text:
Scientific Research
An Academic Publisher
The Uniparental Genetic Landscape of Modern Slavic Speaking Populations ()
Share and Cite:
1. Introduction
Slavs are the most numerous Indo-European ethno-linguistic group in Europe ( Kipfer, 2000 ). Their proposed homeland is in the middle Dnieper basin: the area North-East of the Carpathians, the upper stream of rivers Bug and Dniester, mainly around Pripet river ( Mutafchiev, 1943 ; Rebala et al., 2007 ). They spread from the 6th century AD to inhabit whole Eastern Europe and parts of Central and South-Eastern Europe.
Roman writers mentioned Slavs as Venethi or Venedi ( Curta, 2001 ). The Southern European Slavs are first named as Sclavenes by East Roman (Byzantine) authors in the 6th century AD ( Džino, 2010 ; Smith, 2005 ).
Extant Slavic languages show great variety and fall into three groups: West (Czech, Slovakian and Polish), East (Russian, Belorussian and Ukrainian) and South (Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian and Slovenian). The Bulgarian literary language differs from other Slavic languages by the almost complete loss of grammatical case; the creation of definite article of nouns (appearing in the form of a suffix, added to the stem); analytical comparative and superlative (by word-particles); and a complex tense system where the infinitive is completely lost ( Aepli, von Waldenfels, & Samardzic, 2014 ; Kushniarevich et al., 2015 ; Raykov, 2005 ).
Orthodox Christian Slavs use the Cyrillic alphabet, while Roman Catholic Slavs and Bosniaks use the Latin alphabet.
Genetic and genomic analysis of Slavs from different countries have been the object of many previously published studies; however, comparative genetic investigations among different Slavic groups are only few ( Grzybowski et al., 2007 ; Malyarchuk et al., 2008 ; Mielnik-Sikorska et al., 2013 ; Rebala et al., 2007 ). To the best of our knowledge, the most comprehensive study of Slavic genetic heritage to date ( Kushniarevich et al., 2015 ) reveals that the Slavic genetic diversity was formed through assimilation of preexisting regional genetic components and in situ gene pool shaping; as it also identifies an apparent genetic homogeneity of the majority of West and East Slavs and a substantial genetic difference between them and South Slavs.
In order to further contribute to the understanding of the correlation between language and genetic origin in Slavs, the present study analyzes for the first time the matrilineal and patrilineal relationships among European Slavic-speaking countries' populations and also illustrates their position in the European uniparental genetic landscape.
2. Materials and Methods
We have collected previously published data for the frequencies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome haplogroups in Slavic speaking and other European populations. In these studies, the mtDNA haplogroup assignment was based on partial or entire control region sequences and/or coding region markers; and the Y-chromosome haplogroup classification was performed by genotyping of informative biallelic markers. To analyze comparable results for larger number of populations, the data were normalized to the highest possible level of phylogenetic resolution.
We have included 18 and 27 (sub-) populations in the mtDNA and Y-chro- mosome haplogroup analyses of Slavic speaking populations (Supplementary Table S1 and Table S2); and 41 and 42 (sub-) populations in the mtDNA and Y-chromosome haplogroup analyses of European populations (Supplementary Table S3 and Table S4), respectively.
The mtDNA and Y-chromosome relationships among the populations were depicted by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) performed using XLSTAT.
3. Results and Discussion
The plot of the PCA performed on mtDNA haplogroup frequencies in Slavic speaking populations is presented in Figure 1. In the Slavic mtDNA landscape, the East Slavic populations (European Russians, Ukrainians) predominantly occupy areas covering negative values of PC2. It should be marked that European Russians are separated in two distant groups―regions of the Central (Vladimir, Yaroslavl, Tula and Kaluga) and of the North-Western part (Pskov, Velikii Novgorod and Volot) of the country. Ukrainians and Belarusians are interspersed with West Slavic populations (Poles, Slovaks and Czechs). South Slavic speaking populations (Serbians, Bulgarians, Slovenians, Croatians and the populations of Bosnia and Herzegovina) are quite dispersed despite the comparatively small geographic area of the Balkan Peninsula. Nevertheless, they are positioned in an area of positive values of PC2.
Patrilineal relationships of Slavic speaking populations based on Y-chromo- some haplogroup frequencies are depicted in the PCA plot in Figure 2. Unlike in the case of mtDNA, in the PC analysis of Y-chromosome haplogroup frequencies there are clear-cut dispositions: South Slavic speaking populations (Bulgarians, Serbs, Bosnians, Bosnia-Serbs, Bosnia-Croats, Croats and Slovenians) are again much dispersed, but all of them are located in the PC1 positive values area. Most East Slavic speaking populations are residing in the negative part of PC2. West Slavic speaking populations (Slovaks, Czechs and Poles) are in between South and East Slavs, but are closer to East Slavs, being interspersed among them. Certain Russian populations (Vologda, Arkhangel and Orel) are markedly distant.
In the PC analyses of both mtDNA and Y-chromosome haplogroup frequencies of Slavic speaking populations, South Slavs are quite dispersed. This is probably due to their different pasts. It is established that the ancestors of Croatians and Serbians migrated to the Balkan Peninsula in the 8th century AD from territories in Central Europe (White Croats and White Serbs) ( Borri, 2011 ; Chadwick, 2014 ). The area of their dispersal is in the territory of present-day West Slavic populations' countries. Very different is the story of the contemporary Bulgarians. South Slavic tribes (Sclavеnes) and Proto-Bulgarians arrived almost simultaneously on the Balkan Peninsula in the 7th century AD, when the
Figure 1. PCA plot of Slavic speaking populations based on mtDNA haplogroup frequencies. The variance of the first and second principal components (F1 and F2, respectively) is given in brackets. ―West, ―East and ―South Slavic speaking populations.
Figure 2. PCA plot of Slavic speaking populations carried out on Y-chromosome haplogroup frequencies. The variance retained by the first and second principal components (F1 and F2, respectively) is shown in brackets. ―West, ―East and ―South Slavic speaking populations.
Proto-Bulgarians established the Danubian Bulgarian state ( Dobrev, 2016 ; Mutafchiev, 1943 ).
The position of the mtDNA haplogroup frequency profiles of Slavic speaking populations in the European context is represented in Figure 3. In this PCA plot, South Slavs (Bulgarians, Slovenians, Serbians, Croats and populations of Bosnia and Herzegovina) are grouped alongside Balkan (Northern Greeks and Romanians) and Northern Italian populations. West Slavic populations (Slovaks, Czechs and most of the Poles) are adjacent to some North European non-Slavic populations (from Finland and Sweden). The majority of East Slavic populations (from European Russia and Belarus) are scattered as some European Russians (from Vladimir and Yaroslavl) and Ukrainians are close to West Slavic populations. Furthermore, Germanic and Romance speaking populations (from Germany and Austria; and Iberia, France and Italy; respectively) are located separately, being situated in the positive part of PC1.
The comparison of the Y-chromosome haplogroup frequencies in Slavic speaking and remaining European populations performed by PC analysis is given in Figure 4. Compared to the PCA of mtDNA haplogroup frequencies, it again shows a more clear-cut grouping of most of South Slavs (Serbs, Bulgarians, Croats, Bosnia-Croats, Bosnia-Serbs, Bosnians) with neighboring populations from the Balkans (Romanians, Greeks and Macedonian Greeks). On the other hand, West (Czechs, Poles and Western Slovaks) and East Slavs (Ukrainians, Belarus and European Russians) are located separately. From the non-Slavic populations Swedish Saami and Finns are almost outliers; the two populations from Germany are almost overlapping, whereas Italian populations form a cluster which embraces Catalonia.
In general, the obtained results show that based on the distribution of mtDNA and Y-chromosome haplogroups West and East Slavic speaking populations locate separately from South Slavic populations. Furthermore, in the European uniparental landscape South Slavic speaking populations are positioned more close to neighboring Balkan non-Slavic populations and North Italian populations, than to other Slavic populations. This hints that the linguistic resemblance of South Slavic speaking populations with East and West Slavic groups is not paralleled to a similar extent by a genetic one, which is in line with previous findings demonstrating that the basis of the gene pool of West-East and South Slavic speaking populations is different ( Kushniarevich et al., 2015 ).
When considering the uniparental diversity of Slavic speaking populations, one should highlight a peculiarity in the East Slavs' gene pool, namely the prevalence of Y-chromosome haplogroup N, which is typical for certain Asian populations: China-Naxi―25%, China-Oroqen―28.5%, China-Tu―28.5%, Cam- bodians―16.7% ( Sengupta et al., 2006 ), Mongols―8.7% ( Derenko et al., 2007 ; Hammer et al., 2005 ), Manchurian―4.9% ( Hammer et al., 2005 ), Koreans―4.3% ( Hammer et al., 2005 ; Zhong et al., 2010 ), Vietnamese―2.8% ( Hammer et al., 2005 ); Central Asian Turkic populations, such as Khakassians―50% and
Figure 3. PCA plot of European populations based on mtDNA haplogroup frequencies. The variance captured by the first and second principal components (F1 and F2, respectively) is written in brackets. NE―northeast, NW―northwest, ―West, ―East Slavic, ―South Slavic, ―non-Slavic populations.
Figure 4. Map of Principal Component Analysis of European populations based on their Y-chromosome haplogroup frequencies. Variance explained by the first and second principal components (F1 and F2, respectively) is shown in brackets. ―West, ―East, ―South Slavic speaking, ―non-Slavic populations.
Altaians―9.2% ( Derenko et al., 2007 ); and several Siberian populations: Khanty― 81.5% ( Mirabal et al., 2009 ), Yakuts―80.0% ( Derenko et al., 2007 ), Buryats― 30.9% ( Hammer et al., 2005 ), Evenks―29.3%, Tuvininas―29.1% and Koryaks― 25% ( Derenko et al., 2007 ).
In Europe Y-chromosome haplogroup N shows high frequency in Saami― 44.7% ( Karlsson et al., 2006 ). The frequency values for European Russians are striking: Arkhangel―41.1% ( Balanovsky et al., 2008 ; Mirabal et al., 2009 ), Vologda―38.8%, Pskov―24.2%, Smolensk―14.0%, Kostroma―13.5% ( Balano- vsky et al., 2008 ), Kursk―12.9% ( Balanovsky et al., 2008 ; Mirabal et al., 2009 ), Belgorod―12.6% ( Balanovsky et al., 2008 ), Tver―11.7% ( Balanovsky et al., 2008 ; Mirabal et al., 2009 ), Voronezh―6.3%, Orel province―5.5% ( Balanovsky et al., 2008 ) and Kalmyks―3.3% ( Derenko et al., 2007 ). The data for Bela- russians are 9.6% ( Kushniarevich et al., 2013 ; Kushniarevich et al., 2015 ) and for Ukrainians―5.7% ( Battaglia et al., 2009 ; Kushniarevich et al., 2015 ).
In the Y-chromosome gene pool of any West or South Slavic speaking population haplogroup N does not exceed 2-3% in frequency: Poles―2.7% ( Battaglia et al., 2009 ; Rebala et al., 2013 ), Czechs―2.7%, Croats―1.7% ( Battaglia et al., 2009 ), Bulgarians―0.5% ( Karachanak et al., 2013 ), Serbs 1.9% ( Regueiro et al., 2012 ), Slovenians―0% and Bosniaks―0% ( Battaglia et al., 2009 ). The same pattern is observed in the remaining populations in Europe, the Caucasus: Balkarians―0% and Georgians―0% ( Battaglia et al., 2009 ) and in South Asia ( Sengupta, et al., 2006 ). Obviously, this characteristic in the patrilineal gene pool of East Slavs can be explained by the Mongol invasion and the presence of Mongols in Russia (called Tatars by Russians) between 1237 and 1480 AD ( Karamzin, 1811/2016 ; Deynichenko, 2003 ).
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, as illustrated by the PC analysis of mtDNA and Y-chromosome haplogroup frequencies, West-East and South Slavic speaking populations, traditionally called "Slavs" (a term introduced in the 16th century AD) ( Šafařik, 1848 ) are heterogeneous based on the uniparental genetic diversity, which shows that they do not share substantial common genetic ancestry and that there is great genetic variety in the Slavic linguistic unity.
We would like to thank prof. Antonio Torroni, prof. Ornella Semino and their collaborators (Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Italy) for their contribution for the development of the uniparental genetic study in Bulgaria.
Table S1. Number of individuals belonging to each mtDNA haplogroup in European Slavic speaking populations.
a Kushniarevich et al., 2013 ; bMalyarchuk et al., 2003; cSarac et al., 2014;dKarachanak et al., 2012; e Malyarchuk et al., 2008 ; fMalyarchuk et al., 2004; g Grzybowsky et al., 2007 ; hDavidovic et al., 2015; iPshenichnov et al., 2013.
Table S2. Absolute frequencies of Y-chromosome haplogroups in Slavic speaking populations.
a Balanovsky et al., 2008 ; b Mirabal et al., 2009 ; c Kushniarevich et al., 2013 ; d Kushniarevich et al., 2015 ; e Battaglia et al., 2009 ; f Battaglia et al., 2009 ; g Rebala et al., 2013 ; hReguiero et al., 2012.
Table S3. Number of individuals per mtDNA haplogroup in European populations.
a Hernаndez et al., 2014; bBrandstätter et al., 2007; c Kushniarevich et al., 2013 ; dBoattini et al., 2013; eMalyarchuk et al., 2003; fSarac et al., 2014; gKarachanak et al., 2012; hGonzález et al., 2003; i Malyarchuk et al., 2008 ; jHedman et al., 2007; kRichard et al., 2007; lTetzlaff et al., 2007; mMalyarchuk et al., 2004; nIrwin et al., 2008; o Grzybowsky et al., 2007 ; pHervella et al., 2014; qDavidovic et al., 2015; rTillmar et al., 2010; sPshenichnov et al., 2013.
Table S4. Absolute frequencies of haplogroups of the Y-chromosome in European populations .
a Balanovsky et al., 2008 ; b Mirabal et al., 2009 ; c Kushniarevich et al., 2013 ; d Kushniarevich et al., 2015 ; eBoattini et al., 2013; f Battaglia et al., 2009 ; g Karachanak et al., 2013 ); hSolé-Morata et al., 2015; iKing et al., 2008; j Karlsson et al., 2006 ; k Rebala et al., 2013 ; lMartinez-Cruz et al., 2012; mVarzari et al., 2013; nReguiero et al., 2012.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Special Issues
Published Special Issues
Special Issues Guideline
Copyright © 2020 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


