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My love affair with Paymaya started 2 years ago… it was a scary leap from my "no credit card – cash only" lifestyle to "plastic-electronic money". It was just a new thing then that I have wanted to experience as part of my #MillennialingChallenge. Yes, just like most mommies and aunties and titas – i got really tired of words like "oldie", obsolete, old fashioned, backward, and be constantly laughed at and labeled for millennially easy things that challenged me… I was raising 4 teenagers and believe me, even conversations became difficult! So the journey began… I started my blog, got on that micro influencer wagon, learned technology, ate, travelled, tried new things and practically did – with ease and dedication – things that my millennial community did. And through all these… Paymaya was there – my wireless, digital money!
Why I love Paymaya:
1. Online Shopping: Every millennialing auntie should, at least, try to shop online – those hard to find items at knock-off prices? Try Lazada and Zalora for beginners.. add those stuff in your virtual shopping cart, pay it with your electronic Paymaya money, and have it delivered in your door step! – don't forget to use your Paymaya provided promo codes for more discounts.
2. Going Digital: Part of every millennialing journey are apps that make our lives easier and more fun – but not without a price! Like NetFlix, Spotify, upgrading your Canva, even extra Farm Heroes Saga lives! Just #PaymayaMoNow auntie!
3. Safety & Comfort: If you're like me who's not comfortable giving out bank and credit card details then Paymaya's 16-digit will just about save you when booking flights, paying for your website domain, paying for your PLDT bills etc… if there's an option to pay online – #PaymayaMoNow!
4. Loading up easy: Whether you're buying credits for your account or expecting to be paid – putting money on your Paymaya is as easy as loading credits on your cellphone! Go to the nearest 7/11 and put credits using your phone number – so easy! Watch out for my Paymaya Tutorials on the blog soon!
5. Giving Money like Petmalu: Yes! Every auntie wants to be lodi & show off sometimes, when millennial kids ask for cellphone "load"/ credits or pay for Garena cards… auntie saves the day with Paymaya Shop. Give Paymaya cards to your kids and put their allowance in there – it will even encourage them to save and budget their money. Just go ahead and #ShareTheLove!
There are more reasons why I have stayed with Paymaya for the past two years not just the digital purchases that I could do but also the chance to enjoy life and experience new things like today's generation – but still be able to keep my simple abundance lifestyle.
Payment channels just made everything easier for us. Paymaya is now on Facebook messenger! Our service providers gave us free access to messenger and that is why you no longer need to access your PayMaya app by using your regular data load to use its services.
Wouldn't it be nice if sending money was as quick and easy as chatting on Facebook Messenger?
Wouldn't it be nice if sending money was as quick and easy as chatting on Facebook Messenger?
Aside from sending money, PayMaya on Messenger lets you pay utility bills, buy mobile load for less, and check your PayMaya balance without leaving the Messenger app. But first, here's what you need to know:
- For now, it's only available in Android devices. Apple users, stay tuned!
- Make sure your Messenger app is up to date. Search for the Messenger app on Google Play to see if it asks you to update your app or if you're now using the latest one.
- Yes, you can create a PayMaya account on Messenger. It has never been easier, friends! Like in the PayMaya app, it doesn't matter if you're a Smart, Sun, TnT, or Globe subscriber.
- Yes, your PayMaya account is safe on Messenger. Every transaction will ask for your Facebook password so please keep yours safe and secure. You can also trust that your funds and financial transactions are handled and kept safely in PayMaya.
It's a great time to be a PayMaya account holder this Christmas season with lots of discounts, rebates, and freebies coming your way. Use your PayMaya to shop and complete your holiday gift list so you can share the love to family and friends during this season of giving.
"Christmas is a season of giving, and we're happy to help our customers share the love over the holidays with PayMaya. This is our way of thanking our customers in helping us achieve a very fruitful year as the leader in digital payments in the Philippines," said Paolo Azzola, PayMaya Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director.
Get as much as P1,250 on referrals with PayMaya in Facebok Messenger
With PayMaya, it's easy to let your friends and loved ones know that you care about them. And with PayMaya in Facebook Messenger, both of you can feel the love as well!
Simply sign up or link your existing PayMaya account in Facebook Messenger and refer friends to sign up too and you will both get P50 in your PayMaya accounts.
To do this, all you have to do is share the promo link that you will receive from PayMaya in Messenger to up to 25 friends with Android devices to start earning the referral bonus. Subscribers of all mobile network in the Philippines may sign up until December 19 and get the bonus amount, which will be credited to their accounts in 2 to 3 business days.


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Our services include renting out of caravans.
We have 2-person and 4-person caravans in a fixed position near the beach. The 4-persons caravans have a double bed and a bunk bed or two double beds.
The 2-persons caravan has one double bed.
All the caravans have a closet, electric and table and chairs right outside.

subset: commoncrawl


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|This series of tutorials gives an overview of Daylight, our comprehensive dailies grading and management system, using a typical workflow as an example.
FLUX Manage for Baselight and Daylight 5.0
A detailed look at the media management features of FLUX Manage including searching, sorting, filtering, copying and deleting material.
|Daylight: An Introduction (Beta Version)
We created this video back when Daylight was still in beta - and still called Baselight DAILIES. Despite the name change, the video is still useful for anyone who wants to get a good overview of the Daylight workflow.
It explains a basic workflow with the product, including how to bring material in, grade it and render out deliverables.
|Daylight Introduction
Part 1 - Importing Material
Part 1 gives an introduction to the user interface and system setups, and describes how to create a new job and scene and import source material into it.
|Daylight Introduction
Part 2 - Managing Metadata
Part 2 shows how to view and manage image metadata from within Daylight.
|Daylight Introduction
Part 3 - Applying Basic Grades
Part 3 introduces the Grade workspace and covers how to add a basic look to the shots you have imported into your scene.
|Daylight Introduction
Part 4 - Syncing Audio
Part 4 describes the Audio Sync workspace and demonstrates how to sync separately recorded audio files to your scene automatically using timecode.
|Daylight Introduction
Part 5 - Rendering & Reports
Part 5 shows how to render out graded dailies for editing systems from the Render workspace, and how to access the reporting options within Daylight.
This section contains feature tutorials that show you how to use our systems.
Related Links
You may also be interested in:
In this area, you'll find manuals, white papers and datasheets for all our products.
If you're looking for a picture of one of our systems, or a screenshot of a user interface, this is the place to look.


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Web design. Development
Web App Development
WordPress Development
Magento Development
search engine optimization
Graphics & Logo Design
Our approach
We offer custom, performance-driven solutions to your digital marketing challenges. That's where we come in.
At Nevrless we concentrates on ensuring websites are not just fashionable but profitable and user-friendly. The methods of our web development have been written by a professional Time Management Consultant.
As a small company we are able to keep our overheads to a minimum, so when you read that our website packages start from an amazing $150, we charge a competitive price for all companies big and small to help promote their business online, reaching a specified target audience
Our production teams adhere to an intensive QA program across the spectrum of design and development. Resources are responsible for establishing that their work packages comply with defined project checklist standards. Nevrless is a complete-service interactive marketing agency that creates award winning design and development solutions.
We are specialist web design company offering a complete web design and development service at affordable cost.From email campaigns and static sales pages right through to content management systems and eCommerce implementations, our talented team of dedicated experts will transform your company's visions into reality.
It's precisely what I've been searching for. Nevrless did precisely what you said it does. On the off chance that you need genuine promoting that works and successful execution – Nevrless has you secured.
I'm ready. Nevrless spared my business. Nevrless was justified regardless of a fortune to my organization.
Nevrless has totally outperformed our desires. Nevrless was the best speculation I at any point made. It's inconceivable.
How much should I Invest?
No matter what industry you may be working in, Nevrless possesses the talent and technical know-how needed to guarantee you fully customized and dynamic services that can't be found anywhere else.
Still not convinced? Read Testimonials.
- Upto 5 Pages
- Professional Web Design
- SEO Friendly Content
- Domain Name
- Standard Hosting
- Mobile Friendly
- Social Media Setup
- Chat Feature
- Contact Form
- Optimized Loading Times
- Analytics and Reporting
- More Features Available
- Upto 30 Pages
- Professional Web Design
- SEO Friendly Content
- Domain Name
- Business Hosting
- Dynamic Sliders
- Mobile Friendly
- Social Media Setup
- Chat Feature
- Contact Form
- Optimized Loading Times
- Analytics and Reporting
- Shopping Cart Integration
- Optimized Gallery
- Unlimited Blogging
- Business Class Email
- Content Management System
- Search Engine Optimization
- Domain & Hosting
- Analytics and Reporting
- Catalog Management
- Order Management
- Persistent Shopping
- Shopping Cart Integration
- Import/Export Functionality
- Content Management System
- Marketing & Promotion Tools
- Checkout, Payment and Shipping
- More Features Available
* The prices mentioned above might vary with your requirement.


