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New Zealand: Comprehensive Birding and Wildlife
This itinerary takes in as much of New Zealand’s spectacular scenery as possible, while maximizing our chances of locating as many of the New Zealand endemics and natives as possible. We have structured the tour so that we have enough time to see the things we need to see without a hectic pace.
Our tour aims to see members of the six endemic New Zealand families – the kiwi (aiming at four taxa), the New Zealand parrots (Stripgopoidea, aiming at both kaka subsp. and Kea), the New Zealand wrens (aiming for both of the two extant species), the New Zealand wattlebirds (aiming for all of the three extant species), and the newly revised Stitchbird now in its own Family, the Notiomystidae, and the New Zealand creepers, the Mohouidae.
Our 21-day tour trip list generally boasts over 155 species of birds, with around 65 endemic breeding species and 25-30 tubenose species. We consistently have the highest species tallies for any New Zealand tour; no one else even comes close, with our guides seeing a record 168 species during two different tours in late 2011.
Day 1: AM Pick Up in Auckland: Introduction to New Zealand's forest and Coastal species; PM in Trounson
Day 2: AM and PM Birding to Find the Critically Endangered Fairy Tern and Other Shorebirds
Day 3: Full Day Pelagic Birding and Mammal Watching
Day 4: Full Day Birding New Zealand's Jewel: Tiritiri Matangi Island
Day 5: AM Birding in Tiritiri Matangi and PM Birding in The Firth of Thames, Miranda
Day 6: AM Birding in Miranda; Mid-day Transfer to Whitianga and PM Pelagic Birding
Day 7: Birding along the way from Whitianga to Turangi
Day 8: AM Birding looking for Blue Duck and PM Birding in Taupo and Napier Forests
Day 9: Transfer to Manawatu Region and Birding along the way
Day 10: Kapiti Coast Towards Wellington and Picton; Making Several Birding Stops On The Way
Day 11: Kaikoura, Forest and Coastal Birding
Day 12: AM Kaikoura Pelagic Birding and PM Leisure Time with Many Choices
Day 13: Southern Alps Through to Arthur’s Pass, Making Several Stops Along The Way
Day 14: Birding South Island Endemics; Coast and Forest
Day 15: Transfer from Franz Josef to Wanaka; Birding in Haast Pass and Many Other Places
Day 16: Transfer from Wanaka to Te Anau and Birding Along the Way
Day 17: Stewart Island Birding
Day 18: Pelagic Birding in Stewart Island
Day 19: Transfer to Oamaru via the Scenic Catlins Coast with Birding Along The Way
Day 20: Transfer to Christchurch with Birding Along the Way
Day 21: Birding MacKenzie Basin and Other Places
More details about this Trip:
Find below our New Zealand: 21 Spectacular Days Detailed itinerary or download it.


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The Fine Art of Forgery
In the radiant blue chamber of the ZPrinter 850, a skull is born. An inkjet arm moves across a bed of gypsum powder, depositing a layer of liquid that binds the powder together in the shape of a cranial cross-section. Then the arm sweeps across again, brushing on another thin layer of powder, followed by another layer of liquid, indistinguishable from the first, its imprint as abstract as a coffee stain on a napkin. Watching this process is akin to watching a movie with a slide projector—it's slow. But after twelve hours and 1,500 layers, a technician will reach into the dust and pull out an impeccably structured replica of a hominid skull.
7701 Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063

domain: artistic


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As part of Varoom‘s latest Storytelling theme, we spoke to illustrator Mairead Dunne and Steve Braund of Atlantic Press about her illustrations for Luke Thompson’s book of poems, The Clearing, which won the prestigious Michael Marks Poetry Illustration Award at The British Library. The Illustration Award was judged by former Director of The National Gallery, Sir Nicholas Penny and presented to Mairead along with a cheque for £1,000 at the awards dinner at the British Library. Mairead is a graduate of the Authorial Illustration Masters course at Falmouth University and her work combines photography and drawing to create ethereal images that give glimpses into another world.
Varoom: Did the text come first, or did you confer with author Luke Thompson during the creative process?
Mairead Dunne: Luke’s poetry came first and we were introduced while I was studying my MA in authorial illustration at Falmouth University. I was doing a lot of photography based work at the time, exploring portals and camera obscurae. The central concept of a passage from darkness to light resonated with ‘a clearing’ and it seemed like a good fit. We started meeting up regularly and thankfully Luke put a lot of trust in my design and image-making process. We only had the one hitch, which came about where Luke had this impossibly long line of poetry on one of the spreads. The pamphlet was getting wider and taller to accommodate this particular line until I asked him to move it about. Risky business asking a poet to chop up their poetry, but it paid off and I know that Luke was happy with the overall design in the end!
How did you approach the ambiguity of the images for The Clearing? Was there an avoidance of storytelling?
Mairead Dunne: I established early on that illustrated poetry requires a very different approach to other forms of illustration. Traditional concepts of storytelling illustration, in which images convey the words on the page and even add a whole new sub-narrative, don’t apply in the same way. It was my role to create a quiet space to allow the reader to absorb Luke’s words. Light turned out to be my greatest tool in creating ambiguity, and rather than create specific images for the poems, I developed a broad pallet of images to edit from. The urge to include imagery of birds was irrepressible however and there were times when the work started to slip into a more literal realm of nature photography. I had to experiment with a lot of different lenses and processes before reaching the final edit. Some of the images are right on the line between ambiguity and storytelling.
You work in different mediums. Can you tell us about your image making process for The Clearing?
Mairead Dunne: I enjoy working with experimental photography and fusing different media. In the clearing, the tone and colour pallet were important to me, and subsequently the images have a lot in common with painting. I used a few tricks which included experimenting with breathing on the lens and applying Vaseline to diffuse the light and form. Model birds were strung from my hall ceiling across a considerable distance, then layered with natural props in various lighting arrangements. The set-up was pretty peculiar looking, and so I generally preferred working from home. Photography has this great ability to transform the seemingly unworkable into beautiful images. I also worked outside, creating in situ drawings on the walls in nature. The clearing features subtle drawing elements throughout, and each cover has been individually hand-stamped in different formations. Every copy is completely unique and hand-crafted.
What are your thoughts on visual Storytelling?
Mairead Dunne: I think visual storytelling is very powerful in its ability to open up whole new interpretations of a text. It’s a great liberty to have as an illustrator – to provide a new insight on an existing text and go beyond its constructed narrative. It could be argued that ambiguity offers more to storytelling than meets the eye. Without giving much away, the subtleties and intrigue of the image can be quite immersive. Ambiguity can be a form of storytelling, in the sense that it places the reader in a particular mood or setting where they are free to roam. The assumption that illustration needs to be about clarity is changing and there is a lot more experimentation going on in current trends of illustration. Narrative will always be at its core but ultimately there are many ways of approaching it.
Mairead Dunne accepting her Michael Marks Poetry Illustration Award at The British Library
Publisher Steve Braund: The Clearing is one of a series of four ‘poet-illustrator’ collaborations we’ve published recently at Atlantic, the others being Stone by Em Strang and Mat Osmond, Pick Me Up by Anna Kiernan and Harriet Lee-Merion and On Ridgegrove Hill by Alyson Hallett and Phyllida Bluemel.
Attempting to illustrate poetry can be foolhardy as the ability of poems to picture subject matter so vividly make them powerful illustrations in themselves. So, we’ve tried to support collaborative conversations between the pairings of poets and illustrators where the images augment the words with a fair degree of ambiguity allowing open-ended readings. In addition, and of equal importance, is the attention to the design and typography: how the book feels in your hands, how the pages turn and the use of empty spaces. In The Clearing, as with the others in the series, the design was in the hands of the illustrator.
Part of the underlying excitement in all our books is in that suspension of disbelief where the ‘unreal’, the fictional construction (or sometimes imaginative take on the real), captivates the audience, holding their attention, taking them on a journey of the imagination, the story. The best results occur when the creator/s (in this case the poet and illustrator in collaboration) inhabit their characters from within. The storytelling never works quite as well when the characters feel consciously contrived as if from a distance. If your character cuts their knee, you need to feel their pain. If you don’t, then don’t expect your audience to either.
Varoom 35: Storytelling is available to purchase now at the Varoom store.