text:
Cardiac Care
Cardiac care at Bluffton Regional Medical Center focuses on the functions and disorders of the heart and its connected circulatory system. According to the American Heart Association, 84 million people in the U.S. suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, affecting blood flow throughout the body. Cardiovascular disease can lead to heart attacks, strokes or other serious complications.
Bluffton Regional Medical Center is an accredited Chest Pain Center. This accreditation from the American College of Cardiology Accreditation Services signifies that Bluffton Regional Medical Center meets or exceeds a wide set of stringent criteria and has passed an on-site evaluation.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
i don't want to work has stricken me down in my prime. well, that and the sheer exhaustion from my lack of sleep last night. so i'm posting again for the second time today. i know. shocking!
so i have a weekend project for everyone. in honor of the greatest 80's movie director ever, i would like for everyone to watch a john hughes movie this weekend. i don't care if you dust off your old vhs copy of Sixteen Candles or go rent Mr. Mom, this man needs to be honored and his movies treasured.
i will be tuning into Bravo because i will bet you dollars to spudnuts they will be running a John Hughes marathon tomorrow.
Grab your carrots, make some beanie weanies, enjoy your sushi with rice, raw fish, and seaweed and settle into a nice cozy couch right in front of your tv set and remember that you will always, and I mean always heart Jake Ryan.


text:
It's being adapted into an MTV series here in the U.S., and today, a Skins movie has been announced. The Guardian says that "shooting would begin in September on a film to be released in summer 2011." But this will not be an adaptation – executive producer Steve Christian told The Guardian that the film would bring back old characters from the first four series while also introducing new ones. Creator Bryan Elsley will co-write the screenplay with staff writer Jack Thorne, and another staffer, Charles Martin will direct. Christian adds that he doesn't "want to do is to make a 90 minute episode of Skins. It would be a complete disaster."
So who do you want to see into a Skins movie? Will newly minted Hollywood stars Dev Patel and Nicholas Hoult return?Read More


text:
Your General Construction & Commercial Roofing Company in Union City
As a general construction company, Allied Construction Services offers many services throughout Union City. Our mission is to provide all our services with the highest level of professionalism and expertise. We understand that working with multiple companies for facilities maintenance can be time-consuming and confusing. Over time, we've grown from a commercial roofing company to a general construction and maintenance company for this very reason. We can provide our customers with top-tier service delivered at a fair price, on time.
Our Services
By far, most of our customers use our commercial roofing service. If you need commercial roof repair now or on a 24-hour emergency basis, call 925-724-2324 and we'll send someone out to you. However, roofing needs more than just occasional roof repair. When you perform preventive maintenance on your roof, it lasts longer and costs less than reactive repair.
Allied wants to be your commercial roofing maintenance company and help your roof last its entire expected lifespan. When it comes time for a roof replacement, we offer some of the leading brands and solutions including cool roofing, Carlisle Syntec Systems, Firestone, ASTEC and several roof coating solutions.
Once you see the quality of our roofing and our expertise, you'll want us for much more. Some of our other services include waterproofing, trip hazard removal, commercial painting and general property maintenance. When it comes time for new facility construction, we are a general construction company with experience in all aspects of commercial construction. We provide tenant improvement and seismic upgrades, turn-key solutions, remodeling and vanilla shell work, as well as low-, mid- and high-rise building construction.
Call Allied Construction Services Today
We're ready to be your commercial roofing and general construction company. Whether you own a building, manage it or just purchased a property, call us and we'll provide you with a no-obligation consultation detailing our services. With over 20 years of construction and commercial roofing experience in Union City, you won't find an equal to Allied. Call 925-724-2324 or fill out our contact form today.


