text:
“Tobias Bennet is the greatest composer of my realm. Music such as his cannot be inspired by this mortal world; although whether it is from Heaven or from Another Place I fear to ask.”
Attributed to James I.
“He came to Shrewsbury by boat, on his shoulder was a black crow who whispered to him all sorts of spells and incantations as he rowed along.”
The rest of the choir had heard the story before, not just from Ezekiel, many of the conversations in the pubs and inns in the town were about Tobias Bennet and his alleged conversations with the devil in the shape of a crow, the satanic symbols supposedly in his music and more mundanely his consorting with various wanton women. He was stood in front of them now, talking with an underling from the Abbey, and the choir eyed him fearfully but also with respect because whilst he might be wicked he had the air of a genius about him.
“His poor, sweet wife.” Ezekiel continued in tones less hushed than he imagined that they were “I remember when she was Miranda Sikes, the curate’s daughter. How could her family allow her to marry such a Sorcerer?”
The other members of the Choir agreed; until she had married, Miranda had been a sweet and happy girl unblemished by her poverty, but now she always looked pale and over-burdened and with rarely a smile on her face. But who could be surprised with such a husband?
There was a harsh tap on the abbey’s stone floor and the choir stood to face their Master; small and dark, his faced pocked but he was dynamic with his eyes, dark brown and unknowable.
“O Lord, Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?”
They sang, the setting Bennet’s own, dark, and solemn, but also with a power and strength; and the more impressionable of them thought they felt the disturbance of a crow’s wings above their head, and a swirl of black climbing into the roof of the Abbey.
“Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.”
He comes in wig askew and sweating, and then he hurries to the chamber pot and pulls down his britches. The children giggle at the noises that he makes.
“I have so much in me, but I cannot expel the half of it” he mutters later, as he emerges pale, and then the house smells of faeces and something rotten for hours afterwards. With sweat still running down his brow he sits down, and I give him meat to eat and watch him devour what is in front of him without his paying it any attention. Oftentimes he scribbles as he eats; those black notes that in the hands of the choir or in front of the organ make such a haunting noise. The pieces he composes are short, perhaps in case he has the gripe again and needs to rush off, however his trouble does not seem have harmed him; he has written such music and everywhere is full of his praise, even as far as London and the Court. He is a man in demand, as difficult and harsh as he is.
He is off now; to cavort with women or other low-life, or to walk along the river, talking to himself. Everyone that he meets seem to feed his music; everything is secondary to that, me, the children, even God; it is as if we are of no account despite the sacrifices that we make. When he came to this town he lodged with my father and mother who were grateful for the money he gave us for rent, and my father was happy for someone learned and clever for him to talk to. But even then he was rarely in; either in the Abbey or in the Low Parts of Shrewsbury, and there were the rumours about him; conversing with crows and other familiars of the devil, seen dancing naked in a grove with strange women and his music written to conjure up spirits, although what I heard was full of beauty and a frantic energy that was unlike anything that I had heard before.
One day I sat pensively by the river, the ground was cold and damp and I watched the water flow past the town and out, away, somewhere fresh and new. And then he was standing above me, his shadow making him look taller.
“Well mistress” he murmured, “the water inspires me too. The onward flow of it. It is an open invitation to sail on.”
“Don’t fly yet awhile” I told him, “or if you do, take me with you.”
He gazed down at me, for the first time seeming to be startled, as if I was something new. Soon we were married, and then he had money enough to rent a house of our own close by the Abbey, where he disappears ever day, when he is not drinking or frolicking.
In bed, I smell his body of cinnamon and wild garlic, and he holds me tight, so that I am part of him; all that talent and power contained within me, at least for a few moments. And when I stand in the Abbey and hear his music crashing out on the organ or sung by young and old in the choir, then I am proud, and I don’t care if he is of God or of the Devil, he is mine and I am his.
He is Evil. The smell of him is from the Pit, and the music he writes, Discordant and Strange. The Devil and his minions are everywhere, even in the Holiest of places, and he is of their number. I can sense him as I walk through the doors of the Abbey; at times I have to hold onto something as the smell of him Overpowers me. And when he looks at me; there is such contempt in his eyes, but there is fear too. He knows that I perceive him and see beyond his music making. I Know Him.
Once walking around the graveyard, I saw him, he was muttering to the Devil as he walked, and there were crows high above his head. He looked up and saw me, giving a most contemptuous look.
“How are you old man?” he asked most saucily.
“Begone out of this Holy Place” I told him, “you don’t belong here. Go back from whence you came.”
He laughed, and then studied me most carefully, as if he were measuring me for my Grave, and after a few moments he turned away and left me, but I knew that he was shaking with Anger and Fear, and now he avoids me, and so he should.
I spoke out against him at the Chapter. I am nothing in the Abbey, just a minor Canon, old but undistinguished. And they distrust me because I used to belong to Rome before Queen Elizabeth came to the throne. Many of us changed our allegiances back then, had no choice. But I am a true member of the Church and loyal to God and his Holy Son, Our Lord Jesus.
“That Man is Evil” I thundered, but they ignored me.
“He is known to the King, and his music brings us Fame and Glory.” One spoke, and another told me to hush, “you are just an old man, with the taint of Rome about you.”
And Bennet looked at me, his eyes dark and brooding. But I looked back most steadily. I Know Him. I Know Him Well. And his Wickedness that seeps into our Church.
He comes to me in the evening. Comes into the house with stealth and laughs at my fright. When he first came to Shrows-bury I saw him from the shore as he rowed, even from a distance he seemed strange and attractive, and then a few nights later he was there at my house and so I gave him drink and took him to my bed. He sensed my lonely-ness, that was like a cloke, and that pervaded my very being; I had had lovers, but they deserted me when I wanted more than sex. And Tobias was the same; he married that plain Curate’s daughter, but he still came to me.
I heard him shit outside and then a few moments later he was with me.
“Your enemy is dead” I told him, “that clergyman who hates you.”
“Yes I have just come from the river,” he told me, “Reverend Thomas Garrett, who thought I was from the devil”.
“Aren’t you?” I asked, “you seem devilish.”
“Don’t believe what you hear” he told me, and then kissed me, so that I knew he did not want talk but rather my body, and as ever I obliged, as if I could say no.
“Did you kill him?” I asked, as he lay, next to me, spent, at least for a little while.
He laughed, “he was always drunk, he must have fallen in the river.”
“But the townspeople say that he did not drink and that there was a bruise on his head, and bites as if was attacked by a crow.”
“You are fool to listen to the people of Shrows-bury. They gossip and pretend virtue; you are better than such nonsense. One day we will leave this town you and I, go to London where you will be at home, and I will have a more discerning audience.”
They talk about him all the time; gossiping. When I am out and about people I have known all my life look away with scorn or embarrassment. I visited my father, and he suggested that I come back to them, they did not mind his having other women or conversing with the devil but now this silly story about him killing that old fool from the cathedral, they are worried.
“Rev Garrett was seen fighting with a man dressed in black” I was told, or “a crow drove him into the river.” They think my husband cursed him or killed him himself. And yet Tobias is oblivious; his mind full of music and possibly women. The children are just playthings to him, something to amuse him whilst he is at home, and I suspect that I am the same; someone to clean the chamber pot and to feed him.
Will he leave now this trouble has come upon him? I would go with him to anywhere, but would he think to ask me? Does he even perceive me, or the children? Does he care about any of us?
“Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.”
We sing and we look at the conductor, austere and pale. The music is divine, but he, he looks like a man possessed. In front of us there is the empty seat where Rev. Garrett sat, often his mouth mumbled like someone in their second childhood, but he was a saint in his way; humble and spoke out against evil even though it frightened him.
We are getting old, and soon others will take our place, and the Abbey will change too and all that goes on in here will be forgotten. Can it be that Tobias Bennet, that self-regarding man will be the thing that men remember of this place, not the good that was done, the quiet good and acts of kindness? Can a few beautiful phrases and harmonies excuse wickedness and selfishness? Do we bow before the gifted as if they were gods?
We sing and the harmonies rise above our head and spread throughout the town and out, out into the countryside for the rich and poor alike, and then out over this country; from the Tacksmen in Scotland, to the places of learning in Oxford and Cambridge and even to the Court where the King, a flawed but learned man sits and governs his holy people.
They say he came from Shrop-shire; a small man with the darkest of eyes, and rather ugly of mien, but a rare musician; I heard him before His Majestie and he was most impressed, although his hands shook with nerves or fever, and he sweated all the time that he played. He has a woman with him, Regan she is called, a fine red-haired woman, but rumour has it that she is a common whore and that he left his wife back home.
There is scandal about him; that he sups with the devil, that he killed the dean of the cathedral, that he is possessed. But all crimes are forgiven at court so long as there is wit and talent, and although he has none of the former he has what passes for the latter, at least amongst the king and his sycophants. And yet he smells of faeces. When he played that is all I could notice; his awful smell, and I tried to catch the King’s eye, but he either could not smell it, or he paid it no account. But then we all machines that masticate, defecate and, if we are lucky, fornicate.
But the King loves him and so for the moment the world is his oyster, let us pray that he makes the most of this royal favour and saves his coins and does not rely too much on this most fickle of monarchs.
He disappeared; was gone when I awoke, and that evening he did not return home. I enquired at the Abbey, but they looked at me with pity and sadness and so I walked away. No doubt I will return to my father with my children, but I suspect I am accursed, no-one will touch me and in truth I want nobody else.
The rumours grew, perhaps that is why he left, or maybe his Demon told him to go, to go and leave his wife and children. Wherever he goes he will be writing music and performing. They still sing his music at the Abbey; his settings of psalms and hymns will outlive us all. Perhaps we are not a Christian people, not really, but we recognise the Divine, whatever form it takes, and he was a channel for something unearthly and everlasting.
Sometimes when we sit together in our rooms, tired he asks me.
“Are you happy Regan?”
“Of course my lord.”
He looks at me sadly, “do you not miss Shropshire?”
I live in the centre of the world, I have met the King and the Queen as well as the ladies of the Court. I have money and dress well. Every day is an adventure, but always an adventure with a happy ending. Do I miss those ignorant men and those doltish men? I have found my home at last. Yes I know that some of the Lords and Ladies sneer at me and whisper, but then they did that in Shrows-bury and at least they are polite to my face.
The King is most languid, but he is kind, one look into his eyes shows that, and he appreciates my love’s music and will often have to play when he is weary and cannot sleep. A servant is sent and Tobias hurries over, wig in his hand, jacket half-off his shoulders, and then he returns in the early hours of the morning full of tales of a melancholy king with various favourites disporting themselves whilst Tobias plays and sings to help my king sleep.
His bowels ache constantly, and some days he is on the chamber pot for hours when he should be elsewhere, and then he emerges pale and I wonder if he is dying of the plague, but soon he is back to what he once was and once clean he is off out somewhere to make music or to wait upon his majesty. Perhaps if his stomach was right then he would be happier, but I think it is just a sign of his turbulent spirit.
Tobias earns and saves. He has written music for the theatre, for All Hallows Church and sometimes songs for the King or his children.
“This is the best part of me” he says when he plays me something that he is written, “all else is naught, just this music.”
But it sounds dark to me and unsettles me. How can it help the King relax when I hear it I want to run out into the streets and see the common people of London. Oh Tobias, enjoy your life; all of us might die from one day to the next. Enjoy your fancie clothing, your visits to the King and your patronage by the great and good.
Live and be happy Tobias.
I came into Shrewsbury by boat, just as I did last time, over thirty years ago. No Regan on the shore this time, alas she is dead of Flux, which is why I returned, with nothing to stay for, just the false praise of kings and courtiers. The Abbey was still there, in fact the town looked the same; the same grey Shropshire faces, and oh the everlasting mud and water.
I walked to the house, where I bred two children and made my wife unhappy, but it is empty now, as if cursed. At the curate’s house where we met; a harried but comely woman (oh does lust still yet master me) answered my knock.
“Does one Miranda Benet live here?”
“The murderer’s wife? She is long gone. Her father died and she married a clergyman who took her to a village in the north. Her children were dead and so she was happy to go.”
“Of the damp, both within a week. Poor deserted lambs. I was but a child myself and I remember the funerals; such tiny coffins. The whole family is dead or gone.”
She gave me some water and she asked me about myself.
“I am a wandering musician” I told her, I had my violin with me and played her some popular ayres I had picked up in London and she offered me payment, but in the end it was I who gave her money as she rented me a room, the same room where I lived before and which is still as cold and dark as it always was.
Fortunately, I am frugal and I have saved some money from my time of fame in London, and I make more from playing in the streets and teaching the children of gentry. Nobody recognises me; sometimes there is a strange look when I hurry down the streets, but the person will be old and they shake their heads and carry on, perhaps with a shiver, and when they get home they think of the past and their mortality, and sleep less soundly that night.
And often I sit in the Abbey on hard wooden pews facing the choir, rather than looking down on the congregation as I used to do. Sometimes I recognise a piece of music, a setting, or a voluntary on the organ that I wrote so many years ago, although they are not as I played them. And I listen intently as the choir’s voices sing praises to someone I barely glimpsed and I feel my soul reach out for a better self, a self in touch with the beautiful and divine and then I cry knowing that for a moment that I have seen God’s face and that is all we can hope for as we strive through the mud and shit that we call home.


