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The Somerset Primary Care Joint Committee of the NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS England will be holding its next meeting in public on Thursday, 16 June 2016 at 9:30am, at Monks Yard, Horton Cross Farm, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9PT
From 1 April 2015, NHS England and Somerset CCG have established a joint committee with the primary purpose of jointly commissioning primary medical services for the people of Somerset.
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The renowned Raleigh Ringers are coming to Sunset Beach to perform in concert Saturday, Aug. 25.
The concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the sanctuary of Seaside United Methodist Church, 1300 Seaside Road (N.C. 904).
Tickets are $15 and available through the church office or online at www.seasideumc.org. Tickets will also be available at the door.
This internally acclaimed, Raleigh-based handbell choir was formed in 1990, has toured 44 states in concert and has also appeared in France. The group has more than 300 percussion and bell types, including seven octaves of handbells.
Since their founding in 1990, The Raleigh Ringers have been dazzling concert audiences with unique interpretations of sacred, secular and popular music, including famous rock 'n' roll tunes like "Stairway to Heaven" arranged just for handbells.
Directed by David M. Harris, The Raleigh Ringers have released five CDs and a DVD of a holiday concert titled "One Winter Evening at Meymandi." This concert was turned into two one-hour concert specials that have been broadcast on more than 250 Public Television stations in 45 states.
The group has performed in 36 states, in several cities in France, live on the nationally syndicated "Bob and Tom Show" radio show, and on the "Hour of Power" at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif. The Raleigh Ringers sponsor two annual handbell festivals in Raleigh, one geared for children and one for adults.
The Raleigh Ringers support themselves through performance fees and
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To hear a sample of The Raleigh Ringers' music, see a
concert schedule or learn more about the group, visit their
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For more information about the upcoming concert in Sunset Beach, call the Seaside United Methodist Church office at 579-5753.
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text: AOSIS OpenJournalshttp://email@example.com://www.koedoe.co.za1683-75842071-078XKruger National Park research supersites: Establishing long-term research sites for cross-disciplinary, multiscaled learning Researchers interested in studying the effects of fire or herbivory in the Kruger National Park (KNP) often focus their research activities on the experimental burn plots or herbivore exclosure camps, respectively. These are manipulated sites that apply treatments, for example annual fires or total exclusion of fire and herbivores. However, many projects aim to study or monitor patterns and processes emerging under non-manipulated conditions, typically at sites with contrasting geologies and rainfall. Yet, these sites are usually selected in a haphazard and uncoordinated manner for different projects and, as a consequence, it is often not possible to integrate datasets and knowledge. An alternative to the ever-increasing number of unrelated sites scattered across the park are the 'KNP research supersites' which have been earmarked to geographically focus future research effort, acting as data-rich, long-term sites for monitoring and research. In this paper, we introduced the four recently established KNP research supersites, which cover the rainfall gradient and geological contrast of the KNP, presenting their rationale, selection criteria and location, along with existing datasets that describe their herbaceous biomass, woody cover, phenology, fire history, levels of herbivory. Additional site-specific datasets, which are already available, or which are in preparation, were outlined together with details for assessing these open-source datasets online. Conservation implications: The KNP research supersites will become increasingly used for research, monitoring and remote-sensing calibration and ground-truthing purposes. Scientists are encouraged to gain from, and contribute towards, these sites, which will facilitate long-term data collection, data-sharing and co-learning and, ultimately, lead to a more integrated, multiscaled and multitemporal understanding of savannahs. Izak P.J. Smit1 1Scientific Services, South African National Parks, Skukuza, South Africa Edward S. Riddell2 2School of Bioresources Engineering and Environmental Hydrology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Carola Cullum3 3Centre for Water in the Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa Robin Petersen1 1Scientific Services, South African National Parks, Skukuza, South Africa Izak Smit email@example.com Private Bag X402, Skukuza 1350, South Africa 110755110.4102/koedoe.v55i1.110724 Aug. 201214 Jan. 201312 Apr. 2013Smit, I.P.J., Riddell, E.S., Cullum, C. & Petersen, R., 2013, 'Kruger National Park research supersites: Establishing long-term research sites for cross-disciplinary, multiscaled learning', Koedoe 55(1), Art. #1107, 7 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v55i1.1107 Additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article as an Online Appendix: http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v55i1.1107-1. © 2013. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS OpenJournals. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. IntroductionRationale for research supersites The Kruger National Park (KNP) has become an important research location for scientists from across the world studying savannah systems. Close to 800 projects have been officially registered in the KNP since the 1950s and project numbers have rapidly increased in recent years, with 154 new projects being registered between January 2010 and June 2012 (R. Scholtz [South African National Parks] pers. comm., 14 August 2012). Various reasons are proposed for the popularity of the KNP as an important 'outdoor laboratory', including that the KNP: Has a long history of management being informed by science, which attracts researchers wanting to study and contribute to applied conservation problems. Offers untransformed or largely non-manipulated savannah landscapes, yet with good access and logistical support provided through a dedicated department (Scientific Services). Has accumulated an excellent database of historical data, including spatially explicit long-term vegetation, fire and herbivore datasets, as well as an ever-expanding base of published research. Supports a well-established and growing research community operating mostly in a collaborative manner, as witnessed though the success of the annual Savanna Science Network Meeting, which has been running since 2002 and attracts close to 300 delegates each year. Maintains long-term manipulated and well-studied research sites in the park. Long-term, manipulated research sites include the experimental burn plots (EBPs), where fire season and frequency have been manipulated since 1954 (Biggs et al. 2003; Van der Schijff 1958). The EBPs form one of the oldest and largest uninterrupted fire manipulation experiments in Africa and, by June 2012, 21 datasets, 15 theses and 50 peer-reviewed publications, including an overview paper (Van Wilgen, Govender & Biggs 2007) have emanated from this experiment (N. Govender [SANParks] pers. comm., 20 June 2012). The rare antelope enclosures and herbivore exclosures which manipulate levels of herbivory are additional manipulation sites and are attracting more researchers as the role of herbivores as drivers in African savannah systems is increasingly appreciated (for studies conducted on the KNP herbivore enclosures and/or exclosures see e.g. Asner & Levick 2012; Asner et al. 2009; Jacobs & Naiman 2008; Jonsson et al. 2010; Levick et al. 2009). There are no equivalent long-term, data-rich sites available for research studies that focus on non-manipulated areas which experience 'natural' levels of fire, herbivory, et cetera. As a result, studies involving non-manipulated conditions are located haphazardly across the remaining two million hectares of the park. These ad hoc site selections limit the opportunity of linking datasets emanating from different studies over time. The advantages of incentivising a geographic focus for future studies are numerous. Previous experience shows that 'data beget data' – the more data that are generated for a specific location, the more that site is further studied and the more additional data get collected, especially when these datasets are freely available within the scientific community. This results in data-rich sites where the level of understanding of pattern and process can deepen as additional and complimentary datasets are collected. The long-term ecological research (LTER) sites are an example of an existing network of data-rich sites in the USA, where baseline data, data sharing and a research-enabling environment act as catalysts for data sharing and collaboration of over 1800 scientists (see http://www.lter.edu). Whilst the LTER sites are also largely experimental in design, they have revealed that comprehensive understanding of ecological processes can only be achieved by avoiding the temptation to interpret geographically and biologically disjunct datasets (Knapp et al. 2012). To this end, the KNP research supersites follow a model similar to that proposed for the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) for the long-term monitoring of biomes, in which ecological observations are gathered, collaborative research is facilitated and spatially integrated data are archived (Van Jaarsveld et al. 2007). However, the supersites are applied at a more local scale, with a focus on the dominant rainfall and geomorphologically defined land systems in the KNP, and aim to facilitate integrated research rather than monitoring. Herein, we provide a description on the supersites and datasets already available for these supersites, with the aim of encouraging researchers wanting to establish new research projects in the KNP to choose these sites. Although different research projects have diverse requirements for site selection based on the specific aims and scale of a project, there are often multiple potential sites that will fit these criteria. As a result, the final site selection is often largely based on choosing from potential sites that are conveniently located and/or have existing data available. Furthermore, the criteria most often used for selecting sites in the KNP are simply geology (covering the two main geologies of the park, namely nutrient-rich basalt in the east versus nutrient-poor granite in the west) and rainfall (a gradient of generally increasing rainfall from north to south) (Venter, Scholes & Eckhardt 2003) and researchers are often amenable to working at any specific location within these broad zones. Research method and design Supersite selection criteria A group of South African Nation Parks (SANParks) scientists and external research collaborators agreed that supersites should be delineated using catchment boundaries, rather than by an ecologically meaningless shape. The spatial and temporal availability of water constrains many ecological processes, ranging from fire to flood to biochemistry to resource availability for animals (Jenerette et al. 2012; Noy-Meir 1973). Thus the patterns of geology, climate, morphology, soils and vegetation that largely control water fluxes across and through the landscape form a biophysical template upon which many ecological processes are played out (Caylor, D'odorico & Rodriguez-Iturb 2006). In semi-arid climates, such as that found in the KNP, these patterns are largely coupled. For example, catenas of soils and associated vegetation are often found at certain hillslope positions, forming sequences that reflect patterns of water availability within a sub-catchment (Milne 1935). Furthermore, these catenal sequences are repeated throughout areas with similar climate, geology and morphology ('physiographic zones' after Cullum & Rogers 2011, or 'land systems' after Venter 1990). Using (sub-)catchment boundaries and catenal elements to delineate research and monitoring sites within distinct physiographic zones therefore allows sites to be placed within the ecohydrological contexts that control so many ecological processes. The abovementioned group of scientists also agreed on the following more specific selection criteria; that is, supersites should: Between themselves include contrasts of the two main abiotic variables driving much of the larger scale variation in the park, namely, geology (granite and basalt) and rainfall (higher rainfall in the south versus lower rainfall in the north). Be large enough to contain at least one third-order catchment situated entirely within a single geology, allowing ecological patterns to be studied at the three scales associated with first-order, second-order and third-order catchments. Contain the hillslope vegetation and soil patterns (catenal sequences) that commonly occur in the local land system. Be easily accessible from as many sides as possible by all-weather roads. Be close to research camps and facilities. Be outside of areas demarcated as 'wilderness' or 'remote' in the KNP zoning plan, in order to allow installation of instrumentation. Although the sites have been selected to be 'typical' of the main geoclimatic settings in the park, care must be taken to account for local heterogeneity when extrapolating data to other locations (see Cullum & Rogers 2012). At each supersite, at least one third-order catchment has been furnished with hydrological and meteorological instruments for intensive study. However, because a single third-order catchment may be too small or may have sub-optimal access for certain types of studies, the supersites were often delineated to be larger than the catchment (in which case, roads mostly form the boundary). Whenever possible, studies should aim to work in the focal sub-catchments, as many patterns and processes are driven by water fluxes associated with catchments and landscape position (see above) and, as such, the sub-catchments form the key focal areas within the supersites. Supersite selection process Potential sites meeting the above selection criteria were initially identified within a geographic information system environment, overlaying various data layers with high resolution SPOT 5 satellite imagery as the backdrop. This was followed by a helicopter survey over potential sites in March 2011 and subsequent field visits to allow further aerial and ground-based evaluation of suitability. Through this process the most suitable sites emerged and consensus was reached as to which sites were to be tabled for review and approval by the wider scientific and management community involved in the KNP. The four proposed sites identified by the process above were discussed with the relevant managers, after which they were also discussed at an open-invitation workshop at the 9th Savanna Science Network Meeting, Skukuza, Kruger National Park (March 2011). The workshop allowed a large proportion of the scientific community with research interests and experience in the park to participate in the site review process. The workshop was attended by about 30 scientists, including prominent researchers with a long history of working in the KNP. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive regarding the concept of research supersites and, after discussing some potential alternative sites, the originally proposed sites were accepted without objection. In order to maintain the geographic focus of the initiative, additional suggested sites (e.g. sites on gabbros, sites next to perennial rivers, etc.) could be considered at a later stage and even then only with reduced instrumentation and support. Supersite management As the supersites were conceived to allow study of non-manipulated conditions, they will be managed in accordance with the rest of the park. The supersites are therefore not available for large-scale manipulative studies (e.g. fertilisation, irrigation, fire experiments, etc.), but instrumentation of the site will be encouraged if and where appropriate. As with all research projects conducted within national parks, projects intended for the supersites will first need to be approved and registered by SANParks. The SANParks committees evaluating the projects will also evaluate which instrumentation is appropriate for inclusion on the sites. ResultsSupersite descriptions Venter (1990) characterised the KNP in terms of 11 land systems, defined by similarities in landforms and the hillslope sequences of soils and dominant woody and herbaceous vegetation at a scale of approximately 1:1 000 000. These land systems were further subdivided by Venter (1990) into 56 land types, mapped at a scale of approximately 1:250 000. The supersites occur within the four largest land systems (which account for 80% of the total park area), namely, Skukuza (Southern Granites, with relatively high rainfall), Phalaborwa (Northern Granites, with relatively low rainfall), Satara (Southern Basalts, with relatively high rainfall) and Letaba (Northern Basalts, with relatively low rainfall) (Figure 1). Venter's (1990) descriptions of the land types within which the supersites fall are summarised in the Online Appendix Tables 1 and 2, together with their hydrogeological characteristics (Online Appendix Table 3). The characteristics of the supersites, including long-term average rainfall, herbaceous biomass and woody cover are described in Table 1 (also see Online Appendix Table 4 for annual rainfall history since 1941). A summary of the long-term fire history is provided in Table 2 and historic levels of herbivory in Figure 2 (also see Online Appendix Table 5 for density of specific herbivore species). Figure 3 outlines the average yearly phenological response of the supersites, based on the normalised difference vegetation index time series data, derived using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery collected between 2000 and 2012. Aerial and ground photographs of the sites are included in the Online Appendix Figures 1–8 (see also Online Appendix Table 6 for details of historical aerial photography taken of the supersites between 1940 and 2001). The broader park-wide context within which the supersites occur appear as maps in the Online Appendix Figures 9–18 (e.g. depicting supersites in relation to camps and tourist roads, average herbaceous biomass, woody cover, fire return period, dry-season herbivore distribution and elephant distribution). The Online Appendix Figures 19–22 provide the locations (and site identification numbers) for sites on or within 5 km of the supersites for the following datasets, (1) soil and vegetation (herbaceous and woody) data collected by Venter (1990) and (2) vegetation condition assessment surveys carried out by the KNP rangers since 1989. Southern Granites: Stevenson-Hamilton supersite The Southern Granite supersite sits within the Renosterkoppies land type, which is a transitional zone between the land types associated with the perennial Sabie and Crocodile River catchments (Figure 4). The landscape is finely dissected, with a high stream density. The woody vegetation of the sandy crests is dominated by Combretum apiculatum and Combretum zeyheri. There is often a distinct seepline between the crest and the midslope, where Terminalia sericea is conspicuous. Fine leaved woody species such as Acacia nilotica dominate the more clayey midslopes and footslopes. Duplex, sodic soils are often found on the footslopes, characterised by the presence of Euclea divinorium. Concave stream channels generally have gravel beds. Northern Granites: Ngwenyeni supersite The Northern Granite supersite falls within the Malopeni land type, part of the Phalaborwa land system (Figure 5). It is an intensely migmatised zone between the gneiss to the south and greenstone to the north. It is characterised by many small headwater tributaries of the Letaba River. Combretum apiculatum dominates on the shallow soils of the crests, whilst Colophospermum mopane is associated with the midslopes. Footslopes are dominated by C. mopane and some Acacia nigrescens. Southern Basalts: Nhlowa supersite The Southern Basalt supersite occurs within the Satara land type, which is characterised by shallow to moderately deep red olivine-poor clays (Figure 6). These nutrient-rich soils support a high density of herbivores, with dense grass cover providing a reliable source of grazing. It is very flat with open tree savannah dominated by Sclerocarya birrea and A. nigrescens. Stream density is low, with wide grassy valley bottoms in headwater areas. Northern Basalts: Mooiplaas supersite The Northern Basalt supersite occurs within the Mooiplaas land type and is characterised by dark olivine-rich soils (Figure 7). It is very flat, with a very low stream density, shallow grassy vleis and large alluvial deposits along the major rivers. It is dominated by moderate to dense stands of C. mopane. Dichrostachys cinerea is a prominent shrub. DiscussionSupersite datasets Presently, a concerted effort is directed at collecting baseline datasets characterising the supersites. The existing datasets to date are summarised in Table 3. Supersite data availability The datasets described in Table 3 are available (or will become available shortly as they are finalised) from the SANParks data repository (http://www.dataknp.sanparks.org). It is expected that researchers using these datasets will also contribute additional data to the wider research community as they collect or derive new datasets for these sites. New data will be added to the SANParks data repository as they become available. In cases where the researchers want to publish the data before making it publicly available, a lead-time of up to 3 years will be granted. During this period, only an abstract of the data and the contact details of the relevant researcher will be visible on the repository; however, the data will be made available once the data owner provides permission, or at the latest after 3 years from the date of collection, as normally specified by SANParks. Titles of all the supersite datasets will appear when searching the data repository using the term 'supersite' (with additional keywords focusing the search to be more specific). Once the list of dataset titles appears during a search, the required data and metadata can be downloaded directly. Researchers downloading supersite data from the data repository will be required to acknowledge the data collectors and/or reference the publication associated with the specific dataset, as indicated in the metadata of each dataset. In a few exceptional cases where the data may be sensitive and/or where other restrictions (e.g. copyright) may apply, the users will only see the abstract and contact details of the person from which to request the data. All the data will be provided on an 'as is' basis and SANParks and the data collectors will not be responsible for any data errors (however, feedback on any data errors is encouraged). ConclusionThe aim of the recent establishment of four research supersites in the KNP and the provision of spatially explicit baseline datasets for these locations is to stimulate a geographic focus for research and monitoring studies which currently happen on sites that are selected in an uncoordinated and haphazard manner. The supersites cover the two main abiotic variables that drive the large-scale variation in the park, namely, the rainfall gradient and the geological contrast, and contain entire lower order catchments. It is believed that these sites will result in a long-term, data-rich environment, which will provide the opportunity for better integration of datasets and disciplines. It is anticipated that this will lead to a deeper understanding of pattern and process on various spatio-temporal scales. The wealth of freely available spatially explicit datasets presently available or in process of finalisation will act as catalysts to attract further research projects to these sites and to stimulate the collection of additional datasets and knowledge generation. AcknowledgmentsWe want to acknowledge all managers and scientists involved in the discussions and workshops during which the supersites were discussed and finalised. Special thanks also to Gabriela Bucini who co-organised a remote-sensing woody cover mapping workshop together with the primary author in 2009, which was useful in developing the supersite concept. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article. Authors' contributions I.P.J.S. (SANParks) was the project leader and, together with E.S.R. (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and C.C. (University of the Witwatersrand), was closely involved in the supersite conceptualisation and delineation. I.P.J.S. prepared the manuscript with contributions from E.S.R. and C.C, whilst I.P.J.S. and C.C. created all the maps. R.P. (SANParks) coordinated many of the baseline studies presently occurring on the supersites and also contributed towards the manuscript. 1. Asner, G.P., Levick, S.R., Kennedy-Bowdoin, T., Knapp, D.E., Emerson, R., Jacobson, J. et al., 2009, 'Large-scale impacts of herbivores on the structural diversity of African savannas', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 106(12), 4947–4952. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0810637106, PMid:19258457 PMCid:2650504 2. Asner, G.P. & Levick, S.R., 2012, 'Landscape-scale effects of herbivores on treefall in African savanna', Ecology Letters 15(11), 1211–1217. 3. Biggs, R., Biggs, H.C., Dunne, T.T., Govender, N. & Potgieter, A.L.F., 2003, 'Experimental burn plot trial in the Kruger National Park: History, experimental design and suggestions for data analysis', Koedoe 46(1), 1–15. 4. Bucini, G., Saatchi, S., Hannan, N.P., Boone, R.B. & Smit, I.P.J., 2009, 'Woody cover and heterogeneity in the savannas of the Kruger National Park, South Africa', in Proceedings from the 2009 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium IV, Cape Town, South Africa, July 12–17, 2009, pp. 334–337. 5. Bucini, G., Hanan, N.P., Boone, R.B., Smit, I.P.J., Saatchi, S., Lefsky, M.A. et al., 2010, 'Woody fractional cover in Kruger National Park, South Africa: Remote-sensing-based maps and ecological insights', in M.J. Hill & N.P. Hanan (eds.), Ecosystem function in savannas: Measurement and modeling at landscape to global scales, pp. 219–237, CRC/Taylor and Francis, Boca Raton. 6. Caylor, K.K., D'odorico, P. & Rodriguez-Iturbe, I., 2006, 'On the ecohydrology of structurally heterogeneous semiarid landscapes', Water Resources Research 42(7), W07424. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2005WR004683 7. Cullum, C. & Rogers, K.H., 2011, A framework for the classification of drainage networks in savanna landscapes, WRC report TT498/11, Water Research Commission, Pretoria. 8. Cullum, C. & Rogers, K.H., 2012, Using landscape classification within complex, heterogeneous systems, presented at the 10th Savanna Science Networking Meeting, Skukuza, 05–09 March, viewed 19 July 2012, from http://www.sanparks.org/assets/docs/parks_kruger/conservation/scientific/noticeboard/science_network_meeting_2012/5-15-cullum.pdf 9. Du Toit, W.H., 1998, Geohidrologie van die Nasionale Krugerwildtuin gebaseer op die evaluering van bestaande boorgatinligting [Geohydrology of the Kruger National Park based on the evaluation of existing borehole information], vol. 1, Directorate Geohydrology internal report GH 3798, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria. 10. Jacobs, S.M. & Naiman, R.J., 2008, 'Large African herbivores decrease herbaceous plant biomass while increasing plant species richness in a semi-arid savanna toposequence', Journal of Arid Environments 72(6), 891–903. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.11.015 11. Jenerette, G.D., Barron-Gafford, G.A., Guswa, A.J., McDonnell, J.J. & Villegas, J.C., 2012, 'Organization of complexity in water limited ecohydrology', Ecohydrology 5, 184–199. 12. Jonsson, M., Bell, D., Hjalten, J., Rooke, T. & Scogings, P.F., 2010, 'Do mammalian herbivores influence invertebrate communities via changes in the vegetation? Results from a preliminary survey in Kruger National Park, South Africa', African Journal of Range and Forage Science 27(1), 39–44. 13. Knapp, K.A., Smith, M.D., Hobbie, S.E., Collins, S.L., Fahey, T.J., Hansen, G.J.A. et al., 2012, 'Past, present, and future roles of long-term experiments in the LTER network', Bioscience 62(4), 377–389. 14. Levick, S.R., Asner, G.P., Kennedy-Bowdoin, T. & Knapp, D.E., 2009, 'The relative influence of fire and herbivory on savanna three-dimensional vegetation structure', Biological Conservation 142(8), 1693–1700. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.03.004 15. Milne, G., 1935, 'Some suggested units for classification and mapping, particularly for East African soils', Soil Research 4, 183–198. 16. Noy-Meir, I., 1973, 'Desert ecosystems: Environment and producers', Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 4, 25–51. 17. Schulze, R.E., Maharaj, M., Lynch, S.D., Howe, B.J. & Melville-Thomas, B., 1997, South African atlas of agrohydrology and -climatology, WRC report TT82/96, Water Research Commission, Pretoria. 18. Smit, I.P.J., 2007, 'Artificial surface-water provision in a semi-arid savanna. A spatio-temporal analysis of herbivore distribution patterns in relation to artificial waterholes under different habitat, rainfall and management scenarios in the Kruger National Park, South Africa', PhD thesis, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. 19. Smit, I.P.J., 2011, 'Resources driving landscape-scale distribution patterns of grazers in an African savanna', Ecography 34(1), 67–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2010.06029.x 20. Smit, I.P.J. & Ferreira, S.M., 2010, 'Management intervention affects river-bound spatial dynamics of elephants', Biological Conservation 143(9), 2172–2181. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.06.001 21. Smit, I.P.J., Grant, C.C. & Devereux, B.J., 2007, 'Do artificial waterholes influence the way herbivores use the landscape? Herbivore distribution patterns around rivers and artificial surface water sources in a large African savanna park', Biological Conservation 136(1), 85–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2006.11.009 22. Smit, I.P.J., Smit, C.F., Govender, N., Van der Linde, M. & MacFadyen, S., 2013, 'Rainfall, geology and landscape position generate large-scale spatiotemporal fire pattern heterogeneity in an African savanna', Ecography 36(4), 447–459. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.2012.07555.x 23. Van der Schijff, H.P., 1958, 'Inleidende verslag oor veldbrandnavorsing in die Nasionale Krugerwildtuin [Introductory report on veld burning research in the Kruger National Park]', Koedoe 1(1), 60–93. 24. Van Jaarsveld, A.S., Pauw, J.C., Mundree, S., Mecenero, S., Coetzee, B.W.T. & Alard, G.F., 2007, 'South African environmental observation network: Vision, design and status', South African Journal of Science 103, 289–294. 25. Van Wilgen, B.W., Govender, N. & Biggs, H.C., 2007, 'The contribution of fire research to fire management: A critical review of a long-term experiment in the Kruger National Park, South Africa', International Journal of Wildland Fire 16(5), 519–530. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WF06115 26. Venter, F.J., 1990, 'A classification for land management planning in the Kruger National Park', PhD thesis, Department of Geography, University of South Africa. 27. Venter, F.J., Scholes, R.J. & Eckhardt, H.C., 2003, 'The abiotic template and its associated vegetation pattern', in J.T. du Toit, K.H. Rogers & H.C. Biggs (eds.), The Kruger experience: Ecology and management of savanna heterogeneity, pp. 83–129, Island Press, Washington, DC.


