text:
The Bulls have been beefing up their attitude for the upstart Kings (and their fanatical devotees), as the injury-hit Sharks scrabble for players to turn the tide against the exciting Cheetahs ahead of their tough overseas tour. Also an enthralling prospect is the clash between the first-placed Brumbies visiting the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday. By KEN BORLAND.
The Southern Kings ensured on their amazingly successful overseas tour that the rest of South Africa will now take them seriously in SuperRugby and that is exactly the attitude the Bulls have been stressing as they head to Port Elizabeth for Saturday's massive encounter.
The Kings will, of course, have to battle travel fatigue having arrived back from Australia, where they drew with the Brumbies and beat the Force in their last two outings, only this week, but that will be offset by the tremendous lift a capacity crowd at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will give them.
While the Kings may only have four Springboks, including returning skipper Luke Watson, to the 13 of the Bulls, that's not what visiting coach Frans Ludeke will be focusing on: Confidence and momentum will be far more important than previous history written on paper.
"I called it at the start of the season that the Kings would not be pushovers and I know their coaches well. They are quality and have great structures. Their achievements are what you want for SA rugby – they put pressure on the overseas sides.
"But we're looking forward to the contest. It is sold out and that makes it extra special. It will bring the best out of our players on the night and we like that sort of challenge," Ludeke said this week.
With the Kings having adjusted well to the pace of SuperRugby, especially in defence, the match is likely to be played at Test match intensity and that will suit the Bulls, simply because they have more experience of those sorts of clashes and they have players like Morné Steyn who love to grind out a win.
The Bulls will no doubt stick to the same percentages-based strategy that saw them return to winning ways last weekend against the Cheetahs, but they do have the attacking players to capitalise if the Kings make mistakes under pressure. Jan Serfontein made a highly encouraging first SuperRugby start at inside centre last weekend, while JJ Engelbrecht, Akona Ndungane and Lionel Mapoe provide plenty of pace and finishing ability.
The Kings may be tempted to go all-out attack against the Bulls, but their defence has been so good recently that all they need is a couple of dropped balls to pile pressure on the home side.
For the Bulls, it will be all about making a good start to reduce the amount of help the Kings get from the crowd. They don't want to be chasing the game and nobody wants to be the first South African team to lose to the Kings, which just increases the pressure if they fall behind.
For the Kings, holding on to the ball for longer periods will be crucial because the Bulls game is all about suffocating the opposition and forcing mistakes. That's hard to do when you're the team doing the defending.
In Durban, there could be a major shuffling of the Conference standings if the Sharks lose to the Cheetahs.
The Sharks have won five of their seven matches and are third on the overall log, so there's certainly no crisis at King's Park, but they are about to embark on a tough overseas tour and they lost last weekend to the Stormers. So they really don't want to go on tour on the back of two straight defeats and coach John Plumtree, mindful that his team haven't really clicked yet this season (apart from massacring the hapless Rebels), has made key changes to his line-up.
Springboks Jannie du Plessis, Ryan Kankowski and Francois Steyn have been part of the furniture at the Sharks, but that could be changing based on the starting line-up for this weekend's game.
Wiehahn Herbst's impact at tighthead prop has seen Du Plessis relegated to the bench, with Steyn also dropping down to the substitutes and Riaan Viljoen starting at fullback. Kankowski has disappeared from the match-day 22 completely.
Plumtree said that both Steyn (France) and Kankowski (Japan) were battling to adapt to the greater pace and intensity of SuperRugby after stints overseas.
"Ryan's not in good form at the moment. We are putting a plan in place for him going forward. I think that he's still feeling the effects of the Japanese season and just hasn't come right. Mentally he's a bit stale, so it's frustrating for him because he is trying his best but it's just not working.
"It's alarming for me because he's one of our better players, but at the end of the day there are standards and there are consequences for not reaching those standards."
Plumtree is also concerned over Steyn's lack of fitness and match sharpness.
"As I said at the start of the season, Frans was coming back from an injury and wasn't in great condition. So he's battling to get back to his best. We've had long talks and I'm going to be patient with him, but he's got to be patient as well. We'll get there, it's just going to take some time. He was out of South Africa for a while, so he's just got to rediscover his form and the conditioning that's necessary for SuperRugby," Plumtree said.
The cold front that has been causing deluges in the Cape is expected to reach KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend and that could reduce the match to a tighter affair, with the exciting Cheetahs backline struggling to get into the match.
The Sharks pack was on the back foot last weekend against the Stormers, however, and Plumtree will hope the return of the confrontational Jean Deysel to the number seven jersey will provide the physicality and abrasiveness that was missing at Newlands.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske was considering changes after the Bulls loss and eight straight games for his bye-less team, but in the end made just one injury-enforced replacement, Coenie Oosthuizen coming in for the greatly-improved Trevor Nyakane at loosehead prop.
The Cheetahs used to be the bogey team for the Sharks, but that was a long time ago, with the Natalians winning the last five games since February 2010.
But having removed the "curse", the Sharks know they will need to be at their best if they are not to suffer a crucial defeat just before their daunting overseas tour. Already missing a dozen players through injury, they could also lose first place in the Conference to either the Cheetahs or Bulls.
There could also be motion at the top of the overall standings, with the first-placed Brumbies visiting the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday.
It's an enthralling prospect, with the Reds pitting their desire to move the ball against a Brumbies team that leans heavily on South African tactics, through former Springbok coach Jake White.
Australian media are reporting that the future destination of the Wallabies coaching job could depend on the outcome of the match, with White pitting his wits against Ewen McKenzie.
But the talents of Will Genia, Digby Ioane, Quade Cooper and James Horwill will be even more valuable for the Reds, while the Brumbies have the attacking skills of Henry Speight and Jesse Mogg, two excellent game-managers in Christian Lealiifano and Matt Toomua, and plenty of forward grunt in Fotu Auelua, Ben Mowen, Peter Kimlin, Dan Palmer, Stephen Moore and Ben Alexander.
McKenzie has already flagged the efforts of the Brumbies at the breakdown as being largely illegal, which adds spice to the obviously crucial contest between opensiders George Smith, whose contract extension to stay with the Brumbies until the end of the season was confirmed on Thursday, and Reds tyro Liam Gill. DM
The Sharks (v Cheetahs, Saturday 17:05): Riaan Viljoen, Sean Robinson, Paul Jordaan, Meyer Bosman, Odwa Ndungane, Pat Lambie, Cobus Reinach, Keegan Daniel, Jean Deysel, Marcell Coetzee, Franco van der Merwe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Wiehahn Herbst, Kyle Cooper, Tendai Mtawarira. Replacements: Craig Burden, Jannie du Plessis, Anton Bresler, Lubabalo Mtembu, Charl McLeod, Frans Steyn, Andries Coetzee.
Cheetahs (v Sharks, Saturday 17:05): Hennie Daniller, Willie le Roux, Johann Sadie, Robert Ebersohn, Raymond Rhule, Burton Francis, Piet van Zyl, Phillip van der Walt, Lappies Labuschagne, Heinrich Brüssow, Francois Uys, Lood de Jager, Lourens Adriaanse, Adriaan Strauss, Coenie Oosthuizen. Replacements: Ryno Barnes, Caylib Oosthuizen, Ligtoring Landman, Frans Viljoen, Tewis de Bruyn, Francois Brummer, Ryno Benjamin.
Southern Kings (v Bulls, Saturday 19:10): George Whitehead, Sergeal Petersen, Waylon Murray, Andries Strauss, Ronnie Cooke, Demetri Catrakilis, Shaun Venter; Luke Watson, Wimpie van der Walt, Cornell du Preez, David Bulbring, Steven Sykes, Kevin Buys, Bandise Maku, Schalk Ferreira. Replacements: Hannes Franklin, Grant Kemp, Rynier Bernardo, Jacques Engelbrecht, Nicolas Vergallo, Marcello Sampson, Siviwe Soyzwapi.
Bulls (v Southern Kings, Saturday 19:10): Jürgen Visser, Akona Ndungane, JJ Engelbrecht, Jan Serfontein, Lionel Mapoe, Morné Steyn, Jano Vermaak, Pierre Spies, Arno Botha, Deon Stegmann, Juandré Kruger, Flip van der Merwe, Frik Kirsten, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Morné Mellet. Replacements: Callie Visagie, Werner Kruger, Paul Willemse, Jacques Potgieter, Rudy Paige, Louis Fouchè, Bjorn Basson.
Other fixtures: Hurricanes v Force (Friday 9:35); Waratahs v Chiefs (Friday 11:40); Crusaders v Highlanders (Saturday 9:35); Reds v Brumbies (Saturday 11:40).
Byes: Stormers, Blues, Rebels.
Microwave popcorn is nothing special. You can have the same effect with normal popcorn kernels and a brown paper bag.


