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This year, Victoria Celebrates Canada Day is a three-day, family-friendly celebration, featuring children's activities, music performances, and an international food village, taking place over the July long weekend.
On July 1, Victoria Celebrates Canada Day will feature a full schedule of events during the day starting at 11 a.m. with A Flavour of Canada and family-oriented events at Ship Point, including multiple activity tents presented by various sponsors. A new secondary performance stage at Ship Point will showcase emerging artists and multicultural groups throughout the long weekend.
The City is pleased to be able to offer an expanded series of children's activities on the Legislature Lawns due to the generous support of Coast Capital Savings, the Presenting Sponsor of Victoria Celebrates Canada Day. The Monster Mural, introduced last year with overwhelming success, will return to provide children the chance to be creative with their Canadian pride. New this year will be the Community Tree, where people can post their celebratory Canada Day messages on red, maple-leaf shaped post-its – making the tree flourish with national pride.
"We are excited to be offering a range of family-oriented activities and performances on Canada Day and throughout the long weekend," said Charlayne Thornton-Joe, City Councillor and Canada Day Committee Member. "Canada Day is a time for us to come together and celebrate our diversity, and it's a time to share our collective pride in being Canadian. The international food village and new multicultural stage at Ship Point will enable us to do just that."
The afternoon will include First Nations music and dance and the welcoming of new Canadians on the Canada Day Main Stage on the Legislature Lawns, as well as activities downtown presented by the Downtown Victoria Business Association.
Fred Penner, the acclaimed Canadian children's entertainer famed for The Cat Came Back, will delight children and those young-at-heart at 5 p.m. Family-friendly music performances by local Vancouver Island artists will transform the Legislature Lawns into a one-of-a-kind concert, showcasing the talents of Quoia, Afro Mumanzi, Steph Macpherson, Shane Philip, Vince Vaccaro, and Current Swell. Canada Day celebrations downtown will culminate in a spectacular fireworks display at 10:20 p.m., set to Canadian music that will be broadcast on 107.3 KOOL FM.
Check out the website for more info.


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Heat push Bulls to the brink
James leads Miami to blowout victory and 3-1 series edge
Published 11:20 pm, Monday, May 13, 2013
LeBron James scored 27 points and the Miami Heat nearly matched a franchise record for points allowed in a playoff game, pounding the listless and short-handed Chicago Bulls 88-65 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The 65 points allowed were only two more than the all-time postseason low for a Miami opponent, and it was easily the worst offensive performance by a Chicago team.
Never before had the Bulls scored fewer than 69 in a playoff game nor 10 or less in a quarter during the postseason, but both those marks fell on a night when they were dominated on both ends of the floor.
Miami led by 11 at the half and put this one away in the third quarter, outscoring Chicago 17-9 in the period.
Now the Heat will try to wrap up the series at home on Wednesday night, taking what they hope will be the next step toward a second straight championship.
James had his usual complete game with eight assists and seven rebounds.
Chris Bosh finished with 14 points after scoring 20 and grabbing 19 rebounds in Game 3, and the Heat won again despite another quiet night from Dwyane Wade, who finished with six points.
The Bulls again were missing ailing Luol Deng and injured Kirk Hinrich (calf).
Carlos Boozer had 14 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double in the postseason but was just 3-for-14 from the field. Jimmy Butler scored 12 and Joakim Noah grabbed nine rebounds, but it was a miserable night for Chicago — particularly Nate Robinson, who missed all 12 shots and did not score.
All-Defensive Team: LeBron James and Memphis guard Tony Allen headline the NBA All-Defensive First Team. Allen received 53 points in the voting, while the Miami Heat star had 52. Each player had 25 first-team votes from the NBA's 30 head coaches. They were joined on the first team by Clippers guard Chris Paul (37 points), Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (46), Knicks center Tyson Chandler (24) and Bulls center Joakim Noah (24). Marc Gasol, who was the NBA's defensive player of the year, made the second team along with by Celtics guard Avery Bradley, Grizzlies guard Mike Conley, Spurs forward Tim Duncan and Pacers forward Paul George
Grizzlies: Memphis assistant Barry Hecker has left the team during the Western Conference semifinals for what coach Lionel Hollins says is a "personal matter." Hollins said after the Monday morning shootaround that Hecker's departure is "nothing that's public consumption." Hecker was with the Grizzlies for their Game 2 win in Oklahoma City. But he was not with the team in Memphis for Saturday night's 87-81 win that gave the Grizzlies a 2-1 lead. Team officials say only that Hecker is "no longer" with the Grizzlies. Hecker had been on Hollins' staff in Memphis the past five seasons. Hecker also has worked as a scout, player personnel director and assistant coach for the Clippers and Cavaliers.

