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Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Overview and History
The Desert Museum is ranked on TripAdvisor.com as one of the Top 10 Museums in the country and the #1 Tucson attraction. Unlike most museums, about 85% of the experience is outdoors!
The 98 acre Desert Museum is a fusion experience: zoo, botanical garden, art gallery, natural history museum, and aquarium.
- 21 interpreted acres with two miles of walking paths through various desert habitats
- 242 animal species
- Plants from 1,200 taxa — 56,000 individual specimens
- One of the world's most comprehensive regional mineral collections
Beyond merely an attraction, the Museum's conservation and research programs are providing important information to help conserve the Sonoran Desert region.
The Desert Museum's Art Institute inspires conservation through art education and gallery exhibits. The Museum's publishing division, ASDM Press, has produced over 40 books and guides on the natural and cultural history of the Sonoran Desert region.
Founded in 1952, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is widely recognized throughout the world as a model institution for innovative presentation and interpretation of native plants and animals featured together in ecological exhibits. The Museum is regularly listed as one of the top ten zoological parks in the world due to its unique approach in interpreting the complete natural history of a single region (in our case this is the Sonoran Desert and adjacent ecosystems). This represents a significant achievement, as the Museum's collections and size are smaller than many of its counterparts. Not a "museum" in the usual sense, it is an unparalleled composite of plant, animal, and geologic collections with the goal of making the Sonoran Desert accessible, understandable, and valued.
Today, this approach can be most easily understood by noting that the Museum's living animal collection contains 4,892 specimens of 242 species. Plants number 56,000 specimens of 1,200 taxa; mineral and fossil collections include 16,853 specimens. Represented in the living collections are 110 to 120 species considered to be of conservation concern.
William H. Carr inspired and founded the Museum with the support of his friend and the Museum's initial benefactor, Arthur Pack, conservationist and editor of Nature Magazine. Carr had earlier founded the Bear Mountain Trailside Museums and Nature Trails in New York State, which was affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History. It was at Bear Mountain that Carr developed his ideas of working with native plants and animals to create a regionally focused collection.
Carr moved to Tucson in 1944 where he found "a gross lack of knowledge [about the desert] among the local populace as well as in the national mind." He became acquainted with local naturalists, and then affiliated with the Pima County Park Committee. This connection eventually led to the establishment of the "Arizona-Sonora Desert Trailside Museum," today called the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Carr faced "tremendous opposition" because the local knowledge of zoos was largely limited to the "terrible, little roadside snakefarms" which at that time were often seen along highways in the southwest.
The site selected was 12 miles west of Tucson in the Tucson Mountains -- much further from the Tucson of 1952 -- with no paved roads and over Gates Pass. The site was mostly natural desert with a few buildings, known as the Mountain House, originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. These structures are still in use today as part of the Museum's entry. The 98 acres of the Museum continue to be owned by Pima County and leased to the Museum, which is governed by an independent Board of 24 members.
Carr's view and vision set the tone for displays as can be understood from his description of the first mammal enclosures that were designed, in his words, "as a balance between animal comfort, ability for the visitor to see the animals, and interiors that would be kept as much like the natural habitat of the animal as our scanty funds would permit."
Opening day was on Labor Day 1952, and the crowds came over the dirt road confirming Carr and Pack's hopes that the community was anxious to learn more about the Sonoran Desert. Months after the opening, the first Board of Trustees was formed including key people from the Tucson community selected by Carr, Pack, and William Woodin who was one of the first staff members and would eventually succeed Carr as director. Among the first Board members was Joseph Wood Krutch, the renowned naturalist author, who had retired to Tucson. Another noteworthy founding Trustee was Roy Chapman Andrews, a noted paleontologist who was devoted to the science programs of the Museum. Today, the Museum's science program continues to be funded in part by a fund set up by Andrews. One of the research legacies of the Museum that continues today is to tie research programs directly to educational interpretation so that visitors may gain a sense of scientific inquiry and the vital importance of ongoing science study to society.
One of the first actions of Woodin and the new Board was to drop the word "Trailside" from the name since this continued to conjure images of a roadside attraction, not an institution committed to education and excellence in the care of its living collections. The Board also remained committed to showing its strong tie to Mexico by including Sonora, the name of the state of Mexico immediately south of Arizona, in its official corporate name. This symbolic act was profoundly important in underscoring and promoting relationships with the country of Mexico throughout the history of the Museum.
These ties continue today in a host of ways: education programs that are conducted throughout the Sonoran Desert, research programs in all parts of the region, and staff exchanges with various Mexican institutions.
The early vision of having plants and animals from the region displayed together demonstrating their interdependence as the focus of the Museum was unusual enough, but Carr's vision went further. He insisted that there be ethnology of the region displayed, and created a Papago House on the grounds. Today, ethnology and its interpretation continue to be strengths of the Museum with regular demonstrations, for example, by Tohono O'odham basketweavers surrounded by the native plants they use in their craft.
Early on, particularly due to the work of Lew Walker, Associate Director, the Museum began to have direct impact on various conservation programs in Mexico. Continued to this day under the leadership of Richard Brusca, the greatest impact has been on the protection of the islands in the Sea of Cortez.
An early innovation developed during the first years of Woodin's directorship was the famous Water Street — a series of displays about water usage and conservation in the desert. This effort, along with the beginning collections of regional minerals, underscored that the Museum's mission includes interpretation of the entire natural history of the Sonoran Desert. Today, the Museum has one of the finest collections of minerals from a single region to be found anywhere in the world, and geology enthusiasts from around the globe come every year to view these specimens. Carr resigned in the fall of 1954 after an illustrious career. His vision, drive, and enthusiasm set the Museum on the path that has never varied: integrated, innovative exhibits of all aspects of the natural history of the Sonoran Desert coupled with strong education programs. He attracted a small, but remarkably talented staff and supporters, including Woodin; Mervin Larson (also to become director); Walker; and Merritt Keasey, each of whom made important contributions to the institution.
The Museum originally opened as a free facility, with no public tax support. Pack, through his foundation, had provided the sum of $200,000 to begin the Museum and pay the initial operating costs, but it was essential that a gate fee eventually be charged. In 1953 an admission charge of 50 cents was instituted. Today the admission charge for adults is substantially higher and there is still no direct tax support for the Museum.
The docent program, which has grown to become one of the hallmarks of the Museum and is recognized by our industry colleagues as one of the finest docent corps in existence today, began in the fall of 1972. The genesis was a small group of volunteers trained to take school children on tours of the grounds; today the docents are stationed around the grounds to provide live interpretation to all who visit. These docents undergo a rigorous 15-week training program and currently contribute more than 75,000 hours annually to the Museum.
The Museum's other education programs have also developed over the years, most notably by Hal Gras who created a program to take live animals to schools and other venues. His program, begun in 1955, dubbed "The Desert Ark" by Joseph Wood Krutch, touched tens of thousands of people. Even though Gras retired from the Museum in 1985, many people today recall being inspired to learn about the desert from Gras. Through the generous support of the Red Acre Farm and Bert W. Martin Foundations the "Desert Ark" program has been reimplemented and is visiting children and schools throughout southern Arizona.
Woodin and Larson both made lasting contributions to the Museum. Woodin was Director for 17 years, and to date, the longest tenure for a director. He institutionalized and solidified the founding vision which he, of course, helped create as one of the first staff members hired by Carr. Under Woodin, the exhibits dramatically expanded including the Underground Tunnel (now called "Life Underground" and dedicated to Carr), Water Street USA, and the Sunset Desert Demonstration Garden to promote desert landscaping. Many people today credit the large amount of desert landscaping in Tucson to the Museum's natural and naturalistic landscape. Under Woodin the reputation of the Museum grew rapidly at both a national and international level. He was an important figure in zoos nationally, becoming one of the initial incorporators of the AAZPA, now the AZA (American Zoo & Aquarium Association).