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Here's How A Paanwala Ran University Of Mumbai's Marksheet Scandal For Five Years!
Arun Munappa Salian, 40, the paanwala arrested for running a racket to tamper with University of Mumbai marks sheets, controlled the operation using a network of intermediaries within the exam department, and phone calls placed to filing clerks in MU, all without actually setting foot in the Kalina campus, preliminary Anti-Corruption Bureau investigations have revealed.
A raid conducted last month on Salian's paan shop yielded marks sheets, education certificates and other documents of 18 students. ACB sources told Mumbai Mirror that Salian, who ran operations to doctor degree marks sheets out of Bhavani Pan Bidi Shop, a boxy stall located a few metres outside MU's gates, maintained connections with senior functionaries in the university. ACB sources hinted that the extent of the racket could reach deep within the rank and file of university administration.
The paanwala, who is from Mangalore and has run the racket for five years, was trapped while offering to modify the marks of a third year BA student, whose father complained to the ACB in May.
In his complaint, the parent had alleged that Salian had allegedly demanded Rs 75,000 to pass his daughter in three subjects of psychology; at Rs 25,000 per paper. The parent and Salian settled on an amount of Rs 65,000 of which Rs 15,000 was paid in advance. The paanwala was arrested as the transaction took place, on June 16. The ACB discovered documents belonging to 18 students in the paan shop.
Following the arrest, a committee headed by Dean of Commerce, MU, Madhu Nair, was set up, which submitted its fact-finding report on Friday. Four officials of the examination department were suspended subsequent to the committee's revelations. Mumbai Mirror reported the suspensions of these employees of the examination department on Monday: head clerk Priti Raul, junior clerk Uttam Jaitapkar, assistant registrar Chetan Kamlalu and superintendent Rajshri Chavan.
"We carried out a detailed investigation and the fact-finding report was submitted to the university following which these suspensions were made," said Nair.
ACB officials said Salian and his accomplices identified their potential "clients" after having singled out students and parents who seemed particularly anxious about the outcome of degree examinations. (See The operation). "They preyed on them going by their body language," an ACB source told Mumbai Mirror. "Salian operated the racket through a class 4 worker from within the university with the help of a private agent who drew potential customers to the racket. The agents would loiter in the campus and would spot students and parents who repeatedly visited the examination department and asked them if they needed help. If they said that the problem had to do with marks of a student or evaluation in general, they would assure them that they would 'pass' the student. The parent or student was then taken outside the campus where Salian took down details, including the roll numbers, name and the course under which the student has appeared for the exam."
Who all were involved?
During the probe, investigators began to suspect the operation reached deeper into the rank and file of MU's administration. "We suspect the involvement of some high level officials including professors, moderators and several others who handle mark-sheets and answer sheets after the exam," an ACB official said. The bureau has summoned some officials to their headquarters in Worli on July 15 for an enquiry. "The tampering of marks cannot be done only by class 4 workers. Only people in positions of authority can do so, which is why we are trying to narrow down the list of suspects," said the ACB official. A senior official from the university said all four permanent employees suspended were charged with deviating from prescribed procedure.
"When a student applies for revaluation of his exam paper, the procedure is to get a copy of the original paper and get it moderated to see if any mark-improvement is possible. On the rarest of the rare occasions that the paper is lost, the university officials can decide to give minimum marks required to pass," the official said. "But these four officials did not follow the due process and were handing out photocopies of revaluated marks sheets to students. They also issued letters to students stating that they have passed."
(Originally published in Mumbai Mirror; Image for representative purpose only)

domain: news


text:
The Everything Guide to the Autoimmune Diet: Restore Your Immune System and Manage Chronic Illness with Healing, Nourishing Foods
Jeffrey McCombs (Author)
June 03, 2015
7.84 X 0.42 X 9.12 inches | 0.95 pounds
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About the Author
Dr. Jeffrey S. McCombs, DC, specializes in the treatment of chronic inflammatory disease, using dietary protocols to reverse autoimmune conditions. For more than thirty years, his medical practice has incorporated mind/body medicine to treat chronic health conditions. He lives in Ventura, CA.

domain: literature


LA DOLCE VITA
Italy isn’t exactly known for generating groundbreaking talent in the surfing world, but in Leonardo Fioravanti they’ve produced just that. A hidden gem. The next great prodigy in world surfing. We followed Leo from Hawaii to Roma to gain an insight into his remarkable adolescence.
A short film by Sebastien Zanella
Supported by QUIKSILVER


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Simon Van Booy remains a mysterious writer, in the sense of an unpredictable variousness about his work’s forms: essays, novels, short stories, philosophy books, children’s books, film, theater, and more. (His 2009 collection, “Love Begins in Winter,” won the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award.) Raised in Wales, Van Booy has lived in London and New York. But he spent a significant period as a young man in Kentucky after accepting a rugby scholarship there, and has since maintained close ties with the place and its people.
That world, during hard decades of its history, is explored at close-hand in “Night Came With Many Stars,” Van Booy’s ambitious fourth novel. Telling the interconnected stories of several generations of a Kentucky family, the novel tacks back and forth in time, slowly revealing individual lives, their relationships, and the thorny progress of their paths.
Its opening in 1933 — in which Carol, a forlorn, motherless 13-year-old girl waits alone in a shabby house for the return of her violent, drunken father, who has just bet and lost the girl in a card game — makes a reader fear the worst. But the writing — unflinching yet tender, a sensibility which, like Flaubert’s, suffuses everything — carries us through. “She sang because the house was empty. Her voice filled each room like invisible writing,” Van Booy writes. “[U]nder the stairs … she discovered flour in a round tin the government had given them … then went outside to the well, still barefoot and moving quickly ... Carol knew the water was cold from how the rope smelled in her hands ... [water fed by] a slow river that was even deeper than the bones of her grandpa who had died in a plowed field with no sound, just a quick folding up into the brown waves.”
Scenes like the above, inlaid with lyrical yet gritty context, act almost chorally throughout the novel as a surging reminder of time’s movement, while also physically grounding us. When the child hides in a cupboard to avoid being beaten, “she could smell the sweat from behind her knees.” Nerve and imagination matter, we observe, from the start. Carol learns to flee to the woods “where she could be lost without being lost from herself.” There she “waited for spring the way a person waits for some beloved friend who has already begun the long journey home ... [for] the single eye of color that meant it was close.”
Tellingly, the girl puzzles over the heinous fact of Jesus’s execution: “He loved ever’body, but that wasn’t enough. They killed him anyway. People watched it happen, as though they had something to gain…. Maybe all fathers needed forgiving for what they did, or what they didn’t do.”
In that small passage we’re handed the seed of the novel’s struggle — and a core concern of Van Booy’s oeuvre: the riddle of human evil, whether viciously deliberate or haplessly paid forward. Occasionally the story turns graphic; violence is depicted head-on — a departure for this gentle author. Derived from real stories entrusted to Van Booy by three generations of a rural Kentucky family, “Night Came” studies the long arc of human striving.
Young Carol’s beginnings give over to those of Samuel — also 13, but 53 years later. (Their relationship is soon revealed.) Samuel’s parents are square, good-hearted, working class. Aging Uncle Rusty, who is developmentally disabled, lives with the family. Samuel’s best friend Eddie, tormented by rotten circumstance, thrashes through a counterpoint life. “Over dinner … Samuel’s father said that Eddie was cursed from day one. It hurt Samuel to hear that, to know some people could be singled out for pain.” When, as a youngster, Eddie injures Samuel’s eye, Samuel can’t not forgive him: “[H]is best friend’s life was already so broken....” Many of the novel’s loveliest pages offer glimpses of the boys’ lifelong bond.
Slow evolutions characterize this saga — surviving objects occasionally surface, reminding us of time’s passage — as do grueling social and economic reversals. When the grown Samuel visits the grown Eddie in his wretched trailer after the latter’s done jail time, “Samuel could see clearly, behind the unwashed clothes and clumsy tattoos, that Eddie was still just a boy living in exile from his own life, always on the verge of being loved.” And when Heather, the small-town waitress Samuel will marry, ponders a merry local group in some random old photos, “[she] knew their lives had come and gone…. Many years ago, there had been a factory nearby and the town was prosperous. Heather wondered if the people in the pictures sensed their time of abundance would pass. Or did every day seem new and unbreakable?”
Which breakage can be mended? Interleaved chapters track Carol’s and Samuel’s roller-coastering fortunes, alongside those of the Samaritans — and a villain or two — close to them. Carol finds initial sanctuary with a trio of women who provide abortions to desperate girls; from those ties, other kinds of help germinate. Samuel stumbles early, nearly felled by alcoholism; his rescuer’s identity surprises us. Kindness and raw luck undergird “Night Came” — echoing the trials and windfalls of Oliver Twist or David Copperfield. And like Dickens’s young heroes, Van Booy’s determined souls act with their whole hearts — as does this brave, fierce novel — to earn what good may come.
NIGHT CAME WITH MANY STARS
By Simon Van Booy
David R. Godine, 248 pages, $25.95


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Chioma, fiancée of David Adeleke better known by his stage-name, Davido, has cleared the singer of allegation of assaulting her imputed to him.
Rumour has been rife that the partners’ relationship is going through a rough patch so much so that they are allegedly now living apart.
Report has also alleged the Omo baba Olowo crooner of assault, a claim Chioma debunked and threatened legal action in the future if peddler(s) did not desist in an Instagram post.
The post: “Domestic violence and abuse is no joke and not something to ever take lightly. Never has there ever been an incident of abuse in my home.
“I’m not sure where in the world such stories have started from, but I want to ensure everyone showing concern whether fake or real, that such has never and will never happen.
“Further, we do not take such allegations of abuse lightly at all and if such persists then we will be jointly taking up action against the perpetrators of these disgusting rumours.
“To the beautiful young ones out there, never ever allow a man to lay his hands on you while you keep quiet. If you were ever to suffer such, ensure you SPEAK UP! With all that is going on in the world right now, we most certainly can not sit around and condone or encourage women to condone such!”