text: Add a domain field to a table Administrators can domain separate custom tables by adding a sys_domain field to it. Before you beginRole required: admin Procedure Navigate to the table's list view. For example, type <table name>.list in the navigation filter. Right-click the list header and select Configure > List Layout. In the Create new field section, enter sys_domain as the Name and Domain ID as the Type. Click Add. Click Save. Note: Any other means of creating a field adds a u_ prefix to the column name. For domain separation to work the column name must be sys_domain without any u_ prefix. Related TasksAdd domains to a visibility domains listCreate contains relationships between domainsCreate a domain-specific choice listView domain relationshipsCreate a domainChange domain visibilityAdd a user and a record to a domainRelated ConceptsDomain selection menusDomains and associated companiesRelated ReferenceDefault domain scope

subset: commoncrawl


text:
We've got great news, Clone Club. The side-splitting blooper reel wasn't the only thing BBC America's Orphan Black brought to their farewell panel at San Diego Comic-Con this year. In addition to explaining more on why they decided to end the show with season five (which we're still bummed about), and teasing what's next, the show's über talented, Emmy Award-nominated star Tatiana Maslany brought her A game with some fun clone improv, which you can check out in the video above.
In the fun clip, Tatiana kicked things off as Sarah, the show's main character. Naturally, the next scene featured Helena and Alexis ordering appetizers. "If you don't watch your back, you will be appetizer," was the key piece of advice we took away from that bit. But of course nothing beats the superb chemistry between Donnie and Alison at a Trump rally. Seeing the actress transform at the drop of a hat is absolutely mesmerizing.
On ending with season five, co-creator Graeme Manson explained: "We sort of had five seasons in mind, and the thing that we just didn't want to do is get kind of soft around the middle. We think that it's better to cancel yourself than to get canceled, than to peter out."
Co-creator John Fawcett explained that they've known how they wanted it to all end for quite some time. Of course, Tatiana is still in the dark, though she does know a bit about how it's going to be starting, thanks to sitting in on a writers room session.
While the showrunners kept their plot plans pretty close to the chest, they did reveal one of the things they have in mind. They want to have one of the actors in a musical segment (much like Alison's moment with Jesus Christ Superstar). We're not sure if they were completely serious, but we're all for it. They also mentioned wanting to have 12 clones in one scene, which we'd also love to see.
Probably the biggest reveal from the panel, however, was that the show will be holding a contest offering one lucky fan the chance to have a walk-on role in the final season. Details regarding the competition will be revealed at a later date.
Orphan Black is set to return for its fifth and final season in 2017 on BBC.
What do you hope to see next season? Let us know in the comments below, join the conversation on Twitter, or start one with me on Twitter: @Samantha_Sofka.
Image: BBC America


text:
One more step towards Mount Etna exploration!!
We keep working on our project to share knowledge about Mount Etna! After our first Android version, we are now ready on the other main mobile app stores!!!.
We published the following mobile apps:
Free Android App
Free IOS App
Free Windows App
Our mobile apps are completely free, they allows you to bring with you all the info you need about Mount Etna trails. It has also some SMART features as the car directions to reach any trails starting point!!!
We suggest you to read carefully the app description on the store.
We plan to publish a paid version which will allow you to use GPS to walk on our tracks!
Enjoy Mount Etna!!!!


text:
Evaluation of the inline stripping of ethanol during cyanobacteria cultivation in a bubble column bioreactor
¹ University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Bio & Environmental Technology, Stelzhamerstr. 23, AT4600 Wels, Austria
² University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci, IT87036 Rende (CS), Italy
*Correspondence: firstname.lastname@example.com
Cyanobacteria are oxygenic phototrophic microorganisms capable of photosynthesis. In this redox reaction driven by light energy, carbon dioxide and water are converted into chemical energy in form of carbohydrates and oxygen. The output of this process is restricted by product inhibition from the bioethanol. Here, we evaluate a method of ethanol stripping in a bubble column for perspective use for determination of ethanol production rate of engineered cyanobacteria. The knowledge about the amount of condensation and recovery rate combined with HPLC measurement for ethanol determination can be used to specify the real amount of produced ethanol (absolute) by cyanobacteria in the used bioreactor. Stripping and recovery rate are depending on several parameter like flow rate, initial ethanol concentration, condensation temperature etc. Due to the high influence of these parameters they have to be supposed to be static regarding to the degrees of freedom.
To evaluate the system different ethanol concentration were testet for stripping and determination of recovery rate. As the stripping rate was much higher compared to the ethanol production rate with our Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 the medium was spiked with ethanol to varying concentrations of 0.5, 1 and 2% v/v. It could be shown that ethanol could be removed quantitavely. Removal rates of 97 98% were reached with initial ethanol concentrations of 5 g L-1 to 20 g L-1. The results demonstrated determination of ethanol in the exhaust air stream and quantitavely recollection by cultivating engineered Synechococcus elongatus in bubble column bioreactors.
Key words:
bioethanol, bubble column bioreactor, cyanobacteria, inline down-streaming, stripping


