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Randy Petersen
RANDY PETERSEN is a senior researcher for Right on Crime and the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Petersen spent twenty-one years in law enforcement in Bloomingdale, Illinois, working in patrol, investigations, administration, and management. After retiring from the Bloomingdale Police Department, Randy moved to Texas where he was an instructor and Director of the Tarrant County College District Criminal Justice Training Center, of one of the largest police academies in the state. The academy was responsible for basic police training for over forty different police agencies in the DFW Metroplex as well as in-service training for current law enforcement officers from all over the country.
Randy is passionate about law enforcement and criminal justice policy issues and is pursuing his Doctor of Management in Homeland Security. His research specialties include the militarization of law enforcement, police training, and police assisted diversion programs. Randy holds a B.S. in Legal Studies and a M.S. in Justice Administration and Crime Management from Bellevue University. His free time is spent with his wife, kids, and horses.
Latest Articles:
Why is it so Hard to Reform Criminal Justice?
Randy Petersen | May 10, 2019
Who Holds the Reins on Federal Law Enforcement?
Randy Petersen | February 27, 2019
Randy Petersen | February 21, 2019
Randy Petersen | January 31, 2019
Let's Reconsider Traffic Enforcement
Randy Petersen | January 17, 2019
No Need to Wait, Law Enforcement Already Supports First Step Act
Randy Petersen | December 7, 2018
"Just Do Your Job" Means Something Different for Police Officers
Randy Petersen | November 9, 2018
In upholding the law, policy is more important than discretion
Randy Petersen | August 16, 2018
Not everyone gets to be a police officer
Randy Petersen | May 16, 2018
Police training is tough for a reason
Randy Petersen | May 9, 2018
People complaining about police in Parkland need to celebrate the hero cops in Austin
Randy Petersen | March 29, 2018
Our police need better training. Florida school shooting failures make this more imperative.
Randy Petersen | March 13, 2018
Taking a serious look at conservative policing reform
Randy Petersen | February 26, 2018
The Conservative Case for Policing Reforms
Randy Petersen | February 23, 2018
The Mischaracterization of Conservative Criminal Justice Reform
Randy Petersen | November 6, 2017
Is It Time to Scale Back on SWAT Teams?
Randy Petersen | May 19, 2017


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The Oxford Dysfluency Conference (ODC) is probably the biggest stammering-only Conference, held every three years in Oxford. This year, almost 200 researchers and clinicians from all over the world attended, presented and discussed issues around stammering. Norbert Lieckfeldt reports back.
And once again, it's over and we're back home. Two and a half days of workshops, lectures, presentations, discussion, bar nights, and massive thunderstorms.
This has been my fifth ODC, the 10th overall. Organised once again by Dave Rowley and Sharon Millard, the programme proved to be more interesting than ever. For me, ODC is a testing ground whether what BSA tells the world about stammering is accurate (we're kind of accountable for that!) and it's inspirational - I always come away with new ideas (and more questions than when I arrived). When we have sufficient funds, I think it's useful to have as many BSA colleagues there as possible - but this year we only had funds for myself and my colleague Cherry, BSA's education officer. One concern (though no surprise) was that fewer NHS clinicians than previously were funded to attend. A huge thank you to my Co-Chairman of the Employers Stammering Network Iain Wilkie who gave up his Saturday to attend the Conference.
There were many sessions I could not attend, and I may have got some of the details wrong but from memory what I found most interesting (in no particular order) were:
Differences in brains of children who stammer
Professor Chang gave a presentation on the differences in the structures of children's brains. She got about 90 children, some as young as 3 years old, to lie still in an MRI scanner and her results - to me at any rate - end the discussion about whether the differences we know exist in older children and adults who stammer are the cause of stammering, or merely the brain's adaptation to stammering. Anatomical and functional differences are there, already shortly after onset.
I liked how Professor Chang clarified that these differences are within normal parameters, and that just by looking at brain scans of individuals it would not be possible with current technology to identify who's the person who stammers and who isn't - though this may well be possible in future. There was also a clear steer towards looking at what the clinical implications might be.
Therapy methods for Down's syndrome
Monica Bray's presented on young adults and adults who stammer and who have Down's Syndrome. There is a strong link between dysfluency and Down's Syndrome, but usually traditional therapy methods aren't very successful. I learnt that people with Down Syndrome (generalising hugely, as there is a wide range of ability amongst this population) are passive learners, ie learning through repeating what they hear rather than autonomous problem-solving; and that their memory problems mean that the strategies they themselves develop to deal with their speech tend to be remembered, whereas therapies taught by SLTs usually aren't.
So the role of the SLT might be to enhance and foster their self-taught strategies and techniques if they're helpful. I was also really heartened to see some excellent work done with people with autistic spectrum disorders.
Natural recovery rate for children receiving therapy
There's been some work done in Australia on the natural recovery rate for children in a clinical caseload (as opposed to every child who ever stammered). Elaina Kefalianos presented research on recovery by age of 7 years that seems to indicate that natural recovery rate in a clinical caseload of young children who stammer is between 65% and 74%.
This is lower than the generally accepted recovery rate of 80% - and it's important because if there is a difference between the number of all children who stammer and who recover naturally, and children who stammer and get referred to speech therapy and who then recover naturally, we need to know what this is - otherwise how can we evaluate whether any therapy is better than normal recovery?
An odd result here: one risk factor for boys not recovering from stammering would be a mother with tertiary level of education, ie a University degree. No explanation as yet for that one.
Treatment for social anxiety
Jan McAllister from Norwich was talking about her research into a relatively simple treatment method for social anxiety. We do know that therapy approaches like CBT are effective in dealing with issues such as these - social anxiety appears to be common in adults who stammer. However, it is often not available, as not many SLTs are trained in delivering it. She is currently looking into whether redirecting attentional bias (ie automatically focusing on the negative) is helpful for people who stammer. If it is, a simple, computer-based task of eight sessions of ten minutes each might be sufficient to effect this.
In the Young Researchers section I enjoyed Terrence Murgallis's presentation on the benefits that adults who stammer gain from attending the self-help chapter he created at
Misericordia University in the US. Terrence is basing the work of his chapter on the group therapy principles of Irvin Yalom - a novel concept I've not heard of applied to stammering self-help before. And his results were very impressive!
Awareness raising courses at Stammering Support Centre
Also in the Young Researcher Section, Joanne Holmes's presentation on the outcomes of the Awareness Raising courses run by the SSC in close co-operation with clients who stammer. It is really clear that having people who stammer taking part in these courses made the biggest difference in changing awareness of people in customer-facing roles (in this instance, NHS telephone receptionists).
Case study on neurogenic late-onset stammering
Prof Henny Bijleveld took us through a fascinating investigation into the cause of stammering that occurred in a 57 year old man as a result of an accident. It was originally linked to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder which he suffered from after the event. But after forensically investigating a number of hypotheses(and excluding them one by one) it became clear that the stuttering was the result of actual brain injury and not linked to PTSD, an injury that only showed up in scans a few months after the event when pervious scans showed no evidence.
Speech therapy and 'social model' of disability
Katy Bailey, Sam Simpson and St John Harris took us through their presentation on Speech Therapy and the Social Model of Disability - is there space for stammering in therapy? Are we too focused on fluency? Or is an SLT's basic attitude that we come to therapy to be 'fixed' merely perpetuating the stigma that surrounds stammering. Is stammering something that needs to be 'fixed' or do we need help in addressing the barriers that prevent us from participating fully in life - and that can lead to self-oppression, to people who stammer themselves believing the negative stereotypes around stammering. We'll hear more of this, no doubt!
The final morning held two special treats - Marie-Christine Franken's research and the presentation of the proposed Croatia Protocol:
Comparing effectiveness of therapy approaches for children who stammer
Marie-Christine presented on a large study in the Netherlands, comparing outcomes for children who stammer. It was a Randomised Controlled Trial - half the children were treated with a Dutch therapy approach based on the traditional Demands and Capacities model (DCM), the other half were treated with the Lidcombe approach.
The research question was whether there was any difference in outcome between the two cohorts (the question was NOT whether either of them were more effective than natural recovery).
It was clear from her research that in essence there were no differences in outcome - Lidcombe seems to be more effective in terms of reduction of stammering in the first three months, but this difference disappears over the 18 months follow-up. Equally DCM therapy seems to be more effective in children whose stammering is more severe, but not significantly so.
In terms of health economics, delivering Lidcombe was marginally more expensive, but not significantly so. In terms of QALY (Quality of Life Years), the measure used by the NHS to assess whether an intervention is cost-effective, both seem to be well below the "too expensive for what they deliver" threshold so should be funded.
So we are left with a clear choice for parents regarding their therapy preference - and a need for therapists, if they wish to be client-led, to be able to deliver both approaches. DCM and the UK's PCI method share many common elements but are not actually the same approach.
Croatia Protocol: unified outcome measure
Suzana Jelcic-Jaksic from Zagreb talked about the Croatia Protocol - not a new John le Carré spy thriller, but an attempt to propose a unified outcome measure for clinical trials of stuttering therapy. RCTs only allow two primary outcome measures. The Croatia Protocol proposes that the primary outcome measure of every clinical trial should be "Does this intervention increase the client's satisfaction with his/her everyday communication" (because, as Suzana said, if the intervention cannot show that it achieves this, what would be the point delivering it?).
This is important as RCTs can be used to carry out a meta-analysis of research across the whole sector - but without generally agreed outcome measures this isn't actually possible. It's potentially a significant step forward in making stammering research more meaningful.
This was a small taste of the smörgåsbord of talks and presentations. If you're interested in stammering, or work in stammering therapy, I urge you to start putting £15 aside every month for the next one!
BSA's Education Officer Cherry Hughes adds
To add my brief comment I particularly enjoyed these:
Joseph Agius on the Fluency: Smart Intervention Strategy (SIS), an application for SLTs to use with school age children who stammer.
This is a program which encourages creativity and humour during intervention sessions. The SIS consists of four components with different activities included:
- Think Smart, Feel Smart
- Cool Speech
- Challenge the Dragons
- Into the 'Real' World
The Smart Intervention Strategy is a re-shaped stuttering modification approach. Intervention aims to develop confidence in speaking and permission to stutter, not change the way the child speaks. The goal is to become an efficient, confident communicator. Using creativity and humour, speaking becomes fun and enjoyable.
Professor Peter Howell (UCL) described work on a screening tool to identify Reception class children who stammer and have other speech problems. I welcome this as teachers usually concentrate on the assessment of expressive language rather than speech.
Sarah Costelloe (University Campus Suffolk) reported on a study on differences in attention levels between children who stammer (CWS) and children who do not stammer (CWNS).The direct measure of attention used was the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch), together with parental report using a Behaviour Style Questionnaire (BSQ). Fifteen participants were included in each of the above groups (recovered CWS, persistent CWS and CWNS) in the age range of 6-9 years.CWS scored lower on attention than CWNS, but recovered CWS did almost as well as CWNS. This supports anecdotal experience and shows the importance of early intervention when recovery is most likely.
I also had the great pleasure of talking with Helen Barker of the Dominic Barker Trust which has funded the important UK research described.
Some final impressions from Iain Wilkie, Partner at EY (Ernst & Young) and founder and Chairman of the Employers Stammering Network:
The Oxford Dysfluency Conference is supported by the Stuttering Foundation and Action for Stammering Children.

