the Senate of the Sixth Congress of the Republic of Texas, and he held that position until February 5, 1842. After visiting San Antonio for a few days, he returned to Austin, where he was "exalted to the degree of Royal Arch Mason," on February 21, 1842, at the age of 21. Then he went home to Washington County, arriving there in the evening of March 5, 1842, where he learned that several express messengers had passed through reporting that, on the morning of that same day, General Rafael Vásquez had occupied San Antonio with 700 Mexican troops. Robertson set out immediately for San Antonio, but Vásquez had already withdrawn before Robertson got there. Several days later, on the morning that Robertson was preparing to start for the Rio Grande, either as a spy or with some fifty or sixty men to make an incursion on some town on the Rio Grande, he received word that his father had died of pneumonia on March 4, 1842, at the home of a relative, James Randolph Robertson, near Hearne, in Robertson County, Texas, so E. S. C. had to return home to serve as administrator of his father's estate. He wrote in his diary: "I felt lonely indeed. The last link is broken almost between me & the world. Alone and unaided I must make my way through the world."
In September of 1842, Texas was again invaded, by a Mexican Army of 1,000 men, this time under General Adrian Woll, and they took San Antonio on September 20. Consequently on October 17, 1842, we find Robertson enlisted as Captain of Company "D" of the Second Regiment, First Brigade, Army of the Republic of Texas, Commanded by Lt. Col. J. J. McCrocklin. His company, composed of 68 men, was formed at Independence, Texas, and reported to General Alexander Somervell on November 7, 1842, marched to the Rio Grande, and captured Laredo, but on December 19, 1842, recognizing that the expedition had been a failure, Somervell ordered his troops to return home. Robertson got back to Independence on Christmas Day.
The next high points of Robertson's career were reached in 1844. On February 24 of that year he was appointed Grand Master of the 3rd veil of the Grand Chapter, Royal Arch Masons of the Republic of Texas, and on August 5, 1844, President Sam Houston commissioned him as Colonel of the Second Regiment, First Brigade, Militia of the Republic of Texas.
In May of 1845 he went to the little village of Cincinnati, in Walker County, and clerked in a store for ten months, at the end of which time he made this comment in his diary:
"...Well how much did I get IN MONEY for the ten months close application to the business of a country store."
"The account was balanced by myself and my pay was 85. - 50/100 Dollars - This is making money with a vengeance; and at such licks in a few years I would be worth something."
"But the money was no object to me, for I felt as indifferent about taking it, as if I had been worth a million - The thing that gave me the most satisfaction in the matter, was, that I had taken an old copy of Blackstone's Commentaries over in my saddle bags and read that during the summer and that alone pretty much, to so good a purpose that [at] the fall term of the District Court of Milam County, my friends obtained a License from the Judge authorizing me to practice . . . Law"
R. E. B. Baylor was the judge who issued the license.
On July 29, 1846, Robertson married a distant cousin, Eliza Hamer Robertson, in the home of her parents, James Randolph Robertson and Susan (Oldham) Robertson, in Robertson County, Texas. E. S. C. and Eliza had three children, two of whom died young, and Eliza herself died on March 25, 1852.
Meanwhile, in 1848, E. S. C. had been appointed Translator of Spanish Deeds in the General Land Office in Austin. He married his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Dickey, on November 8, 1852, in Austin, and they had twelve children.
In 1854 he began construction of the E. S. C. Robertson Home in Salado, which I have already mentioned at the beginning of this paper. Downstairs on the left of the main entrance was a little room which he used as his office. That is the place where he kept all of the records which he had inherited concerning Robertson's Colony, and that is the place where he received, wrote, and filed his own extensive correspondence.
This building, and the surrounding grounds, are described in the TEXAS CATALOG, HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY, as "probably the most complete surviving example of a Texas plantation complex." It has 22 rooms, two stairways, two halls, and four porches. Add the word "ANTE-BELLUM" and you have the perfect setting for another GONE-WITH-THE-WIND Civil War romance.
Robertson was elected Chief Justice of Bell County in 1858, and in 1859 he founded the town of Salado, and Salado College, and became President of its Board of trustees. He was commissioned Brigadier General of the 27th Brigade, Texas State Troops, April 14, 1860, by Governor Sam Houston, and was appointed Aide-de-camp to General Henry McCulloch in 1862, and served to the close of the Civil War.
Having served as a delegate to the Secession Convention in 1860, he signed the secession ordinance. He also served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1875, which drafted the constitution still in effect today.
He died at Salado, Texas, on October 8, 1879, and was buried in the family cemetery near his home.
The Robertson home in Salado was then acquired by my grandfather, Maclin Robertson, Sr., one of E. S. C.'s fifteen children, but Maclin always said to the other brothers and sisters: "Of course, the home place technically belongs to me, but it still belongs to all the rest of you, and I want you to feel free to visit here at any time, stay as long as you want to, and, when you leave, if you have seen anything that you want, take it with you."
They did, and I have spent the last fifty years trying to get those documents back together, and I don't have them all yet. The three major collections, which are now in the Robertson Colony Collection, are as follows:
1. The collection of Mrs. T. S. Sutherland, Sr., which was removed from the house and taken to Austin by my grandmother, Mrs. Maclin Robertson, Sr., who left them to her daughter, Mrs. Sutherland; Mrs. Sutherland gave them to me, and Margaret and I gave them to UT-Arlington.
2. Documents that were removed by Mrs. Cone Johnson, one of E. S. C.'s daughters, who planned to write a history of the Robertson Colony. They passed to Mrs. William C. Harllee, in Washington, D. C., and her daughter gave them to UTA.
3. The documents that were left in the trunk after Mrs. Sutherland gave me the ones concerning Robertson's Colony. These were inherited by her son, T. S. Sutherland, Jr., and later sold to UTA.
Up until the time when these documents were acquired by UTA, they were kept in three separate collections because we never knew when the owners might demand that they be returned, so that is the reason they are still arranged, in folders, chronologically, within each group. the number of folders in each of the three collections for the Civil War years (1861-1865) is as follows: FOLDERS
1. Collection of Mrs. T. S. Sutherland, Sr............90
2. Collection of T. S. Sutherland, Jr....................443
3. Collection of Ella F. Harllee...........................115
As for the contents of the documents, I have time to read a few excerpts from only one as a typical example of what might be found in the others. This is a letter that Robertson wrote to his wife from Tyler, Texas, on August 4, 1862, about his trip to Houston and Galveston to buy arms, ammunition, and medical supplies for the Confederate Army:
I left Tyler on the 11th July, (friday) on a mule, and monday morning a little after daylight pulled up at the Hotel in Navasota 166 miles in three days, Doct Ewings mule having died the third day about 12 o'clock, but I hired another...and made the trip. Got my breakfast and at 71/2 o'clock was on my way by railroad for Houston...arrived at Houston at 12 o'clock...At half past three took the cars and arrived at Galveston that night, only four days from Tyler. The fastest trip ever made over the same ground Just like you, you will say. During the night found that there was no arms, ammunition or medicines there that I could purchase...Soon found that none could be bought on the credit of the (Confederate) Government, but could buy on my own account anything they had... I bough[t] thirteen thousand six hundred dollars worth...Had a fine gray cloth coat and pants made in Houston fitting me very well. The pants have gold lace an inch broad down the outer seam, the coat is double breasted yellow collar & cuffs, four bars of gold lace on each side of the collar, and trimmed with gold lace on the arms from the elbow to the wrist with brass buttons and a single star in the centre...
That is all I have time to read now, but the other 647 documents are still lying there, waiting to be read, so I want to extend a very cordial invitation to all of you to come to the Robertson Colony Collection, which is located on the Sixth Floor of the Library, at The University of Texas at Arlington, and read the rest of those documents.
As you can see, I have heeded the admonition which I read at the beginning of this paper:
"Let thy speech be short: be as one who knoweth, and yet holdeth his tongue."
© Robertson Plantation 2010