text:
Art for everyone, straight to your inbox!
Sign up for our newsletter and get 10% off your first art fix.
Production and shipping are temporarily on hold while team 20x200 stays at home.
We'll clue you in once we're back to biz as usual. Hoping you and yours are safe & healthy!
Find some serenity near the water ... from rivers to beaches, the soothing tones of blue, green, and gray relax us. The immensity of oceans and the lull of lapping lakes draws all kinds, from surfers to swimmers to divers to toe-dippers.
Holocanthe à Demi-Cercles
From $35.00
Chetodon Croissant
From $35.00
From $35.00


text:
Yahoo News: Egypt: Israeli pilgrimage 'impossible' thus year
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it had told Israel that it would not be "appropriate" for Israeli pilgrims to make an annual visit to the tomb of a 19th-century Jewish holy man in the Nile Delta, as activists mobilized to block the pilgrimage route.
Ceremonies at the tomb of Rabbi Yaakov Abu Hatizra have triggered yearly political sparring in Egypt throughout most of the last decade, with Islamists, nationalists, and others claiming that the government by allowing the pilgrimage is pursuing an unpopular policy of normalization with the country's former enemy.
Note that the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the forces behind these protests:
Yahoo News:Egypt activists vow no Israeli pilgrimage to tomb
Pilgrimage opponents have decided to stage protests on roads leading to the tomb of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira in the village of Daymouta, 180 kilometers (112 miles) north of Cairo, said Gamal Heshmat of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group which is the country's best organized political movement.
He said that the late December and early January pilgrimage would be a "suicide mission" for Israelis, because of popular opposition to their presence in Egypt.
"Normalization (of relations) with Israel is forced on the people, and the visits too come against the will of people and despite popular rejection," said Heshmat, who recently won a seat in parliament in the country's first elections following the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptian activists have rallied against the pilgrimage every year for most of the last decade. Egypt's daily Al-Ahram newspaper reported Tuesday that 31 parties and groups had joined this year's campaign.
Did anyone really believe that a Muslim Brotherhood-dominated Egypt would adopt western values of peace, tolerance, democracy and religious pluralism?
Oh wait, I know of at least one particular administration that seems to still think so.


text:
Live commentary on offer now with Crewe Alex Player. Don't forget special offer of £12.50 off.
If you are unable to attend the League One fixture between Crewe Alexandra and Preston North End or you an exiled Alex fan then don't forget that you can listen to live football commentary from Gresty Road if you are a Crewe Alex Player subscriber.
The Player tool is the perfect place for you to keep in touch with everything to do with Crewe Alexandra and as part of the package you will access to all live commentaries involving the Railwaymen!
That is not all, because Crewe Alex player provides all the match highlights, weekly press conferences from Steve Davis, his assistant Neil Baker, the coaching staff and the players. There is a load of fun features and exclusive interviews only available to Player subscribers.
With the crucial run-in to the League One season now in earnest, now is the perfect time to stay in touch via Crewe Alex Player. You can now subscribe for as little as £4.49 per month or just £37.99 for an annual subscription.
anniversary. Simply use the promo-code 5205-125years when subscribing for the year package. Don't miss out. thThat is not all because for a limited time only we are offering £12.50 off a Player subscription. This offer is in association with the Football League's 125
to subscribe now to Crewe Alex Player.hereClick


text:
This section contains 1,271 words
(approx. 4 pages at 400 words per page)
Point of View
Lyn Hejinian's "My Life" is written from a first person point of view. This point of view is limited and can be deemed reliable by virtue of the fact that, as a collection of poetry, this works present the narrator's view on the objects and events that she addresses. Because this work is a collection of poetry, this point of view is important because it is a subjective account of the narrator's experiences and views. Moreover, this is also classified as autobiography which makes the first person point of view vital to the work. Without being written from the first person, this work would not convey the autobiographical and personal tone that is apparent in "My Life."
The story is told mostly through exposition with infrequent quotations scattered throughout. These quotations often are allusions to renowned literary figures, but occasionally, they are presented as words that...
This section contains 1,271 words
(approx. 4 pages at 400 words per page)


text:
Grant Goal:
Integrate oral health into person-centered healthcare
Continued support to the National Oral Health Innovation and Integration Network (NOHIIN), whose mission is to unify and empower a network of Primary Care Associations (PCAs) and safety net providers to be champions of oral health as a part of overall health. NOHIIN evolved as a vehicle to scale and continue the success of the Strengthening the Oral Health Safety Net (SOHSN) initiative, which yielded resources and information developed through innovative partnerships with the community health centers and PCAs. NOHIIN continues to spread a unified message—to PCAs, community health centers, policy makers, stakeholders and the community in general—about the importance of oral health to overall through within the safety net delivery system. The learning collaborative model implemented by NOHIIN will continue to support and resource the participating 34 PCAs. NOHIIN enables PCAs to access relationships, resources and training tools needed to support their community health centers (CHCs) for the creation of an innovative, equitable safety net healthcare system where oral health is an integrated, critical component of person-centered, comprehensive healthcare. This core group of PCAs includes the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers, Bi-State Primary Care Association, Georgia Association for Primary Health Care, Illinois Primary Health Care Association, Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, Michigan Primary Care Association, Mississippi Primary Health Care Association, Ohio Association of Community Health Centers, Oregon Primary Care Association, Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers, California Primary Care Association, Alaska Primary Care Association, Iowa Primary Care Association, and Tennessee Primary Care Association. Now in its fifth year, NOHIIN continues to move along the network development spectrum. Some of their specific goals in 2019 are: 1) Develop a 3-year strategic plan focused on the growth and sustainability of NOHIIN; 2) Strengthen peer connections with Member PCAs as well as national partners such as NACHC, NNOHA, NIIOH, and the DentaQuest Partnership to reach greater national alignment around the needs and innovations surfacing through integration of oral health into the safety-net and 3) develop tools, resources, and/or a platform to effectively capture institutional knowledge and broaden the spread of lessons learned within patient-centered care.
Grant Date:
Tuesday, January 1, 2019 to Thursday, January 31, 2019
Grant Amount:


text:
Vibrations And Frequencies
Everything seen and unseen vibrates because atoms vibrate. This vibration is an energy or energy field. The speed at which something vibrates is called frequency or cycles. Like a radio with lots of stations, you tune the radio from one station to the next but it doesn't mean that the station you were just on disappears, it just means that it is vibrating at a different speed and can only be found when you tune or match that frequency.
Objects can take on the energy of other objects or even people. You can feel this energy. Have you ever seen, in person, an original painting by a master? The feeling you experience is much more intense, more beautiful, mesmerizing, breath-taking, than if you were just looking at a poster or copy of the same art piece. You are feeling the artist's energy field that was infused in their work. This occurs the subordinate energy will eventually match the dominant energy. If two objects are vibrating at a certain speed and a third object is introduced and that object is vibrating at a slower speed, the third object will eventually begin to match the frequency of the first two objects. And vice a verse.
When energy frequencies are in sync, harmony and balance are created, people feel healthy, have a sense of clarity and vitality, emotions are on an even keel and things seem to go smoothly. When frequencies are out of sync there is discord, nothing seems to work right, everything is a struggle, emotions are out of control, health takes a nosedive and truth takes a holiday.
HOW DOES CHANGING THE RESONATE Hz AFFECT OUR PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL WELLNESS
The two predominate energy fields are electrical and magnetic. Gregg Braden explains how magnetic energy connects the world.
A magnetic field is measured in resonance cycles. Both the earth and humans resonate at a 7.8 Hz. When both are in sync, harmony exists. The Heart is the strongest generator of both electrical and magnetic fields in the body. The Heart is five thousand times stronger magnetically than the brain. Since everything in the universe is connected in some way by these energetic fields, the magnetic field from our hearts affects the magnetic field of the earth. Changing the resonation Hz a little causes a discord and disconnect from harmony and balance. Likewise, if a majority of human hearts start to vibrate faster (higher frequency) together, the earth would respond in kind to maintain balance. This connectedness to the earth, solar system, universe is important.
This unification of energy is extremely powerful and the higher the frequency the harder it is to create discord or a non-harmonious existence. Ultimately when vibrations increase and match other higher vibrations more information is unveiled about the reality of nature and the universe as well as our place in it.
Fifteen minutes after 911 two satellites registered spikes in the magnetic field of the earth that directly correlated to the spike in the human heart magnetic field that was being recorded at the same time. Sudden shock and fear can change the Hz of the brain.
So what would cause this discord, this frequency change in people and the earth? Why would anyone want to intentionally cause discord in human beings, in the vibrational harmony of the earth and universe? Once this discord is achieved people lose that connected feeling and start to believe they are separate from everyone and everything, they cannot feel or understand the connectedness.
It is easy to lower vibration and create separateness of individuals and masses from cradle to grave through:
The false fact education system (Energetic science and connectedness is not taught)
Negative miss use of words (Masaru Emoto's "The Message From Water" shows how positive words create beautiful water crystals and negative words destroyed or misshapen water crystals),
Chemicals and heavy metals polluting the water, air and food make humans sick and slow the cycles of the brain.
Popular music designed intentionally to manipulate vibrations.
Fear pumped through television/media, movies, symbols, subconscious programming and fabricated "news", money, taxes, laws, war, violence, environmental destruction.. a constant, never-ending drip, drip, drip of fear about everything. For example, take printed money and hold it in your hand and gold in your other hand, which feels better? Just like the artist whose energy is in the painting, the energy of the ones who created the paper money have an extremely negative low vibrational energy infused in the paper. Symbols and logos of major corporations all are designed to make the subconscious react in a way that causes the cycles of the brain to slow which brings up strong emotions or negative responses. Holding, thinking about, looking at, and worrying about money and logos day after day creates a saturation effect, a never-ending effect. be aware of these things and start to eliminate them from your life.
Negative emotions cause your vibration to slow down. "Emotion can drop you like a lead balloon. Mind can trap you in circles of confusion and pain. Emotion and Mind = Blocks and Binds. The quality of your life is a reflection of the quality of your own inner feelings," to quote the Hooded Sage.
Here are 10 signs of Spiritual Awakening
1. Your sleep patterns change, you feel restless but seem to have more energy.
2. Shivers, crawling, sensations, tingles on your scalp. Feeling pressure on the crown like someone is pushing down with a finger. Flashes of great inspiration creativity thoughts. Feeling vibrations around the head and ears.
3. Sudden waves of emotion. Feeling, happy, sad, lonely, anger, etc., for no reason.
4. Old issues keep coming back and at times you feel very lost.
5. Your physical body changes and your eating habits become healthier.
6. Your senses increase in their sensitivity. Your 6th sense opens up and you become much more aware of subtle energies.
7. You begin to see the world with new eyes. You feel loving and at one with everything.
8. You will desire more and more to break free of restrictive patterns and old habits that do not serve you anymore.
9. You begin to notice more & more signs that speak directly to you on a very profound level.
10. Synchronicity flows faster.


