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Elwin Bruno Christoffel
Born: 10 November 1829 in Montjoie Aachen (now Monschau), Germany
Died: 15 March 1900 in Strasbourg, France
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Elwin Christoffel was noted for his work in mathematical analysis, in which he was a follower of Dirichlet and Riemann.
Christoffel's parents both came from families who were in the cloth trade. He attended an elementary school in Montjoie (which was renamed Monschau in 1918) but then spent a number of years being tutored at home in languages, mathematics and classics. He attended secondary schools from 1844 until 1849. At first he studied at the Jesuit Gymnasium in Cologne but moved to the Friedrich-Wilhelms Gymnasium in the same town for at least the three final years of his school education. He was awarded the final school certificate with a distinction in 1849.
Christoffel studied at the University of Berlin from 1850 where he was taught by Borchardt, Eisenstein, Joachimsthal, Steiner and Dirichlet. It was Dirichlet who had the greatest influence on him and Christoffel is rightly thought of as a student of Dirichlet's.
After one year of military service in the Guards Artillery Brigade, he returned to Berlin to study for his doctorate which he was awarded in 1856 with a dissertation on the motion of electricity in homogeneous bodies. His examiners included mathematicians and physicists, Kummer being one of the mathematics examiners.
At this point Christoffel spent three years outside the academic world. He returned to Montjoie where his mother was in poor health but read widely from the works of Dirichlet, Riemann and Cauchy. It has been suggested that this period of academic isolation had a major effect on his personality and on his independent approach towards mathematics. Butzer, in [3], remarks that Christoffel's biographers have described him as
a lonely man, ... shy, distrustful, unsociable, irritable and brusque.It would seem unreasonable to attribute these aspects of his character solely to these three years, yet clearly these years had a large influence on him and certainly contributed to his being an very independent thinker. It was during this time that he published his first two papers. These papers, which appeared in 1858, are on numerical analysis, in particular numerical integration. He generalised Gauss's method of quadrature and expressed the polynomials which are involved as a determinant. This is now called Christoffel's theorem.
In 1859 Christoffel took the qualifying examination to become a university teacher and was appointed a lecturer at the University of Berlin. In 1862 he was appointed to the chair at the Polytechnicum in Zürich, filling the post left vacant when Dedekind went to Brunswick. The Polytechnic School in Zürich had been set up seven years before and the mathematics courses which they offered were mainly aimed at engineering students. Christoffel was to have a huge influence on mathematics at the Polytechnicum, setting up an institute for mathematics and the natural sciences there.
In 1868 Christoffel was offered a chair at the Gewerbsakademie in Berlin which is now the University of Technology of Berlin. This was not the first time an attempt had been made to interest Christoffel in moving to this university since a new position had been set up and the university authorities wanted an eminent mathematician to fill he post. Shortly after the 1868 offer to Christoffel another position was offered to him, namely to become a founding director of the new Polytechnicum at Aachen. This new university, now the prestigious Rheinisch- Westfälische Technische Hochschule at Aachen, must have been an attractive idea to Christoffel who was born and brought up close to Aachen.
Christoffel, however, did not accept the Aachen position: perhaps he was already committed to the Gewerbsakademie in Berlin for he certainly left Zürich for Berlin to take up his new post on 1 April 1869. This move may have been a mistake for Christoffel. He and his colleague Aronhold tried to attract high quality students to the Gewerbsakademie but this proved difficult with the highly prestigious University of Berlin with Weierstrass, Kummer and Kronecker close by.
After three years at the Gewerbsakademie in Berlin, Christoffel was offered the chair of mathematics at the University of Strasbourg. This was a university with a long and distinguished past, but the university was undergoing a major reorganisation following the Prussian capture of Alsace- Lorraine. From his appointment in 1872 Christoffel began to built up a new Institute for mathematics there much along the lines which he had followed in Zürich 10 years before. He was assisted in his efforts to build this new highly successful department by his colleague Reye.
Christoffel was to hold this chair until he was forced to retire due to ill health in 1892. He broke his arm in an accident shortly before he retired and this was certainly one of the reasons he decided to retire. Heinrich Weber was appointed to succeed him at Strasbourg in 1895.
Christoffel supervised six doctoral students while at Strasbourg. At least four of these were to become university professors of mathematics, including Paul Epstein.
Christoffel published papers on function theory including conformal mappings, geometry and tensor analysis, Riemann's o-function, the theory of invariants, orthogonal polynomials and continued fractions, differential equations and potential theory, light, and shock waves.
Some of Christoffel's early work was on conformal mappings of a simply connected region bounded by polygons onto a circle. This work on conformal mappings was published in four papers between 1868 and 1870. The first of these papers was written while Christoffel was at Zürich, the remaining three papers on the Christoffel-Schwarz formula were written while he was at the Gewerbsakademie in Berlin.
Between 1865 and 1871 Christoffel published four important papers on potential theory, three of them dealing with the Dirichlet problem. In 1877 Christoffel published a paper on the propagation of plane waves in media with a surface discontinuity. This was an early contribution to the theory of shock waves and followed earlier work on one dimensional gas flows by Riemann.
Christoffel was interested in the theory of invariants. He wrote six papers on this topic. He wrote important papers which contributed to the development of the tensor calculus of C G Ricci-Curbastro and Tullio Levi-Civita. The Christoffel symbols [ij,k] which he introduced are fundamental in the study of tensor analysis. The Christoffel reduction theorem, so named by Klein, solves the local equivalence problem for two quadratic differential forms. In [3] Butzer writes:-
The procedure Christoffel employed in his solution of the equivalence problem is what Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro later called covariant differentiation, Christoffel also used the latter concept to define the basic Riemann-Christoffel curvature tensor. ... The importance of this approach and the two concepts Christoffel introduced, at least implicitly, can only be judged when on considers the influence it has had.Indeed this influence is clearly seen since this allowed Ricci-Curbastro and Levi-Civita to develop a coordinate free differential calculus which Einstein, with the help of Grossmann, turned into the tensor analysis mathematical foundation of general relativity.
Christoffel wrote 35 papers but this does not represent the full extent of his mathematical work. In fact, in common with many others at that time, much of his original research was put into his lecture courses and only through that source was it known. Timerding described Christoffel's teaching, this description is quoted in [3]:-
Christoffel was one of the most polished teachers ever to occupy a chair. His lectures were meticulously prepared, to the smallest detail ... His delivery was lucid and of the greatest aesthetic perfection ... The core of the lectures was the course on complex function theory, distinguished by the inspirational name of Riemann. Christoffel had developed Riemann's function theory independently, particularly in the area of ultraelliptic functions, but did not publish his research, presenting them only in his lectures, after the model of Weierstrass.It is very difficult to rank mathematicians. How does one compare someone who worked solely in one area with another who contributed to many areas? Again how does one compare someone who worked on differential equations with a geometer? Despite the obvious difficulties, and minor differences of opinion, it is still surprising how much agreement there is on such a ranking. In [5] Butzer and Fehér attempt to fit Christoffel into such a ranking:-
It is difficult to compare a differential geometer with a function theorist, or those working on ordinary and partial differential equations with numerical analysts. Christoffel not only contributed to all these fields, but his interests extended to orthogonal polynomials and continued fractions, and the applications of his work to the foundations of tensor analysis, to geodetical science, to the theory of shock waves, to the dispersion of light. Nevertheless, it is widely recognised, at least in the German speaking countries of Europe, that Riemann was the best mathematician of the 19th century, behind Gauss and ahead of Weierstrass. In our opinion Christoffel's teacher Dirichlet, belongs to the next most important group of mathematicians which includes (in chronological order of birth) Jacobi, Kummer, Kronecker, Dedekind, Cantor and Klein. Christoffel himself should be placed in a second group following these. This second group, which may partly overlap with the former, would include such illustrious names as Möbius, von Staudt, Plücker, Heine, Du Bois-Reymond, Carl Neumann, Lipschitz, Fuchs, Schwarz, Hurwitz and Minkowski.If mathematical physicists are also taken into account then Butzer and Fehér believe that Christoffel would have to be compared with Green, Hamilton, Sylvester, Helmholtz, Cayley, Kirchhoff, Maxwell, Beltrami, Lie, Boltzmann, Poincaré and Fredholm. I [EFR] must say that I find it surprising that some of these mathematicians are considered by Butzer and Fehér to be mathematical physicists.
Article by: J J O'Connor and E F Robertson
Click on this link to see a list of the Glossary entries for this page
List of References (16 books/articles)
A Poster of Elwin Christoffel
Mathematicians born in the same country
Cross-references in MacTutor
- History Topics: General relativity
- Scientific Research Society of Zurich
- 1904 ICM - Heidelberg
- 1932 ICM - Zurich
Other Web sites
- Dictionary of Scientific Biography
- Mathematical Genealogy Project
- zbMATH entry
- ERAM Jahrbuch entry