Larson, who succeeded Woodin as Director, was known, even before he was named to that position, as a great creative talent who worked tirelessly to design the most naturalistic exhibits possible. He perfected techniques of creating artificial rockwork and was responsible for numerous exhibits including the beaver and otter exhibits, the desert bighorn sheep enclosure, cat canyon, and the cave, all of which stand today. This spirit of innovation in natural history displays continued during his tenure as director and until he left to found the Larson Company, which itself has had a profound impact on the entire world of zoo exhibitry.
During the 1990's a number of important renovation and infrastructure projects were completed, including a major expansion and landscaping of the public and staff parking lots, reconfiguration of the Museum's front entry patio, construction of new restaurant and special events complex, and extensive path and utility line work. Important new habitat exhibits were also completed including the Mountain Habitat, the Grassland, and the Hummingbird Aviary. In the Hummingbird Aviary visitors can see up to eight species of hummingbirds and these animals regularly bring off clutches in the enclosure. For its successful work on hummingbird propagation, the Museum received an AZA "Significant Achievement Award" in 1998. There were also several exhibits on the new Desert Loop Trail. The Javelina and Coyote exhibits showcase a low-visibility, fencing developed by Museum staff. In addition, the ever-popular Ancient Arizona exhibit opened in 2000, and gives children the opportunity to dig for life-like fossils. In 2001, the Desert Museum launched the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute (School of Natural History Art), which fosters conservation through the arts. The Art Institute offers a variety of different programs, including youth art classes, workshops, and a nature illustration certificate program. In 2007 our newest exhibit "Life on the Rocks" was opened as well as two critically needed buildings, the Baldwin Education Building and a 300-seat indoor facility, the Warden Oasis Theater. These two new visitor areas provide our guests climate-controlled environments for lectures, animal presentations and formal classes as well as catering and rental spaces for symposia, conservation related meetings and social gatherings. In 2008 the Museum collaborated with Forever Young Treehouses of Burlington, Vermont and constructed the first fully accessible treehouse/discovery nature center in Arizona. Corporate support and personal gifts made the "Coati Kids Clubhouse" possible.
Years ago, the Museum developed a television series that has become known as "Desert Speaks" and was produced in cooperation with the local PBS affiliate (KUAT) and broadcast in 200 markets. Robert Edison, the Museum's Executive Administrative Director served as co-producer.
The Desert Museum is now over 50 years old and the commitment to the founding ideals is as strong as ever. The spirit of innovation and excellence of Carr, Pack, Woodin, and Larson live on with ever-improved exhibitry. This has been most recently evidenced by the creation of the "Desert Loop Trail," a half-mile long loop through natural desert along which are large enclosures, made of Invisinet® developed by former Museum Director of Design, Ken Stockton, for animals such as javelina and coyote. This fine stainless steel netting is nearly invisible to visitors providing a greatly heightened sense of seeing animals in natural conditions and is now on the market available to other institutions. In 1998, the AZA presented the Museum a "Significant Achievement Award" for the Javelina Exhibit.
The Museum's education programs are rapidly expanding to include direct involvement with science curricula, and new outreach to rural areas of Arizona and Mexico.
During Richard Daley's tenure as Executive Director, his primary goals were two-fold: to maximize the impact of the Museum and to develop a more stable, long-term financial base.
For many years, the Museum has been involved in scientific investigations at a modest level. Research and conservation programs are expanding significantly with emphasis on studies directly related to conservation of the Sonoran Desert. This work includes the Species Survival Plan work on the Mexican gray wolf and thick-billed parrot as well as cooperative work on the reintroduction programs for these species, and managing stud books for various taxa of endangered species. The research program, often involving outside scientists as well as staff, includes studies to discover the reason for the rapid decline of the Tarahumara frog, botanical field investigations especially in Mexico, population studies of Ironwood, and a major bi-national research program on migratory pollinators.
Because of the continued and expanded loss of habitats and biodiversity in the Sonoran Desert, the Museum will play increasing roles in public policy issues related to desert conservation in the years ahead.
Increasingly the Museum tries to find ways to enlarge its reach, whether this is in school and community education programs in urban and rural areas of Arizona, Sonora, and Baja, through publications, or through electronic communication. At the same time, the Museum will continue to be at the forefront of developing exciting exhibits and interpretation for those who visit the Museum in order to ensure the greatest educational and inspirational impact.
Following the tragedies of September 11, 2001the Museum experienced the same challenges of other like non-profit institutions, a downturn in tourism and financial contributions. The Board and senior staff decided to take an unusual approach and make a direct appeal to the Museum membership for greater support during the annual fund drive. The approach was well received and the Desert Museum witnessed the two best fundraising years in its history. This was also a period of new thinking for the Board and staff, as Richard Daley had left the Museum and Robert Edison was serving as interim director. After careful consideration it was decided that the Museum would implement a new executive leadership model (in many ways similar to that of the original management team) by appointing Robert Edison Executive Administrative Director, and Dr. Richard Brusca Executive Program Director. This model has been in place since 2003, and has been extremely effective in meeting the needs of the institution. 2004 was selected as the year to announce an $18 million capital campaign to the public. Having raised over $12 million in dollars and pledges, the Museum felt ready to bring this important campaign to the public for the remaining support. This capital drive represents the single largest fund-raising initiative ever undertaken by the Museum, and endeavors to bring much needed support to the Museum's modest endowment as well as a new education building, jaguar/mountain lion habitat, and animal retirement facility. There has also been an increased focus on the role of public science education, as the Museum has more closely interfaced the education and science departments placing greater emphasis on the Sea of Cortez than in past.
With a renewed focus on building the Museum's reserves and endowments, the Treasure the Desert Campaign exceeded its intended goal of $18,000,000 and achieved $21,000,000 in gifts and grants. A significant portion of the Campaign's revenues were directed to the long-term investment funds of the Museum. In addition, two new much needed and desired public buildings, The Baldwin Education Building and the Warden Oasis Theater, were realized as a result of this most successful Capital Campaign — the largest to date in the Museum's history. The Museum is forever grateful to the Campaign's co-chairs Laura Sundt Eberly and Harry George for their remarkable efforts as volunteer leadership in this highly successful fundraising endeavor.
In 2010, Robert Edison announced his plans to transition into retirement. Craig Ivanyi, who was serving as Deputy Executive Director, was advanced to the position of Executive Director and the new position of Executive Philanthropy Director was created and filled by Edison. It was the Board and Administration's combined vision to have Ivanyi and Edison work as an executive leadership team with the plan of appointing a replacement for Edison upon his retirement. This team worked well together and many new initiatives were both designed and implemented over this period. They include, a significant expansion of the Art Institute and other arts related programs (including performing arts), the Warden Aquarium, the design for a new donor acknowledgement garden, and the beginning stages of new bird exhibits. In addition, a new collaboration with the University of Arizona's College of Science resulted in the first "Geo-tourism" initiative focused on the Sonoran Desert Region. This project now includes other nature-based organizations and Visit Tucson, our local destination marketing organization and convention bureau.
