text:
Summer nights are always sticky, in New York City. Sounds of the city, honking horns, the yell of a midnight reveler, waft through open hotel windows, eleven stories up. The cacophony is spooky and screechy, but a heavenly odyssey.
In the 1960s and 1970s, music and a voice broke the darkness, fading the midtown traffic deep into the background. A mystically beautiful, smooth, sultry voice, wrapped around a new music, "Space Rock," carried listeners to another place. "First star to the right and straight on to morning," they'd think. Her voice, in the darkness, in the night, was addicting.
"We are deep into the night," she'd say to start every show. "From this point on all sense of time doth cease to exist. Only space and the sensory, that which we feel and experience becomes the manifestation of all the cosmic waves of the universe. The sound poisons the brain, and pushes all barriers to the outer limits of perception, and we are in space. We are above and beyond. Come fly with me, Alison Steele, the night bird."
Alison Steel, the Nightbird, was original, memorial, moving. For 14 years, on WNEW-FM, she gave her philosophy, her spirit , to the music, the interviews and the New York nights. A soothing soul, a healing essence, she readied you to face another day.
Space Rock pioneered experimental sounds from "King Crimson," "Tangerine Dream," "Moody Blues," "Yes," "Ramases" and "Curved Air." Sonny Fox worked the Drake format, at KHJ-AM, in Los Angeles, as if it were his own. The Nightbird, Alison Steele, worked the progressive-rock format, which Scott Muni was building, at WNEW-FM, as if it were her own.
In 1967, WNEW-FM decided to feature only women announcers. More than 800 women applied, for a slot on the "Standards" format. Alison Steele was one, of four, chosen.
The all-women shtick failed to catch many ears. After less than year, not given much chance to catch ears, WNEW-FM dropped the shtick. Most women djs left, but Steele stayed, moving to over nights on 1 January 1968.
WNEW-FM inched toward a progressive-rock format. Rosko joined to do evenings. He was "To play meaningful music," George Duncan, the station manager, told Claude Hall, of Billboard, on 28 October 1967, "and [build] for the future." Once the core was in place - Scott Muni, Alison Steele and Rosko - new success for WNEW-FM sat at the horizon.
An early version, of AOR, called, progressive rock format, debuted on 31 October 1967. Muni, Steele, Rosko and Jonathan Schwartz, who joined the on-air staff 16 November 1967, took radio into a new era. A bit later, joined to do mornings; he, too, a radio spirit, was a natural choice to open the day after Steele closed the night. Eventually, the format morphed into Album Oriented Rock (AOR). Shadoe Stevens crafted an alternative version of AOR, first, at KRLA-AM and, eventually, at KROQ-FM. Muni created a format for a modern Williams B Williams: clean, comfortable and calm. Stevens built an in-your-face, always creative format, for weaning listeners off Drake; giving listeners a radio station to help them mature, ungracefully, on a diet of rock and roll.
Though mostly unheard, today, AOR was the format of the 1970s. It was a cash cow. AOR flourished, but the necessary freedom, for djs, gave management sleepless nights. Diluted versions, of AOR, popped up everywhere. No salespeople needed, only order takers, as advertisers lined up to buy spots on AOR.
Undiluted, AOR was a natural maturing of mindless bubble-gum rock formats, popular in the 1960s. If the music fit, you heard it, on AOR. If talk fit, you heard it, on AOR. Neither radio nor rock got much past AOR.
Steele grasped the flavour of the new format, quickly and thoroughly. She weaved the format around new corners, down old streets. She guided it through radio minefields, without a wince. Her instinct and the format were hand and glove. Only Muni and Rosko fit the WNEW-FM version, of AOR, as neatly as did the Nightbird.
Billboard Magazine confirmed the fit, of Steele with the WNEW-FM format, naming her FM radio Personality, of the Year, for 1976. She was first woman to earn this recognition. In his column, Billboard Radio editor, Claude Hall, called Steele "the first [woman] of rock and roll radio."
The moniker stuck, and the company was good. Stephanie Nicks is the first woman of pop. Ann and Nancy Wilson are the first women of rock. Steele is still the first women rock and roll radio.
Steele used an alternate opening to her show. "The flutter of wings," she'd begin. "The shadow across the moon," she'd say. "The sound of the night as the night bird spreads her wings and soars above the earth into another level of comprehension: where we exist only to feel. Come fly with me, Alison Steele, the Nightbird, on WNEW-FM, until dawn." It was as if she'd moved right up to you. There were quivers up and down your backbone. She had you shaking all over.
Studio telephones rang off the hook, when Steele was on air. She took 25-to-30 phone calls a show. Many callers asked her to play this or that song. She complied, if the song fit.
Most callers, it seems, sought advice on personal and spiritual issues. She was a lovelorn, a mother confessor for New Yorkers. Steele always had time for listeners, to hear them out, to help them as she could.
Steele loved her listeners. They loved her. About a million New Yorkers got through the night, with Alison Steele. The music, the caring, the talk, the bonding made Steele a radio legend and her listeners legion.
Born Ceil Loman, in Brooklyn, New York, on 26 January 1937, Alison Steele was a class act. All who met her noted her elegance and gracious manner, even when she smoked those little cigars. "She was such a lady," says Dick Summer, who did AM Drive, on WNEW-FM. "She was so sexy because she actually liked men; even me. Allison and my wife became quite friendly, too. Allison liked everybody. I liked Allison a lot." It was typical, of WNEW-FM, to hire class acts, such as William B. Williams, on AM; Dick Summer, on FM and AM, and Scott Muni, also on FM, to name three.
Steele, a freckle-faced, red-haired teen, began her career, in the 1950s. She ran errands for a local television station. At 19, she married orchestra leader, Ted Steele. He was 20 years older than her. Ted Steele's best-known as the bandleader on "Cavalcade of Stars," in the 1950s. There's some question whether they divorced or permanently separated, but she kept his name and their daughter, Heather, with her.
In 1966, Alison Steele heard about the great WNEW-FM experiment: an all-women line up. It was a gimmick to boost sagging ratings. The gimmick angle didn't bother her. "The AM side," she told an interviewer, "was paying [djs] ... $200,000. The FM side had trouble paying scale, of $125 a week. [Its] only options were gimmicks." For Steele, this was an opportunity to become one of the first high-flying women djs, in the USA.
Steele auditioned. She won one of four shifts offered. She bested 800 women.
Her beautiful, fine-tuned and genuinely personable voice impressed WNEW-FM. The gimmick lasted 18 months. Steele was the only woman Scott Muni, the new programme director, of WNEW-FM, kept.
Steele worked WNEW-FM for 12 years. She left, in 1979, fed up with management hassles, working nights and rampant gender discrimination. She needed a sabbatical, not unemployment, it seems.
Floating around New York radio, she worked WPIX-FM. She spent 18 months on the Am side of WNEW, as music director and hosting "A Little Night Music," to create a new sound to attract younger listeners. At CNN, Steele worked as a news reader, writer and producer as well as a correspondent for the programme, "Limelight." The hours were better, at CNN; the money probably the same or less than at WNEW-FM. She was also the voice of "Search for Tomorrow," a long-running, syndicated television soap opera.
She and sister, Joyce Loman, ran a cat boutique, "Just Cats," on East 60th Street, in Manhattan. "I think she liked stray cats more [than people]," says Dick Summer. "She must have saved a zillion [cats]."
In the heyday, of WNEW-FM, a champagne-coloured French poodle shared her studio. Every night, the dog at her feet, the Nightbird read poetry, talking to listeners, and created "Space Rock." All mystical, spiritual people understand the place of animals in a full human life.
In 1989, Steele joined WXRK-FM, to do overnights, the lead-in into Howard Stern. Shackled to all nights, her choices were two: quit or continue. Management viewed her as an all-night cash cow. She paid the price.
Alison Steele passed away 27 September 1995, age 58. Her New York "Times" obituary noted she said, in 1971, that she loved to work hours that most other people find good for sleeping. "I'm a night person ... I think [the night] has a mysterious quality. I never get lonely ...." Most night workers share this sentiment.
Another comment about Steele, wrongly credited to the New York "Times" obituary, captures the essence of her work. "She made radio visual and visceral, instantly drawing the listener into his or her own inner landscape. As did the other DJ's on WNEW-FM, during the late 1960s and 1970s, she helped a generation cope with the social upheaval and emerging counter culture through what was called a free-form or progressive format."
Shortly after her cancer diagnosis, Steele told friend she blamed radio management; gender discrimination, in the industry; fame and her nocturnal career, which she said was, unnatural. She described herself as a bird in a gilded cage, unable to fly free. Much, less deathly, weakens our immunity.
Afraid of losing her medical insurance and job, which paid the bills, Steele didn't speak publicly about her illness. Using the guise of vacations, she had surgery and chemotherapy. She knew management wouldn't understand. She'd lose her job. She'd lose her medical insurance, if she lost her job. She had to pay the bills. Radio is no place for the imperfect, unless you are management.
Remembering Alison Steele takes listeners back to a mystical state of sleepless nights and a spiritual connection. The Nightbird eased the homesicknesssmall town girls or big town boys, now in the big city, looking to make it. Alison Steele offered a connection, to the city and the world, gave solace.
Her destiny is the destiny of many radio entertainers: wrung dry and discarded. Steele gave her all. From the depths her soul, she gave. Then, when deserving more money, fewer mindless hassles or ill, discarded as a worn-out shoe, soul clinging to boot, but not forgotten. Can anyone recall the name a hassling, discriminating radio manager? Be specific, now, "All," doesn't count as a correct answer. Who doesn't know Alison Steele?
Note: Alison Steele is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, under the name Allison Steele. Djs are selected, for membership, by the staff of the Hall. Steele was selected for her work at WNEW-FM and contributions to radio in the 1970s.
JR Hafer writes from his home in central Florida.
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text:
Leaked internal google dart email
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mark S. Miller <email@example.com>
Date: Tue, Nov 16, 2010 at 3:44 PM
Subject: "Future of Javascript" doc from our internal "JavaScript Summit"
last week
To: firstname.lastname@example.com
On November 10th and 11th, a number of Google teams representing a variety
of viewpoints on client-side languages met to agree on a common vision for
the future of Javascript.
This document
is the result. It was first announced on Buzz at
Please forward this message to people and groups that should know about
this. This internal list, email@example.com, is the place we
should have the Google-wide discussion of this document and these issues. If
you'd like to join this discussion, please subscribe at <
Executive Summary
Javascript has fundamental flaws that cannot be fixed merely by evolving the
language. We'll adopt a two-pronged strategy for the future of Javascript:
- Harmony (low risk/low reward): continue working in conjunction with
TC39 (the EcmaScript standards body) to evolve Javascript
- Dash (high risk/high reward): Develop a new language (called Dash) that
aims to maintain the dynamic nature of Javascript but have a better
performance profile and be amenable to tooling for large projects. Push for
Dash to become an open standard and be adopted by other browsers. Developers
using Dash tooling will be able to use a cross-compiler to target Javascript
for browsers that do not support Dash natively.
That's the 10,000 foot overview. For more detail (including an FAQ), read
Future of Javascript State of affairs Building delightful applications on
the web today is far too difficult. The cyclone of innovation is
increasingly moving off the web onto iOS and other closed platforms.
Javascript has been a part of the web platform since its infancy, but the
web has begun to outgrown it. The web development community has been
backed into using large amounts of JS largely to work around the
deficiencies in the platform. Complex web apps--the kind that Google
specializes in--are struggling against the platform and working with a
language that cannot be tooled and has inherent performance problems. Even
smaller-scale apps written by hobbyist developers have to navigate a
confusing labyrinth of frameworks and incompatible design patterns.
The web has succeeded historically to some extent in spite of the web
platform, based primarily on the strength of its reach. The emergence of
compelling alternative platforms like iOS has meant that the web platform
must compete on its merits, not just its reach. Javascript as it exists
today will likely not be a viable solution long-term. Something must
Overview of two-pronged solution
There are two ways to approach the problem: either we can try to evolve
Javascript, or we can push for a new language that addresses core problems
in Javascript that can't be repaired easily or quickly.
The "evolve Javascript" option is relatively low risk, but even in the best
case it will take years and will be limited by fundamental problems in the
language (like the existence of a single Number primitive). Javascript has
historical baggage that cannot be solved without a clean break. Thus,
although it's low risk, it's also relatively low reward.
The "clean break" option is extremely high risk--it will be a huge challenge
to convince other browser vendors to rally around a new language--but is the
only way to escape the historic problems with Javascript. Thus, its high
risk is matched by the potential for a very high reward--a classic leapfrog
Pursuing either strategy in isolation is likely to fail. The evolve
Javascript strategy, if executed in isolation, leaves the web in a hobbled
state and unable to compete against the encroachment of other, less open
platforms. The clean break strategy, in isolation, would leave us in an
undesirable situation if it were to fail--Javascript evolution would have
slowed down or evolved in undesirable ways without our support, we would
still have the fundamental flaws, and--worst of all--Google's leadership
position on the web would be seriously damaged.
The only solution is to execute the two strategies in parallel. When the
leapfrog attempt succeeds (that is, it is an open standard and browsers
covering a majority of market share implement it), web programmers will have
a viable and superior alternative to JavaScript.
Harmony: Evolving Javascript
It is paramount that Google continue to maintain a leadership position on
important open web standards such as Harmony. Harmony is the name of the
agreed trajectory of EcmaScript in TC39. Our JS++ project (part of the
larger Parkour project) will join with our Caja project's efforts to advance
Harmony. Together, we will focus on improving the public Harmony spec and
helping drive it forward at a faster pace in external standard committees
and by leading by example in Chrome wherever possible.
In order to help speed up what can be a long and drawn out standardization
process, the internal Harmony effort will experiment using a preprocessor
