text:
This magazine has spent a lot of time during the past six and a half years talking about, and to, do-it-yourselfers. People who — with little money, less experience, and (sometimes) no one at all to guide them — have plunged right into the construction and operation of their own homestead, little business, or alternative energy system.
And we don't apologize for that at all. Because it always has been (and probably always will be) the "little people" who set the trends that the politicians and the "leaders" and the bureaucrats and big business and big labor later discover and cash in on. This publication was originally designed to foster the interests of "little people" and the planet ... and we see no reason to change that goal now.
On the other hand, it's no secret that the "big boys" are discovering the back-to-basics, live-better-for-less, preserve-the-planet, recycle-it-or-do-without ideas that us little people have been living for so long. Big labor now spends a lot of time worrying about the environment. Big business has began to see the wisdom of phasing out aerosol cans, new models every year, and shoddy merchandise of all kinds ... in favor of appliances that use markedly less energy, solar collectors, and quality products that last forever. And every politician in the world, it seems, has developed (at least when talking to us) a sudden interest in organic gardening, saving the bald eagle, and funding at least one "alternative" energy project.
Which brings us to the subject of this interview. Because, believe it or not, NASA — the agency that sends men to the moon and rocket probes to Mars—is now seriously experimenting with (are you ready for this?) ... windplants. And some of those experiments are even being funded by half of what used to be the Atomic Energy Commission! (And it was only four or five years ago that those same guys were laughing at the "freaks" — us! — who foolishly thought that windplants and waterwheels might still have a few practical applications.)
Well, what the heck. "Live and Learn," we always say. And the so-called "establishment" is certainly learning. Then again, maybe we have a little to learn too. Because, given the chance, those guys with the slide rules and the big government funds can do some work that even has a certain interest for us little guys too. (At least it's more fun watching our government build windplants than it is watching it develop ever-stronger poisons and ever-bigger bombs.)
Jack Bender recently visited NASA's Plumb Brook Station at Sandusky, Ohio, where the currently "world's biggest" windplant is just going into operation. There he talked to Donald Cooksey, Site Project Engineer for NASA's Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) Project. And found Mr. Cooksey to be a warm and a human and a concerned Good Guy.
Mr. Cooksey, this is a big windplant. At the top of its arc, the tip of each blade is something like 170 or 175 feet above the surface of the earth and traveling nearly 180 miles an hour. This is, in other words, quite a play toy ... and obviously beyond the means of most of the backyard experimenters who read THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS. Just how much did the plant cost?
The project is budgeted at $985,000.
And where's that money coming from?
Well, indirectly, from the taxpayers. But more directly from ERDA ... the Energy Research and Development Administration. The old Atomic Energy Commission, you'll remember, was abolished on January 19, 1975 and — in its place — two new agencies were born: One is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which concerns itself with policing the atomic industry. The other, ERDA, is actively engaged in researching and developing energy sources of all kinds.
Even wind power.
Yes, even wind power.
Is this 100 kW windplant in ERDA design?
No, it was engineered — with a little help from some computers — by our own NASA people at Lewis Research Center in Cleveland. We've set it up here on the Lake Erie shore near Sandusky, of course, because of the strong, steady winds that blow in and out across the lake during so much of the year.
Is the design an original one all the way through'?
Oh no. Our Wind Turbine Generator — we call it the WTG, for short — is actually a composite of several other machines which exist now or which once existed. In particular, we were inspired by a Dr. Heutter in Germany. He developed a 100-kW windplant a few years ago and funded its construction himself and brought the machine right up to the point where everything started to work right ... and then ran out of money. Unfortunately, the last we heard, Dr. Heutter wasn't in business anymore (EDITOR'S NOTE: The last we heard, Dr. Heutter's windplant tore itself apart the first time it was run in a stiff wind) but, while he was still conducting experiments, we brought him over here and picked his brain. A lot of the input for our WTG came directly from Dr. Heutter.
Marcellus Jacobs, whom we interviewed in our magazine, has designed and built and sold more windplants than anyone else in the world. He, in fact, is the unchallenged father of the modern wind-driven electrical generator and plants he constructed 30 years ago are still setting the standards for the windplants being built today. Jacobs experimented with a great number of rotor configurations for his machines and lie flatly states that three blades running out in front of a tower is the only way to go. As a matter of fact, he believes that the 1,250 kW Grandpa's Knob plant in Vermont which threw a blade a few hundred hours after it was put into service back in the 40's would probably be running yet if it had had three blades out in front instead of the two-bladed downwind rotor that it was given. Yet you've designed your machine with a two-bladed downwind rotor. Why?
Well we do have other blade designs on the drawing board, and I believe that we'll eventually test them. We're going ahead right now with the particular rotor you see here primarily because it's relatively inexpensive and easy to fabricate. In short, it costs roughly two-thirds as much to build a two-bladed rotor as it costs to construct one with three blades. And the feathering mechanism is much less complicated, etc. It's also obvious that you can save a great deal of money on the construction of a plant this size if you can find a way to cut down on the number of components that make up the machine. Well, by using a downwind rotor, we don't need to add a tail to the WTG ... and that, of course, cuts our initial costs considerably.
We're not anti-three blades, by the way. A three-bladed rotor is probably the best possible choice for a windplant that sweeps a disc of 20 to 40 feet in diameter, which is exactly the area in which Jacobs worked. For a larger wind turbine, though, we think two blades are better.
I've been up to the top of the WTG tower, and I could feel it tremble as the wind up there blew against the rotor. I could see the blades bending a little too. Apparently there isn't much "give" in the rigid hub that holds the rotor. Is that a good idea? Shouldn't there be some flex up there to relieve that strain?
We've taken pains to make sure that the frequencies of vibration set up by the blades as they spin are not the same as the tower's vibration frequency. If they were, the whole thing could shake itself apart in very short order. That problem, however — as long as the rotor automatically feathers and unfeathers itself so that it maintains a constant speed of 40 rpm when it's in operation-has been engineered out of the windplant.
The slight shaking you felt, on the other hand, was due to the difference in wind loads against the blades as they turn. There's a lot of variables working on that rotor as it spins, you know.
The tower, of course, creates a "wind shadow" at the bottom of the arc. This, plus the fact that the mass of air 40 or 50 feet above the ground's surface can be moving at only 10 or 15 miles per hour while the wind 150 or 160 feet above the ground is moving 50 or 60 miles per hour, can put a tremendous bending moment — out at the top and then in at the bottom — on each blade as it turns. Add in the fact that when you're sweeping a 125-foot circle you're going to get all sorts of little gusts and other variables between any one spot on the disc and any other.
All this does, indeed, put a certain amount of stress and strain on the hub ... strain that we'd like to relieve. We'll probably be experimenting in the future with [1] blades of some other material or construction that will flex more as they spin and, thereby, absorb a great amount of these variable loads without transmitting them to the hub and/or [2] a teetering hub that will harmlessly dissipate the rotor's flex instead of absorbing it as the fixed hub now does.
I know that Lockheed custom-built your original set of blades and you're talking about testing what I assume to be more one-of-a-kind components fabricated just for this project. Have you had to construct everything you've used in this windplant?
No, we've used existing hardware as much as possible. Almost everything in the mechanical drive system — shafts, bearings, gearbox — came right off the shelf. The alternator is a stock item from General Electric and the gearbox is straight out of the Horsburgh-Scott catalog. That saved us a lot of money and, incidentally, also dictated a great deal about the specifications of the components that we did have to design for the machine.
All right. This project is budgeted at $985,000, right?
And the windplant you've built and are testing for that $985,000 produces 100 kilowatts, of electricity ... when the wind blows.
That is correct.
Which means that your generator cost $9,850 per kilowatt ... and that's a pretty penny to pay for "free" power from the wind.
OK. In the first place, not all of that $985,000 actually went — or is going — directly into our Wind Turbine Generator. Nearly half the money has to be charged off to engineering, test equipment, and salaries for the people who are analyzing the machine's performance.
When you come right down to it, the actual hardware and construction of this plant can be figured at about $500,000 ... or $5,000 per kilowatt. And we calculate that ,we can now build a second-gene ration machine for only about $2,000 per kW ... even if we hand-fabricate the blades, hub, bedplate, and other special components that went into our prototype and which we couldn't buy off the shelf. BUT, if someone were to go into production with the WTG and actually mass-produce the plant, that cost could drop down to around $1,000 or even as low as $600 per kilowatt. Which would make the WTG competitive with diesel generators burning 30¢-a-gallon fuel.
What do you mean "if someone were to go into production with the WTG?" Are you already shooting for manufacture of the unit?
Well we're still a long way from that. The machine you see here is only the first of several prototypes that we hope to develop in what is a five-year-long, 11-million-dollar research project. We're already in the process of writing specifications for two more windplants of 200 to 300 kilowatts and we're considering the design of generators all the way up to the 1,500 kW class. So we still have a lot of work ahead of us before we'll even know if we're on the right track or not.
But to answer your question more directly: Yes, the whole purpose of this project is the development of a tried-and-tested, trouble-free, wind driven generator that a company-or even an individual — can set up to manufacture. We'd like to have a whole manual full of such machines, in fact. Everything from a little 4 kilowatt model up to and past a 1,500 kW plant. Then you could just thumb through the book and pick the one that best suits your application and send away and get the prints and build it. All the work we do, you know, is freely available to the public.
When do you expect to publish that manual?
I couldn't really say, but I'm sure that — at the earliest —i t won't be available until after we've completed our five-year program. Probably longer. These things never go as fast as you'd like them to.
Right now, for instance, we're trying to check the 100 kW plant out at 20 rpm — half its designed operational speed-and we can't even do that until we've debugged the computer that converts our instrument readings to engineering units. We thought we'd have our 20-rpm and 30-rpm tests run by now and that we'd be analyzing the windplant's operation at its full 40 rpm at this time ... but, thanks to that computer, we're still fiddling around with the 20-rpm analysis.
I hasten to add, by the way, that the 100 kW WTG's performance is checking out just as predicted at 20 rotations per minute. The stresses in the blades — the operation of the hub and bearings and shafts and all the rest — are all coming out within predicted limits. So it's not the windplant itself that's holding us up ... it's the calibration of the test equipment.
But is the 100 kW turbine actually running the way it was designed to operate? As I understand it, you're manually controlling some of the machine's functions that should be automatically directed by equipment within the windplant itself.
Oh, sure. That's one of the areas we're anxious to get on to. Once we've checked the WTG out at its full operational speed, we want to try running it in a mode completely controlled by what we call a micro-processor ... which is just a very simplified mini-computer. It's just printed circuit cards — nothing complicated at all — but it contains all the commands and logic that are needed to run the machine completely unattended.
Now this is actually no big deal, but we do have to progress on to this step in our program before we'll have a windplant that's going to be practical for a small community. A 100 kW generator can furnish all the electricity that 10 or 15 or, in some cases, up to 30 houses ever need ... but it's not a very practical method of producing that power if someone has to sit around day and night monitoring the machine all the time. There's just too many man-hours of labor involved.
We can live with manually controlling our prototype for a few weeks until we have all our test equipment functioning properly. But our WTG isn't going to appeal to anyone until we have it operating automatically all by itself.
What about the excess electricity that your plant produces when the wind is blowing hard but nobody has many appliances turned on? And what about the reverse ... when there's no wind at all but everybody wants electricity? Do you plan on feeding the WTG's output into a bank of batteries ... or in storing that output in some other way?
No. Our design calls for automatic switching gear that allows the WTG to synchronize its output with the alternating current already pulsing through the local power grid. The houses in the area will be feeding off that grid all the time. The windplant won't be connected to the system at all, however, when it's not running. It will switch itself into the grid, though, just as soon as the wind begins to blow hard enough to make it produce usable juice. At that time, the plant will synchronize its output with the AC in the local power lines ... and begin feeding its current in. In effect, the grid — which is already there and available — becomes the storage battery for the wind-driven generator.
That sounds good. But, of course, the power companies already do the same thing with new coal-burning generators and with nuclear power plants. Do you really know that your windplants are any better than other producers of electricity? Have you made environmental studies of the impact your turbines might have on a given area?
Well one of the reasons we're concentrating on 100 kW and bigger units right now is because we think it's better to feed 15 or 30 or 300 homes from a single windplant than it is to try to provide every house in a neighborhood with its own personal wind-driven generator. Can you imagine just how impractical it would be — and how ugly a subdivision would look — if each and every home had a 50-foot tower topped with a 30-foot wind charger stuck out in the backyard? TV antennas are bad enough! A single big plant — maybe large enough to feed all the dwellings in a mile-square area — might be sorta nice, though. I don't know, but it might be.
That one big plant, on the other hand, might have some drawbacks of its own. What effect, for instance, will it have on wildlife in the area? Will it scare away all the rabbits and deer? Will it prove to be a hazard to migratory birds? The National Science Foundation is working with the Battell Institute down in Columbus, Ohio on these questions right now.
And what about the micro-climate around a very large windplant? Will that rotor stir up the passing air mass enough to' change the frost characteristics of the neighborhood? We don't know. But we aim to find out.
Well let's say that you find the answers to these questions ... and that the answers are good ones. Let's say, in short, that wind-driven generators are really great. They produce meaningful quantities of electricity and they don't disturb the environment. We still aren't going to put them everywhere because the wind doesn't blow regularly everywhere. Where will we put the plants?
Out on the Great Plains, obviously. Along some ridges in the mountains. And on the coasts of — and out on some of the islands in — a great many bodies of water. Islands can be especially good locations for windplants ... especially if they're low and don't obstruct the wind that comes blowing across all that flat water. The islands in Lake Erie would be good. Or islands in the Caribbean, such as Puerto Rico. The average wind velocity on some of the Caribbean island coasts is something like 35 miles per hour. That's just ideal for this type of generator.
NASA'S 100 Kilowatt Wind Turbine Generator (WTG):
Some Technical Facts
This test machine consists of a rotor turbine, drive train assembly, alternator, yaw system, tower, and controls. The rotor is 125 feet in diameter, its optimum operating speed is 40 rotations per minute, and it produces 133 kilowatts of power at the hub when turned by a mass of air moving 18 miles per hour.
The windplant has no tail to "point" its blades into the wind. Instead, the yaw system allows the whole unit to pivot on top of the tower so that the rotor automatically positions itself downwind of the support. This makes it impossible for the wind to ever "push" a blade into the tower (as sometimes happens to windplants with rotors that turn upwind of their supports). And — since the tower is not subjected to the force of the wind, then blanketed by a passing blade, then left exposed again, etc., during operation — the NASA unit's tower must absorb far less dynamic interference than the structures which support most windplants.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This "downwind operation" idea may be good and it may not. Marcellus Jacobs — who sold 50 million dollars' worth of windplants back in the '30s, '40s and '50s and whose machines, each of which had three blades that ran upwind, are still known as absolutely the finest and most trouble-free ever built — is not impressed by the "downwind" design philosophy. "If you use only two blades and run them behind the tower," he says, "you subject those blades to extreme forces every time they rotate. First they're being pushed by the wind, then they're shielded by the support, then they're catching the force of the wind again, then they're protected by the tower, and so on. This is what caused one of the blades to sever itself from the big Grandpa's Knob plant back in 1945. You're far better off to use three blades, mount them out in front, and beef up the tower enough to hold them. I tested all those ideas 20, 30, 40 years ago and I know.")
The 133 kilowatts of energy produced by the 125-foot rotor on the NASA windplant becomes-after the rotor's 40 rpm is stepped up to 1,800 rpm by the unit's drive train-a usable 100 kw at the alternator. The rotor, yaw system, and drive train are all mounted on top of a 100-foot tall tower and the controls for the windplant are currently located on the ground in a monitoring laboratory.
BLADES: The rotor is fitted with two all-metal blades. Each is 62.5 feet long and weighs approximately 2,000 pounds. The blades use a NACA 23000 airfoil and each one is twisted 26.5 degrees so that its fat, slow-turning hub will bite into the air with a greater angle of attack than does its slender, fast-moving (180 mph) tip. They were fabricated by the Lockheed Corporation — for $320,000 the set — and are designed to produce 133 kilowatts of power when rotated at 40 rpm by an 18-mph wind.
HUB: The rotor blades are connected to the windplant's main low-speed drive shaft by a fixed hub (that is, the hub is rigidly bolted to the shaft and only the blades themselves are allowed to twist — thereby changing their pitch — as the whole assembly rotates). The pitch-change mechanism consists of a hydraulic pump, pressure control valve, actuator, and gears. The pump is mounted separately within the windplant's main housing and its hydraulic fluid is brought into the shaft via rotating seals. The pressure of the fluid pushes the rack of a rack and pinion actuator which, in turn, controls a master gear that feathers and unfeathers the blades through bevel gears.
The high torque and low (40) rpm of the rotor is changed to low torque and high (1,800) rpm by a 45-to-1 ratio gearbox. The output shaft of this box is then connected to the input shaft of a 100 kW alternator by V-belts. For safety's sake, the gearbox is designed to handle 176 kW (236 horsepower), which is a load approximately one-third greater than the rotor should ever deliver.
The 1800-rpm synchronous alternator is self-cooling and contains a directly connected brushless exciter and regulator (the regulator includes power, potential, and current transformers). The 1,425-pound alternator is rated at 125 kva, 0.8 power factor, and 480 volts; and is a three-phase, 60-hertz, Y-connected unit.
The rotor, drive train, and alternator of the NASA Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) are all supported on a bedplate that is enclosed in a streamlined fiberglass housing and mounted on bearings so it can be rotated (yawed) by a geared "yaw control" assembly. Through the use of this control, the whole windplant can be turned on top of the tower to "point" the rotor into and out of its proper downwind position as the direction of the wind changes. This rotation can take place even when the machine is not generating electricity.
It's interesting to note that, at only 1/6 rpm, this yawing mechanism does not move fast enough to either overstress the rotor's shaft (the gyroscope-like effect of that giant propeller could snap the shaft like a toothpick if the windplant were turned quickly) or allow the generator to constantly track the light and variable wind shifts that are always taking place. The yaw is plenty quick enough, however, to keep the huge plant's rotor always pointed downstream of the general movement of the passing air mass.
The NASA WTG is mounted on top of a tower that is 100 feet tall. The structure is made of steel and is of the "pinned truss" design. The tower alone weighs 40,000 pounds (60,000 pounds, counting ladders and platforms) and is anchored to a concrete foundation. There is far more to this structure than meets the eye: In addition to just holding up the windplant on its top, the tower must with stand wind and rotor-thrust loads — both steady and cyclic — during the generator's operation.
The WTG is designed to self-feather its blades whenever the air mass moving past the rotor is traveling at less than eight miles per hour. When the breeze reaches a velocity of eight mph, the blades are set to capture that energy and begin converting it into electricity ... only a little at first, then more and more until — in an 18-mph wind — the plant is producing approximately 100 kilowatts of "juice". If the wind's speed continues to increase, the rotor then automatically begins to feather itself so that the generator turns out the same 100 kW all the way up to an airspeed of 40 miles per hour. And at windspeeds of more than 40 mph, the blades really begin to feather themselves in earnest until, at 60 mph, the plant shuts down completely to protect itself from possible damage. Although all these actions will be taken automatically by built-in controls once the WTG is in full operation, the feathering of the blades is being controlled by an operator during the test program now being conducted on the windplant.
Also, during these initial tests, the alternator is being operated asynchronously with a load bank. Later, when the unit is "really" running, the WTG will synchronously feed its output into the local power grid.


