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Hello Spokespeople!
Our Monthly Ride
Saturday, January 5 is going to be a great day for a bike ride. I'm excited to go with you to discover the Little Free Libraries of Wallingford. We'll likely explore some poetry corners too as we bike about six miles around this literary neighborhood. You can bring a book or take a book–in a ziplock bag if it is raining!
Most of our ride will be along greenways (safe healthy streets) proposed by greenways groups in Wallingford and Fremont. While it is a short 5-mile ride, there are a few hills. We'll cancel the ride only in heavy rain, but not in the blustery weather that is predicted for Saturday. We hope you can join us!
Event pages for our January 5 Spokespeople Ride:
- Cascade Bike Club
- And our new Blog!
On our last Wallingford Spokespeople ride about 10 of us (children and adults) biked to Fremont Bridges and Books (the Library) but didn't make it to the Brewery. We'll save that for another month! Find photos from that ride on our Facebook page and Blog!
Our ride leaders for this January ride are Spokespeople and Cascade Bike Club Certified Ride Leaders Cathy Tuttle and Michael Snyder and Ride Leader in Training William Gerdes.
Spokespeople ride leaders met in December to plan rides for 2013.
We have some really exciting rides planned in Wallingford, NE Seattle, West Seattle, Ballard, and Queen Anne. Stay tuned and subscribe to our blog for exact dates and locations!
We're planning amazing rides in 2013!
Little Free Libraries of Wallingford; Magnuson Park "Stonehenge"; Roses & Chocolate; Post-Valentine Jilted Chocolate-lovers ride; Bike Stores of Ballard; Bike Stores of Fremont, Bike Stores of NE Seattle, UW Welcomes Spring: Cherry Trees & Self Service Bike Stations, Let's go Dutch: Cargo, Electric, and Conference Bikes, Let's go to the Farmer's Market!, Heritage Trees & Beautiful Views, Crown of the Queen, Tour de Gardens, Carkeek Summer Art, Lake Union Hookup with Citywide Spokespeople groups, Fisherman's Terminal and a concert at Ballard Locks, Urban Farms By Cycle, History Ride: Bungled Bungalows & Craftsman Houses of Ravenna Park, History Ride: Bridges & the Burke, Public Art: Oh Henry!, Public Art: Unexpected Treasures, Sleepless in Seattle Houseboats, Liquifaction Zones and Landslides, Ride to Lake Forest Park- Bakeries, Shops, and More!
Spokespeople is on Facebook and Twitter–please follow us! And check out and subscribe to our newly revamped website: www.spokespeople.us
Nuts and Bolts on Spokespeople Rides
You can see photos of past rides on Facebook.
Spokespeople Wallingford begins at the south end of Wallingford Playfield at 42nd and Densmore at 2 p.m. PLEASE come 15 minutes early if you are new to riding on the road, new to riding in groups, or if you need any help with adjusting your helmet or bike.
New riders are welcome–in fact, getting new riders comfortable with riding on the road is the reason we do our rides! Please also call a day in advance if you'd like to buy a good quality helmet from us for $15 and we'll bring our sack of helmets. Helmets are required on all of our rides. If there is heavy rain, we won't do the ride.
What if it rains?
Only heavy rain will cancel Spokespeople rides. We'll decide two hours prior on the day of the ride. Give a call if you plan to come, it is drizzly, and you aren't sure if the ride is on. Likely we will ride!
Expert commuters, please join us. We need you! As our rides grow larger, we welcome good bicyclists like you who can offer encouragement and model good road riding techniques for new, returning and reluctant cyclists. This is a Bike Smart Seattle ride. All ages and skill levels are welcome. All Spokespeople rides are led by Cascade Bicycle Club certified ride leaders.
Contact information
If you want more information about rides or about Spokespeople, please contact us!
Keep happy and keep pedaling!
Our Fantastic Spokespeople Ride Leaders:
- Cathy Tuttle (206)547-9569/(206)713-6269 cathy.tuttle[at]gmail.com (Wallingford Spokespeople)
- Michael Snyder (206)781-7221 msnyder[at]zserf.com (now on the Cascade Bike Club Board!)
- Michael Herschensohn (206)412-0702 mh982501[at]gmail.com (Queen Anne Magnolia Spokespeople)
- Stu Hennessey (206)938-3322 alkistu[at]hotmail.com (West Seattle Spokespeople)
- Al Miller NE Spokespeople (206)697-4603 amiller7x7[at]comcast.net
And our other leaders Lee LeCroix, Denny Kerr, Jim Mathieu, Sander Lazar (Ravenna Bryant Spokespeople) and more people like Andrew, John, David, Cindy, Robin, Erika who help out whenever you can. Thank you.
Spokespeople rides on the 1st Saturday of every month (since March 2007) linking people through neighborhoods along secure bike routes article in Worldchanging on Spokespeople.
You can now easily join Seattle Neighborhood Greenways on-line. Sign up today and find out if you live in one of the 19 super-active Greenways groups around Seattle.
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways met and exceeded their first ever $10,000 end of year challenge grant! Thanks to all who gave financial gifts!
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways received the 2012 Sustainable Seattle Award for Livable Urban Communities. Seattle Neighborhood Greenways started in August 2011 with three neighborhood groups in Beacon Hill, Bryant, and Wallingford, all with people eager to reclaim local streets as safe and healthy community places. There are now 19 community groups.
Great news Ballard Greenways and West Seattle Greenways! Money for Missing Link Delridge to Downtown and the "Ballard Box" Greenway.
Seattle Neighborhood Greenways identifies, advocates for, and activates safe healthy residential streets for people of all ages. Greenways are generally one off of commercial streets and have low volumes of auto traffic and low speeds so that people feel safer when they walk and ride bicycles.
What makes a great Greenway? Five items: slow cars, few cars, easy crossings, useful signage, controlled intersections. Read more.
Advocacy Alert: This is the final month to make comments on the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Update. Comment on this interactive map or by email before January 31 to bmpupdate[at]seattle.gov
We support five fundamentals, along with Cascade Bicycle Club and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways:
- Network of safe healthy streets
- 200 miles of world class bikeways
- Integration w Transit and Pedestrian Plans
- 95% of us should be within 1/4 mile of world-class bikeways (including greenways)
- Support encouragement programs for all!
See our calendar for more details on these January events.
- Jan 1: Kidical Mass Ride Ballard to MOHAI South Lake Union 9:30a-12pm.
- Jan 2: Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board. City Hall 6-8pm.
- Jan 3: Family Biking for Beginners. Bike Works Columbia City 5:30-8pm.
- Jan 5: Spokespeople Rides Little Free Libraries of Wallingford 2pm.
- Jan 6: Bike Riding for Big Kids. Bike Works Columbia City 10am-1pm.
- Jan 9: Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board. City Hall 6-8pm.
- Jan 9: Maple Leaf Greenways Monthly meeting Maple Leaf Grill 7:30pm.
- Jan 10: Safe Routes to School Free Webinar 11am-12pm.
- Jan 13: BYOB Bike Works Columbia City 1-4pm.
- Jan 15: West Seattle Greenways SDOT Public Meeting #2. 6:30-8:30pm.
- Jan 16: Best Practices in Pedestrian Wayfinding webinar ($) 12-1pm.
- Jan 16: PSRC Pedestrian Bicycle Advisory Board. Downtown 1-3pm.
- Jan 16: ITE Lunch Presentation on Greenways. Shoreline ($) 12-1pm.
- Jan 16: Fremont Greenways Meeting at Wine-Tea-Chocolate 7:30pm.
- Jan 16: Lake City Greenways Community Meeting 6-8pm.
- Jan 17: Portland Bureau of Transportation brown bag on Seattle Greenways Portland 12-1:30pm.
- Jan 17: Ballard Greenways Monthly Meeting. Miro Tea 7:30pm.
- Jan 19: Kidical Mass Ride. Bike Works Columbia City 11am.
- Jan 19: Spokespeople Rides to Magnusson Park 1pm.
- Jan 22: Safe Routes to School Free Webinar 10-11am.
- Jan 23: Family Biking Seminar. Mt. Baker 5:30-8pm.
- Jan 24: Dow Constantine Lecture on Making Things Right in the Physical World. UW 6:30-8pm.
- Jan 24: Queen Anne Stairways Lecture. 7-8:30pm.
- Jan 25: Feet First Fundraiser. Lake City 7-10pm.
- Jan 28: Crown Hill Council discusses Greenways 7pm.
- Jan 31: Transportation Partnerships. U-District 5:30-7:30pm.
- Jan 31: Last day to comment on Seattle Bike Master Plan Update.
- Feb 2: Spokespeople Rides to Roses & Chocolate.
- Feb 4: Dutch Street Infrastructure Meetup w Fred Young, Steve Durrant. Wallingford 6:30-8:30pm.
- Feb 12: Transportation Advocacy Day. Olympia.
There is much more at www.SeattleGreenways.org!
Note: We've had a huge amount of success getting greenways projects off the ground in neighborhoods all over Seattle in 2012 with funds from Neighborhood Street Funds, Neighborhood Matching Fund, Safe Routes to School, King County In Motion, Neighborhood Project Funds, Bridging the Gap, Climate Action Now, National Park Service. You can support our good work through our fiscal sponsor Seattle Parks Foundation when you specify "Seattle Neighborhood Greenways".
Other Easy Rides We Recommend
- Cascade Free Daily Rides. Search for "Easy" or "Leisurely" rides.
- Check out Totcycle for Family Rides and Bike Works for even more Easy and Family Rides!
- NE Seattle Spokespeople Rides to "Stonehenge" in Magnusson Park 1/19/13 1pm
- Kidical Mass Ride Bike Works Columbia City 1/9/13 11am
Policy events for safer walking and biking are listed on the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways calendar as well as lots of fun walks and rides.
If you'd like to lead your own bike ride or walk on safe healthy streets, here is a great how-to guide by Ballard Greenways.
