Controlling Defects(Doping) in Semiconductor Quantum Dots
Semiconductor nanoparticles are potential materials for next generation solar cells, but manipulating defects of these materials remains a challenge. A goal of our research is develop economically viable colloidal methodologies to produce doped quantum confined particles (quantum dots) and study their fundamental properties. Doping nanoparticles and quantum dots results in new and interesting science. Critical components of this research are to find ways to circumvent challenges and to understand the underlying mechanisms of doping quantum dots. The young artist's (Hyeon Jung Kim) conception below shows the structure of a single cadmium selenide quantum dot that is used as a model in our doping studies.
•Luo, H.; Tuinenga, C.; Guidez, E. B.; Lewis, C.; Shipman, J.; Roy, S.; Aikens, C. M.; Chikan, V., Synthesis and Characterization of Gallium-Doped Cdse Quantum Dots. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C (2015), ASAP.
•Sarkany, L.; Wasylenko, J. M.; Roy, S.; Higgins, D. A.; Elles, C. G.; Chikan, V., Investigation of Fluorescence Emission from Cdse Nanorods in Pmma and P3ht/Pmma Films. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C (2013), 117, 18818-18828.
•Roy, S.; Aguirre, A.; Higgins, D. A.; Chikan, V., Investigation of Charge Transfer Interactions in CdSe Nanorod P3HT/PMMA Blends by Optical Microscopy. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C (2011), 116 (4), 3153-3160.
•Chikan, V., Challenges and Prospects of Electronic Doping of Colloidal Quantum Dots: Case Study of CdSe. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. (2011), 2 (21), 2783-2789.
•Santanu Roy, C. T., Fadzai Fungura, Pinar Dagtepe, Jacek Jasinski and Viktor Chikan, Progress towards Producing n-type CdSe Quantum Dots: Tin and Indium Doped CdSe Quantum Dots. J. Phys. Chem. C (2009), 113 (30), 13008–13015.
•Christopher Tuinenga, Jacek Jasinski, Valerie J. Leppert; Takeo Iwamoto, Viktor Chikan, In situ Observation of Heterogeneous Growth of CdSe Quantum Dots; Effect of Indium Doping on the Growth Kinetics, ACS Nano, 2(7), 1411–1421, (2008)
• Mandal, P. K. & Viktor Chikan Terahertz Conductivity of n-type (charged) CdSe Quantum Dots. Nano Lett., 7 (8), 2521 -2528, (2007)
Colloidal Synthesis of Nanomaterials
Our group has been involved in synthesizing a variety of new nanomaterials at Kansas State University. Many of the materials are the result of the hypothesis driven research where we intend to investigate a particular material in terms of its function, however in some instances we have stumbled across some new materials. One of the driving force for exploring new nanomaterials is that the currently available materials are not sustainable to address the specific needs. We are developing materials that are potentially more environmentally friendly and abundant. The picture collage below shows a gallery of nanoparticles developed by our group. The images are obtained by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.
•Dahal, N.; Jacek Jasinski; Valerie J. Leppert; Viktor Chikan, Synthesis of Water-Soluble Iron-Gold Alloy Nanoparticles. Chem. Mater., 20 (20), 6389–6395, (2008)
•Dahal, N.; Chikan, V., Phase-Controlled Synthesis of Iron Silicide (Fe3Si and FeSi2) Nanoparticles in Solution. Chem. Mater. (2010) 22, (9), 2892-2897.
•Dahal, N.; Chikan, V., Synthesis of Hafnium Oxide-Gold Core-Shell Nanoparticles. Inorganic Chemistry 2012, 51 (1), 518-522.
•Luo, H.; Kebede, B. A.; McLaurin, E. J.; Chikan, V., Rapid Induction and Microwave Heat-Up Syntheses of CdSe Quantum Dots. ACS Omega 2018, 3 (5), 5399-5405.
Mechanism of Colloidal Growth of Nanomaterials
Colloidal synthesis of nanomaterials is a cheap process that can be potentially scaled up for industrial production. Controlling the growth of nanoparticles in colloidal solution is an important step towards developing materials with well-defined optical and physical properties. Our goal is to understand how the interplay of thermodynamics and growth kinetics determines the size and the size distribution of nanoparticles. The thermodynamic control of the nanoparticle growth may lead phenomena such as the formation of magic sized nanoparticles. In the example below, we are observing the birth of magic sized CdTe quantum dots and its 'quantized' aggregation into larger quantum dots by in situ absorption spectroscopy during the growth of nanostructures. LEFT figure shows the 'usual' monomer induced growth of CdSe quantum dots. RIGHT figure shows the time evolution of the absorption spectra of CdTe quantum dot solution during the synthesis. The first step is the formation of magic sized CdTe quantum dot, which subsequently undergoes aggregation.
•Dagtepe, P.; Chikan, V., Quantized Ostwald Ripening of Colloidal Nanoparticles. J. Phys. Chem. C (2010), 114, (39), 16263-16269.
•Dagtepe, P.; Chikan, V., Effect of Cd/Te Ratio on the Formation of CdTe Magic-Sized Quantum Dots during Aggregation. J. Phys. Chem. A (2008), 112, (39), 9304-9311.
•Dagtepe, P., Jacek Jasinski, Valerie J. Leppert; Viktor Chikan, Quantized Growth of CdTe Quantum Dots; Observation of Magic Sized CdTe Quantum Dots. J. Phys. Chem. C, 111 (41), 14977 -14983, (2007)
Magnetic Properties of Colloidal Nanoparticles
Interaction of magnetic field with nanoparticles will be important to remotely manipulating these particles from our macroscopic world to control processes at the microscopic level. In this work, we are interested in exploring the basic science of how magneto-optical phenomena take place in colloidal metal and magnetic nanomaterials. Specifically, we are investigating the Faraday rotation of metal and magnetic nanomaterials and how these materials differ from their bulk counterparts.
•Wysin, G. M.; Viktor, C.; Nathan, Y.; Raj Kumar, D., Effects of Interband Transitions on Faraday Rotation in Metallic Nanoparticles. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 2013, 25, 325302.
•Dani, R. K.; Wang, H.; Bossmann, S. H.; Wysin, G.; Chikan, V., Faraday rotation enhancement of gold coated Fe2O3 nanoparticles: Comparison of experiment and theory. J. Chem. Phys. (2011), 135 (22), 224502-9.
Cancer Treatment and Drug Delivery with the help of Magnetic Nanoparticles
Magnetic hyperthermia represents a one step development towards selective and uniform heating of cancerous tissue by introducing nanometer sized magnetic particles close to a tumor site. The temperature increase of the tissue can significantly contribute to the destruction of the cancerous cells. Heating takes place by power absorption of the nanometer sized superparamagnetic and ferromagnetic particles from alternating magnetic field.
•Podaru, G.; Dani, R. K.; Wang, H.; Basel, M. T.; Prakash, P.; Bossmann, S. H.; Chikan, V., Pulsed Magnetic Field Induced Fast Drug Release from Magneto Liposomes Via Ultrasound Generation. J. Phys. B (2014), 118(40), 11715–11722.
•Chikan, V.; Bossmann, S., Biosensors Based on Nanomaterials
and Nanodevices. Wu, J. L. a. N. N., Ed. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group: (2013);
•Wang, H.; Shrestha, T. B.; Basel, M. T.; Dani, R. K.; Seo, G.-M.; Balivada, S.; Pyle, M. M.; Prock, H.; Koper, O. B.; Thapa, P. S.; Moore, D.; Li, P.; Chikan, V.; Troyer, D. L.; Bossmann, S. H., Magnetic-Fe/Fe3o4-Nanoparticle-Bound Sn38 as Carboxylesterase-Cleavable Prodrug for the Delivery to Tumors within Monocytes/Macrophages. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology (2012), 3, 444-455.
•Basel, M. T.; Balivada, S.; Wang, H.; Shrestha, T. B.; Seo, G. M.; Pyle, M.; Abayaweera, G.; Dani, R.; Koper, O. B.; Tamura, M.; Chikan, V.; Bossmann, S. H.; Troyer, D. L., Cell-Delivered Magnetic Nanoparticles Caused Hyperthermia-Mediated Increased Survival in a Murine Pancreatic Cancer Model. International Journal of Nanomedicine (2012), 7, 297-306.
•Rachakatla, R. S.; Balivada, S.; Seo, G.-M.; Myers, C. B.; Wang, H.; Samarakoon, T. N.; Dani, R.; Pyle, M.; Kroh, F. O.; Walker, B.; Leaym, X.; Koper, O. B.; Chikan, V.; Bossmann, S. H.; Tamura, M.; Troyer, D. L., Attenuation of Mouse Melanoma by a/C Magnetic Field after Delivery of Bi-Magnetic Nanoparticles by Neural Progenitor Cells. Acs Nano (2010), 4, 7093-7104.
•Balivada, S.; Rachakatla, R. S.; Wang, H.; Samarakoon, T.; Dani, R. K.; Pyle, M.; Kroh, F.; Walker, B.; Leaym, X.; Koper, O.; Tamura, M.; Chikan, V.; Bossmann, S.; Troyer, D., A/C Magnetic Hyperthermia of Melanoma Mediated by Iron(0)/Iron Oxide Core/Shell Magnetic Nanoparticles: A Mouse Study. BMC Cancer (2010), 10, 119.
Development of Electromagnets for Biological Applications
Manipulating small magnetic nanoparticles in solution require homogeneous and inhomogeneous magnetic fields. The Chikan group has developed several pulsed magnets that aim to rotate and translate magnetic nanomaterials. The picture below shows an electromagnetic coil designed to produce high strength, homogeneous high frequency magnetic field. The magnetic field of the magnetic is measured via faraday rotation of a known material at the HeNe laser frequency (632 nm). These magnetic fields will be utilized to achieve instantaneous drug release in biological medium.
•Podaru, G.; Moore, J.; Dani, R. K.; Prakash, P.; Chikan, V., Nested Helmholtz coil design for producing homogeneous transient rotating magnetic fields. Review of Scientific Instruments (2015), 86 (3), 034701.
Assembling the magnet
Magnetic field distribution of helmholtz vs antihelmholtz coil visualized with magnetic viewing film