on top of V8 to prototype features in a way that allows real code to be
written against the proposal. Details of this approach are yet to be
determined. The effort will also work with other browser vendors (e.g.
Mozilla) to get experimental support included, providing further pressure to
get Harmony standardized and widely implemented quickly. Harmony will be
implemented in V8 and JSC (Safari) simultaneously to avoid a WebKit
compatibility gap.
Developers who can focus solely on Chrome can expect to be able to see some
Harmony features in Chrome (behind a flag) by the middle of 2011. Developers
focusing on all browsers will have to wait multiple years for direct Harmony
support, due to the relatively slow pace of the standardization process. To
enable Harmony developers to target all earlier browsers, we will enhance
our source-to-source translators (such as Caja's ES5-to-ES3 translator) to
translate from a large subset of Harmony to earlier versions of JavaScript.
Harmony will continue to be evangelized by Google externally as the
evolution of Javascript. The audience for Harmony is developers currently
building on the web platform who wish to write standards-compliant
JavaScript. GWT, JSCompiler, and Caja continue to offer tooling support for
Harmony for those that need it.
Dash: The Clean Break
Dash is the leapfrog effort that is designed to be a clean break from
Javascript. It will seek to keep the parts that have made the Internet so
successful, but fill in holes everyone agrees it has.
Dash is designed with three perspectives in mind:
- Performance -- Dash is designed with performance characteristics in
mind, so that it is possible to create VMs that do not have the performance
problems that all EcmaScript VMs must have.
- Developer Usability -- Dash is designed to keep the dynamic,
easy-to-get-started, no-compile nature of Javascript that has made the web
platform the clear winner for hobbyist developers.
- Ability to be Tooled -- Dash is designed to be more easily tooled (e.g.
with optional types) for large-scale projects that require
code-comprehension features such as refactoring and finding callsites.
Dash, however, does not require tooling to be effective--small-scale
developers may still be satisfied with a text editor.
Dash is also designed to be securable, where that ability does not seriously
conflict with the three main goals.
Dash will be designed to be consumed in a number of locations:
- Browser VM -- Our aspiration is that Dash will ultimately be a viable
substitute for Javascript as the native client-side language of choice
across all browsers.
- Front-end Server -- Dash will be designed as a language that can be
used server-side for things up to the size of Google-scale Front Ends. This
will allow large scale applications to unify on a single language for client
and front end code.
- Dash Cross Compiler -- Dash will be designed so that a large subset of
it can be compiled to target legacy Javascript platforms so teams that
commit to using Dash do not have to seriously limit their reach. Platforms
that have a Dash VM can operate on the original Dash code without
translation and take advantage of the increased performance. One of the
ways we will evolve Harmony is to be a better target for such compiled Dash
The goal of the Dash effort is ultimately to replace JavaScript as the
lingua franca of web development on the open web platform. We will
proactively evangelize Dash with web developers and all other browser
vendors and actively push for its standardization and adoption across the
board. This will be a difficult effort requiring finesse and
determination, but we are committed to doing everything possible to help it
While Dash is catching on with other browsers, we will promote it as the
language for serious web development on the web platform; the compiler
allows such developers to target other browsers before those browsers
implement Dash.
The Dash language effort will be driven by Lars Bak and his team in the
Aarhus office. Bruce Johnson's team in Atlanta will handle the tooling, and
Pavel Feldman in STP will provide Web Inspector level support for Dash and
Dash will be spec complete and have working bits for the browser in Q1 2011.
Developers who can focus solely on Chrome can expect to be able to rely on
some Dash features built into Chrome within a year. Developers focusing on
all browsers will have to make use of the Dash cross compiler to target
other browsers, and, depending on the success of the evangelizing effort,
might have to wait years for other browsers to implement native support for
Although Dash is in the early stages of development, work is progressing
rapidly. You can learn more about the current proposal in this
FAQ Who authored this document?
Brad Abrams, Erik Arvidsson, Lars Bak, Darin Fisher, Dimitri Glazkov, Dan
Grove, Peter Hallam, Bruce Johnson, Alex Komoroske, John Lenz, Kasper Lund,
Mark Miller , Ivan Posva, Alex Russell, and Joel Webber, who collectively
represent TC39 (the EcmaScript standards body), WebKit, Parkour, Brightly,
JSPrime, JS++, Closure, JSCompiler, V8, Dash, Joy, and GWT, among others.
What happened to JSPrime?
The JSPrime effort was begun to unify and be a (single!) successor to GWT
and Closure/JSCompiler, suitable for large-scale development inside and
outside Google, including being amenable to IDE-like tools and static
compiler optimizations. The JSPrime team is happily folding its efforts into
Dash now that everyone agrees Dash will explicitly include the same goals.
What happened to JS++?
The collection of features under the JS++ umbrella have been folded into
Google efforts around the Harmony Javascript effort. We continue to seek
to improve the Javascript language to allow developers to better take
advantage of our DOM improvements. This is a better plan because it gives
us fewer independent Javascript evolution vectors.
What happened to Joy?
The Joy templating and MVC systems are higher-level frameworks that will be
built on top of Dash.
Where can I learn more about Dash?
Dash is still in the early stages of development, but work is progressing
rapidly. For an early look at the current proposal, see this
How will Dash interoperate with the huge body of existing JavaScript
(JQuery, Analytics, etc)
Moving to a new language will be a very large undertaking. The specifics of
how inter-operation with current Javascript would work is still an open
What about the existing code bases for large Google Apps? Won't they have
to rebuild everything to take advantage of Dash?
The Dash Cross Compiler should be capable of taking typed Closure code (with
some restrictions) and converting to Dash. Although the migration process
won't be fully automatic, it should make moving over to a Dash codebase
somewhat easier.
How does this affect Web Inspector?
Web inspector will continue to support Javascript including any new features
of Harmony that we add to chrome.
How does this affect our cloud IDE (Brightly)?
Brightly will enable building any web application in V1 using today's
Javascript plus the additions in Harmony. As soon as it is ready, Brightly
will support Dash as well. We expect that the more prescriptive development
aspects of Brightly that will come on line in the future will be more Dash
We expect Brightly itself to be the first application written in Dash.
How will we get Harmony related changes into Chrome?
Very carefully ;-). V8 is carefully tuned for speed with the current
Javascript standard rather than flexibility--this makes it very difficult to
make experimental changes. We are considering pre-processors and a number
of other options, but ultimately the precise solution is still an open
What about Go?
Go is a very promising systems-programming language in the vein of C++. We
fully hope and expect that Go becomes the standard back-end language at
Google over the next few years. Dash is focused on client (and eventually
Front-end server development). The needs there are different (flexibility
vs. stability) and therefore a different programming language is warranted.
Will Dash run on the Server? Android?
Yes, but short term we are focused on the client.
Does Dash replace Java?
For many projects that will be a viable option but it requires significant
engineering effort on Dash tooling and an extensive set of libraries.
Is Dash statically typed and toolable?
Dash is optionally-typed and with judicious use of types is as toolable as
Java. This enables "grown up" developer tools such as code-refactoring,
while still allowing small-scale or experimental projects the flexibility
that dynamism provides.
What is the future of the JSCompiler and GWT?
JSCompiler and GWT were already on a merger path. This effort gives us a
direction for that unification around the Dash language. We will actively
support teams for a long time on the current generation of JSCompiler and
GWT and provide fantastic co-existence and migration tools to Dash.
Why are you killing Javascript?
We are not! Google has a huge interest in keeping the evolution of
Javascript on track. In fact, our investment in TC39 (the Javascript
standards body) will likely increase somewhat, and we will continue to
honestly and whole-heartedly improve the language within the constraints.
What are the time frames?
The Dash VM and Dash Cross Compiler will be developed in parallel with the
language specification, and so should be available not long after the spec
is settled (likely in early 2011). However, the initial versions will not
be heavily optimized (and thus not necessarily ready for production apps)
until later (likely later 2011).
Experimental Harmony features will begin showing up in Chrome (behind a
flag) by midway through 2011, and will later be implemented simultaneously
in V8 and JSC (Safari's Javascript engine) to avoid a WebKit compatibility
Why do you have two projects? Why not just one?
See the section above about why we're pursuing a two-pronged strategy.
What will Google developers be using?
We will strongly encourage Google developers start off targeting Chrome-only
whenever possible as this gives us the best end user experience. However,
for some apps this will not make sense, so we are building a compiler for
Dash that targets Javascript (ES3). We intend for existing Google teams
using GWT and JSCompiler to eventually migrate to the Dash compiler.
What if other browsers don't follow us with Dash?
Lars has promised to "sweet talk" the other browser vendors and, while we
are all eager to see this, we recognize this is a very difficult road. Our
approach is to make an absolutely fantastic VM/Language and development
environment and build great apps that fully leverage it in order to help
other browsers see the wisdom in following. Once Dash has had a chance to
prove its stability and feasibility, we are committed to making Dash an open
standard with involvement from the broader web community.
However, in the event that other browsers don't follow, Dash can still be a
success. Developers that target only Chrome can rely on the Dash VM, and
developers that target other browsers as well can still make use of the Dash
compiler. In this event, the wider web will be stuck with Javascript as the
standard language--and that's precisely why we must continue investing in
evolving Javascript.
Why are you circumventing the standards process?
We fully intend to cooperate fully with standards processes--the problem is
that the current standard processes are limited to Javascript, which is not
viable in the long term. Any effort with the historic baggage that
Javascript has will be extremely limited. We need to make a clean break,
make progress, and then engage the community.
What will we say at Google IO about Dash/Harmony?
Google deeply cares about the web. We care about making the web
incrementally better today (Harmony) as well as making it substantially
better in the future (Dash). Large scale applications should probably build
on Dash; smaller-scale developers might want to stick with Harmony until the
Dash standard gains ubiquity. Given that Dash is such a big bet we are
likely to spend much more time at IO on Dash, though of course we will spend
some time on the leadership position Google is taking in Harmony.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
As mangrove trees lose ground to deforestation and urban sprawl, one development seems to be giving them a boost: climate change. Fewer winter cold snaps have enabled them to conquer new territory around their northern Florida boundary, according to a study of 28 years of satellite data from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and the University of Maryland published on December 30, 2013, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
An estimated 35 percent of the world's mangroves have been destroyed since 1980, according to previous research, outstripping tropical rainforests and coral reefs. They are also some of the planet's most valuable ecosystems. Mangroves protect coastal cities from floods and hurricanes. Their above-ground roots shelter many commercially valuable fisheries, including blue crabs, shrimp and lobsters. And they are phenomenal at burying carbon. The soils of coastal ecosystems like mangroves can store carbon at a rate 50 times higher than tropical rainforests. Scientists have estimated their total ecosystem services value more than $1.6 trillion a year – making the expansion a possible blessing.
"Some people may say this is a good thing, because of the tremendous threats that mangroves face," said the study's lead author, Kyle Cavanaugh, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland. "But this is not taking place in a vacuum. The mangroves are replacing salt marshes, which have important ecosystem functions and food webs of their own."
The study tracked the expansion of mangroves in Florida using 28 years of satellite imagery. The northern edge of their range sits at 30 degrees north latitude, just north of St. Augustine. The research team analyzed satellite data from 1984 to 2011 showing where Florida's mangrove territory shrank or grew, from St. Augustine in the north to Miami's Biscayne Bay in the south. Then they compared that data with temperature recordings at eight coastal weather stations along Florida's eastern shore.
Between 1984 and 2011, the Florida Atlantic coast gained more than 3,000 acres (1,240 hectares) of mangroves. All the increase occurred north of Palm Beach County. Between Cape Canaveral National Seashore and St. Augustine, the northernmost part of their territory, the mangroves' area doubled.
The key difference was not warmer average temperatures, but a decrease in extreme cold events, when the temperature dropped below -4 degrees C (28.4 degrees F). Traditionally, hard freezes have held mangroves in check. But in the north, cold snaps are becoming less frequent. Between the study's first five years and its last five years, northern Daytona Beach recorded 1.4 fewer days per year when temperatures fell below -4 degrees C. Meanwhile the number of killing frosts in southern Florida was unchanged.
Much of the newly conquered territory is covered with salt marshes, which thrive in more temperate climates. Like mangroves, salt marshes buffer floods, store atmospheric carbon and provide crucial habitat for wildlife. But not all animals can survive in both types of habitat. If mangroves were to take over the salt marshes, the authors say it is unclear what that would mean for the rest of life in the ecosystem.
"This is what we would expect to see happening with climate change, one ecosystem replacing another," said Dan Gruner, a co-author from the University of Maryland at College Park. "But at this point we don't have enough information to predict what the long-term consequences will be."
James Kellner of Brown University and Ilka Feller of the Smithsonian contributed to the research.
Check the following link to read/download the Full Study – "Poleward Expansion of Mangroves is a Threshold Response to Decreased Frequency of Extreme Cold Events":
Source: Smithsonian Institution.