subset: commoncrawl


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POMPTON LAKES, N.J. – Saturdays and Sundays are visiting and adoption days at the Pompton Lakes cat rescue PATCH, and one of the kitties you'll find waiting to greet you is Hope, a big-eyed calico.
"Hope is a 1 1/2-year-old dilute calico with beautiful, captivating eyes," Elsebeth Paynter told Daily Voice. "She would love to be someone's one and only."
PATCH stands for Pet Adoption Thru Caring Hands. Kersti Raimondo founded the nonprofit no-kill shelter in the early '90s. Paynter is co-director at the shelter, along with Dorothy Kluchinski, and one of the volunteers who keeps it running.
Hope is spayed, house trained and current on all her vaccinations. She's also "smart, playful and talkative, with a mind of her own," Paynter added.
She believes Hope will fully blossom, in a home that's all hers.
Visitors to PATCH may also notice a facelift in the works – including a new sign, new cages and a paint job – thanks in part to a grant it won from Pompton Lakes' Spectrum Painting.
It's the sixth year of the company's "Paint it Proud" grant program, Spectrum Painting office coordinator Natalie Marsella said. The company donates $5,000 of painting services to an individual or organization in need, nominated by the community through social media.
The colors have all been picked out, and Spectrum employees will be coming in next week to do the painting.
PATCH is located at 26 Lakeside Ave., in Pompton Lakes. Adoption hours are Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 2 p.m. or by appointment.
For more info about Hope or to set up an appointment outside of regular adoption hours, call 973-835-7202 or email email@example.com.
You can view all the PATCH kitties in need of "furever" homes – including Snackwell, Kiki and George – on Petfinder. For more info about the shelter, visit its Facebook page or website.
Click here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.


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Ferdie and the Falling Leaves – Julia Rawlinson & Tiphanie Beeke
The Ant and the Big Bad Bully Goat - Andrew Fusek Peters & Anna Wadham
The Tiger Skin Rug – Gerald Rose
Shine Moon Shine - David Conway and Dubravka Kolanovic
The Great Paper Caper - Oliver Jeffers
Up and Down – Oliver Jeffers
The Way Back Home – Oliver Jeffers
The Heart and the Bottle – Oliver Jeffers
The Hueys in The New Jumper – Oliver Jeffers
Milo Armadillo – Jan Fearnley
The Baby Dragon Tamer - Jan Fearnley
Her Mother's Face – Roddy Doyle and Freya Blackwood
The Monster Who Ate Darkness - Joyce Dunbar and Jimmy Liao
The Scariest Thing of All – Debbie Gliori
Colin and the Wrong Shadow – Leigh Hodgkinson
The Tea Party of Miss Moon – Princess Mary Thurn-Taxis
I Want My Hat Back - Jon Klassen
Scruffy Bear and the Six White Mice - Chris Wormell
Tell Me a Story Mummy – Carl Norac & Mei Matsuoka
Bug and Bear – Ann Bonwill & Layn Marlow
UnPOPpable - Tom Hopgood
In The Attic – Hiawyn Oram & Satoshi Kitamura
Lunch Time - Rebecca Cobb
Melrose and Croc A Hero's Birthday – Emma Chichester Clark
Alfie Gets in First – Shirley Hughes
The Paper Dolls - Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb
Top five from the list starting with my favourite:
1. I Want My Hat Back, Jon Klassen – A short and simple, well-constructed story with a brilliantly dark sense of humour. The end is guaranteed to make you laugh and want to read it over again. So good I had to own it, heres the copy I got for Christmas:
2. The Tiger Skin Rug, Gerald Rose - A really original and captivating tale, with lots of fun colourful illustrations. This satisfying read made me smile from ear to ear.
3. Her Mother's Face, Roddy Doyle and Freya Blackwood - This is a very moving story about a child coming to terms with her mother's death. Sad but touching and if you're like me be warned you will cry.
4. The Great Paper Caper - Oliver Jeffers – Well of course I love all of Oliver Jeffers Books but this is one of my favourites. Its clever, charming and funny.
5. Ferdie and the Falling Leaves – Julia Rawlinson & Tiphanie Beeke – A very sweet, heart-warming read with a lovely twist at the end and charming illustrations.
I've now got another 12 waiting on my desk to get through and at least another 50 which I need to get my mitts on.
Would love to hear from you if you have any picture book reading suggestions.


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Creative freedom is a tricky thing. As artists we maintain a love/hate relationship with communication—on one hand we want to reach people, on the other hand we are afraid to lose our autonomy in a futile attempt to be accepted and understood (also known as "selling out"). This social anxiety is much discussed in communication […]
Tag Archives: telepathy
The problem with the walls surrounding the mind
DONE Edited into Wikipedia [ view article | view edit ]
Hikikomori (ã²ãã"ã''ã'Š or 引ãç± ã''ã'Š Hikikomori?, literally "pulling away, being confined", i.e., "acute social withdrawal") is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive people who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement because of various personal and social factors in their lives.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori creative freedom social anxiety solipsism telepathy
May 31st, 2011


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Witnesses to History
Friday, July 8, 2005; 9:48 AM
The world sees London's tribulation through the eyes of Adam Stacey and the words of Matina Zoulia.
Their stories of the moments following the bomb blasts that struck the city during the Thursday morning rush hour captured public attention in a way that few news stories could. In other words, citizen journalism passed the breaking-news test.
Try not to lose yourself in Stacey's photograph of a frightened commuter, shot inside the crippled London Underground. Ponder Zoulia's weblog entry on the Guardian's Web site: "As I was going towards the [King's Cross station] exit there was this smell. Like burning hair. And then the people starting walking out, soot and blood on their faces. And then this woman's face. Half of it covered in blood."
This is the essence of reporting -- vivid, factual accounts of history as it explodes around us. People like me spend years in J-school learning how to do it just right. We spend the subsequent years subjecting you to the mixed results. Stacey, Zoulia and hundreds of other amateur journalists, packing camera phones and an urge to blog, reminded us how simple it should be.
The term "citizen journalism" is making the rounds among reporters and editors as newspapers try to keep the money rolling in while bloggers -- and their own Web sites -- raid their readership. I often hear it mentioned with the same desperate reverence that Dumbo gave his magic feather -- how it'll bring in fresh voices, followed by readers, then dollars.
You might wonder how this is different from what we've seen in the past. News operations have used the contributions of impromptu reporters from Abraham Zapruder to the dozens of video camera operators who started capturing naughty police episodes in the early 1990s (think Rodney King ). Community voices have always contributed to local and national papers.
Citizen journalism is different. It often covers a wide territory from soliciting arts and entertainment coverage to providing the angle on the city council budget that the cub reporter might have missed.
The London attacks moved the trend to a new level. Web sites from the BBC's to the Guardian's provided eyewitness accounts, some showing up as little as an hour or two after the first bomb went off. Rather than relying on unfocused, rambling blog entries, the London papers and the Beeb ran pithy postings from the people who were there. They ran alongside the staff reporters' accounts and presumably with the same amount of editing.
Nearly every U.K. news Web site this morning features similar accounts, along with forums for people to submit feedback and share their thoughts on the blasts. (See the inset above for a list of some of the more prominent news sites.)
It was a different way of doing things than when citizen journalism experienced its first big story in last December's tsunami, said Dan Gillmor, a former technology columnist at the San Jose Mercury News and current proprietor of the Bayosphere citizen journalism project.
The tsunami prompted bloggers to post thousands of video entries and journal-style stories that circulated the Internet in a huge swarm of unedited data. London, he said, showed how that data could be edited like traditional news and fill the gaps that the news could not.
The BBC didn't just give readers and eyewitnesses the power to share their stories. It also let reporters file brief accounts of what they saw. Here is one interesting observation from Dominic Casciani: "The evening commute home from the City of London has began in a way that people have not seen before.Hundreds and hundreds of city workers are walking the length of Whitechapel Road, packing the pavements, because there is no other way they can leave their offices. The A-Z map of the capital is fast becoming ubiquitous --but it is strange to see so many Londoners carrying them, not knowing how to make their way home on foot."


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Not even the rain could dampen the moods of festival goers and performers for the final day of London's Notting Hill Carnival.
Thousands of revellers descended upon the streets despite the bad weather.
The procession of sound systems and floats was delayed due to rain, but the grand finale kicked off at midday and a continuous flow of bands followed.
Flamboyant headdresses and skimpy costumes have been joined by umbrellas and plastic ponchos as 7,000 police officers patrolled to keep order at the event in a washed out west London.
Here's a selection of photos from today's event.


