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The new Reaktor Blocks format has been really getting off to a great start since it was released back in September. The Reaktor User library is already starting to fill up with some really interesting Blocks which are free to download for registered users.
Amazing Machines has been developing some cool Reaktor products for a while and is one of the first companies to develop commercial Blocks at very reasonable prices, as well as some freebies too. Their next release which follows the AM101 Colorful Noise Block is the AM102 Programmable Wavetable Oscillator.
So what's it all about? At the heart of the AM102 is a 16-stage programmable wavetable which allows you to create your own oscillator waveforms which can produce a wide array of timbres from mellow sine type waves to cutting digital sounds. One of the special features is the ability to modulate four of the stages via individual CV inputs to create evolving tones making the AM102 quite a complex and useful oscillator. It also has some cool hidden features up its sleeve too!
Basic Parameters
There are three main controls besides the wavetable area on the right. The first is the Curve parameter. This smooths the wavetable. At -100 the wavetable is stepped (quantized) which produces some really nice crunchy lo-fi digital timbres. At zero the wavetable is smoothed with a linear curve which is more useful for saw and triangle type waveforms. Finally, at 100 the curve becomes exponential producing more rounded results.
In conjunction with the wavetable stages just using this parameter makes for a very flexible sound source. A complex wavetable layout can become even more flexible using these smoothing options.
The next is a basic Coarse tune parameter. One of the additional bonuses of the AM102 is that it has an extended frequency range allowing it to work very comfortably as an LFO as well. The applications of this alone are boundless. You could for instance use the wavetable as a programmable step sequencer for pitch or filter modulations. The outputs of the AM102 are also hardware CV compatible meaning you can output it to a DC Coupled Audio Interface to drive hardware CV inputs!
Lastly, we have the Phase control. This is linked to the Reset Input allowing you to change the start point of the table. There is also a CV input to modulate the Phase. This Phase feature takes a bit of tweaking to find a sweet spot but produces some pretty lush effects when you get it right.
Other Features
The Curve, Coarse and Fine tune have CV amount controls for fine tuning your modulations. CV1 controls Curve. CV 2 (Coarse) and 3 (Fine) can switch between Wide and Narrow ranges (Semitones and Cents).
The wavetable also has three playback modes FWD, BKW and Alternating. There is also a hidden Pulse wave oscillator with a PWM CV input. In FWD and BKW modes this defaults to an octave below the wavetable pitch.
Lastly, we have a HDN control for controlling the amount of Sync which is driven by the Sync input (Goes from Soft to Hard Sync). There is also a dedicated CV mod input for this too. It can get a bit noisy at times when sweeping, but it works as expected and can produce some great sounds.
In Use
After many hours of playing about with the AM102, I wasn't getting bored with it at all. Really versatile and so many options to play with that you just keep discovering new things to do with it.
Here's a quick simple patch using dual AM102's slightly detuned with some fast wavetable stage modulation, and a bit of LFO to the Curve and ADSR Decay to produce a nice crunchy arpeggiator sound.
I can see this becoming a go-to oscillator!
Price: $12 USD
Pros: Flexible and fun oscillator Block. Plenty of applications, and at $12 it won't exactly break the bank. The free AM103 CV Attenuator is also a great tool for modulating it too.
Cons: FM input would be a nice addition.


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Photo credit: Chris Williamson
"Successful healthcare means the freedom to carry out life in the absence of disease." – Stephen Friend, Co-founder of Sage Bionetworks
Resonating throughout the four-day conference of the United Nations and Digital Healthcare Panel at GAPSUMMIT 2018 at Cambridge University, these words opened the discussions, as well as the purpose, of the direction our worldwide healthcare is headed at the Global Gap Summit. This year, the summit was joined by 100 young leaders of tomorrow, representing different areas of research and countries, together with leading bio-industry experts, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations.
The primary question is what can the future of biotechnology bring? Will it promote a sustainable future, increase equality, and enable access to education and healthcare? Can it increase the efficacy of our global economy?
During the conference, Fabrizio Hochschild, Assistant Secretary General for Strategic Coordination at the United Nations, emphasised that we need to work together to "kick start" a new trajectory, and that the proper use of biotechnology may be the answer to its creation.
In the field of biotechnology, we are seeing immense improvements in critical areas such as healthcare and agriculture. In agriculture, biotechnology has been used to improve the efficacy of pest control, harvesting, gross storage, transport and more. Mr Hochschild believes that these great movements have the potential to continue to decrease global malnutrition, reduce the speed of climate change, and transform agricultural value chains.
In the healthcare industry, biotechnology has the potential to strengthen the health and wellbeing of those who fall into the most vulnerable population groups. For example, digital healthcare can create affordable and accessible diagnostic devices that can be deployed in countries and regions that have limited medical services. These developments are believed to result in a "…cascading effect…" to impact on other Sustainable Development Goals, such as access to Education and Gender Equality.
To reach biotechnology's potential, we need to address the biggest trends and challenges it is facing in digital healthcare and agriculture. The Digital Healthcare Panel; Dr Margret Zeigler, Executive Director Global Harvest Initiative; Dr Michael May, VP Public Affairs FutureGene Gap; Professor Baron Marc Von Montagu, Emeritus Professor Ahent University; and Sir Peter Kendal Chair, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board; discussed the key barriers they currently face and the technologies they believe to be the future of their respective fields.
Key Challenges in biotechnology:
- Resource Efficiency
- Depletion of Natural Resources
- Use and Exploitation of Nature
- Distribution of Monetary Resources
Key Trends in biotechnology:
Precision Technology
Precision technology combines sensors, AI and imaging with real time data analytics to help farmers make smart choices and improve output, while reducing waste, water and chemicals. Sir Peter Kendal Chair of Agricultural and Horticulture Development Board claims that there is a shortage of this technology in agriculture which presents a growing need. The potential lies in treating a selection of high impact areas.
Context Placement
Though precision technology holds immense promise in farming, it is far from successful in developing regions. For this reason, it is important to remember the context of technological infrastructure before new technology placement, says Professor Montagu.
Plant Science
In relation to Context Placement, Professor Montagu believes that plant science has an important place in developing countries. It is predicted that the creation of new seeds, with equal nutrients and vitamins compared to non-modified seeds, will have a positive impact on supply to meet the increasing demand for food that the world will see through the growing population of sub-Saharan Africa.
Molecular Biology
Dr Michael May, VP of Public Affairs FutureGene Gap also proposes that molecular biology has potential for improvements in pest control, for example; through the creation of disease-resistant crops. This would mean genetic modifications to ecosystems by equipping our natural resources with DNA that is more resistant towards hazardous compounds, thereby improving life-cycles and sustainability.
3D Printing
Perhaps one of the most exciting technological areas – 3D fibre printing is growing towards having a substantial effect on easing climate change. Fibre printing is becoming more mainstream with many developments already underway. Major cities including Dubai have already adopted 3D printed skyscraper solutions. The construction industry has also adopted carbon-fibre based options, and increasingly more countries are banning plastic use. Carbon fibre alternatives are expected to have a significant impact on sustainability and create an entirely new value chain in warmer regions.
Like all technologies, there are risks that coincide with implementation. The development of biotechnology reduces inequality by encouraging women and children to part take in the economy. However, lack of proper management can lead to a contradictory effect. Mr Hochschild believes that greater inequality can occur if proper means of security, competitive fairness and transparency are not ensured. There is also a risk of re-engineered pathogens and accidental releases, which requires proper management and security. These risks are known as the "Frontier Issues," and commonly occur with the release of new knowledge and technological breakthroughs.
The future of biotechnology will undoubtedly lead to a cascading effect in both healthcare and agriculture. And although it has great potential, developments in biotechnology come with new risks. For this reason, we, as companies, individuals and organisations, need to assess the direction of our operations. We must navigate ourselves through the frontier by holding onto a global end goal, to engage all stakeholders in peaceful co-existence, progress, and increase standards of living and freedom.
Cecilia Johansson is an industrial engineer with one foot in business tech and another in corporate sustainability. She strives towards ensuring that corporations grow together with society.

subset: commoncrawl


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Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche teaches through verse, pointing out the essence of a teaching. Enjoy the quotes.
Up and Down on Our Planet
From Entering the Middle Way and the Path of Secret Mantra, Karmê Chöling, Summer 2002, p. 263
Translated by Birgit Scott


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Coffees of Hawaii Celebrates 20 Years of Coffee on Molokai
This year marks 20 years of coffee production on the island of Molokai. Also in 2013, the entire coffee industry in the State of Hawaii celebrates 200 years of producing the crop. Coffees of Hawaii will host a free two-day festival March 15 and 16 at the plantation in Kualapu`u.
Coffees of Hawaii, Inc. (COH) was formed in February 1984, when the first contracts were negotiated with Molokai Ranch to lease the land and base yard facilities in Kualapu`u. In 1986 the first plantings of coffee were completed in two experimental fields. The company planted 600 acres of Arabica coffee on the former pineapple lands in 1988 and conducted its first commercial harvest in 1993. In that year, the first large commercial coffee harvest was underway and COH became the first mechanized, vertically integrated plantation in the USA.
As part of the Molokai celebration, the U.S. Air Force Band of Pacific will perform Saturday starting at 6 p.m. The Molokai Veterans will sell plate lunches, and the Molokai Arts Center will be have their annual Souper Bowl pottery sale. There will be a "Project Runway Plantation Style" event Friday night, and the Molokai Island Princess competition on Saturday.
Other festivities include: Coffee Poetry and Breakfast; coffee tours, cupping workshop; a fun parade; Coffee Chili Cook-off between the fire, police and TSA agents; espresso artwork and batik art sale; coffee mosaics; coffee cherry tea tastings; and coffee brewing workshops. Tour tickets and times can be found on line at coffeesofhawaii.com/festival.
"The entire community of Kualapu`u is involved in making this event successful," COH Owner Mike Atherton said. "I am excited about the opportunity to showcase the plantation and, more importantly, give thanks to the community for their support over the years."
In recognition of this bicentennial year for coffee production in Hawaii, the Maui Coffee Association will promote coffee from various Maui and Molokai farms at selected venues throughout Maui County. Visit their calendar of events on line at mauicoffeeassociation.blogspot.com for a complete listing. The County of Maui Office of Economic Development has helped to make these events possible.


