text:
Who is Alfie Boe? If you haven't yet heard of this amazing singer then you really need to get all the gossip from us right here! Recently having starred in the 25th Anniversary edition of Les Miserables seems to have propelled Alfie into the spotlight more than ever for 2011 and we find out all about the man himself, his career and his new album 'Bring Him Home' featuring songs from Les Mis, Alfie singing some of his own favourite songs and many exciting duets.
Not many teenage boys in the fishing port of Fleetwood, Lancashire, dreamed of a career as a singer. But not many teenage boys in Fleetwood grew up with a Dad who played his favourite operatic arias to his nine children during the family Sunday lunch.
ALFIE BOE preferred football, girls and rock music. But something must have rubbed off from those afternoons around the dining room table because today, at the age of 37, Boe is Britain's favourite singer.
Growing up the youngest in a large Catholic family in the British seaside town of Fleetwood near Blackpool, Alfie was encouraged at school to get a trade. "At school my options were limited to just the armed forces, or engineering", he recalls. "A lot of my friends joined the army or went to work on the oil rigs." At the age of 11, Alfie took a Saturday job at the local garage to earn extra pocket money, not because his family struggled, but because he was eager to work from an early age. "We never wanted for anything," he stresses. "We always had food on the table and my Father worked hard for his family."
At 14, he joined a local amateur operatic company, encouraged not so much by the chance to sing, as his sister's promise that it would be "a good way to meet girls". He had never seen a live musical show until he starred in one, singing tunes from the big West End shows. His first one – the showstopper from Les Miserables that forms the title of his new album: Bring Him Home. At 16, having sung his way through the shows, he joined the chorus of amateur productions of Carmen and Il Trovatore in Preston. Already, locals with an ear for talent began to suggest that the talented teenage tenor might even go professional. "I really wanted to," says Alfie. "But I didn't know how." Instead, at 17 he began work as an apprentice mechanic in the local TVR car factory, where he spray-painted cars as they came off the production line. To relieve the boredom, he would often sing along to the radio, for some of his work mates, while at weekends he performed on the club circuit, singing ballads, show tunes and pop standards. "I even entered a few competitions".
At the time Alfie had no idea where his musical future, might lie. "It could have been pop," he admits, "or even musical theatre. I had no idea I could possibly become an opera singer – probably because of my background."
Yet that's exactly what happened, thanks to a customer at the TVR factory who worked in the music industry and heard Alfie's already-impressive tenor. The mystery man – who Alfie has never yet managed to track down since that day – told him the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was auditioning for a tour and that he should apply.
The apprentice mechanic bought himself a copy of The Stage and Television newspaper for further details and made the journey to London to join other hopefuls – and got the job. For 12 months he toured the country singing Gilbert & Sullivan, before winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London.
Supporting himself with jobs that included a stint doing security at London rock venue, the Shepherds Bush Empire, Alfie graduated and continued his training at the elite finishing school of the National Opera Studio before taking an odd detour into rock'n'roll, teaming up with Lancashire band The Clint Boon Experience as "Opera Dude" on their acclaimed albums. But he was soon drawn back to the classical world, and returned to his operatic studies by enrolling on the Royal Opera House's Young Artists Programme. Six months into the two-year course, which required its students to attend every performance at Covent Garden, came the moment that defined his career. He heard that Oscar-nominated film maker Baz Luhrmann, director of the film "Moulin Rouge" was holding a London audition for his New York production of La Boheme. "I was at a five-hour Wagner production at the Royal Opera House and I sneaked off during the forty minute interval and literally ran across Waterloo Bridge to the audition," he recalls. "Then I ran back afterwards – and got back into my seat ten minutes into the second half."
His decision to leave the course to star on Broadway did not go down well with the opera establishment and was a difficult decision to make. After the nine-month Broadway run finished, Alfie decided to stay on in America and tour with Boston Pops, singing musical theatre songs from the Thirties and Forties. Travelling the length and breadth of the USA, he discovered the country.
In 2006 Alfie released his debut album, Classic FM Presents Alfie Boe. It was followed in 2007 by two more albums, Onward, featuring works by British composers John Rutter and Karl Jenkins, and La Passione, an album of his favourite Neapolitan songs. The same busy year, Alfie toured the UK with the Fron Male Voice Choir and was nominated for a Classical Brit, where he lost out to Paul McCartney.
In 2008 he embarked on his first solo tour of the UK, was nominated for two more Classical Brits, and returned to the Coliseum, where he had already appeared in Midsummer Night's Dream and Kismet, in The Merry Widow and Der Rosenkavalier, before a going back to the Royal Opera House in Elektra. In 2009 he released his fourth album, dedicated to his late father's favourite composer, Franz Lehar: Love Was A Dream, and made festival appearances all over the world. He also starred in a WNO revival of La Traviata and reprised his role as Rodolfo in Sir Jonathan Miller's ENO production of La Boheme.
Highlights of 2010 include two operas for ENO – The Pearl Fishers and Katya Kabanova and Romeo et Juliette at Covent Garden. In October, at the request of Sir Cameron Mackintosh, he took on the lead role of Jean Valjean in the sold-out 25th anniversary concert performance of Les Miserables at the O2 Arena in London.
Alfie and his actress wife, Sarah, live in London with their two-year-old daughter Grace.
1. Bring Him Home (from Les Miserables) – This is the big iconic song from Les Miserables and a close one to me. It's the first song that I ever sang in public when I was a 14-years-old in an amateur company in my home town of Fleetwood. Three years ago I sang it at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
2. Pure Imagination (from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) – This is the song when Willy Wonka walks into the chocolate factory and lets everyone go wild. I think it would be really cool to start off a concert with this song.
3. Come What May (from Moulin Rouge) – I chose this because of my connection with Baz Luhrman, and because it was a good opportunity to sing a duet with Kerry Ellis who has a beautiful voice.
4. On The Street Where You Live (from My Fair Lady) – Everybody loves this! It's an iconic musical theatre song and I used to sing it when I was a teenage boy. It's the scene where Freddy has spotted Eliza Doolittle at the race track and waits for her outside Henry Higgins's house.
5. We Have All The Time In The World – This is from the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It's incredibly sad because it comes just after Bond's new bride, Diana Rigg, dies after being shot in the Aston Martin. We chose it because we were looking for something different: a song that was not musical theatre and had a different angle.
6. The Impossible Dream (from Man Of La Mancha) – This is my big moment with Matt Lucas! It's a great song from a musical about Don Quixote that's been used in commercials quite a lot. I don't think it's been done as a duet before but it works really well.
7. Hushabye Mountain (from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) – This is the other song I chose for my daughter Grace, it's a beautiful lullaby.
8. Tell Me It's Not True (from Blood Brothers) – This is actually a female song but I was determined not to let that stop me covering it because it's a wonderful song from a great show. It comes at a very sad point at the end, so it's very emotional, with a choral feel.
9. Some Enchanted Evening (from South Pacific) – This is from another of my favourite musicals. I've loved it ever since I saw the film as a kid and I think the score is incredible. I'd like to dedicate it to Sir Cameron Mackintosh, because I know it's one of his favourite shows too.
10. As If We Never Said Goodbye (from Sunset Boulevard) – This is another female song, sung by the Norma Desmond character who was played onstage in the West End and on Broadway by Elaine Page. But It's an incredible song and I don't think it's been sung by many male performers
11. If I Loved You (from Carousel) – This is from yet another of my favourite shows! I'm such a big fan of this area of musical theatre and it is a wonderful song to sing and very classically orchestrated.
12. If I Ruled The world (from Pickwick) – I think people associate this song with Harry Secombe who did a very good version of this which was a hit for him in 1963 and a great song.
Girlie Gossip Exclusive, Quickfire Interview With Alfie Boe!
1) Hi Alfie, thanks for taking the time to answer some of our questions. A lot of our readers will probably now have seen you in the latest Les Mis 25th Anniversary DVD playing the lead role of Jean Valjean, but how and when did your operatic career actually come about, and was singing a career path you'd always wanted to persue?
ALFIE: Glad you all enjoyed the Les Miserables DVD it was a great concert and a wonderful evening to be a part of.
My career as a singer started back when I was Nineteen years old when I auditioned for a company called the D'oyly Carte after taking advice from friends and a customer who's car I was working on when I worked as a mechanic. He overheard me sing and said i had a good voice and that I should try and make it in the music world. You never know who's going to be listening.
2) Did you do anything specifically to prepare to the role of Valjean?
ALFIE: Read the Victor Hugo novel and grew a beard.
3) You have just released an album 'Alfie Boe – Bring Him Home' what are your personal favourite tracks and why?
ALFIE: Pretty much all of the songs on my new album are my favourites but if I had to choose one, I think it would be Bring Him Home as this song means so much to me and has made such an impact to my career.
4) You and Matt Lucas seem to have struck up a firm friendship, with him even appearing on your album. Can we expect any further collaborations from the two of you?
ALFIE: I know Matt and I are going to be friends for life and who knows what ideas and trouble we can get up to.
5) When you're not busy singing and playing the lead in hit musicals, what do you like to do in your free time?
ALFIE: I'm a bit of a family man and spend most of my time being tormented by my daughter Gracie, she's two years old now and has me wrapped around her little finger but she's my little belle!
6) Is there anyone you would like to duet with or work alongside that you haven't yet been able to?
ALFIE: There are many people in this business that I would love to collaborate with on an album, eventually I would like to try my hand at writing some of my own stuff and to work alongside someone else who's known for their writing would be a wonderful opportunity. I'm a huge fan of Classical Rock Music so to duet or to collaborate with someone like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin fame would be fantastic.
7) Can you share any other exciting projects, plans or updates that we can expect to see from you this year?
ALFIE: Well we are at present trying to fit in the diary some surprise performances to showcase my album live. We are trying to make it work for April or May this will fit nicely in the diary just before I start back in Les Miserables in June. There are other things on cards at the moment but can't say too much just yet.
8) Lastly, we are very pleased to hear that you will be reprising the role of Jean Valjean in the West End during 2011! Can you give us any more information on this? Good luck and we'll be sure to come along and watch one of your performances and report back to readers later this year!
ALFIE: Yes I will be going back into Les Miserables in June for a six month run so book your tickets now. I just want to thank all my beautiful fans for all your support over the years and to all those that have just started to follow me, welcome and I hope you enjoy my music and performances because it's for you my fans that I do this. Alfie xx
Thanks so much to Alfie Boe for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat to us. We hope that you all enjoyed his answers! Please note, this interview is © Girlie Gossip.Com – Retransmission, modification and usage of any kind should be approved by Girlie Gossip editors and the appropriate credit given. Thankyou for reading!
Girlie Gossip Review 'Bring Him Home' the new album by Alfie Boe.
Last but by no means least, we give our thoughts on Alfie Boe's new album – Bring Him Home. As fans of Les Mis and musical theatre ourselves, we must say, you are in for a treat if you are yet to listen to this fantastic album!
You can find the track listings above, outlined by Alfie.
We'll cut straight to the chase and say that the first time we had heard of Alfie Boe was when we saw him perform at the 02 for Les Mis 25th Anniversary. The performance was mesmerising, heart felt and utterly brilliant and since then we have become Alfie Boe fanatics here at GG HQ!
The album contains a wonderful mix of songs from musical theatre, movies and some good classics, meaning that it really does hold something for everyone. Personal highlights for us, of course had to be the title track 'Bring Him Home' but also 'Come what may' featuring the amazing Kerry Ellis. There is not a bad song on the whole CD and each note is delivered with passion and perfection, as fans have come to expect!
Highly recommended as one of the best albums of 2011 and Alfie is definitely one to watch this year, mark our words!!
Get the album HERE and from all major stockists.
Follow Alfie on Twitter HERE.
Visit the Official Alfie Boe Website HERE.