text:
Monday on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends," Republican vice-presidential nominee Gov. Mike Pence (R-IN) questioned the whereabouts of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her availability to the press while her opponent Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been "everywhere."
The Indiana governor raised the questions about Clinton as there are unanswered questions involving her family's charity, the Clinton Foundation.
"Look, Hillary is in hiding and Donald Trump is everywhere," Pence said. "I mean look, I think she has gone more than 250 days without a press conference and you know, it is time for her to step forward and begin to answer these questions. And not just these questions, but questions about the Clinton Foundation. Now we hear the Clintons are going to stop fundraising for the Clinton Foundation if she is elected president presumably because that would be a conflict of interest. Well, the American people wonder why wasn't it a conflict of interest when she was secretary of state, the third-ranking constitutional officer in charge of our foreign policy?"
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor

subset: commoncrawl


text:
From what I've read of Zhou Yu's SGZ biography this was an actual plan thought up by Zhou Yu, but unfortunately he died too young to see his plan implemented.
First, a very brief summary of Zhou Yu's plan:
Use the lure of luxury to control Liu Bei.
Attack and take Yi Zhou under Liu Zhang.
Ally with Zhang Lu, Ma Teng, Liu Bei, and Han Sui against Cao Cao.
Defeat Cao Cao.
My question is, do you think if Zhou Yu had lived to an undefined amount of years, do you think he could have pulled off his plan and defeated Cao Cao, thereby achieving basic Wu control over Han?