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Colorado Springs Outsourced Accounting Services
Would you like to get timely and accurate financial information about your business performance?
Would you like to spend less time on the finance and accounting aspect of your business and focus more on growing it?
Would you like to receive future looking financial reports that can show you where your business will be in 3, 6, 12 or even 36 months' time?
If you answered yes to any of the above, then read on…
Typically, small to medium sized businesses don't have the volume of activity to allow for full time accounting employees who are dedicated to their level of expertise. Yet they must hire someone who can perform all the necessary tasks needed to generate financial records and reports. This can lead to many issues, including:
- Hiring an expensive Controller who spends most of their time perform data entry tasks,
- Hiring a full charge bookkeeper, only to struggle getting accurate and timely financial reports.
- Having no forward-looking reports, such as cash flow projections, budgets, etc to help manage the business and plan for future initiatives
- Operating in an inefficient accounting process, due to employee(s) not being incentivized or trained on new technology
- Weak internal controls due to a reliance on a single cog in the accounting wheel
- Getting behind on the accounting records in the event of someone taking a vacation or leaving for another job.
Ten years ago or so the concept of Outsourcing Accounting services was to have the work done overseas by cheaper labor. This solved a few issues related to cost and apportionment of labor skill to relevant tasks. However, it also required remote oversight and generally did not provide any insights to the specific issues facing the Company. In the past 5 years, technology has evolved in the accounting industry that has enabled CPA firms like ours to provide a cost effective solution of Accounting Outsourcing to small and medium sized businesses.
At BiggsKofford, we have a dedicated full-service Outsourced Accounting Department that can work with you to understand your needs and formulate a plan that will allow you to fully outsource your accounting needs and focus on your business.
We apply our Thinking Forward approach to all aspects of your accounting needs. By leveraging current technology, eliminating waste from the accounting processes, and implementing controls we can offer Professional Grade Outsourced Accounting Services to our clients. When you use BiggsKofford's accounting outsourcing, you will benefit from:
- A dedicated team of accounting professionals, led by an experienced certified public accountant, assigned to your account whose experience is aligned with their role in your financial records.
- Current technology that is built in the Cloud, allowing for data sharing and timely information between our office and yours. We can also set up Dashboards that will allow you to see your financial performance in real-time throughout the month. No more waiting until the middle of the following month to see how you performed last month.
- Insight into your financial performance through the implementation of Key Performance Metrics relevant to your business and commentary on financial performance.
- Access to advanced services through your CFO Level account manager, allowing for insight on higher level business issues, such as Strategic or Exit Planning, Business Sales and Acquisitions, Growth Initiatives, Advanced Tax Planning, Employee Incentive Plans, etc.
- Fully integrated services aligned with your CPA firm. Whether we perform your taxes or someone else you can rest assured that we will provide accurate and timely information so that your tax preparer can complete your taxes with relative ease when the time comes. As we are a CPA firm too, we always consider the tax implications of what the business is doing to ensure we are working with your accountant throughout the year to appropriately manage your taxes.
- No Surprises – from timely financial information, forward looking reports, such as Cash Flow and Tax projections and even our fee structures, you will always be kept informed about your financial situation so that you can plan and operate your business with peace of mind.
To learn more and schedule an introductory meeting to discuss your needs please call us today.


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Alan Morris
Attending piano lessons at the age of 6 and playing Mozart with a German philharmonic orchestra when he was 11 simply meant that Alan Morris was passionate about music from a very early age!
He successfully participated in several music contests and played violin, viola and organ as part of his education. His all round musical journey continued when in 2005 he became the choirmaster of a gospel choir all that while still performing as pianist, organist & accompanist all around in concerts, art exhibits and live gigs regularly.
Back in 2000 Alan discovered Electronic music as part of his musical journey and now with over a 150 releases (original and remixes) he managed to establish his own unique sound blending ambitious and complex arrangements and slamming Trance productions.
Living his dream Alan Morris has released his music on labels such as Armada Music, FSOE, Protocol, Enhanced, Revealed, Amsterdam Trance, Flashover, Grotesque, Outburst, Pure Trance, High Contrast, Afterglow, Monster Tunes, Tytanium and many others as well as his very own Transistic Records.
With support from Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, Ferry Corsten, W&W, Dash Berlin, Paul van Dyk, Gareth Emery, Aly & Fila, Cosmic Gate, John O'Callaghan, Solarstone, Sean Tyas, Tritonal, Paul Oakenfold and many more Alan launched his own DJ career playing all around the globe: Ibiza, China, Argentina, England, the Netherlands, Germany and many more playing to crowds in events such as Nature One, FSOE 450 & Luminosity Beach Festival.
Now with his own Vengeance sample CDs and Nexus² sound expansions, successfully running his own label, a long run of Beatport Top Ten hits under his belt, producing pretty much every genre out there: House, Chillout, Techno, Orchestral, HipHop, EDM, Soundtrack and more, Alan Morris proves he can do it all. Something to be said for absolute hearing!


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Data Breach Exposes 550,000 Australian Red Cross Blood Service Donors
Security flaws on the organisation's website led to personal data bleeding out after a basic hack attack
Hackers have breached and leaked personal data from Australia's Red Cross Blood Service, leading to the details of 550,000 donors being exposed.
The breach, detailed by security expert Troy Hunt, is the biggest data leak Australia has suffered, and revealed the email addresses, gender, date of birth, phone number and blood donation date of the organisation's donors between 2010 and 2016.
Blood donor data loss
Rather than the more vicious SQL injection attacks which lead to such breaches, Hunt noted that the hacker appeared to have simply scanned Internet IP addresses to look for exposed web servers that returned directory listings
"This is literally as simple as going to an address such as http://127.0.0.1 and seeing a list of all the files on the system (sample address only). He'd then look to see if any of those files contained a .sql extension which would indicate a database backup… and that is all," said Hunt.
The data leak stemmed from a database backup published to a publicly facing website, something Hunt said should not be done as there is no good reason to have such a database on a website, let alone a public one, other than for convenience. Furthermore, it was exposed by having directory browsing enabled on the site.
"The database backup should never have been there in the first place, but it's highly unlikely it would have been found without directory browsing enabled (the file name would not have been easily guessed, it wasn't as obvious as something like "database.sql"). Showing a public listing of the file contents of the server is a well-known risk and there's rarely a valid justification for this, precisely for the sorts of reasons demonstrated with this incident," Hunt explained.
All this points towards flaws in the Australian Red Cross Blood Service's IT security, to the extent that The Guardian reported the organisation had explained the breach was down to human error.
"We learned that a file, containing donor information, which was located on a development website, was left unsecured by a contracted third party who develops and maintains our website," said Australian Red Cross Blood Service chief executive Shelly Park. "The issue occurred due to human error. Consequently, this file was accessed by a person outside of our organisation."
Park apologised for the data leak but stressed it did not include any medical information belonging to the donors. However, the leak of personal email addresses and information means hundreds of thousands of donors will need to be on alert to phishing scams targeted at them based on the leaked data.
Shore up security
By making the backup convenient to access the Australian Red Cross Blood Service essentially exposed its data to opportunistic hackers. Mark James, security specialist at ESET noted this situation could be avoided with a more savvy and modern approach to IT security.
"Protecting your data is an accumulation of many things, multi-layered defence is made up from security software, hardware, education and the expertise to meld them all into one. Ensuring corners are not cut or shortcuts are not in place is all part of securing your data," he said.
"Ensuring your software is patched and up to date is one of the biggest failings. Many webservers are using outdated software that still has vulnerabilities or flaws waiting to be exploited.
"With software available to scan multiple IP addresses looking for certain types of files most of the hard work has already been done for the attacker. If the correct authentication methods were in place and periodic security reviews on all servers holding or handling our private data then a lot of these breaches would not have happened."
Data breaches are becoming bigger, more damaging and increasingly high profile as the years march on; the latest major breach suffered by Yahoo has had the effect of putting its acquisition by Verizon at risk.
Alarmingly, even the police could be behind data breaches, showing organisations that it is not just hackers they should be concerned about.
Take our data breaches of 2015 quiz here!


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After years of waffling on a more aggressive interest rate agenda, the Federal Reserve is indicating change may be ahead. Earlier this month, a new employment report showed the U.S. added 235,000 jobs in February. With job growth, wage growth, and other indicators on the rise, the Fed decided to raise the federal funds rate – or the rate for overnight loans – to a target range of 0.75-1.0%. In turn, it will affect interest rates nationwide – from credit card rates and lending rates to mortgage interest rates and more.
This hike comes after a three-month impasse – the last time the Fed increased its benchmark rate was in December 2016. As a New York Times article noted, this is the Fed's third rate hike since the financial crisis of 2008-2009.
Now, how can this affect retired and near-retired investors - and does it mean future interest rate hikes?
More Rate Hikes in the Near Future?
With the rate increase, additional rate increases may well be in order. Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist at Wells Capital Management, believes it could be more than just a one-time event. "I think it's more than a March rate hike," he said to Jeff Cox, Finance Editor with CNBC. "They're putting themselves on a schedule for three to four rate hikes a year."
The CME Group's tracking tool indicates that traders expect the Fed to stay committed to its recent hike -- and possibly more hikes in the future. Take, for instance, the next scheduled Fed meeting in May. According to the FedWatch tool, traders assign a 93.6% chance of the rate remaining at 0.75-1.0% at the Fed's meeting on May 3, 2017 (as of March 20, 2017). You can see possibilities for yourself by clicking here to the CME Group site.
Source: CME Group, FedWatch Tool, http://www.cmegroup.com/trading/interest-rates/countdown-to-fomc.html, Probabilities as of March 20, 2017, 12:35pm CT. All rights reserved.
Why Does This Matter?
With the stock market at all-time highs, many retirees and investors close to retirement worry about their money. How much of their retirement money should be in equities – and how much is "too much?"
There is also the danger of overconfidence. Stock prices are at record highs, market volatility has been low, and investors feel bullish about the market. The CBOE Volatility Index has hovered slightly above 11.0, as investors expect market volatility to remain low. This recent trend of lowered investor fears about the market can be seen in the graph below.
Source: Chicago Board Options Exchange, CBOE Volatility Index: VIX© [VIXCLS], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/VIXCLS, March 20, 2017.
But as the value of investments in equity holdings rise, so does the risk of portfolio losses due to a market decline. This brings up the question of where to keep retirement funds safe from down-market effects. Generally speaking, bonds have been treated as a "safe haven" to preserve money from market downturns. But bond values can be affected by interest rate movements.
When interest rates go up, bond values go down, as historical events show. And with more interest rate hikes possibly on the horizon, bonds may not offer the same safety and security as they have in times past.
"Rising interest rates, debt levels at historic highs in both corporations and households, structural problems with the aging labor market, all point to a heightened risk in markets," as Suzanne Hutchins, lead portfolio manager at Dreyfus/Newton Global Real Return Fund, said to MarketWatch correspondent Anora Mahmudova.
Future Bond Prospects?
Jennifer Ellison, financial advisor and principal at the wealth management firm BOS, shared with Mahmudova some insights for possible bond prospects. "Hidden risk in portfolios comes from high-yield bonds and long duration. When interest rates rise or inflation increases, these assets will have much bigger losses than people realize," she said. "In the old days, you'd go more conservative and probably increase your bond allocation, but bonds are also risky right now."
As Mahmudova notes, yields on a 10-year Treasury have declined from a last-year spike of 2.6% to the 2.3% mark in February 2017. Today, March 20, 2017 its market-opening value was at 2.5%.
Michael Hasenstab of Franklin-Templeton Investments believes investor indifference to interest rate risk may be a danger. "... A bigger issue is that people are very complacent about interest-rate risk and are very complacent about the risks of the bond market. If you look at the underlying fundamentals, inflation is rising, growth is resilient," he told Emma Wall of Morningstar. "President Trump's proposals all are stimulative for both growth and inflation. So, maybe the Fed hikes two more, maybe they don't, but the reality is, either they hike and normalize and prevent getting behind the curve and or the market will do it for them."
Need Help with Strategies to Protect Your Money?
If you worry about falling stock prices or declining bond values affecting your financial or income goals, you don't have to. Through SafeMoney.com, you can connect with an independent financial professional, discuss your needs, and find options to preserve your retirement money. Call us and get on the road to discovery of powerful, safe strategies.
Use our Find a Licensed Advisor section to connect directly with an independent financial professional, and to request a personal strategy session to discuss your needs and goals. And should you have any questions or concerns, call 877.476.9723.


