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2011 / 87 min. / English version with Czech subtitles
Director: Kieron J. Walsh
Cast: Valene Kane, Nichola Burley, Martin McCann, Richard Dormer, Ciarán McMenamin, Charlene McKenna
Three interwoven stories about four people take place on New Year's Eve in the Irish town of Derry. The leading character, Greta, the young daughter of Derry's mafia boss, has tried to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. At the other end of the city, ex-gangster Johnny is doing his best to find out who stole his boss's money. Later that night, their paths cross at Marie and Dara's, who are dealing with the experience of a fatal car accident. This semi action film, based on a play by Lisa McGee, is full of typical Irish black humour.
Awards: IFF Palm Springs 2013: Cinema Without Borders Bridging the Borders Award
Contact: AV Pictures Ltd, Caparo House, 103 Baker Street, W1U 6LN London, UK, e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Světozor - Big screening hall 15. 4. Mo 18:30
Art Brno 22. 4. Mo 18:00
Junior Jablonec n/Nisou 23. 4. Tu 20:00
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GHTC 2018
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Kofi Taha
As part of MIT D-Lab, Kofi's work focuses on advancing asset-based approaches to community-driven technology design and solution finding in communities where people on average earn less than $3 a day. He has co-facilitated village-level technology design trainings in Uganda and Haiti; helped interdisciplinary teams commercialize social impact products in Ghana and Tanzania; provided support to local innovation centers in Brazil, Colombia, and India; and helped build the International Development Innovation Network (IDIN.org), a global community of 1000+ innovators, entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, researchers, and educators. Kofi pursues similar work in K-12 after-school programs in Mississippi and Massachusetts that focus on making design and educational resources accessible to geographically and economically isolated communities. Regardless of context or whether technology is a focus, what drives his work is a commitment to improving the use of inclusive practices that lead to practical solutions and equitable opportunities in historically excluded communities. Kofi studied political economy at Columbia University, urban planning at MIT, and is a doctoral candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; he is from the Bronx and rarely eats pizza outside of New York City.
Ron Snyder
Ron is a Solutions Architect for Cisco Tactical Operations, a dedicated crisis response team that establishes emergency networks in the aftermath of a disaster. A member of TacOps since May 2013, he is responsible for leading the strategy and technical direction of the team’s network infrastructure and deployable communications solutions. Ron deploys and supports mobile communication platforms such as the Network Emergency Response Vehicle, a.k.a. the NERV, and portable kits such as the Rapid Response Kits and Mesh Response Kits. He has deployed to provide communications support in more than 40 sites during the 2017 Hurricane Maria response in Puerto Rico, and in 2015 provided connectivity along the migrant route during European Refugee Crisis in Slovenia. Ron was also part of the 2015 Cyclone Pam response team that assisted in reestablishing communications supporting government CIO operations in Vanuatu, and deployed in 2013 to the Philippines for the Super Typhoon Haiyan response, installing satellite terminals and networks that supported local government relief efforts in Guiuan and Borongan.
Ben Wilson is the director of the Center for Intelligent Devices at Intellectual Ventures Laboratory. His projects focus on optical devices and machine learning for image and spectral interpretation. Ben received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington. He has previously held research positions at the University of Washington and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
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Westlegate Quarter — Norwich
FW Properties and Soho Estates
Rossi Long Consulting / B SD / Bremner Partnership / Davis Langdon and Lanpro
This project involved the redevelopment of the 11-storey Westlegate Tower, one of Norwich’s most high profile buildings, together with its immediate urban setting, blighted by the creation of the tower in the early 1960s.
The site spans from Westlegate to Timberhill, encompassing a diverse range of landscapes and buildings. It contains the tower itself, a listed 17th Century building (20 Westlegate) and formerly a surface car park on Timberhill – all of which lie adjacent to the churchyard of the Grade I listed All Saints Church.
The tower’s original promoters described it as “a pencil of light”: an optimistic symbol of the city’s modernity. After some years in use as offices, the building fell into disuse during the construction of the adjacent Castle Mall. The building’s final tenant – a McDonalds restaurant – moved out in 2005. The vacant building caused much controversy within the city, and the city’s planning policy called for its demolition.
The mothballed Westlegate tower was purchased in a joint venture by Norwich-based FW Properties and Soho Estates. Our brief, having won the project through competitive interview, was to explore how the site might be creatively reimagined as a mixed use city block.
View from All Saints Street, illustrating the relationship of the tower to the adjacent church
RIBA judges' citation:
"The Westlegate Tower project has redeveloped one of Norwich’s most high profile, and most unpopular buildings. The site spans between two significant shopping streets with the city centre – Westlegate and Timberhill – which had been left unused since 2005, and the development comprises 17 residential apartments, including a courtyard house, two town houses and four commercial units.
The architects, 5th Studio, decided to question the City Council’s planning policy, which recommended demolition of the tower; they saw that retention and reuse were not only possible but could bring real positives in terms of sustainability and a new social cohesion for the area.
In order to improve the proportion of the tower, its height was increased by three storeys, producing a more appealing and slender silhouette. This, together with new cladding, means that the development now provides a landmark for the city rather than the eyesore that the unused tower became. The transformation of the tower was achieved by using standard curtain walling systems with a variety of finishes, cover strips, metal cladding and mesh; these allow the tower to change character with changes in levels and strength of light.
At ground level the development also repairs the urban grain in a most successful way. The new accommodation knits together a neglected area of the city’s urban fabric; a previously unloved car park in leftover space at the base of the tower. The development has helped to re-establish the historic grain of lanes, yards and passageways, rediscovering the lost Lion and Castle Yard as an enjoyable public thoroughfare, and enriching the pedestrian experience.
The popular new bakery that has recently moved in to one of the commercial units provides evidence that the ambition of both architect and developer has been successful in reinvigorating a previously underused area of Norwich, as well as providing the occupants of the tower and the casual passer-by with high quality baked goods."
Rather than demolish the tower, we proposed to make it more appropriate to its setting in Norwich – the ‘city of towers’ – and to deliver for the City planners the desired urban connectivity which the tower had obliterated. The project involved adding an additional 3 storeys – creating a new ‘crown’ for the building which increased the verticality of the previously squat tower. The new envelope deploys a series of patterns across its facades in order to provide an overall coherence and elegance to the tower - downplaying the incidental consequences of its occupation in favour of an order which responds to its role as a city-scale landmark. In turn, the new apartments each occupy a single floor plate and benefit from spectacular 360 degree views across the city.
The cladding envelope was designed within the tight budget constraints of standard curtain walling, but by using a variety of glass finishes, metal mesh, and cover strips, a skin was developed that changes radically with light conditions and the aspect from which the tower is viewed.
The re-making of the tower is supported by a renegotiation of how it meets the ground and integrates with the surrounding urban fabric, re-discovering the lost Lion & Castle Yard as a public thoroughfare between Westlegate & Timberhill.
A new external envelope deploys a series of patterns across the façades to generate an order which responds to its role as a city scale landmark
View from Castle Mound prior to redevelopment
RIBA East Award
Sunday Times British Homes Award
Norwich reunion — RIBA Journal January 2016
Wolfson Flats, Churchill College — Cambridge
The comprehensive re-modelling of the 1960's building as the centrepiece of a new graduate campus
Low-Carbon Housing — St. Ives
Trinity College — Cambridge
Working across a range of scales, from estate studies, to carefully made contemporary interventions within existing buildings
Project Sheet
Photography by Timothy Soar and Steve Wright
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Steve Aoki >
Steve Aoki plans to be frozen to make music...
Steve Aoki plans to be frozen to make music for decades to come
By Bang Showbiz in Music / Festivals on 10 October 2017
Follow Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki plans to be frozen when he dies in the hope that he can be revived in years to come and continue making music.
Steve Aoki has invested £200,000 towards being frozen in the hope he can still be making music in the next 150 years.
The 39-year-old EDM superstar is putting all of his faith in Alcor Life Extension Foundation - the world's leading cryonics organisation - and their work in finding a way to preserve bodies for decades until a future medical technology can restore that person to full health.
He said: ''When you die there's a limited number of ways you can be brought back to life.
''You can be buried or cremated.
''I just decided this way I can be frozen at the same degenerated state until there's a way to bring me back.
''I'm assuming we are going to get there - why not?
Because people pass away and sometimes they get revived like after 30 seconds and come back alive.
''After 150 years, it's the same process, but hopefully my body isn't so bad it's impossible.''
The 'Just Hold On' hitmaker plans on bringing his family with him into the deep freeze.
Asked who he'd like by his side, he told the Daily Star newspaper: ''My mum, sister, brothers - my dad passed away sadly, so not him.''
In the meantime, Steve recently revealed he's been in the studio with Bella Thorne.
The producer - who has paired up with the likes of Louis Tomlinson, Linkin Park and Fall Out Boy in the past - shared photos of himself with the 19-year-old actress-and-singer on Twitter, and suggested a collaboration between them on an upcoming record.
He captioned the post: ''Back in the #dimmakstudio w/ @bellathorne working on a [hot] new record. (sic)''
The 'Perfect High' star has released a handful of singles but is yet to make a huge impact on the music charts.
In 2012, she released her debut album 'Made in Japan', and followed it up two years later with 'Jersey', with the single 'Call It Whatever' breaking into the Top 10 of the US Dance charts.
Steve Aoki's fashion brand to launch collaboration next month
Steve Aoki 'yearning for appreciation'
Steve Aoki drops English Version of Play it Cool with Monsta X
Steve Aoki - Why Are We So Broken ft. Blink-182 Video Video
Steve Aoki working with Sigala
Steve Aoki wants Adele or Sam Smith collaboration
Steve Aoki urges peers to 'make room for women DJs'
Steve Aoki has baking team
Steve Aoki wasn't 'supposed' to become an EDM superstar
Steve Aoki announces UK tour
Steve Aoki teases Bella Thorne collaboration
Steve Aoki created music for STRONG by Zumba
Steve Aoki releases Linkin Park remix in Chester Bennington's honour
Why Him? Trailer
Stephanie has always been a very intelligent girl and both her parents were joyous when...
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» About Apollo Brick
Atlantis Factory
The factory is located between the N7 and the R27 on the Southern side of Atlantis and employs 190 staff .
Brakkefontein Clay Products (Pty) Ltd was acquired during January 1999 after it was dormant since 1992. The company is now part of a group that produces NFP & NFX bricks in excess of 200 million bricks per annum. Brakkefontein clay products produce approximately 6.2 million bricks per month.
The plant was changed and reconditioned and production commenced in April 1999. Clay is sourced from the property and shaped into bricks with a traditional clay brick producing plant. After manufacturing the bricks are dried and fired in clamps.
Quality is monitored during the whole process to ensure NFP & NFX bricks exceeding the SABS standard. The aim of Apollo Brick is to profitably produce NFP and NFX bricks to the building industry excelling in quality, price and customer service.
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Aria Couture
A forerunner in high-end couture and film and stage reproductions since 1999.
Welcome to Aria Couture
Provincial Belle: A Costume Study
On the heels of Beast’s ball ensemble and the yellow ball gown and “celebration” gown, I bring you this mini-study of the provincial dress. (Now up as well: Gaston’s wardrobe, as well as my post-seeing-the-movie costume thoughts.) This dress is a great example of how you can pad out the detail (when everything was hand-drawn animation, the most detail, the longer it took) while staying true to both the animated design and the era, somewhere in the mid-1700’s.
It is correct that this ensemble takes liberties with the era, but the general look of the era is there.
First off, in that era, women of Belle’s financial status wouldn’t have worn much blue. It was an expensive color. Earthen colors we far more common. Less-natural colors, such as blue, white, and black were signs of wealth. However, in the animated version, Belle was in blue to make it easier to track her through the village.
No matter where she is, she stands out among the greens and browns and pinks.
Now the printing on the fabrics is a correct detail. France pioneered much of the calico-printing in the 18th century. The accuracy of the prints themselves I won’t get into since they’re very passable and aren’t egregiously out of the era. Using pricier striped fabric (that looks to be woven) as wash rags…I can overlook that rather minor detail.
We have what appears to be a cotton bodice with a homespun wool detail on the front. I can’t make heads or tails of the purpose of this piece being a different fabric, but it seems to attempt to invoke an image of a stomacher, which was a fancy often-embroidered piece that would be pinned into the front of a lady’s gown. It doesn’t match anything I’ve seen for working-class women of the era, but this isn’t too surprising. They wore their dresses until they wore out, and then would rip them to make rags, rugs, or other things. Fashion magazines never really featured the clothing working-class women can afford, just like today. (One of the things I collect are the hand-painted “magazine” fashion prints from the late 1700’s onward, and only one very unusual one shows country-folk attire.)
That piece crosses over a red print flap. While you can just see a smidgeon of red, a photo farther down will clearly show the red flap.
The back of this has the higher cut one would expect, and if I strain my eyes, it looks like there are the correct drop-shoulder seams and back side seams, though I can’t tell for sure and have found or been provided with no better photos yet. This is something I will watch for, and update here as necessary.
Something I like is how the top-stitching at the waistband is in white. That gives this ensemble a hand-sewn finish. The apron has top-stitching in red, and with white, it’s clear to see some rougher stitching holding the pleats on the skirt in place. None of the pleats on either the skirt or apron are perfectly even, which is another wonderful detail. Imagine doing today’s wash-work and cooking without a water heater or anything electronic at all, and then work in making your own clothing, and being concerned about perfect pleats just plain isn’t important.