text:
Use of Gold in Textiles
Gold has
captured human imagination since time immemorial. It has provoked a powerful
response in humans. It has been used for embellishment and adornment of
human body since the ancient times. This adornment was not only limited to
body in form of gold jewellery but it was also used to decorate the attire
worn by the man. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy has described adornment in following
"The beauty
of anything unadorned is not increased by ornament,
but made
more effective by it……..a thing is ritually transformed
and made to
function spiritually as well as physically."
Gold was one
such means of adornment which was used in various ways to adorn the body as
well as the clothes worn. It was the noblest metal and enjoyed a special
place in the lives of ancient people. Some civilisations considered it to be
related to the sun because of its colour and thus worshipped it. Hindus
believed it to be created by the fire god- Agni (Rivers, 1999).
Gold was
considered as a symbol of royalty and wealth and was used in various ways to
decorate the fabric. Gold and silver pigments were painted and printed onto
the fabric to give it a shimmering look. Gold and silver threads were used
to weave luxurious patterns into the fabric and the glittering patterns of
gold embroidery combined with silk threads and semi-precious stones gave the
illusion of gold embroidery on the body of the wearer.
Tracing the
history of how and when gold started being used for decorating textiles is
not easy. But there are some sources of evidence which depict that
embellishment with shining objects was a worldwide and ancient practice.
Victoria Z. Rivers in her book "The Shining Cloth-Dress and Adornment"
has pointed out that "Traces of textiles and other artifacts embroidered and
decorated with gold were depicted in Assyrian bas-reliefs, frozen in the
tombs of Scythian nomads, unearthed with the treasures of the Pharaohs, and
preserved with the burial goods of the Andean cultures' high priests and
nobles. The quest for lustrous, seemingly magical silk and other valuable
goods resulted in interaction between different cultures and civilisations
and brought new-found wealth which created cities, empires and fortunes."
It is
believed that the ancient civilisations associated gold with the almighty
power, i.e. God. Ancient Sumerians, Egyptians and Andeans respected gold and
some considered it to be the sweat of the Sun. Hindus believed to be created
by the fire god-Agni. Different civilisations attached different
meanings to it. Some people feared it too. Indonesians believed that mining
gold was a theft from the earth. West Africans believed that the gold had a
spirit of its own which could drive a person insane (Rivers, 1999).
The exact
date of origin of gold mining and its use in ornaments and textiles is not
known but the archaeologists have found evidences from different ancient
civilisations which suggest that use as well as trade of gold was very
important in those times. Bas-reliefs, sculptures and burials from some
early civilisations depict the use of gold in decorating the clothes worn by
the kings and nobles. For instance, people of Elam used golden squares,
circles and rings to adorn their solar deities. In the Babylonian and
Assyrian cultures, design forms like rosettes, eight-pointed stars and
crenelated shapes were used to adorn the clothes of gods and kings.
became well-known for its gold work clothing by the first century B.C.
Persians were skilled in incorporating gold and silver along with silk to
form a prestigious fabric. This fabric was so much valued that the Persian
rulers used to give these precious textiles to the subjects for their
meritorious service instead of awarding medals.
China and
Japan also started using gold and silver in their textiles by first century
B.C. Infact Chinese were very highly skilled in creating highly refined
textiles using gold and silver. Their sophisticated technologies and their
proficiency in sericulture helped them to maintain a monopoly on the silk
and gold thread trades until the sixth century A.D. (Rivers, 1999).
In India,
Gold cloth existed in the ancient history similar to other civilisations.
Stories of golden dresses of gods have been told since the vedic
times (1500 B.C.) in India. It was the popular belief that the fire-god,
Agni or Hiranyakt, created gold and it was associated with sun.
Gold was also named as Hiranya after the fire-god. Being
associated with the sun, gold was valued for its purifying and life-giving
powers. Gold was also associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and
several other Hindu deities. Gold had a religious importance in India.
People used garments which were combined with gold in worship rituals as
they expressed purity.
Not only was
the cloth of gold from India important religiously, it was highly valued in
other parts of the world also. The craftsmen used gold threads to weave and
embroider intricate patterns on the fabric. It is said that trade of exotic
silk and gold-thread weavings from China and India was vigorous from the
seventh century to fifteenth century. Broach and Cambay were the ancient and
famous seaports of India from where various magnificent Indian textiles like
ikats, golden brocades and batik cloths were traded to other
parts of the world.
travellers like Megasthenes, Curticus Rufus Quintus and Ptolemy mention the
exquisiteness of fabrics made in India using gold. Megasthenes who was the
Seleucid envoy at the court of Chandragupta Maurya has written a detailed
account of the country at that time. Highlighting the love of Indians for
fine garments he wrote, "They wore dresses worked in gold, adorned with
precious stones and also flowered robes of fine muslin." A mention was also
made by Megasthenes that "The kings wore robes stitched in fine muslin with
beautiful embroidery in gold and silver."
A legend
explains that Vasco-da-gama, a Portuguese invader had worn a gold
embroidered muslin robe and tied a gold embroidered silk turban and used to
rest his head on cushion that was finely embroidered with metal wire (Naik,
Homer has
described the beauty of Indian brocades very beautifully through the
following lines in Odyssey:
'In ample
A robe of
military purple flowed
Over all his
frame; illustrious on his breast
double-clasping gold the King confest.
In the rich
woof of a hound, mosaic drawn,
Bore on full
stretch, and seized a dappled fawn;
Deep in his
neck his fangs indent their hold;
They pant
and struggle in moving gold.
Fine as a
filmy web beneath it shone
A vest that
dazzled like a cloudless sun.
The female
train who round him thronged to gaze,
In silent
wonder, sighed unwilling praise.'
It is
believed that Homer was explaining the popular
design of Indian brocades and referring to these lines, Sir George
Birdwood says that weaving of silk with gold was known to Indians since
prehistoric times even before the date of
the two great Indian epics talk of woven cotton, silk and woollen
fabrics which were costly and decorated with gems and gold. Reference
has been made to the
which was a shining golden cloak and
which was a south Indian fabric having a fringe of woven pearls.
It is
also said that gold-embroidered robes were presented to distinguished
guests in the court during epic period. The story about the
sacrificial ceremony in
mentions woollen blankets inlaid with threads of gold which were gifted
to king
GOLD IN TEXTILESGold
has been incorporated in textiles in various forms from early times,
because of its comparative rarity and its material properties of
malleability and ductility which makes it valuable. A single ounce of
gold can be beaten into sheets so thin that when placed side by side
upon the ground, they will cover 250 square feet. It is equally ductile.
The same weight of metal can be drawn into a thread so fine that it will
stretch over a mile in length (Gupta, 1996). Gold has been converted
into fine wire called zari to be woven with other fibres like
silk and cotton and to do embroidery. It has been made into various
small pieces of decorations like salma, kora, dabka,
gijai, chalak, tikora, kangri, champo,
kinari which are used in zardozi embroidery. Gold has also
been used for printing and painting of textiles in the form of pigment,
powder or leaf (warak).
OF ZARIThe term
Zari used for gold wire is derived from a Persian word
Zar which means gold. The history of gold and silver thread
manufacture, known as the zari industry, is as old as that of
Indian silk. Although many references are available in Indian scripts,
literature, epics and travel documents, the origin of metallic thread
seen in the fabrics has not yet been traced. However these references
suggest that the craft existed in ancient times. George Watt in
Indian Art in Delhi, 1903, has pointed out that the references to
gold textiles in most of the ancient writings of India necessitates the
knowledge of the art of gold wire making in ancient times.
Manufacturing of zari is a long and elaborate process
comprising of several stages. The first stage is called potai
or pavthan, which involves bar making and wire drawing.
Silver was first converted to a bar about 45.7 cm long and 1.8 cm
thick and the metal bar was known as pasa. The gold leaf was
wrapped around the bar and heated in a furnace, till there was
complete fusion of the gold leaf with the silver bar. The thickness
of the gold leaf varied according to the requirement of gold thread,
from pale yellow colour to a rich gold colour. In the next process,
tarkashi or tania, the bar was drawn through a series
of holes using a flat, perforated steel plate called jantri.
The holes were of gradually decreasing size, each hole tapering
slightly in its passage through the plate. Before drawing the bar
was heated to make it soft. The repeated process of drawing resulted
in obtaining a wire as fine as human hair. The fused coating of gold
on the silver bar remained uniformly on the wire,
The third and the last stage of wire drawing is badla, the
flattening process. The fine wire was then flattened by hammering on an
anvil. The flattening was made uniform by skilfully adjusting the motion
of the wire across the anvil. The flattened wire was subsequently wound
the length of which ran into several kilometres. The wire is then bent
according to the shape required for the particular design.
round a silk thread. This was done to make the wire appear thicker
than it is and to impart flexibility and strength to thread for
being woven. Silver wire was produced by the same process without
gilding the bar with gold leaf. The gold thread of silver, gilded by
pure gold
with a
silk thread core, was known as pure zari or sona
in his book 'Study
of Contemporary Textile Crafts of India:
Brocaded Fabrics of
India' has
mentioned the following
varieties of gold thread manufactured and used:
gold thread or pure gold zari: Silver wire is wrapped around
silk core thread and then gilded.
thread no.1 or real zari: silver wire is wrapped around spun
silk or mercerised cotton core thread and then gilded. This is
slightly coarser than pure gold zari.
thread no.2 or test ka pucca zari: copper wire is
wrapped around spun silk core thread and then gilded.
thread no.3 or kela zari no.3: copper wire is wrapped around
art silk core thread and then coated with chemical gold colour.
silver thread or real silver zari no.1: silver wire is wrapped
around silk or art silk core thread.
thread no.2 or silver zari no.2: copper wire is wrapped around
art silk core thread and then silvered.
zari or half zari: copper wire is wrapped around
silk or art silk core thread in different colours and then silvered.
The copper wire spirals are comparatively wider apart. This is not
made now unless specifically ordered.
gold thread or haldi zari: silver wire is wrapped around
mercerised cotton core thread and then coated with chemical golden
yellow colour.
or table zari: silver wire is wrapped around dyed golden orange
mercerised cotton core thread and then coated with chemical golden
orange colour.
from the zari thread there are other materials which are used for
Brocade weaving and embroidery. Following is a list of the items
produced using metal threads:
The flattened wire of metal made after the drawing step.
or Kasab: The wire when twisted on core of silk or
cotton becomes Kalabattu.
It is
a flat wire which cannot be threaded and is stitched on to the
material directly.
A circular thin stiff wire, so called because of its resemblance to an
insect of that name.
A wire coiled in a zigzag manner and is used as an applique and is
also stitched on.
Coiled thin wire through which a threaded needle is passed. It is tied
to the surface and has shine and polish.
A small round metal piece which when set in an embroidery looks like a
star, and used mostly in floral designs.
Thicker Kalabattu is braided gold-thread, used in the
border, while the thinner variety is used at the end of laces of
purses, tassels, strings, etc.
Gold thread spirally twisted for use in curves and convolutions in
complex designs.
Dull zari thread.
Lustrous zari thread.
Making of WarakWarak
is the thin sheet or leaf of gold or silver which is made by pounding.
It is commonly seen as the top decoration on many Indian sweets and
pan. This leaf is not limited to the decoration of food items only,
instead it is used to decorate fabrics through a very specialized form
of printing known as warak printing or gold leaf printing.
The making of warak requires great skill. It requires special
tools and is an arduous process. In order to make warak a roll of
gold or silver strip is taken which is generally 2 cm in width and 3
meters in length. This strip weighs 10 grams. Pieces of gold or silver
are cut from this strip using an iron knife called falwa and
pounded to convert them into wafer thin sheets called warak. Each
leaf of warak is about 10 cm wide and 15 cm long. The pieces of
gold or silver are placed between layers of parchment or thin membrane
which is obtained from sheep, goat or deer hide. The layers of thin
membrane are lined with finely powdered soapstone to prevent the
sticking of warak on the membrane while pounding. A hide-pouch is
made from the soft thick skin, in which all the layers of thin membranes
alternated with gold or silver pieces are kept during pounding. The
stack of gold or silver pieces with the layers of membrane is held
firmly from the edges using bamboo tongs called chimp. This stack
is then placed in the hide-pouch which is kept on a stone slab and
pounded with a special mallet for about seven to eight hours and the
position of gold or silver piece is changed twice in between this
process. At the end of seven to eight hours of pounding the small piece
of gold or silver is converted into a thin leaf which is called warak.
The bag is now opened and each leaf of warak is carefully kept in
sheets of kite paper.
OF DECORATING THE FABRICConverting gold into zari or
warak is the first step towards ornamentation of fabric using gold.
The zari and warak work are the raw materials which are
used to produce masterpieces of art. The gold wire or zari is
used to weave exquisite brocade fabrics or it is used with other pieces
of decoration in zardozi embroidery. The gold leaf or warak
is used for printing on fabric thus producing attractive patterns on a
WEAVING WITH GOLDCraftsmen in ancient India were skilled in the art of
drawing gold and silver wires of extreme fineness which could be used to
weave a fabric producing literally a 'cloth of gold'. These zari
threads were combined with silk and cotton to produce different types of
beautiful fabrics. Indian weavers were renowned for producing marvellous
effects by weaving intricate patterns in gold and silver brocades. The
weaving of silk or cotton with zari goes back to Vedic times as
there are many references of this dazzling fabric in different Vedas.
Rig Veda mentions the term 'Hiranya' which has been interpreted
as the earliest equivalent of a brocade fabric. Mentions about fabric
made of silk and gold have also been made in Indian epics like
Ramayana and Mahabharata.
is a term which suggests a fabric with a woven pattern that is purely
decorative and independent of the base fabric. This is possible by the
use of extra weft yarn or extra warp yarn and the base fabric is
generally woven in satin, twill or tabby weave. Although a fabric made
of any fibre, such as wool, linen or cotton can be decorated using this
technique, the term brocade is generally restricted to richly
designed fabrics woven with silk and gold or silver zari.
Brocade fabrics are either loom-finished or in yardage form. The
loom-finished fabrics comprise of saris, odhnis, pankhas, patkas,
etc. The brocade yardage serves as dress material, upholstery, curtains,
The various types of gold brocades produced are the following:
This is a patterned zari brocade used as dress material. It is
an expensive and fashionable fabric used to make ceremonial outfits.
In this type of material the gold or silver zari butis
are outlined with coloured thread resembling meenakari or
It is a variety of gold and silk brocade in which the ground is worked
with an extra warp of gold badla zari and the pattern
created with an extra weft of silver badla zari or vice
versa. These fabrics are used for making wedding robes, hangings, etc.
and are sold by their weight instead of the yard.
Bafta or
Pot Than:
This material is lighter and used to make expensive garments and
saris. The silk background is patterned with zari.
It is a very fine, transparent and light weight material produced by
using single silk warp and single gold weft. The main application of
this fabric is in producing turbans, veils, saris and
weaving of silk with gold was prevalent in many parts of India like
Ahmedabad, Surat, Paithan, Aurangabad, Hyderabad, Murshidabad, Delhi,
Lucknow, Tanjore, Kanjivaram, Madras, but Banaras was the main centre
and the Banaras brocades were the most famous and formed a separate
class. Each centre had its own speciality (in terms of technique,
colours and designs used) in producing the brocade fabric. The various
characteristics of the fabrics produced at different centres can be used
to easily identify and distinguish each style.
BANARAS BROCADESBanaras,
also called Kashi or Varanasi, is a city which is famous for
its unbroken tradition of producing the dream fabric i.e. the
Kinkhab or Kamkhwab. The Banaras brocades have
derived their name Kamkhwab from the fact that these
fabrics are so splendid and elegant that 'a person cannot dream of
it if he has not seen it'. The term Kinkhab means
'golden dream' signifying the extensive use of gold and silver
thread which sometimes overshadowed the silk background completely.
The brocades of Banaras have been famous since the ancient times as
seen in some literary references. According to Buddhist literature,
fabrics made in Varanasi were pleasant to handle,
beautiful to look at, and expensive and were greatly popular with
rich and discerning people all over the country (Agrawal, 2008). The
process of brocade-making was intricate and elaborate. In order to
weave a richly designed brocade about six to eight months were
required. A great deal of workmanship was required to produce a
kinkhab. The gold and silver threads were wound on small
bobbins and introduced as extra weft in order to create the pattern.
The designs used in brocades of Banaras can be broadly classified
into five types:
or pictorial designs which consisted of mythological scenes,
animals and birds motifs and portraits or pictures as well.
referred to the running patterns of flowers and leaves all over
the ground fabric. The various designs under this category were
adibel, daurbel, khajuribel, genda ki bel, cane patte ki bel.
designs were sprigged designs which were not connected with each
other. If the motif was small it was called a buti and if
it was big then it was called buta. Some of these designs
were ashrafi, keri buti, chand tara, jhar buti.
Next category consisted of geometrical patterns made
up of vertical, horizontal, diagonal and horizontal stripes.
or the hunting scene was the most popular design which was very
elaborate and consisted of animals, birds and human figures.
is one of the oldest cities in the Deccan region, situated on the
northern bank of the river Godavari (near present day Aurangabad).
It was the centre of ancient Dravidian culture and praised for its
wealth and prosperity by the ancient historians and travellers from
the west. The most renowned creation from this region is the
paithani sari which is a gold and silk brocade. The weave is
subtle yet rich. On a zari warp the weft is interlocked in
different colours producing a fabric which shimmers like a mirror.
This is the most distinguishing feature of this fabric. The closely
woven and shimmering golden background has various stylised designs
like tree of life, parrots, swans, peacocks and flowers which glow
like jewel.
KANCHIVANIKanchipuram, the temple town and abode of goddess
kamakshi, was a famous brocade weaving centre of South India
since ancient times. The fabrics produced here were known as
Kanchivani. The traditional saris and dupattas had
a fine cotton ground with a silk and zari border and pallu.
Intricate patterns are woven into the body using gold thread. The
characteristic feature of a kanchivani sari is the
wide and contrasting borders. The border designs and colours are
fairly different from that of the body. The sari is woven
using three shuttles, one for the main body and two on the sides for
the brocaded borders. The part where the body meets the border meets
the body is sometimes marked by a zigzag line. The predominant
designs include bird and animal motifs like deer, peacocks, horses,
bulls, parrots, elephants and sun, moon and star motifs. Mostly dark
and bright colours like red, blue, purple, orange, yellow and green
are used.
is an ancient town near Gwalior in central India. It is famous for
its exquisite textiles. The weavers of Chanderi produced gold and
silver zari patterned fine cotton and silk turbans, sashes,
dupattas and saris which were popular among the
Mughals as well as the neighbouring states like Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Maharashtra. The cotton ground of these fabrics was of unusual
fineness and delicacy; it was usually white (colours were also used)
and had silk and zari borders which were very beautiful. Very
fine and intricate floral creepers were used to ornament the
borders. Pallu was decorated using floral butas
arranged in horizontal bands. The borders and pallu were
woven on a solid gold zari ground, and designs were inlaid in
coloured silk threads giving the effect of jewels worked into rich
gold ground resembling enamel work.
Other than the above mentioned brocaded textiles there are many
different fabrics produced in different parts of the country which
use gold zari in some form or other. It is either used to
enhance the borders and pallus of saris (Maheswari,
Dhrmavaram, Tanchoi, Ikat, etc.) or used to
make small butis all over the fabric.
EMBROIDERY WITH GOLDDecorating
the fabric using metal wire embroidery is of ancient origin as is
evident from various texts and epics. Embroidery using gold and
silver wires is known as Zardozi and the community which
practice this craft is known as zardoz. The earliest
reference of objects embroidered with gold is found in the Vedic
age. Although the exact date of origin of this craft is unknown but
the zardoz community of Delhi have a popular myth to relate.
The story is as follows: "Once a mosquito found entrance to a king's
head. The fluttering of this mosquito caused the king severe
headache. Every kind of treatment had failed. Finally paigamber
himself advised the head hakim in his dream that the king would be
cured of his headache if he is hit by a shoe in the area of pain.
The hakim narrated his dream to his associates. They executed a
plan. A shoe decorated with pure gold and silver threads was ordered
to be made for the purpose. The king was hit with the shoe. This
killed the mosquito, curing the king of his ailment. He appreciated
the artistic outlay on the shoe and desired to patronise the work.
Other emperors and nobles followed him (Gupta, 1996)."
Various mentions have been made about cloth embroidered with gold in
ancient texts. Rig-Veda mentions a term atka which
symbolises a sewn garment embroidered with gold thread. The term
hiranyair vyutarn indicates a garment which was worked
with gold and reflected like sun. Valmiki's Ramayana
mentions a term swarnatantu nirmita, which means
decorated with gold wire. Mahabharata also has numerous
mentions about the cloth decorated using gold wires. Mention has
been made about maharhavasthambra which was a costly robe
used at the time of marriage of the five Pandavas with
Draupadi. All these references indicate beyond doubt that
embroidered costumes worked in gold, silver and precious stones were
part of luxurious tradition during the epic period.
The zardozi embroidery is done on a karchob which is a
rectangular wooden frame supported on two tripods which are called
tipai. Karchob is also known as adda. This
frame allows the craftsman to sit on the floor and work. This
embroidery is also called karchobi which means framework.
Apart from karchob, the other tools required for this
embroidery are the following:
Scissors which are small in size. Traditionally artisans used a
piece of glass or chinaware to cut the threads.
Needles of various
is a small wooden tool used for wrapping tilla on it for
is a small crochet-hook-like needle, with a fine notch on one edge,
and the other edge fixed into a wooden handle for smooth
functioning. It is used for hath ari work.
first step is tracing of the design on paper with a pencil. Once
the design is traced small holes are punched on it at close
intervals which would enable the design to be transferred on the
fabric. Once the design sheet is punched, it is placed in
position on the fabric to be embroidered. In order to transfer
the design on the fabric, the paper is smeared with a powder of
either zinc, indigo or khadiya mixed with water. The
power is chosen according to the colour of the fabric on which
the design is to be transferred. The solution passes through the
holes and design is transferred on the fabric. Traditionally
this work of drawing the designs was done by nakkash who
were professional artists. But nowadays the artisans of
zardoz community make the designs themselves and these
design drawings are known as khakhas.
After tracing the design the fabric is put in place on the
karchob and stretched properly to assist the craftsman in
carrying out the embroidery. The craftsman then lays the
different varieties of zari thread and other metallic
decoration pieces on the fabric as per the requirement of the
design. In order to carry out this process the threaded needle
moves upward from the wrong side and then from the surface to
are some distinct styles which can be seen in zardozi
or zardozi is the heavier and more elaborate work
done on velvet or heavy satin with badla. This type of
embroidery was generally used for decorating coverings of
different types like tents, coats, furnishings, animal trappings,
shoes, umbrellas etc.
is the lighter work which is generally done on finer fabrics like
silk, muslin etc. which were more suited for apparels and other
related accessories like dresses, veils, caps, scarves, belts,
purses etc. This work requires minute skill and rhythm. The
appearance is very pleasing and gives a glittering effect on the
fabric. Hazara buti or thousand dots is a special
design of this style.
is another important style where silk threads are used with
zari and it resembles enamel done in gold.
is considered to be one of the oldest styles which is done using
silver badla.
Another style is tilla or marori work
in which the zari wire is twisted on the surface and a
needle is pushed down to stitch the zari on the fabric.
work is the most popular style in which the gold border is cut
into different shapes and sewed onto the fabric.
zardozi embroidery has five basic designs which have further
variations. They are:
or tanke bandi ka kaam which
comprises of geometrical patterns. Here the stitches are counted
and the design is made. Some jali designs are chandi
ki jali, chakle wali jali,
suiyo wali jali.
designs which refers to the filling work as the name suggests.
Floral designs
or patti and phul motifs.
or pankhi motifs.
or janwar designs.
embroidery has been used since ancient times to decorate the
apparels and other accessories of a costume. The use of zardozi
was not restricted to apparel and costumes only, it was very popular
for ornamenting furnishing items also especially during Mughal
period. Zardozi was done on tent hangings, kanats,
covers, spreads, trappings, umbrellas, carpets, badges, banners,
uniforms, etc. Unstitched fabrics which were used as costumes or
accessories like belt, patka, kamarband, shawl,
misir, chunri, sari, etc were also decorated using
zardozi embroidery.
is practised in many parts of the country which include Srinagar,
Agra, Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal, Bareilly, Ajmer and Jaipur as the main
centres. Other places which are lesser known are Hyderabad, Mumbai
and Bangalore.
PRINTING WITH GOLDPrinting
of fabrics has been practised in India over many centuries and
textiles printed in India were famous all around the world. Indian
artisans were masters in printing the cloth using various styles,
i.e. direct style, resist style, discharge style and mordant style
of printing from very early times. A special type of printing which
employed the use of gold or silver leaf called warak printing
was a specialized form of printing done majorly in Rajasthan and
gave glittering effect to the cloth. Another method which utilised
gold or silver dust was called khadi printing or chamki
printing was also practised. Both these methods gave a royal look to
the dress and were very famous among the royalty. These techniques
are practised majorly in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Barmer, Ajmer and Udaipur.
Presently instead of pure gold and silver other metals are used to
produce the same effect at cheaper rates.
WARAK PRINTINGThis
type of printing is characterized by the use of gold or silver
warak or leaf. This technique of printing is expensive and was
popular among the elites since many centuries.
basic tool required for any printing to be carried out is a printing
table which is padded using layers of blankets. On the topmost layer
a fabric is spread which acts as back grey. To hold the printing
paste a square tray is used in which a layer of felt is spread at
the base and the paste is spread on it. Wooden blocks of various
designs are used for printing. A small pouch filled with cotton is
used to apply the warak. A rolling pin and a marble slab are
required for polishing the printed fabric. An adhesive paste made of
saras (gum) and white zinc powder called safeda is
used for pasting warak onto the fabric.
first step is to spread the fabric on the printing table and
smoothen out all the creases. Next the wooden block is pressed on
the adhesive paste in the tray and then stamped on the fabric at the
desired location. Once the design is outlined on the fabric warak
is applied onto the design by inverting the kite paper in which it
is kept. Then the paper is lightly patted with the pouch filled with
cotton which enables the warak to adhere to the paste and the
paper is then lifted carefully. Once the warak pasted on the
fabric dries, the un-pasted warak left on the non-design area
is removed using a brush. This leftover warak is kept
carefully and used to make gold or silver dust used in khadi
printing. After the whole fabric is printed, it is spread onto the
marble slab and burnished using a rolling pin. This step gives the
printed fabric a beautiful glossy sheen.
DesignsSome of the popular designs used in warak printing are
keri-ki-bel, keri-buti, genda, jawar bhat and religious deities
like Krishna and Radha as seen in temple hangings.
printing is popular for its use in pichwais or temple
hangings. It is also done on dhotis, safas, saris
and other ceremonial cloths.
KHADI PRINTING OR CHAMKI PRINTINGKhadi
or chamki printing utilises gold or silver dust to add
glamour to the plainest of textiles. This type of printing was very
famous in earlier times and was extensively applied on the costumes
of royalty.
printing requires a special kind of block which is made of brass and
one end of this block has the design perforated on it. This block is
known as sancha. A wooden datta which is carved in a
way so that it matches the contours of the sancha exactly is
used along with it. The two together are used to stamp the design on
the fabric in a syringe like action. A wooden table which is padded
using blankets serves as the printing table. A brush is used to
spread the gold or silver dust evenly on the design. The printing
paste is thick viscous paste called rogan and contains white
lead, zinc powder and an adhesive resin.
The fabric is stretched on the printing table
and all the
are removed.
The printing paste is
slightly heated and poured into the sancha. The wooden datta is then inserted into the sancha and with a
syringe like action is pressed out through its perforated end. The
paste is then stamped on the fabric and forms an adhesive layer. On
this the gold or silver dust is sprinkled and spread evenly with the
help of a brush. Excess powder is collected back and resude. The
process is repeated till the whole fabric is printed and then it is
left to dry.
common motifs used in khadi printing are phul, buti,
chandani, mor, mogra, keri and khaja.
printing was very famous for decorating apparels like odhni,
sari, turban, ghaghara, kanchli, angrakha, jama, etc.
use of gold in textiles is an ancient art. It was used to depict
one's wealth and status in the society. Gold was converted into
zari threads to be incorporated in the fabric while weaving and
embroidery. It was also beaten into sheets and converted into powder
which was used for printing on the fabric. Almost all the aspects of
fabric construction have used gold in some form or other. With the
passage of time changes have taken place in traditional methods as
well as the raw materials used. Due to the high cost of gold and
silver, imitation zari was introduced which had copper in it. This
resulted in decline in the quality as well as appearance of the
fabrics produced. Modernization also resulted in use of powerloom
instead of handloom as it is fast and cheaper. The printing with
gold leaf and powder also underwent the changes with time. Cheaper
metal powders and flakes of mica replaced pure gold and silver in
the printing of fabrics. Although one can see that the designs have
remained more or less traditional which depict the essence of the
craft. Efforts are being made by government and various NGOs to
bring back the traditional methods and materials back into practice.
paper was written under the supervision of Dr. Simmi Bhagat,
Associate Professor, , Department of Fabric and Apparel Science,
Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi
Agrawal, Y., 2008, Silk Brocades, Roli Books, New Delhi.
Anand, M.R., 1980, Essay- Warp and Woof, Book- Treasures
of Indian Textiles, Calico Museum, Marg Publications,
Bhandari, V., 2004, Costumes, Textiles and
of India: Traditions in Rajasthan,
Prakash Books, New Delhi.
Chattopadhyay, K., 1963, Indian Handicrafts, ICCR, New
Chattopadhyay, K., 1977, Indian Embroidery, Wiley
Eastern Limited, New Delhi.
Chattopadhyay, K., 1985, Handicrafts of India, second
edition, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi.
Das, S., 1992,
Fabric Art- Heritage of India,
Abhinav Publications, New Delhi.
Dhamija, J., ed., 1995, The Woven Silks of India, Marg
Gillow, J. and Bernad, N., 2008, Indian Textiles, OM Books
International, Darya Ganj, New Delhi.
Gupta, C.S., 1996, Zardozi: Glittering Gold Embroidery,
Abhinav Publications, New Delhi.
Gupta, C.S., 2006, Essay-The Trade in Zardozi Textiles,
Book-Textiles from India: The Global Trade, ed. Rosemary
Crill, Seagull Books, University of Michigan.
Jayakar, P., 1956, Essay- Indian Fabrics in Indian Life,
Book- Textile and Ornaments in India, ed. Monore Wheeler,
New York.
Jayakar, P., 1980, Essay- Indian Textiles Through Centuries,
Book- Treasures of Indian Textiles, Calico Museum, Marg
Publication, Ahemdabad.
Mathur, P.R., 1994, Costumes of the Rulers of Mewar: With
Patterns and Construction Techniques, Abhinav Publications,
New Delhi.
Mehta, R.J., 1790, Masterpieces of Indian Textiles, D.B.
Taraporenvala Sons & Co. Pvt. Limited, Bombay.
Mehta, R.J., 1960, The Handicrafts and Induatrial Art of India,
D.B. Taraporenvala Sons & Co. Pvt. Limited, Bombay.
Mohanty, B.C., 1984,
Study of Contemporary Textile Crafts of India:
Brocaded Fabrics of India Volume I,
Calico Museum, Ahemdabad.
Naik, S.D., 1996, Traditional Embroideries of India, A.P.H.
Publishing Corporation, New Delhi.
Rivers, V.Z., 1999, The Shining Cloth: Dress and Adornment that
Glitters, Thames and Hudson, London.
The Asia
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- Calories 76
- Caloriesfromfat 5%
- Fat 0.4g
- Satfat 0.3g
- Monofat 0.0g
- Polyfat 0.0g
- Protein 2g
- Carbohydrate 15.8g
- Fiber 0.0g
- Cholesterol 1mg
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German Chocolate Cafe au Lait
How to Make It
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Light and Luscious