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NSAI Celebrates Chart-Topping Songwriters At Massive Annual No. 1 Party
The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) welcomed over 100 songwriters and guests to The Listening Room Cafe Monday (Aug. 20) to celebrate Nashville-associated writers of songs that topped the Billboard or Mediabase charts during the period of January 2018 through May 2018.
At the event sponsored by Suntrust, songwriters in attendance were presented their awards by NSAI President, Steve Bogard, NSAI Executive Director, Bart Herbison, and Suntrust representatives Ashleigh Overly, Earle Simmons, and Dusty Miller.
Songs recognized for reaching No. 1 between January 2018 – May 2018:
Writers: Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman, Nicolle Galyon
Recorded by: Keith Urban
"Like I Loved You"
Writers: Brett Young, Jesse Lee
Recorded by: Brett Young
"Old Church Choir"
Writers: Zach Williams, Colby Wedgeworth, Ethan Hulse
Recorded by: Zach Williams
"I Could Use A Love Song"
Writers: Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz
Recorded by: Maren Morris
"Round Here Buzz"
Writers: Eric Church, Luke Dick, Jeff Hyde
Recorded by: Eric Church
Writers: Russell Dickerson, Parker Welling, Casey Brown
Recorded by: Russell Dickerson
Writers: Paul Mabury, Joe Williams
Recorded by: Lauren Daigle
"Losing Sleep"
Writers: Chris Young, Chris DeStefano, Josh Hoge
Recorded by: Chris Young
"Written In The Sand"
Writers: Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Brad Tursi, Shane McAnally
Recorded by: Old Dominion
Writers: Kelsea Ballerini, Hillary Lindsey, Forest Glen Whitehead
Recorded by: Kelsea Ballerini
"Five More Minutes"
Writers: Scotty McCreery, Frank Rogers, Monty Criswell
Recorded by: Scotty McCreery
"Let You Down"
Writers: Nate Feuerstein, Tommee Profitt
Recorded by: NF
"Marry Me"
Writers: Thomas Rhett, Shane McAnally, Ashley Gorley, Jesse Frasure
Recorded by: Thomas Rhett
"All My Hope"
Writers: David Crowder, Ed Cash
Recorded by: Crowder feat. Tauren Wells
"Broken Halos"
Writers: Chris Stapleton, Mike Henderson
Recorded by: Chris Stapleton
"I Just Need U."
Writers: Bryan Fowler, Toby McKeehan, Blake NeeSmith
Recorded by: tobyMac
"Most People Are Good"
Writers: David Frasier, Ed Hill, Josh Kear
Recorded by: Luke Bryan
"Singles You Up"
Writers: Jordan Davis, Justin Ebach, Steven Dale Jones
Recorded by: Jordan Davis
"Meant To Be"
Writers: Tyler Hubbard, Bebe Rexha, David Garcia, Josh Miller
Recorded by: Florida Georgia Line
"You Make It Easy"
Writers: Tyler Hubbard, Morgan Wallen, Brian Kelley, Jordan Schmidt
Recorded by: Jason Aldean
Writers: Shy Carter, Matt McGinn, Lindsay Rimes
Recorded by: Kane Brown
"For The First Time"
Writers: Derek George, Darius Rucker, Scooter Carusoe
Recorded by: Darius Rucker
"Say Something"
Writers: Justin Timberlake, Larrance Dopson, Danja, Timbaland, Chris Stapleton
Recorded by: Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton
- Carly Pearce Jumps To No. 1 On MusicRow Radio Chart - January 27, 2023
- Nate Smith Earns First MusicRow No. 1 - January 6, 2023
- Rewind: 2022 MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart No. 1s - December 23, 2022


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Saturday, November 10, 2012
Kendra Scott Color Bar Contest!
Kendra Scott, famous Texas-based jewelry designer, is having an awesome contest with just one day left! Create your own Color Bar design and get the chance to win your creation. Check out the details here. Happy designing!
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The curious case of Google Maps in China: Why is it so inaccurate?
Google Maps data for China is slightly off due to the country's numerous border disputes with other nations.
If a whim takes you to look at China's geography online, you'd be better off avoiding Google Maps, because the information is likely to be slightly off. A river that appears out of nowhere, a border between India and China that is completely different on Indian and world maps, or simply roads that just don't seem to where they should be.
You would think that getting a map right would be a piece of cake today with satellite GPS systems and the advent of Google Earth, but for once, the problem has nothing to do with the internet giant.
The reason why maps of China are so odd is because the Chinese government considers geographic information about the People's Republic of China to be a matter of national security, so private surveying and mapping activities are illegal in mainland China and have been since 2002.
If anyone wants to publish any geographic data concerning the country's air, land and waters, or data relating to any territories that the Chinese government feels is under its jurisdiction, then they must first obtain permission or they will be punished with a fine.
In fact, over the last eight years China has fought at least 40 cases of illegal mapping and surveying and issued fines against everyone from Japanese and Korean academic researchers to UK geology students from Imperial College London and all the way up to massive conglomerates like Coca Cola.
To that end, if you take your snazzy new digital camera to China and take a picture, when you look at the photo's metadata, you will find almost no location information available, and the only way that any online map provider can have a complete map of China is if they agree to host the data on servers inside China, and if they agree to use a very specific coordinate system.
Deliberately inaccurate state-approved coordinate systems
Digital map services in China use a very specific coordinate system called a geodetic datum that has been specially formulated by the Chinese State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping called GCJ-02. What this means is that an encryption algorithm has been added to the maps to add random offsets to both the correct altitude and longitude of any geographic coordinates.
So if you were to look at a Google street map for a specific place in mainland China, the coordinates of the map are offset by between 50-500m away from reality. This doesn't mean that maps are inaccurate within China and that people are constantly walking around scratching their heads however – it's just inaccurate if you look at it from outside the country, the local street map would be accurate, and this is the same with Yahoo Maps as well.
And it isn't just restricted to urban and rural areas in the country. If you zoom out and look at the territory of China as a whole, the borders between China and other nations also differ from the same borders details on other maps, such as the crowdsourced OpenStreetMap, which publishes correct coordinates in direct opposition to the government's mandate.
That's my territory, not yours
China is currently involved in disputes with eight countries about 14 territories over its correct territorial boundaries, the most of any country in the world, and so the Chinese government is also touchy about any maps that don't reflect the boundaries that it believes in.
In fact, as pointed out by statistical blog Metrocosm, if you were to look at the Chinese version of a map of south-east Asia, it looks like China owns pretty much all of the South China Sea, including almost all of the waters around Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, which affects a number of disputed islands, such as the Scarborough Shoal, which the Philippines maintains belongs to them.
Google already has enough trouble with dealing with China over its search engine, so mapping is clearly not an area that it wants to go to battle with the Chinese government over, but following numerous complaints by Filipinos, Google did cave in 2015. China calls the landmass Huangyan Island, while the Philippines knows it as the Panatag Shoal.
To avoid legitimising either country's claims, Google changed the maps to remove the Chinese name and instead renamed the island Scarborough Shoal, which is its international name.
© Copyright IBTimes 2023. All rights reserved.
Elon Musk Reunited With His Father After Seven Years
Mega Airport Set To Open In Popular European Destination Despite '50-Year Delay'
Earth To Warm Up To 2.9C Even With Current Climate Pledges: UN
Israel Expands Gaza Operation As Mediator Says Hostage Deal 'Close'
IDF Expose Hamas Tunnel Under Al-Shifa Hospital
Barcelona Suffer Massive Blow: Teenage Star Gavi To Undergo ACL Surgery
Google Promises To Use Tech To Address Climate Issues


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Political consultant Paul Manafort led a professional life that put him in rich and powerful circles. He worked for four of the last five Republican presidents and made his money by making connections.
But as Manafort's fortunes grew, so did federal prosecutors' curiosity about his work with politicians at home and abroad. Now Manafort, 69, is facing the possibility that he will live out his life behind prison bars.
In October 2017, Manafort surrendered at the FBI field office in Washington, D.C. after being indicted on 12 counts by a grand jury in special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Manafort went on trial in August 2018 on charges of tax and bank fraud and tax evasion, and faces a second trial in the fall on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent while he lobbied for the government of Ukraine.
While the indictment came out of the special counsel's investigation, none of the charges against Manafort directly involve President Trump. Manafort served as Trump's campaign chairman for a short time during the summer of 2016.
Here is what we know about Paul Manafort:
- Manafort was born in 1949. He grew up in Connecticut. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University.
- Manafort worked for former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.
- He was the chairman of Donald Trump's campaign but resigned in August 2016 after revelations surfaced about his work on behalf of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych was a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- According to The Associated Press, Manafort "helped a pro-Russian governing party in Ukraine secretly route at least $2.2 million in payments to two prominent Washington lobbying firms in 2012, and did so in a way that effectively obscured the foreign political party's efforts to influence U.S. policy." All U.S. lobbyists must declare publicly if they represent any foreign leaders or political parties.
- The New York Times reported that Manafort spoke to Russian intelligence officials last year via telephone calls that were monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies. Manafort has denied that he spoke with the Russians.
- Manafort has also been linked to handwritten ledgers that list cash payments of $12.7 million in Manafort's name.
- According to Politico, legal complaints filed by representatives of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska in the Cayman Islands in 2014 claimed Deripaska gave Manafort $19 million to invest in a Ukrainian TV company. After the venture failed, Manafort took the money, the complaint claims, and did not pay Deripaska back.
- Trump hired Manafort's lobbying firm to help the Trump Organization.
- CNN reported that federal investigators wiretapped Manafort both before and after the 2016 election.
- Federal investigators executed a "no-knock warrant" at Manafort's home in northern Virginia on July 26, 2017. Manafort had met with the Senate intelligence committee the day before.
About the Author


