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When physicists at CERN's Large Hadron Collider announced the discovery of a new particle on July 4, they did not call it "the Higgs boson." This was not just the typical caution of scientists. It also signified that the announcement comes at a profound moment. We are at the end of a decades-long theoretical, experimental and technological odyssey, as well as at the beginning of a new era in physics.
The search for this particle grew out of a single phrase in the 1964 paper by physicist Peter Higgs of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. At the time, what we now call the Standard Model of particle physics, which describes all known elementary particles, was only just starting to coalesce. The Standard Model makes hundreds of testable predictions and, in the decades since its inception, has been proved right every time. The Higgs boson was the last remaining piece of the puzzle, tying together all the known particles of matter (fermions) and the carriers of the forces acting on them (bosons). It paints a compelling picture of how the subatomic world works, but we do not yet know if this picture is just part of a larger canvas.
The Standard Model is based in part on electroweak symmetry, which unites electromagnetism and the weak force. But the particles that carry those forces have very different masses, showing that the symmetry is broken. Theorists were left to explain the divergence of forces. In 1964 three separate papers—by Higgs, by François Englert and Robert Brout, and by Gerald Guralnik, Carl Hagen and Tom Kibble—in our journal, Physical Review Letters, showed that a ubiquitous quantum ocean called a spin-0 field could accomplish the symmetry breaking. Higgs mentioned that this ocean had waves that correspond to a new particle—the boson that came to bear his name.
This particle, key to the Standard Model, has been arguably the hardest to find—it required generations of ever bigger colliders to produce a sufficient number of sufficiently energetic collisions. Yet completing the Standard Model hardly closes the book on particle physics. The discovery of the Higgs may in fact point the way to what lies beyond the realm of this venerated theory.
Experimenters still need to verify that the new particle is a spin-0 Higgs boson. Next, they must test how the Higgs interacts with other particles to high precision. At this writing, its couplings do not quite match predictions, which could be just a statistical fluctuation or a sign of some deeper effect. Meanwhile experimenters have to keep taking data to see whether more than one Higgs boson exists.
These are important tests because theorists have constructed many hypothetical models that put the Standard Model in a broader framework, and many of these predict multiple bosons or deviations from the usual couplings. The models include extra fermions, extra bosons and even extra dimensions of space. The most studied broader framework is supersymmetry, which hypothesizes that each known fermion has an undiscovered partner boson and that each known boson has an undiscovered partner fermion. If supersymmetry is correct, there is not one Higgs boson but at least five. So we are just beginning to explore a new realm.


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Castles in Peeblesshire
There are 113 castles, towers and fortified houses in the county of Peeblesshire.
Below is a map showing their distribution across the county. Clicking on a marker will reveal the name of the castle and a link to a page about it.
Further down the page is a full alphabetical list of the castles in Peeblesshire.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Shoemaker, Craig
|Lafrentz, Benjamin
|Klesius, Phillip
Submitted to: Flavobacterium Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/5/2012
Publication Date: 6/4/2012
Citation: Shoemaker, C.A., Lafrentz, B.R., Klesius, P.H. 2012. The Flavobacterium columnare challenge: host, genomovar and virulence [abstract]. Flavobacterium 2012. p. 41.
Interpretive Summary:
Technical Abstract: Flavobacterium columnare is pathogenic to most if not all species of freshwater fish throughout the world. The ubiquitous nature of F. columnare makes understanding the disease and disease agent troublesome. The host-pathogen-environment relationship theory described by Snieszko can be applied to our understanding of this fish pathogen. Age, species, strain(s), nutritional and immunological status of the host appear relevant to the establishment of columnaris disease. The pathogen including exposing dose, virulence and genetic type (strain) are also important to disease development. Environmental conditions including temperature and water quality and other stressor(s) (e.g. population density; parasitism) influence the development of columnaris disease in laboratory and field settings. Our experiences and other published examples will be used to illustrate these concepts in relation to F. columnare challenge models for studying virulence, pathogenesis, immunity and control strategies (e.g., vaccination and therapeutics).


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"Reefer Madness" Vice Case
This L.A. Noire Add-on content is included in the L.A. Noire Rockstar Pass. If you have purchased the L.A. Noire Rockstar pass please do not purchase this content as you will be charged again. Vice Narcotics receives a tip from one Freddie Calhoun, junkie, snitch and all around no-hoper. Freddie seems to be playing it straight for once, sharing information on a city-wide marijuana distribution ring. Detective Phelps and Earle will search, question and raid their way to the top of the operation, and in the process learn how the crooks could be smuggling fifty pound shipments of dope in plain sight.
- 12/7/2011
- Team Bondi
- Rockstar Games
- Δράση & περιπέτεια


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THQ Already Planning Homefront: London
"We've created this massive world of 2027. And it's global," said Bilson. "We haven't got there yet but you're going to see Homefront: London later on in the franchise. This is not just a game in the US." This is not an announcement of a sequel and it is safe to assume that any further games in the franchise depend on the sales of the first.
Homefront is due out in 2011 for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
From The Chatty


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Tag Archives: Brussels
Dr Richard Layton
I'm still perusing Henry VIII's letters and papers. One of today's letters to Cromwell is an eyebrow raiser so I couldn't resist it. The letter containing scandalous information about a nun from Syon was written by Richard Layton who has been mentioned many times in this blog but has never had his own post – so I thought that today's metaphorical advent could be Dr Richard Layton. This image shows the monastic visitors arriving at a monastery with their cavalcade of out runners or "rufflers" and much fanfare.
Here's the letter:
Bishop this day preached, and declared the King's title, to a church full of people. One of the "focares" openly called him false knave: "it was that foolish fellow with the curled head that kneeled in your way when ye came forth of the confessor's chamber." Must set him in prison, to deter others. Learnt yesterday many enormous things against Bishop in examining the lay brethren, —that he had persuaded two of them to have gone away by night along with him, but that they lacked money to buy the secular apparel, —that he tried to induce one of them, a smith, to make a key for the door to receive wenches at night, especially a wife of Uxbridge, dwelling not far from the old lady Derby. He also persuaded a nun, to whom he was confessor, ad libidinem corporum perimplendam, and that she would be forgiven if she confessed immediately after each occasion, and was absolved by him. She wrote him many foolish letters, and would have got his brother, the smith, to have pulled a bar of iron out of that window where Cromwell examined the Lady Abbess, and at which they used to commune by night. He got the sexton also to assist him. Intends to make further search this afternoon both of the brethren and of the sisters, and will certify Cromwell tomorrow morning. Most of the brethren are weary of their habit. Such religion and feigned sanctity God save me from!
To all intents and purposes Layton presents himself as a loyal subject of the king and a religious reformer.The letter sums up his rather tabloid writing style; his approach to the visitation of the monasteries and his strategy of looking for gossip amongst the lay members of a community. The letter even contains an example of the rather delightful habit of referring to anything carnal in latin in order that messengers carrying his communications to Cromwell might not be tainted with the knowledge of a letter's contents. In this case the literal translation is "the passion of their bodies fulfilment."
So who was he? Layton was a Cumbrian descended from the Layton who owned Dalemain at that time. Dalemain had been in the hands of the Layton family since 1272. It would leave the family in the seventeenth century due to the fact that there were six daughters and no sons. If you go far enough back up the family tree its possible to find Nevilles but the Laytons weren't nobility they would be more correctly defined as gentry. Layton's mother was a Tunstall – Cuthbert Tunstall, the Bishop of Durham, was his uncle. He was born somewhere near the turn of the century. Moorhouse notes that he was supposed to have thirty-two siblings (Moorhouse:27), another one of them became an MP. It is clear however that with such a large extended family Layton had to look to his own skills for advance. He was also, somewhat ironically, related to Robert Aske one of the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace who rebelled against the dissolution of the monasteries and I think that there's a priest hole at Dalemain demonstrating that the family weren't all as keen on reform as Richard.
It would appear that Layton, having finished his education and been received into the priesthood, entered Wolsey's service. This was a conventional enough progression in the Tudor civil service which still drew on the Church for its clerks at this time. He appears to have had a number of livings in London including on at the Tower of London but as it required his presence he resigned from it fairly swiftly when better opportunities arose.
He came to the forefront of the changes that were occurring in the 1530s because of his acquaintance with Cromwell. As the King's Great Matter became ever more pressing he found himself interrogating the likes of Sir Thomas More and Bishop Fisher – his education and ordination giving his questions legitimacy. Cromwell must have found his old colleague efficient and effective because he sent him along with Thomas Ap Rice to the University of Oxford to undertake an investigation there as well.
The following year, August 1535, he found himself heading up the team of visitors rootling through the monastic houses of England and Wales with a list of pre-prepared questions in hand but always reporting back to Cromwell who arranged their findings into two groups: firstly, the Valor Ecclesiasticus which contained the accounts and lists of relics; secondly, the Comperta or 'Black Book' which contained all the monastic misdeeds. Layton had a hand in the construction of the questions and also in the injunctions which were issued at each visit. An example of the latter would be the prohibition on leaving the monastic enclosure. This prompted many letters to Cromwell complaining about the unreasonableness of the strictures involved. It should be noted that Layton was the only ordained cleric on the team of visitors. Initially there seems from Cromwell's letters to have been some jockeying for position between Layton and Legh, another visitor. Both told tales and complained about one another but generally speaking Layton emerges in history as Cromwell's chief visitor.
Layton gathered confidence with each foundation he visited. His task was to inspect the accounts, uncover any poor practice from failure to obey the rule of St Benedict to encouraging superstitious practices as well as administering the oath of supremacy. He seems particularly good at sniffing out scandal amongst the monks and nuns of the places he visited – much of it with a tabloid quality! The letter above is a case in point – it reads like a particularly bad bodice ripper; although interestingly he did sometimes note a blameless monastic foundation. Bristol and Durham received a clean bill of health from Layton. Having said that it is worth remembering that Layton was related to Cuthbert Tunstall who as bishop was also the titular abbot. Having finished visiting the southern monasteries, narrowly avoiding being burned in his bed whilst visiting Canterbury, he volunteered to visit the northern monasteries – it was after all a lucrative task. He set off just before Christmas 1535. As a consequence of his dependence on Cromwell for advancement his letters are often toadying and nearly always full of tales of naughty nuns and monks.
Layton managed to make himself so disliked that he together with Thomas Cromwell and Legh are identified in the list of the pilgrims grievances in 1536 with a request that these "wicked" advisers be punished. Not that this had any effect! As the monasteries closed it was Layton who journeyed around the country accepting the surrender of many of the monasteries that he'd inspected earlier. It is impossible to know how many bribes he took for recommending former monks to new posts.
Layton became rector of Harrow-on-the-Hill and rather lucratively in the north he was appointed Dean in York on 23 July 1539. He helped himself to rather a lot of York's plate and pawned it for his own benefit. This only surfaced after his death when the deanery were forced to redeem the items in question.
By now he had a reputation as a 'can do' man so he found himself on the team investigating the validity of Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves. He'd already had a role at Anne Boleyn's trial. In short his career follows the path of many Tudor administrators but it was through his work on the monasteries that he attained notoriety.
His career as a diplomat began to extend in the period that followed. He became English Ambassador in the Court of the Netherlands. He was with the Queen of Hungary in March 1544 dealing with safe conduct passes. We know this because he receives a mention in one of her letters to Chapuys. It is from the Spanish archives that we can learn about his illness and his death. He died in June 1544 in Brussels.
For those of you who are a little Henried out I will try to find something less Tudor tomorrow.
'Henry VIII: December 1535, 11-20', in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 9, August-December 1535, ed. James Gairdner (London, 1886), pp. 318-340. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol9/pp318-340 [accessed 6 December 2016].