text:
We would like to sincerely thank Hank Friedman for his tremendous support in helping us test, polish and improve AstroApp. Many of his suggestions have been implemented in the latest AstroApp releases. Some of the features such as the Vedic module, additional chart styles and so on wouldn't have been possible without Hank's contributions and without his invaluable insight into the world of the modern astrology software.
We would like to thank Helmer Aslaksen (National University of Singapore) for allowing us to borrow some of the applet materials from his course on Heavenly Mathematics and Cultural Astronomy.
We also would like to thank David R. Roell of AstroAmerica.com for all of his support and for his numerous suggestions for improving AstroApp.
Our special thanks go to Christopher Warnock (Renaissance Astrology / renaissanceastrology.com). His support, suggestions and recommendations have been absolutely instrumental in developing the AstroApp Basic Edition and also in implementing many of our traditional astrology features.


text:
Become a CBN partner and receive The Transforming Word: Verses to Overcome Fear and Experience Peace, our special DVD/CD gift to you.
CBN Partners are making a difference sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Find out how.
CBN.com When Johnny and Janice Pridgen met over 30 years ago. They knew it was meant to be.
"I met Johnny when I was sixteen," says Janice. "He said to me one day, 'It don't matter how long it takes for me to get you, we're going to be together.'"
Johnny and Janice married and started their new life together. Everything was picture perfect until Janice's health started to decline. One day she woke up and the left side of her body was paralyzed.
"My left side went numb, and I had a facial pull," Janice says. "Looked like I had a stroke."
Janice began to lose the ability to walk on her own. She went to a neurologist. After a series of tests, doctors diagnosed her with chronic progressive multiple sclerosis.
"I was very concerned 'cause I loved her with all my heart," says Johnny.
But could Johnny's love weather the storm that they now faced?
"She even offered, 'You can leave, you know. You don't have to stay here with me and be with a sick woman the rest of your life.' There was no way I was going to do that," says Johnny.
That would be the type of commitment that Janice would need. Soon she no longer could care for herself. She was paralyzed from the waist down -- a paraplegic. She lost the ability to control her bodily functions. Within four years Janice was totally bedridden.
"I couldn't make beds, I couldn't wash clothes, I couldn't do anything," she says. "I was just bound."
Janice couldn't go anywhere without the aid of her wheelchair. Because of the disease, Janice suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure. Plus, the medications made her gain weight.
"He was spending $1200 a month in medicines. I was taking 42 pills a day and two shots," she says.
One year Janice spent a total of six months in the hospital but the disease grew worse. In 1999 she went into a diabetic coma and almost died.
"Every time they would say that was it, it seems like God would come on the scene and lift me up a little bit higher," she says.
Johnny never stopped praying for his wife to be healed but Janice's prayers were different.
"For a long time Janice would not pray for healing," says Johnny. "She would make me so mad. I'd say, 'Why won't you pray and ask God to heal you?' She said that she felt like God was going to use this in her life to touch somebody else's life."
In spite of it all, Johnny and Janice believed that Janice would one day walk again.
"Lot of times we pray, and we didn't see results," says Janice. "But I still kept the faith. I kept telling them that 'one day I'm going to walk again.'"
Janice and Johnny faithfully attended their local church when she was able. On May 23rd 2004, the Pridgens went to church as usual. It was like any other Sunday. Pastor David Hodge was preaching, and the Pridgens were enjoying the Gospel message. But then something happened.
"God said, 'Get up. You're going to walk today on Holy ground.' And so I said, 'Oh, my God. Today is my day.' It just all of a sudden was so overwhelming. I couldn't believe that I was going to walk. After 14 years, you're going to really walk."
Janice remembers the exact moment when she began to walk. "I remember holding onto the pews but I when I got to the top front pew, God told me to turn a'loose. I did and I walked up to the banister."
"You talk about setting a church on fire," says Johnny. "When she began to walk, boy, that whole church began to shout and praising the Lord."
"I walked around the church three times that day," says Janice.
When Janice and Johnny left church that day, they were able to hold hands and walk together for the first time in 14 years.
"I remember telling her, 'It's been a long time since we took a walk together,'" says Johnny.
After church Janice and Johnny rushed to visit their daughter and granddaughter Nichole. Nichole had never seen her grandmother walk before!
"She started walking towards us and then we ran down there [and] gave her a hug," Nichole says. "I was so happy she finally could walk. I give thanks to God."
After their visit, Janice told her husband to take the wheelchair into the barn. "I'm not getting back in that chair," she declared.
True to her promise, Janice hasn't used that wheelchair since she was healed in May of 2004. Even her physical therapist, Harry, was quick to give credit where credit is due.
"There was no form of therapy or any medical science that I knew of that would ever have her walking again," says Harry. "Her miracle is due to the Lord. There's no doubt in my mind about that. She has the strongest faith of anyone I've ever known in my life."
Today Janice is rebuilding her leg muscles. She is getting stronger and stronger everyday. She's glad to be active again doing things she hasn't done in 14 years -- like driving. But most of all….
"The one thing that I looked forward to the most after I got healed was cooking," she says, "because I wanted to cook my husband a wonderful meal because he had taken care of me so long."
Whether people call it a miracle or skeptics call it remission, Janice doesn't mind. She just knows that Jesus has touched her life. "Everyday you don't hear about somebody getting picked up out of a wheelchair, but God lifted me up out of a wheelchair after fourteen years. You just read that one little part in the Bible, 'By my stripes you are healed.' You just keep on believing in that."
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.