subset: commoncrawl


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This week's suggestions of new content on Blu-ray, DVD and streaming for maximum home viewing enjoyment.
Be sure to listen live each Tuesday morning on 700 WLW, when Kevin gives his top recommendations to Mike McConnell.
Also, tune in each week to the Fat Guys at the Movies radio program to hear Kevin talk about the top recommendations for home cinema for the week.
Rated PG-13
Studio: Marvel
Formats available: 3D BD, BD, DVD, VOD
Easily the best Marvel movie of 2015, returning to the fun nature of the origin stories for lesser-known characters. Check it out in 3D for at-home viewing for an immersive experience and the best format for the shrinking effects. Bonus materials include oodles of behind-the-scenes featurettes, plus deleted scenes and audio commentary.
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To refer to this article use this url: http://contributionstozoology.nl/vol79/nr01/a03
Contributions to Zoology, 79 (1) – 2010
The discovery of Scutovertex ianus sp. nov. (Acari, Oribatida) – a combined approach of comparative morphology, morphometry and molecular data
Tobias Pfingstl1,2, Sylvia Schäffer1, Ernst Ebermann1, Günther Krisper1
Keywords: cytochrome oxidase I, exochorion, monophyly, Scutoverticidae, taxonomy
Based on morphological, morphometric and genetic data Scutovertex ianus sp. nov. is described as a new oribatid mite species. The traditional comparison with the morphologically most similar congeneric S. minutus and S. sculptus demonstrated that the new species shares certain characters with both species, but can be clearly identified by indistinct cuticular notogastral foveae in combination with short spiniform notogastral setae. Furthermore the eggs of S. ianus exhibit a different fine structure of the exochorion. The morphometric analysis of 16 continuous morphological variables separated the three species, S. minutus, S. sculptus and S. ianus with a certain overlap indicating minor size and shape differences in overall morphology. The molecular phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial COI gene sequences supported the monophyly of all three investigated species and confirmed S. ianus as separate species with high bootstrap values. Each performed analysis approves the discreteness of S. ianus and the results contradict the formerly supposed large intraspecific variability of the representatives of the genus Scutovertex. The records of S. ianus are as yet restricted to the Eastern part of Austria and to one location in Germany, but findings of intermediary Scutovertex specimens from other European countries may refer to this new species.
At present the oribatid mite genus Scutovertex Michael, 1879 consists of 23 species known worldwide (Subías, 2004), whereas more than the half is occurring on the European continent. Many of these live in extreme environments and can be found from the alpine zone to the marine littoral, on sun-exposed rocks and roofs, sparsely covered by lichens and mosses, as well as in saline soils and salt marshes and in inundation meadows (Krisper and Schuster, 2001; Krisper et al., 2002; Smrž, 1992, 1994; Weigmann, 1973). The species of this genus are supposed to exhibit variability in certain morphological features resulting in a difficult classification of some specimens (Weigmann, 2006). But recent publications have shown that intraspecific variation occurs only to a minor extent (Pfingstl et al., 2008) and revealed a few new species in Europe (Schäffer et al., 2008; Pfingstl et al., 2009; Weigmann, 2009) which may have formerly caused a disorder and the idea of certain unstable morphological characters in some members of this genus. In the course of the investigation of Austrian representatives of Scutoverticidae we encountered several Scutovertex specimens showing a mixture of S. minutus (Koch, 1836) and S. sculptus Michael, 1879 specific characters making a clear determination unfeasible. To clarify the status of these 'intermediate forms' and to test again the possibility of large variation within one species a detailed morphological examination and a morphometric as well as a genetic analysis were performed.
Material and methods
Rearing experiments were performed to obtain eggs and juvenile stages, and for this purpose individuals of Scutovertex ianus sp. nov. (species description in Appendix) were put into boxes of polystyrol supplied with plaster of Paris and the animals were fed with collected substrate and coccal green algae. For permanent slides the specimens were embedded in BERLESE mountant and for temporary slides lactic acid was used. Measurements and drawings were performed with a differential interference contrast microscope (Olympus BH-2). The SEM-micrographs were taken at the Research Institute for Electron Microscopy and Fine Structure Research, Graz, University of Technology, with a Zeiss Leo Gemini DSM 982.
The morphometric investigation was performed to confirm the discreteness of S. ianus and does not represent an identification tool. Multivariate analyses of data were carried out with the software PAST version 1.82b (Hammer et al., 2001). To test the intraspecific variability of S. minutus and S. sculptus, two populations of each species (S. minutus: Pogier n=21, Bachsdorf n=40; S. sculptus: Fließ n=21, Illmitz n=40) were analysed with a set of 16 continuous morphological characters, the variable body length was excluded (Pfingstl et al., 2009). The same set of variables of 40 individuals of each species (S. ianus: 18 females, 22 males; S. minutus: 20 females, 20 males; S. sculptus: 25 females, 15 males) was measured, logarithmized and then used for Principle Component Analysis (PCA) as well as Canonical Variates Analysis (CVA).
For the molecular phylogenetic analysis, the total genomic DNA was extracted from single ethanol-preserved specimens using the modified CTAB (hexadecyltriethylammonium bromide) method after Boyce et al. (1989). A 1259 bp fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene was amplified using the primers COI_Fsy (5´-GNTCAACAAWTCATWAAG-3´) and COI_Rsy (5´-TAAACTTCNGGYTGNCCAAAAAATCA-3´) for COI-region 1 (modified after Heethoff et al., 2007), Mite COI-2F and Mite COI-2R (Otto and Wilson, 2001) for COI-region 2. PCR amplification and sequencing followed the protocol described in Schäffer et al. (2008). Sequences are available from GenBank under the accession numbers specified in Table 1.
Sequences were aligned by eye in MEGA 3.1 (Kumar et al., 2004). Phylogenetic reconstruction by neighbour joining (NJ) were conducted in PAUP* 4.02a (Swofford, 2002) and Bayesian inference (BI) in MrBayes 3.1.2 (Ronquist and Huelsenbeck, 2003). We used Lamellovertex caelatus (Scutoverticidae) as outgroup. For Bayesian analysis COI gene was partitioned by codon position. Rate heterogeneity was set according to a gamma distribution with six rate categories (GTR model) for each data partition. Bayesian posterior probabilities (BPP) were obtained from a Metropolis-coupled Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation (2 independent runs; 4 chains with 2 million generations each; chain temperature: 0.2; trees sampled every 100 generations), with parameters estimated from the data set. The burn-in fraction was set to 20%. For NJ, the best-fit substitution model selected by the hierarchical likelihood ratio test (hLRT) implemented in Modeltest 3.06 (Posada and Crandall, 1998) was TVM+I+G (base frequencies: A = 0.2551, C = 0.1631, G = 0.1740, T = 0.4077; R-matrix: A↔C = 0.1754; A↔G = 9.9528; A↔T = 1.3001; C↔G = 0.2368; C↔T = 9.9528; G↔T = 1.0000; proportion of invariable sites: I = 0.5888; gamma shape parameter: α = 2.0069) according to sequencing analyses. Statistical support for the topology was assessed by bootstrapping (1,000 pseudo-replications). Intra- and interspecific pairwise distances (uncorrected p-distances) were calculated in MEGA 3.1.
Table 2a. Loadings of the 16 variables set on the first three principle components. Scutovertex minutes, population 'Bachsdorf' versus population 'Pogier'.
Table 2b. Loadings of the 16 variables set on the first three principle components. Scutovertex sculptus, population 'Illmitz' versus population 'Fließ'.
Morphometric analysis of Scutovertex ianus sp. nov., S. minutus and S. sculptus
To test the intraspecific variability of Scutovertex minutus and S. sculptus, two populations of each species were analysed with the 16 variables set. The PCA performed with the two populations of S. minutus resulted in three components accounting for 78.7% of total variation. Loadings are given in Table 2a. The projections of the principle component scores show complete overlap of the two clusters (Fig. 1a). The analysis of the two populations of S. sculptus produced three components accounting for 81.8% of total variance; loadings are listed in Table 2b. The projections of the principle component scores exhibit also complete overlap of the two populations (Fig. 1b).
Fig. 1a-b. Projections of the principle component scores: A) Scutovertex minutus; ■ = population 'Bachsdorf', ● = population 'Pogier'; B) S. sculptus; + = population 'Illmitz', ❙ = population 'Fließ'.
Fig. 1c-e. Scatterplots of the principle component scores: ∞ = Scutovertex ianus, + = S. sculptus, ◽ = S. minutus.
The Principle Component Analysis of the same variables set of S. ianus, S. minutus and S. sculptus produced three components accounting for 84.6% of total variance in the data (Table 3). PC1 (50.4% of cumulative variance) shows moderate loadings for all variables indicating small differences in overall size, the variable cusp length cl exhibits the highest value with 0.4257 (Table 4). PC2 accounts for 30% of the total variance and again the cuspis length shows the highest value (0.8529), all the other values are very low. PC3 (4.2%) resulted in high loadings for distance between genital- and anal opening dga (-0.6177) and prodorsum length pl (0.4098). The projection of PC1 versus PC2 shows three clusters with a small overlap of all three entities (Fig. 1c). Graph PC1 versus PC3 (Fig. 1d) presents large overlaps of all three clusters and the scatterplot of the scores of PC2 versus PC3 (Fig. 1e) illustrates a nearly complete overlap of S. ianus and S. minutus.
Table 4. Loadings of the 16 variables set on the first three principle components. Scutovertex minutus versus S. ianus versus S. sculptus.
The Canonical Variates Analysis produced a Wilk's lambda of 0.05234. The first canonical function describes 61.99% of the total variability and the second 38.01%. The F-value is 21.07 and p (same) is 4.46410-48. The projection of the two Canonical Variates displays a clear separation of S. ianus with only small areas of overlap with the clusters of S. minutus and S. sculptus (Fig. 2). An external validation of the data with a discriminant analysis resulted in 97.44% correctly classified specimens (p-same 1.85×10-18) comparing S. minutus with S. ianus and in 98.72% correctly classified individuals (p-same 1.85×10-21) comparing S. sculptus with S. ianus.
Fig. 2. Plot of canonical variate 1 versus 2: ∞ = Scutovertex ianus, + = S. sculptus, ◾ = S. minutus.
Table 5. Pairwise distances. ni = number of analysed individuals, dia = intraspecific distances (uncorrected), dis = interspecific distances (uncorrected).
Molecular phylogenetic analysis
The NJ tree supports the monophyly of all investigated species, with bootstrap values of 80-100 for all clades, representing the species S. ianus sp. nov., S. sculptus, S. minutus, S. pileatus Schäffer and Krisper, 2007 and Lamellovertex caelatus (Berlese, 1895) as the outgroup. The Bayesian tree also shows a clear separation of the species with posterior probabilities of 100 (Fig. 3a-b). Mean pairwise distances within and between the Scutovertex species are shown in Table 5. Interspecific distance between S. ianus and L. caelatus amounted to 23.2%. Intra- and interspecific pairwise distances are plotted as histograms in Fig. 4.
Geographic distribution of Scutovertex ianus sp. nov.
The occurrence of S. ianus is currently limited to areas in Central Europe (numbers in brackets refer to Fig. 5). In Austria there are four records including the 'locus typicus' Admont [1] in Styria and the other three sample locations are Stiwoll [2] and Schladming [3] in Styria and Traun [4] in Upper Austria. The fifth record of this species is Mosbach near Heidelberg [5] in Germany, where only one single specimen was found. Scutovertex ianus seems to live in habitats (mosses) with a high permanent humidity as the sample locality in Admont is located at the border of a bog and the area in Traun is a floodplain.
The morphological similarity of S. ianus sp. nov. with S. sculptus and especially with S. minutus may lead to the assumption that this new species represents only a deviating population of one of the two above mentioned species. However a recent publication (Pfingstl et al., 2008) showed that S. sculptus individuals from different European countries are consistent with each other, the found morphological variation is negligible and the differences of S. ianus to S. sculptus are far beyond this intraspecific range of variability. Schäffer et al. (2007) stated that the members of S. minutus vary only in the number of notogastral setae, shape of lamellar cusps and of prodorsal ridges and again the members of S. ianus exceed these variances. The present results confirm that S. ianus is not just a product of the variation within one species. The differences are also not caused by sexual dimorphism, as the males and females of any Scutovertex species only vary in body size and the possession of a spermatopositor or ovipositor. The detailed morphological examination showed stable characters of all investigated S. ianus individuals and revealed that the combination of indistinct cuticular foveae on the notogaster and spiniform notogastral setae represents the set of characters being specific for this species (Table 6).
Table 6. Comparison of selected morphological characters of 11 Scutovertex species. ? = no information available.
Another morphological aspect approving S. ianus as valid species is the structure of the exochorion. Krisper et al. (2008) already found out that the fine structure of the egg shell of the genus Scutovertex is species specific. The comparison of the exochorion of S. ianus, S. minutus and S. sculptus (Fig. 6a-c) reveals differing shapes of fundamental structures. The fungiform structures and granules of S. minutus are shaped amorphous whereas S. ianus and S. sculptus show precise formations but the tops of the fungiform formations of S. ianus are conspicuously more flattened than in S. sculptus.
Fig. 6a-c. SEM-micrographs of exochorion structures: A) Scutovertex ianus; B) S. minutus; C) S. sculptus.
The morphometric analysis of different populations of S. minutus and S. sculptus showed a complete overlap within each species in all graphs. These results demonstrate stable intraspecific morphological variables and contradict the formerly supposed high intraspecific variability of these two species (Weigmann, 2006). On the basis of the stable morphology of the latter species, the multivariate analysis of S. minutus, S. ianus and S. sculptus confirmed the existence of a new entity with a good separation. Although there is overlap in all graphs, the projections PC1 versus PC2 and especially the CVA scatter plot exhibit a clear grouping. The projection PC2 versus PC3 fails to discriminate S. ianus and S. sculptus because the differences in body shape between these two taxa are of minor extent. Scutovertex minutus is well separated along the PC2-axis representing significant shape differences. In summary S. ianus and S. sculptus differ from each other mainly in body size, whereas S. minutus diverges from the latter two primarily in body shape. Earlier morphometric investigations of S. minutus and two epilittoral Scutovertex species (Pfingstl et al., 2009) using the same set and even a smaller set of variables resulted in an unambiguous separation and demonstrated clearer size and shape differences in overall morphology of these species. Scutovertex ianus represents nevertheless a distinct cluster bearing in mind that the well distinguishable and morphologically stable S. minutus and S. sculptus show comparable overlapping areas in this analysis.
The molecular phylogenetic analysis of the COI gene highlights the monophyly and the discreteness of all three investigated Scutovertex species with high bootstrap values. Scutovertex ianus is represented in the NJ tree as the sister group of S. sculptus and is therefore more closely related to the latter species than to S. minutus. This relationship is not clearly reflected in the morphological similarities of the species; only the exochorion structure of the eggs seems to refer to this correlation.
The combined approach of comparative morphology, morphometry and genetic data justifies S. ianus as an indisputable species. Different works (Strenzke, 1943; Schäffer and Krisper, 2007; Pfingstl et al., 2008) affirmed the clear distinction between S. minutus and S. sculptus but could not explain the existence of intermediate forms. The detection of S. ianus leads us to a possible explanation as former findings of deviant individuals of S. minutus or S. sculptus may refer to this new species. The existence of as yet undetected species may generally induce confusion about the intraspecific variability of a species. Polderman (1977) discovered the new species S. pilosetosus Poldermann, 1977 and revealed that the whole Dutch collection of S. minutus consisted of this new species. Pfingstl et al. (2009) believe their recently described S. arenocolus Pfingstl and Schäffer, 2009 could be responsible for mistaken records of S. minutus in certain coastal areas and Weigmann (2009) supposes that findings of a small sized S. minutus in Spain may refer to his newly described S. mikoi Weigmann, 2009. All these facts point to a more limited intraspecific variability and to a higher species diversity of the genus Scutovertex than formerly supposed (Haarlov, 1957; Pérez-Iñigo, 1993; Weigmann, 2006).
We want to thank Elke McCullough, Julia Jagersbacher-Baumann and Nina Grafeneder for providing us with substrate samples and specimens respectively. The authors also want to thank Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Hofer, head of the Research Institute for Electron Microscopy (FELMI) and his team realizing the SEM-micrographs. This work was supported by the Austrian Science Foundation (FWF, project number P19544-B16).
Received: 9 July 2009
Accepted: 9 February 2010
Published online: 29 March 2010
Editor: J.A. Miller
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Description of Scutovertex ianus sp. nov.
Genus Scutovertex Michael, 1879
Holotype. ZMB 48049 (Museum of Natural History, department of Arachnids, Myriapods and Stemgroup Arthropoda, Humboldt-University Berlin), 1 female, Admont (Austria, Styria), moss on a rock at the edge of a bog, August 8th 2007, leg E. McCullough.
Paratypes. ZMB 48050, 1 male, 2 females; 2007/ 37861 (Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz, Sektion Arachnida) 1 male, 3 females; RMNH.ACARI.163 (Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis, Leiden) 1 male, 3 females. All paratypes from the same locality as holotype.
Other material. Schladming (Styria), moss from a stone wall in front of town hall, 16th March 2005, leg S. Schäffer (Coll. Pfingstl, slides no. 608, 611); Traun (Upper Austria), moss from rocks in floodplain, June 6th 2006, leg. N. Grafeneder (Coll. Pfingstl, slide no. 1224); Stiwoll (Styria), mosses from a graveyard wall, September 6th 2006, leg. S. Schäffer (Coll. Pfingstl, slides no. 609, 610, 612); Admont (Styria), mosses on rocks, August 8th 2007, leg. E. McCullough (Coll. Pfingstl, slides no. 599-602, 762-772; material in ethanol no. 147-151).
Diagnosis. Habitus corresponding to typical Scutovertex. Average length 591 µm, average body width 351 µm. Colour dark brown. Cuticle pusticulate, cerotegument granulate. On anterior part of notogaster irregularly distributed foveae and irregularly shaped ribs. Cusps long, lamellae distinct. Two strongly converging and anteriorly fused ridges on interlamellar field reaching translamella. Sensillus clavate and spinose. 10 pairs of short and spiniform notogastral setae.
Differential diagnosis. Scutovertex ianus can be distinguished from S. alpinus by the large indistinct notogastral foveae and the different body size. Scutovertex arenocolus differs from S. ianus in possessing not fused prodorsal ridges and slightly broadened and spinose notogastral setae. Scutovertex mikoi can be distinguished from S. ianus by its conspicuous smaller body size, not fused prodorsal ridges, 9 pairs of notogastral setae and the lack of gastronotic foveae. The differences between S. ianus and S. minutus are the not fused prodorsal ridges and the non-existence of notogastral cuticular foveae in the latter species. Scutovertex pannonicus can be distinguished from S. ianus by its obvious larger body size and distinct large cuticular foveae on the notogaster. Scutovertex perforatus also possesses distinct cuticular foveae and differs in this aspect from S. ianus. Scutovertex pileatus can be distinguished from S. ianus by the not fused two pairs of prodorsal ridges, the absence of cuticular foveae and the continuous transverse ridge on mentum. Scutovertex pilosetosus is distinctly larger than S. ianus and lacks the median part of the transverse ridge on the mentum. Scutovertex rugosus shows different notogastral setae and S. sculptus can be distinguished from S. ianus by the not fused prodorsal ridges and broadened and spinose posterior notogastral setae (Fig. 7a-c, Table 6).
Fig. 7a-c. Examples of different character states in Scutovertex species (see Table 6): A) prodorsal ridges; B) shape of notogastral setae; C) transverse ridge on mentum.
Description of holotype. Body length (N=49) 533-640 µm. Body width (N=46) 304-391 µm. Prodorsum: cuticle strongly pusticulate. Sensillus (Se) long, clavate, serrate and flattened. Cup-like bothridia with a posterior ridge running caudally (Fig. 8a). Interlamellar and exobothridial setae absent. Lamellae slightly converging, connected by translamella. Long cusps, lamellar setae (le) spiniform and serrate. Rostral setae (ro) robust and smooth strongly bent inwards. Two strongly converging ridges between lamellae fused in anterior part of interlamellar field reaching translamella. V-shaped tutorium strongly projecting (Fig. 8b). Gastronotic region (Figs 9a, 10a): cuticle pusticulate with indistinct foveae on anterior half of notogastral region, cerotegument granulate. Lenticulus with lateral concave margins, posterior part broadened. Posterior to lenticulus irregularly shaped ridges. Ten pairs of short spiniform notogastral setae: c2, la, dm, lp, h1-h3, ps1-ps3 (Fig. 9c). Setae h1-3 and ps1-3 with minimal serration (Fig. 10b), all setae except c2 and la inserted on small humps. Humeral angle well developed. Five pairs of lyrifissures on gastronotic region: ia, im, ih, ips, ip; ia located laterally on a small cuticular nodule ventrally to humeral angle (Figs 8a, 11a). Lyrifissure im slit-shaped, laterally and posterior to seta la; ih and ips next to each other on posterior lateral border of the notogaster and ip between setae h1 and ps2. Orifice of opisthonotal gland next to seta lp, well discernable. Three pairs of small sacculi S1-3 representing octotaxic system, SA not developed. Subcapitulum and camerostome: cuticle strongly pusticulate. Inner margin of camerostome consisting of rostrophragma. Median rostral lobe forming anterior border of camerostome and longish triangular lamellae flanking rostrophragma laterally (Fig. 9b). Mentum with long spiniform setae h and discontinued variable transverse ridge (Fig. 11b). Setae a and m long acuminate and slightly serrate. Rutellum broad with three teeth, first one largest. Pedipalp pentamerous, chaetome: 0-2-1-3-9 (solenidion excluded), solenidion inclined reaching eupathidium acm (Fig. 11c). Longish porous axillary sacculus as located at basis of pedipalp. Ventral region of idiosoma (Fig. 9b): cuticle pusticulate forming distinct ribs on posterior part of ventral idiosoma. Epimeral setation (I-IV): 3-1-2-2. Pedotectum I (PtI) large, covering acetabulum I completely. Pedotectum II (PtII) also large, Y-shaped in dorsal view and drop shaped in lateral view (Figs 8b, 11a). Genital setation 6+6 (no variations observed). The first two genital setae the longest, inserting side by side, the others arranged in a longitudinal row. Genital valves anteriorly broadened and surrounded by a circular cuticular elevation. A rostrad arcuated cuticular rib anterior to genital opening. One pair of spiniform aggenital setae ag. Posterior to genital opening whole ventral region crossed transversely by a narrow and slightly caudad curved rib. Two pairs of anal setae, an1-2. Anal valves posteriorly broadened. Three pairs of acuminate adanal setae ad1-3. Lyrifissure iad in paraanal position. Preanal organ cup-shaped. Legs (Fig. 12a-d): tridactyl, heterodactyl, claws dorsally slightly dentate; median claw largest. Cuticle from trochanter to femur pusticulate and from genu to tarsus rugose, forming a few strong ribs. Tibial setae robust and serrate. Ventral and lateral tarsal setae also serrate. Solenidia ϕ1-2 inserting distally on large apophysis of tibia I. Legs showing Scutovertex-typical tracheae. Leg chaetome without solenidia: I (1-4-3-4-18), II (1-4-3-4-15), III (2-2-1-3-15), IV (1-2-2-3-12). Solenidia: I (1-2-2), II (1-1-2), III (1-1-0), IV (0-1-0). Eggs (Fig. 13a-b): the exochorion consists of two different structures which are dispersed over the whole endochorion. There are large fungiform formations and smaller cones each of them with a granular surface.
Fig. 8a-b. Scutovertex ianus SEM-micrographs: A) bothridium and sensillus; B) prodorsum in lateral view.
Fig. 9a-c. Scutovertex ianus (female): A) dorsal view; B) ventral view; C) notogastral setae in detail.
Fig. 11a-c. Scutovertex ianus (male): A) lateral view; B) subcapitulum; C) left pedipalp antiaxial view.
Fig. 12a-d. Scutovertex ianus (female): A) right leg I antiaxial view; B) right leg II antiaxial view; C) right leg III antiaxial view; D) left leg IV paraxial view.
Remarks. Unfortunately, the holotype and paratypes of S. minutus of the collection of C.L. Koch are missing (see Schäffer and Krisper, 2007: 676). Furthermore, no information on the whereabouts of the type specimens of S. sculptus is available. Therefore the identification of these two species is based on the detailed descriptions given by Schäffer and Krisper (2007) and Pfingstl et al. (2008). Sample locations for S. minutus: Asparn, Unterstinkenbrunn (Lower Austria), mosses and lichens on a tiled roof, 16th November 1996, leg. E. Ebermann; Graz, Bachsdorf (Styria), mosses on a roof, 8th May 2005, leg. J. Jagersbacher-Baumann; Pogier (Styria), mosses on rocks, 12th October 2006, leg. S. Schäffer; S. sculptus: Illmitz (Burgenland), shore of lake Zicklacke, 16th September 2005, leg. G. Krisper; Ernstbrunn (Lower Austria), mosses on a rock, 29th March 2005, leg. E. Ebermann; Fließ (Tyrol), sun exposed mosses, 11th June 2007, leg. H. Schatz; S. pileatus: all from mosses on rocks, Laas, 28th March 2005, leg. S. Schäffer, Schütt, 8th August 2005, leg. S. Schäffer, Ruin Hochosterwitz, 26th June 2005 (Carinthia), leg. S. Schäffer.
Etymology. The new species shares certain morphological characteristics with Scutovertex minutus and S. sculptus resulting in an intermediate appearance. Therefore the species is named according to 'Ianus' the two headed Roman god who is also a symbol for ambivalence.
Identification key for European Scutovertex species
Diagnosis for the genus Scutovertex (according to Weigmann 2009, with minor modification).
Notogaster ovoid and medially fused with prodorsum; lamellae distinct but slender, with cuspis; translamella narrow; interlamellar setae absent; camerostome with separated rostrophragma inside border of rostrum forming a second anterior border, without genal incision; notogaster with longish lenticulus. 9-12 pairs of notogastral setae. Octotaxic system usually present as 3 pairs of saccules; ano-genital setation: 6 g, 1 ag, 2 an, 3 ad; epimeral setation 3-1-2-2; tutorium weakly developed; pedotecta I and II well developed; legs tri- and heterodactylous; trochanter III and IV with tracheae curving along inner wall; all femora with tracheae reaching into tibia.
1 cuticular foveae on gastronotic region → 2
- cuticular foveae on gastronotic region absent → 8
2 (1) foveae indistinct → 3
- foveae distinct → 10
3 (2) prodorsal ridges convergent → 4
- prodorsal ridges anteriorly fused, body length 655-718 µm → S. pilosetosus Poldermann, 1977
4 (3) notogastral setae broadened → 5
- notogastral setae spiniform, body length 533-640 µm → S. ianus sp. nov.
5 (4) cuspis length > 15µm → 6
- cuspis length < 15µm, body length 527-614µm → S. arenocolus Pfingstl and Schäffer, 2009
6 (5) setae la barbed → 7
- seta la smooth, body length 521-671µm → S. sculptus Michael, 1879
7 (6) cuticle on gastronotic region granular, body length 630-680µm → S. perforatus Sitnikova, 1975
- cuticle on gastronotic region with oblong lines, body length 581-630µm → S. rugosus Mihelčič, 1957
8 (1) cerotegument granular → 9
- cerotegument forming thick nodes, body length 481-575µm → S. pileatus Schäffer and Krisper 2007
9 (8) 9 pairs of notogastral setae, body length 378-445µm → S. mikoi Weigmann, 2009
- 10-12 pairs of notogastral setae, body length 550-659µm → S. minutus (C.L. Koch, 1835)
10 (2) large cuticular foveae on gastronotic region, body length 773-800µm → S. pannonicus Schuster, 1958
- small cuticular foveae on gastronotic region, body length 477–527µm → S. alpinus Willmann, 1953