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subset: commoncrawl


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How To Register A Enterprise In Singapore
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AUSTIN, Tex. — Fifteen years ago, on April 20, 1998, Jan Reid and three of his friends got into a cab in Mexico City. The four men were all affiliated with Texas Monthly, a magazine I'd worked for early in my career, which is how I knew Jan. They were in Mexico to attend a prize fight.
As Jan would later recount in his fine memoir, "The Bullet Meant for Me," as soon as he got into the cab, he thought, "This doesn't look right." He quickly realized that the cab was being followed. The driver pulled over and allowed men in the other car to climb into the cab. They were brandishing guns.
After another short ride, during which Jan was pistol-whipped, the driver stopped, and the Americans were ordered out of the car. One of them ran for his life. In the chaos of the moment, Jan acted instinctively: He threw a punch at the gunman. The punch missed. The man shot Jan, who threw up his arm to block the bullet. It went directly through Jan's arm and down into his abdomen, stopping just short of his spinal cord. He screamed in agony. "I thought it was curtains," he told me recently.
With the six-month anniversary of the shootings at Newtown, Conn., approaching, I thought it was worth spending some time thinking about the "other" consequence of gun violence. Yes, guns kill people; Adam Lanza murdered 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School. But guns also leave victims permanently injured and in constant pain.
Think about the massacre last summer in Aurora, Colo., where, along with the 12 people killed, 58 were injured. Ashley Moser, 25, who was two months pregnant at the time, lost her baby and is now paralyzed. Once the news media moves on, however, people like her are forgotten. That's why I came here to see Jan Reid.
Although his doctors in Mexico initially thought that he would be a paraplegic, Jan walks with a cane today; his left leg swings almost uselessly with each step. His speech is impaired. He has to use a catheter to urinate, which causes urinary tract infections on a regular basis.
He has been in the hospital a half-dozen times since the shooting, sometimes for dangerous blood infections that are a continuous result of the shooting. He has limited feeling in his legs and feet; once his foot was bleeding and he didn't even realize it. He wound up being rushed to the hospital where a chunk of his foot was removed. About five or six years ago, he had a spinal cord stimulator implanted that has helped reduce the intense pain he used to feel in his legs. Although he can still have sex, he said, "it's not like it used to be." He flashed me a regretful smile.
As Jan recounted his life since that fateful day 15 years ago, he sat on his couch. Sometimes he leaned forward. Other times he sat back. He never seemed comfortable. He told me that if he stands up too long, it begins to hurt. If he sits too long it hurts. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, the pain wakes him up. Whenever he has the slightest fever, fierce pain shoots through his leg. "It feels like a firecracker just above my left knee," he said.
Yet, for all his physical pain, when a hospital psychologist asked him early on what his biggest fear was, he said, "that this is going to destroy my marriage."
It didn't, but it could have. Before the spinal cord stimulator was implanted, Jan's pain was affecting not just him but those who loved him. He snapped at people and suffered from depression. Nobody felt it more than his wife, Dorothy Browne. In some ways, she is the hero of this story: she was by his side in the months after he was shot, doing all the things he couldn't do, while refusing to let Jan feel sorry for himself.
But after things settled down, she grew angry. Not because he had gone to Mexico, or had stupidly thrown a punch at a man with a gun. "I was just angry that he was never going to be the same again," she said. She missed the things they used to do together but no longer could: explore the rain forest, travel in the Andes, rock climb in Greece. She finally sought counseling, which helped. "I'm not angry anymore," she said, "but I'm regretful. I'm regretful when I hear him in the middle of the night, knowing he is in pain."
For everything he has gone through, Jan Reid considers himself lucky. He can still work. Indeed, last year, a much-praised biography he wrote of Ann Richards, the former Texas governor, was published. He has his wife and his friends and his life. He has figured out how to cope with his injury and his pain. He can walk.
Which, sadly, is something Ashley Moser can never say.


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Winter skies, a plump robin and a cheeky fox were just some of the pictures submitted to our group in December. You can view the longlist here
Your winner is...
Corfe Castle by My Big Toe
Click here to see all the photos submitted to our group so far. Or why not go here to see some of our other Flickr galleries?
Wind Gliders by Matthew Wardle
Winter Dorset by Dawn Verdaguer
Like Butter Wouldn't Melt by Lisa Lawley
Bournemouth Pier by Ken Came
Male Chaffinch by Ian Kirk
Flames in the Sky by Rich Meston
Aloof by Steve Maskell
Bat's Head Sunset by Andy Farrer
Winter Dorset 2 by Dawn Verdaguer


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A DALTON bodybuilder has been crowned world champion.
Nigel Davis, 40, is the first Briton to win the accolade, clinching the title in New York last month and walking away with $6,000.
The semi-professional athlete trains four times a week at Top Bodies gym in St John's Road, Huddersfield.
He said he was delighted at reaching the pinnacle of his sport.
"I'm the first Brit to win the world championships! The whole national team did very well, mind. "
Nigel has come second in the world twice, but this time around ensured he led the British team to victory at the World Natural Body-building Federation World Championships.
Nigel has consistently been in the top 10 in the world in recent years, was voted Natural Mr International in 1997, came third in the world natural championships in 1998 and second in both 2000 and 2002.
He took up the discipline more than 15 years ago when forced to give up rugby through a shoulder injury.
Nigel competes in the lightweight class and, incredibly, weighs under 12 stone.
He works for the AH Marks Chemical firm at Wyke.
Natural body-building is stringently controlled to ensure none of the competitors are taking steroids or muscle-enhancing drugs.
"Most of the competitors are about 40," he said. "Competitors tend to be older in natural bodybuilding. You get muscle maturation and muscle where you want it."


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Unique Russian Christmas Angel with hand-painted porcelain face and handcrafted dress. Each of these lovely Russian angel ornaments is handcrafted. Costume details may vary in color and design. This ornament has head, hands and legs made out of porcelain. The ornaments are approxiamtely 6" tall.
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TAIPEI (MarketWatch) — Asian stocks ended higher Wednesday as robust economic growth and industrial production data from China helped shift investor focus away from European debt troubles.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index (HSI) climbed 1.2% to finish the day at 21,926.88, retracing some of the ground it lost in the previous session, when it tumbled 3.1%. China's Shanghai Composite (000001) gained 1.5% to 2,795.48.
The data also helped some of China's key trading partners, as Japan's Nikkei Stock Average (NIK) ended the day 0.4% higher at 9,963.14, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index (XJO) added 0.4% to 4,514.80, South Korea's Kospi (0100) advanced 0.9% to 2,129.64 and Taiwan's Taiex cut losses to end little changed at 8,488.06.
Many regional markets opened on a subdued note in the wake of a weak finish on Wall Street, after Moody's lowered Ireland's credit ratings to junk status. But Asian markets moved off lows after data showed China's gross domestic product expanded at a faster-than-expected rate of 9.5% in the April-June quarter from the year-ago period. June industrial production jumped 15.1% from the year-earlier month, trouncing expectations. Read more about China's economic data.
"The encouraging economic data out of China gave a much needed psychological lift to a market looking for any pockets of optimism," said Tim Waterer from CMC Markets in Sydney.
TD Securities' senior strategist Roland Randall likened the China data to "diamonds in the rough for risk markets," writing to clients that the GDP growth represented "a modest slowdown rather than anything more dramatic."
Chinese property stocks gained following the data, with China Overseas Land & Investment Ltd. (688) surging 5.7% and China Resources Land Ltd. (1109) adding 3.2% in Hong Kong. On mainland bourses, China Vanke Co. rose 1.3% in Shenzhen and Gemdale Corp. added 0.3% in Shanghai.
The Chinese data also boosted shares of Australian and Japanese companies with business ties to China.
Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. (FMG) FSUMF, +4.67% rose 1.6% and BlueScope Steel Ltd. (BSL) BLSFF, -2.86% bounced 4.9% in Sydney, while Fanuc Corp. FANUY, +0.59% (6954) climbed 1.3% and Sony Corp. SNE, -0.19% (6758) rose 0.6% in Tokyo.
Still, some Japanese exporters were held back by a stronger yen — with the dollar USDJPY, -0.02% remaining below the ¥80 level. Canon Inc. CAJ, +0.21% (7751) lost 0.7%. and Mazda Motor Corp. MZDAY, +5.40% (7261) fell 1%.
BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP) BHP, +1.66% added 0.4% despite reports that coking coal mines in northeastern Australia that BHP owns jointly with Mitsubishi Corp. (8058) MSBHY, +1.00% would be affected by rolling strikes this week over a wage dispute. Mitsubishi also rose, gaining 1.8%.
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Shares of Mitsui & Co. MITSY, +0.52% rose 2.1% after the company announced a takeover bid for Singapore's Portek International Ltd. (P09).
Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. (1288) (601288) shares jumped 3.9% in Hong Kong after the lender announced its January-June profit would rise by more than 45%.
The news also lifted other Chinese banks, with Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. IDCBY, +0.36% (1398) and China Construction Bank Corp. (939) (601939) CICHY, +0.85% each adding 2.2%. In Shanghai, AgBank shares climbed 1.9%, while ICBC (601398) and CCB rose 1.2% and 1.5%, respectively.
Some Australian retailers sagged, meanwhile, after an index of consumer sentiment fell to its lowest level in two years. See report on drop in Australia's consumer sentiment.
Shares in Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd. (HVN) HNORY, +2.64% dropped 2.4%, and department-store retailer David Jones Ltd. (DJS) DJNSY fell 1.8%.


