CLI points to an ACORN project called The Rockaway in Brownsville, built on former city-owned land, with 64 units and $16.6 million development cost. The $500,000 from Borough President Marty Markowitz "is really the difference between affordable and not affordable," ACORN's Ismene Speliotis tells CLI.
Markowitz, a former tenant advocate, has begun to allocate more funds to housing projects. Last November, according to a press release, he gave $250,000 to an 80-unit project for seniors in Sunset Park called Sunset Gardens. The money will be used for landscaping, an emergency generator, and electronic entry doors, which are not covered by the federal grant for the project.
In May 2006, according to a press release. Markowitz contributed $500,000 to Schermerhorn House, a 217-unit supportive housing development in Downtown Brooklyn, to ensure that all the units remain affordable. (Presumably, without the grant, some of the units would be market-rate.)
A moving target
This all reminds us that affordable housing is a moving target. More subsidy means more amenities, or units made available to households with lower incomes. Less subsidy means the opposite. Affordable housing developers look to whatever sources possible to lower their costs.
Note that, despite Markowitz's fervor for the Atlantic Yards project, his budget is way too small to boost the project, more than one-third of which would be financed by scarce--at this point, too scarce--tax-exempt bonds.
It might seem that nonprofit developers have the edge over for-profit developers because they don't have to deliver a return to shareholders. Indeed, for-profit developers are hardly clamoring to build projects that contain only affordable units.
Then again, for-profit developers often build mixed-income housing--as planned for Atlantic Yards--rather than 100% affordable housing. And for-profit developers might argue that nonprofit organizations would have trouble building at a site as complicated as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Vanderbilt Yard; indeed, the only competing bidder after Forest City Ratner had been anointed was another for-profit developer, Extell.
On the other hand, were Atlantic Yards footprint, or simply the Vanderbilt Yard, divided into several parcels, and different goals were set, for-profit and nonprofit developers might compete for different projects.
The 2007 list
Markowitz's 2007 budget includes a $3 million Housing Development Fund, "which helps create additional units in affordable projects or adds amenities to affordable projects," according to a press release.
I asked his office for a list of this year's projects. The notes come from the list provided to me.
Bridge Street Development Corporation/Myrtle Avenue Project; $500,000; 85 units, Myrtle Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation/Glenmore Gardens; $250,000; 48 units, Miller and Glenmore.
Fifth Avenue Committee/Atlantic Terrace; $300,000; 80 units, Atlantic and 6th avenues.
Sherlock Parkway; $400,000; 41 units, Atlantic, Eastern Parkway and Sherlock. (Also, $219,000 as an out-year commitment in FY08.)
Lutheran Healthcare/Sunset Gardens; $250,000; 81 units of senior housing, 44th Street and 5th Ave.
Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council; $192,000; 16 units, Melrose and Jefferson Streets; money will maintain affordability.
LDC of East New York/New Lots Plaza; $250,000; 90 units, New Lots and Barbey.


text:
"Damn!" hissed Rowena Merto, the diminutive marine biologist and whale- and dolphin-watching organiser for the local government. "I should have brought my mask, then I could have gone in with them. It's even calmer than yesterday." The previous day she had - for the first time ever - swum with the pilot whales.
"When I went into the water I was so nervous I could feel my hair standing on end," she told us. "But, in fact, it was fine, and as long as I didn't go close the whales didn't mind at all."
Welcome to the latest up and coming hotspot for whale- and dolphin-watching; the Philippines. Long disinterested in their natural environment, the Filipinos have rather belatedly woken up to the glory that surrounds them, and which they have come perilously close to destroying. After years of decimating reefs and cutting down forests, the penny has finally started to drop that an intact natural environment has far greater earnings potential than one that has been blown to bits, cut down and chopped up, or hunted to extinction.
Though still operating on a small scale, slowly word is getting out that the Philippines represents one of the greatest places in the world for whale- and dolphin-watching. At the right sites, not only are sightings almost guaranteed, but the variety of species that can be seen within a small area and in just a single day is quite phenomenal. And it can all be done from the comfort of a boat, warm (if not necessarily sunny) weather guaranteed.
The Filipinos insist that the seas surrounding their islands were the setting for Moby Dick, and they could be right for since research began just four years ago, 27 species of cetacean - as whales and dolphins are known collectively - have been spotted in Philippine waters. These range from the large sperm and grey whales to the smaller killer and pilot whales, plus a whole host of dolphin species, including the well-known bottlenose and lesser-known species such as Rissols, Fraser's and spinner dolphins.
So I was filled with high expectations when I arrived in the town of Bais, one of the country's two main cetacean-watching centres. It was a sunny little place on the east coast of Negros, one of the larger islands that makes up the Philippines' heavily fragmented waist, known collectively as the Visayas.
Running for just three years, the operation is still very low key, but the local government is keen to expand. In an area that has missed out on general tourism and which is suffering from a slump in global prices for its main product - sugar - the dawning of the ecotourist age and the presence of so many dolphins and whales just offshore offers the promise of an economic boom.
And it's all in the hands of Rowena Merto, trained at the Marine Laboratory of nearby Silliman University, one of the top spots in the whole of southeast Asia for marine studies. It seemed to me an unusually enlightened act to put a biologist in charge of a tourist development, and it augurs well for the success of the project, at least in terms of protecting the interests of the whales and dolphins.
Rowena led me to a quay lined with several shiny new boats, all large and brilliantly white outrigger trimarans, complete with sun awnings and plastic chairs just perfect for a leisurely viewing of the local marine wildlife. Soon we were speeding out across a calm sea, eyes scanning the horizon for tell-tale fins and water spouts.
The sea around Bais is the sheltered Tanon Strait separating Negros from Cebu, site of the Philippines' third largest city and one of the country's main tourist centres. The strait is just a few kilometres wide, yet it is incredibly deep - more than 300 metres according to the latest studies. I was warned that one cannot find the whole 27-species range here; its narrow confines attract mainly dolphins and the smaller whales. For the really big stuff I would have to head further south to more open seas. No matter; I had never seen dolphins or whales in the wild before, not close-up anyway, and I was excited enough at this opportunity.
We were out for nearly an hour and were about two-thirds of the way across the strait before our first sighting, a group of about 20 spinner dolphins leisurely making their way northwards along the strait. Another cetacean- watching boat loaded up with a party of Filipinos was already trailing them, and after following along for a few minutes my skipper decided to break off and follow another school he had spotted further ahead and which was still without human company.
Through the morning we trailed a number of schools of spinner dolphins, their characteristically tall black dorsal fins visible in the sunlight for quite some distance. Though an occasional dolphin came in close to our bow, in general they did not like the boat to approach too close: less than 50 metres and the whole school, 20-30 dolphins, would dive in unison and not reappear until a margin of several hundred metres had reopened.
Several schools were visible scattered across the strait, over 100 animals altogether, all spinners and all heading north. Globally, spinner dolphins are rather rare, yet here they were everywhere. Though no one is sure of numbers, the first ever one-day survey conducted in June of this year revealed an astonishing 800 individuals. "Until recently we weren't sure whether these dolphins just used the Tanon Strait for migration or whether they actually live here, but now we've decided that they are resident, just moving up and down the strait," explained Rowena.
And then came the pilot whales, spotted close to the Negros shore some way north of Bais, eight animals in line abreast and taking their ease at the surface. As the boat approached, the whales nervously dived, but not for long and they soon resumed their casual sunbathing, content to let us slowly circle, a line of eyes calmly surveying our progress, their only movement the occasional puff of spray and exhaled breath from a blowhole.
The third and final species of the day was the dwarf sperm whale, two individuals frolicking at the surface, which dived within minutes of our approach. A rather rare animal but one resident in the Tanon Strait, the dwarf sperm whale is known for its shyness and I was lucky to get to see any. Not exactly what one would expect of a whale with the name "sperm" attached, these animals were no bigger than the dolphins, but when I got a glimpse of a head I saw the strong, square outline more usually associated with its much larger cousin. A dwarf sperm-whale indeed.
And so, with the day progressing well into afternoon the boat turned for home, passing by several more schools of spinner dolphins, and getting hit by a sudden squall that turned the glassy waters into a foaming maelstrom, forcing the boat to pound through short, steep waves, the bamboo outriggers gyrating ominously. An exhilarating end to an exhilarating day.
Nigel Hicks travelled in the Philippines courtesy of Philippine Airlines and the Philippine Department of Tourism.
dolphin Fact file
Where to go
The dolphin and whale populations are concentrated in the southern end of the Tanon Strait, which separates the islands of Negros and Cebu. Boat trips operate out of the city of Bais, on the southeastern coast of Negros.
When to go
Whales and dolpins can be found in the Tanon Strait throughout the year, but rain and occasional storms make June to November unpleasant. December to May is the dry season, with especially calm weather in April and May.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) operates direct flights from London Heathrow to Manila six times a week (no flight on Saturdays). Domestically, PAL runs daily flights from Manila to Bais's neighbouring city, Dumaguete, capital of Negros Oriental province. All domestic flights are bookable in the UK. From Dumaguete take a bus or hire car to Bais, 25 miles north.
There is one reasonable, hotel in Bais, but a wide choice of accommodation in Dumaguete.
Arranging a boat trip
Arrangements can be made by contacting Rowena Merto at the Tourism Operations Unit, Office of the City Mayor, Bais City, 6206, Philippines (Tel: 00 63 35 541 5161; Fax: 00 63 35 541 5285). This office can also arrange accommodation in Bais. The hire charge for a boat that will carry up to about 10 people is 2500 Pesos (approx pounds 50) for a whole day. There is no discount for smaller groups.
The Philippine Department of Tourism, tel: 0171 499 5443