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These one-of-a-kind gummies are the perfect bite with a sour sand outside, a soft gummy chew and a delightful burst of strawberry-watermelon, blackberry, and watermelon flavors with a translucent top to allow the inside strawberry-watermelon liquid filling to show through. You will welcome this gourmet filled gummy insects invasion!
Flavors: Tart sanded strawberry-watermelon, blackberry, watermelon & Strawberry with a burst of strawberry-watermelon liquid center.


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Opening Hours:
Jkids Playground is a sparkling new and unique walk-in indoor children's playground and party facility. The play system features movable rides that offer hours of fun for children from 6 months up to 13 years old. Set in a colorful and cheerfully decorated, safe environment. Popular rides in the play system include the Spinning Palm Tree, Dancing Balloons, Sky Rider and the Air Ball Pool.
1. Unlimited play
2. The parent/guardian are required to accompany the child at ALL TIMES.
3. Admission of the parent(s)/guardian is free.
4. The parent/guardian is solely responsible for the child's well-being.
5. Jkids is NOT responsible for the guest's belongings.
6. No food or drink allowed in Playground area.
7. Socks are required for both children and adults.
8. Socks are available for purchase at the counter.
1. Not valid for party admission.
Cancel & Reschedule Policy:
Unless there is a specific cancellation or rescheduling policy defined by the vendor, the following policy applies to all Activities booked through Kidxy.com.
Only non-promotional Activities booked through Kidxy.com are allowed to be cancelled and refunded in full credit to your Kidxy Account. Cancellations must be done either 2 hours prior to activity time or close of business hours (for All-Day activities).
You can reschedule through your Kidxy Account under Booking History. Rescheduling must be done either 2 hours prior to activity time or close of business hours (for All-Day activities).
Publika Shopping Gallery, Lot No 50, Level G3, Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Jalan Dutamas 1, 50480 Kuala Lumpur
31st December 2021
Tropicana City Mall 2F, 40A, No 3, Jalan SS20/27 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Malaysia
Office Tel: 0377323259
Website: http://my-jkids.com/
Jkids Playground is a safe entertainment. We have open plain Playground area and Party area that parents and kids can enjoy together. Come play with us. We are open every day.
Book the Best Kids' Activities in the Klang Valley Online
Kidxy is Malaysia's first and only online website for the best kids' activities in the Klang Valley. Get cheap tickets to everything from art classes for kids, ballet classes for kids, kids' martial arts, kids' sports, kids' spa, kids' facial, and kids' birthday parties. Have your child's birthday planned by professional party planners with discounts and games for kids.
Kidxy also offers kids' music classes, sensory activities, toddler activities, and kids' craft activities. Kidxy is the one-stop centre and child community for kids' activities. Discounted tickets are available with free cancellation (terms apply) and there are also gift cards for parents.
As Malaysia's Online Kids' Activity Community, Kidxy offers a wide range of different activities from different partners all in one place. You only need to buy child activities on Kidxy to give your child experiences from premier child activity centres like Kidzania, Enerz, Jungle Gym, and more. Children can also visit Farm in the City or Zoo Negara at discounted rates if you book online with Kidxy.
Entertaining bored children has never been easier! All you need is one click to access Malaysia's best kids' activities in one place!
© 2020 Kidxy Technologies Sdn. Bhd. All Rights Reserved.


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All Star Pawn offers items from gold and silver jewelry, diamond jewelry, coins, watches, TV's, computers, tablets, cameras, video games, cell phones, stereos, musical instruments, guitars and amps, car audio, DVD players and movies, power tools, industrial tools such as paint sprayers and pressure washers and many other products. We also buy, sell and loan against firearms.We pride ourselves on being personally involved in our community and building relationships with our customers and want to personally invite you to give us a try, you will not be disappointed.
At All Star Pawn, we specialize in buying & selling gold and silver in all forms and we have close DIRECT relationships with many reputable, established refiners. Whether you are buying or selling, contact us today about your Gold and Silver!
Some consumers are actually getting more for their gold, silver, platinum, diamonds and jewelry than the amount they originally paid. Whether you are buying or selling, we will give you a fair valuation for your jewelry, watch or timepiece.
Looking for a new gun or to sell or pawn your old used guns? Come in and browse our selection of handguns, shotguns, rifles, automatic weapons, gun accessories, and other sporting equipment at All Star Pawn in Orlando, Florida today!
5311 West Colonial Dr.
Orlando, FL 32808
Mon-Fri 9am-6pm
Saturday 10am-5pm


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Fun & Easy Science for Kids
Colosseum Facts
The Roman Colosseum was originally known as the Flavian amphitheatre. It was commissioned in AD 72 by Flavian Emperor Vespasian and completed in AD 80 by his son Titus. It is one of the most famous mega structures ever built. It is a symbol of pride in architecture and engineering. The Colosseum...
Posted in Man-Made Wonders | Tags : Colosseum facts, all about Colosseum, Roman-Jewish War
Sponsored Links :
Copyright © 2020 All Rights Reserved EasyScienceforKids.com | Easy Science For Kids - Cool Facts