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Blueberry Lemon Scones
Remember how for the past two weekly menu posts I've said I was going to make a certain Blueberry Lemon Scone recipe? I finally did. Sort of. See the first scone recipe that I ever made was so good in my mind that I couldn't imagine anything else better than it. And the family loves it too. Especially Eric.
Since I really wanted to try blueberry and lemon together, I decided why mess up a good thing? Instead of using a new recipe, I adapted the Orange Cranberry Scone recipe and created a Blueberry Lemon version. Sorry Tyler Florence, but I don't think I'll be trying your recipe any time soon, because these turned out too good to not make again.
I hope there will be some leftover for breakfast tomorrow morning, but that is doubtful. Eric seems to have the need to perform multiple "quality control" tests on scones, and he'll be home in about a half an hour. Less than that by the time I hit the publish post button. Maybe I'll hide a few.
Blueberry Lemon Scones
adapted from Orange Cranberry Scones by Pat in Kansas
- 4 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 cup room temperature butter, sliced
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 T frozen lemonade concentrate
Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, lemon zest and blueberries. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, lemonade concentrate, vanilla, and milk together. Stir into the flour mixture until the dough is moist, do not over mix.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead a couple of times. Divide dough into two equal balls. Pat each ball into an 8 inch circle. Place each ball onto a parchment paper lined or greased cookie sheet. Score each circle with a knife into 6 wedges. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until done and lightly golden. Allow the scones to cool. Meanwhile, stir powdered sugar and lemonade concentrate together. Drizzle over cooled scones.
Note: Have you entered the POM Wonderful Giveaway yet? Entries will be taken HERE until Midnight PST 3/20.
*My only complaint about this recipe is that I felt I had to be really careful not to demolish the blueberries while kneading it. I suppose that would happen with any blueberry scone.


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Does your dog have a lot of energy? Do they love to climb, crawl, or jump? Being able to channel all of that high energy into agility courses can be fun and exciting for both you and your dog. Agility is a great physical workout for your dog and it engages your dog mentally too! You will stimulate your dog's mind through completing obstacles, working as a team, and refining their form and speed. Agility courses give your dog a sense of accomplishment, success, and boost their confidence making it a great activity for even nervous dogs! Both accuracy and speed are key in learning to navigate obstacles like A-frames, catwalks, various jumps, and a teeter-totter.
All breeds are more than welcome in our Mooresville agility classes. We offer sessions for both beginner and intermediate levels. Check our calendar for upcoming classes each month, or call us now to sign up!


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A graduate education at Brock works & will help you build a career and a life!
Vitae Professional Development — it's the course of YOUR life!
Upcoming Events › Professional Development
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News from the Editor
New language packages for 2.0
|Posted by Joe (joe) on Sep 01 2008
|News from the Editor >> Program
New language packages for release 2.0 available at the download section at Sourceforge.net. We have a 100% translated Arabic version done by www.infotechaccountants.com/forums team.
For you, that have been involved in translations, please download and update the translations and return to us.
Last changed: Sep 01 2008 at 5:26 amBack


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As the light returns and the nights begin to grow shorter, let your light shine for all to see.
The world needs your heart. So offer it freely to all you meet with no exceptions.
Then and only then can "Peace on Earth and Goodwill Towards Men" become our truth.
It begins with you! You are more powerful than you realize. Your heart can change the world.
Peace and Love to all.
Joffre McClung is the author of two books, How Learning to Say Goodbye Taught Me How to Live ( Kirkus Indie Reviews "Heartfelt reflections on the lessons and strength to be gained from grief and loss….A thoughtful think piece.") and The Heart of the Matter ( A Spiritual Workbook and Guide for Finding Your Way Back to Self-love) due out in 2017.


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Mode Field Converters
Definition: optical devices which allow for efficient coupling between modes of different sizes
Alternative term: mode field adapters
Categories: fiber optics and waveguides, photonic devices
How to cite the article; suggest additional literature
Author: Dr. Rüdiger Paschotta
A mode field converter (or mode field adapter) is an optical device which can be used for expanding or contracting a mode in the transverse spatial dimensions. For example, a mode converter could expand the very tiny mode of the waveguide in a laser diode to a size which fits to the mode of an optical fiber. Here, the effective mode area may be increased from the order of 1 μm2 to roughly 100 μm2, as is appropriate for a usual single-mode fiber. This allows one to efficiently couple light from the laser diode into the fiber. Particularly for single-mode waveguides, efficient coupling is possible only when the mode radii of the two waveguides are approximately equal. (The article on fiber joints contains a formula for estimating the minimum coupling loss.) Note also that one requires not only compatible dimensions and shapes of the intensity profiles, but also compatible wavefronts – for example, plane wavefronts at the input of a single-mode fiber.
In principle, a mode field converter may simply be made of a single optical lens. Here, the light exiting the first waveguide first expands in free space, and then it is refocused to a spot with appropriate size by the lens. The input of the second waveguide is placed at that beam focus.
In many situations, however, it is desirable to avoid any free-space propagation and also to obtain a monolithic and more compact solution. Therefore, other technical approaches for mode field converters are often used. A particularly often used type of device is a tapered waveguide (→ tapered fibers). Here, the transverse dimensions of the waveguide and thus the local mode area vary smoothly. If the mode size varies sufficiently slowly within the waveguide, the mode can adiabatically adjust its parameters, so that it is everywhere close to the mode size calculated for a waveguide with constant transverse dimensions according to the considered position. However, non-adiabatic mode conversion is also possible with appropriately designed mode converters. This can lead to still more compact solutions. Very different kinds of non-adiabatic mode converters have been developed, often not at all based on tapered waveguides. For example, some nanotechnology devices exploit surface plasmons.
See also: modes, effective mode area, mode radius, fibers, fiber joints, tapered fibers, waveguides
and other articles in the categories fiber optics and waveguides, photonic devices