text:
From May 30–June 8, the Brooklyn Film Festival will screen 100 different independent films at three cinemas — with selections from all over the globe, including feature-length narratives, animated shorts, and documentaries. With so much going on, deciding what to see can be a daunting and time consuming prospect — so we did all the hard work for you. Here are our picks of the flicks.
A 20-minute documentary about a Purto Rican social club in Williamsburg. The short touches on issues relevant to the changing neighborhood, including cultural clashes and effects of gentrification. It is part of an online initiative to document and preserve the history and culture of Williamsburg’s south side called “Living Los Sures.”
Windmill Studios, June 1 at 7:30 pm, and IndieScreen, June 2 at 10:30 pm. $12.
This coming-of-age story — about a teenage girl alternating between the harsh reality of caring for her disabled mother and the fantasy life she creates with her powerful imagination — received plenty of praise following its debut at South by Southwest.
IndieScreen, May 30 at 8 pm. $40.
A documentary exploring the mystery surrounding Johnny Gosch — a paperboy in Iowa who went out on his morning route 30 years ago, and never returned. He became the first missing child to appear on the side of a milk carton, but the extraordinary efforts made to find him were to no avail.
Windmill Studios, May 31 at 5 pm, and IndieScreen, June 7 at 5:30 pm. $12.
This 17-minute short from a London filmmaker explores the reaction of a troubled young boy when a girl he likes finds her way in to his secluded personal space on the roof of a building. More importantly, it stars Maisie Williams — better known as Arya Stark from “Game of Thrones.”
Windmill Studios, June 3 at 10 pm, and IndieScreen, June 5 at 10:30 pm. $12.
The Brooklyn Film Festival at Windmill Studios [287 Kent Ave. between S. First and S. Second streets in Williamsburg, (718) 384–7300, www.brookl

domain: artistic


text:
Grief comes in unexpected surges.....mysterious cues that set off a reminder of grief. It comes crashing like a wave, sweeping me in its crest, twisting me inside out, then recedes. ~ Tony Talbot
Do you have a question not answered here ask us
A period of mourning after a loss, especially after the death of a loved one; a state of intense grief; desolation.
Each person's experience of grief is unique and individual. Below are some common emotional, physical, spiritual and social indicators of grief:
There simply is not a time line that can be applied to measure or predict a person's grief. Grief lasts as long as it takes to begin accepting, understanding and learning to adjust to living with your loss. Throughout this grieving process, being able to receive support is a way to care for yourself and help begin the healing process. The changes and transitions required by grief may generate feelings of isolation and increased anxiety. When the work of grief is approached with the intention of allowing grief to teach and inform us, these painful transitions and changes may help the grieving process.
No, your grief is not a sign of weakness or poor coping skills, it is a normal and healthy part of the healing process. To deal with grief and face the changes in your life, you may need to:
“You do not heal from the loss of a loved one because time passes; you heal because of what you do with the time." ~ Carol Crandall

domain: health


text:
Author(s): Maja Sabali aff1 , Alessandro Mangano aff2 , Georgios D Lianos aff3 aff4 , Luigi Boni aff5 , Gianlorenzo Dionigi aff5 , Alberto Mangano [*] aff5 aff6
bone regeneration; growth factors; mesenchymal stem cells; regenerative surgery; scaffolds; tissue engineering
There is a high demand for improved, less invasive bone regeneration approaches. New techniques and materials could improve the quality of life of patients with a wide spectrum of pathologies of the oral and maxillofacial regions, such as bone loss due to periodontal disease, periapical lesions, congenital malformations, tumors and trauma. Although associated with a number of minor and major postsurgical complications, bone grafting of autologous cancellous or cortical bone is still a treatment of choice for large bony defects. [1,2 ] The complexity of bone structure and function (loaded vs nonloaded bone) make its regeneration a challenging task; bone metabolic and mechanical competency, vascularization, immunogenicity and innate regeneration capacity are to be considered when developing new regeneration strategies. The following paragraphs discuss current challenges, recent developments in tissue engineering and the rationale for using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in dental and regenerative surgery applications.
The three 'pillars' of tissue engineering & regenerative medicine
The fast developing field of tissue engineering, based on the paradigm of three 'pillars' - scaffolds, cells, signals (e.g., growth factors) offers some promising solutions for bone regeneration. The pillar sine qua non - a scaffold provides architecture to hold the components in the transplantation site. A number of scaffold designs have been tested in preclinical and clinical studies for requirements such as biocompatibility, high porosity to allow diffusion and vascularization, mixed porosity (different sizes of pores) support for the tissue but also biodegradability once tissue is formed in place. Notably, studies utilizing cell cultures provided insight into influence of microenvironment stiffness and mechanotransduction [3 ] and since it was shown that physical stimuli can foster regeneration of various nanostructured calcium phosphate biomaterials [4,5 ] mimicking bone matrix were developed.
Scaffolds resembling the natural extracellular matrix of intramembranous bone might be the key for successful craniofacial bone regeneration but satisfactory results cannot be achieved by scaffolds alone. The question that has recently emerged, however, is "Do we need to deliver all three 'pillars' to the transplantation site?" The paracrine effect of stem cells known from myocardium infarction studies [6 ] questions the need for adding growth factors, which are often expensive and can be rapidly degraded in big wounds. On the other hand, some papers are highlighting enhancement of endogenous stem cells by the use of conditioned media as a novel and alternative therapy [7,8 ]. It is not known whether secretomes from cell culture media can safely replace factors produced by cells in their in vivo microenvironment.
Importance of signals directing regeneration remains a focus of a number of current studies. A recent study [9 ] in mice, defining a lineage tree of a population of postnatal skeletal stem cell (SSC) and progenitors, identifies niche factors determining bone cells' fate. The SSCs and their progeny differentially express receptors involved in TGF and...

domain: biology


63 PCS Master Engine Timing Tool Kit For Alfa Romeo Fiat Lancia
This is the ultimate master Engine Timing Tool Kit for Alfa Fiat
Lancia. Comprehensive engine timing tool set for Italian cars.
Includes all tools required for camshaft alignment, tensioning and
crankshaft alignment to cover a wide range of petro and diesel engines packed in blow moulded case with bespoke foam insert
with perfect indents for every tool in the collection.
A must have for any serious mechanic or competent DIY'er.
To help give you an idea of how well this set is made it weighs
just short of 11 kgs.
Made for professionals by professionals.
Alfa Romeo vehicle with 1.4 ;1.6 1.8, 2.0 and 3.0L 4 cylinders
6-cylinder engine Alfa Romeo 145, 146, 147, 155, 156, 164, 166,
GTA, GTV and Spider GT
Fiat, Lancia vehicle with 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 And 2.0L 4
5-cylinder engine Fiat Panda, Punto, Palio, Siena, Bravo, Brava,
Stilo, Marea, Multipla, Barchetta, Lancia Dedra, Delta, Kappa and
Fully comprehensive professional kit
Anodized Colour coded parts for easy identification
All parts of highest quality
Supplied in very handy blow moulded carry case
All parts protected by High density foam


text:
Deepen your quilt artistry by creating quilts in a series
This inspiring guide from art quilter Elizabeth Barton is for quilt artists who have mastered the basics and want to explore deeper levels of creativity and skill. Learn how making a series of quilts can help you generate more ideas, find new subtleties in favorite subjects, and build a body of work for shows. Packed with hands-on lessons and examples, this book will transform your work and enlarge your creative vision forever.
• Creative exercises help you develop your own themes and techniques
• Includes huge gallery of more than 200 examples from Elizabeth and other working art quilters
• Explains how working in a series elevates creativity and artistic depth
* Important Notes About PRINT ON DEMAND Editions
ALL SALES ARE FINAL: PODs are non-returnable and non-refundable. This title will be printed after purchase
and will arrive separately from any in-stock items. Allow minimum 2 weeks for U.S. delivery; add additional
2 weeks for international shipments. Expedited shipping not available.
PRINT QUALITY WILL VARY FROM ORIGINAL EDITION: PODs are printed on uncoated (non-glossy) paper and
the color may appear more saturated. Information presented is the same as the most recent printed edition.
Pattern pullouts (if applicable) have been separated and presented as single pages.
print on demand edition
8.5 x 11


Sometimes the Internet is the most wonderful place. Some genius took Kanye's interesting and highly theatrical display of robotic dance moves, presented to the world during a show in Paris this weekend, and paired them with the theme song from Seinfeld. It's perfect.
The moves themselves are so mesmerizing, there's now a whole Instagram account dedicated to Dancing Kanye. This version set to 'N Sync's "It's Gonna Be Me" is also pretty stellar:
You might as well give up on the rest of the day, NOTHING is going to be better than that.


text:
Lock in your hotel reservations now. WWDC will be coming to San Jose for June 3rd thru 7th.
The World Wide Developers Conference for most is the exciting showing for new software Apple has coming. This year it will be iOS 13. Many rumors are out stating it will a design update to include dark mode.

domain: news


text:
Thankful. Today my family and I sighed an enormous sigh of relief and praise. A startling reminder that in this fragile and unpredictable life it is best to be continually thankful for the blessings and moments that we are given together. I'm so very thankful for my loving family, good health, good friends, and the gracious Lord who is the provider of it all. It's a humbling and scary thought when you suddenly realize just how fleeting it all is. And, dear readers, I realize that this may sound like a rant coming from left-field, but know that my heart is so full this evening that I just had to say it; I am simply thankful.
On that note, to all of the folks who came out this weekend to the show in Williams Lake, my sincerest of gratitude. Y'all sure do know how to make a gal feel welcomed! I hope to see you again soon.
Keeping in line with all of the beautiful things that have filled this day, the song below is by three very talented and lovely ladies that I admire very much.
Happy Earth Day. Enjoy!


text:
899 North Capitol Street NE, 6th Floor
Washington, DC 20002
Office: (202) 442-5865
Fax: (202) 442-4833
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:15am–4:45pm
State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA), a division of DC Health's Center for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, is responsible for the administration of Health Systems Plan which serves as a guide for the development of health care services by both the public and private sectors; administration, operation, and enforcement of the Certificate of Need program; collection and analysis of health data; and the monitoring of health facilities for compliance with the requirements that govern the provision of uncompensated care to needy residents.

