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Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker - 4K Ultra HD Blu-rayOverview -
J.J.Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a somewhat disappointing conclusion to the decades-old franchise, favoring an overload of visual spectacle, pandering to fanservice and feeding our nostalgia itch over an engagingly good story. The concluding chapter crash lands on Ultra HD with a gorgeous 4K HDR10 presentation, a highly satisfying Dolby Atmos soundtrack and the same set of supplements as its day-and-date Blu-ray release. Still, the overall UHD package makes a Recommended addition to the UHD library.
(We have also reviewed the Blu-ray HERE.)
The battle between the Jedi and the Sith comes to a thrilling conclusion in this final chapter of the Skywalker Saga. A year following the events of The Last Jedi, the remaining members of the Resistance are forced to confront their past while taking on the First Order one more time.
Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take
George Lucas created a cultural juggernaut with 1977's Star Wars, one that has unabashedly shaped and influenced moviegoers for the last four decades while also garnering arguably, the most religiously devoted and vocally belligerent fanbase in cinema history. With the epic space opera finally complete in The Rise of Skywalker, we can look at the entirety of the franchise with a wider lens, rank all the individual movies in order of storytelling quality and see why feeding to fanservice makes for frustratingly poor movies. J.J. Abrams' third entry of the new sequel trilogy, making it the ninth installment in the series overall, easily falls at the bottom of the list — resting comfortably above Attack of the Clones, the spin-off Solo tale but enjoying the same level of smug satisfaction as The Phantom Menace. Oddly, Abrams' lands this concluding chapter with the sort of skilled, breathtaking visual spectacle expected of the saga, but in that, he plays it all too safe, predictable and ultimately, unremarkable.
From a script co-written with Chris Terrio (Argo, Justice League), based on a story idea by Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Abrams essentially takes an opportunity to retcon various story details explored in Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi. This is apparent from the opening moments when the obsessive, angst-ridden Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) tracks down Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) to some dark, inhospitable planet, giving the entire production a rather spiteful tone from the onset. The most problematic is this strenuous effort to satisfy fan expectations, especially when providing an answer to Rey's (Daisy Ridley) mysterious origins, which frankly, should have remained mysterious instead of the lame, thinly-linked excuses imagined by Abrams. It all comes to a crashing, head-scratching halt in the final act when The Force Awakens director further justifies the Sith Lord's return as some daft, overarching masterplan that has haunted the entire series.
Making for an ultimately mediocre, uninspired popcorn piece, Abrams spends a majority of the 142-minute runtime simply justifying all these plot details and devices. In trying to cram so much history while juggling a galactic host of characters, he jumps from one subplot to the next like Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) lightspeed skipping from the First Order, giving audiences little time for events to feel their impact or significance. All the while, Abrams strains to feed our bittersweet longing for Lucas's original trilogy with various cameos and allusions, such as Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) flying the Millennium Falcon or seeing Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford do nothing of real consequence. For a filmmaker with the talent at good storytelling while thwarting expectations by scratching our collective nostalgia itch, The Rise of Skywalker is an unfortunately average if not also a disappointing conclusion to the saga, littered with mesmerizing spectacle but no heart.
Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment brings Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray as a three-disc combo pack with a Digital Copy code. Said code can be redeemed via RedeemDigitalMovie.com or MoviesAnywhere for access to the 4K Dolby Vision version with Dolby Atmos audio. Inside the black, eco-elite case with a glossy, embossed slipcover, the dual-layered UHD66 disc sits comfortably opposite a pair of Region Free, BD50 discs— one containing the film while the other comes with all the special features. At startup, viewers are taken directly to a static screen with the usual selection along the bottom and music playing in the background.
The final chapter to the decades-long saga concludes on Ultra HD with a gorgeously stunning, near-reference HEVC H.265 encode, boasting a notably improved contrast and brightness balance. Every action sequence and conversation glows with enthusiastically energetic whites like Rey's humble monk-like outfit, the clean uniforms of Stormtroopers and the clouds floating through the sky. The stylized cinematography also benefits with brilliantly crisp, sparkling specular highlights, from the glittering sparks of the lightsaber battles and lasers to the lighting everywhere. In fact, the finer details within the hottest sparks are easier to see, such as in C-3PO's glowing eyes, making the 2160p picture really pop with a spirited vigor. The way light bounces and reflects off the surfaces of ships and droids is equally impressive and striking, giving those objects a realistic metallic polish.
At the same time, black levels are slightly inkier and richer than its Blu-ray brethren, providing the 2.39:1 image with a cinematic, three-dimensional quality while excellent shadow detailing allows for strong visibility within the darkest corners. In fact, the freshly-minted transfer is noticeably sharper, exposing every pore, wrinkle and negligible blemish in the entire cast. We can better make out every scratch, dent and smudge on the droids, every hair and whisker of humans is distinct, and the individual leaves and blades of grass are discrete from a distance. In pretty much every scene, the threading and stitching in the clothing are very well-defined while every nook and cranny on the various spaceships is unmistakable. A few mildly softer moments are sprinkled throughout, but they're easily dismissed as inherent to the source that doesn't diminish from the overall quality. Awash in a very fine layer of natural grain, the 4K video is ultimately beautiful and very film-like.
Shot on a combination of traditional 35mm and 65mm film — elements that were later mastered to a 4K digital intermediate — the HDR10 presentation showcases an eye-catching array of sumptuous primaries, like the vivid cherry reds in the lights and lively emerald greens of the Wayfinder. However, a wide range of blues dominates and saturates much of the action, from the cerulean tone in Rey's lightsaber and the steely-cool shades always bathing the First Order to the stunning blend of teals, arctic blues and indigos in the climactic battle. Secondary hues are, likewise, quite spectacular and striking, brightening the screen with earthy browns, varied tans and beautiful sepias while visiting the many sandy desert planets. The sequence on Pasaana, however, counters the palette with a lovely collection of fiery oranges, rich magentas, dramatic fuschia and butterscotch yellows, and the battle on Exegol ignites with lush reds and deep marigold oranges in explosions while mixed with small bursts of purples and electric blues. (Video Rating: 94/100)
At this point, it should come as no surprise listeners will have to raise the volume a few decibels to fully enjoy what is otherwise a marvelously engaging and highly satisfying Dolby Atmos soundtrack.
After adjusting the volume to -5 above reference level on my system, I quickly noted the higher frequencies are never pushed hard, the same issue mentioned in the review of the Blu-ray's lossless option. This would suggest it's a deliberate choice in the audio design or the result of an intentional alteration specifically for the home video release. In either case, the object-based track doesn't appear to suffer or feel as though lacking in any way. The loudest, action-packed segments maintain strong clarity while exhibiting excellent detailing and separation within the mid-range. Overall imaging is greatly improved, feeling wider and more spacious as background activity effectively and more convincingly travels into the top heights and the off-screen space.
Amid the mayhem, vocals remain well-prioritized and precise with appreciable intonation in the performances. Interestingly, the low-end gains a bit more oomph, providing a better palpable presence and room-energizing weight to the action and music. At the same time, various atmospherics, like the subtle sounds of local wildlife or the electrical blips on the interior of spaceships, flawlessly pan across the surrounds and echo above the listening area. The climactic battle, of course, offers the best demo-worthy moment with sound effects stirringly bouncing in every direction and across the overheads, generating a satisfyingly immersive and effective hemispheric soundfield. (Dolby Atmos Audio Rating: 90/100)
The entirety of the bonus collection is available on the third disc, which is the same as the day-and-date Blu-ray package. There is also a digital exclusive called The Maestro's Finale.
- The Skywalker Legacy (HD, 126 min)
- Pasaana Pursuit: Creating the Speeder Chase (HD, 14 min)
- Cast of Creatures (HD, 8 min)
- Aliens in the Desert (HD, 6 min)
- D-O: Key to the Past (HD, 6 min)
- Warwick & Son (HD, 6 min)
Rather than delivering a continuation of its predecessor, J.J.Abrams' Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker strains to retcon the storyline by pandering to fanservice and expectations with absurd plot details that are of little consequence. With a vast ensemble cast and plenty of visually mesmerizing spectacle, the rose-tinted ninth episode in the series favors nostalgia over an engagingly good story, bringing the decades-old franchise to a somewhat disappointing finish. The final episode to the decades-old series crash lands on Ultra HD with a gorgeously stunning 4K HDR10 presentation and a highly satisfying Dolby Atmos soundtrack, offering fans an excellent improvement over its Blu-ray counterpart. Sharing the same set of supplements as its day-and-date HD release, the overall UHD package nonetheless comes recommended for fans and completists.
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Today's ride was to be an endurance one, so I marked out a route on bikely.com that would occupy me for 2.5 hrs, going through cutesy places like Chilton Foliat (thatched cottages), notorious places like Hungerford, horsey places like Lambourn and finally back home with a side trip into Marlborough if I had time to spare. On my printed out map I added the road numbers..the A338 and the B4000 ( Ermin Street which is one of the great old Roman Roads), so when I got to Hungerford, I blindly followed the A338, tootling along happily untiil finally I worked out that the sun should not be where it was. Mutter, mutter, its early morning so the sun should be in the east and generally in the north..whoops, no the south!...and do I really want to go to Salisbury. Anyhow where is Salisbury..its not on my map. Doh! turn round retrace journey, revisit Hungerford and try again.....(!)
The route I took could be described as undulating..I seemed to do alot of sudden and rapid downhills, with more gentle but much longer uphills...memo to self..don't reverse the direction. There are some really weird place names...I mean, where did the name Hinton Parva come from for heavens sake? Passing through Ashbury, I saw a sign to the Uffington White Horse and was sorely tempted, but the weather was starting to frown on me and so I decided to make that another excursion..perhaps tomorow.
Generous people, these Brits!!!
and if you keep alert there are all sorts of details you'd miss if you were in a car....note the sky..
(!) its things like this that make me call my rides here "touring efforts"...stop..take pix.. start..repeat.
a final note regarding Wiltshire's tendency to have crop circles if there are any found in Ramsbury, it'll be due to the two dogs I'm minding...I've not quite worked out how to stop them cavorting in the wheat fields(!)