Cycle Links.
You and Your Bike
Kids and Families and Biking
- FamilyRide blogger Madi wrote a great post about why Family Biking is Safe.
- Happy New Year video from FamilyRide!
- WalkBikeSchools visited Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Banda. You can too. Here is what they learned.
- Cargo Bikes are the greenest way to carry shopping–they run on bananas and flapjacks. In Britain, as the boom in cycling gathers pace and petrol prices make short journeys by car less practical, shops are reporting a big increase in the sales of cargo bikes, putting more pressure on the Government to make the roads safer for cyclists.
- Riding bikes in the winter is FUN! especially for kids.
- Almost all Portland Public Schools have excellent Family-Friendly maps.
- Really practical advice for men and women riding in Seattle rain from Seattle Bike Blog. I still want to know how to keep kids dry in bucket bike carriers.
City Bikes as Transportation
Safety for People Who Walk & Bike
Be Super Safe Campaign happening during the dark Seattle winter.
Advocating for Safe Healthy Streets
- Take a look at great on-going bike week wrap-ups at Seattle Bike Blog.
- Think about the Bike Master Plan Update as two kinds of streets: All Ages and Expert/Black Diamond and then Comment on this interactive map from SDOT before January 31
- How cities all over the world have transformed into safe healthy places with Cycling for Everyone–John Pucher.
- Beacon BIKES, Greenwood Phinney Greenways, Wallingford Greenways, West Seattle Greenways were all recently awarded Neighborhood Project Fund grants for safe streets improvements. Many Greenways groups received Safe Routes to School funding too!
- Very sensible reasons to bike–but please don't ride your bike like the model in the article unless you are an acrobat!
- Imagine a place where business owners bicycle to meetings, employees commute by bike and customers receive a discount for riding to their favorite shops. A Bicycle-Friendly Business District (BFBD) is such a place.
- Cathy Tuttle, Director of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, speaks with Diane Horn about Seattle's neighborhood greenways on a half-hour segment of KEXP Mind Over Matters–dedicated residential streets where bicycles, pedestrians and neighbors' safety are given priority.
- Follow what is happening on your Safe Healthy Streets with Seattle Police Department's Tweet by Beat.
Reclaiming our Streets as Green and Thriving Places for People
- Great places are created with investments in Great Streets says the Project for Public Places. Strong networks of streets and destinations that foster human interaction, economic opportunities, social networks build great cities.
- The Center for Disease Control has a Surgeon General's report that is "a call to action on walking." "You don't have to have a national park," U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin says. "You just need to have your street outside your house. We have to stop telling people what they can't do or what they can't eat. We have to tell them what they can do. They can go out for walks. They can go out with their friends."
- Reliable transit and safe healthy streets give a boost to business according to the latest research in American cities.
- A wonderful discussion of how people move around in cities.
- For all businesses except grocery stores, bikers out-consumed drivers over the course of a month. True, they often spent less per visit. But cyclists and pedestrians in particular made more frequent trips (by their own estimation) to these restaurants, bars and convenience stores, and those receipts added up.
- We won't get more women on bikes until we have environments that cater to them: Women want things like more, better cycling infrastructure, supportive communities of cyclists that look like them, and for cycling for transportation overall to be a safer, more convenient experience.
- The City of Seattle recommends planting trees along streets as part of their Urban Forest Management Plan, now open for public review. Researchers have found trees increase the livability and local economy of cities.
Engineering Safe Healthy Streets in Seattle
- Most of Seattle think tank's Sightline top 2012 stories were on getting around cities with love, safety, & fun.
- Cycle tracks are being built quickly and inexpensively in Chicago. They can be in Seattle too!
- The "Transportation Nag" writes about everyday cycling and recently had a thoughtful post about the challenges of pushing her mother around Seattle in a wheelchair.
- Streets are places for people. Here is Seattle Neighborhood Greenways presentation to Seattle Department of Transportation.
- Biking and walking statistics are included in this year's WA State Transportation Attainment Report for the first time. However, we wonder why this study only looks at commute to work trips that are 15% of travel trips as opposed to getting to school, stores, and recreation.
Engineering Safe Healthy Streets in other cities
- Chicago Mayor Emanuel "I want them to be envious because I expect not only to take all of their [Seattle & Portland] bikers but I also want all the jobs that come with this."
- LA Mayor Villaraigosa wants to see every crosswalk in the city replaced (no ped left behind) but for now announced a plan to replace 53 crosswalks by the end of March. The replacement areas were selected based on traffic safety, with the fifty most dangerous intersections getting priority. The other three high-danger crossings are in Council Districts that are fortunate enough to have no crossings on the "top fifty" list.
- The biggest mistake cities make is to allow themselves to be designed by director of Public Works, says planner Jeff Speck. The director of public works, he or she is making decisions every single day about the width of streets, the presence of parking, the question of bike lanes. And he's doing it in response to the complaints he's hearing. But if you satisfy those complaints you wreck the city. A typical public works director doesn't think about "What kind of city do we want to be?" They think about what people complain about, and it's almost always traffic and parking. "I started working with a lot of mayors. The best contributor to a thriving place was street life: walkability. The one thing we've learned without any doubt, is the more room you give the car the more room they will take and that will wreck cities. Optimizing any of these practical considerations — sewers, parking, vehicle capacity — almost always makes a city less walkable. In more effective cities there's a mayor who sees she's more or less the chief designer of the city. Charleston's mayor, Joseph Riley, woke up one morning, slapped his head and said, "Oh my God, I am the chief designer of my city. I need to start making decisions that make my city more beautiful and functional in a more holistic way."
- Terrific interview with Portland's Bicycle coordinator Roger Geller "political support is everything."
- Dutch street planning truly empowers people of all ages and abilities.
- How the percentage of commute trips changed between 2006 to 2011 in cities all over America on this highly-interactive map graphic.
- A great deal of funding for walking and biking improvements comes from US Department of Transportation. Codes, budgets, and laws are difficult to interpret. Here are interpretations by AmericaBikes.
- What is the best way to find out what sorts of streets bikers really want? Maybe ask them to make crowd-sourced Greenway maps?
- Protected Bikeways are far safer than just paint. Even little white posts make a big difference.
- Portland leads the way in taking the risk out of cycling. Greg Raisman on protected bikeways: "The white stripes that delineate a five-foot-wide biking corridor … remain mere suggestions as motorists slash across them to park, double park, or make right turns."
- Streetfilms partnered with Vancouver, BC to produce this video about Vancouver's investment in bicycling and their 2030 plan Cycling Vision that includes developing new bicycle and greenway networks, building ample bicycle parking, making access to transit easier, prioritizing cycling education and promotion, and creating a friendlier pedestrian environment with more livable neighborhoods. The end result is a city where cycling is safe, convenient, comfortable, and fun for people of all ages and abilities.
- Portland has lowered the speed on 70 miles of their residential greenways to 20 mph, a safe speed for people who walk, bike, and drive in the same shared roadway. We're planning to do the same in Washington State (and Seattle) soon as well!
What's the best way to improve safety for people who walk & bike?
A surprisingly simple solution according to noted Active Transporation Professor John Pucher:
- "Motor vehicles impose the most serious traffic dangers to cyclists," explains Pucher.
"You've got to reduce motor vehicles speeds on shared roadways and provide physical separation of cyclists from motor vehicle traffic on arterials. You also have to restrict car use by implementing car-free zones, traffic-calmed residential neighborhoods, and lowering car speeds on city streets. This is crucial to increasing both cyclist and pedestrian safety."
Thank you Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Cascade Bicycle Club for your work on statewide bicycle transportation issues.
Way To Go Walk Bike Ride. The City of Seattle is eager to have you participate in their contest to reduce drive alone car trips and walk, bike, and ride transit more often. Learn more and sign up for prizes here. (We're excited about WBR pedestrian walking maps too!)
Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia.
-H.G. Wells