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Dr Karl P.N. Shuker, the Editor, of the new Journal of Cryptozoology has announced this fresh peer-reviewed publication. Since the journal is planned to be a scientific one devoted to a specific subdiscipline of zoology, i.e. cryptozoology, it must adhere to the same structure and procedures that scientific journals devoted to mainstream subdisciplines of zoology adhere to, which involves submitted papers being assessed by academically-qualified zoologists with specialized knowledge in that particular subdiscipline.
The peer-review panel for the Journal of Cryptozoology is made up of zoologists and other Ph. D.s in associated sciences. They will be asked to evaluate the scientific content and presentation of papers and include:
Tom Gilbert
Colin Groves
Christine Janis
Paul LeBlond
Adrienne Mayor
Darren Naish
Charles Paxton
Brian Regal
Lars Thomas
David Waldron
More doctoral scientists will be added in the future.
Also, a technical peer-review panel has also been established, made up of professionals who will be asked to critique papers on fieldwork, computer skills, photographic expertize, eyewitness interviewing techniques, and sightings evaluation. I will be joining that other peer-review panel.
My congratulations to Jonathan Downes and Karl Shuker. Let the adventures in peer-review cryptozoology begin anew, exactly 30 years after the founding of the ISC's Cryptozoology in 1982!!
Shuker wrote of the journal recently,
With the demise of Kraken and, in particular, Cryptozoology (published by the now-defunct International Society of Cryptozoology), there has been no peer-reviewed scientific journal devoted to cryptozoology for quite some time. Consequently, the Journal of Cryptozoology is launched today to remedy this situation and fill a notable gap in the literature of cryptids and their investigation. For although some mainstream zoological journals are beginning to show slightly less reluctance than before to publish papers with a cryptozoological theme, it is still by no means an easy task for such papers to gain acceptance, and, as a result, potentially significant, serious contributions to the subject are not receiving the scientific attention that they deserve. Now, however, they have a journal of their own once again, and one that adheres to the same high standards for publication as mainstream zoological periodicals.
To that end, a distinguished peer review panel has been assembled, currently numbering ten members in total* (although this may increase in the future), consisting of some of the world's most eminent zoologists and associated researchers in their respective fields. And I am honoured to have been invited by the journal's originator and publisher, CFZ Press, to become Editor – an invitation that I am delighted to accept.
It is planned that each volume of the Journal of Cryptozoology should contain at least four papers. These can be discussion or review articles concerning a given cryptozoological subject, research-related papers, or field reports. Details concerning the required presentation formats for these contributions can be found on the journal's inside back cover and are also included below.
Down through the decades, cryptozoology has been defined in different ways by different researchers, with some definitions much more restrictive than others. Consequently, it is important to make clear the definition – and therefore the scope of subjects available for papers – to which this journal adheres. For the purposes of relevance to this journal, a cryptid is a creature that is known to the local people sharing its domain (ethnoknown) but unrecognised by scientists. Such a creature may be any of the following:
1) A species or subspecies apparently unknown to science, including alleged prehistoric survivors (e.g. mokele-mbembe).
2) A species or subspecies presently unknown to science in the living state, but which is known to have existed in historical times and allegedly still persists today (e.g. thylacine).
3) A species or subspecies known to science but allegedly existing as a natural occurrence in a location outside its scientifically-recognised current geographical distribution (e.g. puma in the eastern USA).
4) A species or subspecies known to science but allegedly existing as an artificial occurrence (i.e. due to human intervention) in a location outside its scientifically-recognised geographical distribution (e.g. alien big cats in Britain).
5) An unrecognised non-taxonomic variant of a known species or subspecies (e.g. Fujian blue tiger; prior to its scientific recognition, the journal's logo creature, the king cheetah, was another example from this category).
In addition, papers dealing with fabulous, mythological beasts will be considered for publication in the journal if their subjects have direct relevance to cryptids (e.g. reviewing the similarity between a given lake monster from folklore and cryptids reported in that same lake in modern times).
Some cryptozoological researchers prefer to impose a lower size limit for cryptids, arguing that a crucial aspect of a cryptid's definition is that it should be of unexpected form. However, as I have revealed time and again in my various books documenting new and rediscovered animals, some very notable, unexpected cryptids were also very small. This is exemplified by Kitti's hog-nosed bat Craseonycteris thonglongyai, scientifically described in 1974 but already known to the local Thai people, and so dramatically different from all other bats that it required the creation of an entirely new taxonomic family to accommodate it – yet it is no bigger in size than a bumblebee. Consequently, although this journal is primarily interested with 'classic' cryptids, i.e. those of large or relatively large size, whose apparent continuing existence undiscovered by science is therefore particularly surprising, papers dealing with interesting, unusual, or potentially significant cryptids of smaller size will also be considered for publication.
Please note: unidentified animal-like (zooform) entities of an apparently paranormal nature, e.g. spectral Black Dogs, fall outside the scope of subjects with which this journal is concerned.
It is always exciting to be part of a major new development, and I believe that the Journal of Cryptozoology marks a major new development in the advancement and mainstream awareness of cryptozoology. I hope that you will too.