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


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The nautical chaps over at Anchor Bay have picked up the rights to "The Demented", a new flick about a group of friends who find themselves under attack by rabid townies while on vacation. I assume there will be nudity.
Two years Guillermo del Toro ago dropped that he would be working on a new big screen version of my beloved Disney ride "The Haunted Mansion". I wake up every morning hoping there is news on the project but alas, there has been none. Until today! D-Tors dropped knowledge that he has in fact handed in a draft of the script and is awaiting feedback. He very much still wants to make the film and may even direct, he was originally slated to produce and write. It's hard to explain just how excited I am about this. I throw up every day I get so excited.
Remember that guy from "The Loved Ones" who got kidnapped and all kinds of messed up? I mean he's the main character so if you don't remember him then something might be wrong with you. Well his name is Xavier Samuel and it looks like he's joined the cast of "Plush" about a singer of a band, or something, that gets caught up with a new guitar player who is a prick, or something. Honestly I don't get the plot and it sounds stupid but hey. "The Loved Ones" was pretty cool so let's get excited.
So here's a movie called "Strip Mahjong: Battle Royale". If you couldn't have guessed it's a Japanese flick and if you don't know what Mahjong is it doesn't really matter. The movie is ridiculous. And it's going to be awesome. Watch it, now.
Few details have been released around the Ben Affleck fronted retelling of Stephen King's "The Stand" but today it looks like the project finally has a writer. "Blood Creek" writer David Kajganich has been tapped to take on the task of adapting King's book, which has already been made into a TV series so my guess is he'll just find that script and do the old "save as" in Microsoft word and call it a day. That's what I'd do anyway. Maybe take out any reference to Molly Ringwald.
If you've been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for more details on the Tom Cruise alien battle flick "Oblivion" then today is your lucky day. It's been confirmed that both Andrea Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko have signed on to the cast, one playing his current girlfriend and the other playing the women he falls for. God I can't wait to find out which is which. I hope Olga wins his heart, only because her name is Olga though. You don't mess with an Olga.
I fancy myself a big Disneyworld fan and an uber Haunted Mansion buff so I'm as giddy as a little school girl at at some of the new collectibles Disney will be releasing this year at their parks. Namely a new kick ass Haunted Mansion time piece that's a bargain at any price and makes a great birthday gift for the special BGH news writer in your life. That's me, I'm that person, in case you were wondering.
Lastly it looks like Thomas Jane, Billy Bob Thornton and James Marsden have all been cast in a new flick titled "Red Machine". The movie focuses on two estranged brothers who try to patch up their relationship during a camping trip with their signification others. Unfortunately for them though they end up being stalked by a killer bear. So we've now got Billy Bob Thornton battling bears. Your move, Liam Neeson fighting wolves.
Another 3D poster for the upcoming "Saw 3D" film has popped up and it's everything you'd ever want and more. Just in case you forgot the producers wanted to make sure you know that "Saw 3D" will be the most 3D movie to ever grace the 3D screens in your 3D theater... 3D.
According to The Hollywood Reporter those nutty Weinstein's are still very much full steam ahead with remakes of "Hellraiser" and "Children of the Corn". Not enough for you? Well how about another "Scary Movie" for you to LOL at? There, I thought that would make you feel better.
Rumor has it that Timur Bekmambetov might be taking the directors role for the upcoming "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" film. The only other film I've seen of his is "Wanted" and I kind of liked it so sorry I just don't have anything sarcastic to say about this one.
Guillermo del Toro sat down with the kids over at MTV to talk about his ideas for the new "The Haunted Mansion" film which was recently announced at Comic-Con. I'm going to go ahead an apologize now for pretty much talking about it every time Del Toro takes a dump until this movie comes out.
The fine people behind the upcoming "Saw 3D" release have put out a pretty dandy 3D poster that will blow your little peepers out of their sockets. There's also a solid chance this will be the best part of this movie, so enjoy it while it lasts.
"Dexter Early Cuts: Dark Echo", which is a brand spanking new animated webisode found it's way to Comic Con and the internerds are all a flutter. The web series gives us all a chance to see what went on in our favorite serial killer's life before the show started. In episode three he goes out an buys all those cool cabana shirts.
Fresh from Comic Con comes news that Guillermo del Toro is going to be making a "Haunted Mansion" movie based on the Disney ride. I can't even begin to explain how excited I am about this but apparently they aren't going to be asking Eddie Murphy to join the cast. Am I the only one who enjoyed the last one? I can't be alone here.
In order to build up the hype around it's estimated 2014 release the fine people behind the "Night Of The Demons" remake have released a poster. Alright the 2014 thing is kind of bullshit, it just feels like we've been talking about this masterpiece forever now. You can't rush Shannon Elizabeth and her perfection.
If you loved "The Mutant Chronicles", and honestly who didn't, you'll be excited to know that its creator Simon Hunter is currently working on a new a new flick titled "Safe House". I'll be honest, I didn't like "The Mutant Chronicles" and I could care less about this, but I thought I should post one thing that didn't come out of Comic Con.


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50 follower special
I finished composing the first movement of my suite as a 50 follower special. Here is the link:
new composition! "Waltz of rememory" feedback wanted!
This music music has a sense of tragedy with romanticism and a bit of modernism accents.
Of course you will hear one of the most popular classical music progressions (baroque epochs progressions of fifth) but i wanted to do my own version of that progression. Maybe you can relate my piece with someone others... leave your comment i would like to know what others think...
I know I have sent this alot already but...
this is the best form of my mary had a little lamb parody (it sounds dumb, but it actually sis one of my better pieces)
Check it out!
can you give me your thoughts about my music
I would like to know your opinion about my music, maybe u can give me advice? is there some places where my music sounds "a little bit off" or you saw some mistakes in my score let me know...
Reached composers block
So, you know how I have been working on the 50 follower special composition right? Well, I am 2/3 of the way through it and even include a short bit of canon in the composition. But after this canonic moment, I can't seem to make further progress. I know that I want to go back to G major by means of a plagal cadence(which would require me to substitute C major for C#°) and that I want to end the piece with a plagal cadence.
I have been having this composers block for about a week now. I usually embrace it and just move on to composing something else, but this is a 50 follower special composition that I have been working on.
I reached it🎉
I reached the 50 followers milestone. Now just to finish my 50 follower special composition. I can't promise when it will be done but right now I'm halfway through it.
First Time :P
Did any of y'all create horrible pieces of music the first time you joined Musescore?
favorite film music
do your have a favorite film music?
what about it makes it your favorite?
(what is muic?)
Posting music online without having the instrument sounds go haywire
It is really great that musescore now can let you post your compositions online with the same soundfonts and thus the same sound you hear on your own home computer, or wherever you do your composing. No more frustrations of having the posted compositions sounding different from what you wanted. Under file, click save online and check the box for importing your composition's sound. Nice.
how important is it to have a perfect looking score?
I wonder about this as a number of commenters seem highly critical of compositions that aren't according to musical conventions - with instruments out of order in the score, instruments being played outside their normal musical range, or absence or misuse of musical notations.
Welcome new members
Glad you are here, hope to hear some of you funny, silly, inane, bizarre works soon. Have fun while you are here.
Almost reached 50 follower milestone
If you don't know already, I am now almost at 50 followers. Currently I have 39 followers so just 11 more and I will have reached the 50 follower mark. I had maybe like 4 followers 2 years ago. So clearly, I'm doing something right. My most recent score called The Storm just brought me 2 more followers. I suppose they followed me hoping to someday see the entire suite that I plan on The Storm being a part of. That suite I call Weather Music. Maybe I should compose another part of the suite for that 50 followers mark, upload it when I reach 50 followers, and then whenever I have finished the suite, upload it in its entirety.
If you want to listen to what I have so far of The Storm, here it is:
It just so happens that I have been getting rain for 3 days straight here in Ohio.
Update 1: 6/18/2019
Oh my goodness, 4 followers in a single day. That is a record for me, I am now at 43 followers. I don't know if the follower milestone or finishing the composition will come first. If the follower count does come first, that's fine. I'm not pushing myself to finish the 50 follower composition.
Update 2: 6/19/2019
Wow, 5 followers in 1 day. I don't think I will finish my 50 follower composition before I reach 50 followers. Often my composition process is slow, so don't be surprised if a week has passed and I still haven't finished the composition yet. I will get it done when I get it done. I emphasize quality over quantity with my compositions.
Update 3: 6/24/2019
I'm just 1 away from reaching the 50 followers mark. As for the composition, I'm about halfway through composing it.
Fun emoticons (by way of Stuart D)
😱..... 😨..... 😴😴😴😴.. 🎆😀
Violin vs Stroh violin
Violin vs Stroh violin?
Which is better?
The Violin with the Horn or Stroh Violin is a specific instrument , although invented by the Englishman Augustus Stroh. It can be said that Stroh Violin represents Bihor County. The biggest musicians on the Crişului Repede valley are the beloved Căbuţă Gheorghe "Stângaciu" and Mitică Negrean, who are part of the professional orchestra "Crişana". The bihorian folklore is represented by the "Crişana" Artistic Professional Ensemble of the Oradea State Philharmonic in tours abroad and in the country, which was founded in 1998 on the structure of Crişana Orchestra, a professional orchestra with a tradition of more than 50 years. From the very beginning, the orchestra had the purpose of processing the popular song. At present the "Crişana" Professional ensemble is among the first folk ensembles in the country. The soloists of the ensemble are Cornel Borza, Leontin Ciucur, Luminiţa Tomuţă, Viorica Bradea, Cornelia Covaciu, Voichiţa Mihoc, Felicia Costin and Florinul Bihorului:Florica Duma, Florica Ungur, Florica Zaha,Florica Bradu and the most famous instrumentalists are Gheorghe Rada, Stângaciu, Mitică Negrean, Adi Miclăuş, Liviu Butiu and Petre Frasin.
Stroh violin
It is not known for sure that the violin violin used by Bihor tars was the same as that created by John Matthias Augustus Stroh (1899-1949). At a closer look there are important differences. The Bihor coroner's violin is much softer than those created by Stroh. Of course, it's original, because the violin in the picture above is an unfinished copy. Those who have had the opportunity to see the Bihor tool closely can easily notice differences. Unfortunately, we are not known craftsmen of the violin. Stroh violin is likely to be used in Transylvania before 1900. According to some reports, the game came to the village musicians with "van, taragoata (taragot not clarinet) and Stroh violin (or fiddle as it is called in the Apuseni Mountains) ". Another local instrument name: "higheghe with tolcer" (higheghe = violin, tolcer = funnel) In Central and Western Europe, the violin was not successful, because it was used on classical music scores (Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, etc.), not forgetting that this instrument produces tonalities specific to lute music, tones which is very good compared to the established violin. It is interesting to note that in Bihor the viticulture with the goat does not have the same success in the listeners. The European studies on the distribution of musical instruments and their tradition record the presence of the violin with the goarna only in the eastern part of Hungary, on most of the border with Romania, and not in Romania, from where they actually took over the Gypsy tarafs.
we should spam discussions so that we have more than RSA
pleaz spam discussions
Thinking of making a separate account for symphonies
So, I have been planning out my first symphony. I gave it the nickname "The War Symphony". It still isn't flushed out yet but I have decided to have it be a programmatic symphony with this movement structure:
First Movement:
Key: Bb major
Aspect: Battle
Form: Sonata Form
Second Movement:
Key: F minor
Aspect: Death
Form: Not decided on yet but I'm leaning towards ternary form
Third Movement:
Key: Not decided on
Aspect: Battle again
Form: Scherzo and Trio
Key: Bb major
Aspect: Victory
Form: Sonata-Rondo Form
The first movement is what I have flushed out the most out of all the movements so far in my plans so obviously, that will be the part I work on first. But I'm wondering, since I can't really afford a Pro membership(maybe a few years down the line I will be able to afford it but I can't currently), should I make a separate account to put my symphony score on once it is finished? And if so, should that account be just for my symphonies if I happen to want to compose more than 1 symphony?
Famous last words?
"I'll save you!"
(Insert more below.)