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Inspired by Joergen Geerds, I decided that during the coming travel I will play with an Arduino to control my camera. Before departure I needed to:
- get the necessary hardware
- assemble and test it
- get the integrated development environment (IDE) up and running
The user interface was the critical bottleneck of the process. Joergen uses a single button and a Nokia LCD. Besides that I could not find the parts close enough to be delivered in time, I wanted something more expandable. I found the TouchShield Slide from Liquidware. The rationale behind buying a touchscreen (and the bigger of the two available) is flexibility in designing the user interface.
The guys at Liquidware have been very helpful. Justin Huynh made an extra run to UPS for me, to get the hardware delivered in time. Mike Gionfriddo patiently helped me on the learning curve with very fast reply to my email support requests. When I had an issue with the IDE Christopher Ladden helped me understand the errors and correct them. Liquidware, highly recommended!
In the end, rather than using the downloadable binary IDE for OSX and Windows, I built it straight out of github. This had the extra bonus that I could build it for my Ubuntu notebook as well, although I have not had time to test the Ubuntu build – the "hello world" was all done on a Windows workstation.
Assembling the hardware went OK despite me having two left hands. I had not done soldering work for years. The difference between my setup and Joergen's is that I put a 10kOhm resistor on the transistor's base, and I put it on pin 12.
A quick "hello world" on the touchscreen before packing. Too bad there was no power outlet in the plane, so I'll have to wait for the next free moment to start coding.
Right now this hardware is just for an intervallometer. Beyond this, there are many shields in the Arduino universe and my intention is to use a few of them.
There is a shield to control stepper motors. One step closer to an automated pano head.
There is a USB host shield. With a little bit of digging and/or reverse I hope for finer control my Canon dSLR via USB.
There is a GPS shield for geolocation, and a wireless shield, and an ethernet shield, and… the sky is the limit. Open Source hardware, so great!
I was finished just in time for packing. I did not have a neat box for it, though. It will be fun at border control, with all those wires.
Filed under: Arduino | Tagged: Christopher Ladden, Joergen Geerds, Justin Huynh, Mike Gionfriddo | 3 Comments »


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12 New Year's Resolutions for HR and Payroll – Continued
5. Plan your week
Taking five or 10 minutes at the beginning and the end of the week to plan is a wonderful thing. Not only are you slowing down for a couple of minutes, but you are organizing! What are your goals for the upcoming week? What did you accomplish this week? (This is where you should stop and reflect, smile, and feel good about getting something down in the middle of the zoo.) What do you need and want to accomplish next week? Now at the beginning of the following week, go back over this list. Has anything changed? A lot of times priorities look different after a day or two. Update the list if need be and start your week. You have already accomplished something very important!
6. Create a wellness program
A wellness program sounds complicated and fancy, but it doesn't have to be. If it is in the budget, then help employees get gym memberships. If it isn't, then create other ways to support healthy living. A healthy, happy employee is much less likely to call in sick and much more fun to work with. Some ideas that can be implemented at very little cost include:
Create a weight loss group – employees weigh in each week, set goals, maybe give a reward at the end of a set amount of time;
Coordinate monthly hikes – on a weekend set up a hike, have employees invite family along or even take off early from the office on Friday and walk to a nearby park;
Stop filling the fridge or vending machines with sugar – look at healthier options, use sparkling waters or natural sodas, supply fruit and gum, rather than candy bars;
Call a local healthy restaurant – have a chef come in and talk to your employees about ordering healthier options when they go out. This will drive business to the restaurant and show the employees that you care about their well being.
Download the full list here!


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She wears glass slippers.
She sleeps in a tower.
She sings to birds.
She is the perfect princess.
And for a monster-fighting heroine, that is the perfect disguise.
Princess Magnolia is...
The Princess in Black!
The Publisher's Lunch announcement:
"From Newbery Honor winner and Eisner nominated authors Shannon and Dean Hale, a young chapter book series following the brave and exciting adventures of Princess Magnolia, a perfectly proper princess by day, but when trouble raises its ugly, monster-shaped head, she ditches her flouncy dresses and glass slippers and becomes THE PRINCESS IN BLACK! Sold at auction to Sarah Ketchersid at Candlewick Press."
These things take time to publish. They'll be full of illustrations, so I imagine a couple of years before we'll see the first one? I'm so excited about this series. We love writing them. They make me laugh. Can't wait to share!


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440 Volt Song Really Going to Effect Sultan Movie After Fans Bad Reaction :- There was a time when Bollywood songs cherished by people of all ages. The soothing chime, a melodious voice, and meaningful lyrics would bring the listener to heaven. Though things today have changed and how! Not only does the music sound like a dissonance of hammer and tongs, the lyrics are becoming progressively inadequate. As if it wasn't bad enough to be subjected to songs like Harry is not a Bharamchari, that we had to be subjected to songs that were far worse in 2016. We hope and pray, yes pray… that we never listen to these songs again!!!
Sultan movie is in headlines for its most powerful script but the new released song 440 Volts disappointed the fans of Sallu Bhai. People are not expected to be the song so worst. The lyrics are just painful for the music and its nothing like the caption Electrifying. People just find it so awful to listen.
440 Volts Sultan Movie Songs Fans Reaction
The lyrics of the song are so meaningless and the song has nothing electrifying type of thrills. Just for the promotion purpose the song is used but people are just cursing the song like hell. The music is awful as well as the ensemble of the lead Actor Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma.
Not sure about the High Voltage Dream Song but it would surely clasp a place in the list of Top first worst song of the year. The expectations are just crashed down.
The party song went bad and it is awful to listen to the song on stage. Surely the lyrics of the song in English seems more poetic than in Hindi. Instead of entertaining the song just became the center of trolls.
It would be better if the song would haven't composed. Almost 80% lines are repeated three times like in daily soaps Kya Kya Kya…
Bhala Dil b Kabhi Dish antenna hota hai. Seriously its nothing more than a pill of laughter. Totally crap lyrics.


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Court Center
- News and Events
- Important Dates
- Court Schedules
- Club Pros
- Longwood Rules
- Membership Applications
- Book Online
Limitations of Play
No member may reserve a court for more than one and one-half hours in any one day, or for more than a total of four hours in any seven-day period with the following exceptions:
- A member may always play if no one is using or waiting for a court.
- A member, after finishing play, may continue if requested to fill in for doubles in a succeeding hour.
- At the discretion of the attendant, if the court time remains plentiful.


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- Artist: Astral
- Genre: Heavy Metal
- Release Date: 5/25/2010
This album was previously released as 'Antivirus', and now revisited with addition of new cover and on disk design, professionally duplicated. Featuring the art of Cebarre, the album is very pleasant to hold in hands and open. This album has 12 songs! 'Astral'- the techno-metal group created by Vlada Astral, composer, keyboardist from Kiev, who rose from the rubble of Chernobyl to ignite a psychedelic revolution in the Ukrain, is now lighting up the music scene in the Norfolk, Virginia Beach area. She is joined by Charlie Rock (of 'Scarz within'), originally from Long island, NY, and Rich Fugere- phenomenal heavy-metal guitar players. The nuclear powered heat of intense guitars and intricate key-board work in the best traditions of modern industrial music melt metal with the energy of death to form a new element for fans to feel as well as hear. This is sound that glows in the dark! Let the music take control of your imagination! Astral 'Antimatter' was recorded at 2002 by Vlada Astral on key-boards and Charlie Rock on guitars, merging Electronic and Metal music in a new style. As a main goal we put our attention on melodic content of our work, inviting our listeners to enjoy what they feel wile they listening our music. High attack, up-tempo, powerful dark melody line, strong distorted guitar riffs will take your emotions and keep it up. Influenced by work of Dimmu Borgir, Dark Tranquility, Blind Guardian, Arcturus, Hvenant and Iced Earth in Metal genre and Front Line Assembly, Crystal Method, KMFDM in Industrial and Paul Van Dyk and Oakenfold and many-many more in a Trance world, we created something very special to feel as well as hear: Astral 'Antimatter', 12 songs, 75 minutes album is a 'must have item' for any metal or electronic collection.
|Heavy Metal
|CD Baby
|Duplicated CD
|Release Date:
|Product Type:
|Item #:
|This product is a special order


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|By Admin1 (admin) on Saturday, June 14, 2003 - 1:21 pm: Edit Post
Living On The Edge Edited by Ethiopia RPCV John Coyne
Living On The Edge Edited by Ethiopia RPCV John Coyne
Living On The Edge
Fiction by Peace Crops Writers
Edited by John Coyne
"For anyone interested in the US and its place in the world, this collection will provide a good picture of diplomacy on a personal scale."
-- Kirkus Reviews
"In this unique short story collection… myriad facets of Peace Corps life and the culture of diverse lands are examined… [the authors] get to the heart of the human endeavor as they write about language, food, custom, social and familial politics, racial differences, sexual decorum, violence and disease as well as instances of deep confusion and transcendent communion."
-- Donna Seaman, ALA Booklist
"A wonderful collection of stories that take you from Africa to South America to Asia while probing important issues of place, identity, and tension in a world grown closer but still suffering from a huge gap between have and have-not nations… A terrific idea; highly recommended wherever good literature is read."
-- Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
Living on the Edge contains seventeen remarkable stories by writers who served in the Peace Corps, including well-known authors such as John Coyne, John Givens, Norman Rush and Paul Theroux, as well as work by exciting emerging authors like Mark Jacobs and Marnie Mueller. All these stories reflect the impact the Peace Corps experience had on former volunteers who write across cultures in the literary tradition of Joseph Conrad, E. M. Forster, and Paul Bowles. Each author has included a commentary on how he or she came to write the anthologized story.
John Coyne was with the first group of Volunteers to Ethiopia and taught English in Addis Ababa. Later he was an Associate Peace Corps Director in Ethiopia and the Regional Manager of the New York Peace Corps Office. He has published eight novels and edited, among other books, Going Up Country: Travel Essays by Peace Corps Writers. In 1989 he founded RPCV Writers & Readers, a newsletter for and about Peace Corps volunteers.