text:
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." ~Leo Buscaglia
This is huge. And it's oh, so scary. When someone you love is heading towards depression or an anxiety attack, you may feel unqualified to help them. You want to help, you want to "fix" it, but you have no idea what to do. You may feel completely helpless. But yet, you can help.
I truly wish I had all the answers for you. All I can do is provide a little bit of information from my own experience, that may provide comfort and hope to those that suffer, and to those that care for the suffering.
First of all, when you haven't experienced the true depths of depression, you will NOT be able to understand. It's like a woman without children; she cannot understand what childbirth is like. But it does not mean that you can't be understanding, compassionate and empathetic.
3 Moments I'll Never Forget:
1. I remember a day that my parents came to my house during the worst time of my depression. They had a big encyclopaedia in their hands (remember those big books with tons of information in them…before the internet? ) They opened up the book to the page on depression, and there were two photos. One was a colourful image of a "normal" brain, and the other was a not so colourful image of depressed brain. And they said "Look! This is what your brain is doing. It's not your fault". Wow! The sense of relief that day was incredible. For 37 years, I'd been told to "suck it up", "get over it", and "you'll be fine". Finally, my mum and dad understood. Yes! (To check out some images, just Google "Depressed brain vs Normal Brain". It really is fascinating!)
2. My husband was a trooper through it all. The poor man had no idea what to do with me. He's the kind of guy that likes to "fix" things, and he couldn't fix me. So instead, he did what he could. He took over all the care of the kids, cooking, cleaning and well…everything. And he never pressured me to get off my butt to help. Now, he did encourage me, for sure. Encouragement and pressure are totally different. If he saw I was ready to attempt something, like sitting with the family for dinner, he would encourage me to join. He never made me feel bad if I couldn't do it. My own sense of guilt was enough for both of us.
3. One day, my best friend (whom I've known since I was 14) came over. She brought Tim Horton's French Vanilla Coffee, a chick flick, salt and vinegar chips with onion dip, as well as all the fixings for lunch. We sat and chatted over coffee, then made lunch and watched the movie. Through it all, she made me feel "normal". It was wonderful! And yet, we both knew a dark cloud was in the room. She mentioned after that she had never seen me so sad, that my eyes were lifeless. At one point during the movie, I put my head in her lap and she just stroked my hair. I cried. I felt so loved. No questions, no quick fixes, no pressure. Just love.
Resources to help:
I could go into depth on what you should do if you know someone that is suffering from depression. However, there has been so much written already, by highly qualified individuals. Here are some great links you can check out:
A couple of key points:
- Be patient. It is not someone's choice to be depressed.
- Educate yourself.
- Be willing to listen without telling them what to do or trying to fix it.
- Encourage, don't pressure them.
- If you're a Christ Follower, pray for them and pray with them. (And even if you're not a Christ Follower, pray for them)
- Take care of yourself. This is VERY important. Caring for someone with depression can be very draining. You need to keep yourself healthy, so you can be there for them. Don't stop living your life; play golf, pray, get help for yourself and visit with friends. Do whatever you need to do to fill yourself, so you are strong enough to care for others.
During my depression, Kevin would often just hold my hand. It meant so much! I knew that he loved me and was there for me – no words were needed.
What has helped you help your loved one?
1 Peter 5:10
But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
Photo Credit: Christine Birch


text:
Duke University School of Law
The first-year curriculum provides a firm grounding in the core subjects of the study of law and rigorous training in legal analysis, reasoning, and writing. Students take six semester-long courses: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, and Torts, as well as a year-long Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing course. In the second and third years, students focus in a specialized area of study and practice and conduct their own independent study projects.