The cream and blue cloth is sewn to its own waistband, and tied on. The same photo below that will show the red bodice flap shows the rag band clearer. The red one has its own waistband, and is actually a pocket. Before pockets were set into skirt seams, women had pockets that they carried or tied on. The thicker red vertical stripe visible in some shots is the opening to her pocket. Awesome detail to add in.
So she’s wearing, at least, a skirt, tied-on apron, tied-on cloth, and the red tied-on pocket over that.
I must say that that blue reminds me a great deal of some cotton I got at JoAnn Fabrics in about 2000 that I ended up giving away. I intended to make myself a Phantom of the Opera Wishing gown from it, but never did.
The piece beneath the blue bodice is a long-sleeved chemise, tied with a ribbon in a casing, which you can just see in the second photo from the top, and a fichu. A fichu is a simple square or triangle of fabric tucked into a neckline.
As a sock-lover, I love these socks. I have never seen a pair as elaborate as that for a mid-18th-century working woman, nor for upper-class people, for that matter. Clocked socks kept detail to the ankle. But this detail isn’t a glaring issue, and does add some period-inspired whimsy. Those shoes are fantastic, and it tickles me that they didn’t metal grommets to those lacing holes. They’re appropriately weathered. I do, however, question using leather lacing. That could have been added when this display was set up.
She does have another similar ensemble to the one above that is nearly identical.
Different skirt fabrics, different apron fabrics, and an added jacket. Otherwise, it’s the same. The underside of this skirt is bag-lined in a print. She occasionally tucks this skirt up into her waistband.
Not quite as scandalous as it may seem. Long, flowing skirts could get in the way of one’s work. If you want scandalous, well, there are things wealthy French ladies wore that would raise eyebrows even by today’s standards. I don’t know if her other skirt up top also has a printed bag lining, but the darker one with the navy and white windowpane apron does.
The next photo backs the blue and white cloth having its own waistband with the red and white pocket tied over that, as well as displays the red flap and the lacing.
The right fabric is connected to the bodice’s left side. The blue side crosses over and laces closed on the left. Again, a detail I have not seen, but certainly one that is very reasonable. It’s easier to lace one’s own corset than to tie off one’s own dress with back-lacing. It was very common for the edges of a bodice to meet in the middle and lace closed. A cross-over is within the realm of very reasonable. The different fabrics can even be explained away as making her bodice using scraps of other fabric on hand, even though that wouldn’t make a lot of sense. Belle and Maurice aren’t poor folks. Working class, certainly, but not poor. A woman with multiple decorated aprons could get enough fabric to make a bodice in the same fabric.
It is in that photo that one of my peeves grates on me.
If she just had to insist that corsets restricted women (they absolutely did not–they protected the bodies of working women similar to the back support braces many nurses and nursing aids wear even today [so much for the idea that these things restrict movement], as well as the hips of wealthier women who wore heavy skirts), could she not at least stand straight? I’ve seen several stills in different scenes of this slouching, as if she’s trying to make it even more apparent that she’s shunning a garment that was vital to the safety and well-being of 18th-century women who did hard, back-breaking work. Guess what restricted women more.
SKIRTS.
By the way, corsets of that era usually had many rows of flexible reeds, similar in movement to hemp cord, rather than expensive metal or whalebone. If you do heavy lifting and hard work, one of these suckers will give you some fantastic back support. The straps help so much. You might notice that the corset below doesn’t nip in at the waist much, and that the cut would force you into some fantastic posture, and take some of the work from your torso and back.
Let’s just say that there’s nothing anti-feminist about them, nothing oppressive…and men used to wear them too. Yeah…we don’t talk about that much. It was more for upper-class gentlemen who wanted to hold in their tummies rather than support their backs during work or supporting heavy gowns.
But I digress. Corsets and their history, including the fallacies around them, is a post for another time.
Back to the provincial gown at hand.
I do not yet know if there are other pieces in her provincial wardrobe. It makes sense for her wardrobe to have some mixing and matching, and I’m certainly glad to see that she has more than the one silk dress that Cinderella had. This set of costumes draws heavily from the rococo, or late baroque, era, as well as from the animated film. The blue, the white apron, looser sleeves with 3/4 cuffs, the look of a fichu… Yes, they very much lifted the animated gown and added to it rather than taking away, and kept to influences from the era. THIS gown says Belle, the Belle we all know and love from the animated movie, and THIS gown takes us out of the 21st century and drops us squarely in the mid-18th century in France.
Posted in Costume-study
Beast’s Ball Ensemble: A Costume Study
Hand-sewn Georgian-era-inspired dress
3 thoughts on “Provincial Belle: A Costume Study”
Pingback: Beast’s Ball Ensemble: A Study
Pingback: A bit of a study on Emma’s (“Belle’s) yellow gown from Beauty and the Beast
Pingback: Post-Beauty and the Beast costuming thoughts
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Augustana Hosting Conference on Deaf Education
Augustana College, which offers a major in Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, is hosting the Midwest Conference on Deaf Education, July 19-21.
Three Students Win Accounting Scholarships
Three Augustana students have received scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic year from The Image Enhancement Committee of the South Dakota CPA Society.
Seniors Named Peace Prize Forum Scholars
Augustana students Kimberly Johnson (Sioux Falls) and Beth Singleton (Moorhead, MN) have been selected 2009 Peace Prize Forum Scholars. In August, Johnson and Singleton will be part of this select core of students traveling to Chiapas, Mexico.
New Viking Logo, Mask, Billboards Reap Awards
The new Augustana College Viking logo and mask, as well as billboard images, were among the winners at the South Dakota Advertising Federation’s (SDAF) 43rd Annual ADDY Awards.
Kelli Meier recipient of Covenant Award for Community
Kelli Meier, a senior from Glenville, Minn., has been named winner of the Augustana Covenant Award for Community. Covenant Awards recognize students who embody Augustana’s five core values.
Augustana Introduces New Viking Mascot
The official mascot since 1939, Ole the Viking came to life on Friday, February 20th. He was unveiled as the seven-foot symbol of Augustana athletics.
Andy Warhol Photos Featured in Gallery Exhibit
Polaroid photographs and gelatin silver prints created by renowned artist Andy Warhol will be exhibited for the first time as a part of the “Highlights from the Carl Grupp Permanent Art Collection” exhibition, starting March 6.
Student, Mentor Co-author Article in Physics Letters B.
Augustana junior Russ Averin and faculty mentor Dr. Drew Alton's work from the past two summers has now been published in the most recent Physics Letters B journal by Elsevier Science.
Argus Leader: Vikings' New Home Takes Shape
Augustana fans have been seen poking their heads over the Elmen Center parking lot to get a glimpse of construction of Kirkeby-Over Stadium, the new on-campus football home for the Vikings, which will open its gates Sept. 5.
Financial Aid Director Gives Advice on KELO TV
"Education is still the best investment you can make so I would not be screaming panic as far as I can't go to school or continue in school. Definitely check out higher education because that's the key to the child's future."
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Join / Donate | Volunteer | Intern | Jobs | Jewish Energy Guide | Speakers | Pedagogy | Books | Easy Ways to Help
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Green Your Conference
By David Krantz
BALTIMORE (Nov. 13, 2012) — Conferences offer the opportunity to meet new people, exchange ideas and learn about new developments in your fields. They also tend to be very wasteful of natural resources — but they don’t have to be. The following tips would help to green conferences of all sizes — even ones as large as the World Zionist Congress and the Jewish Federations’ General Assembly.
Nix the waste
Plastic cups, plastic bottles, plastic cutlery, plastic plates, plastic coffee stirrers — we use all of these things once and then toss them, a clear violation of the commandment of baal tashchit — the commandment not to waste. The solution? Forget disposables and go with reusables.
At this point, many Americans own their own reusable water bottles, so you don’t need to supply conference-goers with them. Instead, use the money for other green projects and ask people to bring their own bottles with them for the conference. Perhaps it’s time to revive the old Yemenite Jewish custom of traveling with your own water cup.
If you absolutely need to use something only once, at least use something that’s compostable — something that will biodegrade, like paper or compostable plasticware made from plants such as corn or sugar cane. However, if you use the latter, it’s especially important to collect compostable waste at the conference using an industrial composter. While paper returns easily back to the earth, most compostable plastics only biodegrade when exposed to the extremely high temperatures reached inside industrial composting piles. Smaller composting piles, like those found in your local community garden, tend not to get warm enough to biodegrade most compostable plastics.
Either way, conference organizers need to pay closer attention to waste management. Arrange for compost and recycling bins next to every trash can — and tell people about them. Ensure there’s good signage. Make announcements in advance and at the conference to let people know how waste will be handled and why. If you expect low compliance, assign volunteers to politely monitor the bins and help people choose the right bin for their waste.
Of course, there’s also a lot of leftover conference food that never even makes it to people’s plates. Arrange in advance for a soup kitchen to receive leftovers, so they don’t go to waste.
And when the conference ends, collect the name-badge holders to reuse at your next conference.
Choose a location that enables people to travel easily by foot or public transportation between their lodging and the conference. Select a hotel or conference center that shares your green values. Facilities that utilize energy-efficient lighting, low-flow water fixtures and green cleaning products have demonstrated a commitment to sustainable practices.
Revamp transportation
Coordinate a rideshare so that registrants can carpool together to get to the conference. Plan events in close proximity to one another so that people can walk. For farther distances, when you offer buses, also offer bicycles. By asking registrants to select their transportation preferences in advance, you can calculate the number of bicycles that you would need in the same way that you calculate the number of buses needed. Designate bike-ride leaders to help ensure the biking caravan reaches its destination quickly and safely.
Source locally
Transportation is a major contributor to climate change, but it isn’t just the transportation of participants that releases greenhouse gases — it’s the transportation of food and supplies as well. To cut the event’s carbon footprint, source locally from regional organic farms and other suppliers.
Forget the meat
The biggest impact you can make may be the most difficult: Skip the meat. While transportation is a big contributor to climate change, meat production and consumption is even bigger. Kosher and non-kosher alike, meat is actually the biggest contributor to climate change in the world, according to the United Nations. So if you really want a green conference, forgo the meat.
Go carbon neutral
As much as you may reduce the environmental impact of the conference, it still will have a sizeable carbon footprint, particularly if participants are flying in to attend. For that which you can’t eliminate, offset, preferably through carbon-mitigating projects in Israel. You can use a web program to calculate the volume of greenhouse gases that will be released as a result of your conference — and the participants’ travel to it — and pay for the same amount of greenhouse gases to be removed from the atmosphere through green projects.
Document and measure
How effective were your greening efforts? You won’t know for certain unless you measure. Calculate the amount that’s recycled, composted and given away to the soup kitchen. Keep track of the number of people who walk, bike and carpool. Celebrate your success and use it as a benchmark for improving next year.
GZA’s carbon-offset calculator
EPA green-meeting guide
David Krantz is the president and chairperson of the Green Zionist Alliance.
This piece is part of the Jewish Energy Guide, published in partnership with the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life.
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Environmental Authority: Israel’s decision on nature reserves is a cover for settlement activity – WAFA
Environmental Authority: Israel’s decision on nature reserves is a cover for settlement activity – WAFA RAMALLAH, Thursday, January...
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Getting Gonta. By Alex Frishberg
In Bearder, Ukraine
Getting Gonta is a story, written for bluetoyellow.com by Alex Frishberg.
Based on a true story, Alex tells the tale of two Ukrainian friends who set off across the globe to rescue their beloved Gonta.
Getting Gonta part one.
Alexei and Nikolai, life-long colleagues and best friends
It was nearly midnight, and Nikolai was in the later stages of getting smashed on cheap vodka with his best buddy, Alexei. They were in a blue-collar pub called Matrosskaya Tishina, in a rough part of town, the notorious Troeschina. That’s when an old, gnawing feeling began to haunt him again. Staring into space, Nikolai said longingly with tears in his voice, “she’s somewhere out there. So what am I doing here? Hell, what are we both doing in life, besides getting pissed drunk after work, night after night?”
“Why do you always have to start with that old same shit?” Alexei replied, slurring his words. “You’ve got to learn to look at life realistically. She’s way over there and you’re right here.” Alexei pointed in opposite directions and slowly finished his thought, “so let’s just order another round and leave it at that.” Even when tipsy, Alexei was the more reasonable of the two.
“But we built her from scratch with our own two hands,” Nikolai sobbed quietly, so that the other patrons would not hear him. They could be a violent lot once everyone got truly loaded. “God damn it, Alyosha, she’s ours by all logic and reason!” Nikolai pleaded hoarsely. “You’ve got to admit that much…”
But Alexei knew better than to give his buddy even an inch in this increasingly dangerous argument. With each passing month it was getting more difficult to persuade Nikolai to stay put. “Look, she’s somewhere on the other side of the world,” Alexei tried to reason with his old friend once again, “and we have no money to get there. Even if we did, how would we ever bring her home? We don’t even have the title documents!”
Nikolai looked away from the communal plate of black bread and salty pickles, a working man’s appetizer. Though he had trouble focusing on Alexei’s face, Nikolai continued to press his case. “Fact number one: she’s sitting over there, in a place called Perth, somewhere in Australia. Fact number two: Yatsenko has forgotten all about her. Logical conclusion: it’s fate, knocking on our door! And you keep refusing!”
“Let’s order another round,” Alexei skillfully avoided the question, raising an empty vodka bottle towards the waitress. “I’m with you on that one.”
“No, you don’t get it,” Nikolai insisted with a hint of accusation in his voice, “I’m talking about our baby. Remember her, or did you forget already?”
