text:
How to Know Your IT Project is Headed for Disaster
Failed IT projects are the stuff of legend. IT projects can derail for so many reasons, it's a wonder they ever succeed. Yet, as with most areas of life, you're unlikely to be blindsided with trouble if you're on the lookout for the warning signs.
To help increase the likelihood that your project succeeds, we present seven sure signs of impending disaster you should address sooner—rather than later.
The project lacks executive support.
If key executives or stakeholders have competing priorities or do not support a particular IT project, you can bet that project is headed for trouble. Todd Williams, president of the project management consultancy eCameron and author of Rescue the Problem Project says that one of the first questions he asks when beginning work on a new project is, "Does the project align to the strategic goals of the company?"
Asking this question and uncovering its answer can be key to a turnaround, as was the case when Williams was hired by a Boston company. The Boston firm had recently purchased a northern Massachusetts company that was itself recently acquired by a Canadian company. Each business unit was interested in a different aspect of a project related to some software the Canadian company had developed – but in different ways. Until Williams sorted through the complicated priorities around the software project for each unit of the company, it was impossible to establish what were truly the strategic goals, and what priorities the executives were actually supporting.
People don't agree on what the final project looks like.
A sure sign that a project is derailing or will do so in the near future is lack of concrete requirements. Samad Aidane, an IT project management professional who hosts the blog Guerilla Project Management and the author of the upcoming book The Neuroscience of Project Management, says that oftentimes this arises because while at a conference a customer "fell in love" with a product or a vendor, and pushed for the product without clarifying what it will be used for and how the new system will meet specific needs.
Aidane believes much of IT project management success—in all areas—rests on capturing agreements. "You'd be surprised how many projects move forward with just a sketchy understanding," he says. "The first things I look at are what the existing agreements are and understanding what the requirements are." All too often these are overlooked because someone is nervous to rock the boat or there's pressure on the team to move quickly past planning to delivery.
If the project management team has a totally different idea of where the project is going, you're heading for trouble, says Williams. He also points to the problem of "falling in love with tech" as being a main cause for this. For example, many companies install ERP systems but only use 40% of their functions, he says. People fall for bells and whistles and implement things they don't really need. In these cases, requirements haven't actually been defined; it's a project putting the tech cart before the business-needs horse.
Management won't heed warnings or objections.
Adequate planning is key to a project's success, but sometimes projects rush forward without adequate planning or preparation. The timeline becomes more important than the outcome, warns Kevin Ciccotti, an executive and corporate coach who focuses on the human side of project management through his consultancy The Human Factor Formula. In other words, "you're lost but you're making good time."
Ciccotti points to an ERP project for which he was a business process owner. He was personally invested in the project's success. "It would impact everything that I would do and my team would do; everything was changing," he says. Early on Ciccotti realized that some of the stakeholders' concerns were not being addressed, but he was told, "Planning is over; we don't want to reinvent the wheel," by those at the management levels above. The problem began much earlier when the initial consultants were told about these same concerns, but the consultants had brushed them off saying, "We understand, we've got your area of concern covered." As it happened they did not, says Ciccotti. "When we went live it shut the entire production facility down," he says. Eventually, he says, "We pushed through and made it work, but not without a lot of pain and workaround from areas within the organization."
Your "schedule" is meaningless.
Another common cause for project management derailment is an unmanaged or mismanaged schedule. To increase the chances of project success, Aidane says that although you may have a rough deadline to start, after you gather requirements and conduct other aspects of the planning stage you must revisit the schedule. "A schedule needs to reflect reality, or what the work will actually take," he says.
Unfortunately, Aidane says, the schedule is far too often a map of unrealistic hope and team members suffer from the discrepancy. "It's a difference between realistic perception, and being created to look like we'll meet this deadline," he points out. If a schedule never receives any official written revision, if the team is working in an ad hoc manner selecting priorities, or if the schedule is revised in such a way that it merely documents what you've just done, your project's in trouble, he says.
Another sign your schedule—and therefore project—is off: People stop checking in, says Ciccotti. They ascribe to a "no news is good news" approach and use avoidance tactics. Of course, this is highly ineffective, he says, but it doesn't stop people from using it. Whether they're afraid to ask for help or they worry that the consequences of admitting they're behind are too great, the motivations can be powerful.
The project requires late-stage customizations or a project lead insists on new changes.
"Scope creep" is another common cause for project failures. "Scope is very important and precedes everything else," says Aidane. "Again, there needs to be agreement on what this project will entail, which in turn affects and puts boundaries around requirements and affect schedules.
One sign you've got "scope creep," which can encompass a number of issues, is that a vendor's or in-company project team's assessment of what is "complete" is different than the customer's or end user's. (Clearly this is closely related to requirements as well.) For example, the customer believed that the software would interface with its financial system, but what he didn't understand is that it requires third-party tools to work with the system. The vendor believes it works, and doesn't believe the third-party tools were its responsibility. "One party considers the need for more to be scope creep; another thinks it's what was promised," says Aidane. A similar situation occurs when the customer genuinely does not understand the limits of what they can get or, all too often, that there is a limit.
Ciccotti encountered this situation far too often in dealing with one executive earlier in his career. A project would get close to completion and be put in the test bed, he recounts, and this executive would want to redesign aspects that would result in 9-, 12-, even 18- month delays. "'Hey, it's just a little bit of code' was the exec's take," says Ciccotti. "We called it scope creep; he called it improvement," he says. Even where such changes are improvements, management must be willing to adjust schedules; if not, the human cost is high and the chances for project failure almost certain, he says.
You can't quite answer the question, "Who is the customer?"
Williams came into one company to save a failing project. In the first project management meeting he attended, he observed that team members did not want to talk with the project manager. Upon investigation, Williams found that one level up in management, no one was giving direction to this project because it had already failed three times—nobody wanted to touch it. At this point the project was running 17 months behind.
Why? The definition around customer was unclear, says Williams. The original customer had been defined as the customers of the company itself who would be able to access services, and who could enter and track different aspects of their information. The problem was, an internal operations group also wanted to access the back-end and get some of the functionality they wanted. Achieving the internal users' piece of the puzzle involved completely different requirements than achieving what the company's customer needed. The operations VP had inserted herself into what was originally meant to be a small and limited project and turned it into a huge and risky one.
When Williams brought this information to the VP's boss, the president, he shut that portion of the project down. The application for the more-limited project was successfully shown eight weeks later.
Nobody's talking about the human factor.
Overlooking people's "softer" side is a huge factor in project failures. "When we're working on teams, people are critical to success," says Ciccotti. "Process only takes it so far." In his work he often finds that people don't want to acknowledge that emotions drive us outside of the workplace—and in it.
At the end of the day, emotions are our key behavioral driver. Communication is a key component of the "human factor," and bad or poor communication is a sure road to project failure.
"You'd be surprised how many times I've come into organizations to work with their project managers and teams only to find that no one was really communicating much at all," he says. "The only times people were communicating was in the regular team meetings or the executive steering committee meetings, but even then, it's more about telling everyone what's going well, and not about telling them what's true."
In other words, poor communication is rampant generally, but especially in projects gone wrong. "I have never worked on or with any project team that was ultimately successful when there was poor or nonexistent communication," he says. "Communication is the lynchpin to success."
Download eBook: 7 Keys To Better Business and IT Collaboration – Through Effective IT/Business Collaboration


text:
DUBAI // Visitors to Turkey from the UAE have told of their terrifying ordeals as they were trapped by the failed coup.
John Paravalos, 43, a businessman from Dubai, was on a Turkish Airlines flight ready to take off from Istanbul Ataturk Airport at midnight on Friday when he was asked to get off as the airport had been brought to a standstill.
"Soon after, the airport was shut down," Mr Paravalos said.
He was stranded at the airport on Saturday, waiting for information and updates on whether he would be able to take another flight. "As soon as the coup started there were no airport staff.
"There were army people on the tarmac. They started shooting up in the air so everyone was trying to run and hide.
"Then there were Erdogan supporters running through the airport screaming 'Allahu Akbar'."
Mr Paravalos saw F-16 fighters and military helicopters. "There was a lot going on all night."
Uras G, a Turkish IT consultant in Dubai was spending his annual leave in Turkey but decided to go home early - if he could.
Flights on Emirates and Etihad Airways were cancelled.
Emirates said two flights to Ataturk airport would be delayed, but all flights to Sabiha Gokcen were cancelled.
Etihad announced it was cancelling all flights on Saturday.
But Uras managed to find a flight on FlyDubai that left early on Sunday. FlyDubai said its flights were operating again on schedule and that it would continue to monitor the situation closely.
"It all started on TV when they announced that two major bridges and the Sabiha Gokcen airport was shut down," he said. "Even the TV stations had no idea why the bridges and airport were shut down.
"At first I guessed they did it to prevent a possible terrorist attack, but right after Turkish military announced they had taken control.
"The scariest part was when they made the TRT's news presenter read the announcement of, 'We are not allowed to leave our houses and they are restricting exiting the country'.
"Later on the TV presenter Tijen Karakas announced that she had been forced to read the announcement by a group of soldiers holding guns.
"Then president Erdogan's speech followed and he encouraged people to go to the airports and streets and face off with the soldiers.
"We have heard prayers from the mosques non-stop since 1am, followed by the imams' announcement to the public to go out. We also heard war jets flying all night.
"The air traffic was shut down in Turkey and exiting the country was restricted by the military coup attempt. It felt like we were all trapped inside Turkey."
Uras and his family stayed indoors and followed the news until morning. He said they received an SMS from the Turkish government telling them to go on to the streets to defend democracy.
"Now the military coup attempt is over and people are expecting to go back to their normal lives," he said. "Obviously no one wanted a military coup and everyone was against it.
"On social media I see some people thought it was a staged coup attempt where Erdogan planned it to gain more power. And other groups were celebrating the victory against military. I hope this coup attempt brings people together instead of dividing them."
Sulaiman Al Hammadi, an Emirati father of five, was on his way to Turkey with his family when the coup started.
"They announced a state of emergency in Turkey while we are in the air and we were informed that the plane could not land at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, so the plane continued to fly for an additional half an hour before being allowed to land," Mr Al Hammadi said.
He was surprised after landing to see the airport was empty of employees and passengers.
Mr Al Hammadi and his family could not find a taxi close to the airport, so they carried their bags for a kilometre until they reached a military post, where they were prevented from crossing.
He spoke to the tourism office that had arranged his flight. One of the employees kindly allowed Mr Al Hammadi's family to stay with him while they sorted out the situation with the embassy.
He contacted the UAE Consul General in Istanbul, Khalifa Al Marzouqi, who said the mission was doing its best to help stranded Emiratis in Turkey.
"We lived through difficult hours on our arrival in Turkey, especially with the military aircraft and tanks deployed at each location in Istanbul," Mr Al Hammadi said.
3Novices Europe