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Here are this week's Walmart Deals. Make sure you print out the New Walmart Coupon Policy and carry it with you in case you have problems at the Checkout. Also, don't forget to check out the weekly Shop For Free Deals to see what you can get for FREE at Walmart this week.
Remember: Walmart Prices are based on my local store since Walmart does not put out a National Weekly Ad, all Walmart Prices will vary depending on the store where you are shopping. Use this list as a guideline to know which coupons to take with you when planning your shopping trip.[%printable-list:WalmartWeeklyCouponMatchups72711%]


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About Us
TOGETHER we are committed to protecting the invaluable soil and water resources of the Liverpool Plains, along with the rural way of life.
Both the Caroona Coal Action Group and SOS Liverpool Plains were formed in response to the threat posed to agriculture from the extractive industries.
The Plains are a world class agricultural area as a result of these resources as well as the favourable climate.
Families have been farming these lands here for generations and we are working hard to ensure that future generations will be able to do so, providing food to feed not only our own nation but the world.
Find out more about the Liverpool Plains
CCAG was formed in 2006 by concerned landowners and community members in response to a coal exploration licence issued at Caroona to ensure that mining does not destroy our environment, agricultural production, people's livelihoods, health and attachment to the land. As extractive industries have broadened their interests across the region, CCAG now strives to protect the wider area of the Liverpool Plains to ensure that the world class agricultural resources of the area are protected and that the region continues to be a viable food bowl for not only this nation, but the world.
CCAG is not opposed to mining per se. We have consistently argued for the role of independent science in the planning process, and continue to believe that this is necessary to identify and mitigate risks posed by potential development projects to the invaluable natural resources of the Liverpool Plains.
Aims and Objectives
- To ensure exploration or mining for coal, natural gas and/or petroleum products does not adversely affect the Liverpool Plains and the wider environment or ecology.
- To ensure exploration or mining for coal, natural gas and/or petroleum products does not diminish or conflict with community's culture or affinity they have with the land.
- To ensure exploration or mining for coal, natural gas and/or petroleum products does not adversely affect the agricultural production potential, livelihood, personal health or social structure of the community.
- To ensure the proposed exploration and mining procedure for coal, natural gas and/or petroleum products is fully transparent.
- To facilitate liaison between members and the mining, natural gas and/or petroleum products exploration companies and/or their subcontractors.
- To use all resources available to support any member seek fair and adequate compensation for any adverse effects resulting from exploration or mining, natural gas and/or petroleum products.
- To liaise and negotiate with governments, companies, industry representatives and persons associated with exploration and mining for coal, natural gas and/or petroleum products.
- To subscribe to groups, associations and organisations which may advantage the aims and objectives of Caroona. Coal Action Group Incorporated
About Us


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103rd Club Meeting report
2013年 12月 04日
・at Machipia
No Awards
Toastmaster: Switched from Kobayashi to Miyake.
Toastmaster: Switched from Kobayashi to Miyake.
Wordmaster: N/A on Wed. meeting
Timekeeper: TM Kubo
Vote counter: N/A on Wed. meeting
Grammarian: Sumeet
Table Topics 1
Table Topics Master: Kobayashi
Timekeeper: TM Kubo
Vote counter: N/A on Wed. meeting
Grammarian: Sumeet
Table Topics 1
Table Topics Master: Kobayashi
Theme : "Winter"
1. What's your favorite winter event? Sumeet
2. What's your favorite winter dish? Miyake
3. What do you do during winter season? Kubo
Table Topics 2
Table Topics Master: Miyake
Theme : "Exclamation"
1. Tell us your Oops! experience. Kobayashi
2. Tell us your A-ha! experience. Sumeet
3. Tell us your Wow! experience. Kubo
4. Tell us your Oh-NO~! experience. Momozu
Table Topics 3
Table Topics Master: Momozu
Theme : "Telegraph"
1. The Indian Telegraph service ended; What do you think about it? Sumeet
2. Recently do you use telegraph? Kubo
3. Do you think telegraph service survive in 10years? Kobayashi
4. If you are the president of the telegraph service company, what do you do to increase the number of people to use the service? Miyake
Prepared Speech/ Evaluation
There was no prepared speech, nor evaluation today.
Grammarian report
TM Sumeet corrected members' grammatical errors.
Tense, singular/plural errors were the major pointed out items.
by u2tmc | 2013-12-04 22:00 | 7. 例会報告


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I have been trying to lose weight since last year. Well......thats what I told myself as I ate another chocolate bar! I did lose a little bit of weight, but then put it straight back on again plus a bit more. This vicious cycle has been going on for most of my life, so finally I decided to TRULY do something about it this year. This has involved … [Read more...]
Crystals and Weight Loss
14/04/2016 By Leave a Comment


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Shahana's friends have planned a wild bachelorette party for her. At the same time, Shahana's would-be in-laws have also planned a marriage ritual. Will the groom manage the situation?? To find out.. watch Episode 2 (of 5).
You can watch episode 1 by selecting COMEDY from the filter button (on top right).


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The elegant twisting tower of Milan
Take a look at the recently completed and launched Generali Tower in Milan, by Zaha Hadid Architects.
The Generali Tower was first conceived in a competition as one of the earliest twisting towers over a decade ago. We joined the Zaha Hadid team to help design the building for an abandoned 61-acre site in Milan as part of a masterplan for client CityLife.
This successful collaboration has resulted is an elegant 170-metre-high twisting tower that now stands as a centrepiece for the development.
The twist was a mechanism which, along with the elegance of form it imparted, resolved the fact that the best views at height were oriented differently from the necessary building reception's position at street level. We worked closely with ZHA in an extensive design exploration crafted to enable the assessment of form, geometry and materiality alongside structural considerations of seismicity, weight and strength. Parametric models were developed allowing consideration of buildability, cost and robustness of detail to sit alongside the design discussion. The angle of rotation was carefully controlled with a framework of rules to ensure control of the structural system and allow clear-span façade-to-core floorplates to be developed.
The form of the building meant that its self-weight imparted torsional forces into the centrally located concrete core, which was required to resist this in concert with the normal lateral loads from wind and earthquake events. This complex interaction between floors, columns and cores was a unique set of challenges that we overcame in developing the structural systems implemented within this building.
This complexity was further added to at foundation level where otherwise strong founding soils were compromised by the existence of multiple weak and compressible lenses under the building. Complex ground models were required to develop the best solutions to support this magnificent building whilst adequately controlling deflections.
Client: CityLife
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Structural Engineer: AKT II, Redesco Progetti, Holzner & Bertagnolli, CAP Engineering
M&E: Max Fordham LLP
Contractor: CMB


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I've returned from vacation and have leapt back into the world of podcasting! I'm also behind on reading the "long read" for June, The Affair of the Poisons by Anne Somerset, so Jack and I opted to talk about some of the stuff we enjoyed so far in 2018.
I'll spoiler my choices for those of you who are not podcast listeners (you're welcome!)
Best Book: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (the link goes to the Penguin 50th Anniversary Edition that I highly recommend)
Best TV: Babylon Berlin, available on Netflix (I've since completed season 1 and the recommendation still stands)
Best Music: Totentanz by Hekate
Best Movie: The Cremator (1969) directed by Juraj Herz
Wild Card: Ninja III: The Domination (1984) directed by Sam Firstenberg


text: By Laasya Samhita IMAGINE if we could turn back time. A team that has identified a new way in which cells age has also reversed it, giving old mice younger bodies. One way mammalian cells produce energy is via aerobic respiration. This takes place mainly in mitochondria – the powerhouses of cells. While mitochondria carry their own genomes, some cellular components needed for respiration are produced by the nucleus, so the two must coordinate their activities. As we age, mitochondrial function declines, which can lead to disease. To investigate why, Ana Gomes at Harvard Medical School and her colleagues compared levels of messenger RNA – molecules that convey genetic information around a cell – for the cellular components needed for respiration in the skeletal muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice. Levels of mRNA in the nucleus were similar in young and old mice, while levels in the mitochondria decreased with age. Similar changes were seen in mice lacking a protein called SIRT1. These mice also had higher levels of a protein produced by the nucleus called HIF-1-alpha. This suggests that communication between the nucleus and the mitochondria depends on events involving both these proteins. As long as SIRT1 levels remain high, this type of ageing is kept at bay. But SIRT1 levels are controlled by another molecule called NAD+, and crucially that declines with age, leading to a breakdown in communication. To see if they could fix this breakdown, the team injected the old mice twice daily for a week with a molecule known to increase NAD+. At the end of the week, markers for muscular atrophy and inflammation had dropped and the mice developed a muscle type common in 6-month-old mice (Cell, doi.org/qpb). "It gives us a new pathway to target that can reverse some aspects of ageing,