text:
Get access to the exclusive HR Resources you need to succeed in 2018!
SHRM board member David Windley discusses how unconscious bias can derail workplace diversity efforts.
Is your employee handbook keeping up with the changing world of work? With SHRM's Employee Handbook Builder get peace of mind that your handbook is up-to-date.
Build competencies, establish credibility and advance your career—while earning PDCs—at SHRM Seminars in 12 cities across the U.S. this spring.
#SHRM18 will expand your perspective – on your organization, on your career, and on the way you approach HR. Join us in Chicago June 17-20, 2018
CHICAGO—"In this world we have so many ways of categorizing each other," said Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner, during the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 2012 Diversity & Inclusion Conference & Exposition held here. "This is not only sad; it is unfortunate."
In 2003, the Newsweek Daily Beast columnist helped organize and lead the Liberian Mass Action for Peace, a coalition of Christian and Muslim women who sat in public protest, confronting Liberia's ruthless president and rebel warlords.
"It's time we stand up and set aside divisions," she said, using the 2012 U.S. presidential election as an example. "After Nov. 6, there is a country that you call home that you need to focus on. There are people that are your people that you need to focus on," she said. "It is important for all of us to see the good in someone. It is important for us to move beyond our political affiliation and start to see people for who they are."
People need to stop looking at hairstyles and beards and crosses on necks with suspicion, she continued, and instead embrace diversity, rather than just tolerate it.
"Try to understand what people are truly made of … see beyond their dress," she said. "Regardless of the color of your skin, what you eat, what you wear … we are all one people," she said.
Gbowee said her early childhood exposed her to different languages, ethnic groups and religious beliefs in a place where "the houses were so close together you could stand on your porch and look into someone else's bedroom."
Liberia in those years, she said, was a place where the children belonged to everyone. "When one person cried, everyone cried." It was true diversity and inclusion, she said.
Then Liberia "disintegrated from a place of diversity, inclusion and peace," she said, to a place where people divided themselves into "them" and "us."
Gbowee's experiences are chronicled in her memoir, Mighty Be Our Powers (Beast Books, 2011), and in the documentary "Pray the Devil Back to Hell."
Other countries have since experienced the kind of brutality and war Liberia faced during its civil war, she noted. Yet instead of learning lessons from these wars, "people have built fake individual walls between themselves and others," she said.
Life as a Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Gbowee said she never expected to win any prize for her work, "much less the Nobel." She heard about the award when she checked her phone for text messages after a flight from San Francisco to New York where she was seated "next to a very well-dressed gentleman in business class." She was dressed much more casually and noticed that her seatmate kept moving away from her during the flight. When she learned the news she turned to the man and said "Sir, I think I just won the Nobel Prize."
Gbowee is reminded of the progress that needs to be made every time she encounters suspicion as an African woman travelling around the world. When people focus on differences rather than similarities, it leads to disintegration of communities, churches and offices, she said.
"Those that promote divisions do not really suffer … they are not the ones who are killed," Gbowee noted. It's the ordinary people and the children who are caught in the crossfire. "We are the true victims."
The prize "still hasn't sunk in," she said, but she thinks that helps keep her humble. She said Desmond Tutu told her that "great men and great women never focus on themselves; they focus on people. And that should be your focus."
Quoting an African proverb, Gbowee said, "When spider webs unite they can tie up lions."
Advice for Diversity & Inclusion Professionals
During a question-and-answer session, an attendee asked Gbowee for advice on how practitioners can "speak truth to power" as they strive to make changes in their own workplaces. She said it's important to figure out what you want to mobilize around. She suggested getting a group of people together to talk about their impressions of the workplace. "Until you can get an agenda item that everyone believes in, it is hard to get started," she said.
Building a collective community is a priority in Liberia, she noted, because one individual's problem can quickly become a community problem. This can occur in the workplace as well, she added. Even issues that start off as private problems can become community problems. As another African proverb says, "When it rains it doesn't touch just one roof."
"We have a wonderful world. Our world is upside down. It will take a few brave people who do not see skin color, hair color or dress code to turn our world back up right."
Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR, is an online editor/manager for SHRM.
Quick Links:
SHRM Online Diversity page
SHRM Connect Diversity & Inclusion community
Keep up with the latest Diversity news.
You have successfully saved this page as a bookmark.
Please confirm that you want to proceed with deleting bookmark.
You have successfully removed bookmark.
Delete canceled
Please log in as a SHRM member before saving bookmarks.
Your session has expired. Please log in again before saving bookmarks.
Please purchase a SHRM membership before saving bookmarks.
An error has occurred
Recommended for you
Join SHRM's exclusive peer-to-peer social network
SHRM's HR Vendor Directory contains over 3,200 companies

subset: commoncrawl


text:
12" Black vinyl LP.
BADBADNOTGOOD's Third Album. The first fully comprised of original material.
Released May 6, 2014 on Innovative Leisure Records.
"Like a clever film or TV show, every time I listen to the album I pick up on something else, something different; a little nuance here or there I'd not picked up on before; something that puts me into a different state of mind." - The 405
"III is an album so methodically arranged yet lawless at times that even its more flatlined moments play an integral role in its rebellion." - CMJ
Toronto experimental jazz trio BADBADNOTGOOD's fanciful fusion of hip-hop rhythms and improvisational jazz spits in the face of ridiculous notions of genre on their latest LP, 'III'". - Clash
|12" Vinyl
|Sold Out
|Track List
|Can't Leave the Night
|Confessions (featuring Leland Whitty)
|Eyes Closed
|Differently, Still
|Since You Asked Kindly
Continue Shopping
Browse more Albums or additional BADBADNOTGOOD products.


text:
Today's post gets straight to the point, and the letter D is for drawing, or at least finishing up an old drawing that I left behind. This is a simple illustration with my cat Irina standing next to a large impressionistic flower. This drawing is a bit of a stretch because cats do not usually stand next to vases with flowers of this magnitude, but this illustration is meant to emulate the feelings cats have when standing next to a human.
I will continue adding color to this drawing as it progressing, so come back to see how it turns out.


text:
Natasha and Arno: Real Wedding
The bride & Groom (Natasha & Arno), are a fun & quirky couple, who absolutely stayed true to their personalities when they planned their wedding decor & theme. This wedding was totally DIY with a funky twist How they met: We were in the same high school. Him, the rebelliousRead More


text: Here's one for all of you unhappy with our pkg_* tools :) - Hubert -- Hubert Feyrer <firstname.lastname@example.com> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: 01 Mar 2001 05:08:52 +0100 From: Cyrille Lefevre <firstname.lastname@example.com> To: email@example.com Subject: pkgtools Hi, some days ago, it was a discussion on freebsd-arch (as I remember) about providing some part of the FreeBSD userland (almost all contrib stuffs) as some sort of module (even ports !). an interesting link to SVR4 packaging tools was posted (details below). so, I've take a look at the code and it needs some work to be ported to BSD platforms. since the license isn't clear, I'm asking SCO about the status of this open source software. before to go forward, I'm asking you if you're interested by such tools which seems to be almost the same as the one found under Solaris ? below is the question and the first (fast) answer from Ronald J. Record and before to answer him, I would like your opinion ? thanks in advance. --------========-------- forwarded message --------========-------- Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 13:53:32 -0800 From: Ronald Joe Record <firstname.lastname@example.com> To: email@example.com cc: email@example.com Subject: Re: pkgtools Hi Cyrille, The release of the pkgtools source was initiated at the behest of the 86Open group (http://www.telly.org/86open/86open-faq.html). The subsequent, uh, dissolution of this project (or transformation into lxrun/LKP) resulted in an unfinished release of these tools. I would concur that a BSD license would be appropriate but i'll need to obtain approval and find the time. It might help me speed things along if you were able to tell me why these tools are important for the *BSD systems. At any rate, i would recommend against putting any effort into a port until i get the license situation straightened out. -rr- re: Cyrille Lefevre wrote: > > Hi, > > I've just discovered the pkgtools at "SCO Skunkware: Open Source Software" > (http://www.sco.com/skunkware/devtools/) which seems to be the packaging > software used under SVR4 like OSes (UnixWare, Solaris, etc.). > > do you know the author of the original version of these tools ? > are they really Open Source ? are you working for SCO ? > > I've asked firstname.lastname@example.com (I found his email address in the source > code.) w/o any answer from him. > > I'm interested to porting these tools to *BSD and before to do any > efforts, I would like to be fixed about the license status of these > tools. > > The best thing would be, of course, to add a BSD like license to > the source code or at the top level of the distribution found at : > > http://www.sco.com/skunkware/src/sysadmin/pkg-15.1-src.tar.gz > > thanks in advance for your response. -- Ronald Joe Record, Open Source Architect, The Santa Cruz Operation WWW: http://www.ocston.org/rr http://www.sco.com/skunkware E-mail: email@example.com Voice: 831-427-7604 FAX: 831-427-5417 USPS: 400 Encinal Street, Santa Cruz, California 95061 --------========-------- forwarded message --------========-------- Cyrille. -- home: mailto:email@example.com UNIX is user-friendly; it's just particular work: mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com about who it chooses to be friends with. _______________________________________________ email@example.com http://openpackages.org/mailman/listinfo/op-tech