“You’re joking,” came back an honest response. “See these two hands? I built her with them.”
“And these are my two hands!” Nikolai shouted back, raising his powerful, calloused fingers in the air, as if to prove his point. Then he grasped Alexei’s cracked hands with his own and broke down. “I’m begging you, Alyosha,” Nikolai pleaded, “we have to get her! We made her! She belongs to us! Who else will look after her like we would?”
This scene began to draw unwelcome stares from the other patrons, but Nikolai didn’t notice. “Do it for me, Alyosha, just this one time, or we’ll both regret it for the rest of our lives,” he begged. “Instead of sitting here, night after night, we’ll get to see the whole wide world! Just picture us, fishing off our own luxury sailboat in the middle of an ocean, think of the sunsets, the coconuts, and those sandy beaches! That’s real life, my friend! We’ll see it all, and bring back our Gonta, too!”
The way Nikolai put it, Alexei paused to visualize tall palm trees and endless beaches in emerald waters. For a brief second he saw topless natives with almond skin, too.
Other clients in the bar are puzzled by the depth of Nikolai’s emotions.
Sensing his hesitation, Nikolai added acidly, “and if you say no, then we’ll simply rot away in our crummy old apartments, like everyone else here. Just look around you! Is this what you really want?”
Alexei looked around the dark, smelly room, and he did not like what his eyes saw: mean and angry drunkards, always sporting for a fight. Nikolai continued, “so what do you say, Alyosha? Please don’t let me down. I’m begging you, buddy… Just this once?”
It was a pitiful sight, to see a proud man humbling himself in such a way, but it worked. By the end of their last bottle of vodka that evening, Nikolai finally managed to wear Alexei down.
Alexei briefly pauses to consider Nikolai’s suggestion
“Well, she is ours,” Alexei’s mumbled the words that Nikolai had been waiting for. “What the hell, let’s go get her.”
“You won’t regret it,” Nikolai nodded, offering his hand. He was quite drunk, and equally excited. “Put it there, pal!”
That’s how the whole deal was sealed, with a handshake and a few shots of good old pertsovka.
Once upon a time, in a country that no longer exists, there lived a successful director of a very large cement factory. His name was Comrade Dmitry Sergeevich Yatsenko. Like many other Soviet factory directors of his time, Comrade Yatsenko was well-connected, wealthy and powerful. Unlike his other colleagues, however, who regularly gorged on fatty sausages, potatoes and vodka, Comrade Yatsenko was an avid sportsman, a true sailor at heart. And yachting was his greatest passion, followed by beautiful women and the finest champagne.
The humble beginnings of Gonta
In October 1991, shortly after the break-up of the Soviet Union, Comrade Yatsenko had decided that it was a perfect opportunity to enjoy the life of luxury as a multi-millionaire in sun-drenched Australia. To fulfill his life-long dream of having “open seas and wind in your face,” the director instructed two of his factory’s finest masters, Nikolai and Alexei, to build for him “a yacht that can cross the ocean from here to Australia.” This was not a frivolous request, either.
While nobody at the local cement factory had ever constructed a sailboat before, it was equally true that Comrade Yatsenko’s direct orders had never been denied before. And so it was done. The finest hands in Kiev, supplied with unlimited financial resources of the cement factory and blueprints for the latest yacht designs, hand-crafted a 32-foot miracle called Gonta, a sailboat equivalent of Rolls Royce — not in luxury, but in her sleek style, speed, and basic sea-worthiness.
Since no spare parts were available anywhere in the former Soviet Union at any price, everything on this boat (in fact, the boat itself) was hand-made. Upon completion, a crew consisting of very nervous factory staff tested Gonta on the Dniepr River during a mild thunderstorm. The boat was a wonder, everyone agreed, even those who became seasick and vomited overboard.
Shortly after that successful test run, Comrade Yatsenko arranged for Gonta to be sealed in a container of grain (so that nobody would notice it) and had the container shipped off to Perth, Australia. As life would have it, however, before visiting Australia, Comrade Yatsenko briefly vacationed in America. After seeing some of the mega-yachts in Los Angeles and San Diego harbors, and salivating over young blond ladies with hard bodies on the sunny beaches of California, he impulsively decided to view several beach-front mansions that were for sale in the neighborhood.
That is how Comrade Yatsenko came to settle down in Southern California instead of Australia. Naturally, Gonta was quickly replaced by a 72-foot Bavaria, which contained the latest equipment that money could buy.
Alexei waited until the last possible moment before telling his life-long suffering wife, Nina, about Nikolai’s plans to rescue Gonta. By that time Alexei had already collected what he considered to be basic essentials, namely his warm, winter clothes, including thermal underwear, several rolls of color film and his old, trusty Zenit photo camera. After neatly packing these items in his beat-up brown suitcase, Alexei safely stored it back at Nikolai’s place, just in case Nina went completely ballistic, as she was expected to do.
Alexei and Nikolai are proud of their creation, Gonta
“You’re planning to sail where? With that alcoholic idiot friend of yours?!” were Nina’s first words after she recovered from the initial shock. “And you’re leaving me to take care of your crazy mother, all by myself? For just a few months? Is that what you’re telling me?! For God’s sake, Alyosha, listen to me: Nikolai will get both of you killed! You don’t even know how to sail!”
The sound of Nina’s fury was still ringing loudly in Alexei’s mind, even though Kiev was several thousand kilometers behind him. Fortunately, Nikolai’s cheerful voice interrupted his dark thoughts.
“Hey, Alexei, looks like we’re approaching another station,” said Nikolai. “Another bottle or maybe we’ll get two this time? My heart is yearning…” Nikolai rubbed his hands in anticipation of yet another train stop, an opportunity to joke with the grandmothers who would crowd around him as if he was a movie star, offering mouth-watering local delicacies like vodka, herring, potatoes and even cigarettes.
Up to this point, they had been cooped up on train #20 for more than a week, staring out the window at the passing countryside. That’s when Nikolai and Alexei would share a few drinks and pass the time, comparing crabbing in the Bering Sea with shrimp trawling in the Bay of Bengal, talking about feeling the salty spray of mist in their faces. Most of all, they spoke about bringing Gonta home.
The Trans-Siberian Railroad, or simply Trans-Sib to the locals, is the longest single rail system in Russia, stretching 5,778 miles from Moscow to Vladivostok, connecting European Russia with Siberia and the Russian Far East. It spans across eight time zones, fourteen provinces, three regions and two republics.
During their nearly two-week journey, Alexei and Nikolai went through them all: Yekaterinburg, capital of the Urals, where the Romanov family were murdered in 1918, then Novisibirsk, the capital of Siberia, Irkutsk, plus numerous bridges, tunnels and rivers.
Alexei snaps a picture of a local curb-side restaurant that serves excellent caviar
Somewhere near the shores of the enormous Lake Baikal, the deepest lake on the planet, at a train station called Slyudyanka-1, Nikolai got off again to buy a few more bottles of home-made vodka from the grandmothers. The train next moved through the remote Siberia, with its harsh climate, finally ending in their destination, Vladivostok.
It is not entirely surprising that neither Alexei nor Nikolai could recall much of the journey on their party train in the so-called platskart section, where the cheapest tickets allow passengers to sleep in the same wagon with everyone else without any privacy. Along their journey, they shared quite a few drinks with the rest of the passengers. While munching on dried salami, salted fish and boiled potatoes, Alexei and Nikolai thoroughly enjoyed magnificent views of snowy mountains, the transparent waters and forbidding landscapes.
Each day, as they sampled the finest quality grandmother-brewed moonshine, Nikolai would swear upon his mother’s grave that he was looking at the most beautiful place on earth, all the while chatting away with excitement about the upcoming adventure. Alexei was equally impressed with the scenery, nodding with appreciation at the wild nature around them.
On the train, while drinking with their new-found friends from all walks of life, they picked up a lot of useful information about the famous port city of Vladivostok. For instance, Nikolai was surprised to learn that the name means “Lord of the East” in the old Russian language. One sailor explained, heavily slurring his words, that the naval outpost, the home base of the Russian Pacific Fleet, was founded in the 1850’s and was modelled after a Russian fortress in the Caucasus, Vladikavkaz. At the time, the way the sailor spoke of the fort’s glorious past, it sounded so romantic that Alexei and Nikolai could not wait to reach the majestic city itself.
As the train came closer to Vladivostok, the local cuisine improved greatly: instead of sausages the grandmothers switched to selling black and red caviar from large buckets. The prices were laughable by Kiev standards; even Nikolai and Alexei could afford a healthy dose of beluga to accompany their vodka. So far the trip was coming along marvellously, even better then expected, as far as they were concerned.
One morning, however, the party came to an abrupt end as the train finally pulled in the central station in Vladivostok, which was conveniently located next to the Ferry Terminal. The arrival to their destination was rather anticlimactic. All of the vodka bottles and glasses, mostly empty, came crashing onto the floor, waking up the hung-over passengers from their deep, much-needed sleep. The train conductor’s message was clear: everyone had to clear out, once and for all.
The next thing Nikolai and Alexei noticed was a pungent stench of dead fish and sewage. The reason was simple: due to Vladivostok’s geography, winds cannot clear pollution from the most densely populated areas, but Nikolai and Alexei did not know this fact. Nor were they aware that Vladivostok had more then eighty industrial sites that are environmentally unfriendly, with industries such as shipbuilding and repairing, power stations, printing, fur farming and mining. The soil around them contains extraordinary levels of heavy metals like cadmium, arsenic, cobalt and mercury, which severely affect the respiratory and nervous systems. In fact, the whole city was sufficiently polluted to be officially classified as an ecological disaster zone.
As if this was not enough, a one million ton dump of unsorted garbage, which sits on a nearby coastal site, always creating an underwater slick fifteen kilometers long that shows up in satellite images. For all those reasons it did not take Alexei and Nikolai long to acknowledge that the great fishing port and the key node on Pacific shipping routes, the great Vladivostok, was the single most polluted town they had ever seen. The overcast sky and rough, weathered faces around them added to a depressing scene.
Fresh off the train, Alexei and Nikolai looked at each other and paused before going straight into the lion’s mouth.
“So what’s next?” asked Alexei, setting down his little brown suitcase on the oily pavement. “Which way are the boats?”
“Hold on, buddy. I suggest that we get the lay of the land from the natives before we undertake any drastic actions,” Nikolai replied, scratching his head. “I mean, how do we know which boats are good and which are bad?”
“Makes sense to me,” Alexei readily agreed.
They needed some background information prior to making any serious decisions. Their lives depended on it.
“And I already see the perfect place for socializing with the local working class. See that little joint on the corner?” Nikolai nodded discreetly towards a run-down bar called The Arena. Two drunken sailors emerged from there, propping each other up as they stumbled down the street. Nikolai winked and added, “that’s our place, buddy, right over there.”
The dark pub, with its smoked-through walls, was very much like their own Matrosskaya Tishina back in Kiev, with a remarkably similar cast of customers. Even the greasy menu was the same. After a few drinks, Nikolai and Alexei fit in perfectly.
They ordered the usual: a bottle of vodka with pickles and a plate of boiled, salty crayfish. Being strangers, they generously shared a few shots of vodka with an older fellow who happened to be sitting nearby. In exchange, he had plenty of advice for the newcomers, who were eager to learn about life on the long-distance fishing, with an emphasis on vessels going to Australia.
“…then there’s saltwater boils, plus all that noise and vibration,” the old man rambled on, “some men get asthma, others are crushed by heavy equipment or washed overboard. Everyone eventually loses their hearing. Plus, you’re standing out there on that slippery deck, in the freezing rain, for 15 to 20 hours without a break, so you get frostbites, hypothermia. You’ve got to consider these things before you boys sign up.”
“Any other words of wisdom, old man?” Alexei asked, pouring him another generous shot of vodka.
“If you have to go out there, whatever you do, don’t get near a processing line. Do something nice and easy. Mechanical engineer, that’s the ticket! Or maybe a cook. Now, that’s what I call a great job!”
Central train station in Vladivostok
After the second bottle of vodka, the old sailor entertained Alexei and Nikolai with stories of fatal accidents, capsizing, and collisions. The third bottle allowed him to cover all sorts of skin and respiratory diseases, eye damage, as well as lip and skin cancers due to excessive exposure to sun.
The fourth, and final, bottle was reserved for simple infections, lacerations and minor traumas of hands and wrists, followed by amputations of arms and legs. By that time, the afternoon had turned to evening without anyone noticing the difference. The light drizzle outside only added to the cozy atmosphere at their table. In the end, the old sailor gave Alexei and Nikolai invaluable advice, and even offered them his place to stay for free, which made the whole afternoon well worthwhile.
The next day Alexei and Nikolai signed up to work on a longliner instead of agreeing to the more lucrative positions on the ships that processed fish. There, according to the old man, fishermen had to work close to powerful and dangerous machines, where the risk of being crushed by heavy equipment was practically a certainty. In exchange, they signed up for a return journey. It was the captain’s only condition of employment: no jumping from the ship in some exotic location, where no replacement could be found. Naturally, Nikolai and Alexei shamelessly lied without any reservations, knowing full well they would remain in Australia, should they ever get there.
Getting Gonta is a story by Alex Frishberg. Part Two will be published next week.
Please follow the blog to keep reading.
Alex FrishbergAustraliaFreindsGetting GontaSailingSeaStoryUkraineYacht
Can you explain Ukraine?