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The ever wonderful L got me this as a present a couple of years ago and has been very patient waiting for me to read it.
I almost want to write two reviews, one for F1 fans and one for other readers. Because, despite a few flaws, I would utterly recommend this for anyone with more than a passing interest in F1. If you've not got an interest in F1, you're really not the target audience.
Both reviews would make one similar complaint – what Collings needs, even more than someone to thoroughly proof-read the book (I'd complain less, were this not supposed to be the revised edition), is someone to help him organise his thoughts.
The book follows a mostly chronological path, beginning with Enzo Ferrari and carrying on to the present day (which was 2003). Which makes sense, and it was interesting to get an overview of how the sport developed and changed, through the prism of the teams and team bosses.
Only sometimes the book randomly jumps so Ron Dennis and Frank Williams get introduced before Ken Tyrrell, for no obvious reason, especially as Ken Tyrrell was also a garagiste.
And then we suddenly get a section on the skulduggery of the 1993, 1997, 1999 and 2003. And each individual section is very good (especially the 1997 bit, which, as a Ferrari fan, I remember *differently*), but the whole would have been so much better with an introductory paragraph to the chapter (which is called Tempestuous Times) and and intro to each section. For the price of five extra paragraphs, the chapter could have gone from 'really good' to 'excellent'.
Following that chapter we jump back to 1997 (admittedly to a really excellent chapter on Jackie Stewart, Stewart Racing and how to organise an F1 team).
The jumping also affects the flow of his introductions to team managers, so we get Paul Stoddart doing his thing in the 2003 section of 'Tempestuous Times', before he, Minardi, and why he bought Minardi are introduced a chapter and a half later in '2001 – A Political Odyssey'.
I think the lack of organising principle is why, particularly in the early chapters, you quite often get an anecdote on one page, only to have it be repeated over the page.
All those complaints are utterly unimportant if you're an F1 fan though, because the book has so much interesting stuff, especially about how things work (or don't work) on the business front, and some of the personality background on the team leaders.
And Bernie. Oh the Bernie stuff was interesting. Particularly Stirling Moss saying that Bernie was a half decent driver. There is a man whose opinion I respect in these matters.
I keep forgetting how old Bernie really is. Because I always assume that he's Ron Dennis's age, and he's not, he's 16 years older, which I think is because one reaches one's business years about 20 years after one reaches one's racing years.
Collings also tries to predict the future, and while there's a reason that's a mug's game, he does get some of it right. The imbalance in the prize money has lead to other teams going bust, and is still causing ructions between the remaining teams. He's right that it will probably be the EU Commission that eventually gets it sorted (courtesy of complaints from Sauber, where Peter Sauber has left F1, rejoined, and then sold his team).
He's also right in predicting the rise of manufacturer teams such as Renault, and teams that are part of larger organisations, where they're basically extended marketing departments (looking at you so much Red Bull), at the expense of truly privateer teams.
Where he's wrong is the effect that that's had on who the team bosses are. Contrary to what Collings predicts, they are still mostly ex-racers and mad petrolheads, for example Christian Horner (and if anyone wants to horrify us all by digging out *that* centrefold of Horner, now would be the right time) and Toto Wolff. The bosses of big companies don't have the time to devote to just one part of their brand that it would need for them to truly run a Formula 1 team, so they're going to try to hire the best they can and those people are going to come from the same motorsports-enthusiastic places they've always done, they're just not doing it under their own names now. And I don't think you could. Gene Haas apart, and time will tell if he stays, you need a pre-existing business empire to enter F1 nowadays.
And Bernie still prevails. As I suspect he always shall until he's bored of it. The book was written before the present Concord agreement was signed and therefore ends on a note of 'how will the teams ever agree to a new one, and how will Bernie cling on to power?' Sound familiar? The book also has a fantastic anecdote that explains why Bernie remains,
"At various times, he has left a room, during a meeting, after suggesting that the team principals present decide among themselves who the new leader should be, only to return and find they had spent so long arguing about the air-conditioning levels, or something similar, that no-one had even proposed a replacement leader." (pg 137)
Now, yes, it's one of those anecdotes that's probably far too good to be true, but it sounds infinitely plausible and I suspect the same thing would happen now. He is what keeps F1 moving, and I actually do worry about what happens post-Bernie, and I think the 'Bernie out' people should consider that before they get too vociferous.
But yes, in short, definitely read it if you're an F1 fan. Not so much if you're not.