domain: geography


text:
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST – OUTPATIENT / SPLINTING-HANDSApply Now Job ID 1202075 Date posted 01/07/2019
Facility :PENTICTON REGIONAL HSPTL
Status :PERMANENT PART TIME (0.26 FTE)
Penticton Regional Hospital has a two-day per week, part-time outpatient Occupational Therapist position.
Located in Penticton, between Kelowna and Oliver, Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH) offers services including 24 hour emergency and trauma services, acute services, ambulatory and outpatient clinics, and diagnostic/paramedical services.
As outlined by the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC), the Occupational Therapist works independently and collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team providing outpatient Occupational Therapy services including splinting and hand therapy.
Hours of work are 09:00 to 14:30 hours Tuesdays and Fridays.
This position is eligible for our comprehensive benefits plan that includes coverage for basic Medical Services, Dental Services, and Extended Health.
We are for an Occupational Therapist with relevant experience in the field of outpatient therapy and splinting; training can be provided to the candidate willing to learn.
• Graduation from a recognized occupational therapy program.
• Current registration with the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC).
Interior Health values diversity and inclusion. Our goal is to cultivate a workforce rich in culture, experience and knowledge to ensure equitable health outcomes for all of the clients we serve. We are welcoming of all populations including our Aboriginal partners throughout the Interior Health Region. We are committed to increasing our Aboriginal representative workforce to build an engaged, culturally diverse organization focused on the goal of providing high quality, sustainable healthcare through an engaged workforce and healthy workplaces. We build inclusive, trusting and respectful relationships through our partnerships. At Interior Health, Every Person Matters.
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domain: medical


text:
Hand-Painted in Northern California and Printed in Lake Como, Italy.
I painted this scarf with my daughter using French lilac blossoms and leaves as our painting tools. She used the petals like stamps and recreated their shape in a variety of purples and lavenders. We added petals of white for the French lilac color pattern. We used the backsides of the leaves to show the veining details. In the bottom right corner near the logo, you will see one pattern of the lilac totally different from the rest of the print. The lilac looks as those it was preserved into the scarf. I don't know how this occurred, but it is unique and beautiful. When I thought the design was complete, my daughter said it was missing one color and one element, which was the sun. She mixed the yellow and white to get the color she wanted and we added the sun, which provides a great splash of color and freshness to a beautiful spring/summer scarf. This is the only scarf in the collection that includes my daughter's name in the logo. This scarf is perfect for a spring or summer vacation.
• This item's measurements are:
• Width 55" / 140cm
• Length 75" / 190cm
• Product Details:
• Several shades of purple, lavender, green, white and yellow

domain: design


Measuring wheel encoders
Pulses per revolution 2,048 Measuring increment (resolution in mm/pulse) 0.097 1) 2) Repeatability < 0.1 mm 3)
- 1) Calculation example: Circumference of wheel / pulses per revolution = 200 mm / 16384 pulses per revolution = 0,012mm/pulse.
- 2) Value based on measuring wheel circumference. The measuring wheel circumference depends on manufacturing tolerances, wear and tear, the selected spring tensioning force, and the behavior of the measurement wheel surface at different temperatures and on different measurement surfaces. To obtain the most accurate measurement results, we recommend performing a reference run for positioning tasks so that application-specific measuring wheel characteristics can be taken into account.
- 3) Value is based on the mechanics. Backlash of the measuring wheel mechanics, is at a minimum. This enables a precise and repeatable measurement results.
Communication interface Incremental Communication Interface detail TTL / HTL Number of signal channels 6-channel
- Electrical data
Connection type Male connector, M12, 8-pin, radial Power consumption ≤ 0.5 W (without load) Supply voltage 4.5 V ... 30 V Reverse polarity protection ✔ Short-circuit protection of the outputs ✔ 1) MTTFd: mean time to dangerous failure 500 years (EN ISO 13849-1) 2) 3)
- 1) Short-circuit opposite to another channel, US or GND permissable for maximum 30 s.
- 2) This product is a standard product and does not constitute a safety component as defined in the Machinery Directive. Calculation based on nominal load of components, average ambient temperature 40°C, frequency of use 8760 h/a. All electronic failures are considered hazardous. For more information, see document no. 8015532.
- 3) Value refers to the mounted encoder.
- Mechanical data
Measuring wheel circumference 200 mm 1) Measuring wheel surface Studded polyurethane surface Mounting Measuring wheel mounted at the rear Spring arm mechanism material Spring element Stainless steel Measuring wheel, spring arm Aluminum Start up torque + 1.2 Ncm (at 20 °C) Operating torque 1.1 Ncm (at 20 °C) Bearing lifetime 3.6 x 109 revolutions Minimum spring tension force 4 N 2) 3) Max. permissible working area for the spring (continuous operation) ± 10 mm Service life of spring element > 1.5 million cycles Mounting position relative to the measuring object Preferably from above, from below possible 4) Mounted encoder DBS60 Core, DBS60E-S4FC02048, 1116237 Mounted mechanic BEF-MWS120-ARM, 2118239 Attached measuring wheel BEF-MR10200APN, 4084739
- 1) The surface of a measuring wheel is subject to wear. This depends on contact pressure, acceleration behavior in the application, traversing speed, measurement surface, mechanical alignment of the measuring wheel, temperature, and ambient conditions. We recommend you regularly check the condition of the measuring wheel and replace as required.
- 2) The right spring tension force for the application shall keep the slippage at a minimum in the application working conditions and measuring surface, without damaging the measuring surface.
- 3) The clamping force can be set in 6 fixed increments of 4 N. 4 N corresponds to one increment.
- 4) When mounted from below, the encoder weight during spring pretensioning must be taken into account.
- Ambient data
EMC According to EN 61000-6-2 and EN 61000-6-3 Operating temperature range –30 °C ... +80 °C 1) Storage temperature range –40 °C ... +100 °C 1)
- 1) This value reflects the smallest temperature value of the installed products. For more information, please look at the individual data sheets.
eCl@ss 5.0 27270501 eCl@ss 5.1.4 27270501 eCl@ss 6.0 27270590 eCl@ss 6.2 27270590 eCl@ss 7.0 27270501 eCl@ss 8.0 27270501 eCl@ss 8.1 27270501 eCl@ss 9.0 27270501 eCl@ss 10.0 27270790 eCl@ss 11.0 27270707 eCl@ss 12.0 27270504 ETIM 5.0 EC001486 ETIM 6.0 EC001486 ETIM 7.0 EC001486 ETIM 8.0 EC001486 UNSPSC 16.0901 41112113