text:
Travelling to Cyprus is very easy. The documentation required varies, depending on your nationality. A valid passport is required for a stay of up to 90 days for all bonafide tourists except citizens of European Union countries, Switzerland , Iceland , Liechtenstein and Norway who may enter Cyprus with their national identity card provided it bears a photo. Some non-EU third country nationals require a visa. Further detailed information can be obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The legal ports of entry into the Republic of Cyprus are the airports of Larnaka (Larnaca) and Pafos (Paphos) and the ports of Larnaka (Larnaca), Lemesos (Limassol), Latsi and Pafos (Paphos), which are situated in the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Entry into the territory of the Republic of Cyprus via any other port or airport in which the Government of the Republic does not exercise effective control (Turkish occupied areas) is illegal.
Detailed information concerning Cyprus's Embassies and High Commissions abroad can be obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
If you are coming from an EU Member State , you are allowed to bring your pets to Cyprus provided they possess either a passport or an Animal Health Certificate. But, if you are coming from a non-EU country, you will also need a Vaccination Certificate (especially showing vaccination against rabies).
Please also note the following:
- Animals should be transported in cages made in accordance to IATA specifications.
- Animals and their accompanying documents are inspected on arrival by the Veterinary Officer or by the duty Customs Officer acting on behalf of the Veterinary Services.
- Animals that fulfil the relevant veterinary provisions will be allowed to enter without being subject to quarantine.
- The Veterinary Officer in charge decides on the basis of the relevant veterinary provisions whether the animal will be quarantined or not.
The date, time of arrival and flight number of the aircraft or the name of the vessel with which the animal is due to arrive in Cyprus must be communicated to the District Veterinary Officer at the point of entry, 48 hours prior to arrival.
The following breeds of dogsare not allowed into the Republic of Cyprus regardless of their country of origin.
- American Pitbull Terrier; Pitbull Terrier
- Japanese Tosa; Tosa Inu
- Dogo Argentino; Argentinean Mastiff
- Fila Brasileiro; Brazilian Mastiff
Further information can be obtained from the Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment.
Every person entering Cyprus is entitled to import the following duty free articles (not intended for commercial purposes), provided they are carried in the passengers' hand luggage or accompanying baggage:
800 cigarettes 400 cigarillos 200 cigars 1kg of tobacco
10 litres of spirits 20 litres fortified wine, (such as port or sherry) 90 litres of wine (of which, a maximum of 60 litres of sparkling wine) 110 litres of beer
Travellers under the age of seventeen are not entitled to duty free tobacco products and alcohol.


text:
How to read XML File in Java
JAXP - Java API for XML Parsing
Parse XML File in Java using DOM Parser
Further Reading
The Complete Java Masterclas - Updated for Java 11
RESTFul Services in Java using Jersey
Core Java, Volume II--Advanced Features
Blog about Java, Programming, Spring, Hibernate, Interview Questions, Books and Online Course Recommendations from Udemy, Pluralsight, Coursera, etc
I really liked your post, can you please cover something about JAXB, XStream, Jibx also, it will be very useful
Thanks Anonymous, I would definitely try to cover more about JAXB, Xstream, Xerces etc.
Tried a bunch of .java files for parsing my XML file. This was the only one that worked, and it was the shortest as well. Thanks!
Thnks Man :)
This is very helpful THANK U VERY MUCH
I have a request can u plz write article on "web services" that will b a great help
again thanks man
@Anonymous, Thanks glad to hear that your like this Java XML tutorial on reading XML files. Sure, I will definitely try to write article on web services. by the way I have shared some web services Interview question on REST, you may find useful: REST and SOAP web service Interview Questions Answers
I was looking for a Simple Java program to read XML file which should be capable to read real world practical xml file, validate xml files against provided XSD or DTD etc. I can still use your Java program for first part just reading xml files but I am not sure how to validate XML files against XSD or DTD. Can you please help.
You can also use XML beans to read from XML File. xml beans are much simpler and provide more control. you just need an XSD file (XML Schema file), compile that schema and XML Bean compiler will generate classes which can than be used to read any content, element from XML file, update elements in XML and remove stuff from XML documents.
check out vtd-xml its a relatively new technology of parsing xml files and much faster than conventional DOM and SAX parser.
you can also use JDOM parser for parsing xml files, its much better than DOM and SAX parsers.
thank you this very helpful for me,
but can you tell me about FACTORY CLASS and SaxParserFactory class in java?
This helps a lot! Thank! :)
By the way, is there a way to write data into XML file using Java as PL?
@Erieze, You can also modify or write data into XML using DOM or SAX parser, better way is to use XML Binding to Java objects for modifying XML documents form Java programming language. Open source library XML Beans or JAXB can be used to bind XML document to Java objects.
hi i am new to java, and using this in android,
No such file or directory error comming. Please let me know where to save stocks.xml
it is working fine in notepad+ but when i try to use the above 2 program in eclipse it is giving me an error. i have placed .xml file under the src folder and .java file under the package which is under the src folder again
@Anonymous, What error are you getting? Can you please post it here, must be related to classpath. I suggest try putting .xml file under project directory, just one level above src folder.
How do i put the xml file above the src folder?
Sir am wrking in jsp make xml file and after that i update node in xml file then it come on jsp page but chages reflect on jsp page after some time why?
Use this to save ur xml file : File stocks = new File("d:/stocks.xml");
If you have a node empty, for example: don't run.
private static String getValue(String tag, Element element) {
NodeList nodes = element.getElementsByTagName(tag).item(0).getChildNodes();
if (nodes.getLength()==0) {
return "";
else {
Node node = (Node) nodes.item(0);
return node.getNodeValue();
I am getting Red Lines
DocumentBuilder db = factory.newDocumentBuilder();
can u help
hi, how would i get the inner text of this xml document
your assistance would be highly appreciated


text:
Currently when the viewer establishes a connection to the server, we can have a prompt to allow the user to accept the connection.
I think it would be a good idea for the viewer have the option to also send the following to the server they are connecting to:
+ Name of the person (pulled from the Domain/Computer account information depending on type of account)
+ Domain\Computer they are connecting from OR Workgroup\Computer depending on the case.
+ Domain\User they are connecting with (especially useful for troubleshooting MSLOGIN authentication issues)
I know this won't really increase security much, but it would go along way towards making the connection and software look like a big name software.


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The situation in Tokyo is surreal at the moment because on the one hand you have trendy ladies shopping in the capital but on the other hand you have reports about radiation in tap water. It is difficult to fathom what reality is at the moment because some people feel deeply anxious while others are just getting on with life and enjoying the usual luxuries that Tokyo provides.
During March 23 you could feel the power of further earthquakes in the Fukushima region in the morning but is seems so natural these days because of the frequency. It is factual that Japan is hit by earthquakes throughout the year but many are minor and cause no damage; however, since March 11 it appears that it is never ending.
The earthquake of March 11 caused fear and alarm in Tokyo and this was despite escaping relatively unscathed unlike the tragic tragedy which hit Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and other coastal regions in this part of Japan.
However, the recent earthquakes in Fukushima and so many other places are not creating the same fear because they are not so potent and destructive. Also, the 9.0-magnitude earthquake which struck on March 11 is very rare and the tsunami it unleashed was beyond my imagination.
Yet the daily tremors are adding to the surreal nature of life in Tokyo because each tremor reminds you about the tragedy of Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and coastal regions which were hit by the tsunami. However, when you visit the centre of Tokyo you see people shopping, buying new fashion clothes, eating out, chatting with friends, and the usual things that happen during times of normality.
One minute I am in Lumine in Ikebukuro and browsing around many fashion shops and the next minute I am checking my computer and reading about radiation in tap water in Tokyo. At the same time I meet a client who is a little anxious but the next client cares little and says that things will get back to normal.
Therefore, confusion reigns and this applies to over-hype and under-hype and the Fukushima issue is the same. The British Embassy in Tokyo issues directives which state that currently the situation in Fukushima is not dangerous to Tokyo. However, other embassies have told or warned their nationals about the threat of radiation and other side effects from the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear plant crisis in Fukushima.
Officials today announced that tap water is unfit for babies because the radioactive iodine level in parts of Tokyo, have reached around twice the recommended safety level. Therefore, this news will set off new alarm bells to parents with babies and the knock on effect will generate fresh fear in some adults.
Of course the situation in Fukushima is much more dangerous and officials have announced that certain vegetables must be avoided. It is difficult to know if this announcement is based on real heightened concerns or if it is a precautionary measure because the pundits once more appear to have "no single voice."
In Fukushima the radioactive iodine is around three times the usual level and this applies to the exclusion zone part of Fukushima. While contamination outside the 20km zone applies to milk and some vegetables but according to government officials the current levels do not pose a threat to health
Ibaraki is also causing concerns and milk and parsley have been forbidden from being sent to the open market. While in Fukushima local producers have been told to keep their goods and not to send them to market because of radiation factors.
Yukio Edano, the Japanese Cabinet Secretary, commented that "Even if these foods are temporarily eaten, there is no health hazard."
"But unfortunately, as the situation is expected to last for the long term, we are asking that shipments stop at an early stage, and it is desirable to avoid intake of the foods as much as possible."
The government is also trying to make it clear that safety limits for radiation is extremely low and because of this it is essential that people do not come up with exaggerated claims or fears.
However, several nations are worried about the radiation factor and possible contamination therefore different nations are responding to the ongoing crisis in Fukushima.
The United States announced that milk, milk products, fresh fruits and vegetables are to be stopped from entering the market of America and this applies to four prefectures in Japan. The prefectures that have been listed are Fukushima, where the nuclear crisis is ongoing, Gunma, Ibaraki and Tochigi.
Other nations have also issued statements related to Japanese food imports. Nations in northeast Asia have began rigorous checks and the ongoing crisis in Fukushima is clearly going to be detrimental to local producers of food and other goods which are generating concerns.
However, turning back to Tokyo and the surreal nature of life it often appears that nothing ever happened to Japan. This applies to ladies dressed amicably, fashion stores being full of shoppers, watching children playing football or baseball, and enjoying a cup of coffee in Seijo and a delicious chocolate cake.
Also, while residents in Fukushima are worried about radiation and eating local produce I have just entered the Odakyu Ox shop in Seijo, Tokyo. All around I can see high quality produce in the supermarket and happy shoppers.
Life is certainly surreal because while Seijo in Tokyo is a wealthy area I know full well that around half a million people have been made homeless by the destructive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Fukushima.
I also know that so many people are in shellshock in Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and in coastal areas of other prefectures which were hit by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11. Therefore, you have mass numbers of grieving people and of course some towns and villages have been erased from the map along the coast.
The surreal nature of events can be found in the reality that while thousands of bodies are still missing in the worst hit areas of Japan; it is business like usual for millions of other people and buying the latest fashion brands in high quality shops can be seen all over Tokyo.
http://www.globalpost.com/webblog/japan/seijogakuenmae (Good photo images of Seijo)
http://www.seijo-corty.jp/shop/ (Seijo Shopping Centre