subset: commoncrawl


text:
High Court of Madras
Case Details
Case Law Search
S.Indrani v. Government of Tamil Nadu - W.P.No.1241 of 1997 [2003] RD-TN 978 (6 November 2003)
Dated: 06/11/2003
The Honourable Mr.Justice F.M.IBRAHIM KALIFULLA W.P.No.1241 of 1997
S.Indrani .. Petitioner -Vs-
1. Government of Tamil Nadu,
represented by Secretary to
Government, Education,
Science and Technology (B.1) Department,
Fort St.George,
Chennai-600 009.
2. The Director of Elementary Education,
College Road,
Chennai-600 006.
3. The District Elementary
Education Officer,
Chennai-600 006.
4. The Assistant Education Officer,
Mylapore at Tenampet,
Chennai-600 018.
5. Sabhesan Bala Brindavan Primary
School, 31, Thiruvengadam Street,
R.A.Puram, Chennai-600 028,
rep. by its Correspondent and
Headmistress .. Respondents Petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying to issue a writ of Certiorarified Mandamus, for the reasons as stated therein.
For Petitioner : Mr.S.Silambannan
For Respondent : Mr.MGH. Varadarajan, AGP
for R1 to R4
Mr.S.B.S.Raman for
M/s.S.B.S.Raman & Associates
for R5
The petitioner seeks for the issuance of a Writ of Certiorarified Mandamus, to call for the records of the first respondent made in his Lr.No.27793/B1/94-9 dated 13-12-1995 confirming the order of the Asst.Education Officer dated 31-1-1991 made in proceedings No.A.TM.No.97/A/91, quash the same and direct the respondents 1 and 5 to fix the scale of pay of the petitioner at Rs.1,760/- with effect from 7-11-1 988 in accordance with G.O.Ms.No.304, Finance (Pay Commission) dated 28-3-1990 as applicable to persons who had exercised their option on or before 30-6-1990 and pay all arrears with attendant benefits.
2. The petitioner joined as Secondary Grade Assistant in the Municipal Higher Elementary School at Tiruvallur in the year 1965 and as Higher Grade Assistant in the fifth respondent school on 25-9-1967, and on 1-10-1970, the said post was upgraded as Secondary Grade post and she became a Secondary Grade Assistant in that school. In November, 1978, she was moved to the Selection Grade. Subsequently, she acquired additional qualifications, namely, M.A., M.Ed., and got four advance increments and two incentives in the year 1986. In view of the additional qualification, her basic pay was fixed at Rs.1,160/- with effect from 1-10-1996. On 1-10-1987, her pay was fixed in the basic pay of Rs.1,195/- which came to be periodically revised. On 7-11-1988, the petitioner was sanctioned the Special Grade and was fixed at Rs.1,265/- in the time scale of pay of Rs.780-35-1025-40-1385. By G.O. Ms.No.666, dated 27-6-1989, revision of scales of pay and allowances came to be made and since the petitioner exercised her option on 18-8-1989 to switch over to revised scale of pay with effect from 1-6-1988 as per G.O.Ms.No.666, her pay was re-fixed at Rs.1,530/- in the time scale of pay of Rs.1320-30-1560-40-2040.
By subsequent Government Order in G.O.Ms.No.735, dated 20-7-1989, instructions regarding fixation of pay scale came to be issued and due to which, the petitioner's pay was re-fixed at Rs.1,600/- in the scale of pay of Rs.1350-30-1440-1800-50-2200 with effect from 7-11-1988. It is stated that her pay was fixed at Rs.1,640/- on 1-10-1989. Thereafter, by G.O.Ms.No.304, dated 28-3-1990, the scales of pay for Selection/Special Grades were revised and para 9 of the said G.O. provided for exercise of option in respect of those employees who had already moved into the Selection Grade/Special Grade prior to 27-6-1989. It provided that option should be exercised on or before 30-6-1990 and if no option was exercised before the stipulated date, the pay would be fixed in the revised pay scale of Selection Grade/Special Grade with effect from 1-6-1988.
4. According to the petitioner, the fifth respondent school failed to communicate the implication of the above said G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990 and the option to be exercised and only when her pay was reduced from 1640/- to 1550/-, it came to light that it was by the implication of the above said G.O.Ms.No.304 and due to the failure in exercising the option before 30-6-1990. Thereafter, the petitioner was repeatedly making representations right from 19-11-1990, contending that the fifth respondent arbitrarily reduced her scale of pay vindictively, as the Headmistress of the fifth respondent school at that point of time had a grudge against the petitioner as the petitioner was drawing higher pay than that of the Headmistress by virtue of her additional qualifications. The petitioner, therefore, claimed that her pay should have been fixed at Rs.1,760/- with effect from 7-11-1988 from which date, she moved into Special Grade. Once the petitioner' s claim was rejected by the fourth respondent on 31-1-1991 which was also confirmed by the second respondent on 7-4-1993, the petitioner gave a further representation on 24-11-1993 to the second respondent, who forwarded the same to the first respondent which was also rejected by the first respondent. It is stated that the order of the second and fourth respondents were on the ground that the petitioner failed to exercise her option before 30-6-1990. In one of the communications, dated February, 1994 in No.1265/A/91, the fourth respondent who is stated to have verified the claim of the petitioner stated that the petitioner had no knowledge of G.O.Ms.No.304 as it was not duly intimated by the fifth respondent and so saying, he recommended the petitioner's case to the second respondent that the petitioner deserves to be extended with the said benefits.
5. According to the fifth respondent, the G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990 was orally made known to the teaching staff on 6-6-1990 and the failure of the petitioner to exercise her option on or before 30-6-19 90 cannot be attributed to the fifth respondent institution. To support the said version, the fifth respondent has come forward with additional affidavits sworn to by 13 teachers dated March 1997. The said affidavits also state that the Headmistress Tmt.N.Janaki announced about the above said G.O. on 6-6-90 to all of them including the petitioner after the reopening of the school. They also seek to state that it was not the customary practice in the school for any circular to be issued to the teaching staff in regard to the various Government Orders following Pay Commission Recommendations.
6. After hearing the learned counsel for the respective parties, and on a perusal of the G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990, I find that prior to the issuance of the said G.O., G.O.Ms.No.666 dated 27-6-1989 came to be issued by which, the first respondent decided to accept the recommendations of the V Pay Commission subject to certain changes in respect of certain categories of posts resulting in the introduction of 23 standard revised scales of pay as against 17 standard revised scales of pay and one nonstandard revised scale of pay. In para 9 of the said G.O., while dispensing with the present system of selection, Special and Senior Grades and advancement to the next higher posts (Special Temporary posts), the revised system t o be followed has been set out. Further under G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990, in partial modification of orders issued in para 9 of G.O.Ms.No.666 dated 27-6-1989 , the Government directed that the scheme of Selection Grade and Special Grade to be allowed to all the employees eligible for movement to Selection Grade and Special Grade as communicated in the Annexure-I to the present Government Order replacing the existing Appendix-VII to G.O.Ms.No.666. Thus, the Selection Grade/Special Grade which came to be removed under G.O.Ms.No.666 dated 27-6-1989 came to be restored under G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990.
7. Para 8 of G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990 provides that these orders would take effect from 1-6-1988 for those who have moved to Selection Grade/Special Grade prior to 27-6-1989 and that arrears of pay and allowances consequent on the issuance of the present G.O. to be regulated as per paragraph 8(vii) of G.O.Ms.No.666 dated 27-6-1989. In para 6 of G.O.Ms.No.304, the revised Selection Grade/Special Grade of scale of pay were indicated as in Annexure-I along with Fitment tables and illustrations which were given in Annexure II and III. In para 9 of G.O.Ms.No.304 it is stated as under:
"9. Employees already in the selection grade/special grade prior to 27th June 1989 shall be permitted to exercise revised option to come over to the revised scales of pay if they so desire. The option shall be exercised on or before 30th June 1990. Option once exercise shall be final. If no option is exercised before the stipulated date the pay shall be fixed in the revised scales of pay of selection grade/ special grade with effect from 1st June 1988."
8. The petitioner, by virtue of her service put in, even prior to G.O.Ms.No.666 dated 27-6-1989 had already moved to the Special Grade as early as on 7-11-1988. Therefore, paragraphs 8 and 9 of G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990 were applicable to her. In such circumstances, admittedly, the reduction in her scale of pay as claimed by her came into being by virtue of her failure to exercise the option before 30-6-1990.
9. While the petitioner would contend that she was not made aware of G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990, the fifth respondent would contend that the implication of the G.O. was orally communicated to the teaching staff in the Staff room on 6-6-1990 i.e. after the reopening of school and soon after the Assembly. To support the said stand, the fifth respondent filed counter a affidavit along with supporting affidavits of 13 other teachers sworn to by them in the month of March, 199 7. The details of the 13 teachers as to whether they had moved into Selection Grade/Special Grade either on or before 27-6-1989 have not been stated. It is not known whether any of the said 13 teachers was given any benefit by virtue of acquiring the status as Selection Grade/Special grade as per G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-6-1990.
10. Under Section 18(1)(b) of the Tamil Nadu Recognised Private Schools (Regulations) Act, 1973, it is specifically provided that it is the responsibility of the School Committee and the Educational Agency to appoint teachers and other employees of private schools, fix their pay and allowances and define their duties and the conditions of their service. Under Section 14 of the Act, the payment of grant is dependent upon the rules, orders and notifications issued by the Government from time to time. Under Section 27 of the Act, the pay and allowances of any teacher and other person employed in any private school should be paid on or before such day of every month in such a manner by or through such Authority, Officer or person as may be prescribed. Under Rule 19 of the Tamil Nadu Recognised Private Schools ( Regulation) Rules, 1974 the procedure for pay and allowances to teachers and other persons employed in private schools has to be made as per Annexure III.
11. Therefore, a conspectus reading of the various provisions of the Act as well as the Rules make it clear that it is the duty as well as the responsibility of the fifth respondent institution to ensure that the pay of every teacher or other person employed in its institution is correctly fixed and paid in accordance with the above said provisions. Admittedly, the fifth respondent school is in existence for more than three decades. Therefore, the stand of the fifth respondent that a vital Government Order fixing the scale of pay of Selection Grade/Special Grade teachers was orally communicated is quite amusing. The supporting affidavits sworn to by the said 13 teachers cannot be accepted in such a situation. It is the bounden duty and responsibility of the fifth respondent to state clearly that the benefits under G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990, its implications and the conditions to be complied with for availing the benefits were clearly set out and indicated in a proper manner either by communicating to individual teachers in writing or atleast by displaying the said notification in the concerned Notice Board was carried out and that in spite of such exercise, if the concerned teacher had not complied with the conditions of the G.O., then only any blame can be thrown upon the concerned teacher for any short fall in the payment of the salary payable to such teacher. Therefore, I am unable to accept the stand of the fifth respondent institution that an oral announcement was made about the G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990 in the staff room on 6-6-1990 and therefore, the petitioner's failure to exercise her option before 30-6 -1990 cannot be attributed to the fifth respondent institution.
12. Further, the petitioner has also specifically averred in ground Nos.(G) (I) and (J) to the effect that she never exercised the option to her detriment as has been mentioned in the statement of fixation of pay made by the fifth respondent on 4-6-1990. Significantly, in the counter affidavit, there is no whisper as to the above said averments made by the petitioner either about the grudge alleged against the Headmistress of the fifth respondent school or about the non exercise of option on 4-6-1990. When the consistent stand of the fifth respondent school that the G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990 was made known to the staff only on 6-6-1990, it is not known as to how in the pay fixation statement prepared by it on 2-7-1990, it came to be mentioned that the petitioner exercised her option even two days earlier, that was on 4-6-1990. Therefore, it is clearly established that the fifth respondent school with some mala fide motive deliberately with a view to deprive the petitioner of the monetary benefits that was made available under G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990 made it appear as though the petitioner on her own did not want to avail the benefits under the said G.O. When the exercise of option before 30-6-1990 would entail the petitioner to avail better monetary benefits under G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990, even assuming, as per the endorsement contained in the pay fixation statement, she exercised her option on 4-6-1990, there is no reason why she was not accorded better benefit under the said G.O. The exercise of option is only to avail the benefits and not to withdraw from it. Therefore, going by the pay fixation statement as contained in the service record, if the petitioner had exercised the option on 4-6-1990, there is no reason why the benefit was not accorded to the petitioner, instead a reduction in the pay scale was made by the fifth respondent. Significantly while the option exercised by the petitioner under the other Government Order in G.O.Ms.No.73 5 dated 20-7-1989 finds a place in the service book, the so called alleged option dated 4-6-1990 does not find a place in the service book. Therefore, all was not well with the fifth respondent school when it came to the question of pay fixation of the petitioner pursuant to G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990. When such a conclusion is inescapable, the blame is to be borne only by the fifth respondent school and in which event, it is for the fifth respondent school to make good the loss suffered by the petitioner.
13. Therefore, while setting aside the orders impugned in this Writ Petition, the fourth respondent is directed to fix the scale of pay of the petitioner at Rs.1760/- with effect from 7-11-1988 in accordance with G.O.Ms.No.304 dated 28-3-1990 and work out the benefit payable to the petitioner and pass appropriate orders directing the fifth respondent school to pay the amounts so determined with all consequential benefits by stipulating a time limit and make it a condition for salary grant for the month succeeding the date of its order. The fourth respondent shall pass such orders within two months from the date of production/receipt of copy of this order and for the purpose of carrying out the above said exercise, an opportunity may be given to the petitioner as well as to the fifth respondent before passing final orders.
In the result, the Writ Petition succeeds and the same is allowed with the above directions. No costs. Consequently, W.M.P. is closed.
Internet: Yes
1. Government of Tamil Nadu,
represented by Secretary to
Government, Education,
Science and Technology (B.1) Department,
Fort St.George,
Chennai-600 009.
2. The Director of Elementary Education,
College Road,
Chennai-600 006.
3. The District Elementary
Education Officer,
Chennai-600 006.
4. The Assistant Education Officer,
Mylapore at Tenampet,
Chennai-600 018.
5. Sabhesan Bala Brindavan Primary
School, 31, Thiruvengadam Street,
R.A.Puram, Chennai-600 028,
rep. by its Correspondent and
Double Click on any word for its dictionary meaning or to get reference material on it.