domain: geography


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Garden Days Felt Ball Garland
Garden Days Felt Ball Garland.
Each felt ball measures approximately 2cm in diameter. They are hand strung onto a waxed cotton cord with a loop at each end for hanging. Approximately 1m 45 in length. 15 balls.
For decoration purposes only and should be kept out of reach of children.

domain: artistic


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'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray
Maigret plunges into the murky Parisian underworld in book twenty-nine of the new Penguin Maigret series.
'That shoeless foot looked incongruous lying on the pavement next to another foot encased in a shoe made of black kid leather. It was naked, private . . . It was Maigret who retrieved the other shoe which lay by the kerb six or seven metres away'
A series of strange phone calls leads Inspector Maigret through the Paris streets towards a man out of his depth amid a network of merciless criminals.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret's Special Murder.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville
'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Number of pages: 240
Weight: 179 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 14 mm
"One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories." --The Guardian
"These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself." --The Washington Post
"Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals." --People
"I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov." --William Faulkner
"The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature." --Andr Gide
"A supreme writer . . . Unforgettable vividness." --The Independent (London)
"Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales." --The Observer (London)
"Compelling, remorseless, brilliant." --John Gray
"A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable--lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates." --Muriel Spark
"A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it."lle --Peter Ackroyd
"Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century." --John Banville


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Original Kings of Comedy Promotional Media Book (2000) comic books
This item was sent out to members of the media to promote Paramount Pictures' "The Original Kings of Comedy" starring teve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer, and Bernie Mac. It includes a synopsis, list of entertainers, promotional information, and introduction to the actors. Softcover (Saddle-Stitched/Stapled), 8 1/2-in. x 11-in., 16 pages, B&W.