domain: medical


text:
Weed and grass seeds are happy to germinate in winter, and this winter has helped them along by being quite mild in patches. Unless you take them out, weed and grass seedlings grow rapidly and soon flower and seed, leaving you with even more weeds.
(As I write, I know some of us are digging ourselves out of heavy snow. All the same, overall it’s been mild enough to keep the grass growing in most places, even if it’s been too wet to get the mower out.)
Grass seedlings growing rapidly
Annual meadow grass is a coarse grass ‘weed’ and it seems to like causing trouble.
I’ve found quite a few bright green grass seedlings that are quite rapidly turning into tough little clumps. I can only see the top growth, of course, but I have no doubt that a good root system is developing down below. This is not what’s needed in the flower border!
Take action quickly
Take action now! Do this before the tough little clumps of grass have grown into larger, tougher clumps and their removal causes disturbance to the surrounding plants. My plan is to wrap up warmly (including a hat and gardening gloves) and remove this grass with the assistance of a hand three-pronged cultivator.
I’ll get rid of any other weed seedlings I come across too. I’ve noticed sweetheart (goosegrass or cleavers) and hairy bittercress already, and groundsel and daisies won’t be far behind. I’ll pay attention, though, as other seeds may have germinated, some very welcome.
Getting rid of the weeds
It’s too damp and cloudy just to leave the weeds on the surface to wither and die, as I do when I hoe them off in summer. They won’t dry out and will start to root into the soil once again.
My plan is to collect them all into a bucket which I’ll then fill with water. The idea is to drown the weeds and then they will rot away.
This is a good job to do before spring begins, with all its garden activity.
Sign up for our emails below, so we can send you blogs on gardening tips, as well as updates on our sales, so you don’t miss out on those garden furniture bargains!

domain: agronomy


text:
COVID-19 poses a wide-ranging series of challenges for insurers as they strive to maintain business continuity. Businesses that have been adversely affected or that have faced closure as a result of the pandemic turn to their insurance policies for business income or business interruption coverage.
In the 24 August edition of Juta's 'Learn from the Masters' episode Insurance law expert Professor Daleen Millard in the Department of Private Law at the University of Pretoria (UP) elucidates on the operational and economic implications for the insurance sector and what longer-term trends such as the COFI Bill and the newly released Conduct Standard for Banks will hold for the future.
Prof Millard discusses the following themes:
- Business interruption: What insurance covers
- Interpretation of ‘Comprehensive Cover’ and ‘All Risk’ Insurance
- Policyholders’ rights to claims instituted
- Insurance companies’ rights in terms of payments of claims in lieu of Vis Majeure
- The introduction of the Conduct of Financial Institutions (COFI) Bill and its impact on insurance companies vs the Twin Peaks model on Financial Regulation in South Africa
- The Conduct Standard for Banks and the requirements for ensuring the fair treatment of financial customers.
Millard is the author of several Juta publications including Juta’s Insurance Law Bulletin and Understanding the Conduct of Financial Institutions Act and is the creator of Juta’s Treating Customers Fairly Integrator for Short-term Insurance. Millard is a lecturer in Insurance law and compliance at the University of Pretoria and she is an advisor to insurance companies on TCF and the use of plain language in client communications.

domain: finance


PLANNING permission is being sought for three new homes on the outskirts of Darlington.
Council planning officers have recommended approval for the buildings on Burtree Lane, Whessoe, even though the land lies outside development limits.
The houses would be built around an existing dwelling and a report prepared for the council’s planning committee says this would minimise their impact on the rural character of the area.
The report also points out that the site is bordered by land earmarked for up to 380 new houses by Darlington Council as part of its Making and Growing Places document.
One letter of objection has been submitted which expressed concerns about the creation of additional traffic on Burtree Lane and the fact that there were no plans of the homes available.
The council’s planning committee will make its decision on Wednesday.


text:
by Mike Ratliff
1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. (Matthew 28:1-4 NASB)
Jesus is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! According to Paul in his first epistle to the church in Corinth, the doctrine of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the lynchpin of our faith.
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. (1 Corinthians 15:13-14 NASB)
If the resurrection of Christ is not true then Christianity is based on a myth and our faith is in vain. Therefore, we must hold tightly to the fact that our Lord is Risen. On the morning of our Lord’s resurrection there were several people who witnessed different aspects of it. Their responses to it varied drastically.
1 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. (Matthew 28:1 NASB)
We know from the other Gospels, (Mark, Luke and John), that these two Marys were not alone. In Mark 16 we see that Salome was also present. In any case why did they come to the tomb early on Sunday morning? Jesus had been buried hurriedly because the Sabbath was beginning and no one was allowed to do common work until it ended. This included embalming and preparing corpses. They had prepared spiced to anoint the body of Jesus. What was their motivation? They loved the Lord and were devoted to Him. They wanted to be wherever He was. Isn’t this the heart of all genuine believers? All whose hearts have been touched by the Grace of God want more than life itself to be with their Lord. This is what motivated these women to attempt to do this. This will also show itself when these women meet the resurrected Lord face to face in vv8-10.
2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. (Matthew 28:2-4 NASB)
The next response to the resurrection of our Lord was the guards terror and the dread of the Jewish religious leaders. The Sanhedrin had placed the guard there to make sure no one stole the body of Jesus to make it look like He had rose from the dead. They dreaded that event more than anything because it would mean that Jesus was who He claimed to be and their resistance to His ministry would make them His enemies. Well, that part was true wasn’t it? When the guards saw the angel who rolled the stone away they became so frightened that they fainted.
5 The angel said to the women, “ Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” (Matthew 28:5-7 NASB)
The angel’s presence and his message caused confusion and fear in the women. The last time they saw Jesus, He was dead and being placed in the tomb. Now, the tomb was empty and an angel whose appearance was like lightening was telling them that Jesus was risen. He also gave them a message to deliver to the disciples. If we looked at every encounter between angels and people in the Bible the first thing that would come out of the mouth of the angel would be, “Fear not!” These grieving women suddenly come upon the miraculous and this caused them both fear and confusion.
8 And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus *said to them, “ Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” (Matthew 28:8-10 NASB)
The women left the tomb quickly in both fear and joy. What a interesting combination of emotions. They had been given the news, but they had not yet seen the Lord. Then they met Him face-to-face. What did He say to them? The Greek word χαιρετε or chairete is used in v9 which the NASB translates as “greeted them.” It can also be translated as “rejoice,” but it is simply a greeting that is meant to encourage. It was as if Jesus met them and said, “Rejoice I am risen!” What was their next response? They fell at His feet, grabbed Him, and worshiped Him. This is based in these events as well as their love and devotion to Him. I have thought about this a great deal. What will I do when I first see my Lord face to face? Well, I believe I will do exactly what these women did here. Jesus gives them a message to deliver to the disciples that is the same one that the angel gave them earlier.
11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep. ’ 14 And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day. (Matthew 28:11-15 NASB)
In this passage we have the response to the resurrection of our Lord by the guards and the chief priests. We see here that even though they knew the facts of the resurrection, they still resorted to manipulation and deception. When we share the Gospel with people today don’t the vast majority of them scoff and refuse to believe?
The Gospel must be freely given to all people. Each person must be given a chance to believe. Those who believe are those who see their sin and how it separates them from God. They see the offer of salvation and then believe in Jesus, receiving Him as Lord and Saviour. On the other hand, most people hear the Gospel, but reject it because they perceive that if they believe they will have to change their lifestyle. The tragic thing in our day is the move to make the Gospel relevant by taking away the offense of the cross and need to repent. This way people can believe that they are Christians by simply becoming religious.
What is your response to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Soli Deo Gloria!
Reblogged this on Truth2Freedom's Blog.
Thank you Mr. Ratliff for not using the word Easter. I am working to change this in our current church.
Reblogged this on bloomtreasurepearl.
Halellujah! He is Risen!
And it bears a striking parallel to what we go through when we share the gospel. There is a lot of ‘rationalizing’ away by people. They hide from the facts. It’s like their conscience bears witness that they will now have to follow Jesus and life for Him and they are not willing to let their sinful lifestyle go. Even if they know He gives us the power and transforms us, they are still not willing to repent and leave their sin behind. They know what it involves and they count the cost and the answer comes up negative. Jesus saves and forgives us from sin but also gives us the active power to resist sin in the future. They know they will have to leave it behind. They know deep down they are not born again and new creatures in Christ. But they pull out their ‘justifying’ disclaimer of a defense; “I was baptized as a baby.” “I am Catholic.” “I grew up in the church.” etc. They know they are not saved, they are still dead in their sins. So they pull out what has been called their ‘fig leaf’ religiosity cover up. They are not willing but they don’t want to admit it, they want to convince themselves that they are ‘okay’ when they are not, and deep down they know it. They have not had that life changing encounter with the Living Savior yet.
Truth Vigilantee, never forget John 6:44…

domain: literature


text:
- (Vernon Hills, IL): Chanticleer Press, (1996).
- oblong miniature book (5.8 x 6.1 cm)
- cloth, title silver-stamped on spine, silver-stamped boards, decorated endpapers
Price: $75.00 save 20% $60.00 other currencies
Order Nr. 116949
Limited to 149 numbered, 17 lettered copies, signed by the author and illustrator. This is a numbered copy. (Bradbury, Chanticleer Press 4). Illustrated by Gayle A. Seldon. A series of questions about the states with answers on foldout leaves. Presentation by the author to Donn Sanford on first blank page.


text:
Our latest results show that schools receiving PEAS support in Zambia have seen increases in enrolment, as well as student and teacher attendance, in our six-month pilot.
The pilot began in October 2021 and was implemented in 20 schools across the Northern Province with a focus on strengthening leadership and management to improve learning quality. We discovered that between October 2021 and February 2022, enrolment increased by 12 per cent, student attendance improved by 10 per cent, and teacher attendance improved by six per cent.
The project, which is called TIEEZ, and stands for Targeted Improvement for Equitable Education in Zambia, is a system strengthening initiative aimed at providing technical assistance to primary schools in Zambia. The programme, which is funded by USAID, begins with a needs assessment followed by support to schools and school leaders to improve teaching and learning (with particular focus on literacy), student welfare, and staff professional development.
The learnings from this pilot will inform continued support to these schools and will inform our approach as we scale up our TIEEZ programme to additional schools, so stay tuned for further updates.


text:
There are already TONS of official “Stranger Things” collectibles out there, many of which have come courtesy of Funko and McFarlane Toys. If you haven’t yet checked your local Target, be sure to do so, as an entire section of “Stranger Things” toys and various other goodies can now be found in all Target stores.
Matchbox doesn’t officially have the license to “Stranger Things,” but that didn’t stop them from making a fun homage to the Netflix series in their new “Best of 2017” line.
Now available, the ’89 Chevy Blazer 4×4 is an exact replica of Hopper’s Hawkins Police Department truck, making it the perfect addition to your “Stranger Things” collection.
The only difference? The text “Hawkins Police Dept.” was replaced with “Matchbox Police Dept.” After all, fine details would turn this from homage to copyright infringement!
Thanks to Reddit for the heads up.
AROUND THE WEB
this week in horror
This Week in Horror - December 3, 2017 - Halloween, Friday the...
Danny McBride reveals more about the tone of the upcoming Halloween sequel, new details on the Friday the 13th Blu-ray Collection, and Tom Hardy's trainer reveals details about Carnage in the upcoming Venom movie! It's THIS WEEK IN HORROR with Whitney Moore!Posted by Bloody Disgusting on Wednesday, December 6, 2017