text:
Abacus Finance Arranges $25 Million for Z-Medica
Abacus Finance Group, a New York-based specialty finance company, announced that it served as administrative agent and sole lead arranger of $25 million in senior cash-flow financing to support the leveraged buyout of Z-Medica Corporation by DW Healthcare Partners (DWHP). In addition to providing the financing, Abacus, which focuses exclusively on providing cash-flow financing for private equity-sponsored, lower middle-market companies, made an equity co-investment in Z-Medica.
Zions Bank participated in the financing of the transaction, CMC Consulting (Boston office) acted as financial advisor to Z-Medica, and Goulston & Storrs, provided legal counsel to Abacus,
Based in Wallingford, CT, Z-Medica is a medical products company that develops innovative hemostatic agents. Headquartered in Park City, UT, DW Healthcare Partners is a private equity firm managing over $465 million in capital focused exclusively on the healthcare industry.
"This was a new relationship for us," said Doug Schillinger, a managing director of DW Healthcare Partners, "and it proved to be a terrific one. The team at Abacus responded quickly, was tremendously enthusiastic, and gave us certainty of a close early on. They are definitely a firm we will turn to going forward."
"DW Healthcare Partners' exclusive focus on healthcare is a perfect match for us in terms of both our investment focus and our prior transaction experience," said Tim Clifford, president and CEO of Abacus. "DWHP brought us a profitable and growing company in Z-Medica, a market leader with an impressive management team which will be led by Larry Hicks, a seasoned healthcare executive. What was especially important to both DWHP and Z-Medica was our substantial experience within healthcare, being easy to work with, and our flexibility in structuring this financing – all important aspects of what we call our Total Partnership ApproachTM."


text:
I immediately emailed the council on the 27th May to ask them what the problem was, why was the file size so immense and where were the missing payments.
On 30 May this was the response I received.
Thanks for the query – I've set out the explanation below.
The guidance from the DCLG advises that we should be disclosing payments made by the authority during the period greater than £500. Up until March 2014 the Council had been disclosing all payments and their various posting details (directorate, service area etc.) where the payment was made during the period and the individual posting line was greater than £500. This was slightly different in approach to the guidance provided by the DCLG which refers to invoices over £500 rather than ledger postings over £500.
For example, in the April 2014 disclosure we have disclosed three invoices paid to Comensura Limited for the net amount of £788,192.47 (£354,22.65, £219,437.08 and £214,442.74). During the period we have only paid three invoices to Comensura Limited, each of which has been coded in the Council's general ledger accounts over multiple codes. Some of these individuals lines will be less than £500 and some over. Previously the Council hasn't disclosed the total invoice value paid, however the individual lines within the invoice greater than £500. This isn't in line with the guidance and explains the variance in the number of lines on the April disclosure, rather than the fact that we have missed some invoices. Those marked with various are therefore where the invoices have been charged to more than general ledger account.
Comensura is probably the most significant example, but there are a number of others, care providers predominantly.
If it would help, I am happy to ask a colleague to send you the general ledger account breakdown for the invoices marked with 'various' and we shall look at including this in future periods either within the disclosure or as a separate attachment. At the same time I shall ask for a colleague to see if there is a reason why the file size is so different.
Now it is a good job I am not easily fobbed off because I knew that irrespective of the consolidation of suppliers payments into a few larger invoices there were still a significant number of payments missing so again I immediately emailed back the following:
Thank you for your response. I think you are saying that rather than listing individual entries you are only listing actual invoices paid which may cover a number of entries and that means there are fewer payments listed. I could accept that if there weren't a large number of companies missing who you typically pay every single month without fail. For example starting at the beginning: Affinity Water are consistently paid every month. In April no payment. Same for Agudas Israel Housing Association Ltd; Anchor Foster Care Services Ltd; Barnet Lighting Services; Baytree Community Care; Blue 9 Security; Brent Couriers; NSL; the list goes on and on. I am sorry but I simply do not believe this suppliers list. The fact that the total payments in April is only £22.5 million when I would typically expect it to be at least £31-32 million (the average for 2013/14 was £39.4 million but it did have all those advance payments to Capita) and in April 2013 was £31.3 million suggests that a large number of invoices have been omitted.
I therefore would ask to look into this again and to send me a full and complete list of payments next time. I also look forward to understanding why it is such a huge file size.
And then I waited until the 4th June and having found the person dealing with it was now on holiday I chased someone more senior. A couple of days later I got a response acknowledging that there was a problem and that they would let me know when the problem was sorted. That was a week ago. Today I checked again and saw that the file was now showing as being much smaller (only 99KB). However clicking on the link it downloaded the massive old file crashing my computer again. Eventually at 4pm I checked again and this time it downloaded the new file.
So what are the differences? The original file had payments of £22.5 million. The new file has payments with a value of £30.9 million from an additional 514 invoices including all the missing names I had mentioned plus two invoices from Capita Business Services Ltd for a total of £248,203.82.
So what you may say? Well the issue is the supplier payments are suppose to help with transparency and are a requirement of central government. If I had simply accepted the payments on the face of it there would be a massive gap of £8.5 million in just one month. Also if I had been prepared to be fobbed off with a supposedly informed response from a senior officer those payments would still be missing. But here is the cruncher - who prepares these figures - Is it CAPITA? I think it is since they took over the finance function last September.
Where were the quality assurance checks, where was the attention to detail and why wasn't it picked up when I first challenged it. It seems to me that the only people holding the council to account are the few engaged citizen who get paid absolutely nothing unlike Capita and the senior officers who get paid a fortune.
I am logging this as yet another Capita contract failure.


text:
Banquo Christian Church
Monday, May 20, 2019
To the praise of God's glorious grace
Welcome to Banquo Christian Church
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 (ESV)
Join us at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday for Sunday School.


text:
"OOYH(Out Of Your Head) is simply fun to use for all kinds of listening situations. Well worth the money!" "First of all, say goodbye to a flat, linear soundstage. OOYH strives to give you the speakers, the room, and the reverberations of the recording source. Prior to the review, I had my reservations, as I have a strong antipathy for most DSP programs. However, I was quickly seduced by OOYH's ability to breathe dimension and energy into many music favorites."Read the whole review here: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue76/neoteric.htm
November 3, 2014 9:03 pm 2 Comments
A big thank you to Dean Seislove from Positive Feedback for reviewing Out Of Your Head. Here's a few quotes from the review:
2 Responses to "Out Of Your Head Review on the Positive Feedback Website"
Hi Darin, I am really intrigued by the demos and am interested in your product. However I am iOS centric. Do you have an ETA for iOS support?
Regarding iOS support, will this be "global" audio out support, or will it only support certain applications? I hope the former so "any" audio output from any application will be supported.
Leave a Reply


text:
Family raftingAdresse: Heidalsvegen 829, 2677 Nedre Heidal Karte anzeigen
Adresse: Heidalsvegen 829, 2677 Nedre Heidal
Nok 660,- per person
Close to Sjoa you will find the beautiful Otta River, which is perfect for families with kids, school groups or others preferring a mild but still exciting rafting trip.
The Otta River is big and wide with calm sections and moderate rapids. This trip is perfect for families and others that prefer a more relaxing experience. The guide can use the width of the river to choose whether he wants to hit the big waves or safely lead the boat around. There will be time for playing and swimming as well.
The main focus of this trip is the kids and their safe and memorable experience in the water.
The trip will end with a warm shower, coffee, juice and cake at our base when you return.
Age limit: Must turn 7 by the end of the year
Starting time: Kl 11.30 or 16.00
Total time: Ca 4 hours
Über diese Aktivität
Telefonnummer Reservierung+47 61235000


text:
Orchard Fabrics is acutely aware that the level of service we provide directly affects the impression of our clients business by their client's. This is a responsibility we take very seriously.
Business today is driven by service and information.
Orchard Fabrics have invested in systems which compare with those that we expect to see in our personal online dealings.
information is available as follows:-