text:
Log in
Latest topics
Our latest tweetsTweets by @ClooneysOpenHse
Free Webmaster ToolsSubmit Express
Close-ups with George Clooney
Page 1 of 1
Close-ups with George Clooney
Close-ups with Clooney, red carpet with Redmayne, bagging Brangelina...
She may be Britain's best-connected woman, but as BAFTA boss Amanda Berry tells Lydia Slater, it's important not to get starstruck…
Amanda Berry's name may not be familiar to most of us. But next Sunday she'll be rubbing shoulders with the best of the A-list. Amanda, 53, is the chief executive of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts – and the person responsible for the glittering BAFTA awards ceremony (which always takes place a fortnight before the Oscars).
We meet just before Christmas at BAFTA HQ, which overlooks St James's churchyard in London's Piccadilly. Alas, Amanda, who is tall and slim, with thick chestnut hair and the nervous energy of a racing greyhound, doesn't have much time to appreciate the festive season. She is already deep in the throes of organising the awards. 'It doesn't ever stop being manic, to be honest,' she sighs. 'A couple of weeks ago, all the films had to be entered. Then we checked every entry – all the names and spellings – and voting went live last week.'
While she was waiting for the 6,000 or so members of BAFTA to cast their votes (she doesn't have a vote herself), she popped over to New York to organise eight meetings and attend a creative industries reception with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 'As our president, the Duke is incredibly supportive,' she says. 'He loves film and video games too. And he's very knowledgeable. When I'm sitting with him at the awards, he's always saying, "Oh, I can see why this was nominated, it's because of this…"'
Amanda with George Clooney
The nominations were announced on 9 January, which means that Amanda has had less than a month to pull off one of the biggest events of the year: 2,000 guests, including some of the world's biggest celebrities, must be cajoled to London from all corners of the globe. 'Last year, Brad was filming in Australia, and we didn't know until the Wednesday before the event that he was coming. Then we discovered Angelina was coming with him,' she says. The BAFTAs are now shown in every major territory across the globe. 'The eyes of the world are on us for that evening,' she adds.
Her budget, which she estimates at around £2 million, is a fraction of what is spent on the Oscars. And while they have three weeks of rehearsals, the BAFTA crew only get into the ceremony's Royal Opera House location after midnight the previous evening. The apparently effortless glamour of the night owes everything to Amanda's talent for military-style organisation. 'There are thousands of people working on the event. We have people running up and down the red carpet to make sure there are enough umbrellas, and a fleet of buses and Audis to get everyone from the Opera House to the dinner at Grosvenor House. We're an academy that represents excellence, so everything has to be excellent,' she says.
Is she a worrier? 'I'd go further than that,' she says. 'I agonise. I want everything to be right. One year, one of the big screens started to pixelate during the ceremony and I was mortified. I'm quite superstitious about where I sit – it always has to be on the aisle on the right-hand side as you walk down, because the year I sat on the left was the year the screen broke down. Everyone laughs at me, but I feel if I'm in my seat with my fingers crossed, everything is going to be fine.'
But even Amanda cannot control the vagaries of the winter weather. 'We only just got [host] Stephen Fry out of New York last year, because the weather was so bad that flights were cancelled.' A protective structure built over the red carpet couldn't be erected because the wind was so severe. 'We had to measure the wind speed every day to see if the top panels could go on. At the nominees' party, I remember saying to George Clooney, "I'm so sorry you've come all this way to this, from sunny California!" And he said, "Amanda, it's London. I expect it to rain. Don't worry!"'
Oh, to be on first-name terms with Swoony Clooney. But Amanda says she's never starstruck: 'If I went weak at the knees because Robert Pattinson had just walked up the red carpet, I wouldn't be able to do my job.' But surely there must be times when she has to pinch herself? 'Yes of course,' she concedes. 'I'm a dry-cleaner's daughter from Yorkshire. But I think that's what keeps me grounded. I have friends from my teenage years who say I haven't changed at all.'
That's rather less surprising than the question of how a dry-cleaner's daughter from Yorkshire ended up hobnobbing with the stars in the first place. And strangely, the answer would appear to have its roots in Amanda's childhood asthma attacks. 'I missed quite a lot of school, so I spent a lot of time watching films that I probably wasn't grown-up enough for,' she says. Going to the cinema in Richmond, North Yorkshire, was a rare treat. 'It was one of those wonderful old cinemas where clouds of dust would rise up when you sat on the seat. I'd always come out wheezing and then be off school for days afterwards, because I'd had an asthma attack. But I think that was what made cinema special to me – because it was something I wanted to do and my mum didn't want me to do.'
The eldest of three children, Amanda also had to contend with hayfever, eczema, a potentially fatal allergy to fish, and allergies to nuts, dairy and most meats except lamb. Some mothers would have cossetted such a fragile child, but Amanda's mother Anita was different. 'She would pack me off to school, even if she knew they'd send me home again after the first lesson. That made me quite determined.'
Even so, Amanda missed so much school that she has almost no qualifications – 'four O-levels, and that took me two goes!' What she has instead is a formidable work ethic. From 13, she was working on a fruit and veg stall at the local market, and in the summer holidays she worked at her father Tom's dry-cleaning shop. As soon as she was old enough to drive she did his van rounds across the Dales.
But she had no idea what she wanted to do as a career. After taking a course in business studies and photography at York College of Art, she got a place at Newcastle Poly to read business studies and graphic design. 'But it was the extracurricular stuff that interested me. I was booking bands and editing the student union newspaper.'
In her second year, she did a work placement in television PR. 'Thames TV took me on and I never looked back,' she says simply. Then she applied for a job as a junior assistant at a theatrical agency, Duncan Heath Associates, which, within a year, was acquired by ICM, one of the biggest talent agencies in the world. 'Suddenly, I was spending half my time in the States, and I became a director of the company.'
She admits she has been 'really lucky' in her career. 'Each job has been a stepping stone.' Her next move was to become a TV producer and she ended up producing the BAFTAs for Scottish Television. Finally, BAFTA approached her to see if she was interested in becoming their director of development and events. She jumped at the chance.
BAFTA's roots are extremely glamorous. It started out in 1947 as the British Film Academy, founded by a group of eminent directors including David Lean, Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, Emeric Pressburger and Laurence Olivier, before merging with the Guild of Television Producers and Directors 11 years later. As a charity, its aims are to 'support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image, by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public'.
But by the time Amanda joined in 1998, the organisation needed a revamp. The TV awards had just separated from the film awards and many predicted that the latter would not survive alone. Money was tight. 'My office was a converted loo, the roof had leaks and you couldn't sit in certain seats in the cinema.' The awards, meanwhile, were considered almost irrelevant – partly because the ceremony was held in April, at the end of the awards season, and partly because they weren't that glamorous (in 1999, for instance, the ceremony was held at the Business Design Centre in Islington).
Amanda's simple but brilliant solution was to move the awards from April to February, before the Oscars, so that the BAFTAs could be their thrilling precursor, rather than an afterthought. This was not as easy as it sounds. 'Film releases in the UK were still so much later than they were in the States, so initially, we allowed films that released as late as April to qualify. Interest in the awards dropped initially,' she admits. 'But it was so important to us that we represented the same films as the other major awards ceremonies, otherwise we wouldn't be relevant.'
At the same time, she started building relationships with sponsors, including mobile phone network EE (then Orange), Audi, Taittinger and Lancôme. Today, BAFTA manages a year-round programme of educational events and initiatives including film screenings and Q&As, interviews, lectures and debates with major industry figures. It also runs scholarships for film and TV students.
When did she realise she had achieved her goals? 'The day I think that is the day I'll have to leave. I've been here 16 years, and I still have dreams for BAFTA. I think we can always do a bit better.'
This sort of driven perfectionism doesn't leave Amanda much of a personal life. 'At home, I'm always catching up with TV programmes, news, emails and press cuttings.' The problem is made worse by her need for sleep. 'I could sleep for nine hours a night and if I don't get enough, I'm just not 100 per cent. I see people who only need three hours and I think of all the things I could get done!'
Amanda is single and lives in Kennington, South London. She doesn't have children, and says she couldn't have achieved what she has done if she'd been a mother. 'That's down to me, rather than because my work wouldn't have allowed it,' she explains. 'Because I'm someone who likes to give my all to whatever I do, I think it would have been a personal struggle, trying to do everything for my children and everything for work.'
She also worries, she says, that her own ailments, which she has carried into adulthood, would have been passed on to her child. 'I'm not sure that I would have been as strong as my mum was with me. I think I'd have been more: "Stay in bed darling, don't worry." And it's also partly that I never really felt ready to have children.'
But she's never lonely. 'I've probably lived on my own longer than is healthy,' she says, 'but I do have a job that is all-consuming and incredibly social. Every night of the week, I could be involved in work events from breakfast through to after-dinner cocktails.' And hanging out with Brangelina and Clooney into the bargain? It doesn't sound like a bad deal to me.
The EE British Academy Film Awards will take place next Sunday evening on BBC One. Amanda wears jewellery from Yoko London and was styled by Charles Worthington and Lancôme, all of whom are official partners of the EE British Academy Film Awards
- Casamigos with Mr Clooney
- Posts : 8561
Join date : 2013-05-01
Location : Germany
Re: Close-ups with George Clooney
Really interesting article Nicky. Tough childhood for Berry but she certainly has accomplished so much in her career. I would be at my wits end if I did was she does everyday and was responsible for putting on the BAFTAS but she seems to thrive on it. And she gets to hang with the likes of Clooney.
- Clooney, Clooney, Clooney
- Posts : 5684
Join date : 2014-08-26
Location : Washington, DC
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:You cannot reply to topics in this forum


text:
Today is a Heart of Thorns beta day, and the first play session of the day just ended. This was my first time trying anything from HoT, and I do have to say I enjoyed what I played.
The events on the map are definitely in the same style of Dry Top and Silverwastes, with a meta that cycles through, events to defend or take areas, and wanting a group for most of them. Dak and I tackled a rally point defense event with just the two of us, and while we succeeded, it was definitely a narrow victory (I was defeated and he was running in circles with next to no HP as it ended). Solo exploring is rather hazardous.
The Masteries UI looks very nice – unfortunately I didn't think to get a screenshot of it.
Speaking of masteries, I do feel like activating them needs to be explained better. You need to have a mastery track activated in order to level it and spend points on it. At the top of each mastery category is a checkmark next to the name. Clicking that activates that mastery. This isn't explained well and I only figured it out when someone mentioned it in map chat. I hope that they look into adjusting that to make it more intuitive.
I also feel like much of the map felt pretty empty, however that's not surprising considering that it's currently far from completion. It isn't even a lack of events, really; rather, there's a serious lack of NPCs in most of the areas. This could be due to it being unfinished, or due to the fact that it was nighttime when I did most of my exploring, but either way. There's a lot of room for them to work with there.
I would have liked to play with masteries more, but I didn't get gliding unlocked until towards the end of the test and didn't have mushrooms unlocked at all. I did not come across anything noticeably broken (just minor things for the most part), and didn't run into any performance problems while running around, which are both good things.
It was just a short beta, so there wasn't time to do a whole lot, and I decided to primarily explore. The next session I plan on diving more into the events, and want to try some of the ones to unlock outposts. There was also a few adventures I saw but didn't activate, so I'll have to give those a try, too. I did like what I played, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the map is when it's more filled out and polished…and obviously, how the rest of the expansion will be!


text:
There are two ways to plant tomatoes. The first way is to buy healthy, stocky transplants or start your own seeds indoors about six to eight weeks before planting time. The second way is to plant seeds directly in the garden.
There are pluses and minuses with each method. If you buy transplants you are limited to the varieties the garden centers have. If you start your seeds indoors you have an unlimited selection of varieties, but there is a little work to be done. And if you plant seeds directly in the garden, you have an unlimited selection and hardly any work but you have to wait a little longer for harvest.
Whichever method you choose you should be ready to plant about two weeks after the last frost of the spring. Make sure your soil temperature is at least 55 degrees F and the night time temperatures stay above 45 degrees F.
For direct seeding use a hoe and make a trench about one inch deep the length length of your row. Place about three or four seeds each at the proper spacing for your variety along the row. Cover the seeds with one quarter to one half inch of soil and gently firm it down with the end of your hoe. Water in well with a watering can or the mist setting on a water hose, being careful not to blast the seeds out of the ground with a hard stream of water.
For transplants you either buy or start indoors, the time to plant is the same as with direct seeding. About two weeks after the last frost of the spring, set your transplants in the ground. At the proper spacing for your variety, dig a hole one foot deep and one foot in diameter. Mix 5-10-5 fertilizer and agricultural lime in your hand and drop it in the planting hole and put soil on top of it. Plant your tomato in the hole up to a couple of inches of the bottom set of leaves and firm up the soil around the plant.
To cut down on chances of a disease called Early blight, mulch around the new transplant with grass clippings, hay, wheat straw or even newspapers. Do this before you water the transplants in to keep soil from splashing onto the leaves, which is a big cause of early blight.
Instead of dropping fertilizer and lime in your planting hole, you can just drop lime in the hole before planting and water the transplants in with liquid fertilizer.