subset: commoncrawl


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Thar Choker
The blowing sands of the Thar desert in India may well have softened this simple crescent into a glimmering piece of silver that sits just between your clavicles, merging into your skin.
Material: Sterling silver on cable chain
Measurements: Pendant: 1.25 W x 1" L, chain 15" long
Origin: Designed and hand-fabricated in NYC using recycled and sustainable metal
Made to order, please allow 10 days for shipment.
More from this collection


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Beginning in the ports and souks around the Horn of Africa, the bitter brew derived from the genus of plants known as Coffea, has records of being enjoyed in coffee houses as early as 1511 in the Islamic Holy City of Mecca, modern day Saudi Arabia.
While little more than smoking dens littered with cushions and hookah pipes, these early establishments were influential enough on early Muslim society that prohibition was imposed by the local Pasha in belief of coffee's role as an intoxicating agent and therefore in violation of Islam. Despite these restrictions in an early Arabic powerhouse, this humble new drinking establishment would be responsible for spreading enlightenment, intellectualism and culture across multiple empires, religions and continents – and all for the love of a naturally occurring bitter pesticide named coffee.
Although served hot from an infusion of the Coffea plant, this ancient form of coffee served out of steaming pots atop open fires in the public shops of Mecca, was merely a shadow of the smooth crèma layered brew of our modern addiction. With the effects of the roasted bean still to be discovered by the religious Sufis of Yemen, this early beverage was more likely a direct infusion of the dried coffee cherry (bean removed) known as Kish'r – a drink still consumed throughout the Arabian Peninsula today. Who exactly was the first to bring coffee cherries across the Red Sea from Ethiopia to Yemen, is a topic of great debate. With stories as rich as the plant in subject telling of multi-coloured coffee birds, plague ravaged princesses and dancing goats – it is known that a figure of influence within Sufism (a religious order of Islam who practice Ihsan, "perfection of worship") was the first to established coffee drinking as a part of their prayer ceremonies. It's thought that upon discovering the effects of caffeine, the plant was introduced for its ability to assist disciples of Sufism in remaining alert and lucid throughout late night worship.
The evolution from Arabia to the modern European coffee house would take almost another hundred years before the first Western traders would encounter what they initially called the "Wine of Araby", and not in the hands of Arabs but the super power of the Ottoman Empire. After successfully defeating the Marmeluks in Egypt in 1517, the Ottomans acquired a country of historic and cultural development with strong links to Sufism. As such they also discovered a nation dominated by the drinking of coffee and the establishment of the coffee house. With all things that come with the capture of a new nation, the coffee bean and brew naturally came with it. By 1555 the Ottoman Empire would see the very first coffee house opened on their own home shores of Constantinople (later renamed Istanbul) by two Syrian merchants named Hakim and Shams. Ten years later, around 600 coffee selling establishments would be recorded in the city alone – the coffee house culture had finally been reborn.
If you were able to revisit an early 16th century Turkish coffee house, you'd discover coffee brewed on mass in large pots or cauldrons atop open fires often enhanced with the aroma of exotic spices like saffron, cardamom and even ambergris (dried whale vomit – honestly!). Like the multitude of cafes today which cater for all classes, coffee could be acquired throughout a range of different locations from humble souk kiosk to luxurious tree shaded gardens with bards, beautiful servant women and views over the Bosporus. This new world of comfort and engagement presented the Ottomans with one of the first public locations of social enlightenment outside of the constraints of religious or alcoholic venues. As such, these new places of population and sobriety became forums for intellectual debate, listening posts for news and meeting points for commerce and trade. In the more elite establishments patrons could hire their own Kaveghi to cater for all matters of coffee acquisition, brewing and service.
However the induction of coffee into what was the world's longest standing Empire of the time, wasn't without its hurdles. Since the Sufis of Yemen first began using coffee in the mid 15th century, the drink had already been banned more than twice in belief of its blasphemous role as an intoxicating beverage in the eyes of Islam. By the time the Ottomans tried to lay down their own prohibition in 1580, the drink was already too widely spread to be effective and merely went underground. As such prohibition wasn't to last and when legally back in the public domain, continued its spread across the Empire and the Balkan states. With such a network of sober meeting houses throughout their nation, it was no surprise that many in power were concerned for their use as dens of conspiracy. With taverns previously associated as places of sedition and uprising, the coffeehouse presented a new threat to the power paranoid. While devious plans may be hatched during a night of alcohol fueled banter, it was coffee's ability to help recall the details of said plan the following morning, which kept the grand Vizier awake at night [albeit that and his own love of coffee].
While the West was not to adopt coffee until late in the establishment of the beverage, their role would grow to define its place in the world's future. Despite trading with the bean and plant since before the 17th century, European merchant hubs Venice and Genoa saw coffee's role in Europe merely as a product of medicinal benefit and not social consumption. A view which would quickly change when in 1651 a Lebanese Jewish entrepreneur remembered only as Jacob would open the West's first coffee house in Oxford, England called the Angel Inn. Remembered in his personal writings, Jacob describes the Angel Inn as a place where coffee, "was by some who delighted in noveltie [sic] drank" (today another coffee house can be found on the site named "The Grand Cafe"). A second coffee house would be opened nearby the following year by another Jew named Cirques Jobson and by the time a third was opened three years after that by Arthur Tillyard, coffee had found a new home in the West. Of these new establishments, it would be Tillyard's which would set the standard for future coffee houses to follow. With a focus on the more educated middle class patrons of Oxford, Tillyard charged two pence for a cup of coffee and one for entry (a lot in those days), allowing access to various newspapers, pamphlets, broadsheets, lectures and ballads. With such a fine spending patronage, future houses would follow suit developing the early nickname – Penny Universities. These new locations would pave the way for a new era in English society labelled by historians as the Age of Enlightenment, a period which saw a reform in the way intellectuality is pursued and accepted socially, and the coffee house would be at the heart of it. Through weekly meetings at Tillyards to discuss and debate maters if mutual scientific interest, The Royal Society was established, a syndicate which today advisers the English government on scientific matters. By 1672, the Royal Society were established enough to elect a lead chairman, they found one in the form of a promising young man named Isaac Newton and the rest they say is history.
In a city dedicated today as it was then to the students, the inspired youth of Oxford supplied the majority of the cities coffee house clientele. In a time before the university common room it is no surprise these young intellectuals flocked to the houses to meet, discuss, study and debate their specific areas of study, albeit while indulging a hot cup of Mocha (named after the Yemeni port by the same name from where coffee was initially acquired). In fact so popular were the student numbers that in 1679 the local mayor attempted a ban on all coffee houses from opening on Sundays to ensure the youth remained in either church or college. Needless to say it had little effect. However it wouldn't be until London opened her first coffee house in 1652 at St Michael's Alley in the city, that the coffee house would begin to influence an entire nation.
With England setting the trend for the modern coffee house in the form of "Penny Universities" and with coffee finally added to the desires of the western palate, a new era was born and coffee was it's muse.
While records show that coffee had already been enjoyed in France by a few lucky enough to associate with merchants of Arabia, the brew would not befriend the public at large until an Ottoman ambassador named Solomon Aga arrived to Paris. Representing Sultan Mehmed IV, Salomon and his retinue set up lavish residence in central Paris while awaiting an appointment to hold audience with the French King Louis XIV. Wasting no time, Solomon converted a grand Parisian town house into a palatial Turkish abode befitted with gilt fountains, the finest carpets and emerald encrusted tiling where guests could indulge in Oriental delicacies such as shisha tobacco and a rich brew called coffee. It was here that Solomon is credited with introducing the drink – and the manner in which it was traditionally served – to many of the cities elite of the time. One such visitor named Isaac D'Israeli best describes the occasion in his book Curiosities of Literature, by writing;
"On bended knee, the black slaves of the Ambassador, arrayed in the most gorgeous Oriental costumes, served the choicest Mocha coffee in tiny cups of egg-shell porcelain, hot, strong and fragrant, poured out in saucers of gold and silver, placed on embroidered silk doylies fringed with gold bullion, to the grand dames, who fluttered their fans with many grimaces, bending their piquant faces—be-rouged, be-powdered and be-patched—over the new and steaming beverage."
Despite the attentions lavished upon Solomon and his fine brew, it would not be until he had departed Paris that coffee would become better established thanks to an Armenian member of his retinue named Pascal. Capitalising on the impact of his previous master, Pascal began by selling hot coffee (a.k.a. petit noir) at a stall in St Germain before opening Europe's first coffee house in 1683 – an Orient inspired café located on Qui de l'Ecole near Pont Neuf, Paris. Unfortunately the public, while fond of coffee, preferred libations of a more alcoholic nature and as such Pascal packed up once more and moved to a place he knew coffee was already well established – England.
A French traveller to London in 1668 named Henri Misson gave us the best description of the early English coffee house, writing they were;
"…very numerous in London, [and] are extremely convenient. You have all manner of news there; you have a good Fire [sic], which you may sit by as long as you please; you have a Dish of Coffee; you meet your Friends for the transaction of Business, and all for a penny, if you don't care to spend more"
It's important to mention at this stage that while these were comfortable environments infused with the smell of brewing coffee atop large open fires, the coffee infusion primarily comprised of steeping course ground or smashed coffee beans into near boiling water and serving black. An expensive sweetener such as honey or sugar (even mustard!) was often available if affordable. The crèma rich espresso's of our modern addiction would not be invented until the influence of the Italians at the beginning of the 20th century, as would the widespread addition of milk. For the esteemed gentry of these new fine establishments, naturally one was expected to adhere to a commonly unspoken law of civility. And should said civility be remiss, one could often find a guide written on the walls for reference, such as the following from a 17th century London coffee house:
Enter, Sirs, freely, but first, if you please,
Peruse our civil orders, which are these.
First, gentry, tradesmen, all are welcome hither,
And may without affront sit down together:
Pre-eminence of place none here should mind,
But take the next fit seat that he can find:
Nor need any, if finer persons come,
Rise up to assigne to them his room;
To limit men's expence, we think not fair,
But let him forfeit twelve-pence that shall swear;
He that shall any quarrel here begin,
Shall give each man a dish t' atone the sin;
And so shall he, whose compliments extend
So far to drink in coffee to his friend;
Let noise of loud disputes be quite forborne,
No maudlin lovers here in corners mourn,
But all be brisk and talk, but not too much,
On sacred things, let none presume to touch.
Nor profane Scripture, nor sawcily wrong
Affairs of state with an irreverent tongue:
Let mirth be innocent, and each man see
That all his jests without reflection be;
To keep the house more quiet and from blame,
We banish hence cards, dice, and every game;
Nor can allow of wagers, that exceed
Five shillings, which ofttimes much trouble breed;
Let all that's lost or forfeited be spent
In such good liquor as the house doth vent.
And customers endeavour, to their powers,
For to observe still, seasonable hours.
Lastly, let each man what he calls for pay,
And so you're welcome to come every day.
By the mid 17th century a new kind of popular social media was rekindled thanks to the public attentions of the coffeehouse – the pamphlet. Similar to the freedom of expression available through the internet today, the pamphlet could be written to either advertise or publicise any product or opinion from anyone with the pennies to spend. And thanks to the coffeehouse, could now also be assured of an audience – albeit a sober one. One such campaign was from a London city based women's group who, in 1674, wished to grow support for the Women's Petition Against Coffee. Laying a direct attack on not just the patrons of the coffeehouses but their very manhood, the WPAC proclaimed that "Never did men wear greater breeches, or carry less in them of any mettle what soever [sic]…". Referring to their frequenting of the coffeehouse it continued, "They come from it with nothing moist but their snotty noses; nothing stiffe [sic] but their joints, nor standing but their ears". Without losing a beat or wasting time with creative metaphor's, a short yet honest retort was soon printed simply entitled The Men's Answer to the Women's Petition Against Coffee, arguing that indeed coffee "…makes the erection more vigorous, the ejaculation more full, [and] adds a spiritualescence to the sperm". While it may be difficult to prove or even define the exact "spiritualescence of sperm", modern science can lend support this statement with evidence of caffeine helping to increase sperm mobility in males – scratch one for the boys!
The importance the coffeehouse played in popular society was not lost on the authorities either who used the most influential venues as public forums to read notices of general importance. By the mid 18th century, the coffeehouse society had spread to the new American colonies where, in 1776, the Merchants Coffee House of Philadelphia was selected as the first location to publicly announce the United States Declaration of Independence. When Admiral Nelson defeated the Spanish and French navies at Trafalgar in 1805, the first public address of the victory was publicly announced to "…the shipping interest at Lloyds coffee house" in central London.
Further influential coffee houses include, Will's Coffee House near Scotland Yard Gate where a group of Naval officers first conceived the idea for the Naval uniform, the Jerusalem Coffee House in Cowpers Court, Cornhill which became the unofficial headquarters for the East India Company (later to be renamed the Jerusalem and East India Coffee House) and Jonathans Coffee House in Exchange Alley which is credited with evolving into the first modern stock exchange. Further credits to the coffee house go the foundation of the Freemasons and even the conceptualisation of the police force (a.k.a. Bow Street Runners), although both are subject to debate.
It is also well believed that subconsciously coffee had a further more important role to play in society. In a period where major cities held such incredibly poor standards of hygiene and clean water, many depended on fermented or distilled products for safe hydration [see: 1689 – Gin Epidemic]. As such it's argued that coffee helped increase the general state of health by offering a safer means of sanitary consumption, as well as sobering up an otherwise oft intoxicated society.
By 1739, the New London Directories would list 695 coffee houses throughout the London boroughs with 551 in the city alone, the largest number of which was centered around the cities first in St Michaels Alley. By this time and with so many competitors, the coffee house had evolved into something closer resembling today's modern drinking establishments with a venue to be found for all tastes and with coffee a prerequisite in the name only and no longer necessary in the offering. One of the most famous examples of these was Tom King's Coffee House. While trading out of London's Covent Garden with under the title of a coffee house, Tom King's was more openly a den of gambling, drinking and prostitution. Open from the time the common tavern closes to the time the sun arises, the coffee house was equally a popular meeting place for the ill repute and respected alike with many renown intellectuals such as William Hogarth, Alexander Pope, John Gay and Henry Fielding in common attendance. Without any beds on the establishment grounds, Tom and his charismatic wife Mol avoided any legal prosecution in operating as a brothel yet were able to easily trade as a meeting point for ladies of the night and their would be suitors. The Kings became somewhat of an institution in London during their time and despite a large opposition from religious reformers, even King George II once visited the establishment yet stayed only briefly after being challenged to a fight by an ignorant punter. Captured at it's most honest by famous satirical artist William Hogarth in his collection Four Seasons, Hogarth best describes the scene at Tom Kings with the poetic footnote;
"Here drunken Templars [sic], Rakes and men of taste, their constitutions and their substance waste. Here lustful strumpets with their bosoms bare, mix with a motley throng, drink, smoke and swear. Destruction lurks in their contagious breath, their eyes are basilisks, their jokes are death".
While most coffee houses were still intellectually driven, others used curiosity or practicality to attract their patrons. Of these, few are better remembered than the Chelsea Coffee House owned by James Salt (aka Don Salterno). As well as displaying oddities in jars including a "mermaid fish", "mice skeletons" and an "instrument for scratching the Chinese ladies back", the Chelsea Coffee House also offered the age old barber-surgeon skill of pulling teeth and bloody letting – albeit with the odd haircut or two.
By the mid to late 19th century, the coffee house revolution along with the newly styled "Age of Enlightenment" had reached its peak and began a steady decline replaced by – or rather evolved into – the modern hotel bar or gentlemen's club. Despite the change in name, these locations were still places of intellectual institution in which patrons can find good company, coffee and fine liquor in mutual surroundings.
From humble beginnings in tribal Ethiopia to its religious use by the Sufis in Yemen, on the back of the Ottoman Empire until its Western foundation, the coffee bean would see an empire rise and fall, cross religious boundaries and help new nations such as the United States, India, Indonesia and South America develop into major trading powers. But above all, thanks to the role of the humble coffee house the modern world had discovered an age of intellectual advancement emphasised by the evolution of the police force, insurance system, stock exchange and a multitude of corporate societies.
Original story on Drinking Cup.