The ASDM occupies a crucial niche in regional conservation and research efforts. Over its history, it has played a vital role in Mexican wolf recovery; protecting Islands in the Gulf of California and Tropical Deciduous Forest in southern Sonora, Mexico; direct salvage, augmentation, and reintroduction of at-risk reptiles and amphibians; developing a better understanding of venomous reptiles and their venoms; establishing regional coordination centers for invasive species management, as well as recognizing the importance of pollinators and documenting the impacts of climate change on mountain "sky island" biota. A number of prominent science and conservation leaders have stewarded the Museum's research efforts over time, including Lew Walker, Richard Felger, Tom Van Devender, Gary Nabhan, and Richard Brusca. Today this work continues under the stewardship of several senior team members, including Debra Colodner, Craig Ivanyi and Stephane Poulin.
As the Desert Museum plans for the future, great care has been given to design succession strategies for the Museum's leadership. This planning is being conducted for both staff and board leadership roles. Our history has taught us that institutional knowledge and demonstrated commitment to both the Museum and the local community are of necessity for one to be successful in a leadership role. As a result, diligence in staff development and retention as well as Board recruitment and retention are of the highest priority, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
William H. Carr 1952-1954
William H. Woodin III, 1954-1971
Mervin W. Larson, 1972-1976
Holt Bodinson, 1977-1978
Daniel E. Davis, 1978-1989
David M. Hancocks, 1989-1997
Nancy R. Laney (Acting), 1997-1998
Richard H. Daley, 1998-2002
Robert J. Edison, Executive Administrative Director, 2002-2008
Richard C. Brusca, Ph.D., Executive Program Director, 2003-2008
Robert J. Edison, Executive Director, 2008-2010
Craig S. Ivanyi, Executive Director, 2010-present
Further Reading:
- Carr, William H., Pebbles in Your Shoes, Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 1982
- Larson, Peggy Pickering, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum : A Scrapbook, Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2003
- A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert, Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2015
- More Books from ASDM Press


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Design patterns are generally considered a good thing, but do they actually help run a user experience group? As a user experience group manager and an observer (and sponsor) of design pattern exercises, I've come to have serious questions about their actual utility. It's not that design pattern libraries are bad, but that in a world of limited resources, it is it is not clear that the investment is worth it. Fortunately, there is a better approach: reaching outside the design group to solve the whole problem.
An interaction design pattern is a "general, reusable solution" "to common usability or accessibility problems". They usually consist of pictures and descriptions of the best way to handle a GUI design element, such as a date picker. Libraries of them are found online (see below) and in many institutions with a user experience practice. Like all tools, they exist to solve a problem; but what is the problem?
They are generally said to help:
- instruct junior user experience people
- save time of documenting design details in every project
- make collaboration with developers easier
- encourage consistency
The case against design patterns
Pattern libraries have laudable goals, but in practice, design patterns do not support how teams actually work. Practically, the pattern approach assumes that the users:
- know (and remember 3 months later) that the pattern library exists
- quickly find the pattern that they need
- know how to interpret the language
- know when to apply a particular pattern and how much they can deviate
- have the time and motivation to continue documenting ideas
Design patterns are not effective training tools.
Patterns, once literally a design on paper that could be copied, in UX are an abstract idea that professionals can reference. You can not copy a UX pattern, like you can copy a sewing pattern. Having someone read a pattern library will not make them a competent user experience designer. It would be akin to teaching writing by reading the dictionary – the "why"s are not answered.
Design patterns don't replace UX expertise
Design patterns can be a useful reference point for the junior user experience designer. But experienced professionals find ideas and inspiration in the whole world. Should your team invest time in making a pattern library as a training tool, or just change the way they work? Should they spend time on documentation or collaborate on projects? Should junior people learn from the documents or, as is typical in the crafts, apprentice with an experienced designer?
Completeness and learn-ability are in conflict.
In order for a pattern to be used, it has to be easily read. But completely describing even the simplest UI pattern (like a two-panel selector) requires such detail as to prevent the person from absorbing it. Additionally, any design pattern I've seen inevitable contains "it depends" clauses, which leave the important decisions right back with the reader.
Pattern libraries suffer from a similar problem. Many seem to start by defining the basics, to answer questions like "when should one use radio buttons versus a drop down menu", but lose steam before they get to the complex pieces. This is ironic, as the complex interactions are the ones that need the most definition, and offer the most creative opportunity. Defining the pattern of a radio button, is necessary for completeness, but not a good use of time or creative energies.
Design Patterns take a lot of investment.
The investment in the library needs to pay off in later efficiency to be successful. But each pattern is essentially a mini design project with extreme documentation and design reviews. Having corresponding template widgets is an additional effort, as is updating the designs when the inevitable rebranding comes along. (I'm already tired just writing this.) If your team uses more than one design tool (InDesign, OmniGraffle, Visio), who is going to update all the versions?
Design Patterns should help non – UX people first
Design patterns reduce work for UX people, but they clearly increase work for developers. Developers operate under time pressures and need a spec to code to. Directing them to look at a pattern library means that they have to find, parse, code, and review the pattern, in addition to the wireframe. The design pattern's open ended nature requires them to read a general case and code a specific case. Because they are just designs, they can also ignore the ugly complexities in many of the problems, by simply not addressing them.
Design Patterns don't work with a normal designer's motivation – indeed, they seek to restrain it. When a person sits down at their drawing program to address a problem, a reference document is several steps away, especially under time pressure. They almost always want to design rather than copy, especially, when it is unclear if a new situation is different "enough" from an existing pattern. On the contribution side, any change will entail a review with peers, which could take weeks to finalize, too slow for a project. Large organizations who most need a pattern library (many practitioners) are least able to build one (complex organizations, conflicting deadlines).
Why do people make design pattern libraries anyway?
I've never heard of a business owner or technology lead asking for a design pattern library. They seem to arise from internal concerns rather than external requests. What if the motivation is not really project efficiency, but something more personal?
Pattern libraries seem to be made by a UX person who wants to put a stamp on how things SHOULD be done. To establish, once and for all, the right way to do something. The design pattern library could be more akin to building a model train set: like the real world, but controllable. They are like design projects without clients or time pressure. "Just this once, we'll do it perfect". A participant at a recent New York IXDA event said with pride that he personally had created several pattern libraries –it was a personal accomplishment, not a business achievement. No one can argue with how a person spends their free time, but teams have to make sure work time is spent wisely.
The downside to this motivation is that individual authors want to create their own collection, which inevitably duplicates the other libraries. Pattern Libraries also tend to be abandoned when the author loses enthusiasm after the initial burst of activity. Even the major sites like Yahoo and Welie have stalled. The last update on Yahoo was 2 years ago; Welie was 4 years ago.
What is the solution then?
Let's apply the user centered design process to this situation. Using the goal of "better designed products and increased productivity", we can identify the three potential audiences of an enterprise Pattern Library: User Experience, the Business representatives, and Technology.
The UX group is primarily concerned with consistency and best practices. This is culture, not documentations and should be managed as such:
- Culture is built through personal interaction. Review, Review, Review. Regularly meet to share work, and best practices.
- Patterns do not mean your design sense can go on auto-pilot.
- Build a collaborative culture referring each other's work. ("Joe worked on something like that.")
- When a new design challenge appears, get a bunch of people to talk it over, get "good enough" agreement.
- Document decisions quickly and spread widely, for example on a wiki (so any one can edit it).
- Focus on content first, make the pretty library template as a reward for reaching 20 patterns.
Business and Technology are primarily concerned with getting work done and reducing costs. The biggest efficiency gain is reducing development time, focus on giving developers the tools and guides they need. The biggest issue is that typically, UX people do not code. The solution is to get out of the design cave and work with people who do.
Create a design ecosystem instead of documentation.