text:
I feel like the words aren't coming easily today. However I feel like this having already written nearly 300 words – much more than my goal of 250 per day. I feel like because I've been regularly writing over one thousand words, if I don't get near that I'm letting myself down. I wonder if I should be congratulating myself on doing any, or berating myself for not getting up to as many as I know I can do. I don't know.
I've just had to do some really interesting research for 'Holiday'. Research on the brand new BMW Z4 sDrive 35i. That's some research I could do any day of the week. It's beautiful. I want one. I think I'm aspiring to get one. I also need to do some research on penthouse apartments overlooking the Thames here in London. I think I might want one of them when I'm finished. This book will throw up some more interesting research – to be authentic and accurate I need a trip to Majorca. Damn, what a shame. Maybe I'll set my next one in Hawaii or the Bahamas. He he.
I went to the library during my lunch break to take a book back. The whole way there I was telling myself that I wasn't allowed to go and look on the shelves at books; I've got more than enough 'to read' books at the moment (having bought 3 more last weekend). I didn't. However, on the return's counter there is a 'recommended books' stand and I made the mistake of picking up the recommended book. And it looked good. Good enough that I walked round the other side and took it out. Damn. Oh well, I've got my operation in a couple of weeks, if I've not read it by then I'm sure I'll be able to in that week.
It's actually a really good way of finding new authors. I'd never heard of Julia Quinn (the author of the book I picked up) and I imagine looking through the shelves I wouldn't have picked up this book. I am quite a loyal reader, if I read your book and I like it I will look out for your other books to read. I'm also mainly attracted to books by the cover. If I don't immediately like the cover, the chances are I won't pick your book up – let alone read it. The exception to this is if I've been told it's good – word of mouth is so important.
I think that's as much as I can say at the moment. Back to the novel.


text:
Wales can come back stronger
John Taylor
March 5, 2009
Wales' Tom Shanklin and Ryan Jones reflect on defeat to France in Paris © Getty Images
Declan Kidney Danny Care Thierry Dusautoir Imanol Harinordoquy Gavin Henson Martin Johnson Ryan Jones Paul O'Connell Brian O'Driscoll Ronan O'Gara Fulgence Ouedraogo Andy Powell Mathew Tait Martyn Williams Shane Williams
Before it all began I flagged up Friday night in Paris as the one I was worried about for Wales and then changed my mind on some pretty flimsy evidence.
I should have known better - heart ruling head - it never works!
It was wishful thinking to believe Wales had got their bad game out of the system with their below par performance against England. Instead of stepping-up again for France it was another lacklustre display with far too many errors - the better side won on the day. All credit to France - they did go up a gear.
Imanol Harinordoquy's dad was a legend for his sporting feats in the Basque country and when the youngster burst on the scene in 2002 he was hailed as a chip off the old block with his intoxicating mix of athlete and hard man. He soon became a champion of Basque aspirations and was on the way to becoming a national hero before injury led to a complete loss of form. When he was demoted to the 'A' team it seemed as if the Basque dream had ended but now he is back with a vengeance and at 29 is busy making up for lost time.
He met the steel of Andy Powell, Wales's find of the season, with even tougher steel and then took the game to Wales magnificently. It was probably his best ever performance in a French jersey and he inspired his back-row colleagues, Fulgence Ouedrago and Thierry Dusautoir, to mighty contributions as well. That, for me, was where the game was won.
Worryingly for Wales, captain, Ryan Jones was pretty anonymous. He needs to find some bite to go with his work-rate. Suddenly on the back foot because of Harinordoquy and co. Wales contributed to their own downfall by losing their assurance and their patience. It was the most hesitant performance I have seen from them since the Rugby World Cup and, to compound the errors this caused, players who should have known better tried to do too much on their own.
Mike Phillips several times tried to take on the world from a standing start, changed his mind and then had no option but to go again and the Williams boys, Shane and Martyn, were also guilty of trying to win the game on their own instead of working openings. The final straw was when Gavin Henson ignored a three-on-two situation and went for glory himself in the dying moments. It would have been a dream return if he had made it but he was chopped down by Dusautoir and it has to go down as a bad error of judgement.
But this was a wake-up call not a disaster - Wales can still win the Championship and end the season stronger as a team if they learn from the mistakes in Paris.
Ireland are where Wales were at this stage last year - starting to believe that this could be a special season. They have won the Triple Crown three times this century - more than any other nation but they have never really looked in contention for a Grand Slam which they have won only once in their history - in 1948. Now they are the only country still in contention and must be daring to dream even if, officially, they are talking the old 'we're not thinking beyond the next game' cliché.
There was nothing spectacular about the win over England but they were well in control for most of the game and would have been out of sight if Ronan O'Gara had not missed five kicks at goal. That control must have pleased coach, Declan Kidney, no end. He has selected cleverly introducing new blood in the back three and the back-row where it was perhaps getting stale.
But it was the solid play of the front five that set-up this victory. Paul O'Connell is back to his very best and John Hayes - who I honestly thought was past his sell-by date a couple of seasons ago - is playing better than ever as he trundles towards his 100th cap.
Poor old England cannot get anything right. Even Martin Johnson had to admit Danny Care's misdemeanour demanded a yellow card but now that they are out of contention it is more important that he admits he has been too cautious. This is surely the time to go for adventure and youth. They are now playing for pride and that means respect from their own fans who are desperate for a bit of excitement.
It was only when Mathew Tait came on after an hour that the backline had a cutting edge. He soon made the sort of slashing break we seldom see from a man in white and should have put Rick Flutey in for a try. I am becoming more and more convinced that selection is probably the single most important skill for an international manager/coach and if we do not see some bold, positive decisions for the final two matches this season will have been wasted.
© Scrum.com
John Taylor is a former Wales and British & Irish Lions international and regular contributor to Scrum.com
Communication error please reload the page.


text:
5 Results Found
The CISSP (Certified Information System Security Practitioner) certification exam update in 2018 included a modest revision of the topics and a significant change to the testing process. Preparing for the CISSP exam has become more challenging. Here's everything you need to know about the changes.
(ISC)2's CISSP (Certified Information System Security Practitioner) is a widely desired indicator of cybersecurity knowledge, experience and excellence on the resume of many IT professionals. Learn how to prep for the most comprehensive and in-demand cybersecurity certification.
Watch this recorded webinar to understand the basics of the Risk Management Framework (prescribed by NIST Standards) and how to begin to apply it.
Whether you're a beginner or intermediate Python developer, you'll want to keep this guide close to your keyboard and Python editors. In it, you'll find sample use cases for many of the most common language constructs and tasks that you'll likely need to perform, such as reading a file or working with a database.
If any of the following reminiscences ring true to you, have you moved beyond them? If not, it might be time to make some new discoveries.


text:
The Good Wife Season 1 Episode 12: "Painkillers" Quotes
Let me give you a little lesson for your next job, the next time you wanna talk to your charges about sexual transmitted diseases, talk to the parents first.Alicia
Alicia: I wanted his problems out of the office. What does that say about me?
Kalinda: It says you're becoming a lawyer.
I always liked you.Kalinda [to Peter]
Displaying all 3 quotes