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A parametric amplifier was constructed, and the small-signal gain of a 3.39-μm He–Ne laser in excess of 10 was measured. With a 2.06-μm Ho:Tm:Er:YLF laser having a nominal 50-ns pulse length as a pump, small-signal gain was measured as a function of pump power. When compared with the predicted gain, taking into account the beam profile of both the pump and the signal, good agreement was found at low pump powers. However, the observed gain was less than predicted at higher pump powers. Pump-induced loss at 3.39 μm, a phenomenon not observed in other nonlinear crystals such as causes the difference. Pump-induced loss was observed when the crystal was tilted away from the phase-matching angle. Pump-induced loss at 3.39 μm was characterized and found to be directly proportional to the pump energy.
© 1998 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
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text: Brexit - You don't know what you don't know, but don't wait! Share Written By Brian Dakers Tags 2018-03-21 The UK leaving the European Union (EU), once materialised, will bring a brand new scenario for both the UK and the EU. From a Customs point of view this presents a number of challenges and opportunities to modernise Customs, commerce and logistics in line with international guidelines and best practice. Among many other implications, this means an increase in the volume of Customs declarations, impacting both UK business and government (HMRC). With all the discussion around Brexit many people in business have been introduced to topics such as a Customs Union, Single Market, Free Trade Agreements and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for the first time. Some have tried to find out about these important elements in order to make sense of the political debate and to find out what it means for their business. There are others who still 'don't know what they don't know'. These series of articles aim to help explain some of the complexities of Customs and trade and provide as many people as possible with a clearer understanding so that you can make decisions and be prepared for whatever materialises as the UK's trading position in 2019 and beyond. International trade falls into two very broad types, EU and Non-EU. Post Brexit all sales and purchases to and from outside the UK (including the other 27 EU member states) will become Non-EU movements and subject to customs and border controls. In simple terms, and with what we know today, this means, submitting a customs declaration in some form or another, potentially paying duties on EU goods which has never been the case, and, having physical border inspections and controls. Today there are a large number of companies that only trade with EU countries. The government has assessed that the number of customs declarations will go from about 55 million per year today to over 350 million, post-Brexit. This will affect Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), traders, retailers, suppliers, etc. and HRMC alike, both from a systems and resources point of view. Whilst the government are being bombarded by comments from Trade on minimising the impact of costs and delays, Trade can help themselves by taking some simple steps in key areas: Know your trading partners and patterns. What countries are your suppliers and customers in, will your contracts still be valid, what products do you buy from or sell to, and, how urgent are the shipments, who is responsible for shipping the goods, you or your supplier/customer? Understand regulations and requirements. Do you have any 'customs' experience, do you have service providers that know the customs and border requirements, do you know what the potential increase in costs due to 'customs requirements' will be? Most importantly do you know that, no matter who does the customs work for you (service providers and customs brokers, etc.), you as the importer and/or exporter are responsible and liable for the accuracy of the information given to 'Customs' on your behalf. One of the statements made by The Prime Minister is that the UK will remain as closely aligned to the European Customs regulations (The Union Customs Code (UCC)) as possible. Why? In simple terms there are a few main reasons. First, it is a tried and tested set of rules that are recognised around the world and, importantly, followed by all EU Member States. The UK is going to continue to 'do business' with the 27 remaining countries and the rest of the world. To keep everything as simple as possible, the UK's customs regulations, processes and procedures should be as closely aligned as possible. However this does not mean it is perfect and changes will be required to make it more acceptable to UK business. This leads into the second reason. There is a tremendous amount of work involved in changing the regulations (laws) significantly. This takes time and resource, both of which are in short supply. Not only do the government have limited resource, expertise and time to make IT changes, but so too do businesses, especially if they have not previously had to deal with customs and border requirements. Not to mention the similar issues faced by the other 27 Member States. Business has made it clear that one of the areas of concern in the Brexit process is lack of certainty. What is going to happen? What will Trade need to do? If we know the customs regulations, processes and procedures aren't going to change significantly, international traders should do all they can to prove compliance with today's regulations - today. In this way Trade will be as ready for Post Brexit as any business can be in respect of customs matters. By doing this now, as well as identifying weaknesses and gaps in knowledge, processes and procedure traders will most likely identify opportunities to be more efficient and reduce costs. Or, as a minimum, be well placed to plan for minimum cost increases resulting from Brexit. In 2011 the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (now the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy) recognised that the UK has a relatively "light-touch" regulatory regime, and scores well in international comparisons. But a closer look at the costs of trading here suggests that there is still room for improvement. Even for the UK, which is generally regarded as having a fairly business-friendly Customs environment, there is evidence of scope for further Trade Facilitation improvements which could bring opportunities for greater trade. In 2015, nearly £700 billion of goods crossed the UK border and the continued smooth operation of these crossings is critical to the UK's economy and consumers, for example maintaining the trade flow of perishables such as food products. In 2016, the UK came fifth out of 160 countries in the World Bank's ranking of the efficiency of the border clearance process, including customs. The government aims to maintain or improve this position while supporting effective border and customs controls. Having a fully functional customs system is an important factor in safeguarding against undue disruption to trade after the UK leaves the EU. In October 2016 Greg Clark, the business secretary, told Nissan UK that the UK Government's objective would be to ensure that we have continued access to the markets in Europe and vice versa without tariffs and without bureaucratic impediments. Mr Clark also said that as well as seeking a "common ground" in Brexit talks, it included commitments to continue to make funds available for skills and training, to "bring home" elements of the supply chain which had migrated overseas, to support research and development and to keep the UK car industry competitive. He signalled that Ministers would seek tariff-free trade with other EU countries and would provide support to ensure the industry remains "competitive" in Britain. On 17 January 2017 the Prime Minister set out the 12 principles which will guide the Government in forging a new strategic partnership between the United Kingdom and the European Union. One of the headline statements for this process is "Maintaining free and frictionless trade". Other key points are to provide certainty and clarity (Customs policy), take control of our own laws (initially adopting the Union Customs Code), ensure free trade with European markets and new trade agreements with other countries (free trade and a new customs agreement) and ensure the UK remains the best place for innovation. In leaving the EU, the UK will seek a new customs arrangement with the EU, which enables us to make the most of the opportunities from trade with others and for trade between the UK and the EU to continue to be as frictionless as possible. There are a number of options for any new customs arrangement, including a completely new agreement, or for the UK to remain a signatory to some of the elements of the existing arrangements. The precise form of this new agreement is now the subject of negotiation. Whatever form that customs arrangement takes, and whatever the mechanism to deliver it, the UK will seek to maintain many of the facilitations that businesses currently enjoy, whilst aiming that, if there are requirements for customs procedures, these are as frictionless as possible. Whilst the UK will look at precedents set by customs agreements between other countries, we will not seek to replicate another country's model and will pursue the best possible deal for the UK. If you have never had to deal with customs at the border – don't be concerned but don't wait. Take control and responsibility for your customs destiny and act now: Understand your trading patterns and talk with your partners Understand the regulations as they are today Become aware of the potential changes to your supply chain, knowledge needs and potential increase in costs Prove compliance with today's requirements even if you only have EU movements today Remember 'You don't know what you don't know!' Brexit – Customs - What are you waiting for! If you have any questions or would like to know more please email: firstname.lastname@example.com Five Lanes Consultancy Ltd