text:
Last fall, I travelled all over Al-Andalus in the footsteps of philosophers, poets, warriors and great mystics Sufi's like Ibn-Arabi. If you are interested in philosophy, science history and intercultural transmission of knowledge, Al- Andalus is your place and I invite you to read further. Al-Andalus represents a singular, tragic and wonderful moment of cultural … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Mystic
Sufism and female archetypes
Some say Sufism, or Tasawwuf as it is known in the Muslim world, is Islamic mysticism; others say it is the primordial mystical tradition, much older than Islam, using Islam as a structural frame as Gnostics usually did. In this article, we will use Jungian concepts, Sufi poetry, and myths to explore the relationship of female Archetypes and the Sufi path.
Perhaps Sufism is best defined as a universal path to union with God through self reflection – in Jungian terms individuation… Continue reading
The many faces of Jesus from an Jungian view
A recurring thought in books about Jesus is the thought that every time created its own Jesus. Jesus, like the virgin birth, the crucifix and resurrection, is a major symbol in the Jungian sense of the word, an abstract archetype one can fill with our own multiple meanings recognized in very culture, even non-christian. Now if we look for the many faces of Jesus, we may get access to him as a person,scholarly (theologically), from contemporary views, from other main religions, from sworn enemies of any religion and from the father of symbols – C.G. Jung.
The historical Jesus almost gets buried under his construction, even the catholic church rarely refers to him as real historic person in recent writings. Sometimes it seems that Jesus in the Gospel was also such a creation realizing the striking similarity of New Testament symbols with the Egyptian pantheon and myths. Those faces is what this article is all about. The best I have read in that regard about Jesus is from C.G. Jung, so lets start with him. Warning, this is just an essay but a rather lengthy one. Continue reading
A Jungian journey through a land of heretics and Mary Magdalene
I followed the footsteps of the Templars and the heretic Cathars. This essay will focus on their similarity with early Christian and Jewish Gnostic thoughts, in which C.G. Jung was very interested. Where did the Cathars came from and what were there beliefs? What was the mystic and symbolic importance of Mary Magdalene, who is still worshiped prominently there in Catholic Churches? Continue reading
Archetype Lupus and Astronomy – the Sirius Case
This is an extension of the last post: the archetype of the wolf. I am a hobby astronomer and fond of its older sister Astrology. So lets look to the Wolf from that perspective. The wolf is inherently pagan and shamanic, that means American Indian, Chinese, Egyptians, Babylonians should have big stakes in in its Astronomy … Continue reading
Jungian Archetype of the wolf – gods and godnesses, warriors and mothers, demons and outlaws, evil and uebermensch
In a few weeks, there is Whitsun, and I will make one of my occasional trips to the monastery. The rock monastery St. George is a development center of the Benedictine order in the Austrian Inn valley. From the monastery to the St. George mountain (Karwendel) on foot takes approximately one hour. The religious exercise will be lead by a Benedictine monk, who happens … Continue reading
Charismatic Roman-Catholic's with Pope Francis?
Charismatic Christian (Whitsun) movements have been a huge challenge for the Roman-Catholic church in Africa, South America and India largely ignored by Europe's clerical mainstream. I was first made aware of this by Philip Jenkins "The Next Christendom". He gives not an entirely optimistic analysis but a profoundly helpful up-to-date eye opener. To me the election of … Continue reading


text:
Exposure Sport will provide you with the best quality agency service in the most sincere and transparent manner, Exposure's aim is to maximize your earning potential throughout your professional career.England is the home of football, hosting the best and most exciting professional football league in the world, The Premiership. So why not experience it first hand? Our elite football program takes you to the top professional clubs and Exposure Sport will provide elite coaching clinics and tryouts for aspiring athletes.
Exposure Sport mentors talented young athletes throughout their careers. We have the expertise to help place you in Professional Clubs and Universities in the U.K. and Overseas.
Exposure Sport will provide opportunities to gain sporting scholarships to U.S Universities. Exposure Sport will proactively mentor and manage careers in the best interests of the client.
At Exposure Sport we believe that every player in the world deserves an opportunity to be exposed and showcased if they have the ability, determination and drive.
"Exposure Sport provided Miami Lakes Football Academy,
based in Miami Florida USA, the ultimate European football experience. Games against top English Professional Football Academy's, including Tottenham Hotspur Fc, Reading Fc, an elite coaching clinic with Chelsea Fc and much much more. A trip of a lifetime for any aspiring footballer. "
"It doesn't take a chief academy scout to pick out the best player on a pitch. I look for more than just stand out talent. My eyes are seldom on the ball during a match. I'm more interested in a player's Make up, his attitude his awareness and team understanding. My attention would be positions the player takes up on the pitch whether they are prepared to put their body on the line to help a team mate out. It's ultra competitive out there, and very few players make it at the top level. To succeed, you've got to have something special in your make up that will help you rise above the rest."


text:
Sunday Best
Mirador, downtown's most fashionable restaurant, opens for brunch
On the fourth floor of Forty Five Ten, Mirador is already the fashion/foodie hot spot for weekday lunches, date nights, and after-shopping cocktails. Staring this weekend, it'll also be the gathering place for Sunday brunches through the month of May.
Over mimos and coffee, brunchers can start with the sweet and savory pastry board (Bonjour, cinnamon kouign-amann.) Then it's on to mains like herb-cured salmon and eggs, caramelized brioche with vanilla crème, and a soft scramble with crème fraiche, osetra caviar, and asparagus. Reservations are recommended, even more so in the wake of Dallas Morning News critic Leslie Brenner's recent four-star review. So book a table and take note of these five can't miss-details.
- Designer Elements
With custom Knoll fabrics, rose gold accents, Artemest hand-made Murano glasses, and Jose Noe Suro dinnerware handcrafted in Guadalajara, the space offers serious design cred along with its stellar menu.
- The Farro Bowl
Dotted with cherries and Marcona almonds, Chef Junior Borges' take on a grain bowl will have you addicted at first bite. (Add the soft-boiled egg for even more umami goodness.)
- The View
When you're not taking in the larger-than-life Juergen Teller food photos from his book Eating at Hotel Il Pellicano, take a look outside. The balcony perch overlooks Tony Tasset's all-seeing Eye and offers a great view of the increasingly vibrant downtown street scene.
- The Libations
Mirador's adjacent lounge is the place to imbibe Cucumber Gimlets and Strawberry Words midday or après store-closing. The Lounge also offers top-notch bar snacks like warm rosemary olives, and whipped ricotta toast with marinated fruit and olive oil.
- The Intimacy
In search of the perfect place to host a friend's bridal or baby shower, or a festive mid-week lunch just because? Mirador's private event space can accommodate up to 40 people. (Just shoot an email to firstname.lastname@example.com for info.)
The Details: Mirador, 1608 Elm Street. Open for lunch 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Monday–Saturday. Afterwards, The Lounge is open 2:30–5 p.m. Dinner is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday only, 6–10 p.m., with The Lounge staying open until 11 p.m. Brunch is Sundays only from 12–3:30 p.m. Head to mirador-dallas.com for more info and to make an OpenTable reservation.