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Quorren's #CBR4 Review #44 Brids of Prey: Between Dark and Dawn by Gail Simone
This is the third volume in Gail Simone's Birds of Prey series. I've ordered the previous volumes, to do a comparison reading, for future reviews. I want to see how much having a woman at the helm has changed the tone of the characters, as well as if Simone had any influence on the art decisions. For my hypothesis, I'm going to guess the the writing has changed (in a good way), while the art still has women's bodies defying physics (although Simone does sneak tongue in cheek references to the ridiculous costuming). On the plus side, I think almost every issue has at least one panel of Black Canary stuffing her face with food; in this volume, she chowed down on a huge cheeseburger.
Anyway, in this volume, Simone splits up the trio, with Oracle sending Huntress to a cult that may be convincing impressionable teenagers to commit suicide. Huntress meets up with another friend of the Birds, Vixen. Vixen has also fallen victim to the brainwashing at the cult, so Huntress has to deal with creepy cultists and a women that can channel the attributes of any animal she wants (some days I really wish I could spit cobra venom into people's faces). Meanwhile, Oracle does fancy, magical internet stuff and connects to the cultists' server, motherboard, laser mouse, Ethernet, I have no idea. Once inside, she gets telepathically linked to Brainiac, who had been living in the cultist's computer and now he wants to knock up Oracle.
Yeah, this wasn't Simone's strongest story. Aside from the weird plot machinations just to get from point A to point B, the pacing was, again, too fast. This is becoming my most common gripe about this series and I don't know who to blame. Is it Simone's fault or was there pressure from DC to ramp up the action in an effort to increase sales?