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Emmy-winning anchor Mark Bullock has become a familiar and trusted face to Alabama television viewers. He anchors WSFA 12 News at 4:30, 6 and 10 p.m. He also is part of the 12 News Defenders team, bringing you stories that protect you and your family.
Mark's work has earned accolades from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Radio Television Digital News Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Associated Press. He earned the southeast regional EMMY® award for best news anchor in 2009 and received an EMMY® nomination in the same category in 2010.
Most of Mark's reports focus on issues and events here at home. But his work also has taken him around the world. He has filed reports from as far away as South Korea, Australia, Bosnia and Washington, D.C.
A graduate of the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism, Mark was named to the UGA Alumni Association's inaugural Top 40 Under 40 in 2011. He worked at television and radio stations in Columbus and Athens, Georgia prior to joining WSFA 12 News in 1998.
Mark is very active in the community, having served on boards of The Arts Council of Montgomery, BTW Magnet School support foundation, The Children's Museum of Alabama, The Cloverdale Playhouse, The Family Sunshine Center, The Montgomery Chorale, The Montgomery Landmarks Foundation, and the Capital City Club.
He also is proud to have hosted a number of WSFA 12 News projects benefiting the community, including the Children's Miracle Network, 12's Day of Giving, and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival Armchair Auction.
Mark's hobbies include traveling, gardening, and making music -- a passion instilled in him at an early age. His mother and father are professional musicians. Mark was a member of the Redcoat Marching Band at UGA and currently sings in the adult choir at Montgomery's Episcopal Church of the Ascension.


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Kingston Bridge, 2012
£ 125.00
The Hogsmill, Kingston
Kingston Bridge
Barge Walk and Kingston Bridge
Kingston Market
£ 37.50
Kingston Guildhall
Market House, Kingston
Lunch Break
Return to Gallery
May 01, 17 06:06 AM
London - World City by Martin Stuart Moore. In February 2007 the artist decided to reacquaint himself with the streets and buildings of the capital city.
Read More
May 01, 17 05:57 AM
Battersea Power Station by Andrew Verdie
May 01, 17 05:41 AM
Tomblesons Panoramic Map of the Thames and Medway is available from The Framing Company, Picture Framer in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey.
©2020 The Framing Company


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Troy Davis writes:
In my review of Dinesh D'Souza's film Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party, I mentioned that a graphic in the film of notorious Confederate war criminal and KKK founder Nathan Bedford Forrest looked a lot like the graphic of him on the cover of H.W. Crocker's recent book The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War. I noted the irony of this because in the film, Forrest's image was used to represent what the Democratic Party stands for. I mentioned that Crocker's book, which is Lost Cause propaganda that reveres Forrest, was published by the leading conservative/Republican publishing house Regnery Publishing and that the book was used as a free gift to new subscribers to Human Events (which was one of Ronald Reagan's favorite newspapers).
Imagine my surprise to find out that the book form of Hillary's America is published by Regnery. Not only does Regnery publish pro-Confederate bitter-ender material like Crocker's book, it published other pro-Confederate bilge such as Clint Johnson's The Politically Incorrect Guide to the South which claims that tariff policy, not slavery, was the main reason for the Civil War.


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The Senate broke for a two-week recess starting last Friday. And this time, it's on a real recess — not the "pro forma session" kind where a senator from Maryland or Virginia pops by occasionally to gavel the chamber in and out of session for a few seconds.
And while the cats are away...
But don't look for the White House to take advantage of the break to sneak in any of those controversial recess appointments that got senators so riled up last year. This time, Senate leaders came to an agreement with the White House that there would be no recess appointments.
While they've struck the same kind of gentlemen's arrangement a few times before -- one Senate aide described it as "not unusual" – more often than not the last two years have produced a string of open-and-shut sessions every few days to meet the senatorial definition of being in session. (A full adjournment for recesses requires the consent of both chambers, meaning House Speaker John A. Boehner could force the Senate into the pro forma sessions.)
In January of last year, President Obama made an end run around the Senate, naming three members of the National Labor Relations Board, as well as the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Board, while the upper chamber was out of town. Predictably, senators, particularly Republicans, were steamed. A lawsuit ensued — the latest is that a federal appeals court invalidated the NLRB appointments, though the NLRB is appealing.
But at least for the next two weeks, senators can rest their heads back at home without worrying about what the White House is up to here in Washington — and the local senators won't have to flip a coin to see who has to take gavel duty.


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Find out why our partners believe Pi is the best SEO software for agencies…


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Make Your PowerPoint Presentations Pop with These Tips
People all over the planet use PowerPoint. It has been estimated that more than 500 million people use the presentation software around the world. Every day, there are more than 30 million presentations created with this software. If you are working on the design of powerpoint presentation slides for your next presentation, there are ways to make it great.
- Use a template. Get your presentation off to the right start with a template. Some people eschew the use of the templates that come with the PowerPoint software but they can add the right structure, layout and style for your presentation. When you want to work on the design of powerpoint presen


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Free Shipping on orders within the USA for a limited time!*
Ever wonder what the moon looked like on your birthday? Or the birth dates of your children? The day you got married? Or the date of a person you love who passed on? This listing is for a lovely and simple silver-tone bracelet customized with your custom moon phase set into a 16mm bezel and attached to an adjustable chain. Chain measures 7 inches at it's shortest length and 9 inches at it's longest. Makes a wonderful gift for moms, bridesmaids, siblings, weddings and more!To order, please provide the following information: Date (in this format: MM/DD/YYYY), Time Zone, and Approximate Time Of Day (if possible) of the date you wish to celebrate. We will verify your moon phase and begin production. If your date has a "new moon" (ie the first and darkest phase of the moon, which would essentially be a black charm), we will create your piece with a darkened full moon to illustrate that it was in shadow at the time. We include a card with your piece that describes the date information provided and the moon phase. We do not offer engraving.
♥ The galaxy line is expanding! Check out other pieces available here!
♥ Discounts apply if you wanted to order multiples for wedding parties - please message me before hand to set up a custom order.
For great jewelry and gifts, or to request customized pieces from other items, please visit the rest of our shop.