People do not RTFM. Period. It is hard to get people to engage with any documentation on their own. They are happy to read the details about what they want, but are put off by finding it inside a large document or library. The solution is to create an ecosystem where each piece reinforces the others. iPods were well-designed devices, but they succeeded because of the ecosystem (devices +iTunes + stores + accessories). Music was easy to find and buy, and easy to put on the computer. The overall experience of the ecosystem is what determines the success. When you say the answer is a document, rather than a community, it turns people off and limits their contribution.
The ecosystem should be composed of:
- People: Developers, Designers, and business leads. People who can answer questions, who are motivated by their own job requirements and professional pride
- Code library and documentation
- Management demand
A code library beats a pattern library
The code library should be "internal open source", a shared library enabling developers at a company to share code without worrying about licensing or malware. Instead of the whole org waiting while a centralized team builds the future, let every group contribute.
It should have the most commonly needed components with brief descriptions and links to example implementations, bug tracking and feature requests, supported by an active development and UX mail lists. Make them easily accessible as web pages, not a document. Style guides and pattern libraries get retained even if they are out of date. Social connectivity is much more important than printing them out.
It should have the most commonly needed components with brief descriptions and links to example implementations, bug tracking and feature requests. This is supported by an active development and UX mail lists.
For each presentation layer technologies you support, there should be in Version Control system, with a Main branch, supported by a core team, and an open Contrib branch that anyone can put components in. Good components are promoted to the main branch, which is released in versions, so updates do not break existing apps.
Components should cover three scales:
- Basic styling of standard components
- Custom components, like a date picker or type-ahead
- Page sized components, such as forms,dashboards, or search result pages
How do you get such a library?
In a world of limited resources, one has to boot-strap the Library.
- Build off of the current running projects. Nominate widgets or functions in an active project as "library-worthy" and have them coded abstractly and contributed to the library.
- Publish and reward people who contribute to the library.
- Make a most wanted list and see who has them.
- Solve problems that you actually have, don't worry about completeness.
- Have the patterns in working code samples accessible by anyone in the firm. Instead of pretty pictures, have the code that actually performs how your want it to. Make the options / parameters editable in the sample, so anyone can play with configuring the sample.
- Look and feel should be a separate code library, released in parallel, so that the design can be upgraded in the future (as it will be) without affecting functionality.
- For general guidelines, write high level guidelines a sketch or two, but point the developers to ask a mailgroup of designers and front end engineers. When a question gets asked enough that it is annoying, code the pattern.
Management support is critical -if the project is a "nice to have", it is doomed. Each project should report what they contributed to the library and what they consumed. A developer's performance evaluation should list what they contributed to the library and what they re-used -Both save the firm money. At a firm I worked at – a single component, taking 2 weeks of two developers' time, was re-used over 200 times. This saved 16 person-years of effort -this is real money. Not every component will be so effective; the library team should be focused on the business value of each component and the user experience of the eco system. If done right, the design / code ecosystem has the potential to both improve design and save time, something we can all agree on.
Design patterns are not, in themselves, a bad thing, but in the real world, it's better to focus on the lifecycle of design, rather than the design process alone. Working together with non designers can make everyone's life easier, and make the final product as good as the design.


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Ella Alshot · Tunstead, UK
It's definitely working! My husband loves the taste and hasn't stopped talking about a new business idea – it's definitely working! I want to try it now!
★★★★★ 5/5
45 clinical studies, leading doctors and nootropic experts reveal the amazing discovery that's turning medical science ON ITS HEAD!
Introducing one of the single greatest health breakthroughs of our generation
By Graham Harris
Published 2 days ago,
Most seniors don't know this…
But as we age our brains actually shrink…
They begin to lose cells, which makes it harder to build connections in everyday life.
You may have experienced one of these "senior moments"…
"I can't find my keys"
"What was her name again?"
It can be extremely embarrassing & difficult for us to deal with…
Thankfully, there's a new way to slam the brakes on brain shrinkage…
Meet Peter, aged 67 from Hampshire.
"I've been feeling like my brain's been slowing down for a few years now and it's caused me a few embarrassing "senior" moments…
It started with forgetting my keys but the last straw for me was when I forgot my grandson's birthday. I felt awful. At that point I knew I needed to try something to improve my memory & energy levels.
I even tried stronger prescription stuff like but it was no good for me.
That's when I came across this odd "smart powder" called Noobru Advantage that contained ingredients used in Ancient Chinese medicine and had a ton of 5-star reviews.
I hate taking tablets and because this Noobru Advantage dissolves into water I decided to give it a try.
I'm so glad I did! My memory feels as clear as when I was 25 and my energy levels feel better than ever!
My daughter was laughing at me when I first told her, but after seeing my improvement she's asking me if she can try it for herself!"
Unlike a lot of 'energy pills' or 'smart drugs' that have the usual crash and burn side effects, Noobru Advantage doesn't have any known side effects.
Of course, you should consult a medical professional if you're unsure about anything…
However, because most of the ingredients in Noobru Advantage are 100% natural, and all have had scientific studies proving their effectiveness, this formula is perfect for virtually everyone who wants a sharper mind and clearer memory.
The ingredients in the new Noobru Advantage formula have 'fast-acting' properties meaning that it can give you noticeable improvement within just a few hours.
Of course, it's different for everyone. Some may have to take it for a few days to really feel the effects.
But most Noobru users are able to go from brain fog to crystal clear mind in under 90 minutes
Noobru Founder, Martyn Cook was interviewed by NBC.
When Noobru were formulating their Advantage formula, they consulted with various doctors and medical professionals to make sure they had the most potent, fast-acting formula anywhere on the market today.
Which is why Noobru Advantage is approved and used daily by various Doctors, Neuroscientists, Entrepreneurs and Senior citizens to keep their brains sharp and their mind focused, without the usual crash and burn you get from other 'energy solutions'.
Dr. Aarti, American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine
Noobru are so confident in the quality of their Advantage formula that they offer a 100% risk-free 30 day money-back guarantee for everyone who tries it.
According to Noobru, less than 1% of their customers ever take them up on this guarantee and most of them go on to become repeat customers after trying Noobru risk-free.
Analysis By Michael Bates
Science Correspondent
With so much praise from the media and countless reviews from people experiencing success with Noobru, we wanted to verify whether this was all hype. Practically everyone in our building volunteered to test it out, but we chose our Science Correspondent, Michael.
Below is his account of using Noobru over a 4 week period.
The Noobru sachets arrived within 3 days.
Week 1:
I thought about trying Noobru for a while after seeing some of their ads online. I'll admit I was really sceptical at first but I always feeling run down with something and after seeing so many positive reviews on their site I decided to give it a try and order.
About 30 minutes after taking it, I felt the effects kick in. It was as though the cold I'd been struggling with just evaporated and I felt better than I had in months.
The mental fog and stress I'd been carrying around vanished too. Soon, I reached a level of alertness and concentration I hadn't experienced in years. It was like walking around on a winter day after it just snowed. It became so much easier for me to ignore distractions and outside noises.
Best of all, there weren't any of the negative side effects like I get when taking other supplements.
I was pleased to see that the packaging is eco-friendly.
Week 2:
I've tried other supplements before that were good at the start but then died off after around a week so I was a bit concerned that Noobru would be the same. Not so. I am feeling even more focused and stronger than before. I managed to put in a solid 10hr work day yesterday and I still had energy left at the end for the stuff I wanted to do. I'd never be able to pull that off normally!
Noobru improved my ability to focus and function, and I haven't changed my diet, exercise or work schedule. As far as I'm aware, these results have been only from Noobru.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Strawberry Lemonade taste.