text:
David Brooks (author)
David Gordon Brooks (born 12 January 1953 in Canberra) is an Australian poet, novelist, short-fiction writer and essayist. The author of four published novels, four collections of short stories and five collections of poetry, he has been described as ‘one of Australia’s most skilled, unusual, and versatile writers’. His first collection of poetry, The Cold Front (1983), won the Ann Elder Award and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Prize; The Book of Sei (1985), his first collection of stories, was said by Don Anderson to be ‘the most exciting short-fiction debut in Australian since Peter Carey’s’; his second novel, The Fern Tattoo (2007), was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award. His fiction has drawn frequent comparison with Italo Calvino and Jorge Luis Borges. From 2000 until 2018 he was co-editor of the journal Southerly. He has become increasingly involved in animal advocacy, writing extensively for and about animals and animal suffering. He is a vegan.
Brooks was born in 1953 to H. Gordon Brooks and Norma Brooks (née Jeffrey) in Canberra. In late 1954 his father, a public servant in the Department of Foreign Affairs, was posted to Athens as an immigration attaché, and Brooks’ early childhood was spent in Greece and Yugoslavia, where his father served in 1958. Upon the family's return Brooks attended Turner Infants, Turner Primary and Canberra High schools. His last year of high school was spent in Cleveland, Ohio, on an American Field Service scholarship, in the months before leaving for which he experienced an illness which kept him bed-bound for two months, a period he spent in intense reading of Sartre, de Beauvoir, Camus, James Joyce and others, and which he has seen subsequently as formative to his writing life. From 1971-75 Brooks attended the Australian National University, where his teachers included R.F. Brissenden and A.D. Hope. Hope and Brissenden would subsequently become friends, whose poetry Brooks would later edit. Amongst his fellow students were Alan Gould, Kevin Hart, Philip Mead and other poets of what is sometimes referred to as ‘the Canberra school’. With Gould, Brooks founded the Open Door Press, the publications of which were all hand-set and printed by hand-press. Brooks married Alison Summers in 1975 and together they moved to Canada to pursue postgraduate work at the University of Toronto. While in Canada, writing his PhD on the poetics of Pound's early cantos, he served as overseas editor for New Poetry and as a scout for the Literature Board of the Australia Council, helping to arrange Australian residencies for Michael Ondaatje, Galway Kinnell, Mark Strand and others. He was also the hand-press printer and demonstrator for Massey College at the University of Toronto. In 1978, in Toronto, he experienced a period of paralysis from the waist down, which he believed for many years to have been a manifestation of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Back in Australia Brooks taught initially at Duntroon as a one-year replacement for the critic Dorothy Green, then at the University of Western Australia. He and Summers divorced in 1984. Brooks subsequently formed a long relationship with the poet Nicolette Stasko. His only child, their daughter Jessica, was born in 1985. While in Western Australia Brooks published his first collections of poetry and short fiction.
Brooks returned to Canberra in 1986 to teach at the A.N.U. – a period marked by the publication of the pioneering Poetry and Gender, which he edited with Brenda Walker – and in 1991 took up a lectureship in Australian Literature at the University of Sydney. He briefly edited the journal Helix and oversaw its transition to The Phoenix Review. In 1995 he published his first novel, The House of Balthus (based on the paintings of Balthasar Klossowski de Rola), a novel subsequently translated into German and Polish. In 1999 he was asked to succeed Elizabeth Webby as editor of the journal Southerly and accepted on the understanding that the editorship be shared (from 2000 until 2007 with Noel Rowe; from 2007 until the present with Elizabeth McMahon). In the same year (1999) he became Director of the University of Sydney's Graduate Writing Program. In 2005, Brooks and Stasko having separated, he married the Slovenian-born scholar/activist Teya Pribac, whom he had first encountered when visiting Slovenia to launch an anthology of Australian poetry edited by his long-time friend Bert Pribac (no relation of Teya Pribac). Subsequently, Brooks has developed a strong connection with Slovenia, translating (among others) Slovenia's premier modern poet Srecko Kosovel with Bert Pribac, and seen his own work published in Slovenian editions. In 2010 Brooks was diagnosed with secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis. In the following year he published The Sons of Clovis, a major work of Australian literary history, on the Ern Malley hoax, and the Symboliste tradition in Australian poetry. He resigned his university post early in 2013. Since then, a long-term vegan, he has devoted his time increasingly to animal advocacy. He and Pribac live in the Blue Mountains, with rescued sheep. In 2016 he published Derrida’s Breakfast, a suite of essays on poetry, philosophy and animals, and early in 2018 completed the 100 Days Kangaroo Project, one hundred posts in one hundred days, offering a cross-section of the kangaroo in contemporary Australian society. He has recently completed a fifth novel, provisionally entitled Metamorphosis, and Animal Dreams, a substantial collection of essays on animals, literature and philosophy. In 2018 David Brooks retired from the editorship of Southerly. Volume 78 - Number 1 - 2018 "Festschrift" pays tribute to his writing.
In his poetry Brooks was initially significantly influenced by the T’ang Dynasty poets of Ancient China, the ‘deep image’ poets of the United States (Galway Kinnell, James Wright, Robert Bly), and the Polish poet Czesław Miłosz, whom he met in Toronto in the late 1970s. His early fiction was influenced by the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and others, and the speculative fiction of Jorge Luis Borges and Italo Calvino. His fiction has at times been marked by a distinctive mixing of genres both within writing itself and (mixing, for example, fiction and philosophy) within the thought behind it. While generally regarded as a poet of the ‘natural’ world, he is often seen as a philosophical novelist, concerned in particular with the borders of and between ways of thinking and being.
- The House of Balthus. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 1995.
- The Fern Tattoo. St Lucia, QLD: University of Queensland Press, 2007.
- The Umbrella Club. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 2009.
- The Conversation. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 2012.
- The Cold Front. Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, 1983.
- Walking to Point Clear. Blackheath: Brandl & Schlesinger, 2005.
- Urban Elegies. Sydney: Island Press, 2007.
- The Balcony. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 2008.
- Open House. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 2015.
- The Book of Sei and Other Stories. Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, 1985. The Book of Sei. London: Faber & Faber, 1987.
- Sheep and the Diva. Melbourne: McPhee Gribble, 1990.
- Black Sea. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1997.
- Napoleon's Roads. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 2016.
- The Necessary Jungle: Literature and Excess. Melbourne: McPhee Gribble, 1990.
- De/scription. Sydney: Vagabond Press, 2000.
- The Sons of Clovis: Ern Malley, Adoré Floupette and a Secret History of Australian Poetry, St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 2011.
- Derrida's Breakfast (four essays). Blackheath: Brandl & Schlesinger, 2016.
- The Grass Library. Blackheath: Brandl & Schlesinger, 2019.
- With Brenda Walker Poetry and Gender. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 1989.
- A. D. Hope: Selected Poems. Sydney: HarperCollins/Angus & Robertson, 1991.
- Suddenly Evening: Selected Poems of R.F. Brissenden. Melbourne: McPhee Gribble, 1991.
- The Double Looking Glass: New and Classic Essays on the Poetry of A. D. Hope. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, 2000.
- Selected Poetry and Prose of A. D. Hope. Sydney: Halstead Press, 2000.
2015/16 Australia Council Fellowship in Fiction
Awards for individual works
Poem sequence (1978) - Winner 1978 University of Toronto E.J. Pratt Medal and Prize for Poetry
The Cold Front (1983) - Winner 1983 FAW Anne Elder Poetry Award - Shortlisted 1983 NSW Premier's Prize for poetry
The House of Balthus (1995) - Shortlisted 2010 Australian Book Review Fan Poll - Shortlisted 1995 Aurealis Award for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction - Shortlisted 1996 NBC Banjo Award for Fiction
‘Back After eight Months Away’, poem sequence (1996) - Winner (joint) 1996 Newcastle Poetry Prize
Walking to Point Clear (2005) - Shortlisted 2006 Adelaide Festival John Bray Award for poetry
‘The Magician’, poem sequence (2006) - Shortlisted The Broadway Poetry Prize
The Fern Tattoo (2007) - Shortlisted 2010 Australian Book Review Fan Poll - Shortlisted 2008 Miles Franklin Award - Shortlisted 2007 Colin Roderick Award (for ‘the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life’)
The Balcony (2008) - Shortlisted 2009 NSW Premier's Kenneth Slessor Award for poetry
The Sons of Clovis (2011) - Shortlisted 2011 Colin Roderick Award
The Conversation (2012) - Shortlisted 2013 Western Australian Premier's Award for fiction
Open House (2015) - Shortlisted 2015 Queensland Literary Awards, Judith Wright Calanthe Award for poetry
Derrida’s Breakfast (2016) - Runner up 2016 Mascara Award for Non-fiction
- Pierce, Peter (30 January 2016). "A tactile meandering to some strange places". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- Anderson, Don (May 1986). "In short, it's where the action is in today's fiction". The National Times.
- Brooks, David (2009). "The Smoking Vegetarian". Angelaki: Journal of the Theoretical Humanities. 14 (2): 129–137.; condensed version

domain: library


Electricity Access in Developing Countries from Aerial Imagery
A team of students led by researchers in the Energy Data Analytics Lab and the Sustainable Energy Transitions Initiative will develop means to evaluate electricity access in developing countries through machine learning techniques applied to aerial imagery data. Students will identify features of satellite imagery that can be used to demonstrate whether a community has access to electricity, create a reference dataset of key features, and apply machine learning methods to a large dataset. This work will provide a needed basis for research groups at Duke and elsewhere interested in understanding the path to electrification in underserved areas, and may result in comprehensive maps of electricity access. Partially sponsored by Bass Connections and the Duke University Energy Initiative.
Project Manager: Kyle Bradbury