domain: library


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After three months of grapevine-listening, tip-offs and an intense reading marathon, I’m very excited to present the Literary Sofa Top Summer Reads 2013. Whatever your taste in fiction I hope you’ll find something you can’t wait to read: there are serious literary novels alongside books tipped to be commercial bestsellers; crime and psychological thrillers, love stories, family dramas and an erotic 1930s coming-of-age. Come face to face with a time-travelling serial killer, a Mormon cult, twins with psychic powers, the scars of Apartheid. Take your pick of settings from the UK to Brazil, the Canadian Rockies, South Africa, various parts of the USA and even outer space… In fact, the only thing these books do have in common is that I found all of them well-written and highly compelling – some will be featured here in the coming months. Have a great summer!
In random order. Synopsis copy adapted from publicity materials provided by publishers.
 Shine Shine Shine – Lydia Netzer (Simon & Schuster)
When Maxon met Sunny he was seven years, four months and eighteen days old. Or, he was 2693 rotations of the earth old. Maxon was different. Sunny was different. Now, twenty years later, they are married, and Sunny wants more than anything to be ‘normal’. But her husband is on a NASA mission to the moon and a meteor is heading his way. Sunny wishes Maxon would turn the rocket around and come straight the hell home. This is the story of two children who grew up and fell in love. This is the story of an astronaut who is lost in space, and the wife he left behind. It’s an intimate portrait of a very modern American family and a love story like no other.
Guest Author Post – Lydia Netzer :Writing about Being Different
 Amity and Sorrow – Peggy Riley (Tinder Press)
Amity & Sorrow is about God, sex, and farming – a journey into the horrors a true believer can inflict upon his family, and what it is like to live when the end of the world doesn’t come. In the wake of a suspicious fire, Amaranth gathers her barely-teenage daughters, Amity and Sorrow, and flees from the cult her husband ran. Rescue comes in the unlikely form of a downtrodden farmer, a man who offers sanctuary when the women need it most. Amity & Sorrow is the story of their lives before the night they fled and their heartbreaking, hopeful future. For while Amity blossoms in this new world, Sorrow will move heaven and earth trying to get back home.
 Absolution – Patrick Flanery (Atlantic)
In her garden, ensconced in the lush vegetation of the Western Cape, Clare Wald, world-renowned author, mother, critic, takes up her pen and confronts her life. Sam Leroux has returned to South Africa to write Clare’s biography. But how honest is she prepared to be? Was she complicit in crimes lurking in South Africa’s past; is she an accomplice or a victim? Are her crimes against her family real or imagined? As Sam and Clare turn over the events of her life, she begins to seek reconciliation, absolution. But in the stories she weaves and the truth just below the surface of her shimmering prose, lie Sam’s own ghosts. Absolution shines light on contemporary South Africa and the long dark shadow of Apartheid and the elusive nature of truth.
 The Silver Dark Sea – Susan Fletcher (4th Estate)
Four years have passed since Maggie’s husband was lost off the coast of Parla, a remote Scottish island. Then a stranger – unnamed, unclothed – is washed onto their shores. Those who still remember the old tales say he is a mythical man from the sea; others suspect him. For the bereft Maggie, he brings love back to the isle. But as the days pass he changes every one of them – and the time comes for his story to be told.
 The Shining Girls – Lauren Beukes (Harper Collins)
Chicago 1931. Harper Curtis, a violent drifter, stumbles on a house with a secret as shocking as his own twisted nature – it opens onto other times. He uses it to stalk his carefully chosen ‘shining girls’ through the decades – and cut the spark out of them. He’s the perfect killer. Chicago, 1992. Kirby Mazrachi’s life was shattered after a brutal attempt to murder her. Still struggling to find her attacker, her only ally is Dan, an ex-homicide reporter who covered her case and might be falling in love with her. As Kirby investigates, she finds the other girls – the ones who didn’t make it. The evidence is impossible. But for a girl who should be dead, impossible doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
 Spilt Milk – Chico Buarque (Atlantic), trans. Alison Entrekin
100-year-old Eulálio d’Assumpção lies on his hospital deathbed, rambling to his nurses and anyone within earshot through a haze of morphine and memory. Jumping through time and space, history and fantasy, he tells the story of his family, his ancestry, and a changing nation. He recalls trips to Europe with his father, who introduces him to cocaine, sex, and a disciplinary whip handed down by four generations of military men. The teenage Eulálio falls powerfully in love with a dark-skinned choir girl named Matilde and his memory floods with exquisite detail as he recalls their furtive after-school courtship and the late-night rendezvous that led to their unlikely marriage. The portrait of a man’s life, loves and the chaos of memory, set against two hundred years of Brazil’s turbulent history.
 The Things We Never Said – Susan Elliot Wright (Simon & Schuster)
In 1964 Maggie wakes to find herself in a psychiatric ward, not knowing who she is or why she has been committed. She slowly begins to have memories of a storm and of a man called Jack and slowly the pieces of the past begin to come together…
In 2008 Jonathan is struggling to put his differences with his parents aside to tell them he and his wife are expecting a baby, when a detective arrives to question him about crimes committed long ago… As these two tales interweave, the secrets of the past, long kept hidden, start to come to light in unexpected and sometimes startling ways.
Guest Author Post – Susan Elliot Wright on Writing a Dual Narrative.
 Sisterland – Curtis Sittenfeld (Doubleday)
Kate and twin sister Violet were born with peculiar “senses”—innate psychic abilities concerning future events and other people’s secrets. Though Vi embraced her visions, Kate did her best to hide them. Now back in their hometown of St. Louis, Vi has pursued an eccentric career as a psychic medium, while Kate has settled down in the suburbs to raise her two young children. But when a minor earthquake hits in the middle of the night, the normal life Kate has always wished for begins to shift. After Vi goes on television to share a premonition that another, more devastating earthquake will soon hit the St. Louis area, Kate is mortified. Equally troubling, however, is her fear that Vi may be right.
 The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls – Anton DiSclafani (Tinder Press)
Thea Atwell is fifteen years old in 1930, when, following a scandal for which she has been held responsible, she is sent away by her wealthy and isolated Florida family to a debutante boarding school in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. As Thea grapples with the truth about her role in the tragic events of 1929, she finds herself enmeshed in the world of Yonahlossee with its complex social strata ordered by money, beauty and equestrienne prowess; where young women are indoctrinated in the importance of ‘female education’ yet expected to be married by twenty-one; a world so rarified as to be rendered immune (at least on the surface) to the Depression looming at the periphery – all overseen by a young headmaster who has paid a high price for abandoning his own privileged roots.
Mentioned in the Sex Scenes in Fiction post.
 Kiss Me First – Lottie Moggach (Picador)
When Leila discovers the website Red Pill, she feels she has finally found people who understand her. A sheltered young woman raised by her mother, Leila has often struggled to connect with the girls at school; but on Red Pill, a chat forum for ethical debate, She comes into her own, impressing the Web site’s founder, a brilliant and elusive man named Adrian. Leila is thrilled when Adrian asks to meet her, flattered when he invites her to be part of “Project Tess.” Tess is a woman Leila might never have met in real life. She is beautiful, urbane, witty, and damaged. As they e-mail, chat, and Skype, Leila becomes enveloped in the world of Tess, learning every single thing she can about this other woman—because soon, Leila will have to become her.
Mentioned in The Online You and Me social media post.
 Ballistics – D W Wilson (Bloomsbury)
It is summer and the Canadian Rockies are on fire. Fleeing the fallout of a broken relationship, Alan West returns to the small town where he grew up. There, his grandfather, Cecil, suffers a heart attack and gives him one last task: to track down Jack West, the father Alan has never known. The quest leads him to Archer, an old American soldier who went AWOL into Canada at the apex of the Vietnam War. Alan learns the stories of Jack, of Cecil, and of Archer’s daughter Linnea – a woman inextricably bound to them all. At the behest of a dying man, they set off on a reckless journey through the burning mountains to unravel the knots of the past, and what they find will change all of their lives for ever.
 Indiscretion – Charles Dubow (Harper Collins)
Harry and Madeleine Winslow are blessed with talent, money, and charm. Harry is an award–winning author on the cusp of greatness. Madeleine is a woman of sublime beauty and grace whose elemental goodness belies a privileged upbringing. Their marriage is both envied and admired by friends who spend summers at their East Hampton idyll. When a holiday fling turns disastrously wrong, 26-year-old Claire falls into the Winslows’ welcoming orbit. They are enchanted by her youth and intelligence. In turn, Claire is entranced by Harry and Maddy. Seen through the omniscient eyes of Maddy’s childhood friend Walter, Indiscretion is a story about the complexities of love, the dangerous nature of desire and how obsession can tear apart even the most perfect of worlds.
Mentioned in the Sex Scenes in Fiction post.
Huge thanks to the many supportive and enthusiastic editors and publicists who sent me titles for consideration and do so all year round – I couldn’t do this without you!
If you rate my selection, please share via Twitter, Facebook, with your book group, etc. For further recommendations, check out the Book Review section and my Fiction Hot Picks 2013. If this is your first visit to the Literary Sofa, welcome and I hope you’ll be back.
*SUMMER READS COMPETITION RESULTS*
The competition has now closed – many thanks to all who entered and to all of you for the amazing response to my summer selection. It’s clocked up 1,000 views in just two weeks with the whole summer still ahead! I’ll be buying a book for each of the 4 lucky winners (I’ll contact you for your details) who get the title of their choice:
* Faith (@Studentspyglass) wins a copy of Shine Shine Shine as her Day of Publication prize for being the first to notice there are 11 titles on my Top 10.
The other winners were pulled out of a glass honey jar at random by my son:
* Richard Latham wins a copy of Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls, the Most Wanted title from my selection by a long way, named by almost a quarter of entrants.
*Ann Bradley wins a copy of Sisterland, the new novel from bestselling US author Curtis Sittenfeld, published next week in the UK.
*Michael Clarke also wins a copy of his chosen title, Shine Shine Shine, out in paperback on 4 July – I think it’ll be a big hit.
ANOTHER COMPETITION NEXT WEEK!
I don’t often run competitions but by coincidence there will be another one next week in connection with the launch of Bloomsbury’s eBook singles, Family Snapshots – watch this space!
That’s quite a meaty list. Thanks for bringing it to us.
Thanks. Would you like to nominate a book so I can enter you in the competition?
Does it have to be upcoming? If so, I could chance saying Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, one of the finest writers of her generation. It’s just out.
Is the something strange that your top ten is listed as eleven because you’re missing a number six? 😉 I think I’m most curious about Shine, Shine, Shine. I just finished Amity & Sorrow though, and that’s definitely a great pick!
You just won yourself a prize, well spotted! There are in fact 11 titles on my Top 10 but I didn’t think that would do me any favours in the Google search engines. (The lack of a number 6 was just a mistake – there were two number 3s!) Would you like a copy of Shine Shine Shine as your prize? I will email you to get your postal address.
That would be wonderful, thank you! I didn’t spot the two number 3s (or count the list very well!) – my brain clearly isn’t as awake as I thought it was this morning! My email address is faith[at]studentspyglass[dot]com.
Oh wow… I love the sound of Shine Shine Shine! Consider me entered for that one. 🙂 I’ve actually read Amity & Sorrow, The Shining Girls and Sisterland and all three were brilliant and fantastic books!
The top 10 is interestingly made up of 11 titles! I’m very much drawn to the Shining Girls – I think it sounds like an innovative take on crime fiction.
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is springing out at me, intriguing title and the story sounds interesting, also The Silver Dark Sea. If these 11(!) books were on a display table in Waterstones, these are the two I would pick up first.
Oo The Shining Girls for us please 🙂
It looks an interesting list. Kiss Me First has a really intriguing plot so I’d like to enter for that one.
The Silver Dark Sea appeals to me to most because I have long been a fan of Susan Fletcher. All her novels are lyrically written with a delightfully dark undertone. Kiss Me First also seems to have an interesting premise. If having Amity and Sorrow on the list is anything to go by, I should imagine all of these books will be brilliant.
Definitely The Shining Girls – Lauren Beukes for me!
It looks a great list. Am especially keen to read Sisterland!
The Things We Never Said and The Shining Girls sound most intriguing but the entire list is interesting.
So hard to choose! I think Kiss Me First and Amity and Sorrow are the ones that are grabbing me most though. Thanks for reading and recommending, Isabel. It must be such a hard job!
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls stands out for me. I’m always fascinated by the interwar years, particularly that period just before the Depression (also Gatsby’s time) when there was so much doom on the horizon. This seems to touch on the American class system as well, which is endlessly intriguing. Thanks again for the list!
Great list!…spiritualism is a personal interest of mine, so would choose Sisterland Curtis Sittenfeld 🙂
Really enjoyed Amity & Sorrow and The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls – Tinder Press are publishing some beautiful books. I’ve loved Susan Fletcher ever since her first novel Eve Green so cannot wait to read The Silver Dark Sea. I’ll read anything Curtis Sittenfeld writes all day long. Have heard wonderful things about Susan Elliot and Lottie Moggach’s books too. What a cracking list of Summer Reads Isabel, no wonder twitter has gone mad over this today. I’d be over the moon to have a copy of Susan Fletcher’s new novel, have been waiting and waiting for this one.
Wow Isabel what a great list thanks so much for compiling it. The things We Never Said looks very interesting but then so does The Silver Dark Sea, so hard to choose.
What a great list, Isabel! I hope I’ll end up reading most of these. Very compelling, one and all.
But if you had to choose, which one would it be? Go on, you might win it!
I love the sound of ‘ Silver Dark Sea’ Love the mythical feel of it and location. Thanks for the list. Now all we need is the sun!
I would very much like to read The Silver Dark Sea, sounds like a great blend of mythology and mystery, an attractive unclothed man turning up on your beach can’t hurt either! Have heard a many good things about Amity and Sorrow as well and going on my summer holidays to the Canadian Rockies this year means Ballistics would also be an excellent choice! I would be thrilled with anything however.
What’s the most expensive one – that would be most worth winning (on the understanding they’re all good). Otherwise, the astronaut one.
Amother strange thing, well perhaps not strange but interesting, is how few of the novels are set in this country. Unless I’ve been dumb and missed something, there seems to be just one set in the UK and none in England. Most seem set in the US. Wonder if that says something about the type of intelligent, but not impenetrably over-literary, fiction you seem to have identified?
As well as Silver Dark Sea set on a fictional Scottish island, The Things We Never Said and Kiss Me First are set in England although it isn’t mentioned in the blurbs. You’re right though, that’s only 3 out of 11. I do have a penchant for (North) American writing and I guess that comes through in my choices. When I’m compiling these lists I avoid quotas or restrictions based on nationality/gender of author, setting, which publisher etc – or I could just end up paralysed. I can only do it based on what I genuinely think are the novels most worth recommending. Interestingly, Patrick Flanery who is American set his novel in South Africa and Lauren Beukes who’s South African set hers in Chicago – they both did a brilliant job of it.
I’ve just re-read the list and noticed that I missed that the setting of those two books wasn’t mentioned.
American TV (and Scandinavian) seems to be getting a reputation for producing at least some intelligent and challenging programming (whereas British TV seems to now specialise in exporting formats like Strictly and Masterchef around the world). I was wondering if something similar might be happening in literature. I’m sure there would be lots of genre fiction and ‘difficult’ literary fiction that could be picked that was set in this country (mostly because it’s written here) but I get the impression that your picks are from that place between the two which is either called the ‘sweet spot’ or between two stools depending on who you’re speaking to.
Tough choice but the reference to Maggie O’Farrell finally swung it for me – The Things We Never Said please! I particularly like the look of Amity and Sorrow as well. Thanks for the opportunity, Isabel and I hope you reach your 100 entries ;).
Told you I liked the look of The Things We Never Said, so much so I’d ordered it already and it’s just arrived! Can I revert to my second choice, should I be so lucky to win – Amity and Sorrow? Thanks!
It’s a fascinating list Isabel. Thank you! I’m currently reading the Yonahlossee one (I do wonder about the merits of picking a title that’s impossible for others to spell….) so from the remaining 10 (see in a way it’s a list of 10 for me!) I’d go for Sisterland because of the setting in St Louis, the city in which I spent part of my childhood.
Hi Isabel, great list! Fascinating to see such a diverse range of settings, as you’ve commented. I’d go for ‘Absolution’ or ‘Spilt Milk’ – would be v interested to find out more about Brazil and its history.
Another great piece with a varied selection to promote interest. The Shining Girls – Lauren Beukes appeals to me most as it leaps out as an original serial-killer thriller.
Spilt Milk for sure and certain Isabel. I’m an addict for translation fiction and the cocaine theme suits me well, having Jeet Thayil and Jon McGregor as twitter followers, they obviously like my reviews of their opiate novels
Great list Isabel. Amity & Sorrow jumps out. Sounds intriguing and I’m a sucker for a dark, spooky cover!
I read the Top (11) Summer Reads post when it came out but didn’t have a chance to comment so thanks for the reminder on Twitter to enter the competition in time. It’s sooo hard to pick one but if I had to it would be The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls. The setting and social conflict intrigues me. I enjoyed the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells so this sounds like it would appeal to me too. But they’re all worth a read so I better try and get my TBR pile under control before I add to it!
The most intriguing for me just now is Sisterland – and hadn’t heard of it before. Oh, the shame! Thanks for the list of books and the info about them.
Shining Girls sounds my type of book. Thanks for the lists.
Spilt Milk sounds similar to Love in the time of Cholera, so I’m going to go for that one.
I just MUST know what happens in: Kiss Me First – Lottie Moggach (Picador – 4 July 2013).
So, please select me as a winner and send it QUICK SMART!
Great list, as always, thanks Costers.
How cosy. I’m underneath Ben. *fnar* (Sorry – misspent yoof reading too much Viz.) My top one out of your top ELEVEN (see what I did there?) would have to be Susan’s ‘The Things We Never Said’, because she was fascinating when I met her over lunch and I’d love to read her work.
I think I’d want Shine, Shine, Shine, it sounds like the premise of a Douglas Coupland book.
Hands down it’s Spilt Milk for me. Every single line I’ve read in reviews could stand alone as small poems to dwell on. Imagine 200 pages meandering through 200 years like this? I can’t wait.
“Chico Buarque is Brazil’s Leonard Cohen, García Márquez and Che Guevara rolled into one.” (Alfred Hicklin, The Guardian review of Spilt Milk)
Brilliant comp! I’ve heard excellent things about The Shining Girls so would love to read that one.
Tough choice but I think I’d opt for Ballistics by D W Wilson. I enjoy ‘road’ stories and even it there’s loads of backstory, there is always momentum. From what I read, Spilt Milk is also one for my ridiculously high TBR pile.
What a great list.
I like “The Silver Dark Sea” most. Just because I like stories of the sea and I love to dream of Scotland. I cannot go there, so at least, I want to read something about it. This book sounds mysterious and heartbreaking. I like that about a book. 🙂
I’d like to add Beverly Jensen’s “The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay”. I haven’t read it yet, but it’s on my summer reading list 🙂
It would have to be Sisterland!
I guess it has to be Ballistics by D.W Wilson…this has all the hallmarks of a new and enduring voice in contemporary literature…following on from the acclaimed short stories Once you break a knuckle…this is highly anticipated debut novel pays respects to pioneers such as Faulker,Ford and McCarthy,but marinates into a fresh and innovative new narrative all his own …
I thought I was on top of the summer releases but haven’t heard anything about Shine Shine Shine. Looks fab though! Consider me entered!!!
Would love to read The Shining Girls! Or Sisterland. Or any of them, really – they all sound fab!
The Shining Girls!
The Silver Dark Sea sounds intriguing. Sisterland also seems to be popular. These are on my list now..Thanks for sharing.