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Mayoral Candidate: Market forces can help create a smaller city budget
Published 5:33 pm, Monday, August 26, 2013
The budget is nearly 600 pages. That's about as far as I've gotten into "Atlas Shrugged." My desire to reduce spending is now twofold, not only to improve the economy and let you spend your own money, but the reduction in eye strain alone should reduce the city's insurance costs dramatically.
The budget, of course, is no laughing matter. The lengthy budget is a perfect example of government complexity creating a wealth of additional problems. Page by page there is example after example of unnecessary government involvement. To some people, they may be a series of barely intelligible numbers on a page. To me, those numbers represent dollars pulled from the pockets of tax-paying citizens. They represent you having to work harder, being paid less and spending more on the things you need to live.
Over the next couple of months, you'll hear me talking about taxes. A lot. I went over it in my last article on housing, but it bears repeating: Taxes hurt everyone, from the business owner to the consumer. When a business pays a tax, it passes the price of that tax on to the consumer. You, who are also paying taxes, now have less money to spend on something that is more expensive. Naturally, you can't buy as much stuff now, so everyone suffers. When taxes are lowered, as long as there is competition, those prices will fall. You now have more money to spend on things that are cheaper. Everyone is better off.
There is also the question of freedom in how you choose to spend your money. Capitalism works because when a company produces a better product or service, people will choose to give their money to that company over their competition. When you have a city that is in the business of providing services, whether that service is good or bad, cheap or expensive, whether you even use it, you don't have a choice. You are forced to pay for it. The market is not allowed to function.
This is not to say that the services the government provides are unnecessary. Our society relies on many things to function properly. Food, for example, is something we all need, yet we hardly rely on the government to provide our daily sustenance. Oil and gas drive not only our own economy but the entire world's. We don't ask that the government take over the supply and distribution. Why then is it so far fetched to think that if they are allowed to compete, someone else might do a better job at providing us with recreation, garbage collection, building inspection, education, health care, charity? The list of places government finds itself unnecessarily involved is nearly endless.
There is no better time, and no more important time, than now to begin this process. We are prosperous. We have an entirely new generation of entrepreneurs flocking to the city. But we must take action now to ensure our continued prosperity, to ensure a future that is not reliant on the price of oil. Texas' comparatively free economy makes it the destination of choice for businesses all across America. Why not make Midland the destination of choice for businesses moving to Texas? Don't just incentivize one company; incentivize every company with free markets, low regulation and low taxation.
I'm reminded of an old joke. Two soviet women are waiting in a line that goes on for a quarter-mile, waiting to get bread. One looks at the other and begins to complain about the wait. The other says, "Sure the lines are long, but in America the government doesn't even provide bread!" We must break ourselves from the mindset that if the government doesn't do something, it won't get done. We can't continue to force people to pay for services they don't use, and we must allow the market to compete with the city in providing these services.