text:
Crop residue management is an important agricultural practice that has a high potential to improve soil health and optimize crop production. Compared to annual crops, relatively little is known about crop residue management effects on the yield and temporal stability of perennial crop production. This study focused on oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), an important tropical crop that had expanded rapidly over the past decades. We aimed to understand the effects of applying a major oil palm residue, the empty fruit bunch, on crop yield and temporal stability of production. We compared 15 years of crop yield performance from a field trial in Sumatra, Indonesia. The treatments included empty fruit bunch application of three application rates (30, 60, and 90 t ha−1 year−1), and a reference treatment of chemical fertilizers with no addition of empty fruit bunch. Compared to the reference treatment, the cumulative crop yield over 15 years under low, medium, and high application rates of empty fruit bunch increased by 2.4, 5.9, and 4.8%, respectively. The annual crop yield and temporal stability in production were not significantly different between treatments. Soil organic carbon was significantly higher under medium application rate of empty fruit bunch compared to that under the chemical fertilizer treatment. Soil organic carbon and relative humidity were positively associated with annual crop yield with a time lag of 2 years. This study is the first to show that both crop yield and temporal variability of oil palm production can be maintained under crop residue application, compared to chemical fertilizer treatment. Furthermore, climatic conditions had strong effects on the temporal variability of oil palm production. These findings will inform the design of optimal empty fruit bunch application schemes that enhance sustainable intensification of oil palm cultivation.
Optimizing agricultural management practices to enhance ecosystem health and maintain high crop yield is important for the sustainable development of agriculture (Garnett et al. 2013). Crop residue application is a widely used management practice which can benefit soil fertility and ecosystem functioning by providing trophic resources to the soil, modifying the soil abiotic environment, and enhancing soil biological activities (Edmeades 2003). Optimizing crop residue management is especially important for oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), an economically important tropical crop which produces vegetable oil widely used in the production of food and detergents and as a feedstock for biofuel. The land area under oil palm cultivation has reached 16.4 million ha globally in 2014, equivalent to 10% of the world’s permanent croplands (FAO 2015; Kurnia et al. 2016). More than half of the world’s plantations are located in Malaysia and Indonesia; these two countries produced 85% of the 56 million tons of crude palm oil produced worldwide in 2013 (FAO 2015). The cultivation of oil palm can lead to soil degradation, through the removal of understory vegetation, intensive use of chemical fertilizers, and the lack of carbon returns from crop residues (Guillaume et al. 2015). In the past decade, the practice of applying oil palm residues with reduced chemical fertilizers has increased within oil palm plantations, to replace the conventional practice using chemical fertilizers as the sole nutrient inputs (Singh et al. 2010). Crop residue application in oil palm has been shown to positively influence soil quality and soil ecosystem functions (Comte et al. 2013; Tao et al. 2016). However, the effects of crop residue application on oil palm yield remain unclear (Abu Bakar et al. 2010; Chiew and Rahman 2002). The uncertainty of yield responses under crop residue application and the lack of identification of optimal application schemes remain obstacles for the informed use of this practice (Fairhurst and Griffiths 2014).
The effects of crop residue addition on crop production are highly associated with climatic conditions and soil characteristics (Edmeades 2003; Rusinamhodzi et al. 2011). Crop residue application influences crop yield through different mechanisms; one of which is through increasing soil organic carbon (Lal 2010). Climatic factors can affect the decomposition rate of crop residues, which in turn influence soil organic carbon and crop yield (Rusinamhodzi et al. 2011; Ventrella et al. 2016). The potential temporal fluctuations in crop residue decomposition can therefore result in pronounced temporal variations in available soil nutrients, soil carbon, and thus crop production. In comparison, chemical fertilizers may serve as a more stable and readily available mineral nutrient source, contributing to a more stabilized crop yield over time. When the cumulative crop productivity is similar, farms with higher temporal stability in yield are likely to have better operations and economic returns (Fairhurst and Griffiths 2014). Climatic conditions such as radiation and water supply also directly influence crop yield, and these effects may override the effects of management practices (Rusinamhodzi et al. 2011). The majority of current studies have focused on the net changes in annual crop yield under crop residue addition; relatively little information is available on temporal changes in perennial crop yield under crop residue management, especially in tropical regions (Edmeades 2003).
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a major oil palm residue, empty fruit bunch (EFB), on oil palm yield and temporal stability of production. EFB is the structural part of fruit bunches after fruit removal for the oil extraction. A plantation with fresh fruit yielding of 30 t ha-1 year-1 generates approximately 6.6 t ha-1 year-1 of EFB (Yusoff 2006). For oil palm mills close to plantations, EFB is often returned to plantations as mulch substrate to improve soil quality. However, due to the high cost of transportation and application, EFB is often used alternatively as feedstock for bioenergy or raw material for composts (Wiloso et al. 2015). In this study, we investigated crop yield performance over 15 years of continuous EFB application with three application rates (30, 60, and 90 t ha−1 year−1 for low, medium, and high rates, respectively) and a reference treatment as control, in a field trial in an oil palm plantation in central Sumatra, Indonesia (Fig. 1). The application rates of low- and medium-EFB treatments were within the range of 15 to 60 t ha−1 year−1 of standard practices in the oil palm industry (Pardon et al. 2016). Alternatively, the high-EFB treatment represented higher organic matter inputs than common practices. The reference treatment followed a standard estate practice of chemical fertilizers without the addition of EFB. The potential effects of climatic conditions and soil properties on crop yield were also examined. We asked (H1) whether different treatments and climatic factors influenced crop yield over time, (H2) whether different treatments affected the temporal stability in crop yield, and (H3) whether the effects of treatment on crop yield were associated with soil organic carbon levels. We hypothesized that compared to the reference treatment, EFB application would either maintain or increase crop yield, and the magnitude of effects would depend on the application rate of EFB. We further hypothesized that climatic conditions would pose strong effects on crop yield, and that the yield stability over time would be reduced under EFB application. Finally, we expected that EFB application would enhance crop yield by increasing soil organic carbon.
Materials and methods
The study was carried out in an oil palm plantation in Riau Province of Central Sumatra, Indonesia. The oil palm plantation was the first generation established in 1987. It is certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The previous land use of this area was tropical lowland secondary forest dominated by Dipterocarp species. The climate of this region is described as tropical humid, with a mean temperature of 26.8 °C and average rainfall of 2400 mm year−1 (230 mm month−1 in the wet season and 140 mm month−1 in the dry season). The soils are Inceptisols of Typic Dystrudepts (USDA soil classification system), with the loamy lowland soil class.
The 15-year trial began in 1998, when the age of oil palms was 11 years. The field trial was established in two adjacent management blocks, in a flat area with limited leaching and runoff. The field trial was composed of five replicate blocks, covering a total area of 36 ha of 1200-m length and 300-m width. Each of the five replicate blocks had four treatment plots: low-EFB treatment (30 t ha−1 year−1, equivalent to 210 kg palm−1 year−1), medium-EFB treatment (60 t ha−1 year−1, equivalent to 420 kg palm−1 year−1), high-EFB treatment (90 t ha−1 year−1, equivalent to 630 kg palm−1 year−1), and a reference treatment of chemical fertilizers with no EFB application.
Each treatment plot was surrounded by 1.5-m ditches to minimize interference from adjacent treatment plots. Each treatment plot was composed of 36 palms located in 4 rows, with a plot size of approximately 80-m length and 40-m width. The 12 oil palms in the centre of each treatment plot were used as focal palms for crop productivity and soil property measurements. In the EFB treatment plots, EFB was applied once a year at one side of the harvesting paths, followed by urea application on the top of EFB to accelerate the EFB decomposition. In the reference treatment plots, chemical fertilizers were applied within palm circles twice a year (i.e. during the February–March and September–October periods) throughout the trial period. The application rate, frequency, application location, and type of chemical fertilizers for each treatment are detailed in Table 1.
Measurements of oil palm yield and soil properties
The fresh fruit bunch weight was used as an indicator for oil palm yield in our study, as there is a fixed ratio between the fresh fruit bunch weight and extracted palm oil for the same variety of oil palm (Squire 1986). The fresh fruit bunches from the 12 focal palms at each treatment plot were harvested and weighed throughout the trial. The 15-year cumulative yield was the sum of annual yield from five replicate plots of the same treatment.
Soil samples at 0–15-cm depth were collected at palm age of 13, 16, 19, 23, and 26 years (equivalent to 2, 5, 8, 12, and 15 years of application). Soils were taken at the positions beneath the EFB (at the side of harvesting paths) in the EFB treatment plots, and at the equivalent positions in the reference treatment plots, in order to examine the localized effects of EFB on soil organic carbon. As chemical fertilizers applied in oil palm plantations have limited spill-over effects (Carron et al. 2016), we assumed that the chemical fertilizers applied within the palm circles in the reference treatment plots have limited influences on soil properties at the nearby harvesting paths. Soils collected from 12 focal palms of each treatment plot at each time point were pooled to determine the soil organic carbon concentration, using the Walkley-Black method (Nelson and Sommers 1982). The climatic variables including annual values of maximum temperature, minimum temperature, mean temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity were measured at a meteorological station approximately 5 km from the trial site throughout the study.
We used linear mixed effects models for statistical analyses in R 3.2.2 with the lme4 package (R Core Team 2016). Three hypotheses were tested: first, whether EFB application and climatic factors influenced crop yield over the application period (H1); second, whether EFB application affected the temporal stability in crop yield (H2); and third, whether EFB application influenced crop yield by altering soil organic carbon levels (H3).