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Caveats / Warnings
(Re)-Load AIDA Frames / Menus
AIDA is a diabetes software simulator program which allows interested patients with diabetes and their relatives, as well as health-care professionals and students to experiment with insulin dosage and dietary adjustments on their own computers.
Users who wish to try out the freeware software should be aware that neither the simulations nor the "advice" provided have been formally verified; nor are they individualised for any particular patient.
Therefore it could be dangerous for someone with diabetes to follow the "advice" given or act on the results of the simulated data.
Users should be aware that AIDA can only be regarded as an "educated guess" as to what might happen to a diabetic patient following a change in either insulin or diet. Furthermore, this guess is based on a large number of assumptions which may not all apply to all people with diabetes. Given this, the output from AIDA should be regarded as only applying to hypothetical cases (or "imaginary" patients), and not to a single real subject. Good diabetes care requires the input of a doctor or diabetes specialist supported by a team of specialist nurses, dieticians, diabetes educators, pharmacists, chiropodists, etc... AIDA is not a replacement for such a team.
Rather AIDA should simply be regarded as a 'toy' which some patients and health-care workers have found fun and interesting to use. It is provided here free-of-charge in the hope that more people may find it of some use.
Changes in therapy should be discussed with your doctor. The authors hereby disclaim any liability for the use of this freeware software.
AIDA can be re-distributed free-of-charge with the explicit proviso that the introductory caveats remain with the rest of the system. The authors also cordially request that AIDA not be distributed or packaged up with any other software or system without their prior written (hard copy) consent. Please click here for a form to contact us.
Return to Top of Page If you like AIDA, why not display our logo on your home page? For more information about linking to the AIDA Website please click here.
Return to AIDA Website Home Page AIDA is a freeware diabetes software simulator program of glucose-insulin action + insulin dose & diet adjustment in diabetes mellitus. It is intended purely for education, self-learning and / or teaching use. It is not meant for individual blood glucose prediction or therapy planning. Caveats
This Web page was last updated on 8th December, 2000. (c) www.2aida.org, 2000. All rights reserved. Disclaimer. For the AIDA US Mirror Site, please click here. For the Diabetes / Insulin Tutorial, please click here.


text: Share: October 11, 2009 I have written a number of columns in the Poughkeepsie Journal and elsewhere about the current scientific understanding of climate change, mercury pollution, the ozone hole and vernal pools.Before writing each piece, I reviewed recent articles published in scholarly journals. The information in these articles has withstood peer review, a process in which a panel of impartial experts has scrutinized the work's academic merit.Often, I send an early draft of my columns to other scientists for their comment and opinion. My goal is to tell the story the best I can with all the knowledge we now possess in less than 800 words. I love a good debate on all issues of science, and I hoped the growing popularity of blogs, Web sites and reader comments would facilitate constructive interaction.Unfortunately, I am increasingly frustrated by how these forums are used.All too frequently, articles based on sound science are countered with misinformation posited as fact. Climate change is one example. Reports generated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have unequivocally linked human activities to the changing climate. Conclusions were based on input from 2,500 scientific expert reviewers, more than 800 contributing authors and more than 450 lead authors.Yet articles on climate change are magnets for comments about how the Earth is naturally cooling, how volcanoes are the major source of rising carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere and how the Greenland ice sheet just isn't melting (despite NASA's extensive documentation).While these views can be traced to partisan Web sites, political think tanks and ideological groups, they are not based on facts.When weighing the value of information read online, I would encourage readers to turn a skeptical eye to the source. There are hundreds of agenda-driven outlets in the blogosphere; even the Flat Earth Society still has its advocates. I recently stumbled on a list of 31,000 scientists against global warming, but a careful examination of the list showed it to contain the names of cell biologists, animal nutritionists and others lacking the credentials to evaluate the science of the issue at hand.Research into environmental change is challenging; I have been researching human effects on the planet for nearly 40 years and have published more than 100 papers on the topic. Scientists often must look back into the geologic record, where cause-and-effect is obscure and experimentation impossible.The best science survives only after careful scrutiny by a wide circle of scientists whose expertise cuts across relevant disciplines.When educating yourself about environmental issues, how should you decide what is good science and what is junk science?First, I recommend reading long-established publications that report science to the public. Start with Discover, National Geographic, Scientific American, Science News or the science pages of The Economist. If you are hardy, move onto Science Magazine, the New Scientist or Nature.Second, I'd write (e-mail is fine) scientists at your local colleges and universities to ask their opinion on specific questions in their area of expertise (check their department's Web site). Don't bias their response by telling them what you think; merely ask them what they think about something specific. You'll be surprised at how many of them will respond to a question asked without bias.Third, I'd avoid getting information from Web sites and newsletters from groups with an obvious agenda.Land developers are not likely to favor the protection of vernal pools, electric utilities are not likely to report on the connection between global warming and coal and fishermen are not likely to advocate limits on their catch. Those who have no vested interest in whether mercury is removed from the atmosphere are apt to give you the best opinion on the problems mercury might cause in the environment.Fourth, I'd avoid getting information from blogs or newspaper comment pages if they contain political undertones, personal attacks, profanity and capitalization for emphasis. A comment should be signed with the full name of the person posting the material; if they need to hide behind an Internet signature, it's probably not worth reading.Finally, think about the environment. What has happened to the Earth in your lifetime - places you remember and the nature you once enjoyed? What type of environment do you want to leave for the future? Share: Feature Study the source to sift sound science from bias › October 11, 2009


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Boston, MA Events go beyond the common party, more complex events can really benefit from the services of an experienced DJ and Event Production Company. An event produced by Crown Entertainment also includes award winning Djs and the latest in technology. Our ability to match the appropriate talent and equipment with your theme to create an event of great excitement and fun is fast becoming the reputation of Crown Entertainment.
Boston, MA DJ Packages
Our DJ packages vary depending on the event and services required. With many different features available, it is our goal to fit you into the package that best suits your needs. Each DJ package comes with a basic lighting effect and two uplights.
Uplighting Packages/Rates
We specialize in Uplighting, custom monograms and using a pin spot to highlight your cake, and/or centerpieces. We can customize any room to make it look unique. The final price will be determined after we contact the event location and view the venue.
Our Services
Don't take our word for it, read our reviews on Wedding Wire!


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You will find below information about Carcassonne airport. Use the links below to read detailed information about Carcassonne airport: location, route maps, live departures and arrivals etc.
Skyscanner allows you to find the cheapest flights to Carcassonne airport without having to enter specific dates or even destinations, making it the best place to find cheap flights for your trip to Carcassonne airport. Use the links at the side of the page to browse for flight information or use the flight search controls above to start a new search.
Airports near Carcassonne:
- Castres Mazamet airport (37km)
- Perpignan airport (69km)
- Beziers airport (84km)
- Toulouse airport (89km)
- Rodez airport (133km)
- See all airports in France.


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Real Food. Real Beer. Real Historic Atmosphere.
That's what you'll find at The Brewerie at Union Station, rated one of the best restaurants in Erie, PA.
We are Erie's brewpub & restaurant serving up fresh handcrafted ales paired with a unique menu of exceptional quality.
Come & join us for a meal in the breathtaking Rotunda. Grab a booth or
pull up a stool in the old Tap Room. Maybe you'd like something a
little more intimate? How about private balcony seating for two? Or
perhaps it's a thrill you're seeking? Then join us for summers in the
Trackside Beer Garden where you can enjoy a pint of ale as the trains
go barreling by.
No other Erie restaurants give you so much atmosphere and great food
and beer for such a reasonable price.
For whatever taste or whatever occasion - you'll find more than you
expect and as much as you deserve here at The Brewerie at Union
Don't forget that we're available for your next event. The Brewerie at
Union Station features one of the best banquet halls in Erie with
our tremendous staff, delicious food, wonderful atmosphere and
reasonable prices.
"Revitalizing Downtown Erie One Pint at a Time!"