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Ariadnes thread of connections
August 2010
ROCKVILLE, Md.Ariadne recently announced a collaboration with the BIO-NMD consortium, a three-year, $9.6 million EU-funded research project based in Newcastle, England that is concentrating on the search for non-invasive biomarkers in people with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies and Collagen VI myopathies.
Led by Alessandra Ferlini, a professor at the University of Ferrara in Italy, the BIO-NMD consortium, along with leading European academic and industry partners, is working to identify non-invasive biomarkers for monitoring neuromuscular diseases.
Utilizing a wide variety of 'omics sciencesparticularly genomics, transcriptomics and proteomicsalong with bioinformatics, the consortium hopes to bring qualified biomarkers for ongoing clinical trials and future trials. Ariadne's focus will be on providing bioinformatics tools for identifying functional pathways, potential targets and data outflow integration.
Generally, the Ariadne team will use its software, Pathway Studio, as a core to integrate the data and information flow, in addition to using its expertise in information extraction to develop a literature-derived neuromuscular disease (NMD) biological knowledge base of related processes and diseases.
More specifically, Ariadne will build mechanistic models and pathways for NMD and interpret 'omics data generated by the consortium and partners in the context of NMD knowledge base and networks.
"We have always worked to establish strong collaborations with our clients," says Gabriella Armin, director of marketing for Ariadne. "Given the importance of this project, we are proud to not only provide the technology to enable this type of innovative discovery research, but also to contribute scientifically as team members. Our technological expertise in knowledge enrichment continues to provide crucial bioinformatics tools for visualizing the complexity found in biology."
"The participation of Ariadne as partners together with Inserm [Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche M édicale] is crucial for the project," adds Ferlini, who is BIO-NMD's coordinator and chair of the steering committee. "Developing bioinformatic tools for 'omics studies analysis is essential and guarantees success to the project. In addition, it reinforces collaboration between academics and industries, again a key point for successful research to be translated into clinics."
This is the right time to launch into this kind of work and the right place for Ariadne to be research-wise because, as Armin says, Ariadne has worked closely with customers, including top pharma and biotech, as well as premier academic research institutions around the world, for almost a decade, and the company brings unique expertise in data extraction and text-mining, which has allowed it to generate specific knowledge environments for biomarker discovery.
"MedScan technology, a unique technology in this space, allows any research group or company to compile highly specific and customized databases of biological pathways or networks and gene and protein events or specific diseases," Armin says. "Ariadne has adapted its Pathway Studio software to contribute significantly to the discovery and validation of biomarkers in neuromuscular diseases."
Armin explains that the members of the consortium, which is composed of seven leading European academic partnersoffering expertise either experimentally or in patient sample collection to go with Ariadne's bioinformatics skillsare highly regarded and qualified in their particular fields.
"In fact, all the academic partners are linked to the Network of Excellence for TREAT-NMD, an initiative in the neuromuscular field that is creating the infrastructure to ensure that the most promising new therapies reach patients as quickly as possible," Armin notes. "Several are also involved with the NMD-CHIP project whose aim is to design, develop and validate new sensitive high-throughput DNA microarrays, or 'gene chips,' to diagnose patients affected by neuromuscular disorders."
Not only will the collaboration allow Ariande to take advantage of these consortiums' talents, but also to better integrate, disseminate and implement data and results generated from BIO-NMD projects.
Ariadne officials first met with Ferlini at a Biomarker Summit conference in London of April 2008, Armin says and they immediately recognized that there was a common interest and potential to collaborate on NMDs.
"As we discussed the scientific and data challenges associated with the project, it was agreed that Ariadne could help in developing innovative approaches to discover biomarkers for NMDs," Armin recalls. "After validation of our technology, it became apparent that not only could we help the BIO-NMD consortium analyze the massive amounts of 'omics data the project would produce, but help the TREAT-NMD network develop analytical approaches by building new disease pathway models."
Armin says that Ariadne's ongoing relationships with customers and clients, including BIO-NMD, allow the company to continually create more relevant, scientifically accurate software, knowledge databases and applications.
"Ongoing product development projects are always collaborative, with each side bringing their expertise and specific domain knowledge to the table. With BIO-NMD, we can add to the vast amount of information currently offered by Ariadne, specifically in the area of neuromuscular disorders," Armin says. "In today's world of unanswered scientific problems, there is a real requirement for a variety of skill-sets, knowledge and technologies. Our hope that is through the pursuit of new collaborations and partnerships we can create ongoing relationships and apply that knowledge by providing products and services in support of innovative research and discovery programs."
Code: E081019
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Results 1 to 8 of 8
Thread: Regex Help Please
- 06-30-2011, 07:48 PM #1Senior Member
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Regex Help Please
Hie guys I am in desperate need of help. I am supposed to hand in my assignment in 2hrs and things are not looking up. I am just taping anything and everything to make my code work although I am breaking everything I know about best practice.
I need code that can remove all the characters £ characters before and everything else after and just give me the numbers.
Sugar Cane £760
Sea Salt £85
Porridge £170
Peanut Butter £95
My plan is to just add all these up and have a total. Please help.
Word to the wise: mentioning your deadline just makes you look impatient and as if you think your time is more important than the time of others around here, which comes off as extremely rude.
Also, don't just type "anything and everything to make my code work". Work carefully.
What have you tried? Where are you stuck? If you want help, you'll have to provide an SSCCE, not just dump your homework on us.
Read this: Pattern (Java Platform SE 6) and also the link in my signature on asking smart questions.How to Ask Questions the Smart Way
Static Void Games - GameDev tutorials, free Java and JavaScript hosting!
Static Void Games forum - Come say hello!
- 06-30-2011, 07:58 PM #3Senior Member
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Cheers Kevin, you really put me in my place didn't you.
Here's a word of advice: At times people really are desperate and just need a hand NOT some smarty pants comment from a jerk who clearly has had too much to eat.
Problem solved by the way :)
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I was just trying to tell you that people tend to react negatively to posts like "omg help me I have an hour to do this plzz plzzzz typring randomly doesn't help, give me the codes".
I then gave you a link to a tutorial on regular expressions. How was any of that negative?
Whatever. IgnoreList++How to Ask Questions the Smart Way
Static Void Games - GameDev tutorials, free Java and JavaScript hosting!
Static Void Games forum - Come say hello!
Nobody on these forums gets paid to help you. Some of us are professional programmers spending our free time to help newbies. If you graduate and go pro, you're either going to be a good programmer, or someone who is will have to pick up your slack. So it's to our advantage to teach you how to think things through yourself. We're not going to do your homework for you. If you wait until two hours before an assignment is due to ask for help, and you don't have time to put forth an honest effort and ask intelligent questions, then frankly, you don't deserve to pass.Get in the habit of using standard Java naming conventions!
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House 'cleaned out' in latest burglary
A house near the town of Mohill was 'cleaned out' by thieves in the latest burglary to hit the area.
The thieves forced their way into the unoccupied rural property via a patio door some time between 9am and 6pm yesterday (Wednesday, July 20).
They ransacked the house making off with a number of household items.
Gardai are appealing for anyone in the Mohill area who may have noticed anything suspicious to get in contact with them. They are also renewing calls for people to report anything unusual in their locality immediately to their local gardai.
A spokesperson for local gardai said reporting anything, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to gardai, may prove vital in apprehending the culprits of these crimes. Whether you notice a strange car in the area or see people approaching a property you know is unoccupied, take all relevant details and report this immediately to gardai.
If you are going away on holidays ensure you let family and neighbours know so that they can keep an eye on your property for you and also inform the local gardai so they are aware the house is unoccupied.
Gardai are also appealing for council road workers, Eircom employees, postmen and others who are regularly on the roads around the county, to be especially vigilant and to report anything unusual.
Contact local gardai on (071) 9650510.


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Better late than never. That's a fair way to characterize one of the most important events of the new season: the Metropolitan Opera's first production of the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's "L'Amour de Loin."
Since its acclaimed premiere at the Salzburg Festival in 2000, this mystical work, a tale of medieval love, has been presented in Paris; London; Toronto; Santa Fe, N.M.; and elsewhere. That it took the Met so long to stage it would not seem such an oversight if the company had been consistently giving audiences an array of other new works.
[ More classical music this fall: Two string quartets grow up, and Venice comes to New York ]
With this production, the company addresses some dismaying gaps in its history. "L'Amour de Loin" ("Love From Afar") will be the Met's first opera by a woman since 1903, when "Der Wald," a one-act fairy tale by the British composer Ethel M. Smyth, was presented.
"L'Amour de Loin" will be conducted by another Finn, Susanna Malkki, in a belated Met debut for this formidable, charismatic artist, the new music director of the Helsinki Philharmonic. The Met has a sorry history of engaging female conductors. The gender barrier was broken in 1976 by Sarah Caldwell, but only at the insistence of Beverly Sills, who agreed to sing in "La Traviata" on the condition that Caldwell be hired to conduct. Simone Young was next, 20 years later, making an auspicious 1996 debut in "La Bohème." But she last appeared at the house in 1998. In 2013, the excellent British conductor Jane Glover, an early-music specialist, became the third woman to conduct at the Met, though her assignment hardly explored her gifts and even carried a hint of playing to female stereotypes: a family-fare version of "The Magic Flute" trimmed down and performed in English.
Ms. Malkki, by contrast, has been entrusted with a challenging contemporary opera, Ms. Saariaho's first. Though the score is rapturously orchestrated and involves a chorus, it includes just three solo roles. With a poetic French libretto by the Lebanese-born novelist Amin Maalouf, the story centers on Jaufré Rudel, a troubadour prince of Aquitaine. Sick at heart from a life of aristocratic excess, Jaufré develops an idealized love for Clémence, the beautiful countess of Tripoli, whom he learns of from a pilgrim. The prince rhapsodizes about the countess in lyrically alluring songs yet resists meeting her in person, lest reality spoil his "amour de loin."
The pilgrim, their go-between, sings the prince's love songs to Clémence as best he can remember them. In time, the prince cannot resist traveling to meet his beloved — and this leads to tragedy.
"L'Amour de Loin," a story of a Christian and a Muslim swept up in idealized assumptions about each another, arrives at the Met at a time of religious and sectarian war in the Middle East, a refugee crisis and terrorist acts in Europe. The company's production, directed by Robert Lepage (who led its much-maligned "Ring" cycle), features Eric Owens as the prince, Susanna Phillips as the countess and Tamara Mumford as the pilgrim.
To honor Ms. Saariaho this fall, before the Met staging opens, the New York Philharmonic will present a special concert devoted to her work at the Park Avenue Armory, including the American and New York premieres of some pieces. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts; Pierre Audi directs. This kind of cooperation between New York institutions should happen more often.


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Hello stampin' friends! Quickly popping on here tonight to share my card for the My Favorite Things Stamps - Wednesday Stamp Club # 169! Just getting it in under the wire. I'm also entering this card in the Color Throwdown # 285!
This is the fabulous sketch that I used...
and this is the beautiful colour combo I followed with MFT Replenishment Card Stock in
Chocolate Brown, Pink Lemonade, Natural Primitive Cream
and Sour Apple.
I'm totally addicted to the Wood Plank Background Stamp and stamped it on the Natural Heavyweight Card Stock in Natural Premium Dye Ink. I stamped the sentiment from the LJD Words of Inspiration Stamp set in Chocolate Brown Premium Dye Ink on Primitive Cream Heavyweight Card Stock cut with the Labels 2 STAX Die-namics.
I LOVE the Flower Medley Die-namics, it makes such pretty flowers. The leaves are cut with the Layered Leaves Die-namics from Sour Apple Heavyweight Card Stock. I added some AC white Hemp cord and pretty Sparkly Pink Gumdrops from Your Next Stamps.
I finished off the inside too...I stamped another sentiment with MFT Chocolate Brown Premium Dye Ink from the LJD Words of Inspiration Stamp set.
Thanks for stopping by and havin' a wee peek at my card for the MFTWSC169 and CTD285!