Prior explorations of climatic factors (annual rainfall, air temperature, and relative humidity) were conducted for their potential effects on yield. We examined the effects with 1 or 2 years of time lag, as climate conditions may have delayed effects on oil palm yield (Corley and Tinker 2015). The pre-test showed that relative humidity was the only climatic factor as a driver factor for crop yield, with lagged effects of 2 years. We thus included relative humidity as a covariate in H1. The fixed effects also included the interaction terms of treatment type with application year and with the quadratic and cubic terms of application year. This was to capture the temporal dynamics of crop production. The resulting fixed effects structure of the initial model in the R syntax was as follows: ~ treatment × year + treatment × year2 + treatment × year3 + humidity. The replicate block was included as a random effect to account for the spatial correlations of treatment plots within the same block. The application year was also included as a random effect to be accounted for temporal correlations of the repeated-measured data. We used stepwise deletion by the ANOVA function to drop non-significant variables (P > 0.05), before comparing the most parsimonious model with the null model (Zuur et al. 2009). The Tukey HSD analysis was proceeded as the post hoc test when the overall difference between the treatment types was observed.
We then examined the treatment effects on yield stability over 15 years (H2). We followed the calculation of temporal stability in the discipline of ecosystem ecology, with the concept that higher yield stability represents a lower inter-annual yield variability (Hautier et al. 2014). The temporal stability of crop yield for each treatment plot was defined as μ/σ, where μ is the temporal mean of crop yield and σ is the temporal standard deviation of crop yield over 15 years. For each treatment plot, μ was calculated as the mean of annual crop yield over 15 years, and σ was the standard deviation of annual crop yield over 15 years.
Lastly, we tested whether the effects of treatment on crop yield were positively associated with soil organic carbon levels (H3), by testing if the treatment type had an effect on soil organic carbon (H3.1), and if soil organic carbon had an effect on crop yield (H3.2). Before testing H3.1, we explored the potential role of climatic factors on soil organic carbon, because climate factors may either affect crop yield by providing favourable conditions for palm growth, or by altering soil organic carbon levels i.e. by affecting litter decomposition and nutrient release with potential time lags (Couteaux et al. 1995). Our pre-test showed that none of the climatic factors significantly explained soil organic carbon. This result suggested that climatic factors directly affected crop yield, mainly through sufficient water supply that facilitated nutrient uptake and palm growth. Therefore, we did not include climatic factors in the H3.1 model but in the H3.2 model as a covariate. To test H3.1, we included the interaction term of treatment type and application year as fixed effects, specified as ~ treatment × year in the R syntax. For testing H3.2, we included soil organic carbon and relative humidity as fixed effects, specified as ~ soil organic carbon + humidity in the R syntax. We examined the lagged effects of soil organic carbon for 1 and 2 years, because soil properties can have delayed effects on oil palm growth (Fairhurst and Griffiths 2014). For both H3.1 and H3.2 models, the replicate block and application year were included as the random effects.
Results and discussion
EFB application effects on crop yield and temporal stability of production
We compared cumulative and annual crop yield between the four treatments. The cumulative crop yield of the five replicate plots over 15 years was 2040 t ha−1 under the chemical fertilizer treatment (Table 1). The cumulative crop yield under the low-EFB, medium-EFB, and high-EFB treatments increased by 2.4, 5.9, and 4.8%, respectively. The annual crop yield did not significantly differ between the treatments (F 3202 = 2.41, P = 0.068) (Fig. 2a). These results suggest that switching from full chemical fertilizer treatment to the use of EFB as an alternative nutrient source led to slightly higher cumulative yield and similar levels of annual crop yield. The application rate of the high-EFB treatment (90 t ha−1 year−1) was higher than the business-as-usual practice of the low-EFB treatment (30 t ha−1 year−1) and medium-EFB treatment (60 t ha−1 year−1). However, the crop yield was not higher under the high-EFB treatment compared to that under the low-EFB treatment and medium-EFB treatment. This finding indicates that the current practice of EFB application is optimal for maintaining crop yield as chemical fertilizer-treated oil palm. A previous study in a Malaysian oil palm plantation showed that EFB application at the rate of 44 t ha−1 year−1 for 10 years resulted in a higher yield than chemical fertilizer treatment, while a lower rate of 22 t ha−1 year−1 of EFB application resulted in similar yield to the chemical fertilizer treatment (Abu Bakar et al. 2010). Advancing from the study, our findings further demonstrate that oil palm yield reaches a plateau with EFB application of an optimal rate.
We observed a pronounced temporal change in annual crop yield over 15 years (Fig. 2a). Specifically, the annual crop yield decreased from a palm age of 16 years and reached the lowest production at the age of 20 years. We hypothesized that EFB treatments may lead to lower temporal stability compared to chemical fertilizer treatment, because the amounts of nutrients released from EFB each year may vary due to variations in climatic conditions and field implementation. We found that the inter-annual yield stability under EFB treatments of all application rates appeared to be lower compared to that under the chemical fertilizer treatment; however, the differences were not statistically significant (F 3,12 = 2.35, P = 0.12) (Fig. 2b). This result suggests that temporal stability in crop production at our study site was not strongly influenced by switching from chemical fertilizer treatment to EFB applications.
Influence of climatic factors on temporal stability of production
The temporal stability of crop yield was strongly influenced by climatic conditions. We observed that relative humidity significantly and positively influenced crop yield with a lag effect of 2 years (F 1,9 = 25.8, P < 0.001) (Fig. 3). Specifically, during the yield decline period, of palm ages from 16 to 20 years the relative humidity decreased from 84 to 79%, the minimum temperature dropped from 22.5 to 17.4 °C, and the annual rainfall decreased from 2773 to 1955 mm year−1. This indicates a cooler environment with potential soil water deficiency, was sub-optimal for oil palm growth and fruit bunch production (Goh 2000). Similarly, it has been reported that seasonal changes in rainfall explain 55% of yield variations in Malaysian oil palm plantations (Chow 1992), while inter-annual variations in temperature and rainfall due to El Niño strongly influenced oil palm yield (Cadena et al. 2006). Our findings suggest that the effects of climatic conditions on oil palm yield may be more pronounced than the effects of crop residue management. Stronger effects of climatic conditions on yield over crop residue treatment have also been observed in various annual cropping systems (Marinari et al. 2015; Rusinamhodzi et al. 2011; Ventrella et al. 2016).
EFB application influences crop yield by increasing soil organic carbon
We observed increases in cumulative crop yield under EFB treatment of all application rates, compared to the chemical fertilizer treatment (Table 1). To understand whether the marginal positive effects of EFB treatments on crop yield were associated with soil organic carbon level, we firstly tested if soil organic carbon differed with treatment type (H3.1), and if soil organic carbon levels influenced crop yield (H3.2). We found that soil organic carbon at 0–15-cm depth significantly differed among the treatment types over the application period (F 3,92 = 2.9, P < 0.05) (Fig. 4a). Specifically, the post hoc comparisons showed that soil organic carbon was significantly higher under the medium-EFB treatment (2.16 ± 0.17%; mean ± SE), compared to that under the reference treatment (1.64 ± 0.14%). Furthermore, soil organic carbon positively explained the annual crop yield with lag effects of 2 years (F 1,78 = 8.4, P < 0.05, R 2 = 0.11) (Fig. 4b). As both soil organic carbon and the cumulative crop yield were the highest under the medium-EFB treatment among all the treatments, these results suggest that EFB application may increase cumulative crop yield by increasing soil organic carbon, especially under the medium-EFB treatment. EFB addition to the soil may increase soil organic carbon by decomposition and improved nutrient recovery (Baharuddin et al. 2009; Thambirajah et al. 1995). Increases in soil organic matter are associated with increased porosity, aggregate stability, hydraulic conductivity, and biological activities, which facilitate nutrient cycling and crop production (Edmeades 2003; Magdoff and Weil 2004). The positive effects of soil organic carbon on crop yield have been reported for annual crops, such as wheat, rice, maize, and peas (Lal 2010). Our findings present valuable empirical evidence for a tropical perennial cropping system.
The land area under oil palm cultivation is expected to expand over the coming decades, not only in Southeast Asia but also in Africa and South America (Sayer et al. 2012). Identifying and implementing optimal management practices that can conserve soil ecosystem while intensifying crop yield is essential for the sustainable development of oil palm. Our study addressed a critical research gap of the effects of crop residue management on crop yield and its temporal stability, with a focus on comparing chemical fertilizer treatment with the application of empty fruit bunch (EFB). Results from a long-term trial at an Indonesian oil palm plantation showed that cumulative crop yield over 15 years was increased under EFB treatments compared to that under the chemical fertilizer treatment. The annual crop yield and temporal stability were not significantly different between the treatments. Crop yield was positively associated with relative humidity and soil organic carbon with a time lag of 2 years. These results convey an important message that switching from chemical fertilizer treatment to crop residue application maintained crop yield and temporal stability of production. Our findings also reinforce the importance of returning crop residues to agricultural fields for increasing soil carbon and sustaining soil fertility (Liska et al. 2014). Furthermore, climatic conditions over time had strong effects on the temporal variability of oil palm yield. With pressure for more sustainable practices within the oil palm industry and changing climatic conditions, optimizing agricultural management practices to maintain soil health will become even more important if intensification of oil palm is to expand in a sustainable manner. We have taken a step in this direction by highlighting that crop residue application maintained crop yield and temporal stability of oil palm production.
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We are grateful to Ristek Indonesia for research permissions. This study was supported by the Department of Zoology of University of Oxford, the SMART Research Institute (SMARTRI), and BEFTA programme. We thank SMARTRI soil chemistry laboratories for field sampling, preparations, and soil nutrient analysis. We thank Dr. Emma Sayer for the advice on the statistical analysis. HHT was supported by Taiwanese Ministry of Education Scholarship, JLS by a EPSRC grant (EP/M013200/1) and NERC El Nino grant (NE/P00458X/1), and EMS by a NERC HMTF grant (NE/K016261/1).
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Cite this article
Tao, H., Snaddon, J.L., Slade, E.M. et al. Long-term crop residue application maintains oil palm yield and temporal stability of production. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 37, 33 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-017-0439-5
- Elaeis guineensis
- Crop residue
- Yield stability
- Empty fruit bunch
- Perennial crop
- Soil organic carbon
- Chemical fertilizer
- Sustainable oil palm
- Relative humidity