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Photoshop is the premiere photo editor, considered the gold standard for those who want to get the best out of their images. Unfortunately, it's also priced that way, with a list of $699. Yeah, there are various discounts for upgraders and students, but regardless, this software doesn't come cheap.
But for a limited time, you can get Photoshop for the lowest price possible – free. Adobe's working on the next version of the software and has released a public beta of Photoshop CS6. If you've always longed to give the program a try but lacked the coin, this is your chance.
Note that the download is a substantial one. The Mac version is almost a gigabyte, while the Windows version weighs in at 1.7 GB. On both platforms, you can run the beta release of Photoshop CS6 alongside older versions of the software. It will not overwrite your existing Photoshop installations.
You won't need a serial number to use the beta (when installing, choose the option labeled "Try / I want to try Adobe Photoshop CS6 for a limited time". You will need to sign up for an Adobe ID if you don't have one.
And there's good news for Windows XP users who increasingly see high-end software that no longer works on that aging operating system: the Photoshop CS6 beta will run on XP, so long as it's got Service Pack 3. You can find more details about installing (and uninstalling) the beta here [PDF].
Veteran Photoshop users will find that the CS6 release has undergone a facelift, with a darker skin and a layout evocative of Adobe's consumer version, Photoshop Essentials. Besides the visual changes, there are other interesting features. From Adobe's Photoshop CS6 page:
- Content-Aware Patch — Patch images with greater control using the newest member of the Content-Aware family of technologies. Choose the sample area you want to use to create your patch, and then watch Content-Aware Patch magically blend pixels for a stunning result.
- Blazingly fast performance and a modern UI — Experience unprecedented performance with the Mercury Graphics Engine, which gives you near-instant results when you edit with key tools such as Liquify, Puppet Warp, and Crop.* Plus, a refined, fresh, and elegant Photoshop interface features dark background options that make your images pop.
- New and re-engineered design tools — Create superior designs fast. Get consistent formatting with type styles, create and apply custom strokes and dashed lines to shapes, quickly search layers, and much more.
The Content-Aware Patch feature is the most interesting feature to me, but according to this hands-on piece from The Verge, it doesn't work as well as it should in the beta:
"Content-aware move" is a new tool in CS6 that lets you move an object within an image and intelligently fill the space it previously inhabited in just one step. For example, you can select a cat on a rug, click the content-aware move tool, drag the cat to another spot on the rug, and release. CS6 simultaneously moves the cat and fills in the area it previously inhabited (based on context). If you did a poor job selecting the object you want to move, CS6 feathers the edges of your selection once it has moved to its new spot. In our tests, content-aware move worked pretty poorly; results always required touching up, especially if the image's background has any degree of complexity.
9to5Mac has a roundup of the reviews of the beta.
If you're a Photoshop user and you give the beta a spin, please leave your reactions in the comments. And if you're new to Photoshop and try CS6, let us know what you think as well.
(By the way, if beta software makes you a little nervous, you can also get a 30-day trial version of the current release, Photoshop CS5.)