text:
New Theme for Spring 2015
It's been a while! A new theme for the new year was long overdue so here goes….the latest theme is chosen by club member Eric Mooney. His description of the theme is:
Walla of a crowd that's trying to be quiet. An example of this would be at a library, or someplace similar where people are speaking very quietly and maybe even whispering occasionally. There could also be some fairly quiet and subtle movements taking place in the background. This seems like it would be a great backdrop of audio that could be used in pretty wide variety of scenes. This is something that I don't have very much (if any) of.
More generally, Eric has provided some pointers for recording 'walla', which are worth bearing in mind when recording sounds for this collection:
Most of you are probably already familiar with walla, but if you're not it's basically just a recording of a "background" conversation that doesn't contain any intelligible speech. By not being able to make out what the crowd (large or small) is saying the audience stays focused on the lead actor's dialogue.
File Types to Submit:
Stereo recordings of walla will give the audience a more immersive experience than mono recordings would. For this reason all of the submissions should preferably be recorded and submitted in either stereo or surround so that they can easily be used in any professional project.
I wasn't initially keen on this theme idea when Eric suggested it because Echo Collective have just recently released their Quiet Spaces library, and I do try to avoid themes that already exist in the form of independent libraries…though that's getting harder and harder to manage these days as the indie library scene continues to grow! However, having spoken to Rene and checked he's cool for us to use the same idea, I did think it'd be really interesting to do an international version of the Quiet Spaces library, which I believe is all American locations. Do check out Echo Collective's Quiet Spaces library and consider grabbing a copy – hopefully the club's collection will be a useful compliment to it. I hasten to add, though, that despite my comparison with Echo Collective, I believe their library contains recordings of quiet spaces where people are NOT talking; it is mainly just the sound of subtle movement. With our collection, the primary sound is intended to be quiet murmur or even whispers, though that element of shuffle and other 'presence' is still a vital ingredient in the quiet crowd sound that we're after.
Final tip: As I've often flagged before with other club themes, bear in mind the acoustics of the space you record in. Old or unusual spaces that are very quiet and free of ambient noise such as background traffic or air conditioning may be the best spaces for adding character to low level signals such as quiet crowd sounds. Oh and very importantly, please state location and country in the name or metadata of any shared files!
Hopefully this explains everything but feel free to drop me a line if anything is unclear.
New Theme for Summer 2014:
The club's latest theme is chosen by club member, Rick Blything:
"I'm sure that everyone who has visited different countries and cities and pays attention to the city's soundscape can re-call the feel and emotion from the city's backdrop.
I believe that vehicle horns help define a city's soundtrack and that is what this month's theme is all about:
Vehicle Horns: BGs
Sounds differ enormously from the near constant cacophony of horns heard in Delhi, to the slightly more constrained hoots from a tailback in an English town.
Recordings of these such sounds are great for building up scenes and can be used to good effect as both 'off-screen' and 'establishing' sounds. They can help to shape a location and sonically guide the audience to that space.
Recording techniques could range from mono directional recordings to wide stereo ambiences. Whilst recording locations could range from roof-tops, interiors, exteriors, mics out the window stlyie or straight up street level tracks.
So next time you visit a city/town take your mics, find any one of a number of locations and pitch up, press the record button and try and capture some evocative tracks."
Thanks for that, Rick – I can only add that, as with the dog barks theme, please bear in mind that this is a theme that is meant to provide sounds for BACKGROUNDS, not close up spot FX. The horns need to have at least some 'space', i.e. echo or reverberation / ambience, around them, otherwise I'll unfortunately have to reject them. However, if you get a distant AND close sound then feel free to add the close sound too as sometimes these are useful to keep together.
I would suggest it's worth getting 2-5 minutes of horns; it's not that useful just getting one or two 'toots' unless they are particularly unusual or distinctive.
As always, think about how submerged your distant horn sounds are within the roar of traffic – too much traffic noise and the horns won't be usable because there'll be a surge of engine roar every time your car horn is used in a tracklay.
Lastly, as Rick touched upon in his brief, think about the space in which the horns occur – the acoustics of the space that surrounds them is what tends to make vehicle horns evocative rather than the actual horn sound itself.
As ever, I'm looking forward to hearing the results!
New Theme for Spring 2014
Ever since starting the Sound Collectors' Club, 'Doors' has been a frequent request whenever it's been time to choose a new theme. To date, I've always been reticent to go with it, as I feel Tim Prebble already ticked that box a while back with his epic crowdsourced 'Doors' collection that he orchestrated. Although overlap with other collections is eventually inevitable, I prefer themes that don't echo well-known independent libraries that already exist out there.
However, the thing is that a lot of people (including myself) missed out on Tim's collection when it happened, so there is still a lot of demand from club members for new sounds in this department. I finally caved in when club member Steve Papagiannis' recently suggested an 'Open & Close' theme rather than just specifically doors, so that the theme can include all kinds of different hinged things, big and small, rather than just doors. I'll let Steve explain:
"How about opens and closes, building a "new" 9000 series. Doors, drawers, gates, garages, cabinets, boxes, compartments, trunks, mason jars, etc – anything and everything, if it opens and closes, from the smallest jewelry box or door latch to the largest electrical utility box or hanger door, it's fair game (would include knocking/pounding, latches, creaks if there are any, associated with said subject matter being recorded."
The only requirement I'd insist upon is that you must submit the open AND close sounds of the item / object. After that, any supplementary sounds that are useful bi-products of the opening & closing, such as creaks or the usual interior or exterior versions where relevant, are always very welcome but not essential. Let me clarify that doors ARE welcome in this collection, but so are any other kinds of interesting-sounding hinged items too. Oh, and obviously I'll keep car doors in their separate collection that already exists.
So let's do it – let's make this the new 9000!!!
Rene Coronado has made a good point on Twitter regarding this theme:
"Cool theme! I'd add: What made Tim's collection so good is the requirement of different performances and perspectives; i.e. soft > hard & near > far."
& Steve Papagiannis has kindly contributed these thoughts on our subsequent approach towards labelling & metadata for this theme (and all other themes, for that matter):
Definitely worth bearing these thoughts in mind when collecting & labelling your sounds.
Last Theme of 2012-13 Season
"Greetings all, I've been working with sound for 30+ years. My experiences range from linear to non-linear; sound design, dialog and music, production thru post. The last 18 years have been focussed on audio for games and I've been fortunate to be involved with some amazing projects and people. I recently bought a bunch of field gear and am re-broadening my explorations with recording adventuring. A 'back to roots' of sorts.Theme blurb:Tools – an Unexpected Journey.My dad was a carpenter. As a kid, I'd hang out in the shed and would play with vices, hammers, jars of nails, screwdrivers and chunks of wood, etc. Fascination, for all the senses. I don't know about you but I have always wanted to schmooze my (and my recording gear's) way into a big hardware store, while it's closed.
While the club's theme descriptions tend to be quite specific, I invite you to explore the most unusual sounds that can be found in your tool drawer. For me, it'll be about the curious use of a given tool, as well as a unique space and recording perspective. "Play" with the object and hone in on the unexpected. Perhaps: use a vice clamp under water in your sink. Or, roll a screw around in a bottle. You could, turn a screw into a turnip with contact mics on it! Why not? Who knows what you'll end up with!"
New Theme: Child's Play
AKA 'Junior Street Voices'!
The easiest path to take for this theme would be to get recordings near schools or play parks. However, as well as it being a tad creepy hanging around these places, I would argue that these will not be the most useful sounds to have in the collection. As with the Street Voices theme, I think the most useful recordings will be of small groups or couples of kids in the street (or any exterior space for that matter) playing or simply shouting to each other.
Obviously, playground chatter is useful if you're working on a scene in a school. However, isolated kids' shouts aren't site-specific. They are very evocative and are therefore a go-to sonic effect to describe a location, e.g. Broadly speaking, yobby shouts suggest feral kids and therefore a rough area. Cutesy voices of kids playing games suggests a more idyllic, 'safe' setting. A variety of different recordings such as these are invaluable in any FX library.
I will accept recordings of larger groups of kids too, as it will become a pain differentiating between group sizes otherwise. I'm just emphasizing that recordings of smaller groups of kids are the most useful in my opinion. Interior recordings will be accepted too (mainly because I can't really imagine 'Interior Kids' being a future theme in it's own right) and kept within a subfolder of the collection.
I'm also presuming that your recordings will be made with at least a little bit of distance between you and the subject, otherwise this enters the realm of crowd ADR. However, this is not a rule and closer recordings will, on the whole, be considered acceptable too. Oh – one last thing – let's agree an approximate upper age limit of about 10-12 years old? Otherwise, I think it'll get tricky deciding whether a recording should go in this collection or 'Street Voices'.
As always, anyone else's thoughts on what you think this theme should consist of are welcome in the comments below.
First Theme of 2013!
Happy New Year! I thought we'd start 2013 off with a classic – you can never have too many siren recordings! They are so evocative and loaded with meaning.
The theme really lends itself well to the multinational nature of our crowdsourcing group as well because sirens obviously sound different all around the world. Plus, the location in which they are recorded makes such a difference too, e.g. surrounded by skyscrapers as opposed to passing through suburban streets or the countryside. I believe that police sirens are actually the same in New York and London nowadays but I bet you could still often tell them apart in a recording simply from the differing acoustics.
Feel free to record close or distant sirens or passbys – I'm going to create 3 subfolders to cover these different perspectives but if you contribute a recording of just one you do still get access to them all within the main 'Sirens' folder.
My only pointers for this theme are: if you submit passbys, try to get the whole approach and fade away. If you submit distant recordings, make sure the sirens aren't swamped with traffic noise and if you submit close recordings, try and get a decent length of recording to avoid having to do loads of looping. As per usual, if anyone else has any useful advice that they think is worth adding then feel free to comment below.
Let's get the year off to a good start! Thank you to all club members for your support last year – we're now 50 strong and rising and the collection is now over 35 gigs in size. Remember that the new 2013 season starts in April and I always give free membership to the top contributors (generally the top 8 to 10) from the past year, so now's the time to get your tally up!
All the best for 2013! Here's to another great year of sound collecting and sharing.
New Theme – Burps 'N' Farts!
But sir! Sir! It wasn't me, it was Coronado!
What can I say? Don't blame me, talk to Rene, it was his idea. BUT, all jokes aside, this could be a very useful collection. Many a film depends on a good old-fashioned fart gag, and as far as I'm aware, there's only one or two 'body wind' libraries out there currently.
Feels a bit weird to give you guidelines – bit of an invasion of privacy 'n' all – so use your own judgement on this occasion!
One request: This is one occasion when editing is necessary; if you're providing a recording of several burps or farts, please edit your track down to the important bits, in an easily auditionable series. Other than that, let rip! 🙂
Church Bells Meetup, Anyone?
In line with my intentions to had more meetups organised, I'm happy to say that Raoul Brand got in touch with me recently, with a great idea for the next recording trip. I'll let him explain:
"Over the last few weeks I have spent a lot of time in Hampstead Heath, North London, where I am currently recording sounds for my dissertation.This involves going up to the same location in the park at different times of the day and at night to record the soundscape with a pair of omni mics rigged in the canopy of a tree.At night especially when it's quiet but also on Sunday mornings I noticed that I was able to hear the distant bells from St Anne's church in Highgate, which is about half a mile away.I went up to the church to check out the exact times when the bells are ringing and found out that the church offers a drop in class for their bell ringing practice! – http://www.bird-dog-demo.com/stannes/bell-ringing/I always thought it would be great to be able to record church bells with some degree of creative input and to spend some time thinking about the best mic placement without disturbing the sunday service, so I spoke to the person in charge and he was very welcoming and supportive of the idea.As it would be useful to cover a recording session like this from different microphone perspectives, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to have another soundcollectors club meet up.It looks pretty certain that we could record the practice session there [in early September]. Apparently access to the tower is a bit tricky and tight so it would definitely be worth setting up before the ringing starts. I think this would suit about 4-5 recordists and I think it would be cool to cover interior as well as exterior perspectives.That's about it – except that there is a nice pub down the road to grab a pint after."
New Theme – Dog Barks: BGs
The Club's latest theme comes courtesy of one of the club's top contributors and 'word spreaders' (I was going to say 'ambassadors' but it felt a little transparently Jobsian!), Rene Coronado. He fired a load of great suggestions at me on Twitter last month which I'm more than happy to add to the Club's collection of themes over the coming months – especially as I've been hogging choosing the theme recently.
So, seeing as it's Rene's choice, here's his own description of what he's looking for:
My primary motivation for recording the dogs in the first place was to have a nice bgfx element that can be layered in with other stuff. As such, light traffic noise and other suchwhat are fine in the recordings.Generally its best if the recordings are made in stereo and at least 3 meters from the dog so that we really get a sense of what they sound like in the environment. I've gotten some great stuff from about half a block away.Often the dogs don't need to be agitated in any way. Just standing there with a recorder tends to be enough to get them barking.Single dogs are more useful than groups of dogs – more editable.I tended to get my recordings just by walking the neighborhood with my D50, and stopping to lean on a tree or pole when one of the dogs started barking. Best time for recording is after dinner, since the dogs are often out in the yard.