domain: agronomy


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You can't see the juniper tree on the left front but you can see the one on the right. I am going to use them as trellises for the scarlet runners. The very top bed is for the strawberries. The rest, hm, I have a map of what plants companion with other plants and it looks like a maze drawn by a drunk monkey. I guess when I get out there shovel in hand I will figure it out. The tree on the back of the garden is a live Oak. I hope the garden gets enough son. It will definitely get enough shade!
My daughter is swing crazy. We have put up four swings now in the really big Oak tree's. She swings for hours a day.
I have been busy as a beaver watching Kyote build and put up a pond with the unending help of a friend. I also had some help rooting out layers of limestone rock and then I hauled in garden dirt by the wheel barrel full to get a bit of a garden going behind the house. It is much bigger than the picture looks. I am having a hard time adjusting to the difference between gardening here in Texas compared to Canada. Canning jars? Why would I need canning jars when we can plant all year long? Too weird.
I was going to plant today but they are calling for 50 mile an hour winds for the next three days and then I am off to the warehouse to buy beads so I guess the garden doesn't go in for another week. I sure hope I won't be too late then before the summer heat hits and melts all the plants.


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Here is the third and final set of photographs of Wall House in Chile by FAR frohn&rojas architects, this time showing the interior of the dwelling (we'll be showing plans, drawings and models in the following post).
The photos were taken by Cristobal Palma, an architectural photographer who specialises in South America.
- Burnham Pavilion by UNStudio
- Nuno Melo Sousa uses a wedge-shaped ligh…twell to bring light into a courtyard living room
- Tyršův Stadion by QARTA Architektura
- Pavilion Siegen by Ian Shaw Architekten
- Sand-bag houses by MMA Architects
- Masato Sekiya wraps a glass corridor aro…und an office block in Japan
- Columbia University Medical Building by …Diller Scofidio + Renfro
- Alexander Jacques transforms architectur…al facades into abstract patterns
- Stairs are so last year
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domain: artistic