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February 28, 2008
Friday Flaschcard: Name that Metal Band
The answer can be found in the comments section.
I know I am posting this the day before Friday but I lose my internet at the hotel in a few hours so it was post now or not until next Monday. This logo and band are too amazing to snooze on so up today it goes.
February 27, 2008
Greetings from Santa Monica, California
February 26, 2008
The Sound - mixtape
When I got Tracy's request to add some content to her blog I immediately thought that this was the perfect opportunity to share a band that is near and dear to both of our hearts…The Sound, who just might be the best 80's band that almost no one has heard of. I remember the first time I played this band for Tracy on a hot summer day in her old NYC apartment, she turned to me after hearing the first song on this mixtape and said something along the lines of "how the hell have we lived this long without having heard this band before". So give these tracks a listen if you love Echo and The Bunny men, Simple Minds, Sixteen Candles or The Breakfast Club, and maybe you'll understand how we felt on that long gone hot summer day.
Link for a biography about The Sound: http://www.renascent.co.uk/pagessound/sound.html
The Black Cab Sessions
A little quote from the site explains it further:
You can check out videos on youtube or the official site and some of the groups to be found are The Raveonettes, The New Pornographers, and Bill Callahan.
Below is a really charming and intimate version of "Grievances" Daniel Johnston.
February 24, 2008
A.C. Temple
Blowtorch - 1988 - Further Records / 2003 mute
Sourpuss - 1989 - Blast first (Jon Langford produced)
Belinda Backwards - 1991 blast first (and I am sure I am missing some!)
Hometown- Sheffield, UK
Thinking back to the early 90's and the music I once bowed down to, I have no idea how A.C. Temple never hit my radar. In fact it wasn't until last year a friend loaned me a few of their records because he suspected I would fancy them.
He was right.
They are a perfect blend of so many genres and bands I love…only A.C. Temple was doing it before many of these newer groups. I was undeniably an old school emo indie rocker kid (still am I suppose minus the kid part) so my point of reference here is the early to middle years of Dischord Records. Some of the great guitar bands to come from San Diego like Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu. The classic Chicago / Touch and Go sound. American and British variations of Riot Grrrl. Anything Sub Pop from the late 80's up until the mid 90's. UK and US 90's shoegaze and last but not least the more slightly dissonant noisy groups like Sonic Youth.
In high school I didn't know about groups like Lilliput, Kleenex, Delta 5, The Slits, The Au Pairs, The Raincoats….but I have discovered these artists between 1988 and now and still I wonder how A.C. Temple records didn't make their way into my collection sooner. This band and their catalog of music is equally as poignant and pertinent as any of these other groups yet for some reason A.C. Temple never made it to the underground music hall of fame.
Does A.C. Temple really fit into the same musical family as ALL the groups mentioned above?
YES! (I suspect for some people this group might sound a little too derivative of that decade but they were ahead of their time damn it so be nice!)
It's a shame really but I understand just because a band is decent doesn't mean they will stand the test of time no less earn a press buzz equal to other bands similar in sound or on the same label. Maybe A.C. Temple was over shadowed by label mates like Sonic Youth or The Butthole Surfers. Maybe A.C. Temple didn't tour America much or at all. (I actually have no idea if they ever played the stateside)
Whomever or whatever is to blame for their invisible popularity all I can do now is share my admiration for A.C. Temple and let you know their records are relatively easy to find used on line and in your better record stores. I have never seen one of their records go for more than $15.00 so hunting down their catalog shouldn't be too taxing on your bank account either. As luck would have it I found Sourpuss last night at the record store Crooked Beats in Washington, DC for $12.00. (And if you ever find yourself in our nation's capital make sure you swing by this truly impressive shop. It will be worth the trip, I promise.)
There is a Myspace page to A.C. Temple but I am posting my favorite two songs by the group here.
February 22, 2008
George Hamilton Look Out!
Thank you, I will be here all night.
February 21, 2008
Utech Records Fine Art Series
Friday Flashcard : Name That Metal Band
I am starting off with a really easy one.
The answer can be found in the comments section.
Stan Kenton - Hair
February 20, 2008
Garden Vision
1 - I would buy a ticket to the Dave Grohl comedy show. He's clever, entertaining and much funnier than a lot of so called comedians who, incidentally, don't write great songs. Dane Cook does NOT rock.
2 - Despite being called Madison SQUARE Garden, the building is actually round. I believe that this accounts for the superior sound that the arena has compared to other hockey rinks. Also, as I have found at countless hockey games, there is not a bad seat in all of MSG.
3 - As a general rule, the only thing that I want to hear less than a drum solo, is the song that drummer sings. I have a pretty strong suspicion though that Dave Grohl has a soft spot for singing drummers. I bet he's a huge Phil Collins fan. But really, who isn't?
4 - Any guy who treks up and down the very steep stairs of the upper levels selling $7.50 cups of BudLight, out of a tray he carry s on his head, will henceforth be known, universally, as a 'BEER SHERPA'.
5 - Some thoughts on humanity. - The 'mob mentality' still amazes and frightens me. People with the need to stand out while simultaneously fitting in are a frustrating bunch as well. While people are attempting to funnel out any door that other people are funneling out of after a rock show, a guy can be semi successful at getting a 'Let's go Giants' chant started, even thought the football season ended weeks ago.
6 - 2008 moments in Madison Square Garden history. - First, the Rangers retired the number of legendary defenseman Brian Leetch. Then, although countless legendary rock bands have graced the stage of 'the worlds most famous arena', the Foo Fighters made MSG history during the very first triangle solo ever to blast forth from the mega-watt PA system. This will surely inspire future generations of musicians to reach new levels of triangle virtuosity and change the face of modern music forever. Rock and Roll history has been re-written.
7 - $7 Lincoln Tunnel + $33 parking garage = $40 in transit to drive into the city for a 5 hour visit. Thats $8 an hour for the pleasure of aggressive driving and 'No Left Turn' signs.
8 - Note to the Foo's. -When you swap guitars to do the one song you have in dropped A tuning, instead of a 20 minute version of 'Stacked Actors', give us that song plus some Melvins covers. I am sure thats where you got the idea, and, Kurt would approve.
9 - Madison Square Garden's Fire Exits are total deathtraps. The well in Buffalo Bill's basement in Silence Of The Lambs was more hospitable.
10 - This may have NOTHING to do with the Foo Fighters or MSG, but I feel that it is still very informative and worth mentioning. - Inflation is up, gas prices are higher than ever, but PeepWorld is still 25 cents (or at least thats what the sign says).
See you in the future,
The Rubys Suns - Sea Lion
Title: Sea Lion
Hometown: Aukland, New Zealand
Label: Sub Pop (in the USA)
Street Date - March 4
Favorite Tracks: "There are Birds" (and that is coming from a girl terrified of birds) / "This Adventure Tour" / "Kenya Dig It "
RIYL: Os Mustantes, 60s sunshine pop with a hint of exotica and wall of sound production values, Animal Collective, Architecture in Helsinki, and Pet Sounds
The one wonderful thing about the limitations of geography is when you don't have the means or money to travel great distances anything foreign…food, films, people, music…seems all the more exotic and intoxicating.
The Ruby Suns hail from New Zealand and while this country is certainly on the list of places to see before I die, who knows when I will find myself on their shores. In meantime I can embrace what has been a steady flow of great music from that corner of the world. (Signer/ Skallander/ Over the Atlantic, The Brunettes, Die!Die!Die! to name a very small sample)
As a kid I lived half way around the world from anything vaguely tropical unless you count the sun room in my parent's house which fogged up when my Mum ran the washer and dryer. My childhood summers were spent sun bathing on rusting lawn chairs positioned between slow moving lawn sprinklers with a sweating glass of ice tea and a pile of fashion magazines resting in the grass beside me. Sea Lion reminds me of those lost summers and the places I pretended to be when I closed my eyes in the backyard bathed in something that smelled like coconuts in a very unglamorous part of New Jersey.
Music from Brazil, more specifically Tropicalia (especially Os Mutantes) warm me in the same way because it sounds utterly different from anything I have known or heard before. (The me living not living in the 60's or South America) It carries the magic and mystique of a very far away place. I imagine it to be a soundtrack to a time I will never be able to visit and of a country I have yet to place my eyes upon. Warm, whimsical, wild, carnivalesque, and something that just sounds like friends enjoying themselves.
While Animal Collective are by no means from anywhere close to the Tasman Sea or an Amazon rainforest their music still sounds other worldly or at least something in spirit that is very far from the small town I was born into.
The Ruby Sons send audio postcards from an equally magical and remote place.
To drag this concept out a just a little farther, Beach and Surf music carry a similar distinction of sounding like a vacation to my ears. Even if the music was actually recorded in a studio in Minnesota during the dead of winter, it tricks my ears into feeling like I am somewhere that requires sunglasses and a bathing suit. Again not because this is actually reflective of the place or life the musicians have who make this music but because the sounds they create and the manner in which it is recorded transcend the norm I am familiar with and grounded to in a mundane daily capacity. I understand that the primary songwriter in the Ruby Suns Ryan McPhun is actually from California and rooted in metal but all of those realities get washed away in the breezy dreamy 60's toasty tube amp ride around the world his band takes you on.
Time travel and a vacation to multiple exotic locations is more than I could ask for in a record and just as importantly the band hasn't made the same record twice. Their move to Sub Pop with the release of Sea Lion is a perfect Jack in the Beanstalk stretch from their self titled debut; a record I loved so much that it made my best of list last year.
February 19, 2008
Meat Whiplash - Don't Slip Up 7"
Title - Don't Slip Up b/w Here it Comes 7"
Hometown - East Kilbride, Scotland
Label - Creation Records
Meatwhiplash were one of the first bands to sign to Creation Records and released but one single "Don't Slip Up" in 1985. The record sleeve is rumored to have been hand folded by Alan McGee himself and the cover art is said to be printed by Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream. Aside from sounding very much like the more well known Jesus and Mary Chain, the band opened for them at the now infamous North London Polytech show that ended in a total riot. As legend has it, the venue was packed beyond capacity and Meat Whiplash in the supporting slot threw a bottle back into the crowd after it had been launched at them on stage by a member of the audience. The energy of the room boiled over to the point of chaos so by the time Jesus and Mary Chain took stage, the fans began to trash the venue as well as the band's gear. Post riot 4 people were taken to the hospital and over $8,000.00 worth of damage was caused.
As short lived as Meat Whiplash band history is, this one and only single from them is about as good as it gets- both sides just as noisy and delicious as any Jesus and Mary Chain single.
In 1987 Meat Whiplash went on to form a new band called The Motorcycle Boy that featured Alex Taylor of The Shop Assistants and were promptly signed to Rough Trade. Eventually the band ended up on Chrysalis Records but never gained genuine popularity even though the press gave them a great deal of attention. The Motorcycle Boy broke up in 1990.
I have posted the Meat Whiplash music here and below is a bit about the Jesus and Mary Chain riot.
February 18, 2008
Kill Your Friends
I wanted to tip folks off to this new book which I just read about, by British ex-music industry type John Nevin. It's called Kill Your Friends and it looks like an intriguing read. Nevin was an A&R rep during the halcyon days of the Britpop explosion, so he knows all about the down-and-dirty methods the business was wrapped up in. I feel like this book will probably be what I wanted the execrable Love Monkey TV show to be like (the Love Monkey book I read, and didn't really care for, but it's nothing like the TV show was). That's the hope, anyway. The paperback is out this week in the UK, with no word on an American release.
February 17, 2008
Mystery Solved
While watching a documetary on the making of The Who's "Who's Next" I noticed that most of Pete Townshend's guitars carried a number ranging from 1 to 9. Not sure how I have missed this after years of seeing Who photos and live footage but none the less I became aware of it tonight and decided to look up what the numbers were all about.
I have since learned that Pete numbers his guitars according to the special tuning requirements used in each of his songs. Brilliant! I wonder if Polvo or Sonic Youth ever worked out such a system. I am thinking no for Sonic Youth because when they had all their gear stolen in 1999 it rendered them nearly crippled. Fifteen years worth of weirdo alternate guitar tunings and harware modifications were lost forever; making it nearly impossible for the band to recreate those early songs written and played on those guitars ever again.
Anyhow, Who by Numbers takes on an entirely new meaning now.
February 16, 2008
Hip Hop Flashback
Dang I used to love this song. I give you D-Nice AKA The Human TR-808 who kicked his career off in the mid 80s in Boogie Down Productions.
I always wondered what the kick ass organ sample was from and thanks to Wikipedia I have recently learned it is a sample from The Turtles song "Buzz Saw"
Harold & Maude LP Box Set
Why is this an early contender for record of the year, 08? Lets count the ways
1. 2500: That is the # this LP is limited to. As a record geek you know i love anything limited. It makes me feel special.
2. Gatefold: A Beautiful, full colored college of a gatefold nonetheless. Very nice.
3. Never released in full soundtrack to one of the best films of the '70's: Features all the Cat Stevens music in the movie, including instrumentals and alternate versions. And did i mention that the actual vinyl has a beautiful marble sunburst pattern? Well now i have. Drool away.
4. Bonus Bonus Bonus 7": Why three times the bonus? Because the bonus 7" (unreleased versions of 'Don't Be Shy' & 'If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out') has the added bonus of being a picture sleeve, and then an added bonus of being on white vinyl and then a final bonus of inclusion of a reproducion of the original hand written lyrics for the 2 songs. THAT is dedication to a project.
5. Better than any DVD: How many DVD releases come with an LP sized, 36 page, full-color book? Well this release has it. An amazingly complete oral history of both the movie and the soundtrack featuring all the key players like Bud Cort and Yusef Islam.
6. One last piece of amazingness: 2 full size posters, the first a reproduction of the Japanese theatrical poster, the second a great Cat Stevens poster. I feel very loved as a record geek going through this set.
As you can tell i am in love with this set. I actually got it as a valentines day gift for my wife and was able to find it reasonably priced, still sealed, on Ebay. Anybody who is a fan of the seminal movie or the fantastic soundtrack should try to track this down. Thanks to Cameron Crowe for putting this out on his label. Now if you'll excuse me I am going to go listen to 'Trouble' and cry.
February 14, 2008
The Teenagers - Reality Check
And what does a band that makes me vomit a little in my mouth every time I hear them sound like?
The Teenage dabble and fail in something vaguely resembling a no wit Pulp- in heat- at a disco. Then imagine being machine gun blasted by smug American pop culture references (the only thing more annoying than Nicole Richie is an amateur synth-pop song about her) via an oversexed French guy to music so elementary and soulless that the demo song on the first home Casio keyboard out rocks them.
The press blurb on the CD says "While the group left their teenage years a few years ago… they're in love with the idea of the dream teen, inspired by sunset walks through the park, clogging up shopping malls for no good reason, holding hands, and stolen kisses in the cinema." Had this music been created by kids I might be a little less cruel and have a sense of humor about these songs but now that I know creepy grown ups made this crap on purpose I find my digested dinner trying to make an escape out my mouth again.
If you are looking for adults with a sense of humor celebrating youth using sexual overtones but in a clever way then please allow me to suggest the entire Beat Happening catalog. If you want music that sounds like it was created by mentally disabled people then please check out The Kids of Widney High who also make records but are actually part of a special education program and worth your respect.
Happy Valentine's Day!
February 13, 2008
School of Language - Sea From Shore
David Brewis from Field Music has stepped out on his own (with the help of Barry from the Futureheads and Marie of Kenickie) to create a jaw dropping, damn fine record that has made my cold and rainy Wednesday not so terrible after all.
I hate to play out the Anglo factor but a cup of tea on a rainy Winter day paired with School of Language's Sea From Shore has proven to be the cure for what ailes me.
February 11, 2008
Nancy Priddy - You've Come This Way Before
Times New Viking - Rip It Off - Matador Records
February 10, 2008
Come on ...Sing-a-long with the Banana Splits
Artist - The Banana Splits AKA Barry White (THE BARRY WHITE!!!) , Joey Levine (writer of Yummy Yummy Yummy"), Nelson B. Winkless Jr (also wrote opening theme to the Banana Splits which Bob Marley lifted for the chorus of Buffalo Soldier) and Hoyt Curtin (who composed music for the hit Hanna-Barbera shows like Josie and the Pussycats, The Jetsons, and the Flintsones to name a few)
Title - Kellogg's Presents (yes the morning breakfast cereal people) The Banana Splits Sing'N Play Doin the Banana Split
Label - This is a bootleg of the original 1969 Kellogg/Hanna-Barbera Productions 7"
From 1968 to 1970 NBC ran an hour long children's show called The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. The Hanna-Barbera show was sponsored by Kellogg Cereal and it featured live action comedy of a 4 piece band of far out animals (think H.R. Pufnstuf meets the Monkees) broken up by a series of various cartoons. Like many shows of this era there was undeniable psychedelic vibe to the episodes and the music was no exception. In synch with the airing of each season, Kellogg cereal offered a coupon on the back of their cereal boxes where kids could mail order two different 7" EPs of the Banana Splits music.
This bootleg 7" is one of these two singles.
I couldn't remember for the life of me what the music on the show sounded like beyond the opening theme but when I saw the 7" sitting in the Plan 9 record bin, I knew I needed to buy it. regardless. Much to my amazement the music is really, I mean REALLY good. Check out this great blog for a more detailed description of the record here.
Doin' the Banana Split is an absolute must own top notch heavy funk classic and the other A Side song "I Enjoy Being a Boy" is a glorious sliver of groovy psych pop that could just as easily be a Television Personalities' song. I have posted both songs to my Myspace page so you can check out these gems here.