text:
Christmas Radio Begins
Oldies station WRIT-FM (95.7) gets bragging rights for being the first station in Milwaukee to switch to a Christmas music format. The station made the switch at 5 p.m. Thursday playing "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" by Johnny Mathis, followed by Burl Ives' "Have A Jolly Holly Christmas."
The switch coincided with the lighting of the city Christmas tree ceremony at Red Arrow Park. In making the switch WRIT pre-empted WMYX-FM (99.1), which was a sponsor of the tree lighting event. WMYX was playing it's regular adult contemporary format when WRIT made the switch. Traditionally, the stations compete for the Christmas music audience and when one would switch the other would switch shortly thereafter. But later Thursday evening, WMYX still had not switched to a holiday music format.
This was the latest the switch had been made in recent years. WMYX was the first to switch last year, on Nov. 14, and WRIT followed 15 minutes later. Two years ago the stations started playing holiday music the day after Halloween.
This year, restless listeners had started a "Christmas Music on Milwaukee Radio" Facebook page urging a boycott of both stations until they started playing Christmas music.
This year a new more responsive ratings methodology called PPM, which picks up all incidental listening, will reveal in detail how listeners respond to the holiday format and may have even played a role in the stations' attitude toward it this season. WRIT will play Christmas music through Dec. 26.
But since I've already heard Bruce Springsteen performing "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" - TWICE - I'm good for the rest of the season.
- Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.
- Rearranging on-air assignments at WTMJ-TV
- Marianne Lyles leaving WISN-TV morning show
- Video: Public schools 'suck,' says WITI reporter
- Last night's Packers score matched the game's TV ratings
- Ratings drama at Saga, Weigel stations
- Counterprogramming, WTMJ win preliminary election-night TV ratings
- Milwaukee radio ratings for October
- WZTI starts to air Christmas music the day after Halloween
- Political ads, retransmission revenue drive up Journal Communications earnings
Movie Listings: What's playing where this week
Opening Friday, June 24
- "Free State of Jones"
- "Independence Day: Resurgence"
- "Neon Demon"
- "The Phenom"
- "The Shallows"
- "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe"
Opening Friday, July 1
- "The BFG"
- "The Legend of Tarzan"
- "Our Kind of Traitor"
- "The Purge: Election Year"
- "Swiss Army Man"


text:
Well here we are. It's 34 degrees outside, it's supposed to snow next Tuesday, and another NESCAC football season has come and gone. And what a season it was. Trinity was supposed to use the rest of the league as target practice, and for the most part they did. But the Mammoths stunned them in Week Seven, and gave us one of the more exciting final weekends in recent memory. We had an incredible senior class that gave us highlights galore all year, and they will all be missed. But there are also talented young players who have the league set up for the future, especially the first year QB crew of Williams' Bobby Maimaron, Amherst's Ollie Eberth and Bates' Brendan Costa.
However, the biggest story of the season might not have to do with the players at all. 2017 was the first season in which the teams played a full nine game schedule, ensuring that everyone played everyone else. I don't know what the readers think, but to me it was a roaring success. The biggest reason that the final weekend was so exciting was that head-to-head play was such a factor. Amherst could have clinched the title with a win over Williams because of their win over Trinity, which gave them the tiebreaker. And Middlebury's win over Tufts mattered because the tie breakers they had with Wesleyan and Amherst would have allowed them to share the title had Trinity lost. In the past, there's a chance Amherst and Trinity wouldn't have even played. Count us in as big fans of the ninth game.
Speaking of Williams, the Ephs have to be the other biggest story of the season. Last year, Williams went 0-8 and were outscored on the season 99-263. In the Biggest Little Game in America 2016, Williams lost 28-3. Fast forward a year, and Williams beat Amherst 31-24 to finish at 6-3 keep their hated rivals from a NESCAC title. Credit for this incredible turnaround has to go to Head Coach Mark Raymond. Raymond vaporized the culture of losing that had permeated the Williams locker room in about five minutes, and created one of the tougher teams in the league. They had wins over two of the best teams in the league (Amherst and Middlebury) in the two most exciting games of the year, showing their knack for clutch play. The culture that Raymond that has established in such a short time is borderline unbelievable. Coach of the Year is his by a mile.
Of course, the next most credit has to go to the players. Despite having the youngest team in the league, Williams showed that they're already one of the elite teams in the league. QB Bobby Maimaron '21 is a star, adjusting his game to fit the opponent. Against Middlebury, he matched Jared Lebowitz '18 throw for throw to pick apart Middlebury's iffy secondary. And against the dominant Amherst defense, he kept it on the ground and ran for four touchdowns, including the game winner in OT. In an offseason that will see the departure of three elite quarterbacks, Maimaron is the next superstar. With other impressive first years like WR Frank Stola, RB T.J Dozier and LB T.J Rothman, Williams may well be the favorite to win the title next season. Imagine saying that two years ago.
As I said earlier, this was a season full of stellar seniors. Wesleyan's tandem of QB Mark Piccirillo and WR Mike Breuler put up video game numbers all year, and forced some record book re-writing. Breuler ended the season with 87 receptions and 1167 yards, both records, and Piccirillo finished the season with a 70.4% completion percentage, top five in the country. These two stars might be the top two contenders for POY, but they weren't the only stars who will be leaving the NESCAC sky. Trinity QB Sonny Puzzo '18 closed his career with back to back NESCAC titles, and picked apart Wesleyan in his final game to the tune of 228 yards and three touchdowns (2 passing one rushing.) Puzzo is one of the most successful QB's in recent NESCAC history.
And then there's Jared Lebowitz. I promised myself (and every other writer) that I wouldn't write this whole article about him, but just a few words. When he went down against Bates, he was having one of the best QB seasons in recent NESCAC history, with 18 touchdowns against just two interceptions. His matchup with Puzzo and Trinity is one of the great "what-ifs" of the season, as if he had played it might have been an all-time classic. No matter what, Lebowitz will go down as maybe the best of the Middlebury quarterback dynasty, and one of the best on any team. I may still vote for him as the Second Team QB (I kid, I kid.)
There's one more, considerably less athletic graduating senior to mention; me. This will be my last season covering NESCAC football for this blog. I'm in the library and crying is frowned upon so I won't write too much, but just know that this blog has been the best choice I've made in my college career. I got my start with football, and getting to write about the teams that I've grown up loving (Middlebury) and loathing (Amherst) is an incredible pleasure. To all the players, parents and fans, you're the reason we do it, thank you for reading.
In the words of Bill Belichick, we're on to basketball.