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NEW SITE COMING SOON...
The Sketchbook Project 2012
Here is the full submission for the 2012 Sketchbook Project. The book is finished and has been mailed off! I will now begin working on the Limited Edition Sketchbook Project which I need to complete by the end of April. Stay tuned!

domain: artistic


Every once in a while you see a correction in a newspaper that doesn’t quite do justice to the magnitude of the error committed–one where the correction really should say that the article in question never should have been written. This morning’s New York Times corrections section offers an example:
An article on Saturday about a federal judge’s order regarding photographs and videotapes related to the Abu Ghraib prison scandal misstated a deadline and the response by Defense Department lawyers. The government was given until Friday to black out some identifying details in the material, not to release it. Defense Department lawyers met that deadline, but asked the court to block the public release of the materials. They did not refuse to cooperate with an order for the materials’ release.
In order to understand the magnitude of the Times’ error, you have to read the original article. As noted, it was published on Sunday, when the Times’ circulation is by far the highest. The “fact” that the Times has now corrected was the entire substance of the article. The headline on the story read: “Government Defies an Order to Release Iraq Abuse Photos.” The article began:
Lawyers for the Defense Department are refusing to cooperate with a federal judge’s order to release secret photographs and videotapes related to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal.
The lawyers said in a letter sent to the federal court in Manhattan late Thursday that they would file a sealed brief explaining their reasons for not turning over the material, which they were to have released by yesterday.
The Times reporter, Kate Zernike, managed to locate a representive of the American Civil Liberties Union, whom she quoted in the article:
The A.C.L.U. accused the government of continuing to stonewall requests for information “of critical public interest.”
“The government chose the last possible moment to raise this argument,” said Amrit Singh, a staff lawyer with the A.C.L.U.
But Ms. Zernike quoted no representative of the government, and apparently talked to none; if she had, she would have realized that the entire premise for her story was incorrect. So millions of people were wrongly told that the “Government”–i.e., the Bush administration–had “defied” the order of a federal judge. If true, this would have been a noteworthy story. But it was a complete falsehood. What percentage of the readers who saw the Times’ headline on Sunday do you suppose read the correction in today’s paper? I’d be surprised if the number was as high as 1%.
It’s great to print corrections, but there is really no substitute for getting the story right in the first place. And it’s hard for a correction to be adequate when the fact is that the story never should have been written at all.