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What's Going On?
In NYC:Â The best bet of the week may just be tonight's Frightened Rabbit acoustic, all-request show at le Poisson Rouge. Otherwise, Lykke Li is playing tonight (Webster Hall) and Tuesday (Music Hall of Williamsburg- which will from now on be abbreviated as MHoW). Up-and-comers Passion Pit are playing the Bowery on Wednesday night, while Beirut, promoting their new, promising double-album, will be playing the MHoW. But don't worry if you miss Zach Condon and friends there, they'll be at the BAM Opera House on Friday night.
But Beirut is far from your only Friday night option. Little Boots will be bopping heads at Studio B, and The Black Keys will rock out Terminal 5- although probably not as heavily as The Boss rocked it in his halftime show rehersal (speaking of which, if you haven't bought your Bruce tickets yet, they're probably all gone. But have no fear- more shows will likely be announced very soon). The Black Keys will be at the Terminal again on Saturday.
And don't worry about missing Beirut for either Boots or the Keys on Friday either, because they'll be playing the BAM again on Saturday. A busy week for them.
In LA: If you're feeling left out of the Beirut party in Los Angeles, don't worry- Devotchka may be able to satisfy your orchestral, haunting music taste at the Viper Room tonight. If you're feeling left out of the Little Boots party, you're just being silly- hit up Spaceland on Wednesday night and I think you'll be very pleased.
"Run To Your Grave" with The Mae Shi and Matt & Kim at The Troubadour Wednesday night. Other than that, the week in LA is simply meh. If you know of any other bangin' shows, post away in the comments.
In Chicago: Aside from Saturday night, Chicago's week is pretty weak. But Saturday, it's party time. Los Campesinos! and TITUS ANDRONICUS (an awesome punk/garage/Pitchfork-hyped band out of NJ, with instrumentals straight from Arcade Fire and Springsteen) will be jamming at the Logan Square Auditorium. And Lykke Li (who's everywhere these days, no?) will be playing the Metro the same night.
In LONDON: Once again, I wish I lived overseas. Cobra Starship will be playing tonight at King's College, they're always a fun show. If you'd rather feel a tad hipper, Lady GaGa and Lily Allen will be at Koko tonight as well.
Wednesday night at the 100 Club brings the Airborne Toxic Event, who released one of the best singles of '08 ("Sometime Around Midnight") and play a well-respected live show.
Thursday night, you have two options- crazy party (Friendly Fires at New Slang @ McCluskys) or chill time (The Boy Least Likely To at the Soho Revue Bar).
Sunday night, you should definitely be at the Shephards Bush Empire for what will most likely be an awesome show from NJ-based rockers The Gaslight Anthem. While Stereogum just joined the bandwagon today, most people have been onto this excellent group for a while now. Their fantastic album, The '59 Sound, is worth a good listen.
In Sydney: Another good week for music in Oz. The Hold Steady will rock out at The Metro Theater on Wednesday night, but if you're not in the mood for America's "best bar band," check out buzz-band Cut Off Your Hands at the Beach Road Hotel and make a verdict..Pitchfork's latest review seems mixed.
Thursday night, definitely hit up the Oxford Art Factory and listen to the yelpy Born Ruffians, whose song "Barnacle Goose" has been in my head for days now. And Friday night, immerse yourself into Jose Gonzalez's apparently fantastic live show at the City Recital Hall- Angel Place.


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Alguada Villa - Solar Beach - Plett
13 Alguada Reef Drive, Plettenberg Bay
13 Alguada Reef Drive Plettenberg Bay Western Cape 6600 ZA
6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. Sleeps 16 people max. Modern and luxurious, this new holiday villa is across the road from the popular Sanctuary Beach and offers upmarket holiday accommodation.
- Double story house.
- Enter into the stylish entrance hall. Doors lead to the spacious TV lounge.
- Bedrooms 4,5 and 6 are downstairs. Stairs led up to the expansive and light living and entertainment areas. Formal sitting lounge with stunning sea views, modern and well equipped kitchen, indoor dining seating 12 (with sea views) and separate scullery with walk-in cold room.
- Frameless stacking doors open onto the sea facing patio as well as the courtyard, swimming pool and braai area with a pizza oven. There are 4 cushioned sun-loungers as well as two large fabric umbrellas.
- The front patio has comfortable outdoor seating as well as a dining table seating 10-12.
- The courtyard is decked and stylish with outdoor seating around the braai and pizza oven. Bedrooms 2 and 3 are accessed from this courtyard.
- The master bedroom upstairs is sea-facing, with sea-views and a private balcony.
- Main Bedroom: The spacious bedroom is upstairs, offers views of the sea. King sized bed with full en-suite bathroom: Bath, Shower and Toilet. Air-conditioner. Ceiling Fan. Gas fireplace. Separate small TV room with table. Private sea-facing balcony.
- Bedroom 2: Double bed and full en-suite bathroom: Bath, Shower & Toilet. Ceiling fan.
- Bedroom 3: Double bed and full en-suite bathroom: Bath, Shower & Toilet. Ceiling fan.
- Bedroom 4: King sized bed with door leading out to a small terrace. En-suite bathroom: Bath, Shower and Toilet. Ceiling fan.
- Bedroom 5: King sized bed with door leading out to a small terrace. En-suite bathroom: Bath, Shower and Toilet.
- Bedroom 6: Children's room with shared bathroom. There are 6 single beds in total with an inter-leading door which can separate the bedroom.
- There is a guest toilet downstairs.
- Due to the high value and quality and furnishings in this property, the minimum breakage deposit is R20 000.
- Two mandatory staff members. Arnold lives on site with his wife and there is a minimum once off payment of R1500 to be paid to Arnold in cash at the end of your stay. Ali is excluded from the rental at R264 per weekday from 8am until 4pm. Kindly settle daily and in cash.
- Bed linen, bath and beach/swimming towels are provided.
- DSTV decoder including smart card available & included in rental.
- Wi-Fi included.
- PLEASE NOTE: The wine cellar downstairs is excluded from the rental as well as the French cupboard in the dining room. There is one private panty cupboard which is excluded from the rental, however ample space in the scullery.
- Nespresso machine available for use: Please bring your own pods or pre-order online for delivery.
- Cooking: Equipped with 4 plate gas hob and electric oven. X1 Cold room fridge. X1 Freezer. Microwave.
- Scullery: Dishwasher. Ice-machine.
- Washing machine and tumble drier.
- Built-in Braai and pizza oven on patio.
- Parking for two vehicles behind remote controlled gates. The garage is excluded from the rental.
- Non-smoking home, please smoke outside.
- The swimming pool has an electric metal safety cover which covers the swimming pool.
- The property has an alarm system with outside security beams.
M'Pelisweni "the place of rest". Enjoy the stunning sea, beach and surf views from this beachfront holiday home. Walk onto Robber...
6 Bedrooms/5 Bathrooms – SLEEPS 12 Double story holiday home with private pool and lovely views of the sea and Robberg Peninsula. Free uncapped ...
10 Bedrooms/5 Bathrooms – SLEEPS 16 MAX Set in a private estate, this holiday home is in a fantastic location overlooking Robberg Beach with view...
5 Bedrooms/5 Bathrooms. SLEEPS 8 adults and 4 children + 1 staff room sleeping 1. Upmarket and spacious villa great for summer holidays and entert...
4 Bedrooms/4 Bathrooms + separate teens room & en-suite bathroom. SLEEPS 8-12 This holiday beach house offers direct access to Robberg Beach ...
Stunning views in a popular Plett area overlooking Lookout lagoon and beach and the stunning mountain range. This is a relaxed and very spacious h...
Showing 6 results