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Mr. Speaker, I would ask your indulgence because I also have three petitions to present.
The first petition is from citizens of Ontario. It is an electronic petition. It was signed by 703,086 Canadians from across the country. They state that there is currently no election law at the federal level that allows elected politicians to be removed from Parliament, so the petitioners are calling on the House of Commons and Parliament as a whole to pass a bill that allows for recall referendums.


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When it comes to elder care safety in a loved one's home, the bathroom is one of the first rooms you should focus on.
According to research by the CDC, persons between the age of 75 and 85 are twice as likely as the average person to suffer a nonfatal injury in the bathroom. For those over age 85, the risk of an injury goes up to more than four times that of the average person. In its report, the CDC noted: "This study found that older adults had the highest fracture rates and were hospitalized most often… Preventing falls and subsequent injuries in this vulnerable older population is critical."
With this in mind, here are 7 areas where bathroom safety can improve your ability to care for an elderly family member.
Bonus Tip: Toilet safety is just as important as shower/bathtub safety. In fact, the CDC's study on elder care bathroom safety showed that seniors are more likely to injure themselves while sitting down on, getting up from, or using the toilet than they are to injure themselves in the shower or bathtub.
Finally, elder care bathroom safety can always be improved by having someone around to look after your loved one. Whether that person is a relative, a friend, or a home care provider – like those provided by Visiting Angels – having someone nearby greatly reduces your loved one's risk of injury in the bathroom.
If your loved one could use a hand around the house, call Visiting Angels today to learn about our home care services. Our Angel companions can help with personal care needs including bathing, toileting and dressing. We also provide assistance with activities of daily living including meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, and help running errands. We can help your loved one live safely at home.
Other Articles
You were such a comfort to me and my grandmother before her death. Your caregivers are a godsend!
You were such a comfort to me and my grandmother before her death. Your caregivers are a godsend!