text:
The water rose quickly.
"It was bubbling up from the floor. We're sitting on mangroves here," said R.J. Potter.
He and his girlfriend, Susan Aldrich, hadn't counted on that when they decided to ride out Hurricane Irma's rampaging winds in Mangrove Mama's restaurant on Summerland Key, about 5 miles from where the hurricane's eye howled ashore Sunday morning.
"The wind was off the chain," recalled Potter.
The Category 4 storm-driven water was over Potter's head outside and rising to his shoulders inside the restaurant's bar when the couple found salvation in a pair of blue pool noodles.
Potter, Mangrove Mama's chef, and Aldrich, its baker, call themselves "tough Conchs" whose home is – or was, until Irma flattened it - a tent compound tucked in the mangroves behind the 100-year-old restaurant building.
With the water rising, Potter tried to get out one door to their life jackets outside, but couldn't open it against the weight of the water.
"I thought, 'Go with the current,' he said.
Holding the pool noodles, they floated out another door with the flowing water, grabbed life jackets and held on until the water receded.
Three days later, they were cheerfully offering free meals of dolphin fillets, blackened or lemon pepper flavored, with a mountain of French fries to anyone passing by on U.S. 1.
"We're Keys people and this is what we do," said Aldrich, serving 60 pounds of fish Potter grilled from the restaurant's inoperable freezer. "I would like to get a new tent from FEMA, though."
When you live on a 120-mile chain of tiny, flat islands in hurricane country, resilience and generosity in the face of disaster seem to be as crucial as sunscreen.
In the hardest-hit Lower Keys, below Islamorada, where power and water were not yet back as of Friday, people are helping each other recover as government resources are only just beginning to reach them.
Various agencies have emergency headquarters set up in big RVs throughout the Keys. The Air National Guard is coordinating military aid arriving in helicopters at the Marathon Airport.
First responders are arriving from around the country, including a variety of teams from Palm Beach County. Federal agencies are giving out water and emergency rations at feeding stations throughout the island chain.
But independent, sometimes ornery longterm Keys residents have been counting on each other for decades.
"We appreciate assistance, but don't depend on it," said Jim Gilleran, who has been feeding hungry residents free from his 801 Bar on Key West's Duval Street since Irma roared past.
"We're the kind of people who pick ourselves up and start again," said Key West resident Jane Wolf, who provided a temporary home for 10 cats from a damaged animal shelter.
"The hurricanes have been some of the best times down here," said Kirby Kuiper, a waitress whose trailer on Big Coppitt Key is still livable. "People come together, they take care of each other, you make new friends and share what you have."
Recovery requires patience. Just getting gas in the Lower Keys is a half-day-long affair, if it's available.
At a Stock Island gas station, Meikiel and Cathii D'Anthonii waited nearly 4 hours for fuel so they could resume searching for their 47-foot houseboat home, which disappeared in Irma's maelstrom.
The couple was part of a group of boaters who lived "on the hook," or anchored, off Fleming Key near Key West.
"We'll raise it and fix it," said Cathii, of her retirement home. "We're tough as nails."
It's what was heard over and over again from people who evacuated homes for nearby shelters, but refused to join the exodus out of the Keys even as authorities pleaded with them to leave.
There has been anger this week as well, particularly at the Mile Marker 73 checkpoint in Islamorada as Lower Keys residents in long lines of cars demanded access to their homes.
On Friday, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office still wouldn't allow most Lower Keys residents past the checkpoint, as search-and-rescue teams scour the neighborhoods that took the hardest blows and water and power remain scarce. But on Saturday, Middle Keys residents were allowed to return home and by Sunday, all residents of the Keys can go home, according to the Miami Herald.
When they do return, many may be relieved, despite federal authorities' estimates that 85 percent of Keys homes were damaged or destroyed by Irma.
The Keys' strict newer building codes seem to have saved the islands from the kind of utter destruction Miami saw after Hurricane Andrew.
Sturdy concrete homes, built on stilts to allow storm surge to move through, survived, some with little or no evident damage.
But the cheaply rented trailers and older homes that housed the Keys' service workers who work two and three jobs catering to the tourists, retirees and second-home owners, have been devastated and may expose an unsustainable inequity in paradise.
On Grassy Key, storm surge shoved a cottage that once stood on the Atlantic across U.S. 1, where it teeters in a massive debris field on the bayside, surrounded by refrigerators, air conditioners, boat parts, crab traps and furniture; bits of dozens of lives tangled in an rotting mess.
"That's where our workforce lived," said Jim Young, Key West's director of code enforcement. "When an efficiency rents for $1,500 a month, where are these people going to live?
"Our economy is based on tourism and that part has been shut down for the time being," said Young. "There are no cruise ships coming in. People are running out of money and have no jobs and no place to live."
"I think the Keys are going to become even more expensive," said Sharon Noeller, a waitress who lost her trailer when Irma smashed through Sea Breeze Mobile Home Village in Islamorada.
"We're the workforce of the Keys," said Billy Quinn, a carpenter who lived with two roommates in his wrecked, one-bedroom trailer at Sea Breeze. "And most people here did not have insurance."
On Cudjoe Key, where Irma made its first U.S. landfall with 130 mph winds, looters have been scouring neighborhoods, say residents of Cutthroat Harbor Estates, where older homes appear damaged but not destroyed.
Bendetta Stankiewicz steps outside the hand-built house she and her ex-husband, now her roommate, starting building in 1962.
"I poured those concrete columns with a bucket while five months pregnant," said Stankiewicz, 60, after pointing to the nearly 5-foot storm surge line inside her garage.
The worst damage to her house is her pantry shed, balancing at a rakish angle over her fence. She's furious at the young men on ATVs she says have been going through empty houses, including one owned by her disabled, evacuated neighbor across the street.
"We never lock our door, we've never had to," she said.
For now, the Keys aren't paradise lost as much as paradise temporarily smelly and brown.
South of Key Largo, the islands reek of the stench of decomposing seaweed and look as if a giant blow torch raked the mangroves and gumbo limbo forests along U.S. 1.
All leafy shade is gone with the wind. It's blisteringly hot under a searing, unforgiving sun.
People are sunburned, sweaty and below Islamorada, mostly unshowered.
But Keys people seem as resilient as the islands that will turn green again in a month or so, after the sun has burned away the smell, after residents have begun picking up the debris of their lives to start over again in Florida's watery blue, end-of-the-road wonderland.