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No one rights the colonel
Here he comes to save the day! Like Mighty Mouse but with a better tan, the hitherto elusive Middle East peace envoy finally decided this week that enough unrest was enough and phoned Colonel Gaddafi, with whom he has been bosom pals ever since Britain helped invade various Arab countries and made Gaddafi think softening his own attitudes a shade might stop us coming and dicking around in his fiefdom too.
"Hey, Muammar, look – it's, like, really unfair I know, but actually not everyone loves you and would die to protect you – we're just not all blessed in that way – so why not just step down, eh? You can write your memoirs. Probably make a fortune on the after-dinner circuit too. I can put you in touch with some people."
But it turns out that nobody speaks to the colonel with any great effect. One phone call from Tony and he continues to do exactly as he likes.
Royal diplomacy
Talking of envoys, the UK ambassador for trade (ie bouncing round the world at others' expense – the royal version of priesthood for the second son) also popped up in the news this week, after someone noticed how chummy the old chubster has become with hedge-fund billionaire and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. And Gaddafi's son Saif. And convicted gun smuggler Tarek Kaituni. And then there was a picture of him with his arm round one of the girls involved with that convicted paedophile guy we just talked about. And an avalanche of anecdotes about his not-noticeably diplomatic style when talking to lesser (ie non-billionaire, non-gun-running, non-semi-heads-of-corrupt-regimes) people in his supposed role as facilitator of Britain's export drive.
Bet Liz II never thought she'd be longing for those innocent Koo Stark days.
A headline addiction
It started with a tiny story about rampaging nude round a hotel while a hooker hid in a wardrobe for safety and has since blossomed into the celebrity story of the year – at least until Lindsay Lohan rises to the challenge – that has taken in antisemitic rants against the creator of the hit sitcom that made him TV's highest earner, loss of starring role in said sitcom, loss of the custody of his kids, and live interviews in which he insisted that his ability to party in a way that made "Sinatra, Flynn, Jagger and Richards look like droopy-eyed armless children" made him worth a pay rise for his (now non-existent) job.
Ah, cocaine addiction – it's the gift that keeps on giving, at least to the press.
What we've learned
• One in 10 over-55s haven't seen their parents for more than a year
• A single egg costs an average of 30p
• Victoria Road, Kensington, is the most expensive street in England and Wales – average property value is £6.4m
• The average British man spends 11 years watching TV and 10,500 hours in the pub over a lifetime
• Copper theft cost the UK £770m last year
… and what we haven't
• Who is killing swans – 29 so far – with an air rifle in Somerset
What they said
"You're a prick, mate." The succinct appraisal of Alistair Campbell, trying his hand at teaching politics to a GCSE class, from one of his charges.
"I went to find the lotus flower within." Fergie explains her trip to Thailand, on a search for spiritual enlightenment while filming a new reality show.
"I am, pretty much, a mild lesbian." Daisy Lowe, discovering a new way to make us all slightly tired.


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Environment secretary Michael Gove has drawn a cautious response from the industry and other interested bodies with his announcement of a planned deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks bottles.
His proposals have sparked alarm that they could make local authority collections unviable by diverting bottles from household recycling. But many within the industry are keen on a DRS, as long as it works well with the UK's existing recycling regimes.
Here are some of the reactions.
Carole Taylor, chair of the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (Larac): "Larac supports full producer responsibility and DRS could be a step in that direction. The evidence so far for the UK has not shown how a general DRS can be undertaken without cannibalising council kerbside material. Local authorities provide comprehensive collection schemes for the materials that a DRS would target, and our first step should be to put funds into these from producers to increase kerbside performance even further. If the public really have an appetite for DRS then it needs to be one that targets 'on the go' material and helps address the litter problem that local authorities spend £700m each year dealing with. Larac believes that the option of not having a DRS has to be a proper part of the consultation process."
Colin Church, chief executive of the Chartered Institution for Wastes Management: "Any new schemes or taxes must be considered and implemented as part of a wider, coherent set of policies to deliver the ambitions on zero avoidable waste and greater resource productivity that have been expressed in the last few months.There also continues to be concern about the impact on local authority collections which must be explored more fully."
Simon Ellin, chief executive, the Recycling Association: "A deposit return scheme for plastics bottles, glass bottles and cans is likely to lead to a purer stream of material to recycle. However, we must be careful we do not throw the baby out with the bath water. We need to understand what this will mean for the entire domestic recycling system. For example, how will local authorities replace what is a valuable revenue stream for them and could this make collections of other material such as cardboard and paper uneconomic for local authorities? Could this then make the quality of other material worse if collection systems cannot be properly funded?"
Jacob Hayler executive director, Environmental Service's Association: "The biggest priority for the recycling industry remains greater support for end markets for recycled materials. There is no point recovering all this material if there is nowhere for it to go, and particular consideration is needed for material left to be collected at the kerbside if a DRS system is introduced."
Roseanna Cunningham, environment secretary, Scottish Government: "I am proud that Scotland was the first part of the UK to commit to introduce a deposit return scheme and pleased to learn the UK Government will now follow our lead."
Viridor: "A UK-wide scheme, rather than separate schemes introduced by the devolved administrations, offers the greatest potential benefits and convenience for customers. The success of a DRS will depend on the design and competitiveness of the chosen scheme - the scope of the materials to be included and how the material collected at retail points is then made available to the recycling and reprocessing markets."
Estelle Brachlianoff, senior executive vice-president, Veolia UK & Ireland: "We would like to see manufacturers awarded incentives for including a significant percentage of recycled content in their product. We view waste material as a vital commodity, something to harness and repurpose into new product. When manufacturers start using a considerable amount of recycled content in their products, this will be the turning of the tides we've all been waiting for."
David Wilson, managing director, Vanden Recycling UK: "We currently have very good recycling collections for bottles from homes, and DRS should help to improve the ability of consumers to recycle their drinks bottles when out and about. It should also help litter control and aid an increase in recycling rates of bottles."
Robert Logan, managing director, WCRS: "With the issue highlighted on the recent Blue Planet II television programme and with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch now thought to contain 79,000 tonnes of waste, the Government announcement has been well timed for maximum publicity, which can only be a good thing."
Rick Hindley, executive director, Alupro: "We welcome any measure that effectively increases recycling and reduces litter. Aluminium packaging is already widely recycled; 70% of beverage cans are currently recycled, and independent research shows that in 12 years the existing collection infrastructure will deliver a 90% recycling rate for all aluminium packaging*.
James Piper, managing director, Ecosurety: "The real question is whether the UK has the correct infrastructure - capacity inside its recycling plants - to deal with the increase in glass, plastic and steel and aluminium cans that will be generated from such a scheme. We don't want to see a situation whereby millions more tonnes of plastic are collected but sit dormant in warehouses, or worse, outside exposed to the elements."
Michelle Carvell, director Lorax Compliance: "A number of firms have already investigated how they could introduce plastic bottle deposit return schemes into their business model.We believe the government's launch represents the changing face of environmental compliance, and that this scheme signifies the first of many that could be formed in response to business and consumer demand."
Samantha Harding, litter programme director, the Campaign to Protect Rural England: "What's significant is that producers will now pay the full costs of their packaging, reducing the burden on the taxpayer and setting a strong precedent for other schemes where the polluter pays. This really is a bold and exciting step by the Government."
Steve White, software business development manager, Yotta: "Technology will play a key role in making sure the scheme remains effective. Placing sensors in the reverse vending machines, underground bin stores or however the returned items are collected will ensure collections are made on an optimal basis and is key. This IoT technology can then play into a wider connected network, not just across the collections."
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Epilepsy Niagara
4635B Queen Street
Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E 2L7
We are located within Heart Niagara on the corner of Queen Street and St. Lawrence Avenue.
(289) 296-3460
Hours of Operation
Monday – Thursday
We are a small organization; there may be times our office is closed during these hours due to client appointments, meetings and conferences. We recommend booking appointments.
Friday, Saturday-Sunday


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by John W. Rice, Broker
PORTSMOUTH-November sales of single-family residences and condominium units slipped to their lowest levels in eight months in the 13-Sample Seacoast Towns, according to statistics just released by the Seacoast Board of REALTORS.
The 13 Sample Seacoast towns are Exeter, Greenland, Hampton, Hampton Falls, New Castle, Newfields, Newington, North Hampton, Newmarket, Portsmouth Rye, Seabrook and Stratham.
Despite the decline, the 69 single family homes sold was three more than last year. But the median sale price for the month fell to $362,000. For the first 11 months of the year, the median sale price is now $370,000, exactly $20,000 more than last year. The 980 total units sold is a 1.9% improvement over 2013.
On the condominium side, the monthly median sales price declined for the fourth straight month to $199,900, while sales volume remained almost the same: 39 units sold last month versus 38 one year ago. The monthly median sale price represents a 12.6% decline from last year. For the first 11 months of the year, the median condo sale price is now $236,500 up a modest 1.7% from last year. Sales volume, though, was up a robust 13.7% for the year.