Week 3: I'm pleasantly surprised!
Even after 2 weeks I'm still feeling the effects of Noobru. Previously, I had problems starting and completing tasks. I always felt like I needed a lie down after a few hours working as well.
Noobru has me laser-focused on the things on my to-do list, and I'm actually getting stuff completely finished before moving onto the next thing. I've noticed my stress levels going down, and I'm controlling my emotions so much better without losing focus. I expected to run out of steam around the third week due to my body getting used to the ingredients. But my energy levels haven't dipped at all. They remain steady throughout the day.
I am completely converted and will be ordering more today.
Week 4: I'm starting to wonder what's in this stuff!
My mind is crystal clear and I'm able to recall stored memories with near perfect accuracy. I used to always be forgetting where I put my keys and other little things but they've all gone! It's unbelievable how much has changed in just 4 short weeks. I didn't realise how much carrying little colds and bugs were hurting my day to day life!
It's not like I became a genius overnight after taking Noobru, but it's definitely improved my memory and the speed at which I process new information
Over the past 4 weeks, I found myself bouncing out of bed, sometimes even before my alarm went off because I couldn't wait to tackle the day. Things that used to annoy me were no longer an issue. I hardly got stressed and when I did, I was able to control my emotions and get back into peak performance mode. One thing I didn't expect was the "in the zone" feeling I got while doing work on Noobru.
As a result, I've enjoyed my work so much more and my mood has greatly improved. In fact, my co-workers keep making fun of me for walking around with a permanent grin on my face. I've tried modafinil and countless other smart drugs, but this is by far the closest thing to feeling like you are the guy from Limitless. Don't just take my word for it though; this is something you need to experience for yourself! I really recommend giving it a shot!
This limited time deal is in high demand and stock keeps selling out.
Noobru are so confident in the quality of their Advantage formula that they offer a 100% risk-free 30 day money-back guarantee for everyone who tries it.
According to Noobru, less than 1% of their customers ever take them up on this guarantee and most of them go on to become repeat customers after trying Noobru risk-free.
UPDATE: After initially posting this story Noobru has been flooded with orders and has struggled to keep up with demand. We did find one website who still supplied the product, which you can access here. I'd encourage you to order as much as you can to avoid them running out of stock.
Ella Alshot · Tunstead, UK
It's definitely working! My husband loves the taste and hasn't stopped talking about a new business idea – it's definitely working! I want to try it now!
Deborah Eastleigh · New Hampshire, USA
Skeptical at first… I'm a believer now though I was skeptical when my daughter introduced me to Noobru – but she said it would help with my memory as I've been forgetting things lately. I've now had 4 great days in a row and I'm having less 'umms'. I just know what I want to say, and I say it.
Ciaran Leitch · Lyon, France
Avid believer! Noobru increased my productivity by increasing my energy levels and helping me focus. I am an avid believer in this product and highly recommend it.
Steven Triggle · Berkshire, UK
It tastes AMAZING and WORKS I'm a first-time user of a nootropic and when I saw a drink version I had to try it! I definitely notice the effects… especially in the gym! Been super focused. It's part of a morning ritual at the office now!
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The fitness industry is full of more lies, myths, and total B.S. than nearly any industry on the planet. Some of these myths are slowly going away, thanks to bastions of reason like Breaking Muscle. But, in most magazines, on the daily talk shows, and even on a lot of the most popular fitness TV shows the information you are hearing is wrong.
I'm not going to go so far as to say people are lying to you. It's just often times the received wisdom, the stuff we've been taught and have picked up along the way, was wrong to begin with. And, since we never thought to question it and no one ever told us different, this misinformation has become part of the collective.
I feel it's my duty to help you sort these out. So, let's get started:
1. Weight training will make women bulky.
True, if the woman is on steroids. Female bodybuilders almost singlehandedly ruined the act of lifting heavy weights for most women in this country by providing a false example.
The average man produces ten times the amount of testosterone as the average woman. To be truly bulky and "manly" you need a lot of testosterone. Without it, you can't be bulky. So, unless you plan to inject yourself with steroids, you have very little to worry about.
If you're concerned about your arms being too big, lose more fat. Don't be afraid of gaining more muscle.
2. Squats are bad for you knees.
I don't know when this myth will die, but not only is it false that squats are bad for your knees, full squats are actually good for your knees. Unfortunately, no matter how much writing and promoting coaches like me do, the general media – and far too many personal trainers – still spout off this nonsense as fact.
Squat deep on every repetition. By deep I mean the top of your thighs should be at least parallel with the ground – preferably lower, if you have any human dignity. Do this, stay on your heels as much as you can while you're at it, and your knees will stay healthy long into old age.
3. Running will make you fit.
To paraphrase Charles Poliquin, "Humans are meant to either sprint or walk long distances." I might get shot for saying this, but unless you happen to be built like a runner – light weight, slight bone structure – then running (by that I mean "jogging" as exercise, not sprinting) will likely cause you more harm than good. That is even truer if you're a woman with wide hips (most women) where the angle of the thigh comes in from the hip bone to the knee bone.
Running is a sport. It is not a general fitness activity. Every foot strike is a plyometric exercise and if you aren't properly prepared – via a good fitness program that includes strength training – you WILL suffer an injury. It's just a matter of time. Great runners learn how to be great runners and they do what is necessary to mitigate the downsides. In the words of Diane Lee, "You don't run to get fit, you need to be fit to run."
4. If you want to lose fat, workout more.
This one is only kind of true. Working out more certainly increases the amount of calories you burned that day. It can give you spikes in metabolism that can last up to 72 hours. And if you do it right, you'll build muscle that itself will raise your metabolism just by existing. But, all of those things miss the point.
Fat loss is all about calories in, calories out. I have plenty of male weightlifters who gain upwards of twenty pounds after they've been lifting at our club for a little while. After joining us, their workouts increased, and the intensity of those workouts increased. How did they gain weight? Because they also increased how much they ate! It's great to workout more. But if your goal is to lose fat, you must control your calories.
5. Cardio is more important for fat loss than weight lifting.
This myth is a derivative of the one above. Cardio is great for health reasons and you will burn calories while doing it. However your biggest concern when you are trying to lose weight is muscle loss. If you lose fat and lose muscle along with it, you have made your future ability to keep the weight off harder.
Less Muscle = Lower Metabolism.
Fat loss programs should be first about controlling the ratio of calories in/calories out, and second about doing everything in your power to prevent losing muscle. In my book, that means a good diet combined with a good weight training routine. If you have time for cardio, be my guest, but that comes third!
6. What you eat is as important as how much you eat when trying to lose weight.
Your overall health has a lot to do with the quality of the foods that you ingest. But, your overall level of fat does not. As I mentioned above, fat loss is about how many calories are going into and out of your body each day.
There is no getting around the basics of Thermodynamics. If you want to lose fat, you must eat fewer calories than you burn. Period. There is no other way unless the laws of physics don't apply to you for some reason, in which case, you can eat whatever you want!
If the calories you eat are also healthy, then you may increase your progress some. You'll certainly increase your health and sense of well-being. But, you can easily get fat eating too much healthy food.
Don't believe me? Just ask a sumo Wwrestler. They eat very healthy food every day, avoid junk food like the plague, and yet are the poster children of obesity. Calories in, calories out. Period.
7. If you don't feel like crap after a workout, you didn't work hard enough.
This is one for my CrossFit friends. Workouts are workouts. Competitions are competitions. They are not the same. Workouts exist to prepare you to be good in a competition.