Museum of… toilets
GETTING GONTA. BY ALEX FRISHBERG. Part 2 | From blue to yellow
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Published on January 14, 2012, by JPRoscoe - Posted in NDS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 0
Graphics: 8/10
Controls: 5/10
Gameplay: 6/10
Nice cinematics, interesting concepts
Sloppy controls sometimes have you locking on to targets that you don't want
Game Name: De Blob 2
Developer(s): Blue Tongue Entertainment/Halfbrick Studios (NDS)
Publisher(s): THQ/SyFy Kids
Platform(s): PS3/Xbox 360/Wii/NDS
Genre(s): Platform
Release Date(s): February 22, 2011
ESRB Rating: E10+
Trippin’
De Blob is back but so is Comrade Black! Black has disguised himself as a priest named Papa Blanc and is tricking the people of Prisma City to give up their colors. It is up to de Blob to expose Comrade Black, save the people of Prisma City, and shut down Black’s plans to turn the world into monochrome blahs.
Produced THQ, de Blob 2 was originally titled de Blob: The Underground. Unlike the original de Blob, de Blob 2 was released on all major systems (instead of just Wii). The game was relatively well received by critics and fans of the original.
Waahoo! I did it….again.
De Blob 2 is much more of the same if you played the original. The graphics are a bit of an improvement from the Wii version of the game (I played the Xbox 360 version for the review). The levels are designed to be a bit more epic with a bigger feel. It isn’t just “the city” over and over again, but it often does end up in “the city” by the end of the level. In increasing the size of the levels, new jump points are created once you’ve finished the level and de Blob is free to move between the jump points so travel isn’t always necessary. With the new bigger level however, it is easy really easy to get lost or confused as to where you are going. With a time limit that seems to come into play more often, this is a bad thing…a bit more distinction between levels or places within the levels would help.
Who does that Blob think he is?
The jump to the PS3 and Xbox 360 took away a bit of the Wii’s innovative controls for de Blob. It still works, but it seems like de Blob has a bit more mind of his own. You end up locking onto characters you don’t want to crush and accidentally changing your color, attacking an enemy you can’t kill, or weird cameras cause you to fall. De Blob has a few new moves with some rush attacks and new power-ups. A second player can also join de Blob’s battle to help him as his Underground sidekick Pinky.
De Blob is still a fun, and easy game to pick up. It is relatively harmless so in spite of being marketed as E10+, it could be played by most kids. The levels are looooong however. It is a good hour on each level and if you are a searcher, it will even be longer as you scour the level for hidden bonuses and upgrades. It will be interesting to see if de Blob continues, and if they can find some new way to innovate it so it doesn’t feel like an extension of the first two games.
Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by JPRoscoe
Follow me on Twitter @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.
Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987)
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31 Days of Horror 2019: Don’t Turn Around!
September 2019 Comic Book Blow-Out
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The 80th Academy Award Nominations
January 24, 2020The Gentlemen
January 24, 2020The Turning
January 31, 2020Gretel & Hansel
February 7, 2020The Lodge
@JPRoscoe76 January 19, 2020
Rewatching #Midsommar. If I come out of the woods to this "Sorry, I'm out..." Wouldn't have to worry about any ot… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Rewatching Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood. Liked the first time but enjoying it more this time with the opportuni… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Now Watching: The Lighthouse. Loved The Witch so hope to continue the love #TheLighthouse #RobertPattinson… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Having a throwback Saturday night....watching #Lost Season 1...show still looks great and it is odd rewatching when… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Garbage Day! A remastered (aka new pics) review of the classic b-movie Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 (1987) on… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
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She’s an Atonal Mess (Album)
Bipolar Dimensions » She’s an Atonal Mess (Album)
She's an Atonal Mess
She's an Atonal Mess is both the title of this release and the title of the first track. I created each piece below over the course of a day. Simple mixdown was the only post-processing performed on the tracks. So there is very little manipulation of the sound from its original source. But there is a degree of work setting up the musical voices. This work is a departure from my previous albums, Electric Rain and Unknown Planet, musically-speaking. Each release has its own character.
She's an Atonal Mess by Bipolar Dimensions
She's an Atonal Mess (Track)
This piece employs piano, drums, and bass in a jazzy, atonal, jam session. It's a traditional ensemble with an avant-garde twist.
Per my usual MO, this piece is pure improvisation (fully devoid of any polishing). As such, there is a raw edge to it. This one makes heavy use of arpeggiators to fill in the sound.
You can listen to the track using the embedded player on this page.
Do That
Do That ventures into the realm of spacy, jazz-rock fusion. It features a free-flowing, improvised percussion track backing a heavily arpeggiated track of noodling. This is more mono-toned than atonal but still has that disconnected feeling of atonality. It's very reminiscent of a Grateful Dead 'drums/space' jam.
This was a lot of fun to create. It uses over 200 arpeggiator patterns to produce the noodling. The percussion was improvised devoid of any particular time signature. The arpeggiators are highly synchronized.
Not Your Mom's Dance Music
Welcome to that space where xylophone meets noise. Another jazzy improvisation with a sense of humor. Two tracks of noise, a track of arpeggiated xylophone and a subtle hip-hop drum track.
So, this is an experiment mixing noise with melodic (atonally-melodic) noodling courtesy of the xylophone. It was a tricky mix with some trade-offs but the result is intriguing.
Unsprung Clock Jam
So, in keeping with the theme of atonality, Unsprung Clock Jam ventures into the realm of electronic noise backed by xylophone and drums. If you've ever had the spring on your watch go haywire, then you know where this piece is coming from. If you're only familiar with digital clocks/watches, then you might get lost. But this is electronic, so you never know.
Wrongdoer
Wrongdoer is pure percussion with a few bits of special effects thrown in for good measure. It serves to emphasize the percussive, atonal nature of the album. The title came from me doing a series of wrong things on the synthesizer before coming up with this. Long story short, I lost an entire composition because I failed to back up my work. So this is my penance so-to-speak.
Unbeaten Path
Here's another variation on the theme of rhythmic, electronic noise. Percussive elements melt into eerie voices as this piece progresses. There is a sort of melody in the noise. But it's its own type of melody.
And this wraps up She's an Atonal Mess. Unbeaten Path hints at musical paths still unexplored. I look forward to hearing what comes next.
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University of Mumbai, UM, Mumbai
19. February 2019 19:40 / dilip / Admission Notice . Admission Miscellenous Course . Maharashtra / Comments (0)
M.G. Road, Fort
Phone-No: 022 2265 2819 2265 2825
Email: sanket@ucc.mu.ac.in Website: www.mu.ac.in
About College:
The University of Mumbai (known earlier as University of Bombay) is one of the oldest and premier Universities in India. It was established in 1857 consequent upon "Wood's Education Dispatch", and it is one amongst the first three Universities in India. Acdemy of Theatre Arts has been taken a long stride at National and International level within a short span of eleven years. It has become one of the leading theatre training institutes India. The institute was established in 2003. University of Mumbai initiated its Academy keeping in mind the dearth of theatre training institutes in Mumbai, despite the city being the main center of the theatre activity in the country. University of Mumbai initiated its Academy keeping in mind the dearth of theatre training institutes in Mumbai, despite the city being the main center of the theatre activity in the country.
Ph.D. [Department of Physics University of Mumbai]
M.Phil. [Department of Physics University of Mumbai]
M.Sc. Physics with Minimum 55% marks. Relaxation of 5% is allowed to candidates belonging to Reserve category (SC/ST/OBC). The candidate should submit the PET Exam certificates (Mumbai University only) at the time of application.
The following candidates are exempted from PET Exam certificates:
1. M.Phil Degree certificates. A person whose M.Phil Dissertation is evaluated and viva voce exam is pending are eligible to apply.
2. The candidate is exempted from PET Exam certificate if they have cleared any one of the national level or state level exam namely CSIR-UGC NET/NET/GATE/SLET/INSPIRE or any JRF holder of any of the apex bodies like CSIR/DST/DBT/ICMR/ICSSR/UGC/ICAR.
3. A Teacher who is regular in service of any of the apex bodies like CSIR/DST/DBT/ICMR/ICSSR/UGC/ICAR.
All eligible candidates who are seeking admission for the M. Phil. and Ph.D. Degree are hereby informed that they should submit the application for the same along with all necessary documents in the Office (Ms. Megha Ghogare), Department of Physics on or before 2nd March, 2019.
To know more information about how to apply please contact here:
Lokmanya Tilak Bhavan, Vidyanagari, Santacruz (E),
Mumbai- 400098
Phone No.: 022 26526250, 26533051 26543358 Ext. 358
Fax: 022 26522222, 26533051
Email: head.udp@mu.ac.in
Last Date: 2nd March, 2019
To know more Information about this courses please visit: www.mu.ac.in
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Tags : Admission in University of Mumbai , UM , Mumbai Mumbai , admission process in University of Mumbai , Mumbai 2019 Mumbai , eligibility criteria in University of Mumbai , Mumbai , admission procedure in University of Mumbai , phd admission 2019 , Mphil admission 2019
28. August 2018 20:04 / dilip / Admission Notice . Admission Engineering . Maharashtra / Comments (1)
Phone-No: 2265 2819 2265 2825
The University of Mumbai (known earlier as University of Bombay) is one of the oldest and premier Universities in India. It was established in 1857 consequent upon "Wood's Education Dispatch", and it is one amongst the first three Universities in India. As a sequel to the change in the name of the city from Bombay to Mumbai, the name of the University has been changed from "University of Bombay " to "University of Mumbai " ,vide notification issued by the Government of Maharashtra and published in the Government Gazette dated 4th September, 1996. The profile of this University carved out in 150 years of its functioning attests to its manifold achievements as the intellectual and moral powerhouse of the society. The University has always given its best to the country in general and to the city of Mumbai in particular by enthusiastically shouldering an ever-growing load of social values and opportunities.
M.Tech. (Computer Engineering)
Candidates seeking admission to M. Tech. in Computer Engineering programme will have to fulfill the eligibility criteria set by Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), Maharashtra, to be considered for admission. The important eligibility criteria for admission are given below:
1. The candidate needs be an Indian National.
2. Hold a Bachelor’s degree in the relevant field of Engineering / Technology from an All India Council for Technical Education or Central or State Government approved institution or its equivalent with minimum 50% marks (45% in case of candidates belonging to backward class categories and persons with disability and belonging to the State of Maharashtra ) as per the DTE eligibility criteria.
3. Candidate should have passed B. E. / B. Tech. Degree in branch of Computer Engineering or Computer Science or Information Technology or Electrical Engineering or Electronics Engineering or Instrumentation Engineering or Power Electronics or Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering.
4. Must have obtained a positive (non-zero) score in GATE.
Admission Process:
University of Mumbai, School of Engineering Sciences, Kalyan is offering program leading to Post Graduate degree in Master’s of Technology (M. Tech.) since Academic Year 2018-19.
Admissions to this program are based on primarily on the valid GATE score as per the norms set by the DTE.
1. Please read the Instructions, Rules & Regulations carefully before feeling of Application form.
2. Candidate has to use the prescribed Application Form only. It can be downloaded from Website. Soft copy & PDF format both are available on University website.
3. Candidates can download PDF format and fill the form in handwriting. or he can download the Soft copy & neatly type the same in A4 Sheet.
4. Please ensure that application sent by post shall reach in time.
5. Application Fee of Rs.500/- for Open category candidates and Rs. 300/- for reserve category candidates is to be paid through DD which shall be in the name of Finance & Accounts Officer, University of Mumbai.
6. Application completed in all respect along-with all necessary enclosures and DD of application fee be submitted to University before 5.00 pm on or before 4 th September, 2018. at following address:
Asst. Registrar – TAAS (UT)
University of Mumbai,
Room No. 113, M. G. Road, Fort Campus,
Mumbai – 400 032
Last date for online submission of forms: 4th September, 2018 till 5.00 pm.
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Tags : Admission in University of Mumbai , UM , Mumbai Mumbai , admission process in University of Mumbai , Mumbai 2018 Mumbai , eligibility criteria in University of Mumbai , Mumbai
18. August 2018 20:29 / dilip / Admission Notice . Admission Management . Maharashtra / Comments (0)
Phone-No: 022 22652819 22652825
Integrated Management Programme BMS-MBA
· Higher Secondary School Certificate/ Intermediate (10+2) or its equivalent certificate from a recongnized board.
· Minimum 45% aggregate (40% aggregate in case of reserved category) from science. Commerce, arts or any other stream/discipline
· Below 20 years of age as on 24th August, 2018 for MUCMET applicants (22 years in case of reserved category and PWD candidates)
· 85% of the seats shall be reserved for the students qualified and domiciled in Maharashtra.
Interested candidates should apply through the prescribed form available on the website: mu.ac.in/portal/thane-sub-campus along with the Demand Draft of any nationalized bank in favour of “Finance and Accounts Officer, University of Mumbai”.
For further information, please contact: University of Mumbai, Thane Sub Campus, Behind Runwal Garden City, Ram Maruti Nagar, Balkum, Thane (West) – 400608 Tel: 022-25339323
Entrance test Fees DD of Rs. 500/- (DD of Rs. 250/- for Reserved and PWD Category)
Date of Submission of duly filled Application forms: 18th August, 2018 to 23rd August, 2018
Date of Test: 24th August, 2018 11.00 AM – 01.00 PM
To know more Information about this course please visit: www.mu.ac.in
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12. June 2018 21:15 / dilip / Admission Notice . Admission Mass Media . Maharashtra / Comments (3)
The University of Mumbai (known earlier as University of Bombay) is one of the oldest and premier Universities in India. It was established in 1857 consequent upon "Wood's Education Dispatch", and it is one amongst the first three Universities in India.