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Crete - Greece
Overcast day in Crete. We even got rain for a few minutes.
The famous harbour.
.. more of the famous harbour….
….and around that corner the pretty harbour ends.
The Crete cat.
The buildings were all very colourful.
This was a clothes shop IIRC but I thought it looked more like a brothel.
Out the back of the harbour looking into the real city away from the tourist district.
Stopped for coffee, took forever and it was terrible. No wonder we were the only ones there. Most of the Greek coffee we had was excellent.
We left that dodgy cafe and found the local market. We ate there for less than the price of the terrible coffee.
Catholic Church in the little square at the harbour.

domain: travel


Veterans Affairs Loosens Requirements For Choice Program
WASHINGTON — Twice as many veterans living in rural areas may be eligible to receive federally paid medical care from local doctors after the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday tweaked a rule that had blocked them from being eligible for the new program.
The Veterans Choice Program allows eligible veterans to receive health care in their communities rather than waiting for a VA appointment or traveling to a VA facility. Under the law adopted by Congress, a veteran had to live at least 40 miles away from a VA facility to be eligible for the program. VA had initially determined the distance by a straight line but has now switched to driving distance.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle had complained that the 40-mile parameter was meant to reflect driving distance. Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Westville, had recently introduced legislation to correct the issue after hearing from a number of veterans in his eastern Oklahoma district.
“Calculating a veteran’s driving distance from their home to their nearest VA clinic makes more sense than using a straight line. There are very few places in eastern Oklahoma where people can drive in a straight line to get anywhere. As a result, many of our veterans have not been able to use the Choice Program,” he said.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald announced the change Tuesday, saying that the VA heard from veterans and advocates that the direct-distance measure was keeping many rural veterans from accessing the new program even though they would need to drive much farther than 40 miles to reach a VA facility.
“We’ve determined that changing the distance calculation will help ensure more veterans have access to care when and where they want it. VA looks forward to the ongoing support of our partners as we continue to make improvements to this new program,” McDonald said.
Congress last year enacted the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act in response to a VA scandal in which veterans were alleged to have died waiting for care, while VA employees manipulated waiting lists to hide the long delays in receiving appointments and care.
Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said driving distance is a more accurate reflection of the distance veterans live from VA medical facilities and better fits the spirit of the law Congress enacted. The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing Tuesday on the Choice program.
“Allowing additional veterans to meet the qualifications of the Veterans Choice Program will improve health care access for our veterans who live long distances from VA medical facilities. I will work with my colleagues and veterans service organizations to encourage enrollment in this program that improves access to health services for our veterans,” he said.
Mullin said he also hopes to see another change in the rules administering the program. Current rules prohibit a veteran from using the Choice Program if he lives 40 miles from any VA medical facility — even if that facility does not have the kind of treatment the veteran requires. Mullin’s legislation also addresses this problem.
“A veteran should not be disqualified from the Choice Program simply because they live within 40 miles of a facility that does not offer the kind of care they require,” he said.
Carlos Fuentes, a lobbyist for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, testified Tuesday that a common complaint they hear is from veterans having to travel more than 40 miles to other VA medical facilities because the local facility cannot provide those services.
“One veteran, who receives his care at the Jackson, Tenn., tells us he can no longer make the more than 80-mile — one way — trip to the Memphis VA Medical Center for his neurology appointments and would prefer to visit a non-VA neurologist closer to home,” Fuentes said.
VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson, who appeared at the Senate hearing Tuesday, said that allowing mileage calculations based on specialized care would require a change in the law. But, he noted, the change could cost the VA tens of billions of dollars.
Veterans seeking to use the Veterans Choice Program should call 1 (866) 606-8198 to confirm their eligibility and to schedule an appointment. Since the Choice Program went into effect on Nov. 5, more than 45,000 medical appointments have been scheduled.


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What is Bacterial Vaginosis?
Bacterial vaginosis is a mild infection of the vagina caused by bacteria. Normally, there are a lot of "good" bacteria and some "bad" bacteria in the vagina. The good types help control the growth of the bad types. In women with bacterial vaginosis, the balance is upset. Healthy vaginas are slightly acidic, thanks to the presence of good bacteria called lactobacilli that produce lactic acid. However, if these are in short supply, harmful bacteria can grow and trigger a BV infection.
What causes Bacterial Vaginosis?
Experts are not sure what causes the bacteria in the vagina to get out of balance. But certain things make it more likely to happen. Your risk of getting bacterial vaginosis is higher if you. Have more than one sex partner or have a new sex partner.
What are the symptoms?
About half of women who have bacterial vaginosis do not notice any symptoms.Many things can cause abnormal vaginal discharge, including some sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Bacterial vaginosis signs and symptoms may include:
How is bacterial vaginosis diagnosed?
Doctors diagnose bacterial vaginosis by asking about the symptoms, doing a pelvic exam, and taking a sample of the vaginal discharge. The sample can be tested to find out if you have bacterial vaginosis.
What problems can bacterial vaginosis cause?
Bacterial vaginosis usually does not cause other health problems. But in some cases it can lead to serious problems.
How is it treated?
Doctors usually prescribe an antibiotic to treat bacterial vaginosis. They come as pills you swallow or as a cream or capsules (called ovules) that you put in your vagina.
It's common for bacterial vaginosis to recur within three to 12 months, despite treatment.

domain: biology


06-04-2009, 01:33 AM
Diesel Sr. Technical Member
Does anyone have GM PTO switch
Does anyone have the GM PTO switch for fast idle? Part number
Where did you get it?
2011 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4x4 Ext Cab LML Duramax
Cognito Platinum Leveling kit with FOX Shox
2006 GMC Sierra 2500HD CCSB 2WD LBZ, Banks Six-Gun w/PDA, Magnaflow 4", TB PCV re-route & Trans lines, Weathertechs, AVH-P3100DVD, Focal Access 165s, Bushwackers, Caterpillar batteries PN#127-0826, Energy Suspension Body Mounts
S O L D
Cognito 4-6 NTBD, Cognito UCAs, Cognito HD Tie Rods, Bilstein shocks, 3.5" rear block === Riding on Toyo M/T 33x12.5R18 on KMC XD Diesels.
Rotella, Transynd, and AMSOIL fluids
2007 Ford F-150 5.4L 4x4 King Ranch, N-Fab LB 4x PIAA 520s, 2" Lift 285/55R20s, Bilstein 5100s, Weathertechs
2007 Honda CR-V EL-X 4WD


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Dealing with a debt collection agency that uses abusive, illegal tactics is bad enough. Imagine if you do not even owe the money in the first place.
Maybe you already paid off the debt long ago, or it is a case of mistaken identity. An unscrupulous debt collector will continue to pursue payment anyway, perhaps bullying victims into paying the “debt.”
A woman from another state says a Los Angeles-based debt collection agency called the Lincoln Group nearly convinced her to pay a phantom bill. The company told her she owed about $1,100 on a JCPenny credit card, and that fighting it would cost her more than twice that amount. She was told she could settle the debt immediately for $607.
Just one problem. The Lincoln Group was not looking at the woman’s JCPenny account. It referred to an account that opened in 2008, while the woman did not open one until 2013 or so. But by having some fragmentary information about the woman, the company nearly convinced her that she had a forgotten debt she needed to take care of.
It turned out the woman did owe money on her JCPenny account, but just $158. And a different debt collector was handling it, not The Lincoln Group, which has been the subject of numerous complaints the California Better Business Bureau.
People who use credit cards are expected to follow the rules, but there are rules for debt collectors as well. If an agency breaks a rule, it may be liable for damages under the law.

domain: law


text:
A transparent budget system contributes to efficient and equitable use of public resources. Of course, transparency alone is not enough to achieve better accountability. There is evidence that accountability is promoted through a combination of transparency, strong oversight and participation. This workshop will examine the current state of budget transparency and the relationship between transparency and participation with a view to achieving greater accountability in African countries. How can Finance / Budget Ministries strengthen transparency and provide spaces for constructive dialogue and participation to enhance accountability?
The overall objective of the workshop is to establish the links between transparency, participation and accountability based on practical cases of regional/international experience and the benefits of transparency and participation for better delivery of resources and better results in the delivery of public services.