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Fortis Momentum Book Review By Jim Lukasik
I enjoyed writing the Fortis Momentum book review. The book itself was quite an impressive work that obviously took the author, Chris Downs, some time to write and organize into an excellent guide for Christians who need to better understand the Bible for especially prayer.
I found the book unique in it's presentation and a great source of teaching for especially new Christians or Christians new to the Word. However, it's a book for every Christian that will help them learn how to pray for anything large or small, build faith for Christian growth and to learn how to draw nearer to God.
You can read my review to learn more about how I enjoyed the book by clicking here. As I have said, I felt the book to be a great source of guidance that offers an array of tools to help Christians grow in Christ in order to develop a successful Christian Lifestyle. I earnestly hope that my recommendation of Fortis Momentum will help you want to learn more about it and see for yourself what a great Christian tool this is. And please leave a review on Amazon.com to let others know what you thought of the book.
I encourage you to read Chris Down's interview. He has some very interesting answers to questions about why he created his his unique book cover the way he did, what led to writing his book and if he has written other books. Here is the "Interview." – James Lukasik
Book Genre: Christian Growth / Christian Life / Christian Self-Help
Foris Momentum In Paperback
Fortis Momentum: A Spiritually Inspirational Self-Help Book of Prayers, Meditations, Thoughts, and Strategies for Christianity (Spiritually Inspirational Self-Help Books for Christianity)
The Kindle version will be out soon!
Leave Fortis Momentum Book Review To Learn More About Chris:
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MS Dhoni Travels by Train for the First Time in 13 Years
The South Eastern Railway served a very special passenger on Tuesday night when its former employee Mahendra Singh Dhoni preferred to travel by train with his Jharkhand one-day cricket team from Ranchi to Howrah to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Kolkata.
Fifteen seats in AC-2 of Howrah-Hatia Kriyayoga Express had been reserved for the team. Amid heavy security, the state cricketers caught the train from Hatia station in Ranchi.
Dhoni, who will lead Jharkhand in domestic one-dayers for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, did not ask for any special service in his first train ride in more than 13 years.
"Dhoni has always inspired players of his home state. We are happy with Dhoni's wish to play for the Jharkhand team. His active support will take the team Jharkhand to another level," Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) president Kuldeep Singh told.
"We had a prior information about this and so we had arranged special security when they boarded in Ranchi last night and upon their arrival this morning in Howrah," Ghosh said.
Before making the India team Dhoni was employed by SER as a TTE from September 2001 till July 2004 in Kharagpur, something that is well-documented in his biopic "MS Dhoni", a blockbuster last year.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni had played last a domestic game for his the state in 2007. His fans in Jharkhand were upset after his removal from captaincy of his IPL franchise Rising Pune Supergiants. Dhoni had stepped down as India's limited-over captain at the start of 2017, ahead of the ODIs and T20s against England.
However, JSCA and members of Jharkhand cricket team are happy with Dhoni's decision. "Jharkhand team is scaling a new heights for last few years under the guidance of Dhoni. We are expecting a remarkable performance in this tournament," Singh said.
Jharkhand along with Chhattisgrah, Hyderabad, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Saurashtra and Services and Chattisgarh are placed in Group D in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Jharkhand's first game is scheduled against Karnataka in Eden Garden, Kolkata on February 25.
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What is the typical range of your internet Wifi?
The range of a WiFi computer network depends primarily on the number and type of wireless access points (including wireless routers) used to build it.
A traditional home network having one wireless router can cover a single-family dwelling but often not much more. Business networks with grids of access points can cover large office buildings.
And wireless hotspots spanning several square miles (kilometers) have been built in some cities. The cost to build and maintain these networks increases significantly as the range increases, of course.
The WiFi signal range of any given access point also varies significantly from device to devices. Factors that determine the range of one access point include:
- the specific 802.11 protocol it runs
- the strength of its device transmitter
- the nature of physical obstructions and/or radio interference in the surrounding area
A general rule of thumb in home networking says that WiFi routers operating on the traditional 2.4 GHz band reach up to 150 feet (46 m) indoors and 300 feet (92 m) outdoors. Older 802.11a routers that ran on 5 GHz bands reached approximately one-third of these distances. Newer 802.11n and 802.11ac routers that operate on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands vary in the reach similarly.
Radio signal interference from microwave ovens and other equipment also negatively affects WiFi network range.
Finally, the distance at which someone can connect to an access point varies depending on antenna orientation. Smartphone users in particular may see their connection strength increase or decrease simply by turning the device at different angles. Furthermore, some access points utilize directional antennas that enable longer reach in areas the antenna is pointing but shorter reach in other areas.
Source: LifeWire