domain: law


text:
The opinions of several learned antiquaries,
viz. Dodridge, Agar, Tate, Camden, Holland, Cotton, Selden. Touching the antiquity, power, order, state, persons, manner, and proceedings of the high court of Parliament in England.
|Main Creator:||Doddridge, John, Sir, 1555-1628|
|Published / Created:||
London : printed by F[rancis]. L[each]. for Matt. Gilliflower, at the Spread Eagle and Crown in Westminster-Hall, 1685.
Printer's name from Wing CD.
"The method of passing bills in Parliament. Written by Henry Elsinge" has separate dated title page and pagination; register is continuous.
"Early English books, 1641-1700; 1460:10" has "The method of passing bills" only.
"The method of passing bills" is identified as Wing E649 on UMI "Early English books, 1641-1700", microfilm reel 1460.
Physical description: , 26, 33-58, , 33,  p. ; 12⁰.
Citations/References: Wing (CD-ROM, 1996), D1794A
|Call Number||View in||Collection|
|3284209 e 1||Main Reading Room||General|

domain: library


There are many jaw-dropping structural feats around the world, each with its own interesting engineering designs.
But the one type of structure that always leaves us in great awe is dams.
Their sheer dimension and immense capacity tend to have a humbling effect on anyone who comes across these structures. It often feels a bit like standing in front of a calm, reassuring giant staring at you in all its glory.
And it goes without saying, dams are some of the most intricately designed structures in the world.
What is a dam?
A dam, as defined by the British Dam Society is:
“A barrier or structure across a stream, river, or waterway to confine and then control the flow of water. Dams vary in size from small earth embankments, often for farm use, to high massive concrete structures generally used for water supply, hydropower, and irrigation.”
Such structures are essential and crucial for providing energy and water management to many communities around the world. Dams are usually built across or near naturally flowing water, in order to manage water resources for human needs.
What are some record-breaking dams?
Dams are amazing structures in and of themselves. But some among them stand out as truly outstanding works of engineering.
For example, the highest dam in the world, as recognized by Guinness World Records, is the Jinping-1 Dam in Sichuan, China. She is a whopping 1,000 feet (305 mt) tall — taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The smallest dam in the world, according to some sources, is the Inks Dam on the Colorado River. She stands at around 97 feet (29.4 meters) tall and is about 1,550 feet (472 mt) long.
The deepest dam in the world is widely considered to be the Parker Dam on the Lower Colorado Basin. Built with 380,000 cubic yards (290,531 cubic meters) of concrete, the dam has a height of 320 feet (98m), 73% of which is below the original river bed. Only around 85 feet (26m) of the dam’s structure is visible.
What are some of the world’s most fascinating and famous dams?
And so, without further ado, here are but some of the world’s most interesting and famous dams. Here, you will discover some of the largest and most groundbreaking dams around the globe, many of which are used to produce sustainable energy.
Who knows, some of these could be very near to you! This list is far from exhaustive and is in no particular order.
1. Contra Dam in Switzerland was in GoldenEye!
First on our list of fascinating dams would have to be the Contra Dam, most commonly known as the Verzasca Dam, in Ticino, Switzerland. It is perhaps one of the most famous dams, for its epic appearance in the opening scene of the 1995 James Bond movie GoldenEye.
Contra Dam is a slender concrete arch dam standing at a height of 722 feet (220 mt), with a crest length of 1,247 feet (80 mt). Because of the dam’s slender design, the volume of concrete required to construct it was reduced, which consequently cut down the cost of construction.
The dam’s base is 292 feet (8 mt) in width and gradually tapers up to 723 feet (7 mt) at the crest. Two spillways were incorporated at each side of the structure, which has a maximum discharge capacity of 1,300 cubic meters per second. Contra Dam also produces power through its 105 MW power station, which uses 3×35 MW Francis turbines to generate an average of 234 GWh per year.
The Lago di Vogorno reservoir was created by the dam’s construction between 1961-1965 and is now impounded by the dam. This reservoir has a maximum capacity of 105,000,000 cubic meters of water and a surface area of 400 acres.
2. Another fascinating dam is the Gordon Dam in Australia
Located in southwest Tasmania in Australia, Gordon Dam is a double curvature concrete arch dam. One of the dam’s amazing features is that it’s curved both in the vertical and horizontal directions to resist large hydraulic pressures coming from the 12,359,040 megaliters of water in Lake Gordon, the largest lake in Australia.
The immense volume of water is diverted 600 feet (183 mt) to the underground power station, where three hydro turbines can generate up to 432 MW of power. Approximately 13% of Tasmania’s electricity demand is provided by the Gordon Power Station.
Out of the 48 arch dams that have been built in Australia, Gordon Dam is one of the only nine that is designed as a double curving dam.
3. Monticello Dam (USA)
This 305 ft (93 mt) concrete arch dam in California, USA is one of the coolest dams in the world because of its mesmerizing spillway sometimes referred to, unfortunately, as “the Glory Hole“. The spillway is an uncontrolled morning glory type with a tip diameter of 72 feet (22 mt), and sits within the perimeters of Lake Berryessa, the seventh largest man-made lake in California.
It can drain 48,400 cubic feet per second of water during the lake’s peak level, which occurs when the lake rises to 15 feet (4.7 mt) above the spillway’s lip. The exit end of the spillway is also famous as a full pipe for skateboarders.
Monticello dam impounds the Putah Creek, and can generate 56,806,000 kWh of power annually using 2×5 MW and 1×1.5 MW turbines.
4. Hoover Dam in the USA is probably one of the most iconic of all dams
Hoover Dam is one of the most iconic dams around the world, stretching between the American states of Nevada and Arizona. Originally called the Boulder Dam, this colossal structure stands at a height of 726 feet (221.4 mt), with a base width of 656 feet (200 mt) and a crest width of 46 feet (14 mt).
It’s a concrete gravity-arch dam that was constructed with the purpose to control floods, provide irrigation water, produce hydroelectric power, store water, and create a recreation area. The hydropower station houses various turbines, including a 1×61.5 MW Francis turbine and 2×2.4 MW Pelton turbine, which produce an annual electrical output of 4.2 TWh.
One of the most involved preparations made for the construction of Hoover Dam was the diversion of the Colorado River away from the site. To make this happen, four diversion tunnels were bored through the canyon walls — two on the Nevada side and two on the Arizona side.
On the 1st of February, 1935, a few years after the Colorado River was diverted, a steel gate was lowered down to allow the water to take its natural course again. That was the first time in history when the Colorado River was fully under human control.
The dam impounds the Colorado River, which consequently forms Lake Mead, the largest artificial reservoir by volume in the United States when full.
5. The Chinese Three Gorges Dam is another interesting dam
Known as the world’s largest hydropower dam, the Three Gorges Dam stretches out 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to span and impound the Yangtze river in the Hubei province in China.
Capable of producing 87 TWh of electricity per annum, this hydropower dam uses 32×700 MW and 2×50 MW Francis turbines. Its structural profile is designed with a large base width of 377 feet (115 mt) and it tapers to 131 feet (40 mt) at the crest.
Intended not only to produce electricity, the Three Gorges Dam was also constructed to increase the shipping capacity of the Yangtze river and mitigate the chances of flooding downstream by providing large water storage space.
The most mind-blowing fact about this dam is that when it was built, it flooded a total area of 156,171 acres (632 square kilometers) of land with water weighing more than 39 trillion kilograms (42 billion tons). This was a large enough amount of water that it increased the Earth’s moment of inertia and slowed the planet’s rotation by an estimated 0.06 microseconds. This, in turn, made the Earth very slightly more round in the middle and flat on the top, shifting the pole position by about 0.8 inch (2 cm).
6. The Tarbela Dam in Pakistan is an amazing piece of engineering
In order to properly divert the Indus river, the dam’s construction had to be done in three stages, where large tunnels were constructed to act as diversion channels. The dam’s main wall was built with earth and rockfill that spans 9,000 feet (2,743 mt) from the island to the right-hand side of the river. Two concrete auxiliary dams span the river from the island to the left-hand-side.
Equipped with 10×175 MW and 4×432 MW of turbines, Tarbela Dam is capable of producing 14.959 billion kWh of electricity per annum.
7. Almendra Dam in Spain is another amazing dam
One of Spain’s tallest structures, the Almendra Dam, also known as Villarino Dam, is located in the country’s province of Salamanca.
Impounding the Tormes river, this concrete gravity arch dam is part of the hydroelectric system known as the Duero Drops. The Duero Drops system is composed of five dams from Spain and three other dams nearby Portugal.
The spillway seen in the photo below can disperse water at a rate of 3,039 cubic meters per second.
8. The Itaipu Dam in Brazil is enormous
This fascinating hydroelectric dam stretches 25,981 feet (7,919 mt) along the border of Brazil and Paraguay, impounding the Parana river.
It beats the Three Gorges Dam in terms of power output at an average of 89.5 TWh per annum by using 20×700 MW Francis turbines. Ten of the turbines generate power for Paraguay, while the other ten bring power to Brazil.
Itaipu Dam is, in fact, a series of four dams: a concrete wing dam, a main concrete dam, a rock-fill dam, and an earth-fill dam.
Impressively, the immense volume of concrete used in constructing the dam was properly cured using large refrigeration units equivalent to 50,000 deep freezers.
Another mind-blowing fact about this dam is that the Guaira Falls, once known as the world’s most amazing water feature, was submerged underwater when the Itaipu reservoir was filled. The Guaira Falls stood twice the height of Niagara falls and surged twice as much water.
9. The Atatürk Dam in Turkey is an impressive piece of engineering too
Located on the Euphrates river, the Atatürk Dam is the largest in Turkey and ranks sixth among the largest earth-and-rock-filled embankment dams in the world. It is the centerpiece of the 22 dams that exist on the Euphrates and the Tigris, which comprise the integrated sectors of the Southeastern Anatolia Project, or GAP in Turkish (Güney Doğu Anadolu Projesi).
The Atatürk reservoir has a capacity of 48.7 cubic kilometers of water and equipped with 8×300 MW Francis turbines, which generate 8,900 GWh of electrical power per annum. The construction of the dam wiped out many important historical sites, including the birthplace of the Ancient Greek poet Lucian.
10. Thousands of animals were relocated to build the Kariba Dam in Zimbabwe
One of the largest in Africa, the Kariba Dam supplies 1,626 MW of power to the Copperbelt areas of both Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Impounding the Zambezi river, the Kariba dam is outfitted with 10 types of Francis turbines capable of outputting an average of 6,400 GWh of electrical power per year.
The dam was designed as a double curvature concrete arch dam to effectively resist the 180 cubic kilometers of water pressing against it.
Because of the immense volume of water from the created Kariba reservoir, more than 6,000 animals had to be rescued by Operation Noah as the Kariba Gorge was flooded.
11.The Kerr Dam in the USA can produce a lot of energy
Designed for producing hydroelectricity, the Kerr Dam also serves wildlife resource, forest conservation, and public recreational uses.
By impounding the Flathead River, the dam is capable of producing 426 GWh of electricity per annum.
It is one of the two PPL Montana dams located west of the Continental Divide, where the Flathead river empties into the Clark Fork River, which subsequently empties into the Columbia River.
Finally, the Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean.
12. The Gariep Dam in South Africa
The Gariep Dam was designed to be a hybrid gravity-arch dam as the gorge is too wide for a full arch.
Gravity abutments are formed using flank walls then the design gradually arches at the center of the dam. It impounds the Orange river and creates the Gariep reservoir with a maximum capacity of 5,340,00 megaliters. 899 GWh of electrical power is produced by the dam annually using 4×90 MW turbines.
13. Loch Mullardoch Dam in Scotland has an interesting design
And last, but by no means least on our list of fascinating dams is Loch Mullardoch Dam in Scotland. Forming a major reservoir in Glen Cannich in the Northwest Highlands, this amazing dam was built in the early-1950s.
Forming part of the Affric-Beauty hydro-electric power scheme, the dam’s reservoir extends for around 8.7 miles (14 km) westward. The dam is the second largest in Scotland and it has a seemingly counterintuitive v-shape with the pointy end of the “v” facing downstream from the reservoir.
The dam is of a mass gravity design (a form of masonry dam) and measures at 157 feet (48 mt) tall. Mass gravity dams rely on their sheer mass, rather than structural form, to hold back the weight of water in its reservoir.
The dam was subject to stabilization works in the 1980s after it was discovered that it was beginning to crack.
There are many other dams around the world with unique and fascinating engineering designs. So, if we’ve missed them then feel free to let us know in the comments.