domain: sociology


Storm Mathis is set to tear through the UK battering parts of the country with 70mph winds.
The French-named storm could smash into Britain within hours, with the potential to bring "structural damage to buildings.
French Met Office, Meteo France, named the cyclonic low pressure system earlier today before it is predicted to travel across the channel.
The low pressure could also spark flash flooding, with parts of southern England and Wales already under a Met Office issued yellow weather warning.
The Met Office forecast reads: “A deep area of low pressure is expected to move eastwards across southern Britain during Thursday evening and Friday morning, bringing spells of strong southerly winds, then a lull, followed by strong west or northwesterly winds.
“It is likely that coastal areas will see 50-60 mph gusts, with a low probability of 70 mph over exposed hills and headlands with winds probably peaking after they veer west or northwesterly.
“This could lead to some disruption in places. Along with the strong winds, we will also see heavy rain overnight clearing as the low progresses eastwards.”
A Met Office spokesman has also confirmed that the unsettled winds are due to an area of low pressure moving in from northern France.
They added that residents should prepare for power cuts and that winds may be so strong, it could cause trees to fall down too.
Senior meterologist for British Weather Services, Jim Dale, added Devon and Cornwall are likely to be hit hardest overnight.
He said: "It is from an Atlantic origin and it's a fairly deep area of low pressure which will come across the Bristol Channel before it heads east to East Anglia. It will have potential to affect southern Wales.
"On higher ground, expect 50 to 60mph gusts, that's where we are. It's capable of causing some structural damage."
The public have also been warned about travel disruptions, with delays expected to road, rail, air and ferry transport, with bus and train journeys expected to take longer than usual. Delays are expected for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges.
The gales will also bring heavy rain, with WXCHARTS showing a band of rain from the Atlantic set to hit the south west coast on Thursday evening.
Over the following hours going into Friday, the band of rain will make its way across parts of Britain, mainly in the south, before easing off later in the day.
More than 30mm rain is forecasted for the southern regions of England.
UK weather forecast
Rain slowly clearing from the far northeast. Elsewhere, it will be mild with a mixture of sunshine and showers, which may be heavy in some areas. Later in the day, cloud, rain and strong winds are expected to develop in the far southwest.
Outlook for Friday to Sunday:
The weather will become wet and very windy in the south overnight into Friday. Rain is expected across the UK on Friday and Saturday, before it turns drier and brighter in the west. Temperatures are expected to be cooler.


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This week, there was more Stacy Kiebler news, a few WWE superstars participated in interviews, the final card for Battleground was determined, John Cena is being sued and of course, much more from the world of professional wrestling.
Here is the WWE and TNA Wrestling News Recap of the week:
– Stacy Kiebler says that she is NOT interested in a WWE return.
– Former WWE superstar Chris Benoit to be featured in new DVD box set.
– WWE stars comment on people who say wrestling is fake.
– Final card for WWE Battleground 2013.
– Backstage news on Orton vs. Bryan at Battleground.
– Roman Reigns on working with Triple H, winning the WWE Title and more.
– R-Truth reflects on his career (video).
– John Cena being sued by worker.
– Daniel Bryan talks about being in main events and winning titles with Brie Bella.
– Ryback says he wants to end the Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak.
– Details on next Randy Orton feud.
– Update on the Undertaker’s return to television.
– TNA…Who is Ethan?
– Darren Young says he was “terrified” to come out and wanted to take his boyfriend to events.
– Plans for Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro.
– WWE’s Saturday Morning Slam unlikely to return to television.
– Possible plans for Brock Lesnar’s return, possible Royal Rumble winner.
– Kurt Angle wrestling at Bound For Glory 2014?
– Backstage update on the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2014.
– Bray Wyatt featured in Forbes Magazine.

domain: entertainment


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Welcome to the new InstaSpanish!
I'm very excited to announce our first line of Mobile Apps! We've developed our first one, called the InstaSpanish Kids App. We are now LIVE on the Android Marketplace, which you can visit here:
It will shortly be available for Nook, iPad/iPhone as well. I'm also working on a Musical Spanish app - featuring all of newly updated song animation videos, as well as lesson units for each song. So stay tuned!