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Taste Test: The Best Chocolate Chips for Chocolate Chip Cookies
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.
It started with Serious Eats editor Erin Zimmer and general manager Alaina Browne innocently browsing through the latest See's catalog. See's sells chocolate chips? Really? That's when they were struck with a chocolate chip taste-test vision: 10 brands, 12 tasters, 120 cookies.
I had often wondered how the many brands of chocolate chips would stack up against one another. Even though I usually bake with bittersweet chocolate, we tested the semisweet chips, arguably the classic choice for chocolate chip cookies. The chips ranged from widely available brands like Toll House and Hershey's to the more hard-to-come-by and pricey brands like Scharffen Berger and Barry Callebaut, which arrived at my home in space-age packing material, nestled among ice packs. And while they all carried the semi-sweet label, the actual cocoa content varied (Scharffen Berger listed 62% cocoa and Callebaut listed 49.9%, for example).
In a blind tasting, 12 tasters (a panel of Serious Eats staffers, contributors, and the first-ever "citizen taster" from the SE community) smelled, examined, and ate the chocolate chips plain and in freshly baked cookies. Truly arduous, serious work.
As we nibbled our way through the cookies, one finding became very clear. We like big chips. Most of the chips we tested had the classic chip size and shape: a pea-sized kiss. The one brand of mini-chips that we tested (Guittard) did not go over well, despite their tastiness when eaten on their own. As one taster explained, "These cookies are speckled. I can't taste speckles." But the big chips (Scharffen Berger and See's) were big hits. The tasters universally liked biting into substantial pockets of molten chocolate.
In fact, we found a lot to like among these ten brands and our favorites were largely determined by our personal chocolate preferences.
The Big Winners
Best Supermarket Brand: Trader Joe's. Not too sweet, with a touch of toffee flavor and just a hint of bitterness, we found Trader Joe's to be a great alternative to the more expensive Callebaut.
Best Fancypants Brand: Scharffen Berger Generous chunks, almost bittersweet chocolate taste, and ultra smoothness.
Find out the rest of the results in the slideshow »
When it comes to chocolate, are there really any losers?
In the final analysis, no chip was truly awful, unless you ask certain tasters about Nestle Toll House. This was the most polarizing chip. Most gave it the lowest scores possible, while a few outliers liked it quite a bit. It ended up at the bottom of the heap. Don't write it off completely though—you may find you love it.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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The last thing Fred remembered before the depot attendant grabbed one of his shoulders, pulling him away from the angry mob, was a flash of bright light that blinded the stars far above. The thunderous expression on Albus Dumbledore's face swam underneath this light as the powerful old wizard made his way towards a backtracking Claudius Ptolemy.
When Fred opened his eyes again, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet to avoid toppling over, there was an assault of sunlight on his eyelids and a constant stream of instructions already issuing from the depot attendant's mouth.
The attendant clutched something small and shiny in his hands, faintly emitting a bluish sheen – which Fred realized belatedly was a Portkey. "Not allowed to interact with anyone, not allowed to be seen," he was saying crisply. Fred noticed that he looked considerably different from the last time he'd seen him – he looked younger somehow, and his eyebrows weren't as thick and dark.
"You are not allowed to use magical means of transportation that can be tracked by their Ministry of Magic," he prattled on, reciting this speech from memory, "including but not limited to: The Floo Network, Apparition, the Knight Bus, the Hogwarts Express, and Portkeys. Muggle transportation in all forms is strictly prohibited.
"You are not to bring attention to yourself in any way – which includes speaking loudly, purposefully walking out in the open without magical concealment, and attempting to interfere with the lives of living humans. As a precautionary measure, certain spells and jinxes have been restricted from your wand's normal capabilities, and you will find yourself unable to perform them should you attempt to try."
Fred was barely paying attention to him, squinting all around while his nerves seized with shock. A tower glinted at him in the distance, a chunk of its roof missing. "Hogwarts?" he inquired breathlessly, forehead heavily creased in bewilderment. "Scotland? You took me to Scotland?"
"You are in Hogsmeade, yes," the attendant responded, a shade put out that he had been interrupted. "I see your geography skills have not improved. Never seem to know quite where you are, do you?"
"Hang on," Fred interrupted again, and held up his hand as if to physically stop the attendant from speaking. "You said I'm not allowed to use Ministry-regulated transport? Or Muggle?"
The attendant sighed, giving a long roll of the eyes. "Are you going to ask me to repeat every little thing I say? I am busy, you know. Lots of people dying and all that, needing to be ushered into boats. But to answer you, yes. Eschewing Muggle and Ministry of Magic-regulated travel is obligatory."
"How exactly am I supposed to get to Devon, then?"
The attendant simply stared at him. "Devon, you say? Well, I suppose that you will have to walk, won't you?"
Fred's face flushed an angry red. "Devon's in the south of England!" he yelled. "How the hell am I supposed to get all the way down there within twenty-four hours?"
The attendant's reply was brusque. "Walk quickly." Without waiting for Fred to talk again (which Fred couldn't have done even if he'd wanted to, he was so upset), he said, "Abide by the rules and you will be eligible to compete in the tournament next year. Try anything funny that will get yourself noticed and you'll be severely punished for it. As you well know, Cliodna's Clock has two Seers who will hear about it if a dead man publicly resurfaces in Britain.
"I will be waiting in this exact location" – he paused and gestured to a signpost that pointed to Hogwarts in one direction and Hogsmeade Village in the other – "with this Portkey in precisely twenty-four hours from now. If you are not here waiting for me, I will come get you. I assure you that there is nowhere in this world that you can hide from me."
His face perceptibly darkened. "If I have to come in and remove you by force, Mr. Weasley, you'll be going somewhere much more unpleasant upon your return to the afterlife."
And with a wink and a pop, he was gone.
Fred wasted six valuable minutes standing exactly where he was, seething. So this was his 'prize' for enduring five rounds of hellish anxiety? To be cast off in a place where he would care very little about anyone he might recognize and be denied the right to see his family in England, whom he'd entered the tournament to visit in the first place?
And it had all been done on purpose, too, with the attendant or Ptolemy or whoever was in charge of this ridiculous scheme choosing a drop-off location that was too far away to feasibly fit a visit at the Burrow into his allotted twenty-four hours…
Fred stared grimly at the outline of Hogwarts castle, eyes narrowing. Luckily for him, he was not one to give up easily.
Since he had recently been to Hogwarts, albeit within a memory, he had no immediate desires to return. It might have been interesting if it were September and the school was in functioning condition, so that at least he would be able to get a glimpse of Ginny, but it was only July and Hogwarts was still in a state of brutal disrepair.
With only one other option, Fred turned tail and headed down the road into Hogsmeade. It was quite hot out but the dirt was stained almost black, hinting that it had rained recently and the sun had yet to evaporate all of it out of the ground. Humidity made his hair cling to the back of his neck, shirt sticking to his skin, but Fred observed none of this. He was so consumed with raw wonder, with that familiar, disorienting sensation of déjà vu all over again, and was also so incredibly elated to be home – to be really home, not just inside a Pensieve – that he did not think he would ever find anything in this perfect, wonderful world to complain about.
The first thing Fred decided to do was cast a Disillusionment Charm over himself and search out a clock so that he could see what time it was, thereby figuring out when to be back at the signpost. He halfway hoped that the attendant might forget to show up or suffer a fit of compassion and just let him stay here forever, but he knew better than to dwell on this happy dream for too long. It would only lead to bitter disappointment.
No, today there was not room for dejection, for self-pity. Today was all he had, his only consolation for surviving when Colin was scheduled to die within hours, so Fred would take this gift in both hands and appreciate it as much as possible.
The little things stuck out the most to him, things he'd forgotten all about – the horizon, namely. In all directions he could see mountains, valleys, lakes. He could see the blurred shapes of faraway towns, with tiny people in them moving about their days. None of them had any idea that a ghost walked in their midst, and couldn't possibly know how lucky they were to be able to do the simplest things like working and listening to the Wireless and visiting friends.
What Fred wouldn't give to be able to work again! To serve a purpose, trading his service and goods for money, for loyal consumer support. What he wouldn't do to hike for days, never once being thwarted by the tiny perimeter of an island barred on all sides by inescapable ocean! Every step reminded him of what he'd been missing since his death, what he knew now he never should have taken for granted. But none of these floating thoughts affected him as much as what he saw next.
Over to his left, just before the rest of Hogsmeade fell into a quick succession of shops, the Shrieking Shack loomed high on a hill. Small monuments poked out of the soil on the lower half of the hill, rolling steadily downward. Having been to Hogsmeade in his youth more than most other students, George excluded, he knew this village like the back of his hand. Those monuments had not been there a few months ago.
He knew, in a queasy stirring in the pit of his stomach, what he would find as he drew closer to the gates. He could already read some of the names – Severus Snape was there, and a slew of other names he recognized but could not believe: Jack Sloper, Lisa Turpin, Owen Cauldwell, Anthony Goldstein, Demelza Robins, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Romilda Vane, Daphne Greengrass. Situated just behind Daphne's grave, as if hiding, was a plain gray slab bearing the name Orla Emily Quirke. There was no inscription, no religious quotes to sum up her life. Her dates of birth and death were not even included.
Fred felt a flood of disquiet barrel through his bones and blood, prickling at his skin. Remus and Nymphadora Lupin shared the same gravestone, though it was a large, handsome alabaster one and featured hand-carved roses blooming over both of their names. Fred's eyes passed across many other names, newly sickened each time he read one that brought a specific face or memory to mind. He couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't seen them in Cliodna's Clock. If they were dead, shouldn't they have met up by now?
Where exactly were they?
Colin Creevey's grave was notably absent, lending Fred to think that his parents had buried him elsewhere, probably closer to their home. For a few minutes he started to think that maybe his parents had done the same with his body, and he smiled at the idea of resting somewhere near the Burrow; but this thought was quickly stamped out when he finally saw his own name. He had to read it three times just to absorb that it was truly there.
Fred stood on top of his grave, staring with wide, unseeing eyes down at the 1 April, 1978 – 2 May, 1998. In this cemetery devoted to those slain in the Battle of Hogwarts that occurred just a short ways away, the real Fred Weasley was lying utterly still underneath a granite marker with both eyes closed, heart not beating, lungs not breathing.
He could not comprehend it.
Fred inhaled several light, rapid breaths that made his head feel lightweight and dizzy. He was right there, under the grass, under his own shoes. Fred. The decomposing Fred, the one who would wither and age when the newer version of Fred could not. Even though Fred was now temporarily in the world of the living, and somehow mortal once more, as soon as he returned to Cliodna's Clock he would freeze again in time, never aging, never physically moving forward.
What would happen to him if he were to die here before his twenty-four hours expired? Would there be two Fred Weasleys buried on earth? Would he once again find himself thrashing in an ultramarine sea near the depot, waiting to jump in a boat and zoom off to the tiny, claustrophobic little island? Maybe he only got the one chance to appear in the afterlife immediately following death, and if he died here again then his soul would be gone forever.
Before he could dwell too much on what he might look like under there in his coffin, morbid thoughts creeping into the back of his mind with grotesque images of a putrefying corpse, he strolled briskly away from the cemetery. He had the rest of eternity to think about death. Today must not be wasted on such unwanted imaginings.
With every person he passed, all of them unaware of the Disillusioned man weaving between them, Fred hoped to see someone he knew. The miniature needles of someone's wristwatch informed him that he had until noon tomorrow to get back to the signpost. He concluded it would be wisest to give himself at least an hour to spare, just so that he wouldn't risk being late and having to go to the Grotta.
It would have been lovely to linger, but Fred had more important things to be getting on with than admiring the neatly-pruned lane or crunch of gravel under his feet, many trails of laughter drifting out of many chimneys to gather in the sky like a fog. And so when Fred happened across a broomstick leaning against the back door of the Hog's Head, he took it without a second thought.
Ahh, he thought to himself with a satisfied smile, trailing his fingers across the engraved Cleansweep serial number. Broomstick travel, he knew, was not regulated by the Ministry. Looks like I've just found my loophole.
By evening, Fred had arrived in Norfolk, in a Muggle town by the name of Henley. His skin was cold and damp from flying through a nonstop shroud of mist that had descended over the East Midlands, and his bottom was stiff after several hours of sitting astride a broomstick that must have been designed more for actual cleaning than cross-country travel. This region of England was very much out of the way for him, seeing as how he could have just cut over Wales to reach Devon, but Fred was operating as more than just one person today, with more than one set of concerns and wishes.
The house was wider than it was tall, constructed from pine logs that shone like honey. The sun was already settling between yellow-capped daisy hills, burning right through the back of Fred's head. He held up one arm to shield his eyes from its rays, tilting his broom against a clump of untended foxglove. In this lighting, the windows reflected blood-red. Striations of dust and pollen swirled in the pretty, blazing light; Fred moved through one of them, disrupting the flow of wind and air. He was not a memory, not a ghost. Here, for a fleeting space of time, he was just as alive and solid as everything around him.
A letterbox poked out of flowering honeysuckle, their coral-pink petals occupied by bees. They buzzed uneasily when he opened the half-circle door to the letterbox, hearing and smelling a trespasser but not seeing one. Fred withdrew a thick envelope from the pocket of his robes and stuffed it inside.
He was going to turn around again, ready to pick up Aberforth Dumbledore's broomstick so that he could continue southwest to Ottery St. Catchpole, when he heard a bird-like warble trilling from somewhere inside the house. Against his every impulse, Fred tread the rest of the long drive and began to investigate its windows.
Andromeda stood in the kitchen, her back turned to him, and was busying herself preparing a stew. The next window over showed an empty, dim sitting room. Stale light barely penetrated the space, not touching upon deep shadows along the ceiling and corners. He moved along to the very last window on the ground floor, situated on the corner so that sunset could bathe the small bedroom in buttery colors.
In the corner of the pastel nursery, a woman with long, white-blonde hair was rocking in a chair with a baby in her arms. The infant was not quite asleep yet, though his eyes were heavy, and one chubby fist had wrapped itself around a tuft of the woman's hair. She sang to Teddy until the little boy's eyes fluttered closed at last, long eyelashes shadowing his cheeks. Now that Teddy was a bit older, beginning to take shape, Fred could spot the traces of Remus in him, and Tonks, too.
Narcissa looked so in love with the small child that he couldn't bring himself to hate her.
Eyes glistening in spite of himself, Fred glanced around the room until his gaze alighted on a carriage clock that looked just like the one he used to own. Seven 'o clock. He grimaced. That broomstick was rubbish – barely quicker than vehicular commute. Judging by its unsteady wobbling over Lincolnshire, it would take every bit of two hours to reach Devon.
Two hours from home.
Fred slipped away from the window, hesitance unfurling in his small, dragging steps. Was he mentally ready to acquaint his sore eyes with the Burrow? To see its jagged peaks climbing into the twilight…to hear happy voices making a racket within, to witness dinner or Arthur's unwinding stories about his day at work… His heart swelled in his chest just thinking about it, but that happiness was soon enveloped in fear.
He had a responsibility to himself to stay sane. After all, he was only too aware that his hours were numbered, that he would soon have to return to Cliodna's Clock for a year at the very least before he could even hope to enter the tournament again. What are you thinking? Fred inwardly snapped. Weren't you just one hundred percent against ever entering that stupid tournament again? Think of the risk. Don't forget what you've just been through.
He sighed sadly, an invisible man screening the front garden of Andromeda's house. It was difficult to remember those problems when he was here, on earth. He'd never been privy to anything more beautiful. "What a gift," he said to no one in particular, head tilting. "What a miracle, and none of them even realize just how lucky they are to be here, with their homes and families."
More anxious thoughts about whether or not he would be emotionally capable of handling seeing his family again stalled his determination. With cold footsteps of panic, he wandered without direction into town. It was much easier to immerse himself in a place where he didn't know anyone, wouldn't recognize anyone. He could walk much more freely, his head consumed with things like 'Maybe they're not even at home…they could all be gone' and 'You know that as soon as you step foot in that garden, it's going to destroy you to leave it a few hours later' while he was circling aimlessly in a foreign town that had no connection to his former life.
It was a risky game, weighing the benefits of seeing his loved ones against the hurt he was going to inflict against himself when he had to turn around and leave much too soon for his liking.
By the time he'd scraped together a flavorless meal in a pub (he nicked things off other people's plates when they weren't looking), it was half nine. Watching the stars pop against the night sky, a calm peace spread throughout him. It would take away all of the pressure to simply not go to Devon. He would not have to face the pain of seeing them only briefly, and would be free to imagine that flying home would only have been a waste of time because for all he knew, they weren't even there.
It was midnight when he mounted his broomstick. The first twelve hours of his prize had been squandered away, wasted. The next twelve he would leave entirely up to impulse. He grasped the stick in both hands, projecting himself off the ground with a hard left kick. Northwest or southwest?
Two oil lamps had been lit on either side of a broad fireplace to cast light upon a row of gleaming medals spaced across the mantle. There were seven medals in all (the family had collectively received ten of them, but Bill and Fleur of course kept theirs at their own house and George's was with him in London), lying on beds of purple silk. While every single one of these Order of Merlins were First Class, all of them were blue except for the one in the center, which was gold.
Mrs. Weasley polished them every day, taking care to pay the most attention to the gold one, the medal that told visitors that they had lost a member of their family in the war.
The Mrs. Weasley in question had scarcely left the sitting room all day or well into the night, whose hours were steadily creeping in on her. Various other Weasleys came and went, just as curious as she, but there wasn't enough room for them all in the cozy, cramped little room. Most of them chose to sit in the adjacent kitchen and search each other for dismal conversation, trying to distract themselves from the oddity of the day. A few of them were asleep by now, being two in the morning, but there was no room in Molly's thoughts for sleep.
Ginny peeped around the corner into the sitting room, her hand against the door frame. A basket of unfolded laundry lay disregarded on the floor, and the dishes in the sink had yet to be touched. "Mum?"
Molly didn't seem to hear her. She was still staring raptly at her special clock, glazed eyes fixed on the hand representing Fred Weasley. Since his death, the hand had pointed to 'Lost', which was a source of constant grief for Molly. Her husband had suggested moving the clock to the attic so that she wouldn't have to look at it, wouldn't see the daily reminder, but she had refused. Today she didn't know whether or not she was regretful or glad she hadn't allowed it to be taken away; today, for many long hours, his hand had pointed ominously at 'Mortal Peril'. It now flitted between a handful of other locations, the most recent one being 'Traveling'.
"It's broken, Mum," Ginny said quietly. "It's got to be."
Molly's face was pale, sickly. "It's been correct about Percy and your father being at work all day. It showed Charlie at school this morning when he went to help with the rebuilding. George and Ron's whereabouts are right, as well."
As though he'd heard his name and dutifully joined them, Ron appeared at Ginny's side. He seemed just as uneasy about the clock as his mother, for he couldn't get Harry Potter's tale of almost crossing to the other side out of his head. Harry had heard posthumous stories straight from Dumbledore's mouth that were too detailed to have been imagined. He believed Harry. Though Dumbledore was dead, he had been conscious of the goings-on in Harry's life and had been watching him.
Had Fred been watching them, as well?
Ron and Ginny simultaneously moved into the sitting room, squeezing between the overstuffed armchairs and piles of books and cauldrons, to stand on either side of their mother. Together, the three of them kept a silent vigil under the clock. All of them wondered where Fred was, what he was doing, what sort of horrors had taken place to bring him to 'Mortal Peril' and what he was doing now that he seemed to have escaped that danger.
Ginny felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end before anything even happened, Molly and Ron's arms prickling with goosebumps. And when the hand on the clock that indicated 'Traveling' abruptly spun around the face of the magical instrument, they all jumped.
"Oh, my," Molly murmured under her breath, one hand over her mouth. She was weak in the knees with terror, with excitement and agony that made her intestines ache. Before she could rush over to the fireplace and Floo Arthur, to tell him to come home, Ginny's fingers found hers and prevented her from moving, pleading silently to remain put.
The house was as silent as a tomb while Fred's hand spun madly in circles around the clock, passing place after place he could be. Ron had taken several steps backward, stumbling into a small table, and although Ginny very much wanted to run into the kitchen, she found herself irrevocably rooted to the spot.
The world grew still as Fred's hand came to a rest on 'Home', and Ginny heard a soft thump as Molly Weasley fainted to the floor.
There was a flurry of voices, of limbs. George pushed his way in front of everyone, nearly stepping on Percy's foot as he rushed hurriedly into the sitting room, wanting to see it for himself. When he reached the enchanted clock, he just stood there staring as if he wasn't really seeing it, expecting it to change back to 'Lost' – where it had been ever since his brother's death.
Harry Potter Apparated on the front lawn and entered the house without knocking, stumbling into Hermione Granger as he did so – who had just Floo'd into the kitchen fireplace. "Where?" she asked sharply. Harry pointed towards the sitting room, where a dense crowd of people waited silently for George to form some sort of sensible explanation.
But George could not speak. His face was bloodless.
"George, dear?" Molly tentatively hedged, brushing a ginger curl behind her ear. She looked like a mess, glancing around every so often in horrified but yearning anticipation that she might see her dead son hiding behind a cabinet or sofa, or looking down the stairwell at them all.
George half-turned, irises clouded over. Before his eyes settled upon her they roamed the length of a window, gaze unexpectedly sharpening as he did so. His shoulders became stiff, complexion draining of color to the point where his eyes looked like dark little holes next to such pale skin. Molly followed his line of vision, confused. "George?" she repeated. "Are you all right?" She surveyed the window again, frowning. "Do you see something out there?"
He looked at her, lips parting slightly. "No."
She inched closer to him, holding one arm out to pull him to her. "No, you're not all right, or no, you don't see something?" she pressed.
George swallowed, staring at the clock again. "It's nothing," he replied dully. "Just got spooked by my reflection." There was a long minute of thick, suffocating silence, with several pairs of eyes boring holes into his own, and finally he could stand it no more. "It's broken, Mum," he said. "Fred is dead. He's not coming back. I'm going home to London, I can't really be around this." He leaned in to give her a swift peck on the cheek, and then strode smartly into the kitchen and through the door, slamming it closed behind him.
He took the long way around the back of the house, moving as quietly as possible, all the while trying to smother the irrational beat of his heart. His face was still whiter than the moon, all of the blood seemingly sapped from his body. But still, something urged him forward, yanking him by gravitational pull into the chicken-strewn vegetable patch, through the hedges and fields to a paddock where he had spent some of the best summers of his life.
A lone figure stood at the top of the hill, white moonlight flooding around him to bask his form in black shadow.
George's heart was now in his throat, pulsing violently. "Fred?"
The figure trotted closer, matching his gait beat for beat.
"And make Dad promise not to build any more flying cars," Fred told him, idly snapping a stick in half. They were sitting in the orchard, surrounded by trees that would muffle their voices and prevent them from being seen by prying eyes, but Fred consistently spoke in mutters and murmurs, scared of being overheard. Would Trelawney or Vablatsky tell on him if they saw what he was doing? What would the penalty for such a crime be?
"Why?" George wanted to know.
Fred shrugged. "Just in case."
"All right." George's mouth closed around the uttered words; he chanced another glimpse at Fred, still reeling. "I just…I can't believe that…that you're really here."
"I don't think I'm supposed to be," Fred whispered, just as pale as George. It was unnatural for him to behave this way, so quiet and nervous.
"What's happened to you?" George questioned, taken aback. "You're not at all yourself."
"It's just…" Fred glanced all around, scratching his neck. "There are rules that comes with this. I am very clearly breaking them right now, talking to you. I'm not supposed to be seen or heard or anything."
George frowned. He sat up straighter in the grass, one hand propping up his weight. "Isn't that the allure of the twenty-four hours? You told me that you've just spent the past month dueling, that Creevey had to lose because of population control or whatever. What kind of consolation prize forbids its winners to be seen or heard?"
Fred studied the grass underneath him intently. Whereas here he could dig for days and days and find nothing but dirt, he'd always gotten the feeling that doing so in Cliodna's Clock would reveal cardboard or packaging paper, something to prove that everything was fake. A pretend paradise. "Those are just the rules. They say you have to abide by them, but so far no one's come to arrest me or anything, so maybe their methods are just to make threats and trust winners to uphold the rules…?" He threw a rock at the base of a tree. "I don't know. I have no idea whether or not anyone will ever find out, but if they do, I'm likely to get into huge trouble."
George just sat there for a minute, trying to digest all the things Fred had told him about 'Cliodna's Clock' and the Devil's Duel. "You can't get into trouble if you don't go back." He abruptly stood to his feet, extending a hand for Fred to take. "Come on, then! We'll just – we'll go home! Can you imagine the look on Mum and Dad's faces if they saw you? If they knew that we've got you back?"
"I'm supposed to be dead," Fred deadpanned. "Seeing me again might very well kill them. And besides that, I can't just go home, it's not as simple as that."
"I reckon not, not with that attitude," George exclaimed, tugging harder on Fred's hand. Fred remained rooted to the spot, not budging. "What are you playing at? Why are you just sitting there?" Fred could sense the emotion building in his brother's voice, the overpowering grief working its way back up. "Come on," he pleaded. "Please. You can't go back, you can't."
"If I don't go back, he'll come in after me," Fred cried, frustrated. He tore his hands through his hair, body shaking. "And then he'll take me to the Grotta, George, you don't understand."
"Help me understand, then." George kneeled next to Fred, eyes wide and insistent. "Who's coming after you? Some Cliodna's Clock bloke? No worries there, I'm always packing." He held up a wand, waving it about. "Let me grab Ron, Dad, and Harry and we'll make sure this git doesn't do anything to you."
Fred smiled bitterly, shaking his head. "Their magic is different from your magic, mate. There's nothing you can do to protect me. I know this is hard to hear, but I've got to be back in Hogsmeade by twelve tomorrow." George opened his mouth, ready to remark, when Fred anticipated what he was going to say and reminded him, "No Floo. No Apparition. Remember what I told you? Nothing that can be picked up on by magical or Muggle authorities. It's got to be by broomstick, which means I need a solid six hours to get there."
George examined his wristwatch, stricken. They had been talking for hours, catching each other up to speed with no regard for the time. Plum clouds now tinged the stars, five o' clock in the morning bleeding into six.
"But that's – that's now."
Fred wiped his eyes, turning away. "I wasted so much damn time, George. It was so stupid, messing around in Norfolk, waiting so long to come here."
George's responding voice was higher-pitched than usual. "You have to leave? Right now?"
"Yes." Fred stood to his feet, neck sore from twisting it around to view George all night.
"Wait." George shoved him back onto the ground, ignoring Fred's indignant swearing. "Hang on. Just…let me think of something."
Fred rubbed his lower back, resentful. "We can't think our way out of this one."
"We can think our way out of anything, you idiot!" George shot back. "That's the beauty of having brains. I don't like your pessimistic attitude, by the way."
He threw ideas at Fred, who gave him specific reasons why each wouldn't work, before George slumped onto the grass next to his twin. The reality that there was no hope, that Fred was leaving, sank in with a cold, heavy feeling. "At least let me fly back with you. That's hours that we'll have together to talk."
Fred shook his head again, which irritated George greatly. "No?" he snapped. "Then why did you come at all, if you're just going to go right back?"
"Because that's how it works!" Fred shouted, storming to his feet. He stomped out of the orchard and into a glowing dawn, breathing rapidly. The cool air, the sky's stain of blue and purple that could have passed for dusk, speared right through him with a moisture that promised of rain.
He wheeled around on George, who was right on his heels, and stopped him with one outstretched hand. "You don't understand," he repeated for what felt like the eightieth time in just a few hours. "I know that it's not fair, but imagine what you're doing to me right now, tempting me with ideas to go see Mum and Dad and everyone. Do you have any idea how long I've thought about that, about how wonderful that would be? But the thing is…if I try to escape, I know without a shadow of a doubt that they'll find me. This is all I get, this meeting right now. And I'm not even supposed to have this." He gestured to the air between himself and his brother, eyes watering from a combination of stinging wind and his heartbreak at seeing George's hurt expression.
George watched him miserably, chin trembling. "But I have more stuff to tell you," he said, arms dejected at his sides. "Reconstruction of Hogwarts is underway, did you know? And they're naming the seventh floor corridor after you."
"I know," Fred said with a smile. "You already told me."
"I did?" George wracked his brains, trying to think of when he had covered that subject earlier in the night.
Fred leaned in to hug him, to say goodbye, and George's face bore the telltale sign of wanting to stall the moment, delay Fred's departure for several more minutes. "This isn't fair," he said desperately, abandoning all poise as he wrapped his arms around Fred in a tight, shivering hug. Fred felt the warm trails of George's anguish against his cheek, mingling with his own tears. He sniffed, eyes rimmed with red.
"It's not," he agreed.
"I've missed you," George went on, voice breaking. He was barely audible even though he spoke so close to Fred's ear. "Nothing is the same with you gone."
In an upstairs window at the Burrow, Molly Weasley's tired, puffy face appeared. She took a deep breath and lifted the sash high over her head, leaning out into the early morning breeze. The world was a rich blanket of indigo, colors muted without the sun to highlight them, to make them brilliant. The outline of two people stood on a hill not far from her property's hedge. The strangers were the same height, same shape.
She sucked in a breath, watching.
Logic told her that the clock was faulty, old. Fred could not really be home, and George had announced he was going back to London last night. Therefore, it was impossible that the two identical figures could be her sons… She peered closer, halfway wanting to run down the stairs and out the door so that she could be sure, absolutely sure; but another part of her mind quieted this, telling her that they would surely disappear if she severed her gaze on whatever it was she might or might not be seeing.
She stood utterly still in the overcrowded bedroom that once belonged to Fred and George, curtains flapping on either side of her, while the figures embraced. She wanted to believe it was true, no matter what her better sense told her. And as the two people held each other, her eyes blurred over and they became one instead of two, impossible to detangle, to extricate from one another.
"I have to go," Fred said resignedly, finally wrenching himself from his brother. His eyes were wet.
"We'll see each other again," George said at length.
"Yes. I promise we will."
Fred struggled to keep his composure, which he could feel slipping. He didn't want his brother to see the turmoil raging in his heart, and so he walked resolutely down the hill, not looking back over his shoulder for more goodbyes that would just make the pain worse.
His flame of red hair dissolved into the dawn with a Disillusionment Charm as he took flight on the stolen broomstick, soaring high over the Burrow one last time.
The return trip passed in a haze of recollected thoughts and memories, periodically punctuated by torrents of rain. He would be pushing it by the skin of his teeth to return Aberforth's broom before planting himself next to the signpost in Hogsmeade. All things considered, he thought himself lucky to have survived such a long trip on Aberforth's flimsy twig: With as shoddy as that broom was, he wouldn't have been surprised if it had stopped working a mile over the Irish Sea.
After swooping into Hogsmeade, it was all he could do to dart into the village and leave Aberforth's broom with its rightful owner before dashing back just in time to greet the depot attendant's swarthy, grinning face. A Portkey of a little green doorknob was clutched in his hand.
"Was it worth it?" he asked Fred.
"Ahh, mostly." Fred tried to smile, admiring his wand with a critical air. "It'll feel wrong for a while, going back, but I suppose I'll just have to get used to it. Can't have everything."
The station attendant clapped him on the back. "Congratulations on your win, by the way. Maybe you can go back in another three hundred and sixty four days, yeah? Try for another win?"
Fred laughed, envisioning doing it all over again in a year from now. "Yeah, that's the plan, actually."
"Got six seconds, better get your hand on this," the other man replied. "It's hectic in the Clock, I tell you. Madness. You'll see what I mean – it's hard to tell which way is up, rate things are going, and it's damn near impossible to concentrate on my job with all the noise. Must say I was glad to have an excuse to come back here and collect you." The attendant winced as Fred touched a finger to the Portkey, the two of them crouching side by side. "Say, mate, what happened to your ear?" He pointed at a dark little hole in the side of Fred's head where an ear was supposed to be.
"Oh, that?" Fred fiddled with the hole, smiling crookedly. "Got blown off by a greasy-haired git."
The Portkey rattled, radiating a pearly bright blue, and then both of them vanished.
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When the herbs in my garden are gone, I don't buy fresh ones; they're too pricey. Can I use dried instead?
Ava Hamilton, Brooklyn, NY
While you wouldn't want a dried-basil pesto or a dried-rosemary garnish, in most cases you can replace fresh herbs with dried and vice versa. The classic ratio is 3 fresh to 1 dried: Use 1 teaspoon dried herb to replace 3 teaspoons fresh. (That said, if your herbs have been "aging" for many months in your cabinet, make it 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rather than 1.) To get the most flavor from dried herbs, crumble them between your fingers before adding to a recipe.