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The Party
Directed by Sally Potter (R)
A friendly celebration swiftly turns ugly.
Sally Potter's new comedy is "a master class in all that a filmmaker can squeeze from the most basic theatrical concept," said April Wolfe in The Village Voice. The British writer-director has simply placed several characters in a room, given them opposing motivations, and let the sparks fly. The occasion is the celebration of a career milestone for the hostess, and Potter uses it to examine her characters as archetypes, not people. It becomes "dizzying fun" to see her party-from-hell implode into tears and rage. These are people "so impeccably civilized" that they cope with every bombshell revelation by intellectualizing it, said Katie Rife in AVClub.com. That "works wonders for the dialogue"—even when it drains energy from the drama. Still, the film makes full use of its "unimprovable cast," said Justin Chang in the Los Angeles Times. As the evening's honoree, Kristin Scott Thomas is "first among equals," but Patricia Clarkson is "sublimely withering" as the hostess's cynical best friend, while Emily Mortimer, Timothy Spall, and Cillian Murphy all do their share to ruin the gathering. It's a satire that stings and, at just 71 minutes, "knows not to overstay its welcome." ■


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Two Bursaries of £150 each and free tickets will be offered for individuals to attend either Theaster Gates' performance lecture at St Georges or the Public Art (Now) Masterclass on Theaster Gates' Sanctum, as an opportunity to share their experiences on the Public Art (Now) blog.
Please note that as all bursary applications are now closed for this year.
Past bursary opportunities included:
We're looking for blog entries which operate as reports from the live events and workshops, rather than critical reviews, which open up the discussion and debate about where, when and how public art takes place. Could this be reported by you? Applications are now open for four bursaries of £150 each to support emerging writers to attend and report from Theaster Gates' performance lecture at St Georges on Saturday 31st October, and the Public Art (Now) Masterclass workshop on Wednesday 18th November.
Apply to attend Theaster Gates' one night only performance lecture at St George's, Bristol on Saturday 31st October:
Theaster will be performing for one night only at St Georges Bristol as part of the opening weekend celebrations of the Bristol & Bath Art Weekender. To apply, please email Georgina Bolton at firstname.lastname@example.com with no more than 300 words on why you feel attending this live event is of interest to you. There are two bursaries available and the deadline for applications is Monday 12th October.
Apply to attend the Public Art (Now) Masterclass on Wednesday 18th November:
This Masterclass will take place in central Bristol at the Watershed, and forms a part of the Festival of the Future City programme. Experiences of both creative teams (Situations and MAYK) will be shared on the production of Sanctum, covering logistical, practical, communications and engagement challenges whilst considering the complexities of time and duration in public art. More information on the workshop here.
Published blog reports by previous bursary winners at can be read on the Public Art Now Blog.
It was a really energizing day and a productive balance of listening, thinking, playing and mingling with some brilliant people. Writing for the blog allowed me to explore some of the questions raised further, questioning levels of risk, and applying these reflections to my own cultural practice.
Niamh O'Connor: Bursary winner for Professional Development Workshop, Taking Risks in Public Art, at Folkestone Fringe Hub, Friday 31st October, 2014


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Thanks, Rex. Definitely relevant to the thread. And to a couple of others current; on hose and how it's worn in the Highlands.
I was just passing through as a tourist, but when I read your post, I had to sign in and see the photos. Great shots. And
great that you got to play, too.


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Lake Ida Anne
The city of Langford believes that public green spaces promote healthy living and a great sense of community as they allow people to engage with one another while being active. Lake Ida is one of Langford`s many parks and is about 1 hectare in size. It is located in the northern Langford and acts as a catchment for storm runoff from Bear Mountain. Lake Ida Anne is a man-made lake and has a gravel footpath along its shores.


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How We Discovered a Magical Waterfall in Waterton along the Akamina Parkway in Waterton.
Last weekend our friends and us tried to do the Forum Falls hike in Waterton. Unfortunately, we forgot to check to make sure the road was open after winter and construction. It wasn't. Sad day.
We briefly considered finding another hike to do, but I thought, hey, we always talk about exploring the Akamina Parkway, let's actually do it! So we drove back down the road until we found something interesting to look at. And we sure found a lot! Here's our adventure:
To get to the Akamina Parkway, head into Waterton and before you get to the town site take a right onto the road that has a big sign saying, "Akamina Parkway" on it. Easy peasy! For reference, we started at the top and worked our way down.
Our first stop was here, at this stream. (If anyone knows the name of these places, please let me know!) There is a little pull off on the side of the road where we parked. First we decided to explore in the woods, where we found a plaque showing the site of an old town and hotel! Who knew there was almost a city all the way up here? Super cool.
The trail to the plaque and the stream is not very well marked, and we had to do a fair bit of plowing through the undergrowth. But it was still fun!
Next we stopped at this stream and cute little bridge. We walked up the stream bed up to the tree line, and spent some time throwing rocks, building inukshuks, and exploring.
After we were done we marched back down to the bridge and let the kids run through the drain pipes under the road. We had adults on both sides to make sure everyone was being safe!
And then of course we had to check it out for ourselves…
Afterwards we poked down the run off path and found another little stream to enjoy. This one had almost a sandy beach to it, so the kids all took off their shoes and played around.
We pulled over and had lunch at the picnic shelter along the way down. There's a covered eating area with a wood stove, a parking area, and a pit toilet. I forgot to take a picture! Oops!
Our last stop was definitely the most exciting.
We've driven by this a thousand times and never stopped. Well, no more! We parked across the street and climbed over and down to the base of the stream. (Perfect rock-throwing place.)
The kids bolted up the path and we all made it up to the tallest lower falls (by tallest I mean 10 feet or so.)
Lindsay and I decided we just had to go check out the big waterfall at the top, so we left the kids with the Dads and clambered up along the stream bed! It was so fun!
When we got to the top we were shocked at how beautiful it was! The falls were super high, and since the water wasn't very strong a lot of it turned into a refreshing mist on the way down. It was totally magical.
The view was exquisite.
At the top is quite a large area to explore and wander around. We want to come back again for a picnic!
After climbing back down again the Dads helped us take the kids back to the road, and they set off for the top using a trail on the left-hand side of the stream. It only took them 20 minutes to get to the top, enjoy the view, take some pictures, and climb back down again! They said it was quite a steep path, so we won't be taking our little kids on it, but for older kids and adults it should be just fine.
It turned out to be a magical day! Who knew the Akamina Parkway would have so many hidden treasures?
A friendly reminder to make LOTS OF NOISE while exploring these lesser-travelled paths. This will alert bears to your presence so they can head another way!
If anyone knows the names of these streams and waterfalls please let me know in the comments so I can add them into my post!
Are there any other gems along this road?


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Sat 21st Nov 2015 12:00 - 22:00 (SAST) Tiger's Milk, 44 Long Street, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town, South Africa, 8000
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Trending This Week: B2B Buyers Want a New Sales Prescription
If you think your B2B buyers want to take the lead, think again. They want sales reps to help ease the path to purchase. Here's how you can do just that.
March 3, 2017
For some time now, sales reps have been told they need to accept a new reality: buyers don't want or need your assistance until they are far along in the process. After all, empowered B2B buyers can access all the information they need without the assistance of a sales rep. But, according to an article authored by CEB and appearing in the March-April 2017 Harvard Business Review, many B2B buyers are actually desperate for your guidance. As CEB says, buyers "are increasingly overwhelmed and often more paralyzed than empowered."
Prospects are spinning their wheels
Whether we are buying something in our personal or professional lives, part of our decision hinges on the experience with the brand or vendor. A process marked by friction and frustration is less likely to end in a purchase. Unfortunately, many B2B buyers are feeling pained by their purchase process. According to CEB, 65% of buyers said they spent as much time as they'd expected to spend on the entire purchase just preparing to speak with a sales rep.
A few factors help explain this long time frame: the involvement of a buying committee, more vendor and solution choices, and access to an overwhelming amount of information.
Sales needs to retake the lead
Many sales reps have been coached to be responsive to a prospect's requests, allowing them to take the lead. This includes everything from sending them all the information they request to helping them consider all possible options and alternatives. It turns out that's not helpful. In its survey of more than 600 B2B buyers, CEB found that this approach decreases purchase ease by 18%.
Instead, CEB advises sales reps to prescriptively guide potential customers; its research found that this approach increased purchase ease by 86%.
So what does this look like? Instead of simply sending whatever information and content a buyer requests, prescriptive sales reps take the lead by doing these three things:
- Make a clear recommendation for action backed by a specific rationale
- Present a concise offering and a stable view of their capabilities
- Explain complex aspects of the purchase process clearly
Anticipate and eliminate obstacles
To bring this to life, CEB shares this example of a prescription:
"One of the things we've learned from working with customers like you is that purchasing folks are going to get involved, and probably late in the process. And when they come in late, things tend to blow up. So you'll want to bring them in earlier. When you do that, they will have two main questions: X and Y. Here's how to answer them."
As this shows, the prescriptive approach helps the buyer identify and overcome potential barriers to purchase. It's easy to see why a prospective customer would greatly appreciate this type of assistance.
Follow a four-point plan
To get your organization started down the right path toward prescriptive selling, CEB outlines four best practices:
1. Map the buyer journey. Many organizations will need to recast the purchase journey they've already created so that they reflect a more prospect-centric perspective. The goal is to understand the process from the buyer's point of view.
2. Identify barriers. The next step is to identify the top common pains that prospects experience during their purchase process, regardless of whether they're buying from your organization or another.
3. Design prescriptions. With the buyer journey mapped and barriers identified, the organization needs to come up with relevant prescriptions. While these can take many forms – content, live interactions, self-service diagnostics, etc. – they should reflect three key principles:
- Be unbiased and credible
- Reduce indecision and compel action
- Move buyer down the path to purchase, leading to your organization's solution without being overtly promotional
4. Track buyer progress. To know which obstacles buyers may be up against, it's essential to understand where they are in the purchase process. CEB says organizations can determine this by calling upon "customer verifiers." And it says effective verifiers:
- Require the buyer to actively participate in order to show progress
- Are binary and objective
- Signal the prospect's increasing commitment to move away from the status quo
To learn more about this new sales imperative and to read more examples of prescriptive sales approaches, check out the HBR article. And to keep pace with sales trends and insights, subscribe to our blog.