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I guess you can say I work too hard at my day job. I tend to do a lot of the chores, and I'm starting to get the bad back and arthritis to prove it. I know aging is a fact of life and everyone gets old and gray, and I don't really have a problem with that. It's the problems that can come with aging. The aches and the pains that we go through in our lives.
I still can't believe that I got tennis elbow… and I don't even play tennis. The only time I held a racket was back in high school where I tried to play tennis, but only because it was part of the curriculum, you know, learn about all the different sports, exercise and health and all that. But tennis elbow? I managed to get that from moving boxes at work. All that heavy lifting. So I've had to deal with that since just before Halloween. It turns out it takes forever to heal, and of course there is a possibility of it recurring in the future.
Makes me wish I could steal the delorean and go back in time and warn myself about the tennis elbow, and even then slap myself in the face and tell me to take better care of myself! Ah well.
But over the Black Friday weekend, it wasn't the elbow that bothered me so much, it was my feet. My shoes are pretty much too old and I need a new pair, but my problem is I can't find the pair I really need, and that's extremely funny because I work in a retail store that sells… shoes.
The plus side is if we're not busy and I did all my cleaning duties and whatnot, I can browse our own merchandise and try on shoes to see what fits. Unfortunately, nothing does. So I turn to getting inserts to put in, you know, insoles, to try and add some extra cushion and comfort, but even that isn't working either.
So I'm practically limping while trying to limit the use of my left arm, and on Black Friday one of our co-workers couldn't come in because she had strep throat and was still contagious at the time. Bottom line, she wasn't there to work on the biggest sale day of the year. The rest of the weekend went surprisingly slow enough, probably because people got hung over from the whole shopping thing on that Friday. I couldn't blame them really. But my curse of working in retail (or food services way back when) was that I always had to work Black Friday and I never got to shop on that day either, so I don't know what it's really like to be part of the crowd trying to get to the last toy on the shelf. I see it happen to other customers all the time, but to be that customer myself, it's never happened.
On Sunday it was me and that co-worker who was sick the other day. The day was almost over and it was pretty slow. That co-worker of mine got all the trash from the cans scattered around the store, but it had been ten, maybe twenty minutes and she hadn't put new bags in those cans. So I go to the register where we kept some under the counter with the cleaning supplies, and I see three big trash bags, completely full of paper and trash, all tied up and ready to be taken to the back in preparation for throwing them in the dumpster. And there was that co-worker, leaning on the counter, checking/typing on her cell phone.
I refilled the cans with new bags, and when I got back she was still messing with her phone. So I pick up all three bags and started walking to the back with them.
"I was gonna get that," she says.
I didn't answer, but I did think to myself, "Pfft, when? You just keep chatting on your little phone, I'm sure your personal life is much more important that your job. Keep up the good work… if any!" And I kept thinking such thoughts as I carried those three bags to the back. "I cleaned the floors, manager cleaned the mirrors, you go the trash… No wait… you started too, but then I finished the job. If we earned commission on the chores we pulled, you'd be running to do everything before I could blink."
Of course commission really comes from selling things. I could understand commission earnings like from selling cars or houses, but from picking up trash? Nah! Not on this planet… but then if we got commissions for planting trees and picking up bits of paper on the ground, the world would be a much cleaner place. Kind of sad, really, where we only do things because we get paid, and everything else that's probably more important gets ignored because we think to ourselves that it's not our job.
But if you get paid by the hour, isn't it unfair to carry out tasks that other people could have done, but didn't because they were on their personal cell phones? I mean sure, I could check my shipment while moving shoes on a shelf, but she couldn't text to someone while collecting trash?
Needless to say, I worked hard all weekend. And my physical injuries are sure to be ignored by all of course. I even mentioned my tennis elbow to my manager, but I'm not getting any compensation from the company because I can't exactly prove that it's a work related injury.
On the other hand, I haven't bothered to tell the higher ups that tennis elbow is caused by repetitive movement of the arm and can take months to properly heal. "Repetitive movement". Like say, lifting heavy shoe boxes on a shelf? It could also be caused by typing on a computer, and many other things. Bottom line, it started at work, and it's been hurting since. Do I get anything for it? No. Meanwhile, my co-worker gets strep throat and doesn't come in to work on Black Friday, the one day a year where nobody has the day off, period, and that's not the only time she's neglected work for personal reasons. I swear, she gets more illnesses than Kagome from the series Inuyasha.
As for my aching feet, yesterday before my shift ended, I tried on a men's sandal, Adidas, the one called Addissage, which has short little nubs of rubber/plastic/whatever it is to give the insole of the sandal a hard but bumpy texture. It's supposed to be good for aching feet.
I grabbed one, dropped it to the floor and let my worst-aching foot slip into it, and OH MY GOD, it helped immensely. Shame I couldn't wear them as a work shoe because it doesn't have a strap that goes around the back of the sandal, but I might buy myself a pair just for my own foot therapy. After the holidays I might need it.
Hmph…. I still need a pair of actual working shoes though, preferably athletic so I can tie it up, not one of those slip-on shoes, but I might have to actually have to go with the slip-on option. My feet are just plain killing me.
It must have been over a month, maybe almost two since I got the tennis elbow, so I can only hope that it's almost healed. As for the rest, well, I need to double check my feng shui.