text: In New York, as in most places around the country, flu season is hitting hard. "It's a bad year," city health commissioner Thomas Farley said yesterday. "We've got lots of flu, it's mainly type AH3N2, which tends to be a little more severe." Statewide, 19,000 cases have already been reported, compared to only 4,000 throughout all of last season. Yesterday, Governor Cuomo set an example by receiving a very public flu shot from state Health Commissioner Neil Shah, which also gave him an opportunity to prove that he's not opposed to all gun ownership. You got a permit for those, Governor?


text:
Carrie McKnelly is a designer, researcher, and educator. Invested in a material-centric process, her research aims to design formal conditions which are intrinsically linked to active material behaviors. Carrie has presented her research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Ohio State University, and Rhode Island School of Design.
Carrie received a Master of Architectural Studies in Computation and Design at M.I.T. and a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute. From 2015 to 2016, she was the Howard E. LeFevre '26 Emerging Practitioner Fellow at the Knowlton School of Architecture. During her fellowship, Carrie taught undergraduate and graduate design courses and advanced her research on knit material systems. In addition to OSU, Carrie has taught at Pratt Institute and MIT. From 2009 to 2013 Carrie was a designer at SOFTlab, in New York City, where she designed and fabricated award winning, large scale installations.
Carrie is currently a Computational Designer at Nike and resides in Portland, OR.
Say hi @ email@example.com
Check out the time I learned how to make almost anything @ htmaa
Follow me on instagram!


text:
Coombes Church stands in a most dramatic location, in a fold of the South Downs above a working farmyard. Since it was built in the twelfth century little has changed in terms of its external appearance although larger windows were inserted as part of later medieval updating.
The church is built of the ubiquitous local flint, with dressings of Caen Stone from Normandy easily brought here by boat via the estuary of the River Adur. Nave and chancel have a continuous roofline with its south side being roofed entirely of Horsham Slab. A window in the south side of the chancel has a rare blocked round window. This formed a 'low side window' a fairly common feature found in English churches.
During the celebration of the Mass a bell was rung to identify the most important part in the ceremony. In churches which had a tower a large bell was rung, but in a small country church a kneeling priest would have rung a handbell through a low window facing the centre of population. The practice ceased at the Reformation and in the nineteenth century churches with such a feature liked to tell their visitors that these little low windows had been used by lepers who would not have been allowed in the building. This explanation, however, is entirely spurious.
The church has an uneven floor of old brick and tile containing a few incised slabs and inscriptions. There are substantial remains of wall paintings discovered in 1949. They date from the early twelfth century. The south wall of the nave has scenes from the Nativity as well as decorative motifs. In the north soffit of the chancel arch is a very rare figure of a man supporting a very heavy beam. It is of Byzantine origin and is an unusual subject.