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85 Huddersfield Road, Stalybridge, SK15 2PTTel: 0161 303 7200
Lockside Medical Centre belongs to the Tameside and Glossop GP HUB service. Local GPs work together to provide bookable routine evening and weekend appointments for people who would find it inconvenient to see their doctor or nurse during normal office hours.
These appointments can be to see a doctor, consult a nurse or have blood tests, ear syringing or other procedures.
These can not be booked directly on line by the public, but if you ask our receptionists for help they can tell you when the appointments are.
There are three HUBs, Ashton, Hyde and Glossop.
Copyright 2006 - 2020 My Surgery Website | Privacy & Usage | Edit | Staff Home | Site Map | Accessibility | Site T&C's | Service T&C's


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Dawg Fight…
Ever wonder where MMA recruiters find talent?
Some head to West Perrine Florida and grab a seat in DADA 5000's yard.
Billy Corben is one of the best documentary directors out there and one of my personal favorites. So far the reviews are awesome and this movie should be incredible…especially for you fight fans out there.


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Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG Tires
Get the right Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG tire size, price & brand
At your local Firestone Complete Auto Care, you'll find the best Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG tires at the best price. Browse our full selection of C32 AMG tires and shop by tire size, brand, price, or type. Whether you want a tire that's built for speed, diverse terrain, or fuel-efficiency, you'll find the right tires for your car or truck and budget. Shop online and then schedule a convenient appointment with one of our ASE-certified technicians today! We're open late and on weekends to accommodate your schedule.


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Jacob Schepers House, 335 Hillcrest Ave. (1905)
Jacob Schepers House, July 2011. Photo Credit: Google Street View.
Jacob Schepers, a local realtor, held several city offices; he was East Lansing's fourth mayor, from 1914 to 1918. He also served as Treasurer of the College beginning in 1922.[Minutes, 29 Jun 1922, p. 542] His real estate partner, Benjamin Faunce, lived two doors south.
Though not listed as significant, the house one door south (327 Hillcrest Avenue) from 1929 to 1939 served as the home of Alpha Phi sorority, which can trace its history back to the Feronian Society, the first all-women's literary society* at the College. Schepers' daughter Josephine (M.A.C. '24) had been a member of Alpha Phi.[Wolverine (1922), p. 342; (1930), p. 292]
327 Hillcrest Ave. circa 1930, when it was the Alpha Phi sorority house. The wide, open front porch has since been replaced, and the side vestibule enclosed. The Schepers house is partly visible at right. Photo Credit: The Wolverine yearbook of 1930, p. 292.


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Our Horizontal Mover extends most light/mid weight props (up to 25lbs) horizontally 12" at a slight angle to provide movement to ground moving props such as spiders, ankle grabbing corpses, or similar props. Originally designed to be used in holes or other low light areas where the prop comes towards your viewers.
This extender can be modified to extend up to 24" for an additional charge.
Never use this mover in close proximity to viewers.
This kit includes 12V valve with 110V transformer, flow controls for adjusting the lift and decent speeds, and all required airlines for connection to your compressor line. No controller is included. Requires 110V power and a compressor with 100-120 PSI.
Size 26" x 12" x 10"


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Atlantic Union Bank - Forest
14915 Forest Road
Forest, VA 24551
(434) 525-2000
(800) 990-4828
(434) 525-2553 (fax)
Whether you are a large company with multiple financial needs, a growing small business, or someone simply looking for a checking account with low balance requirements, Union has the right products, the right people, and the right attitude to assist you.
As an organization, Union has a long history of community involvement. Union is guided by its values and driven by its purpose to help the communities where it does business.


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Soccer, Adapted
Description of sport: Wayzata participates in a cooperative with Minnetonka Schools. One indoor sport is offered each season: fall-soccer, winter-floor hockey, and spring-softball and bowling.
Divisions: Athletes compete in either the PI or CI division, as appropriate for their ability level. THERE WILL NOT BE A PI TEAM IN 2018-2019.
Start Date: Official MSHSL start date for 2019-2020 is September 2.
Where to go for more information: Activities Office.
Practice and/or meeting site: Wayzata Schools for 2019-2020. Transportation to the site is provided for after school practices and games.
Competitions: Teams participate in league games with the opportunity to advance through the tournaments from the district to state level.
Eligibility requirements: Meet MSHSL, MAAA and Wayzata Public Schools eligibility requirements. Must be enrolled in grades 7- 12 at WHS.
Costs and/or needed equipment: Participation fee.
Awards criteria and type of awards: May letter after participation in three seasons. Additional awards determined by the coaches.
Game Schedule
Adapted Athletics Coordinator
Amy Mayer
Head Coach
Shelby McChesney
Shelby firstname.lastname@example.com


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Characterization of dynamics and power handling of RF MEMS using vector measurement techniques
Document typeArticle
Date issued2004-11-30
PublisherIEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC
Rights accessOpen Access
This paper proposes a new method to measure dynamics and power handling of RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices based on a mobile membrane. The method uses in-phase/quadrature demodulation of an RF signal proportional to the reflection coefficient of the measured device, which contains information of its mechanical properties, such as actuation and release times and instantaneous position of the mobile membrane. Both one-port (capacitors) and two-port devices (switches and extended tuning-range capacitors) can be measured. Its main advantage is the capability of obtaining information from both magnitude and phase variations of the device reflection coefficient to characterize its dynamics and power handling. It is shown that detecting phase is advantageous in high quality factor capacitors, where the magnitude of the reflection coefficient is nearly constant for any position of the mobile membrane. Open-short-load calibration of the system is provided in order to obtain absolute measurements, which are necessary for power-handling characterization. The performances of the proposed method are demonstrated by comparison to systems based on detection of the magnitude of the reflection coefficient. A MEMS capacitor is characterized in terms of dynamics-actuation and release times, and mechanical resonance frequency and in terms of power handling-membrane instantaneous position and phase and tuning range variation.
CitationGirbau, D.; Lázaro, A.; Pradell, L. Characterization of dynamics and power handling of RF MEMS using vector measurement techniques. IEEE Transactions on microwave theory and techniques, vol. 52, núm. 11, p. 2627-2633.
|charaterization dynamics power01353548.pdf


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Science plays an important role when it comes to psychology and both are related to each other in most of the cases. A Canadian scientist who moonlights as a mystical performer has uncovered the mystery traps used to influence individuals' choices in card games. The study uncovers how certain logical components can influence the choices individuals make, despite the fact that they may feel that they are picking uninhibitedly.
Scientists say the finding could even influence day by day choice making for people who are deeply involved in playing cards regularly. 'We started with a standard of enchantment that we didn't completely see: how mystical performers impact groups of onlookers to pick a specific card without their mindfulness,' clarifies the lead creator of another study distributed in Consciousness and Cognition.
Scientists have even found that individuals have a tendency to pick alternatives that are more remarkable or consideration snatching, yet they don't know why they picked them.
The exploration was directed in two stages.
To begin with, an expert conjurer drew nearer 118 individuals on boulevards and college grounds and requesting that they pick a card by looking at one as he flipped through a deck of playing cards.
The whole riffle took around a large portion of a second, yet he utilized a procedure to make one of the cards - the 'objective card' - more conspicuous than the rest.
In the ballpark of 98% of members picked the objective card. However, nine of 10 reported feeling they had a free decision.