Acdemy of Theatre Arts has been taken a long stride at National and International level within a short span of eleven years. It has become one of the leading theatre training institutes India. The institute was established in 2003. University of Mumbai initiated its Academy keeping in mind the dearth of theatre training institutes in Mumbai, despite the city being the main center of the theatre activity in the country.
University of Mumbai initiated its Academy keeping in mind the dearth of theatre training institutes in Mumbai, despite the city being the main center of the theatre activity in the country.
Master of Theatre Arts (MTA) [Course offered by University of Mumbai Academy of Theatre Arts]
The selection of candidates for admission to the Theatre Arts course will be based on:
1. Degree in Dramatics and Theatre Arts from any recognized University.
Bachelor's Degree in any subject/faculty from any recognized University passed in Second Class Division (Minimum 45%).
Equivalent Course i.e. 10+2+3
Experience of participating in theatre activity is must otherwise you will be not eligible for admission. (Preference will be given to students or practitioners of the performing arts such as theatre, music, dance, folk and traditional theatre, etc).
2. Entrance examination, Performance Test, Interview and Aptitude Test (Written and Practical).
Application and prospectus for this course is available at Academy of Theatre Arts 2nd floor, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Bhavan, Vidyanagari, Santacruz (E), Mumbai-98. Between 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. at the cost of the Rs. 150/- Application are also available at website. Submit your form here ata@mu.ac.in
Last date of form submission: 5th July 2018
Date of Entrance Exam: 11th, 12th, 13th of July, 2018
To know more Information about this courses please visit: www.theatreartsdepartmentmu.com
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Tags : Admission in University of Mumbai , UM , Mumbai Mumbai , admission process in University of Mumbai , Mumbai 2018 Mumbai , eligibility criteria in University of Mumbai , Mumbai , admission procedure in University of Mumbai
13. April 2016 18:27 / AdmissionNews / Admission Notice . Admission BioTechnology . Admission Law . Admission Library Science . Maharashtra / Comments (22)
Email: sanket@ucc.mu.ac.in
Website: www.mu.ac.in
As a sequel to the change in the name of the city from Bombay to Mumbai, the name of the University has been changed from "University of Bombay " to "University of Mumbai " ,vide notification issued by the Government of Maharashtra and published in the Government Gazette dated 4th September, 1996.
The profile of this University carved out in 150 years of its functioning attests to its manifold achievements as the intellectual and moral powerhouse of the society. The University has always given its best to the country in general and to the city of Mumbai in particular by enthusiastically shouldering an ever-growing load of social values and opportunities.
Initially, the University concentrated its efforts on controlling teaching at the undergraduate level and in conducting examinations. Later on it took up research and the task of imparting instructions at the Post-Graduate level. This resulted in the establishment of the University Departments beginning with the School of Sociology and Civics & Politics. The independence of the country led to the re-organization of the functions and powers of the University with the passing of the Bombay University Act of 1953.
It is now granted a Five Star status by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). It has two campuses of area 230 acres and 13 acres, with 1.25 million square feet of built-up area, 22 thousand sq. feet of class-rooms and 84 thousand sq feet of laboratory space. It has two post-graduate centers, 354 affiliated colleges and 36 Departments. It has established its name in industrial collaborations and runs various professional courses.
At national level, it has excelled in sports, cultural and out-reach activities. In the last five years it has seen 104% increase in under-graduate students, 112% increase in post-graduate students and 147% increase in distance - education students. There is 156% increase in the number of research papers published in International journals. 12 Department/sections are recognized under various national programmes, such as SAP/CAS/DRS/DSA/COSIST/FIST. More than 80 teachers are on various professional bodies. 18 National/International awards are won by teachers in the last five years. Every year about 20 teachers visit abroad for academic activities. Recently more than 10 self-supporting courses have been started by the University.
Bachelor of Library and Information Science BLIS
in University of Mumbai, UM, Mumbai
Bachelor of Library and Information Science (BLIS)
Eligibility and Selection Procedure for Bachelor of Library and Information Science BLIS in University of Mumbai, UM, Mumbai
A candidate for the degree in Library Science shall have one Year passed a degree examination of the University of Mumbai or of a University recognized by the University.
Master of Science MSc Biotechnology
Master of Science (MSc) (Biotechnology)
Eligibility and Selection Procedure for Master of Science MSc Biotechnology in University of Mumbai, UM, Mumbai
Candidates should have B.Sc (three year integrated course) degree examination of this university or any other university recognized as equivalent thereto seven units in Biotechnology (i.e. minimum required for majoring in the subject).
Five Year Integrated Law Degree Programme BBA-LLB Hons.
Five Year Integrated Law Degree Programme BBA-LLB (Hons.)
Eligibility and Selection Procedure for Five Year Integrated Law Degree Programme BBA-LLB Hons. in University of Mumbai, UM, Mumbai
Passed Senior Secondary School Examination (10+2 System) or HSc or equivalent Examination with 45% marks from Arts, Commerce, Science or any other streams in case of General Category and 40% of the total marks in case of SC and ST category. 85% of seats shall be reserved for Students qualified and domicailed in Maharashtra.
The candidate appearing in the 12th standard examination in March, 2016 can also apply.
Application Procedure for Five Year Integrated Law Degree Programme BBA-LLB Hons. in University of Mumbai, UM, Mumbai
Application: Interested candidates should apply in prescribed form available on University website along with DD of Rs. 2,000/- (Rupees Two Thousand Only) for General Candidates and Rs. 1,000/- (Rupees One thousand only) in case of Reserved Category along with copy of requisite Caste Certificate, in favour of “Finance & Accounts Officer, University of Mumbai”.
Entrance Test: 30th April 2016
Last date for Submission form: 22nd April 2016
To know more Information about course please visit: www.mu.ac.in
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15 Feb 0 Comment
‘BY ANY NAME’ To Screen At Aof 2016 In The US
Time1:24 pm
fabwebstudiofabwebstudio
Welsh production company Tanabi Films, who produced ‘By Any Name’ movie based on the no.1 best-selling novel by Katherine John has made the third round official selection stage from a plethora of entries at this year’s prestigious Action on Film Festival. AOF is now in its 12th year and has become one of the fastest growing festivals in the US attracting entries from all around the world. This will be the first US screening of the film and will be held in the famous Krikorian Theater in Monrovia, CA along with another 60 films.
The Director of ‘By Any Name’ Euros Jones-Evans said, “We are extremely proud to be working with Del Watson and the whole team at AOF 2016. We had incredible support from all our local partners in Wales and the recent screening here and we look forward to seeing how the movie is received in the US for the first time. We are extremely grateful to all the cast and crew, especially the leading male Cengiz Dervis, who plays ‘John West’ and Samira Mohamed Ali who plays ‘Dr Elizabeth Santer’ in the film for their dedication and hard work and to make this project happen as an independent film.”
Del Weston, AOF Director said, “We (The AOF) are the go to festival for filmmakers, writers, producers, actors to have their work recognized and honored. The AOF has launched a number of careers and continues to bring even more attention and success to filmmakers and writers from around the globe. We are very excited to be screening ‘By Any Name’, which will be the first film ever from Wales as part of this year’s festival selection and showcasing the on screen talent and also feature them on our television ‘Del Weston Action On Film’ show, which airs Nationwide across the US.”
‘By Any Name’s author Katherine John, who was recently selected as one of Amazon’s chosen authors and is profiled on most online platforms across the US, South America and Europe said, “I am delighted and honored that ‘By Any Name’ has been selected to screen at such a distinguished festival. The entire team at Tanabi Films has worked tirelessly to get this project completed and did everything they could to bring my story to life. I wrote the script with the support of the director and it was an enormous privilege to work with the actors and crew”.
‘By Any Name’ was nominated at this year’s CBFF 2016 and qualified to enter BAFTA Wales competition in 2017 and is a recent acquisition of CEO Marie Adler of Hollywood’s Adler’s Adler & Associates Entertainment, Inc. A&AE.
WELSH FILM ‘BY ANY NAME’ SCOOPS AWARD IN CHINA
Double Nomination For Tanabi Films At The 2016 Carmarthen Bay Film Festival
Britis Thriller ‘BY ANY NAME’ Awarded Double Accolade By International Jury
©2017 By Any Name Movie. All Rights Reserved.
All editorial and photography on byanynamemovie.com is copyright protected
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Murray scores 22 as Nuggets beat Jazz 107-83
Written by AP
Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood, back, argues after he was called for traveling as Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris heads down the court in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray scored 13 of his 22 points in the first quarter and the Denver Nuggets overcame the ejection of Nikola Jokic to beat the Utah Jazz 107-83 on Tuesday night.
Jokic had 13 points and seven rebounds before getting tossed in the fourth quarter. Wilson Chandler and Gary Harris scored 15 apiece to help Denver win its third in a row.
Despite the rout, Jokic got tangled up with Jonas Jerebko early in the fourth and was called for a flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game.
The Jazz cut it to 13 after Jokic left, but Murray converted a three-point play and Trey Lyles had a driving dunk to push the lead to 90-72 with 5:38 left.
Derrick Favors had 20 points, and Jerebko and Donovan Mitchell each scored 13 for the Jazz.
The Nuggets showed no sign of complacency after big road wins at Portland and Golden State last weekend. They used a 12-0 run late in the first quarter to take a 13-point lead, and another big run at the end of the second to lead 50-34 at halftime.
Unlike the two meetings in Utah this season, Denver didn’t collapse in the second half. The Nuggets led by 21 less than four minutes into the third and maintained a comfortable lead throughout the second half to improve to 12-3 at home.
Jazz: Mitchell entered second in the NBA in scoring among rookies at 18 points per game. Lakers G Kyle Kuzma (18.1 ppg) is first. … G Raul Neto missed his eighth straight game with a concussion. … C Rudy Gobert (left knee sprain) was with the team but sat out for the sixth straight game.
Nuggets: G Emmanuel Mudiay was active after missing four straight games with a sprained right ankle. He entered in the final two minutes and scored seven points. He hit a 3-pointer, was fouled and made the free throw and then hit another 3 on Denver’s next possession. … Denver held the Jazz to 28.9 percent shooting in the first half and a season-low 34 points over the first two quarters. … Lyles had 16 points and eight rebounds against his former team.
Jazz: Play at Golden State on Wednesday night.
Nuggets: Travel to Minnesota to play the Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
More AP NBA: <a href=”https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball” target=”—blank”>https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball</a>
Utah Jazz guard Ricky Rubio, of Spain, drives past Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler in the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in Denver. The Nuggets won 107-83. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray flexes in celebration after a basket against the Utah Jazz in the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, in Denver. The Nuggets won 107-83. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Posted in UncategorizedTagged American Basketball Association, Denver, Denver Nuggets, Derrick Favors, Donovan Mitchell, Emmanuel Mudiay, Gary Harris, Jamal Murray, Jonas Jerebko, Kyle Kuzma, Minnesota, National Basketball Association, National Basketball Association Playoffs, Nba, Nba Summer League, Nikola Jokic, Portland, Raul Neto, Rudy Gobert, Shooting Guards, The Nba, Utah, Wilson Chandler
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Betting on royal baby names
The first child for Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is due any day now and there’s plenty of speculation, and betting, around what the newest royal will be named.
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Fake News, Mass Hysteria and Induced Insanity
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The "fake news" is that we've never been healthier, healthcare costs are under control and our economy has fully "recovered."
We've heard a lot about "fake news" from those whose master narratives are threatened by alternative sources and analyses. We've heard less about the master narratives being threatened: the fomenting of mass hysteria, which turns the populace into an easily manipulated and managed herd, and induced insanity, a longer-term marketing-based narrative that causes the populace to ignore the self-destructive consequences of accepting the fad/ ideology/ mindset being pushed as "good" and "normal."
In terms of "fake news," it's hard to beat the mainstream media and its handlers' attempts to whip up mass hysteria via unsubstantiated claims that Russian hackers working for Putin deprived Hillary of the presidency. The campaign to spark mass hysteria was launched with great precision, unleashing the overwhelming forces of endless repetition (the marketer's favorite tool) and appeals to national security authorities: The C.I.A., F.B.I, and all the other security agencies purportedly concur that Russia "hacked" (whatever that means) the U.S. election.
The intent of the campaign was painfully obvious: by wheeling out the big guns of authority without any actual evidence, the campaign's designers hoped the public would automatically assume the bizarre, outlandish claim must be "true," even though no evidence was submitted to substantiate this fact-free claim, and respond as planned, i.e. willingly join a mass hysteria herd in favor of discrediting the U.S. election results.
Did the "hackers" change the election results issued by voting machines? Did they "hack" the election totals? Wouldn't there be tell-tale forensic evidence of such tampering? How else could "hackers" change the election other than by changing votes and vote totals?
Or was the media campaign to generate mass hysteria based on nothing but purposefully vague and unsubstantiated claims of Russia-inspired "fake news" that undermined the election by questioning the mainstream media's biased coverage of the presidential campaign?
"Fake news" is of course the staple of marketing products that end up killing the unwary consumers who buy the hype. The classic example is the cigarette/ tobacco industry, which ran adverts for decades proclaiming absurdities such as the health benefits of smoking (other than dying a horrible, needless death), the "fact" that doctors preferred one brand of cigarette over the other brands, and so on.