text:
Berkshire Hathaway Starck Real Estate - St. Charles
1607 E Main St
St. Charles, IL 60174
As the Managing Broker of the St. Charles branch office of Berkshire Hathaway Starck Real Estate, I proudly represent my company and the 35 full-time real estate professionals who call our office home.
Berkshire Hathaway Starck Real Estate St. Charles maintains a customer centric philosophy, while bringing incomparable technology systems to bear on all of our business services. We have a prime, downtown location with a managerial team who prides themselves on being ethical visionaries. We are a smaller office that provides personal attention to our agents, as well as to our clients.


text:
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This is a reasonable process map for the BtB sales cycle & pipeline management. It touches on opportunity analysis and sales strategy, where my passion lies. In this piece, I will build the case for a particular business model in … Continue reading
Future of Physical Security Regardless of a forward thinking agenda, how can our largest trade organizations (Security Industry Association (SIA) and the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS)) actually influence the direction of the industry toward relevance and growth? Is … Continue reading
If you are attending #ISCWest, please stop by room 307 and join me for the session: Information Security Convergence: Defining a New Business Model. See you there!
Generations Y & Millenials As large corporations struggle with changing demographics affecting both their workforce and clients, younger generations Y and Millenials are bringing different attitudes and values to the workplace. In response, large corporations are experimenting with unconventional business … Continue reading
Is Working Hard Good Enough? We all have a tendency to keep our head down and live in our own discipline, or trade, ignoring the impact of related technologies and/or related industries. After all, most of us were taught focus = … Continue reading
In my work activities, I often feel constrained by conventional expectations, similar to the idea depicted above in this cartoon. The so-called "Real World" factors limiting our ability to implement outside-the-box thinking… but for one morning, I am going to … Continue reading
The disconnect between design professionals and their clients has been an aspect of project delivery that I have lived with most of my career. I never truly understood the cause, but I understand better now… in retrospect. My recent consulting … Continue reading
Is Security ONE Discipline? In speaking with end-users, I never cease to be amazed at the expectation for a consultant's knowledge-base and skill-set. I have been working in physical security for over 30 years and I feel just recently I … Continue reading
Just returned from speaking at the annual PSATec Conference (www.psasecurity.com) and was thoroughly surprised by the strong emphasis on Cybersecurity… For those that don't know PSA, it is an organization that supports a large national group of physical security integrators. While … Continue reading
I know the majority of folks holding positions in our public legal system and in law enforcement are good people trying to do what's right… and I badly want to believe Police Departments and District Attorneys will be responsible with … Continue reading


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Seriously, who doesn't love a classic military wedding? Military weddings are so steeped in tradition, respect, and our American history that it's hard not to fall in love with this wedding theme. There's a lot that goes into planning a wedding, whether it's military or not, however a military wedding can have a set of different guidelines. And if you're having the ceremony on base or off base, many of these traditions and guidelines are carried over, even to Val Vista Lakes.
The Military Wedding Ceremony
There is a very high degree of tradition when it comes to a military wedding, which is the reason why so many military families tend to choose this option. Having your ceremony off base is completely acceptable to all functions of the military; however it should be run by your installation to be sure.
Many military wedding ceremonies contract the Army, Navy, or Air Force chaplains to oversee the ceremony. In most cases, the military chaplain are commissioned officers who are paid by the service they represent, so you will not need to pay them a fee should you chose to get married on base.
One of grandest functions of a military wedding is the Arch of Sabers, where the newlyweds walk under an array of curved swords. Only commissioned officers can carry these swords and participate in this portion of the ceremony, which can include 6 to 8 officers who "Arch sabers" when the newly married couple makes their way out of the chapel. Military tradition here varies; sometimes the final officer will touch the shoulder of the bride with the sword to represent a welcome to the military, other times the final two officers will lower their swords to block the couple from completing their walk without a "kiss to pass."
Military Wedding Attire
As with the Arch of Sabers, this is another big reason why couples choose to have a military wedding. Who can resist a man in uniform, right? Since your wedding day is the first day of your new life together, the first day of new traditions, promises and family, it's also a good idea to have the military be a big part of that. If the military is going to be your new lives together, why not have it be part of your wedding.
The military uniform is truly what makes a military wedding…well, a military wedding. Attire requirement vary depending on rank and military branch, so it's always best to check with the base protocol officer to find out exactly what is appropriate attire. Here are some suggestions from The Knot:
- Mess dress uniform is worn for both ultra-formal and formal weddings (i.e., a white or black-tie affair). For most branches, this means a dark-blue uniform, but during the summer months, the army and navy men may wear white pants.
- Class-A or Service dress uniform is appropriate at a semiformal event (comparable to a suit). Like the Mess dress uniforms, these are also dark-blue and sometimes with white pants.
- The bride and bridesmaids can wear their uniforms (if applicable) but many military brides opt for a traditional white wedding gown. Bridesmaids might wear navy bridesmaids' gowns to complement the colors of the men's uniforms, or any other color dress the bride prefers.
- If any of the groomsmen are members of a different service than the groom (Army instead of Navy, for example), they simply wear a uniform of comparable formality to his. The groom and best man do not wear gloves because they will be handling the rings, but the other ushers wear white gloves throughout the ceremony. Boutonnieres are never worn with uniforms; instead, officers wear their military decorations.
- Should the fathers of the bride or groom be active or retired officers, they may wear uniforms. So may mothers, although they usually choose to wear traditional mother-of-the-bride attire.
- Any non-military wedding-party members simply wear traditional wedding clothes of the same level of formality as those in uniform.
- Military guests (active or retired) may wear their uniforms or traditional formal attire. For a black- or white-tie affair, put "Mess dress uniform invited" on the invites to request that your guests come in uniform. For a semiformal wedding put either "Class A uniform invited" or "Service dress uniform invited."


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Episode 1 - Sub Rosa (MISS Pilot)
Welcome to the pilot episode, everyone! That's right, we're giving you our first episode AFTER we gave you our second. Sound crazy? Not as crazy as "Sub Rosa", which was Episode 14 of Season 7 of The Next Generation.
NOTE: We call the show Memory Zeta in this episode, which was the original name for the podcast.