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Bulldogs visit Cavaliers for First Meeting Since March 20, 1983
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Yale University baseball team headed to Virginia Monday afternoon for a pair of games against the nationally ranked University of Virginia.
It is the first meeting between the two schools since March 16, 1983.
Yale faces a Virginia squad that is ranked as high as No. 11 in the national polls. Virginia enters the week with a 17-2 overall record, including a 13-1 mark at home.
The two teams will play a pair of nine-inning games at Virginia's Davenport Field at 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Live audio for both games will be available for a fee at VirginiaSports.com. Yale's live stats can be found here.
Probable Starting PitchersYALE Tuesday: Ben Joseph, Sophomore, RHP (1-0, 1.29 ERA) Wednesday: TBA
About Yale
Yale enters the week with a 1-7 overall record following the eight-game spring break trip to Florida. The Bulldogs currently hold a team batting average of .244 with junior Jacob Hunter and freshman Nate Adams tied for the team lead with a .364 batting average. Hunter and Adams also lead the team in slugging (409 slugging percentage.), hits (8), and total bases (9).
Hunter has reached base in the last six games, while sophomores Green Campbell and Eric Hsieh are both carrying a three-game hitting streak into the series with Virginia.
Senior captain Chris Piwinski and sophomore David Toups both have four RBIs to lead the Bulldogs, while Toups is also leading the team with four runs scored.
Freshman right-hander Chris Moates is leading the team with a 0.00 ERA in four relief appearances, with one save in 6.2 total innings, while Tuesday's starter Ben Joseph (1-0, 1.29 ERA) currently owns the only victory on the pitching staff.
About Virginia
Virginia won its first 14 games of the season by an average margin of 6.9 runs. The Cavaliers have dropped two of their last five games with losses against Maryland (4-2, March 10) and Clemson (7-6, March 16).
Brandon Cogswell leads the Cavaliers with a .397 batting average, while Brandon Downes and Kenny Towns both have three home runs for the team lead. Towns has recorded a team-high 23 RBIs, while Cogswell has scored a team-best 26 runs. Nick Howard and Downes both have six doubles, while Downes also holds the team lead in triples with four. Cogswell also leads Virginia with seven stolen bases in nine attempts.
Trey Oest and Josh Sborz will start the two games for the Cavaliers. Oest holds a 1.12 ERA in three appearances (all starts). He is 3-0 this season, allowing just seven hits and two earned runs in 16.0 innings of work. Sborz is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA. He has made nine relief appearances this season. Wednesday's start will be his first of the season. He holds the team lead with two saves. He has allowed eight hits and two earned runs in 10.2 innings of work.
All-Time Series
The two teams have met 69 times since 1893, but this is the first meeting between the two teams since Yale took a 13-7 win on March 20, 1983, in Orlando, Fla. Overall, Yale owns a 44-22-3 record against the Cavaliers.
Last Time Out
Yale closed out its stay at the RussMatt Invitational with a 6-5 loss to Navy in Babson, Fla. It was the second straight game that Yale rallied in the ninth inning and pushed the tying run to third base. Against the Midshipmen, the Bulldogs scored three runs in the ninth inning to cut the deficit to 6-5 and had the tying run on third with two outs but could not drive the run in.
Senior Josh Scharff went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Bulldogs, while sophomore Green Campbell went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Yale junior starter Rob Cerfolio (0-2) struck out seven Navy batters in seven innings of work.
Virginia's National Rankings
Virginia is ranked No. 11 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. The Cavaliers are also No. 13 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 14 in the Baseball America rankings and No. 15 in the NCBWA poll.
Triple Threat
Virginia is tied with Arizona with 19 triples this season, which leads the nation. The Cavaliers have seen nine players hit at least one triple, with Brandon Downes leading the way with four.
Report filed by Jon Erickson Jr., Yale Sports Publicity