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« October 2012 |
| June 2013 »
A Decade of Discardia
Ten years ago, I created Discardia as a reminder to myself to let go of what wasn't making my life awesome.
For the first year I was focused very much on the discarding part of the holiday, both of physical things and mental baggage, but soon the other aspects emerged as equally important. By the end of 2004 Discardia also served to remind me to be more true to who I am now, and to continually seek ways—even tiny ways—to make my life better. Sometimes those ways have involved acquisitions and upgrades, not divestment and that's just fine. It's not about just having less stuff, it's less of the wrong stuff and more of the right stuff.
By 2005, the year before my post-a-day writing adventure throughout 2006, many of the themes of Discardia had already appeared in one essay or another that I'd posted to my personal site or on Discardia.com. It would take the book writing process (beginning in summer of 2009) for me to pull together a clear and concise overview of the whole framework, but the pieces were there and integrating themselves into my life.
Bit by bit, in decisions and affirmations and recognitions, I have examined and adjusted my life; at first quarterly, but soon constantly and continually for all the years since.
You know what? It works. My life is awesome.
I hope yours is too, more and more every day.
Posted on December 25, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Happy December Discardia! Time for an upgrade.
We've a good long Discardian season now, with plenty of time to look at the year behind and the year ahead. Acknowledge where you've been and what you've learned. See the possibilities you've created for yourself. Choose where you want to be heading.
20/20 hindsight
When Discardia comes around in December on that shortest day—the winter solstice—celebrate by releasing yourself from a self-imposed deadline and giving thanks for what is good in the world. In addition, let this also be the season of giving yourself what you need to be truly joyful and just plain happy.
Look back on your year and see how things compare to last December. Recognize and enjoy the improvements you've made in your world.
• What has provided you with the most satisfaction?
• Can you do more in that area to provide a similar payoff?
This is the season to say thanks to yourself. Seek out the right choices you've made in the past year, great and small, and acknowledge your good sense in curing those causes of dissatisfaction.
You have a supportive framework of good habits, can see the rewards of your decisions and what you did about them, and have replaced some of your less exciting quantity with energizing quality. Now it's time to turn up the volume on the awesomeness and build the habit of upgrading your experiences.
Think back on your past:
• What did you learn from good but not ideal apartments, jobs, and relationships?
• Are there patterns or antipatterns that point you in the direction of positive change in your life today?
Add this question to your mental toolbox: "What does this look like when it works?" You can apply that to any functional object, space, time, or relationship that is currently less than ideal.
This mindset leads to other good questions. For example:
• What do I want to see (and not see) when I walk in the front door?
• What is bedtime like when it leads me into a great night's sleep?
• What would a good mentor provide me now?
Give that part of your world a nudge in the right direction.
First step: Do better than just survive December.
Posted on December 21, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0)
The Fortnightly Four Song Foray
My pal Ilona just moved and said on Twitter, "now to the unpacking. not my strong suit. anyone want to place a bet on how many boxes will remain untouched a year from now? :-/"
This one's for you, awesome lady.
I'd bet that more of those boxes will hang around than the closet space would be worth to you in the meantime, so chip away at them faster and reap that reward sooner.
Give yourself until Valentine's Day to settle in. Then after that, every other week, turn up the music and for the duration of four upbeat songs, open a box or drawer and paw through it, seeking items which can go into active use, or (more likely) your charity box, recycling, or trash.
Odds are if you didn't dig it out before this foray, you neither love it nor use it and it can move on to someone who does.
Just four songs. You can do this easy-peasy.
Posted on December 18, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0)


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Midtown Raleigh News
Raleigh band Jack The Radio joins rock legends on stage
Raleigh rock band Jack The Radio is accustomed to performing at small, dimly lit bars, but on Monday night, it will take to one of the biggest stages in the city.
The band has a coveted gig opening for George Thorogood and the Destroyers at Memorial Auditorium – by far the biggest audience Jack The Radio has ever had.
Frontman George Hage said a friend at the Raleigh Convention Center – which operates Memorial – submitted the band's music, and they'll be warming up the crowd for Thorogood's hits like "Bad To The Bone" and "Who Do You Love?"
Opening for Thorogood would serve as a musical pinnacle for many local bands, but for Jack The Radio it's a warm-up for an even bigger stage: Walnut Creek Amphitheater, where they'll play to thousands at a Hall and Oates concert in May.
"Our biggest hope is catching the ear of some of these artists and some of their fans with the ultimate goal of putting out another record," Hage said.
The Hall and Oates opening slot is Jack The Radio's prize for winning the Last Band Standing competition at the Lincoln Theatre earlier this month. Hage said his group typically avoids the "battle of the bands" format, but they agreed to play at Last Band Standing because the event was a fundraiser for Communities In Schools of Durham and Wake counties.
"This event raised money for kids – that drew us in and made us really want to play the event," he said.
To help win over the panel of judges, Jack The Radio, billed as a "Southern indie-rock band," added a horn section to its usual five-man lineup of Hage, who plays multiple instruments; A.C. Hill (vocals), Brent Francese (drums), Chris Sayles (bass) and Danny Johnson (also multi-instrument). Still, Hage said his group was surprised to wind up with the oversized $3,500 pot at the end of the night, because the competition was strong.
And even as they land high-profile gigs, the band is already working on its next CD, months after releasing an acoustic live album last summer. The goal is to record about 18 songs and then cut the CD down to 10 or 12.
"We're joking that it's going to be heard to beat the first quarter of this year," Hage said.


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Montreal comes together to explore opportunities for engagement and collaboration around 2017Wednesday, November 30th, 2016 | Melody MacLean
MONTREAL, QC (NOVEMBER 30, 2016) – The 150Alliance is hosting their final regional gathering of the year in Montreal this week together with 375MTL and the Foundation of Grand Montreal to engage the city and showcase a range of projects that will make the most of Canada's big year in 2017, which is both the 150th anniversary of Confederation and the 375th anniversary of Montréal.
The event will take place Friday afternoon at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage will provide words of welcome, followed by remarks from partners including France Chrétien-Desmarais, President and Executive Committee Member for the Celebrations of Montréal's 375th Anniversary, Hubert T. Lacroix, President & CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, Diane Bertrand of the Foundation of Grand Montreal and Karen Bouchard of Community Foundations of Canada.
Roundtable discussions around 2017 engagement will kick-off the event, followed by a showcase of projects and activities being planned throughout Montreal and across the country next year. Some of the exciting initiatives being highlighted at the event include:
- 150 Years Young: Apathy is Boring is leading a project that will acknowledge and feature millennials' diverse contributions and mobilize their potential through creative installations including an online photo and storytelling campaign and outdoor city projections. This project includes the engagement of 12 city ambassadors, including three in Montreal, to reshape the narrative on youth engagement in Canada.
- Art-based Social Inclusion in Canada: The Art Hives Network will map past arts-based social inclusion initiatives on an interactive website, and use video to document present grassroots community arts being undertaken in Canadian art hives. Sixty-two art hives from all parts of Canada will then create a traveling art exhibit on Truth & Reconciliation that will originate in Montreal and travel across Canada.
- We Desire A Better Country: This national tour led by The Walrus will visit every province and territory in 2017, with each event featuring eight speakers, including four youth leaders and four members of the Order of Canada. Their talk in Montreal will be a luncheon, with an option to travel in style and comfort with first-class VIA Rail service on a return trip between Ottawa–Montreal.
"The 150Alliance and 375MTL are great examples of how the moment of 2017 is being leveraged to bring Canadians together and strengthen the connections people have to their communities," says Ian Bird, President with Community Foundations of Canada. "This milestone year has also helped unlock the collective engagement of our philanthropic network in communities in Quebec and across the country that will extend well beyond Canada's big year."
The 150Alliance event in Montreal is the latest in a cross-country tour to engage Canadians in 2017 activities that has included stops in St. John's, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Richmond this fall.
"The 150th anniversary of Confederation will make it possible to engage Canadians, inspire them and strengthen the bonds that unite them," said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage. "Thanks to 150Alliance events, Canadians all across the country will be able to work together to make 2017 an unforgettable year. Now it's Montréal's turn to make the most of this networking opportunity to promote activities highlighting its 375th anniversary and the country's 150th."
Since 2015, the 150Alliance has hosted gatherings in almost every province, bringing together more than a thousand organizations across all sectors of society to mobilize around Canada's 150th and build the largest database of 2017 organizations and projects at www.150alliance.ca.
About 150Alliance
The 150Alliance is an open network of organizations, groups and individuals working to make the most of Canada's sesquicentennial. Incubated by Community Foundations of Canada, the 150Alliance is the national hub for Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation, with over 1,300 members and growing. Learn more or join today at www.150alliance.ca
Melody MacLean
Manager, Public Engagement
Community Foundations of Canada
P: (613) 236-2664 x 305
E: email@example.com


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2. It didn't work.
3. I give up, I'll take hormones. I still don't really understand how/why this will help my very regular cycle, but I'll try it. I simply can't fight the good fight anymore. It's about to get ugly, real ugly.
|There is a good chance I wont feel so gung-ho about this when it actually comes time to take the pill.


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Blog Archives
Local wanderings and wonderings
Since our return from New Zealand in May, we have tried to venture around our local environment with a view to obtaining images which are different to those we have photographed ourselves or those we have seen from other photographers. There are a few 'hotspots' for photographers around Adelaide , notably the coastline. Putting a different spin on some of these areas has been a great exercise in either exploring the area further or exploring photographic options with deeper thought. These are some of our forays with a brief story behind the images.
The Dousing!
After extended periods of rain, the lower two waterfalls at Waterfall Gully really start to flow. I have already taken quite a few images of these falls and wanted to achieve something different. One of my favourite elements of waterfall photography is capturing the way water splashes off rocks. Instead of a rock, I inserted myself into the scene (with plenty of warm clothes and a thick towel on standby after the 10 or so attempts it took to get this right!)
Still Water
After the Waterfall Gully effort, I wondered if I could put the same principle into practice with a seascape! Basham's Beach at Middleton has some very dramatic rocky outcrops but once again, I had been here several times already and wanted to try for originality. It so happened that a 52 week project on flickr had its theme for the week set at 'Still Water' which gave rise to this shot. Because I don't have a good remote shutter release, let alone one that might withstand salt water, I took a timelapse of this scene as I did not know how long it would take for the water to settle after I broke the surface of the pool.
Up River
In 2012, Marianne and I took our first trip 'upriver' to Mannum in winter. We loved the tranquility and peace away from home and the scenery around the Murray River, so we decided to partake in the very South Australian weekend away up-river again this year. This time, we headed to Barmera along the southern shores of Lake Bonney. The weather during this particular weekend was wild and cold and Charlotte was also a little ill at the time. This meant that we couldn't explore as far as we would have liked but the lake is home to fantastic landscape opportunities and the night skies are clearly visible when the cloud abates. Incidentally, I have noticed in our recent catalogues that we have been taking far fewer very long exposures. Personally, I'm going through a phase where I like to see texture in clouds and water but on this weekend, with Charlotte running around, it's actually easier to set up a long exposure before turning my attention to her for the duration of the bulb exposure. These are some examples of long exposure images from that all-too-brief weekend away.
The Ruins
The South Australian countryside is strewn with old, unused buildings with a rustic and aged charm. This hall at Bondleigh (20 minutes from Callington) made for a beautiful subject in quite different conditions. On my first visit, I was hoping for a good sunset but ended up with drizzle and greyness. On the second visit, the Perseid meteor showers made an appearance though in the wrong aspect for shooting the milky way. Nonetheless, this was a great evening out spent with local photographers Peter Fuller, Joel Dawson and Kelli-Ann Maddern. I will be looking for more of these locations and would welcome any suggestions!
Lessons from the field
Marianne and I have been trying to create a series of tutorials stemming all the way from field capture to the final product. I chose to visit Ingalalla falls to record a video regarding waterfall photography. Unfortunately, one of the lessons learned about using external microphones is that you need to remember to turn them on! I ended recording alot of hand gestures with no sound but may still produce the video with a voice-over though that lacks a certain authenticity. Finding a different aspect to photograph the falls was also a challenge so this was my attempt from the top of the falls.
The Landscape Impostor
One of our 'bucket-list' locations for the future is Karijini National Park. I would love to see the waterfalls cascading through narrow canyons with the vibrant rock colours and textures. Thankfully, closer to home, we have a miniature version to fulfill these needs for the time being. Mannum falls is located about 10 minutes drive from Mannum. After a short walk from the parking lot followed by a slippery scramble , you will end up at some picturesque rock pools at the end of the falls. At the time of this visit, the falls were barely flowing but this meant the rock textures were well exposed for me to attempt my Karijini impersonation.
Home sweet home!
Lastly, while it seems like we've done a fair bit of travelling lately, most of these shots have been taken on a premeditated weekend opportunity with limited planning. Luck had to play a large role in getting good conditions and when luck was not evident, we had to improvise! There have been an amazing number of striking sunrises and sunsets which I have seen from the window of our loungeroom while playing and feeding Charlotte in the early hours of the morning. These are just as fulfilling from a different standpoint. Nowadays as Charlotte looks at daddy gorking out the window, she is learning to appreciate and tell me about the 'pretty clouds' 🙂
Our next stop is as guest speakers at Merredin for the WAPF annual meeting! Another report from that trip as well as a round up of the Epson Panorama awards will be the topics of our next posts. Thanks for reading!