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National Open Polo C'ship for Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup '19: Day 2 – Master Paints & Barry's Victorious
LAHORE: Master Paints and Barry's notched up victories in the International Steels National Open Polo Championship for Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup 2019 matches played at Lahore Polo Club ground.
Master Paints Vs Master Paints Black
In the first match of the day, Master Paints overcame spirited Master Paints Black by 7-5. Thanks to Juan Cruz Losada who emerged as star of the day for Master Paints by smashing in superb six goals while his teammates Hamza Mawaz Khan hammered a hat-trick and Farooq Amin Sufi contributed one. From Master Paints Black, both the goals were scored by Matias Vial Parez.
Both the teams scored one goal each in the first chukker to finish it at 1-1. Matias converted a 40-yard for Master Paints Black while Hamza Mawaz fired in a field goal for Master Paints. The second chukker saw the complete dominance of Master Paints, who slammed in four goals to take a healthy 5-1 lead. This time, Losada contributed with a hat-trick and Hamza Mawaz with one goal.
Master Paints continued their dominance in the third chukker as well as they banged in a brace to further enhance their lead to 7-1. Losada struck both the goals. Master Paints Black then converted a 30-yard penalty to reduce the margin to 7-2 in the fourth chukker, but Losada added one more in Master Paints tally to finish the chukker with Master Paints having 8-2 lead.
In the fifth and last chukker, Matias and Losada pumped in one more goal each to provide Master Paints unassailable 10-2 lead, which remained intact till the end and they won the match with utmost ease.
National Open Polo C'ship – Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup 2018: Day 2
Nicolas Scortichini and Martin Fewster officiated the match as field umpires while Shah Qublai Alam was match referee.
Barry's Vs BBJ Pipes
Barry's beat BBJ Pipes by 7-5 to win the second encounter of the day. Bautista Bayuger played vital role in his team's triumph by slamming in sterling six goals while Raja Samiullah struck the remaining one goal. For BBJ Pipes, Nicolas Corti hammered a hat-trick while Bilal Haye and Mumtaz Abbas Niazi scored one goal each.
Barry's opened their account through Bautista to take 1-0 lead in the first chukker. Barry's struck one more in the beginning of the second chukker once again through Bautista to take 2-0 lead. Nicolas then got a chance to convert a 60-yard penalty, which he successfully threw in to make it 2-1.
The third chukker was evenly poised as both the sides scored two goals each. Bilal Haye and Mumtaz Abbas struck one goal each for BBJ Pipes while Raja Sami and Bautista hit one goal apiece for Barry's, as the third chukker ended with Barry's having 4-3 lead.
Barry's added one more in their tally in the fourth chukker to stretch their lead to 5-3. But BBJ Pipes bounced back in style and slammed in two goals to level the score at 5-5. In the fifth and last chukker, Barry's banged in a brace to win the match by 7-5.
Nicolas Scortichini and Martin Fewster officiated the match as field umpires while Shah Qublai Alam was match referee.
For more updates keep visiting allsportspk


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Vision and Values
The Children, Parents, Staff and Governors have developed a set of values that guide us in our choices, both as adults and children. These form the basis of our values and vision:
These are the principles that underpin our thinking and behaviour in school
• Compassion and Integrity
• Curiosity and Challenge
• Courage
• Personal and Social Responsibility
This is what we want the school to look like in three years' time:
- All children at the school, including those in vulnerable groups, are making expected progress or better in reading, writing and maths.
- Children are confident, independent learners with high levels of curiosity. They are becoming aware of how to self-drive their learning.
- Children are knowledgeable about the world around them and the world outside their own experience. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is given high priority: children understand different viewpoints and demonstrate respect and tolerance.
- There is a high level of aspiration across the whole school.
- Teaching staff have confidence in their ability to teach the evolving curriculum, underpinned by strong systems for professional development and performance management.
- Adults at HBJS have a strong understanding of how children build resilience and secure mental health. The school invests time and money in strategies that will enable both staff and children to best access good mental health.
- Closer links are made between children's mental health and physical activity.
- The school is outward facing, using its facilities and resources to make strong links with the community and generate income that supports capital build projects within the school.


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Written by Byron Rogers | Jun 08, 2014 |
Last week saw the running of the Epsom Oaks (Eng-I) and Derby (Eng-I), two of the longest existing classic races in the world and for many the barometer of the Thoroughbred breed.
The Derby was won in devastating fashion by the royally bred Australia. A son of the good racehorse and now leading sire Galileo (TrueNicks), Australia is out of Ouija Board, one of the finest mares ever to look through a bridle. Rated an A++ on TrueNicks on the basis of Sadler's Wells and his sons when mated to Cape Cross mares, Australia is the only stakes winner specifically for Galileo out of Cape Cross mares, with four other runners bred on the direct cross.
Victorious in the Oaks was another well bred filly in the undefeated Taghrooda, a first-crop daughter of the out-and-out champion Sea The Stars. A half brother to the aforementioned Galileo, Sea The Stars was high on expectation as a stallion. The detractors were out after his 2-year-olds hadn't shown much last year, but the performances of his offspring as spring 3-year-olds looks to have put those concerns to bed. Also A++ on TrueNicks, but on a different calculation rule, Taghrooda is out of the stakes-winning and group stakes-placed Ezima, a daughter of the leading sire Sadler's Wells.
Anyone with decent observational skills will have seen that Australia and Taghrooda have a lot in common—three of four grandparents to be exact, Cape Cross, Sadler's Wells, and Urban Sea.
It is worth taking a look at the number of times that we have seen these three horses appear as the grandparents of horses that have raced. Galileo of course has a full brother in Black Sam Bellamy (TrueNicks), so there are a few more observations for us to make given that the names on the page are the same (Sea The Stars doesn't have a runner out of a mare by Sadler's Wells' brothers Fairy King or Tate Gallery). Here is the list of runners sorted by their current Class Performance Index (CPI).
Now while the data is admittedly limited, and we are assessing the race performance of many of the Sea The Stars progeny well before they have had a time for their career to flourish, there are a couple of observations that can be made.
Filed under: Pedigrees and Breeding, European Racing, Pedigree Elements, Inbreeding, Unique Ancestors
TrueNicks was developed in partnership by Blood-Horse LLC and Pedigree Consultants, LLC. TrueNicks reports are powered by The Jockey Club Information Systems, Inc.
Copyright © 2023 TrueNicks, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Congratulations to all the riders- you did a great job! We look forward to seeing you again. A HUGE thank YOU to every single volunteer during the event and the year leading up to to it. We certainly could not have put on such an awesome ride without you. Super special thanks to my family, Tim, Travis, Josh, Diane, John, Gonzales and Bryan! Happy riding.Read More »
2014 Photos by Kip Pierson Photography are now posted! Check them out on Pictage here: http://pictage.com/1589746
Here's a preview of some of the shots that were taken during the event: Open SlideshowRead More »
Registration for the 200 mile option is CLOSED and the 200k is closing soon. Get in while you can!Read More »


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Ultra Slim Cases
Ultra slim cases are a cost effective packaging solution designed to protect high value goods in transit, such as the new generation of flat screen TVs.
Typically between 80 - 100mm, the ultra slim case is produced in one piece rather than the standard two piece design, eliminating surplus material and providing maximum cost efficiency in combination with high levels of protection.
Bespoke to your requirements, it is manufactured from a heavyweight corrugated board grade, which can be stacked six high.
Due to the slim construction of the pack, further cost savings can be achieved through greater utilisation of warehousing and streamlined transport.
High quality print is achievable through a mixture of flexographic on three sides and an offset label on the front panel.
The advantage of this method is low set up costs and the ability to change the front of the pack for promotions or provide differentiation for product models.
Quais são as características de Ultra Slim Cases?
Supplied in heavy-duty BC corrugated board
Manufactured bespoke to exact size requirements
Manufactured in one piece
Can be stacked six high during transit
High quality print options
100% recyclable made from a renewable resource
Quais são os benefícios de Ultra Slim Cases?
Premium presentation of your product
Reduction in transit damage - pack has high strength and stability throughout the supply chain
Minimises packaging material - reducing raw material costs
High quality label maximises brand impact at point of sale
Flexible print options - printing origination costs reduced
Supply chain optimised - reduction in both transport costs and warehousing
Um fornecimento garantido de uma fonte confiável
Our certified Chain of Custody is your guarantee of a verifiably sustainable packaging supply chain.
At Smurfit Kappa we understand the importance of sustainability in everything we do, and see it as our responsibility to ensure the products we supply to our customers meet the highest chain of custody standards.
- 100% of paper produced and sourced for our packaging solutions is FSC®, PEFC™ or SFI™ Chain of Custody certified
- 90% of packaging supplied to customers is FSC®, PEFC™ or SFI™ Chain of Custody certified
Look out for our stamp of proof on your invoice to give you total peace of mind around the origin of your paper-based packaging.
Learn more about Chain of Custody
Como as embalagens podem ajudá-lo a maximizar a eficiência da sua cadeia de suprimentos?
SupplySmart is a combination of unique tools, data and expertise that enables you to optimise the role of packaging across your supply chain – with the reassurance you're making fully risk assessed decisions that will deliver measureable cost savings.
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So you're new on the board! Now, what do you do?
You may have been appointed to fit a certain slot … developer, citizen, architect, etc. or because you are a well respected member of the community, or even a friend of the mayor.
Whatever the reason, you are now the newest member of your community's planning commission or board. You will quickly realize there is much to learn, particularly the planning jargon the staff and more knowledgeable commission members toss around at will.
As you begin to attend meetings, you will find that although many parts of the agenda are routine, there soon is likely to be a controversial or contentious matter on which there are strong opinions, both from the members and the public. Or perhaps the controversy has been raging for some time and you come in the middle of it and are expected to have an opinion. As a first time citizen decision maker, you may be uneasy having to discuss your points of view or make decisions in front of the public.
You want to be effective. What are the most important matters you should consider?
- Be comforted that everyone else was new at one time and is likely to be sympathetic, as long as you do not overdo the "poor me" attitude.
- Become acquainted with the planning director and other key staff; do not ask for privileged information, but do request a private briefing on matters or protocol you should know about. Many commissions have briefing sessions or workshops for new members. Always attend these and do not be shy about asking seemingly trivial questions.
- Become acquainted with the chair and meet him or her privately to get an insider's perspective on the board and planning issues. Reserve judgment, however. You may not agree with your chair's assessment.
- Do your homework before commission meetings. Read all the agenda and backup items carefully. Call the planning director beforehand for clarification about any matters that will not compromise the public discussion.
- Listen especially carefully to the discussions at your first few meetings. Who usually dominates? Who seems to have the same opinion no matter what the subject? Who appears to agree with the last person who spoke? Where can you make the most contribution to the discussion?
- Watch the members' body language as nonverbal clues to what they are thinking.
- Take advantage of your "new person on the block" status by asking apparently simple questions that nevertheless advance the conversation.
- Do not hesitate to abstain from voting on a matter on which you are not knowledgable enough to make an informed decision.
- Read your local newspaper, blogs, and other sources to obtain as broad a view of community issues as possible.
- Be willing to mentor the next new member. You may be surprised at all you have learned and are now able to share.
Elaine Cogan, founding principal of the Portland, Oregon planning and communications firm of Cogan Owens Cogan, has consulted for more than 36 years with communities undertaking strategic planning and visioning processes. Cogan has been honored for her work on a variety of citizen involvement projects.