Sadly, too many trainees, especially those in the early stages of the beginners phase (not just CrossFit, but everything), think that killing yourself is the goal. They treat every workout like a major national competition where their reputation and thousands of dollars are at stake.
"If I don't work my hardest," they say, "then how will I ever make the progress I want?"
It seems reasonable on the surface – until they injure themselves. If you injure yourself today, what do you think tomorrow's workout will look like? Working hard is important, but working smart is way more important.
And there you have it. Seven fitness myths I encounter all the time. You no longer have any excuses.


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The group established separate facilities for marble and granite processing due to the different equipment that is needed in the overall process.
At the granite-processing facility, blocks are brought in from various points in Italy as well as overseas stone-producing nations such as India and Brazil. Before processing, the blocks undergo a thorough inspection process where they are checked for color, size and quality. Prior to being cut into slabs, the blocks are trimmed using a single-wire saw.
Some of the latest investments at the granite facility include multi-wire saws from Bidesimpianti. These have replaced traditional gangsaws, and they offer a number of advantages. In addition to increased speed, there is less material waste. Moreover, there is no need for additional products associated with gangsaws, such as acids, iron pellets and lime. The company also reports that the wire saws require less maintenance than gangsaws. While wire is more expensive than a blade, when you evaluate the entire process, using a wire saw is more cost effective.
In addition to the benefits of speed, maintenance and reduced waste, the use of the multi-wire saws allows the company to cut slabs in a broad range of thicknesses, depending on customer demand. It also does some custom work, such as cutting slabs for mausoleums.
In addition to the sawing equipment, the granite-processing facility has a range of machinery for finishing the slabs. This includes a complete slab-polishing line from F. Meccanica, which is equipped with Tyrolit abrasives. For textured surfaces, the company also invested in an automated flaming machine from Pellegrini.
In addition to finished slabs, the company also has a full Pedrini tile line and a Pedrini computerized bridge saw for cut-to-size work. Finished materials are stored in a covered warehouse.
A total of approximately 2,000 cubic meters of granite is produced each year, and the company ships its slabs worldwide


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Guided Tour
The ultimate insider's experience at the Hall of Fame.
An Insider's Experience
Enhance your NASCAR Hall of Fame visit with an interactive Guided Tour, featuring the ultimate insider's stop in the Hall of Honor.
Hall experts will take you behind the scenes, detailing the specific cars and artifacts chosen for display, and sharing personal anecdotes and unique facts about each inductee.
The storytelling continues with an exploration of the NASCAR's history and heritage throughout the Hall on a private tour.
This is your chance to get an in-depth look into racing artifacts, exclusive stories and so much more. There's no better way to get closer to those who helped write NASCAR's history for more than 70 years.
Tours begin at 1 p.m. and last approximately 2 hours. Individuals and groups may reserve up to 10 total spaces per tour, ensuring social distancing efforts are met. Visit our Clean with Care page for more info regarding the enhanced health and safety measures in place.
Please note, this does not include admission to the Hall. If you're not a member, you will need to purchase a combo package or daily admission ticket to enter the Hall of Fame.


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Ephesians 5:11-12
Ephesians 5:9 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
When people live in a way where they want to keep the things that they're doing a secret, that's a good indicator that you don't need to be around them.
In Ephesians, chapter five, verse 11, Paul says, And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
There are people doing things in secret that Christians have no business being involved in. Stay away from them.
I hope the light of God is in you, today. For more from the Collierville Church of Christ, visit www.colliervillecoc.org.
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Aaron Cozort is the preacher for the Collierville church of Christ.
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- The 18th century
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Russia, country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. Once the preeminent republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.; commonly known as the Soviet Union), Russia became an independent country after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991.
Russia is a land of superlatives. By far the world's largest country, it covers nearly twice the territory of Canada, the second largest. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and the eastern third of Europe, spanning 11 time zones and incorporating a great range of environments and landforms, from deserts to semiarid steppes to deep forests and Arctic tundra. Russia contains Europe's longest river, the Volga, and its largest lake, Ladoga. Russia also is home to the world's deepest lake, Baikal, and the country recorded the world's lowest temperature outside the North and South poles.
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The inhabitants of Russia are quite diverse. Most are ethnic Russians, but there also are more than 120 other ethnic groups present, speaking many languages and following disparate religious and cultural traditions. Most of the Russian population is concentrated in the European portion of the country, especially in the fertile region surrounding Moscow, the capital. Moscow and St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) are the two most important cultural and financial centres in Russia and are among the most picturesque cities in the world. Russians are also populous in Asia, however; beginning in the 17th century, and particularly pronounced throughout much of the 20th century, a steady flow of ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking people moved eastward into Siberia, where cities such as Vladivostok and Irkutsk now flourish.
Russia's climate is extreme, with forbidding winters that have several times famously saved the country from foreign invaders. Although the climate adds a layer of difficulty to daily life, the land is a generous source of crops and materials, including vast reserves of oil, gas, and precious metals. That richness of resources has not translated into an easy life for most of the country's people, however; indeed, much of Russia's history has been a grim tale of the very wealthy and powerful few ruling over a great mass of their poor and powerless compatriots. Serfdom endured well into the modern era; the years of Soviet communist rule (1917–91), especially the long dictatorship of Joseph Stalin, saw subjugation of a different and more exacting sort.
The Russian republic was established immediately after the Russian Revolution of 1917 and became a union republic in 1922. During the post-World War II era, Russia was a central player in international affairs, locked in a Cold War struggle with the United States. In 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia joined with several other former Soviet republics to form a loose coalition, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Although the demise of Soviet-style communism and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union brought profound political and economic changes, including the beginnings of the formation of a large middle class, for much of the postcommunist era Russians had to endure a generally weak economy, high inflation, and a complex of social ills that served to lower life expectancy significantly. Despite such profound problems, Russia showed promise of achieving its potential as a world power once again, as if to exemplify a favourite proverb, stated in the 19th century by Austrian statesman Klemens, Fürst (prince) von Metternich: "Russia is never as strong as she appears, and never as weak as she appears."
Russia can boast a long tradition of excellence in every aspect of the arts and sciences. Prerevolutionary Russian society produced the writings and music of such giants of world culture as Anton Chekhov, Aleksandr Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy, Nikolay Gogol, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The 1917 revolution and the changes it brought were reflected in the works of such noted figures as the novelists Maxim Gorky, Boris Pasternak, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and the composers Dmitry Shostakovich and Sergey Prokofiev. And the late Soviet and postcommunist eras witnessed a revival of interest in once-forbidden artists such as the poets Vladimir Mayakovsky and Anna Akhmatova while ushering in new talents such as the novelist Victor Pelevin and the writer and journalist Tatyana Tolstaya, whose celebration of the arrival of winter in St. Petersburg, a beloved event, suggests the resilience and stoutheartedness of her people:
The snow begins to fall in October. People watch for it impatiently, turning repeatedly to look outside. If only it would come! Everyone is tired of the cold rain that taps stupidly on windows and roofs. The houses are so drenched that they seem about to crumble into sand. But then, just as the gloomy sky sinks even lower, there comes the hope that the boring drum of water from the clouds will finally give way to a flurry of…and there it goes: tiny dry grains at first, then an exquisitely carved flake, two, three ornate stars, followed by fat fluffs of snow, then more, more, more—a great store of cotton tumbling down.
For the geography and history of the other former Soviet republics, see Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ukraine. See also Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Russia is bounded to the north and east by the Arctic and Pacific oceans, and it has small frontages in the northwest on the Baltic Sea at St. Petersburg and at the detached Russian oblast (region) of Kaliningrad (a part of what was once East Prussia annexed in 1945), which also abuts Poland and Lithuania. To the south Russia borders North Korea, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. To the southwest and west it borders Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, and Estonia, as well as Finland and Norway.