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Monuments in Vermont Travel: Historical Sites
Monuments and historical sites serve as important landmarks that provide a glimpse into the rich history of Vermont. These structures not only commemorate significant events or individuals, but they also offer visitors an opportunity to connect with the past and appreciate the cultural heritage of this scenic state. One such example is the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington, which stands as a testament to the life and legacy of one of Vermont’s founding fathers.
As travelers explore Vermont, they will encounter numerous monuments scattered throughout its picturesque landscapes. These historical sites represent pivotal moments in the state’s development and capture the essence of its diverse heritage. From colonial-era buildings to war memorials, these monuments tell stories of courage, resilience, and progress that have shaped Vermont into what it is today. By immersing oneself in these evocative settings, visitors can gain a deeper understanding of the people and events that have contributed to Vermont’s unique identity.
Exploring monuments in Vermont provides an enriching experience for both locals and tourists alike. It allows individuals to step back in time and appreciate how past generations have influenced the present-day landscape. Whether admiring architectural marvels or paying tribute at solemn memorials, these historical sites evoke emotions and foster a sense of connection with those who came before us. In In addition to the Ethan Allen Homestead, Vermont is home to a variety of other notable monuments and historical sites. Some examples include the Bennington Battle Monument in Bennington, which commemorates the Revolutionary War battle that took place there; the Calvin Coolidge Homestead in Plymouth Notch, where President Coolidge was born and raised; and the Old Constitution House in Windsor, where the first constitution of Vermont was signed.
Visiting these monuments allows visitors to delve into Vermont’s past and gain insights into its cultural heritage. It provides an opportunity to learn about significant events and influential figures who have shaped the state’s history. Whether it’s exploring historic buildings or standing in awe of towering memorials, each monument offers a unique perspective on Vermont’s story.
Overall, exploring monuments in Vermont not only educates individuals about the state’s past but also fosters a sense of pride and appreciation for its rich history. It encourages visitors to reflect on how far Vermont has come while honoring those who paved the way. So whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious about discovering new places, make sure to include some time for visiting these remarkable landmarks during your trip to Vermont.
Bennington Battle Monument
Imagine standing at the base of a towering monument, surrounded by lush greenery and breathtaking views. Welcome to the Bennington Battle Monument in Vermont, a testament to the state’s rich historical heritage. This 306-foot obelisk stands proudly on top of Monument Hill, commemorating the pivotal Battle of Bennington during the American Revolutionary War.
To fully appreciate the significance of this monument, let us delve into its history and purpose. The construction of the Bennington Battle Monument began in 1887 as a way to honor those who fought valiantly for independence. It serves as a tangible reminder of the sacrifices made by countless individuals during one of the most crucial periods in American history.
The emotional impact of visiting such an iconic site cannot be understated. Here are four reasons why the Bennington Battle Monument elicits a profound response from visitors:
- Historical Significance: Standing in front of this monumental structure allows visitors to connect with their nation’s past and better understand the struggles faced by early patriots.
- Architectural Grandeur: The sheer height and commanding presence of the obelisk instill a sense of awe and reverence, emphasizing both human determination and artistic beauty.
- Scenic Beauty: Nestled amidst picturesque surroundings, including rolling hills and verdant landscapes, this monument offers a serene backdrop that enhances its overall appeal.
- Educational Opportunity: The accompanying museum provides insightful exhibits that further deepen visitors’ knowledge about America’s fight for freedom.
|Historical Significance||Connects with national past; showcases struggles faced by early patriots|
|Architectural Grandeur||Impressive height; symbolizes determination; displays artistic beauty|
|Scenic Beauty||Set amid picturesque surroundings; features rolling hills and lush landscapes|
|Educational Opportunity||Museum exhibits provide insight into America’s fight for freedom; promotes deeper understanding|
As we continue our exploration of Vermont’s historical sites, the next section will take us to the Old Constitution House. Within this colonial-era building lies another chapter in the state’s fascinating history, waiting to be discovered.
Old Constitution House
The Old Constitution House: Witness to Vermont’s Founding Years
Imagine stepping into a living testament of history, where the echoes of Vermont’s founding years still linger. The Old Constitution House in Windsor, Vermont, offers visitors an immersive experience into the birthplace of their state’s constitution and early political life. This historical site stands as a symbol of democracy and resilience, harkening back to the crucial moments that shaped Vermont’s identity.
As you explore the Old Constitution House, marvel at its preserved architectural details dating back to 1777. Picture yourself in the shoes of those who gathered within these walls to draft and adopt Vermont’s first written constitution—a revolutionary act during a time when most states relied on unwritten traditions for governance. It was here that delegates from across Vermont assembled to debate ideas, negotiate compromises, and lay the foundation for what would become one of America’s most progressive states.
To truly grasp the significance of this location, consider the following emotional aspects:
- Preserving History: Every brick and beam holds stories from centuries past—tales woven through human struggle, triumphs, and dreams.
- Sense of Belonging: Standing within these historic grounds fosters a connection with both present-day citizens and generations long gone.
- Inspiration Through Sacrifice: The courage displayed by those who fought against injustice fuels inspiration for contemporary struggles towards equality and fairness.
- Reflection on Progress: Contemplating how far society has come since those formative years encourages gratitude for today’s freedoms.
|Historical Significance||Architectural Features||Interactive Exhibits||Nearby Attractions|
|Drafting First Written Constitution||Original Period Furniture||Multimedia Presentations||American Precision Museum|
|Birthplace of Democracy in Vermont||Authentic Wall Paintings||Hands-on Activities||Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site|
|Symbolic Importance||Preserved Fireplace||Guided Tours||Harpoon Brewery|
|Connection with Revolutionary Past||Historic Artifacts||Educational Workshops||Mount Ascutney State Park|
In visiting the Old Constitution House, one cannot help but be transported back to Vermont’s formative years. The combination of its historical significance, architectural integrity, interactive exhibits, and nearby attractions create an experience that is both educational and emotionally resonant. This site serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of democracy and reminds us of the principles upon which our nation was built.
Transitioning seamlessly into our exploration of another significant historical monument in Vermont, we now turn our attention to the Ethan Allen Homestead.
Ethan Allen Homestead
H2: Old Constitution House
After exploring the significant historical site of the Old Constitution House, travelers can continue their journey through Vermont’s rich history by visiting the Ethan Allen Homestead. This well-preserved homestead serves as a testament to the life and legacy of one of Vermont’s most prominent figures.
Imagine stepping back in time to the late 18th century when Ethan Allen, a key figure in the American Revolutionary War, resided in this charming homestead. As you walk through its rooms, you can envision Allen strategizing with his fellow Green Mountain Boys or discussing political matters that would shape the future of Vermont. The preservation efforts have allowed visitors an immersive experience into Allen’s life and times.
To further engage visitors emotionally, here are some intriguing facts about the Ethan Allen Homestead:
- The house itself was originally built around 1787 and showcases authentic colonial architecture.
- The property includes various outbuildings such as barns and sheds that provide insight into daily life during that era.
- A guided tour is available for those seeking more information on Ethan Allen’s contributions and accomplishments.
- Visitors can explore the beautiful surrounding grounds which offer stunning views of Lake Champlain.
This emotional connection deepens as we consider a visual representation of what awaits at the Ethan Allen Homestead. Take a look at this table showcasing contrasting elements found within its walls:
|Original furnishings from Allen’s time||Tranquil gardens overlooking Lake Champlain||Key role in American Revolution|
|Colonial architecture intact||Peaceful atmosphere away from bustling city life||Insight into early settlement|
As our exploration of Vermont’s historical monuments continues, let us now turn our attention to Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. This park offers not only breathtaking natural beauty but also a compelling narrative of conservation and sustainable land stewardship. By delving into the history of this park, visitors can gain a deeper understanding of Vermont’s environmental heritage.
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
Monuments in Vermont Travel: Historical Sites
From the Ethan Allen Homestead, we now move on to explore another significant historical site in Vermont – the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. This park showcases the rich history and conservation efforts that have shaped the state’s landscape over the years.
One fascinating example of this is how Frederick Billings, a prominent figure in Vermont’s history, played an instrumental role in preserving the land within the park. As one of America’s earliest conservationists, he recognized the importance of sustainable forestry practices and established what would later become known as the first managed forest in America.
To fully appreciate the significance of Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, it is essential to understand some key aspects:
- Conservation Legacy: The park serves as a testament to the dedication and vision of individuals who sought to preserve nature for future generations.
- Historical Context: Exploring the park allows visitors to grasp not only its natural beauty but also its historical background, providing valuable insights into our nation’s past.
- Cultural Heritage: The various buildings within the park represent different architectural styles from different eras, providing glimpses into Vermont’s cultural evolution.
- Educational Opportunities: Through guided tours, exhibits, and educational programs offered by knowledgeable staff members, visitors can deepen their understanding of environmental stewardship.
|Conservation Legacy||Historical Context||Cultural Heritage|
|Significance||Preserving nature||Understanding our past||Appreciating diversity|
|Impact||Sustainable practices||Insights into history||Architectural styles|
|Importance||Ensuring future generations||Connecting with heritage||Reflecting traditions|
In conclusion, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park stands as a remarkable tribute to both nature and human endeavor. It highlights the importance of conservation, offers glimpses into our historical past, and provides an opportunity to appreciate Vermont’s rich cultural heritage. Now, let us delve further into Vermont’s fascinating landscape by exploring the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry.
Moving forward, we shift our attention to another noteworthy destination in Vermont – the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry.
Rock of Ages Granite Quarry
From the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, we now move on to another remarkable site in Vermont: the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry.
Located in Barre, Vermont, the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry stands as a testament to the state’s rich geological history and its significant contribution to the granite industry. The quarry covers an expansive area and offers visitors an opportunity to witness firsthand the impressive scale of operations involved in extracting this precious stone.
One example that highlights the significance of this quarry is its role in providing granite for some of America’s most iconic landmarks. For instance, it supplied granite for the construction of the majestic Statue of Liberty pedestal in New York City. This connection between Vermont’s natural resources and nationally recognized monuments underscores the historical importance of the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry.
To further appreciate this extraordinary location, consider these emotional aspects associated with it:
- Preservation: The efforts taken by organizations and individuals to protect and conserve this historic landmark.
- Labor: Recognize how generations have dedicated themselves physically and mentally to extract one-of-a-kind pieces from deep within Earth’s crust.
- Perseverance: Reflect upon stories of those who overcame challenges while working at the quarry or faced adversity during its long-standing operation.
- Legacy: Contemplate how this influential quarry has shaped not only Vermont but also contributed significantly to national heritage through various monumental projects.
In addition to these evocative elements, let us delve into a table showcasing some interesting facts about the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry:
|Size||Covers approximately 50 acres (20 hectares)|
|Depth||Reaches depths exceeding 600 feet (183 meters)|
|Notable Features||Includes massive granite formations and quarries|
As we conclude our exploration of the Rock of Ages Granite Quarry, we transition seamlessly into our subsequent section, which introduces the Calvin Coolidge Homestead District. This district offers a glimpse into the life and times of America’s 30th President, Calvin Coolidge, providing an intriguing contrast to the natural wonders we have encountered so far in Vermont’s historical sites.
Calvin Coolidge Homestead District
Continuing our journey through the historical sites of Vermont, we arrive at the Calvin Coolidge Homestead District. This significant landmark offers visitors a glimpse into the life and times of one of America’s most respected leaders. Let us explore this fascinating site and uncover its rich history.
One example that showcases the historical importance of the Calvin Coolidge Homestead District is the preservation of President Coolidge’s childhood home. The house has been meticulously maintained to reflect its original state, allowing visitors to step back in time and experience firsthand how young Calvin lived and grew up. This immersive experience provides a unique insight into his humble beginnings before he embarked on his remarkable political career.
To fully appreciate the significance of this historical site, let us delve into some key features:
- Visitors’ Center: Upon arrival, make sure to visit the Visitors’ Center where you can gather information about the district’s various attractions and exhibitions.
- Museum Exhibits: The museum houses an array of exhibits showcasing President Coolidge’s personal artifacts, photographs, documents, and letters. These items shed light on both his private life and public service.
- Walking Trails: Take a leisurely walk along the beautiful trails that wind through picturesque landscapes surrounding the homestead. Enjoy nature at its finest while immersing yourself in history.
- Interactive Programs: Engage with knowledgeable guides who offer interactive programs throughout your visit. Gain insights into President Coolidge’s achievements, policies, and contributions that shaped American history.
To further enhance your understanding of this remarkable place, refer to the following table highlighting notable aspects:
|Architecture||Immerse yourself in authentic early 20th-century New England style buildings|
|Gardens||Stroll through carefully manicured gardens boasting vibrant flora|
|Events & Lectures||Attend special events or educational lectures to deepen your knowledge|
|Gift Shop||Browse a selection of unique souvenirs and books related to President Coolidge|
In summary, the Calvin Coolidge Homestead District offers an immersive experience into the life of one of America’s most prominent leaders. With its preserved childhood home, museum exhibits, beautiful walking trails, and interactive programs, visitors can gain a deeper understanding of President Coolidge’s contributions to American history. So come explore this historical gem and be captivated by the stories it has to tell.