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Donald Trump's 2005 tax return – or part of it – was published on a US television network today, amid a series of events that seemed just as hard to understand as the figures themselves.
First, MSNBC broadcast a trailer announcing that it would reveal the tax return in a forthcoming bulletin. Within minutes the White House revealed some details of the return, accompanied by an angry statement denouncing the "leak".
Soon after, commentators were suggesting the leak came from the White House itself – to create a distraction from the president's difficulties in convincing Republicans to pass his healthcare changes, or from the travel ban due to come into force tomorrow, or to pre-empt more explosive revelations on his business affairs.
Few Americans are likely to be impressed by the revelation that Trump had to pay tens of millions of dollars in a single year because of a tax rule that he has specifically promised to abolish as president.
A two-page section of Trump's tax return for 2005 revealed the president paid $38m in federal taxes on more than $150m in income in 2005.
The documents showed about 82% of the total paid to the Internal Revenue Service that year by Trump and wife Melania was incurred by the "alternative minimum tax".
It was introduced to ensure the mega-wealthy pay a fairer share of tax and comprised $31m of Trump's tax bill compared to $5.3m in regular federal income tax.
In the run-up to November's election, Trump pledged to eliminate this tax altogether, meaning the president campaigned for a change in the tax law that would have benefited him.
The publication of the paperwork prompted immediate condemnation from the White House, which accused MSNBC's Rachel Maddow of breaking the law and pre-emptively released figures from the same year.
"You know you are desperate for ratings when you are willing to violate the law to push a story about two pages of tax returns from over a decade ago," an administration official said in a statement.
"Before being elected president, Mr Trump was one of the most successful businessmen in the world with a responsibility to his company, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required."
"It is totally illegal to steal and publish tax returns," the official said.
Contrary to the White House's claim, Maddow said the return was "turned over" to David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist who focuses on tax and finance issues and joined her on the broadcast.
It is not a violation of the law to publish leaked tax returns.
Johnston said he did not know who sent him the excerpts from Trump's 2005 return, which appeared in his mailbox.
The partial disclosure will further pressure the White House to publish the president's tax returns in full. As a candidate, Trump broke a 40-year precedent by refusing to release his tax returns despite repeated calls from his opponents in both parties.
Trump initially said he could not release his tax returns due to an ongoing audit, even though that would not legally prevent him from doing so. Richard Nixon released his tax returns while they were under audit in 1973.
Trump's campaign later pivoted to saying his taxes were a non-issue that would distract from his message. Polling found 75% of Americans, including a majority of Republican voters, wished to see the real estate developer's tax returns.
A New York Times report last year, based on a filing from 1995, found Trump could have taken advantage of a loophole enabling him to avoid paying federal income taxes for up to 18 years. Trump said in a presidential debate that made him "smart".


text: Last Saturday went to Halo Cafe at South City Plaza to watch a gig 'The Band Sound #1', 4 bands were playing: Soundwall, Met Mercury, Malito and Uglymen. A lot of rock music lovers attent to the gig. However everybody jus sat and watch the performance. The show was getting hot while Uglymen playing coz they really knows how to interact with audience. Met new friends Mavis, and Uglymen's friend Beh there with Ten, and Seok Kheng too.


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Preschool Intermediate class helps children acquire higher independence in their skills, and develop more comfort in and throughout the water. Our degreed and authorized fitness specialists and instructors are dedicated to providing you with fantastic service and serving to you profit out of your membership to achieve your fitness and well being targets. You are able to do this rapidly and easily via using the MoneySuperMarket loans channel to examine a complete lot of various loans from a variety of lenders.
Except in any other case offered on this chapter or in the declaration, articles of incorporation, or bylaws, and except as offered in subparagraph (d)four., decisions shall be made by a majority of the voting pursuits represented at a meeting at which a quorum is present. Info to assist condominium boards, homeowners and developers as well as the professionals that service them.
An inexpensive fee covering the direct out-of-pocket cost of copying and offering such information may be charged by the association or its board of administrators to the unit seller for providing the data. No condominium shall be contracted besides in accordance with the provisions of the declaration and of this chapter. The ranking, launched by French actual property ad publishers Explorimmo and Explorimmoneuf, was primarily based on components together with demographic change, the roles market, the presence of a university, as well as the comparative value of renting a studio.
In Singapore, "Apartment" or "Condominium" are phrases used for a housing improvement that includes a collection of housing units with exclusive options like safety guards, swimming pools and a gymnasium. Our state-of-the-artwork know-how places us at the forefront of real property and property administration within the Bay Space. The firefighters had been among greater than a hundred called to battle a large 4-alarm fireplace at about 9:30 a.m. at a 3-story constructing in the Cambridge Park Condominiums, within the 11400 block of Audelia Street, in Dallas' Lake Highlands neighborhood.
Every mortgagee or other lienholder of the unit of a typical curiosity group or of a unit subject to the Condominium Property Act shall provide an deal with to the unit house owners' affiliation on the time the lien or mortgage is recorded at which deal with such unit owners' association shall send notice to such mortgagee or lienholder of any eminent area continuing to which the association thereafter turns into a party.


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Use the Internet to research a publicly traded company in the United States that has undergone a merger or acquisition within the last three (3) years. Take note of the circumstances surrounding the merger or acquisition.
Write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you:
1. Examine the circumstances that resulted in the merger or acquisition for the selected company. Speculate on two (2) reasons why the resulting decision to merge or to acquire / be acquired was made.
2. Assess the significant positive (or negative) effects of the merger or acquisition. Provide at least two (2) examples of those effects now that the merger or acquisition has been completed.
3. Examine the organizational structure that has resulted from the merger or acquisition. Analyze the major differences between the resulting company and the original two (2) organizations.
4. Determine whether or not the human resources management practices of the company were modified to reflect the outcome of the merger or acquisition. If no changes were necessary, speculate on the reasons why they were not. Provide a rationale for your response.
5. Use at least four (4) academic quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia does not qualify as an academic resource.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.


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I hope you're all having the best time today, the longest amount of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere.
I'm hiding in the house working but hope to get outside and go for a walk or a bike ride later.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Happy Solstice
Posted by Los Gatos Girl at 2:15 PM
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Still taken from YouTube.
Watch this Stunning South African Documentary Film 'Womanhood'
South African women from different walks of life speak about their experiences of womanhood through various lenses.
Womanhood is a short documentary film which is the result of a collaboration between South African insurer 1st For Women and digital media platform Vice. The short documentary features an array of South African women from different and diverse backgrounds speaking about what womanhood means to them. The documentary itself focuses on five important themes: freedom, body, pain, motherhood and future.
Womanhood begins with the theme of freedom and sees ordinary women describing what freedom is and how it looks like to them. While some women speak about having the freedom to express themselves, others want resources to be able to design how they spend their time. A shared desire, however, is the freedom to be safe—safe enough to not be harassed when walking on the street and safe enough to wear anything they want without fear. In a country where femicide and alarming gender-based violence continue to rise, this desire is one shared by women across the board.
READ: Koleka Putuma's New Poem Speaks to South Africa's Femicide Crisis
As the documentary progresses, the audience is introduced to other themes. A young Indian woman explains how at the age of 32, her family feels they have failed because she's not married and doesn't already have kids, in spite of her three university degrees. She describes her parents by saying, "It doesn't bother me as much as it bothers them but what does bother me is that it bothers them so much." An older Colored women shares her experience of having been gang raped when she was younger. "We teach our daughters to be safe but we don't teach our sons not to rape," she says.
What is brilliantly shown in this documentary, and where many others have fallen short, is just how diverse the spectrum of womanhood is. It doesn't limit it to archetypes or dominant and mainstream narratives—every woman has an opportunity to tell her own story in her own way. From the professional soccer player who's struggling to make ends meet in a sport where male players are held in higher esteem, the young Muslim woman trying to navigate the intersectionality of her religion and sexuality, to the woman who has to fight off stereotypes about what a mechanic ought to look like.
It's not an easy task to successfully document a range of varied experiences in a little over twenty minutes but Womanhood does just that.
Watch the documentary below:
From Your Site Articles
- Global Pandemic Fails to Stop South Africa's Gender-Based Violence Crisis - OkayAfrica ›
- Review: Netflix's '8' Is a Win for South African Horror - OkayAfrica ›
- Review: Netflix's '8' Is a Win for South African Horror - OkayAfrica ›
- 'City of Bukom,' The Village That Produced Boxing Greats - OkayAfrica ›
- South African Women Are Facing a Contraceptive Shortage - OkayAfrica ›
- South African Film 'MOFFIE' is Screening Online Amid COVID-19 Pandemic - Okayplayer ›
- 7 African Documentaries On Netflix That You Must Watch Right Now - Okayplayer ›