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Freshly Renovated Miami Guestrooms
Experience elevated comfort and sophisticated style at the new redesigned Loews Miami Beach Hotel, a true South Beach Icon Reimagined. Each of our 790 guestrooms and suites has been transformed to create an inviting oasis inspired by the sea and sand you'll find just steps away outside our doors.
For an intimate, boutique experience, ask us about rooms in our historic, Art Deco St. Moritz building, an elegant piece of Miami Beach's iconic history, recently refreshed with all new rooms and wall-length pieces of art. St. Moritz rooms and suites are conveniently located in the same building as our exhale Spa, signature restaurant Lure Fishbar, and new state-of-the-art Kids Club.
Loews Signature Amenities
- 100% combed and ring-spun cotton terry towels and bath sheets
- Julien Farel shampoo and conditioner, and skin and body-care products
- The Ultimate Doeskin robe by Chadsworth & Haig
- Julien Farel professional hair dryer
- New Smart TV
- Frette duvets
- 24-hour room service
- In-room safe
- Keurig coffeemaker with gourmet coffee
- Minibar
- Doorbells with "Do Not Disturb" buttons accessible from the inside of the room
- Free Wi-Fi
In-Room Business Amenities
- Spacious work space with outlets and USB ports
- Premium Plus Wi-Fi available
- Two digital phone lines with voicemail
Amenities for Disabled Guests
- Accessible entry door
- Spacious layout for easy wheelchair access
- Pocket door bathrooms
- Accessible toilets with grab bars
- Accessible tub fixtures
- Bathroom with "flip" seats
- Lower door peep holes and temperature control
- Entry door with illuminated door notifier
- Hearing-impaired phone service available upon request
Resort Amenity Program and Policies
- Check in: 4 PM | Check out: 11 AM (Late check-out available at an additional charge).
- Must be 21 years or older to check in.
- Loews Miami Beach Hotel is a non-smoking hotel.
- A $32 Daily Resort Amenity Package charge will be included in your final confirmation. This includes:
- Complimentary internet access for up to four devices
- Daily fitness center access at Exhale Spa
- Daily meditation class on Exhale Spa terrace (registration required and weather permitting
- Daily pool pampering amenities including coconut water, tropical fruit, cold-pressed juice and more
- Use of up to four beach chairs daily (one chair per person)
- Use of kayaks, paddle boards and boogie boards (up to 30 mins per day, weather permitting, based on availability)
- Banana Boat rides from 10–11 a.m. daily, with last departure at 10:45 a.m. (weather permitting, based on availability)
- Lobby beverage station featuring locally infused refreshment from 3–6 p.m. daily
- Rec Room video games and vintage arcade center for teens and tweens
- Unlimited local calls
- Click here to learn about our hotel's services and amenities.


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May 18, 2005 -- Before a tough sports competition, athletes might do well to reach for the red in their closets, say British researchers.
Red is often the color of victory, says a report in Nature's May 19 edition. Blue, on the other hand, wasn't in vogue in the winner's circle very often.
The clash of the colors was documented by Russell Hill and Robert Barton of the Evolutionary Anthropology Research Group at England's University of Durham.
It's not about fashion or superstitions about "lucky" uniforms. Instead, this might be a case of color psychology embedded in our evolutionary wiring, say the researchers.
Let the Color Games Begin
Hill and Barton checked out the uniforms of contestants in four combat sports in the 2004 Olympic Games (boxing, tae kwon do, Greco-Roman wrestling, and freestyle wrestling). Those athletes were randomly assigned to wear blue or red during competition, say the researchers.
For all four sports, athletes wearing red consistently won more fights. In 16 out of 21 rounds, more winners wore red instead of blue. Blue only bested red in four rounds. The pattern was statistically significant, say Hill and Barton.
Red may also help in team sports, say the researchers, who did a preliminary analysis of the Euro 2004 international soccer tournament. They studied five teams, all of which fared better when wearing red.
"Color of sportswear may affect outcomes in a wide variety of sporting contexts," say the researchers.
Last Hue Standing
Wait a minute, you say. Aren't sports about muscle, discipline, teamwork, strategy, and spirit?
Absolutely, say the researchers. Red wasn't a miracle worker. It didn't turn long shots into champions.
Red is probably only advantageous in close matches, say Hill and Barton. "Wearing red presumably tips the balance between losing and winning only when other factors are fairly equal," they write.
So if you're planning to step into the ring with a champion boxer, you're going to need more than red shorts on your side.
The Champion of the Color Wheel
What's so great about red? In the animal world, red's presence and intensity are linked to male dominance and testosterone levels, say the researchers.
Among humans, red is associated with anger. People literally "see red" because anger increases blood flow, which reddens the skin. Meanwhile, blue is the color seen in people who are scared, say Hill and Barton.
Which would you rather project on the playing field: aggression or fear?
"Our results suggest that the evolutionary psychology of color is likely to be a fertile field for investigation," write the researchers. They suggest that there might even be important implications for regulations about sporting attire.