In the fast-paced realm of telecommunications, businesses are continually seeking innovative strategies to stay ahead in a highly competitive market. The evolution of IT infrastructure plays a pivotal role in this quest, with IT modernization emerging as a critical pathway to achieving enhanced performance, security, and scalability. This journey, as detailed in a thought-provoking article by Digital Realty, revolves around a strategic interplay between Capital Expenditures (CapEx) and Operational Expenditures (OpEx), alongside the integration of hybrid cloud solutions and advanced data center technologies.
The CapEx and OpEx Conundrum
In the telecommunications sector, where the demand for high-speed, reliable services is ever-growing, the decision between CapEx and OpEx investment models is more than just financial—it’s strategic. CapEx investments allow telecom companies to build robust, high-performance computing environments essential for powering AI-driven services and managing the massive data influx from an increasing number of endpoints. These upfront investments in infrastructure and hardware are critical for long-term scalability and reliability, key attributes for telecom services aiming for top search engine rankings in terms of quality and customer satisfaction.
On the flip side, the OpEx model offers unparalleled flexibility and agility. With operational costs tied to cloud services and virtual resources, telecom operators can scale up or down based on demand, optimize costs, and innovate rapidly. This agility is crucial for adapting to market changes, regulatory requirements, and evolving customer expectations, ensuring that telecom services remain competitive in search engine visibility and customer engagement.
Embracing the Hybrid Cloud
The hybrid cloud emerges as a harmonious solution, marrying the best of both worlds—CapEx and OpEx. It allows telecom operators to strategically allocate resources, balancing long-term investments in infrastructure with the flexibility of cloud services. This approach not only optimizes financial expenditure but also caters to the dynamic needs of the telecom industry, from handling peak traffic loads to deploying new services swiftly.
Furthermore, the hybrid cloud infrastructure supports the seamless integration of AI and machine learning technologies, enabling telecom companies to enhance operational efficiencies, improve customer experience, and develop innovative services. These capabilities are essential for improving search engine optimization (SEO) strategies, as they contribute to higher customer satisfaction and engagement, driving increased traffic and visibility.
The Role of Data Centers
Data centers stand at the core of IT modernization efforts, providing the foundational infrastructure required to support the vast array of telecom services. By leveraging state-of-the-art data center technologies, telecom operators can ensure high levels of data security, compliance, and connectivity. This is particularly relevant in an era where data breaches are costly, not only in financial terms but also in terms of customer trust and search engine ranking implications.
In conclusion, the strategic balancing of CapEx and OpEx, combined with the adoption of hybrid cloud solutions and the utilization of advanced data centers, provides a robust framework for telecom operators to navigate the complexities of IT modernization. This approach not only enhances operational efficiency and agility but also positions telecom services for higher visibility in search engine rankings, driving growth and competitive advantage in the bustling telecom marketplace.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the insights provided by Digital Realty’s article serve as a valuable guide for telecom operators striving to optimize their IT infrastructure for the future, ensuring they remain at the forefront of innovation and service excellence.
For further information please contact us by using our contact form.


The Power Cycle measures power from 2 separate reading locations on the turbine opposed to other watt based bikes that use a calculated formula.
With the Synergy Air Turbine and the patented continuously variable transmission the user can produce unheard of power range from 14 watts to an astonishing 50.000 watts at 150rpm, making this a true power machine to suit any user for any workout.
Currently the standard for stationary indoor bikes is somewhere between 500-2000 watts, and despite our massive power potential, the feel is still remarkably smooth and consistent.
Another unique and patented feature is the possibility for independent cranks, which will reveal any imbalance in any level of cyclist and forcing a correct pedal stroke on both legs.
With an easy switch the user can revert to dependent cranks which displays the Power Cycle versatility as a sublime indoor bike option.
As with the other Synergy Air product, we have equipped the Power Cycle with our own rapid responsive console.
We see the Power Cycle as an excellent choice for high level cycling organisations, sporting clubs, spin and RPM classes, Crossfit boxes, conventional fitness gyms and health clubs but certainly also belongs in the garage gym for any serious fitness person.


AMRoC Fab Lab is a 7500 sq. ft. public Fabrication Laboratory in Tampa, FL., and while the Fab Lab is principally an educational and small-scale production facility, it can be scaled at the community level with additional staffing and materials support, as needed.
To that end, AMRoC Fab Lab is prepared to assist however possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Managed by the Foundation for Community Driven Innovation FCDI), an independent, non-governmental nonprofit organization, AMRoC is agile and adaptive. The facility can retool for additional equipment and has a strong array of partners. Additionally, the Fab Lab has a solid professional staff and a strong volunteer base from which to draw.
With public programs currently suspended, AMRoC Fab Lab can be employed as a small-scale community-based factory to supplement and support larger efforts, and to fill in gaps where identified. The facility is within three miles of the University of South Florida, Advent Hospital, James Haley VA Hospital, Shriner’s Healthcare for Children, and Moffitt Cancer Center and has a broad array of collaborative community partners helping to diversify and expand our manufacturing capabilities.
- 3D printer farm– 6 filament machines and 4 Phrozen resin printers
- Sewing machines – 6
- Laser cutter – desktop
- Machine shop equipment – saws, drill press, hand and power tools
- Electronics lab
- Computer lab
At this time, AMRoC can support small scale but steady production of:
- 3D printed respirator valves
- 3D printed ventilator and other medical equipment parts
- 3D printing & sewing of PPE parts and elements
- Sewing of supplemental face masks
Plus the following capabilities, in-house and through partner resources::
- Electronic Capabilities
- EDA (skilled in Eagle, KiCAD and DipTrace)
- Scalable PCB Sourcing/Manufacturing
- PCBA Through-hole soldering and re-flow SMD soldering
- Design for FDM and SLA 3D Printing
- Design for CAM or hand manufacturing
- CAM Capabilities
- Plastics, Aluminum, Steel up to 3/8″
- Full Stack Rapid Application Development (Ruby on Rails, NodeJS and more)
- Progressive Web Application development (React, VueJS or Svelte)
- Native Application Development (Android, IOS, or Universal)
- Embedded application development (Based on Arduino, FreeRTOS, Mbed or other related frameworks)
More capabilities can be supported with additional equipment and approved materials.
If your medical or community facility needs additional technical support related to COVID-19 relief and support needs, please let us know. If we can’t help, we’re happy to tap into our extensive community network of partners and associates to find someone who can.
Terri Willingham – Executive Director, Foundation for Community Driven Innovation


To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to fill staff vacancies in the NHS; and from where they expect to recruit such staff (1) now, and (2) in the future.
7 October 2020
We are the NHS: People Plan 2020-2021 sets out actions to expand and develop our workforce by retaining staff for longer and building on the renewed interest in National Health Service careers. A copy is attached. The next phase of the NHS People Plan will focus on workforce growth and ensuring it has the right skills mix in place for a flexible and modern NHS.


text:
INTER HOUSE CHESS TOURNAMENT, 2074
Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard, a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The game is played by millions of people worldwide and the students of Greenland play chess under the coaching of FM MANISH HAMAL, the first FIDE MASTER of Nepal in male category. Only five FM are in Nepal and no GM and IM from Nepal till now.
Chess is truly mental and strategic game. I personally love chess game. I recommmend to play chess all the girls and boys before seven grade because they will be creative and strategic plan in their mind. This game develop mental concertration in their active and catchy mind. If we can develop at least three steps advance calculation wihin a second, stuents will get hyper mental development. This game is so strategic that only 64 squres with eight pieces of white and black chess pieces which rarely faces the problem of same kind in every moves. Each player begins with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. Each of the six piece types moves differently, with the most powerful being the queen and the least powerful the pawn. The objective is to checkmate the opponent's king by placing it under an inescapable threat of capture. To this end, a player's pieces are used to attack and capture the opponent's pieces, while supporting each other. In addition to checkmate, the game can be won by voluntary resignation of the opponent, which typically occurs when too much material is lost or checkmate appears unavoidable. There are also several ways a game can end in a draw.
Chess is believed to have originated in India sometime before the 7th century. The game was derived from the Indian game chaturanga, which is also the likely ancestor of the Eastern strategy games xiangqi, janggi, and shogi. (A minority view holds that chess originated in China.) The pieces assumed their current powers in Spain in the late 15th century; the rules were finally standardized in the 19th century.
Greenland has started playing chess for last 14 years. Mahedra Dhakal [2060-62], Uttam Thapa [2063-68], Manish Hamal [2069- till]has been serving as a chess master. Sujan Lohani, the first female FIDE Master in 42th chess Olympiad held in Azarbaizan in 2016. Many students have been U10, U12 and U 16 champains in the different tournaments held in Nepal. Out Students have participated in Kolkata, Inda, Delhi, and Bangaladesh for international school level tournaments. Recently 4th Mount Gaurishankar open chess tournament held in Dolakha Susan Gautam, Yub Raj Paudel, Sambriddhi Pandey, Nirjala Paudel, Kusum Tamang and Samunnat Gurung had partiicipated and they were the winner of their category. Bishal Sunuwar, Suraj Lohani, Niruja Ghimire, Ashmita Pandey are the young energecic players produced from Greenland.
We wish their progress in the days to come.
Greenland is organizing inter-house chess tournament on Kartik 17 & 18 , 2074 on the following categories.
THAKIN KUMAR GURUNG- PRINCIPAL

domain: game


text:
Mariel Saez, 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) delivered remarks today at a press conference with the Congressional Progressive Caucus and federal employees calling for House Republicans to bring the Senate’s clean government funding bill to the House Floor for a vote to end the government shutdown. Below is a transcript of his remarks:
“The government of the people, by the people and for the people has been shut down by the Republican Party that refuses to put a bill on the Floor, that if passed would open government by 1 o’clock today.
“The Majority Leader says he wants to open government as soon as possible. He has the right to put the bill that opens government back up on the Floor right now. And if he does not exercise that power he keeps the government of the people, by the people, and for the people shut down and not serving the people.
“The chair of the policy committee of the Republican Party, said this: ‘I don’t think anyone wants to stretch this out for 2 weeks.’ It’s now 4 days - too long to shut down the people’s government. Jim Lankford says ‘I’d like to resolve it this afternoon.’ I tell the Republican Chairman of the Policy Committee, urge the Majority Leader, Mr. Cantor from the state of Virginia: put this bill to open this government on the Floor and let’s pass it.
“I want to thank the representatives of working people in this country. Some are in government; some are in the private sector. They all want the ability to work and to be paid for their work so they can serve our economy and our people. Rich Trumka, thank you for your leadership. David Cox, thank you, of AFGE, for your leadership. Colleen Kelley and NTEU, thank you for your leadership and your work. And all the representatives, I don’t know whether NFFE is here, other federal employee unions are here. AFSME is here, thank you for your leadership.“We need to open the government of the people, and by the people, for the people. Let’s do it. Act now. Get the government open.”