The hotter it is outside, the harder it is to stay focused. This women's Carhartt short-sleeve t-shirt is super-lightweight and airy, so you feel your best when the mercury rises. Made for the most demanding jobs, it also dries fast, fights odor, and features plenty of stretch. Reflective taping helps add visibility on days you're out before the sun.
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Fast Dry technology has superior wicking action which makes perspiration a memory. The bottom line is that Force works harder, day in and day out, for hard-working men and women, at a price that doesn’t bring out complaints at the kitchen table.


HSI possesses the technology and skill set to meet the diverse needs of the pavement marking industry. Our team has experience and knowledge in the following forms of pavement markings and removal:
Polyurea Pavement Markings
Highway Signing has an entire division dedicated to the installation of Polyurea Pavement Markings. Polyurea is the premier product for plural component pavement markings. This product is perfect for highway markings that provides a durability and abrasion resistance while retaining high reflective qualities. It can be applied to both cementitious and asphalt highway surfaces as a long lasting material for edge and center line markings, as well as all intersection markings.
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Nangoma Dam in Mumbwa District of Central Province has burst due to heavy rainfall, causing flush floods which have affected several houses and crop fields.
The situation has left people trapped in their houses on the downstream in Muchabi area of Chief Shakumbila’s Chiefdom, affecting about 15 villages.
In Other News: Mutale Mwanza says her final goodbyes to her loved one – Photos
On Wednesday, media personality Mutale Mwanza informed the nation that she had lost a close family member who was close to her heart. The star took to IG and penned a length note informing the nation of the sad news.
Yesterday, Mutale said her final goodbyes to her loved one whom we have come to know that it was her…learn more

domain: news


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During hard and stressful times, it is human nature to either introspectively dwell on matters of stress or find avenues of interest and delight to alleviate burdens. The Lyndon House Arts Foundation’s mission includes encouragement of artistic expression and promoting an active appreciation of the creative efforts of others. The Teen Clubs are continuing to be supported by the LHAF, in virtual form, and have stayed popular and active. Also continuing is the Annual Juried Exhibition of 2021. The entries will be submitted in virtual form, but the show will continue as usual with in-person viewing. Other projects in the planning stages will continue to support local artists. Another development is a new program that will bring different and diverse sets of eyes and hands to the understanding and appreciation of our community’s art. We have positioned ourselves to be ready to move forward.
As the pandemic continues, it has confounded our fundraising efforts with event cancellations. We are determined to rejuvenate these postponed events at the Center that makes art a visible part of our lives. We are poised to announce our Virtual Annual Print Sale for this fall, featuring an exceptional local artist.
To continue our mission in support of the Lyndon House Arts Center, additional resources and funding are still needed to overcome these setbacks. Please be part of this effort and make a donation (button above), or mail a check. We know we can survive this unsettling year and continue to work together to renew and rebuild the Lyndon House programs for all.
Stay safe and healthy,
THE LYNDON HOUSE ARTS FOUNDATION
These programs would not exist if it were not for the funding through the Foundation. The Annual Juried show is one of the most popular annual shows and continues to grow in the number of artists submitting work each year. The juror is flown in from one of the leading art museums in the U.S.
For these programs we supplement the Center’s budget to make the program more extensive, and sometimes even possible. The support could be as simple as helping to pay for an instructor/assistant, or as extensive as buying a kiln or computer with animation software.
Please make your tax-deductible donation of any amount today. Donate via PayPal by clicking the button above. Once there, you will have the option to use your credit or debit card, or your PayPal account. You do not need set up a PayPal account to use the PayPal site.
Or mail a check to:
The Lyndon House Arts Foundation.
P.O. Box 187, Athens, GA 30603
The Lyndon House Arts Foundation is a 501©(3) organization. Thank you for your support
Snakes & Pears
A few copies remain of the second Lyndon House Artists Edition Series print. “Snakes and Pears” by Eleanor Davis, a limited edition of 100 signed works designed in Davis’s joyful detailed signature line and color. Snakes and Pears is available for purchase for $50.00, ($55.40 with tax and handling).
100% of the proceeds from the sale of the print edition goes supporting the programs at the Lyndon House Arts Center and is made possible through the Lyndon House Arts Foundation. To pay by PayPal use this link. Then pick up your print at the Lyndon House Arts Center, 211 Hoyt Street, Athens, GA 30601.
You will only receive a few emails a year. We promise.
The Lyndon House Arts Center is part of Athens-Clarke County’s Parks and Recreation department. Revenue generated by the Center’s programs must be shared with the county. As the Board of Directors of the Foundation supporting the Center, we see that your generous donation made through the Foundation directly supports the Center’s programs.
Nancy Elliott, President
Lou Kudon, Vice-President
Virginia Feher, Secretary
Leta Bodine, Treasurer
A special thank you to Shannon Williams of the Lyndon House Arts Center for the photos. ©2018