text:
Free Jazz review by Stef
Harris Eisenstadt – Guewel (CF 123)
Guewel or N'Guewel means as much as "griot" in the Wolof language of West-Africa, a wandering musician or poet, a living repository of the oral tradition but also someone who is free to comment on society and who incorporates current events in his songs, integrating them in the already existing and generally known stories. Canadian drummer Harris Eisenstadt went to Senegal and Gambia to study griot music and rhythms. He now integrated some of this into this wonderful free jazz record, assisted by a four horn section consisting of Josh Sinton on baritone sax, Mark Taylor on French horn, Nate Wooley on trumpet and Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet. The great thing about Eisenstadt's approach is that he gives the musicians plenty of room to play around with the rhythms and the themes. The first track starts in a total free mode, with an initial hint of a unison rhythmic theme, but the band goes on like birds singing together, or or pedlars shouting on a market place: it's the same idiom, but it sounds chaotic, but then the drums lead them back for a wonderfully compelling theme, which drops away for a few minutes of drums/french horn duet, and when the theme returns, the music is full-fledged African, joyful, polyrhythmic, expansive. The second track starts with solo percussion intro, the band joins in a contrapuntal halting rhythm, with again, somewhere in the middle, a great half-march-half-waltz-half-latin-like theme emerges (I know it doesn't add up, but here it actually does!), offering the trumpet the solo spot, while the other horns disappear into the background, succeeded later by the cornet. Strangely enough, the same structural formula is also used on the following track, rhythm and musical chaos evolve toward a great jubilant theme somewhat halfway the piece, again with the horn section playing in full counterpoint, then collapsing again into some kind of communal chatter evolving into a slow solemn melody. The four horns are a perfect fit for each other, managing to convey joy and sorrow, magic and mystery almost on command, with the biggest kudos going to Eisenstadt for his crystal clear drumming. He is not all over the place, he is there where he needs to be, driving the music, not only providing the rhythmic base, but also lots of the listening fun, giving the right touches, underscoring during improvisations, supporting the soloists, yet challenging them at the same time. His greatest feat are the compositions though. The melodies are superb, the rhythms complex and evolving the whole time, but also the structure of the tunes, with each piece being a canvas of ever-changing colors and sentiments, with tightly composed and arranged themes interspersed with either chaotic chatter and percussion plus solo moments. It gives the effect of the individual moving out into the inhospitable outside world, encountering lots of unpleasant experiences, only to be sucked up again into the welcoming bossom of the community, where safety resides. All conjecture on my part, but that's how it feels. And I find it's absolutely fabulous. Don't miss it.


text:
You can listen to my Thanksgiving Day sermon on the Saint Paul's website, or read it below.
Happy Thanksgetting everyone! No, not Thanksgiving, Thanksgetting. Haven't you heard, the good people at Verizon have decided that giving thanks is way too antiquated an idea, so this year, they're calling it Thanksgetting, as in, let's all be thankful for the stuff we can get now that Black Friday starts on Thanksgiving Thursday. Now, I'm not one who usually gets my feathers ruffled by what the great minds at high power ad agencies come up with in order to get me to buy things. I don't get bothered by people lining up for a great deal… I think they're weird, but I don't begrudge them. I don't even get angry that the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade is nothing but a three-hour advertisement for Macy's and NBC, but for some reason, this Thanksgetting ad campaign really got stuck in my craw, so I googled it to see what others were saying about it, and found that this actually wasn't the first instance of the word Thanksgetting.
As far as I can tell, the first time Thanksgetting was used in the media was November 13, 2010 on a children's show called Planet Sheen.[1] Planet Sheen was a spin-off of the popular animated movie Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, that you've probably never heard of. It centered around Jimmy's less-than-genius friend, Sheen Estevez, who snuck aboard Jimmy's rocket ship and ignoring the "Sheen, do not press this button" note, found himself four million and one light years away on the planet Zeenu.[2] While working to get the rocket ship repaired, Sheen begins to teach the Zeenunians about what life is like on Earth.
In the 7th episode, entitled "Thanksgetting,"[3] the Zeenunians celebrate their annual holiday, Zakmanus, which lasts for an entire minute. Sheen is less than impressed with the puny holiday, and teaches them about the three month long holiday season back on earth. The Zeenunians decide to try it out, and Sheen takes advantage, calling the season Thanksgetting and making it all about them giving him presents, presents, and more presents. Sheen gets everything he could ever want and more, but as you might guess, there is no real joy in Thanksgetting. Sheen learns that joy comes in giving. Of course, we all know this already, which is why we are here taking the opportunity to pause and be reminded that true joy can be found not in getting, but in giving, especially in giving thanks.
In our Gospel lesson this morning, Jesus is speaking to his disciples on the side of a mountain, but he could just as easily be talking to the millions of people who are making plans to hit all the great sales that start as early as 6pm this evening. "Do not worry…" Don't worry about that 55 inch Ultra HD TV. Don't worry about the interactive R2-D2 robot. Don't worry about that ugly Christmas sweater. Strive instead for the Kingdom of God. I honestly believe that the starting place in striving for the Kingdom of God is in the action of giving thanks. That's why the Church continues to call the weekly celebration of Jesus' last supper by an ancient Greek word, the Eucharist; which literally means, thanksgiving. Our central act of worship, the thing that Christians have been doing since the very beginning, isn't about getting bread and wine but giving thanks to God for all the gifts that he has given us: bread, wine, community, and above all, his Son our Savior, Jesus Christ.
And so today, we pause. As Santa is preparing for his annual ride down New York's famed Fifth Avenue, as turkeys are roasting in the oven, as family and friends begin to gather, as football games get ready to start, and as the stores make their final preparations for an onslaught of shoppers, we stop, if only for a few moments, to strive for the Kingdom, to do the right, and good and joyful thing, to give God thanks for everything he has done for us. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and thanks be to God. Amen.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Planet_Sheen_episodes
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Sheen
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-zUxNvjC3I


text:
Dr. Mallory Lott , DPT
Mallory Lott received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) from LSU Health Sciences Center in 2018. Having played soccer throughout high school, Mallory has a passion for treating athletes and sports-related injuries. She is also interested in becoming a certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. As a proud New Orleans native, she loves working in the heart of the central business district and enjoying everything this great city has to offer.


text:
How To Prepare for Interview Questions & Answers
For some people an interview can feel so daunting that they'd rather not think about it beforehand but hope that they can wing it on the day. But if you just rely on leaving it to luck you are more likely to be affected by nerves and a lack of confidence. It is therefore important to prepare thoroughly so that you can present yourself as professionally as possible. Read more »