domain: travel


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Learn essential jewelry making tips and techniques for beginners. Discover how to choose the right materials, tools, and techniques to create beautiful handmade jewelry. Get started on your jewelry making journey with expert advice and step-by-step tutorials.
Are you interested in jewelry making but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! In this article, we’ll share some valuable tips and techniques to help beginners get started in the exciting world of jewelry making.
One of the first things you need to consider is the type of jewelry you want to make. Do you prefer working with beads, wire, or metal? Each material has its own unique characteristics and techniques, so it’s important to choose one that resonates with you. Once you’ve decided on the material, you can start gathering the necessary tools and supplies.
For beadwork: Beads come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, offering endless possibilities for creativity. To get started, invest in a good set of needle-nose pliers, wire cutters, and bead boards. These tools will help you string beads and create beautiful patterns and designs.
For wirework: Working with wire allows you to create intricate designs and shapes. To begin, you’ll need a set of round-nose pliers, flat-nose pliers, and wire cutters. These tools will help you bend and shape the wire, as well as cut it to the desired length.
Pro tip: Practice is key! Don’t be discouraged if your first few attempts don’t turn out as expected. Jewelry making is a skill that improves with time and practice. Experiment with different techniques and designs, and soon you’ll be creating stunning pieces of jewelry.
Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process. Jewelry making is a creative and rewarding hobby that allows you to express your personal style. So, grab your tools and let your imagination run wild!
Are you interested in making your own jewelry but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Here are some valuable tips to help beginners get started in the world of jewelry making.
1. Start with the basics
Before diving into complex projects, it’s important to learn the basics of jewelry making. This includes understanding different types of beads, wires, and clasps, as well as learning basic techniques such as stringing beads and making simple wire loops.
2. Invest in quality tools
A good set of jewelry making tools is essential for creating high-quality pieces. Start with the basics such as pliers, wire cutters, and crimping tools. As you progress, you can invest in more specialized tools to expand your capabilities.
3. Experiment with different materials
Don’t limit yourself to just one type of material. Experiment with different beads, gemstones, metals, and cords to create unique and personalized jewelry pieces. This will not only enhance your creativity but also allow you to discover new techniques and combinations.
4. Take advantage of online resources
The internet is a treasure trove of information and tutorials for jewelry making. Take advantage of online resources such as instructional videos, forums, and blogs to learn new techniques, get inspiration, and connect with other jewelry makers.
5. Practice, practice, practice
Like any skill, jewelry making requires practice to improve. Set aside dedicated time each week to work on your projects and hone your skills. Don’t be discouraged by mistakes or setbacks – they are part of the learning process.
6. Start with simple projects
When starting out, it’s best to begin with simple projects that don’t require advanced techniques or materials. This will allow you to build confidence and develop your skills before tackling more complex designs.
7. Pay attention to detail
Attention to detail is crucial in jewelry making. Make sure your beads are properly aligned, your wire loops are neatly formed, and your clasps are securely attached. Small details can make a big difference in the overall quality and appearance of your jewelry.
8. Seek inspiration
Don’t be afraid to seek inspiration from other jewelry makers, fashion trends, or nature. Take note of designs that catch your eye and try to incorporate similar elements into your own creations. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
9. Learn from your mistakes
Don’t be discouraged by mistakes – they are valuable learning opportunities. Take the time to analyze what went wrong and figure out how to improve for next time. Learning from your mistakes will help you grow as a jewelry maker and produce better quality pieces.
10. Have fun!
Above all, remember to have fun with your jewelry making journey. Enjoy the process of creating beautiful pieces and let your creativity shine. Whether you’re making jewelry for yourself or as a gift for others, the joy of handmade jewelry is truly priceless.
When it comes to jewelry making, choosing the right materials is essential to create beautiful and durable pieces. Here are some tips to help beginners select the perfect materials for their projects:
1. Consider the Design: Before purchasing any materials, think about the design of the jewelry you want to create. This will help you determine the type of materials you need. For example, if you want to make a delicate necklace, you might choose fine chains and small beads. On the other hand, if you’re making a statement bracelet, you might opt for larger, chunkier beads and a sturdy clasp.
2. Quality Matters: It’s important to invest in high-quality materials, especially if you want your jewelry to last. Look for materials that are durable and won’t tarnish easily. For example, if you’re using metal components, consider using sterling silver or gold-filled instead of plated materials. This will ensure that your jewelry withstands wear and tear and maintains its beauty over time.
Here are some popular materials used in jewelry making:
By considering the design, investing in quality materials, and choosing the right types of materials for your project, you’ll be well on your way to creating beautiful and long-lasting jewelry pieces. Remember to experiment and have fun with different materials to discover your own unique style!
When starting out in jewelry making, it’s important to have the right tools to help you create beautiful pieces. Here are some essential tools that every beginner should have in their jewelry making kit:
Pliers are one of the most important tools for jewelry making. They come in various types, such as round-nose pliers, chain-nose pliers, and flat-nose pliers. Round-nose pliers are ideal for creating loops and curves, while chain-nose pliers are great for gripping and bending wires. Flat-nose pliers are useful for flattening and straightening metal components.
Wire cutters are essential for cutting wires and chains. Make sure to invest in a good pair of wire cutters that have a sharp cutting edge. This will ensure clean and precise cuts, making your jewelry making process much easier.
Beading needles are thin and flexible needles that are used for threading beads and other small components. They come in different sizes, so make sure to choose the right size for the beads you’ll be working with. Beading needles make it easier to string beads and create intricate designs.
A bead mat is a soft and non-slip surface that provides a stable working area for jewelry making. It prevents beads from rolling away and helps keep them organized. A bead mat is essential for working with small beads and preventing them from getting lost or misplaced.
Jewelry wire is used for stringing beads and creating wire-wrapped designs. It comes in various gauges and materials, such as sterling silver wire, gold-filled wire, and copper wire. Make sure to choose the right wire for your project, depending on the desired strength and flexibility.
A crimping tool is used to secure crimp beads or tubes, which are used to finish off necklaces and bracelets. It ensures a secure and professional-looking finish. There are different types of crimping tools available, so choose one that suits your preference and the size of your crimp beads.
A bead crimper is a specialized tool that is used to create secure and professional-looking crimps. It is especially useful for working with smaller crimp beads. The bead crimper has two jaws that create evenly shaped and tightly closed crimps, ensuring that your jewelry stays intact.
Jump rings are small metal rings that are used to connect different components in jewelry making. They come in various sizes and materials, such as silver-plated jump rings, gold-filled jump rings, and stainless steel jump rings. Make sure to have a variety of jump rings in your kit to accommodate different design needs.
Jewelry glue is used to secure certain components in jewelry making. It is especially useful for attaching clasps, earring posts, and small embellishments. Choose a jewelry glue that is specifically designed for jewelry making, as it will provide a strong and durable bond.
Keeping your jewelry making supplies organized is important, especially as you accumulate more tools and materials. Invest in storage containers, such as bead organizers and compartmentalized boxes, to keep your beads, findings, and tools neatly organized and easily accessible.
Having these essential tools in your jewelry making kit will set you up for success as a beginner. As you gain more experience, you can expand your tool collection and explore new techniques to create even more stunning jewelry pieces.