Extending nearly halfway around the Northern Hemisphere and covering much of eastern and northeastern Europe and all of northern Asia, Russia has a maximum east-west extent of some 5,600 miles (9,000 km) and a north-south width of 1,500 to 2,500 miles (2,500 to 4,000 km). There is an enormous variety of landforms and landscapes, which occur mainly in a series of broad latitudinal belts. Arctic deserts lie in the extreme north, giving way southward to the tundra and then to the forest zones, which cover about half of the country and give it much of its character. South of the forest zone lie the wooded steppe and the steppe, beyond which are small sections of semidesert along the northern shore of the Caspian Sea. Much of Russia lies at latitudes where the winter cold is intense and where evaporation can barely keep pace with the accumulation of moisture, engendering abundant rivers, lakes, and swamps. Permafrost covers some 4 million square miles (10 million square km)—an area seven times larger than the drainage basin of the Volga River, Europe's longest river—making settlement and road building difficult in vast areas. In the European areas of Russia, the permafrost occurs in the tundra and the forest-tundra zone. In western Siberia permafrost occurs along the Yenisey River, and it covers almost all areas east of the river, except for south Kamchatka province, Sakhalin Island, and Primorsky Kray (the Maritime Region).
On the basis of geologic structure and relief, Russia can be divided into two main parts—western and eastern—roughly along the line of the Yenisey River. In the western section, which occupies some two-fifths of Russia's total area, lowland plains predominate over vast areas broken only by low hills and plateaus. In the eastern section the bulk of the terrain is mountainous, although there are some extensive lowlands. Given these topological factors, Russia may be subdivided into six main relief regions: the Kola-Karelian region, the Russian Plain, the Ural Mountains, the West Siberian Plain, the Central Siberian Plateau, and the mountains of the south and east.
The Kola-Karelian region
Kola-Karelia, the smallest of Russia's relief regions, lies in the northwestern part of European Russia between the Finnish border and the White Sea. Karelia is a low, ice-scraped plateau with a maximum elevation of 1,896 feet (578 metres), but for the most part it is below 650 feet (200 metres); low ridges and knolls alternate with lake- and marsh-filled hollows. The Kola Peninsula is similar, but the small Khibiny mountain range rises to nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 metres). Mineral-rich ancient rocks lie at or near the surface in many places.
The Russian Plain
Western Russia makes up the largest part of one of the great lowland areas of the world, the Russian Plain (also called the East European Plain), which extends into Russia from the western border eastward for 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to the Ural Mountains and from the Arctic Ocean more than 1,500 miles (2,400 km) to the Caucasus Mountains and the Caspian Sea. About half of this vast area lies at elevations of less than 650 feet (200 metres) above sea level, and the highest point (in the Valdai Hills, northwest of Moscow) reaches only 1,125 feet (343 metres). Nevertheless, the detailed topography is quite varied. North of the latitude on which Moscow lies, features characteristic of lowland glacial deposition predominate, and morainic ridges, of which the most pronounced are the Valdai Hills and the Smolensk Upland, which rises to 1,050 feet (320 metres), stand out above low, poorly drained hollows interspersed with lakes and marshes. South of Moscow there is a west-east alternation of rolling plateaus and extensive plains. In the west the Central Russian Upland, with a maximum elevation of 950 feet (290 metres), separates the lowlands of the upper Dnieper River valley from those of the Oka and Don rivers, beyond which the Volga Hills rise gently to 1,230 feet (375 metres) before descending abruptly to the Volga River. Small river valleys are sharply incised into these uplands, whereas the major rivers cross the lowlands in broad, shallow floodplains. East of the Volga is the large Caspian Depression, parts of which lie more than 90 feet (25 metres) below sea level. The Russian Plain also extends southward through the Azov-Caspian isthmus (in the North Caucasus region) to the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, the crest line of which forms the boundary between Russia and the Transcaucasian states of Georgia and Azerbaijan; just inside this border is Mount Elbrus, which at 18,510 feet (5,642 metres) is the highest point in Russia. The large Kuban and Kuma plains of the North Caucasus are separated by the Stavropol Upland at elevations of 1,000 to 2,000 feet (300 to 600 metres).


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jcrharris.com is being prepared. Its first book will be Dirty Tricks Killed Lord George Gordon, Corruption in Britain. Lord George lived in the second half of the 18th century. He was a reformer, and has been wrongly viewed in history as a mad rabble-rouser. He was not mad nor a rabble-rouser. Indeed he may have been the sanest member of the upper class, and fought for ordinary people.
More soon.
Joseph Harris


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PSNY Liberty Lorenzo Airlecot Filter Mask Mask BF11
PSNY Liberty Lorenzo Airlecot Filter Mask Mask BF11
Liberty Airycotto Lorenzo Mask
Liberty Airycott 2021 AW Lorenzo Tana Lawn mask.
It is a work with a high degree of perfection unique to the PSNY brand, a favorite of Hollywood celebrities. (Limited quantity)
It comes with a safe washable filter, so you can use it repeatedly.
You can enjoy the fine details unique to PSNY Peaseney.
・Birthday gift
・Anniversary with your partner
・Souvenirs for mom friend lunches and dinners
・Mother's Day gift
It is recommended as a gift for various "special days".
Front side: Jurassic conversation camouflage pattern (elephant, dachshund, etc.)
Inside: Black
[Selectable inner material (color): type]
No. 1 color: Cotton (black): Soft type No. 2 color: Silk (black): Super soft type
★Silk is the best choice for rough skin.
1 layer (front side): Cotton (100% cotton)
2 layers (mask filter): non-woven fabric (heat-resistant/static type)
3 layers (inner): cotton (100% cotton) / silk (100% silk)
Width = about 10 cm (folded in half)
Length = about 12.5cm (at the longest point)
(The size is close to the "regular adult" size of commercially available medical non-woven fabric masks.)
[Three-layer structure (full-surface filter), three-dimensional sewing]
The mask filter is sandwiched on the entire surface without any gaps, and it is carefully sewn without any two layers.
- Beautiful and sturdy stitching. We will make it after you place your order. (Build-to-order manufacturing)
- Since the mouth does not touch the cloth, it is a structure that does not squeak when talking and does not stick to the foundation.
- The soft nose part makes it easy to breathe.
- No interfacing is used. (non-formaldehyde)
[Option: Mask string]
Adjusting the mask string is surprisingly difficult. Even if you tie it yourself, it won't fit well.
The adjustable knot of the PSNY Mask allows you to wear it all day long, loosening it little by little, or tightening it up in crowded situations. Comes with a manual on how to tie a mask string that does not hurt your ears.
1) Thin/flat rubber (white/black)
It is strong against washing and ironing, and has excellent durability. Recommended for masks made of light materials. (Width 3 mm, thickness 1 mm)
2) Thick/flat soft rubber (white/black/beige)
Made in Japan, this rubber is made specifically for masks with a firm thickness.
Although it is soft, it has excellent durability and a good fit, and is recommended for those who seek a sense of security. (width 5 mm thickness 1 mm)
[Option: Mask mark]
You can choose one point of Swarovski that can also be used for top and bottom marks. The basic position is the upper right when viewed from the front on the outside of the mask.
[Option: nose wire]
It is an option to put a fitter in the nose part. You can choose between an aluminum type that can be bent perfectly and a resin type that fits softly.