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% de tornados.
- SPOILER - El siguiente texto está oculto. Presioná en la barra para mostrarlo.
- SPOILER - El siguiente texto está oculto. Presioná en la barra para mostrarlo.
- SPOILER - El siguiente texto está oculto. Presioná en la barra para mostrarlo.
- SPOILER - El siguiente texto está oculto. Presioná en la barra para mostrarlo. Day 1 Convective Outlook
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0259 PM CDT Sun Jun 11 2017
Valid 112000Z - 121200Z
Severe storms with a threat for mainly damaging wind will continue
across the remainder of the upper peninsula of Michigan into the
northern part of lower Michigan this afternoon. Otherwise, Isolated
strong-severe storms remain possible across parts of southeast
Wyoming/northern Colorado, and the northern Great Basin as well as
farther east into the central plains and upper Mississippi Valley
this afternoon and evening.
...Northern Wisconsin, northern lower Michigan and the eastern
portion of upper Michigan...
Threat for damaging wind will continue this afternoon into early
evening as squall line continues through this region.
Elsewhere...an east-west band of storms will persist over northern
Wisconsin into early evening within zone of isentropic ascent
resulting from the southwesterly low-level jet interacting with
trailing outflow boundary. These storms are elevated well north of
the outflow boundary with heavy rain the main threat, though a small
risk for marginally severe hail also exists.
...Northern Rockies through southeast Wyoming and northern
Satellite trends suggest storms will develop over the higher terrain
and spread north and northeast. High based storms with inverted-V
profiles will support a risk for isolated downburst winds. Strong
surface - 6 km AGL shear will also promote a few rotating updrafts.
Updrafts may be somewhat more robust from southeast WY into northern
CO where richer low-level moisture has advected westward within the
evolving upslope regime.
...Nebraska through northern Iowa and southern Minnesota...
Will maintain marginal risk category in this region. Strong
instability has developed (3000+ J/kg MLCAPE) where a warm elevated
mixed layer has advected above the moist axis in vicinity of stalled
boundary. However, only shallow frontal convergence and weak forcing
for ascent aloft associated with a building ridge, along with strong
convective inhibition resulting from the elevated mixed layer will
probably limit storm coverage. Any storms developing in this regime
will be capable of producing downburst winds and large hail.
..Dial.. 06/11/2017
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1136 AM CDT Sun Jun 11 2017/
An upper low over the northern California coast will move slowly
east towards the Great Basin through tonight. A belt of stronger
mid-level flow will extend across the central/northern Rockies and
from the northern Plains/Upper Midwest into New England. A surface
warm front extends along the southern periphery of the stronger
mid-level flow from low pressure over southeast South Dakota across
central Wisconsin, with a trailing cold front from the low into
northeast Colorado. A surface trough/dryline extends south through
eastern Colorado into far west Texas.
...Upper Midwest/northern Great Lakes into central Plains...
A well-developed bowing MCS continues to move east-northeast at
around 50 kts with a history of wind damage/measured severe gusts
and large hail. In the short-term this MCS is likely to track along
the instability gradient as the warm front slowly lifts north across
central/northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan aided
by 40-45 kt 850 mb inflow. Severe wind and hail will remain primary
threats, with a tornado risk associated with QLCS circulations.
Severe storms may also develop in advance of the MCS associated with
low-level warm advection, with supercell structures possible given
ample effective shear and buoyancy. Isolated strong/severe storms
are expected to expected to redevelop later this afternoon west of
the MCS along the composite frontal boundary as afternoon
heating/destabilization takes place within a favorably sheared
environment. Isolated occurrences of large hail and damaging winds
will be possible.
...Front Range of northeast Colorado/southeast Wyoming...
An increasingly moist upslope/post-frontal flow regime will become
established by this afternoon across southeast WY and northeast CO.
The more likely area for isolated severe storm development will be
near the east slope of the Laramie Range southward into northern CO.
Within an environment characterized by MLCAPE of 1000-1500 j/kg and
around 40 kts of deep-layer shear, storms that do form will develop
supercell structures capable of isolated large hail.
...Northern Nevada/southern Idaho into western Wyoming this
A closed mid-level low over northern California will move slowly
eastward to northern Nevada by tonight. Downstream from the low,
upper divergence in the exit region of the cyclonically curved jet
will combine with daytime heating to support at least widely
scattered thunderstorm development. Low-level moisture and buoyancy
will remain limited, though steep low-level lapse rates and
substantial deep-layer southerly shear could support isolated storms
with gusty outflow winds.
Próxima actualización: 01:00z.
Últimas discusiones a mesoescala.
- SPOILER - El siguiente texto está oculto. Presioná en la barra para mostrarlo. Mesoscale Discussion 0988
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0246 PM CDT Sun Jun 11 2017
Areas affected...Eastern Upper Michigan into northern Lower
Concerning...Severe Thunderstorm Watch 314...
Valid 111946Z - 112145Z
The severe weather threat for Severe Thunderstorm Watch 314
SUMMARY...A threat of damaging winds continues across the watch
DISCUSSION...A long-lived convective system is now crossing over
northern Lake Michigan, with sporadic cellular development just
ahead of it near the northern coast. This line of storms has a long
history of producing wind damage.
While instability levels decrease to the east, surface observations
and satellite imagery show warming continues across much of Lower
Michigan, with temperatures rising into the mid 80s along with weak
pressure falls. In addition, southerly low-level flow continues to
increase ahead of the MCS. Therefore, while the line may not be as
strong as it was previously, conditions may prove sufficient for a
continued localized damaging wind threat.
..Jewell.. 06/11/2017
- SPOILER - El siguiente texto está oculto. Presioná en la barra para mostrarlo. Mesoscale Discussion 0989
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0349 PM CDT Sun Jun 11 2017
Areas affected...North Central CO...Southeast WY
Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible
Valid 112049Z - 112315Z
Probability of Watch Issuance...40 percent
SUMMARY...Isolated thunderstorms are expected to develop this
afternoon along the front range and foothills of north-central CO
and southeast WY. The strongest cells may produce large hail. A
watch may be considered.
DISCUSSION...Water vapor loop shows a mid-level shortwave trough
moving across NM and western CO. Mid to high level lift in advance
of this feature is spreading across the Rockies and is approaching
the front range region. Meanwhile, northerly post-frontal surface
winds over much of eastern CO have maintained near-50 dewpoints
across the region. Forecast soundings modified for observed
conditions suggest over 1000 J/kg of MLCAPE and only a weak cap
along the foothills and adjacent plains. Vertical shear is also
moderately strong, with effective shear values of 35-45 knots.
Present indications are that scattered showers and isolated
thunderstorms will form over the foothills this afternoon and spread
into the adjacent counties of CO. A few of the storms may become
supercellular with large hail being a concern. Consensus of CAM
solutions suggests that coverage of severe storms may be quite
sparse. Therefore it is uncertain whether a watch will be needed
for this scenario.
..Hart/Bunting.. 06/11/2017