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Today was a completely different day for the 34 racers from 14 countries participating in the 2010 IKA World Kite Racing Championship. While day 1 was overcast with winds gusting to over 30 knots, today, competitors were met with blue skies and had light to moderate wind conditions in the 9 to 16 knot range.
Read the wrap up of day 2 written by Marina from TKB
Race 1 was highly challenging with competitors doing their best to make it out to the start line with winds on the beach around 7-9 knots and on the water, around 9 to 11 knots. Many riders had to be brought back to the beach as their kites couldn't relaunch in the light conditions while others were simply not able to finish.
In the end, for the men it was Bruno Sroka (FRA, Cabrinha) coming in first followed by yesterday's frontrunner Adam Koch (USA, Ozone) who came back from 7th at the start line and Damien LeRoy (USA, Cabrinha). For the women, the leader Kari Schibevaag (NOR, Ozone) came in first and was the only girl able to finish.
For the 2nd race, the winds picked up a notch and again, Bruno Sroka took the lead followed by Damien LeRoy and Adam Koch. For the women, it was Kari in first once again, followed by Kristin Boese (GER, Best) and Steph Bridge (GBR, North).
The third race was the most exciting of all with the men going neck to neck for the top spots. With winds averaging from 12-16 knots, at the last buoy before the finish line, it was Damien leading the pack, closely followed by Adam and Johnny Heineken (USA, RRD). Each was able to hold their positions for their respective first, second and third finishes. For this race, last year's winner Steph Bridge claimed first for the women followed by Kari and Katja Roose (NED, Airush).
For the final race of the day, Adam was leading the pack but crashed just before the last buoy before the finish line. He was able to quickly relaunch but not before being passed by Damien and Bruno. Adam was able to gain back ground and barely scraped by the buoy but managed to regain a 2nd place position. Damien took first with a good solid lead and Bruno came in third. Kari had another good day coming in first, followed closely by Steph with Katja trailing in third.
Thank you to the events main sponsors NJS Designs, The Corpus Christi Visitors and Conference Bureau, Ozone and Live2Kite for their support and making this event happen. Other sponsors include The Kiteboarder Magazine, Budweiser, Curtis Fins, Corpus Christi Marina, Corpus Christi Aquarium and LVN Contractors.
Tomorrow the forecast is for solid wind but with a northwesterly direction which could mean extremely gusty winds for competitors. Riders are getting a little of everything in Corpus this year but there are no complaints. We have wind!
Pending protest, the rankings after day 2 are:
1. Adam Koch (USA, Ozone)
2. Damien Leroy (USA, Cabrinha)
3. Bruno Sroka (France, Cabrinha)
1. Kari Schibevaag (NOR, Ozone)
2. Steph Bridge (GBR, North)
3. Kristin Boese (GER, Best)
Full results can be found here: http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=2696
Here is also some footage taken from a mark laying boat, thanks to Chip Ducrest