text:
Time Gentlemen Please
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
|Time Gentlemen Please
|Written by
|Richard Herring
Al Murray
|Directed by
|Gareth Gwenlan
Richard Boden
|Al Murray
Phil Daniels
Jason Freeman
Rebecca Front
Roy Heather
Andrew Mackay
Julia Sawalha
Emma Pierson
Janine Buckley
Jeff Rudom
Marc Bannerman
|Country of origin
|United Kingdom
|Original language(s)
|No. of series
|No. of episodes
|Camera setup
|Running time
|30mins (inc. adverts)
|Production company(s)
|Avalon Television
|ITV Studios
|Original network
|Sky One
|Picture format
|Original release
|11 September 2000 –
1 May 2002
Time Gentlemen Please was a British sitcom that was primarily written by Richard Herring and Al Murray and broadcast on Sky One.
The show is set in a forgotten pub whose right-wing landlord, 'Guv' (short for 'The Governor'), has some very old-fashioned views on how a pub, and Britain, should be run. The Governor is an evolution of Al Murray's stage persona 'The Pub Landlord', which he had used in stand up since 1994, and frequently uses today.
- Al Murray as Guv
- Phil Daniels as Terry
- Jason Freeman as Steve
- Rebecca Front as Vicky Jackson
- Roy Heather as Old Man
- Andrew Mackay as Prof
- Julia Sawalha as Janet (Series 1)
- Emma Pierson as Connie (Series 2)
- Janine Buckley as Lesley
- Jeff Rudom as Leslie
- Marc Bannerman as Greg Thompson
Bar Staff[edit]
- Guv - The Landlord for the pub. Sometimes claims to be the owner, but the pub is owned by the brewery. Just prior to his divorce, his wife took their son and moved to France to be with her new lover, a French Pub Landlord. He has been involuntarily celibate since. He has a number of politically incorrect views which he sometimes momentarily expresses, for example, the belief that only women can drink wine. Some of his beliefs are shared by other established barmen, dubbed "Publicans". He is a typical example of someone who has been emotionally neglected and shows signs that he has abandonment issues. As a result, he is very temperamental and neurotic to those around him. He idolises the man he imagines his father was, but it is often implied that Guv is the only one who doesn't know that his father isn't his father. He sometimes shows homosexual tendencies, despite being homophobic. In series 2, he develops a mental condition that he calls "Barman's Hand", which makes him physically incapable of performing any bar-work. He also dreams of having a carvery in his pub, and to inducted into the Grand Order of Barstewards.
- Steve Crosby - Crosby is a bar man who lives in the basement. He has no friends, other than the pub regulars, and is convinced that Dean is his best mate. He also insists that he is a "temporary" barman until he figures out what he wants to do with his life. He is a huge fan of 'Cheeky' Alan Supple and Ken Tucky, and is personally offended when either personality is mimicked. Most of his understanding comes from Guv and 'That's Impossible' magazine, and therefore wrong. He doesn't like Janet, but has an unrequited love for Connie. He is verbally and physically abused by others, but he is loyal to his fellow bar staff. Every time something gets damaged, Guv threatens to take it out of his wages.
- Janet - Janet is an Australian backpacker looking for a "temporary" job. She later confesses that she wants to earn enough money to return home, but Guv avoids paying her. She is foul-mouthed and talks almost constantly in sexual innuendo. She lusts after Steve, but frequently has boyfriends that distract her from him. She hates the attention she gets from Greg Thompson and Dean. She makes constant jokes about her "last boyfriend", who is eventually introduced as a real character. She quits at the end of series one after Guv hires her former boyfriend.
- Connie - Connie is the barmaid that replaces Janet. At first, she is refused a job by Guv, so she works for Greg Thompson. But she is taken on by Guv after she frees Steve and quits. She is constantly hit on by Greg. She is a student who is seemingly knowledgeable in all subjects, consistently claiming that she studied it last term. She is prone to bouts of hormonal rage, and is consistently frustrated by all of the other regular characters. She is also the only woman not fancied by Terry.
- Gary - Gary is the pub dog. In most episodes, it is revealed that Terry had been barred for doing something to Gary. As a result, Gary is usually seen in some outlandish costume.
The regulars[edit]
- Terry Brooks, the pub's regular alcoholic with an overactive (although rarely fulfilled) sex drive and a bad case of flatulence. Although this is never directly mentioned, he is clearly Guv's best friend. He is involved with several running gags. For example, In most episodes is that Terry has sneaked back into the pub after being barred for various pranks on Gary (The pub's dog), Guv often refers to Terry as the "Master of Disguise" whenever he sneaks back into the pub as an Alter Ego. He is often knocked out in fights with others, and has a sexual fetish towards birds. He is also the first to volunteer tasting food or drink that appears disgusting, and later proclaims it to be "blinding", as he literally loses his vision.
- "Prof" (real name "Algernon"), a confirmed bachelor with an overbearing mother. He is known for his pseudo-intellectual comments and his skill on the pub's punningly named quiz machine (Fact Hunt). His nickname stems simply from the fact that he wears glasses and that he once won 2 pounds from the electronic Fact Hunt game machine. It is often strongly implied that the Prof is both the "notorious railway station flasher" and a gay serial killer. It is also suggested that he is attracted to Guv, but he is just as often uninterested.
- "Pops" is a filthy old man with his regular table and strong religious beliefs. He also claims to be immortal, but says it's more of a curse than a blessing. He is known for his catchphrase 'look at his face, it's a picture!', often after a joke has been played on someone. Little is known about him, but states in the first episode that he preferred the situation to remain that way. He also blames many of the problems in his life on a faulty contraceptive, especially when it has nothing to do with the incident.
- Leslie is a huge biker type who sits in the corner, with his comparatively diminutive girlfriend Lesley. He never speaks but will growl at those who upset him and will be given free crisps to sit down. He never harms anyone without permission from Lesley (which he usually receives). He is normally content to sit quietly and watch the events in the bar. On a few occasions, he does show an attachment to Terry. On occasion, Leslie can be seen eavesdropping on the events that happen around the bar.
- Lesley, is Leslie's girlfriend. She is content to sit quietly with Leslie and her Tigger toy. She is slightly more talkative than Leslie, but she is far more sensitive. She enjoys watching Leslie hurt people.
Other main characters[edit]
- Ms. Vickie Jackson - "Ms" Jackson is the new brewery representative, and the daughter of the brewery owner. She is often looking for ways to increase the number of customers in the pub, always at Guv's disapproval. She is extremely eccentric, often acting in a bizarre, overly friendly manner. She also makes a lot of references to '90's pop culture, even though she is the only person who gets the references most times. At times she feels a kinship towards Janet (whom she frequently addresses as "Janette" much to Janet's annoyance) and Connie, even though she is despised by both. She is known to make nasty comments to both. At the end of the first series, she has a son to Uncle Barry. She has an identical sister who appears in only one episode and is never mentioned at any other time.
- "Uncle" Barry, a recovering sexaholic with black hair dye that never dries who is often hinted to be the Guv's real father. He later fathers a baby with Ms. Jackson. He has a habit of risking his own reputation to help Guv.
- Greg Thompson, currently holds the title of "King Barsteward". He is also the Landlord for the nearby 'Queen of Hearts' pub. He is a charming ladies man who is violent towards men. He likes informing people about his sex life, large penis and his pub, even though the topics tend to overlap. He graduated with Guv, whom he calls "Slops".
Other Significant Characters:
- Mike and Dave, a pair of landlords who are always seen together. Mike is somewhat of a fool who is always embarrassing Dave. It is often implied that the two are in a homosexual relationship. They are also two of the leading members of the Grand Order of Barstewards (with Ms. Jackson, Barry and Greg).
- Dean the "Postie" - Dean (played by co-author, Richard Herring) is a postman who is known in the pub simply as 'Postie'. He hates Steve, even though Steve thinks they are friends. He fancies Janet, but Janet is turned off by his attitude towards Steve. He is also very sensitive about the shape of his face, because most call him "bean-face".
- "Fat" Tony 'Arris - Tony is an obese former Landlord who has been a major influence in Guv's life. He used to be the brewery rep before and King Barsteward before he was replaced due to health issues. He is typically unconscious when he is shown on screen.
- Mr. Jackson - Ms. Jackson's father and the owner of the brewery. He is only seen in two episodes, but his presence has a constant effect on Guv, Steve and Ms. Jackson.
- Prof's Mother - Prof's Mother is an unnamed character who acts as a refined, overly religious lady in front of her son, often condemning him for being in the pub. But when Prof is not nearby, she drops her self-righteous facade and is found to be a foul-mouthed harridan.
- Guv's Mother - Guv's Mother was an abusive parent who frequently cheated on her husband. She resents Guv for being born when he was. One episode reveals that she has had a fling with Barry, Terry and Prof at one time or other. She is normally seen in memory sequences, although she does visit the pub on one occasion.
The exterior shots of the pub were filmed at The Cowshed public house (formerly the Admiral Blake), Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill, demolished circa 2013. The name The Cowshed is referred to in Series 2 Episode 3, where the Guv orders a new sign to be made saying the "Cow's Head", after "Ms Jackson, Cow", but he misspells the name. But he also adds a hand-painted sign of a cow with Miss Jackson's face. The pub is always referred to as the "pub by the chemical works", and the name is never referenced in any other episode.
Series 1 (2000–2001)[edit]
|Directed by
|Written by
|Original air date
|"A Woman's Place"
|Gareth Gwenlan
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|11 September 2000
|An Australian turns up at the pub just as the Guv sacks his barman, Steve. There's also a shock as the brewery sacks its long-standing local regional rep.
|"Never Confused"
|Gareth Gwenlan
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|18 September 2000
|The brewery dictates that all of its pubs should hold a gay night - needless to say, the Guv is not best pleased.
|"Hoppy Birthday"
|Gareth Gwenlan
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|25 September 2000
|It's Terry's birthday, and the Guv's lined him up the traditional pint-per-year to celebrate.
|"Monkey's Uncle"
|Gareth Gwenlan
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|2 October 2000
|The pub is trashed by a local hooligan - unfortunately, he happens to be the nephew of rival landlord and womanising bully Greg Thompson.
|"King Barsteward"
|Gareth Gwenlan
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|9 October 2000
|Guv receives notification that he has been nominated to join the Grand Order of the Barstewards.
|"Date With Density"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|16 October 2000
|It's been a year - but the Guv finally has a date. And as the owner of his own pub, he's already got the perfect evening planned.
|"Getting Diggy With It"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|23 October 2000
|The Guv's reluctantly having his beer garden turned into a car park, but work is stopped when human remains are discovered during the excavations.
|"The Pub That Forgot Time"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|30 October 2000
|Steve has fallen in love with French archaeologist Sue, but Janet won't let her man go without a fight. Meanwhile, head archaeologist Mike believes that there's a great business opportunity at the site.
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|6 November 2000
|It's Guy Fawkes' night, also the birthday of little Carl, and the Guv's taking it particularly badly. Meanwhile, a new Guy Fawkes celebratory drink is causing havoc at Thackeray pubs.
|"Help! The Aged"
|Gareth Gwenlan
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|13 November 2000
|The Guv's new novelty sign promising free drinks for over-80s (when accompanied by both parents) backfires following a disagreement with the Old Man.
|"More Tea Vicky?"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|20 November 2000
|Vicky makes a surprise visit to inspect the Guv'nor's books. Meanwhile, Terry's gone AWOL and Steve's sold the time bell for a bag of magic mushrooms.
|"Day Of The Trivheads"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|27 November 2000
|The pub's selected to field a team for cult TV pub quiz show Fact Hunt; unfortunately, the first round will be against Greg Thompson's gaff, the Queen of Hearts.
|"Greetings Stout Yeoman"
|Gareth Gwenlan
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|4 December 2000
|Much to the Guv's disgust, the pub is selected as the first venue outside of the Irish Republic to trial a new stout, Rileys, which professes to be stout, lager and ale in one.
|"Only When I Laugh"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|11 December 2000
|The Guv visits Tony Harris in hospital, and bumps into Terry, Vicky, Tina and Sinjun whilst there. The future looks bleak for both Tony and Vicky, but a surprise could be around the corner.
|"Playing Silly Buggers"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|18 December 2000
|Guv and the regulars are oblivious when a drug dealer makes a new dealing base out of the pub. But the Irish criminal is under police surveillance.
|"Bar Humbug"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|25 December 2000
|It's Christmas Day, and a fire at the home means that the Guv's mum has to come and visit. He's determined that this'll be one Christmas she won't ruin.
|"New Year's Steve"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|1 January 2001
|It's New Year's Eve, and with Greg's special guest of 'Cheeky' Alan Supple at the Queen of Hearts, only Janet and the Guv are left.
|"The Return Of Martin Greer"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring, Al Murray & Stewart Lee
|8 January 2001
|The Guv and his band of dysfunctional regulars and staff continue with their unique brand of philosophy.
|"Juke Box Fury"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|15 January 2001
|When Miss Jackson bursts into tears after a disagreement with the Guv over jazz music on a new jukebox, Janet suspects something's up. Sure enough, there's a secret to rock the pub with no name.
|"Farts Of Darkness"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|22 January 2001
|It's 3am, and with torrential rain pouring down, the Guv is woken by Terry at the front door. What could he possibly want at this hour?
|"A Dave, A Dave-O"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring, Al Murray & Stewart Lee
|29 January 2001
|Leslie's in court, and Terry takes his opportunity with Lesley. Meanwhile, a particularly annoying arrival at the pub turns out to be none other than Janet's infamous "last boyfriend", Dave.
|"All The World's A Stag"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring, Al Murray & Stewart Lee
|5 February 2001
|As Terry's wedding to Miss Jackson approaches, Vicky's desperate to find a way out - but the minder assigned by her father is there to ensure everything goes ahead. Meanwhile, Dave refuses to leave, and Janet's getting desperate.
Series 2 (2001–2002)[edit]
|Directed by
|Written by
|Original air date
|"Christmas Special: It's A Wonderful Pint"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|24 December 2001
|It's 10 months since the Guv retreated to his bedroom, and Terry, the Old Man and the Prof have had enough of Dave's Australian-ness. It's time to call in the big guns.
|"The Man In The Iron Cask"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|30 January 2002
|The Guv's back in the saddle, but crippled by a double case of Barman's Hand. Steve's still missing, and an applicant for Janet's old job turns out to be a student. Will salvation come?
|"Got The Painters In"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|6 February 2002
|As the brewery pays for the pub's refurbishment, Vicky has an embarrassing secret to admit: she doesn't know the pub's real name. Trouble is, neither does anyone else.
|"Wishing On A Bar"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|13 February 2002
|As the decorators move inside, the Guv finds himself locked in a battle of wits with an evil Leprechaun.
|"The Harder They Crawl"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|20 February 2002
|The Guv's not feeling himself after his divorce came through, but it's Tony Harris's birthday so he and Terry have duties to attend to.
|"Landlord Of The Giants"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|27 February 2002
|When Leslie falls under Connie's spell, Lesley brings a new man to the pub. Could this lead to the downfall of The Cowshed? Meanwhile, the Prof claims to have invented the never-ending beer glass.
|"Beer Necessities"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring, Al Murray & Stewart Lee
|6 March 2002
|Connie is thrown into a moral quandary; torn between her job and 'friends', her objection to pornography, and her residual feelings toward ex-boyfriend Dean, when instructed by nasty brewery owner Mr Jackson to take part in a topless calendar shoot.
|"Game For A Gaff"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring, Al Murray, Rob Adey & Richard Murkin
|13 March 2002
|As the pub faces the latest whim of Vicky's father, the Guv's hopes of finally getting his dream of a carvery could be realised. Will they be dashed once more, or will a long-dead German come up trumps?
|"Speed The Ploughmans"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|20 March 2002
|Connie's stressed over a philosophy exam that will total 0.3% of her degree, and the Guv's received a disturbing letter - Terry, however, is concerned only with his ploughman's.
|"Optics Wide Shut"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring, Al Murray & Stewart Lee
|27 March 2002
|Uninvited to the Barstewards' Annual Secret Ball, the Guv sets out to sneak in. Could the promised sex orgy and night of abandoned morals break his duck?
|"Storming Up A Cook"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|3 April 2002
|Despite the Guv's protests, Vicky hires a local celebrity chef, the Bare-Arsed Naked Cook. As she and Connie fight for his affections, the Guv continues to insist on his dismissal.
|"Of Mice And Mentallists"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|10 April 2002
|Barman's Hand takes the ultimate toll on the Guv'nor, and he collapses, setting fire to the kitchen in the process. Although quickly saved by the regulars, he's tormented by visions of giant mice, and when Vicky finds out his terrible shame, he's encouraged to visit a psychiatrist.
|"The Slopranos"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|17 April 2002
|Visiting the psychiatrist, Vicky's twin sister, the Guv is forced to confront his demons. Does he want to shag his mother? Is there a mystery about his father? Is he actually confused? And most importantly, is he nuts?
|"This Vale Of Beers"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring, Al Murray & Stewart Lee
|24 April 2002
|The Guv's initially ecstatic, as the function room is - for once - booked. Unfortunately, it soon turns out that Greg Thompson is the patron, having found God and turned the Queen of Hearts into a coffee house.
|"Entente Lime Cordial"
|Richard Boden
|Richard Herring & Al Murray
|1 May 2002
|The Guv's reached the end of his tether. His wife's just got remarried - to a Frenchman - and now Vicky demands he closes down for the last time if his Barman's Hand continues. Could a visitor "from overseas" change his fortunes? Has little Carl returned to his Daddy? What will become of The Cowshed?
After the show[edit]
After the series came to a close, Al Murray has since suggested that his character Guv's real name was also Al Murray. This allows him to use the 'Pub Landlord' character for his stand-up performances. Most of Al Murray's appearances are either as the 'Pub Landlord', or as an alternative version of himself, usually a slightly more reserved version of the 'Pub Landlord' character.
In multiple episodes of the series, Guv directly repeats direct lines from Al Murray's stand up shows. In the Christmas Special, Guv repeats the 'When a child is born' routine from one of Murray's tours.
ITV later commissioned a game show called 'Fact Hunt'. The show was based on the fictional quiz show mentioned repeatedly throughout 'Time Gentlemen Please'. But instead of being hosted by the character "Cheeky" Alan Supple, it was hosted by the Pub Landlord. Each episode was based on a traditional pub quiz and featured contestants representing different pubs across South England. The first and only series was cancelled after only a few episodes due to low viewership.
ITV would later commission 'Al Murray's Happy Hour', which again was hosted by Murray in his Pub Landlord character. It was a chat show that was frequently compared to The Graham Norton Show on BBC1. While most guests appeared on the show to publicise something, they rarely got a chance to. Murray would get them to mention the thing once, and then he would mock it as a money-making endeavour, and then he would move on.
The original series was only scheduled for 6 episodes, but was extended due to unforeseen popularity. The second series was cut short due to low viewership.
Murray would later host his own concept for a game show on Dave. Murray would once again use his Pub Landlord character, but would still use his real name. The show was compared to a higher budget version of Fact Hunt. There has only been one series. There are no plans to make future episodes.
After the show was aired on Sky One it was repeated on Paramount Comedy as it was formerly known. In 2011, Comedy Central Extra bought the rights to repeat some of the first series in a late night slot but have since never repeated the series again. Time Gentlemen Please was released onto DVD first in 2006 by Universal entitled Series 1 Part 1 which included the first six episodes of the first series, it was released on 8 May 2006. After Universal showed no plans to release any further episodes of the series onto DVD, ITV DVD later released a complete collection of the series featuring all 37 episodes on 16 March 2009.
External links[edit]
- Time Gentlemen Please entry at BBC Guide to Comedy. (Archived copy provided by the Internet Archive. Retrieved 2009-11-03.).
- Time Gentlemen Please on IMDb
- Time Gentlemen Please at British Comedy Guide
- Time Gentlemen Please at TV.com