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The phrase 'transit of Venus' refers to the passage of the planet Venus across the face of the sun, as seen from Earth. Such transits occur in pairs eight years apart, with an interval of over 100 years between the pairs. In 1677 the English astronomer and mathematician Edmund Halley, drawing upon the work of mathematician James Gregory, proposed that an accurate measurement of the time it took for Venus to cross the sun would provide a measurement for the distance of Earth from the sun (known as the astronomical unit, or AU), and thus allow for an accurate determination of the size of the solar system.
Halley worked out that the next transit would occur in 1761, by which time he might reasonably expect to be dead. In 1716 he read his famous 'Admonition' paper to the Fellows of the Royal Society: it set out the importance of organising expeditions to observe each transit from a number of locations around the world and described the calculations necessary for determining Earth's distance from the sun. This paper was published that same year in volume 29 of the Philosophical Transactions.
Orrery demonstrating the transit of Venus
The first object in this section is a model of the transit of Venus dated to about 1760 and made by Benjamin Cole of London. The model is a mechanical planetarium, or orrery, and was built to demonstrate the principles of the transit of Venus. The model is not to scale, but shows the essential relationships between Earth, Venus and the sun for the period of the transit. Turning the handle causes Venus to pass across the face of the sun, while Earth rotates about its axis. The slanting line inscribed around Earth indicates the southern limit of potential observation sites, while the clock face below shows the transit duration. The time taken for the transit — over six hours when viewed from Tahiti — was a major factor in the selection of sites from which observations would be made. This model was donated to the Royal Society by one of its Fellows, John Boyle, 5th Earl of Orrery and Cork.
Despite extensive preparations, the observations taken of the transit of Venus in 1761 proved inconclusive. Poor weather conditions hampered the taking of observations in many places, and in some locations the sun had set before observations of the transit could be completed. The Royal Society therefore resolved to make the most of the transit expected on 3 June 1769 by sending out an expedition to observe it from the South Seas, where the six-hour transit would fall during the middle of the day. The cost of mounting such an expedition was beyond the Society's resources, so it approached King George III for financial assistance in February 1768.
Memorial presented to King George III by the Royal Society
The Fellows' petition, titled 'Memorial presented to King George III by the Royal Society requesting financial assistance to undertake an observation of the transit of Venus from an island in the South Seas', stresses the significant advantages to navigation that would arise from an increased knowledge of astronomy, and concludes with an appeal to national pride:
The British Nation have been justly celebrated in the learned world for their knowledge of Astronomy in which they are inferior to no Nation upon Earth, Ancient or Modern; and it would cast dishonour upon them should they neglect to have correct Observations made of this important Phenomenon.
Under diplomatic pressure from Spain, which was once more asserting its customary 'ownership' of the Pacific, as bestowed by Pope Alexander VI in the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), George III was happy to have the 'purely scientific' excuse the petition supplied for a venture into the South Seas. The king gave his assent to the petition within a week: not only did he agree to underwrite the costs of the voyage and to provide funds to cover the salaries and expenses of the astronomers, as requested, he also made available a Royal Navy ship, with officers and crew, and fully provisioned with victuals and stores.
Joseph Banks, a wealthy gentleman botanist, was permitted to join the voyage; he spent an estimated £10,000 of his own money (more than the amount spent by the Crown) hiring and equipping the civilian scientific party that accompanied him.
Letter from James Cook to Charles Morton
The visitor comes next to a letter from James Cook, Rio de Janeiro, to Charles Morton, Secretary of the Royal Society, dated 30 November 1768. Cook's letter informed the Royal Society of the poor treatment those on board the Endeavour had received from the Portuguese viceroy at Rio de Janeiro. The viceroy refused to believe that the British king would have sent a ship to the South Seas on such a fool's errand as the observation of an eclipse and concluded that the Endeavour's real purpose was smuggling or piracy.
In the letter, Cook explains to the Secretary of the Royal Society that
neither Mr Green nor myself hath as yet been able to make any Observations worthy of the Attention of the Royal Society, no one Gentleman in this ship have been permitted to go ashore at this place.
He also informed the Fellows that he had expended £15/14/9 on their account. Banks, having been prevented from collecting his botanical specimens, also roundly criticised the viceroy in his letters, using much less temperate language that probably reflected the feelings of all on board. Pointing out the pitiful state of the Portuguese defences, he urged the Royal Navy to avenge this insult by sending ships to Rio de Janeiro to bombard the port into submission.
I am not at a loss to Assign the true reason the Vice Roy had for treating us in the manner he hath ... he only pleaded Custom & the orders of His Court, the first of which he could not support by any Precedent, and the latter appear'd very dubious from the different treatment the Spanish Packet which put in here met with; the account we gave of our Selves, of being bound to the Southward to observe the Transit of Venus [—] a phenomenon they had not the least Idea of [—] appeared so very strange to these narrow minded Portuguese that they thought it only an invented Story to cover some other design we must be upon, this I believe to be the reason for the unpresidential reception we met with here. (Extract)
12-inch astronomical quadrant made by John Bird
A 12-inch astronomical quadrant, by John Bird, used in the transit of Venus observations, is also featured in the exhibition. The quadrant was intended for use in establishing the latitude and to assist in the calculation of the longitude of Point Venus, Tahiti, where the transit observations were made. It was kept in a tent erected as a portable observatory, itself surrounded by a palisade constructed by the British on Point Venus, at one end of Matavai Bay. A guard stood outside the tent at all times.
Despite these precautions, the quadrant was stolen and Banks (whose command of the Tahitian language and close relationships with the district's chiefs gave him the capacity to negotiate) set off to secure its return. When the quadrant was finally given back, it had suffered some damage. Fortunately, Herman Spöring, who served as clerk, assistant naturalist, artist and personal secretary to Banks on the expedition, was also a trained watchmaker. He carried with him a set of watchmaking tools and so was able to repair the instrument in time for the transit observation.
Four-pounder cannon from HMB Endeavour, about 1745
A key object included here, the Endeavour cannon, is one of the treasures of the Museum's own National Historical Collection. The cannon was one of six jettisoned by Cook to lighten the Endeavour after it ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef in 1770. Nearly 200 years later, a team sponsored by the American Academy of Natural Sciences recovered all six cannon and other ballast from the waters off the north Queensland coast.
The inclusion of one of these cannon here makes the link between the scientific imperative to record the transit of Venus and the British Admiralty's desire that the Cook expedition should explore southern waters and document unknown territories and lands. And so, after he left Tahiti, Cook ventured south, in accordance with his secret instructions to search for the Great South Land, and circumnavigated New Zealand before sailing east and encountering the Australian continent near what is now known as Point Hicks, on the eastern coast of Victoria.
Plates from Banks' Florilegium
Three plates from the Museum's own set of the Banks' Florilegium, printed and hand-coloured in a limited edition in 1980–90 by Alecto Historical Editions, in association with the British Museum, are also displayed. These beautiful illustrations are material reminders of the central role science played in the Cook expedition; more particularly, they remind us of Banks' extraordinary commitment to natural science and ethnographic collecting over the course of the Endeavour's voyage. He and other members of his scientific party, such as fellow naturalist Daniel Solander, collected thousands of botanical specimens, many of which served as models for Sydney Parkinson's fine watercolours, from which the print plates for the Banks' Florilegium were created.


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A tragedy happened last month – our trusted 29" RCA tube television dropped dead.
My wife and I have had that thing for about a decade and we hated to see it go. Still, we saw the death of that television as an excuse to go out and buy a 1080p, 42" LCD television so that we could take advantage of the wacky, wonderful world of HDTV.
The television is a thing of beauty. The picture looks great on it and the TV fits very well in our living e.
There is a major, major, major damned problem with HDTV sets, however. My NES, Super NES and Sega Genesis look pretty rough on that set. I figured I'd mod those systems to S-video one of these days so as to improve the picture.
Ah, but the SNES is connected with S-video and the picture still isn't great. Drat. It seems that the native, 240p signal those old consoles put out doesn't play well on a 1080p set.
That, folks, is a major drag. Sure, I could plug my old systems into the television in the bedroom (it's a tube TV), but that wouldn't solve my problem of playing games late at night in the living room.
I can get buy on my Sony Playstation, Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo Wii on the new television, but those systems will never touch the appeal of the classic systems as far as I'm concerned.
By the way. That Nintendo Wii. Don't buy one. Once the novelty wears off, you'll realize you've got a system with the graphical capability of a Nintendo Gamecube but with a worse controller. Yeah, I know that Wii remote is innovative, but so was the Atari 5200 joystick. A suck controller is a suck controller whether it's innovative or not. The Wi-Fi support is terrible, too, as the main purpose of it seems to be using it to buy Wiiware – terrible, nasty little games that hog up the system's pitiful amount of internal storage. The only system I've owned that was more of a personal disappointment than the Wii was an Atari Jaguar. That's saying something.
I suppose that's to be expected. I mean, come on – my dog likes to wee on bushes in the backyard. Whenever I hear the word "Wii," I think of my dog hiking his leg up on a fence post. Somehow that seems very fitting.
Here's a tip for those of you with Wiis, by the way. The crap games that go to that system sell much better on eBay when they are unopened. Keep that in mind the next time a well-meaning relative gives you a Wii game – it's not a total loss because some sucker out there will be willing to purchase it on eBay and will pay a premium if the stinky game is in its original, factory shrink rap.
At any rate, I'm kind of mad someone out there could have designed an HDTV television set that could reproduce signals from old video games, VCRs and DVD players. The HDTV we bought is great, but I had no idea I'd be stuck playing a damned Wii unless I wanted to plug in, say, my Genesis and hope for the best.