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Guide your customers in the right direction
Every business or organisation is as unique as the people within it. Directory boards and directional signage aid the day to day processes and ultimately increase efficiency. From easily changeable directory boards, pillar and post metal outdoor signs and building signage that aids wayfinding, Speedy Signs can customise a solution.
Featured Work.
Our expert staff will help you develop a comprehensive directional and wayfinding signage program which will be functional whilst remaining true to your brand image. Directional signage is very prominent within the workplace, and reflects your business image. At Speedy Signs, we can recommend the right style of directory sign to suit your needs and branding, including a number of sign options for your foyer or reception area.
Our custom graphic services, including state-of-the-art digital printing capabilities, allow us to match your directional signs to the existing look of your facility.
Changeable Directory Boards
There are a number of changeable options available to make it easy for your staff to maintain. From static signs to full colour digital options, we have the solution that's right for you.
Internal or External Directional Signs
From the moment your client enters your property, you need to make sure they have clear directions. Whether it's a simple sign directing visitors to your reception, or a multiple choice sign mapping out the various sections of your business, your local Speedy Signs has a number of sign options for your foyer, reception area and overall site.
on Directional Signs
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(03) 218 3199
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(03) 442 2991
Industry Solutions
Learn more about retail solutions


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So the question here no is what is the original tenchi as I'm looking for a classic and keep being told to watch this one...butb which one there's like a googlplexian amount of the series...and no idea where to start HELP ME LOL!
What tenchi is the original...anime
- Post n°1
What tenchi is the original...anime
Ohh and best answer gets a cookie *shakes cookie jar*
mitsuki lover
- Imperial Admiral
- Number of posts : 2827
Imperial Credits : 12708
Registration date : 2009-04-10
AFAIG: OVA 1 is the original anime as it's the one that started it all.
thank you *tosses cookie* to you..


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This week, Coun Chris Pillai puts the case for more street lighting in Brighouse.
As many regular readers will recall, a regular issue I champion on behalf of Rastrick residents is street lighting.
A properly lit street does not just enable us to see where we are walking, but prevents personal injury by people using the footpath, illuminates pedestrians crossing the road and generally reflects well upon the Council who serves the residents affected. A study of street lightings' effect on crime funded by the Home Office concluded that areas where effective street lighting is maintained and implemented have reduced crime rates, the idea being that not only does street lighting enable residents and community watch schemes to better identify suspected criminals; but it is also a signal to unpleasant characters that an area is well maintained and looked after.
Given vital importance street lighting plays, I have continued to campaign alongside my fellow Rastrick Councillors for street lighting such as that on Healey Wood Road and Woodhouse Road to be repaired as a matter of urgency.
Train station parking
Access to employment is the means by which we support not only ourselves and our families, but also our communities through the council tax that we pay. Rastrick residents regularly voice concern that local infrastructure just isn't keeping pace with the rising population locally.
Brighouse and Rastrick are up and coming 'commuter-belt' areas that with some careful and delicate management could thrive, however the provision of parking in and around the Railway station at Brighouse is sadly lacking.
A lack of oversight in this area by the Labour run council, has caused consternation between those using the station to commute to work and those residents who live in the vicinity of the Station.
My fellow Rastrick and Brighouse councillors and I continue to fight for our areas fair share and to hold the Labour administration to account for the 'lassiez-faire' disinterested approach they take towards services and infrastructure in the lower valley.
Lastly, I would like to echo the sentiments of Craig Whittaker MP in that, whilst there were many different opinions across Calderdale regarding whether we should leave or remain with the EU, the referendum has happened, the votes have been cast, counted and the decision made.
What is important is that we now come together as a community to meet the challenges ahead as we write a new chapter in both our local and national history.


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Is it cold where you are? It's flamin' cold here and we don't really do cold in Plymouth. I am bored of winter now. A new Pope was chosen today. I don't pretend to know much about the Catholic faith. As far as I am concerned God's representative on this earth now is the Holy Spirit so my mop doesn't really flop in this direction. However, hopefully all will go well for him. The news makes The Vatican sound a bit like Yes Minister, where the Vatican machine is like a kind of all powerful civil service. He will have to knock back a lot of be-robed Sir Humphrey-like people so he has his work cut out. Anyway, he is Argentinian. Does this mean that we have to give the Falklands to the Vatican City? Will they be ok with the penguins?
Am just calling in quickly to show you FOW1's attempt at Lasagne. This has told me
- Where my two-person lasagne dish is. I apologise to all those I have accused of lasagna dish thievery.
- When he comes home, we need to have a whip round for a grater.
Also, just to let those who are interested know that I heard on Radio 5 Live today that the read-throughs have started for Series 3 of Sherlock. It's quite a while to wait but not as long as people in Devon have waited for an Ikea! But – it's coming – possibly in 2015 to Exeter. Oh the tea lights and the cushion covers we will buy!


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Going Out On A Glissando: BSO Harpist Retires
Carnegie Hall kicks off its season tonight in New York with a new work by prolific Hollywood composer John Williams. It's a concerto for harp and orchestra, and Williams wrote it specifically for Ann Hobson Pilot. For the past 40 years, she's been a harpist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and now she's set to retire. Hobson Pilot was the first African-American woman to win a seat with the BSO, and one of the first in any major symphony.
Hear the Music
From the world-premiere performance on Sept. 23, 2009, harpist Ann Hobson Pilot plays an excerpt of "On Williows and Birches," a new concerto written for her by John Williams. James Levine leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
John Williams: 'On Willows And Birches' (excerpt)
Hobson Pilot was 14 when she fell under the spell of the harp. It was different, she says. And so was she.
"When I was coming up, I was an oddity, I guess you would say, by being an African-American playing the harp. Because the harp was considered to be, first of all, a feminine instrument, and certainly not an instrument of people of color. I mean, the angels played the harp and all of that."
Hobson Pilot's harp-playing got her into the Cleveland Institute of Music. Then she landed a job with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., where she was the first and only African-American musician. She remembers catching the attention of Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler in 1969, when she was 25.
"He came to guest-conduct us and said, 'We have an opening in Boston for the principal of the Pops orchestra, and another with the Boston Symphony. And I like your playing. Would you consider auditioning for the job?' "
Hobson Pilot got the job.
Boston Symphony Orchestra trombonist (and later personnel manager) Bill Moyer says he remembers when Hobson Pilot joined the BSO.
"When I joined the orchestra in 1952," Moyer says, "there was one other person in the orchestra who was a woman. One. And she was the second harpist. All the rest were men. And there were no people of color."
With Hobson Pilot's retirement, there is now only one full-time African-American musician in the BSO. But Moyer is quick to point out that the orchestra has always used a blind audition process. Musicians are separated from their judges by a screen and chosen based on skill. Hobson Pilot, Moyer says, was hired for no other reason than her beautiful playing.
"She has poetry inside of her," Moyer says. "What more could you hope for? It's disappointing to me that the classical music field hasn't opened up more, so there are more African-Americans in the field now."
Hobson Pilot has done her part to try to change that. She's mentored public-school children in Boston who are interested in stringed instruments. But, Hobson Pilot says, the harp is difficult to learn. Williams says it's even harder to write for.
Harp Headaches
"There are difficulties with the harp — limitations, special opportunities," Williams says. "There are seven pedals, and each string can produce three different pitches: It can be a C flat, a C natural or a C sharp at any given time."
Williams has guest-conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra for decades, and has gotten to know Hobson Pilot's playing. But even he wasn't sure she could pull off the new concerto.
"I was surprised that she could," he says. "It seems almost like a magic trick to hear and watch her do it."
Hobson Pilot rehearses the concerto, called "On Willows and Birches," while sitting on a cushioned stool on stage in Symphony Hall. She embraces her heavy harp with her entire body. Her arms stretch as her fingers glide across 47 strings. She says conjuring this sort of magic for an orchestra the caliber of the BSO is anything but easy.
"This orchestra plays perfectly," she says. "And, you know, being a part of the orchestra, you have to be perfect. And so, for 40 years, trying to be perfect has been a challenge."
Now, with her retirement, she will be able to relax and enjoy the music — from her seat in the audience.