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"The Audition", an LAU (lebanese American University) student theater production, of original text by Kenneth Robbins, directed by Bob Hamandi and Karim Kassem. A Mono drama performed by Sara Boutine.
Synopsis Amy arrives at a small out-of-the-way theater in New York, expecting to audition for a new play. But no one is there. She is locked into the theatre accidentally.
The poster was inspired by the roles Amy take throughout this play, letting her imagination lead her and the audience on to various experiences.
For more details of the event, follow it on facebook !!


text:
Our custom build process starts with thoroughly understanding your specifications for safety, quality and regulatory approval.
We have the reliable crews, equipment and processes to support your onsite accommodation project's needs.
The HB Rentals family is proud to provide a culture of trust, credibility and integrity to each of its employees.
HB Rentals operates in all the key oil & gas producing around the world.
Living Quarters
Workspace & Office Units
Operating Essentials
Living Quarters
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Operating Essentials


text:
Annual 34th Thanksgiving Turkey Trot fun run
Mark you calendars "November 26" as we continue with our annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. A fun trail run open to everyone, free of charge to support the Santa Monica Mountains trail running community. Bring all your friends and family, non runners can join for an out & back hike by time. The trails are on State Parks property so no dogs allowed, sorry. We only ask that non-members sign a waiver before the start. The cost? Nothing, nada, zilch. Makes it pretty hard to come up with an excuse to not be there.
We have always scheduled it early so everyone can work up an appetite and be back in plenty of time to enjoy Thanksgiving. Registration at the event will be from 6:30 am to 6:50 am, and we will start running at 7:00 AM.
Our event is not to be confused with the Topanga Turkey Trot which is held the same date as ours. We will use orange arrows so our course will be clearly defined.
This is an opportunity to get an early 9.5 mile fun-run on Thanksgiving morning with beautiful vistas and enjoy the company of other runners while we all burn a bunch of calories before our Thanksgiving dinners.
Carry your own water during the run, we take care of the post run refreshments.
Everyone meets at the event location.
More details here: http://www.trailrunnersclub.com/event/thanksgiving-turkey-trot-2015-11-26


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Rangers boss Walter Smith doesn't expect the Old Firm to move south.
He said in the Daily Express: "It has been a big talking point but, personally, I'm not sure the English clubs would want Rangers and Celtic there.
"There is a realisation we have two huge clubs and if we went into the Premier League, with the finance there, we would be among some of the top clubs.
"I don't think that would please a huge number of clubs in the Premier League or English Championship, which is where we would have to start.
"So I'm not sure that is something that would come off. It would be fantastic for both clubs if it was to happen, but I just don't think the English clubs would allow it to."