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Singapore-based creative collective Monocoque has realized Chromaticity, an installation that seeks to explore the manipulation of light and its influence on the perception of colours.
Chromaticity started out as casual lunchtime banter in Monocoque's office on how colours are terribly misrepresented from screen to print. Having to deal with colours on a daily basis, this unapologetically led to a full-blown discussion of why colours are well, the way colours are.
Chromaticity strips the intricacies of colour theory and its science down to a leaner approach in engaging visitors with this installation.
Colours hues are arranged naturally in an array across the room. Saturation or "colour richness" are being tiled with increasing value from bottom up, per column of hue or individual colours of the rainbow. This recreates a recognisable hue palette creatives use in their daily colour work.
By introducing a third dimension in this seemingly limited two dimensional space, folded tetrahedrals form the base element to tessellate the colour array. When a light source from the room hits a tessellation, differing facets receive a variation of light, hence creating colour's third dimension, lightness or commonly known as "value". At first glance, it may appear that each triangle consists of three distinct colours, but in truth it is nothing more han a simple play of lights and shadows.
all images courtesy of Monocoque Service Design


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detail product
2014 YachtMaster II SS/YG White Dial on SS/YG Bracelet A7750
- $318.00
- Product Code: yGTsnwig
- Availability: In Stock
2014 YachtMaster II SS/YG White Dial on SS/YG Bracelet A7750
Size: 42mm x 15.5mm
Movement: Asia 7750 Automatic Chronograph Movement, 28800bph
Functions: Hours, minutes, Working Chronograph for the Large Red hand only (Start/Stop 2.00 Pusher, Reset 4.00)
Case: Solid 316L stainless steel case
Crystal: Scratch-proof sapphire crystal
Dial: White dial
Bezel: Bi-directional rotating bezel
Strap: Stainless steel bracelet with 18k yellow gold-plated midlinks
Clasp: Deployant clasp
Water resistance: Yes


text: Online Bass Fishing Log....LARGEMOUTH & SMALLMOUTH BASS Bass Fishing LogOver 40,000 pieces of Bass Fishing data All Search Selection Details State:MARYLANDLake/River/Res.:North East RiverMonth:APRILTime:All DayWater Temp:50H2O Clarity (inches):6Lure(s): Structure:docks (wooden)Depth:4-5 feetWeather:rainAir Temp.:51Comments: . TABLE OPTIONS: NORMAL VIEW TOP 25 ENTRIES TOP 50 ENTRIES TOP 75 ENTRIES 150 200 . VIEW ALL ENTRIES BY STATE AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY CA MX JP SA powered in 0.01s by baseportal.comGet your own Web Database - for FREE!


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When CND brought us Shellac- beauty fans were ecstatic, but it was never really for me. I have too short an attention span to have one colour on my nails for such a long time, and anything that they say needs removed specially is just too much fussing for a lazy gal like me ( although I can see why it would be perfect for holidays and special occasions). So when I first hear about CND's latest offering- Vinylux I knew it was more up my street. A breakthrough polish once again, Vinylux requires no base coat, and has a top coat that continues to becomes durable with natural light exposure, it also removes with normal polish remover AND can last around 7 days, sounds pretty perfect to me!
I was lucky enough to get to try out this breakthrough product at one of my favourite spots, the Chamomile Sanctuary Spa in Edinburgh and I can say it is definatley something I will be doing again. The colour range is spectacular; it applies like a dream and so far after 10 days and counting it still looks immaculate, glossy and bright. I was actually going to hold off on posting this review until after this manicure had worn off but at this rate it will be on forever so I have had to give in and share it now! The fact it has lasted so long is truly testament to how good and long lasting these vinylux polishes are- I am a total clutz and my nail polish is usually chipped mere hours after application from me fiddling with things but this still looks amazing. You can see in the snaps there is a slight amount of tip wear on a couple of fingers but that is it- otherwise it is in fantastic condition and still attracting compliments.
|just a few of the amazing colours available
|12 hours after manicure
|6 days after manicure
I never thought I would be so impressed with a nail treatment but CND have really won me over with this. The treatment at Chamomile is only £18 for half an hour, which I think is a fantastic price for such a good manicure - long lasting colour and all from the comfort of their beautiful relaxing nail room, it is definately top marks from me!


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Rockline Industries Acquires New Production Plant In Russellville, Arkansas
As part of a planned expansion, Rockline Industries has acquired a nearly 240,000 square foot facility, on a 30-acre site, in Russellville, Arkansas. This aligns with the growth strategy to meet the growing needs of contract manufacturing and for the consumer demand of private label products.
"Rockline's purchase of the Russellville site will help our company better serve the needs of our customers and accommodate our company's rapid growth in contract manufacturing and private label products," said Nick Santoleri, vice president of operations, Rockline Industries. Rockline currently operates four US manufacturing plants in Arkansas, New Jersey and Wisconsin.
In October, Rockline announced the opening of a state-of-the-art Innovation and Technical Center adjacent to its corporate headquarters in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. That 18,000 square foot facility will feature laboratories equipped with microbiological and analytical chemistry capabilities, and pilot line converting equipment. Product development teams working at the center will focus on wet wipe innovation, as well as product, packaging and test method developments.


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In the first quarter of a scoreless 2016 AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos faced third-and-6 from their own 44-yard line. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas ran a 15-yard out, breaking toward the Broncos' sideline. He did not catch Manning's wobbly throw, but there was contact on the play, and Denver's players and coaching staff appealed to the official for a pass interference call on Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan. They got one, and the Broncos got a first down, scoring the game's opening touchdown four plays later.
On the ensuing drive, the Patriots faced third-and-3 at their own 27-yard line. Rob Gronkowski ran a wheel route up the Broncos' sideline with T.J. Ward in coverage. As the Patriots tight end turned to look back for the ball, the defender made contact and shoved him, preventing a catch. Both Gronk and Tom Brady yelled for a penalty. The flag did not come, and the Patriots were forced to punt.
Similar plays led to different outcomes that benefited the team on the sideline closest to the on-field action. Most NFL refs would likely say they are immune any sideline bias. "If I make a call because a coach is screaming at me on one side of the field and it's wrong, that's a bad day for me," former NFL official Scott Green told us. (The NFL declined to comment.)
Who's the most chaotic fictional football coach? | FiveThirtyEight
But as it turns out, a sideline bias in the NFL is real, and it's spectacular. To prove it, we looked at the rates at which refs call the NFL's most severe penalties, including defensive pass interference, aggressive infractions like personal fouls and unnecessary roughness, and offensive holding calls, based on where the offensive team ran its play.Economic Inquiry.">1
For three common penalties, the direction of the play — that is, whether it's run toward the offensive or defensive team's sideline — makes a significant difference. In other words, refs make more defensive pass interference calls on the offensive team's sideline but more offensive holding calls on the defensive team's sideline. What's more, these differences aren't uniform across the field — the effect only shows up on plays run, roughly, between the 32-yard lines, the same space where coaches and players are allowed to stand during play.
The following graphs show the penalty rates per 1,000 plays for defensive pass interference and aggressive defensive penalties, which include unnecessary roughness, personal fouls, unsportsmanlike conduct, and horse-collar tackles.Football Outsiders and play-by-play data from Armchair Analysis. To estimate penalty rates, we used a model of penalty outcomes that depends on yard line and which sideline (offensive or defensive team's) the play was closer to. Additional methodological details can be found here.">2
Refs throw flags for defensive infractions at significantly higher rates when plays are run in the direction of the offensive team's sideline; near midfield, defensive penalties are called about 50 percent more often on the offensive team's sideline than the defensive team's. Close to the end zone, where the sidelines are supposed to be free of coaches and players, these differences are negligible.
For offensive flags, that association is reversed, at least on holding penalties.3 Here's the rate of holding calls made on outside run plays, which shows how the defensive team's sideline can help draw flags on the offense. Around midfield, offensive holding gets called about 35 percent more often on plays run at the defensive team's sideline.
So what could be causing this phenomenon?
Refs are faced with a near-impossible task. They make judgment calls in real time, relying on just their eyes and their experience. Deprived of the advantages, like instant replay, that we enjoy from the couch, refs have less information to help them resist the normal subconscious urge to draw on external cues for assistance in making borderline calls. In psychology terms, this process is called cue learning. It's why we laugh longer in the presence of other humans laughing,4 why we eat more in the presence of overweight company, and why our judgment of persuasive speeches is influenced by the audience's reaction.
The most common cue in sports is crowd noise, and because crowd noise almost always supports the home team, the way the fans sway the referees is the No. 1 driver of home-field advantage in sports. And one notable experiment suggests that how loud a crowd is helps refs decide whether an interaction should be penalized. A pair of German researchers showed actual referees old video clips of possible soccer infractions, with crowd noise played at high or low volume. Refs looking at the exact same interactions were more likely to hand out a yellow card when they heard a lot of crowd noise than when the volume was low.
It follows, then, that screaming and hat-throwing football personnel may also have an effect on referee choices. In football, this sideline bias even seems to supersede refs' tendency to support the home team: The differences in the penalty rates from sideline to sideline are several times larger than the differences in penalty rates between the home and away teams.
That bias can affect the outcome even when officials have time to confer. In a 2015 playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions, Matthew Stafford threw a third-and-1 pass to Brandon Pettigrew. Officials initially called defensive pass interference on the Cowboys' Anthony Hitchens.
But the flag occurred right in front of the Cowboys sideline. This led to some confusion. It also led to a helmetless Dez Bryant yelling at the official.
After conferring with each other, the officials picked up the flag, a decision that Mike Pereira, Fox Sports' rules analyst and the NFL's former vice president of officiating, said was incorrect. Brian Burke of Advanced Football Analytics calculates that when the official picked up the flag, the Lions' chances of winning that game dropped by 12 percentage points.
Dallas won 24-20.
Check out our latest NFL playoff predictions.