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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - As COVID-19 cases fall and the number of people fully vaccinated rises, many wonder when the state and county will begin to roll back restrictions placed during the pandemic.
"We're definitely not there yet," said Dr. Abisola Olulade with Sharp Rees-Stealy, when asked if it's time to toss the masks. "I think this is the end of the beginning of the Pandemic."
Dr. Olulade says, even as hundreds of thousands of San Diegans get the vaccine, there's still a lot we don't know about exactly how much protection it provides. Some studies have shown that it can slow the transmission of the virus, but they are not conclusive.
"We still have to remember that you may be able to transmit (the virus), and you may be able to spread it still," said Dr. Olulade. "It just means that we have to have more resilience to protect others in our community."
The CDC says they're working to "learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work in real-world conditions," and that they "don't yet know whether getting a COVID-19 vaccine will prevent you from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to other people, even if you don't get sick yourself."
Until that information is available, their website says people who have gotten the vaccine should wear masks, wash hands, avoid gatherings, and stay at least six feet away from others. But they may release new guidelines this week for people who are vaccinated.
Meanwhile, NIH Director Dr. Anthony Fauci says he feels people who have been vaccinated should be allowed to gather in small groups without masks. He's called on the CDC to update their findings.
There is also the issue of herd immunity, where people who aren't vaccinated still get protection from the large percentage of people who are.
According to the World Health Organization,researchers are still trying to determine what that percentage should be for COVID-19. For measles, it's 95%. For polio, it's 80%.
Right now, the U.S. only has roughly 8% of the population fully vaccinated.
That means it could be months until mask mandates and business closures end nationwide, even as states like Texas and Mississippi repeal their restrictions.
But Dr. Olulade says she's hopeful that the steps we took to get this far will carry us to the finish line.
"The virus is not what has all the power," she said. "We have a lot of power. So it depends on us and our ability to continue to follow these guidelines and measures and realize that we're not at the end."
This story originally reported by Jared Aarons on 10News.com.


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All dressed in white, the medina of Tangier continues to seduce its visitors and to fascinate artists: from Delacroix to Bacon, William Burroughs and the Rolling Stones.
Influenced by cultures around the Mediterranean, Tangier is the main gate of Morocco to Europe. This is explained largely by its opening on the end of the Strait of Gibraltar and nearby Spanish coast.
Full of life, the medina of Tangier will charm you with its riads located near the Place du Petit Socco and numerous cafes before you surprised by the Grand Socco Square or the Mendoubia Gardens.


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Capitalize on low hanging fruit to identify a ballpark value added activity to beta test. Override the digital divide with additional clickthroughs from DevOps. Nanotechnology immersion along the information highway will close the loop on focusing solely on the bottom line.
Collaboratively administrate empowered markets via plug-and-play networks after installed base benefits.


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The factors instrumental in triggering latent tuberculosis (TB) infection to progress into active disease have long remained elusive to researchers. New insight into the mystery is provided by Professor David Russell, speaking at the Society for General Microbiology's spring meeting in Edinburgh today. His work could help develop innovative strategies for treating the disease.
Professor Russell and his group at Cornell University in New York, USA, have demonstrated that TB-causing bacteria are able to hijack fat metabolism in the host to drive the progression of the disease. The team's research shows that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is able to stimulate macrophages – the immune cells the bacterium infects – to accumulate fat droplets, turning them into "foamy" cells. This cellular transformation can trigger a reawakening of the TB infection from its latent state.
Following initial infection by Mtb, the infected immune cells in the body can clump together in the lungs in a cellular mass that is surrounded by a fibrous cuff. This containing structure, called a tubercle, physically protects the bacteria from being destroyed by the immune system. This allows them to persist inside the host for years during a latent period in which the host shows no symptoms. The respiratory infection is reactivated only in a small percentage of individuals (often those who are immunosuppressed) in whom it progressively destroys lung tissue. Very little is known about the exact causes of reactivation and the relative roles of the host and the pathogen.
Professor Russell's group discovered that inside the tubercle, surface molecules of Mtb prompted host macrophage cells to take up vast quantities of cholesterol-type lipids from the surrounding blood vessels. "We think that the lipids in the newly-formed foamy cell are then expelled into the cellular environment, which contributes to the collapse of the tubercle," he said.
Once freed from their containing structure, the infectious bacteria are able to leak out into the airways where they can progressively destroy lung tissue. "If our model is correct, it has huge implications for vaccines and chemotherapy programmes. A more detailed knowledge of the bacterium's life cycle and its host interactions will allow us to spot new targets for drugs – opening up new possibilities for treatment," said Professor Russell.


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With the purchase of this collection you will receive four 5 mL bottles: One Marquis, mecke, mandelin and ehrlich reagent, as well as a testing vial, reaction identification cards, and instructions on how to use the reagents.
Each bottle is good for over 50 tests
(For a list of compounds that are testable using this kit, please just message us and we will quickly reply)
PLEASE READ: By purchasing these reagents you acknowledge that you have the knowledge and skill required to handle the chemicals contained within them. These reagents contain corrosive chemicals such as sulfuric acid and must be handled properly.Proper lab attire must be used at all time when using them. Please use gloves and safety goggles. By purchasing these reagents you are contractually agreeing that you are liable for the safe handling of the reagents, and that the seller is not responsible for your use(or misuse) of them.


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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — GreenEarth Cleaning, a company specializing in environmentally friendly drycleaning processes, was recently awarded a U.S. Patent for the development of an anti-viral cleaning methodology which has been incorporated into the GreenEarth Cleaning System.
The patent enables GreenEarth affiliates to integrate vaporization into the drycleaning cycle to deliver the highest level of protection from current and future lipid-layer viruses.
"In the spring of 2020, after the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, we contracted with MRI Global, an independent laboratory approved for testing with Sars-CoV-2," says Tim Maxwell, president of GreenEarth Cleaning.
"Our intent was to determine the effectiveness of our system in penetrating the lipid layer of the coronavirus using a high drying temperature of 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) for 30 minutes. We were surprised when the initial reports showed only a 14.28 percent deactivation efficacy with heat alone. So, we went back to the drawing board."
Initially, through manipulation of the washing, extraction, and drying steps, GreenEarth was able to achieve deactivation levels of 75 percent. In response to that result, GreenEarth created a silicone vapor program component that achieved a deactivation level greater than 98 percent on SARS-CoV-2 contaminated wool fabrics.
"Once we solidified the vaporization and process and attained this result on a consistent basis, we added the anti-viral cleaning methodology to our suite of offerings available to GreenEarth affiliates," says Maxwell. "We continue to achieve extremely high viral eradication without adding aggressive chemistry. With this innovation, we are providing an expanded level of care without doing harm to the environment, people, or their garments."
Early in 2023, GreenEarth technical support began incorporating the necessary program modifications into all GreenEarth affiliate machines.
"With this advancement, we feel that our affiliates are better prepared for the potential arrival of any possible new variant of COVID or the next virus," adds Maxwell.


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Chrome: It's no secret that Adblock Plus is one of our favorite add-ons, and it does a lot of cool things. However, it's definitely memory hungry, and can slow your system down. If you want a leaner alternative that still keeps the web clean and protects your privacy, try uBlock (or rather, µBlock.)
µBlock works on any Chromium-based browser, so you can use it in Google Chrome proper, or in Chromium for other platforms (like Linux). Once installed, the app works very similarly to Adblock Plus; it'll block ads for you, uses the same lists (namely EasyList, EasyPrivacy, Malware Domains, and more—or you can add and customize your own sources to block), and overall keeps your browsing experience clean and trim. There's one notable difference though—µBlock uses significantly less resources than Adblock Plus. Of course, its feature set is also a bit lighter—it doesn't do quite everything that ABP does, but if the reason you have ABP installed is primarily for adblocking and privacy protection, it'll do the trick.
As with any extension of its type, the add-on requires heavy permissions to work. The developer explains those permissions in detail here, and answers questions about the tool and its features here (including comparing it to ABP). If you're curious how much memory you're actually going to get back his efficiency comparison is a good read, too. Hit the link below to give it a try, or read more about it over at GitHub.