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|Conrad Johnson Premier 18LS AV Preamplifier
|Home Theater Preamplifiers AV Preamps
|Written by Ed Masterson
|Thursday, 01 May 2003
Over the last 25 years, Conrad-Johnson has earned a reputation for its mastery of the art of tube-based amplifier design. Many of their amplifiers and preamplifiers have received considerable praise from music lovers and AV industry professionals alike. As a statement piece, Conrad-Johnson's ultra-expensive ART preamplifier has earned its way into some of the world's absolute finest music playback systems.
Until now, if you wanted a reference quality preamplifier from CJ, you had no choice but to deal with the maintenance and cost associated with tubes. Conrad-Johnson has released a new solid-state preamplifier, the Premier 18LS, in an attempt to satisfy those in love with CJ's sound who simply are not willing and/or able to deal with the unavoidable hassles associated with owning a high-performance tube component.
At $3,495, the Premier 18LS is the least expensive preamplifier in the Premier series. Even so, CJ spared no expense. As with all of the Premier preamplifiers, CJ uses a single-ended zero negative feedback circuit design, full of the highest quality parts available. These include polypropylene and polystyrene capacitors, as well as laser-trimmed metal foil resistors. The amplification circuit in the 18LS is based on field effect transistors (FETs). Conrad-Johnson believes that FETs sound more like tubes because they also tend to produce only even-ordered harmonic distortion. CJ puts great emphasis on an optimized power supply, which is said to minimize impedance at even the highest frequencies. CJ also employs a discrete resistor-ladder volume control with 100 incremental steps of 0.7 dB each, instead of the typical potentiometer, which is inherently noisy.
The 18LS is a line-stage-only preamplifier, so a separate phono stage will be required for those with turntables. Otherwise, the 18LS has inputs for tuner, CD, video, aux/phono and aux 2. In addition, it has two loops for external processors (EPL), such as theater processors or equalizers. Only a single pair of main line outputs is provided. Additionally, a full function remote control is included. The 18LS measures 15.25 inches deep, 19 inches wide and 3.31 inches high, weighing 16 pounds.
The look and feel of the unit is just what you'd expect from an audiophile electronics manufacturer. The component is built like a tank, with looks to match. I personally feel that although this look is solid and professional, it has become dated. Those wishing to integrate this piece into modern décor may have issues with its appearance. The unit is constructed with a combination of black powder-coated extruded aluminum sides, black semi-gloss heavy gauge steel top, bottom and back, and a gold anodized machined aluminum faceplate. The faceplate has two distinct textures. Approximately one-fourth of the faceplate on the left side has a brushed finish, while the remaining three-quarters have a matte finish, slightly recessed. The two areas are separated by a machined groove that curves in an arc pattern from top to bottom. The display consists of a pair of circular two-digit gold numerical LEDs to indicate volume level, and individual LEDs for each source to indicate when they are selected. Controls on the front panel include buttons for source, mute, level up and down, theater loop, and EPL. The rear panel carries gold-plated, machined single-ended connectors for inputs and outputs, as well as a receptacle for a detachable power cord. The Premier 18LS provides single-ended I/O and does not provide balanced connectors. The remote is made from a machined aluminum block and has a simple layout with durable feeling buttons. Did I mention that it is built like a tank?
As you might expect for a two-channel preamp, set up and operation are pretty straightforward. I used the 18LS mostly for two-channel listening, but I also ran my theater processor through it. I connected my Muse Model II/ Theta Data Basic combo to the CD input of the 18LS. I ran the main outputs for the theater processor into the video input on the preamp, without using either of the processor loops that were available. I used both the Linn Twin and Classe CA150 for amplification; my Revel F30s played the main speaker role.
The Music
The fun started with the Cerulean CD (Reprise) by Ocean Blue. Track Three, "Marigold," has a great bass line, along with a powerful kick drum. The 18LS communicated this beautifully. The kick drum is deep and tight, while being conveyed with more power and authority than through most other preamplifiers that I have heard. Unfortunately, the rest of this recording has a sort of bad digital sound. This digitized sound can be quite irritating when played on systems that tend toward being dry or analytical. The 18LS neither emphasized nor softened this effect. Once a bad recording is in the "grooves," perhaps it is there forever. I had held out hopes that the tube-like sound of this preamp could save the bacon, but my expectations were set to unfair levels. On the better-sounding track, the CJ got the work done with finesse and musicality.
Basia's The Sweetest Illusion CD (Epic) has some soothing music with a combination of involving bass lines and beautiful female vocals. Track One, "Drunk on Love," has a bass line that gets my toes tapping and knees bouncing. Through the 18LS, the bass was involving, almost to the point of being addictive. The 18LS exhibited tight control over the bass region and easily exposed every nuance of the bass guitar notes. On Track Seven, "Perfect Mother," Basia's sweet voice filled the room. Basia's chest could be heard resonating with her voice. In fact, the 18LS had more detail in this lower midrange than many other preamplifiers that I have heard in this price range.
Nina Simone is one of my favorite jazz vocalists. The Jazz Masters 17 CD (Verve) has some of her best work. During the second track, "I Put A Spell On You," the 18LS gives the instruments and voices a strong presence in my room. This is not the most neutral-sounding recording, but the instruments have rich harmonic textures that make them quite enjoyable. I repeatedly noticed that the lower midrange and bass seem to have greater weight than usual through the 18LS. With other preamps like the Linn Klimax Kontrol, it felt like I was being transported to the original venue, whereas the 18LS seems to put the instruments into my room. Track Four, "Ne Me Quitte Pas," is a love song swimming in sorrow. Simone sings this with an incredible amount of emotion. The lyrics are not in English, so I could not understand the words, but through the 18LS, I felt that I knew exactly what she was saying. Looking at my listening notes, I discovered that I had made positive comments about the sound of her voice on almost every track.
Every since I saw Doug Macleod live, I have been a fan of his classic blues style. Track Two, "Bus With No Destination" from his You Can't Take My Blues CD (AudioQuest Music), features Macleod and his guitar. The 18LS seems to reinforce the soulful tones emanating from his throat and chest. The guitar in this track has a huge resonant sound that, through the 18LS, is rich and full-bodied. Compared to the now dated Audio Research LS22, the 18LS seems to put more emphasis on the lower midrange. The LS22 has superior definition in the upper midrange and highs, which helps to create a larger, more open soundstage. The 18LS does nothing wrong in the upper midrange, but it just seemed to lack a little detail when compared to either the LS22 or the much more expensive Linn Kontrol. Track Three, "You Can't Take My Blues," features a bass and kick drum combo that accompany Doug and his guitar. The bass and kick drum can become smeared together with lesser equipment. The 18LS produces distinctly separate bass and kick drum with tons of power and depth. The cymbals are well focused but do not have quite the detail that I have heard with some of the best tube gear. Again, the 18LS excels in communicating the rhythm of the music without ever becoming overly analytical.
The Original Jazz Masters Series, Volume Two CD set (Da Music) is full of great works by the some of the best jazz artists. Johnny Griffin's tenor sax is mesmerizing on "Sophisticated Lady." The 18LS excels in the reproduction of the deepest tones coming from the sax. This is consistent with the sound of the piano played by Thelonius Monk in "Something Blue." The 18LS puts more emphasis on the sound of the piano than the sound of the room that the piano is in. I could feel all of the tonal beauty of the piano, resulting in an emotional musical experience.
The Downside
It is a little difficult to pick out any real downsides for this product. However, I did note a couple of minor things during my review. The first is the lack of balanced connections, or balance operation, for that matter. I expect that those looking to purchase a product of this caliber are thinking long-term. A preamplifier can be a good long-term purchase because, unlike front-end equipment these days, the technology behind it is not changing rapidly. Having balanced connections available can be convenient if you have to make any extremely long cable runs or if you have any other equipment with only balanced connections. Some audio engineers will go to the mat, saying balanced doesn't mean anything if single-ended connections are done correctly. I am not an audio engineer, but in my experience, balanced preamps have more value and offer quieter and more convenient operation.
As I noted earlier, no extra set of main outputs are provided. In order to connect an external subwoofer without affecting the main speakers, I had to use splitters off the main outputs. This is pretty disappointing for a product of the CJ's caliber and price. Difficulties continue for those attempting to bi-amp their speakers, thanks to the lack of secondary main outs.
Finally, due to the location of the balance adjustment buttons, I kept accidentally hitting them when I went to adjust the main volume. This was only a minor annoyance.
The Premier 18LS preamplifier represents a move towards practicality by Conrad-Johnson. Gone is the fear of wasted tube life when you fall asleep listening to Dark Side of the Moon late at night. Conrad-Johnson has a reputation for creating musical-sounding products and the Premier 18LS is no exception. In many audio categories, the 18LS performs with the very best, which is quite a compliment, considering the price of the unit vs. the most expensive stereo preamps out there.
Without direct comparison, the 18LS sounds flawless. Does the 18LS put an end to the debate over tubes versus solid-state? No, nor would I want it any other way. This debate has lead to the development of some of the most exciting audio products ever made. At this performance level, personal taste is more a factor than absolute accuracy. So, if you are in the market for a modestly-priced reference quality preamplifier, the CJ 18LS is definitely worth auditioning. With the convenience of remote control and a zero maintenance solid-state design, the Premier 18LS may be the "end of the road" preamplifier you have been looking for.


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Roland Bundles ColorRIP 2.0 with VersaCAMM, EX, and Pro II Inkjets
Prints faster with enhanced production features and color controls
Roland is now bundling the new COLORIP 2.0 with its VersaCAMM, EX, and Pro II inkjets. Version 2 integrates output settings such as device selection, ink type, media, and print mode, displaying them on a master queue window that makes it easier to track multiple jobs. A new Color Transformations window makes it easier to edit pertinent ICC profiles, linearization, and ink limits. In addition to working from PostScript files, version 2.0 can print directly from TIFF, JPEG, EPS, PS, PDF 1.4, and DCS 2.0 files.
"Roland COLORIP 2.0 will boost inkjet productivity for both expert printmakers and beginners," says Patrick Chen, Roland product manager. "Right out of the box, it makes printing fast and easy with enhanced production features and color controls." "
Other features include: easier-to-use interface; ful Adobe Postscript? 3? compatibility; ICC profiles of Roland medias; automatic/manual cropping, nesting, or tiling; enhanced color-management features; and support for CMYK plus LcLm and OG, as well as precision contour cutting.
Current owners can upgrade to the new bundled software for free. (Roland DGA: 800-542-2307; www.rolanddga.com)


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lotvic 12:31 11 Feb 2013
No, it sounds more like the black printer nozzles are blocked. This shouldn't happen on a new printer. Try a nozzle deep clean cycle. go to hp support for troubleshooting and if problem still occurs, contact where you bought it from and send it back as faulty.