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Schedule an Appointment
(630) 820-0300
If you're feeling romance in the cool December air, there's good reason. This is the most popular month to get engaged. Exactly 16% of all marriage proposals take place during the 31 days of December, according to The Knot's ninth annual Real Weddings Study.
What's more, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the #1 and #2 most popular days for popping the question. These facts come from Facebook, whose 1 billion active users (yes, that's billion with a "b") love to report their "relationship status." (If you were wondering, the #3 and #4 most popular days for going down on bended knee are New Year's Day and Valentine's Day.)
Facebook has 191 million users in the U.S. and more than 2.5 million will change their status to "engaged" in an average year. Thirty percent of all "engaged" status updates will take place during November and December.
Experts believe that the winter engagement phenomenon is attributed to two factors: the romantic nature of the season… and convenience. Suitors likely choose December to pop the question because they get swept away by the magic of the holiday season. And, certainly, there's no better time to propose than when all the family is in town to celebrate with the newly engaged couple.
The Knot's survey revealed that the average amount spent on an engagement ring in the U.S. was $5,871 in 2015 and the average engagement lasted 14.5 months. The most popular wedding months were October (17%) and September (15%). The Knot noted the average marrying age of those surveyed was 29 for the bride and 31 for the groom.
These ages are a bit higher than what Facebook has reported in the past. The average age of Facebook's newly engaged couples is 24, which would put their marrying age at about 25.
Keep an eye on your Facebook page because there's a very good chance that somebody you know will be changing his or her relationship status from "in a relationship" to "engaged." There's sure to be an engagement ring selfie captioned with a romantic note colorfully tagged by a string of engagement ring, diamond and heart-shaped emojis.
Facebook continues to monitor relationship statuses by providing a growing list of options. They now include "single," "in a relationship," "engaged," "married," "in a civil union," "in a domestic partnership," "in an open relationship," "it's complicated," "separated," "divorced" and "widowed."
Credit: Bigstockphoto.com


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#4 Connie's Bizarre Mad
Now onto our Top 3 picks:
#9 Crafting Vicky
Honey Bee's exclusive stamps are made of the highest quality photopolymer - and resist yellowing over time. They are 100% designed and manufactured in the United States exclusively for Honey Bee Stamps! You will see and feel the quality of my stamps from your very first impression. They are soft and "sticky" - and will stick to your acrylic block or stamping tool every single time! Each order from Honey Bee Stamps is packed with love, and we believe that you will see the care from our small family-operated company!
using "Hello Gorgeous"
and clear acetate


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Sold Out
North line sets are complete sets. Keep your kite in the sky and flying straight with a brand new lineset.
Availalble in the following lengths:
Two years ago North Kites introduced different line length ranging from 19 to 27 metres as the length of the flying lines can make a huge difference to the way the kite flies. Different styles of riding, different kite models or the kite size can be influencing factors that require different line length. In order to further increase this synergy effect the 19 and 22m lines come on a medium bar (49/42cm) and the 24 and 27m lines on a large bar (53/46cm). The bar is the riders' first point of contact with the kite. In order to achieve a maximum comfort when riding it is essential to match the kite
19m (70% Handling / 30% Power)
Super fast and reactive turning speeds, shorter lines are best for extreme freestyle and crazy kite loops. They are also excellent for wave riding, where the kites turning speed is important. Wakestyle riders enjoy the close connection to the kite too. The disadvantage is you lose some of the low-end power.
› Fast and reactive turning
› For extreme Freestyle, Wakestyle and Waves
› Tight, super fast and hard kite loops
› Narrower bar width
22m (60% Handling / 40% Power)
The favourite length of our freestyle and wave team riders. The 22m lines are still great for getting lots of speed from the kite, perfect for wave riding and freestyle. Not as extreme as the 19m lines, they still lose a bit of low-end power.
› Reactive turning
› Fast kite loops
› Favourite set up of our freestyle riders
› Best choice for waveriding
› Narrower bar width
24m (50% Handling / 50% Power)
One bar fits all. The 24m lines are the best choice for an all round length, good turning speed combined with good power make 24m the perfect choice for a lot of riders. Great for freeride, waves and freestyle.
› The most versatile length
› Great for all round freeriding
› Good low end and a good turning speed
› High jumps as you can "load" the lines
› The recommended size for a one bar quiver!
27m (40% Handling / 60% Power)
The extra length means extra power, you get a little more range out of your quiver by adding this bar with the longer lines. They are also great for jumping as you can really "load" the lines when you edge and send the kite back through the window.
› Enormous low-end
› Huge jumps
› Lots of lift


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The last post made me curious, and I don't think I've asked this question for a while.
What's the oldest digital camera you shoot with regularly? (Don't neglect to give the year it came out if you can.)
Good topic for a Summer weekend. Bonus question: what's the weirdest, most unusual, or most offbeat camera you own and sometimes even use? (Here's how to add a picture to a comment in case you want to. Make sure the picture isn't more than 470 pixels wide.)
For me, my oldest camera in use is my 2014 Fuji X-T1 (2014 was a very good year for TOP and for me). The answer to the second question is surely my Exakta 66.
P.S. The post title comes from this, as the Deadheads and bluegrass fans amongst ye knew instantly.
Original contents copyright 2019 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.
Amazon.com • Amazon UK • Amazon Canada
Amazon Germany • B&H Photo • Adorama
(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Emil: "I've only owned and used one camera since it was released 2011: Fujifilm X100 with its 23mm lens. We make a great team together!"
Dave Levingston: "I have most of the digital cameras I've bought, all the way back to a Sony Mavika that wrote the files to floppy disks, but I pretty much never use any but the most current, which these days are a pair of Panasonic GX8s.
"I have several 'weird' cameras, including a custom-made Fuji Instax Mini camera with a very nice, sharp view camera lens on the front. But the most weird is my 'Speed Holga' which I put together after an argument with a dedicated Holga photographer who was insisting that only a Holga camera could produce the Holga style in photos. I maintained that any crappy camera could take Holga-like photos. I told her I could tape a magnifying glass to the front of a camera and make photos that resembled Holga photos. She was certain that was impossible. So I did it.
"As you can see, no expense was incurred in the building of this camera and lens combo.
"I've taken a number of photos with this setup. The rear shutter of the Speed Graphic makes it easy to use. I used Polaroid and Fuji peel-apart instant film, though sheet film or roll film in a holder would work, but without the quick feedback on exposure, since the 'aperture' is a total unknown.
"Here's one photo done with it. This was grossly overexposed, might have been the first shot I took with it, but that overexposure turned out to be a pretty happy accident."
Andrew Lamb: "I use an EOS 5D II and Nikon D3S regularly for pro work. For personal pics I regularly use a 6x6 Super Ikonta, from 1938, my all-time favourite camera."
Jim R (partial comment): "Jerry Garcia started his musical career playing blue grass in 'jug bands' before making it big with The Grateful Dead, the grandfather of today's 'jam bands.' I stopped paying attention to the more recent incarnations of The Grateful Dead once Jerry died in 1995. The music just stopped then. I did really like the ties based on his art though. The 'Old and In the Way' stuff is fabulous; thanks for the reminder!"


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In one of the behind-the-scenes interviews included in the two-disc special-edition DVD of 300, director Zack Snyder throws in a quick remark about the nature of storytelling. "A storyteller knows how to not ruin a good story with the truth," he says. "He knows how to exaggerate a moment for dramatic purposes." Though he's supposedly referring to Dilios (David Wenham), the rhetorically skilled character who provides the narrative framework for his film, the description applies equally to Snyder himself. His movie is a retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae, a real campaign where a mere 300 Spartan warriors are led by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) to take a stand against the colossal thousands of the Persian army. Synder's story, on the other hand, is never in any danger of being ruined by the truth.
Snyder, like Dilios, is interested in the drama above all else, and as a result, he pushes his exaggerations to their very limit, almost to the brink of absurdity. Every line of dialogue is an intense proclamation, and most of them are shouted. Every spear connects to its intended with a horrifying crunch and a spurt of blood. Every villain is demonized physically as well as morally — not since the Orcs has one evil army contained so many oozing boils, gnarled faces, twisted spines, and other gruesome deformities — while every Spartan man is a perfect, near-naked physical specimen and consummate warrior (and the women don't look half-bad, either).
Even time, which is generally a constant, is subverted for the purposes of storytelling. Snyder plays with the pacing of his action scenes to maximize the spectacle: As a Spartan charges toward his prey, time speeds up and the action moves quickly; the moment his spear enters the flesh is indulgently slowed down.
Snyder's visual style also satisfies his need to go over-the-top with all aspects of the film. While some compositions are lifted directly from the pages of Frank Miller's graphic novel, Snyder adds layers of special effects until the same images look more three-dimensional and surreal than their printed origins. A webisode on production design included in the DVD shows that, without the special effects, the set looks like one giant rock, a half-naked man, and a collection of green screens. In the film, that same set is a blood-spattered battlefield, where thousands of soldiers march off in the distance under an ominous, cloud-covered sky. The result is a historical epic with an MTV-and-videogame sheen over every frame.
Therefore, those looking for nuance, complexity, shades of gray, or a sober account of the Battle of Thermopylae best look elsewhere. Instead, 300's penchant for drama and exaggeration leads to a much more simplified narrative, closer to the Greek spirit of myth-making. Spartans lived for one reason: to die in the glory of battle. Anything that might have complicated this truth is left out of the film. Political alliances between Greeks at the time? Gone. Any backstory, familial or otherwise, to make the Spartan warriors seem like whole, rounded characters instead of an anonymous horde of 300? Jettisoned. Women, especially, are given the short shrift: Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) is the only Spartan woman who is even allowed to speak.
While the story has been streamlined to its essence then stretched to visual and dramatic excess, there are nuggets of truth to be found in Snyder's tale. As author / historian Bettany Hughes explains in the featurettes "The 300: Fact or Fiction" and "Who Were the Spartans: The Warriors of 300", Spartans did strive for honor and glory on the battlefield.
Items mentioned briefly in Leonidas' backstory in the film, justifications of his ingrained warrior ideals — such as the Spartan traditions of abandoning inferior babies at birth, and the savage agoge system of training seven-year-olds for combat — were not an invention of Miller's warped mind, but rooted in fact. So while there may not have been rhinos and elephants at the real Battle of Thermopylae (to say nothing of a man with axes for hands), the spirit with which they met these monsters in the film could ring true for the actual Spartans.
In one scene, an emissary for Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) demands that Leonidas and his warriors lay down their weapons. After the emissary is dispatched by spear, Leonidas offers: "Come and take them." While this seems like the sort of pithy rejoinder only seen in particularly Hollywoodized historical epics, this exchange really did take place via written notes. Spartans were as clever as they were cruel.
And even some of the wardrobe choices seemed to be inspired by reality: Miller reports in the extra features that, in his Grecian travels, he came across a monument to Leonidas that was naked save for helmet, shield, and spear. (The inscription? "Come and take them.")
Still, no one should look to 300 for history. While there's some sprinkled throughout the features, it's all tiny grains embedded in the vast drama. (Features in the two-disc special edition are plenty, with everything from scholarly history to interviews with Miller, but they recycle quotes, interviews, and film clips between them, as if the makers thought no one would have the fortitude to get through them all, let alone watch one after another.) Yet Snyder's film is proof that a far-reaching vision and hyperbole can come together to tell a much better story than one based purely on historical facts.