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PORTLAND, Ore.
DON'T get Stephen R. McCarthy started on cocktails. At Clear Creek Distillery here, which he has operated for more than 20 years, he makes grappas and marcs, brandies and liqueurs. He makes a whiskey that is a dead ringer for an Islay single malt.
But his first love are the gorgeous, impeccably pure eaux de vie that he makes from pears and plums, cherries and raspberries, and even, in a distinctly Northwestern touch, from the springtime buds of Douglas firs.
Producing wonderful eau de vie is a little like being the greatest bouzouki player in America: regardless of your virtuosity, your audience will be small. Yet among the select group of eau de vie fans are bartenders, and they have cast their imaginative eyes on Clear Creek's eaux de vie as just the ingredients they need to create the next new thing.
Why should this trouble Mr. McCarthy? Well, you have to understand about eau de vie. Reducing good eau de vie to its dictionary definition, a colorless fruit brandy, is like describing life as breathing. It may be technically correct, yet it misses the mystery of how the dense, aromatic power of an entire orchard of fruit can possibly be packed into a single glass.
Mr. McCarthy's eaux de vie capture the three-dimensional aromas and flavors of each particular fruit with an almost breathtaking clarity, intensity and depth; the last thing he wants is to lose that luminescent individuality to the blended harmony of a cocktail. While the tall, bearded Mr. McCarthy is ordinarily mild-mannered and affable, his tone hardens when the subject turns to cocktails.Continue reading the main story
"We don't consciously sell to that market," he said as we walked among the four small copper-topped pot stills in his bright new distillery. "We get these bright-eyed and bushy-tailed bartenders who've invented something, and that's great. Maybe I'm dead wrong, but I've sought out the fruit and gone to great lengths to insure their purity."
The battle for an audience is not a new thing for Mr. McCarthy. He has seen a revolution in food and wine in his 64 years. He has watched as a cola-swilling nation has embraced wine and microbrewed beers, whiskeys and cuisines from around the world. Somehow, the joys of eau de vie were overlooked.
The tradition of making eau de vie stretches back centuries in the hills and valleys of Europe, especially in Alsace. Its name, which literally means water of life, originally described any distilled spirit, but it has come to mean the unsweetened fruit brandies that were born of necessity.
"It's November, and the fruit is going to rot: what do we do with it?" Mr. McCarthy asked, casting himself back several hundred years. "These products were developed by starving farmers who knew they had to use every little bit of their produce or die."
Mr. McCarthy understands that kind of thinking. His grandfather and great-grandfather settled in the Hood Valley in 1909, where they tended a few hundred acres of pears and apples. It was a tenuous existence. The family lost the orchards in the Great Depression, but bought them back after World War II.
When Mr. McCarthy's generation came of age, his younger brother Mike focused on rejuvenating the orchards and Mr. McCarthy took charge of another family business, making parts for hunting guns, which required trips to Europe. There he had an epiphany. The Williams pears used to produce pear eau de vie there were identical to the Bartlett pears in the family orchard.
In that moment Clear Creek was born. Mr. McCarthy acquired a still and produced his first experimental batch of eau de vie in 1985 in a much smaller warehouse a few blocks away. He had no model for what he was trying to do. Germain-Robin and St. George Spirits, two other pioneering microdistilleries, were starting out in California at roughly the same time. Nowadays, Portland alone is home to six microdistilleries.
In 1987 Mr. McCarthy added a second still. Since he was a virtual one-man distiller, bookkeeper and floor-scrubber, production stayed tiny until 2000. "After that," he said, "capitalism began to work its magic, and we couldn't make enough."
Last year Clear Creek moved to a much larger building in a district of low-slung warehouses, allowing Mr. McCarthy to add two more stills, double production and introduce a line of fruit liqueurs in flavors like cassis, cherry, pear and — that Northwest touch — loganberry.
Along the way he learned that pear brandy is no walk in the woods. In fact, it's a bear.
"The Bartlett is like the pinot noir grape, fussy and finicky," he said. "The most important thing is the ripeness of the Bartlett. You have to pick it at the right time, and then you have to ripen them — you can't tree-ripen a Bartlett. You have to store them at just the right temperature and humidity."
But there's no way around the Bartlett. "You can take a really nice Bosc, which in my mind is a great pear," Mr. McCarthy said. "But it makes a really flabby eau de vie with absolutely no aroma."
A ripe pear has far less sugar than ripe wine grapes. It requires deft handling and, once distillation begins, pinpoint control.
"You can't just press a button and walk away," Mr. McCarthy said. "If you wait too long you lose pronounced aromatics. Too soon, and it's nasty."
The pear eau de vie is bottled fresh, not aged, and Mr. McCarthy suggests serving it chilled and straight up. Its aroma is explosively intense, the essence of Bartlett pears pure and without heat, despite its 80 proof strength. Clear Creek also produces a small lot of pear eau de vie in which the fruit is actually grown inside the bottles.
While pear makes up more than half of Clear Creek's business, Mr. McCarthy added other fruit. Blue plum offers a beautifully sweet and delicate aroma of herbs, anise and fruit, while mirabelle — yellow plum — seems three-dimensionally phantomlike, as if the aromas take shape and then transform as they linger.
Kirsch, made of Oregon and Washington cherries, seems muted at first but comes alive in a subtle, minty aroma that evolves into the essence of sugared cherries. By contrast, framboise, made with raspberries, is all power: direct and intense if somewhat simple.
And then there's the Douglas fir eau de vie. Mr. McCarthy and his crew travel to a mountain property, where they snip the green buds of the fir and drop them immediately into buckets of clear brandy. After the buds macerate, the fir-infused brandy, now green, is redistilled.
The distillation process robs the eau de vie of its color, so Mr. McCarthy heads back to the trees to snip more buds, which are dropped into it for several weeks longer, until it achieves a lovely pale citrine color. He then adds pear brandy to round off its evergreen edge.
The resulting eau de vie is a penetrating blast of forest aroma. On the palate it has the herbal, stomach-settling effect of an Italian digestif.
Whether there's a bigger noncocktail market for eau de vie is an open question, but then Mr. McCarthy never really concerned himself with planning.
"Cuisine, wine and eau de vie: I just figured they all fit together," he said. He requires little of eau de vie fans. "One bottle a year is all I ask."Continue reading the main story


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Justice is a social convention, differing from place to place, but created by rulers for their own advantage. The strong do what they can and the weak suffer as they must.
These sentiments can be found in a cultural studies text book or read on an activists blog; yet they are found in a famous work of philosophy called 'The Republic' by Plato.
The Sophist Thrasymachus (459-400 BC) was a renown teacher of rhetoric who created and perfected several rhetorical styles. Plato (disapprovingly) claimed Thrasymachus could emotionally manipulate large crowds and Aristotle credited him as one of the original founders of rhetoric whose work revolutionized the fledgling field.
In The Republic Plato portrays Thrasymachus (whose name means 'bold-fighter') as a fiery young man who forces his way into a philosophical defense of Justice by Socrates:
Now Thrasymachus start out many times to take over the argument in the midst of our discussion, but he had been restrained by the men sitting near him, who wanted to hear the argument out. But when we paused and I said this, he could no longer keep quiet; hunched up like a wild beast, he flung himself at us as if to tear us to pieces.His anger is important. It is the frustrated anger of a young man challenging the traditions and beliefs of his elders and finding them wanting. Virtue and Justice are just lies to trick fools into accepting laws which benefit their rulers. Look to nature, Thrasymachus demands, where we see dominance of the weak by the strong; look to our cities where the unjust and the dishonest prosper while the honest and just suffer. Does Socrates really believe shepherds toil for the benefit of their sheep and rulers toil for our welfare?
Many of us, I suspect, are cynical enough to agree with Thrasymachus. The political Right is comfortable deploying the grammar of universal ethics defended by Plato and yet so often fall far short of their professed ideals, sometimes to the point of outright corruption. Meanwhile the Left has largely abandoned such moralistic language for sociological analysis of power relationships between gender and class groupings.
If Thrasymachus is correct, only the weak follow laws while the wise seek to twist them to their own advantage. Is this an unpalatable truth or simply fatalistic pessimism of the world weary?


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Missing, presumed dead
As in other countries, many people go missing in Ireland every year. While the majority are safely reunited with their families, a small minority remain on the Garda National Missing Persons List. For those left behind, this can be a very difficult time. The following information explains the legal situation regarding the estate and possessions of a missing person.
If someone is thought to be dead but there is no body (for example, because a person was lost at sea), all of their assets and property are usually frozen to allow time for dealing with the deceased's estate. Two exceptions to this are where the property is jointly owned or where someone has Power of Attorney to deal with their property or money in their absence.
Dealing with the deceased's legacy
Normally, you will not be entitled to a Death Certificate or to any pension, life insurance or bereavement-based social welfare payment in respect of the person who is missing/believed dead. However, there are two exceptions to this.
The first exception is in the case where there is strong evidence that the missing person is, in fact, dead. Normally, an inquest cannot be held unless there is a body. However, under Section 23 of the Coroners Act 1962, a Coroner may make a submission to the Minister for Justice and Equality requesting an inquest if he/she has to reason to believe that a death has occurred in or near his/her district in such circumstances that an inquest is appropriate even though the body may have been destroyed (for example, in a fire) or be unrecoverable (for example, after a drowning). If the Minister thinks it proper, he/she may direct an inquest to be held in relation to the death. A Garda report of the accident is usually submitted and if the verdict by the Coroner is that the missing person is dead, the person can legally be presumed dead and the death can be registered. Only then can the person's property be distributed, his or her life insurance and pension paid out, and their dependants be entitled to bereavement-related social welfare payments.
While there is no Irish legislation, the general rule in all other cases (where an inquest cannot be held) is that an application can be made to the High Court once the person has been missing for seven years or more. It may not always be necessary to wait for seven years before applying if there is a very clear implication from the circumstances that the person is dead. The High Court will then examine the situation, and if it finds (on the balance of probabilities) that the person is more likely to be dead than alive, a declaration will be made that the missing person is legally to be presumed dead. Once the High Court declaration has been obtained, the person's property may be distributed, life insurance and pension paid out, and the bereavement-related social welfare payments paid to entitled dependants.
If a friend or family member goes missing, contact your local Garda station.


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I think I've already mentioned The Penultimate Truth by Philip K Dick but it really does have the most annoying ending ever written.
Compared to PKD's other books this is relatively sane in its writing style and the plot mostly makes sense. You don't have to spend 20 minutes deciphering individual paragraphs, you don't have to work out of two people are really one person or if something is just a hallucination. It's a story about false realities and the way governments keep the majority of people in the dark via the media. Basically 99% of the population live in bunkers deep underground and think the world above is some radiation-destroyed, mutant-filled nightmare, whilst the remaining 1% live above ground in huge luxurious parks. The book then includes all the usual dystopian shenanigans. Right up to the climax. Which of the two warring powers above ground will succeed? What was the truth about all the weirdness that was happening? Unfortunately for the reader the main character decides he has had enough of all the intrigue and goes to live underground. And never finds out the ultimate answer. So neither does the reader.
Like Lovecraft on those days when he can't be bothered to describe his monster, you're left with an overwhelming urge to hit the author over the head with the book.
Even Better 30 Day Song Challenge – Day 26 – Track That Everyone Else Seems To Love But That You Don't Like Much
I don't understand the point of Lady Gaga, its just bad pop music performed by someone (who looks like Marilyn Manson on a good day) in silly outfits. At least when David Bowie did the cross gender crazy outfits he was producing amazing music.