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More than 17 years after the death of 14-year-old Shannon Smith from a stray bullet that fell from the sky, a proposed amendment lessening the spread of Shannon's Law is moving through the Arizona Legislature. House Bill 2287, spearheaded by Rep. Tony Rivero, R-Peoria, would bar prosecutors from pursuing Class 6 felony charges against people charged with the unlawful firing of a gun ... Read More »
Category Archives: Political
4 7 5 Gov. Doug Ducey asks President Donald Trump for $600M for sewer, road, water projects
A Nogales, Ariz., pipeline is so decrepit that untreated waste could leak sewage during heavy rains. At least 2,000 wells in the state are open and should be covered or shut down because they pose a hazard to the public. And roadways that carry millions of people should be widened to boost international business and lessen the likelihood of traffic accidents. Those infrastructure projects ... Read More »
Police chief joins others in raising concerns about federal immigration laws
Tucson's chief of police joined more than 60 other law enforcement officials from around the country to raise concerns about being mandated to enforce federal immigration laws. In a letter to Congress, Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus joined 62 police chiefs, county sheriffs and others to ask for a "constructive immigration enforcement approach that prioritizes criminals and not peaceful residents," ... Read More »
Fear that it erodes rights kills Arizona rioting bill
PHOENIX — A state bill that would have allowed protesters to be arrested over the potential to riot is dead — at least for this year. House Speaker J.D. Mesnard said Monday he does not know whether legislation to expand Arizona's racketeering and conspiracy statutes to include rioting are needed to go after those who organize violent demonstrations. "I haven't ... Read More »
Tucson to argue gun destruction lawsuit before AZ Supreme Court
PHOENIX — Attorneys for Tucson go before the Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday, Feb. 28, in a bid to void a state law that seeks to punish the city for its gun-destruction policy. The lawyers contend the Legislature has no right to tell any city that it has to sell guns that are seized or surrendered instead of destroying them. ... Read More »