The industry famously went to truly monumental lengths to hide the facts about the destructive consequences of smoking from the public, and aggressively attacked any evidence that smoking was remarkably unhealthy as "unscientific," i.e. beating back the truth with The Big Lie.
That a form of consumption that killed the consumers was unquestionably accepted not just as "normal" but as cool/hip for decades illustrates the staying power of induced insanity. Mass hysteria eventually wears off, as it overloads the emotional circuitry of the target audience; humans soon become desensitized to the triggers used to generate mass hysteria, and it takes heavier and heavier doses of propaganda to maintain the feverishly herd-inducing hysteria.
Eventually, the populace habituates to the stimulus and becomes exhausted by the hysteria.
Induced Insanity, on the other hand, is not an emotional state--it is a state of mind and a state of perception that filters and interprets inputs to produce the desired output-- an acceptance of insanity as "normal" and "good."
For example, eating mountains of food that "tastes good" is positive and normal. Never mind that we're eating/consuming ourselves to death:
Or that our medical costs are so out of control that they're bankrupting households, enterprises and eventually,the entire economy:
Or that much of the money is spent on shuffling paperwork/ claims and counter-claims, complying with thousands of pages of regulations and dealing with the systemic fraud our system invites and rewards:
Induced insanity doesn't just describe our acceptance of ill health and a doomed healthcare system; it also describes our blind acceptance of an economy that's throttling small business:
The "fake news" is that we've never been healthier, healthcare costs are under control and our economy has fully "recovered." These sustained "fake news" campaigns are intended not to induce hysteria, but an enduring acceptance of what is visibly destructive and insane.
Food for thought as we enter 2017. Always start every inquiry with a simple question: cui bono--to whose benefit?
Check out both of my new books, Inequality and the Collapse of Privilege ($3.95 Kindle, $8.95 print) and Why Our Status Quo Failed and Is Beyond Reform ($3.95 Kindle, $8.95 print). For more, please visit the OTM essentials website.
Thank you, Victor C. ($10/month), for your outrageously generous pledge to this site -- I am greatly honored by your support and readership.
Thank you, Eric J. ($5/month), for your superbly generous pledge to this site -- I am greatly honored by your support and readership.
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Charlotte Garrido
"I believe people have the power to make a difference. Our future depends on a strong economy, a healthy environment and local people working together. As your County Commissioner these are my priorities—for a Kitsap County we can be proud of!"
My priorities I will continue to promote the following priorities:
Strong Economy: Creating jobs and supporting local businesses
Healthy Environment: Protecting our natural resources
Citizen Engagement: Partnering with communities, and increasing opportunities for residents to be heard by their local elected officials
County Purpose: Implementing the County’s mission “to protect and promote the safety, health and welfare of our citizens in an efficient, accessible and effective manner.”
Click on a title to read more.
I have been involved with quality of life issues in Kitsap County for more than thirty years — as an active citizen, a contributing professional, and an elected official. Early on, I volunteered for advisory boards (such as watershed planning, community planning, rural policy) and then more formally (Boundary Review Board, Historical Society Board, the Democratic Central Committee – including Executive Board, and as an elected park commissioner, for example). I have also organized community initiatives like the Port Orchard Farmers’ Market, Olalla Community Council, and the South Kitsap Community Council.
As the incumbent for this position, in my second consecutive term (and served another term in the late 1990s), my hands-on experience demonstrates the leadership needed to successfully accomplish the vital tasks of a County Commissioner. My track record demonstrates skill at building good working relationships and reaching effective outcomes.
I advocate for people’s needs and interests by asking local residents what they think, being out in the community, bringing people together, and working on projects of strong interest to them.
While my schedule is tightly booked, the personnel at our reception desk know that hearing from local residents is a priority for me. I enjoy visiting community meetings and activities, and drop in on such functions whenever possible. When citizens contact me with concerns, I often ask if I can visit with them and their neighbors. This helps me learn more about the issue – for example from beach trespass, development proposals, desire for trails, litter and much more. I can usually bring along a staff person who has expertise about the topic, such as inviting a deputy if the concern is neighborhood break-ins.
I have initiated a pilot program in the Commissioners’ office to bring people together to discuss neighborhood planning. It seeks to build partnerships with communities – drawing on their knowledge of their community, and providing access to county government functions that may benefit them.
Encouraging Economic Development
I work with local economic development promoters, focused on pertinent existing and opportunity industry sectors, and have built a strong network for action. My particular strength is in workforce development. I consistently participate through the following:
Puget Sound Regional Council’s Economic Development District – to foster regional economic initiatives.
Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, Executive Board – to encourage business retention and expansion in Kitsap; and Kitsap Aerospace & Defense Alliance – to facilitate support for increasing our aerospace industry.
Washington Workforce Development Steering Committee — a steering group formed by Governor Inslee to integrate the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) across the State. This law encourages business engagement in determining workforce needs, and develops career pathways for workers.
Olympic Consortium Board (Chair for eight years) – this workforce development leadership entity for Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap Counties coordinates related policies. The Olympic Workforce Council is composed of representatives from business, labor, and education and implements practical actions.
My early activism in Kitsap County demonstrates a reasonable approach to development, yet an insistence for taking a long-term view to value our natural resources. Similarly, my graduate program degree work in planning reflects the importance of community involvement for assuring a balance between natural systems and new development. I currently serve on the Regional Open Space Strategies (ROSS), which envisions balance between built environments and nature. And, early this year Congressman Kilmer invited me to join a delegation going to Washington, D.C. on behalf of naming Puget Sound as a national estuary and assuring attention to pollution problems. I support many Kitsap County programs that address environmental issues, and especially our “Clean Water Kitsap” partnerships.
I helped originate a Ferry Community Partnership in 2010-11 to critique Washington State Ferries service and routes. We meet all year long, but weekly on Saturdays prior to and throughout the legislative sessions, and advocate for improvements. When WSF announced an update for their long-range plan, I hosted meetings with each of Kitsap’s four ferry-served communities to learn concerns from riders’ expertise. The findings were published for community members and delivered to the WSF leadership.
As a Kitsap Transit Board member, my first priority is to restore Sunday service, so critical for many in our community (this services was suspended in 2008 due to the economy). The Board also frequently reviews ways to enhance routed and Access services throughout the county, with suggestions from a citizens’ advisory board. In addition, I serve on the Passenger-Only Ferry subcommittee, advising the staff about the Port Orchard-Bremerton foot ferry service; and exploring cross-sound possibilities.
The Kitsap County Human Rights Council advises on issues related to discrimination “based on race or ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or economic status”. I appreciate their advocacy and prevention, education, and resource suggestions and their annual conferences on important topics for Kitsap County. I am a leader in addressing homelessness in our community.
Some specific areas where I have been able to effect change include mental health and substance abuse, homelessness, reduced incarceration, and equitable access to healthy foods. For example:
The Board passed a .1% sales tax initiative in 2013 to fund programs addressing mental health and substance abuse concerns.
Organized a June 30 summit to address the crisis of homelessness in Kitsap County.
Participate with a re-entry program to successfully integrate jail inmates back into the community.
Initiated a Food Policy Council to increase availability of locally grown foods to all.
Worked with the Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center to encourage integration of immigrants into our community.
Kitsap Central Labor Council
© Citizens to Re-Elect Charlotte Garrido (D) 2011-2020 | Email | PO Box 511 Olalla WA 98359 | Site donated by CGR
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Catalogue Listing
(click catalogue number for more detail) Complete Catalogue (numeric)
Complete Catalogue (alphabetic)
Modern Masterpieces
Voice / Soundscape
TP015 $23
Riley Lee: Breath sight
Yearning for the Bell, vol. 1
Riley Lee (shakuhachi)
The first in a six-CD set containing all the music in the medieval lineage of shakuhachi meditational melody known as 'honkyoku'. This is the first time that such a complete set of this music has ever been recorded. Riley's playing is exceptional.
Further volumes are TP102, 118, 138, 151, 167, 168.
Martenitsa Choir
Formed by Mara Kiek in the early 90's, this choir has mastered the Bulgarian choral singing style. Here they perform with gusto and precision. The music will knock your socks off!
A set of amazing improvisations on this unlikely instrument. The recording was made in a water storage reservoir that serves inner Sydney. It was opened for the first time in its 100 years for repairs, and revealed a cathedral-like space ideal for recording. It rained heavily before the recording and continuous water dripping is a feature of the sound. (Ideal for cooling off in hot weather).
Satsuki Odamura (koto)
Ian Cleworth (percussion)
Cleis Pearce (viola)
Kazue Sawai (koto)
This is Odamura's first CD. Since arriving in Australia less than a decade ago she has introduced the koto into contemporary performance here, and she is now in great demand. Her playing is dramatic and engaging, successfully integrating traditional and modern techniques. For this CD she has gathered around her some of the musicians in Australia most fascinated by the meeting of East and West in music.
The Transylvaniacs
Mark Richards (violin)
Sally Corry (violin, viola)
Jóseph Kajcsa (cimbalom, voice)
Béla Mészáros (viola, flute, lute, zither, voice)
Craig Scott (bass)
Gemma Turner (voice, drum)
András Rácz (violin)
If you like Hungarian and Rumanian folk music and dance, this is your CD!
Songs with Mara
The music here originated as the dance music for the eponymous show for Meryl Tankard's Australian Dance Theatre. Mara and Llew Kiek are the performers and arrangers of this (mostly) traditional Bulgarian music.
Bamboo Grass
PLEASE NOTE: This CD is currently out of stock. We can supply FLAC and MP3 files with PDFs of the booklet. Please contact us for details at tallpoppies@iinet.net.au
Volume 2 of a six CD set of the complete lineage of the medieval Japanese meditational music known as 'honkyoku'. This CD was recorded in the reverberation room of the National Acoustics Laboratory.
Empty Sky
This monumental 6-CD set is now half way! Riley Lee was the first non-Japanese musician to become a grand master in shakuhachi. In this series of CDs he presents the complete lineage of the orally-transmitted 12th century Japanese meditation melodies known as 'honkyoku'. This is, quite simply, music for the soul.
Deep Night
Riley Lee: shakuhachi
The fifth in the series of seven CDs containing the complete lineage of 13th century Japanese 'honkyoku', or meditation pieces, played by Riley Lee, who was the first non-Japanese to attain grand mastery of the instrument. Sumptuosly recorded in the Australian National Acoustics Laboratory, this is the first time anyone has recorded such a complete overview of this music, and it is quite beautiful and calming.
Tall Poppies 10th Birthday Sampler
Welcome to Tall Poppies!
The works on this CD have been chosen to highlight the performers and composers whose work has been recorded and released by Tall Poppies over the last four years. In many ways this choice has been a personal one, but I have also tried to sample the many series of CDs that Tall Poppies has initiated over the last ten years.
These ongoing series of recordings include:
Australian chamber music series featuring individual composers. This sampler gives you a taste of the music of Elena Kats-Chernin, Ross Edwards, Peter Sculthorpe, Anne Boyd and Arthur Benjamin. Also in the catalogue are CDs featuring chamber music by Carl Vine, Nigel Westlake, Nigel Butterley, Richard Meale, Andrew Ford, Andrew Schultz, John Lemmoné, Georges Lentz, and Margaret Sutherland.
The Bach series commemorating his death in 1750. Both CDs are represented here.
Schubert's unfinished piano music, completed and performed by Ian Munro.
Riley's Lee's mammoth 6 CD set of honkyoku, five of which were recorded in just two afternoons! It's the first time that a whole lineage of these Japanese medieval melodies for shakuhachi has been recorded for posterity.
Roy Howat's complete Debussy piano music, to eventually occupy four CDs. Howat's is an idiosyncratic view of this music, very much based on literal interpretations of the scores.
Peter Sculthorpe's complete String Quartets performed by the Goldner String Quartet
Australian film music, by Carl Vine and Nigel Westlake.
Other tracks have been chosen to highlight performers with whom Tall Poppies has worked extensively, such as The Australia Ensemble, The Sydney Chamber Choir, David Pereira (cello), Ian Munro (piano), John O'Donnell (organ), John Harding (violin), Michael Kieran Harvey (piano), Lisa Moore (piano), Hector McDonald (horn).
Also included are two samples from the jazz recorded by Tall Poppies. This is a small but important part of the catalogue. The tracks included here feature Roger Frampton who has now sadly died in 2000, and whose solo work is represented on Tall Poppies by three CDs. There is also a track from Jann Rutherford's lovely recording of her own solo piano works. We hope this sampler will encourage you to explore the rest of the Tall Poppies catalogue!
Phoenix Crying
Yearning for the Bell, Vol 6
Riley Lee continues his survey of the Japanese meditation melodies, or honkyoku, for shakuhachi. These were recorded in the sumptuous acoustic of the Australian National Acoustics Laboratory reverberation room. Riley sounds like he's floating! This CD includes Riley Lee playing both parts of the famous duet "Nesting of the Cranes".
Riley Lee completes his survey of the Japanese meditation melodies, or honkyoku, for shakuhachi. These were recorded in the sumptuous acoustic of the Australian National Acoustics Laboratory reverberation room. Riley sounds like he's floating!
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Earth to MARS! On the way to breeding drought-resistant maize for Asia
Asia, Crop breeding, Maize 2 Responses »
Scouring the planet for breeding solutions
Bindiganavile Vivek
Bindiganavile Vivek (pictured) is a maize breeder working at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), based in Hyderabad, India. For the past five years, Vivek and his team have been developing drought-tolerant germplasm for Asia using relatively new molecular-breeding approaches – marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS), applied in a genomewide selection (GWS) mode. Their work in the Asian Maize Drought-Tolerance (AMDROUT) project is implemented through GCP’s Maize Research Initiative, with Vivek as the AMDROUT Principal Investigator.