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Seven months on the job, Calhoun County Sheriff George Aleman talks shop
Aug. 2, 2013 at 3:02 a.m.
PORT LAVACA - Sheriff George Aleman assumed his post in Calhoun County on Jan. 1.
Aleman, 60, said he likes making a difference in the town where he grew up. He enjoys fishing and playing golf but has not had time to do much of either in recent months.
Aleman sat down with the Victoria Advocate to talk about his first seven months on the job.
Are you a native of Port Lavaca?
I was born in Goliad but moved to Port Lavaca when I was 6 months old. My father was a farmer, and I attended school in Calhoun County.
What is your professional background?
I trained with the Victoria Police Academy and went to work for the Wharton Police Department as a lieutenant for about six years. I worked for the Stafford Police Department for one year before I moved back to Port Lavaca to care for my father, who was sick.
I worked for the Port Lavaca Police Department for another six years or so before I became chief of the Point Comfort Police Department. It was a four-man department with a chief and three part-time officers. During my time there, the three part-time positions became full time.
My wife and I moved to Springfield, Mo., for a while, where I was an officer for the school district. We moved back to Port Lavaca, and I went to work for the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office as supervisor on patrol. I was elected sheriff last year.
What changes have you made in the department in your seven months on the job?
The biggest change is the hiring procedure. I established an interview board that also handles promotions. In the past, it has not been consistent. Chief Deputy Bryon Prall and Lt. Phoenix "Rusty" Henderson are great assets with the new department procedures. Prall is a retired Department of Public Safety supervisor with more than 35 years of experience, and Prall came with 23 years experience mostly in the sheriff's office.
Personnel changes have been made in different divisions, and we're investing in training.
We were in bad need of vehicles, which all had more than 140,000 miles on them. The county commissioners helped us purchase five new cars. We're patrolling outlying areas more.
We also purchased 25 tactical rifles for the officers with money seized during drug busts. The officers had only shotguns before, and not everyone had one.
We have also worked to build good relationships with the district attorney and the judges.
What has been going on in your county the past seven months?
There have been numerous burglaries in Port O'Connor. We have helped more than 50 residents establish a neighborhood watch program. We've made arrests and have entered others in the system. So the next time they are stopped for something, they'll be arrested. We're also helping other parts of the county start neighborhood watch programs.
We turn the narcotics officers loose, and they do a fantastic job. Their hard work has paid off. Drugs, weapons and burglary arrests are up this year from the same time last year. The team, which is composed of two sheriff's deputies and one police officer, recently seized 30 stolen weapons from a house. The arrest connected the guns to drugs and other crimes in the county. I can't provide more details at this time because the investigation is ongoing.
I work closely with Police Chief James Martinez. There have been issues between the two departments in the past, but we're unified now. The relationship is the best it has been in years. We communicate on a weekly basis.
We also work with the Victoria County Sheriff's Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to decrease crime rates.
Operation Stonegarden, a Homeland Security grant program, allows officers to better patrol highways for drugs, human smuggling and wanted criminals. The officers are paid to do nothing but patrol highways on their days off while on-duty officers take calls.
We know human and drug smugglers are coming through. State Highway 59 is a hot corridor, and State Highway 77 is busy, too.
I seized 400 pounds of marijuana on state Highway 35 in the 1990s and $62,600 in drug money during another stop.
Smugglers sometimes use highways 35 or 185 to avoid Highway 59. We know they have scouts who drive ahead of the loads to check the roads for officers.
DPS does a great job in Victoria with money and drug seizures. We have small busts here and there, like the meth bust a couple of weeks ago.
We seize the vehicles used to commit felonies and auction them off. Vehicles left behind when a suspect bails out are also confiscated and sold, as are those found abandoned. We send certified letters to the registered vehicle owners and give them ample time to claim their cars before the auction. The next auction is Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. in the department parking lot. Eight vehicles and an RV will be sold.
What goals do you have for the department?
I want to continue to clear cases, improve communication with the community and keep moving forward with training. I want to provide competitive salaries to keep our officers. We've lost some to the oil fields.
Next year, we're expecting 7,500 contractors to move into the county to build structures for Formosa and LNG. We expect them to be here at least three years, and this is a big concern. With the influx of people comes crime habits, wanted criminals and traffic issues. We'll have to ramp it up. We'll add manpower with the commissioners' help.
What do you like most about the job?
I like the challenges in this job. There are bumps in the road, but we get over them and keep going. I enjoy sharing my experience with my employees and guiding them in the right direction. I couldn't ask for a better staff. Support from the general public means a lot to me, too.


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How to say Brandish in French ˈbræn dɪʃ
Would you like to know how to translate Brandish to French? This page provides all possible translations of the word Brandish in the French language.
- brandirFrench
Discuss this Brandish French translation with the community:
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
"Brandish." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2018. Web. 23 Feb. 2018. </translate/Brandish/FR>.


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Milan Vice-President Adriano Galliani has dismissed speculation that Massimiliano Allegri is fighting to save his job.
There have been reports since their Champions League exit to Barcelona last week that Allegri was under pressure.
However, Galliani has dismissed the notion that Allegri has been told to win Serie A or find another club.
"Allegri's bench is not creaking," the official told Sky Sport Italia. "Don't listen to those who are suggesting otherwise.
"I don't understand why people are doubting a Coach, who has led us to the top for the last two years, after a minor false step."
The Rossoneri were four points clear of Juventus in the standings, but a draw at Catania and a loss to Fiorentina has seen the Old Lady now move a point clear in first.
"What happened against Fiorentina can happen to Juventus between now and the end of the season," Galliani added.
"We paid the price for our fatigue against Barcelona, but we are still just a point behind and everything is still to play for."
See the latest Serie A predictions and betting tips with Eurotips.co.uk [12]


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Note to Self
- Artist: Note to Self
- Format: CD
- Release Date: 4/5/2005
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Note to Self is: Jason Schrader - guitar, vocals Ben Erickson - guitar, vocals things you might not know... about Jason It's no surprise that Jason is writing songs. Even the earliest pictures of Jason are of him wearing headphones, jamming out to Pink Floyd, and singing into whatever microphone shaped object he could find. 'Music pulls me into a different world. It helps me to center myself, find myself, and express myself. I don't think my life would make sense without music.' Jason has been playing and performing music since second grade when he started taking piano and keyboard lessons. Early in his sophomore year of high school Jason's love for guitar and vocals eclipsed all other musical passions, and he has been addicted to songwriting ever since. 'I'm a songwriter. I like to pull together themes & ideas, and work with the repetition and general direction of a song. Without Ben, my songs would be pretty boring, but I like to think that without me Ben would get hung up in the details and never finish a song. Together, I think we come up with some pretty amazing stuff. I know I have fun!'. about Ben Ben has always had music in his life. Whether taking private lessons on the piano, trumpet, or guitar; being involved in a choir; or just writing songs on his own, he's always been involved in some sort of musical endeavor. 'I think I do music because I can't NOT do it. It's therapy. It gets to the core of what you're trying to say better than words alone could ever do. And by doing music, I think I'm just being true to who I am.' Ben contributes with his voice and electric guitar, creating complex harmonies and dynamic guitar riffs, but what he likes using best is his mind. 'I love coming up with a harmony or a rhythm pattern that's like 90% what you expected, but that other 10% catches you off guard. And the best is being able to perform it live and hit those parts together, right on beat.' Right on, Ben. Right on. About Note to Self Ben and Jason have been working together since they were sophomores in college in 1999. Seeing them perform live, it's clear that they have a musical chemistry that can only be achieved through time. 'We just seem to know what the other is going to do. Lots of times, when we're practicing, we'll just do the same thing that we've never done before, and look at each other like 'yeah, that's what we should do there'.' Both Jason and Ben write songs, but their writing has developed much more depth and complexity through working together. With influences from the likes of Coldplay, Guster, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Alice in Chains, Keane, Death Cab for Cutie, Jars of Clay, Dave Matthews, Mae, U2, Dashboard Confessional, and Radiohead, they have developed a unique sound. And with lyrics like journal entries, Note to Self's songs cut right to the heart of what they are trying to communicate.


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JOHNSON CITY (Nov. 21, 2013) – Dr. Stephen Fritz has been named the recipient of a new military history book award for his latest book, "Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the East."
Fritz accepted the inaugural Brig. Gen. James L. Collins Jr. Book Prize in Military History on Saturday, Nov. 16, during the annual meeting of the U.S. Commission on Military History (USCMH) in Washington, D.C. This award, accompanied by a $1,000 prize, is given by the USCMH for the best book written in English on military history published during 2009, 2010 or 2011.
The award's namesake was a decorated veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, as well as the longtime chief of military history for the U.S. Army. Collins was also a founding member of the U.S. Commission on Military History and has been called a "pillar" of the international military history community.
The Collins Book Prize Selection Committee consists of three noted military historians: Dr. Edward J. Marolda, a lecturer at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and former senior historian at the Naval Historical Center; Dr. Jeffrey Clarke, who retired in 2010 as director of the U.S. Army Center of Military History; and Kelly DeVries, professor of History at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore.
These scholars concluded that "Ostkrieg," which was published in 2011 by the University Press of Kentucky in Lexington, was a "major, comprehensive work on the German-Soviet campaign of World War II that takes a new interpretive approach to the conflict. In contrast to past historical efforts, this one does not focus solely on Germany's military operations or its extermination policies against Jews and the Russian populations. The author combines both aspects of the war.
"The work is a broad, multi-faceted interpretation of Germany's war effort against the USSR," the selection committee continued. "Fritz convincingly debunks a widely held perception that the German armed forces waged a 'clean' war separate from Hitler's campaign to exterminate the Jews and Communists of Eastern Europe and enslave the non-Jewish populations to serve Germany's economic and political dreams. … Another innovative interpretation by Fritz is that from the start, Germany never had the resources or was prepared to wage a successful war against the Soviet Union."
"I'm very honored, of course, to receive this award, but also a bit humbled," Fritz said. "General Collins was not only a military hero – in his long career, he not only landed on Normandy as part of the D-Day invasion, but won the Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart – but was also a significant figure in writing and promoting military history in this country, and this is the award named for him.
"At the same time," he continued, "it covers a three-year period, so my book was deemed the outstanding book in military history in English over that entire time. I find this very humbling, but at the same time hope that people who read 'Ostkrieg' will find it worthy of the honor."
The membership of the USCMH includes academic, public and service historians, as well as museum professionals and others. Affiliated with the International Commission of Military History, the organization provides a link between the U.S. historical community and historians from other nations around the world.