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The MacCarthys and the Nine Years War in Munster. 1595-1603
The Nine Years saw the final conquest of Gaelic Ireland by the Elizabethans. John Dorney looks at how it affected one powerful family – the MacCarthys.
For the background to late 16th century Munster and the MacCarthy clans see here.
For the fortunes of the MacCarthys since the Munster Plantation see here.
The Nine Years War was a convulsion that rocked Ireland from 1595 to 1603. It left an unknown number, but certainly tens of thousands dead. It was also a vital turning point in both the history of Ireland and the MacCarthy clans. The war, which was begun by the Gaelic Lords of Ulster to prevent the intrusion of English government into their territories, rapidly spread to the rest of Ireland and very nearly extinguished the English presence there.
The war was the zenith of Gaelic power but also the final victory for the English in Ireland. For the MacCarthys it presented risks and complicated choices.
However, by the end of the conflict in 1603, all of Ireland was for the first time under the real control of the English government in Dublin. Its close marks a decisive end to the Gaelic order of autonomous, armed, lordships based on kin groupings. Thus, it could be said, the war was the zenith of Gaelic political conquest but also marked the final victory of the English state in Ireland.
For the MacCarthy clans, lords of what is now Cork and Kerry, the war presented a complicated set of choices and risks. Back the northern rebels and there might just be a chance of removing the English, their interfering officials and rapacious settlers. Back the English and there was a better chance of coming out on the winning side but also the risk of alienating discontented followers. A wrong move at any time could see a rival MacCarthy back the other side and try to wrest the lordship from your grasp.
The two smaller MacCarthy lordships –Carbery and Muskerry, managed more or less to stay out of the conflict but the largest lordship that of MacCarthy Mór, was torn apart by the rivalry between two rival claimants to the lordship – Donal MacCathy –illegitimate son of the late MacCarthy Mór – Florence MacCarthy Reagh, tainiste of Carberry – who was elligible for the position by marriage to the lord's daughter. The two used both the rebels and the English to further their claims – a policy that ended in partial triumph for one and disaster for the other.
The Early years of the War 1595-98
The opening skirmishes of the Nine Years War took place in Ulster in February 1595 with Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone, joining his Ulster allies in attacking the English fort on the Blackwater river. In May of that year he ambushed and mauled an English column at Clontibret in Monaghan.[1]
On July the 8th, Florence MacCarthy, who was, at the time lobbying in London, wrote to Robert Cecil, advertising the fact that his younger brother (Dermot Moyle) had been sent with 3-400 men to serve against the rebels with the Lord President[2]. He voiced the opinion to Cecil that Tyrone would probably accept terms of a settlement but, '[Hugh] O'Donnell and the rest of those fools are grown into such extreme pride and folly by reason that they have neither wit, knowledge or experience to judge or weight Her Majesty's power that they stand upon great terms'.[3]
He added that he did not know O'Neill, but did know O'Donnell and could negotiate with him to, 'bring him to some good conformity'. The two had met in prison in Dublin in 1588, O'Donnell having been arrested the previous year and Florence being held there en route to the Tower of London. Also, he offered to use his kinsmen in Spain to learn the intentions of the Spaniards with regard to Ireland[4].
But there was another aspirant lord of the MacCarthys. Early in 1598, Donal MacCarthy, the late MacCarthy Mor's illegitiimate son, took in 500 bonnaght mercenaries from the rebels and proclaimed himself MacCarthy Mór, thus upping the stakes in the inheritance dispute[5].
In 1598 Donal MacCarthy was recognised by the rebels as MacCarthy Mór. Florence offered the English to 'recover my people freinds and followers', if they would back his claim.
Florence MacCarthy wrote to London that Donal had 'a kind of superiority' over the people of south Munster by virtue of being MacCarthy Mór.[6] But if he (Florence) was overlord of the area, he could command all the MacCarthy septs including Muskerry, Dowalla and Clan MacDonnell and could 'recover' those of his 'people, friends and followers' who were in rebellion. [7]
The situation throughout Ireland was transformed on the 14th of August 1598, when the Ulster confederates all but wiped out an English army under Bagenal at the battle of the Yellow Ford, making the rebels, temporarily, the strongest force in the country. It was not long before the war came to Munster.
In October 1598, Hugh O'Neill sent mercenary contingents totalling about 3,000 men to Munster under Captain Tirell. William Weever, an English official, reported that O'Neill promised to restore all the Irish lords to their lands, 'before English government'.[8]
O'Neill's forces on their way south, 'burnt and spoiled the most part of the country towns and villages in the county of Limerick' and overturned the Munster Plantation almost without a fight. Ormonde complained to the Queen that the English undertakers had 'most shamefully forsaken' their castles and estates and fled to the towns for safety.[9] The Annals of the Four Masters record that,
'As the country was left in the power of the Irish on this occasion … in the course of seventeen days they left not, within the length or breadth of the country of the Geraldines … which the Saxons had well cultivated and filled with habitations and various wealth, a single son of a Saxon whom they did not either kill or expel.'[10]
Of the Irish lords, only a handful, Barry, Muskerry, MacCarthy Reagh (Donal na Pipi) and FitzEdmunde remained loyal to the English.[11] Even if the lords tried to stay out of the rebellion, their followers did not; 'the most part of the followers of the said noblemen and gentry went to the enemy'.[12]
O'Neill's raiders offered the Earldom of Desmond to James Fitzthomas Fitzgerald on the authority of O'Neill while Donal MacCarthy was also proclaimed MacCarthy Mór. Not everyone accepted the imposition though. O'Sullivan Mór, MacCarthy Mor's principle úir-rí or sub-lord, refused to give him the Rod, as he was allied to Florence MacCarthy[13].
Ormonde wrote that on the attack on the rebels, the Undertakers in Munster, 'have most shamefully forsaken their castle and estates' and fled to the towns.
For the rival MacCarthys, there were really two wars afoot. One was the nationwide conflict between the English and the Ulster confederation led by Hugh O'Neill. A war with the sovereignty of Ireland, religious supremecy and cultural identity at stake. The other, closer to home and much more pressing, was who would be MacCarthy Mor. Donal had played his hand by siding with the rebels, so Florence now pressed home his claim with the English – appealing for support in order to resist Donal, 'the Earl's bastard'.
Playing both sides
The English authorities were not blind to the risks of their new strategy. Florence had been granted Desmond because, 'the country is so far out as is already, and the lands he claimed possessed by rebels', that Queen Elizabeth I had decided to have him, 'assist her service…, [rather] than to make him desperate'. The grant of land and title was to be revoked if; his arrival, 'may be dangerous to our service', his position, 'gives him too great a greatness hereafter', or if his authority 'does abridge ye superiority over other Lords'.[14] He should also be officially given the title MacCarthy Mór, 'which the bastard Donal do now usurp., withholding thereby the country…to the end that he [Florence] might…induce the country people to forsake the rebels'.[15]
Florence MacCarthy used English funds to hire 5-600 mercenaries from Connacht[16] and met the rebels, purportedly to 'parle' with them on the government's behalf. He was escorted to their camp. at Dowalla by Tirell and Pierce óg De Lacy of Limerick. 'When I came, it passes how joyful they all were of my coming; only they misliked my mine English attire; but [they disliked] much more my piercing speeches on Her Majesty's behalf, and against their foolish, senseless and damned action, to the undoing of themselves and all near them'.[17]
The following morning, Florence asked them to stop. backing 'base Donal' against him, and hand over 'his country' (Desmond) which they agreed to as long as he joined them. However, Florence refused and left the camp.[18]
Florence MacCarthy told the English that 'the people of the country' were 'almost altogether for me'. But this was not necessarily as a result of persuasion. According to the testimony of a local man named John Annias, Florence had been terrorising the subordinate lords into recognising him as MacCarthy Mór. Stafford quotes him as saying that Florence instructed the his sub-lords to proclaim him MacCarthy Mór and sent his troops to plunder those who did not.[19]
Hugh O'Neill comes to Munster
In January 1600, The Four Masters tell us that, Hugh O'Neill, 'proceeded to the south of Ireland, to confirm his friendship with his allies in the war, and to wreak his vengeance upon his enemies'.[20]
In January 1600, Hugh O'Neill, 'proceeded to the south of Ireland, to confirm his friendship with his allies in the war, and to wreak his vengeance upon his enemies'
Most of the Irish lords submitted to O'Neill, with the exception of Barry. whose territory O'Neill made an example of and, 'traversed, plundered, and burned from one extremity to the other, …so that no one hoped or expected that it could be inhabited for a long time afterwards'.[21]
The Four Masters recorded that all the MacCarthys came to O'Neill's camp., including 'two who were at strife with each other concerning the Lordship of Desmond, namely, the son of MacCarthy Reagh, i.e. Fineen [Florence], the son of Donough, … and MacCarthy Mór, i.e. Donal, son of Donal'.[22]
O'Neill still recognised Donal as MacCarthy Mór at this stage. But Florence, who had built up his military strength over the previous year, succeeded in getting O'Neill to switch his backing to him. Donal MacCarthy, allegedly fumed that Florence was, 'a damn counterfeited Englishman whose only study and practise was to deceive and betray all the Irishmen of Ireland'.[23] But O'Neill was a hard, practical man and simply chose the stronger, better-supported candidate.
According to Stafford in Pacata Hibernia, Florence, 'was sworn on a mass book to be true to Tyrone and prosecute all hostility and cruel war against the English'[24]. Owen O'Sullivan testified to Carew on March 21st 1600 that he had heard Florence say at this time that, 'he had almost as willingly die, as come under English government and persuaded all those he spoke with to be obstinate in action, telling them how long Ireland had been tyrannically governed by Englishmen'.[25]
This may be true, and Florence, who had already been imprisoned without charge in the Tower of London, may even have meant it. As events would show though, Florence was fighting primarily neither the rebels nor the English, but Donal MacCarthy and was willing to use both sides to this end.
In one sense at least, Florence was a committed rebel, and that was because he was determined to be MacCarthy Mór, complete with the traditional powers of that title, a title that the English were determined to sweep away. Even if he had survived the Nine Years War, therefore, Florence may not have found a place for himself in English governed Munster. It is therefore possible, perhaps likely, that he favoured a rebel victory.
In justifying himself to Carew and Cecil later that year, Florence would claim that he co-operated with the rebels only to prevent the destruction of Carberry and himself at their hands[26]. Florence also alleged that he had been forced to deal with O'Neill by the captains of his soldiers, who, 'grew into an uproar, mutinying against me and alleging me to be an infidel and a betrayer of themselves and all the rest of Ireland to Englishmen'[27] This is possible, as it fits with contemporary English reports that all the followers, even of loyal lords, had taken the rebel side.
The truth of Florence's dealings with O'Neill soon reached the English authorities. The Bishop of Cork and the Government of Munster wrote to London that O'Neill was on his way home, 'having made Florence MacCarthy the governor of our province and given him the title of MacCarthy Mór'. He had also left 1,000 mercenaries with Florence under the command of Dermot O'Connor of Connacht [28]
The Lords Justice remarked ruefully, 'we that have known him longest did never look for other fruits of this Spanish heart'[29]. The Bishop of Cork wrote, 'Tyrone…hath deputed …Florence MacCarthy his MacCarthy Mór, the chief commander over the Irishry; and James Fitzthomas his Earl of Desmond over the English-Irish rebels'.[30]
Florence MacCarthy and military campaigns in Munster.
In March 1600, Florence MacCarthy's lands were raided by English troops, who fought a bloody action with his forces
On the 27th of March, Florence met Herbert Power and other English officials two miles outside Cork to explain himself. Evidently, the beleaguered Herbert Power, since the death of Warham St Leger in a skirmish with the rebels, alone as commissioner for Munster, was not impressed by Florence's explanations, or mollified by the ambiguities of his position. All he knew was that the most powerful native lord in Munster had pledged his allegiance to the 'arch-traitor' Tyrone.
As a result, he sent a punitive expedition of 1200 English foot-soldiers, and 100 cavalrymen[31], into Carberry under the command of a Captain Flower, with orders to, 'burn and spoil such as were revolted from their loyalty'[32]. On crossing the Bandon river into Florence's country, the English met with 'a light skirmish' with a party of Florence's men, and killed 12.[33]
Flower's men marched for a week through the lands of Florence MacCarthy and his followers, leaving a trail of devastation and death in their path; "we burned all those parts and had the killing of many of their churles and poor people, leaving not one grain of corn within ten miles of our way wherever we marched and took 500 cows which I caused to be drowned and killed'[34]. War was made brutally in late 16th century Ireland. According to Florence, 'They [the English] did nothing but burn two castles of mine and kill as many men women and children as they found in them, and burned as many villages, houses and corn as appertained to any of my people'[35].
At this point, Flower got word that he was being tracked by Florence MacCarthy and Dermot O'Connor with1,800 men, and turned back towards Cork city. Flower left 250 men at Kinsale before marching back towards Cork, however, at a bridge over the Bandon, they fell into a carefully prepared ambush laid by Florence and Dermot O'Connor. [36]
The English party were not far from the bridge when they noticed the sun reflecting off something shiny. As they got closer they made out the helmets of the Irish, lying in ambush and the column halted in dissaray. Having been discovered, Florence's men charged and the English foot-soldiers fled in disorder to a nearby ruined castle, leaving the horsemen to fend off the pursuing Irish.
As they approached the castle, MacCarthy's men took a volley of musketry at close range from the English foot at the walls, which was enough to halt their rush and cause them to retire in disorder. They were pursued for over a mile by the English horse.[37]. Flower reported the Irish casualties as 137 dead including eight 'captains' and 37 'sore wounded' of whom 16 died later. He listed one lieutenant and 9 soldiers killed on his side with 16 hurt (including himself).[38] Another English eyewitness, Cuffe, thought that around 70 English soldiers had been killed[39], while Florence wrote that English casualties were 'over 100'.[40] Of Florence's followers, one important chieftain, O'Connor Carberry, died in the fight.[41]
Florence MacCarthy's engagement with the English near Bandon did not mean that he was formally joining the rebels, however. It was merely a case of self defence.
Shortly after the skirmish, George Carew – a tough military veteran of warfare in Ireland – arrived to become President of Munster. He reported, 'I do find that the confusion and distemper thereof hath not been greater than it now is, since the first beginning of these troubles'. There were 7,000 'able weaponed men' in rebellion.
The only loyal lord was Barry, who could not maintain a force since O'Neill had spoiled his country, all the rest being either in rebellion or complicit with kinsmen who were. Florence MacCarthy was the greatest threat because of the military potential of the MacCarthy clan.[42]
Of his own 3000 troops, Carew reported that 600 were wounded or sick, and a further 700 manning garrisons. This left only 1700 for a field army, enough to send against either 'MacThomas' or Florence, but not against both. Carew would have attacked Fitzthomas if, 'that idiot Florence did not hold me to attend his pleasure, whether he will turn subject or persevere traitor as he now is'.[43]
Carew judged that if Florence was a 'traitor', as he suspected, 'then he is beyond recovery, but if it be no more than he pretends, which is parleying … with Tyrone to save his country from spoil and fighting against Her Majesty's forces between Kinsale and Cork', then he could yet be useful. 'Florence himself is by nature a coward and as much addicted to his ease as any man living and therefore unmet to be a rebel'. It was best to, 'permit him to be neutral which I suppose he chiefly desires; being all times ready to join the Spaniards if they come, or return to be a subject if the rebels prevail not'.[44]
George Carew, President of Munster, resolved to allow Florence MacCarthy to be neutral and to concentrate on fighting James Fitzthomas, leader of the Munster rebels.
Carew was correct in his assement. Florence in fact wrote to him the following day asking to be allowed to remain neutral, because if he went over to the English, his soldiers would abandon him and install Donal or Dermot MacOwen as MacCarthy Mór.[45]
When Carew and MacCarthy met the following month, neutrality was therefore the best that Carew could make Florence promise. 'I have from him, Carew reported, "as much as I desire, which is to have no cause to employ any part of Her Majesty's forces against him', and could concentrate on Fitzthomas.'And when that work is finished, a few days will serve to humble Florence and teach him submissive entreaties and to forget to capitulate for land or title or charge'.[46]