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National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix
Seeds, Miraculous Seeds
3 - 5
Three 30-minute sessions plus 1 week of observation
Students will develop an appreciation and understanding of the natural development of seeds, learn the anatomy and function of each seed part through a seed dissection and classify seeds as monocots or dicots.
Activity 1: Seed Dissection
- "Seed Dissection" activity sheet, 1 per student
- "Seeds" PowerPoint
- Seeds for dissecting (1 per student of each variety)
- Kidney or lima beans
- Corn (Make sure the corn is untreated. You may need to get this from a health food store, a feed and seed store, or a store that stocks whole grains.)
- Pine Nuts (optional. These are typically available in the produce section of a grocery store through the fall and winter.)
- Dish of water for soaking
Activity 2: Monocots and Dicots
- "Seeds" PowerPoint
- Optional formative assessment supplies (see activity 2)
Activity 3: Seed Science
- Pre-soaked pinto beans, 4 per student plus extras
- Sandwich-size Ziploc bags, 1 per student
- Paper towels
- "Seed Science Experiment" activity sheet, 1 per student
Essential Files (maps, charts, pictures, or documents)
dicot: a class of plants that contains 2 cotyledons
monocot: a class of plants that contains only 1 cotyledon
seed: what a flower produces which provides capability of reproducing another plant
Did you know? (Ag Facts)
- A coconut is the largest plant seed.
- The smallest seeds can be the size of a spec of dust.
- Seeds can sense gravity and will always grow up.
Background Agricultural Connections
Interest Approach – Engagement
- Play a guessing game with your students. Tell them that you will give them a series of clues. As they hear the clues, they will guess the item you are thinking of. Give the following clues until the students guess, "seed."
- It is used to make oils that we use in cooking.
- They are usually smaller than a coin.
- They are made inside of a flower.
- They can be stored for a long time until they are ready to be used.
- They can grow into a plant.
- Some are eaten.
Activity 1: Seed Dissection
- Pass out one copy of the “Seed Dissection” activity sheet to each student.
- Use the first three slides of the “Seeds” PowerPoint to show students the parts of a seed. Have them label the diagram on their activity sheet and write the functions of the seed coat, food supply, and embryo.
- Soak the seeds (except the pine nut) in water for 24 hours at room temperature. Drain the seeds and pass out a bean, corn, and pine seed to each student. Follow the instructions below to dissect each seed. Have students place each dissected seed part in the labeled box at the bottom of the activity sheet.
- Bean Seed: Carefully have students remove the bean seed coat, which, before the soaking, protected the seed food source (cotyledons) and the embryo, which will become the new plant. Next, have the students gently split the bean seed—the two halves are the two cotyledons. This is where the bean seed stores the food that is used for growth until it gets its first true leaves and begins to make its own food. The students should be able to see a little lump near the edge of one cotyledon. Don’t touch it yet! Carefully study this lump (a hand lens may be useful). This is the embryo—the new plant! If students look closely, they should see the delicate, translucent leaves. Finally, instruct them to separate the embryo from the cotyledon, place it on a flat surface, and look to see not only the leaves, but also the embryonic roots.
- Corn Seed: For contrast, ask the students to try to open the corn seed. You’ll probably see a lot of students squish their seeds, but if they carefully remove the seed coat, and then press their fingernail into the endosperm, the cotyledon and the new embryo can be removed.
- Pine Nut: Finally, perhaps the most interesting seed to dissect is a pine nut. Ask students to gently remove the seed coat. They may have to crack this with their teeth. Next, tell them to push their finger nail through the food source and gently open it to see the embryo—a baby tree.
- Students should now have three seed coats, three food sources, and three seed embryos in the corresponding boxes of their activity sheets. Use glue or tape to attach them.
- Summarize what the students have learned. Yes! We eat seeds: peas, beans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts, cashews, wheat used in bread, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, not to mention the oil that comes from seeds. Seeds truly are a miracle with the potential for life and the ability to sustain lives—like yours and mine. Review by asking these questions: What are seeds used for? Do we eat any seeds or are they used just to grow new plants? Which part of the seed is the outer covering that protects the inside? Which part of the seed is the largest, and what is its purpose? Which part of the seed will grow into the new plant?
Activity 2: Monocots and Dicots
- Tell your students that most seeds can be classified into two groups: monocots and dicots.
- Break the words into smaller pieces to define. Mono=one, di=two, and “cot” is short for cotyledon. Therefore, a monocot seed has one cotyledon and a dicot seed has two cotyledons. Tell students that corn is a monocot and beans are dicots. Discuss the differences they observed between the corn and bean seeds they dissected. Use the information provided in the Background section of this lesson to discuss the differences between monocots and dicots.
- Beginning with slide four of the “Seed” PowerPoint, show students the diagrams and examples of monocot and dicot seeds and seedlings.
- Have students apply their knowledge and identify the next eight plants on the PowerPoint as monocots or dicots. Each slide shows the seedling just after it emerges from the soil as well as the mature plant that the seedling will become. If there is one single leaf on the seedling, it is probably a monocot. You can also identify monocot plants by their long strap-like leaves that are similar to grass. If the plant is a dicot, the seedling will probably have two leaves. Use a method of formative assessment to identify the plants in the PowerPoint. For example:
- Have all students stand in the center of the room. Instruct them to go to the far left of the room if the plant is a monocot and to the far right of the room if it is a dicot. Show students the picture, identify the correct answer, and continue to the next plant following the same procedure.
- Use student response boards (white boards or chalk boards). Instruct students to write, monocot or dicot on their response boards and hold them up.
- Pass out a sheet of scrap paper to each student. Have them write monocot on one side and dicot on the other. Ask students to hold up the correct answer as you show the picture of each plant.
Activity 3: Seed Science
- Soak a bag of pinto beans in water overnight to prepare for this activity.
- Prepare Ziploc bags for sprouting seeds and embryos. You may choose to prepare the bags ahead of time or have students prepare their own. Fold a paper towel to fit inside the bag. Punch a row of staples two inches from the bottom of the ziploc bag. The staples will hold the paper towel in place and help with water drainage, decreasing the chance of the seeds rotting.
- Have the students recall the differences between monocot and dicot plants. Review that monocot seeds appear to be made up of a single whole, while the dicot seed appears to be made up of pieces. Hold up a dry bean seed and ask students to identify if it is a monocot or dicot. Show them a seed that has been soaking and show them the different parts to reveal that it is a seed from a dicot plant.
- Give each student four beans.
- Instruct students to first place two of their bean seeds in their ziploc bag on top of the row of staples.
- With the remaining two seeds, instruct students to carefully peel the seed coats off of the seed.
- Next, each student should take the two seeds without seed coats and gently pull them apart to reveal the two halves— the two cotyledons. Have them look inside for the embryos. Have extra bean seeds available for this step. Some bean seeds have very small embryos, which may make it difficult for the students to remove them intact.
- Once the embryos have been separated, carefully place them inside the ziploc bag, above the row of staples. Students should now have two bean seed embryos and two whole bean seeds in their bag.
- Remind the students that the cotyledons are the bean seed’s food supply—you can think of them as the seed’s “lunch box.” They feed the seed until it can grow leaves and make its own food. Tell them that they will conduct an experiment to see how well seeds grow with and without their food supply.
- Add one tablespoon of water to each bag to wet the paper towel and moisten the seeds. Using tape, hang the bags on a window or in a well-lit area. Do not seal the bags; leaving them slightly open will help prevent the seeds from rotting.
- Have the students complete the first section of the “Seed Science Experiment” activity sheet.
- Observe the growth of the bean seedlings over the next week. Most seeds will sprout in three to five days.
- Have students complete the final section of the “Seed Science Experiment” activity sheet. Discuss what factors might have affected the growth of the embryos and the whole seeds. At the completion of the experiment, students should see the growth and development of a stem, leaves, and roots of the whole bean seed. The embryos will have very limited growth without their food supply, cotyledon, or seed coat.
Concept Elaboration and Evaluation
After conducting these activities, review and summarize the following key concepts:
- Seeds have a seed coat, embryo, and cotyledon.
- The embryo is the portion of the seed that will develop into the mature plant.
- Many plants grow from seeds, including the plants that produce the fruits, vegetables, and grain that we eat.
We welcome your feedback! Please take a minute to tell us how to make this lesson better or to give us a few gold stars!
Play the My American Farm interactive game The Great Seed Search.
Suggested Companion Resources
- Seed Ball Garden Activity (Activity)
- Sprouting Success (Activity)
- What Do Plants Need to Grow? (Activity)
- A Seed in Need: A First Look at the Plant Cycle (Book)
- A Seed is Sleepy (Book)
- A Seed is the Start (Book)
- Anno's Magic Seeds (Book)
- How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (Book)
- How Things Grow (Book)
- How a Seed Grows (Book)
- Oh Say Can You Seed? (Book)
- Sadie's Seed Adventures: Learning About Seeds (Book)
- Dwarf "Space Plant" Seeds (Kit)
- Living Necklace Kits (Kit)
- Seeds for Terrariums (Kit)
- SpaceLite (Plant Light) (Kit)
- My American Farm (Website)
Agricultural Literacy Outcomes
Science, Technology, Engineering & Math
- Provide examples of science being applied in farming for food, clothing, and shelter products (T4.3-5.d)
Education Content Standards
3-LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
3-LS1-1Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
4-LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
4-LS1-1Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
5-LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
5-LS1-1Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.
Common Core Connections
Reading: Anchor Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
Speaking and Listening: Anchor Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Language: Anchor Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.1Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.4Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.


A new, patent-pending technology developed by Belite Enterprises capable of detecting water in the fuel tank or fuel line was introduced Tuesday at AirVenture. We are able to demonstrate this technology so people can see how it is integrated into the aircraft and how it will improve safety, said James Wiebe, president and CEO of Belite Enterprises LLC, a manufacturer of in flight technology, ultralight aircraft design and extremely lightweight digital avionics.
Through the use of a small probe and discernment technology, the device discriminates between water and fuel and provides an alarm signal to the aircraft operator when water is detected, even in minute quantities. Furthermore, the technology also provides an “all clear” indication when the water has passed through the detector.
“While doing research on fuel level probes that were pertinent to our avionics, I stumbled across a newer technology that would help solve a decades old safety problem,” said Wiebe. “Continued R&D on this technology has demonstrated that it is useful for real-time discernment of fluid types and contamination levels. One of the best uses of water detection is in gasoline, as that will immediately help prevent accidents and improve flight safety.
“Aircraft manufacturers have worked on resolving water contamination issues over the years by providing multiple sump points and by industry wide pilot training and education. Even so, the opportunity for accidents and anxiety caused by water contamination in fuel continues,” Wiebe said.
The new technology provides a warning signal that may be used in simple applications to trigger an alarm on the instrument panel. In more sophisticated applications, Wiebe noted that the warning signal might be used to drive automatic tank switching so that water is not fed to the engine.
“We believe this technology can be integrated into aircraft systems by aircraft manufacturers to provide pilots with warnings that water is present or en route to the engine from the fuel tank.” Wiebe noted that detection probes may be placed, for example, at low points in fuel tanks, or inline (between the fuel tank and the fuel selector or in the engine compartment).
Belite is licensing this technology to OEMs, in addition to offering inline water detection probes for Experimental aircraft.
Prices start at $149.95 for a single fuel-water inline probe. For more information, call 316/253-6746 or visit www.beliteaircraft.com. View a video demonstration at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-455nJUnb14.