text:
Discussion by: RobertCallan316There's not many things that I can say that I'm not proud of being a British citizen. This country has done me well as a 19 year old athiest, but the one thing that deeply saddens me is that we are not a secular state, and still have bishops of the church of England having a say in issues that should be kept separate from them. What can the British people who believe this to be wrong do to try and put a stop to this so we can truly say that we promote reasonable thinking and in the UK?
Vote for people who will change it. Write them letters, send them emails and tell them your vote relies on this.
There are some organisations you could look at joining and working with:
Until QE2 relinquishes 'fidei defensor' its almost impossible as she is held in such high regard.
Her woo-believing son will follow in her footsteps as demanded by tradition I guess.
Still, be not discouraged- mmurray has it right. Also, there have been on line petitions which are
the easy/lazy way to do your bit…
Robert – you are 19 – be patient. Christianity will continue to decline in the UK. But you are directing your concern in the wrong direction. I wouldn't be so worried about the C of E and bishops in the House of Lords or whether or not the monarch is the Defender of the Faith – our concern ought to be the rise and influence of Islam in the UK. When you are middle-aged (and I'll be dead), that wretched religion will have got a grip in our land and we shall never be rid of it.
I do not see why a Bill to establish the principle of separation of church and state cannot be aimed at. In the UK this would mean in particular the disestablishment of the Church of England as the state religion. If enough people supported this principle and the introduction of such a Bill to Parliament and enough parliamentarians supported the Bill, the Queen, long may she reign over us, could remain "Defensor Fidei", but the church that she heads and whose faith she defends would cease to be the organ of state religion and would be removed from government – no more bishops in the House of Lords, and no more state funds paid for the upkeep of the Anglican clergy, and so on. The Queen's Anglicanism would then be her private choice.
I think Britain & in general, Western Europe is moving in the right direction. The two potential threats to an otherwise bright future for Britain would be rising levels of third world influence on culture & the increased jingoism & xenophobia as reflected by increase in popularity for parties like UKIP. I guess the later is a response to the former.
One shouldn't be proud of what one's ancestors have achieved. But one shouldn't forget their achievements as well.
Remember the suffragettes
…when the mullas and the hindus try to push their misogyny
…when RCC/C of E act like bullies treating our friends & family as second class citizens
Remember Turing & Eddington
…when the faiths try to push their hatred & homophobic dogma
Remember Darwin & Huxley
…when the faiths try to stop us in our pursuit of truth
Remember Bertrand Russell & Christopher Hitchens
…when dogma & petty jingoism takes central stage in public policy
Stand on the shoulders of giants, you have more of them than most of us 🙂
I particularly like comments #1, #2 and #5, but the crux of the matter is, what are you prepared to do about it?
It is all well and good saying what you want and demanding it from your political representatives, but there is no substitution for becoming the leading voice in the field you wish to influence. Obviously, we cannot all do that, but it is not for the lack of opportunity. Myself, I will be running for councillor in either my local or county elections in May this year. I have no idea how successful my campaign will be, but I am sure that in getting the word out to people I know I am making a bigger impact on the electorate than any party political wonk that you could hope to have represent you.
You appear to know what you want, make a stand and explain your position to the largest number of people that will listen. It's hard work, but imagine the satisfaction of garnering even a minority share of the vote. It will make it all worthwhile.
Steady, persistent political (and financial) pressure.
As mmurray hints, join the BHA and NSS. Donate to organisations who are putting on the pressure. At 19 you are probably not rich, so let older/richer people make the big donations, but if every secular teenager in the UK donated a fiver a year it all adds up.
Write to your MP whenever these issues come up on the news. Talk to your friends about the issues. Some of them possibly still but "Christian" on the census form because their parents baptised them. I calculated if trends continue, it will be 13.5 years before the "nones" equal "Christians" on the census. Help make it happen 3.5 years early in the 2021 census.
Challenge "Christian" friends about what they actually believe. You don't have to be aggressive. They probably haven't even thought about it. Once they start actually thinking it tends to unravel (but If they are hard core, then it probably isn't worth the frustration).
They way things are going I think the religious game will be up in the UK by the time you are 40. Assume it is a 21 year long campaign of steadily wearing them down.
The biggest stumbling block is general apathy or ignorance among the British people. Most people just don't think about religious influence in schools and parliament – they just take it for granted that it's a part of British life. However, things are moving in the right direction and the law generally supports secularism. Bit by bit, religious privileges are being removed whenever they are challenged. We just need to stay focused. Most British people have little or know interest in religion; they are neither for nor against it. So they don't object to the removal of religious privilege, even if they are not interested in campaigning on the issue.
Hi Robert,
It is my view (and I think that of RD) that the good old CofE is about as good as a religion can get. It is generally benign and when it emerges to challenge or defend some political or cultural policy, it does so politely and with good will. Just recently, it has become a bit more vociferous, which I attribute to us "angry atheists" on one side and the pressure it is under to defend Christianity in Britain from Islam.
I'm not even sure that technically the CofE is an official state religion. Most likely, as we have no constitution, we depend on precedent and the connection of Queen to Church, Queen to Parliament and therefore Parliament to Church. We have also been anti-catholic in our history for political reasons, preferring on the whole, to side with northern Europe v the evil and threatening (Catholic) empires of Spain and/or France. Someone could help us out there.
But what I would do, as a first step, is draw up a list of every way in which the Church plays a part in our daily lives – as Chuch, as educator, as landowner, as lawmaker etc. It will be more than most people think and will be a good starting point for a discussion about whether or not they should continue to have automatic rights in these areas. It is also important for our general campaign as a lot of uninterested Brits will have no idea how deeply the Church is rooted into our society.
one thing that deeply saddens me is that we are not a secular state, and still have bishops of the church of England having a say in issues that should be kept separate from them.
Hmm, when I was 19 I was sad about things like not having a girlfriend, not being tall, not being a professional footballer and so on. I'm not sure whether worry or clap at the fact that today's 19-year-olds are sad that we don't live in a 100% secular state. Either way, there is something comical about it.
The truth is that there are many issues that are a lot more unreasonable and a lot more damaging to our society than having a few silly old men dressed in purple muttering into their beards. I won't detail them here because it's probably considered a form of hate speech, especially on this left-wing liberal site. Suffice it to say that taking a fresh look at mass immigration, the benefit culture, Islamists and women's rights would make a huge difference to life in the UK. Putting bishops out to grass would have almost no effect other than making us atheists grin for a while.
In reply to #10 by GPWC:
It is my view (and I think that of RD) that the good old CofE is about as good as a religion can get. It is generally benign and when it emerges to challenge or defend some political or cultural policy, it does so politely and with good will.
It's been said that Catholics lose their faith, Anglicans just can't remember where they left it.
I too have a bit of a soft spot for the Church of England. It's quite posh (one gets the feeling that if at a formal dinner at Lambeth Palace the subject of gay marriage were raised there would be a moment of uncomfortable silence and then the conversation would move swiftly on to other things, but if someone used the wrong item of silverware all hell would break loose), yet it seems to personify the English character: it's ever so slightly apologetic about itself; it gives the impression it would just rather not be there; ambiguously camp, a bit eccentric, lacking the Celtic fury that characterises religion in Scotland and Ireland. It makes one think of Margaret Rutherford furiously pedaling a bicycle on her way to meet Alastair Sim, or of the Python boys in vicars' vestments and fishnet stockings (or maybe that was judges). Basically this sort of thing.
I don't get the feeling of revulsion from the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury that Pope Benedict elicits in me. The latter seems genuinely horrible, the former just a bit vague. I wouldn't care to put it to the test but I imagine if I left my young children in the charge of Rowan Williams for an afternoon, when I returned they'd probably be okay; whereas if I deposited them at the Vatican for the day, what I'd be handed when I went back to collect them would be a bag of semen-covered bones, hair and offal bearing the tag "your children".
Edit: Hello again to Keith. I wondered what had happened to you. Are you still pretending to be a right winger instead of the Trotskyist I think you are? You must have been away too long if this you think this is a place for left wingers. I sometimes feel like I'm on the EDL or BNP website.
Having been brought up a Catholic I am envious of anyone, like Richard, brought up in the C of E and left with a kind of affection for its wooly tolerance. If you have to be a Christian join the C of E because it doesn't take religion too seriously, you just have to be a decent chap! We ex-Catholics, and many non-conformists carry the scars for the rest of our lives.
In reply to #12 by Katy Cordeth:
Edit: Hello again to Keith. I wondered what had happened to you. Are you still pretending to be a right winger instead of the Trotskyist I think you are? You must have been away too long if this you think this is a place for left wingers. I sometimes feel like I'm on the EDL or BNP website.
Hi Katy. You're right, I have been away a long time. Have you missed me?
If it's true what you say that this site has turned into a hot bed of right-wing extremism then maybe I'll come back more often. After watching a documentary about them, my impression is that most EDL and BNP members are thugs and morons. Even so, this doesn't mean that I don't agree with some of their views. I recently watched Nick Griffin on Newsnight being sneered at by Jeremy Paxman. I was all ready to sneer along with Pax but to my surprise, I actually agreed with everything Nick Griffin said. To me none of what he said was beyond the pale. It was actually quite sensible. He even came across as being quite personable, so perhaps I had been wrong in accepting the liberal media's view of him at face value. I'll try and learn a lesson from that: to make up my own mind rather than letting The Guardian and the BBC tell me what to think.
Several years ago http://www.richarddawkins.net was always the first site I came to when I switched on my computer and I was a regular commenter right from the start (2006). But in the end I was, and still am, so convinced of the rightness of atheism that there seemed little point in either reading or writing any more about it. Instead I started looking into things I wasn't so sure about, like politics, something I knew nothing about.
But apart from this, a lot of the comments had become little more than mutual back-slapping from people who were just as sure of their atheism as I was. Slowly I found myself wanting to attack the smugness of it all rather than join in the general self-congratulations so I left. But once in a while I come back for nostalgia's sake. Thanks for commenting on my presence.
Moderators' message
May we remind users that our Terms of Use require commenters not to wander off-topic, please. There will no doubt be other threads at some point where discussion of right wing vs left wing politics will not be off-topic, but this isn't one of them!
The mods
You still have a freakin' Queen.
'What kind of Dark Ages nonsense is that? Do you have wizards and fairies too?'
What endows royalty? Divine Right? Superior bloodline? How much money is spent on that pomp and imperialist identity? A secular state is a concept of The Enlightenment, so to be a secular nation is to abandon the parasitic institution of monarchy. Drop the crown, the worship and fanfare of hemophiliacs.
The monarchy is an exercise in irrational thinking and worship. It is nothing but authority and tradition for its own sake.
In reply to #16 by This Is Not A Meme:
You still have a freakin' Queen.
How much money is spent on that pomp and imperialist identity?
[The True Cost of the Royal Family Explained] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhyYgnhhKFw&feature=g-user-a&list=PLqs5ohhass_QZtSkX06DmWOaEaadwmw_D)
Charles wants to be known as "Defender of the faithS" – so perhaps this will happen when QE2 is dead 🙂
Thank you moderators for your kind reminder. Discussions must go straight and remain on track, just like a train, I know.
My view of the influence of bishops in British lives is similar to that of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, namely that atheists and Christians have to work together to fight Islam and Islamism. By the way, if anyone can show me where Islam ends and Islamism begins, or how to tell a Muslim from an Islamist then I would be grateful. Perhaps an Islamist is someone who flies planes into buildings and a moderate Muslim is someone who hasn't yet…Sorry, must keep the train on the tracks.
I think atheists who believe that we alone can defeat Islam are deluded. The C of E is the best religion of a bad lot. Unless weakening its (already limited) power also weakens that of Islam then I'm against it. We might be sweeping away Islam's main rival, just as the democratic movement of the Arab Spring cleared the way for the Muslim Brotherhood. Whether Christianity serves as a bulwark against the Islamisation of Europe or whether it is facilitating its rise by making us more amenable to the presence of religion in public life I find hard to tell. Maybe someone can let me know which they think is more likely and why.
Bishops may be annoying but at least they don't want to chop off our heads and they seem to have got over the impulse to burn heretics. If retaining Christianity results in the diminution of Islam's power, then I would be happy for the bishops, those silly old fools, to keep the little power that they have.
Yeah its a big problem when your taxes go to religous schools, and its hard to talk about the danger of Islam. Its even worse in other countries like the Neatherlands. They actually put you on trial there for talking about islam even thought they are a secular state. People wish to be multi cultural, and have open arms. Yet the dangers of islam are prevelent in there own countires. People say well what about the other democratic muslim states? I say what about them? If they arent under sharia then good for them. That means they have learned the dangers of theocracy. But even when there is no theocracy does that mean that there is no danger? Sweden, Paris, and the Neatherlands have places where you cant even enter if your not a muslim. People say this means im anti muslim. But I think there is a problem with all religouns. How can you have a country where you have theists harrassing non theists in the army?
There are various things we can do.
Join the campaigns for secularism by joining the National Secular Society and/or the British Humanist Association. If you can, donate money which will help fund campaigns.
Vote for those parties who stand for secularism.
Write letters to the goverment and newspapers.
Highlight the matter with friends, family, work collegues. This will help raise conciousness of the problem and may get more people on board to help fight the fight.
Create you're own campaign posters, videos and articles to help raise awareness.
Twenty six bishops standing in the row.
Twenty six bishops standing in the row.
and if twenty six bishops were suddenly to go…
there'd be no more bishops
a secular staus quo
What can the British people who believe this to be wrong do to try and put a stop to this?
Lots of things we can do based on our individual talents, but an absolute baseline is to join the organizations Michael links to in comment 2. Most of the huge, inbuilt, institutionalized advantage that religious organizations have comes about simply through being organizations, rather than the collection of like-minded individuals we currently are. Through traditions and rituals relating to baptism, communion, marriage etc the major churches are able to claim memberships of millions — even if most of the "members" they claim don't recognize any affiliation with them — while the National Secular Society currently has something like 10,000 members. It's very simple: the more members the NSS and BHA can claim to speak for, the more seriously secular views will be taken at the highest levels where policy is formed and decisions get made. Add your power to their elbows.
How true and how worrying!!
In reply to #4 by Graham1:
Robert – you are 19 – be patient. Christianity will continue to decline in the UK. But you are directing your concern in the wrong direction. I wouldn't be so worried about the C of E and bishops in the House of Lords or whether or not the monarch is the Defender of the Faith – our concern ought to be the rise and influence of Islam in the UK. When you are middle-aged (and I'll be dead), that wretched religion will have got a grip in our land and we shall never be rid of it.
Mods' message
May we ask users to take care to ensure that any comments posted about the monarchy in this thread are on-topic, please. Where a specific point is being made about a possible connection between monarchy and the non-secular nature of the UK state, it will be on-topic, but comments about monarchy in general will not be.
Thank you.
The mods
Firstly, if you think about it, the country is more safeguarded against Islam if it is secular than if it subscribes to an official religion.
Secondly, its ironic that the CofE representatives in Politics generally are more honest and pragmatic than the creeps we vote into power. If all faiths were akin to CofE i wouldn't be so irritated by religion
As an American I don't understand the appeal of the British monarchy. Sure it's a sweet deal if you happen to be titled nobility but if you're a "commoner" what good does it do you? The queen isn't going to invite you to Buckingham Palace for tea and crumpets. Why are so many otherwise intelligent people so willing to buy into a value system that places them at such a disadvantage?
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.