Carew's hope for Florence's neutrality rested on, 'his extreme cowardice and the small account he makes of the Romish priests, railing at them openly in the hearing of all men'.[47] He also planned to 'erect' Donal MacCarthy to 'yoke' Florence, whom he did not expect to keep his promises, 'cowards are faithless and so I think I will find him'[48].
But if Florence was 'faithless' with Carew, he was equally so with the rebels. Fitzthomas wrote to him on May 17 asking him to attack Carew's troops from the rear when they marched to Limerick.[49] Instead of attacking Carew however, Florence made excuses and stayed put. Fitzthomas sent his supposed ally an angry letter in June, telling him that he had discovered, through informants and an intercepted letter, that there was, 'a cessation' between Florence and the English. 'If this is true, it is far contrary to that I hoped and much beyond the confidence reposed by O'Neill and myself in your vowed fidelity and service to God and our action'.[50]
Carew had begun his counter offensive in Munster and, before taking to the field himself, tried several underhanded means to kill or capture Fitzthomas, conspiring with the mercenary leader Dermot O'Connor to capture him. O'Connor, who was landless, was offered estates in his native Connacht to betray his patron. He kidnapped Fitzthomas and held him in castle Lishin until he was rescued by the rebels as Carew was marching to arrest him.[51]
Carew swept through Munster in the summer of 1600, breaking up concentrations of rebel forces, taking castles and spoiling their lands. Florence MacCarthy, who was appealed to by both sides for help, did nothing more than write evasive letters to both the rebels and the Lord President.
By September 1600, the war in Munster had tilted decidedly in Carews favour[52]. It was therefore in a state of desperation that Fitzthomas wrote to Florence on the 2nd of September, appealing to Florence for help, appealing to 'your vow to God and this action, and defence of your own right'.[53] He argued that it was futile for Florence to expect fair treatment from the English, 'you know the ancient and general malice that… they bear to all of Irish birth, and much they rave at present, so it is very bootless for any of us to seek their favours or countenance, which were but a means to work our total subversion'.
But Florence was even less likely to openly fight Carew now that he was in the ascendancy.
His only military action at this time was to burn castle Killorglin in Kerry and waste the countryside around to prevent it being garrisoned by Charles Wilmott, who commanded the English Tralee garrison.[54]
'A bloodhound of his own country birth'
The broader war, of the English against the allies of Hugh O'Neill, was beginning to tilt in the favour of the English. At the same time, the English switched sides in the internal dispute among the MacCarthys in order to curb the power of Florence MacCarthy.
'I have gotten a good bloodhound of his country birth to hunt him, out of the natural malice they bear him, and make no doubt but to send to the Queen his head for a present, except he do presently submit himself': George Carew on recruiting Donal MacCarthy to fight Florence MacCarthy
Florence, in early August, reported to Carew that 'Donal the bastard', who was still in rebellion, had approached Fitzthomas, appealing to be allowed some land, 'at my hands' in Desmond. If he did not get it, 'he takes God as his witness that it is not his fault to go against the holy action'.[55]
Since Fitzthomas would not entertain him, Donal macCarthy tried his luck with the English. On August 30th, he submitted to Carew in order to hunt Florence, in return for which he was promised, 'some portion of land'.[56] The following month, Carew reported that he had demanded Florence come in to submit immediately or 'I will prosecute him as a traitor'.[57] 'I have gotten a good bloodhound of his country birth to hunt him, out of the natural malice they bear him, and make no doubt but to send to the Queen his head for a present, except he do presently submit himself'.[58]
Recruiting Donal was clearly of great importance. He was an alternative figure of authority for the local people and even more importantly, knew the mountainous and inaccessible terrain of Desmond. Florence obviously appreciated this threat, because he immediately submitted himself to Carew at his camp in Mallow, 'bringing some 40 horse in his company, and himself in the midst of his troop., like the great Turk among his janissaries … like Saul, higher by the head and shoulders than any of his followers'.[59]
Carew was now in a position to dictate terms. He refused to acknowledge Florence's authority over his dependants and only accepted Florence's pledge of loyalty as covering himself and his brother Dermot, 'and those of the Clancarties [sic] dwelling upon the lands which Her Majesty hath granted to him'.[60]. Carew concluded 'Although I cannot judge his heart less corrupt than before', his surrender, 'gives an assured hope for the present establishment of this province, for upon him the rebels did build their last refuge'.[61]
The End of the war in Munster
It may be that Florence MacCarthy's strategy all along was to wait for the Spaniards invasion, when he could be sure of the rebel victory and not to be killed or dispossessed beforehand. In any case, he must have realised, after his submission, that Carew did not intend to leave him in place as MacCarthy Mór after the war.
On the 5th of January, MacCarthy wrote to Philip II of Spain, via his agent in Ulster, Donagh MacCormac MacCarthy, offering, 'his person and lands as well as his vassals and subjects to your Royal service…to receive favour and aid…seeing as there is no other that can and will assist us better against these Heretics in this holy enterprise'.[62] Florence's signature (MacCarthy Mór) was also found on a letter to the Pope, also signed by O'Neill and Fitzthomas, asking for the renewed excommunication of Elizabeth I.[63]
Letters were also intercepted from Florence to Thomas Og Lacy (who was commanded a castle at Castlemange for Fitzthomas) telling him not to surrender to Carew, as supplies and reinforcements were on the way from Ulster. These letters were sent when Florence was still in Carew's camp at Mallow[64].
English raiding parties into Carberry and Desmond continued to be robustly opposed by Florence's men. When in early 1601, Richard Percy, of the garrison at Kinsale, sent 60 men into Florence's followers the O'Mahon's country, 'to get prey of the same', they were attacked and driven off by, Florence's brother, Dermot Moyle MacCarthy.[65] Similarly when John Barry, the Sheriff of Cork, 'made a journey into some of Florence MacCarthy's lands, presently he was resisted and some of his men were murdered'.[66]
In January 1601, MacCarthy received a letter from O'Neill which sent, 'our commendations unto you MacCarthy Mór' and hoped, 'that you will do a stout and hopeful service against the pagan beast'… 'our army is to come into Munster and do the will of God', 'and since this course of Munster under God was left to yourself, let no weakness or imbecility be left in you, the time of help is near you and all the rest'.[67]
Florence wrote to O'Donnell in February, apparently asking when he could expect the Ulster forces. O'Donnell replied, "we are no less grieved, for that you see us not, than we ourselves'. 'There was not many in Ireland more of the mind than I, to have gone to visit you, had not strangers neighboured upon my country [a reference to Henry Dowcra's landing in Derry]'. He promised to 'send men to you, if they may be had'.[68]
A spy of Barry's who was present at a rebel council of war in Ulster, reported that MacCormac (Florence's agent) said that 'MacCarthy Mór' advised a Spanish landing in Cork rather than Limerick, because it was easier to take and would force the local lords to take the rebel side.[69]
Florence MacCarthy seems to have been waiting for Spanish landing to commit himself to the rebel cause. He was arrested weeks before they arrived in Kinsale in September 1601.
Not long afterwards, Florence sent a ship from Kinsale to Spain to receive arms and ammunition and wrote to Cahir MacShane Glass O'Mulrian of Leinster to recruit 600 men for his service.[70] One of the last letters Florence received before his arrest was from, 'Dermutio Cartie', a priest of the MacCarthy clan in Spain. He warned Florence ahead of the coming Spanish invasion, 'it will be very necessary to be on your guard and not trust yourself to the English! For if ever again they get you into their hands, never more will you escape from them'.[71] It was prescient advice.
James Fitzthomas, the miserably unsuccessful leader of the rebels in Munster, was finally arrested by Carew in June 1601, having been reduced to hiding in caves with only a handful of retainers. Carew had most probably been waiting until this time to move against Florence and summoned him to Cork. The Four Masters tell us,
'Fineen, son of Donough MacCarthy (who was at this time called MacCarthy Mór), went before the President at Cork; but as soon as he had arrived in the town he was made a prisoner for the Queen; but Fineen began to declare aloud, and without reserve, that he had been taken against the word and protection. This was of no avail to him; for he and James, the son of Thomas, were sent to England in the month of August, and … it was ordered that they be shewn the Tower … from that forward to the time of their deaths, … according to the will of God and of their Sovereign'.[72]
Carew had technically violated the legal protection he had granted to Florence, but the chief secretary, Robert Cecil nevertheless congratulated him[73]. Carew also arrested Florence's son and several of his kinsmen. Dermot Moyle, Florence's brother, fled to Ulster, where he joined O'Neill's forces.[74]
Cecil, who questioned Florence in London, found him, 'a vain malicious fool'. Florence told the chief secretary that the charges against him, 'would never be proved'. He also testified that the Spaniards were going to land in Galway, when he almost certainly knew they were headed for Cork.[75]
On the 21st of September, 55 Spanish ships were sighted off Cork, and docked the next day in Kinsale. The Spanish invasion force included several kinsmen and followers of Florence, notably Dermutio the priest, Teig MacCarthy and Cormac MacFinian MacCarthy[76]. 'Upon their arrival', according to another witness the Spaniards, 'specially demanded for Florence MacCarthy'.[77]
Dermot Moyle MacCarthy returned from Ulster, Carew, wrote 'as yet no other septs…are in rebellion but the Carties and their followers, and the chief among them is Florence's brother'.[78] Donal "the bastard" also re-joined the rebels, who looked to be on the verge of triumph. However, the battle of Kinsale in December saw a crushing victory for the Lord Lieutenant Mountjoy over the rebels and Spaniards. Dermutio Cartie and another of Florence's followers, 'Don Carlos Cartie' were captured and executed.[79]
Those who had joined the rebels resignedly submitted when Carew regained control of the province. Donal MacCarthy took his band into the mountains of Desmond, but surrendered again to the Lord President shortly afterwards, bringing with him over 5000 head of cattle as tribute[80]. Dermot Moyle MacCarthy fought a guerrilla campaign from the fastnesses of Carberry, but was killed in an obscure cattle raid by some of his own kinsmen in 1602. MacCarthy Reagh took credit, but also buried Dermot 'in great solemnity' with his ancestors at the Abbey of Timoley.[81] Carberry was ravaged by several English forces until the end of the war.[82] By the end of the war it was 'quite wasted'.[83]
The Nine Years War, can be understood as a war of Irish against English, or Catholic against Protestant, but a closer look at clans like the MacCarthys reveals a much more complex picture.
The Nine Years War, can be understood as a war of Irish against English, or Catholic against Protestant, but a closer look at clans like the MacCarthys reveals a much more complex picture.
Chasing away the English planters in Munster was relatively easy for Hugh O'Neill's forces. The difficult part was forging the highly disparate Gaelic lordships into any kind of unified political force. Florence and Donal MacCarthy, the two rivals for position of MacCarthy Mor, changed sides in the wider conflict depending on which side the other had taken – and of course which side they thought would win. The other two MacCarthy lords, MacCarthy Reagh and Muskerry, did likewise and also took the opportunity to distance themselves from control of the main banch of the dynasty.
At an individual level, for Florence MacCarthy the war led to his utter ruin. He was imprisoned for life, his closest kinsmen were killed and his territory plundered. In the aftermath of the war he would also lose all the land and authority he had gained at the start of it. The Brownes, English soldiers, Donal MacCarthy and even his own wife were among those re-introduced into his erstwhile countries. The final forty years of Florence's life were spent trying to piece back together some of what he had possessed before the war.
To come; Ellen MacCarthy: a Gaelic woman's experience of the Elizebethan Conquest of Ireland.
[1] G.A. Hayes McCoy, Irish Battles – A Military History of Ireland, (Belfast 1990), pp 92-93
[2] Florence to Cecil, July 8 1595, McCarthy, Letter Book, p.138
[3] Florence to Cecil, April 13 1596, McCarthy, Letter Book p. 142.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Florence to Cecil, February 12 1598, McCarthy, Letter Book p.164
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid. although he complained that they had already been paid £2000.
[8] Weever to Privy Council, October 1598, McCarthy, Letter Book p.177
[9] Ormonde to Queen Elizabeth, October 1598, McCarthy, Letter Book p.177
[10] Annals of the Four Masters pp 2082-2083
[11] Norreys McCarthy, Letter Book p.167
[12] Weever to Privy Council, October 1598, McCarthy, Letter Book p.177
[13] Weever to Privy Council, October 1598, McCarthy, Letter Book p.177
[14] Cecil to Essex, April 1599, McCarthy, Letter Book p.210.
[15] Ibid.
[16] St Leger and Power to Cecil, 10 December 1599, McCarthy, Letter Book p.212
[17] Ibid.
[18] Ibid.
[19] Pacata Hibernia, Vol. I, p.286
[20] Annals of the Four Masters p.2147
[21] Ibid. p.2151
[22] Annals of the Four Master, pp2151-2155
[23] Florence to Cecil, August 1602, McCarthy, Letter Book p.361
[24] Pacata Hibernia, Vol. I p.287
[25] Ibid. p.291
[26] Florence to Carew, May 3, 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.270
[27] Florence to Cecil, May 6 1600 McCarthy, Letter Book p.274
[28] Government of Munster to Cecil, March 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.235
[29] Lord Justices to Cecil, March 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.235
[30] Bishop Cork to Cecil, April 2, 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book pp238-240 Florence gave his brother Dermot and his foster brother Finian MacDonnell to O'Neill as hostages but withheld his eldest son.
[31] Pacata Hibernia Vol. I. p.30
[32] Captain Flower, report on 'Journey into Rosscarberry', April 1, 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book pp 242-243
[33] Ibid.
[34] Ibid.
[35] Florence to Cecil, May 6, 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.277
[36] Ibid.
[37] Aylmer to Cecil, 21 April 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book pp243-244
[38] Captain Flower, report on 'Journey into Rosscarberry',
[39] Cuffe to Cecil April 23 1600 McCarthy, Letter Book p.244
[40] Florence to Cecil, May 6, 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.277
[41] Pacata Hibernia Vol. I p. 31
[42] Lord President, Thomond & Council of Munster to Privy Council, April 30, 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book pp259-260
[43] Carew to Cecil, May 2 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book pp262-264
[44] Ibid.
[45] Florence to Carew, May 3, 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.270
[46] Ibid..
[47] Ibid..
[48] Ibid.
[49] Fitzthomas to Florence, 17 May 1600, Pacata Hibernia Vol. I pp50-51 Fitzthomas calls Florence 'cousin' because he was a Geraldine on his mother's side.
[50] Fitzthomas to Florence, June 1600, Pacata Hibernia, Vol. Ipp63-65
[51] Pacata Hibernia Vol. I pp73-82, McCarthy, Letter Book pp282, 292, Annals of the Four Masters pp2171-2175, . The rebels allowed O'Connor to leave Munster with his men but he was killed on his homeward journey.
[52] Pacata Hibernia Vol. I pp.120-123, Carew to Cecil, 23 September 1600 McCarthy, Letter Book p..310
Carew to Cecil, November 2 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.315, Carew routed Fitzthomas' forces at Aherlow and reported having, over the summer killed 1200 rebels and taken the surrenders of over 10,000
[53] Fitzthomas to Florence, September 2 1600, Pacata Hibernia pp118-123, .
[54] Pacata Hibernia Vol. II p. 292
[55] Florence to Carew, August 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.291-292
[56] Carew to Privy Council, August 30 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.308
[57] Carew to Cecil, 17 September 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.310.
[58] Ibid.,
[59] Pacata Hibernia Vol. IIp.138
[60] Carew to Cecil, November 2 1600, McCarthy, Letter Book p.315
[61] Ibid.
[62] MacCormac to King Philip., 5 January 1601, Pacata Hibernia, Vol. I p.299.
[63] Pacata Hibernia Vol. I pp.319-312
[64] Pacata Hibernia, Vol. II p.135
[65] Ibid. p.166
[66] Ibid., p.169
[67] O'Neill to Florence, 27 January 1601, (Cal. S.P Ire 1601-1603, p.392) – All Irish letters are translated by Carew.
[68] O'Donnell to Florence, February 1601, Pacata Hibernia, Vol. I p.302
[69] Pacata Hibernia, Vol. II p.281
[70] Ibid. on the intelligence of Henry Dowcra from a spy named ''Hugh Boy'.
[71] Dermutio Cartie to Florence, McCarthy, Letter Book p.326
[72] Annals of the Four Masters, p.2263
[73] Cecil to Carew June 29 1601, McCarthy, Letter Book p.338.
[74] Carew to Cecil 13 August 1601, McCarthy, Letter Book p.338
[75] Cecil to Carew September 10 1601, McCarthy, Letter Book p.342
[76] Meade, Mayor of Cork, to Cecil, 23 September 1601, McCarthy, Letter Book p.347
[77] John Dowdal to Cecil, 32 September 1601, McCarthy, Letter Book p.347
[78] Carew to Cecil, 23 December 1601, McCarthy, Letter Book p. 347
[79] Ibid. as was Owen MacEgan, Florence's priest and main Spanish contact. The battle of Kinsale by the English calendar took place on December 24 1601 but by the Irish and Spanish reckoning, on January 3, 1602.
[80] Pacata Hibernia Vol. III p. 169
[81] Ibid. p.173
[82] Ibid. p.149
[83] Richard Cox, Hibernia Anglicana (London 1689), p.452