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The University of Iowa's Faculty Innovators Workshop is a four week course on commercializing innovative research and technology.
In a climate where funding from the NIH and other federal agencies is becoming more competitive, the program is designed to provide UI faculty, staff, and students with the opportunity to further develop marketable ideas. This has been shown to greatly increase the likelihood of receiving SBIR and other funding.
"Faculty Innovators is a crash course in business with top notch advisors. It's the go-to resource to start commercializing academic discoveries," said Kristi Thiel, Co-Founder of Immortagen and Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Iowa.
This program gives participants an introduction to the NSF I-Corps program, and immediate access to a $2,500 grant to help bring ideas to life. At the conclusion of the program, participants are encouraged to proceed with the Venture School program or apply to the national NSF I-Corps team program to receive an additional $50,000 in funding.
The Faculty Innovators Workshop is taught by experienced entrepreneurs from the health care, technology, software, and biomedical fields.
For more info, please contact Paul Dymerski, firstname.lastname@example.com or visit the website at www.facultyinnovators.com. The next workshop begins on September 18, 2017.


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In Conversation with Carolina Alvarez-Mathies: A Proponent for Salvadoran Artists and Culture
I'm so excited to converse with Carolina Alvarez-Mathies, she is a female art leader on the rise and is ascending to the top with grace, kindness, charm, and style. Formerly at El Museo del Barrio, serving as Head of Communications, she oversaw digital and social strategies for blockbuster shows such as Antonio Lopez: Future Funk Fashion and The Illusive Eye. A native of El Salvador, Alvarez-Mathies is now a New York transplant active and dedicated to her philanthropic art endeavors, such as Y.ES Contemporary, Glasswing, among others. I chat with the Salvadoran stunner regarding her art career in New York, organizations close to her heart, and why female professional solidarity is always a win.
Gallery Gurls: Tell me more about your new role as Associate Director of External Affairs at Creative Time, what are some key duties and what do you love most about your position?
Carolina Alvarez-Mathies: One of my main responsibilities is to amplify our voice on a local and global scale by putting effective communications strategies in place. In overseeing marketing, press and digital, I ensure our day to day tasks are informed by our long term vision. My first project with Creative Time was Pedro Reyes' Doomocracy. It was through working with Pedro that I truly realized how much I enjoy working directly with artists, an opportunity that was new to me coming from a museum environment. Being privy to an artist's point of view first hand, and then owning the responsibility to amplify their vision to our audience in a way that both leaves their vision intact, but also embodies our essence is a task I very much enjoy. In my mind I'm almost acting as a translator.
What were some professional and personal rewards you walked away with during your time as Head of Communications at El Museo del Barrio?
I was first introduced to El Museo del Barrio in 2012 by Yaz Hernandez who was looking to form El Museo del Barrio's Junior Board. I became a founding member and grew quite fond of the institution. At the time I had an internal battle of leaving my country [El Salvador] behind, one that needs a global voice, by becoming involved with El Museo I found a way to do that... Fast forward to July 2014, El Museo had a new director, Daniel Veneciano, I soon became one of his first hires to head the communications department. I was brought in to strategically revamp and reposition the institution. Having the opportunity, and trust of the board to do that has been by far one of the most rewarding professional experiences yet. During my time at El Museo, I had pleasure of working with passionate colleagues who strive day in and day out to amplify the voices of Latin American and Latino artists, as well as with El Museo's board. Working with Maria Eugenia Maury, El Museo's current board chair was utterly inspiring. I thrive under strong female leadership, and have been lucky to consistently work with visionary women, from Maria Eugenia to now working with Katie at Creative Time. Having strong female role models in my career path has made me realize how vital it is to mentor younger generations, and to be kind and generous when it comes to your time and resources.
"The moment I left El Salvador 15 years ago, I knew I was bringing with me the great responsibility to act as an ambassador to my country and to help be its voice."
I'm really excited to learn more about Y.ES Contemporary, an organization dedicated to promoting and nurturing artists of the Salvadoran diaspora. As a board member, in what ways do you help execute Y.ES Contemporary's agenda?
The moment I left El Salvador 15 years ago I knew I was bringing with me the great responsibility to act as an ambassador to my country and to help be its voice. Y.ES Contemporary allows me opportunity to do just that in a field that I not only work in, but am deeply passionate about. At the moment Y.ES is the only program dedicated to bringing Salvadoran contemporary artists in El Salvador to the international fore, we create opportunities for them to advance their practice and engage with artists, curators, collectors, gallerists and the media within and outside El Salvador. This vision is materialized via exhibitions, art trips, artist academies, talks, grants, and now online studio visits. One of my main focuses with Y.ES is to aid with support of the program and our communications strategies, as well as identifying key opportunities for us to participate in. One of the first ways I was involved was in the support of our first artist academy where we brought artists couple Mark Dion and Dana Sherwood, along with Deanna Haggag who was then at the front of The Contemporary Baltimore, along with her team; together they met with six Salvadoran artists at my home in Lake Coatepeque and provided insight into alternative research methodologies, conceptualizing public works of art, and the "how to's" of showing work. This program is one of the pillars of Y.ES and are excited to announce that this fall we will have Pedro Reyes and Tania Bruguera joining us.
"Working with Maria Eugenia Maury, El Museo's current board chair was utterly inspiring. I thrive under strong female leadership, and have been lucky to consistently work with visionary women, from Maria Eugenia to now working with Katie at Creative Time. "
On International Women's Day (March 8, 2017) you were a featured speaker along with other female art world influencers at Young Women in the Arts panel in New York. What were some of your talking points?
One of the questions that struck me most, perhaps because we were celebrating International Women's Day, was the question of what it's like to be a woman in the art world. Or perhaps it's because I always have had a hard time with this question, for there are two sides of it, my personal experience and the broader reality of the industry. I am acutely aware that there is a vital need to address gender inequality. In the arts specifically we can take a deep look at women artists, their lack of recognition and exposure, and at larger issues like equal compensation and maternity leave policies. When I was at El Museo, Daniel, our director, started the women's series, a pledge to show a solo show of a Latin woman artist once a year for 5 years, it is a commitment not many institutions had or have had, since even museums we were outmatched with in terms of size and funding… Now personally, I have a problem subscribing to these terms… successful woman, woman in arts, Latin woman in the arts… Once I myself adopt these terminology I give in to it in a way. Also, my experience is different because until now I have never felt that my being a woman has hindered me from getting to where I am now, yes it's been a lot of hard work and dedication. I will not say it has been easy, but its hardships and sacrifices like leaving my country and family behind have little to do with my gender.
"Having strong female role models in my career path has made me realize how vital it is to mentor younger generations, and to be kind and generous when it comes to your time and resources."
In your own words, what does inclusive feminism mean to you and why is it important?
To me, Inclusive Feminism means empowering all women from around the world, regardless of their backgrounds. To me that means ensuring women in developed countries have a choice of what to do with their bodies, and their voices are heard and respected, and that we work toward closing the wage gap and provide equal opportunities. It also means that we have the responsibility to look at less developed nations, and ensure women and children get access to health and education and have the opportunity to live a fulfilled and happy life.
Follow Carolina Alvarez-Mathies on Instagram: @calvarezmathies


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Handbags Designer – What to Look for When Buying Online
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The type of film that the upcoming Nightmare on Elm Street remake is obviously demands a pretty large cast prime for victimization by the nightmarish villain - in this case, Freddy Krueger. There has already been a lot of casting news so far for this one, consisting of the new Krueger (Watchmen's Jackie Earle Haley) and a few of the teen characters, namely Thomas Dekker, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara (the new Nancy) and Twilight's Kellan Lutz.
Well, on the casting front things are certainly not showing signs of slowing down as actress Katie Cassidy has joined the roster.
Cassidy will play Kris, a character yet to be described (although I wouldn't be surprised if she is just a pretty face that will be killed quickly and easily by Mr Krueger). If the name or the face isn't immediately ringing any bells, she was in the TV show Supernatural for a good amount of time as well as being in such projects as the Black Christmas remake (who would have guessed it...) and the Liam Neeson's thriller Taken.
Despite the brilliant casting of Haley as Krueger, I am still very cautious about this remake. The original film (that is 25 years old now if you can believe it) is such a classic that features one of the most stand-out characters of not just horror, but of film in general. Although, even if the remake sucks we still have the original there to enjoy, it still soils the name. I mean, for example, if you ask some young teenagers what Halloween is, a lot of them will probably first think of Rob Zombie's dreadful remake.
I shudder to think what other remakes have done the same thing...
Expect more casting announcements as time goes on. I'm sure Cassidy will do as good or bad a job as any other actress who may have been cast, but when it comes down to it, that doesn't really matter. All eyes will be firmly on Haley as Krueger.
What do you think of the cast brought together for this remake so far? Are you looking forward to the movie?
A Nightmare on Elm Street starts shooting this month in Chicago, and is scheduled for a April 16th, 2010 release.
Source: ShockTillYouDrop