text:
Two Japanese Masters in Printmaking
Friday Feb 7, 2014
Additional Dates:
Matrix Fine Art
Albuquerque, NM 87108
Phone: 268-8952
Contact:Regina Held
Phone: 505-268-8952
Website: Click to Visit
More events at Matrix Fine Art
Featuring work by two of Japan's leading printmakers: Takahiko Hayashi and Ando Shinji.
Matrix is pleased to announce two of the leading printmakers in Japan; Takahiko Hayashi and Ando Shinji. Takahiko Hayashi is a rising star in Japan. His work has a mystical quality and the titles reflect interest in philosophy as well as natural phenomena. His etchings are composed out of hundreds of detailed lines creating masterfully bold abstractions.  Ando Shinji creates highly detailed botanical etchings in which he combines several plates with chine collé to achieve a maximum saturation of color. Shinji custom dyes Gampi paper for maximum control of his overall color scheme. His subjects often emanate out of a soft shadow into subdued light, giving them a sense of wonder, as if seen unexpectedly in their inherent beauty.   Exhibition dates: February 7 â 28, 2014 First Friday Reception: February 7, 2014 from 5 to 8PM  Gallery hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 10 â 6; Tuesday 10 - 4, Closed Monday Â


text:
Showing Suppliers 1 - 7 of 7
Advex Corporation
Address: 121 Floyd Thompson Dr., Hampton, VA
Business Type: Service
American Machine Co.
Address: 2200 Commerce Rd., Richmond, VA
Business Type: Service
Associated Design and Manufacturing Company
Address: 8245-K Backlick Road, Lorton, VA
Business Type: Service
Monarch Supply Company, Inc.
Address: 1000 Cavalier Blvd., Chesapeake, VA
Business Type: Distributor
Description: Monarch Supply Company, Inc. is a stocking distributor of valves, fittings, instrumentation, pipe, and specialty piping components. They have been in business for almost 40 years. They carry a large stock that includes copper nickel socketweld and bronze fittings, flanges and valves. They also... (more)
Technical Design Resources, Inc.
Address: 14004-H Willard Road, Chantilly, VA
Business Type: Service
Wexco Corporation
Address: 1015 Dillard Drive PO Box 4297, Lynchburg, VA
Business Type: Manufacturer, Service
Worley Machine Enterprises, Inc.
Address: 8735 Woolwine Hwy., Woolwine, VA
Business Type: Service


text:
Interesting day. Sit around all day waiting for news, then it all hits at once. First commissioner Karl Benson on the future of the Western Athletic Conference, followed by the conclusion of the Tevin Williams saga.
First things first…
Benson wasn't especially forthcoming after speaking with the eight remaining athletic directors and school presidents via teleconference on Tuesday. Much of what he did say was already covered several weeks ago in San Antonio:
* The league has a "master plan" to add new members, focusing on football-playing schools, that could be finalized within the next 30 to 60 days, and preferably before July 1. He again indicated that there are "schools" prepared to accept invitations.
Of course, Benson declined to identify which schools, or how many, saying instead, "It would be very beneficial to the WAC. The first step is to add at least two football schools. Depending on the outcome of that, it will determine if and when we further direct our plan to non-football schools."
* Benson indicated the search could take an eastern bent, saying, "We'd like to address geography. That's an important factor. The better geography you have, the more stable a conference can be."
And that was about it. No favorites, no specific format, just a general mandate to add more schools in the very near future.
Sorry, I know everyone's dying for more details, but as a source with direct knowledge of the call told me, "There are several avenues this could take, small or rather large. You just don't know. There's nothing you could break right now."
This person did provide one interesting tidbit, stressing that it has not been discussed in anything more than a passing fashion. Not only will the WAC look to expand, it might even investigate merging with another conference.
It's hard to imagine any leagues that would be interested in such an offer. The only logical possibilities would be the Sun Belt and Conference USA, and it's hard to see the benefits. Nonetheless, the mere suggestion indicates that the league could be looking about as far outside the box as possible.
We shall see. You can say this much — things are never dull in the Western Athletic Conference, are they?


text:
My husband is a fan of sweet and sour chicken so I thought I would try this recipe. It was a huge hit in our house and even the boys ate tons of it! Definatly a keeper for a easy go to dinner meal
Sweet and Sour Chicken
adapted from: Mels Kitchen Cafe
3-5 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cups white sugar
4 Tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup white distilled vinegar1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt


text:
The Essence of Nonsense
By Irfan Khawaja
If you want a glimpse into what is wrong with public discussion of Islam in English-speaking countries, consider a ludicrous pseudo-debate taking place in the so-called "blogosphere" about whether Islam should be "banned." This lame excuse for a debate began on the website of Norwegian writer Bjorn Staerk, responding to an otherwise obscure American writer named Phil, who had called for "banning" Islam. The real issue raised by this debate is why it has now traveled to the far ends of the "blogosphere" and is being discussed as though it embodied the deepest conceivable wisdom about Islam. But even an investigation into absurdity has its uses, so let's give it a try.
In the manner of many self-styled "anti-Islamic" blowhards, our friend Phil lists a long, random and unintegrated series of "reasons" why Islam should be "banned," i.e., abolished by force of law (or vigilante action; I'm not sure that Phil sees the difference or cares). It is a waste of time to go through this list and detail the inaccuracies in it and the double-standards it involves; it's simply too stupid to be worth rebutting in any detail. Nor of course does it ever deal with the obvious objection: if the standard by which Islam is judged wanting is that of individual rights, that standard can hardly be upheld by violating the rights of Muslims who want peacefully to practice their religion. So with all due respect, let's set Phil's little manifesto aside.
Missing these obvious points, Staerk goes on to offer the following in the way of rebuttal:
This is the kind of writing that is produced when ignorance meets paranoia and anger. I've written before about how belief in an Islamic essence that supercedes the behavior of actual Muslims leads people to making sloppy generalizations about Islam. This process has two steps: First you must believe that this essence exists, and that it is possible to capture it in a few words. Then you go looking for those words. Quotes from the Koran, statements by Islamic thinkers. The research bears fruit, proof is found: Islam is war - or peace, depending on who's looking.
The problem is that you can prove anything this way, and you'll still be no closer to describing the faith of actual Muslims. This kind of work requires nuance and humility in the face of complexity. Yeah I know, it's all supposed to be Good and Evil these days. "Nuance" and "shades of gray" are the words of relativists. But no matter how useful it can be to describe a particular belief or act as Evil, once you leave the area of moral judgments for the descriptive world, nuance is your best friend.
The locus classicus of such nonsensicality is, of course, the writing of Edward Said. It was Said who produced an entire discipline of scholarship devoted to promulgating the inconsistent set of claims that "Islam" is a construction of "the West"; "the West" is itself a construction; and that the West "misrepresents" Islam. (For a good recent criticism of Said's views, read this.)
You can criticize the Saidian view until the cows come home, but its purveyors never seem to grasp the obvious fallacies and falsehoods in his argument. At a bare minimum, there is this:
1) If Islam is a "construction" at all, it surely makes more sense to describe it as a construction of its authors and founders—all of whom were Muslim—than it is a construction of "the West." Of course, those authors and founders would probably be the first to balk at the "construction" metaphor, but such inconvenient facts find no ready place in the Saidian ontology.
2) If Islam's being a construction deprives it of an "essence," the "West's" being one deprives it of one, too, in which case, if one cannot speak of "Islam as such," one cannot speak of "the West" either, and one certainly cannot say that "the West" has "constructed" Islam, or done anything to it at all. After all, if Islam lacks an essence, it makes no sense to say that anyone can "misrepresent" it—much less that "the West" has--since (a) Islam has no stable identity susceptible of misrepresentation, and (b) the West has no stable identity capable of initiating action as a single unified entity.
3) If we think of "construction" by analogy with manufacture (and there is a certain sense to that, one would think), it actually ought to follow that Islam has an essence, not that it lacks one. Typically, manufactured objects are conceded to have essences, and the essence of such an object is the purpose it was intended by its designer to serve. Applying this principle to Islam, we reach the conclusion that Islam obviously has an essence: both Muslims and non-Muslims can agree that the precepts of the religion came into being for a purpose, the purpose being what believers take to be salvation (falah). Anyone with a cursory knowledge of the Qur'an would grasp this on first reading, as would anyone who has dragged himself out of bed for fajr prayers (hayah al as-salat, hayah al-al falah, as-salat khayr am min-an naum ["come to prayer, come to salvation; prayer is better than sleep"]). It's just for this reason, I suspect, that neither the text of the Qur'an nor the repeated claims of the azaan are allowed by purveyors of the "construction" thesis as probative evidence of what Islam says—despite the fact that they are precisely what Islam "says."
4) The fact of the matter is that the "construction" analogy is now a dead metaphor devoid of literal content. Given this, it is pretty close to meaningless as applied to anything, including Islam. No sane construction worker or architect has ever thought that a building's being "constructed" deprives it of a stable identity or renders it impossible to make claims about "the building as such." Why the "construction" of Islam should render us incapable of speaking about "Islam as such" is a mystery deeper than any of the mysteries of the Islamic faith itself.
Return now to Staerk's disquisition on Islam, which involves the characteristic blogger combination of bravado, arrogance, ignorance, and illogic. "Belief in an Islamic essence that supercedes [sic] the behavior of actual Muslims," we are blithely told, "leads people to making sloppy generalizations about Islam." So the criterion of "the Islamic" is "the behavior of actual Muslims."
The absurdity of this claim is almost mind-boggling. For one thing, it ignores the fact that Muslims themselves believe that Islam has an essence that supersedes the behavior of actual Muslims. It ignores the fact that the Qur'an states that Islam is a "perfect" religion whose essence is contained within the Qur'an itself. It ignores the fact that according to Islam, the Sunnah takes precedence over and regulates "the behavior of actual Muslims." It ignores the fact that to the extent that "the behavior of actual Muslims" figures into Islamic doctrine at all, it does so via ijma (roughly, "consensus") whose status is itself contested by Muslims. And, technicalities aside, it ignores the blatantly fact that millions upon millions of "actual Muslims" often act in an un-Islamic manner. (I once had a Muslim acquaintance who used to spend the year sinning and then regarded his sins as "cleansed" by a yearly performance of hajj or umra. Does this count as "the behavior of an actual Muslim" not superseded by the essence of Islam?)
But the absurdities don't stop there. What Staerk is telling us is that it's easier to generalize rigorously about the behavior of 1.25 billion existing Muslims plus all the Muslims who have ever existed in the 1400 years of the existence of Islam—than it is to generalize about the claims of a handful of Islamic texts! That is the unavoidable implication of his claim that those who use the Qur'an as the basis for claims about the essence of Islam generalize "sloppily," while those who rely on Gallup polls for information about "the" behavior of "Muslims" generalize with rigor. (And what non-arbitrary reason can Staerk have for asserting that "Islam" equals the behavior of living Muslims?)
You can see the absurdity of Staerk's suggestion if you stop to realize that there are surely far fewer pages in the entire canon of Islam than there are Muslims who are now alive and have ever been. How on earth can it be easier to generalize across the actions of billions upon billions of people—most of them dead—than it is to grasp the essential claims of the Qur'an, Sunnah, and fiqh? No sociologist or demographer would even pretend to aspire to the first task, but every Muslim on earth is obliged to aspire to the second. Never mind; when secular piety and political correctness take center stage, such questions are sure to be left unasked.
Staerk goes on to set up the strawman that the essence of Islam cannot be stated in "a few words." Well, no kidding. But it has to be stated in sufficiently few words for Muslims to be able to grasp and practice it without violating its main precepts, right? So why can't its essence be stated in words numbering somewhere between "a few" and "a lot"? Neither Staerk nor any of his blogo-commentators sees fit to answer this patently obvious question. Staerk goes on to complain that different inquirers have come to different conclusions about Islam—about its war-like or pacific nature, for instance. Yes: so what? One possibility is that one set of inquirers is wrong. Another possibility is that Islam asserts contrary claims. How is this a problem for claims about the essence of Islam?
Finally, we get the ritualistic bow to nuance: when it comes to Islam, we're told, "nuance is our best friend." The axiom here seems to be, the less clear we are, the more "nuanced" we are; the more nuanced we are, the more sophisticated we are; the more sophisticated we are…well, sophistication is just the terminus of justification. Exactly why "nuance" is incompatible with claims about the essence of Islam is a "nuance" that gets precisely no attention in this debate.
There's an old saying: "Don't bother to examine folly, just ask what it accomplishes." I don't quite agree: as this discussion proves, even folly deserves an examination. But having examined this folly to the limits of my tolerance, I think I'm entitled to ask what it accomplishes. The answer seems all-too-clear.
People in the English-speaking world are notoriously allergic to fundamental questions of the sort that philosophy and religion purport to answer. It is no surprise, then, that when it comes to the fundamental clash between Islam and its rivals, our half-hearted secularists almost always find an excuse to beg off.
Does God exist? "Let's not look." Does faith supersede reason? "Let's change the subject." Do the demands of the afterlife supersede the requirements of this one? "It's a matter of perspective." Are the claims of the Qur'an true? "Depends on how you define 'truth'." Does Islam provide a basis for a viable political order? "Sorry, that question is too divisive." Is there a connection between the precepts of Islam and Islamic terrorism? "Sorry, that question is too essentialist."
At the end of the day, according to this crowd, the only claims you're allowed to make about Islam are the recycled pieties of PC toleration, followed by claims so "nuanced" that they cease to mean or imply anything of significance. But I don't see Muslims constrained by the same imperatives, and I see few people (the Phils of the world aside) insisting that Muslims be put in the same dialectical straitjacket as Staerk proposes for the rest of us.
The fact is, there is no reason for either Muslims or non-Muslims to be constrained by that straitjacket, because there is nothing to be said in favor of it. Islam should obviously not be "banned." But neither should "essentialist" claims about it be discouraged, whether pro or con. If we can't identify the essence of Islam, we cannot grasp what it is-- much less debate its truth or falsity, or causal role in world events. But perhaps that is the whole point of the anti-essentialist jihad.
Both Muslims and non-Muslims can agree that Islam has an essence, and that essence, codified in the Qur'an, Sunnah, and fiqh (in that order) supersedes the behavior of all Muslims, past, present and future. That fact is the basis for any conceivable discussion of Islam. Once we lost sight of it, or self-censor it out of existence--or pretend that disagreement about it nullifies the possibility of discovery about its meaning--we will have reached a point at which criticism of Islam as such will cease, precisely because its essence will finally have been taken for granted by everyone. If ever you want to know what nonsense and folly can accomplish, you'll discover the answer when we get to that point.
Irfan Khawaja is adjunct professor of philosophy at The College of New Jersey and Montclair State University.