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Western sculpture
Western sculpture, three-dimensional artistic forms produced in what is now Europe and later in non-European areas dominated by European culture (such as North America) from the Metal Ages to the present.
Like painting, Western sculpture has tended to be humanistic and naturalistic, concentrating upon the human figure and human action studied from nature. Early in the history of the art there developed two general types: statuary, in which figures are shown in the round, and relief, in which figures project from a ground.
Western sculpture in the ancient world of Greece and Rome and from the late Middle Ages to the end of the 19th century twice underwent a progressive development, from archaic stylization to realism; the term progressive here means that the stylistic sequence was determined by what was previously known about the representation of the human figure, each step depending upon a prior one, and not that there was an aesthetic progression or improvement. Modern criticism has sometimes claimed that much was lost in the change. In any event, the sculptors of the West closely observed the human body in action, at first attempting to find its ideal aspect and proportions and later aiming for dramatic effects, the heroic and the tragic; still later they favoured less significant sentiments, or at least more familiar and mundane subjects.
The pre-Hellenic, early Christian, Byzantine, and early medieval periods contradicted the humanist-naturalist bias of Greece and Rome and the Renaissance; in the 20th century that contradiction has been even more emphatic. The 20th century has seen the move away from humanistic naturalism to experimentation with new materials and techniques and new and complex imagery. With the advent of abstract art, the concept of the figure has come to encompass a wide range of nonliteral representation; the notion of statuary has been superseded by the more inclusive category of freestanding sculpture; and, further, two new types have appeared: kinetic sculpture, in which actual movement of parts or of the whole sculpture is considered an element of design; and environmental sculpture, in which the artist either alters a given environment as if it were a kind of medium or provides in the sculpture itself an environment for the viewer to enter.
European Metal Age cultures
Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean
Aegean civilization is a general term for the prehistoric Bronze Age cultures of the area around the Aegean Sea covering the period from c. 3000 bc to c. 1100 bc, when iron began to come into general use throughout the area. From the earliest times these cultures fall into three main groups: (1) the Minoan culture (after the legendary king Minos) of Crete, (2) the Cycladic culture of the Cyclades islands, and (3) the Helladic culture of mainland Greece (Hellas). For convenience, the three cultures are each divided into three phases, Early, Middle, and Late, in accordance with the phases of the Bronze Age. The culture of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, although it commenced somewhat later than those of the Aegean, came to parallel them by the Middle Bronze Age. The Late Bronze Age phase of the mainland is usually called Mycenaean after Mycenae, the chief Late Bronze Age site in mainland Greece.
The first centre of high civilization in the Aegean area, with great cities and palaces, a highly developed art, extended trade, writing, and use of seal stones, was Crete. Here from the end of the 3rd millennium bc onward a very distinctive civilization, owing much to the older civilizations of Egypt and the Middle East but original in its character, came into being.
The Cretan (Minoan) civilization had begun to spread by the end of the Early Bronze Age across the Aegean to the islands and to the mainland of Greece. During the Late Bronze Age, from the middle of the 16th century onward, a civilization more or less uniform superficially but showing local divergences is found throughout the Aegean area. Eventually people bearing this civilization spread colonies eastward to Cyprus and elsewhere on the southern and western coasts of Asia Minor as far as Syria, also westward to Tarentum in southern Italy and even perhaps to Sicily. In the latter part of this period, after about 1400 bc, the centre of political and economic power, if not of artistic achievement, appears to have shifted from Knossos in Crete to Mycenae on the Greek mainland.The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Early Bronze Age (3000–2000 bc)
Early Minoan
The early Minoan period saw a thousand years of peaceful development, which eventually gave place to the full flowering of the Minoan spirit, the Middle Minoan period. Pottery was preeminent among the Early Minoan arts.
Early Cycladic
The Early Cycladic culture developed on parallel lines to the Early Minoan. Thanks to obsidian from Melos, marble from many islands, and local sources of gold, silver, and copper, the Cycladic islanders rapidly became prosperous. As in Crete, the Early Bronze Age merged without incident into the Middle Bronze Age.
The Early Cycladic period is celebrated principally for its statuettes and vases carved from the brilliant coarse-crystalled marble of these islands. The statuettes, mostly of goddesses, are among the finest products of the Greek Bronze Age. They owe their charm to the extreme simplification of bodily forms. The typical "Cycladic idol" is a naked female, lying with her head back, her arms crossed over her breasts. These figures vary in size from a few inches to more than six feet in length.
Early Helladic and Early Cypriot
Mainland Greece probably received its Bronze Age settlers from the Cyclades, but the two cultures soon diverged. A prosperous era arose about 2500 bc and lasted until about 2200. Sculpture was overshadowed by pottery, metalwork, and architecture among the Early Helladic arts. In the Early Cypriot, the only surviving sculptures are a series of steatite cruciform figures of a mother goddess (3000–2500 bc) stylized in much the same way as contemporary Cycladic idols, from which they may have been derived.
The Middle Bronze Age (2000–1600 bc)
Middle Minoan
The Middle Minoan period differs principally from the Early Minoan in the creation of palaces and a palatial life and art. Large-scale sculpture seems not to have found much favour in Crete, although fragments of life-size figures from this period were discovered in the Cyclades in the late 20th century. Miniature sculpture of the highest quality, some of it of fired sand and clay, was produced from at least as early as 1600 bc. Good examples are two female figures (called "Snake Goddesses") from Knossos, dated about 1700 bc (Archaeological Museum, Iráklion, Crete). These women stand with their arms in front of them, holding sacred snakes; they wear a flounced skirt and tight belt, and their breasts are bare.
Middle Cycladic, Middle Helladic, and Middle Cypriot
During the Middle Cycladic period, the Cyclades suffered a diminution in prosperity and seem to have become politically subordinate to Crete. Two waves of Indo-European peoples seem to have descended on the Greek mainland, one about 2200 bc and the other about 2000 bc. They destroyed much and for long contributed little to Greece's artistic heritage. The pottery of this period, however, is of high quality. The Middle Cypriot period was a development of the Early Cypriot. As on the mainland, no important art apart from pottery has survived.
The Late Bronze Age (1600–1100 bc)
Late Minoan
Prosperity and artistic achievement remained at a high level until about 1450 bc, when all the great centres of Cretan culture were destroyed by earthquakes (probably connected with a cataclysmic eruption of the volcanic island of Thera). After these disasters, only the palace at Knossos was restored for occupation. About 1375 bc, however, the palace at Knossos was destroyed by fire. Thereafter Crete was a second-class power and became somewhat of a cultural backwater. Miniature sculpture was still popular. No longer in faience, figures were increasingly made of bronze, ivory, and terra-cotta. Some of the bronzes, cast solid by the "lost wax" process (using a wax model), are very fine, the earliest being the best. The subjects include male worshippers wearing boots, tight belt, and kilt; women (perhaps goddesses) dressed like the faience snake goddesses of the Middle Minoan period; and animals, especially bulls.
Carved-stone vases were made between 1600 and 1450 bc. Elegant vessels were carved from such diverse materials as marble, obsidian, and steatite. Others, of soft stone, were made in the shape of bulls' heads, astonishingly true to life, or were carved in relief, with religious or court ritual scenes, and covered with gold leaf.
The art of the seal engraver flourished until 1375 bc. Religious subjects, scenes of the bullring, and depictions of animals in their natural setting were popular. Even the exaggerations of the style reflect careful observation of the movements of the animals and their idiosyncratic anatomy, but they also relate the forms depicted to the shape of the stone—the curve of a bull's back or horns to that of the edge, for instance.
Mainland Greece enjoyed renewed contacts with Crete c. 1600 bc, and a rich culture, based on the Late Minoan, rapidly came into being. The Mycenaeans gained control of Crete c. 1450 bc, and between 1375 and 1200 bc they became masters of an empire that stretched from Sicily and southern Italy in the west to Asia Minor and the Levant coast in the east. About 1200 bc, however, many of the Mycenaean strongholds were destroyed by fire. There were signs of a renaissance, but the end of Mycenaean civilization came c. 1100 bc.
The Mycenaeans seem to have had more of a taste for monumental sculpture than had their Minoan mentors. Of the few surviving examples, the best known is a relief over the Lion Gate at Mycenae (c. 1250 bc), in which two lions confront each other across an architectural column. Probably heraldic in concept, this design is comparable with those on tiny seals and ivories of Cretan inspiration. Sculpture on a small scale, in ivory, bronze, and terra-cotta, generally Minoan in character, remained popular.
Late Cypriot
Cyprus reached its highest degree of prosperity in the Late Cypriot period, due to increased exploitation of its copper mines. There were close commercial relations not only with the Levant coast, as before, but also with Egypt, Crete, and Mycenaean Greece (the latter being close from 1400 bc). About 1200 bc Mycenaean Greeks, refugees from their homeland, settled in Cyprus. They introduced their skills and produced many luxury articles in a mixed Mycenaean-Cypriot style. Cyprus escaped the invasions that finally destroyed Mycenaean and Minoan culture, but its own culture did not last much longer. By 1050 bc, for reasons that are not clear, it, too, had ceased to exist.
As in Crete, large-scale sculpture was rejected in favour of small-scale work. A bronze figure of a horned god (shortly after 1200 bc) from Enkomi (Cyprus Museum, Nicosia) shows a successful blend of Mycenaean and Cypriot elements. A good example of these characteristics is a carved ivory gaming box (British Museum), also from Enkomi, whose style shows a blend of Mycenaean and Middle Eastern motifs.Reynold Alleyne Higgins The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Western Mediterranean
Like central and northern Europe, although to a lesser degree, the western Mediterranean was considerably behind the eastern Mediterranean, where civilization, the arts, and writing were born much earlier. The development of the metallurgical industry did not occur simultaneously in the various regions of the western Mediterranean, but it did bring important innovations in the mode of living and, of course, in the arts.
The Chalcolithic (Copper-Stone) era began in Spain at the end of the 3rd millennium bc at Los Millares, near Almería, and in Italy at the beginning of the 2nd millennium with the Remedello civilization. Bronze appeared not long afterward, around 1800 bc, in Italy and Sardinia. The Bronze Age in Italy gave way to the Iron Age at the beginning of the 1st millennium bc, but elsewhere, as in Sardinia or Spain, it lasted longer. The Iron Age flourished on the Illyrian coasts and in Italy from 900 to 800 bc; it also lasted varying lengths of time according to locale. After this, one may speak of the civilizations of Magna Graecia, of Rome, or of Etruria.
During the metal ages, popular migrations, commerce, and wars increased, which resulted in the rise of cities and of fortified works for their protection and defense, such as the talayots (round or quadrangular towers) of the Balearic Isles and the nuraghi (round towers) of Sardinia. With respect to the plastic arts, one particularly remarkable phenomenon was the birth and multiplication of megalithic human representations, which gained in number and importance from the 3rd to the 1st millennium bc. The Neolithic monuments, menhirs (single, vertical megaliths) and dolmens (structures of two vertical stones capped by a horizontal one), which had arisen in the megalithic era, continued to appear in the Copper and Bronze Ages, but then—here and there in Spain, Sardinia, Corsica, Liguria, and in the south of France—stelae-menhirs (carved or inscribed stone slabs used for commemorative purposes), like the stammerings of Western figure sculpture, imitated the human form. They maintained certain stylistic relations with rock engravings of mountainous regions, such as the Val Camonica.
Bronze Age cultures
Sardinia and Corsica
The nuraghic civilization had an original sculpture expressed in a large production of bronze statuettes, about 500 of which have been found in nuraghi, temples, houses, and tombs. These figurines represent all classes of the proto-Sardinian populations—military chiefs, soldiers, priests, and women, as well as heroes and gods—in what seems to the modern viewer to be an engagingly direct but also sophisticated geometric style. The greatest number of these bronzes are today in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Cagliari, Sardinia. Some have been discovered in Etruscan tombs of Vetulonia and Vulci and have been dated to the period extending from the 9th to the 6th century bc.
Corsican menhir, or stela, statuary constitutes a group of special interest. The stone is imbued with life by a sculptural art that involves roughing-in of the head, animation of the upper portion of the body, and placement of a few elements of ornamentation or weaponry (sculpted in relief or, more rarely, engraved) on the schematically anthropomorphic image. These primitive statues are masculine and, no doubt, represent family or tribal heads made heroic or divine. This megalithic stela statuary art appears not only on Corsica but also in various other countries and regions of the western Mediterranean, including Spain, Sardinia, Liguria, and, in southern France, Provence, Aveyron, Hérault, and Gard, though to a lesser degree. The advance of this type of megalithic sculptural art is difficult to follow, but it is clear that these different groups are related, with close affinities existing between the stelae-menhirs of Corsica and those of the Ligurian coast. Such art is everywhere the expression of a patriarchal society seeking to impose on men's vision, massively and not without grandeur, the image of the departed ancestors.
From the Bronze Age of far northern Italy there survives an exceptional collection of rock engravings, a remarkable extension of an art that, in fact, had been represented in the prehistoric era and had not yet vanished completely. About 20,000 rock engravings have been found between altitudes of 5,000 and 5,600 feet (1,500 and 1,700 metres) in the Val Camonica, north of the town of Brescia. This art is found again further west, in the Maritime Alps of France on Monte Bego, between altitudes of 6,600 and 8,900 feet, and less remarkably elsewhere. What is exceptional about the carvings of the Val Camonica is that they represent a variety of subjects—rituals, battles, hunting, and daily labour—and that these were treated as compositions.
Although engraving played a minor role in the case of the menhir statuary mentioned earlier, relations do exist between the sculpted works and the Camunian images of Monte Bego. The same representations of collar torques appear on the menhir statuary of Gard, Aveyron, and Tarn, on the one hand, and on certain monumental engravings of the Val Camonica, on the other. Some kind of relationship thus unites the arts of rock engraving and stela statuary in the Bronze Age.
Iron Age cultures
The Italian peninsula, which in the Bronze Age had been only one among many centres of civilization, took on a special importance in the Iron Age. Widespread and powerful cultural and artistic centres grew up there, first in the Villanovan civilization and later in the Etruscan; their influence was disseminated into the surrounding areas.
At the beginning of the 1st millennium bc there began to develop in the Po plain, in Tuscany, Latium, and some areas of Lucania, a new cremating civilization, which draws its name from that of the Villanova necropolis, discovered near Bologna. It is obviously related to the so-called Urnfield civilization that, at the end of the Bronze Age and beginning of the Iron Age, extended over central and eastern Europe and had developed a metal art with geometric and abstract ornamentation. The ashes of the dead were placed in urns thrust in level with the soil. From the Urnfield civilization arose two others: the Hallstatt civilization, which spread into the Balkans, northern and central Europe, and France, beyond the Pyrenees; and in Italy the Villanovan civilization and the civilizations that, to the east and west of the Po plain, were related to it, the so-called Golasecca civilization in the great lakes region and the Este civilization in the Venice area.
These Italic civilizations of the Early Iron Age, which appeared at the beginning of the 1st millennium bc and lasted for varying lengths of time, multiplied the number of dwelling sites. Originating as outposts established on naturally strong positions, they began to resemble towns as population increased.
The cinerary urn, which was made first of terra-cotta and later of bronze, assumes, by its form, a symbolic value. Biconical in form and covered with an overturned cup, later with a helmet, it schematically represents the appearance of the human body. Sometimes, as in examples from Latium and Tuscany, the funerary vessel is in the form of a hut or cabin—the house of the dead person whose remains it holds. The ornamentation, painted or engraved on the vases and engraved or in relief on metal objects, is in a geometric, nonfigurative style. Human or animal forms appear only rarely—in the decoration of small utilitarian objects such as vase handles and horse bits. It is a severe art, therefore, which essentially limits itself to linear exercises. Even motifs such as the disk, the solar boat, and the birds that encircle them, inherited from a more distant past and possessing primitively religious value, take on a stylized air and become abstract figures.
A naturalistic note is provided by the imagery that decorates, in zones of superimposed relief, bronze vessels called situlae, a kind of pail found in Eastern countries and in the eastern Alps. These situlae were made in Venetian workshops in particular and were very popular in the neighbouring areas. They rapidly underwent an Etruscan influence, however, that tended to give prominence in the chased ornamentation to human figures at feasts, games, or funerals, as in the masterpiece known from the place of its discovery as the Certosa Situla (Museo Civico Archeologico, Bologna).Raymond Bloch The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Etruria, Latium, and the Faliscan districts fall into three main areas of artistic production: northern, central, and southern, each centred upon cities with a distinctive artistic style. In the southern areas the chief centres were Caere and Veii, in which the Etruscan style most closely approached the Greek. In central Etruria, Vulci was evidently the leading art centre, although Tarquinia was unsurpassed in the beauty of its wall paintings. There were several potteries in Vulci, and the greater part of the central Etruscan bronzes, artistically the best, were produced there. The north was dominated by Clusium, although Perugia seems to have been important along with lesser centres at Volterra and Fiesole.
The very earliest examples of Etruscan statuary are flat, rectilinear figurines from Vetulonia and Capodimonte di Bolsena. These figures occur in later contexts in the Regolini-Galassi and Bernardini tombs, both of which contain pieces in a more advanced style that cannot have developed much later. These are statuettes of women with pigtails and long skirts depicted in a manner that suggests a north Syria influence, although this female type, frequently copied in ivory and amber, is certainly of local origin.
The earliest evidence of Greek influence is the presence of centaurs, perhaps transmitted on Corinthian vases. Their style in Etruria is Orientalizing, with a slim body and elongated legs, perhaps reflecting Cretan influence. These and other mythical creatures found great favour with the Vulci stonemasons. To archaic works of early Etruscan sculpture certain Greek parallels can be found in the late 7th and early 6th centuries, and in general characteristics the works still followed the Greek Archaic Daedalic tradition. The next change in style took place c. 550 bc, when art became distinctively Ionian. These new influences can be seen earliest in such pieces of bronze work as the Loeb Tripod from San Valentino near Perugia and the Monteleone chariot platings (in the Metropolitan Museum, New York City), but they soon become apparent also in the relief designs on bucchero pesante (heavily embossed black pottery) and in architectural reliefs like those from Tarquinia. By the end of the 6th century bc Veii possessed an excellent school of terra-cotta sculptures in Ionian styles. The statues of Apollo and of a votaress suckling a child are elaborately stylized in features, draperies, and muscles. Clay statuary, still retaining traces of former painting, was made in many Etruscan centres. Examples in the more mature classical style that began in the last quarter of the 5th century are the satyr-and-maiden groups from Satricum (modern Conca) in the Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia, Rome, which contains a rich collection of architectural terra-cottas from Caere, Falerii, Veii, Satricum, and other sites.
These pieces of statuary were designed to stand on temple roofs, and the socketed bases by which they were fixed have survived. Terra-cotta sculpture was also used for antefixes for these temples but above all for funerary sculpture. Sarcophagi with the sculptured figures of the husband and his wife reclining on the lids seem to have begun late in the 6th century, the date of the haunting sarcophagus from Caere (Villa Giulia, Rome).
Bronze sculptures were also produced from the end of the 6th century, beginning with the famous She-Wolf, the symbol of modern Rome (Musei Capitolini, Rome), and the later Chimera from Arezzo (Museo Archeologico, Florence) or the so-called Mars of Todi (Vatican Museums) of the early 4th century bc.
In spite of great achievements in sculpture in the round, most of what has survived is in low relief, and a series of fine 6th–5th-century relief sarcophagi from Clusium, depicting dances, funeral games and banquets, or the journey of the dead to the underworld, are a major source of information on Etruscan everyday life. Superbly carved gravestones of the late mid-6th century are known from Clusium and Settimello, but the disk- and horseshoe-shaped gravestones of the Bologna, Fiesole, and Populonia graves have crude reliefs.William Culican The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Sculpture developed but did not seek, as in Greece, to represent the idealized body of athletes and gods, attempting instead to represent the figure and features of the deceased. There was a continuing taste for real or fantastic animals such as lions, panthers, and sphinxes, and the Etruscan imagination seems to have been haunted by these beasts and demons, the vigilant guardians of the tombs.
Whether in the form of great statuary or small votive images, Iberian figurative art was essentially religious and intended to represent sacred animals, deities, and their worshippers. Although much influenced by Greek and other sources, these works are vigorous and original, as may be seen from "La dama de Elche" and "La dama de Cerro de los Santos" in the Museo Arqueológico Nacional at Madrid. In the latter, a hieratic visage, with a severity not unlike some of the ideal heads of classical Greece, is adorned with a superabundance of heavy Iberian jewels.Raymond Bloch The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica


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Firstly I have to say sorry, I accidently deleted my first Pins of the week…(what a silly girl I am) so to recap if you missed it
- Saturday – Jelly Bean Bark by Scissors and Spatulas
- Sunday – Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken by Chef in Training
- Monday – Do It Yourself Fabric Peonies by Twigg Studios
- Tuesday – Cheap and Chic Coffee Table by Better Homes and Gardens
- Wednesday – Nutella Filled Sugar Cookie Cups by The Sweet Spot
- Thursday – Reese's Peanut Butter Bars by Binkertation
- Friday – Make Your Own Pillow Boxes by Lines Across My Face
Saturday – Making Wooden Owls by One Project Closer
Sunday – Apple Nacho's by French Press
Tuesday – Make a Zig Zag Quilt by Bee Square Blog
My next project maybe???
Wednesday – Slow Cooker Parmesan Tomato Basil Soup by Baking with Blondie
Thursday – Neapolitan Cup Cakes by Lady Behind the Curtain
Friday – Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken by Baking with Blondie
There you go another week of wonderful pins. It astounds me the amazing talent that's out there. What have you been pinning this week?
I'll be back next week with 7 more fantastic ideas and/or recipes.
Until then Happy Crafting


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Previous / Next
The Internet is capable of the best and the worst. The best, at Upload Festival. Hikikomori is a japanese term to refer to the socialogical phenomenon in which individuals decide to not leave their homes anymore, seeking for isolation and confinement, abandoning, this way, their social life.
Advertised brand: Upload Cinema Advert titles: Gomacha, Social Nertworks, Big Family, Chihiro, iWC, I <3 Cinema, 302.131, Squid Sandwich Agency: LOLA by Lowe & Partners, Madrid Brand: Upload Cinema Executive Creative Director: Chacho Puebla, Jorge López Creative Team: Nacho Oñate, Néstor García, Sito Morillo Production Co.: The Lift, Barcelona Director: nomeno aka Fermín Cimadevilla Executive Producer: Ana Laura Solís Producer: Roderick Schöder Service Producction Co.: Spirits Tokyo DoP: Takayuki Niwa Published: March, 2012