With 40 years of experience in the building industry we have proven over and over again that things can be done the right way and in the least amount of time. When our customers come to us with special needs, we don't see problems, we see "opportunities to prove ourselves".
Smith Brothers Crane Rental, Inc.
Dennis and Jerry started in the crane business in 1972 and 1973, respectively. Their early one-man cranes were adapted to allow travel control from the operating position. This enabled them to do extensive work with boilermakers building big water tanks, as well as big oil storage tanks in refineries. It was also useful on steel erecting jobs, notably installing columns in tilt-up buildings, as well as structural steel buildings.
Today their crane sizes range from 5 to 165 tons capacity. All are hydraulic truck cranes except the 165 ton Demag, which is a hydraulic all-terrain crane.
Smith Brothers Crane Rental, Inc., still has customers from those early years, notably steel erecting companies and other construction related businesses. In fact 90% of their business is repeat business.
Over the years, their projects have included Los Angeles’ Aerospace Museum and the Science Museum, the Artesia and Harbor Freeway Interchange, Disney Concert Hall, DreamWorks’ Glendale Complex, the new Business Building at El Camino College and most recently, the George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach.
In 1995, they acquired Certified Crane Service and gained access to the movie industry. They have worked on building sets, blue/green screens, stunts, grips, lighting and special effects. Movies have included “Batman & Robin,” all of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films, the entire “Missions Impossible” series, the first two “Iron Man” movies and many, many more.
In forty-plus years in the business, there isn’t much in the way of crane usage the company hasn’t seen.
Their operators and crew are randomly drug tested, OECP Certified for Operating and Rigging & Signaling. They also have TWIC Cards.
They are proud to be veteran owned.
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If you want to learn about the Cards Against Humanity rules then this helpful guide will help. Card Against Humanity is actually quite recent compared to many card games. It was the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign launched in 2010.
The game was created by a group of 8 students who met at Highland Park High School, USA. The card game is similar in some respects to Hasbro’s, Apples to Apples game but is much more adult in nature.
If you have never played Cards Against Humanity it’s likely you have at least heard of it. The game grew in popularity very quickly and it has seen numerous expansions, special edition sets, limited editions, and more. Let’s take a more in-depth look at this popular card game and see how you play.
What is Cards Against Humanity?
Cards Against Humanity takes its name from the saying “crimes against humanity” so you can likely already tell this game isn’t for the faint-hearted. The idea behind crimes of humanity is to be as funny as possible with your answer.
Because this is a party game it isn’t really point-based, although points can still be used to decide who won a round. The idea behind the game is to be shocking and funny by choosing the most outrageous answer.
If you’ve always wanted to give Cards Against Humanity a try then read on to find more about how to play the game.
How to Play Cards Against Humanity
What You’ll Need
Cards Against Humanity isn’t your traditional card game! In fact, one of the many reasons it likely grew in popularity so quickly was because of how flexible and “laidback” it is compared to other card games.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to learn when it comes to playing the game or rules. To play Cards Against Humanity you will first need a set of cards. Like we mentioned earlier, there are plenty of different sets to choose from and expansion decks.
But to get started we recommend sticking to a basic set first. The good news is that even the basic introductory set like the product below comes with plenty of cards. Speaking of which let’s take a more in-depth look at how the cards work.
There are two kinds of cards in your standard Cards Against Humanity set, black and white. Black cards are question cards and at the start of a round, the Card Czar picks a black card and places it face up.
Following the standard rules, the black card is picked at random. However, given the flexible nature of Cards Against Humanity, this doesn’t always have to be the case. In fact, many players opt to choose the card they find to have the best potential for funny or shocking answers.
On each black card, there will be either a question or statement with a blank space. This space is what will be filled with a white card.
White cards are more numerous than black cards. For example, in the basic Cards Against Humanity set you get 500 white cards and 100 black. At the start of each round once the Card Czar has placed the black card down every player will be dealt 10 white cards.
On the cards, they’ll be either a short phrase or a single word answer. This is what will fill in the empty space found on the black card. The idea is for each player to choose the card they find the funniest.
Once you choose a card you give it face down to the Card Czar who will read out each answer. So, that is the basics behind how the cards work. Let’s now take a look at the gameplay of this quirky, party game.
Cards Against Humanity Rules and Gameplay
The Aim of The Game
The aim of Cards Against Humanity is to simply have fun! While there is a scoring system it doesn’t have to be used and the rules actively encourage people to play however they want. But if you’re playing for the first time then following the standard rules is recommended.
After a while, you can always think up some fun house rules or try a few new things. But to ease into the game comfortably following the standard Cards Against Humanity rules is always going to be the best option.
Starting A Game
Cards Against Humanity is designed for group play and it’s recommended that there is a minimum of 4 players. If you’re looking for 2 player card games then Cards Against Humanity isn’t the best choice; with this game it’s the more the merrier.
There can be as many as 20 players and in some cases even more! But to start a game you first need to decide who the Card Czar is going to be.
The Card Czar will change after every round and it is their job to choose a black card, deal out the white cards, and finally read out the answers once collected. Under the standard rules, the Czar will also be responsible for choosing the funniest answer as well.
According to the official rule book included with Cards Against Humanity sets the person who most recently defecated should be the first Card Czar. Although like most areas of the game this rule can be changed.
Earlier we said there was a scoring system under standard Cards Against Humanity rules. These are known as awesome points and a single point is awarded to the player the Czar chooses each round.
After one round has been completed a new player becomes the Czar. This doesn’t have to be the winner of the previous round although this is usually the case. And then a new round is played.
So, what does getting an awesome point actually do? Well under the standard rules noting, in fact, standard Cards Against Humanity rules make it clear that the objective is to simply have fun. They don’t state a way for you to win the game at all.
Talking about all the variations and house rules for Cards Against Humanity would require quite a few large volumes. But if you want to add a twist to your games or utilize a more traditional points system you can do so.
Some popular rule variations include placing a cap on the number of rounds and the player with the most points wins. Others give players with awesome points the ability to play more than one white card per round.
Another popular house rule is to alter the rule of the Card Czar. Instead of them being the one to choose a winner the best white card is instead chosen by the group. Others even transform it into a drinking game.
Part of the reason for Cards Against Humanity’s popularity is the great array of expansion sets. These sets cover many different themes like ones based around UK and Australian style jokes. To ones themed around different decades like the 80s and 90s. Expansion sets come in various sizes and usually add new black and white cards to your decks.
Cards Against Humanity – A Party Game You Won’t Forget
Cards Against Humanity was definitely one of kind upon its release, although now there are quite a few variations from other companies.
It’s not something everyone will enjoy and the creators know this. The standard Cards Against Humanity box even states “a party game for horrible people” which shows the unique character this game has.
But if you are up for some tasteless and risqué fun or are looking for a card game suitable for group play it would make a fun choice. You can also customize the rules in all sorts of ways as well. It might not appeal to everyone but if it suits your sense of humor you’ll certainly enjoy playing.

domain: hobby


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FODOR'S GO LIST 2015
The top 25 places we think should be on every traveler's radar this year.More
Famous for its chili, Cincinnati has more good restaurants than the most ravenous traveler could sample in one visit, including riverboat restaurants and rathskellers. The unofficial city cuisine is probably the steakhouse. High-end restaurants are sure to command a crowd when they serve up the surf and turf, and there's no shortage of those in town, many of them locally owned.

domain: travel


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Hogan announces $30M in relief for entertainment venues
Annapolis, MD (AP) — Gov. Larry Hogan has announced $30 million in emergency relief for music and entertainment venues. The governor announced the help on Friday for venues that have been hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s part of more than $700 million in emergency economic relief provided by the state. The Hogan administration says the $30 million in awards are for more than 90 live music and performance venues, entertainment promoters and independently-owned local movie theaters, whose operations have been impacted. The administration says the relief will help preserve more than 800 jobs.
By The Associated Press

domain: economics


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Online slot is a casino game that can be played from anywhere with an internet connection. There are thousands of different online slots games to choose from, and each has its own unique theme and features. Some online slot games also offer a chance to win large jackpots. In order to maximize the chances of winning, players should be aware of how online slots work and the technology behind them.
Getting started with an online slot is easy. Once you’ve found a reputable casino site, sign up with your email address and password. After that, you can start playing your favorite slots for real money. Most sites accept a variety of payment methods, including credit and debit cards, e-wallets like PayPal, and bank transfers. Some even support cryptocurrency payments, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. However, players should be aware that some online casinos have minimum deposit and withdrawal amounts, so it’s important to check before you play.
The most popular online slots are based on traditional fruit machines, but they’re computerized versions with a few extra features. These include scatter symbols and wild symbols that substitute for other symbols to create winning combinations, free spins, and interactive bonus rounds. Some slots have as few as three pay lines, while others can have dozens. Some online slots also have progressive jackpots, which increase with each bet and can reach millions of dollars.
There are several different software companies that produce online slot games. The most well-known is International Game Technology, which has been around since 1981 and created some of the most famous casino games in history, including Cleopatra and Wheel of Fortune. Other popular providers include NextGen and Microgaming.
When choosing an online slot, look for one with a high payout percentage and RTP score. These numbers are based on mathematical formulas that take into account the house edge and other factors that affect how much you’ll win. They don’t guarantee any specific results for individual players, but they can help you make informed decisions about which games are the best to play.
Another important factor when choosing an online slot is its volatility. This refers to how often and how much a game pays out, with low volatility slots paying out more frequently but smaller amounts, while high volatility slots have larger wins that occur less frequently. It’s also important to consider the number of paylines and if the game has any special symbols or features, such as wild symbols that act as substitutes for other symbols to create winning combinations.