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Haven't you heard that before? Is it really the devil or are there self-defeating thought patterns that cause you to make a mistake, a big mistake.
Then when you are fired, have a traffic accident for which you are considered to be a fault, or blow it somehow and lose a relationship, you are initially entirely mystified as to how you could have fallen into that predicament and until the shock wears off, you are thinking, "Hey, what did I get into? How did that happen? Who, me?"
When the initial blankness wears off, next you face the consequences which can be overwhelming. "Me, how did I get pregnant?" "How will it change my life?" "What happened to my car?" "Is anyone hurt besides possibly me? Will I lose my license? How will I ever find another job with this on my record?"
Decisions may also have to be made at the moment which you might or might not regret later. You can possibly become defensive and whatever the consequences of your decisions you can and will defend them. You can then can become "Mr. or Ms. Neverever Wrong" and this too can prevent you from learning from your mistakes.
You may also have to come to some conclusions which you may regret later. Did you intend to do it or did the devil make you do it? You don't have to be Christian to think this, but it helps. You may say that you won't have any regrets because whatever happened, it wasn't your fault and get yourself lost in denial even if it is not what actually is found to have happened. Sometimes reality can become really, really hazy when this happens.
You can see how your self-concept can keep you from seeing or acknowledging your mistakes and how valuable life lessons can be lost this way. Recently I had a conflict with a friend and lost my relationship with her. I didn't know it at the time that the heat was getting to her worse than I knew and I was more concerned about my own ability to handle it. I learned, as much as I didn't like it, that I was not acknowledging the signs she was giving me about her own deteriorating physical wellbeing.
I had had a long-ago lesson ( that pertains to the above situation) where an aunt of my husband's who was helping me get my baby to the doctor in a far away city didn't really want to do it and I learned that she really wanted me to read her mind when she said, "Yes" and she really meant, "No". I was hurt when I found out that she felt I had taken advantage of her and was mad about it.
My husband's aunt got really mad at me like my friend was when she had heat prostration. I learned that I had to read minds and therefore read between the lines when I was in certain situations even when I was not told something. It initially exasperated me, but I eventually got the hint. It was a very expensive lesson when I also learned that my friend and also a close friend of hers were very mad at me and did not want to communicate with me. Again they felt that I had taken advantage of her and was insensitive.
I certainly was part of the problem; but what if I considered that the devil made me do it. I am sure he would be happy creating conflict among people and making them behave less like a Christian. In the Lord's prayer is the line,"and lead us not into temptation". We need to keep on our guard as hurt feelings and confusion are a potentially bad mix. It has caused me a lot of grief. Can you conceive of the devil enjoying this?. I can think that is what God meant when he gave Christians this part of the Lord's Prayer.
For a long time I was very rational about this part of the Lord's Prayer and I didn't think I needed pray it because I always knew what I was doing; but then sometime's I made some dumb mistakes. For example, one was making a left-turn onto a four lane highway holding my fast food that I had just bought in one hand. I totaled my new car and wound up driving a used Cadillac. I always wanted a Cadillac but not that way. Who was at fault? me? God? or the Devil?
Also sometimes I have been very dense and as a result get caught in the same situation over and over. Was it my fault or the devil's fault? I felt very strongly that I had to solve my own problems and often was confused in certain situations when I did not catch onto to what others' wanted of me. I knew I was not meeting their standard's but I did not know why. I was not getting their hints; but it was not malice on my part.
I have a little true story about me that illustrates this that I might have used in some other of my posts. My lady supervisor at a clinic told me that I had an odor problem. This was confusing to me because I was a regular bath taker, used deodorant, frequently changed my clothes, and washed those that needed it or sent them to the cleaners. Needless to say, I immediately either washed all my clothes or had them cleaned; but the odor persisted. It was very embarrassing and the staff felt like that I had some kind of problem that I wouldn't admit like to being homeless or living in a dive and had no plumbing. Later I figured out that it was a perfume that I was wearing that didn't mix well with my body chemistry. I stopped wearing it. Problem solved. But that never did connect with what the staff was thinking.
As a Christian, I latter learned to call on God especially for problems that I couldn't solve and not to entirely depend on myself and view it was some kind of a test that I might fail. I felt that the devil always won in these cases. I had failed some kind of a test. I did in an indirect way (I didn't ask for help); but I think I either had some kind of lesson to learn or I was inadvertently making the devil happy. Often it is the little things that bring us down. I don't think the devil likes us to be happy, without serious worries, and confident that we are okay. What do you think?
Children are like African violets. (A type of small very ticklish house plant which housewives of my mother's generation raised.) They are very sensitive in terms of their response to the environment in which they are planted. Children were known to die in orphanages when they were physically taken care of but not emotionally taken care of. Yet some people give more attention to the African violets in their life than to their children.
As each African violet is individual in its needs for light and air and moisture so is each child individual in his or her needs for attention, love, and support. When this is neglected, the plant or child withers and dies inside if not outside like the plant. The payoff of proper care can be great in either case.
Perhaps one can afford to lose many African violets in this process but not even one child. Children can be resilient but still, can be greatly damaged and become of little use to themselves and furthermore to the society that child dwells in.
Moisture, light, and soil and the addition of fertiliser is needed for a violet to grow; but what is needed for a child to grow in the right direction? Love, support, attention, and unconditional love appear to be necessary for this to happen.
Caregivers can not neglect one child while caring for another, This has been shown to happen when a child has a seriously ill sibling. This child needs attention and care too especially if this child gets neglected while the ill child gets urgently needed care.
The sibling does not need to be seriously physically ill to take attention and care away from another sibling. Some children are more attractive to one or both of the parents than other children. How important is it for a parent to have an athlete or gymnast or beauty queen or a scholar over a wallflower, a geek, or any child who is not particularly gifted or attractive
Worse yet are parents who really shouldn't have any children (P.S. I am not opting for abortion, but I am a champion of adoption in these cases). Sadly what welfare does sometimes does not necessarily encourage parents to be actively involved in bringing children up right.
Wealth is not necessarily the main factor in bringing children up right. The things that are needed to do this often can't be bought. They often cost more time than money. First is unconditional love which occurs when a person often gives another person love no matter what he or she does or says.
Children need support, not just physical support, but emotional support. A child can do well at something, but this accomplishment might be ignored and/ or at least not supported emotionally by the family or guardian. The child can say to themselves, "Oh, what's the use?" if the effort that he or she puts into something is unnoticed and they receive little or no help with it on top of that!
Prize winning entries at the county fair can go unnoticed and wining or losing a coveted position on a team or in a play can also be ignored. "You did what?, when said, demonstrates that at least part of a child's life has gone unnoticed. Worse yet, a child can be hurt or sick and this goes unnoticed until the child is in serious jeopardy.
Psychological needs that go unmet can cause great harm to some children. Children that survive such circumstances can be very resilient but those who don't are a drain on society and can be lost. Too often the people who make these decisions are incompetent as well. The judge in my family says that custody decisions in his court are given to the least competent to decide.
Related articles across the web
I wanted to think that men and women are potentially alike; but as I got older and wiser, I don't think that way anymore. After many, many years of marriage. I have learned different.
For example, when I want to ask a man a quick question while he is watching TV or on the phone, I am told to wait a minute which never comes. If I am doing something, a man expects that I should interrupt what I am doing tell him the information that he wants to know which usually also involves that I stop what I am doing and do it for him. However, I am expected to multitask and to not forget what I was doing or going to do to take care of something for him.
Another example, men have goals and aspirations that can take a good part of their time and of their disposable? income. Or else they think to themselves, what else am I working for? Women work to contribute to the family income and also to pay the childcare costs so they can work to do this. Certain hobbies and their accompanying expenses are considered necessary "man" things to do. Women like to look nice and to have a nice place to live which is not as important to men.
Women risk their lives and their health in order to reproduce while men usually think it is no big deal. Even if a woman chooses not to reproduce, it is still her responsibility. Also often there are men who like to have unprotected sex and who often do not see reproduction as their responsibility. Birth control and a woman's menstrual cycle usually are two things women have to take care of and suffer from. Men often think that these are things a man does not have to be concerned about.
Also having children can create a great big stress on a woman's body and under certain circumstances can kill a woman. Any woman who has been pregnant more than once including stillbirths and miscarriages, as well as live births, can tell you that they can all be different. Even I who had three children late in life seemingly uneventfully can tell that you that I could have lost my third child during birth and I didn't know this til after she was born.
Some women don't want to bother with being pregnant but still have to deal with mixed feelings about having an abortion and the often dangerous lack of skilled care at abortion clinics. On the man's side is the possibility that when an abortion is involved, he may still want the child if the woman doesn't!
Sometimes I think that some men can become so attached to their ideas and accomplishments that they can't accept the idea that their ideas may no longer work with new discoveries being found and can stand in the way of necessary progress. Academia reinforces this with its publish or perish mandates necessary to obtain tenure. Women are more flexible and more able to see different points of view. Relationships for women are more important for women and often make up for the fact that they are less attached to a job or position or a theory.
Children are our most precious resource. Don't waste them. This subject is worth repeating. They need love and affection to thrive. Good self-esteem is a must for all children to have. Nor should they lack support. Enough food and drink so they can grow and be healthy and not be hungry. These needs are often not met during weekends or in the summer. For some kids, all the food they get is in school. How can one study and learn when they are hungry? Security and safety are another need. Children should not be afraid or the innocent victims of crime. Adequate housing helps meeting these needs. Don't forget adequate schools that can meet these needs too.
Finally and still important is an education on the rights of people, the rules we need to respect so that we can all get along, and the development of an inner sense of right and wrong. History is a necessary part of education so we don't make past mistakes and so that we can also learn from past successes. Children also need protection so that they are not used only to satisfy other people's needs when it is not in their best interest.
Parents or parent substitutes can be valuable assets to our culture. Those who take on the responsibility of providing for their or other children's needs. Support is often provided for those parents who fail but not for those who want to succeed at doing this. Laws should be created and adjudicated with the child's rights in mind. Children are not property and are individuals with innate rights. Custody determinations often forget this. I know of one county court system that penalizes the worst of their judges by having them do custody cases. Yuck!!! Children are not property!
Life doesn't come with an instruction manual even though you deserve one. You have to write your own!
Criticism is the little voice in your head that holds you back and hinders your performance. Even though others say it is for your own good, sometimes it isn't.
Reality is not always what you think it is or what you were told it is. You can miss seeing, hearing, feeling and experiencing some things because someone told you that you just were imagining things.
Sometimes as people get older they don't get wiser, they just get more set in their ways. Sometimes a strongly held theory or opinion becomes a person's life jacket when he or she is drowning in new information.
How hard is it for a person to change his or her mind? This may be why people are told not to bring up religion or politics at the dinner table. Maybe this is a good reason to think outside the box. Many inventions were created this way.
Remember people are natural born originals and can't be easily shaped into something that they are not. Gemstones have to be cut into shapes that work with their natural structures. What about individuals who are being shaped into contributing citizens?
There are some things a woman should look out for when establishing a new relationship with a man. Don't believe that his last girlfriend or wife deserved to be labeled as the "bad" one in the relationship. Be careful if either you or he came from a family where violence was common or accepted if a woman or child did not do the right thing according to the man of the house. Be aware too that men or women can come from families where violence was common among the women of the family.
There is no real excuse for violence. When anger is considered "justified" because the person who is angry thinks that someone or something made him or her feel that way and that is enough to justify acting it out. This can lead to a very explosive situation. Add alcohol to this in some people and the situation becomes even worse.
Being the only man in the family, besides my elderly grandfather, my dad was called upon to "handle" his brother-in-law when he was in an alcoholic rage in order to protect my mom's crippled sister and kids. My dad had been quite an athlete in his youth but this did not always help when my uncle was threatening them with a butcher knife. Also, my younger brother was still at home and had to witness this. I don't think Police usually made domestic violence calls back then.
Women and children and even some men are not punching bags and it can leave a strong impression on some children even if they themselves don't get hurt. "Don't hit him; hit me" was a brave statement made by a sister when her brother got hit, not her. How helpless does a child feel when they watch their sibling or parent get hurt on purpose when the other parent has a "mad fit" and takes it out on him or her?