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Faculty Position Available
The Department of Cognitive Science in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University seek a faculty candidate, at any level, with an exceptional record of conducting and directing research in the area of the University's new Science of Learning initiative. Research approaches and content areas of particular interest include learning, development, and plasticity in the areas of language, visual or speech perception, and spatial representation. The ideal candidate should carry out research that makes substantive contact with theory, uses experimental, developmental, linguistic, neuroscience, and/or computational approaches, and has implications for application within the broad field of learning. The appointment will be joint between the Cognitive Science Department and the School of Education, with the expectation of responsibilities in both, but will have tenure-track and/or tenured status within the Cognitive Science Department. Candidates should be strongly interdisciplinary, prepared to carry out effective teaching, student supervision, and collaboration in a formally-oriented, highly interdisciplinary Cognitive Science department, and eager to take advantage of collaborations with the School of Education and its connection to diverse student populations in area public and private schools. Candidates should be capable of making significant contributions to the Science of Learning initiative involving the Cognitive Science Department, the School of Education, and other units; further faculty growth in this area is anticipated. The Cognitive Science Department and the School of Education have a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from members of underrepresented groups and strongly encourage women and persons of color to apply for this position.
Applications are due by November 1, 2012.
Please send cover letter, CV, research statement, and three letters of recommendation.
Please send electronic submissions only.
Submit to: ude.uhj.icsgoc|hcraes#ude.uhj.icsgoc|hcraes
Johns Hopkins University actively encourages interest from minorities and women.
The Johns Hopkins University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer, Minorities, women, Vietnam-era veterans, disabled veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.


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Many women want to add some curl or volume to their hair during the styling process, which is almost always done with the help of a curling iron. (Some hair straighteners can also get the job done, but that's a different article.) The traditional...
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SMITHDALE, VA – Since their defeat on Election Day, Republicans have questioned what will be the new direction of their party.
The party has been divided since John McCain's defeat, searching for a figurehead to lead the charge against the democratic majority in Washington.
Karl Rove held a conference in his mountaintop castle to summon the next great conservative leader.
Rove, who acted as President Bush's top advisor for years, has been communing with the dead and making deals with dark forces in his search for ways to secure Republican power.
A breakthrough was made on Tuesday and the political commentator sent notes attached to the legs of ravens requesting the presence of top conservatives.
Under Wednesday's full moon, heads of the Republican Party gathered in a dark ritual to summon their next leader.
A séance was held with Pro-Life leaders and Focus on the Family members seated around the bones of Joseph McCarthy. Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh used a Ouija board to contact the spirit of Ronald Reagan. Copies of the Drudge Report were smeared with chicken's blood and read backwards. Newt Gingrich attended via telecom. A dozen Young Republican virgins were sacrificed so Ann Coulter could bathe in their blood. At the stroke of midnight, Dick Cheney shot a man in the face, culminating the séance and hopefully opening a portal to summon the next great conservative leader.
The ritual failed, however, due to John Ashcroft substituting ketchup when they had run out of chicken's blood.
It is believed Republicans will repeat this and other rituals until they find their parties next leader.
Current President Bush spent Wednesday evening at home playing Xbox.


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Microsoft on Sunday announced a significant expansion of its Microsoft Online Services. Now, the service--which bundles centrally managed Exchange-based email, contacts, and calendar functionality with SharePoint-based Web collaboration--is available to businesses of all sizes.
"The combination of software plus services gives customers advanced choice and flexibility in how they access and manage software," said Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. "With Microsoft Online Services, businesses can deploy software as a subscription service, from servers they manage on-site, or a combination of the two, depending on their specific needs. In the future, customers and partners should expect to see this kind of choice and flexibility for all of Microsoft's software and server products."
Unlike Microsoft's consumer oriented Windows Live services, such as Hotmail, Microsoft Online Services (MOS) runs on Microsoft's enterprise server products, making it a better fit for medium-sized companies and enterprises. Corporations that choose to allow Microsoft to host these services for them can manage and monitor MOS via a simple Web console. Originally available for companies with over 5,000 users, MOS has attracted a number of high profile customers, including Blockbuster, Coca-Cola, and Energizer, among others.
MOS licensing varies on a company-by-company basis. Customers can elect to pay per-user subscription fees each year, while those with existing Microsoft volume licenses through Software Assurance can simply add user subscriptions at a discount. Microsoft is also planning a version of MOS that combines Exchange Online and SharePoint Online with Office Communications Online and Office Live Meeting as a suite of services. And customers can elect to subscribe to individual components of the suite instead, if they'd like.
This expanded version of MOS is currently in limited beta, but US-based companies interested in testing the service can register on the Microsoft Web site. Microsoft expects to ship the service publicly in the second half of 2008.


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Good - Regulator's rating
Outstanding - Regulator's rating
Good - Regulator's rating
Registered, awaiting routine inspection - Regulator's rating
Registered, awaiting routine inspection - Regulator's rating
Care Sourcer helps you find and compare elderly care quickly. Simply enter your postcode to find care homes or home care providers in your area who can help.
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There are 5 home care agencies in Gosport, who specialise in offering professional care to the elderly in the comfort of your own home.
All home care agencies in Gosport are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Of the 5 home care agencies in Gosport, 3 have been rated good or above.


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Legends of Aethereus
|Legends of Aethereus is a high action, low fantasy RPG with four player co-op, a variety of PvP game types and a full single player campaign with an engaging story. Join forces in online multiplayer cooperative expeditions as the Inventor, Astrographer or Officer and venture into the uncharted wilderness of Aethereus seeking fame, glory and untold riches. Invite your friends to your own customized Nexus City-State to battle in your arena or just show off how cool you've personalized your city using the statue-maker, banner creator and other customization features. Embark on a variety of story driven hand-crafted expedition levels or explore the wilderness through a variety of procedurally generated exploration quests. Design and build new gear and weapons while you develop your character across a diverse and expansive skill tree allowing for a multitude of character strategies.