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Bun Sgoil Stafainn (Staffin Primary School) has received an award from the First Minister in a nationwide competition to encourage Scottish children to foster a lifelong love of reading.
The Skye school was given the Gaelic Medium Education Award by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the ceremony celebrating the first year of the First Minister's Reading Challenge.
A total of 12 prizes were awarded at the celebration event at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh on Wednesday (14 June).
Bun Sgoil Stafainn was awarded the Gaelic Reading Journey prize for incorporating the Challenge into many areas of school life. As the pupils' enthusiasm grew, they took part in even more extra-curricular reading activities.
The Challenge was a huge success with all of the older pupils taking part in more reading for pleasure, engaging more often with Gaelic literature and having lots of fun with a variety of different books in English and Gaelic.
Taking part in the Challenge has led to an increase in the time made available for reading at school, and the pupils have been encouraged to choose books to read and create displays that show off their increased learning in literacy. The school plan to build on all this in the future.
Jenny Kiss, Headteacher at Bun Sgoil Stafainn, said: "We are extremely proud at Bun Sgoil Stafainn of the response from the pupils to the Reading Challenge and how far reaching its scope has been. Some children have been able to indulge their love of the written word further and others have transformed from reluctant readers to avid readers in the space of a few short months. Every child and adult in the school was willing to join in and have a go, sharing their reading experiences with each other. It has been a brilliant challenge for all of us."
Speaking after the event, the First Minister said: "The First Minister's Reading Challenge has been a fantastic success since it was launched last year and it's wonderful to be able to celebrate a love of reading with so many enthusiastic participants!
"Reading is one of life's greatest pleasures, and the Reading Challenge is opening up a world of adventure and fun for young people as well as giving them vital literacy and language skills. By working with guest speakers and charities, the Challenge is bringing the community together in a very unique way.
"Developing a love of reading in childhood can have a huge impact on educational attainment and future wellbeing which is why projects like these are so important. I am looking forward to seeing how the Challenge develops in the future."
Following the success of the initial year, the First Minister's Reading Challenge is being extended to reach an additional 173,000 children across Scotland. The scheme will now be open to children in Primary 1 to Primary 3, as well as the original age group, Primary 4 to Primary 7.
Marc Lambert, Chief Executive of Scottish Book Trust who run the Challenge, said: "Encouraging reading for pleasure is one of the most important things we can instill in children because we know the benefits are substantial and life-long. This wonderful initiative is an effective way to support schools, teachers and families to make reading for enjoyment a priority and we are delighted to have a part in its success.
"Each of the Gaelic entries were strong but Bun Sgoil Stafainn had a clear and comprehensive report which outlined their journey, how they've progressed and how pupils across the school have engaged with the Reading Challenge. We very much enjoyed their video and presentation of their work and they are very worthy winners of this award."


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Date: June 10, 2009
Location: United States of America
By John Huston
Despite muscles that are still a bit tired, Tyler and I are now pretty much fully re-acclimated to our normal lives at home. It took us about 2 1/2 weeks to gain back all the body weight we had lost on the expedition. Our stomachs are no longer complaining. We are sleeping fairly normally, although plenty of strange dreams about the expedition keep the emotions of our on-ice experience alive.
Following the media circus in early May, Tyler and I both took a few weeks away from the Victorinox North Pole '09 Expedition project to recuperate, rest, relax and reconnect fully with our loved ones.
Tyler is now back at work running the youth-at-risk (Intercept) program for Outward Bound in Ely, MN, where it is sometimes still 40°F during the daytime.
I am back in Chicago, where spring is also cooler than normal and where the play of my favorite baseball team the White Sox seems to be copying the weather.
This summer Tyler and I will write a book about the expedition, pursue a documentary film and do a lot of public speaking. Since our post-expedition lives will not be nearly as interesting as our lives on way to the North Pole, we will not be blogging very often.
In a few weeks we'll post a photo gallery and a few videos from the expedition. We will also redesign the web site a little bit. In the mean time we will post a few news stories and news clips about the expedition. Most of the media coverage has done a pretty good job telling our story.
Click on the 'News' button in the menu bar above to see a full list of media coverage.
Thanks for listening and more to some soon.
John and Tyler are committed to raising
funds and awareness for CaringBridge.


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PROPOSED RECONSTRUCTION OF 7th AVENUE (Country Road No. 10) from 12th to 16th Street
The Town of Hanover will be hosting an Open House, to review the design and address public inquiries for the above noted reconstruction project, which is scheduled to commence August 13, 2018. The Open House will be held on the following date and time:
LOCATION: Saugeen Room, Civic Centre
341 10th Street, Hanover
(Lower Level on East Side of Building)
DATE: Monday, June 25, 2018
An opportunity to review the proposed design drawings will take place at 7:00 pm followed by a presentation on the project by our Consulting Engineer, with a question and answer period.
Please bring your questions regarding the reconstruction to this Open House or contact Mr. Ron Cooper, Director of Public Works at 519.364.2780 x 1229.


text: Renfest is open in Crownsville, MD and for the 18th year the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association is providingEMS coverage. Each Saturday and Sunday for the next 9 weekends plus Labor day. Volunteers from across the countywill be staffing the EMS building and roving the grounds providing Basic Life Support to the visitors.


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From Bishop Fischer
October 24, 2017
I visited Santa Rosa, CA last Thursday. Here are a few pictures depicting the devastation caused by the recent wildfires in the greater Santa Rosa CA area. 6,000 homes and businesses were destroyed and dozens of lives were lost. 11,000 brave fire fighters and emergency personnel fought to put an end to the destruction. Pastor James Harper and the Stony Point Christian Fellowship Church of God have been at the forefront of ministering to hurting families. Five families in the church lost their homes. The church housed and fed 40+ people over the last two weeks. They are continuing to help people with clothes and various kinds of assistance moving forward.
Special thanks to Churches of God across California/Nevada who have sent offerings to assist in the relief work. We also want to thank the International Executive Committee of the Church of God for their generosity to these efforts as well. WE ARE FAMILY! Thanks for your continuing prayers and love.
Charles E. Fischer
Administrative Bishop
California/Nevada Church of God


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Top News
Cape Breton Post
CINDY'S SNAPSHOT: A little piece of paradise
A little ice, a lot of sun but no snow! Canso is nestled on Nova Scotia's eastern shore and Burns Anderson correctly points out that a cold west wind does not bring sea effect snow to this little piece of paradise. An east wind … well that's a different story!
- Want more weather information? Visit your weather page.
- Have a weather question, photo or drawing to share with Cindy Day? Email email@example.com


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CCP Falcon releases a forum post about the banning of ISBoxer, and New Eden goes nuts:
The above charts (from the handy Cerlestes website) tell the story. Among the types of users of automated multiboxing software, miners are perhaps the most common. With ISBoxer and similar input broadcasting applications, a player could command multiple ships to mine with extreme efficiency. With the announcement that such practices will be banned as of January 1, speculators assumed that the amount of ore that will be mined in New Eden will drop precipitously, and so, they began buying stocks of minerals in Jita in anticipation of a price rise.
Is the market over-reacting? Almost certainly - while the number of automated multiboxing miners is not known with precision, it's unlikely that the future loss of their total combined production justifies this kind of dramatic price spike, which is being fueled primarily by speculation. An increase in the price of minerals is to be expected, but it will soon level out as other miners see the opportunity to capitalize on the higher values of ores.
As for me, I intend to take advantage of these higher prices while I can. Belt mining sounds like a perfect, easy-going activity for the extended Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Time to fire up the exhumers and the Orca!
Fly safe! o7


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This past week I had an interview with Andrew Mackie, who is a staff writer for the Hickory Daily Record. Interestingly enough, he is also the writer who interviewed me about my Eagle Scout project almost five years ago. Pretty cool huh?
Anyhow, here is the article on Hickory Daily Record's website and an easier to read one as well. Like the Observer News Enterprise, they thought this article was fitting enough to go the front page which I thought was pretty exciting. Below are some pictures of the actual newspaper which printed yesterday.


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Exodus 26:1-30 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Curtains of Linen
26 "Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and [a]blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 2 The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight [b]cubits, and the width of each curtain four [c]cubits; all the curtains shall have [d]the same measurements. 3 Five curtains shall be [e]joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be [f]joined to one another. 4 You shall make loops of [g]blue on the edge of the [h]outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second [i]set. 5 You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the [j]edge of the curtain that is in the second [k]set; the loops shall be opposite each other. 6 You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and [l]join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the [m]tabernacle will be a unit.
Curtains of Goats' Hair
7 "Then you shall make curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all. 8 The length of each curtain shall be thirty [n]cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have [o]the same measurements. 9 You shall [p]join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain [q]at the front of the tent. 10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the [r]curtain that is outermost in the first [s]set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second [t]set.
11 "You shall make fifty clasps of [u]bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and [v]join the tent together so that it will be [w]a unit. 12 The [x]overlapping part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall lap over the back of the tabernacle. 13 The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall lap over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other, to cover it. 14 You shall make a covering for the tent of rams' skins [y]dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.
Boards and Sockets
15 "Then you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of [z]each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board. 17 There shall be two tenons for each board, [aa]fitted to one another; thus you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18 You shall make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards [ab]for the south side. 19 You shall make forty [ac]sockets of silver under the twenty boards, two [ad]sockets under one board for its two tenons and two [ae]sockets under another board for its two tenons; 20 and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards, 21 and their forty [af]sockets of silver; two [ag]sockets under one board and two [ah]sockets under another board. 22 For the [ai]rear of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards. 23 You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the [aj]rear. 24 They shall be double beneath, and together they shall be complete [ak]to its top [al]to the first ring; thus it shall be with both of them: they shall form the two corners. 25 There shall be eight boards with their [am]sockets of silver, sixteen [an]sockets; two [ao]sockets under one board and two [ap]sockets under another board.
26 "Then you shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, 27 and five bars for the boards of the [aq]other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the [ar]rear side to the west. 28 The middle bar in the [as]center of the boards shall pass through from end to end. 29 You shall overlay the boards with gold and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold. 30 Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown in the mountain.
Cross references:
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
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