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Confer Speakers
Jo Hamilton
Past and present Confer events
Online module
The Psychology of Inspired Collective Climate Change Action
Saturday 21 November 2015
Jo Hamilton
|Jo is a researcher at the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute, currently focusing on community-led energy projects. She has a background in community climate change engagement and action, and will soon begin a PhD investigating the role of emotions in taking and sustaining action on climate change. www.eci.ox.ac.uk.
Past and present Confer events
Online module
The Psychology of Inspired Collective Climate Change Action
Saturday 21 November 2015
|Book of the Month
|Brett Kahr's Top Ten Psychotherapy Books - 2018
|Professor Brett Kahr certainly knows something about the art of authoring books. Over the years he has written or edited twelve volumes, and has served as series editor of some fifty further titles. Earlier this year, he published New Horizons in Forensic Psychotherapy: Exploring the Work of Estela V. Welldon (Karnac Books, 2018)... More >>
|Watch this
Helen Fisher: The brain in love
Why do we crave love so much, even to the point that we would die for it? To learn more about our very real, very physical need for romantic love, Helen Fisher and her research team took MRIs of people in love and people who had just been dumped... view...
|Did you know?
The Latest Neuroimaging Findings in Borderline Personality Disorder
Altered function in neurotransmitter systems including the serotonin, glutamate, and GABA systems was observed in patients with BPD... read more...


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Welcome to Forest View Primary.
Dear Parents,
Welcome to Forest View Primary School. We hope that you and your family will enjoy being part of our happy, caring environment and will enter into the full life of the school.
As a school, we believe in high quality education where the children play the central part.
We are pleased that you have chosen our school for your child's first and most important stage of education. We deliver a broad and balanced curriculum with experienced staff. In addition to gaining language, mathematical, scientific and technological skills your child will build confidence, develop self reliance, learn to make decisions and develop the ability to talk about his/her feelings and ideas.
The school regards the partnership between home and school as very important. The better the relationship between parents and teachers, who both have the child's interests at heart, the more secure and confident your child will be at school. We feel that your involvement in the process is crucial and we will provide frequent opportunities to keep you informed about the ways in which we are working with your child.
Please read our school brochure carefully and if there is anything else you wish to know, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. I look forward to knowing you all.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs E Cook,


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To say that I feel so lucky is an understatement. Let me just get this out of the way "omg omg omg I am listening to Vint Cerf speak!'
There will be millions of devices plugged into the internet. For example a sensor for his wine cell
ar, E.gArch Rock – Actuator's needed to make the sensor turn it back on.
DNSSEC will have increased importance in the security of the web.
Vint loves sensors. He goes through a list of sensors he could add to his wine cellar, even the wine bottles.
It is my fault that we ran out of IP address space – Laughter from the audience.
cloud computing introduces the internet problem all over again. How can clouds talk to each other?
well, just watch this for yourself? I am seriously in awe. InterPlaNet sounds fantastically cool. In watching his talk, i am reminded to be curious, keep your mind expanding just like the universe is. I hope to see Interstellar internet at some point. If he's not losing packets with InterPlanet, my guess is Insterstellar internet would be just as successful.


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I woke up this morning to a rainy and rather dreary Dubai morning. But instead of staying in bed in a huff I went across the street to Choithrams; some baking was to be done.
I picked up some rice flour (1kg was AED5.75), vanilla essence and other necessities. At home I did what any respectable baker would do an Googled "rice flour cookie recipes". Second from the top was this recipe from Nestle. Perfect!
I have never worked with rice flour before and right away I could feel it had a slightly grittier texture than other gluten free flours. But once the cookies are baked you will not notice this. Unless you ground it by hand; then all I can say is bravo to you.
Below is the recipe. You will see I did not deviate too much from the original but I did add cinnamon powder which I think adds a warmer flavour and used a bar of dark Lindt chocolate.
1 1/2 cups rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter alternative
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 large eggs
100 gr 70% Dark Chocolate from Lindt, broken up
1/2 cup chopped nuts (if you wish)
COMBINE rice flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Beat butter alternative, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add rice flour mixture. Stir in chocolate and nuts. Allow the dough to firm up a bit in the fridge for one hour. I did not hence mine are flatter. For a workout you can mix by hand. Seriously.You can.
PREHEAT oven to 190° C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease. Roll dough into 2 cm balls. If you did not chill the dough use a tablespoon to place the dough on the baking sheet. Place 5 cm apart on prepared baking sheets.
BAKE for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove parchment paper with cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container.
For some taste alternatives use the different types of chocolates available. Mix it up with white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Or maybe use dark chocolate with sea salt and add some caramel. The possibilities are endless. Have fun and experiment.


text: Our teeth whitening services can help you remove years of staining and yellowing from your smile. A bright, gorgeous smile is an important source of self-confidence, and we want to help you reach your goals. Please call the office of Dr. Sean Thompson to learn about our many services and to schedule your next teeth whitening in Laguna Niguel, California, today!


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A Ludlow car tyre specialist has been given a new lease of life following a six-figure investment to enhance its equipment and facilities.
HiQ Ludlow, which was formerly Ian Jones Tyres, was taken by franchisees Darren Sambrooks and Mohammed Suleman after they invested in excess of £100,000 in to the branch to give it a dramatic new look.
Having formerly specialised in tyre maintenance and repair, the centre now also offers customers a full MOT service following the investment in new state-of-the-art electronic equipment, including the installation of a new scissor-lift MOT ramp, worth £20,000.
As well as improving the Old Street site, the duo have also invested in providing customers with an increased level of confidence by installing a viewing bay in the new reception area and providing electronic results of the tests undertaken.
Sambrooks said: "The branch had previously been trading for 14 years without much maintenance; when we took over, the centre was a rundown shack. We've demolished it and have had the interiors cladded, a new roof installed and built a brand new reception area to give customers a sense of confidence.
"We've also taken away the mystery of what goes on behind the doors of a garage. Customers can use the reception area to take a look at the work that is going on and see for themselves how professional our team is and be sure that a proper job is being done."
The site is the third across the country to be opened to the duo, who have already began to see an increase in business since the switch to HiQ.
Sambrooks added: "We've been able to grow much quicker now that we have been able to diversify and offer more than just a tyre service. For years, drivers have had to rely on the integrity of their mechanic, but we now have software that can print out results from every step of the MOT journey. It makes it easy for them to understand what we do."
For more information on HiQ Ludlow, call 01584 876558.


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Tomorrow my first Spotlight author will be here!
And on Wednesday and Thursday, I'll be over at Emma Lai's Spicier Side blog, so I hope you'll pop over for a visit. On Wednesday, I'll be discussing how you can Boost Your Cognitive Function With an Erotic Romance. :)
Wilderness Girl will be featured on Thursday. Hope to see you there!