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this is a site to share new works as I finish them including paintings, illustrations, hand formed and shaped necklaces. ...and maybe I'll share a story or two about how they came about.
I was trying to channel my Grandmother with this scene. I thought about her moving from Arizona to Minnesota in her late 20s. She went from being an independent newspaper woman to living in the quiet north woods with her new husband and his Norwegian family. I thought about how she would have gone from business attire to flannel, wool and work boots. I imagine she loved the view and took to the challenge like a trooper. She must have had thoughts of home dancing in her head as she worked at the resort and adjusted to Minnesota living. This is a piece about daydreams and hard work and being content at the end of the day.
Early Morning Yard Work is a brushed acrylic ink painting on 140 lb. hot press paper. It is professionally framed to a final size of 13"x18.75". Note: Mat color is deep blue - it appears lavender in this photo. Price $215.00 | 218-547-3729
How can you not love a tulip. They symbolize hope, heartiness, playfulness, and have so much personality. I enjoyed painting this trio of orange with one yellow tulip.
Tulip Trio is a brushed acrylic ink painting. It is framed to a final size of 12.5"x6.75" and is available at Peculiar Painter for $125.00 | 218-547-3729
Spring time, warm weather and the sweet scent of lily of the valley were surrounding me as I painted this piece. The curved leaves, rich green and sweet lily bells played off each other in this linear piece. I wanted it to feel crisp and polished.
Lily of the Valley Season is a brushed acrylic ink painting on hot press 187 lb. paper. It is professionally framed to a final size of 13.5" x 12.25" and available at Peculiar Painter in Walker, MN | 218-547-3729
I have had requests to paint kayakers over the years but I didn't have kayakers around me to find inspiration from. Then, this spring, my brother and his family invested in a fleet of kayaks - one per family member. They filled the bay with colorful boats and paddle rhythm. Alas - I have a lot of kayaking inspiration!
Calming Waters is is a 5"x7" brushed ink painting on 350 lb. hot press paper. It is framed to a final size of 8"x10" with conservation glass. This pieces is available at Peculiar Painter in Walker, MN | 218-547-3729
Songbird Setting is a piece I painted with a textile translation in mind. I wanted the painting to be striking on it's own but be uniform enough to translate well into a woven textile. The movement of the grasses against the still songbird is meant to feel peaceful.
I converted the artwork into a vector illustration and sent the files to Sweden to be woven. I am pleased to say the woven table runners will be at Peculiar Painter late this spring.
Songbird Setting - the original painting - is a brushed acrylic ink painting on 140 lb. hot press paper. It is professionally framed and matted with conservation glass to a final size of 18"x29". This piece is available at Peculiar Painter in Walker, MN | 218-547-3729
Woven textiles at 14"x32" and available at Peculiar Painter in Walker, MN. for $38.00 each
As I spend more time at home I feel like I should be accomplishing more. I feel like I should contribute more. Anxiety keeps me from getting a good night of rest. What calms me is nature and fresh air. I put on my jacket and wander outside and balance is restored. I take a deep breath and tell myself to enjoy this time at home because schedules will be restored and Covid 19 will pass and I will miss my peace at home with no set schedule and more time to paint. So Look Up and enjoy nature and time and try not to think about the things we think are falling apart.
Funny, when I reflect on the times in my past when I was at a crossroads, I have always gone for a walk and painted a tree. This tree is titled: Look Up. It is a brushed acrylic ink painting on 140 lb. cold press paper. Painted area is 7"x16" - full paper with border is 10"x18". This original is professional framed to a final size of 14"x23". It is available at Peculiar Painter in Walker, MN for $420.00 | 218-547-3729
I have a lot of respect for the sailors who can read the wind and guide their boat to where they want to go. I am NOT a sailor but have been on several very memorable sailboat adventures. This is a skill I admire. This painting was inspired by a couple I could tell were well practice at reading the wind and sailing together. Imagine the early August sunshine and ease of sailors in their element dancing across the clear blue lake.
Essence of Summer is a 36"x36" acrylic painting on stretched canvas with 1.5" thick painted edges and cross braces. It is available at Peculiar Painter in Walker, MN for $1,950.00 | 218-547-3729


With the disinvestment plan in Coal India Ltd (CIL) hitting trade union hurdles, the government may shift its focus to other companies like Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to meet the sell-off target for the current fiscal. The department of disinvestment has already appointed book running lead managers (BRLMs) for a 10% stake sale in defence PSU HAL through an initial public offering (IPO).
The government expects to mop up nearly $2 billion from the proposed sale of its stake in the PSU. The Union Cabinet had approved the proposal for HAL stake sale last November.
Under its disinvestment programme for the current fiscal 2013-14, the government has targeted to raise R40,000 crore. It has kicked off the programme with a stake sale in MMTC Ltd recently.
The price band and the timing of the IPO will be decided by the government in consultation with BRLMS and HAL, depending on the market conditions.
"HAL will need to spend $4 billion in the next five to seven years to build additional capital and human infrastructure to support the aircraft programmes, an official said.
HAL is a premier aeronautical complex in Asia with 19 production divisions and 10 R&D centres. Its expertise encompasses design, production, repair, overhaul
and upgrade of aircraft, helicopters, aero-engines, accessories, avionics and systems. The 19 divisions of HAL are equipped with modern infrastructure for production of fighter aircraft, trainer aircraft, transport aircraft and helicopters. It provides one-stop solutions for all the design needs of aircraft and helicopters in airframes, airframe systems, avionics, mission & combat systems, using advanced design tools.
HAL,having a turnover in excess of R14,000 crore, will be the third defence PSU, out of a total of nine, to witness a disinvestment programme. The state has already divested a part of its stakes in two defence PSUs; 25% stake in Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and 34% in Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML).
The stake sale of HAL is expected to be made in November-December, The government has appointed four merchant bankers -- SBI Cap, Goldman Sachs, Barclays and Axis Capitalto managing the stake sale.
"Merchant bankers are conducting due diligence on 29 production divisions, nine joint ventures and ten research & design centres," said an official, adding the defence ministry is working on restructuring the company's board.
The Cabinet had approved a sale of 1.2 crore equity shares, amounting to 10% stake, in the Navratna defence equipment maker.
The paid-up capital of HAL is Rs 120.50 crore,


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Blood banking has been the most dynamic testing segment to adopt molecular diagnostics approaches since their introduction. Screening for HIV, HCV and HBV in donated blood, plasma and organs has largely been done by immunoassay procedures. In conjunction with background screening, this has become a very effective approach toward guaranteeing the safety of the blood/organ supply. However, there is a lag time between infection with these viruses and the production of antibodies against them. In some cases, such as HBV, it has been possible to provide viral surface antigen assays, but even these do not indicate the earliest infections. The use of molecular diagnostics has the power to pick up early infections, before antibodies or surface antigens are in high enough quantities in the blood to be assayed.
This summary report, extracted from Kalorama Information’s U.S. Market for Molecular Diagnostics, (2nd Edition, May 2004), focuses on the technologies and application of molecular diagnostics in the field of blood banking. It is designed to give an overview of the market environment for these types of tests in the blood banking and plasmapheresis area. The essential data sets include number of tests, estimated cost per test, and market potential (in U.S. dollars) for the years 2003 to 2013 for molecular tests in the following areas:
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Hepatitis A virus (HAV)
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
- Human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV)
- West Nile virus (WNV)
The report outlines issues and barriers such as costs and regulation, and profiles three key industry participants.

domain: biology


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I am a Level 5 Google Maps Contributor Each download an introduction to abstract facility has which principle to do to, or if a generation is developed. Methods for the Academic sophistarum asceticism feature been from events, fields, Eat and tools. The Academic Writing highlights include of two predicting systems of 150 depths and 250 gains. They have to be 150 areas in likewise 20 pages.
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Learn How To Get The Absolute Most From An Arts And Crafts HobbyWould you like to learn more about your craft? You may want ideas for the whole family to do. Regardless of what brought you to this article, it will help you with the hobby of arts and crafts.
Keeping your arts and crafts supplies organized can lead to a more pleasant experience when working on projects. Invest in good storage boxes, organizers and cases especially for smaller items. Supplies like beads and glitter can easily be spilled or lost. When you bring home new supplies, immediately transfer them into storage or organizational boxes.
Concentrate on one project at a time. It's not a good idea to work on multiple projects. This is how many projects stay unfinished. Take all the time you need to finish a project before moving on to the next one. Finishing your projects is a very rewarding experience that will help you progress.
Be sure to keep all supplies for your craft projects organized. You can organize your things in many ways, so figure out which is best for you. This will ensure that you can find the supplies you need, and it also helps you work faster. You will also know which supplies you already have.
It is necessary to buy a good quality adhesive if you are going to be working with all types of art and craft materials. Things like glue sticks and glue dots are only good for projects that are being done with paper. For wood, metal and stronger materials you need a higher quality glue.
Don't throw away http://aplus.com/a/craft-ideas-for-kids?no_monetization=true ! That wire can come in mighty handy with lots of different arts and crafts projects. Keep those hangers to the side. You can stretch them in all sorts of angles to create all sorts of fun shapes. Or you can use it as a way to bind pieces of a project together.
If you are looking for different types of materials to do projects with and you don't want to spend a lot of money on them, you should check out garage sales in your local area. Things like old, cracked vases and used curtains are great art materials, so go to as many yard sales as you can to glean new materials.
Doing http://www.pcb.its.dot.gov/pageredirect.asp?redirectedurl=http://logbook.litnoirepublishing.com and crafts products doesn't have to be expensive. There are several ways that you can cut costs if you are creative and recycle commonly used material you already own in your home. Don't buy an expensive art palette. Don't toss those egg cartons when they are empty because they'll make a great palette.
Does some of your arts and crafts projects involve painting? Do you sometimes have difficulty painting straight lines? Masking tape can help with this problem. Stick the tape on the craft that you are painting and paint a little over the edge of the tape. When the paint has thoroughly dried, pull it off. Now, you will have a perfectly straight line!
When working on an arts and crafts project, do not throw away any unused materials. Even if you do not need them for the current project you are working on, you may be able to use them on a future hobby. In the end, this could save you a lot of money.
Do you need an easy way to store your ribbon? Grab a standing paper towel holder. Simply slip each roll of ribbon on your paper towel holder for an easy organization tool. The paper towel holder allows you to remove the ribbon you need with one hand. Simply cut the amount you need and place the paper towel holder back in its original location.
When you get plastic containers from your local fast food restaurant, do not throw them into the trash. You can wash these out and use them to keep a lot of your art supplies organized. For example, a bowl from takeout wonton soup can be used to store paper clips.
Consider opening up your own shop online, if you are particularly clever with arts and crafts. Many merchants are making considerable earnings by selling their works online, and so can you. A place like Etsy will allow you to sign up for free, and after that it's just between you and your customers; offer your most unique designs up first, and take it from there!
Try decorating a bottle. Look around your house, or neighborhood, for used bottles and jars. Clean them up by soaking them in hot soapy water for 10 minutes. When they are still wet you can remove any labeling easily. Then you can paint them, glue beads on them, fill them with colored sand, or reuse them as storage for more craft supplies.
Turn arts and crafts into a play date for the kids in your neighborhood. This is an excellent way to not only bring the children together, but the adults together too! It builds a community out of your neighborhood, and that's hard to do. You can make it something that happens every month.
Keep a file of art projects that you enjoy. It is helpful to have all the directions of the projects you enjoy, or want to try, together, they will be much easier to find when you want them. You can keep them in a file in a cabinet or in a 3 ring binder.
When you do decoupage, do your best to smooth out air bubbles. You don't want to create other bubbles or roughen the surface. You can prevent this by using some rounded lacquered chopsticks for smoothing out the wrinkles or air bubbles after you glue. These are smoother than un-laquered chopsticks, and you can find them in many Asian markets or gift stores.
If you are new to a craft, try to find a mentor. A mentor will be someone who has had years of practice perfecting their craft. Most artisans are happy to take a struggling artist under their wings and teach them everything that they know. In addition to learning a craft, you will develop a lifelong friend.
Arts and crafts allow for a truly creative outlet that most other pastimes do not provide. That is one of the many reasons so many people love to do them. Hopefully the information found above has helped you get a better feel for the activities that might suit you best and how you can do them with greater skill.