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Who would have guessed that Igor Stravinsky’s only full-scale opera would have to wait nearly 40 years to be heard professionally in the city of its conception? Who would have guessed that it would be not Lyric Opera or Chicago Opera Theater that would mount it, but Chicago’s 18th-century orchestra, the City Musick? If this production of The Rake’s Progress is anything like the magnificent Mozart Idomeneo City Musick presented at the Shedd Aquarium two years ago–and all indications are that it will be much more–this could well be the operatic highlight of the year. Inspired by Stravinsky’s 1947 visit to the Art Institute, where he came across the series of William Hogarth engravings called The Rake’s Progress, this is neoclassical Stravinsky par excellence, and shows a modern master paying tribute to 18th-century opera, complete with recitatives, arias, ensemble scenes, even harpsichord. It’s as if you’re looking at old conventions through a funhouse mirror. This rarely heard masterpiece is sung in English, a further plus, and is great fun. Conducted by artistic director Elaine Scott Banks, the cast includes soprano Alexandra Coku, baritone Daryl Henriksen, mezzo-soprano Jocelyn Wilkes, and tenor Frank Hoffmeister. Monday, Wednesday, and next Friday, March 23, 7:30 PM, and next Sunday, March 25, 3:30 PM, Mandel Hall, University of Chicago, 5706 S. University; 489-2100.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Gordon Meyer.


The Agua Amarga basin in Southeast Spain consists of Upper Miocene interstratified Deepwater sediment gravity flow deposits and hemipelagic-pelagic deposits that overlie shallow-water ramp deposits. This study focuses on the Deepwater (few hundred meters) deposits, and documents a comprehensive outcrop-to-model workflow that included collection of field and lab data, processing and interpretation of the data, and construction of a 3-D static model in Petrel™. Of particular significance is the recognition of two distinct resedimented systems in the basin: a ‘focused-flow’ system that was controlled by the presence of a paleotopographic focusing feature, and a ‘dispersed-flow’ system that lacked sediment focusing. Aside from changes in relative sea level, the architectures of these two systems were controlled by paleotopography.
Reservoir units for both systems are composed of graded fine- to very coarse-grained skeletal packstone facies (high-density turbidites), and breccias with fine- to very coarse-grained matrices (debrites). Baffle units for both systems are composed of foraminiferal-, volcaniclastic foraminiferal-, and skeletal foraminiferal wacke-packtone facies (hemipelagic-pelagic sediments and low-density turbidites). Results of the reservoir-analog model highlight the quantitative differences between the two Deepwater systems and their controls. Focused-flow reservoir units in the basin have greater bulk volume (46.5 million m3 in focused flow and 18.6 million m3 in dispersed flow) and greater pore volume (14.6 million m3 in focused flow and 5.7 million m3 in dispersed flow) than dispersed-flow reservoir units. This difference was controlled by a number of factors, but in this case, it is predictable on the basis of linear dimension of shelf margin sourcing the focused-flow system (5 km) versus that of the dispersed-flow system (2 km). Finally, the focused-flow system has volume ratio of reservoir to baffle units of 0.7 and the dispersed-flow system has volume ratio of reservoir to baffle units of 0.1. Thus, paleotopographic focus leads to less heterogeneity.
Reservoir-analog models are important tools that can
better define the input parameters in dynamic subsurface reservoir simulations.
The systems documented in this study provide an important outcrop analog for
assessing subsurface potential of resedimented Deepwater carbonate deposits,
particularly those which may have undergone similar mechanisms of sediment
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90142 © 2012 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, April 22-25, 2012, Long Beach, California


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Our art team at Creative Assembly is looking for an amazing Lead Concept Artist to work in-house and help us bring a vast fictional world to life. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced, accomplished Concept Artist to come on board our exciting new project and assist in shaping our vision of its setting.
To excel in this role, you will have exceptional skills both in drawing and painting that serve to the demands of different art tasks, you will be flexible on refining your art style understanding the modern game art trends and having strong design skills and great imagination.
Please note that applications for this role must include a portfolio and applications without such will not be considered.
As a Lead Concept Artist on the project, you will work with the team to develop and shape an immersive experience for our players to enjoy! You will be an experienced artist who has a highly developed understanding of concept art and visual design. Good organisation, time management and prioritisation skills are key to this role.
On a day-to-day basis, you will:
- Lead a concept team with passion and enthusiasm
- Work closely with the Project Art Director, Concept Art team and Lead 3D Artist to design and illustrate architecture and/or characters that not only look excellent but will also work well as 3D models in our game engine
- Consult widely to gather concept requirements, working closely with Production
- Provide effective direction and feedback to experienced artists and mentor developing artists
- Communicate effectively, present ideas confidently and champion the look of the project across the team
- Demonstrable experience of leading and developing other artists
- A strong portfolio that demonstrates a solid grasp of visual, and concept, design
- An excellent comprehension of composition, colour, and lighting
- Ability to communicate and present ideas effectively
- A self-driven attitude and the ability to receive and provide clear feedback
- A Team player with good communication skills, and a positive outlook, able to collaborate and work closely with all development disciplines
- Knowledge of the 3D modelling software and pipelines
- Experience and passion for working in games
About Creative Assembly
It’s an exciting time to be a part of our craft-led studio as we push boundaries, creating deep and detailed experiences that last.
Our teams are diverse from across the world, from trainees to industry veterans who constantly challenge us and make sure we are striving for the best within our games and our studio life. We are united through our shared values of Quality, Focus, Teamwork, Respect and Trust and we win awards for our culture and our people-centric approach, having won a Best Place to Work Award for five consecutive years. We invest in our people, the studio, and our projects. We’ll give you the creative freedom, tools, support, and development to achieve your potential.
Flexible working at Creative Assembly includes hybrid, fully remote for eligible roles, and in-studio. We recognise that there is no one-size-fits-all approach and empower our teams to define the working patterns which work best for them, which may mean different things for different teams and roles and at different times.
Our studios are based in Horsham, UK and Sofia, Bulgaria, including several bespoke state-of-the-art audio suites and a dedicated motion capture facility.
We offer many benefits to support you and your family including:
- Additional medical and dental health insurance for you, your partner and kids, life insurance, and free health care screening
- Additional holiday allowance plus full studio closure over the Christmas and New Year period, as all Bulgarian Bank holidays
- Annual discretionary studio bonus
- Defined career development pathways and personalised training support including; SEGA Dev Day, internal masterclasses, prestigious creative workshops, on-site training with renowned specialists and global conference attendance
- Wellbeing support with an employee assistance programme
- Free games and merchandise plus access to our extensive games library
- Free breakfast every day - toast, cereals, yoghurts, fresh fruit, soft drinks and more in our fully stocked kitchen
- Office massages
- Studio parties for you and your family; such as our Summer and Christmas parties, Children’s day party, wrap parties for game releases
Our studio sites have disabled access. We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief.
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria


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The reason there wasn’t a post yesterday is simple. The night before, I was feeling a bit under the weather. As a result, I went to bed early, neglecting my blogly responsibilities.
According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of South Florida, people are more likely to insult and threaten others using digital platforms – such as social media platforms – and see the recipients as lesser victims than those suffering abuse offline.
About anonymiti dulls our
In a study aiming to understand responses to abuse in different contexts, Curtis Puryear, a graduate student at the University of South Florida, studied reactions to malicious comments made face-to-face, and online with and without anonymity. This involved four separate studies, including insults directed at a woman making a comment about infrastructure (283 participants) and at people engaging in nerd culture (270 participants).
Most people who are trying to get healthier often find it hard to start. It is in the first few steps that they tend to falter. For instance, they may not be equipped with as much knowledge as needed to do whatever it is that they have to do to get on the right track to a healthier self. This is a page that is aimed towards helping these people. It will be so much easier for them to go through the transition process if they are equipped with all the information and the knowledge that they need.
Shaping digital platforms to ensure that users are perceived as individuals could help others retain a sense of their humanity and feel empathetic when they are attacked, the researchers suggest.