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It was last package under the tree… DVDs… the full first year of the hit television series 24. The store clerk warned me. "Once you begin," he said, "you won't be able to get away from the television." He was right.
The past 12 hours have been heart-stopping. Jack's family has been kidnapped. Janet was hit by a car, saved by hospital emergency workers and then murdered. Torn by conflicting advice from every corner, Palmer, presidential candidate of supreme integrity, has to choose between sending his son to prison or saving an enemy from murder.
This show has it all. Intrigue, love, deception, honor, betrayal, sabotage and chaos. But above all, it has courage. Jack fighting to find his family, Kim pleading with her kidnappers to rescue Janet, Rick digging a grave for his friend while plotting escape from captors, and Teri offering to be the rapist's victim in place of her own daughter.
Action is intense. Finally, worn out from danger and tension, we manage to turn off the television just as Jack runs after Teri and Kim into the woods, chased by men firing automatic weapons. Will CTU helicopters arrive in time?
Modern drama, amplified by special effects, has given courage a new persona. Back when courage was young, in the old black-and-white westerns of the 50s, it never had to outlast the last bullet in the six-shooter.
Today, courage must be teamed with the ability to speed down the freeway firing back at your pursuers while decrypting the ransom note on a Palm Pilot before satellite signals set on a 60-second timer fire an ICBM from Antarctica to obliterate the sold-out World Series crowd at the Houston Astros' ballpark precisely at the moment the President of the United States throws out the first pitch.
But that's movie courage. Real courage is more simple.
The world may indeed explode with one single blast of an ICBM. For a disaster of that magnitude, we need action heroes like Jack and their type of courage.
However, the world is ever more likely to dissolve in the poison accumulated over decades of human indifference to eternal truths that have been discarded in order to pursue our own momentary desires. We can turn the tide on such a disaster. But it will also take courage.
It takes courage to return to truth. Like the mythical sirens who sang to sailors, modern culture lures us with promises that we can have everything we want without a price. By far, the easiest path laid out for us today is the road of sexual permissiveness that has led to unwed teen pregnancies, an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, a breakdown in marriages, and destruction of families.
Truths set aside, we have been persuaded that fidelity, honor, reverence, monogamy, and family no longer matter. We must resist the easy path before us. Only courage can help us restore the natural order of human life and dignity.
Declaring truth is an act of courage. Sex for humans is more than the animal sex act that produces a litter of puppies. In a world where promiscuity is excused as "natural" human conduct, we must have the courage to speak the truth.
Restoring truth in our homes is an act of courage. Setting standards for our own behavior as adults, becoming role models for our children, may force us to give up our own bad habits first. If we are to speak the truth, we must live it, too.
Upholding truth in our relationships is an act of courage. Seeking counseling to restore a marriage is a gift to ourselves and to our children, a decision that will challenge us to be better people at the cost of our own personal accountability and sacrificial love.
Standing apart for truth is an act of courage. Being the only parents who object to handing out free condoms at the local high school may set us up as targets for those who teach children that abstaining from sex is unrealistic and unnecessary. We must be willing to stand for truth, even if we are standing alone.
The world is in danger. The script for saving the world is already written in the eternal truths about human love. But it's not enough to know the truth.
We have the power to save the world… one simple courageous act at a time. Real courage… in real life… is exercised in the simple decisions and actions each of us make during every ordinary day.
We may know the truth. But courage is required to live the truth.
(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)


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Liang Zhu Culture is an important sect of ancient culture in the area of Tai Hu Lake, residing at the lower reach of Chang Jiang River. This prehistoric civilization roughly 4000-5300 years ago earned its name after the local Liang Zhu Town in Yu Hang city, thanks to the discovery by Mr. Shi Xin Geng from the original West Lake Museum in 1936.
More than half a century's archaeological investigation and excavation has preliminarily identified three towns—Liang Zhu, An Xi and Ping Yao—with more than 50 relic sites of Liang Zhu Culture, which contain villages, tombs and altars. Since 1980's, some altars and tombs on Mountain Fanshan, Mountain Yaoshan and Mountain Huiguan have been found to closely relate to those relic sites. The discovery of nobles' tombs with exquisite jade burials and the large-scale Mountain Mojiao Structure relic proves the fact that Liang Zhu cultural site is one of the most outstanding regions to display the 5000-year Chinese history and will become an oriental Mecca.
Tai Hu Lake area, where Liang Zhu Culture has developed, is one of the places to originate paddy agriculture. Most stone farming tools among Liang Zhu sites such as triangle plough and V-shaped soil breaker are self-evidently big progress in ancient agriculture, coupled with development of handicraft industry. As a result, ceramics, jade carving and textile were separated from agriculture. The fine jade art at that time particularly show the sophisticated level of handicraft industry. Other objects like lacquer wares, linen products or tusk ornaments demonstrate a certain advancement of social productive force and the cultural connotation conceived.
Based on the development of social productive force, social systems clashed fiercely during Liang Zhu Renaissance, coming up with varying hierarchy, which can especially exemplified by tomb sites. Many man-made tomb platforms have been found in Mountain Fanshan, Mountain Yaoshan and Mountain Huiguan in Zhejiang Province. These nobles' tombs have spacious room inside in company with exquisite burials like a large number of ritual jade objects. On the contrary, the civilians' graves such as found in Xu Bu Bridge, Qian Jin Jiao, Ping Qiu Mound, Wu's Wharf and Miao Qian do not have exclusive sites , but are scattered around the habitation. With very little space, these graves are only equipped with pottery or simple jade wares. Obviously, hierarchy differences appeared in intense confrontations in Liang Zhu society.
The wealth accumulation taking place in these differences was achieved by some social power above the clan community. The construction of huge tomb terraces was a stupendous task. Mountain Mojiao is particularly an impressive example beyond people's basic needs at that time, requiring social order to guarantee, otherwise the consequence was unimaginable. Establishing such social order had a lot to do with the social hierarchy. It is believed that highly awesome leadership existed in Liang Zhu period, which mobilized the labor force to carry out this large scale construction.
The existence of such social power is evident in jade objects production. The processing of jade objects is a complicated multi-step course. Therefore, jade is a product as a result of specialized handicraft industry. Except jade pearl, particle, bi (disc), most Lang Zhu jades are carved with beautiful patterns, showing the focus of various types of work. Producers must shake off the purpose of earning living materials, which should be supplied by others, and concentrate on this monotonous job. Meanwhile, as the shape and pattern carving is quite regular, the mental work during the production increased, tending to be independent from physical labor. Thus, the separation of physical and mental work took shape.
The ritual system was the key to the social reforms in Liang Zhu society. There are more than 20 varieties of jade objects unearthed from Liang Zhu nobles' tombs, such as cong, bi (disc), dragon-headed jade part, awl-like thing, three-pronged ware, capped object, semicircular pendant, spinning wheel and medal ornament. In those humble graved, only small jade ornaments like pipe, pearl and single awl-like part were found. All those difference were a result of the social hierarchy of Liang Zhu Culture. Meanwhile, some pottery double snuff-bottles, vessels and stemmed bowl with carvings of beautiful creatures and patterns were all excavated from nobles' tombs, another proof of jade use in pottery.
The core of ritual system lies in the subordinate relationship between the noble and the humble, the high and the low, the superior and the inferior, the close and the distant, which was best expressed by jade usage in Liang Zhu Culture. The use of jades marked the beginning of Liang Zhu cultural ritual, caused by socially essential change. Liang Zhu society was a step from barbarian prehistoric phase towards civilized human kind.


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A few weeks ago a list emerged which contained the names of 8 directors who 20th Century Fox were looking at to potentially direct The Wolverine following Darren Aronofsky's departure. Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go) was on that list, and in a new interview the director confirmed that he'd been sent the script, but ultimately wasn't interested in directing.
From Digital Spy:
"That's just one of those stories that floated around. I was on their list, I received the script months ago. It didn't seem like my kind of thing.
"That script was a terrific version of that kind of thing, but not something I felt really passionate about."
That narrows things down for 20th Century Fox, unless they've added more directors onto their list (which is likely). The script for The Wolverine, written by The Usual Suspects writer Christopher McQuarrie, takes Wolverine to Japan where he falls for a woman named Mariko, the daughter of a Japanese crime lord.


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Thanks to Springfield Moms contributor Sarah Chandler for this reminder that unscheduled time can be one of the best parts of summer vacation! She writes:
"On this, the 13th day of summer vacation, all is well in the Chandler household. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and my children, ages 6 and 4 are quietly doing worksheets in their rooms—hence I am able to write to you at this moment!
I know the summer schedule can be largely dominated by activity after activity, but as my children have shown me, giving them free time to explore and use their imaginations can be the best type of fun.
Yesterday, we headed out to the backyard to run off some energy after a morning of grocery shopping. In the yard we have a play structure with swings, a slide and a small 3' x 3' platform accessible by ladder. They play on it almost every day. It is nothing fancy to be sure, however this day, my children transformed it into a pirate ship. My son pulled a piece of PVC pipe and a length of rope from the garage and fastened a "cannon" to the railing. They grabbed sticks from the yard and used them as swords. A pot from a lavender plant became their treasure chest. Our black lab Daisy May became the sea monster and the Maple tree a desert island. I was their lookout perched in a chair on the deck.
After pirate time was finished, they shifted gears and began collecting leaves to make bird nests, and one they grew tired of that, they plopped down into the swings. And really, they only used the swings in a traditional sense for a few minutes before they were lying on their tummies, spinning around to see who could be the dizziest.
All told, Levi and Anne only spent an hour playing before the neighbor children came by to ride bikes, but it was the best hour of the day. It allowed them to use their minds to discover and play, which was easy and calming for them. There were no rules, no right or wrong answers to their play, just laughter and make believe for a pair of siblings. I hope as we enter days 14-82 of summer vacation, (yes, I am including the weekends in my tally so don't be worried!) there are many more impromptu imaginary afternoons ahead as I know my little pirates will only be little for so long."
Submitted by Sarah Chandler. Sarah is a Springfield native, wife to Jeff and mom to Levi and Anne. She loves to spend time outdoors biking, hiking, skiing and playing golf. When she needs a break, you'll find her in the purple painted walls of her craft room writing, creating quilts, swaddle blankets and scrapbooks.