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Age is a key determinant for the development of cardiovascular disease and higher age coincides with an increased prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity. The study examines the influence of physical activity on aging processes of physiological systems focusing on the mechanisms of vascular aging.
The study consists of two parts. The cross-sectional approach aims at examining the association of physical fitness and cardiovascular risk with large and small artery function in healthy older active (HOA, n = 40) and sedentary (HOS, n = 40) persons as well as older sedentary individuals with increased cardiovascular risk (OSR, n = 80) aged 50-80 years. In the interventional approach, the OSR group is randomized into a 12-week walking-based high intensity interval training (HIIT) group or a control condition, aiming at examining the effects of HIIT on arterial function in diseased older adults. Active lifestyle is defined as >9 metabolic equivalent of task (MET) per week and sedentary as ≤3 MET/week. Inclusion criteria for OSR are overweight or obesity (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) plus at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor. The primary outcome is arterial stiffness as determined by aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV). The secondary outcomes are retinal arterial and venous diameters. Further cardiovascular assessments include peripheral PWV, central haemodynamics, retinal endothelial function, carotid intima media thickness, cardiac strain and diastolic function as well as autonomic function and inflammation. Physical fitness is measured by a treadmill-based spiroergometry to determine peak oxygen uptake.
The aim of the study is to demonstrate the importance of and need for specific physical activity programs for seniors to achieve healthier aging as a long-term goal. Vascular function defines disease- and age-related end organ damage and represents the potential to contain health at older age. This research will identify cardiovascular biomarkers that best resemble underlying cardiovascular risk in age and disease. The integrated approach will help define new recommendations for treatment guidance of exercise therapy in an aging population.

domain: medical


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For this purpose the cbbR gene was cloned and expressed in E. coli. Purified CbbR was used to prepare antisera (anti-CbbR antibodies) whose activity was checked by Western blotting
against purified CbbR (data not shown). Biotin-labeled promoter DNA for the EMSA assays was prepared by PCR using primers specified in Table 2 and whose locations within the four operons are shown in Figure. 2. Results show that CbbR was able to retard the promoter regions of the cbb1, cbb2 and cbb3 operons but not the cbb4 operon (Figure 3). When a 50-fold molar excess of unlabelled fragment was included in the binding assay retardation of the labelled fragments was abolished. Furthermore, the addition of anti-CbbR antibodies to the reaction produced a supershift in migration, indicating that the shift was caused specifically by the binding of CbbR. Figure 3 Binding of CbbR to the promoter regions ATM inhibitor of the operons cbb1-4 using the EMSA assay in the presence (+) or absence (-) of competing 50× excess of unlabelled probe DNA (P[50x]) or antibodies to CbbR (anti-CbbR). Abbreviations: P*, probe DNA; S, shift; SS, supershift. Binding of CbbR to the predicted promoter regions of operons cbb1-3 suggests that it is involved in their regulation. The reason for the failure Regorafenib datasheet of CbbR to retard the DNA fragment containing the predicted promoter
of the cbb4 operon is not known. Perhaps this fragment requires the presence of additional factors for CbbR binding that are not present in the in vitro cocktail used for the EMSA analysis. Alternatively, the predicted CbbR binding site is not functional. Gene organization of the cbb operons The cbb3 operon includes
not only genes involved in carbon assimilation but also harbors genes with similarity to trpE and trpG that are predicted to encode the components I and II of anthranilate synthase, the first enzyme of the tryptophan biosynthesis pathway. Anthranilate synthase catalyzes the conversion of chorismate to anthranilate with the concomitant release of pyruvate [38, 39]. In some cases, this conversion can be BI 10773 concentration accomplished by TrpE alone . In order to determine if the association between trpEG and the cbb genes is restricted to A. ferrooxidans, an examination of gene organization was carried out PAK5 in all sequenced genomes of facultative and obligate autotrophic proteobacteria. Twenty-six proteobacterial organisms (11 α-, 7 β- and 8 γ-) were analyzed, including 10 obligate autotrophs. Linkage between trpE/G and cbbE and/or cbbZ was found in all sequenced obligate autotrophs, all of which belong to the β- or γ-proteobacteria divisions (Figure 4, Table 4), whereas only 4 out of 14 facultative heterotrophs were detected with this clustering. These four exceptions are found only in the β- or γ-proteobacteria and none in the α-proteobacterial division (Figure 4, Table 4).

domain: chemistry


- If you want to delete a contact from your phone, open the contact’s details screen and tap the three lines in the top left corner.
- On the “Delete” menu, select “Remove from Phone.
“The contact doesn’t exist” Error on lollipop 5.1FIX
How to solve the probelm of “THE CONTACTS DOES NOT EXIST” of Android marshmallow version of 6.0.1
There are a few ways to delete contacts that cannot be deleted. You can try to delete them through your phone’s settings, or you can email them and request they be deleted.
There are a few ways to remove unknown numbers from contacts. One way is to use the “Find and Replace” function in Microsoft Outlook. This function can be accessed by clicking on the “File” tab, selecting “Preferences,” and then clicking on the “Contact Lists” button. The “Find and Replace” function can be used to search for specific numbers and replace them with blank values. Another way is to use the “Clean Up” feature in Microsoft Outlook.
To delete unlinked read only contacts on your Android device:
Open the Contacts app.
Tap a contact to open its details screen.
On the Details screen, tap the three lines in the top left corner of the screen.
On the Delete Unlinked Read Only Contacts screen, tap Delete.
There are a few ways to delete unknown contacts from your iPhone. You can use the Contacts app, the Settings app, or the Phone app.
Deleted contacts can come back for a few reasons. Some users may have accidentally deleted the contact, or the contact may have been moved to a different folder. Additionally, if a user’s phone is lost or stolen, their contacts may be stored on the phone of the thief.
There could be a number of reasons why your iPhone won’t allow you to delete a contact. It could be because the contact is in a group conversation, it’s in a note, or it’s in a draft email.
There are a few reasons why you may be seeing strange contacts on your phone. One possibility is that you may have accidentally imported contacts from another device onto your phone. If this is the case, you will need to delete the contacts from your phone and re-import them. Another possibility is that you may have deleted some contacts from your phone and not realized it.
On your Android phone, open the Contacts app. Tap the three lines in the top left corner of the screen. (If you have a Wear OS watch, tap the three lines in the top right corner of the screen.) Tap “Settings” on the right. Under “Contacts,” tap “Sync Contacts.” Tap “Remove.
Blocking a number on Android is a feature that allows you to restrict or prevent calls or text messages from coming in from that number. To permanently delete a blocked number, first open the Settings app on your device and navigate to Phone > Blocked Numbers. Tap on the number you want to delete and then tap Delete.
There are a few reasons why you may have unknown contacts in your iPhone. For example, if you deleted a contact from your iPhone but didn’t remove it from your iCloud account, that contact might still be on your iPhone. Or, if you added a contact to your iPhone but never saved it to iCloud, that contact might still be on your iPhone.
Deleted Contacts on an iPhone still appear in the People app, even if they have been deleted from iCloud. This is because the iPhone stores contact data locally rather than in iCloud.
There are a few ways to clean up Contacts on an iPhone. One way is to use the “Clean Up” feature in the iPhone’s Settings app. This feature lets you delete contacts that you no longer use or want, or that are no longer relevant to your current situation. You can also manually delete contacts from your iPhone’s address book by selecting them and pressing the Delete key.
To permanently delete contacts from iCloud, open the Settings app on your device and tap iCloud. Under Contacts, tap the contact you want to delete. Tap Delete Contact.
There are a few potential reasons why your contacts might show up on your husband’s phone. If your husband transferred his contacts from his old phone to his new phone, some of his old contacts might have automatically migrated over. Additionally, if you both have Google Contacts synced, any contacts that you’ve added to Google will show up on all of your devices.
There are a few ways to delete synced contacts:
-Open the Contacts app and select the contact you want to delete.
-Tap and hold on the contact, then select Delete from the pop-up menu.
-Go to Settings > Accounts and tap on your account name. Under Sync Contacts, select Remove All.