“The nonbinding resolution – passed with the backing of Shiite politicians – urges Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi to rescind Iraq’s invitation to U.S. forces that helped rescue the country after Islamic State overran about one third of its territory in 2014,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “Mr. Abdul-Mahdi called on lawmakers to support the resolution, but it wasn’t clear how he would proceed. He resigned as prime minister last year and has since presided over a caretaker government.”
In remarks to reporters while on Air Force, Trump slammed Iraq over their vote, saying that if U.S. troops are forced to leave the country, he will hit Iraq with “very big” sanctions.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has stated that the United States is prepared and continues to prepare for any response Iran may decide on.
Trump also threatened Iran with “major retaliation” if they carried out any attacks in response to the U.S. military killing Iranian terrorist Qasem Soleimani.
The news comes as Iran has said that it has identified approximately 35 targets to hit in response to the U.S. killing their terrorist leader.


text:
Mike Watt fills in the spaces for the Stooges
Mike Watt banged up a knee while onstage thumping his bass with legendary proto- punk band the Stooges a few weeks back, so, at least for a while, there won’t be any kayaking or morning bicycle rides around his beloved San Pedro for the local art-punk champ. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to stop playing.
“I’m still doing the gigs,” he says with a crusty laugh, “I ain’t quit, but it’s like an ironing board, man. It’s totally stiff, and it’s just immobilized. But I got more gigs to do. I gotta stay in motion.”
That means he’ll soon be hopping back in the van to crisscross the country, like he’s done countless times since his days with the esteemed L.A. punk trio Minutemen, which formed 30 years ago. In that time, he’s gone through four vans: “This one is only a few years old, it’s got 248,000 miles … it’s a big country.”
One of the hardest-working men in showbiz, Watt is renowned for his slapping bass and wild enthusiasm in many bands both local and national. There’s his Material Girl tribute band the Madonnabes, and the original Punk Rock Karaoke with Eric Melvin of NOFX and Greg Hetson of Bad Religion. Watt’s been doing some shows recently with former Minutemen drummer George Hurley and recorded three albums with Hurley, Saccharine Trust guitarist Joe Baiza and various lead vocalists under the name Unknown Instructors. Also, there’s Hellride, Li’l Pit, Pair of Pliers, the Jom & Terry Show, Crimony, Dos, the Secondmen and Bootstrappers. He’s got his Missingmen band going too, as well as a weekly Web radio program, “The Watt From Pedro Show” (twfps.com), his Hootpage blog and loads of other things — including his third opera.
This summer, the bassist has been occupied with Iggy Pop’s revitalized Stooges, with whom Watt has been playing since Coachella in 2003. It’s a longer period than Watt’s stint with the formative band of his musical life, Minutemen, which “was five years and 11 months.” His time spent under Pop’s tutelage has been extremely valuable, he says.
“Iggy’s a great cat, as a music person, but he actually knows a lot about culture,” says Watt. “He’s very intelligent. I’ve learned so much about being a better bass player from that guy. There’s these guys that don’t operate machines, they have different perspectives of the sound; they’re more like conductors, almost like a bridge to the people. So they can help you, especially with bass, because it’s kind of mysterious how bass works. It’s not just a guitar. It’s a weird thing, kinda like grout between the tiles.
“Iggy’s songs are so much a part of our scene, they’re like the Source,” he says with a trace of awe. “I never believed I’d be in that situation.”
He’s being typically modest. Says former SST Records labelmate Henry Rollins, “Mike is the only living bass player I know who could be in the Stooges. To hit that pocket the way they do, they needed a bass player who understands what makes it work, and that’s Mike Watt.”
Watt likes being the grout, he’ll tell you over and over. It’s an idea he got from his late Minutemen bandmate D. Boon, who died in a van crash in 1985.
“A lotta my stuff comes from playing with D. Boon. Boon was all for pushing the bass out, in a more egalitarian thing. It was more like political ideas in a band, the way he’d pull back on his guitar. And that’s where a lot of my style, whatever, comes from. But all bands are not like the Minutemen.”
“If you ever see Watt play or listen to his records,” says longtime Watt collaborator guitarist Nels Cline, “you notice that he always brings every ounce of his being to all that he does. The Minutemen were the beginning of my personal involvement in what could be called the punk scene in L.A., which was a scene — at least in the initial stages — that as a jazz-type dude I thought had little to do with me. But upon seeing the Minutemen, I realized that it had a lot to do with me, because of the vastness of their music, the originality of how they expressed themselves.”
The amiable, gregarious Watt is a beloved and valuable figure on the L.A. scene who can always be counted on to push his music forward. His recent recording project Floored by Four released its debut full length on Sean Lennon’s Chimera label. It was made in New York with a quartet also featuring guitarist Cline (best known these days for his work in Wilco), ex-Cibo Matto keyboardist Yuka Honda and drummer Dougie Bowne. The result is risk-taking, spontaneous and thought-provoking electric music — that’s also a lot of fun to listen to.
In crafting the album, Watt played or sang each player a very basic bass part to improvise around and sat back to be the glue as each worked his or her magic.
“Writing songs on bass is pretty weird,” he says, “but I kinda like it because it leaves a lot of room for other people. And I’m playing the bass and saying, well, what do you wanna do? If you’ve got all these years of improvisation and stuff — like us four, you can just jump on it.”
Floored by Four is one of many projects on Watt’s plate. He has the freedom to stay busy but likes even more the opportunity to keep growing, however far it may take him from his “punk” roots. He’s got another three albums recorded with Cline coming out; a project with a Canadian artist he’s never met (they exchanged files over the Internet); another album with his longstanding Missingmen crew; more work with Unknown Instructors. At his count, there’s a total of about “13 to 14" items in the pipeline.
Watt’s most crucial current “proj,” as he calls them, is his third punk opera, to be titled “Hyphenated-Man.” The follow-up to 1997’s “Contemplating the Engine Room” and 2004’s “The Secondman’s Middle Stand,” it was recorded in Pere Ubu bassist Tony Maimone’s New York studio with Watt’s Missingmen crew (former Slovenly guitarist Tom Watson and drummer Raul Morales), and it too is all about establishing a new freedom in the way music called rock might be shaped and what its sources of inspiration might be.
Inspired by the Minutemen’s oft-brief tunes, many of which clocked in at under a minute, as well as by painter Hieronymous Bosch, Watt is creating “Hyphenated-Man” out of 30 little songs that, combined, will reveal a broader whole. The idea is similar to, he says, the life he’s been living, or hopes for. He wrote it all on D. Boon’s Telecaster.
“This third opera is different from the other two,” he says. “The first one had a sad ending, the second one a happy ending. This one, there’s no ending. It’s all middle.” The theme is suggestive of its author, who, at 52, is a middle-aged man, still doing what he does and looking to glimpse an overview on what it all’s about.
“‘Hyphenated-Man’ is a voyage into the middle, without being all sappy about it. You played the game, but still you confront yourself: What is ‘Man’? In middle age you start asking yourself these questions, and it’s not like you’ve gotta figure it out. But you’re more open. There’s more questions than answers.”
Meanwhile, Watt keeps pushing forward with the same drive and determination that mark his best basslines.
“The recorded work is real important to me, because I’ve never had children, and they’re still gonna be here when I’m gone,” he says. “All my focus lately has been in trying to get all these things done, and out, and fighting for trippy places to put my bass, situations where I’m not just stuck in the ‘I Love Lucy’ rerun.”
Mike Watt’s got a legacy to uphold, of relevant, progressive and utterly smoking music.
“I’ve gotta keep going. D. Boon would want me to keep going. Keep the child’s eye wandering, I’ve been told. Be excited about things, just fire it up. Go for it. And don’t make it more complicated than that.”

domain: entertainment


text:
Nipsey Hussle continues to bring heat via his Marathon Mondays series with his new track “Down As Great,” featuring Kirko Bangz.
To call producer Baauer a bad man behind the boards is an understatement. Today, he debuts a heater from upcoming album, Aa (pronounced “double a”), titled “Kung Fu.”
Progression is what you can expect to hear anytime Black Milk returns with new heat. His new track is titled “I Guess.”
Former XXL Freshman Kirko Bangz has been relatively off the radar these past few months, but that changes today with the release of Progression 4. Following the current fad, the fourth installment of the Houston native’s mixtape series comes as a complete surprise.
Nipsey Hussle will let it be known that he’s a Westsider for life, as if his booming Crenshaw campaign wasn’t enough evidence to convince the general public otherwise.
After releasing the track in June, Kirko Bangz follows up with a visual for his ode to the expensive silky shirts that fill his closet called “Shirt By Versace.”