text:
Everything to know about traveling to the Philippines for business or vacation. Visa requirements, flights, best hotels, best resorts, tourist attractions.
Philippine-Based Airline, Zest Air, Banned From Flying Due to Major Safety Breaches
As of Friday, August 16, 2013, budget airline, Zest Air, has been grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for violating a series of safety breaches, including refueling with passengers onboard. The decision to suspend the airline's operations was apparently based on the monitoring and surveillance conducted by a team of inspectors last week.
According to the report submitted by the inspectors, there were at least 6 continuous violations of Zest Air when it came to air safety standards. These included:
#1 - No qualified Accountable Manager on staff
#2 - Failure to check aircraft logs, flight manifest, weather, etc.
#3 - Failure to present to the CAAP the airman license (Aircraft Mechanic License) during ramp inspection
#4 - Series of occurrences that affected several flight operations
#5 - At least one incident of refueling with passengers on-board
#6 - Excessive flight duty time case under the enforcement and legal service
Captain John Andrews, CAAP deputy director general, commented, "In the course of monitoring, this agency is alarmed of Zest Air's series of serious deviations and infractions of the rules and standards prescribed under the Philippine Civil Aviation Regulations."
According to Andrews, Zest Air's certificate to operate will remain suspended until the necessary corrective actions and compliance with aviation safety standards have been undertaken.
About Zest Air:
Zest Air, a Philippines-based airlines, has a fleet of just 11 aircrafts based at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, as well as hubs in Kalibo (Boracay) and Cebu. Their domestic destinations include Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Kalibo, Puerto Princesa, Tacloban, and Tagbilaran. Their international destinations include Shanghai, Jinjiang, Incheon, Kota Kinabalu, and Kuala Lumpur. For more details, visit www.zestair.com.ph


text:
« December 2012 | Main | February 2013 »
January 25, 2013
Namesakes - Strosacker Auditorium and Charles J. Strosacker
A building known and used by generations of students is Strosacker Auditorium. This building was dedicated 11/3/1958. It was the result of a $540,000 gift of Charles J. Strosacker, alumnus of Case School of Applied Science class of 1906. The architects of the building were Small, Smith, Reeb and Draz and the general contractor was Albert M. Higley Company. The construction cost was $920,000. The building is concrete on steel with exterior walls of salmon brick with stone copings and sills. The main lobby floor is of terrazzo and facing the entrance is a mural.
Strosacker Auditorium, ca. 1960s
The 38-foot long, stainless steel mural by artist Buell Martin depicts the unlimited horizons of youth in the eternal quest for knowledge. Case President T. Keith Glennan commissioned the mural. (There is another Buell Martin mural on campus - in the Canavin Room on the fourth floor of the Glennan Building.)
The main speaker at the dedication was Chancellor Edward Litchfield of the University of Pittsburgh who discussed the importance of institutions such as Case in science education and the growing role of science in modern society.
Charles Strosacker (1882-1963) attended Baldwin Wallace College for 1 year before transferring to Case. He received the B.S. in Chemistry 5/31/1906. Case awarded Strosacker the honorary doctor of engineering degree at commencement convocation in 1941. Stro (as he was known by his friends and colleagues) joined Dow Chemical Company in 1908, first working in the analytical laboratory. He continued to work at Dow for 54 years and at the time of the gift announcement in 1956 he was vice president, production manager, and director of Dow Chemical Company. Stro was member of the American Chemical Society, Sigma Xi, Midland Country Club, Rotary Club, and Saginaw Valley Torch Club.
Charles J. Strosacker
Renovations were made to Strosacker Auditorium in 1977-1978 with rededication on 4/17/1978. Funds were provided by the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation: $300,000 for the renovation and the balance to be invested in a permanent endowment fund with income to be used for the continuing maintenance of the building. The renovation consisted of installation of new seating, painting, lighting, mechanical equipment and acoustical treatment, as well as restoration of the mural. The funds also covered the purchase of color television equipment to allow the university's Instructional Television Network to tape classes and special programs held in the auditorium.
The Film Society equipped the auditorium with 35mm motion picture projectors and a stereo sound system for the regular film series and the annual science fiction film marathon.
Posted by hxy2 at 05:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 14, 2013
Famous Campus Visitors - Nikki Giovanni
Case Western Reserve has welcomed as guest speakers people who have excelled in the arts, business, science, law, medicine, politics, sports, and higher education. Nikki Giovanni, award-winning poet and University Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech, was the keynote speaker at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation in 1995.
CWRU's newspaper, Campus News, reported that, "Giovanni entertained and invigorated the crowd with her spirited and wide-ranging address, earning her a standing ovation at the end of her anecdote-filled speech."
Giovanni offered advice to the attendees, "Human beings are responsible for each other. We should continue to reach to see what we can do to make human life better - because that's always what it's about, the next generation. It's not about you and me ... I would recommend that you use your life in the service of somebody, because all you'll ever be is a memory."
Posted by jmt3 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack