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CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) is Canada's most covert agency only catering to the most dangerous missions. Two agents, revered by their peers for their dangerous styles, find themselves face to face with an illegal weapons dealer from New York and his mysterious supplier. But when push comes to shove, one of the agents discovers the compromising Qualities of his companion's innocent past as the other fights for his life.
An original work screened at the National Film Board of Canada in 2006 by Christian Petrozza, Data Enterprises and Sword In Stone Pictures. This was my first Ever attempt at making a full length espionage film which turned out more like a good cop bad cop scenario, later on I blew the genre out of the water with Rogue 'Sentinel' which is now on YouTube. This film was made with the utmost love and support of my writers craft teacher who assigned the project that in my words 'got out of hand' and my friends who took time out of their holidays (teens and adults alike) to make this film possible.
The film was filmed entirely filmed in Canada with no intention nor making of profit and therefore was permitted to borrow some copyrighted tracks. Those tracks belong only to their creators and are not those of Sword In Stone Pictures, Christian Petrozza, or Data Enterprises.
Please Comment, Rate, and Enjoy!
Christian A.V. Petrozza
"Dangerous Motive" is protected and copyrighted by
Christian Petrozza and © Sword In Stone Pictures 2008.
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Flights to Jonesboro, AR
Jonesboro, AR, is home to Arkansas State University and the Red Wolves football, and basketball. Surrounded by crops, cotton fields, and rice, Jonesboro is a beautiful, tucked away city to enjoy a breath of fresh air while still just an hour’s drive from the hustle and bustle of Memphis. Enjoy nature at Craighead Forest Park or Forrest L. Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center. Arkansas State has a museum with some fascinating dinosaur and earthquake exhibits to visit as well, a perfect activity for young and old alike.
Jonesboro is home to the St. Jude S’travaganza, the largest fundraiser in Arkansas for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital every Superbowl Sunday. Other annual events also include the Downtown Jonesboro BBQ & Music Fest in September.
From Jonesboro, enjoy service to and from St. Louis.
To learn more about our flights from St Louis, MO to Jonesboro, AR, contact Air Choice One today by calling (866) I-FLY-VIP (435-9847) or completing our online contact form.

domain: geography


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The IL Gear Zone gets up close and personal with Rhino Lacrosse gear. Rhino Lacrosse is owned and operated by Syracuse four time All American and current pro player Ryan Powell. Powell currently resides in Portland, OR where he designs apparel for men, women and youth.
Rhino Lacrosse has taken functionality and fashion into account with its new Winter and Spring line that feature sweats, socks, hats, workout gear, T-Shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, bags and more. You can shop for Rhino Lacrosse gear by checking out their webpage here.

domain: design


Well, if we want to explore the industry theme the real decider was that German industry (just like the British) was based on hand-assembly by skilled craftsmen, while the US had already adopted Henry Ford's idea of assembly lines and streamlined production that allowed huge numbers of items to be turned out each shift. It was only a matter of time before the smaller German economy was out-paced by the larger and more efficient US manufacturing base. And the Soviets were soon on a par with the US - the T34 was turned out in numbers similar to the Sherman.
I think it was Admiral Yamamoto in Japan who predicted that if the war in the Pacific wasn't won within months of Pearl Harbour then the US would inevitably crush Japan just by sheer economic resources...
But going back to the original subject I'd say it was the unbelievably reliable and abundant US M3/M4 series of tanks and their Soviet counterparts on the T-34 hull that did the lion's share of winning the war, despite their many weaknesses.
Excellent post Sir!
The Russians built about 55,000 T34 tanks, and the USA built about 50,000 Shermans. But the T34 was a much better tank when put in capable hands. Neither were a good match for a Panther or a Tiger, but there were so many of them that the Germans had trouble resupplying ammo and gas to their armored groups.
I'm certain that a newspaper photograph of an assembly area building B24's by the gross must have been a scarey thought to both sides of the Axis powers. They were building Shermans so fast that they actually had to slow their assembly lines down! The samething for B17's and B24's
Back to the PTO a bit. Shortly after the battle of Midway the Japanese Naval Staff was known to say that the war was lost!


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Harvest Festival on False River runs through Sunday
NEW ROADS - There will be an ample supply of fall fun to be had and lovely weather conditions to go with it this weekend at the Fourth Annual Harvest Festival on False River.
People were already turning out to the downtown area in droves as of our 5 p.m. broadcast on Friday evening. Arts and crafts vendors booths are set up and music, rides, food and fun will be on the agenda in New Roads until they shut it down on Sunday.
This year the Harvest Festival was named "New Event of the Year" by the Louisiana Association of Fairs and Festivals based on previous successful weekends. The festival is primed to exceed expectations set by the award with a full line-up of musical acts and record vendor turnout.
The festival, partly sponsored by WBRZ-TV, is located in historic downtown New Roads and runs from Friday, Oct. 17 to Sunday, Oct. 19. For the full list of bands, vendors and attractions, check out the fest's website at www.harvestfestivalonfalseriver.com.
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Baton Rouge woman's harrowing story of survival after contracting Hepatitis A
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Tugboats wrecks into Sunshine Bridge
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Graduation decorations should be clean and centered around your school colors and mascot. Using the year in your decorations wherever possible is another great idea.
Our Graduation Station custom wall graphics are a wonderful way to use your school mascot or crest in your decorations. Choose a design or send us your own and we will create the custom wall graphic. They work great for decorations around your school too!
Hang a Personalized 2010 Vinyl Banner over the entrances to your graduation event or to announce important information in the days leading up to graduation. Add your own personalized wording to the Class of 2010 design. Our banners are each printed on heavy-duty, weather-resistant vinyl and are available with or without grommets for easy hanging.
Our Graduation Station decorations are perfect for creating a simple and effective display at your senior banquet, honors ceremony, or commencement ceremony. The Graduation Station includes our classic columns for creating a classic, professional setup, plus a personalized vinyl banner and a custom wall graphic.
Dress up the entrances to your event with Graduation Door Décor. The set is comprised of two diploma scroll columns and a graduation cap for the top. They’re made of corex and are attached easily to door frames with the included tape.
Check out all of our graduation decorations for more ideas on how to dress up your senior year events and graduation!


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Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi stressed on Sunday that the glorious July 23 Revolution has established the first republic 70 years ago and went on to build a “new Egypt”, saying the revolution has become a source of inspiration for national liberation all over the world.
In a nationwide on the occasion of July 23 Revolution anniversary, Sisi greeted the Egyptian people on this great occasion, saying this day reminds us of the struggle of many generations who just wanted a better future free of colonialism.
The President also lauded great sacrifices made by the Egyptian people to have a free dignified country.
He paid tribute to late president Mohamed Naguib who assumed responsibility at a precise moment in the history of the nation. Sisi also saluted late President Mohamed Anwar Sadat who paid his life a dear price for Egypt’s dignity and future.
Now after 70 years since the establishment of the first republic and following the severe challenges and difficult changes the country passed through especially from 2011 to 2014, we had to think seriously about the future, and about the new republic and how it is time for Egypt to regain its deserved position among nations, the President said.
Sisi said the new republic is like its predecessor based on preserving and protecting homeland amidst an international and regional reality whose complexity and turbulence is increasing in an unprecedented way.
He said the new republic is the result of an unprecedented phase in the history of Egypt, a phase that is marred by difficulties and challenges, stressing that Egyptians are now well aware that a safe and stable homeland is a top priority and that social and economic development is now a necessity and not a luxury anymore.
He said the new republic seeks to provide equal job opportunities for all Egyptians and secure a decent life for this generation and generations to come.
Egyptians should be proud of what they have achieved since independence, Sisi said, stressing that the country’s national march is moving forward despite difficulties and challenges.
Sisi said the great Egyptian people have endured a lot and set an example in patience and steadfastness in crises, promising the Egyptians that the State will exert utmost effort to provide more job opportunities, increase income of citizens, and set new tracks for the development of economy to cope up with changes of current age and to materialize the aspirations of Egyptians of a new better future.

domain: history


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The Strong, Beautiful Girls series covers issues that preteen and teen girls deal with every day. Fictional narratives combine with firsthand advice from a licensed psychologist to inspire readers. Chapters include Talk About It questions to encourage discussion. Books conclude with Pay It Forward, which offers helpful tips to use and pass on. Additional resources, a glossary, and an index are also included. Strong, Beautiful Girls is a series in Essential Library, an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company. Grades 6-9.
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Annotation allows you to highlight, name or label, or assess different aspects in an image. These visual representations are created to bring specific areas to the provider’s attention for service or treatment.
After you create a service form, you can give instructions, dosage details, highlight or add images in the form and annotate them for providers.
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Oval: Allows you to create an oval-shaped outline in the image
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Arrow: Allows you to insert an arrow in the image.
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Injection: In the image, you can mark where you want to insert an injection and also mention the dosage quantity.
Redo: You can redo the last change made to the image.
Clear All: Removes all annotation changes you marked in the image.