text:
Eduard Imhof was born in Schiers on 25 Jan 1895 to the geographer Dr. Eduard Imhof and his wife Sophie.1 At the age of 19 he enrolled in ETH Zürich,2 and after several interruptions for military service, was awarded a geodesist/surveyor diploma in 1919.
He returned to ETH as an assistant to his mentor Prof. Fridolin Becker, himself a cartographic god widely viewed as the inventor of the Swiss style shaded relief map.3 In 1925, the year after Becker's death, Imhof became an assistent professor and founded the Kartographische Institut (Institute of Cartography). Although the Institute was initially little more than a hand-painted sign above his small office, it was nevertheless the first of its kind in the world.
In 1925 he produced his first major work - the Schulkarte der Schweiz 1:500 000 (the School map of Switzerland). Over the years he would update the national school map several times as well as produce school maps for nearly half of the cantons in the Federation. He even did the school map for the Austrian Bundesländer of Vorarlberg.
The school maps attracted the attention of the Konferenz der Kantonalen Erziehungsdirektoren who, in 1927, asked him to oversee the fifth edition of the Schweizerischer Mittelschulatlas (The Swiss High-school Atlas), the official text of the Swiss secondary school geography curriculum.4 The first Imhof-directed edition was published in 1932, and was followed by the official primary school atlas, the Schweizerischer Sekundarschulatlas, in 1934.5
Imhof thought as deeply and essentially as any 20th century cartographer (meaning as deeply and essentially as anyone ever) about cartographic design, including the topics of relief depiction, hatchure vs. shading, rock drawing, symbols, hypsometric color tinting, et. al. For more than 40 years he used the School atlases and maps as a test-bed to illustrate his theories on map art and design. The maps shown here, from the 1958 XII edition, were the last to be rendered with hachures (by Oswald Winkel) and hypometric colors. Beginning with the 1962 edition the maps were prepared with hill-shading.
Imhof ended up not only redefining the School map, but Swiss relief cartography in general.6 His work spread outside of academia and in 1961 he was asked by the Bundesamt für Landestopografie (the Federal Office of Topography, or just Swisstopo) to oversee production of the Atlas der Schweitz.7 The project, supported by Swisstopo's significant resources, consisted of more than 400 maps and took 18 years to complete. The first edition in 1979 was, not surprisingly, a landmark in cartography.
In 1965. the year he retired from ETH and after hundreds of maps, scientific papers, book chapters and several books proper, he published the seminal Kartographische Geländedarstellung. The book contained everything Imhof had learned about relief cartography over his distinguished career and wrapped it up nicely with a bow. It was not only the Mother of all cartography textbooks, but perhaps one of the most important books ever written on information design.8
Around 1972 he began work on his last major project - a completely new relief design of the entire country. The final map, which took ten years to prepare, was published as the Relief der Schweiz, ein Kartengemälde 1:300 000 von Eduard Imhof in 1982.
Imhof died on 27 April 1986 at his long-time home on Lake Zürich.
1. For everything you need to know about Imhof, see ETH's wonderfully comprehensive Virtual Library Eduard Imhof (Eduard Imhof - Kartograph und Künstler), which was based on an exhibit by by Katrin Turconi and Eduard's widow Viola Imhof.
2. Officially Die Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, but even the Swiss think that the name is too long. They also just call it ETH Zurich.
3. For an overview of the history of cartography at ETH see: Hurni, Lorenz. Cartographic Mountain Relief Presentation: 150 Years of Tradition and Progress at ETH Zurich. ICA workshop. The pdf is available at Mountaincartography.org
4. Hrsg. Konferenz der kantonalen Erziehungsdirektoren. Schweizerischer Mittelschulatlas. Zürich: Lehrmittelverlag des Kantons Zürich, 1932. Because the Swiss speak entirely too many languages (officially four) the altas was published in German, Italian and French. Imhof served as editor and chief cartographer for a total of 11 editions of the atlas, from 1932–1976. For a complete bibliography see the ETH's Virtual Library. The images here are scans from the 12th edition, 1958. The school atlas, now known as the Schweizer Weltatlas is completely interactive (interactiv) and available as a downloadable java program.
5. Hrsg. Konferenz der Kantonalen Erziehungsdirektoren. Schweizerischer Sekundarschulatlas. Zürich: Lehrmittelverlag des Kantons Zürich, 1934. Imhof served as editor and chief cartographer for the first 12 editions, from 1934–1976. Again, see the ETH's Virtual Library.
6. For a more complete and scholarly review of Inhofs contributions and legacy see: Hurni, Lorenz. "Cartographic Relief Presentation Revisited - Forty Years after Eduard Imhof" in Landform - Structure, Evolution, Process Control. Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, 115. Berlin: Springer, 2010. pp. 1–20. The text of which is available on Google Books.
7. Herausgeben im Auftrag des Schweizerischen Bundesrates. Altas der Schweiz. Wabern-Bern: Verlag des Bundesamtes für Landestopographie. Lieferungen 1, 1965–9, 1978. The current verson – the Atlas of Switzerland 2 is available on CD-Rom or DVD for the rather steep price of 249 CHF.
8. Imhof, Eduard. Kartographische Geländedarstellung. Berlin, De Gruyter, 1965. The title was later translated into English: Cartographic Relief Presentation. Berlin: De Gruyter, 1965. De Gruyter's press run was perhaps 2500 copies and the book become something of a rarity, with copies selling upward of 500 USD. Fortunately the GIS software company ESRI reprinted it in 2007. The majority of ESRI's reprint is on Google books.
In his review of the 2007 edition Jeff Thurston wrote: "There are very few books that cause me to read in awe, ponder quietly in appreciation and realize just how significant others hard work, perception of the world and their passionate devotion to their profession can be." Edward Tufte, never shy about criticizing poor design, wrote that "the book is about how to show mountains on maps (which means that it is about nearly everything...)" and "is required reading for anyone serious about information and interface design."
10 Sept 2010, updated 15 Sept 2010 ‧ Cartography


text:
It's not all that surprising that the Alibi's illustrious film editor possesses several tomes dedicated to New Mexico's dark spiritual forces. After all, O'Leary's entire wardrobe is black. Likewise, everyone thinks he's so pale because he spends the daylight hours watching movies in dark movie theaters, but there could be other explanations. I've heard rumors that he sleeps in a coffin; that he owns a 12-foot boa constrictor named Carl; that he was born and raised in a remote castle in Ireland. Makes you wonder. Anyway, Devin was kind enough to supply me with a few of the more intriguing titles from his collection. Here's a quick run-down.
Book News
Spooky Book Sampler
From the collection of Devin D. O'Leary
Adobe Angels: The Ghosts of Albuquerque and
Adobe Angels: The Ghosts of Las Cruces and Southern New Mexico
Antonio R. Garcez
The one dedicated to Southern New Mexican spirits is actually bilingual. Both are ornamented throughout with cool photographs and artwork. The one about Albuquerque is shorter and includes descriptions of several of the more famous Burque ghosts—the little boy ghost at the KiMo Theatre, the elder lady ghost at the Albuquerque Press Club, etc. A nice touch is that the book includes profiles and interviews with people who claim to have actually seen these ghosts or experienced other paranormal activities at the places being described.
Mysteries and Miracles of New Mexico: Guide Book to the Genuinely Bizarre in the Land of Enchantment
Jack Kutz
Mysteries and Miracles of New Mexico has been around since the late '80s. Over the years it's become a kind of regional classic. Kutz focuses less on ghosts than on other freaky aspects of our state—the mystery stone near Los Lunas, claims of cattle mutilations in Northern New Mexico, the numerous UFO sightings that have occurred around New Mexico over the last half century. Kutz does dig into witchcraft and strange phantoms at certain points in the book. Any fan of New Mexican weirdness should definitely have this one on their shelf.
Haunted Places
Dennis William Hauck
This is a national directory of sites thought to be inhabited by spirits from the other world. It includes fairly extensive listings on New Mexico and surrounding states. Pick this one up for your next coast to coast tour of the supernatural.


text:
After a Car Accident: At the Scene
Immediately after a car accident, follow these steps:
- Stop your vehicle, but do not block traffic. Move to the side of the road if possible.
- Turn off your car's ignition.
- Put on your hazard lights or put out other warning signs, such as road flares, if possible.
- Assist anyone who is injured, call for an ambulance if needed
- Call the police to report the accident. Tell the police if there are known injuries
- When the police arrive at the scene of the auto accident, cooperate fully with investigators
- Do not move your automobile or any debris unless instructed to do by the officer.
- Write down the policeman's name and badge number, including the city and department
- If you believe the driver of the other automobile involved in the accident is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, notify the officer
- Do not discuss the accident with anyone, except the investigating police officer, your doctors, your own insurance representatives, and your lawyer
- Make detailed notes of the scene of the auto accident, including full names, addresses, home phone numbers, work phone numbers and license plate numbers of all parties involved. Get the names of any witnesses to the collision. Note specifics about the auto accident, such as date and time, make and model of automobiles involved in the accident
- Make notes of statements made by the driver of the other vehicle involved in the auto accident
- Make a rough sketch of the auto accident, and take pictures with a camera or cell phone if possible
- Exchange drivers license and insurance information with the driver of the other vehicle involved in the accident
After a Car Accident: Left the Scene
Once leaving the scene of a car accident, follow these steps:
- Contact an experienced car accident lawyer. The Rasansky Law Firm has lawyers experienced in handling car accident cases, and will provide a complimentary review and evaluation of your particular case.
- Notify your insurance agent.
- See your doctor if there are any injuries or chance for injuries from the accident. A serious personal injury caused by a car accident doesn't always cause immediate pain, but should be checked by a qualified medical doctor.
- Most importantly, keep calm, don't argue, don't accuse anyone and do not admit fault. A car accident can be a traumatic situation, and first reactions may not be best.
Contact the Rasansky Law Firm to speak with our auto accident lawyers about how we can help if you've been injured in an accident involving a car or truck.
We demand strict professional standards. Our Dallas based attorneys are among the finest auto accident lawyers and have resolved many multi-million dollar personal injury cases. We are passionate about our role as advocates and treat our clients with complete respect and compassion. We are committed to utilizing all available legal advantages and tactics to successfully resolve your personal injury claim.


text:
These photos were taken by our guest, Stephanie Foster while on a Birding Tour at the La Milpa Ecolodge and Research Center in January 2, 2012. It is a Bi-colored hawk and it is one of the hardest raptors to see in the forest. It is a very good sighting. Stephanie Foster was staying as […]
Rare Sighting0
- Feb
- 26
New Bird Species for Belize – Red Headed Duck0
- Feb
- 26
It's every birdwatchers dream to one day find a new bird species for the country. This is why having seen two new bird species on the same day in the same place was quite a stir early this December. It all started on the afternoon of December 11 when Jonathan Urbina left La Milpa Ecolodge […]
Hope the Harpy Eagle released at Rio Bravo!0
- Dec
- 14
The Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area (Rio Bravo) owned and managed by Programme for Belize was the release site for another Harpy Eagle. Harpy Eagles once thrived in Belize but its population disappeared due to loss of habitat caused by deforestation and the deliberate killing of this majestic raptor. The Harpy Eagle released this […]
PfB – Birder's Certificate Program 20090
- May
- 28
PROGRAMME FOR BELIZE HOSTS SECOND BIRD CERTIFICATION PROGRAM (BCP) AT LA MILPA FIELD STATION Programme for Belize in collaboration with the Massachusetts Audubon society concluded a Birder's Certification Course in bird ecology at the La Milpa Field Station. Bill Gette the Sanctuary Director and David Larson the Education Coordinator, both from the Joppa Flats Education […]
PfB Supports the Green Wave Initiative 20090
- May
- 22
'One School, One Tree, One Gift to Nature' Over 700 Belizean primary school children from the Belize River Valley area and the communities in north western Orange Walk gathered at the Belize Rural High School and the Belize High School of Agriculture to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) by participating in the […]
Station Manager Hikes to Victoria Peak Summit0
- May
- 1
Read below the personal commentary and account of Vladimir's recent trek with the Victoria Peak Hike Challenge 2009… This is my third Victoria Peak Challenge and the most challenging yet. This was a 3 day trek to one of the highest points in the country. The feeling of completing such a grueling hike is very […]
- Mar
- 15
The Programme for Belize crew, comprised of Bob Vincent, Ray Healy and Dave Johnson, wins the La Ruta Maya 2009 River Challenge 'Masters Category' once again which was held from March 6 – 9, 2009. Viewers can read a first hand recap of the race as provided by Bob Vincent, team leader, for the crew […]
- Mar
- 5
Day 50 – March 4 – La Milpa, Orange Walk District: (Bert) We are barely into the La Milpa Maya site when we find warblers in the canopy, easily viewed through a gap in the trees. We find Blue-winged, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Black-throated Green, Black-and-white, American Redstart and, best of all, Tennessee Warbler. One of the […]