text:
INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Enterprise) — The Indiana Financial Improvement Corp. has introduced what it’s calling a “vital growth” of a program to assist small companies recuperate from the coronavirus pandemic.
The growth will add $60 million to the Indiana Small Enterprise Restart Grant, permitting companies to hunt reimbursement for sure bills incurred from March 2020 by Could 2021.
As a part of this system, eligible small companies can apply for funding to reimburse payroll bills, in addition to non-payroll bills corresponding to insurance coverage premiums, lease or mortgage funds, lease funds, utilities and security investments.
The IEDC says reimbursements could also be awarded as much as $10,000 for every month, however might not exceed $50,000 over a 12-month interval. Moreover, companies which have beforehand acquired funding by this system however haven’t reached the utmost shall be allowed to re-apply and submit new bills for reimbursement.
The state first launched this system final Could with an preliminary $34.5 million. The extra $60 million comes from the CARES Act and has been accepted for allocation by the Indiana Normal Meeting.
“I’m grateful to the Indiana Normal Meeting for his or her supportive collaboration that made it potential to increase this program for Hoosier entrepreneurs,” Governor Eric Holcomb stated in a information launch. “The Small Enterprise Restart Grant program has already achieved an amazing quantity to get small companies again on monitor, and this prolonged reduction funding will proceed accelerating our financial system’s restoration.”
To be eligible for this system, companies should meet sure eligibility necessities:
- Have been established previous to Oct. 1, 2019;
- Be registered to function in Indiana, besides sole proprietors, and should be in search of reimbursement for bills associated to their Indiana operations;
- Be in good standing with the Indiana Division of Income (DOR) or have a DOR-approved cost plan;
- Have had fewer than 100 full-time workers as of Dec. 31, 2019;
- Have been worthwhile in 2019 (decided by EBITDA) and have had lower than $10 million (Gross Receipts or Gross sales) in income in 2019; and
- Exhibit a month-to-month gross income lack of no less than 30% in comparison with pre-COVID-19 revenues (common month-to-month income in 2019).
Eligible small companies shall be allowed to use till December 31. You possibly can be taught extra about this system by clicking here.