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NEW COLOUR OPTIONS FOR JTFUSION
The JTFusion, the market-leading, ultimate low-profile shower tray which allows customers to achieve a modern and minimalist look, is now available in six new stunning colours providing the perfect design-led solution for today’s bathroom.
Following the success of the Evolved by JT colour pallets, the JTFusion range is now available in six stunning colour options: Sage Green, Mistral Grey, Malbec Red, Pastel Blue and Astro Black, as well as Gloss or Matt White.
Manufactured from ABS capped acrylic stone resin that is double skinned for extra strength, the JTFusion range is available in 47 sizes, ranging from 700 x 700 to 1700 x 900 with the added option of integrated tiling upstands, which measure only 13mm.
The JTFusion is also available with an Anti-Slip solution, a Class C, independently tested, colourless application. Part of the UK production process and available exclusively to JT, the Anti-Slip solution ensures a premium look, but with the added advantage of a non-slip surface
Paul Crossley, Managing Director of JT, said: “The JTFusion is still our most popular product and after positive feedback on the colours of our Evolved range, we have expanded our other low-profile option with the same colour shades. We’re confident that this extension to the range will add another talking point for retailers and be a success with the consumer.”
Offering a 25-year guarantee, the JTFusion low profile shower tray offers not only a wide range of sizes and now colours, but is available in a range of shapes, from square and rectangular to quadrant and offset quadrant. With prices starting from as little as RRP £93.24+VAT, customers can achieve a current and contemporary bathroom look without the high price tag.


I think everyone was surprised by Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s move this morning – particularly 32 Senators – that he was removing all Senators from the Liberal parliamentary caucus, and that as Prime Minister, he would only appoint Senators selected through a non-partisan review process.
(Read Trudeau’s statement: Ending partisanship and patronage in the Senate)
Let me break down my reaction into two areas: the politics, and the policy.
Politically, this is a brilliant move. For a leader who has been unfairly accused of lacking policy substance, here is bold, substantive action. For an issue – Senate reform – that has seen years of empty chatter from all parties, and from the supposedly reform-championing Conservatives, just a Supreme Court reference well into the third Harper government, this is the first real, meaningful action on Senate reform we’ve seen. This isn’t a promise of change – this is change – and it’s change Canadians can understand.
Let me address some of the critiques the opposition have raised.
Is this a “smokescreen” to deflect from wrongdoing a future Auditor General report may reveal? No one has seen the report, but the law of numbers suggest some Liberal senators will probably be named, so maybe. However, you don’t punt 32 senators from your caucus and promise no more partisan appointments as a mere damage control measure – that’d be crazy. Such a move has to come from a place of firm belief. Besides, we’ll all remember they were Liberals, I’m sure.
Why did Trudeau vote against the NDP opposition day motion that called for a non-partisan Senate, and then do this? Isn’t that a flip-flop? Actually, not at all. The NDP motion was unconstitutional. The House of Commons can’t make party leaders boot people from caucus any more than it can make me grow a mustache. The NDP motion was unenforceable and unconstitutional flim-flamery masquerading as meaningful action, and was rightly defeated. But that doesn’t mean it’s unconstitutional for me to *choose* to grow a mustache. The Commons can’t make Trudeau act; but he can, and has, chosen to act, and act decisively.
They’re calling themselves Independent Liberal Senators? Doesn’t this prove this is meaningless? Hardly, and in fact, the opposite. They’re independent. They can call themselves whatever they want. I’m sure Trudeau, for narrative’s sake, would rather they call themselves the Definitely Not Liberal Anymore Senators. But he can’t tell them what to call themselves – they’re independent, they get to pick. And most of these people have been committed Liberals for decades. They joined the party because they believe in certain ideals. Their beliefs haven’t changed because they’re not Liberal Senators anymore. But now they’re free to vote and act as they wish. Sometimes that may be similar to what Liberal MPs do; sometimes it may not. As for the name, Lillian Dyck once called herself an Independent NDP Senator. The NDP leadership didn’t like it, but there was nothing they could do about it. Also, was it meaningless when Harper booted Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeu from the Conservative caucus?
They’re still Liberal Party of Canada members, aren’t they? Ha ha! I would assume so, yes. Should Trudeau kick them out? On what basis would he do that? I don’t believe the party constitution gives him that authority. And even if it did (I think it rests with the party executive), there would need to be a reason, specific wrongdoing. Should we prohibit Senators from joining political parties? I don’t think so. Last I checked, we had a right to freedom of association in Canada. The Charter may mention something along those lines. If a Senator wants to take out a membership card, they should have the same right to do so as a civil servant, or any other Canadian.
With this move, Trudeau has seized this day on Senate, positioned himself as a leader who takes action, and exposed the other parties as all talk when it comes to Senate reform.
In the short term, I’m on board. Let the Senate be independent, and in the absence of constitutional reform, let’s appoint better, non-partisan people through an independent, non-partisan review and appointments process. Paul Martin and Harper have already shown the Supreme Court appointments process can be reformed for the better within the existing constitutional framework.
Longer-term though, we simply have to open up the constitution to deal with the Senate, and I’m more aligned toward abolition today than I was yesterday.
My position on Senate reform has been clear for years: redistribute seats along equal regional lines, rebalance powers to give the Senate purpose and avoid gridlock with the Commons, and elect Senators so they’re accountable to the electorate for their decisions. My vision of Senate reform requires constitutional reform, something no parties have been willing to seriously consider to date. I think we should – it needn’t be scary at all.
Now, an elected Senate would probably require a party system. The Liberals have committed to the opposite. And if it’s not going to be elected, the other reforms I’d like to see don’t make sense. They only work as a package. So I’m left with abolition, or the tweaked status quo.
The status quo works for the interim, but it's not a long-term solution to Senate reform. If the long-term choice is a Senate providing sober second thought to Commons legislation -- on a partisan basis or not -- or abolition, I’d say abolish it.
The more I think about it, the more I agree it is about partisanship. But not (just) partisanship in the Senate – partisanship in the House of Commons. We wouldn’t need sober second thought if MPs were providing sober first thought, but the choking yoke of party discipline has made that impossible. With more independence for MPs within the party system – freedom to amend legislation, free votes requiring compromise to bring MPs onside, even within parties -- the Commons could get it right the first time.
If MPs were free to do their intended jobs – scrutinize and consider government legislation – we wouldn’t need the Senate for sober second though. I’d still argue for a reformed, regionally-balanced Senate to balance off the rep by pop will of the house, but not if they’re un-elected.


Beaches cannot be kept clear of plastic litter even if they are regularly cleaned because waste is washed in on every tide, a study has found.
A quarter of a million pieces of litter were removed from 100-metre stretches of nine beaches in Cornwall during monthly clean-ups over six years.
Almost 90 per cent of the waste was made of plastic, with items including 13,100 drink caps, 3,100 bottles, 7,600 crisp or sweet wrappers and 2,500 cotton bud sticks. Non-plastic items included 1,900 metal shotgun cartridges.
The amount decreased in the Bude and Porthcothan areas in the six years but more than doubled around Padstow, despite the clean-ups.
Only a fifth of the litter came from visitors to the beaches. The rest showed signs of…


A Queens man accused of fatally striking a motorist while driving drunk on the Long Island Expressway was ordered held on $300,000 bond or $250,000 cash bail Friday, officials said.
Bonifacio Enriquez, 34, of College Point, allegedly struck Rooh Ul Ameen, 43, of Bay Shore, who had stopped to inspect damage to his car after hitting the median of the LIE in Jericho shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday, police said. Ameen was then hit and dragged by a second vehicle, police said.
Enriquez, who suffered undisclosed injuries, was arraigned in his hospital room Friday at Nassau University Medical Center on charges of driving while intoxicated, second-degree manslaughter and second-degree vehicular manslaughter.
He did not enter a plea.
His lawyer, a Legal Aid attorney, said Enriquez lives with his parents and works at a radiology company in Queens.
Ameen, a father of four young children, was returning from his job as an Uber driver in Manhattan when the accident occurred, police said.
His Toyota Camry struck the concrete median at about 2 a.m. while heading east in the high occupancy vehicle lane just west of Exit 41.
He was outside the sedan in the HOV lane, attempting to tie up a damaged front bumper, when he and his Camry were struck by Enriquez’s Ford Escape sport-utility vehicle, police said.
The victim was pushed into the roadway, where he was hit by a Nissan Altima and dragged about a half-mile, police said.
The driver of the Nissan, who remained at the scene, has not been charged.


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Change is coming to Alderwood Mall this year.
Sears announced this week that it will close its Alderwood Mall store by March. A clearance sale starts Friday, Jan. 6. In addition, the chain’s century-old Craftsman brand has been sold to the Stanley tool company.
The Gap store is also closing soon. Sales have already started at that store as well.
The Limited store is already closed, which was effective after Christmas.
Declining sales is the main reason given for store closures. Increasing online shopping is a likely factor.
–Story and photos by David Carlos

domain: economics