There are several major production processes included in DHP conveyor belt company manufacture, namely, materials opening and cleaning, loosening the fibers, lapping, dyeing, and printing. 2.
The product features the necessary ductility. It can be drawn or plastically deformed without fracture when exposed to a tensile load. 3.
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On 20th November 2022, I staged my first live musical at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi. The story of Aarzoo came alive through a melange of music, shadow and dance. I wanted to combine elements of stage design, light and storytelling through music. The show was supported by my family and friends who brought together. brands like @archanaaggarwaltimelessjew6051 @biba @credoplanters3012 @redfm @Insiderofficial to put this together with me. With, Vaishnavi Mannava's Choreography, performed along with Pallavi Verma and Tulika Shrivastava on shadow movements Light design by Tech Quartet Stage Design by Ravi Dayal Musicians; @ejazhussain5077 (Sarangi) Almudena Longares (Keys) Mohit Lal (Tabla) Abhishek Mittal (Guitars) We brought to life the story of a woman, who narrates her journey's gyaan to her younger self, as she overcomes social pressures, stands up for her own, accepts mental health and self-care, as an important factor that needed her attention and nurture. Each song represented a moment in a woman’s life, where she learns to hold her ground and embrace the new with each obstacle. This show helped raise awareness around education for the girl child, in association with @prajanafoundation. It was managed by Jyotsna Dayal Mathur, @gramsession @HouseConcertIn I hope to bring more such productions to life in the near future, and help create works that sing unsaid truths about our lives and time. Video by G. Shrey Live Sound by Nav
Hindustani classical singer and rapper Mahima Dayal Mathur aka Bawari Basanti on the show with Ritesh Malaney accompanying her on cajon and ghungroos accompanying her on her ankles. In this episode, Mahima chats about her grandmother’s tanpura, the importance of failure, where the name Bawari Basanti came from, and about profound moments under water.
Hear full podcast here: https://maedinindia.fanlink.to/podcast
Live performance @TheFinch, Mumbai in association with Radio Mirchi, Mumbai
Bhor, is an original composition by Bawari, performed on her studio's terrace garden
What's something exciting your business offers? Say it here.
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Saturday, December 19, 2009
Bensley, Robert Lubbock. The Ḥarḳlean Version of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Chap. XI.28-XIII.25: Now Edited for the First Time with Introduction and Notes on this Version of the Epistle. 1889.
Clergyman, A. What is the Sanctuary and the True Tabernacle, which the Lord Pitched and Not Man, and Whereof Christ Is the Minister? or, An Analysis and Brief Exposition of St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, by a clergyman. 1858.
Creyghton, Johannes. De sendbrief des apostels Pauli tot den Hebreen: ontleedet en kortelijk verklaart. 1699.
Fricke, F. R. Der Brief an die Hebräer. 1863.
Gordon, Elizabeth Anna. The Glories of Christ, as set forth in the Epistle to the Hebrews. 1879.
Govett, Robert. Christ Superior to Angels, Moses, and Aaron: A Comment on the Epistle to the Hebrews. 1884.
Grass, Karl Konrad. Ist "der Brief an die Hebräer" an Heidenchristen gerichtet?: aus Gedankengang und Inhalt des Briefes beantwortet. 1892.
Keil, Carl Friedrich. Commentar über den Brief an die Hebräer. 1885.
Klee, Heinrich. Auslegung des Briefes an die Hebräer. 1833.
Knowles, Edward Hadarezer. Note on the Epistle to the Hebrews, with Analysis and Brief Paraphrase. 1861.
Kurtz, Johann Heinrich. Der Brief an die Hebräer. 1869.
Ménégoz, Eugène. La théologie de l'Epître aux Hébreux. 1894.
Moll, Karl Bernhard. Der Brief an die Hebräer. 1861.
Newton, Adelaide Leaper. The Epistle to the Hebrews compared with the Old Testament. 1867.
Parry, Thomas. The Apostleship and Priesthood of Christ: Being a Practical Exposition of St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews: In a Series of Lectures with an Appendix, Containing a Tabular Analysis of the Epistle, &c. 1834.
Porter, Samuel Judson. The Epistle to the Hebrews. 1919.
Stein, Karl Wilhelm. Der Brief an die Hebräer theoretisch-practisch erklärt. 1838.
Stier, Rudolf. Der Brief an die Hebräer: In sechs und dreissig Betrachtungen. 1842.
Storr, Gottlob Christian. Pauli Brief an die Hebräer. 1809.
Tena, Ludovicus. Commentaria et disputationes in Epistolam divi Pauli ad Hebraeos. 1661.
Vermaten, Gulielmus. Ontleeding en korte verklaaring van Paulus Brief aan de Hebreen .... 1722.
Weiss. Bernhard. Der Brief an die Hebräer. Volume 13 of Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar über das Neue Testament. 1897.
Wette, Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de. Kurze Erklärung der Briefe an Titus, Timotheus und die Hebräer. 3d ed. Edited by Wilhelm Moeller. 1867
Update: 3 volumes of Jean Mestrezat's sermons have been added, completing the set and bringing the total number of volumes to 252.
Kalengyo, Edison Muhindo. "'Cloud of Witnesses' in Hebrews 12:1 and Ganda Ancestors: An Incarnational Reflection." Neotestamentica 43.1 (2009): 49-68.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
MICHELE CICCARELLI, La sofferenza di Cristo nell'Epistola agli Ebrei: Analisi di una duplice dimensione della sofferenza: soffrire-consoffrire con gli uomini e soffrire-offrire a Dio (Associazione Biblica Italiana, Supplementi alla Rivista Biblica 49; Bologna: Dehoniane, 2008). Pp. 370.
This volume is based on his 2005 doctoral dissertation at the Pontifical Biblical Institute under the direction of Albert Vanhoye. Casimir Bernas reviews this volume in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 71 (2009): 397-398. He summarizes the thesis as follows: the author "expounds themes of the Epistle to the Hebrews dealing with the solidarity of Christ and Christians in their roles of priest and victim: Christ's sufferings are a share in the sufferings of human beings, who in turn are able to offer themselves to God as mediators in the manner of Christ. Their sufferings, like those of Christ (their model and head), have redemptive value" (397).
FILIPPO URSO, "Imparò L'Obbedienza dalle Cose Che Patì " Eb 5,8: Il valore educativo della sofferenza in Gesù e nei cristiani nella Lettera agli Ebrei (Tesi Gregoriana: Serie Teologia 119; Rome: Editrice Pontificia Università Gregoriana, 2005). Pp. 509.
This volume is based on the author's 2004 doctoral dissertation at the Gregorian University also directed by Albert Vanhoye. According to Edward L. Bode in his review in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 68 (2006): 350-352, it "explores the educational value of suffering for Jesus and Christians in the Letter to the Hebrews" (350).
Urso also has this book based on his dissertation: La sofferenza educatrice nella Lettera agli Ebrei.
FULVIO DI GIOVAMBATTISTA, Il Giorno dell'Espiazione nella lettera agli Ebrei (Tesi Gregoriana, Serie Teologia 61; Rome: Editrice Pontificia Università Gregoriana, 2000). Pp. 223.
This work is based on the author's 2000 dissertation at the Pontifical Gregorian University under the direction of R. Neudecker and S. Brodeur. It explores the Day of Atonement as the background to Hebrews. Sean P. Kealy reviews the book in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 63 (2001): 740-741.
FRANCO MANZI, Melchisedek e l'angelologia nell'Epistola agli Ebrei e a Qumran, AnBib 136. Rome: Editrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1997. Pp. xviii + 434.
This book is based on the author's 1996 dissertation at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, directed by Albert Vanhoye. Casimir Bernas reviews the book in Journal of Biblical Literature 118 (1999): 368-370. He says that "Manzi investigates possible literary and theological influences of Melchizedek-ideology at at Qumran upon the letter to the Hebrews" (368). It is also reviewed by George J. Brooke in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 60 (1998): 770-771.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Stefan Nordgaard Svendsen. Allegory Transformed: The Appropriation of Philonic Hermeneutics in the Letter to the Hebrews. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament, Reihe 2. Mohr Siebeck, 2009.
Here is the description from the Eisenbrauns site:
"Scholars have long discussed whether the writer of Hebrews might have been influenced by Philo of Alexandria. In spite of any disagreement, though, academics have almost universally concurred that even if bits and pieces of Philo’s thinking should have filtered through to Hebrews, Philo and Hebrews certainly differed with respect to their biblical hermeneutics. Philo, the philosopher, read the Old Testament allegorically, whereas the Christian author of Hebrews committed himself only to typological exegesis. Stefan Nordgaard Svendsen challenges this consensus, arguing that the writer of Hebrews not only employed Philo’s allegorical method, but also developed his own readings of Scripture through critical rereadings of Philo’s exegetical results. This study sheds new light on the intellectual framework of Hebrews as well as on the letter’s purpose and rhetorical strategies."
I have added this book to the "New Books" link under Resources, as well as updated that page.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Soon after I returned from SBL I got the news that my paper proposal for the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies was accepted. Two other papers will be presented in the same session. All of the pertinent information is below:
Saturday Afternoon, March 13 (4:00-5:30)
SBL: New Testament I
Presiding: James Thompson, Abilene Christian University
4:00 Brian Small, Baylor University
Scripture as Prosopopoeia in Hebrews
4:30 Jason Whitlark, Baylor University
The Eternal City and Its King: Roman Imperial Discourse and Hebrews
5:00 D. Jeffrey Bingham, Dallas Theological Seminary
Irenaeus and Hebrews
While at SBL I made two new acquisitions:
Cynthia Long Westfall, A Discourse Analysis of the Letter to the Hebrews: The Relationship between Form and Meaning.
-At $50 it was the cheapest I had ever seen it, new or used, so I bit the bullet and bought it.
Jason A. Whitlark, Enabling Fidelity to God: Perseverance in Hebrews in Light of the Reciprocity Systems of the Ancient Mediterranean World.
Today, when I arrived home after getting some needed shopping done, I found a nice parcel from Germany with these two volumes:
Wendelini Steinbach, Opera Exegetica Quae Supersunt Omnia: Volumen II: Commentarii in Epistolam ad Hebraeos Pars Prima.
----------, Opera Exegetica Quae Supersunt Omnia: Volumen III: Commentarii in Epistolam ad Hebraeos Pars Altera.
-These two books contain Steinbach's lectures on Hebrews in 1516-1517. The volumes are edited by Helmut Feld. Even though I purchased them "used" the books look to be new; they are in beautiful condition.


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CBS has promoted Bryon Rubin to chief operating officer of its Entertainment Group.
Rubin will continue to serve as CFO of the group, and now also oversee all financial and business operations across divisions, including the CBS Television Network (CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports), CBS Studios, CBS Television Stations and CBS Television Distribution.
He will report to, and work with, CBS group President and CEO George Cheeks on growth strategies for the businesses.
Rubin “is uniquely qualified to more broadly lead our financial and business operations and to take on an important strategic role as well,” Cheeks stated in announcing the promotion. “His deep knowledge of CBS and so many critical parts of our business -- broadcast, production, digital, syndication, stations -- will be an enormous asset to our Group,” said Cheeks.
Since joining CBS in 1999, Rubin has served as CFO of the CBS Television Network, executive vice president of corporate development for CBS Corporation, and CFO of CBS Interactive.

domain: news


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Commercial window tint: Conserve energy & convey style
With window tinting for your Sierra Madre business, you can help reduce the strain on your facility’s energy bill and achieve a look that’s polished and professional. Choose from a variety of tint shades, including decorative frosts, gradient tints, and patterns, to fit the needs of your facility. Your LLumar specialist can install a non-reflective window tint for your business, which offers a consistent look that melds flawlessly with the existing style of your building. A special dual-reflective tint is also available for companies in need of a shiny exterior to encourage solar heat rejection, but a less reflective interior for privacy in the evening. Window tinting in commercial spaces can be installed beyond the exterior of the building. It can add privacy and style to large conference rooms, bland stairwells, and interior office windows too. Call or visit your LLumar window tinting company in Sierra Madre to get started on your commercial tinting project.


Mirum India, a premier full-service digital agency from the WPP Group, has won the digital mandate for Hero Electric, a pioneer and market leader in the Indian Electric Two-Wheeler industry.
With Mirum onboard, Hero Electric aims to shift the consumer buying behaviour from fuel-based scooters to environment-friendly electric scooters, and spread awareness about the positive impact on the ecology.
Mirum will be responsible for brand communication, digital strategy and execution; and performance-focused media campaigns. Mirum will also be providing technology and web development services for the brand.
The account was won after a multi-agency pitch and will be serviced from Mirum India’s Delhi office.
Sohinder Singh Gill, CEO, Hero Electric India, said, “A strong digital presence has become more important than ever for brands today. By on-boarding Mirum as our digital marketing partner, we intend to strengthen our digital game plan with the expertise the agency brings to the table. We’re looking forward to some exciting times ahead.”
Commenting on the win, Sanjay Mehta, Joint CEO, Mirum India, said, "We are happy to partner with India’s leading electric scooter company - Hero Electric. We look forward to working with them to drive a change in consumer behaviour towards sustainable mode of transport; and create memorable campaigns on the way.”