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KENYA @ 50 - A Personal JUBILEE
Kenya was born at some time between 1962 and 1964 at a convergent time in history. The decline of the British Empire, after the Second World War, and the heroic struggle of our people gave birth to a proud new nation. The winds of change ushered in freedom for a people under another nation to serve their own nation. Kenya was born free. I was born free. Our spirit has always been free.
With Kenyatta at the helm, the great ship set sail around the world. By 1972, Kenya's global running brand was set in gold. All it took was the determination of a few good men on the athletics track. In 1978, the baton passed on to Moi. It was a first in terms of peaceful change. But, by 1982, there was trouble in the hold. However, by the grace of God, the people stayed on course. By 1992, the winds had changed and the people had switched off self-rule for democracy.
Coalition was something new, but that came in 2002. With Kibaki as captain, it would take almost ten years to vote in a new constitution. By 2012, the Jubilee had come too soon. 50 years seems long, but I had been there all along. Kenya is my twin. We were born with about 9 million others. We have changed much with time. I have some white hair now and many people of the nine are now history. The cars have changed and the roads are wider. But now our women have won the Nobel Prize for planting trees.
There will also be a new president soon. But we have been down that road before. I want my twin to outlive me. I am not sure I will see another jubilee this side of heaven, most who see a jubilee, see only one. So I am glad that I share mine with my country. Many changes are yet to be. But I pray one change will never come; that our people will never lose our freedom. May the gift of our jubilee be that every child be born free. Free to serve and enjoy this land in every county as one country, as I have done, for many jubilees to come.
Allan Bukusi
O God of all creation
Bless this our land and nation
Justice be our shield and defender
May we dwell in unity,
peace and liberty
Plenty be found within our borders
Let one and all arise
With hearts both strong and true
Service be our earnest endeavour
And our homeland of Kenya
Heritage of splendour
Firm may we stand to defend
Let all with one accord
In common bond united
Build this our nation together
And the glory of Kenya
The fruit of our labour
Fill every heart with thanksgiving


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Submitted by Anna Rockwell on
I wanted to share a bit of my creative process and thinking here. This mixed media piece, "(Quantum) Entanglement Theory," provides an example of what I'm up to in the dark (and lighter) recesses of mind and studio on any given day...
I have been fascinated with quantum physics for some time and worked on a documentary for PBS, "The Fabric of the Cosmos." I struggle with trying to picture the processes of particals and space. In this work, I attempt to better comprehend entanglement theory. It made me ponder how we might measure relationships and disconnection...
To begin, I create a tableau using the chosen models...Here it is Japanese eggplants encoupled in a sort of Japanese bondage scenario.
This piece is around nine feet tall so I use a piece of charcoal taped to a stick in order to block in a gestural underdrawing (and not have to use the ladder).
A little further along (and many trips up and down the ladder!). The "models" are off to the right and have been slowly decaying for a few days by now.
Here I am using an eggplant to "paint" with. I tried making my own pigment with the skin but it didn't work so i just said, "To Hell with it," and used the actual eggplant.
And here is the finished work, 108"h x 51"w, charcoal, eggplant and oil paint on Arches Oil paper.
Ah, but what of my patient, entangled couples?
(I keep all of my models is some state of "tribute" after they have finished their use.)
Remember Schrodinger's Cat? Well, here's my ode to that great, perplexing question and state of being..."Schrodinger's Eggplant."
(Mason jar, canvas, rope and, presumably, eggplants)


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Photo Credit: Athens-Clarke County Police Department
Public schools in Clarke and Oconee counties will be closed again Thursday, as any snow that melted and did not evaporate today will refreeze overnight, making roads treacherous.
Both the Georgia Department of Transportation and Athens-Clarke County government said crews have been working day and night to clear the roads, but warned people to stay home.
The ACC Police Department said officers had worked 84 wrecks today as of 3:45 p.m.
The Oconee County Sheriff's Office posted a similar, if more humorous, warning on Facebook:
Win or lose, Athens-Clarke County police want you to know there will be no riots in the streets of Athens tonight after Georgia plays in the college football national championship game.
The department called a news conference earlier this afternoon to discuss plans for public safety downtown. The game is in Atlanta, but local police expect a crowd along the lines of a typical UGA home game—potentially tens of thousands of people, according to Sgt. Epifiano Rodriguez.
Although her street was blocked by fallen trees, Flagpole photo intern Nicole Adamson ventured out Tuesday to snap some photos of damage along West Lake Drive.
Athens-Clarke County crews have removed many trees from roadways, but those that remain are entangled in power lines that must be removed by utility workers first. (Only about 1,000 Georgia Power customers in Athens remain without electricity.)
Apparently we have some local finalists for the Darwin Awards, because ACC felt the need to issue a press release warning people not to try to cut or remove those trees, or allow children to play around them.
Citing ongoing power outages and safety concerns about road debris and non-working traffic lights, the Clarke County School District has cancelled classes and other activities on Wednesday.
The University of Georgia, though, will reopen at 10 a.m. Campus Transit will start running again at 9 a.m., and the first classes will be held at 10:10 a.m.
UGA warned students and employees that travel to campus may take longer than usual, and reminded drivers that intersections where traffic signals are out should be treated as four-way stops.
Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones/file
Athens is shook from Tropical Storm Irma, but a few brave (or lucky, if they have electricity) restaurants are soldiering on.
Like many of us, Flagpole food critic Hillary Brown is having trouble with teh internetz, but she was able to pass along an (incomplete) list of food establishments that are open and closed today, should your lack of power and/or tiredness from yard work prevent you from cooking.
Photo Credit: NASA
The University of Georgia will be closed today and Tuesday in anticipation of Hurricane Irma hitting Athens.
All classes, campus events and other activities at UGA are canceled. Residence and dining halls will remain open. Campus Transit will run as long as conditions allow. Designated employees are expected to report to work if they can safely travel.
For more information on UGA's closing, visit emergency.uga.edu.
Clarke and Oconee County public schools will be closed today and Tuesday, as will Athens Tech and the University of North Georgia. Athens Christian School, Prince Avenue Christian School and Piedmont College are closed today, but have not announced whether they will be closed Tuesday. Classes will resume at Athens Academy on Tuesday.
Photo Credit: Austin Steele/file
During a contentious four-hour called meeting Tuesday night, the Athens-Clarke County Commission approved moratoriums on demolitions and some construction on Milledge Circle and Castalia Avenue in Five Points and in the West Hancock neighborhood.
Both moratoriums apply demolitions and changes to facades and rooflines for one year while neighborhood residents, county planners and commissioners study ways to protect those neighborhoods' historic character. But they allow interior renovations and add-ons to the backs of homes, in an effort to appease opponents who are planning improvement projects.
On Milledge Circle, residents are fighting to stop homebuyers from tearing down historic residences to build larger suburban-style houses—which they said has happened three times already and could happen again at 398 Milledge Circle.
"You come to realize Athens has been at the center of a demolition derby, so to speak," Milledge Circle resident and historic preservation professor John Waters said. "You don't know what to expect next door to your property, or what it's going to do to your quality of life."
Photo Credit: Baynard Woods
Dozens of police officers with shields and batons and big canisters of tear gas and pepper spray stand in lines block off the corner at 12th and Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C. gripping their batons and big canisters of pepper spray, faces obscured behind shields, as nearly 100 activists who had already been arrested are cordoned off behind them, waiting to be processed.
Protesters line the other side of the street. More and more arrive, chanting, yelling. "Let them go!"
A trial of pink smoke cuts through the air. There is the sound of a flashbang grenade and several officers open up with long orange streams of chemical warfare pepper spray.
"Because, today… we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People."
Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones
On an unseasonably warm night for mid-January, a makeshift band, giant bird puppets and a crowd of thousands gathered around Athens City Hall in protest of newly inaugurated President Donald Trump, filling in every inch of space from Washington Street to Hancock Avenue and from College Avenue to the City Hall doors.
At what might be the largest march in Athens history, the Day of Resistance drew an estimated 2,500–4,500 attendees, according to Athens for Everyone, who helped organize it.
While the march was organized in response to the inauguration of Trump, it was not specific to one cause. Speakers included representatives from U-Lead Athens, an organization for undocumented students; The Cottage, a nonprofit that assists sexual assault survivors; Students for Justice in Palestine and Athens for Everyone.
The latest forecast from the National Weather Service predicts a mix of rain and sleet tonight and 1–3 inches of snow Saturday morning in Athens.
The UGA campus will close at 3:30 p.m., meaning all classes and other activities are canceled, and faculty and staff can go home early. Campus Transit shuts down at 4:30 p.m. The men's basketball game Saturday and the women's basketball game Sunday are still going on as planned, for the moment. Check here for updates.
Page 1 of 4, showing 10 posts out of 37 total, starting on # 1, ending on 10


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AWS services or capabilities described in AWS Documentation may vary by region/location. Click Getting Started with Amazon AWS to see specific differences applicable to the China (Beijing) Region.
Returns a list of the gateway's local disks. To specify which gateway to describe, you use the Amazon Resource Name (ARN) of the gateway in the body of the request.
The request returns a list of all disks, specifying which are configured as working
storage, cache storage, or stored volume or not configured at all. The response includes
DiskStatus field. This field can have a value of present (the disk
is available to use), missing (the disk is no longer connected to the gateway), or
mismatch (the disk node is occupied by a disk that has incorrect metadata or the disk
content is corrupted).
For .NET Core and PCL this operation is only available in asynchronous form. Please refer to ListLocalDisksAsync.
Namespace: Amazon.StorageGateway
Assembly: AWSSDK.StorageGateway.dll
Version: 3.x.y.z
public abstract ListLocalDisksResponse ListLocalDisks( ListLocalDisksRequest request )
Container for the necessary parameters to execute the ListLocalDisks service method.
|An internal server error has occurred during the request. For more information, see the error and message fields.
|An exception occurred because an invalid gateway request was issued to the service. For more information, see the error and message fields.
The request returns a list of all disks, specifying which are configured as working storage, cache storage, or stored volume or not configured at all.
var response = client.ListLocalDisks(new ListLocalDisksRequest { GatewayARN = "arn:aws:storagegateway:us-east-1:111122223333:gateway/sgw-12A3456B" }); List
disks = response.Disks; string gatewayARN = response.GatewayARN;
.NET Framework:
Supported in: 4.5, 4.0, 3.5
Portable Class Library:
Supported in: Windows Store Apps
Supported in: Windows Phone 8.1
Supported in: Xamarin Android
Supported in: Xamarin iOS (Unified)
Supported in: Xamarin.Forms


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London Festival of Wine 2018
One Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AA.
If you'd prefer to book over the phone, please call the 24 hour Festival of Wine booking hotline on 0843 515 9400 (calls cost up to 7p per minute plus your phone company's access charge)
The Festival is a day-long celebration of wine. Your entry ticket includes wine tasting samples from the 300 high quality wines being poured as you walk around meeting some of the UK's top wine retailers, importers and the winemakers themselves.
Choose Tickets
This event is for over 18s only - No refunds will be issued for under 18s.
After you buy, click Split It With PayPal to easily split ticket money with friends.