The escalating attack by the Trump administration on immigrant workers is evoking a strong reaction in the working class. While the unions, including the United Auto Workers (UAW), are aligning with Trump’s reactionary program of “America First” nationalism, there is a broad opposition to the attempt to scapegoat immigrant workers for the deplorable conditions created by the capitalist system.
The World Socialist Web Site Auto Worker Newsletter and the Socialist Equality Party spoke to autoworkers in Detroit and Chicago over the past week on the threats against immigrant workers and the fight to unite the working class in defense of democratic rights. Many spoke in opposition to the immigrant raid.
Supporters of the SEP and International Youth and Students for Social Equality visited the Fiat Chrysler Warren Truck Assembly Plant north of Detroit. They set up a banner and spoke to workers during afternoon shift change, explaining the anti-democratic character of the policies of the Trump administration and the UAW.
A number of workers stopped to give their comments.
Yousef, a young worker at Warren Truck, said about the attempt to scapegoat immigrant workers, “It is sad and it is ridiculous to think there are people who are supporting this, at least some of them.”
The WSWS explained that the ruling class was promoting the attack on immigrant workers to divide the working class and divert attention from the attacks being carried out on jobs and living standards.
“The billionaires like Trump are responsible for this,” Yousef said. “They are making the decisions. Even Trump’s parents were immigrants at one point. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Asked about the UAW’s support for Trump’s chauvinist agenda, Yousef said, “The UAW is supposedly defending us. After all, they do have minority workers. I don’t get it. But, that is big companies for you. The UAW and Fiat Chrysler work hand-in-hand. FCA, Ford, GM and the UAW work hand-in-hand. They are all trying to make money. The UAW is inside the big companies’ pockets.”
Another Warren Truck worker said, “I think it is horrible what is going on. Everyone deserves a chance. This is supposed to be the ‘land of the free.’ So give people freedom.”
Asked what he thought of the Trump administration, he added, “We need everyone to stick together, this is a horrible situation.”
However, another young Warren Truck worker said, “Illegal immigrants should be deported,” adding that there are not enough jobs for American workers.
An SEP supporter challenged him, saying, “It’s not Mexican immigrants or Muslims who have taken jobs and cut the wages of workers. It’s the giant corporations and banks and billionaires like Trump.”
He explained that the ruling class had a long history of trying to divide the working class along racial, ethnic, religious and linguistic lines. “Your grandparents were immigrants too, and there was a time when signs would be posted at employment offices that said, ‘Irish need not apply.’ Immigrants are treated like pariahs to use them as cheap labor. The working class was only able to move forward by uniting black, white, native-born and immigrant workers against the capitalist exploiters.”
He also noted that big corporations like Fiat Chrysler, an Italian-based company, could go anywhere in the world to get cheap labor, including Detroit, but workers are hunted down and deported if they travel to another country to try to improve their lives and feed their families.
The worker thought about it and after a few seconds said, “I have an Irish background, and it’s true they were discriminated against when they first came to this country. I’m also Native American, and I don’t like what’s happening at Standing Rock.
“As far as the corporations and the banks go, they stole and crashed the economy, and they got away with everything. We’re struggling just to make ends meet. I think it would be better if we didn’t have borders and conflicts because people all over the world want the same things.”
A WSWS Auto Worker Newsletter reporting team also visited the Ford Chicago Assembly Plant. Reporters asked Lloyd what he thought of Trump’s attack on immigrants. “A person could say ‘I’m not going to go to America because of all of the killings that are going in Chicago.’ So you’re going to avoid all of America because of one city? It’s the same thing with immigrants.”
Referring to Trump’s attempt to place a ban on immigrants from seven predominantly Muslin countries, he said, “Just because a very small part of Middle Eastern people may be ‘terrorists,’ whatever the case may be, you’re going to take it out on all of them? That’s messed up.”
When asked what he thought about the unions’ effort to place the blame on foreign workers for supposedly taking jobs from American workers, he said, “It’s not necessarily the workers, it’s the companies. They care about the product. It’s always about profit, it’s always about making money. These big corporations don’t care about workers. The government is a big corporation, too.”
Claderic, another autoworker at the Chicago Ford plant, also condemned the attacks on immigrants. “I think the attacks on immigrants are wrong. Not everyone is bad or out to harm us. They’re just as much American as we are. I think they have a right to go and work anywhere they want. They are just here trying to make a living for themselves and their families, and they shouldn’t be deported.
“Trump’s ‘America First’ policies won’t benefit us. This ‘wall’ thing he’s talking about is stupid. He’s got to be the worst president we’ve ever got. His decision-making is terrible. They want to try and stop the Mexican immigrants from getting here, but half of all our food comes with their help.”
Asked about UAW President Dennis Williams’s statement that the UAW is willing to work with Trump on the basis of a program of economic nationalism, Claderic said, “Who benefits? Not us. The CEOs and shareholders make billion-dollar bonuses, and we don’t get any of that.
“Trump doesn’t want to reason with other countries or other people. He doesn’t want to reason with immigrants, he just wants to bully them, and bullying like this never works.”


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Doors at 7:30 pm; Show at 8:00pm
Tickets are $20 Advance / $25 at the Door
Formed in 1988, Celtic rock band Tempest has recorded 15 CDs and played more than 2,000 shows in near and faraway places, especially at Celtic fests from Philadelphia to the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Cropredy in England, and Denmark’s Skagen Festival. For a while the band even hosted its own Karflukifest with like-minded bands from around the world. Tempest fuses Irish reels, Scottish ballads, Norwegian influences, and other world music elements in its high-energy concerts. The new CD, “The Tracks We Leave,” is officially released Feb. 24 on Magna Carta Records. The title is inspired by a Dakota Sioux proverb: “We will be known forever by the tracks we leave,” a reference to the environmental, spiritual, and musical imprints we leave upon the world we live in.
Hailing from Oslo, Norway, Tempest’s founder and lead singer-electric mandolinist Lief Sorbye is recognized as a driving force in the modern folk-rock movement. He started Tempest after nine years in pioneering Celtic folk band Golden Bough. San Francisco fiddler Kathy Buys brings her international award-winning playing to the Tempest stage. Born in Colorado and brought up in small-town Missouri, Gregory Jones is the latest in a long line of Tempest guitar greats. His fiery licks and hard-rocking approach to the instrument, combined with his experience and understanding of Celtic music, have made him a favorite with fans new and old alike. Cuban-born drummer Adolfo Lazo, an original Tempest member, colors the band’s sound with inventive rhythms and rock-steady drumming. The newest member is Josh Fossgreen, an exceptional young talent whose innovative bass textures add a rich dimension to the Tempest soundscape.


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Lewis Hamilton cut Sebastian Vettel’s lead of the Formula 1 championship to just a single point with his fourth consecutive British GP victory.
Hamilton lead from lights to flag in front of his home crowd, who turned up in force at Silverstone just days after the track owner announced it had triggered the break clause in its contract to host the British GP.
Behind him, Valtteri Bottas made it a Mercedes 1-2, having started ninth with a grid penalty.
Tyre failures hit both Ferrari drivers. Kimi Raikkonen, who had spent most of the race second, dropped back to third whilst Vettel was forced to drive longer on his punctured tyre and fell back to seventh.
Max Verstappen, who enjoyed a battle with Vettel early in the race, inherited fourth, his best finish since China at the start of the season.
Here are some of the best images from this year’s British GP.