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Main Category
The colours of each carpet look different depending on the side from which you look at it. You can see the carpet from different perspectives in the images below:
(click on the images below for greater detail)
Tabriz Carpets : The city of Tabriz is the capital of Azerbaijan province in Northwestern Iran. Until the end of the caravans era it was the most important centre for trade and carpet weaving. Tabriz supplied the West with masterpieces that were made by renowned and very capable weavers. Their high quality of Tabriz carpets made them renowned in world markets. Many workshops where created where hand-woven carpets with very high density knots and high quality materials where woven. Silk and fine quality wool establish these carpets as very high class. No other city in Persia produced such large quantity or variety of carpets. With or without a medallion, their designs are full of imagination and individuality. Flowers, scenes, stanzas of poems often decorate them. Their predominant colors are beige, blue and red.
Patina Carpets : They are semi-antiques of Persian origin, over 40 years old.They show some wear to their pile, but this does not reduce their beauty in designs and colors, nor their value which increases over time as they tend to become antiques.
Classic Carpets: Carpets that are woven in urban centres in fixed workshops and looms(as opposed to nomads). Their designs are first done on paper by carpet designers. These designs are strictly conducted by the weaver during the manufacturing. Even in these carpets, though there may be slight variations in weaving.
All CarpetU2 carpets are subject to cleaning with high quality antibacterial and moth protection products according to Persian law.
Main Category
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You can select up to six (6) carpets to compare!