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For the past three years, Fosterly has connected entrepreneurs with the resources and relationships they've needed to help start and grow their endeavors. With roots in local coffee shops where entrepreneurs would come to connect and work, Fosterly's objective has remained constant while its approach has continued to change and evolve.
Today, we're proud to formally launch our biggest event yet: Collaborate. Combining the best elements of our collaborative Study Halls, our annual Day of Fosterly conference, and our recent GovFest event, Collaborate is a two day conference for innovators in all sectors of business and public policy.
The conference brings together 1,200+ leaders from the entrepreneurial and government communities to share big ideas, learn together, and build relationships in the spirit of cross-sector collaboration. Mind you, Collaborate is not just for innovators and entrepreneurs who work with and for government, but rather for all individuals, agencies and organizations who want to innovate new ideas and build lasting relationships.
To show you how excited we are for Collaborate, we're holding an exclusive invite-only preview event on Thursday, October 16th at the Ronald Reagan Building in the heart of Washington DC.
Hosted by ABC/WJLA-TV Washington Business Report Lead Anchor Rebecca Cooper, the event will feature a discussion with high profile experts about how making data (particularly government data) more open and accessible to all will create entire new business segments, adding as much as three trillion dollars a year in economic value. They will explore the opportunities this new industry will create for entrepreneurs, inside the Beltway and beyond. Following the forum will be a startup showcase of the area's most innovative young companies using open data. (Be sure to reserve your spot today.)
Over the next several months, we will spotlight Collaborate participants, entrepreneurs, innovative government programs and more here on the conference blog. We can't wait to share with you all of the exciting partnerships and developments that we're working on!
See you at the preview event!


text: Advertisement News Mourners attend the funeral of Winnie Mandela Apr 14, 2018 | 10:59 AM Anti-apartheid activist, politician, and African National Congress member Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was laid to rest on Apr. 14, 2018 in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Attendees, while mourning the loss of the "mother of the nation", as she was widely known, celebrated Madikizela-Mandela's life and her political and activism-related accomplishments. Next Gallery PHOTOS Severe flooding in southern India leaves hundreds dead PHOTOS Hundreds dead, thousands evacuated from their homes as severe rains flood Kerala, India Advertisement Featured Photos Featured Waterfalls you need to see in this lifetime Aug 20, 2018 The world's strangest natural wonders Awesome glamping sites around the world The 25 most beautiful national parks in the world Lollapalooza portrait sessions The 15 best weekend trips on the East Coast this fall Places you should visit now that the crowds have left The best backdrops for a picture-perfect selfie


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What Texas Can Learn from Poland on Maternal Mortality
Texas is searching for ways to curb the alarming number of women dying less than a year after their pregnancies. Poland, a conservative, anti-abortion, religious country may have solutions.
Most maternal deaths, due to complications during and following pregnancy and childbirth, are preventable, and great strides have been made in improving maternal health and reducing the number of deaths. Between 1990 and 2013, maternal mortality dropped by 45 percent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Yet, every day approximately 800 women still die from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. In 2013, the number of maternal deaths worldwide was 289,000 women.
Maternal health impacts families, communities and societies with far-reaching effects, especially in developing countries, where 99 percent of all maternal deaths occur. The risk of maternal mortality is highest for girls under 15, many of whom have no access to contraception.
Our Pulitzer Center grantees have reported from many countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Guinea Bissau, India, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia and Nigeria. They are covering a wide range of issues—teenage pregnancy, child marriage, illegal abortion, religious beliefs and attitudes towards family planning, and poor infrastructure. Their stories highlight the severity of the reproductive health crisis as well as some of the many efforts made to give more women access to better and safer healthcare.


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I have a confession to make. When I began doing SEO (now 15+ years ago), I noticed an "us and them" dynamic in the industry dividing the "talkers" and "doers". It's taken me a long time to even begin to understand the other side. But I'm certain of one thing: there are (at least) two entirely different attention bubbles.
Let me clarify. I don't mean to throw one side under the bus as being "all talk". I see click-baiters that ruin the "talk" and hustlers that ruin the "do". I also see people that are masters at either craft. Good, well-meaning people whose work I really enjoy. And I'm not talking about the "white vs. black" comparison that many of us have read a million times.
It's just always appeared.. separate. And apparently to others as well, because I took a poll:
Are there two SEO industries?
Talk: Paid to draw attention from the SEO market.
Do: Paid to get results for brands in every other market.
— Corey Northcutt (@corey_northcutt) March 30, 2017
So what's the difference?
Basically, everything. When I read a digital marketing article, I can almost immediately guess where that person spends most their time. We're going to need a table for this.
|Spend all time focused on increasing their own influence.
|Spend all time focused on growing the brands of others.
|Test tactics in the SEO industry.
|Test tactics in "weird" industries.
|Focus on the creative, "style point" tactics.
|Focus on systems that are reliable at scale.
|Generally use attention-grabbing language.
|Generally use analytical language.
|SEO dies often. Everything changes every week.
|SEO has slowly and predictably evolved since the 90s.
|The only agencies that exist are those that speak.
|Agencies that focus on speaking scarcely exist.
|The "major agencies" are all tiny.. 3-50 employees.
|The "major agencies" employ thousands.
|Credibility based on speaker lists. Only speakers here.
|Credibility based on results/studies. No speakers here.
Again, it's not to say that one side is wrong. Every few years I go to MozCon, for example, and really enjoy it. I enjoy hearing about the most creative ideas and the skill that a lot of the keynoters have with presenting some otherwise sticky ideas.
But I always catch a speaker take a step back, and talk about "our industry". My reaction is the same every time...
What are you talking about? You have virtually none of the same problems that I do.. and vice-versa.
Aren't there exceptions?
Absolutely. The world is not black and white. I have two wonderful examples.
Martin McDonald has transitioned from a heavy speaking role (at which he was quite good) to managing SEO at Orbitz and focusing on how all this stuff actually gets applied. He chimed in when I was taking this poll.
Martin makes a great point. This does happen in other industries. Maybe not on the same level, but it happens. When it happens, brands designate a dedicated conference/speaker crew. I've often noticed that the doers in the organization may as well be working at an entirely different company. Typically because their goals are not in alignment. The type of attention that they attract is different. So one end or the other dominates the company's vision.
Speaking circuits are competitive and they're driven by ratings and crowd sizes. This runs counter to an agency's goals, which (if they're a good agency) are to only attract clients that are a good fit for a practical solution that's reliable to deliver. That's usually a very small crowd.. how many decision-makers in $2M/year+ organizations can there be?
Here's another. Alan Bleiweiss, who I belive deserves credit for helping pioneer both industries, chimed in:
This is some great insight. Most (if not all) cross into the other world at times. And I think that few do it as well as Alan.
But there is so much to keep a handle on. Speaking from experience, between our fact-checking, auditing systems, outreach systems, content strategy, and quality control, it takes absolute level of obsession to be great at even one of these things. By a full staff of very dedicated people that own a number of very specific crafts.
We can't all master everything. There are only so many Elon Musks to go around.
What do you think? Does this exist? If you agree, what are more examples?


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The hidden date for this stamp can be found on the thigh of the fencer. It is printed with a light reddish ink that can be hard to see.
Pushbutton destruction has made combat sports seem like pleasant anachronisms. However, such activities have a physical and some say a moral value. The Olympic combat sports are represented in these semi-postals by boxing, fencing and judo. Swords were so effective in war that they were recognized as power symbols. Sword carrying is said to have created certain social customs. A friendly handshake immobilized the sword hand. Buttons are on the right side of men's clothing because in cold weather it was necessary to hold the right hand inside the coat to keep it warm and ready for combat. Prior to 1500, swords were heavy instruments used to hack through armour. The premium was on strength rather then skill. Guns made armour obsolete. When freed from heavy encumbrances, warriors became more agile and evasive. A lighter weapon was called for and the long slim rapier appeared. Sword fighting became more scientific and fencing masters set up schools all across Europe. Lessons were costly and strictly private so as to preserve the secrecy of techniques. In Canada, fencing was popular in the years before Confederation. Skill with a sword was useful because people occasionally fought duels. After 1949, the sport grew substantially, spurred on by fencing masters who immigrated from Europe. James Hill of Toronto designed these stamps.


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Nationals vs Astros MLB National League Wagering Lines
As the temperatures heat up across the Nation, during the dog days of August, the Major League Baseball playoff races are getting just as hot. Tonight we take a look at the Washington Nationals vs. Houston Astros match-up on Tuesday, August 7, 2012. First pitch flies at 8:05 PM ET from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. The Nats are hot – the Stros are not!
Washington Nationals: Look to Pad NL East Lead
Sitting at an incredible 66-43 the Washington Nationals just keep rolling along during their season of revival. To appreciate the full scope of what's going on in DC, one has to understand that the Nationals have already won more games this year than they did during the entire 2008 and 2009 seasons (they finished with 59 wins both years) and they still have 63 games to go.
With Atlanta just three games behind them the Nationals can't let their guard down against the lowly Astros who are currently sporting a 36-74 record. Coming off a seven inning 3-hit shutout of the Phillies, we like LHP Ross Detwiler (6-4 3.02 ERA) on the bump for the Nats tonight.
Houston Astros: Rolling Along on a Futility Matching Pace
After many thought that Houston had hit rock bottom with a 56-106 record during the 2011 MLB season, the Atros are digging for a new low during the 2012 campaign. With their current lowly record, the 'Stros will have to win another 21 games to "best" their 2011 futility mark.
Jordan Lyles (2-8 .595 ERA) gets the call to the hill for Houston. Lyles has pitched batting practice lately by giving up home runs in seven straight starts to go along with 36 runs allowed in 40 inning of work. The top rated Advantage Sports Betting online betting sites are loaded with MLB odds. Load up and prosper with the Nats on the Bovada.lv Money Line here!