text:
The Strategic Importance of the Island of Crete
- The island of Crete lies in the centre of the eastern basin of the Mediterranean, on the cross-roads of the air and sea lines of communication, from east to west and from north to south or vice versa. Thus, it constitutes an excellent base for aeronautical operations in every direction and the power that occupies it secures the control of all communications in the Mediterranean. These characteristics lend particular strategic importance to the island.
A natural consequence of this strategic importance was that, since the beginning of the Second World War, Crete was of interest both to the British and Hitler.
- The occupation of Crete by the British, or at least the assurance that it would remain under allied or friendly forces, was of vital importance to them, because it offered them the following advantages :
- Considerable protection to the British bases in Northern Africa against the attacks of the German Airforce, forcing the latter to launch its attacks from the remote airfields of mainland Europe.
Forward aeronautical base and as a base of amphibious operations towards the shores and the islands of the Aegean and the Dodecanese, while, at the same time, it posed a serious threat for the Romanian oil wells.
Contribution to the security of transportation from the harbours of the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, towards the British bases of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Given that the greatest part of the re-supply sources of the above British bases came from India, Australia and South Africa, the importance of the occupation or the control of Crete for the British can be easily understood.
Furthermore, Crete was the only free section of the Greek territory with both Greek and British forces and in which the free Greek State still existed, by virtue of the presence of the King, the Government and the national Armed Forces. Consequently, it was extremely important for Greece and Britain, both morally and politically, to hold on to it.
- On the other hand, if Crete were occupied by the Axis, it would offer to its forces the following strategic advantages :
- Capacity for direct airforce threat against the sea and air lines of communication of the Allies and particularly against the British Fleet in the Mediterranean.
-Excellent base of operation towards the Middle East and the Northern Africa area in general.
-Safe Aegean sea lines, provided that Turkey would remain neutral or pro-Axis and free naval communication with the ports of the Black Sea and the Adriatic sea.
- The following communicee of the German General Headquarters, dated June 12, 1941, sums up the strategic importance of the island of Crete for the adversary powers in the Mediterranean area, during the Second World War :
‘… As a powerful naval and airforce stronghold, in close proximity with our sea lines of communication through the Aegean, as a forward base to cover and secure both flanks of the Northern African Front and the British sea lines of communication between Alexandria and Malta, Crete was of equally great importance for the war operations of the adversary in the Eastern Mediterranean, both from the offensive as well as from the defensive aspect. The island had a similar importance, in reverse, for the subsequent operations of the German Military leadership in the Eastern Mediterranean…’
The Greek Plans for the Defence of the Island
- In Crete, before the war, the V Division had already been established and was stationed at Hania. The units under its command were the 14th, 43rd and 44th Infantry Regiments at Hania, Rethymno and Iraklio respectively, as well as the V Artillery Regiment at Souda and the Military Hospital of Hania and other Military installation and Services. The transition of the Division from peace to war establishment had been prepared on the basis of the Mobilisation Plan of 1939.
Upon the occupation of Albania by Italy, on April 1939, the threat of war for Greece loomed as an indisputable fact. As a result, the abovementioned Plan IB was drawn up, and among others, foresaw the English-French assistance as a definite development, in the case of an Italian attack.
On the basis of Plan IB and the instructions of the Army General Staff, the Division had drawn the following three plans for the defence of the island:
- Plan No. l , to cover the mobilisation in case of threat to the island.
- Plan No. 2, to repulse any enemy landing after the termination of the Mobilisation and before the Division was transferred from Crete.
- Plan No. 3, to define the mission of the Military Command of Hania in case the island was attacked after the departure of the Division.
According to Plan No 3 the following units would remain on Crete under the Military Command of Hania: The 44th Infantry Regiment, the 44th Artillery of Escort Platoon, the Base Battalions of Hania, Rethymno and Iraklio, three rifle companies manned by transportation troops from the 44th Infantry Regiment and a Pack Artillery battalion.
- Furthermore, as part of the measures that had been taken by the Garrisons of the islands, by order of the Army General Staff, the Division had deployed the coastal defence troops by the end of May, 1940, while simultaneously activeted the sea and air surveillance network.
The troops provided for the coastal defence comprised, in total, three Infantry companies and one Machine-gun platoon.
For the operation of the surveillance network, two centres were established and became active: the Information Centre of Hania (Joint Centre of the Royal Navy and Field Army), which had ten surveillance stations, and the Information Centre of Iraklio (also joint), which had three surveillance stations.
On the naval side, no specific measures were taken for the protection of Crete, due to the lack in defence organisation means (guns, mines, and other equipment) and, most important, because the Government believed that the intervention of the British Fleet in the Mediterranean was assured in conjunction with the overall British assistance.
Crete under the British Responsibility
- Since the morning of October 28, the V Division began to mobilise its units and to prepare to be transferred to mainland Greece, so as to be employed in the Albanian Theatre of Operations. That same day, the British Headquarters in the Middle East decided on and ordered the reinforcement of Crete.
On November 4, the Greek Government notified the British Government that it wished to transfer the V Division from Crete, under the condition however, that the island’s defence would be undertaken by the British. The proposal was immediately accepted and the responsibility for the defence of the island was assumed by the British.
The transfer of the V Division was carried out from November 18 to 25, using requisitioned Greek ships, under the protection of the Greek and British Fleet. The numbers transferred in total were, 566 officers, l8,662 enlisted men, 687 pack animals and 81 vehicles, without any losses.
- After the departure of the V Division, the command of the Greek forces on the island was assumed by the newly formed Military Command of Hania, under Lieutenant General Ioannis Alexakis. It was subordinate to the A’ Military High Command of Athens. The Military Command of Hania had under its command the Depots of Hania, Rethymno and Iraklio. Each Depot had at its disposal an Infantry battalion (of two companies) and a Saint Etienne Machine-gun platoon. On January 1941, in agreement with the British Headquarters in the Middle East, these battalions were also transferred to mainland Greece. Thus, there remained in Crete only the nuclei of the Depots, their strength comprising transit soldiers, and its armament, one thousand Gra rifles, l2 Saint Etienne machine-guns and approximately 40 light machine-guns.
Following the orders of General Headquarters, in December 1940, preparations were made for the organization militia units. These units were assigned to protect the technical works and the vulnerable points, of the island in general. The strength of the militia was originally 3,000 men, but reduced in February 1941 to approximately 1,500 men, organised in four battalions, one in each Prefecture (Hania, Rethymno, Iraklio and Lasithi). The militia was supposed to be armed by the British, but this never happened. The militia units were subordinate to the Gendarmerie authorities who were also responsible for their training. Tactically they were subordinate to the Military Command of Hania.
During March 1941, the Gendarmerie Academy was transferred to Crete and disembarked at Rethymno, in order to reinforce the units in Crete. Its total strength was 15 officers and about 900 men. Furthermore, during the second fortnight of April 1941, eight recruit battalions were transferred to Crete from the Training Centres of the Peloponnese, their total strength being 85 officers and 4,825 men. These battalions, after their arrival, were designated as Infantry Regiments, temporarily retaining their original title, i.e. the 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. Their men were recruits from the classes of 1940, 1941 and had received an extremely brief and barely sufficient training.
The armament of all the above Greek units varied. There were between five to twenty cartridges per rifle, while one third of the strength was unarmed.
On April 29, 1941, the Military Academy arrived by motorboats at Kolymbari in Hania, the initiative having been taken by certain officers and Cadets of the Academy. The Military Academy was directly under the command of the Ministry of the Army in Hania and was deployed defensively between the Moni [Monastery] Gonias and the village of Kolymbari.
It is also noted that, at various times 16,000 Italian prisoners (including 576 officers) had been transferred to Crete and were placed in three POW centres in the Prefectures of Hania, Iraklio and Rethymno.
- The British, upon assuming responsibility for the defence, proceeded to organise a fuel depot in the bay of Suda and gradually transfered a very small number of forces for the defence of the island. Thus, by the end of March 1941, the following units had been transfered on Crete : The Headquarters of the 14th Infantry Brigade and the Commander of the Brigade O.H. Titbury, the 156th Light Antiaircraft Battalion, the command of the 52nd Light Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment, the 151st Heavy Antiaircraft Battalion, the 42nd Engineer Company, the 2nd Blackwatch Battalion, the 51st Raiding Force and the 1st Welsh Battalion.
After the German troops entered Bulgaria and the Bulgarian airfields were occupied by German airforce units, the German attack against Greece was regarded as imminent.
This new threat led the British Headquarters to decide that Crete should cease to constitute merely a refuelling base and it should be organised into a naval and airforce base.
On March 29, the Commander of the MNBDO (Mobile Naval Defence Organisation), Major General Weston arrived on the island, in order to examine thoroughly the issue of the island’s defence.
In his report, submitted on April 15, 1941, he proposed the serious reinforcement of Crete, with forces and equipment. The General Headquarters of the Middle East agreed on these proposals, nevertheless the situation prevailing in that area did not permit their implementation. The final decision would be made after the retreat of the British forces from mainland Greece.
However, since April l7, when the evacuation of the forces of mainland Greece had been considered, (operation ‘Demon’), it was decided that a large section of the retreating British forces should land on Crete. Thus on April 25, the first substantial British force of approximately 5,000 men arrived in Crete, mainly of the 5th New Zealand Brigade.
During the following days and until April 30, approximately 45,000 men retreated from Greece, to Crete and Egypt. Approximately 25,000 of them remained on Crete. However most of them were unarmed, without any individual items, heavy armament or vehicles.
On April 27, General Wilson, Commander of the British Expeditionary Force in Greece, landed also on Crete, assigned to examine, along with the Senior officers of the Cretan Garrison, the situation from the aspect of the forces required for the defence of the island.
General Wilson, after a briefing on the situation and an examination of the entire matter, reported to the Middle East Headquarters that, the strength of the Field Army should be three brigades, with four battalions each, a motorised battalion and furthermore the strength of the MNBDO for the bay of Suda. He also mentioned the need to provide one additional heavy and one light Antiaircraft Artillery Battalions. The above forces would be sufficient to secure, the vital areas of the island, that is, Iraklio with its airfield, Hania, the Maleme airfield and the bay of Souda.
The proposed forces were considered by General Wilson to be the minimum required for the island’s defence and he underlined that the use of less than those would bring disaster, and that it was expedient to come to a decision at once.
The Arrival of the King and the Government to Crete
- When the King and the Government were convinced that there was no possibility of conducting the struggle in mainland Greece any more, they decided to continue the fight wherever it would be possible, according to the general guide line of the honourable national policy that Greece had adhered to towards its friends and allies.
On April 23, 1941, the King, Prince Petros, the Prime Minister, certain members of Government and the British Ambassador to Athens arrived on Crete by a British hydroplane. The plane touched down in the bay of Souda, which had been bombarded by the German Airforce shortly before.
- The effort of both the King and the Government, since the first hours of their arrival on Crete, was to succeed in arming the Greek Army and the inhabitants of the island, as well as to reinforce the British forces there, particularly the airforce, since there was no fighter-plane unit stationed permanently on Crete.
The Greek Government took the initiative to hold a meeting at Hania, which was attended by British Generals Wilson and Weston, General Skoulas, British Airforce Marshal D’ Albiac, Vice Admiral Terl, Captain Bemich, as well as other Greek and British Army officers.
The Greek Prime Minister, as Head of the meeting, in the course of the discussions requested that a British General be assigned the command of the Greek – British forces on the island, that British armament be given to the Greek forces and that their feeding be provided by the British. He also added that he considered the air support as inadequate. On the following day, a note was delivered to the British Ambassador, in which the Greek views on the British assistance were clearly laid out while, at the same time, the King and the Government, at every opportunity and contact with the British, did not fail to stress the need to reinforce the island’s defence.
The British Preparations
- On April 30, 1941, the Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East, General Wavell arrived on Crete. During a meeting on the same day, he assigned the command of the Greek – British forces on the island to the Commander of the 2nd New Zealand Division, Major General Freyberg, who had arrived on Crete from mainland Greece on the previous day. Furthermore, he added that the German attack upon the island was expected to begin in a few days and that the island had to remain free at all costs. After the meeting General Wavell departed for Egypt.
Until the end of April 1941, no final plans had been drawn yet, nor had any preparations begun for the defence of the island against a serious enemy threat, although Crete had been under British responsibility for the last six months. The island, despite the views of the British Prime Minister, who aspired to see Crete organised as a second Scapa Flow (one of the most important bases of the British Fleet in the Atlantic, on the Orkney isles), was far from being able to defend itself against a strong enemy attack.
Major General Freyberg, upon assuming command of the Greek – British forces on the island, examined the situation immediately and discovered the enormous shortages in armament, ammunition and all kinds of other supplies. On the same day, he also received the intelligence report of April 29, from the British Ministry of Military Affairs, according to which the attack against the island should be regarded as imminent and would be conducted by 3,000-4,000 parachutists and airborne troops, who would be supported by 315 bombers, 60 double-engine fighters, 240 dive bombers and 270 single engine fighters. Furthermore, the enemy would be provided with sufficient naval forces and means, in order to conduct a landing from the sea.
Based on the above information, Major General Freyberg reported immediately to the Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East that his forces were totally inadequate to confront the expected attack and that if the number of fighter aircraft was not increased and the island was not protected from the sea, he was not able to hope to last long with an army, lacking artillery and inadequately provided with supplies and ammunition.
In reply to General Freyberg’s report, the Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East answered that he considered the predictions of the Ministry to be exaggerated, he admitted, however, that there was a possibility of a large scale attack. At the same time, he informed him that, though it would be difficult to offer greater air support, the Fleet of the Mediterranean would be ready to help, if the Germans attacked Crete. In the end, he made it known to the General that, the British Council had expressly ordered that Crete be retained, and that, even if such a decision was revoked, it was doubtful whether the island could be evacuated before the German attack.
- At the same time, Major General Freyberg occupied himself actively in making the most of the forces and the means available to him, awaiting the supply reinforcements he had requested.