text:
|The Series 1
|The early and Classic Range Rover
|Discovery -1998
|The Range Rover (new)
|Discovery 1998 on
|The Freelander
It was a long way from this ...
... to this
"Convenient dashboard layout with two handy parcel shelves. Twin scuttle ventilators are fitted and particular attention has been paid to weatherproofing, Optional extras include a radio and heaters for front and rear compartments."
1955 Station Wagon - authentic advertising text (click on image to enlarge)
"Technology at your hands reach"
1998 Range Rover Autobiography
But such comparisions are unfair towards the early Landrovers. At the time they were constructed the famous Conolly leather used so extensively on todays "top-of-the-range" models was mainly found in the back -in the form of living cattle.
In fact those models were exactly the way the prospected buyers wished them to be - simple, easy to clean and no nonsense that could fail in a remote place. Oh, surely, the people that bought them (mostly farmers and small companies) would have appreciated a BIT more comfort. And this wishes were fullfilled. Even if some took 20 years to appear in serial trim and others are not even completely integrated today (as the famous "weatherproofness").
One of the best ways to learn about it is in the way LR sees themself: through advertising and official press photos.
This is the 1967 Saxon Thinline conversion, officially approved by Landrover. The drivers seat now has a built-in shock absorber. Those hard Series IIA drivers got really pampered!
The 90/110/130 Defender models
Todays Defender range has still a no-nonsense cockpit that looks as it's made out of scrap parts that found together more by coincidence than by clever planning. (Below the 1997 model, the TD5 has a similar layout but an extremely ugly steering wheel hunchback.
Although I must admit that the fit is now much better than on the elder models of the 90/110's. Anyone who ever worked on the instrument cluster will surely appreciate the simple setup with apparent screws. And work you have to do, especially if yours is a somewhat "used" vehicle. The Instruments made by Lucas are still pure guesswork gauges, nobody knows what they actually show. Maybe it's not such a bad idea to switch to aftermarket VDO units. You can even read those AT NIGHT, something never be seen before in LR's utilitarian range. If you try to use brighter bulbs in the genuine instruments, the colored cap inside that reduces the bright white to a dark green dim will melt and glue to the bulb so you will not even be able to remove them again. Only the speedometer can be made to accept bulb holders for standard 5-Watt bulbs. I put 3 of them in mine and can now see my speed even with oncoming traffic.
The warning light cluster in the bottom obviously comes from some large truck (lorry) as one of those not connected warnings shows a tilted cab.
The rest of the interior is now very nice and comfy- at least compared to the 1955 models.
( Defender 110 - 12 seater)
Storage space is provided. The best place is in a cubby box but you will loose one seat. This can be accepted as the front middle place is only designe from sadists for masochists (sorry guys- you tried your best). Some more storage space is under the front seats where you normally have a metal box each side. Sadly you have the battery on one side. Maybe you have even an additional tank on the other side. Non-NAS 90's had the fuel tank standard under the right seat. No big loss, the boxes were never tight anyway. Putting sensible things like passports or cameras in the large front shelve beside the radio is not a very good idea. Either they get soaked from entering water, accumulate dust from the front vents or get cooked by the heater outlet. A good thing to do to the cubby box is to raise it with some sort of spacers to a decent height so you can rest your arm on it. But take care as with some gearboxes/large cubbys there's not much space left between the gear lever in 2nd/4th and the front edge of the box.
(The cubby box, small model in a 90 County)
The front seats are genuine Landrover tech. Some people love them. Others even never feel uncomfortable. The rest- like me- junked them out as soon as possible and replaced them by some Recaro seats with decent reclining possibilities. What I never understood is why the placed the seats on a car as large as this in the farest corner so XXL-people even have trouble getting in with thick winter clothes.
The second row of seats are clearly designed for transporting kids. Or sturdy workers who don't complain about the more than limited space and the uncomfortable seating position. Only by looking at the above picture you can see where the best seats are.
The last places are in the back. Ever transported 6 fully grown up people there for more than 5 minutes? Than you got an good picture of the "Mutiny on the Bounty". But for those occasional jumps to the pub they are fine. And they can be lifted upwards in seconds.
A problem that seems to be solved (after only 50 years) is the less-than-adequate heating especially on 110's with Tdi engines. The new Td5 heats much better.
Remember to take out the carpets from time to time. They are so watertight the water that gets trapped has no chance to get out. Nothing too dangerous as the floor panels are aluminium. But the bolts holding them will rust to a point they can't be loosened. Clever people peplace them with stainless nuts and bolts. And they replace the genuine plastic carpet by a skillfully cut cocoanut fiber carpet, the same you can buy in carpet shops. It isolates great against heat and noise and is absolutely waterresistant. Look out for those with a woven back, not those with the rubber back as they will not let water evaporate.
The windows actuators have always been a problem. They are a bit weak and the teeth begin to wear rapidly especially if the guides are dirty. Replacement is no big deal and parts are readily available. It is possible to transform the genuine setup to electric windows using parts from a Rover limousine and mixing them with your parts. You have to cut a bit out of the sheet metal on the inside of the door but this will be covered by the door skins. It IS possible and helps ventilating a lot but the place is very limited so take care.
A central locking on pre-Td5's is also possible, the problem lies in the rear door. It can be done however.
On 90's you may complain about the limited reclining ability, limited by the rear bulkhead. Removing this bulkhead has some disadvantages: You will no longer be able to mount a pickup roof and the body will loose stiffness. Look at a 110 when you close the door with some energy: the whole body trembles and you have to smash the door to shut it. But on the 90 you can take out the bulkhead and replace it by a solid bar running from one side to the other but about 10 cm/4 inches further to the back. This will give you the opportunity to put in some good seats as well as a good deal more space between your knees and the lower instrument cluster.
The new Range Rover
Obviously the Range Rover is what he claims to be. But look at the price tag. And if you fancy the idea of buying one first try out the seats. Oh, the are electric-everything. But my wife-although not the tallest one- called them too short and uncomfy. The rest is up to the standard with the occasional switch giving up or light bulb burning out. All in all not bad. And apparently they made progress on built quality last year.
The Freelander
The most car-like interior in the whole line. Not too cramped, good seating position, good view all around, nice and bright, ugly cloth colors. However it's claimed they don't get easily dirty. I agree to this- some designs look already stained when new. The front offers enough leg room- but just. Still those very short seats. In the back enough space for baggage OR a dog. Under the dog is another lockable compartment for valuables. My dog didn't like it too much for the high belt line and the back seats prevented him from looking outside. So he always tried to climb a bit up the sides. I'm sure the cheap plastic will take a beating at this.
Decent instruments but not very legible. Big steering wheel with a seriously "plastic" feeling. Venting is ok but not more. Many small places to stash your usual goodies and papers but no real big glovebox. Bottle holder in the doors. No space designed for a fire extinguisher although the engineers must know that many european laws make them compulsary. Here it was mounted in the passenger's side footwell and was very uncomfortable. That's really a design flaw the engineer deserves a good slap for!
Functional cockpit, reasonably well laid out, a lot of plastic and an steering wheel some people call ugly (they've never seen the new Td5's steering wheel). Uncomfortable and not very durable seats, good view all around. Some had the removable bag in place of the center cubby box. A good idea on paper but not very practical in everyday use. After that they switched to a very cheap cubby box design. Later on the box got better. But fitting an aftermarket cubby box is still a good idea.
The 4 vents in the dashboard only provide cold air. I hate that. I enjoy having a nice warm stream of air on my fingers on cold winter mornings. Not a very good place for the radio also.
The Range Rover classic
Pictured above one of the latest models. Nice, luxury interior. Seats that had a long evolution and were then reasonably comfortable. But after all these years they still are too short. Maybe it's just an impression but I'm still uncomfortable on these. Still the center instrument cluster much the same as on the 1970 models. But that's ok. High seating position, deep belt line resulting in a very good view all around. You could live with this even if the woodwork tends to take age not too well. Folding armrests were always a good idea.


text:
The Solon Langworthy House
|Romantic, candle-lit whirlpool suites create a romantic ambiance perfect for a special couple.ELEGANT. A blend of modern and antique decor, wood floors, high ceilings, catered breakfast. accommodation with style.EXCLUSIVE. Away from the hustle and noise of a business district, and without the sterility of your average hotel, The Solon Langworthy House has a classy, secluded, home-like feel. Private entrance and front door keypad offer security while allowing guests to come and go as they please. Service is just a phone call away ring the inn keepers who are ready to serve you while respecting your personal space. ***CALL or email for special rates. See website for details.***.
Check-in/Check-out Policies
General Information
Amenities - Conveniences


text:
Min Zhang
|Go with the Flow?
W/C 46x82cm
W/C 56x64cm
|What's the Rush?*
W/C 25x30cm
|Spring Revelry*
W/C 27x30cm
|Watchers on the Shore*
W/C 27x30cm
About Min Zhang
After five years of learning Chinese painting, in 2008 I began to enter my works to some art exhibitions in Melbourne. From 2009, my fascination with the particular nature of the materials used in traditional painting (ink and water colours on thin Xuan paper that will be backed with more sheets of paper later) led me to explore totally new ways of using them to paint contemporary themes. My working method is to experiment, testing various new techniques, improving them from a primitive stage to maturity, while thinking what types of pictures could be enhanced by them. This often results in combining contrasting characteristics: smoothness versus coarseness, continuity versus abruptness, and stillness versus movement. I won Third prize in Small Works Competition of Canterbury Art Exhibition in 2009. I have work on consignment at Edges Art Gallery and Hawthorn Studio & Art Gallery.