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Divergent - Divergent Book 1 (Paperback)Veronica Roth (author)
- We can order this from the publisher
She turns to the future in a world that's falling apart.
The No. 1 New York Times bestseller DIVERGENT - also a major motion picture.
For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.
Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead....
The first book in the DIVERGENT series that has swept the globe - selling millions of copies world-wide.
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Number of pages: 496
Weight: 340 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 31 mm
Praise for DIVERGENT:
"The next big thing." (Rolling Stone )
"If you like Hunger Games & Twilight, then get stoked for DIVERGENT! Trust us on this-this baby is going to blow up BIG! And if you chose to remain factionless, then you're gonna be one lonely soul." (PerezHilton.com )
"A taut and shiveringly exciting read! Tris is exactly the sort of unflinching and fierce heroine I love. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough." Melissa Marr, bestselling author of Wicked Lovely
"DIVERGENT is a captivating, fascinating book that kept me in constant suspense and was never short on surprises. It will be a long time before I quit thinking about this haunting vision of the future." James Dashner, author of 'The Maze Runner'
"Well-written and brilliantly executed, DIVERGENT is a heart-pounding debut that cannot be missed. Tris stands out in her action-packed, thrilling, and emotionally honest journey to determine who she wants to be in a society that demands she conform. It's dystopian fiction at its best!" Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of PARANORMALCY
"A memorable, unpredictable journey from which it is nearly impossible to turn away" - Publishers Weekly
"Divergent holds its own in the [dystopian] genre, with brisk pacing, lavish flights of imagination and writing that occasionally startles with fine detail." - New York Times
" A masterpiece of epic proportions and an outstanding debut novel." - Narratively Speaking Blog
"Be prepared to sit on the edge of your seats as this heart-pounding thriller hypnotises you until the very last page." - Fantasticbookreviews.com
You may also be interested in...
“Love and Society”
Divergent is a novel that is best read prior to viewing the film adaptation, for the reason that you can only truly feel connected with the world of Beatrice Prior by reading Veronica Roth's detailed descriptions... More
“A Great Read!”
I want to thank Waterstones for sending me this book to review. It's a book I had been vaguely aware of through comments (all good) on Facebook and Twitter and I had added it to my Wishlist as something to be... More
The book was read in three days by myself. I absoutley loved it and wasn't able to put it down, it seemed as if it was permenantley attached to my hand. It was an amazing read which was both heart-warming and... More
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domain: literature


What Are The Upcoming Rock Concerts Near Me For January 2018?
If you're a heavy metal or rock fan then 201. is definitely shaping up to be your year! Although you've probably seen some of the lineups from the UK's hottest festivals such as Download and Bloodstock, some of you will be wondering 'What are the upcoming rock concerts near me?' For some, even though it can be totally worth it, forking out a tonne of cash for Download festival can be a rather big investment; especially of some of the rock bands touring aren't one of your favourites! That's why we're here with the list of top bands that are touring near you in January so that you can get prepared, buy your tickets and get geared up with your official band merchandise for an epic night of moshing!
Upcoming Rock Concerts to Kick Off 2018
Motionless In White - Jan 16th - 28th
Now, if you're looking to feast your eyes on this amazing metalcore band straight from Pennsylvania, you've gotta act fast! Tickets for this amazing tour have already gone on sale with UK concert dates starting on Jan 16th in Dublin and finishing on Jan 28th in Norwich! To snap up some tickets or see their full list of upcoming rock shows visit their Live Nation page here! In the meantime why not take a look at some of their official merch, get kitted up, and view one of their latest tracks, Eternally Yours.
Black Veil Brides and Asking Alexandria - January 23rd to 27th
This is a double whammy show that just cannot be missed. Featuring some of our favoruite alternative bands, if your one of the BVB army or just dying for another AA gig, make sure to grab your tickets to avoid disappointment!
Don't forget if you're not fully versed in the bands latest material or merch, Blue Banana can bring you up to speed below.
Don't forget to check out the full BVB section here!
Need some more Asking Alexandria Inspo?
Hollywood Undead - Jan 24th - 30th
Hollywood Undead are back and are coming in hot! With their latest album 5 we can't wait to hear what this concert has in store for us. As well as some slight updates to their signature masks, we're sure there will be plenty of suprises in store. To see if they're coming near you and potentially treat yourself to some tickets, visit their live nation page here!
So there you have it! Some of the best rock bands on tour for January 2018. As always, if you need inspiration for your music inspired look our Official Band Merchandise section will have everything you need to dedicate your look to your favourite bands. Thinking of checking out some of these great bands in January? Let us know how it was through our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!


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Feast Among the Flowers in the Shadow of California’s Capitol Building
Imagine dining on the lawn of California’s state Capitol at tables adorned with the hundreds of flower varieties grown throughout the Golden State. For just the second time ever, we’re inviting guests to Sacramento on June 12, 2019, to dine in the shadow of Capitol building during California Grown Flowers Month.
Your dinner experience will include a feast for the eyes thanks to the innovative tablescapes featuring farm-fresh flowers designed by a renowned American floral designer.
You’ll also enjoy a multi-course artisan meal paired with wine, craft beer and a flower-themed cocktail as you dine alongside flower aficionados, farmers and policymakers while learning about the value of buying and supporting Certified American Grown Flowers.
At this unique venue, guests will see a sampling of the enormous variety of flowers and foliage grown up and down the state of California. Get an up-close experience with more flowers than you’ve ever seen in one place before and meet with the farmers who grew them. Then dine at a sprawling banquet table and rub elbows with the VIPs who make California’s $320 million flower industry a reality.
Tour the Capitol
Would you like to have a personally guided tour of the Capitol by one of California’s leading agriculture lawyers? Join George Soares of Kahn, Soares and Conway for an hour-long tour of the Capitol through the eyes of one of California’s leading agriculture experts. Beginning at 3:30 pm, learn about the building, its history and the issues that have been won and lost by agriculture over the years.
Add the tour at checkout!
You don’t want to miss this unique stop on the Field to Vase Dinner Tour where you’ll see firsthand the diverse and amazing flower varieties farmers are nurturing statewide.
There are just 150 seats at the table and they will sell out months in advance, so reserve your seat today!


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Heterodyne Multifrequency Receiver for MST
Recently, a real-time and portable 2-D microwave imaging system operating at 24 GHz, incorporating modulation schemes similar to modulated scatterer technique and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging technique, was designed using a heterodyne receiver with superior performance compared with a homodyne receiver. Multifrequency SAR images have the added advantage of providing for: 1) coherent averaging of image data over frequency and hence increasing system signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and 2) enable volumetric (3-D) image production. This letter describes modifications to this receiver for enabling multifrequency operation through phase uncertainty (PU) analysis. These modifications show significant reduction in PU, thereby allowing the coherent addition of data necessary for SAR image formation with higher overall SNR.
J. T. Case et al., "Heterodyne Multifrequency Receiver for MST," IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 243-245, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Jan 2014.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1109/TIM.2013.2286651
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Microwave Real-Time Imaging; Nondestructive Evaluation; Phase Uncertainty (PU); Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR); Heterodyne Receivers; Microwave Imaging Systems; Multifrequency Operations; Realtime Imaging; SAR Image Formation; Signaltonoise Ratio (SNR); Uncertainty Analysis
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
Article - Journal
© 2014 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), All rights reserved.
01 Jan 2014


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As just one person, the obstacles standing in the way of a brighter future for our country may seem overwhelming. As a parent, the more I learn about how politics operate in Georgia, the more concerned I become for my child and her future.
But, as a proud voter today, I am reassured when I see the long line outside my polling location. Maybe I'm not alone. Maybe my vote will count. Maybe there are other people who, like me, are learning that the first step toward change is to stand up and let your voice be heard.
I have voted in every Presidential election since I was 18. And, I have taken my child with me to the voter polls every time I have voted since the day she was born. Yes, it might be a little more hassle, but usually the people in line are very understanding and even smile if she decides to do a little spin or dance move to fight off the boredom that comes with waiting in line. And she is always thrilled when the nice people give her a sticker on our way out the door.
Along with teaching my child to brush her teeth, eat her vegetables and wear her seatbelt, I'm doing my best to instill another good habit in her while she is still young and impressionable and has to do what I tell her. That good habit is voting.
I hope that showing up to vote will one day seem as natural to her as saying thank-you or looking both ways before you cross the street. I want it to be one of those things that you just do, no matter what. It can be very discouraging when we, as adults, think about the many issues surrounding us and the corruption that has found its way into so many of the governement positions we used to hold in such high esteem.
My child has witnessed her father and I battle against the public school system, fight to get a bill in front of state legislators to keep cell phone towers off our school grounds, hand out flyers and post yard signs for local politicians we believe in, and speak to the media on a variety of subjects that have concerned us. She knows we are involved in our community and that we do not always share the same opinions as others. But, what we have started ourselves really stems back to our love for her and our desire to make sure the world is a safe and happy place for her.
So, beyond what I can do for my child right now to take care of her basic needs, I'm also trying to teach her the importance of being a good citizen, a good neighbor and a faithful voter. Our freedom is often challenged and may feel fleeting at times, but I will take what we have right now over what life could be like if we lived in any other country.
If you have children, I encourage you to vote today and take them with you. Explain to them how they are expected to behave to make sure they are as respectful at the polls as they would be in church or at the library. It doesn't really have to be a big deal for the lesson to sink in. It is just something you need to decide to do on a regular basis, so the process becomes a good habit.
Your vote is more than just your voice. It's our future.
(To read more about our plight regarding the cell towers, schools and state, visit our website)

domain: sociology