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KINSTON � Kinston Post 43 returned to Viking Field on Friday determined not to be embarrassed by Jacksonville Post 265 for the second straight night.
KINSTON � Kinston Post 43 returned to Viking Field on Friday determined not to be embarrassed by Jacksonville Post 265 for the second straight night.
What a difference a day makes.
Ryan Cobb went 3-for-3 with a home run, Marc Hamilton went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs and Ben Brann made pitches when he had to as Post 43 made up for Thursday�s mercy-rule loss with a 7-3 win over Jacksonville Friday night at Viking Field.
�I know how good of a team (Post 43 has), and they didn�t play to their potential last night, and even coach Battle will tell you that,� Post 265 manager Mike Daley said. �Tonight that was the real Kinston team. They came out, played well. They�ve got a great hitting ballclub.�
Less than 24 hours after falling 16-6 at Jacksonville, Post 43 (2-1) looked like a completely different team, and so did Post 265 (4-3).
�When they came out here tonight they knew they were going to play a good ballclub, and I heard a couple of them say, �We�re not going to take the beating we took last night and we�ve got to do something about it,�� Post 43 manager Ronnie Battle said. �The way we got shellacked last night. � Once the sun comes up it�s another day.�
Like Thursday�s game Kinston struck first on Friday. But unlike Thursday it didn�t let up.
Post 43 answered a three-run fourth inning by Jacksonville with a pair in its half of the frame, one courtesy of an RBI double by Hamilton and the other on a run-scoring groundout from Wesley Melvin.
Then Kinston showed its speed in the fifth with a pair of stand-up triples, one that led off the home-half by Grant Tyndall � his third triple in as many games � and another by Cobb, who came a double shy of the cycle.
Sammy West�s sac fly scored Tyndall for the 4-3 lead, and that was enough to hold the win. But Post 43 wasn�t finished.
Cobb led off the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot to left, then Kinston followed with four consecutive singles off reliever Cole Jones that allowed Dylan Puchalski and Garrett Holland to score.
Post 43 loaded the bases with no outs, but Jones induced back-to-back fielder�s choices that got the force out at the plate then got West to fly out to center field to end the inning.
But not before a one-run game turned into an insurmountable lead for Jacksonville, which was held to nine hits after breaking out for a season-best 19 the night before.
With the offense getting things going again after being held to five hits on Thursday, left-hander Ben Brann worked his way out of trouble early and got some solid defensive play behind him for eight innings.
Brann walked Christian Kercado and Joe Curran to start the game then gave up a single up the middle to Andrew Hartness. But Kercado was thrown out at the plate by Tyndall from center field to eliminate the run, and Brann got Corey Case and Spencer Howard to fly out in consecutive at-bats to end the threat.
A leadoff single by Sean Blake in the third was erased when Hamilton caught Curran trying to steal to end the inning. And in the eighth a 5-4-3 double play took the place of Post 43�s only error on the night to keep that run from scoring.
Brann (1-0) gave up three earned runs on seven hits, struck out two and walked four.
Garrett Blackburn pitched a scoreless ninth and gave up two hits.
�(Brann) and Marc (Hamilton) did a good job of mixing pitches up,� Battle said. �Brann did some quality work out there. Great work.�
Andrew Hartness went 2-for-4 with a double and Dawnoven Smith went 2-for-4 and drove in a run for Post 265, which left eight men on base was just 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
A lot of that had to do with the speedy outfield of Post 43, made up to Tyndall, Cobb and West.
The trio combined for seven putouts, most hit to the gaps in the spacious ballpark.
�The speed limit sign says 55, then the next one says speed kills. You cannot have an answer for speed,� Battle said. �I think that each game we play in, we�re beginning to utilize our speed a whole lot more. � It�s a big asset to us.�
Notes: Zachary Scalzo, Howard and Smith each singled home a run in the fourth to account for Post 256�s runs. � Heath Scurlock gave up four earned runs on seven hits, struck out four and walked two in the loss. � The game lasted 2 hours, 31 minutes, and was delayed about 15 minutes at the start due to an umpire�s late arrival. � Kinston hosts Jones County Post 154 at 7 tonight.
Jax Post 265 000 300 000�3 9 3
KinstonPost 43 10021003x� 7 12 1
WP�Brann (1-0) 8 IP 7 H 3 R 3 ER 2 K 4 BB. LP�Scurlock (0-2) 5 IP 7 H 4 R 2 ER 4 K 2 BB. LEADING HITTERS�J: Hartness 2-4 1 run; Smith 2-4 1 RBI; K: Cobb 3-3 3B HR 2 RBIs 1 run; Hamilton 3-4 2B 1 RBI 1 run; Tyndall 2-4 3B 2 runs 2 SBs. RECORDS�J: 4-3, East/West Challenge DH in Wilmington on Sunday, 3 p.m. vs. Whiteville 137, 5:30 p.m. Wilmington Post 10. K 2-1.


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Have the grain markets hit bottom? Jerry Gulke lays out a handful of reasons why the markets maybe still have some life in them.
On Friday, July 11, USDA released its monthly round of Crop Production and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates reports. USDA's forecast for ending stocks of corn was substantially higher than expected, and soybean stocks are mounting as well.
Following the reports, soybean futures extended declines, heading for the longest slump in 41 years. Corn prices fell to a four-year low.
Really there was nothing new in these reports, says Jerry Gulke, president of The Gulke Group. On June 30, USDA released its Acreage report, which revised planting intentions. That confirmed soybean acres for this year as historically high, as well as a large corn crop.
"The market's job is to discount the future," Gulke says, which is why grain prices have been on a steady decline.
Hear Gulke's full audio analysis:
Even with all of this negative news, Gulke says there is still some hope for a price turnaround.
Weather always has the upper hand.
"We still have July and August to determine if we have a crop or not," Gulke says. USDA did not increase corn or soybean yields in the July reports, which could indicate the "perfect weather season" forecasters were predicting may not come true.
Additionally, the areas where soybean acres were added to this year have had some significant weather issues. "When you added another 2.5 million acres, it was in areas that probably don't produced 60- or 70-bu. beans," he says. "I think it will be a stretch to produce 45.5 bu./acre nationwide on that many acres."
Plus, as early as next week, the "polar vortex" that coated the U.S. in snow in January, will return. That may rob some areas of much-needed heating degree days.
The hope would be that the funds see some upside risk due to weather, Gulke says
Less acres corn acres than predicted are harvested.
One interesting note Gulke saw in the most-recent report was that USDA lowered harvested for grain acres by about 400,000. "They are already seeing that some acres got planted that will be harvested for silage," he says. That may not greatly reduce the total number of bushels harvested, but it will impact it.
Demand is still on the rise.
"Low prices cure low prices," Gulke says. "Maybe there is a bright spot in demand, going forward."
One example is with cattle feed. Gulke says, there's no way ranchers want to feed $7 corn to cows, but now, corn is almost as cheap as hay in some areas.
Dead cats sometimes bounce.
When a price drops from really high, in a short time period, there's a chance for a short-lived recovery, known as a dead cat bounce. "History tells us that you can sometimes expect from the low a 40% to 60% retracement of the full drop in price," Gulke says.
"If we can get our head above water and see $5 corn again, I don't know," he says. "But, the good news about prices falling is that doing nothing and waiting for time to pass is sometimes the best thing to do."
Have a question for Jerry? Contact him at 815-721-4705 or email@example.com.
For More Information
See current market prices in AgWeb's Market Center.
Read previous AgWeb Weekly articles featuring Jerry Gulke:
Acreage Report Could Be a Shocker
With so many fields drowned by recent rains, there is plenty of uncertainty over what the final acreage numbers will be. Jerry Gulke explains how farmers can protect themselves.
Wet Weather Keeps Prices Afloat
After soaking rains hit the upper Midwest this past week, should we still expect a record corn crop? Jerry Gulke offers his insights.
Friday the 13th Deals a Lucky Corn Price Scenario
Farmers should be optimistic about future corn prices, says Jerry Gulke, president of The Gulke Group. Learn why.
A Kick to the Corn Market: Trend Reversal Ahead?
The corn market's wild ride continues. On Friday, corn prices jumped 10 cents. Market expert Jerry Gulke shares his insight.