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|Photo from Vicious Vintage Chic
Saturday, June 08, 2013
My first bathing suit!
15 comments:
The suit looks great and so professional. I'm so jealous of your new machine!ReplyDelete
That is so cute! I love the fabric you used, and great find on the pattern! I made a swimsuit very much like view C when I was 12 . . . in 1976!ReplyDelete
And Happy Birthday! That is the most excellent birthday present ever!
Great suit! You talented sewist with your coverstitch machines--if I wasn't such a newbie, I'd have one on my wish list. I'd love to be able to finish my knits with the double hem.ReplyDelete
That is so cool!!! Have fun at your pool party!ReplyDelete
1) You look AMAZING in your new swimsuit, what a figure you have!ReplyDelete
2) I love the cut of the suit and the fabric you used, it's totally lush!
3) Husbands just don't understand :)Replies
Oh Samantha, you are too kind; truly, I took a ton photos and carefully selected the most flattering shots :) Love "lush" as the descriptive word for my suit, though--counters nicely the parent of my son's classmate who said it reminded her of Minnie Mouse!Delete
- Replies
Yes! I completely neglected to take photos, but essentially, you line the bodice top, which creates the casing for the drawstring. Then, you sew the sides and back of both the outer fabric and lining fabric separately (leaving the crotch unsewn). Then, you sandwich the bodice between the lining and outer fabric and sew the bodice seam. Flip it all around the correct way, sew the crotch seam (there's a little flippy thing you have to do for the outer fabric) and line up the raw edges of the leg seams. Apply the elastic along the edges and then turn it to the inside and topstitch. It looks completely clean and beautiful on the inside (except the leg holes, but it's how most commercial suits appear). Does that help?Delete
That is adorable! I've been wanting a coverstitch machine for ages. I really think I need to jump on the bathing suit bandwagon!ReplyDelete


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Lots of things blooming at Bok Tower Gardens in late September.
A few of the critters. I rarely see ladybugs anymore.
Early morning at the bell tower. This is a great spot to take a break. Sitting under the big oak trees looking out at the old orange groves far away.
I made a quick trip to Bok Tower in central Florida in late September. It was a quiet morning and not too many birds but lots of plants were blooming.


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Atmospheric Environment
Field Missions
In recent years we have been involved in the following series of field missions:
Within GTE several mission categories with a primary focus are defined. The Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation (CITE) experiments were initiated to evaluate our ability to measure critical tropospheric species. The field studies known as Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (ABLE) have been conducted to study large ecosystems that are known to exert a major influence on global chemistry and, in some cases, are undergoing profound changes. The impact of long range transport of continental emissions, natural and anthropogenic, have been studied through focused missions such as TRACE-A (Transport and Chemistry near the Equator in the Atlantic), Pacific Exploratory Missions (PEM) A and B, PEM-Tropics, and TRACE-P (Transport and Chemical Evolution over the Pacific).
Results from the SONEX/POLINAT-2 campaign have been published in Special Sections of Geophysical Research Letters (October, 1999) and J. of Geophysical Research (February, 2000). SONEX/POLINAT-2 successfully collected a comprehensive body of data over the north Atlantic that can be used to further test and validate global models of transport and photochemistry, and identified areas of uncertainty. We conclude that increased aircraft NOX emissions in the future will likely lead to additional O3 formation, but the rate will vary greatly depending on the state of the atmosphere.
A parallel objective is to develop the airborne database to test and evaluate satellite observations.
INTEX is a result of activities following the NASA Snowmass workshop held in August 1999. The central premise of this workshop was that within the next three or so years, satellites would allow near global atmospheric chemistry measurements permitting an integrated view of the atmosphere. Satellite and aircraft missions naturally complement each other and a challenging task is to design campaigns that take full advantage of this synergy. INTEX is designed with this perspective in mind. INTEX also supports the new IGAC (International Global Atmospheric Chemistry) Project initiative on the Intercontinental Transport and Chemical Transformation (ITCT) of pollution (ITCT, 2000). INTEX also has elements that integrate well with the US Carbon Cycle Program and the ongoing NASA SASS Program.
INTEX is being driven by the following overarching hypotheses that were recognized as central to studies in the troposphere:
The NH continents are a major global source for many environmentally important gases and aerosols. There is substantial evidence that pollution from these continents can travel over thousands of miles and impact air quality in downwind regions. Our quantitative knowledge of the export fluxes of gases and aerosols to the global atmosphere is poor. There is a clear need, from a policy and societal perspective, to quantify these exports from Asia and North America to the global atmosphere and to assess their impact on global air quality and climate.
We envision that INTEX will take place in two intensive phases. Phase A intensive will focus on the eastern seaboard of North America where most of the chemical outflow takes place. Phase B intensive will focus on the eastern Pacific where the impact of Asian emissions is maximum. The ideal timing for Phase A is during summer when biogenic sources/sinks of NMHC and greenhouse gases, anthropogenic influence on tropospheric ozone and OH, and the climatic effect of midlatitude aerosols are all at or near their maximum. The ideal timing for Phase B is late spring when the Asian impact is expected to be at its peak. Suitable bases of operation during Phase A are Bangor, Maine and Bermuda/or Azores (alternate). Phase B could be best executed from a continental site on the West Coast of the US (e. g. Seattle) and Hawaii. It is expected that the primary INTEX objectives can be met through the use of the DC-8 and P-3 aircraft.
Essential to the success of INTEX will be the combined perspective afforded by aircraft and satellite measurements on the chemical outflow from continents to the oceans. The AURA and ENVISAT polar-orbiting satellites, expected to be operational during INTEX, will provide global and continuous measurements of tropospheric O3, CO, CH4, CH2O, SO2, NOX, HNO3, and aerosols. We recognize that operation over the oceans in cloud-free environments provide the best environment for maximum synergy between airborne and satellite measurements.
We expect INTEX to generate considerable interest from the international scientific community especially from Asia and Europe. This is expected to manifest itself through independent European and Asian supported campaigns based in the Eastern/Central Atlantic and the western/central Pacific respectively, that could be closely coordinated with INTEX. NOAA already has plans that complement this proposed activity. In addition, involvement of satellite science communities is expected. A steering committee has been assembled to facilitate collaboration and maximize science returns.


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Welcome to the Baymont Single Family Home Design by Maronda Homes. Apart of our Americana series, this practical and personalizable two-story floor plan features 2,769 finished living space. Start designing by choosing between 4-6 bedrooms, 2.5-4 bathrooms and a 2-3 car garage.
Enter the cozy front porch and continue through the foyer to see two spacious, customizable flex spaces and a half bath. The first floor of the Baymont is equipped with a flowing great family and dining room with kitchen. Upgrade the kitchen to be gourmet, or swap out the standard back patio for a 30x10 lanai.
Walk up the steps to the second floor and look down to enjoy the balcony view of our first-floor foyer and flex space. The master bedroom and bath, alongside all other bedrooms live on the second floor. The laundry room is also located alongside additional bedrooms and bathrooms for your convenience.


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WASHINGTON — The Postal Service expects the busiest mailing day of the year for customers will be Monday, Dec. 14.
More than 612 million pieces are expected to be accepted and processed today. The Postal Service also is expecting a nearly 7 percent increase in packages to be processed on the busiest day.
"We prepare for this day year-round," said Megan J. Brennan, Postmaster General and CEO. "The Postal Service is ready to serve our customers, and they can count on us to deliver their cards and gifts to family and friends for the holidays."
Millions of customers will visit retail lobbies on Dec. 14; however, there are also many online options that allow customers to skip the trip. The busiest mailing day is expected to be the Postal Service's busiest day online with more than 7 million customers predicted to visit usps.com. Customers can use Click-N-Ship to print and pay for shipping labels. They can also schedule a package pickup online, and order additional shipping supplies. Customers can sign up at my.usps.com to manage incoming packages, as well.
The Postal Service also encourages customers to remember the following shipping tips:
- Priority Mail Flat Rate is a convenient option for holiday shipping. It's reliable, and provides expected delivery dates, improved tracking and included insurance up to $50.
- When sending a gift or card, print mailing and return addresses clearly and include all address elements, such as apartment numbers and directional information (ex: 123 S Main St. Apt. 2B). Use the ZIP Code finder on usps.com if unsure of the correct one.
- Make sure to pack gifts and boxes properly, and secure fragile items with packaging materials. For more helpful tips on how to pack a box, check out this video.
Holiday mailing and shipping deadlines are approaching quickly. Saturday, Dec. 19, is the last day to send cards and First-Class Mail packages for an expected arrival by Christmas. Customers can send Priority Mail Express items up until Wednesday, Dec. 23.
The Postal Service recommends keeping the following mailing and shipping deadlines in mind this week and next:
- Dec. 15 - Standard Post
- Dec. 19 - First Class Mail
- Dec. 19 - Global Express Guaranteed
- Dec. 21 - Priority Mail
- Dec. 23 - Priority Mail Express
Full deadlines and additional details can be found here.
For additional news and updates throughout the season, please visit the USPS Holiday Newsroom.
Reporters interested in visiting a retail unit on the busiest mailing day may contact regional Postal Service public relations contacts at about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.
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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm. A complete list of the holiday shipping deadlines can be found at https://about.usps.com/holidaynews.
For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional, please go to about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf. Follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/usps), Instagram (instagram.com/uspostalservice), Pinterest (pinterest.com/uspsstamps), LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/usps), subscribe to our channel on YouTube (youtube.com/usps), like us on Facebook (facebook.com/usps) and view our Postal Postsblog (uspsblog.com).
For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and usps.com/postalfacts.