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Editor's Note: This is Part II of a two-part series on spiritual intimacy in marriage. To read Part I, click here.
As I have mentioned, intentionality is the key. There isn't anyone reading this that would not begin with a plan if he or she was starting a business. Yet most couples not only do not have a plan to grow together toward spiritual intimacy ... they don't even talk about it. Often it is a back-burner topic at best.
Yet when I discuss this topic in conferences or on my radio program, many people say with almost a far-off yearning look, "I wish my spouse and I were closer spiritually." It's not going to happen without a plan. To quote one of my favorite movies, What About Bob?, it will best be done with "baby steps." It is very rare for a relationship to move from lacking spiritually to strong growth overnight. It takes nurturing and pruning over time to have a beautiful garden; in the same way, it takes time and careful cultivation to grow toward spiritual intimacy. And it won't happen by osmosis. It will happen when one or both of the spouses start by planting the seeds of spiritual growth.
You can start the process by praying daily for your spouse and your relationship. Paul's advice to Timothy was to "discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness" (1 Timothy 4:7). I'm not talking about hours of prayer, but simply a daily time (however short) to pray for your spouse. Give your relationship to God. Pray for your spouse's needs and seek God's will for how you can serve your spouse. Even this one simple act of daily disciplined prayer for your spouse will make a difference. As you pray, look for an opportunity to create a plan. The old adage "Fail to plan, plan to fail" is so true when couples desire to experience spiritual growth together.
Pray Together
If your spouse is open to it, pray together daily. If your spouse is not very spiritually motivated, then keep prayer very short and do it at a meal or another time that seems less intimidating. I know one couple who started praying together every day with the wife simply saying, "God, thank you for our food. Thank you for the children. Thank you so much for Jack. Help us to be a God-honoring couple and family. Amen."
One day, after months of that prayer, Jack said, "Let me pray, too." He said, "God, I'm not much of a pray-er but I agree with Janet, and thanks for Janet's heart for you. Amen, again!" After a while the kids got involved too. After a year Jack and Janet were feeling more comfortable praying together.
Our pastor made an amazing statement one day in church. He said, "I have never seen one couple go through with a divorce after praying together, on their knees, every day for a month." Praying together is the glue that binds our hearts together and focuses us on God's power in our marriage and family. The mistake some couples make is that they start with goals that are too high, and they expect too much too soon. Praying together is a bit like going to the gym. We may be excited about getting started on a physical fitness program, but the long-lasting results happen only after time and discipline.
The Swiss psychiatrist Dr. Paul Tournier wrote,
It is only when a husband and wife pray together before God that they find the secret of true harmony: that the difference in their temperaments, their ideas, and their tastes enriches their home instead of endangering it. When each of the marriage partners seeks quietly before God to see his own faults, recognizes his sin, and asks for the forgiveness of the other, marital problems are no more. They learn to become absolutely honest with each other. This is the price to be paid if partners very different from each other are to combine their gifts instead of setting them against each other.
Praying together can bring about spiritual intimacy and it can also restore a broken marriage. Praying together can strengthen a marriage that is lacking in communication and intimacy. It is certainly worth a try. The saying is true: "Couples who pray together, stay together."
Worship Together Regularly
As I've already mentioned, the Scripture teaches us that the Lord inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3 kjv). If you want the Lord to inhabit your relationship, then a natural ingredient is worshiping together. Unfortunately, some couples don't have the benefit of worshiping together. Perhaps one works or just won't go to church. This is an area to keep on your prayer list; look for ways to find meaning together when you can.
I know of a husband who agreed to go to church with his wife once a month. Instead of nagging or condemning about the other three weeks, she made a big deal out of that one morning a month by serving fun food and turning it into a pleasurable event. Within the year he was going most Sundays. Today, after many years, he is a leader in their church. Set the tone for a good experience. Pray for God's Spirit to inhabit your worship.
Develop a Regular Spiritual Growth Time Together
It isn't easy to discipline yourselves as a couple to spend regular time together focusing on your spirituality. Even though Cathy and I speak and write on this subject, we have struggled throughout the thirty-one years of our marriage in this area. We have tried reading books together and doing Bible study booklets. We have listened to CDs and watched videos together on spiritual growth. We have tried to have a daily time and a weekly time to focus on our spiritual growth. Like so many others, it hasn't always worked for us.
Sometimes the reasons were found in the list of blocks to spiritual growth found earlier in this chapter. We always meant well, but it just didn't seem to last. Finally we found something that worked for us. We call it our Weekly Time. It's really rather simple, and for some it may be too short, but it has worked for us. We have shared it with thousands of people and some are now actually more faithful at it than we are. It started from our need to focus together spiritually, but we didn't want to just do another Bible study or devotional. Both Cathy and I are disciplined with our own daily devotional time, and adding one more devotional as a couple just wasn't working. That's when we came up with the following.
Jim and Cathy's Weekly Time
- Devotional time of the week
- Greatest joy of the week
- Greatest struggle of the week
- An affirmation
- A wish or a hope
- Physical goals
- Prayer
- Book of the month
We decided to take the pressure off of meeting more often than once a week, and just share with each other what we had been learning from our own time with the Lord. Sometimes that takes a few minutes and other times it is a bit deeper. Then we move to the greatest joy of the week. For Cathy, it is almost always something about one of our kids. For me, it might be about our kids or a ministry experience.
We then share our greatest struggle. Yes, there have been times when Cathy has said, "The greatest struggle of the week is you, Jim!" Then we may have a conversation about the struggle before we can move back into our devotional time.
We each share an affirmation about the other. Next, it's a wish or a hope we share. I don't remember why we added that section, but it is a catch-all for good conversation. When Cathy's father was near death, we talked about her relationship with him. Other times it has been a hope for a vacation weekend. Then we deal with our physical goals. Since Scripture is clear that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), we try to work on our physical goals. If you were looking at both Cathy and me in person, you would see that she does a better job in this area than I do! However, that weekly checkup is a very good accountability factor for both of us.
Then we pray. Lately, we have spent some time praying on our knees. It is a time of drawing close to God, and it has also become a time of drawing closer together. I love this time of communication. There is nothing magical about this spiritual exercise, but it works for us. The important issue is to find something that works for both you and your spouse. You'll also notice above that I included "book of the month" as one of the points under our plan. It is a great idea. We tried it, and it didn't work for us. But maybe when life slows down a bit, we'll find it helpful.
Time With Other Couples
You will notice that a common theme in what they call the "temptation narratives" in the Bible is isolation. Even when Satan tempted Jesus, he took Him to the wilderness and isolated Him from other people. Far too many couples are isolated from any other replenishing relationships. Who has access to your life as a couple? I believe we need at least three types of spiritual and relational accountability. We need mentors, peer support, and whenever possible, we need to be mentoring other couples.
Do you have mentors in your life as a couple? I know for us, Cathy and I had very few role models when we first got married. We didn't know many couples we wanted to imitate in our own marriage. One day we were talking about the need to find mentors for our marriage, and a couple from our church came to our mind. They had successfully raised three kids and had been married for a number of years. We asked if we could come by and ask them some questions about building a God-honoring marriage.
If we would have said, "Will you mentor us?" they might have said, "No, we don't see ourselves as mentors." Fortunately, we didn't give them the option to turn us down. We simply asked if we could get together. The meal time and conversation was so pleasant and helpful that we asked if we could get together again sometime. Today, this couple would probably say they have been mentors to us, but it didn't start that way in their minds.
We are most fortunate to have couples on our board of directors at HomeWord who we would consider mentors as well. These are not people who have every aspect of their lives together. However, they are a bit older and wiser than we are and are open to sharing their lives with us. If you don't have a mentor couple, I suggest you begin to talk about who might help motivate you to grow spiritually and through their lives show you how to be more effective in your marriage and family.
We also believe strongly in peer relationships. I meet with a group of four other men on Tuesday mornings, as well as every couple of months with a friend whom I respect greatly. We share the hard questions and challenge each other in our marriages, spiritual life, child-rearing, integrity, and being faithful in our calling. Cathy and I were in a couples' group for several years, and even though each session wasn't on marriage, it seemed like whatever we were studying in that group came back to our marriages and families. I learned much from how other couples approached their relationships. We often say that this particular group helped us raise our kids and taught us more about marriage than any book we have ever read.
Then how about mentoring a younger couple? Your church probably has a mentoring program for newlyweds or younger couples. It might be something as formal as going through a book together or as informal as sharing a few meals a year with a younger couple. I know for Cathy and me, when we are in conversation with another couple about our marriage, we are much more intentional about working our spiritual growth plan.
Other Ideas
As we looked at refreshing our marriage spiritually I mentioned that we all need a plan. When a couple is living with the same set of blueprints, they do so much better. The above ideas are a major part of Cathy's and my plan. You will want to create your own. It has to work for you and for your situation. I know couples who have taken a five-hour solo/Sabbath time regularly to rest, pray, read inspirational literature, hike, and then come back together to talk about their experience. They do it almost every week. Sure it takes time, but by the looks of their marriage it is definitely worth the investment.
Another couple I know plans two retreats a year. One of the retreats they do is a getaway together. They go away to a cabin in the mountains or a place at the beach. At different times they have read books together, listened to tapes, or followed a Bible study booklet. Their time together is spent taking extended time to walk, rest, pray, relate, and focus on their marriage and their yearly goals. They also participate in one retreat a year with other couples. They attend a marriage conference or go to a retreat center where the topic is marriage and family.
These are some of the people we would consider "mentors" in our lives. They do really well in the area of spiritual intimacy because they invest heavily in their marriage. Another couple I know reads at least one book a year together on marriage. They got started doing this because in the business world he was reading about three books a year on his specific business to keep up with his line of work. One day it dawned on him that he had never read even one marriage book to help keep his marriage in shape, so as a couple they instituted the "once-a-year book plan." They choose the book together and then plan when they are going to read it. One year they went on a long driving trip and read a book on sexuality out loud to each other during the trip.
Spiritual growth and intimacy is like anything else. It takes time and commitment. It is more about training than trying, and just like the Scripture says, you will reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7–8). Don't shortchange yourself or your spouse by not focusing on spiritual intimacy. At the end of your life you won't be focused on your IRA retirement plan, the kind of house you live in, or what your bank account looks like. You will be interested in a right relationship with God and a right relationship with your loved ones. Since that is doing relationships with an eternal perspective, why not start sooner rather than later?
Growing Towards Spiritual Intimacy
Questions for Me
1. Which of the following blocks to spiritual intimacy affect your life the most?
- busyness
- low-level anger
- lack of forgiveness
- lack of respect
- spiritual warfare
- other_________________________
2. What can I personally do to bring more spiritual intimacy to our relationship?
Questions for Us
1. Share with each other your answer to question #1 from Questions for Me.
2. Complete this sentence: If I could receive more spiritual intimacy from you it would be in the area of ________________________.
Heart-to-Heart HomeWork
Our Spiritual Growth Plan
Create together a simple plan to enhance your spiritual relationship as a couple. Remember to keep it short and simple so you don't get too overwhelmed. Put down on paper things like:
- Pray daily.
- Worship together weekly.
- Join a couples group.
- Participate in a marriage or spiritual retreat.
- Develop a regular spiritual growth time together.
To get you started, how about taking a few minutes and working through the Weekly Time together.
Our Weekly Time
Devotional time of the week (If you need an idea for this week, try reading through Ephesians 5:22–33.)
Greatest joy of the week
Greatest struggle of the week
An affirmation
A wish or a hope
Physical goals
Book of the month
Excerpted from Creating an Intimate Marriage by Jim Burns. Copyright 2006. Used with permission by Bethany House Publishers. All rights reserved.
Jim Burns, Ph.D., founded the ministry HomeWord in 1985 with the goal of bringing help and hope to struggling families. As host of the radio broadcast HomeWord with Jim Burns, which is heard daily by more than one million listeners, Jim's passion is to build God-honoring families through communicating practical truths that will enable adults and young people alike to live out their Christian faith.
In addition to the radio program, Jim speaks to thousands around the world each year through seminars and conferences. He is an award-winning author, whose books include The 10 Building Blocks for a Happy Family and Devotions on the Run. Jim and his wife, Cathy, and their three daughters live in Dana Point, California.