domain: sports


Leading Enterprise Artificial Intelligence® provider, Noodle.ai, and SSAB Americas, the North American division of leading global steel manufacturer SSAB, have announced plans to deploy artificial intelligence throughout elements of the company’s steel manufacturing process in its U.S. operations.
SSAB develops high-strength steels and provides services for enhanced performance and sustainability to ultimately make end products lighter, stronger and more durable. Through its cost-efficient and flexible production system, SSAB Americas’ plants in the U.S. have an annual steel production capacity of nearly 2.5 million tons.
To improve efficiency in SSAB’s U.S. operations, Noodle.ai will focus on applying its Enterprise AI® Applications to enable probabilistic, pattern-based decisions, rather than deterministic, rules-based decision making.
Noodle.ai’s Enterprise AI® Platform and suite of applications will allow SSAB Americas to utilize its sensor data and pair it with external data to anticipate and plan for key variables affecting business operations including asset uptime, product quality and production flow. By continuously learning over time, Noodle.ai’s applications identify patterns in complex combinations and production variations, predict costly product quality issues before they occur, and detect opportunities to ultimately recommend plant-wide optimizations to increase profit.
“SSAB Americas is a pioneering manufacturing company that is looking to embrace new technologies to improve the quality of their products, service to customers and competitiveness,” said Noodle.ai Founder & CEO Steve Pratt. “Both Noodle.ai and SSAB look forward to further boosting SSAB’s efforts toward sustainability and increasing SSAB’s economic performance through the power of data.”
“We are excited to implement new digitalization technologies and to explore how the application of Enterprise AI® can impact our performance and create a competitive advantage,” said Tom Toner, Vice President of Operations for SSAB Americas. “Our goal is to learn how we can increase efficiency and decrease any bottlenecks in our operations with this advanced technology.”
Noodle.ai applies advanced data science to industries at the core of the global economy to create a world without waste. With Noodle.ai’s advanced Enterprise AI® applications, business leaders who make, move, and sell things are empowered to make better decisions, reduce wasted energy, money, and resources, and ensure their businesses are built to last. Founded in 2016, Noodle.ai is led by executives previously with the top firms in data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and management consulting. Noodle.ai focuses on radical efficiency for supply chain, transportation & distribution, and manufacturing using leading-edge artificial intelligence.
About SSAB Americas
SSAB Americas is a division of SSAB, a global market leading Nordic and US-based steel company. SSAB offers value added products and services developed in close cooperation with its customers to create a stronger, lighter and more sustainable world. SSAB has employees in more than 50 countries, with production facilities in Sweden, Finland and the US. SSAB is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange in Stockholm and has a secondary listing on the NASDAQ OMX in Helsinki. For more information, please visit www.ssab.com.


Vocalist most well known as a member of the K-pop boy band Vromance. The group debuted with the EP The Action and followed in 2017 with the second EP Romance.
Prior to their debut, Vromance worked as vocal trainers for Korean pop idols and they recorded guide songs.
Vromance singles have been featured on several Korean dramas like The Heirs and Strong Woman Do Bong-soon.
He was born and raised in South Korea.
Huh Gak was featured on the 2016 Vromance single "Already Winter."


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Wild things play at State Library these holidays
This summer, discover a place where wild things play through workshops, activities, stories and a monster film festival for all ages at State Library.
Kicking off on 5 January 2015, State Library’s summer holiday program will have little monsters’ imaginations running wild as they build lairs, discover hidden wild things, dress up, play out their favourite tales, and explore the art of storytelling in Story Lab workshops. State Librarian Janette Wright said SLQ’s holiday program sees thousands of families visit each year for its rich program of fun and affordable activities for everyone.
“Both children and adults will be engaged with the great range of creative learning experiences SLQ offers, giving families a fun way to spend quality time together,” Ms Wright said.
“Many of our holiday program visitors say the activities are ‘not just for kids!’ as they have such a wonderful time themselves with their children.”
Experiment with the properties of paint in Queensland monster manufactory workshops (for ages 4 to 12, bookings required); get crafty and bring out your inner monster at wild wardrobe workshops (for all ages); create a monster-worthy reading den in the monster build workshops (for all ages, bookings required); then snuggle in and get ready for some tall tales with terrifying tales story time (for all ages).
Enjoy some ferocious family favourites in the monster family film fest (for all ages); and don’t miss creative hands-on workshops for little designers in the APDL little designers workshops (for ages 4 to 8, bookings required).
Plus, Story Lab workshops (for ages 8 to 16, bookings required) are back for another jam packed program of hands-on, minds-on fun and creativity. Choose from workshops in Minecraft, animation, robotics, manga, comics, cartooning, or script writing and performance.
Bookings are required for some workshops. For more information and to book visit slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on
Media enquiries Kirri-Lee Huggett, SLQ Communications t. 07 3842 9803 | e. email@example.com
Discover an eclectic range of books, gifts, reproduction prints and more at the Library Shop.