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Top Waiver Wire Pickups
QB: Tim Tebow, QB, Denver – Tebow isn't the most accurate QB out there, but I do think the Broncos are going to keep the playbook fairly open for him in order to evaluate his potential as a future starter.
RB: DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas – With games against St.Louis, Philadelphia and Seattle over the next three weeks and with Felix Jones out with a high ankle sprain, Murray becomes an easy waiver wire choice this weekend.
WR: Doug Baldwin, WR, Seattle – In thee of his five games, Baldwin has had 83 yards receiving or more and he's posted four or more catches in three games as well. Look for Baldwin to continue to get targets as Seattle will usually be playing from behind.
You Might Want To Sit…
QB: Jay Cutler, Bears – I know Cutler has looked a little better recently, but Tampa has a quick, young defense live who might be able to get after Cutler and with a trip to London, I simply don't trust that Cutler will be at his best (the same goes with Josh Freeman).
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars – MJD still has plenty left in the tank, but after watching how the Ravens were able to slow down the Texans and Arian Foster, it certainly looks like their defense is back in a big way against the run.
WR: Darrius Heyward-Bey, Raiders – I understand that there will be some excitement surrounding Heyward-Bey after his last three games, but I don't think the Raiders are going to have much success if they try and open things up right away for Carson Palmer so keep an eye on how Palmer gets out of the gate before turning your Raiders WRs loose.
Week 7 Fantasy Ratings
- Aaron Rodgers
- Drew Brees
- Tony Romo
- Matt Stafford
- Ben Roethlisberger
- Cam Newton
- Matt Ryan
- Philip Rivers
- Matt Schaub
- Tim Tebow
- Joe Flacco
- Josh Freeman
- Arian Foster
- Ray Rice
- Darren McFadden
- Matt Forte
- Adrian Peterson
- Rashard Mendenhall
- Michael Turner
- Chris Johnson
- Ryan Mathews
- Mark Ingram
- Beanie Wells
- Steven Jackson
- DeMarco Murray
- Jackie Battle
- Willis McGahee
- Darren Sproles
- Ryan Torain
- Daniel Thomas
- Shonn Greene
- Marshawn Lynch
- Calvin Johnson
- Greg Jennings
- Mike Wallace
- Miles Austin
- Roddy White
- Steve Smith
- Dwayne Bowe
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Jordy Nelson
- Dez Bryant
- Vincent Jackson
- Marques Colston
- Anquan Boldin
- Sidney Rice
- Santonio Holmes
- Brandon Lloyd
- Santana Moss
- Reggie Wayne
- Percy Harvin
- Nate Washington
- Jason Witten
- Jimmy Graham
- Jermichael Finley
- Owen Daniels
- Tony Gonzalez
- Brandon Pettigrew
- Antonio Gates
- Greg Olsen
- Fred Davis
- Kellen Winslow
- Ravens
- Packers
- Steelers
- Saints
- Cowboys
- Bears
- Chargers
- Raiders
- Jets
- Texans
For extended fantasy ratings, you can click here


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Dr. Y.s. Arun Kumar Reddy
Doctor Detail :
Dr. Y.S. Arun Kumar Reddy is a Radiologist (MBBS, MD ) in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
Star Hospitals, Road. No. 10, 8 - 2 - 596/5 , Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana - 500034
Emergency No.
Share your genuine experiences and reviews about the doctor!
Other Radiologist in Banjara Hills, HyderabadDr. Belman Murali Dr. Kameshwari Nori Dr. Venkat Nageshwar Goud Dr. Vijaya Bhaskar Nori Dr. K. Uma
Other Radiologist in HyderabadDr. S. Jagan Kumar (Nizampet) Rated : 5.0Dr. Belman Murali (Banjara Hills) Dr. Kameshwari Nori (Banjara Hills) Dr. Venkat Nageshwar Goud (Banjara Hills) Dr. Vijaya Bhaskar Nori (Banjara Hills)
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All Available Restoration Campaigns in Pennsylvania
Below you will find all the live and available Restoration campaigns in Pennsylvania. All of these campaigns are generating high quality Restoration leads and are available for any Restoration contractor to join. Once you join the campaign, it is removed from our inventory and immediately customized for your Restoration business. You can start receiving Restoration leads from these cities in Pennsylvania within 24 hours or less. If your city is not listed below, this means
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text: Nicole Richie launched House of Harlow 1960 in 2009, becoming a firm favourite of Californian girls. Quickly expanding into the worlds of jewellery, eyewear, footwear, and handbags, after the success of the ready-to-wear line, the brand is famous for a certain luxurious boho style. The jewellery collections reflect this, creating pieces that are meant to be stacked and worn together. Start your foray into bohemian life with this collection of earrings that make playing dress up an everyday occurrence.


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Race to rewards this week when you play Solitaire Rush: Stakes Edition!
Pocket 150 Oodles when you play 7 games. Repeat up to 5X.*
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Up to 84 credits for courses completed at another college or university may be transferred into the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students at The New School. Of those, no more than 60 may be for lower-level coursework. To be accepted for transfer, the credits
must have been earned in courses consistent with the mission of The New School and for which grades of C or better were awarded. The New School accepts credit from regionally accredited institutions. Coursework from non-regionally-accredited institutions will be evaluated on a case-by-case
basis; students may be asked to provide course syllabi, portfolios, and other pertinent documentation.
Official transcripts must be provided from every college or university attended at the time of application. For students who have attended a college or university outside of the United States, an official credential evaluation must be completed. Our recommended provider is
World Education Services, but any
NACES member organization may be used. Please be sure to request a "course-by-course/comprehensive" evaluation.
Our admission counselors are available to assess your prior credits and give a preliminary transfer credit evaluation. Please call 212.229.5150 or 800.292.3040 to schedule a meeting with an admission counselor.
The New School has formal agreements with a number of institutions to facilitate the transfer process:
Depending on the program, MA/MS students may be able to transfer up to 9 graduate credits from outside institutions.
Transfer credits must fit the following criteria:
Students wishing to transfer credit must submit a Transfer Credit form along with a copy of their official transcript showing the grades for the proposed courses to department for approval. Please review the current Schools of Public Engagement catalog for program policy on transfer credit.
Grades transferred from outside institutions will not be factored into your GPA.
Office of Admission
Welcome Center
72 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 212.229.5150 or 800.292.3040


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DB patch tool
IUCLID 6 database patch tool (28th April 2017 - v1.3.0)
This tool allows users of the IUCLID 6 application to apply fixes that correct existing data in a IUCLID 6 database.
More information can be found in the manual for the IUCLID 6 database patch tool, which can be found from here.
It is recommended to save the IUCLID 6 database patch tool in your IUCLID 6 installation folder and to run it from there.
Please sign in to download files
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text: Finally, I came across something that worked. Online advertising has skyrocketed over the past few years. In 2015, companies spent close to $50 billion advertising online. That figure is expected to increase substantially in 2016. What does this mean for you? A lot more money could be going into your bank account this year. Thats IF you take advantage of this secret system. Companies worldwide are desperately searching for people just like you to type up their ads and post them online, and theyll pay you nicely in return. Its a win-win situation. They get more customers, you get paid. Its as simple as that. These companies have cash, LOTS of it and theyre eager to share it with you. All types of individuals around the world are using this system to make more money than they ever could working in a boring, dead-end job. You can work part-time or full-time, its all up to you.


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The Best of NYFW Interpreted As Obscure Architecture
With New York Fashion Week drawing to a close, we thought we'd hand out a few unofficial awards to recap the week of mayhem and highlight what stood out in and around the collections. Given the branded whirlwind the event's become, we decided to focus back on the art of it all, lest anyone forgot their proverbial way in the cab between Milk and Cafe Gitane. With comparisons to similarly inspiring work from our other favorite design discipline, we've given the genius some context, illustrating that the new guard is taking fashion to another level entirely.
From Prabal Gurung's mind blowing show to the best street style moments, the week has solidly confirmed that New York City is the place to be if you're a young designer today. Click through to see our unconventional round up of the week's best and brightest, and then let us know in the comments what collections, events, or escapades made an impact on you.
The Best Use of Gold: Prabal Gurung and Thomas Heatherwick
Image credit: Bryan Boy; Heatherwick Studio, Seed Pavilion


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Now dishwasher safe for easy cleanup, Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick is created with multi-layer nonstick for ultra durability. The stunning, contemporary design looks beautiful in the kitchen, and heavy-gauge, hard-anodized aluminum ensures even heating. A great starter set, this collection includes pans for searing, simmering and more.
Calphalon Contemporary Nonstick combines durability and performance with fast clean-up and easy low-fat cooking.
Calphalon will replace any item found defective in material or workmanship when put to normal household use and cared for according to the instructions. Minor imperfections, surface markings as a result of shipping, and slight color variations are normal. This excludes damage from misuse or abuse, such as improper cleaning, neglect, accident, alteration, fire, theft, or use in a commercial establishment.
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Turinabol is a very popular steroid. And the most of bodybuilders are satisfied with its ability to provide rapid mass gain and muscle development in short period of time.
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Field Of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout [Video]
Funny Or Die gives us Field of Dreams 2, where one of the kids from Twilight (Taylor Lautner) saves the NFL season… kind of.
Also look for Ray Lewis, Tony Gonzalez, Marshall Faulk and Ray Liotta as Roger Goodell, among others.
(Via Cheesehead TV)


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Illinois: Small Church Crusades Against AIDS
African-American church leaders in Chicago grapple with preaching abstinence until marriage while realizing that not everyone is acting on their message.
The Rev. Dorothy Williams, pastor of Chicago's Bray Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, preaches the gospel, while acknowledging what goes on behind congregants' closed doors. "We're looking at saving lives," said Williams. "We're looking at saving souls, too."
According to 2009 Chicago Department of Public Health statistics, four times as many new AIDS cases were found among African Americans than their white counterparts. This month, a new city initiative began distributing 10 million condoms through nontraditional venues such as dry cleaners and beauty shops, but only 10 churches and faith-based groups accepted the funding and the challenge.
Williams successfully convinced Bray leadership to offer HIV testing. However, they are still debating condom distribution. "A lot of churches are still not open to that ministry," said Williams. "Some of these things people want to keep personal at the cost of hindering people around [them]."
The Rev. Doris Green, director of correctional health and community relations for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, agrees. "I see the devastation in our communities. If [preaching abstinence] had worked, I would be with them. I don't see it working."
Green credits larger African-American churches with reducing the disease's stigma through supporting HIV/AIDS ministries, but says "small struggling churches need to be empowered with information and want to do the work."