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I was immediately cast back to age 6 or so. I went on a school trip. I was dispatched with about a pound note & lunch.
I spotted this ornament & bought it for Mum. I was so pleased to get back & give this to Mum I tripped getting off the coach & dropped the ornament. I remember sobbing & Mum giving me a hug, telling me it would be fixed & as good as new.
Almost 40 years later I came across the ornament still glued, after 3 house moves.
A really happy memory & acutely missing Mum.


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Charles brings with him over 20 years' international experience from the oil and gas industry gained in a number of senior management positions.
A British citizen, Charles held a number of senior management positions in the Far East, Australia, France and the United States during a 15-year career at Schlumberger. For the last five years, he has been CEO of Expro, an oilfield services business owned by a consortium including Goldman Sachs and Arle Capital Partners. He is a non-executive director of Seadrill Limited.
His operational experience has been built on a strong academic foundation having gained a First Class Honours Degree in Electrical Sciences and a PhD in Engineering from Cambridge University. He later completed an MBA at Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
Announcing the appointment, Ian King, Chief Executive, BAE Systems plc said:
"As a highly qualified engineer with considerable international business experience, Charles will strengthen and broaden the strategic and operational capabilities of the business as a welcome and valuable addition to the leadership team."
Sir Roger Carr, Chairman, BAE Systems plc said:
"I am delighted that we have secured an individual of considerable talent and proven industrial experience as part of our succession planning programme. Charles will bring fresh perspective to the Company's operations and Board, whilst building a detailed knowledge of the defence industry under the guidance of Ian King."
Charles Woodburn said:
"BAE Systems is one of the world's leading defence companies with a broad and diverse portfolio of products and services, supporting major government and commercial customers around the world. I look forward to contributing to the Company's continued growth and development."
Other than as detailed above, Mr. Woodburn has no details to disclose under Listing Rule 9.6.13.
Notes to editors:
Charles Woodburn biographical details:
1989 - 1992 Cambridge University - St. John's College, Bachelor's with First Class Honours in Electrical and Information Sciences (Electrical Engineering)
1992 - 1995 Cambridge University - St. John's College, Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering
2003 - 2005 Erasmus University, Rotterdam - Master of Business Administration
Career history:
1995 - 2010 Schlumberger Ltd.
1995 - 2004 Engineering and Field Management roles in Thailand, Australia, USA
2004 - 2010 Senior management roles including Product Line President Wireline and Vice President Engineering, Manufacturing and Sustaining (EMS)
2010 - 2015 Expro Group - CEO
2004 - 2010 Senior management roles including Product Line President Wireline and Vice President Engineering, Manufacturing and Sustaining (EMS)
2010 - 2015 Expro Group - CEO
Remuneration arrangements are in line with the Company's Remuneration Policy approved by shareholders.
- Base salary of £750,000
- Eligible for participation in the BAE Systems plc Annual Incentive and Long Term Incentive Plan
- Minimum Shareholding Requirement of 200% of base salary
One-off payment for forfeited earnings
In accordance with the Remuneration Policy, the Company will buy out certain incentives previously awarded by Expro and forfeited as a consequence of joining BAE Systems at a level consistent with the fair value at the time of recruitment.
- £1.62 million in respect of incentives earned and payable within 6 months*
- One-off grant of performance shares under BAE Systems long-term incentive plan
* 50% of the net amount must be used to purchase BAE Systems shares within 120 days following payment.
Issued by:
BAE Systems plc


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Alix Ohlin, 40, moved around a lot in her life before she came to rest two years ago as a professor of creative writing at Lafayette College in Easton, Penn. But she was born and bred in Montreal, the city that's home to many of the characters in her novel Inside, shortlisted for the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize (and this year's Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize). "I feel very rooted there, in a place so particular and vibrant," she says in an interview. "Wherever I go, I always identify as a Montrealer." The city, though, took a while to enter into Ohlin's writing. In grad school, she was reluctant to set a story there, for fear her classmates, mostly American, wouldn't understand the references. "I used a generic suburb instead, sort of like the one I grew up in, but it felt really wrong. One of the purposes of this novel was to go back to writing about Montreal in a way that felt truer to the memories I have of it, including the way people move back and forth between English and French." But Inside is far from being a novel of place, Ohlin agrees. "There's a line in it," she points out, "that reads that some people are destined to leave a place and keep on leaving." The book moves from Montreal to New York to Iqaluit to Los Angeles. And to Kigali in Rwanda—the one place in Inside where Ohlin herself has never been—during the 1994 genocide. In a story about therapists and patients, the latter scarcely more psychologically damaged than the former, the Rwanda section is, in some regards, the entire novel writ small. "The book is about rescue and the importance of attempting to help—whether or not the attempts succeed, they're central to our humanity—and the Rwanda section was a way of writing that theme in an international way, to reflect and underscore how it unfolds in individual lives elsewhere in the novel." Here is Alix Ohlin on reading (and writing), followed by an excerpt from Inside:
Prince Edward Island in the 1870s. A mansion on Long Island during the roaring twenties. Mars in the early years of colonization.
I've never been to any of these places, of course, but each of them feels like home to me. They were as much a part of my childhood as my actual house in Montreal, because they were the settings of books I loved. Anne of Green Gables, Jay Gatsby, the troubled explorers of The Martian Chronicles (to name just a few)—these people populated my universe, kept me company, made me laugh and cry. I've spent most of my life reading, blinking with confused surprise when I look up to discover that I'm sitting in a chair, somewhere in the 21st century.
Writing for me is first and foremost an act of gratitude toward the books that have shaped my life and helped me make sense of the world. It is a way of participating in an ageless conversation, across culture and time, about what it means to be alive. The writer Iris Murdoch once said that the subject of her work was "the otherness of other people," and to me this has always rung true. Literature gives us access to the interior lives of people different from ourselves, no matter where or when they live, in their fascinating, mysterious, even frustrating complexity. It's nothing short of miraculous.
When I first began writing, I would sometimes copy out, by hand, passages from books I particularly admired. I wanted to feel what it might have been like to build those sentences, clause by clause, word by word. I remember doing this with Herzog by Saul Bellow, a writer pretty remote from me in subject matter and style. It wasn't that I wanted to write exactly like Bellow, or the other writers I chose. I was trying to catch the music of their language, to understand how it led to such wit and perception and depth of humanity. I do this less often now, but a friend recently reminded me of another book I love, David Markson's Wittgenstein's Mistress. I went back and looked at the opening line: "In the beginning, sometimes I left messages in the street." I had to write it down, because it is so enigmatic and simple and sad. A sentence like that can break your heart: what an amazing thing for words on a page to do.
People sometimes ask me whether I get lonely, spending so much time by myself working. But I hardly ever do. I have all these books on my shelves, waiting to be read and reread. And I know that there are writers like me all around the world, hunched at their desks, each of them crafting singular, beautiful universes, telling stories about what it means to be alive.
Montreal, 1996
At first glance, she mistook him for something else. In the fading winter light he could have been a branch or a log, even a tire; in the many years she'd been cross-country skiing on Mount Royal, she'd found stranger debris across her path. People left behind their scarves, their shoes, their inhibitions: she'd come across lovers naked to the sky, even on cold days. In spite of these distractions, the mountain was the one place where she felt at peace, especially in winter, when tree branches stretched empty of leaves and she could see the city below her—its clusters of green-spired churches and gray skyscrapers laid out, graspable, streets rolling down to the Old Port, and in either direction the bridges extending over the pale water of the St. Lawrence. This winter had been mild, and what snow did fall first melted, then turned to ice overnight. Now, at the end of January, it had finally snowed all night and all day, at last enough to ski on. Luckily her final appointment that afternoon had cancelled, leaving her free to drive up before the light was gone. She slipped around the Chalet and headed into the woods, losing the vista of Montreal below, gaining muffled silence and solitude, the trees turning the light even fainter. One skier had been here before her, leaving a path of parallel stripes. On a slight downhill slope she crouched down and picked up speed as she moved around a bend.
Turning, she saw the branch or whatever it was too late. Though she tried to slow down, she wasn't quick enough and ran right into it and was knocked out of her skis, falling sideways into the snow, realizing only when she sat up that what had tripped her was the body of a man. Her legs were on top of his, her right knee throbbing from the impact.
The air torn from her returned slowly, painfully, to her burning lungs. When she could breathe she said, "Are you all right?"
There was no answer. He was flung across the trail with his head half buried in the snow. Beyond his body the ski marks stopped. She thought he must have had an accident, but then she saw his skis propped neatly against a tree.
She got to her feet and gingerly stepped around until she could see his face. He wasn't wearing a hat. "Excuse me," she said, louder. "Are you okay?" She thought maybe he'd collapsed after a heart attack or stroke. He lay sprawled on his side, knees bent, eyes closed, one arm up above his head. "Monsieur?" she said. "Ça va?"
Kneeling down to check his pulse, she saw the rope around his neck. Thick and braided, it trailed beneath him, almost nestled under his arm, and the other end rested on a snowbank—no, was buried underneath it—and on the other side she could see that the branch it had been tied to had broken off.
She hurriedly loosened the rope and found the beating rhythm in his neck, then opened the first few snaps of his coat in the hope that this might help him to breathe. His face wasn't blue. He was around her age, thirties, his short, wavy, brown hair riddled with gray. Still his eyes wouldn't open. Should she slap him? Administer CPR? She pushed him gently onto his back. "Monsieur?" she said again. He didn't move.
She skied quickly back to the Chalet and called 911. In her halting French, all the more fractured because she was out of breath, she tried to describe where in the woods they were. When she returned, he was lying where she'd found him. "Sir," she said, "my name is Grace. Je m'appelle Grace. I called for help. Everything will be all right. Vous êtes sauvé."
She put her ear next to his mouth to hear his breath. His eyes were still closed, but he heavily, unmistakably, sighed.
Later, at the Montreal General, she realized that both pairs of skis had been left behind. The emergency workers had loaded the man into the ambulance and she had followed it, weaving through the traffic along Côte-des-Neiges. She wasn't even sure why. Because the Urgences-santé men had looked at her expectantly, assuming she and the man had been skiing together? Because one of them had said, in commingled English and French, "The police—ils vont vous poser des questions at the 'ospital," and she had nodded obediently, like a schoolgirl?
It was partly curiosity, to know what had driven him to such an act; and partly pity, because anyone driven to hang himself would have to be suffering deeply and terribly. And it was partly that she of all people had been the one to throw herself across his path.
Canada's most distinguished literary prize awards $50,000 annually to the best Canadian novel or short-story collection published in English