Unfortunately, less than half of the supplies that were originally sent to the island, arrived there, owing to the action of the enemy airforce. Thus, by mid-May, 15,000 tons of army supplies and 3,000 tons of ammunitions, were unloaded, instead of the 27,000 tons of ammunitions that had been sent. The above materiel included 6 medium and 10 light tanks as well as 49 Italian and French guns of 75 and 100mm calibre. The latter were spoils of war and most of them lacked the necessary equipment and spare parts, while some had no sighting instruments.
Apart from the supplies, the following units and troops landed on Crete:
- MNBDO units, that is, the Staff of the 2nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment of the Royal Marines. The A’ and C’ Heavy Antiaircraft Battalions, with eight three-inch guns each. The X’ and Z’ Coastal Defence Artillery Battalions with two four-inch guns each. The 23rd Light Antiaircraft Battalion with light guns and a Searchlight Battalion along with the Staff of the II Searchlight Regiment. A Signals company, a Surveillance platoon and a Docks and Transports company.
The 10th New Zealand Brigade.
The 2nd Leicester Battalion.
The 1st Light Battery (four 3.7 inch Howitzer guns).
Meanwhile, the works on the defence of the island continued at a vigorous pace, while great care was being taken to conceal and camouflage the supplies.
On May l6, the Commander of the Crete Forces reported to the Headquarters of the Middle East that he had completed the plan for the defence of Crete and that he was very optimistic.
The General Disposition of the British-Greek forces and Missions
(Sketch-map no. 28, 29, 30, 31)
- The general disposition of the British-Greek forces on the basis of the importance and vulnerability of the strategic points, the width of the area, the configuration of the terrain and the existing strength was as follows :
- Cretan Forces Headquarters (Major General Freyberg) at the village of Agios Mattheos in Hania.
The 2nd New Zealand Division (Brigadier Sir E.Puttick) with its Headquarters near the road junction Alikyanos-Hania and Maleme-Hania. It cousisted of the 5th New Zealand Brigade (21, 22, 23, 28 Infantry Battalion and New Zealand Engineer Field Detachment), the 10th New Zealand Brigade (6th, 8th Greek Infantry Regiments, a Joint New Zealand Battalion comprising gunners and soldiers from various services, the 20th New Zealand Battalion and Cavalry Divisional Field Detachment) and the 1st Greek Infantry Regiment .
The artillery of the Division comprised the 27th and 28th Artillery Battalions, the 1st Light Battery and platoons from the 156th Light Antiaircraft Battalion, one battery from the 7th Australian Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion and one from the Heavy Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, the Heavy Coastal Defence Battalion and one battery from the 23rd Antiaircraft Battalion.
The Division had been reinforced with 2 medium tanks, that were placed at the disposal of the 5th Brigade and 10 light tanks from the 3rd Hussars Regiment, which were kept in the zone of the 4th Brigade.
The boundaries of the Sector were to the west, Tavronitis river, to the east, Kladissos river, to the north, the coast. The southern boundary was not a definite ground line, but depended on the unit boundaries, according to their missions.
- The Hania-Souda Sector
The MNBDO Group (Major General C.E.Westoin) with his Headquarters in Hania. At its disposal there were: the 2nd Greek Infantry Regiment, the Depot Battalion of Hania, the 1st Rangers Battalion, infantry troops from the 16th and 17th Australian Brigades and field troops from the 106th Horse-drawn Artillery Battalion, the 2/2 and 2/3 Australian Artillery Regiments, the 11th Searchlight Regiment and the Northumberland Hussars.
The artillery of the Sector comprised the ‘M’ Artillery Group (151st Heavy Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, 129th Light Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, one platoon from the 156th Light Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, one platoon from the 7th Light Antiaircraft Artillery battalion and one battery from the 23rd Light Antiaircraft Battalion) and the ‘S’ Artillery Group (A’ Heavy Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion of the Marines, one platoon of the ‘C’ Heavy Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, one platoon from the 106th Heavy Artillery Battalion, 15th Artillery regiment minus platoon and the 304th Searchlight Battalion).
The Boundaries of the Sector were: to the west, the rivers Kladissos and Perivolianos, to the north, the coast from Kladissos river to cape Drapanos. The eastern and southern boundaries depended on the power of the MNBDO troops, that were deployed as far as Drapanos and the troops of the 2nd Greek Infantry Regiment, that were deployed in the area Mournies-Perivolia.
- The Rethymno-Georgioupolis Sector
The 19th Australian Brigade (Brigadier G.A.Vasey) with its Headquarters directly to the west of Georgioupolis, which had the Groups of Georgioupolis, Rethymno and the Airfield of Pigi under his responsibility.
The Group of Georgioupolis included the Headquarters of the 19th Australian Brigade, the 2/7 and 2/8 Australian Battalions and one Australian Machine-gun Platoon. The artillery of the Group comprised the 10th Heavy Coastal Artillery Battalion and one 75 mm battery from the 2/3 Australian Artillery Regiment.
The Group of Rethymno included the Depot Battalion of Rethymno and the Greek Gendarmerie Battalion under the orders of the Commander of the 11th Army District, Colonel Stamatis Pothoulakis.
The Pigi Airfield Group included the 4th and 5th Greek Infantry Regiments, the 2/1, 2/11 Australian Battalions and two Australian Machine-gun platoons under the Commander of the 2/1 Australian Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Campbell. The artillery of the Group comprised 10 guns (4 were 100mm calibre and 6 were 75mm calibre ) of the 2/3 Australian Artillery Regiment.
- The Iraklio Sector
The l4th British Brigade (Brigadier B.H.Chappel) with its Headquarters at New Alikarnassos, which had the Groups of Iraklio town and Iraklio airfield (Rousses) under his responsibility.
The Group of Iraklio had the 3rd and 7th Greek Infantry Regiments and the Base Battalion of Iraklio.
The Iraklio Airfield Group had the 2nd Leicester Battalion, the 2nd Blackwatch Battalion, the 2nd York and Lancaster Battalion and the 2/4 Australian Battalion.
The artillery of the Sector comprised the 234th Artillery Battalion (13 guns of 75 and 100 mm calibre), one platoon from the 15th Royal Coastal Defence Artillery Regiment (two 4-inch guns), the 7th Light Antiaircraft Battalion minus three platoons (6 Beaufort guns), one battery from the 156th Light Antiaircraft Royal Artillery Battalion (4 Beaufort guns), 2 platoons from the Heavy Antiaircraft Royal Marine Battalion (four 3-inch guns) and one battery from the 23rd Light Antiaircraft Royal Marine Battalion.
In addition to the above forces, on May l9, the 2nd Argyle and Sutterland Highlanders Infantry Battalion (Scottish unit) and 3 medium tanks landed Crete. The Sector had also been reinforced with 2 medium and 6 light tanks.
- Reserves at the disposal of the Commander of the Forces on Crete.
The 4th New Zealand Brigade (18th and 19th Battalions), deployed in the Sector Malame-Agyia and the 1st Welsh Regiment in the Sector Hania-Souda.
The total number of men of the Greek – British forces on Crete was: 1,512 British officers and 29,977 British soldiers, 474 Greek officers and 10,977 Greek soldiers. Regarding guns and tanks, there were 151 guns (of which 62 were Antiaircraft and 4 Antitank) and 25 tanks (9 medium and 16 light).
Apart from the military units, many other armed civilian teams were organised during the German attack. Some were organised by the British and the Greek Gendarmerie authorities, while others were formed by villagers who came forth spontaneously at the point of conflict or parachutists drop.
There was no Airforce on the island. The very few aircraft that were left, departed, by order of the Commander of Cretan of Forces, on May l9, to the airfields of Egypt.
In conclusion what must be emphasised is that even though the total number of men constituting the Cretan strength sounded impressive, the weapons at their disposal were significantly below the acceptable proportion for all types of armament.
- The abovementioned British-Greek forces allocated in the Maleme, Hania, Rethymno and Iraklio Sectors, were entrusted with the defence of the island, by forbidding the enemy to use its airfields and ports.
In detail, their missions were the following:
- 2nd New Zealand Division, (Maleme-Agyia Sector) : To conduct defence within its area, forbidding the enemy to occupy its coast, the Maleme airfield and the valley of Agyia from sea and air.
- MNBDO Group (Hania-Souda Sector) : To conduct defence within its area, forbidding the enemy to occupy the town of Hania and the harbour of Souda from sea and air.
- The 19th Australian Brigade (Rethymno-Georgioupo1is Sector) : To conduct defence within its area, forbidding the enemy to occupy Rethymno, the Airfield of Pigi and Georgioupolis from sea and air.
- The 14th British Brigade (Iraklio Sector) : To conduct defence within its area, forbidding the enemy to occupy the town, the airfield and the port of Iraklio from sea and air.
- Reserve (4th New Zealand Brigade minus battalion, plus 1st Welsh Battalion) :
To conduct counter-attacks for the 2nd New Zealand Division and the MNBDO Group.
The German Plans and Preparations
(Sketch-map no 28)
- On November 12, 1940, Hitler expresses his intentions to occupy mainland Greece, so as to be able to use the German forces against targets in the Eastern Mediterranean.
On December 13, 1940, the Directive No. 20 was issued, by which the mission of the airforce in all phases of the attack against Greece is clearly defined. On April 15, 1941, Air Marshal Alexander Lohr, Commander of the IV German Airforce, to whom the air operations in SE Europe had been assigned, submitted a plan to Marshal Hermann Goering, regarding the occupation of Crete, which had been drawn by Vice Marshal Kurt Student, Commander of the XI Airforce Corps. On the same day, the Army High Command submitted a plan for the occupation of Malta.
As the available forces did not suffice for the implementation of both the above plans, Hitler decided in a meeting on April 20, attended by Air Vice-Marshal Student as well, that the operation for the occupation of Crete should be carried out first.
- Based on the above plan and the decisions of Hitler, the Directive No. 28 was issued on April 25, 1941, under the code name “Fall MERKUR” (Operation “MERCURY”), concerning the operations for the occupation of Crete and the use of the island as an air base against Britain in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The high command of the operation was assigned to the Marshal of the Airforce, Goering, while its tactical preparation was entrusted to the Commander of the IV Air Force, Air Marshal Alexander Lohr. The command of the forces of the XI Airforce Corps, that were to be used in Crete, was assigned to Air Vice Marshal Student. The VIII Airforce Corps, under the command of Air Vice Marshal Von Richthofen would undertake to weaken the defence, before the day of the attack, and would then support the airborne operations and the operations of the land forces. Air Vice Marshal Conrad, Commander of the Transport Airforce of the XI Airforce Corps, was ordered to consider and conduct the transportation of troops and supplies with aircraft. The Commander of the SE Europe Naval forces, Rear Admiral Schuster, was assigned to organise the sea transportation pertaining to the operation, using all means available.
The Italian dictator requested that the Italian Army should take part in the operation, with a strength of a reinforced regiment, that would be operating from the Dodekanese and would land on the eastern shores of the island. This action was finally carried out on May 28, at a time, that is, when the fate of the island had already been decided.
- For the implementation of the operation “MERCURY”, the Commander of the German forces of the operation, Air Marshal Alexander Lohr, had the following forces under his command :
- The Staff of the IV Air Force (Kifissia).
The forces of the XI Airforce Corps, that comprised the 7th Airborne Parachutist Division (three Parachutist regiments), the 5th Mountain Division reinforced with units from the 6th Division, one Paratroopers Assault Regiment and the Transport Airforce of the same Corps with 600 transport aircraft and approximately 100 gliders.
The VIII Airforce Corps, with 60 reconnaissance aircraft, 280 bombers, l50 dive bombers and 180 fighter of which 90 had a long range capability.
The Naval Forces of South-eastern Europe.
The total number of forces employed for the assault on Crete amounted to 22,750 men, 1,370 aircraft and 70 vessels for the transportation of landing forces and supplies, supported by a small number of Italian destroyers and motor torpedo boats.
The island would be assaulted by 10,000 paratroopers and 750 men in gliders. Furthermore, 5,000 men would be transported to the occupied airfields and coastal areas by transport planes and 7,000 by ships and other vessels.
The VIII Airforce Corps was allocated to the airfields of Central and Southern Greece, as well as to the airfields of the islands Milos and Karpathos. The airfields of Megara, Topolia, Dadi and Tanagra were used for the transportation of troops, the airfield of Faliro (Elliniko) for the staffs and the one in Korinthos, for the transportation of supplies.
The lack of concrete or metal runways in most of the airfields in mainland Greece, resulted in a thick cloud of dust being raised at every landing or take off. This was damaging to the aircraft engines and caused delays in their departure, owing to the lack of visibility in the take-off runway. During the preparation of the attack, an effort was made to deal with the problem and provisions were made to concentrate fire pumps and other appropriate means.
The estimate was that it would take two weeks to concentrate the personnel and supplies. The Transport units were not in Greece at that time. The 7th Parachutist Division was at the training centres in Germany, with the exception of one of its regiments.
Between May 10 and l2, the airfields and areas of concentration were appointed for each unit. The concentration was terminated by May l6. On May 18 transport aircraft formations landed at the airfield. On the following day, May l9, the distribution of fuel for the operations, to the various airfields, was completed, amounting to approximately 3,535 tons.
- The plan of operations, under the code name “MERCURY”, provided for the following, in general :
- Gaining and maintaining air superiority.
Occupation of the airfields of Crete using paratroopers and gliders with the main effort at Maleme.
After the occupation of the airfields, landing of airborne mountain troops in order to complete the occupation of the island.
The troops in Maleme would be reinforced by sea with units that would be transferred from the nearest shores.
The land forces would be reinforced by sea with a strong echelon of artillery, tanks, vehicles and pack animals.
The airborne troops would operate in three assault groups : Group West, Group Centre and Group East.
The Group West (code name “KOMET”), its strength comprising the Assault Regiment minus two companies, under the command of Major General Eugen Meindl would occupy the Maleme airfield.
The Group Centre (code name “MARS”) under the orders of Lt. General Suessmann, Commander of the 7th Airborne Division, divided into two echelons and assigned to occupy the Sectors of Hania-Souda and Rethymno-Pigi airfield, as follows :
The A’ Echelon (Commander Colonel Heindrich), that comprised the 3rd Paratrooper Regiment, two companies from the Assault Regiment and various other divisional units, would occupy Hania and Souda.
The B’ Echelon (Commander Colonel Sturm), that comprised the 2nd Paratrooper Regiment (minus the II Battalion), would occupy Rethymno and the Pigi airfield.
The Group East (code name “ORION”), its strength comprising the 1st Paratrooper Regiment from the 7th Airborne Division (plus the II/2 Paratrooper Battalion), under the command of Colonel Brauer, would occupy Iraklio along with its airfield (airfield of Rousses).
The above Group would conduct an assault on the island in two waves, in two time steps. The first wave would launch the assault with the “KOMET” Group and the first echelon of the “MARS” Group, at 0800 hrs, on May 20, 1941, against the airfield of Maleme and the area of Hania respectively. The second wave would launch the assault with the B’ Echelon of the “MARS” Group and the “ORION” at 1600 hrs on the same day, against the towns and airfield of Rethymno and Iraklio respectively.
The B’ Echelon of the “MARS” Group, after the occupation of Rethymnon and the Pigi airfield, would have to move towards Souda so as to link up with the A’ Echelon of the same Group.
The “ORION” Group, after the occupation of Iraklio and the airfield of Rousses (Iraklio), would have to seek to link up with the B’ Echelon of the “MARS” Group (Rethymno) and send patrols eastwards and southwards. The phasing of the operation in two time steps was imposed by the necessity for a better air support.
On the first day, according to the German plan, the airfield and ports of Hania, Rethymno and Iraklio would be occupied. On the second day, Souda would be occupied. During the same day, units from the 5th Mountain Division, that would be transferred by sea would land on the area of Maleme as well as on other suitable coastal areas, so as to complete the occupation of Crete.
 Belonging to the 4th New Zealand Brigade
 Known as the Detachment of Major Russell
 This Regiment was deployed in the Kasteli area of Kissamos and was assigned to defend the area and repulse sea landing or air attack

domain: geography