Driven by consumer demand for drought-tolerant maize varieties in Asia, the AMDROUT research team has focussed on finding suitable drought-tolerant donors from Africa and Mexico. Most of these donors are white-seeded, yet in Asia, market and consumer preferences predominantly favour yellow-seeded maize. Moreover, maize varieties are very site-specific and this poses yet another challenge. Clearly, breeding is needed for any new target environments, all the while also with an eye on pronounced market and consumer preferences.
(1) Amazing maize and its maze of colour. Maize comes in many colours and hues. (2) Steeped in saffron: from this marvellous maize mix and mosaic, the flavour in Asia favours yellow maize.
Stalked by drought, tough to catch, but still the next big thing
Around 80 per cent of the 19 million hectares of maize in South and Southeast Asia is grown under rainfed conditions, and is therefore susceptible to drought, when rains fail. Tackling drought can therefore provide excellent returns to rainfed maize research and development investments. As we shall see later, Vivek and his team have already made significant progress in developing drought-tolerant maize.
The stark reality of drought is illustrated in this warning sign on a desiccated drought-scorched landscape, showing the severity of drought in Asia
But they are after a tough target: drought tolerance is dodgy since it is a highly polygenic trait, making it difficult for plant scientists to pinpoint genes for the trait (see this video with an example from rice in Africa). In other words, to make a plant drought-tolerant, many genes have to be incorporated into a new variety. As one would expect, the degree of difficulty is directly proportional to the number of genes involved. In the private-sector seed industry, MARS (PDF) has been successfully used in achieving rapid progress towards high grain yield under optimal growth conditions. Therefore, a similar approach could be used to speed up the process of introducing drought tolerance into Asian crops – the reason why the technique is now being used by this project.
More than India: the AMDROUT project also comprises research teams in China, Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam. In this photo taken during the December 2010 annual project meeting in Penang, Malaysia, the AMDROUT team assessed the progress made by each country team, and team members were trained in data management and drought phenotyping. They also realised that there was a need for more training in genomic selection, and did something about it, as we shall see in the next photo. Pictured here, left to right: Luo Liming, Tan jing Li, Villamor Ladia, V Vengadessan, Muhammad Adnan, Le Quy Kha, Pichet Grudloyma, Vivek, IS Singh, Dan Jeffers (back), Eureka Ocampo (front), Amara Traisiri and Van Vuong.
The rise of maize: clear chicken-and-egg sequence…
Vivek says that the area used for growing maize in India has expanded rapidly in recent years. In some areas, maize is in fact displacing sorghum and rice. And the maize juggernaut rolls beyond India to South and Southeast Asia. In Vietnam, for example, the government is actively promoting the expansion of maize acreage, again displacing rice. Other countries involved in the push for maize include China, Indonesia and The Philippines.
So what’s driving this shift in cropping to modern drought-tolerant maize? The curious answer to this question lies in food-chain dynamics. According to Vivek, the dramatic increase in demand for meat – particularly poultry – is the driver, with 70 percent of maize produced going to animal feed, and 70 percent of that going into the poultry sector alone.
GCP gave us a good start… the AMDROUT project laid the foundation for other CIMMYT projects”
Show and tell: posting and sharing dividends
As GCP approaches its sunset in December 2014, Vivek reports that all the AMDROUT milestones have been achieved. Good progress has been made in developing early-generation yellow drought-tolerant inbred lines. The use of MARS by the team – something of a first in the public sector – has proved to be useful. In addition, regional scientists have benefitted from broad training from experts on breeding trial evaluation and genomic selection (photo-story on continuous capacity-building). “GCP gave us a good start. We now need to expand and build on this,” says Vivek.
AMDROUT calls in on Cambridge for capacity building. AMDROUT country partners were at Cambridge University, UK, in March 2013, for training in quantitative genetics, genomic selection and association mapping. This was a second training session for the team, the first having been September 2012 in India.
Pictured here, left to right – front row: Sri Sunarti, Neni Iriany, Hongmei Chen;
middle row: Ian Mackay (Cambridge), Muhammad Azrai, Le Quy Kha, Artemio Salazar;
back row: Roy Efendy, Alison Bentley (who helped organise, run and teach on the course, alongside Ian) and Suriphat Thaitad.AMDROUT country partners are from China’s Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (YAAS); the Indonesian Cereals Research Institute (ICERI); the Institute of Plant Breeding at the Unversity of Philppines at Los Baños (UPLB); Thailand’s Nakhon Sawan Field Crops Research Center (NSFCRC); Vietnam’s National Maize Research Institute (NMRI); and private-sector seed companies in India, such as Krishidhan Seeds.Curious on who proposed to whom for this AMDROUT–Cambridge get-together? We have the answer: a Cambridge callout announced the training, and AMDROUT answered by calling in, since course topics were directly relevant to AMDROUT’s research approach.
According to Vivek, the AMDROUT project laid the foundation for other CIMMYT projects such as the Affordable, Accessible, Asian (AAA) Drought-Tolerant Maize (popularly known as the ‘Triple-A project’) funded by the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture. This Triple-A project is building on the success of AMDROUT, developing yet more germplasm for drought tolerance, and going further down the road to develop hybrids.
Outputs from the AMDROUT project will be further refined, tested and deployed through other projects”
Increasing connections, and further into the future
Partly through GCP’s Integrated Breeding Platform (IBP), another area of success has been in informatics. Several systems such as the Integrated Breeding FieldBook, the database Maize Finder and the International Maize Information System (IMIS) now complement each other, and allow for an integrated data system.
There is now also an International Maize Consortium for Asia (IMIC–Asia), coordinated by CIMMYT, comprising a group of 30 commercial companies (ranging from small to large; local to transnational). Through this consortium, CIMMYT is developing maize hybrids for specific environmental conditions, including drought. IMIC–Asia will channel and deploy the germplasms produced by AMDROUT and other projects, with a view to assuring impact in farmers’ fields.
Overall, Vivek’s experience with GCP has been very positive, with the funding allowing him to focus on the agreed milestones, but with adaptations along the way when need arose: Vivek says that GCP was open and flexible regarding necessary mid-course corrections that the team needed to make in their research.
But what next with GCP coming to a close? Outputs from the AMDROUT project will be further refined, tested and deployed through other projects such as Triple A, thus assuring product sustainability and delivery after GCP winds up.
The AMDROUT project | Photos on AMDROUT’s continuous capacity building | Capacity building at GCP
More on the AMDROUT project – Project Updates – 2014 p 25; 2013 p 22 | Project Briefs 2013 p 13 | 2012 Annual Report
3.5 MIN VIDEO – why drought is such a complex customer: a perspective from rice research in Africa. Drought has to do with genetics, physiology and environment, and the interactions between these three elements.
Maize – Research Initiative | InfoCentre | Slides | Blogposts
Marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS) demystified and explained (PDF)
Vivek’s slides below
GRM 2013: Asian Maize Drought Tolerance (AMDROUT) Project — BS Vivek from CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme
As our Maize Research Initiative does not have a Product Delivery Coordinator, Vivek graciously stepped in to coordinate the maize research group at our General Research Meeting in 2013, for which we thank him yet again. Below are slides summing up the products from this research, and the status of the projects then.
GRM 2013: Maize product catalogue and project status — Projects ongoing, completed, and to be continued post-2014 — BS Vivek from CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme
GRM 2011: Asian Maize Drought Tolerance (AMDROUT) Project from CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme
Posted by GCP at 2:07 pm Tagged with: 'GCP Spirit' and community, #application and impact, #capacity building, #crop breeding, #crop improvement, #drought tolerance, #food security, #molecular breeding, #partnerships, abiotic stress, Africa, AMDROUT, applied research, Asia, biotechnology, China, CIMMYT, climate change, closing GCP, crop genes, crop information and data management, genes, genetic tools, genomewide selection (GWS), genomics, ICERI Indonesia, impact, India, Indonesia, Integrated Breeding Fieldbook IB-FB), Integrated Breeding Platform, International Maize Information System (IMIS), maize, marker-assisted recurrent selection (MARS), Mexico, needs assessement, NMRI Vietnam, NSFCRC Thailand, public-private sector partnerships, Research Initiatives, rice, sustainability, Syngenta, Thailand, The Philippines, Triple-A project, UPLB Philippines, Vietnam, whole-genome mapping, YAAS China
Travelling from Timbuktu to learn from the world: Niaba Témé’s travels and travails
Africa, Researchers, Sorghum No Responses »
In ancient Europe, Timbuktu, in Northern Mali, gained fame as a fabled city of knowledge and learning at a far end of the world – snuggled in the Sahara Desert, and almost impossible to get to. And so, then as in our times, the phrase ‘As far as Timbuktu’ came to mean a place that is unimaginably far away, is completely foreign, or is unreachable – at the other end of the earth. Sitting on the left bank of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara, it was not only a seat of learning in the ancient world, but also an important trade and travel stop for merchants as they sought refuge from the desert.
Timbuktu ticks on today. And if you strike out south and travel 450km from Timbuktu, you would come to the village of Yendouma-Sogol. This is where Niaba Témé, a plant breeder at Mali’s L’Institut d’économie rurale (IER), was born and grew up on the family farm, and where his saga with sorghum began.
“We grew dryland crops like millet, sorghum, cowpeas, groundnuts, Bambara nuts, sesame and dah,” says Niaba. “I used to love harvesting the millet and helping my mother with her groundnut crops.”
Niaba describes the geography and climate of the region as being very harsh. Sandstone cliffs soar from the dusty sun-scorched lower plains where temperatures are only slightly lower than the plateaus, which bake in the intense heat – the daily temperature rarely falls below 30oC. As there is no major river, every single drop of the 500 millimetres of rainfall received each wet season is used for drinking, cropping and livestock husbandry.
“The rains during July and August make farming possible for our people,” says Niaba.“If we did not receive those rains, our crops would suffer and in some years, we were not able to harvest anything.”
Niaba says these crop failures contributed in part to his choosing a career where he could help farmers, like his parents and siblings, protect themselves from the risks of drought and extreme temperatures.
With molecular markers, you can easily see if the plant you’ve bred has the gene related to drought tolerance without having to grow the plant and or risk missing the trait through visual inspection.”
Breeding more sorghum with less water
For the past four years, Niaba and his team at IER have been collaborating with Jean-François Rami and his team at France’s Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD), with support from Syngenta complemented by other GCP funding on a project to improve sorghum grain yield and quality for West African farmers.
A sorghum farmer in Mali.
Sorghum is an important staple crop for Mali. It is used to make to (a thick porridge), couscous, as well as malted and local beer beverages. “Anytime I talk with farmers, they are always asking for higher-yielding lines and lines that can produce sustainable yields during drought, or do so with less water,” says Niaba. “Since 2008, with the help of CIRAD and Syngenta, we have been learning how to use molecular markers to identify parental lines which are more tolerant and better adapted to the arable and volatile environment of Mali and surrounding areas which receive between 600 and 800 millimetres of rainfall per year. Using molecular markers is new and exciting for us as it will speed up the breeding process. With molecular markers, you can easily see if the plant you’ve bred has the gene related to drought tolerance without having to grow the plant and or risk missing the trait through visual inspection.”
In 2010, Niaba obtained GCP funding to carry out similar research with CIRAD and collaborators at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Africa. “In this project, we are trying to enhance sorghum grain yield and quality for the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa using the backcross nested association mapping [BCNAM] approach. This involves using an elite recurrent parent that is already adapted to local drought conditions, then crossing it with several different specific or donor parents to build up larger breeding populations. The benefit of this approach is it can lead to detecting elite varieties much faster.”
Niaba (foreground) examining a sorghum panicle at trials in Mali in 2009.
I spent eight months in Hyderabad. It was the first time I had to speak English every day… I spent almost 11 years at the University of Texas Tech, and enjoyed every moment… We have been collaborating with researchers… in Australia “
Traversing the world seeking knowledge
But to backtrack a bit and find out how Niaba got to where he is today, let’s return to the family farm where he grew up, and where his career inspiration was forged and fired.
With a family background in farming now coupled with a keen interest in science, young Niaba enrolled at L’Institut Polytechnique Rural de Formation et de Recherche Appliquée (IPR/IFRA) at Katiboutou, in Eastern Bamako, Mali to study agronomy. He then went to IER, where, after two years there, he was offered a scholarship to study plant breeding in India.
“I spent eight months in Hyderabad. It was the first time I had to speak English every day so I was enrolled for an intensive English course at the University of Ousmania, Hyderabad, India, for the first two months. I then went on to do six months intensive training in the ICRISAT labs, learning how to set up experiments and collect and analyse data.”
His zest for plant breeding research and knowledge still unquenched, Niaba sought yet another intensive training course, this time in USA. During his time there, he made an impression on local researchers and it wasn’t long before he returned to complete his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD in Agronomy at the University of Texas Tech, Texas. “I spent almost 11 years at the University of Texas Tech, and enjoyed every moment. I love the opportunities and freedom that USA offers.”
Despite this attraction, Niaba remained true to Timbuktu and Mali. He left Texas and returned to Mali in January 2007 , where he was rapidly recruited by IER to take charge of their new biotechnology lab at Le Centre Regional de Recherche Agromique (CRRA). Shortly after, he became involved with GCP, working on three projects, one of which would take this native from near (or as far away as?) Timbuktu to yet another far-away place at the opposite end of the world known as Down Under – Australia.