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I've been following the Canadian political drama of late with typical morbid train-wreck-style fascination.
The media game and political spin cyclone is its own form of insipid entertainment. We watch the manipulators at work with full understanding of what they are up to, and feel sad that it works to sway the masses of suffragable uninformed mouth-breathers. </sardonic_elitism>
I'd like to remind y'all that there's a very viable alternative to the big parties, if you'd like to take a break from strategic voting games, that is. Being a god-damned-liberal-tree-hugger, I find the green party is well in line with my pragmatic sensibilities. Reading over their platform, their major selling points are to reform the political process (proportional representation), cut taxes, and invest in green practices. They also have some intertesting more minor ideas such as pushing for more open source projects in government IT, more active democratic participation via the web, and other clues that they are quite progressive and in line with my core values.
I think, unfortunately, a good chunk of canadians believe the green party is the same as the marijuana party, or that the green party is obsessed with tree-hugging and nothing else.
Regardless of your ideological slant, you should take the time to sign the petition to get the Greens in the debate and television coverage. Last election they got 4.29% of the vote. They are a national party with candidates in every riding, and yet seem to be ignored by all the media and blocked from participating in any debates. Essentially our media has complete control over their fate with voters. This kind of abuse of power hurts any viable party and we should express outrage.
But what do I know, I'm just a damned tree hugging techno-geek.
6 Commentsleave a comment
ALife / Dec 6 2005
Your Green Party sounds like it has the same problems as our Green Party. Ours gets a similar percentage of the vote, but because of the evils of the way seats in Parliament are allocated, it only has one. Proportional representation would be a good thing indeed!
Chris / Dec 6 2005
Consider it signed. They're still choice # 2 on my radar at the moment, and not in a "lesser evil than the others" way. I'm not a huge fan of all of their policies, but they've got some ideas that are very much in line with my (quite different from your) values.
bilge / Dec 6 2005
I just signed the petition. The Greens are green. They lack some of the big league finesse and locally, they get into stupid squabbles. However, how does one get experience without getting experience? A vote for the Greens are a vote for another probable future life for the next generations. It's respect for the generations that are to come. Greens need support to grow.
spacemoose / Dec 7 2005
tree hugger
Char / Dec 7 2005
Yes, the Green Party.
I was one of that 4.29%. Hopefully I'm part of a larger percentage this coming election.
Chris Hubick / Dec 8 2005
I'm voting strategically.
The Liberals in my riding beat the Conservatives by only 721 votes in the last election. Not voting Liberal basically just means the Conservatives will get the seat, and then I will have to sit back and watch them waving burning crosses as they drive around in the back of pickup trucks, with their funny hats, rounding up gay people with pitchforks…. or something like that.


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May 2019
6 Ways to Update the Look of Your Bathroom Without Doing a Full Reno
he average cost of a midrange bathroom renovation is more than $20,000. If you kick that up to the "upscale" level, it's almost $65,000. Yikes! Luckily, there are lots of little changes you can make in the bathroom to make it feel new again—or at least less old. They range in price from the cost of a family outing to the movies (with popcorn), to the cost of a couple of airline tickets to Hawaii (during a really good sale).
Go frameless
It's not cheap to convert an outdated shower to something more updated. Frameless glass will give you the sleek look you want, but be prepared to spend a good thousand bucks for the glass
Mortgage Rates
U.S. averages as of May 2019:
30 yr. fixed: 4.2%
15 yr. fixed: 3.64%
5/1 yr. adj: 3.77%
But add frames here
Frames around your mirrors give the space a more finished look. Companies like Mirrormate
Wondering What Your Home Is Worth?
How Lenders Evaluate the Self-Employed Borrower
ne of the primary factors when issuing a loan approval is to make sure the borrowers can afford the new mortgage payment along with other monthly credit obligations. This is accomplished by comparing monthly payments with monthly income.
For someone who receives a pay check on the 1st and 15th it's relatively easy to figure out how much money someone makes. But for those who are self-employed and make money when their clients pay their bills, it's not so easy. Lenders do have a method to properly calculate qualifying monthly income for the self-employed, they just take a few extra steps.
These borrowers must show proof they've been self-employed for at least two years. For those who receive a
Top Tips to Make Your Offer Stick
t's that time again, when the Spring real estate market starts to get hot (or gets even hotter, depending on how steamy your particular corner of the world is). Multiple-offer situations and selling prices that soar over asking prices are great for sellers, not so much for buyers.
If you're looking for an edge to ensure you get the home you want, we have some tips.
Work with the right real estate agent
You can't underestimate the experience and skills of a quality real estate agent. Not only will a great agent be able to guide you toward the best properties for you, but also may be able to use their network to identify homes that aren't even on the market yet or to work closely with an agent to get your offer accepted.
Make sure your offer is first
Some sellers will hold off on accepting an offer to see if they get more offers. There
Ann Folan Team's Video News Channel
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How Much Money Do You Need to Buy a Home?
kay, more specifically, how much money do you need to qualify for a mortgage? There are different factors involved because there are so many different types of loans available. Even the very same loan program might require more or less cash to close depending upon someone's personal situation. But this is indeed a very legitimate question and the one most often asked by home buyers.
Your first stop is talking with your loan officer to find out which loan program best suits your needs and qualifications. For instance, if you're eligible for a VA loan and you want to come to the closing table with as little cash as possible, the VA loan is likely your best choice. There's no down payment required for a VA loan (although you can make one if you want) and the veteran is restricted from paying certain types of closing costs. If you're looking at a higher end home and need jumbo financing, you may be asked to make a down payment of at least 20-25% of the sales price of the home.
Your loan officer will provide the proper loan options and both of you will decide on which loan works best for
Daily News and Advice
Read about the events shaping the Real Estate market today, find current interest rates, or browse the extensive library of advice and how-to articles written by some of the top experts in Real Estate. Updated each weekday.
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How Much Liquid Chlorine to Shock a Pool With Algae
New Program Allows Short-Term Rental Income to Be Used for Refinances
Gen Xers Driving Multi-Generational Housing Trend
5 DIY Things You Can Do Now to Lower Your Electric Bills This Summer
Get Your Home Ready for Spring in 7 Simple Steps
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Brand new website launched for The Fabulous Photo Emporium, information about hiring, ability to purchase prints from your event, and more.
The Fabulous Photo Emporium Website Launched!Aug 21 2010
NEWS FLASH!!Jul 10 2010
"The Fabulous Photo Emporium", formerly known as the "Moon Booth" had it's debut this weekend at Suky and Rob's weddding and it went down a storm. Here are the results:
Website Launch!Jul 8 2010
New website up! Keep an eye on this blog for more photographic adventures! Stay tuned…
Tyson x


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How to brew the best night time tea
Sleep is as essential to our bodies as eating, drinking, and breathing. This month, neuroscientist Rachel Williams returns to host a sleepy tea making session at the Book Club in London exploring the history of sleep-inducing herbs and medicine. She tells us how we might add zzzs to our...
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MediaPortal turns your HTPC into a very advanced media center, or Home Theater PC (HTPC)
BeyondTV UI on MediaMVP
A SnapStream Beyond TV 3 like interface for the Hauppauge MediaMVP device. This project allows the MediaMVP to access the recordings of Beyond TV and will make the MVP interface look similar to the interface of Beyond TV. This includes LiveTV with pause


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Video: We take a look back at Gators season-opening win, look forward at Week 2
After one week, there aren't many complaints in Gainesville.
The Gators recorded 606 total yards and committed just one penalty on their way to a 61-13 win over New Mexico State to open the season. Now, Florida (1-0) moves on to host East Carolina (1-0) on Saturday at 7 p.m. (ESPN2).
What is the state of the Gators as they prepare for Week 2 of the regular season? We answered that question in the video below …


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Journal Notes
We had 1 night that we wanted to spend in Budapest to meet up with friends and we chose this Hilton. I got confused with the other Hilton that would have been on the river, so we were a little disappointment, but this hotel fine anyways. It would be especially great for someone that wanted to go shopping as it is connected to to a large shopping center.
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After some recent talk about unusual types of radish, hounds have switched their attention back to uses for regular peppery radishes, which are a great ingredient in much more than green salads. They're excellent in sandwiches, or on crusty bread spread with butter (or butter mixed with blue cheese). Thinly sliced, they're a nice garnish for creamy soups.
Try marinating sliced radishes in white vinegar and sugar, or making CHOW's quick pickled Bread-and-Butter Radishes. The results makes a great condiment or sandwich filling.
Radishes play nice in some unusual vegetable salads, like this radish salad with mint, beloved by DGresh, or Missyme's preparation of sliced radishes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, plenty of chopped parsley, and a mustardy vinaigrette. JRL mixes sliced radishes, chopped cucumbers, chopped scallions, dill, lemon juice, and salt with yogurt or cottage cheese for a light lunch or snack.
Hounds also like to braise radishes too. scubadoo97 cuts them in half, tosses them with a little butter and some water or stock, and braises. "They turn into little pink delicacies that are tender and mild," he says.
And don't forget about those radish greens: carswell likes them puréed in soup with onion, potato, a little carrot, chicken broth, and a splash of cream.
Board Link: Radishes … what to do w/ them?