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Suspension Check
If your car is affected by side winds, handles poorly or dips when braking then you might have faulty suspension.
For peace of mind, bring your vehicle to us and we can carry out a suspension check and best advise you how to restore your vehicle to optimum handling performance.
Book Suspension Check with B P TYRES LTD
Suspension Check
Due to the constant movement of suspension parts, the joints and pivots gradually wear out over time. With this in mind, we recommend regular checks of your suspension system to keep everything running smoothly.


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MOORE, ERIC - Iowa State University | |
Kaspar, Thomas | |
WIEDENHOEFT, MARY - Iowa State University | |
Cambardella, Cynthia |
Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 10/21/2012 Publication Date: 10/21/2012 Citation: Moore, E., Kaspar, T.C., Wiedenhoeft, M., Cambardella, C.A. 2012. Rye cover crop effects on soil properties in no-till corn silage/soybean agroecosystems. American Society of Agronomy Annual Meetings [abstracts]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting. Oct. 21-24, 2012, Cincinnati, OH. Available: https://www.acsmeetings.org/meetings. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Farmers in the U.S. Corn Belt are showing increasing interest in winter cover crops. Known benefits of winter cover crops include reductions in nutrient leaching, erosion mitigation, and weed suppression, however little research has investigated the effects of winter cover crops on soil properties. Evidence of improvements in soil quality indicators would provide further incentive for farmers to implement winter cover crops. This experiment investigated the effects of a rye (Secale cereale L.) winter cover crop on several soil quality indicators including particulate organic matter, potential nitrogen mineralization, and total soil organic matter. The objectives of this experiment were to determine whether a rye winter cover crop improves soil quality, if rye effects on soil quality vary depending on which crop it follows in the corn silage/soybean rotation sequence, and if the effects of a rye winter cover crop differ depending on soil depth. Soil properties were measured on four treatments and at two depths, 0-5cm and 5-10cm. Treatments included no rye winter cover crop (control), rye following soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], rye following corn silage (Zea mays L.), and rye following both soybean and corn silage. All three of the soil quality indicators measured in this experiment responded positively to a rye cover crop. The effects of the rye cover crop were most pronounced in the top 5 cm of soil and for treatments with rye following corn silage. |


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I knitted a quick hat and scarf set for my dear publicist, Danielle. She's gone and left me for a different job at Workman but I still love her anyway. She took good care of me and I want to share a little knitted love with her for her upcoming birthday.
I used 3 skeins of Manos in the Wildflower colorway #113 and size 11 needles for the scarf. I used Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee's One Row Scarf pattern, it's awesome and easy! I used my hat pattern in itty-bitty for the Simple Baby Cap 3, only I cast on 80 stitches to start with. This makes a 20 inch hat, which is perfect for an average size woman's head. I knitted to 7 inches before I started the decrease sequence. Oh yeah, I used size 9 sixteen inch circular and dpns for the hat and I used the one row scarf pattern modified for working in the round for about 4 rounds to start the hat off.
For the edge of the scarf I used 2 size 7 dpns to make 3 inch i-cords, 5 for each edge. Next I sewed the ends of the i-cord together to form little rings. I stitched these onto the ends to add a finishing touch. I am so over fringe lately, it just doesn't appeal to me right now. It may come back, who knows.
To add a bit of flare to the simple cap, I made 3 more rings and sewed them to the front side of the hat. This makes a swingy, warm set for a cute, young New York girl running to catch the train at the end of the day! I can just see it.
I had to include a shot of the beautiful amaryllis flowers that have taken bloom in my kitchen. There are 8 enormous candy cane blossoms that are enough to make your heart stop. It's the best in the dead of winter to have these flowers in my house.
Quickly I have to mention a blog that is driving me crazy with happiness. It is a very popular blog known as the blue blog and it is at www.alison.knitsmiths.us. Alison is a joyous mother of two boys who is expecting her first girl very soon. She is knitting itty bitty hats like mad and is loving every minute of it. So far she has knitted cherry-o!, upside down daisy, cotton stria stripes (check out the matching sock yarn) and best of all her knitting group knitted all of the roses for the rosebud wreath hat for her. She may have done more hats I am not sure. Her fun outlook on knitting and excitement for this new baby girl are so contagious.
Alison's knitting group, the knitsmiths, gave her the knittiest baby shower I have ever seen. They strung up a clothesline and filled it up by hanging knitted booties in all different styles and colors across the room. So cute! Anyway, Alison is a fantastic knitter, check out her finished projects and you will be impressed. Hats off to Alison who makes even me, the overworked mother of four, want to have another baby!
Last and probably least, I picked up this fun artist's model at barnes and noble. I keep thinking about dressing it up in knitted goods, at least a hat. I plan on using this for some sketching and painting! I'll keep you posted.
best, susie


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Sigma Kappa Throw Pillow - Sorority Glitter Ticking Stripe
Sold Out $98.00
- Bring on the glitter and sparkle! Display your Greek letters in style with a Brit and Bee Sorority Glitter Ticking Stripe Throw Pillow.
FRONT - super oversized glittery sorority letters.
BACK - choice of personalized chapter name, first name or plain.
- 80% Cotton / 20% Polyester Blue and White woven ticking stripe lumbar cushion (25" x 15")
- Extra heavy weight canvas
- Lavender Glitter and Maroon high quality print
- Includes duck feather filled insert
- Signature Purple Bee zip-pull
- Hand wash separately, iron on reverse
- Cushion cover is presented in a reusable Brit and Bee cotton drawstring bag
- Officially Licensed Greek Product
- Each cushion is made to order, please allow 3 business days from order to dispatch
- Made in Texas, USA


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Vans RV7 Adventure Flight
What induced us to start this project?
All of us are at heart adventurers. And so are we. With so many hours of accumulated experience over years, flying through Europe, it was time to explore the world.
Another goal is to promote the General Aviation. Like an ambassador we will connect all pilots of the world together,
since we have all the same in mind,
indipendent of country, colour or religion.
Only together and with a lot of publicity we can win the battle against the fees in the air, and keep flying at an affordable price.
We do a lot to promote General Aviation worldwide.
About seventy TV appearances so far, three hundred articles in newspapers and a vast number of internet publicity show people that you need not be a millionaire to fly, and that your dream can come true.
We started our flight in Punta Gorda, Florida. From the Dominican Republic we did explore like Columbus, whole South- and North America. But, read our blog……
We have only a very small budget. That means we cannot stay in hotels and rent a car. Some things are also possible with a low budget and of course with the help of fellow pilots and people who know what it means to backpack through the world.
The page FLYING FRIENDS is dedicated to all of them.
Our goal is not to hop from one big airport to the other, but to stay one or two days in a place, visit the country and meet many people, who can show us the beauty of their country. That means, the most important thing to us, on this journey is to meet people and pilots all over the world. Share experiences, talking and eating together.
Vans RV7 Flight Adventure - Documentary
Watch trailer of the RV7 flight documentary here:
Red Rocks nearby Las Vegas
Our wish is to land on small airfields, where we can put up our tent and explore the country side with bikes, take pictures and do as much filming as possible. And we are sure that we will return with the most precious jewels:many friends all over the world
We would love to receive emails from all of you, with information, on your own experiences and of course to meet someday, somewhere....The world awaits us and we are eager to see it.
The journey will take approximately 4 years, with crossing every longitude and latitude. Our starting point was Florida, USA on 31.March 2009 and the routes will be as follows:
USA - Bahamas – Dominican Republic – Guyana – Surinam – Brazil – Argentina – Antarctica with landing on the South Pole – back to Argentina - Chile – Peru – Ecuador – Panama - Costa Rica – Nicaragua – Belize – Mexico – USA – Canada - Greenland – Island - Europe - Turkey - Saudi Arabia - Oman - Pakistan - India - Maldives - Sri Lanka - Thailand - Indonesia - Australia - Tasmania - New Zealand - most of all South Pacific Islands - Borneo - Philippines - China - Japan - Alaska – Canada and back to USA.
A total of approximately 150.000 miles or 240.000 kilometers. This means about 6 times around the world.
Normally we sleep in our tent, but we would be incredibly happy to enjoy one or two nights in a comfortable bed with a nice hot shower!!!