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The former chief of Australia's defence forces Peter Cosgrove is fronting a campaign to get people to dawn services on Anzac Day. The Raise A Glass campaign encourages people to organise a wake-up call from the retired general and is run by Australia's largest brewery.
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Despite attracting controversy for linking alcohol consumption with Anzac Day, Peter Cosgrove told ABC Statewide Drive's Nicole Chvastek the campaign has raised and continues to raise huge amounts of money to support the RSL in its welfare work and to support the work of Legacy.
"This money doesn't grow on trees and it is a direct outcome of the Raise A Glass campaign.
"I think the good we do through the RSL and Legacy is extraordinary and I'll do lots of things to help support that cause."
Mr Cosgrove says he thinks everybody understands that overuse of alcohol can be destructive, but says he found VB to be "extraordinarily sensitive" to this.
"On the other hand, if it's used sensibly, like most other things that people use by way of relaxing, it doesn't necessarily have to have the evil."
He says all corporations look for social investments that promote their morality.
"But I have to tell you that all the charities that are the recipients of corporate philanthropy are most grateful and they know they can't get that money through other means."
Mr Cosgrove says the fact he has a beer in front of him in the advertisement gives it relevance to the people making the ad.
"I'm not a teetotaller, I am a Vietnam veteran, I am the son of a soldier and the grandson of a soldier and I know that, used responsibly, beer and the military still have a sort of historical linkage."