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This blue/gray 11.5 x 17.5 x 3" Drop-Front Archival Box from Lineco is used by photographers, artists, and archivists for storing and protecting photographs, flat art, and other important documents.
The archival box is made from a 60-point board, which is acid- and lignin-free, making the box suitable for long-term storage. Acid levels are lowered because the board is buffered and does not transfer any contamination to the contents. Each corner of the lid and box has a metal edge for added strength and durability, which is ideal for stacking boxes on top of each other. Once the lid is removed, the box's drop-front lowers to reveal a white interior, that allows easy access without any damage to the contents.


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Psychotherapist Leslie Robinson plans to demonstrate her new board game, Keep It Real, at select Border's bookstores in New York City this month. Robinson says she created the game to entice people to interact outside the realm of mobile phones, computer screens, and television sets.
In the game, players round the game board collecting tokens for answering questions such as, "Do you believe in 'an eye for an eye,' or turning the other cheek, and why?," and "If you could choose, would you rather be a man or a woman, and why?" The first person to reach the center with the most tokens wins.
"Keep It Real" is suitable for players ages 14 and up and can be played with as many as 12 and as few as two people. A list of Robinson's appearances in New York City is available after the jump.
Saturday, August 14th from 3 – 5 p.m.
Family Game Day, for ages 14 and up
at the Border's Bookstore at 461 Park Ave. and 57th St.
Wednesday, August 18th from 7 – 9 p.m.
Keep it Real Youth Game Night, for ages 16 – 24
at the Columbus Circle / Time Warner Center Border's Bookstore
Saturday, August 21st from 7 – 9 p.m.
Keep it Real Youth Game Night, for ages 16 – 24
at the 32nd St. and 2nd Ave. Border's Bookstore
Check out The Toy Book's July/August issue for more games and puzzles!