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First Visit
Your initial appointment will consist of a consultation explaining your diagnosis and treatment options. Occasionally, surgery can be performed the same day as the consultation. However, a complex medical history or treatment plan will require an evaluation and a second appointment to provide treatment on another day. Please assist us by providing the following information at the time of your consultation:
- Your surgical referral slip and any X-rays if applicable
- A list of medications you are presently taking
- If you have medical or dental insurance, bring the necessary completed forms. This will save time and allow us to help you process any claims.
- Fill out and Submit Our Online Patient Registration Form ahead of your visit for faster service.
A parent or guardian must accompany all patients under the age of 18 years of age at the consultation visit.
A pre-operative consultation and physical examination is mandatory for patients undergoing IV anesthesia for surgery. Do not eat or drink 8 hours prior to your surgery. You will also need an adult to drive you home.
Please alert the office if you have a medical condition that may be of concern prior to surgery (i.e. diabetes, high blood pressure, artificial heart valves and joints, rheumatic fever, etc.) or if you are currently taking any medication (i.e. heart medications, aspirin, anticoagulant therapy, etc.).
If your dentist or physician has taken x-rays, you may request that they be forwarded to our office. If there is not enough time to do that, then please pick them up and bring them to our office. If additional films are necessary, they can be taken at our facility.
Dr. Greco's Hilo and Waimea offices are open Monday – Friday from 8 am until 5 pm. We will schedule your appointment as promptly as possible. If you have pain or an emergency situation, every attempt will be made to see you that day.
We will always invest as much time into every patient as is necessary to deliver high quality care. This dedication, in combination with sudden and unexpected emergencies, may result in the office running behind schedule. If you become excessively inconvenienced, please accept our sincere apologies in advance. We will be happy to reschedule your appointment as soon as possible.


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is one of the most picturesque ports in France. Characterized
by high-houses with slate-covered exteriors, Sainte Catherine's
Quay is especially beautiful - as is the
Vieux Bassin, one of the most frequently painted harbors in the world, and immortalized in the works of impresionists Claude Monet and Eugène Boudin.
in the Calvados department of Normandy, Honfleur lies on the
southern bank of the Seine. Founded
about the middle of the 12th century, the city was
an embarkation point for goods from Rouen to England.
During the Hundred Years War, Honfleur was occupied
by the English in 1357, and again from 1419 to 1450. Blockades
during the Napoleonic wars severely impacted commerce. This was followed by silting, and Honfleur never really regained
a dominant commercial position. The scenic Normandie Bridge connects
Honfleur to Le Havre on the Seine's northern bank.
Contents | Top of page
Photojournals is this series: Normandy
D-Day Sites | Battle
of Britain Air Show


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Robert M. Coates's "The Hour After Westerly": A "road not taken" — or was it?
The writings of Robert M. Coates are unknown to the average reader these days. The last time I taught from a high school anthology of literature that contained one of his stories was in 1977 — a harrowing tale about a middle-aged married couple harassed by a gang of teenage thugs.
In my years since, as an adjunct professor teaching college English courses, I have never seen an anthology that featured any of Coates's work. A few years back, his "Hour After Westerly" could be accessed online and I occasionally assigned it to my students before it disappeared.
Vintage copies of a collection of his short stories can be found on amazon.com — but they range in price from $175 to over $900 — not an attractive buy for most readers. Coates died in 1975 and may be one of those interesting writers who flourishes for a time — many of his stories were published in " The New Yorker" in the 1950s — but eventually fades from fashion and disappears from the general literary scene, known only to a few who may discover his work in an old anthology found in a second-hand bookstore or at a garage sale.
Some of his stories approach the realm of myth: "The Law" is the Law of Averages that suddenly goes haywire and creates world-wide chaos, followed shortly by the Law of Diminishing Returns; in "An Autumn Fable" a hunter encounters Greek gods ensconced in a log cabin in the New England woods
But his most frequent theme involves a male approaching middle age who is suddenly confronted by curiosity and sometimes regret about a life choice he never made. One thinks of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," in which the direction of the poet's life is compared to a path he took at a symbolic crossroads to which he can never return.
Yet Coates sometimes adds an extra dimension — literally since Time is the Fourth Dimension — adding a provocative "quantum theory" twist for the phenomenon known as "déjà vu." He raises the eerie possibility that somewhere in the past the protagonist or his "doppleganger" — a mystical double — did indeed take that alternate road and in some bizarre warping of reality the two lives briefly blend into one.
I first encountered "The Hour After Westerly" when I was in eighth grade and passed part of a long family road trip working through an anthology of fantasy and science-fiction tales, the title of which I have long ago forgotten. Most of the stories dealt with encounters between humans and various aliens or creatures of the human imagination — some benevolent, some not — and often featured clever or shocking plot twists.
But "The Hour After Westerly" was different. For one thing, the protagonist is one of Coates's standard weary, middle-aged males with whom a 13-year-old would have a difficult time identifying. For another — despite the lilting, often poetic language in which the story is written, it is a tale in which the central conflict remains elusive and very little really seems to happen
This latter critique is one I frequently heard from my students who read it, and I again wonder if even twenty-somethings are perhaps too full of energy and optimism — or naivete — about their futures to come to grips with Coates's melancholy musings about opportunities lost.
And although it is not a ghost story, the author's elegiac descriptions of the seaside and regret with the passage of time are haunting in the most profound sense of the word. It is that quality that made the story memorable even when I was an adolescent and continued as I grew older and occasionally found myself rereading the story and musing on various "roads not taken."
A middle-aged district salesman named Davis Harwell is the story's protagonist. As the story opens, he is driving on the Boston Post Road to his home west of New Haven, Connecticut — a route he follows perhaps too frequently in a job that is becoming numbingly routine — on a late July afternoon after business in Providence, Rhode Island.
Described as a "methodical man," Harwell has calculated that the trip will, as usual, require some three hours, getting him home around 7:30 in the evening, taking him along the Atlantic coast through wooded areas, salt marshes, and small villages. He will arrive in time for dinner, which will please his wife Edna, but there are hints early in the story that the marriage involves some friction as he tries to balance her "demands" with those of his business.
But, within a few hours, Harwell finds himself sitting in a small roadside restaurant some distance beyond Westerly, Rhode Island about to dine on fried scallops and glances at his watch to discover that it is several minutes past eight o'clock — and he is still a considerable distance from home.
At this point Coates says — in supreme understatement — "This was the beginning of a curious episode in Davis Harwell's life." There is at least an hour that passed during his drive from Providence toward New Haven of which he has no memory — or that is at least his first reaction.
Yet, as he sits eating his fried scallops and pondering the missing time period, he begins to have a vague recollection — what he describes as "a sudden parting of a fog" — of a group of small houses and a church with a clock in its steeple reading 10 minutes to six.
But he cannot remember leaving the main highway nor would he have any reason to have done so. Aware that his wife had expected him home by 7:30, he phones her and being unable to give a rational reason for his lateness he tells her, "I was held up."
"HELD UP!" she almost screams — and, given the ambiguity of his statement, it is not surprising that she has taken it to mean that he was a crime victim, but the rather insensitive thought goes through Harwell's mind that "she was always getting wrong meanings" — perhaps an additional hint of a shaky marriage.
After he fibs that his business had taken longer than he had expected — he hangs up. But the missing time and the foggy recollection begin to frighten him; he feels a sense of loneliness and loss and he experiences the odd feeling that, in some undefinable way, he is no longer the same person who started out on the drive.
A few weeks pass and, on an early evening, Harwell is again driving his sales route between Providence and New Haven but a possible new account has caused him to divert from it. Late summer has passed into mid-September and Coates writes evocatively, "The country was beginning to take on its autumn coloration; there was red in the sumacs and the climbing ivy along the roadside, and, in the fields beyond, the high grasses were beginning to turn brown …."
Like Harwell himself, the landscape is in middle age. He suddenly finds the little cluster of houses and the church he had foggily remembered that evening in the restaurant and notes that the clock on the steeple reads 25 minutes to six.
The author writes, "He felt a strange sort of freedom" and with the impulsiveness of a much younger man Harwell heads out onto a broad, flat stretch "with that look of limitlessness about it which meant that the sea was its boundary." He finds that every aspect of the sunlit landscape around him "seemed new in a way that no similar things had looked to him before." The possibilities do indeed seem limitless.
As Harwell drives farther out onto the headland toward a small scattering of summer cottages, yielding to his curiosity about the mysterious allure of the scene, Coates compares him to a sailor setting his boat's prow toward a new shore "as if something unexpected was about to happen." Clearly this is an experience well outside of his life's normal — perhaps tedious — routine, and it is as he approaches the little cottages, Coates tells us, "that the strange thing occurred."
On the lawn in front of one of the cottages is a tanned woman in shorts and a snug jersey "doing something to a row of flowers." Like Harwell, she is middle-aged, with hair that is either very light or graying — "but she had a slim, attractive figure and her legs and arms were long and brown and fit-looking."
As he approaches, she stands and appears to be waving to him — or is she just brushing back her hair? Through his rear-view mirror he can see that she is still watching him as he passes and though he seems certain he has never seen her before he is seized by the desire — Coates calls it "a compulsion" — to pull over.
He is a methodical, practical man and realizes this is a foolish impulse so he of course drives on. Yet almost at once, the author tells us, "All the sense of adventurousness left him …he was simply a man who had taken a wrong turning somewhere on a journey."
To "right" that "wrong turning," Harwell stops at a small tavern a short distance up the road from the cottages to ask for directions. It includes a 1950s-style dance hall, which is separated from the bar itself by a broad trellis and features tables set for the last of the "summer people" who will descend on it come Saturday night.
He is spotted by the lone bartender who greets him with a hearty "Well, HELLO!" It is obvious that he thinks he recognizes Harwell, the implication being that he has not seen him for a while.
Harwell's insistence that he has never been there before and wants only to ask directions is met by the bartender first with some incredulity and then subtle suspicion as though for some nefarious reason Harwell is trying to avoid recognition.
But Harwell is adamant and the bartender gives him directions back to the Boston Post Road after saying, with some obvious irritation, "Okay, we'll play it your way." Thus he makes his "right turn" and goes back to his usual life.
But Harwell is not through with his obsession with that hour lost after Westerly. Some weeks later, he deviates from his business route once again to return to the cottages.
Coates's dreary evocation of the changed landscape is vaguely ominous: The colors in the leaves have faded, the fields have withered, the sky is darker. The formerly limitless table land seems empty, barren, and lonely.
The clock in the church tower reads 8 minutes before 6:00 but Harwell's feeling of exhilaration and exploration are gone. He parks in front of the cottage where he had seen the attractive woman who appeared to wave to him and walks past the little garden at which she had been digging.
But of course she is not there, and the cottage is dark and deserted — like all of the other cottages around it. Harwell feels the bare, wintry look of the scene and in the air is the somehow foreboding feeling of rain blowing in from off the sea.
The sky is growing darker still when he passes the bar again — that crucial period between 5:00 and 6:00 having passed. But he knows the way back to his normal route now and does not need to ask directions. And besides — Coates tells us —" it was far too late."
Raising the question, of course: Too late for what? Here is a man in middle age, his life's choices having taken him to a rather dull, routine occupation and a marriage that appears to be approaching some critical point.
Suddenly and briefly, he is vaulted into a kind of twilight zone where he encounters an attractive woman of middle years whom he associates with summertime and flowers and feels an irrational compulsion to pull his car over. A bartender insists he recognizes him, apparently from past visits to the dance hall — with the woman?
Logically, these events do not make sense. But Coates offers the possibility that somehow some other "self" of his protagonist has chosen a path that he did not, and in a strange twisting of time and reality the two lives have momentarily collided in that mysterious hour between 5:00 and 6:00 on an evocative stretch of the New England coast.
Harwell has had a brief glimpse down that "road not taken" and his own choice of a literal road seems, sadly, to have brought him to life of tedium and regret.