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Cape Town's housing prices have reportedly increased to such an extent that middle-class families are finding it virtually impossible to put a roof over their heads. This according to Knight Frank's Global Wealth Report which, among other things, lists property price growth around the world.
The City of Cape Town is ranked third in the world for the highest housing prices, falling behind only Shanghai and Vancouver.
Ndifuna Ukwazi researcher Julian Sendin, says the issue of increased housing prices is a global phenomenon, but what fuels South Africa's housing crisis is apartheid's painful spatial planning history.
Sendin goes on to say that because that housing legacy hasn't been resolved, the next wave, which has brought evictions and price hikes in the city adds fuel to fire.
This is an incredibly complex issue. The city needs to do a number of things.— Julian Sendin, Researcher, Ndifuna Ukwazi
The state needs to build well located, affordable, subsidised housing explains Sendin. He says because these type of houses tend to be built on the urban periphery and far from jobs, a repetition of the past is then created.
The City of Cape Town should, through its land-use legislation, regulate its private and public development, negotiate using the land-use right to grant up-zoning if affordable housing is provided, he proposes.
The housing backlog is so enormous that there's no way the State, at all levels, can deal with this problem by themselves. They have to leverage the capacity of the private sector to assist them.— Julian Sendin, Researcher, Ndifuna Ukwazi
Take a listen to the full interview in the clip below:


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Office organization for private individuals
Office organization for private individuals
As we all know, a lot of 'office work' is also done at home. Bank and insurance documents, papers belonging to the kids or parents, holiday apartment bills and the inevitable mountain of pension documentation all have to be sorted. Receipts and bills for the income tax return need attention and your tax advisor already warned you last time that 'shoe boxes' are no longer acceptable. Naturally, you've been meaning to sort it out for ages, but are not quite sure where to start or can't find the time or simply can't be bothered. And somehow all the unfinished paperwork is giving you a guilty conscience.
No doubt you often ask yourself:
- Isn't there an easier and quicker way of doing it?
- What do I have to keep, and for how long?
- Can't this be done with less paper, using less room or at least in a way that doesn't leave my home looking like a second office?
Our solution:
- Sort and 'clear out' your paperwork
- Create a simple and logical filing system
- Sort your documents and files
- Scan your documents and create a simple and logical PC- or cloud-based structure
- File things away in clearly labeled folders and systems that will enable other family members to find your documents in an emergency
If you want to give someone you know the gift of time, why not give them a session with Mrs. Paperless as a gift. We would be delighted to send you a lovely card that you can present to someone as a gift voucher.
Why not give us a call! We'll shed light on the paper jungle and set up structures that will make it easy for you to file away documents in future. Be inspired, motivated and filled with enthusiasm! Read what our customers have to say about our work.


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Wow, what lovely weather we've had for April. It's been fabulous for getting out and about. It's been a busy period with lots of miles walked and lots of photos taken.
All of the birds seem to be in, I heard my first cuckoo yesterday (21st Apr). The only thing I haven't heard or seen yet are Sedge Warblers. Whitethroat and Reed Warblers are in on the Gravel pits near Hereford but no Sedge. I don't doubt they are there though.
I spent two fabulous days in Devon with Chris G and Mike S. Thanks Chris and Lynne for your hospitality. We went after Dartford Warblers, not really knowing how we were going to do.
We were on to them pretty quickly, although distant and characteristically skittish. I had never seen a Dartford before so it was a thrill to see them. This is a considerable crop.
When the Dartford weren't around, the Dunnock kept us entertained with their singing.
There were also plenty of Stonechats milling around too.
we also saw a single Yellowhammer and a very pale Kestrel, so pale in colour that we weren't sure what we were looking at for a while. It was distant.
The following day saw us back at the reserve, and after a quick trip away for a McDonalds breakfast as the mist was too thick, we were soon back amongst the Warblers. we also noted that there were quite a few more Yellowhammers around.
All in all a brilliant 2 days of birding, finished off with a quick detour to see Dippers near Honiton.
Back at home I set myself a target of Orange-tip butterflies. I only had a couple of shots of this quick moving beauty, so it was going to be a challenge.
The female I caught on some Red Dead Nettle flowers,
The male on some Cuckoo (aka Lady's Smock) flowers.
My next targets were slightly larger and I wasn't even sure I was going to photograph either of them, I just wanted to confirm that they were in so that I could save myself a journey into Powys to Gilfach Farm NR. I was pleasantly surprised to find both, and to manage a shot or two of the one. Yes Redstart and Pied Flycatchers were my targets. The Pied Flycatcher was singing his little heart out, but the female that was near him seemed to be unimpressed and whereas he clearly favoured one nest box, she much preferred another, I can see heartache if one of them doesn't compromise.
I have spent almost a weeks worth of evenings watching badgers on a Herefordshire Nature Trust reserve. I was going to do a project on them and try to photograph them but I have been asked to hold off by the trust as they have a family viewing evening planned in June and have their own plan in place. Shame as I had already managed to attract the badgers very close and was just about to start implementing lighting. However the nights I sat there for 3 hrs a time were very rewarding, with some really nice viewing.
I have another target species in mind. Yellow Wagtail. I know a site a couple of miles away from me where there are usually a pair. I have already had clear viewings of one bird, although only managed one frame. I need to dedicate a few more hours to this project.
One of the critters I love at this time of year is the Bee Fly, at another HNT site there are two types, Bombylius Major and Bombylius discolor. I have provided HNT with images of both and they are going to use them in their Spring newsletter hopefully, so for the first time I may get a picture in print. You can see the images on my Smugmug site Just like buses you don't see anything for ages and then 2 come at once and hot on the heels of the request from HNT to use my images came a request from Hereford Fungi group to use an image of a Fishy Milkcap, Lactarius volemus, in their newsletter. How will I cope with the fame??
With 29 images on Getty images now and as yet no sales (not that I'm expecting any), my feet are well and truly planted. I am told by some that my images are of a great quality now but I still don't think that they are anywhere as good as a great deal of others. I get my pleasure from getting the images and sticking a few on my Smugmug site. there is a link on this website.
Now to finish, the highlight of this last week or so was getting a call from my son who was observing Wild Boar in the forest. He said could I get down there and if I could he would stay with them and keep me appraised of their position. Too right I could get there, and at something slightly over the speed limit for a portion of the trip. I was soon with him and feeling blessed to witness one of the best groups of Boar I've seen, three sows and fourteen piglets. Clearly a group that was thrown together as the Piglets were of two different sizes and all three of the sows appeared to be lactating. we spent an amazing 45 minutes or so watching and in my case photographing them, and once again I was never in danger from the sows. They knew I was there and yet they allowed my to get so close that on occasion the piglets were too close to get fully in the frame. The piglets themselves were amazing, inquisitive and delightful to watch. I was so enamoured that I often found myself forgetting to press the camera shutter. In the wake of some bad press relating to a dog being seriously injured, I wish more people could have watched the group as I photographed them. They really are no threat if approached carefully, quietly, and slowly. Here are just three of the hundred or so images I took.
The Sow pictured was the biggest and oldest of the three, and she was big. It was a brilliant experience and one that neither I nor my son will ever forget, in deed my son was so impressed he rushed home to fetch his girlfriend and returned a short while later to find them not far from where we'd left them, so she could see them up close too.
There are and will be more shots on my Smugmug site.


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The production system that promises to support a reduction in final assembly times for the Boeing 737 from 10 to nine days this year should become still more efficient with the introduction of a new automated panel assembly line (PAL) by early 2015. Built by Mukilteo, Washington-based Electroimpact, the PAL fastens stringers to wing skin panels at twice the rate Boeing now can manage using the current process at the 737 plant in Renton, Washington. Electroimpact designed the panel with an array of lasers that "see" the surface without touching it, allowing it to follow the panel curvature or contour. The process improves accuracy, consistency and "repeatability," according to Boeing.
Boeing's existing machines in Renton install about 4,000 fasteners and mechanics install roughly 2,000, often requiring them to contort their bodies into unnatural positions. The automated system not only eliminates the need to perform fatigue-inducing acrobatics, but it also promises to reduce repetitive motion injuries.
In Renton, Boeing has installed the major foundations to support some 70 machine beds per line. Once installed on the factory floor, the PAL will load parts using a monorail system rather than overhead cranes, eliminating wait time between positions.
The PAL has already arrived at Boeing's site in Everett, Washington, and plans call for crews to transfer it by train and barge to Renton "over the coming days." According to Boeing Commercial Airplanes director of 737 business operations Beth Schryer, the new line will "ramp up" over time starting next year, initially operating simultaneously with the existing line.
Boeing estimates the PAL will cut flow time by 33 percent, defects by 66 percent, factory "footprint" by 50 percent and injuries by 50 percent.
The PAL promises to account for a big part of Boeing's effort to raise its production rate from 42 to 47 a month by 2017, at roughly the same time it starts its transition from building current-generation 737s to the new 737 Max.
To make room for the Max, Boeing has begun clearing space in the final assembly building that now houses the east line. "A key foundation of our overall strategy, plan and approach on the Max is to dedicate a final assembly line to the Max as we bring it into our system," said Schryer. "It has longer flows at the beginning than the NG and [as] we ramp it up, we will do that on a dedicated line, keeping our NG lines running as they are running today." Eventually, the Max line will run at the same pace as those dedicated to the NG, she added.
Plans call for the Max line—the central line of the three final assembly lines in Renton—to incorporate three positions, where Boeing would build the initial examples as well as perform flight-test installations and other miscellaneous items. Boeing has also begun the process of building a new systems installation tool, where it loads and stuffs the fuselage sections with systems before they go to wing-to-body join, adjacent to the west line. In the process, Boeing plans to convert to a pulse system, creating what Schryer called an even more lean build. The process will involve three pulses on three separate lines, meaning it will hold nine fuselages.
Dennis M Gruba
June 26, 2014 - 7:44pm
This is an interesting article on the continued use of newly developing technology to manufacture aircraft. As we continue to retire the aging workforce any news about reducing the need to contort into unnatural positions for a build is welcomed.
The continued marriage between automated manufacturing and automated final product, in this case aircraft and not autos, makes it very easy to picture the future with pilotless cockpits, designated flight routes with precise aircraft seperation, and quick turns at airports with precision ground handling of aircraft, baggage and passengers.
The future is going to be a wonderfully new exeperience.


text: Music Giant Jerry Wexler Dead at 91 By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff Posted Aug 15, 2008 3:11 PM CDT 1 comment Comments In this Oct. 17, 1979, file photo, Jerry Wexler, is shown. Wexler, a legendary record producer, who worked with Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and other greats, has died. He was 91. (AP Photo/DP) (Newser) – Jerry Wexler, a music industry giant who coined the term "rhythm and blues" and worked to bring black popular music into the mainstream, died today at age 91, the New York Times reports. Wexler, a producer at Atlantic Records in its heyday, worked with new artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Wilson Pickett. Unusual for the time, he gave the artists great control in the studio, allowing them to forge singular sounds. Wexler started in the music biz as a reporter for Billboard, where he suggested the term "race records" be changed to rhythm and blues. He moved on to Atlantic in the 1950s, where "he played a major role in bringing black music to the masses, and in the evolution of rhythm and blues to soul music," said the chief curator for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Read more music stories.)