domain: hobby


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Changes in global temperatures over a long term timescale result in changes in sea-level, mainly through thermal expansion of the ocean and the melting of land ice. Over the past 100 years the world has warmed by about 0.5°C (Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia). Due to increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the world will be a warmer place in the future. Predictions of the extent of sea level rise are varied but no matter what the level, the coastline of Cornwall will be affected.
Climate change causes sea levels to rise in two main ways. Water expands as it warms. As the globe warms up, so do the seas and as they expand the sea level rises. This is thought by scientists to be the most dominant factor in sea level change. The second most important factor is melting land ice. Water in glaciers has been trapped as ice for thousands of years and when the glaciers melt the water enters the sea and the sea level rises.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its Fourth Assessment in 2007. The main conclusions drawn were as follows.
1.Warming of the climate system is unequivocal.
2.Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic (human) greenhouse gas concentrations.
3.Anthropogenic warming and sea level rise will continue for centuries due to the timescales associated with climate processes and feedbacks, even if greenhouse gas concentrations were to be stabilized, although the likely amount of temperature and sea level rise varies greatly depending on the fossil fuel burning intensity of human activity during the next century.
4.The probability that this is caused by natural climatic processes alone is less than 5%.
World temperatures could rise by between 1.1 and 6.4 °C during the 21st century.
5.Sea levels will probably rise by 18 to 59 cm.
6.There is a confidence level of more than 90% that there will be more frequent warm spells, heat waves and heavy rainfall.
7.There is a confidence level of more than 66% that there will be an increase in droughts, tropical cyclones and extreme high tides.
8.Both past and future anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions will continue to contribute to warming and sea level rise for more than a millennium.
9.Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human activities since 1750 and now far exceed pre-industrial values over the past 650,000 years.
Some critics have contended that the IPCC reports tend to underestimate dangers, understate risks, and report only the "lowest common denominator" findings (McKibben, 2007). It may already be out of date and omits recent observations and factors contributing to global warming, such as the release of greenhouse gases from thawing tundra. Some other studies estimate that in 2100 sea levels could be 0.5–1.4 m above 1990 levels (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6179409.stm).
The South West could see the highest sea level rise in Britain with a rise of between 20cm to 80cm by 2080. Mean sea level at Newlyn has risen 15cm since 1915 (NTSLF, Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory). Mean wave height has increased from 1.8m in 1962 to 2.3m today. The predicted changes in sea level are dramatic and are at their most extreme at the western tip of Cornwall. The National Trust believe managed retreat may be the only solution for some low lying areas e.g. Marazion. The UK Climate Change Impact Programme (UKCIP) predicts extreme sea levels (spring tides, storm surges etc.) will be experienced more often and storm frequency is expected to increase with over 50% more winter low pressure systems crossing the UK.
Taking all these factors into consideration sea level rise in Cornwall should be taken as a given and attention should turn to mitigating the effects and resulting impacts on the coastline. Such impacts may include increased coastal erosion, higher storm-surge flooding, more extensive coastal inundation, changes in surface water quality and groundwater characteristics, increased loss of property and coastal habitats, increased flood risk and potential loss of life, loss of cultural resources, impacts on agriculture and aquaculture through decline in soil and water quality, and loss of tourism, recreation and transportation. However appropriate management techniques are still being formulated and would appear to fall into two categories, coastal defence (hard engineering) or managed retreat (soft engineering).
Many countries (such as the Netherlands) have a single controlling authority for coastal management which can treat the coastal zone as a whole, with the foreshore, hinterland and offshore areas being parts of a single unit within which occur a complex series of interactions. This is not the case in the United Kingdom. Coastal defence in the UK is the responsibility of local authorities (in this case Cornwall County Council) with some support supplied by the Environment Agency (part of DEFRA). Although Cornwall County Council recognises the fact of sea level rise it does not seem to have any concrete plans to deal with it. This could be due to several factors but the overriding factors would seem to be the financial cost of mitigation, whether through hard or soft engineering, and the lack of central government guidance. Vulnerable areas have been identified but the management options are still being developed.
Sea Level Rise in Cornwall. (http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=11617)
Sea Level Rise in the Fal Estuary (http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=11617)
However, hard engineered coastal defences such as offshore breakwaters, seawalls and embankments might not be the only option.
“There is no guarantee that hard defences work in the long term: they are often only a temporary solution. As sea levels rise and severe storms increase, it will become ever more difficult and expensive to build and maintain strong defences. They can also disfigure the coast and cause environmental harm by moving the problem to another location. We believe therefore that hard defences should only be used as a last resort.” (National Trust, 2005)
This illustrates the approach to managed retreat that is increasingly being adopted by NGO’s such as the National Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Wildlife and Wetlands Trust etc. By working with nature instead of against it and managing the retreat from the advancing sea by creating space along the coastline such as salt marshes and sand dunes to act as natural sea defences, they believe that wildlife and habitats can be protected. At the same time these natural coastal defences would enhance the protection already provided to infrastructure and housing. The National Trust believes this is likely to be the most realistic and cost-effective approach over the long term.
The National Trust is Britain’s largest coastal landowner. With 1130 kilometres of coastline the Trust now owns nearly 10% of the coast of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Of this they have identified 169 sites along some 608 kilometres (60%) of National Trust-owned coastline which could lose land by erosion. Nearly 10% of this loss could be between 100-200 metres inland and 5% more could be losses of over 200 metres inland. Of the sites identified, 126 (with land covering 4040 hectares) are currently at risk from tidal flooding with a further 33 low-lying sites at risk of combined tidal and river flooding within the next 100 years. Looking at these figures it can be seen that the National Trust’s response to sea level rise could have a significant impact on local and national government policy. Five key areas were identified. (Taken from Shifting Shores: Living with a Changing Coastline, 2005. The National Trust)
“1. Long-term planning is essential. To adapt effectively to sea-level rise and climate change we need to plan at least 50 to 100 years ahead. In many cases it will be necessary to relocate people, habitats and buildings and to do so cost-effectively requires early action. The future is inherently unpredictable, even more so with climate change and a dynamic coastal environment, so we need to allow flexibility in our management and planning.
2. Think and act in a wider context. The boundaries of the Trust’s coastal sites take no account of the real boundaries of the coastal cells in which coastal processes operate. In order to take a flexible and responsive approach to dealing with coastal change, we need to think and act in a much wider spatial context, managing our sites within freshwater catchments and coastal cells.
3. Work with nature not against it. Our experience has demonstrated that working with natural processes is the most sustainable approach. In some cases this will mean undoing past mistakes, taking out hard defences and letting the coast realign naturally. In others we will need to phase our approach, buying time with temporary solutions while finding space to allow natural defences to form.
4. Solutions need partnership. We cannot operate in isolation as the decisions we make nearly always impact beyond the immediate site. Tackling the problems facing our sites also requires action by others, especially neighbouring coastal owners and managers. Finding mutually beneficial solutions like large-scale realignment projects requires a strong partnership approach.
5. Involving the public is critical. Raising awareness of the impacts on our coastal sites is vital to winning public confidence. Any form of realignment of the coast can create uncertainty and even hostility. Building consensus and providing information takes time and effort, but is crucial to finding sustainable solutions.” (National Trust, 2005)
So what are the options for managing the effects of sea level rise on Cornwall’s coastline? Most of the major population centres are in the coastal zone – Falmouth, Penryn, Truro, Penzance, St. Ives, Newquay, Bude and St. Austell. They contain a large proportion of the urban population and housing in Cornwall as well as major infrastructure (e.g. Falmouth docks), centres of education and local government, cultural and historical areas, retail centres and areas of regeneration and development. Managed retreat from these locations would be prohibitively expensive, legally ambiguous and socially disruptive.
Most already have some form of hard coastal defence which could be added to and maintained with help from central government. As these would be major civil engineering projects they would provide employment and investment opportunities in a region of high unemployment.
At the same time the option of managed retreat and the creation of natural coastal defences could be instituted for the rest of Cornwall’s coastline. Areas such as the Fal estuary, with its salt marshes and St. Ives Bay, with a well established dune system are ideal for establishing the management systems required. These could then be applied to other areas of the coastline.
Although this would still require large expenditures, these would be cheaper than large scale hard engineering and have the added benefit of providing protection to wildlife and existing habitats and creating new habitats.By combining the two approaches to mitigating sea level rise a viable management system could be developed to maintain a sustainable economy and society in Cornwall. Whether the political will and financial resources to implement such a system exist is another question.

domain: geography


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Chadwick Boseman, who died last August after being diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, was named best actor in a motion picture, drama at the 78th annual Golden Globes on Sunday night for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
The late actor’s wife Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted the award for him, sharing that if Boseman were alive, “he would thank God. He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices.”
“He would say something beautiful,” his wife continued in an emotional acceptance speech for her husband. “Something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice inside of us that tells us you can, that tells you to keep going, that calls you back to what you were meant to be doing in this moment.”
“I don’t have his words but we have to take all the moments to celebrate those we love,” Boseman said at the end of her speech.
Boseman is the first Black acting posthumous winner in history and the second overall in the category after Peter Finch for Network. He is the fourth Black actor winner of the category following Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland, Denzel Washington in The Hurricane, and Sidney Poitier in Lilies in the Field.
Boseman also makes history as the first acting winner from a film that debuted on a streaming service in this category.
The Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom star beat out Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), Anthony Hopkins (The Father), Gary Oldman (Mank), and Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian).
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey hosted the awards show coast to coast (Poehler in Los Angeles and Fey in New York City). The ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel as well as locations from across the world and aired live on NBC.
The Golden Globe Awards ceremony is produced by Dick Clark Productions, a division of MRC, which is a co-owner of The Hollywood Reporter through a joint venture with Penske Media titled P-MRC.


There are a lot of collective impact organizations these days that are established all for the greater good of their target groups. Collective impact is gaining some noise all because of the positive outcomes that they have established. The use of collective impact has brought some influence on systems and outcomes on a population-level.
Collective impact brings about different reactions from different people. Whether good or bad, the reactions are often strong. Before you form your ideations about the collective impact model, you have to first know the basics about it. Social change is one of the reasons why this particular approach is used in this day and age. The first time this concept was introduced, there have been a lot of talks about them. Nevertheless, both clarity and structure are offered in the operation of complex social change processes that involve a multi-sectoral approach. If there will not be any collective impact, these social change processes will remain to give you intangible and opaque feelings.
When it comes to the collective impact model, it is effective in dealing with shared leadership, community engagement, local context, data use, and equity. All of these issues have something to do with various institutions with the likes of school systems, nonprofit organizations, human services organizations, and target environments and populations. There is a lot of potential to the collective impact model as long as collective impact organizations make sure to use them right. You can read more here about the many benefits of collective impact.
The first thing that you need to know about collective impact is that it has something to do with target places and populations and what change you want to see from it. Only with the right methods in collective impact can you rest assured that there will be meaningful changes happening to your target places and populations. Improved river health, lower rates of teen births, and decreased rates of homelessness are some of the meaningful changes. If you say target populations, these could mean people who belong to a certain geographic area, specific system, or with special needs.
For targeted places or people, the use of collective impact has a huge contribution to the changes or outcome expected as per initiatives. There are different sectors that are responsible in furnishing the members of collective impact organizations. These organizations must also partner with stakeholders. A positive change is established in two ways for collective impact organizations. The first way involves the creation of service and programs that all help targeted populations. You will also be able to observe these services and programs to be expanded. To achieve positive outcomes, policy changes are also introduced at the organizational or the state level. Resources must be properly leveraged so that important aspects of the collective impact will be worked on. It is the job of an effective collective impact organization to support the effective multi-sector partnership, engage in mutually nourishing activities, and cultivate a shared vision. This is what collective impact is all about.