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Well guess its again well overdue for a blog from me now. In Sept I took the plunge and quit my middle management corporate job in London, packed my bags and moved to Vancouver. An unnerving feeling giving up your income and established lifestyle and throwing the cards in the air by jumping on a one way BA flight to ...Read More »
Author Archives: Pat
The FAT Fantasy RWC Competition
Well it was a great world cup really – despite England not showing up. I am already looking forward to the 6N which should be fierce as there are four teams who can win it with England probably being 3rd seed at the moment! Also, great updates by Edo giving a TFW slant on things is always good to put ...Read More »
London Riots!
Wow, the last few days have been as eventful as ever. Earlier in the week, heard that after police shot dead a well known drug dealer and father of four. As a result there was a riot in Tottenham, and apart from hearing Angela and Robin were safe, didn't really think too much of it as no one else had ...Read More »
Rupert Murdoch and NOTW
I have been meaning to blog about my year of transition but if this NOTW story doesn't spark inspiration I don't know what will. Heres probably the biggest story of at least this year if not the last few years and its been all over the press here in London and the world most the of the last few weeks. ...Read More »
ISB Videos
Not to bash down Edo's most excellent Whisky post below. I finally have all the ISB videos sorted. 🙂 After spending quite a bit of time editing the video and making a 20 min special ISB clip. I uploaded it and it was too big, so had to split it into five chapters. Enjoy!!!! Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 ...Read More »
I made a JIS video from the footage I had from July 2000. Let me know what you think. Have two more to come. One of ISB which will be much longer and some salt monkeys / new years 2000 as well. Edo – you will very much look forward to the new years footage! Give me until the weekend ...Read More »
Last blog of 2010
Its been a decent chunk of time since my last blog, wanted to get one more post in before 2010 is in the past. Edo is virtually running the site on his own, well in actual fact he is completely running it. Must admit Fatweb is still on my top five sites every time I am online and still offers ...Read More »
Autumn Test Time
Yesterday it was England vs Argentina, the second of three tests in the Autumn test series. Not sure how close everyone follows English Rugby but its in a bit of a rut at the moment and they really need to simply get better so they can compete against the other major teams. The Southern hemisphere teams are still superior and ...Read More »
Wedding, Twitter and other ballacks
After 10 years of thefatwebsite and all the members involved. Edo is the first to get married (or as far as I know). Congratulations once again duder. I saw this photo the other day and realise how far we have come in terms of age! We are all so skinny! I was walking to the shop yesterday and I noticed ...Read More »
After over five years together – really happy to say that Cindy and I got engaged on Saturday. We agreed its what we wanted to do three weeks ago and it felt very natural – all that we needed was the ring. We picked that up on Saturday in Guildford, a bit over budget but has to be expected. 🙂 ...Read More »


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Emily McMullin writes about her experiences of sexual assault and why comments made by actress Angela Lansbury suggest a cultural change is needed – and fast.
Having been pretty vocal on the matter of sexual harassment since going to university, it got to the point last week where I felt I couldn't not write something on the topic.
While I'm so glad that this long-awaited shit storm has begun and the perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault are finally having to face the consequences of their actions, I have also been horribly frustrated and angered by some of the comments and attitudes that are being bandied about as a result.
I reached the end of my tether when, in an interview with the Radio Times, Hollywood actress Angela Lansbury said that women 'must sometimes take blame for sexual harassment' because they have 'gone out of their way to make themselves attractive'. She did, however, add that 'it's awful to say we can't make ourselves look as attractive as possible without being knocked down and raped'.
That's quite a quote, and one I generally agree with – it is absurd that women are abused because of their physical appearance. It's just a shame that she had to heap some of the blame onto women before highlighting what the real problem is and who it lies with (men, obviously).
I would argue, though, that physical appearance doesn't have a huge amount to do with sexual harassment and assault. Every woman can tell you that we get harassed no matter what we look like or how we're dressed – it may be worse in certain environments, such as nightclubs, but it's always there, day and night, in both private and public spaces.
Also, the desire to look nice isn't confined to women – most people regardless of gender or sexuality do to some extent. The bottom line, which Angela seems to have missed, is that nobody has the right to sexually harass or assault another person, regardless of how they're dressed or who for.
It seems to be largely older women who say that young girls these days are 'asking for it' through the way they dress. I refuse to accept that a generation gap is the reason for this – these women should know better, and have clearly forgotten the skin-tight leggings and leather trousers of the 70s and the leotards of the 80s. Unless you wear a floor-length potato sack, most items of clothing are going to 'reveal' some part of your body.
And anyway, what human doesn't know that women have legs, arms, breasts, a bum and all the rest?
It is both ridiculous and depressing to see the idea that the clothes a woman wears make her partly responsible for and deserving of sexual harassment or assault still legitimised and so widespread.
Society has long sexualised girls from a pre-pubescent age, and portrayed, treated and valued women as sex objects. We are made to feel that our worth is based solely on our physical attractiveness and appeal to the opposite sex – in fact, many industries profit from our insecurities – and punished when we act in line with this belief. For centuries, women have been forced to bear the burden of the rules and assumptions that society has taken upon itself to impose on our bodies and behaviour.
Both of my ex-boyfriends were sexually aggressive towards me on more than one occasion. The first shoved my hand down his pants when I was 14-years-old and the other once tried to force himself on me in public. One night I got with the manager of a bar I was in and when it had closed he persistently tried to get me to go down an alleyway with him. At 19, a man grabbed my breast in broad daylight as I crossed the road.
When visiting a friend at uni, I woke up to a guy I had kissed the night before in my bed with his hands all over my thighs – I had gone to sleep alone.
In my first job post-uni, I was sexually harassed by one of my managers, including being told indirectly by him that he wanted to be 'in' me.
These are just a few of the experiences that stick out in my memory from the years of being sexually harassed since I was a teenager. Was I to blame for any of them, and were they caused by my appearance? No.
They happened because those men have all been taught that they are more powerful than women, and haven't learnt, or refuse to acknowledge, what is and isn't appropriate behaviour. Those men felt that I owed them something, that they were entitled to my body. They wanted something and they took it without permission.
I never did anything about any of these incidents, and I feel guilt and shame for not reporting it and potentially protecting other women. The perpetrators, on the other hand, probably wouldn't even remember these events, and if they did I doubt they'd think that their behaviour was particularly problematic in any way. A lot them probably thought it was funny and harmless.
The #MeToo movement has made me more resolved than ever to call out both perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault, and those who are still victim-blaming and slut-shaming women.
I refuse to restrict my life because of other people's attitudes and actions and take responsibility for things that I have played no part in.
I will dress how I please, I will go where I want, when I want, and I will behave as I see fit.
Progress will take a long time, and radical changes need to be made before we can start to move forwards. A good place to start is altering our automatic response to accusations from 'what did she to provoke it?' or 'why didn't she report it at the time?', to 'what he did was wrong and he must be punished'. And quite frankly, any woman who takes the side of the abusers instead of supporting her sisters should be ashamed.
Emily McMullin