1) Perfect (aluminum)
2) Soft (resin)
[Option: Full Swarovski]
Swarovski embellishment will be attached to the entire surface. Using 10 points or more, we will perform color coordination according to the material. (Please leave the design to us)
[Gift Package]
A brand mask suitable for gifts for women, such as souvenirs for dinner, Christmas, birthday gifts, etc. It is an eco-friendly wrapping that does not become excessive packing using pearls, which is popular at PSNY <Peaceney>, and the beautiful color of the mask itself shines. (+200 yen)
- Depending on the work, the pattern may differ from the photo.
- The mask does not completely remove the infection.
- Perfect for formal occasions, ceremonial occasions, and special occasions.
- A beauty mask with a beautiful face line.


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PS stands for Pin & Style. It is the opposite of Slip-On. We dedicate PS to all the ladies who love styling their hijab in many different ways.
We continuous Pin & Style series with collections that is a bit of hopeless romantic. This is PS-HOPEFUL, easy to shape with on point awning is definitely the plus point to get one.
This subtle sheen shawl satin is an awesome thing to have in your hijab closet because it requires No-Ironing at all. Isn't that wonderful!
Perfect for Hijab Gifting. The hijab comes with an elegant hijab box.
Happy Styling, Hegira ladies!
The settings of pleats width may vary slightly due to machine setting.
Colors may also vary due to lighting and equipment used to view this image.


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PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images
Fantasy, Action/Adventure
December 14, 2012
Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Sir Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee
Peter Jackson
Warner Bros. Pictures
More on this movie at IMDb.com
The Hobbit's Sir Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage and Martin Freeman Talk Tolkien, Faith and Bilbo's Story
The Christian World of The Hobbit
More Christian movie reviews
Get the latest on Hollywood Insight: A Christian Movie Blog
CBN.com - The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson's cinematic take on J.R.R. Tolkien's first classic, The Hobbit, hits theaters today. This first installment in Jackson's new trilogy is the start of Bilbo Baggins' story, the prequel to his nephew Frodo's journey into Mordor to destroy the cursed ring of power.
Familiar faces return alongside a cast of new ones, with Martin Freeman (Sherlock), as young Bilbo and Richard Armitage (Captain America: The First Avenger), as princely dwarf Thorin Oakenshield. Rated PG-13, this adaptation of Tolkien's children's book is not a kid-friendly movie. However, older audiences will be thrilled with its epic adventure.
Bilbo Baggins leads a comfortable and happy life in the Shire until wizard Gandalf the Grey shows up on his doorstep to invite him on an adventure. Reluctant at first, Bilbo joins Gandalf and a band of 13 dwarves, lead by dwarf warrior Thorin Oakenshield, on a quest to reclaim their homeland, the Lonely Mountain, which is now overrun by a fearsome dragon named Smaug. Unsure if he'll ever return home, Bilbo continues on the quest despite the constant threat of danger as evil forces hunt them.
Assuming this movie is unworthy of your time because of its wizards and magic would be a mistake. The Hobbit is one of the greatest stories written by a devout man of faith. Its fantastical story is deep with impacting storylines and spiritual themes that have the potential to reach inside and outside of the Church.
Though hobbits, goblins and fierce evil warriors called orcs rule the film, human nature is at the center of Bilbo's story. Greed, pride and resentment are pitted against forgiveness, loyalty and courage. These themes permeate this rich parable stressing the differences between right and wrong, good and evil.
Adding context derived from The Return of the King's appendices, Jackson offers moviegoers a complete look at the beginning of Bilbo's tale. Though having watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy does help in watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, it's not necessary. Jackson does a solid job introducing Bilbo's story and how it leads to Frodo's expedition through Middle Earth.
"From the smallest beginnings come the greatest legends."
That's a befitting tagline for Bilbo's adventure with Gandalf and his new dwarf friends. Coming off of the highly successful trilogy The Lord of the Rings, Jackson had the monumental task of making The Hobbit just as enjoyable and accessable as his other blockbusters. The award-winning filmmaker succeeds. With a brilliant score by Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore, the cast engages you from the film's first moments to the credits. Martin Freeman gives just the right amount of comedy and drama to his role as Bilbo. His cave scene with the incredibly talented Andy Serkis as Gollum is a highlight of the film. Richard Armitage embodies Thorin, and it's his elaborate back-story that intensifies the film's urgency and drama. Sir Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, along with Elijah Wood (for a moment) as Frodo, Hugo Weaving as Lord Elrond and Cate Blanchett as Lady Galadriel.
Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence and frightening images, this film is not appropriate for younger audiences. Also, many of the characters smoke "pipeweed" and drink ale as well. Though The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has more of a comedic, adventuresome tone than its apocalyptic sequel, it does have a fair number of battle scenes, including a few instances where non-human heads are severed.
The beginning of Bilbo's adventure as shown in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is sure to meet any Tolkien fan's high expectations. However, caution is advised for parents of young children, as some of the fighting scenes are too graphic for them; hence the PG-13 rating.
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Hannah Goodwyn serves as the Entertainment producer for CBN.com. For more articles and information, visit Hannah's bio page.
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Last week's economic reports included S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indexes, along with readings on new and pending home sales. Recurring weekly reports on mortgage rates and new jobless claims were also released.
Case-Shiller: Pacific Northwest Shows Fastest Home Price Growth
According to the Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index for August, home prices in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington grew fastest year-over-year. Portland posted an August index reading of 11.70 percent and Portland followed closely with a reading of 11.40 percent. Denver, Colorado rounded out the top three cities with the fastest rates of home price growth with a year-over-year reading of 8.80 percent. The 20-City Home Price Index rose 0.30 percent year-over-year to 5.30 percent in August.
Low inventory of available homes poses challenges for housing markets, but Case-Shiller reported that the national home price index was 0.60 percent lower than its peak reading in 2006. The 20-City Home Price Index was 7.10 percent lower than the 2006 peak. This provides a positive context for healthy home price growth, but concerns linger about a repeat of the housing bubble that burst and caused home prices to crash.
David M. Blitzer, Chairman of the S&P Index Committee said that a new housing bubble is unlikely. Home buyers are not taking out huge mortgages as was common prior to the Great Recession; mortgage lenders have adopted stricter qualification standards to help ensure that borrowers can afford their mortgages.
New Home Sales Rise in September
Sales of new homes rose to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 593,000 sales in September according to the Commerce Department. Although lower than analysts' expected reading of 600,000 sales, September's reading surpassed August's reading of 575,000 sales. August's reading was downwardly revised from its original reading of 609,000, which suggests that new home prices are growing at a slower rate than expected.
High demand for homes boosted September's reading for pending home sales, which represents homes under contract for sale that have not closed. Pending home sales increased in September with a reading of 1.50 percent growth as compared to August's negative rate of -2.50 percent. Pending home sales provide indications of future completed sales and mortgage loan volume.
Mortgage Rates Rise, New Jobless Claims Fall
Mortgage rates were lower last week according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell five basis points to 3.47 percent; rates for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 2.78 percent, which was one basis point lower than the prior week's reading. The average rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage was also one basis point lower at 2.84 percent. Average discount points were 0.60, 0.50 and 0.40 percent respectively.
In spite of growth in home prices and volume of sales, consumer confidence slowed in October. October's index reading of 98.60 as compared to an expected reading of 101.00 and September's reading of 103.50. Analysts said that uncertainty over the upcoming presidential election contributed to October's lower reading.
What's Ahead
Next week's scheduled economic reports include readings on inflation, construction spending core inflation, and labor reports. Non-farm payrolls, ADP employment, national unemployment rates will also be released. Freddie Mac's mortgage rates report and new jobless claims will also be released.