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Board Member Gina Daleiden will lead those attending the meeting in a patriotic observance.
In compliance with the Brown Act regulations, Penny Pyle legally posted this agenda on October 11, 2013.
In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to access the Board meeting room or to otherwise participate at this meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, please contact the Superintendent's Office at (530) 757-5300 ext 142. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the District to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the Board meeting.
Agenda Packets are available for review at the following locations:
* Stephens Davis Branch of the Yolo County Library, 315 E. 14th Street(530-757-5593)
* Peter Shields Library, Government Documents Section, University of California (530-752-6561)
* Davis Joint Unified School District, 526 B Street (530-757-5300 x 142)


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Feb 25, 2020
Minnesota Wild vs. Columbus
Feb 25, 2020
Minnesota Wild vs. Columbus
- Tue / Feb 25 7:00 PM Buy Tickets
Dining Options
In addition to numerous concessions options, Xcel Energy Center offers several dining choices for Wild fans:
- Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Club, located on the RBC Wealth Management Club Level, features regionally inspired menus.
- The Reserve, located on the Bremer Bank Suite Level, is an upscale lounge with an eclectic menu.
- Michelob Golden Light Taphouse, at section 120, offers a sports bar atmosphere and a variety of menu items.
Visit our Dine With Us page to learn more and make game day reservations.
Bag Policy and Security
In an effort to provide a safe environment, the Minnesota Wild limits the size and type of bags allowed inside Xcel Energy Center. Fans are encouraged to leave non-essential items at home. Fans can only carry into the arena the following style and size bag:
- Clear tote (plastic, vinyl or PVC) that does not exceed 12" x 6" x 12" or a plastic storage bag that is maximum one gallon, resealable and clear.
- Small bags, such as a small clutch purse, that are approximately the size of a hand with or without a handle or strap will be allowed, but must not exceed 5" x 8".
Gate Times
General gates to Xcel Energy Center open 75 minutes prior to game time.
Additionally, VIP/Gate 5 and access to the Mich Golden Light Fan Zone at Gate 4 open two hours prior to game time.