text:
So we always complain that kids don't come with handbooks on how to raise them. But equally helpful would be a handbook for kids, from us. In it, we would explain important concepts. Like time.
Here's an example: Two minutes. Two minutes can actually be much more or less than 120 seconds. You see, kids, it depends what we are doing, and if it is something we want to do or not.
So, "We can play War for another two minutes," might actually mean "One more turn each and we're done here, kiddo." Real-time: 2 minutes. Parent-time: 30 seconds.
Whereas, "Get into bed and I'll check on you in two minutes," well, that might not happen till tomorrow. Real-time: 2 minutes. Parent-time: 12 hours.
Sometimes we completely lie about time. Like when we are timing you to do something you don't want to do. "Can you clean up these toys before I get to 20?" Here's a hint: Yes, you can. Because we will stretch out counting to 20 for as long as it takes. See, we just want the toys cleaned up. And we want you to feel successful in your endeavors. So we will make sure you beat the clock. (Note: This is not a sustainable lie. In 7-10 years from now, we will not be able to say, "Let's see if you can study for that really hard chemistry exam before I get to 15!")
Parent-time also comes in handy for peeing.
"Let's see if you can pee before I get to 10!" we might say, because for some reason, children, you don't want to pee, ever; it is something you must be bribed and cajoled to do. Us parents don't understand it. And the older we get, the less we understand this whole not-wanting-to-use-the-bathroom thing. Probably because for you, peeing is taking precious time away from other, nobler pursuits, such as zooming little cars under the sofa and building a Mega-Zord. For us, peeing means disappearing into the bathroom for a few minutes alone. So you little people dread pee, while we grownups anticipate it, look forward to it, sometimes even invent pee needs just to sit in a quiet room.
What was I saying?
Oh yes. So when we count to 10, we may count ve-e-e-ery slo-o-o-o-o-owly. Because once again, the goal is the peeing, not the rapidity. It doesn't matter to us if it takes you nine seconds or 11 seconds. It just matters that you pee before it ends up on our couch.
The same is true when we time you for races, because the goal is you running and tiring yourself out. Here's how it works:
Scene: Two mommies at a playground, chatting, while you kids are running around, having a good time, entertaining yourselves bless you. Suddenly, you decide that Mommy has to be involved in your next activity. You run up to Mommy. You see she is in the middle of a conversation:
Mommies: Did you see [that thing] on Facebook? .... So and so is pregnant again ... Can you believe what my husband ... [redacted]. (Ed. note: Don't worry, dear, that doesn't apply to you. You are my knight in shining armor!)
You do not care about this conversation. Because YOU need Mommy RIGHT NOW.
You [interruping]: Mommy, Mommy! Time me how long it takes for me to run around the playground!
We are into this idea! And we even come up with a better one!
Mommy: Ooh! Even better - run around TWO TIMES!
You: Yeah!!!!
Mommy: One, two ... [you start running]
Mommies resume conversation.
Mommies: So this morning, all the kids ended up in my bed ...
You come zooming by
Mommies: One definitely kneed me in the stomach ... SEVEN! EIGHT! ... So did you figure out what you're doing with the kids for the summer? ... FIFTEEN! SIXTEEN! ... Yeah, I also have to go to Rami Levi later. Somehow the food I bought is all gone ... NINETEEN! Wow! You did it in less than 20 seconds! Amazing! See if you can go down the slide 10 times in a row! I'll time you! ... And then, he took the permanent marker - how he found the permanent one, I have no idea ... TWENTY-THREE!
So that's how the book would work. Although, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe we shouldn't be giving away the parenting equivalent of state secrets. We want to keep these timely (Ha! Ha!) tricks to ourselves.Never mind kids, go back to what you were doing. I'll be there in a minute.
Ready for a new Jerusalem adventure?
2 weeks ago


text:
'Scammers' cited by both sides in dispute over checks
KERRVILLE — Prominent rancher Gus Schreiner and Broadway National Bank both claim to be the victims of a scam involving three stolen checks worth $181,753, which he deposited there.
A criminal investigation is under way and the bank filed a fraud suit against Schreiner, the great-grandson of legendary local frontiersman Charles A. Schreiner.
Schreiner, 54, has countersued. The bank says he duped its employees into taking the checks last year by falsely claiming to own the three businesses to which they were made payable.
"He obtained assumed name certificates in which he claimed that he was the sole owner of those entities," said Don Krause, attorney for the bank, which paid out funds before being alerted to problems with the checks.
The bank reimbursed the originating banks, the suit says, and recovered $58,790 that was "trapped in the bank accounts of defendant's co-conspirators."
Krause didn't accuse Schreiner — whom he deposed for the suit this week — of actually stealing the checks, and wouldn't name his alleged co-conspirators.
"He claims that he was totally duped by them, and maybe so," Krause said.
The suit quotes U.S. postal inspectors as saying the checks had been stolen from mail in transit, but the agency couldn't confirm that when asked this week.
In Schreiner's counter-claim, his lawyer, John Dwyer, blamed the bank for its losses, accusing it of negligence, making misrepresentations to Schreiner and violating deceptive trade practices law by honoring the checks.
Dwyer wouldn't discuss how Schreiner obtained the checks, or why he asserted ownership of the businesses, but said: "He was targeted by some scammers."
He said Schreiner, a resident of the famed YO Ranch in Mountain Home, filed a complaint about the check incident with the Sheriff's Office here last year.
Because the case involved entities in other states, Kerr County Sheriff Rusty Hierholzer said he referred it to the Texas attorney general's office, which declined comment.
"It's all still under investigation, so I can't say much," Hierholzer said.
The bank's suit seeks recovery from Schreiner of $130,963, the amount it's still out over the check incident, plus exemplary damages.
The dispute marks the second recent civil legal entanglement for Gus Schreiner. He and brother Walter Schreiner were sued last month by fellow voting partners in the YO Ranch, their brother Charles Schreiner IV and sister-in-law Christine Schreiner.
Calling the ranch's management system unworkable, the plaintiffs want the court to dissolve the oral family partnership and divide the property four ways.
In court filings last week, Gus Schreiner backed the breakup of the ranch, which now is run by a court-appointed trustee, but he also filed a counter claim against Charles Schreiner IV, alleging breach of fiduciary duty, wrongful conversion of ranch property and fraudulent taking of the YO Ranch trademark.
Charles Schreiner's lawyer declined comment.


text:
Identifying tarantulas is seldom straightforward; however, as the common species become more readily available as captive-bred specimens, there is less variation to be expected in a single species. Look first at the general appearance of the spider.
Is it exceptionally hairy or smooth? Is one pair of legs much longer or heavier than the others? Is there a horn or tubercle on the carapace? Is there an obvious color pattern on the carapace or abdomen? For that matter, is there a , strong color pattern on the legs, and if so which segments of the leg have the color? Is the red ring on the patella (knee) or on the top of the tibia? Though many tarantulas are shades of brown and black, a surprising number of the most commonly kept species have distinctive and constant color patterns that are easy to learn and remember.
To a specialist, most of the features mentioned above are just secondary. What counts are details of structure. Are there thick-based bristles at the sides of the chelicerae, pedipalps, or first walking legs? For that matter, are there long or strongly modified bristles on any part of the body? Are there teeth on the chelicerae other than the fangs? Is the foveal groove straight or curved? Are there secondary grooves on the cephalothorax? If you look closely (with a microscope or strong magnifying loupe), are there special pads of bristles (scopulae) under the first two segments of the legs that help the tarantula climb? What is the detailed structure of the sperm bulb and its point (embolus), as well as the projecting part of the tarsus above it? In a female, what is the structure of spermathecae extending from the epigastric furrow that are used to store sperm?
It also is important to know where a tarantula originally came from. A surprising number of unrelated tarantulas from theAmericasandAsia, for instance, look much alike at first and even second glance. Sometimes even behavior can be a useful feature: American tarantulas often have nearly bare upper abdomens because they have scraped off the urticating bristles; African and Asian tarantulas lack these bristles and thus shouldn't have a bare patch on the abdomen.
All tarantulas that have been described by scientists carry scientific names, which are written in italics to set them off from surrounding text. These names all are based on Latin, Greek, or at least Latinized words from other languages. A complete scientific name consists of the genus (plural, genera) written as a capitalized word (equivalent to a last or family name for humans) and a specific name—the species (species is both singular and plural)—that is never capitalized. The specific name is similar to your first or given name. Therefore, the name Joe Doe as a scientific name might be given as Doeus josephus. Often the scientific name is accompanied by the name of the scientist who described the species and the date: Aphonopelma hentzi (Girard 1854). When the describer's name is in parentheses, it indicates the species was originally described in a different genus—a very common case in tarantulas.
What is a species? Opinions vary among scientists and hobbyists. As a general rule, a species can be a group of populations that share a similar appearance and can freely breed with one another in nature to produce fertile offspring that resemble the parents.
Species have a distinct range, usually defined by geographical or ecological barriers, but two very similar species may occupy the same range when separated by behavioral or physiological differences that prevent successful interbreeding (hybridization). A subspecies is a group of populations within the range of a species that differs in some detail of features yet is capable of breeding successfully with other populations of the species. Two subspecies cannot occupy the same range, as they would continually interbreed to produce intermediate offspring that would not have the characters of the parents.