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Dec 10, 2007
David Celimsky is one of the development powerhouses behind RSpec, one of the first frameworks for Ruby to implement the Behavior Driven Development process. BDD is an interesting process and I like the increased move toward using language that the "user" can understand when describing or systems in executable form. I can now put another face (not Dave Astels as I usually do) to RSpec David. David is great to talk to and I recommend accosting him at conferences to start up a conversation. Enjoy Bob Payne
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Top Story
U.S. Commercial Real Estate Industry Reaches Inflection Point in 2014 with Investors Returning To Secondary Markets, According to Pwc Us and ULI's 'Emerging Trends in Real Estate®' Forecast
November 7, 2013
San Francisco Once Again Top Ranked City for 2014; Industrial Sector Becomes Investor Favored Property Type; Report Highlights Potential "Best Bets" for Investors in 2014
For more information, contact: Trisha Riggs at 202-624-7086.
CHICAGO, November, 7 2013 – The U.S. real estate recovery is set to continue into 2014, with investors increasingly looking beyond some of the traditionally popular markets to secondary markets in search of higher yields, according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate® 2014, co-published by PwC US and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
According to real estate market participants, the predicted growth in secondary markets is driven by investors searching for returns as opportunities in core markets become harder to find and the best assets become more expensive. As a result, the report anticipates that 2014 may be the year that many investors who have traditionally focused mainly on large established markets such as Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Washington, will be expanding their focus to other cities in order to protect capital. This trend, first noted in last year's Emerging Trends report, is likely to build substantial momentum next year, given the steady pace of improvement in market fundamentals in secondary markets, and with more investments in those markets meeting investors' risk/return metrics.
The movement into secondary markets is underpinned by the anticipated increase in both debt and equity capital during 2014. Respondents were particularly positive about the prospects for equity capital from foreign investors, institutional investors and private equity funds, as well as debt from insurance companies, mezzanine lenders, and issuers of commercial mortgage-backed securities.
"Real optimism has emerged as a key theme in the real estate market for 2014 as trends are progressing significantly through the economic and real estate recovery cycles," said Mitch Roschelle, partner, U.S. real estate advisory practice leader, PwC. "The steady economic recovery and job creation has created 'tailwinds' that have propelled the commercial real estate market forward, and momentum of this recovery seems powerful enough to weather spikes in interest rates that may be inevitable."
"The anticipated interest in secondary markets is indicative of how the U.S. real estate recovery is expanding beyond the traditional investment hubs," said ULI Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips. "Access to greater amounts of both debt and equity financing, combined with a sustained improvement in the underlying economic fundamentals, means that the opportunities and returns offered in smaller markets are potentially very appealing."
Emerging Trends notes that the key threat to market recovery is the timing and pace of any interest rate increases. The report forecasts a modest increase in the short term, but does not expect a small increase to cause a major disruption to the recovery. If higher interest rates are a function of the Federal Reserve Board's response to an improving economy in 2014, the increased borrowing cost will be offset by greater demand and therefore higher rents. However, the report cautions that faster-than-anticipated rises or rates growing faster than the underlying economy could undermine the recovery.
In 2013, investors were flocking to commercial real estate searching to add yield to their portfolios that comprised of more traditional assets of stocks and bonds. In 2014, investors will re-focus on the fundamentals that are being driven to commercial real estate as the prospects of cash flow growth are increasingly evident, according to survey respondents. There will also be demographic shifts with the emergence of Generation Y's preference for city living, compact development and expectancy to move more in the next five years than the overall adult population.
A number of the markets anticipated to perform well in this year's report are benefiting from the continued influx of foreign capital. Miami, which rose to number eight in the 2014 forecast from 12th and 17th place in 2013 and 2012, respectively, is benefiting from South American investment. Its homebuilding prospects are particularly favored by respondents. Seattle, which ranked sixth in this year's survey, is another example of a top city with its global connections, high rate of educational attainment, and growth in the technology industry, making it a hub for international investment.
Markets to Watch
A snapshot of the top five markets ranked by survey respondents and their outlook for each market:
- San Francisco – San Francisco is the top-ranked market for the second year in a row, driven by a thriving economy which is projected to add jobs at a rate of two percent next year. According to survey respondents, San Francisco is a solid "buy" for all property types.
- Houston – Houston improves from its number-five position in last year's survey, due to its investment and homebuilding prospects. Housing, non-residential construction, and a revival in exploration industries could be the key economic drivers.
- San Jose – San Jose is the third-ranked market for the second year in a row, with investors attracted to the prospects offered by the city's technology industry. Respondents believe that the job and income growth generated by the sector will support rising real estate demand.
- New York – New York slips two places to number four in this year's survey. The city's investment and development components are still rated as "good," however there is a growing concern that pricing is once again becoming too high. Rental apartments and hotels are the property sectors that respondents feel offer the best opportunities in 2014.
- Dallas/Fort Worth – Dallas/Fort Worth moved up four spots to number five in the 2014 survey. Survey respondents rated Dallas/Fort Worth highly for investment and development, but it was its strong homebuilding prospects that moved the market up in this year's survey. Industrial/distribution is the property type that survey respondents most recommend as a "buy" in this year's survey.
The most significant example of the shift by investors from some core markets and into alternate markets is seen in the findings for Washington D.C., a long-time favorite for investment and development due to the economic stability provided by its close association with the federal government. Highly ranked by Emerging Trends prior to and during the recession, and ranked number one as recently as 2011, Washington, D.C. slipped from eighth place in the 2013 report to 22nd in the 2014 investment rankings, positioning it close to the middle of the 50 markets ranked in the report. The report notes that "fed (federal government) fatigue" appears to be diminishing the investment appeal of the nation's capital, in that what was once viewed as an asset is now being seen as a liability, with concerns caused by the federal shutdown and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding federal budget cuts and government spending.
Property Types
In terms of market sector prospects, industrial tops the ranking in this year's report, with warehousing standing out as a particularly strong subsector. Warehousing was a clear favorite among survey respondents, with 64 percent making a "buy" recommendation for the subsector and less than 10 percent advising selling. With retailers and manufacturers continuing to shorten their supply chains, the ongoing growth in e-commerce, especially in same or next-day delivery, is fueling the requirement for vast fulfillment centers close to major cities. Research and development industrial, self-storage and data centers are also expected to show further improvement.
As a sign of improving investor optimism, the report signals that in 2014 there may be an increase in new development activity in subsectors such as central business district office and limited service hotels that have not seen new construction in several years.
Multifamily housing, which has been the most popular sector in recent reports, is still popular with investors, as the underlying fundamentals remain intact, due to demand from Generation Y seeking to rent and baby boomers looking to downsize from houses to apartments.
Now in its 35th year, Emerging Trends in Real Estate® is one of the most highly regarded annual industry outlooks for the real estate and land use industry. It includes interviews and survey responses from more than 900 leading real estate experts, including investors, fund managers, developers, property companies, lenders, brokers, advisers, and consultants.
NOTE TO REPORTERS AND EDITORS: Copies of the Emerging Trends report are available for download.
About the Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute (uli.org) is a nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in sustaining and creating thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 30,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines.
About PwC US
PwC US helps organizations and individuals create the value they're looking for. We're a member of the PwC network of firms in 157 countries with more than 184,000 people. We're committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting us at www.pwc.com/US.
© 2013 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership. All rights reserved. PwC US refers to the US member firm, and PwC may refer to either the PwC network of firms or the US member firm. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.
This content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional advisors.
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This article provides simple step-by-step instructions showing how to upgrade your TV firmware.
IMPORTANT: Please double-check that your TV product code is 'KALED55UHDZE'
Please note:
Installing firmware on the wrong model TV will cause issues.
This latest update resolves the Launcher issue and removes the Weather Application.
Your product code is located on the back of your TV as pictured:
The product code must read 'KALED55UHDZE' exactly.
If you're unsure about your TV product code, please contact our Support Team below for assistance.
What you need: a USB memory stick and the firmware file
You will need a USB stick like this:
Please ensure that the memory stick is correctly formatted as 'FAT32' on Windows, or 'MS-DOS (FAT)' on Mac.
Next, you will need to download an upgrade file. Your 'KALED55UHDZE' has a firmware update available at the following link:
KALED55UHDZE Firmware Upgrade
Please right click on the file link and select 'Save link as...' or 'Save target as...'
How to install:
Step 1.
After downloading the above firmware, please copy the .bin file to an empty USB memory stick, ensuring not to place it inside a folder. It should appear as below:
Step 2.
Insert the USB into the port labelled 'USB1' on your TV.
Step 3.
Turn the TV off using the master power switch (on the right hand side of the TV if you are facing the screen).
Step 4.
While the TV is turned off, repeatedly press the 'VOL +' button on the remote and turn the TV back on using the master power switch.
Step 5.
Continue pressing the 'Vol +' button on the remote until a blue screen appears and the firmware begins installing.
Step 6.
The initial blue screen will say 'Search USB Storage' and then be followed by 'Upgrade Software Do Not Turn Off'. A progress bar will then appear under the text.
Step 7.
Once this is completed, the TV will power itself off and on again.
If you encounter any issues after the firmware update has been completed, please try performing a factory reset and then attempt to use the TV again.
Please feel free to contact our Support Team below at any time during this process.


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Sweet Potato Crust Pizza
A Must-Try Sweet Potato Crust Pizza
My ultimate comfort food is pizza, but when I'm trying to cut back on gluten and treat my food as fuel, it's hard to rationalize ordering a classic pizza pie for dinner. After a few trials, I have finally come up with gluten-free and veggie-filled pizza crust that satisfies my cravings. Luckily, it stars one of the healthiest tubers out there: the mighty sweet potato.
Once I took my first bite, I knew this was the recipe I had been dreaming of. The high-protein, vitamin-A-rich crust keeps a nice crunch on the outside and tastes like an extrafluffy mashed potato in the center. Even better, half of this pie offers over 20 percent of recommended fiber for the day, so unlike your standard neighborhood slice, this pizza will keep you full and satisfied hours later.
Sweet Potato Crust Pizza
From Lizzie Fuhr, POPSUGAR Fitness
I kept things simple and topped this pizza with fresh grape tomatoes, basil, and red pepper flakes, but feel free to get more creative with your toppings.
- 2-3 medium sweet potatoes (enough to yield 1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes)
1 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Toppings of your choice (grape tomatoes and basil, pictured)
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF degrees, and set a large pot of water to boil.
- Peel and cut your sweet potatoes into quarters. Add potatoes to boiling water, turn down to simmer, and boil them for about 20 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the flesh.
- Drain potatoes from the water, and mash well in a large bowl.
- Add one cup of your sweet potato mash, almond flour, baking soda, Italian seasoning, and salt to a large bowl. Knead well together with your hands until the mixture resembles a ball of orange pizza dough.
- Line a baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper, and press out the dough to a large circle. The dough should be about a 1/2 inch thick.
- Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges of the dough are slightly browned.
- Remove your pizza from the oven, add the sauce, cheese, and preferred toppings, and broil for three to five minutes until cheese is melted.
- Slice up, and enjoy immediately!
Source: Calorie Count
- Category
- Main Dishes, Pizza
- Cuisine
- North American
- Yield
- Serves two
- Calories per serving
- 351


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Hotel Postwirt Reviews
Never before have I returned to the same destination or hotel however I have been to Hotel Postwirt five times, thats how highly I rate it. Soll is a gorgeous small town and the skiing is fantasic. There is a short walk (5mins) upto the garage and then straight onto the gondala up to the mountains. Hotel Postwirt is very welcoming and all their rooms are lovely. There is apres ski served in the bar and never dissappoints. Dinner is waiter served 5 courses. You choose your main meal at breakfast in this morning and the waiters are always willing to accomadate. This hotel is worth a visit if your visiting soll.
Apres Ski: 5/5
I have been skiing for 4 years now in Bansko, Andorra and Soll. Soll is by far my fav. Bansko's great but 3 3/4 hour transfer is no fun after a 4 hour flight and in Andorra the ski runs are not long enough. As for Soll, the Hotel Postwirt is very close to slopes and is within walking distance to ski hire shop and gondola. The hotel is very nice, rooms could do with a facelift but are traditonal ski hotel rooms, nice and clean, no tea or coffee though. Sauna, steam rooms & cold room are free of charge and the outdoor swimmiing pool is lovely. The food at Hotel Postwirt is of a very high standard, even for my fussy partner, especially the five course banquet. The staff are friendly but reserved. The slopes are good, with lots of connecting ski lifts to explore. The snow wasn't too bad, although the home run got a liitle bald towards end of day ( but dont they all?). Going back this year, I just hope snow is good.
Apres Ski: 3/5
viki beldam


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Clearance Weighted Blanket - Medium 12 lb Boho Wildflowers (for 100 lb user)
Regular price $170.95 Sale price
NEW 10% off
(Approx 38" x 62")
Our Therapeutic weighted blankets have helped many get the rest they need and are especially helpful for those with Sensory Processing Disorder. Clearance Blankets are all made by our awesome Sewing Team and ready to be used by you! All of our weighted blankets are:
- Made with comfortable polyfill.
- Constructed with quality materials.
- Machine washable and dryer safe.
- Click to understand sizes.