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River Brent — from Brentford to Perivale
In a way, my exploration of the River Brent is inseparable from the creation of this website. After my Wandle Trail adventures, I posted to reddit's /r/london, a thoroughly half-hearted "day out idea" sort of write-up with a link thrown in to my flickr set.
It occured to me that I could do better than this. I work in web development, but had no website of my own anymore. I could build one. I could put a bit more effort into narrating my Wandle Trail pics and put it on there. And then I could do... other things. Like, other... Thames tributaries? Yeah! Like... erm... the Brent! That's quite close. I'll do the Brent. And... stuff. And have a website. Yeah!
So, here I find myself, near the mouth of the Brent.
The housing development seen on the right here forbids me to walk on the riverbank, inspiring communist mutterings that developers shouldn't be able to able to privatise our ancient riverbank / towpath rights-of-way, etc, but I reluctantly comply.
Still, an early reminder that while the Wandle Trail may have been occasionally indirect and ill-signposted, the Brent Trail doesn't exist at all. It was fingers crossed as far as a consistent riverside walk was concerned, and south of Brentford Lock I fared rather badly on this score.
The warehouse seen on the left is nice, in a picturesquely dilapidated kind of way. It's the sort of place you look at and can't help thinking, if, in 10 or 20 years time Brentford was the new trendy creative hotspot of London (if you're laughing now, remember someone would have laughed at Dalston, Shoreditch, Camden or Soho, once) -- holy shit, imagine doing that place up. It would be such a prize as a residential, or perhaps artistic, "space". Or maybe that's just me.
A little up the river at Brentford Lock we see what "regeneration" has actually done... and it's not nearly as nice as my sympathetic creative-industrial, victorian-meets-C21st fantasies. It's all a bit Tesco.
And I'm not just saying that because of the blue and white stripes apparent in the roof areas.
If you wonder if you should read a sneer into that comment, the sneer of a fearsomely snobby aristocrat who'd never dream of rubbing shoulders with the common folk buying the common groceries of Tesco - yup.
And if you think you should read a perjorative #occupy / anti-capitalist sort of overtone into the reference, in the sense of "Tesco plopping generic aircraft-hangar superstores full of cheap, chinese-made electronics, farmers-shafted-by-buying-power groceries and the like, driving good individualist / varied / local shops out of business, grrr" - yup, that too.
Architecturally speaking, that is about my reaction to these flats. They're so typical of recent London, and UK, builds. In a bad way; in a Tesco way.
Of course, I know there's a flipside. Both in my analogy, and in reality. In reality, I'm neither too posh nor sufficiently anti-capitalist to prevent me from shopping at Tesco. They're not especially evil (hate the game, etc), you can eat well on their groceries, and if their stores keep spreading it's probably because people keep shopping there! Likewise, these flats are -- I can only presume -- warm and comfortable and energy-efficient places to live, and the developers paid X amount of section 106 to build a school, and they are therefore a net positive to the urban realm, blah blah blah. If designs like this keep being built, it's because people keep buying them.
So yes, my Tesco sneering is trite. Yes, it's an uneducated gut reaction to their visual appearance from the perspective of a casual passer-by, not an intelligent critique of their value in urban development terms from the perspective of a site user. That's all fair and true to note.
I still don't like them though: Bland. Squat. Mediocre. Basildon business park blargh. I don't like to be all Prince Charles about architecture, but really, how do these pastel turds remotely compare to "old school" multi-storey London housing or waterfront wharves, which manage to be somehow more imposing but less bulky or threatening, and more richly detailed whilst less cluttered or fussy?
Warehouse thing
Still, if I wanted to be all "authentic" and cool with my run-down warehouses and shit, I didn't have far to go. At the far end of the lock basin, I found an old warehouse thing extending half way over the river.
The interplay of light and shadow within and without the half-framed structure would have been a true playground for a talented photographer.
Alas, I am not a talented photographer and it was with the aid of considerable computer "cheating" that I present this one shot that totally doesn't pretend to, like, capture the, you know, magic, but is, hopefully, not a complete embarrassment.
Given the above rant about the new flats in Brentford, you may expect me to back to Prince Charles mode, railing against the ghastly intrusion of modern architecture into the charming canal boat scene pictured here.
Actually, I quite like the contrast.
As far as shiny glassy corporate HQ type boxes go, GlaxoSmithKline's isn't too bad at all in my view. Maybe it was flattered by having such a nice sky to relfect, this day.
And while my earlier inner communist should be riled by their presence right on the riverbank... look, a little waterfall! They've landscaped it rather nicely. I bet even Trotsky liked little waterfalls.
Boston Manor Park
But even if you hate the GSK building, or any architecture since the seventeenth century, then good news -- at this point we reach the corner of this charming meadow, our entry to Boston Manor Park.
And surely there could be no contemporary intrusion on the park and gardens of a stately home...
Under the M4
Well. A short way further, I found the M4 looming overhead; as the river cuts through Boston Manor Park, the motorway crosses both on a procession of concrete stilts.
Personally, though, this was far from a blight - in fact, it was one of the highlights of my Brent exploration.
The river divides in two, so the motorway - and path beneat it - actually marches out on an island. With trees rising either side, this creates a huge space which feels secluded, enclosed, but not quite indoors - a wonderful accidental cathedral, part park, part extremely urban. The play of light created by this infrastructural architecture was alone a delight, and the space was further enlived to my eyes by graffiti on the pillars.
But for the sake of keeping this article focused on the river, I've created a separate article for all that.
And for the sake of this article, we shall return to our escapist rural fantasies.
At the end of the path shown above there lies a weir, and above the weir there sits a heron.
Boston Manor
The Manor house itself is reputedly one of West London's lesser-known gems, a fine Jacobean manor house built in 1623, but I didn't go in so I can't tell you any more about it.
It has a lake though.
I like lakes.
Back on the Brent
But we're not here to do lakes. We're here to do the river.
And back on the Brent, it's another entry for the "picturesquely dilapidated" file.
By the way, my earlier fears about the existence of a continuous footpath along the riverbank turned out to be groundless. North of Brentford Lock I had no problems. There may be no such thing as a Brent Trail, but there is such thing as a Capital Ring -- and whaddya know, this 78-mile flagship trail runs along the Brent between Boston Manor Park and South Greenford.
The Piccadilly line passes overhead.
Bet you never stopped to wonder how the tube got across one of London's major non-Thames rivers on your way to Heathrow, did you?
This bridge, of course, is nothing special in itself. Not particularly photogenic nor much of a great engineering challenge, even at the time it was built. But it does amaze when I stop and think just how many of these bridges (and cuttings, and embankments) the tube needs, in addition to its obvious tube, to provide that seamlessly grade-separated voyage across and through London.
I was surprised at how quiet this stretch of riverbank was. I only saw a handful of other people, and you don't expect to find a pleasant riverside stroll in London so sparsely populated on an August weekend.
More graffiti under the M4
At this point the M4 swings overhead and across the river one more time, and with it, another dose of graffiti.
As linked above, this is covered in full over here.
River or canal?
If you were paying sharp attention earlier, you'd have caught sight or mention of Brentford Lock, and already realised the implication that the River Brent, at this point of its course, may as well be called the Brent Canal.
Not far upstream from here the Grand Union Canal branches west, all the way to Birmingham, and from this junction to the Thames the Brent was, and remains, straightened, canalised and navigable.
But it's only here that this canal character became dominant, as I passed a lock, weir and more locks in quick succession.
There were the boats to match. Some moored up, beside monuments to the waterway's busier past, lulling you into viewing them as historical furniture:
Until one comes motoring round the bend, very much in the present tense.
Of course, this bike-and-flowerpot-laden craft is a historical deception of a different kind. The canals and canal boats were created for industry, not leisure, and rounding the next bend, passing under a rusting metal bridge to an industrial estate fronting the river, provides a reminder of this.
A flight of locks
Moving on, I found myself at another lock.
Then almost immediately, another one.
And another one.
And on, an apparently endless staircase of locks! What the hell? I knew the Brent was canalised but this was ridiculous?
I GPS'd my location and realised the ridiculous thing was my inability to manage the fairly idiotproof task of following a river.
I'd missed the Brent branching off and mistakenly followed the Grand Union Canal as it curved up the staircase of Hanwell Locks, rising 53ft (16m) in about half a mile (1km).
Built in 1794, they've been restored, declared a scheduled monument by English Heritage, and they looked absolutely lovely.
Despite being a "wrong" turn, I was glad I'd come up here. The locks had provided another definite highlight / standout moment - I was even rather tempted to abandon my plan and continue along the Grand Union Canal.
But no; I retraced my steps, found the footpath fork following the Brent, and snuck under Uxbridge Road (where this Olympic banner will forever easily date this trip to the summer of 2012)...
Wharncliffe Viaduct
...emerging in the corner of Brent Meadow, where another one of this walk's historical highlights marched grandly across my view.
(Unfortunately, that day a more honest adjective would be "drably", as you can see in the first pic -- but grandly sounds better.)
The Wharncliffe viaduct was build in 1836-7 to carry the Great Western Railway over the Brent Valley. The GWR had formed three years earlier, in 1933, and to construct their new railway to Bristol, the South West and ultimately Wales, they appointed an engineer by the name of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
This was his first major structural design, and the first major construction of the new railway. To complete the line, he proceeded to build the likes of Maidenhead Railway Bridge, with the widest and flattest arches in the world at the time of construction, and the Box Tunnel, the longest railway tunnel in the world at the time.
His 886-foot-long (270 m), 65-foot-high (20m) brick viaduct was widened in 1877, enlarging the series of already large spaces under each arch, which betrayed the signs of social colonisation unchanged since anthropological times: campfire remnants and evidence of intoxicant use (beer cans and cigarette ends, in this case). I conclude the arches were used for a ceremonial purpose, probably religious.
The hollow piers are also said to be home to bats. Protected bats, and lots of them - possibly the largest bat colony in London or even the south of England, although nobody even seems 100% sure which species. Not wishing to lurk til dusk, I didn't see any.
I lacked enthusiasm for hanging around as it was a very overcast day, which I felt did the viaduct, and certainly any photography of it, a disservice. So I made my way to nearby Hanwell station to head home for the day, and returned here on another, sunnier day, to continue the Brent walk from where I left off.
By complete coincidence, in between these two visits to the viaduct I had scheduled a weekend of camping in the Wye valley, which involved taking a train on the Great Western Mainline, as it is today, still travelling over Brunel's viaduct.
Queen Victoria was rumoured to order the royal train to stop so she could admire the view. I didn't bother trying this one on with First Great Western.
Brent Lodge Park
Immediately north of the viaduct is the rather lovely Brent Lodge Park.
On the Wandle Trail, I highlighted Morden Hall Park as a favourite spot. If asked to recommend a nice discovery from my journey for someone wanting a single "day out to a nice place" trip, rather than following the linear walk along the river, I'd say head to roughly the middle of my trek and check out that park.
This was something of an analogue for my Brent excursion.
Even if the aforementioned Brunel bonus carries no appeal for you, the park itself is really rather nice.
Forming the western boundary of this beautiful grassy space, the river - no longer a canal - snakes and winds with wooded banks, the trees' shadows creating amazing contrasts of light and dark on the water.
There's a small zoo or animal centre here, which I missed entirely. I would have liked to have explored this place more, but for now I had to add it to my "revisit one day" list and press one, because I had no trains 'til Perivale, and time wasn't on my side.
So I stuck to the river skirting the edge of the park, keeping walking, past others as they sunbathed, or played in the river.
I strode as rapidly as possible through Brent Valley Golf Course.
I'm not a fan of golf courses at the best of times. On a selfish level they occupy, and frequently privatise, large amounts of good walking land in nice scenic areas. They are also ecological horror shows. This one wasn't even photogenic, and it stank.
I could only blame these vent things, but for whatever reason, there was a nasty sewagey pong in the air, so although the river looked reasonably pretty, I hurried on without much photographic indulgence.
Bittern's Field
Stepping out of the Brent Valley golf course, you step into Bittern's Field, the next in the series of parks and green spaces making up Brent River Park.
It's called a field rather than a Park or Garden for a reason. You could just about stretch to Meadow, but really Field is about on the money.
It's not glamorous, but things are apparently better than they were only a few years ago. This blog from 2007 recounts a black, dead looking river and a field "barely recovering from having been used for landfill". I hadn't read this before I visited, five years later, and so I wasn't looking out for it, but I saw nothing which hinted at this prior function.
What I saw was a field which, while lacking in landscaping sophistication for the human aesthete, in itself, was overlooked by a picturesque suburban church, and was very popular with our feathered friends.
Admittedly, I saw no eponymous bitterns, but there were plenty of crows, and various other common birds.
The Brent River Park is apparently managed for its wildlife interest, with various rare plants and birds calling it their home, but once again I did not have the luxury of time on my side. Trying to photograph even ten-a-penny wildlife takes a disproportionate investment of time compared to, say, buildings, because the blighters never bloody listen when you tell them to stand still. In fact, the louder and clearer you instruct them to pose, the less likely they'll even remain in the frame. Awkward little sods.
Under Ruislip road, the river hangs a 90 degree right turn, from a basically northern course to an easterly one.
(Well, I'm walking upstream, so I suppose technically, from the river's perspective, that sentence needs entirely inverting. But an idiom like "the river hangs a right turn" wasn't intended to suggest I am literally writing this piece from the perspective of the river. Be sensible.)
And a low point of the entire walk: look at all this crap.
England has a pretty bad litter problem in general, I think. For the most part, London's riverbanks and canalsides are not too bad for litter, but this place was a right tip. You can't see in the photo, but there were further big black bin bags of crap in the river. Shame on whoever dumped all this, and shame on the country in general for, presumably, "not having the money" for the council to sort it out, despite having plenty of money for..... ah, well, not to get too divisive on here, I suppose, so insert your own bete noire expenditure here.
Many people would of course file graffiti, like these weirside pieces a short distance upstream, in exactly the same category as the litter. As you'll have probably noticed by now, considering my admiration of the under-M4 work, I don't see them in the same bracket. But I also don't feel like entering that debate right now either...
Above the weir, yet another golf course.
At these one afforded half-decent photo opportunities.
Then something more inline with my tastes (although perhaps boring many of my (anyway nonexistent) readers by now): another railway viaduct.
This one is not carrying a vital artery of London's tube, nor does it host a national Great Anything Line - in fact, the Greenford Branch Line is one of the quieter backwaters of the London rail system.
It would have been convenient to use it to get to/from my Brentwalking, except for the fact there's no Sunday service at all.
And you can't see passenger numbers increasing when Crossrail opens -- Greenford trains will terminate at West Ealing instead of Paddington to free up extra paths for Crossrail trains, so any passengers along this branch will need an extra change to get into central London.
By now the sun was low in the sky, the tube station was close and the easy path along the river had vanished.
It took a little off-piste undergrowth and bramble-fighting to seek out this scene, with the low sun played illuminating the tree trunk's texture so beautifully.
And that was my last hurrah as far the Brent was concerned.
The "park" behind me was, again, a humble field, but it mattered not as clouds and plane trails latticed a striking pattern in the sky, rapidly sinking through darker shades of blue as the sun approached the horizon.
Now it was just a straight mission back to the tube.
This cycle and pedestrian bridge over the A40 looked elegant from below, and when using it, and also provided an elevated, west-looking vantage point for the sunset.
Of course, it's a vantage point over eight lanes of traffic, which isn't most people's idea of picture postcard.
As a non-driver, I'm not a big fan of roads and traffic. In this instance I had a nice footbridge, but most of the time (big) roads like this are rotten crevasses in the life of a city's pedestrians. And as a vaguely environmentally conscious individual you can't be too pleased with this vista either.
But as a photographer and (urban) stroller, you will perhaps have already realised I can find a type of beauty in this sort of scene: in large scale infrastructure, engineering, construction or architecture, however functional, brutalist, destructive, sprawling, out-of-scale, concrete, or whatever other euphemism or supplement for "ugly" you might care to use.
After all, if you completely despise views like this on every level, why live in London? Why would I travel an hour or so by several tubes or trains in order to walk for several hours under a motorway, past an industrial estate and unofficial landfill site, in order to force myself through a bramble thicket, just to find one frame of pretty mock-"countryside"? If that was my sole focus, I should just live in the country; pretty frames like that would be five minutes from my front door.
No, I like both sides, and I particularly like the rapid contrasts you can uncover on these sort of linear walks.
And the rapid contrasts continue, for barely a hundred yards past this arterial mega-road, it's straight back to rural-England-village-postcard-land, with this sunset game of cricket.
Then we're at Perivale tube, and that's another thing I like: after all this adventuring, an underground station to speed me home.
It's a throwaway line with a nursery rhyme simplicity from an alcoholic rant, but I've always felt this couplet from Underworld summarises the joy of London with a succinct elegance to match Johnson's famous epithet: so many things to see and do / and the tube home too.... Although now I come to Google it, the internet seems to think it's "in the tube hole true". I prefer my version.
As it happens, Perivale station is a striking building, too, which I failed to photograph, so I instead borrow this picture from flickr user John King.
I can't blame the failing light, as flickr shows it looking nice by night, so I'll have to admit to failing energy, and eagerness to get home. My Brent explorations were, for the time being at least, concluded.