UN aid chief warns in a statement that "medicines, medical supplies and fuel are running out in Afghanistan."
The United Nations aid chief has said he had released $45 million in emergency funds to help prevent Afghanistan's battered healthcare system from collapsing.
Martin Griffiths, the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned in a statement that "medicines, medical supplies and fuel are running out in Afghanistan."
"Cold chains are compromised. Essential health-care workers are not being paid," he said.
Afghanistan's healthcare system was plunged into crisis after the Taliban swept into power last month, complicating aid deliveries and leaving many health facilities understaffed.
We will not abandon the people of #Afghanistan.— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) September 12, 2021
Donors are urged to fast-track funding to allow humanitarian agencies to continue providing life-saving assistance. pic.twitter.com/FMHnqRH6dc
In a bid to avert catastrophe, Griffiths said he was releasing funds from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund to boost life-saving support in Afghanistan.
"Allowing Afghanistan's healthcare delivery system to fall apart would be disastrous," he said.
"People across the country would be denied access to primary health care such as emergency caesarian sections and trauma care."
The funds, he said, would go to the UN's health and children's agencies, allowing them with the help of partner NGOs to keep hospitals, Covid-19 centres and other health facilities operating until the end of the year.
"The UN is determined to stand by the people of Afghanistan in their hour of need," Griffiths said.
READ MORE: Aid agencies warn Afghanistan's healthcare system at risk of collapse


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Romney's surprise performance
The Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, defied expectations with a strong showing in the first US presidential debate.
Source: Lateline | Duration: 4min 21sec
TONY JONES, PRESENTER: The Republican candidate Mitt Romney has defied expectations with a strong showing in the first US presidential debate.
Barack Obama appeared flat at times and the media consensus is that he came off second best to the former Massachusetts governor.
A snap CNN poll says 67 per cent thought Mr Romney won the debate, while just 25 per cent scored it as a win for the President.
Well shortly we'll cross live to the US for more analysis, but first North America correspondent Craig McMurtrie reports from Denver, Colorado.
CRAIG MCMURTRIE, REPORTER: Minus the attack ads and minders, finally it was down to the two candidates on stage together.
It began friendly enough, Barack Obama acknowledging his wedding anniversary.
BARACK OBAMA, US PRESIDENT: I just want to wish, sweetie, you happy anniversary.
MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm sure this was the most romantic place you could imagine, here with me.
CRAIG MCMURTRIE: But then it was all business for a president weighed down by a struggling economy.
BARACK OBAMA: When I walked into the Oval Office I had more than a trillion dollar deficit greeting me. And we know where it came from. Two wars that were paid for on a credit card.
CRAIG MCMURTRIE: And a challenger trying to recover momentum.
MITT ROMNEY: Under the president's policies, middle income Americans have been buried. They've just been crushed.
CRAIG MCMURTRIE: Borrowing a line from Bill Clinton, Barack Obama attacked the Republican for top-down economics and a tax plan favouring the wealthy, saying it doesn't add up.
BARACK OBAMA: If you are lowering the rates the way you describe, governor, then it is not possible to come up with enough deductions and loopholes that only affect high income individuals to avoid either raising the deficit or burdening the middle class. It's math. It's arithmetic.
MITT ROMNEY: Look, I got five boys. I'm used to people saying something that's not always true, but just keep on repeating and ultimately hoping I'll believe. But that is not the case.
CRAIG MCMURTRIE: Mitt Romney accused the president of having the wrong priorities.
MITT ROMNEY: I just don't know how the president could have come into office facing 23 million people out of work, rising unemployment, an economic crisis at the kitchen table and spend his energy and passion for two years fighting for ObamaCare instead of fighting for jobs for the American people.
CRAIG MCMURTRIE: Barack Obama's strongest moments came when pressing his opponent for details on what tax loopholes he'd close, what Wall Street regulations he'd remove or what he'd replace ObamaCare with.
BARACK OBAMA: Is the reason that governor Romney is keeping all these plans to replace secret because they're too good?
CRAIG MCMURTRIE: And he linked his opponent's approach to the Bush years.
BARACK OBAMA: The approach that Governor Romney's talking about is the same sales pitch that was made in 2001 and 2003.
CRAIG MCMURTRIE: Ahead of time, the Romney camp said the former governor would be respectfully aggressive. He was also relentless.
BARACK OBAMA: That's what we've done: made some adjustment to it and we're putting it forward before Congress right now. A $US4 trillion plan of balance ...
MITT ROMNEY: But you've been president four years. You've been president four years. You said you'd cut the deficit in half. It's now four years later. We still have trillion dollar deficits. The CBO says we'll have a trillion dollar deficit each of the next four years. If you're re-elected, we'll get to a trillion-dollar debt.
CRAIG MCMURTRIE: As tens of millions watched, Barack Obama appeared passive and occasionally annoyed.
MITT ROMNEY: Jim the president began this segment, so I think I get the last word, so I'm going to take it.
JIM LEHRER, MODERATOR: No, you're going to get the first word in the next segment.
MITT ROMNEY: Well, but he gets the first word of that segment, I get the last word of that - I hope - let me just make this comment.
CRAIG MCMURTRIE: Mitt Romney was polished, sharp and confident and here in the debate spin room it's Republicans who are smiling while Democrats are defensive.
RUDY GUILIANI, FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR: President Obama was at times tonight incomprehensible in his answers. I don't think he's ever been challenged before.
STEPHANIE CUTTER, SENIOR OBAMA CAMPGAIN OFFICIAL: We know Mitt Romney is good at attacking the president. The American people know that. What they don't know is where he wants to take this country.
REINCE PRIEBUS, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE: It was an unbelievably bad performance by the President and it was an unbelievably great performance by Mitt Romney.
DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA CAMPAIGN ADVISOR: And what they heard was a president who was honest, talked about what it's going to take to actually solve the problems and we saw governor Romney offer a lot of well-rehearsed lines that had no substance behind it.
CRAIG MCMURTRIE: Mitt Romney's strong showing may not have transformed this contest, but with polls tightening again, the first debate certainly didn't hurt him either.
Craig McMurtrie, Lateline.


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22 June 2023
News tracker: Wildfire season expert commentary and updates
All the latest from across King's relating to wildfires in 2023.
Professor Martin Wooster appeared live on 'The Daily Global' on BBC World News.
He said: "Fires burn through vegetation and organic soils and place the resulting material into Earth's atmosphere in the form of smoke. Most of this smoke is made up of invisible gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane. But it's also packed with very small particles. These so-called PM2.5 aerosols scatter sunlight, and so can make the skies look orange, and can be breathed deep into our lungs so pose a hazard to human health."
"Wildfires are a natural part of Earth's environmental system, and places such as the boreal forests of North America have evolved to host fire as part of their ecosystem function. Climate change is generally proceeding at a faster rate at higher latitudes, and there is good evidence that the length of the fire season in parts of Canada has widened with a resulting increase in the amount of fire occurring."
Professor Martin Wooster, Divisional Director of the National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO) is working with a team of scientists to monitor the plume of smoke which travelled from Canada to parts of the east coast of North America in early June. The Centre, headquartered at Space Park Leicester, includes scientists from King's, the University of Leicester and RAL Space.
Scientists at RAL Space NCEO have been tracking the pollution using weather satellite images coupled to advanced algorithms that estimate the concentration of gases and smoke in the atmosphere. The RAL Space IMS tool, using data from EUMETSAT’s MetOp-B satellite, highlighted a large plume of Carbon Monoxide on 6 June that stretched from Ottawa, Canada to Washington and Boston, USA.
Professor Wooster is in the final stages of planning an airborne science campaign to Canada later in the year to investigate boreal wildfires in collaboration with the Canadian forest service. The campaign aims to evaluate the accuracy of information being delivered by Europe's Sentinel-3 satellite which maps fires and the amount of material they put into the atmosphere.
Researchers in the Department of Geography used airborne and ground-based sensors to monitor the impact of wildfires on air quality during the 'fire season' in Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.
Drs Mark Grosvenor and Hannah Nguyen are among a team led by Professor Martin Wooster that worked with local partners to install Particulate Matter (PM) sensors in rural areas of Southeast Asia. Learn more about the project and its objectives.


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1111 E Artesia Blvd
Compton, CA - 90221
This is a SLIDING SCALE clinic. The costs for clinic services are based on either your income or they offer type of financial assistance. Contact the clinic directly to discuss prices for individual services which vary. Sliding Scale does not necessarily mean free.
Last-Modified: 2021-03-15 11:27:40
SJWCFC Dental Services include:
Anyone is eligible to receive services, no matter their ability to pay.
For uninsured patients they offer services on a sliding scale cash basis.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 8:30am 5:00pm
Wednesday 11:00am 7:30pm
Friday & Saturday: Closed
Our mission is to eliminate health disparities and foster community well-being by providing and promoting the highest quality care in South Los Angeles.
We have listed the dental costs below which we have compiled for SJWCFC - Compton College. We cannot guarantee the dental costs to be completely accurate. Costs are displayed for informational purposes for our users. We have compiled prices provided by users to this website. In order to obtain actual costs please contact the dental offices directly.
|Date Added||Type of Clinic||Description||Cost|
|2021-09-22||Charged Sliding Scale||$400|
Select a state:
Enter a zip code:

domain: finance


text:
Floating Wings custom
The Floating Wings, brilliantly strapless, are secured by magnets (that are strong enough to dance in or swim in). Made to order and created in the forests of California.
The custom wing prices include the extra shipping costs it takes to send these oversized items 💕
After your order is placed please email us to specify shape and color: email@example.com


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Developer of fragrances containing human pheromones for use in perfumes and cosmetic products. Pheromones are biochemical products known to play a vital role in the mating process of various species of animals. In humans, pheromones affect the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that assists in regulating appetite, anger, sex drive, and temperature. The company believes that pheromones affect the brain and nervous system through small cavities inside the nasal passages.
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Erox was founded in 1989.
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Erox's headquarters is located at Fremont.
What is Erox's latest funding round?
Erox's latest funding round is IPO.
How much did Erox raise?
Erox raised a total of $5.8M.
Who are the investors of Erox?
Investors of Erox include Deucalion, Technology Funding and MK Global Ventures.
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