text:
If you haven't seen the previous segments, here are part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5 at these links.
As promised,
on May 8, 1945
peace has arrived in Europe. Unfortunately, the war with Japan in the Pacific was still taking American lives.
Germany has surrendered and it was time to pick up the pieces and rebuild much of Europe.
In February, 1945 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt met at Yalta a second time during the war. During the conference, the three leaders agreed to demand Germany's unconditional surrender. Stalin agreed to help fight the war against Japan in return for land lost to the Japanese, and allow free elections in eastern Europe.
Although originally kept secret, these plans later became known once American and Soviet relations broke down, which led to the Cold War. Here you see a scale model of the original V-2.
Project "Paper Clip" was a secret project instigated by the U.S. in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians (many of whom were formerly registered members of the Nazi Party), including Wernher von Braun's rocket team, were recruited and brought to the U. S. in order to gain a military advantage in the Space Race between the U.S. and Soviet Union.
You can read how angry Stalin was over the fact the Russians helped defeat the Nazis and occupied Berlin, only to learn the U.S. had "stolen" many top scientists from Germany. He shouldn't complain, though. According to Wikipedia:
By comparison, the Soviet Union were even more aggressive in recruiting Germans: during Operation Osoaviakhim, Soviet military units forcibly (at gunpoint) recruited 2,000+ German specialists to the Soviet Union during one night.
These are original V-2 flight trajectories that somehow survived Stalin's instructions that once all documents had been translated, were to be destroyed.
"The threat of execution hung over the heads of those who did not heed the order."
From May, 1945 to August, 1945, relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union deteriorated quickly.
The Cold War had truly begun just as everyone thought peace had arrived. Lenin is on the left and "Uncle Sam" is on the right.
This shows where the statue of Lenin came from.
In case it's hard to read, the Soviet Union's race to space began with the ORM-1, shown here. It is a working model of the liquid fueled engine, first fired in 1931.
Sergei Korolev, credited as being the founder of the Soviet Union's space program, and Werner von Braun, the father of the U.S. space program hated each other, but were apparently very much alike. Both men were passionate about outer space and reaching the moon.
I'm going to digress a bit here and show something you won't find at the Cosmosphere.
This is Dr. Randall (Randy) Chambers (1927-2007). According to C.C. Publishing:
Dr. Randall M. Chambers is one of the space research pioneers, having designed and implemented many of the earliest astronaut training and research programs. After receiving the Ph. D. from Case Western Reserve University in 1954, Dr. Chambers served in the U.S. Air Force. There he became enamored of the challenges of space exploration after attending seminars by Dr. Wernher von Braun. In 1958 Dr. Chambers was appointed Projects Director of the newly-organized acceleration research training program set up for astronaut training for Mercury, X-15, Gemini and Apollo astronauts. This research was conducted at the Aviation Medical Acceleration Laboratory of the U.S. Naval air Development Center in Johnsville, Pa. in conjunction with the newly-created NASA-Langley Research center in Virginia. Dr. Chambers conducted astronaut training programs there for the next 10 years. In the process he became one of the world's authorities in human performance in unusual environments and in space flight imulation. Then at NASA Langley he served as an aerospace engineer and chief life scientist, working on the human factors research for such programs as the lunar lander, the shuttle, Sky Lab, dynamic loads and flight simulators. Dr. Chambers is the author of more than 200 scientific publications and research reports. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his work including the Commander's Awards, including the Commander's Award Medals for civilian scientific service and NASA service awards and medals. Dr. Chambers has presented research reports to numerous scientific meetings. He is a Fellow in many Scientific organizations. Dr. Chambers had also given programs about space to community groups and school classes of all ages. After 29 years in government research, he began a second career in 1988 as a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Wichita State University in Kansas.Please note I made the words bold in the above statement. Not knowing anything about how humans would react in space, during the 1950s, Dr. Chambers and his team of scientists were charged with creating that experience for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts. Training them for what was then the unknown created a new area of science, human factors in space. In figuring out every variable of the physical, mental, and psychological stress encountered by humans in space, he and other scientists went through the same bruising tests as their trainees did in gathering data that would be used to design the training program. These data would later be used by engineers in designing the control panel, space suits, and capsules that went to space.
Dr. Chambers was one of the professors who sat on my Dissertation Committee. I was SO PROUD to have known this soft spoken man who was moved to go into this field after attending seminars by von Braun. I took every engineering class he taught and the stories he could (and would) tell were out of this world. TRULY out of this world!
Back at the museum, the V-2 landed at White Sands, NM and the space race began.
These are the 104 German rocket scientists and aeronautical engineers, including von Braun, who worked at Fort Bliss, TX in the race to space.
Moving away from the V-2, the Bell X-1 is a rocket engine powered aircraft. It was the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound. This is a replica and is the one used in the movie "The Right Stuff."
The supersonic aircraft was first flown in 1947 by Chuck Yeager who named it Glamorous Glennis after his wife.
I probably should have showed this authentic Sonic Wind II Rocker Sled before I showed the two photos above.
It is authentic and was used to study wind blast at supersonic speeds.
Please note that these were mere mice, yet they were safely parachuted back to earth. I remember Dr. Chambers saying it didn't matter what species you shot into space, you wanted them to return safely.
We will soon contrast that with Russia's first dog in space.
This is the X-8. Note how much smaller than the V-2 it is. According to the plaque,
it is the only one remaining of the 100 or so that were built. It is authentic and flew in space.
As I was taking photos
I took these of my friend Scott. He is 6'5" tall and had to reach to capture the front of the Bell X-1 (Glamorous Glennis). You can see the genuine Bell X-1 engine in the foreground. This is an authentic artifact, and was flown in space by Chuck Yeager.
The U.S. had an advantage with the atomic bomb. However, by 1949 the Soviets had created one of their own from designs stolen from the U.S. by Soviet spies. By the 1950s, a smaller, but far more deadly hydrogen bomb was created by the U.S. It only took three years for the Soviets to develop their own, and once again even the balance of power between the two countries.
The U.S. and Soviet Union each believed their political supremacy was superior. Although the U.S. underestimated them, the Soviets had now taken control of nearly two-thirds of the world's population.
The U.S., on the other hand, controlled nearly one-half the world's wealth and power. According to the plaque, the U.S. thought they could be anything they wanted to be, including "powerful, generous, moral, and visionary."
This is the only known color photo of the first atomic bomb detonated in New Mexico in July, 1945.
Immediately after WWII, the U.S. had the advantage. Although the Soviets now had an atomic bomb, it was so big, no aircraft could carry it. The U.S., on the other hand, had many aircraft that could deliver atomic weapons anywhere in the world. The bombers were known as the "Big Sticks."
This is an authentic ejection seat from one such bomber. I sat in it the last time I was here, but because this was not a day to dally (since the museum would soon be closed for the day),
it was time to shoot and run. Unfortunately, this shot was a bit off target!
Apparently, this was a mask the pilots wore to shield them during supersonic flight. I think this is a good time to stop, because, as we will soon see (tomorrow in fact), the U.S.'s arrogance will soon take a big hit.
I thought you might like to see a map of this convoluted area in the basement or museum level of the Cosmosphere. We arrived here through the stairs in the north west corner near the disabled sign and entered the German room. As you can see, the V-2 is on the far left and the V-1 hangs on the right.
After leaving the German room, we saw to the Bell X-1, the Sonic Wind Tunnel, and lots of plaques. I decided to not overwhelm you with more, so we will start with America's big embarrassment tomorrow. Thanks for your continued support of my photos, because putting these on the computer and my blog has eaten away much of my time. Of course, I'm reliving this museum as well as sharing it with each of you, so I hope you are enjoying this as much as I have.


text:
remarkable collection of books. No-one in the congregation seems to know much of his life before he came to Brighton. At ninety-three he seems to have outlived his contempories. He never spoke about receiving the surrender of Hamburg, as a young Major during the war which we discovered today, all he did speak about was the kindness of his friends, his delight in the young people who visited him, the goodness of those who cared for him. He bore the infirmities of old age with patience and resignation. Occassionally he would come out with a stream of amazing facts and deep insight, one example was a conversation with Sri Lankan member of our congregation, he knew everything about her village, its history, the politics of the region, its economy and even the shops in it; he had just happened to pass through on one of his trips.
He was a convert to the Faith, which caused a degree of estrangement from certain members of his family. The Church was the bulwark of his life, he desired the Eucharist with a passionate hunger and desired to receive it in a state of grace. He came to Mass when others would have given up and remained at home. He was a generous benefactor to our Restoration Appeal. He received Holy Communion fully aware of what it was: the Body and Blood of his Saviour.
Pray for his dear soul as his body rests before the altar in the Church this night.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Desmond Gregory 1917 - 2010
6 comments:
- Laurence England said...
- 1/7/10 9:56 am
God rest his soul. What an amazing man. Oh, that the world were full of men like him and I was half the faithful Catholic . . . .
- 1/7/10 9:56 am
- epsilon said...
May he rest in Peace
- 1/7/10 6:58 pm
- Physiocrat said...
I am sorry to be missing his funeral Mass. I had no idea he was as old as that.
Will light a candle here.
- 1/7/10 11:02 pm
- Hestor said...
I think we should start reminding the Mohammedans that an insult to Our Lord and Our Lady, is an insult to someone who they regard as a prophet and a woman who they hold in high esteem. A few vociferous protests from them will perhaps make the BBC think twice before taking the biscuit, so to speak.
- 3/7/10 1:40 am
- Clare@ BattlementsOfRubies said...
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let pepetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
- 15/7/10 11:52 am
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)