“We have been collaborating with researchers at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in Queensland, and the University of Queensland, Australia, since 2009, to introduce the stay-green drought-resistant gene into our local sorghum varieties.” says Niaba.
Sorghum staying-greener with less water
Stay-green is a post-flowering drought adaptation trait that has contributed significantly to sorghum yield stability in northeastern Australia and southern USA for the last two decades. The project has three objectives:
To evaluate the stay-green drought resistance mechanism in plant architectures and genetic backgrounds appropriate to Mali
To improve capacity of Mali researchers by carrying out training activities for African sorghum researchers in drought physiology and selection for drought adaptation in sorghum.
“In 2012 a colleague and myself were invited to Australia to take this training by Andrew Borrell and David Jordan,” says Niaba. “We learnt about association mapping, population genetics and diversity, molecular breeding, crop modelling using climate forecasts and sorghum physiology, plus a lot more! It was intense but rewarding, more so the fact that we have developed these new drought-tolerant crops which will enhance food security for my country.”
Thus ends today’s chapter in Niaba’s saga with sorghum. We expect to hear more on the latest from Niaba at the GCP General Research Meeting (GRM) in October, so watch this space!
Meantime, see his slides from GRM 2013 below.
Sorghum Research Initiative – Blogposts | Home page | InfoCentre | Products | Slides
Posted by GCP at 8:36 pm Tagged with: 'GCP Spirit' and community, #application and impact, #capacity building, #crop breeding, #crop improvement, #drought tolerance, #food security, #molecular breeding, #partnerships, abiotic stress, Africa, applied research, Australia, backcross nested association mapping (BCNAM), biotechnology, CIRAD, crop genes, France, genes, genetic resource improvement, genetic resources, ICRISAT, IER Mali, Mali, molecular markers, sorghum, stay-green, Syngenta, Timbuktu, University of Queensland, USA
The curious case of cassava’s quirks, narrated in Nigeria
Africa, Cassava 4 Responses »
Triumphs and tragedies, pitfalls and potential of the ‘camel crop’
We travel through space and time, with a pair of researchers who have a pronounced passion for a plant brought to Africa by seafaring Portuguese traders in the 16th century. Fastforwarding to today, half a millennium later, the plant is widespread and deep inland, and is the staple food for Africa’s most populous nation – Nigeria.
Meet cassava, the survivor. After rice and maize, cassava is the third-largest source of carbohydrate in the tropics. Surviving, nay thriving, in poor soils and shaking off the vagaries of weather – including an exceptionally high threshold for drought – little wonder that cassava, the ‘camel’ of crops is naturally the main staple in Nigeria. And with that, it has propelled Nigeria to the very top of the cassava totem pole as the world’s leading cassava producer, and consumer: most Nigerians eat cassava in one form or another practically every day.
Great, huh? But there’s also a darker side to cassava, as we will soon find out from our two cassava experts. For starters, the undisputed global cassava giant, Nigeria, produces just enough to feed herself. Even if there were a surplus for the external demand, farming families, which make up 70 percent of the Nigerian population, have limited access to these lucrative external markets. Secondly, cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) are deadly in Africa. Plus, cassava is a late bloomer (up to two years growth cycle, typically one year), so breeding and testing improved varieties takes time. Finally, cassava is most definitely not à la mode at all in modern crop breeding: the crop is an unfashionably late entrant into the world of molecular breeding, owing to its complex genetics which denied cassava the molecular tools that open the door to this glamour world of ‘crop supermodels’.
Emmanuel Okogbenin (left) and Chiedozie Egesi (right) in a cassava field.
But all is not doom and gloom, which inexorably dissolve in the face of dogged determination. All the above notwithstanding, cassava’s green revolution seems to be decidedly on the way in Nigeria, ably led by born-and-bred sons of the soil: Chiedozie Egesi and Emmanuel Okogbenin (pictured right) are plant breeders and geneticists at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI). With 36 years’ collective cassava research experience between them, the two men are passionate about getting the best out of Nigeria’s main staple crop, and getting their hands into the sod while about it: “I’m a plant breeder,” says Chiedozie, with pride. “I don’t just work in a laboratory. I am also in the field to experience the realities.”
Hitting two birds with one stone…two stones are even better!
As Principal Investigators (PIs) leading three different projects in the GCP-funded Cassava Research Initiative, Chiedozie and Emmanuel, together with other colleagues from across Africa, form a formidable team. They also share a vision to enable farmers increase cassava production for cash, beyond subsistence. This means ensuring farmers have new varieties of cassava that guarantee high starch-rich yields in the face of evolving diseases and capricious weather.
Chiedozie is one of cassava’s biggest fans. His affection for, and connection to, cassava is almost personal and definitely paternal. He is determined to deploy the best plant-breeding techniques to not only enhance cassava’s commercial value, but to also protect the crop against future disease outbreaks, including ‘defensive‘ breading. But more on that later…
Emmanuel is equally committed to the cassava cause. As part of his brief, Emmanuel liaises with the Nigerian government, to develop for – and promote to – farmers high-starch cassava varieties. This ensures a carefully crafted multi-pronged strategy to revolutionise cassava: NRCRI develops and releases improved varieties, buttressed by financial incentives and marketing opportunities that encourage farmers to grow and sell more cassava, which spurs production, thereby simultaneously boosting food security while also improving livelihoods.
Standing tall. Disease resistance and high starch and yield aside, farmers also prefer an upright architecture, which not only significantly increases the number of plants per unit, but also favours intercropping, a perennial favourite for cassava farmers.
Cross-continental crosses and cousins, magic for making time, and clocking a first for cassava
No one has been able to manufacture time yet, so how can breeders get around cassava’s notoriously long breeding cycle? MAS (marker-assisted selection) is crop breeding’s magic key for making time. And just as humans can benefit from healthy donor organ replacement, so too does cassava, with cross-continental cousins donating genes to rescue the cousin in need. Latin American cassava is nutrient-rich, while African cassava is hardier, being more resilient to pests, disease and harsh environments.
Thanks to marker-assisted breeding, CMD resistance from African cassava can now be rapidly ‘injected’ much faster into Latin American cassava for release in Africa. Consequently, in just a three-year span (2010–2012), Chiedozie, Emmanuel, Martin Fregene of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (USA) and the NRCRI team, released two new cassava varieties from Latin American genetic backgrounds (CR41-10 and CR36-5). These varieties, developed with GCP funding, are the first molecular-bred cassava ever to be released, meaning they are a momentous milestone in cassava’s belated but steady march towards its own green revolution.
Marker-assisted selection is much cheaper, and more focused.”
On the cusp of a collaborative cassava revolution: on your marks…
With GCP funding, Chiedozie and Emmanuel have been able to use the latest molecular-breeding techniques to speed up CMD resistance. Using marker-assisted selection (MAS) which is much more efficient, the scientists identified plants combining CMD resistance with desirable genetic traits.
“MAS for CMD resistance from Latin American germplasm is much cheaper, and more focused,” explains Emmanuel. “There is no longer any need to ship in tonnes of plant material to Africa. We can narrow down our search at an early stage by selecting only material that displays markers for the genetic traits we’re looking for.” Using markers, combining traits (known as ‘gene pyramiding’) for CMD resistance is faster and more efficient, as it is difficult to distinguish phenotypes with multiple resistance in the field by just observing with the naked eye. This is what makes marker-assisted breeding so effective and desirable in Africa.
GCP’s mode of doing business coupled with its community spirit has spurred the NRCRI scientists to cast their eyes further out to the wider horizon beyond their own borders.
By collaborating with research centres in other parts of the world, Emmanuel and Chiedozie have made remarkable strides in cassava breeding. According to Emmanuel, “GCP helped us make links with advanced laboratories and service providers like LGC Genomics. The outsourcing of genotyping activities for molecular breeding initiatives is very significant, as it enables us to carry out analyses not otherwise possible.”
We can’t afford to sit idle until it comes – we need to be armed and on the ready.”
‘Defensive’ breeding: partnerships to pre-empt catastrophe and combat disease
Closer home in Africa, as PI of the corollary African breeders community of practice (CoP) project, Emmanuel co-organises regular workshops with plant breeders from a dozen other countries (Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan). These events are an opportunity to share knowledge on molecular breeding and compare notes.
Of the diseases that afflict cassava, CBSD is the most devastating. Mercifully, in Nigeria, the disease is non-existent, but Chiedozie is emphatic that this is by no means cause for complacency. “If CBSD gets to Nigeria, it would be a monumental catastrophe!” he cautions. “We can’t afford to sit idle until it comes – we need to be armed and on the ready.”
Putting words to action, though this work on CBSD resistance is still in its early stages, more than 1,000 cassava genotypes (different genetic combinations) have already have been screened in the course of just one year. Chiedozie hopes that the team will be able to identify key genetic markers, and validate these in field trials in Tanzania, where CBSD is widespread. This East African stopover, Chiedozie emphasises, is a crucial checkpoint in the West African process. So the cassava CoP not only provides moral but also material support.
And Africa is not the limit. GCP-funded work on CMD resistance is more advanced than the CBSD work, though the real breakthrough in CMD only happened recently, on the international arena within which the African breeders now operate. According to Chiedozie, two entire decades of screening cassava genotypes from Latin America yielded no resistance to CMD. The reason for this is that although it is widespread in Africa, CMD is non-existent in Latin America.
Through international collaborative efforts, cassava scientists, led by Martin Fregene (now based in USA), screened plants from Nigeria and discovered markers for the CMD2 gene, indicating resistance to CMD. Once they had found these markers, the scientists were off and away! By taking the best of the Latin American material and crossing it with Nigerian genotypes that have CMD resistance, promising lines were developed from which the Nigerian team produced two new varieties. These varieties, CR41-10 and CR36-5, have already been released to farmers, and that is not all. More varieties bred using these two as parents are in the pipeline.
“GCP funding has given us the opportunity to show that a national organisation can do the job and deliver.”
Delivery attracts
The success of the CGP-funded cassava research in Nigeria lies in its in-country leadership. Chiedozie, Emmanuel and Martin are native Nigerian scientists and as such are – in many ways – best placed to drive a research collaboration to benefit the country’s farmers and boost food security. “GCP funding has given us the opportunity to show that a national organisation can do the job and deliver,” says Chiedozie.
This proven expertise has helped NRCRI forge other partnerships and attract more financial support, for example from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a project on genomic selection. GCP support has also bolstered communications with the Nigerian government, which has launched financial instruments, such as a wheat tariff,* to boost cassava production and use.
[Editors note: * wheat tariff: The Nigerian government is trying to reduce wheat import bills and also boost cassava commercialisation by promoting 20 percent wheat substitution in bread-making. Tariffs are being imposed on wheat to dissuade heavy imports and encourage utilisation of high-quality cassava flour for bread.]
“The government feels that to quickly change the fortunes of farmers, cassava is the way to go,” explains Emmanuel. He clarifies, “The tariff from wheat is expected to be ploughed back to support agricultural development – especially the cassava sector – as the government seeks to increase cassava production to support flour mills. Cassava offers a huge opportunity to transform the agricultural economy and stimulate rural development, including rapid creation of employment for youth.”
The Nigerian government is right in step aiding cassava’s march towards the crop’s own green revolution, as is evident in the the Minister of Agriculture’s tweet earlier this year, and in his video interview below. See also related media story, ‘Long wait for cassava bread’.
Clearly, the ‘camel’ crop – once considered an ‘orphan’ in research – has travelled as far in science as in geography, and it is a precious asset to deploy for food production in a climate-change-prone world. As Emmanuel observes, cassava’s future can only be brighter!
Slides by Chiedozie and Emmanuel
GRM 2013: Improving and deploying markers for biotic stresses in cassava — C Egesi from CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme
GRM 2013: Implementing MARS Project for drought tolerance and the Cassava Breeding Community of Practice: Accomplishments in the GCP and the Years Ahead — E Okogbenin from CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme
Chiedozie’s profile
Cassava – Research | Community of practice | InfoCentre | Podcasts | Videos | Data management | Blogposts |Slides
Integrated Breeding Platform (IBP)
Posted by GCP at 11:23 am Tagged with: 'GCP Spirit' and community, #application and impact, #capacity building, #crop breeding, #crop improvement, #drought tolerance, #food security, #molecular breeding, #partnerships, abiotic stress, Africa, applied research, biotechnology, biotic stress, cassava, cassava bacterial blight (CBB), cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), cassava mosaic disease (CMD), climate change, communities of practice, Côte d’Ivoire, crop diseases, crop genes, crop pests, crop science, crop variety release, disease resistance, Donald Danforth USA, DR Congo, Ethiopia, genes, genetic diversity, genetic resource improvement, genetic resources, genetic tools, genomic resources, genomic tools, genomics, genotyping, Ghana, Kenya, Latin America, Liberia, Malawi, marker-assisted selection (MAS), molecular markers, Mozambique, Nigeria, NRCRI Nigeria, orphan crops, phenotyping, Research Initiatives, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, technology, Uganda, USA
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Posted in: War
4 Comments on “Nerve Center” Guards New York (Oct, 1941)
“Nerve Center” Guards New York (Oct, 1941)
“Nerve Center” Guards New York
ARMY AIR CORPS SETS UP ELABORATE DEFENSE SYSTEM AMERICA’S most elaborate air-defense information center has just been completed in New York City. It is the best equipped in the world. Minute-by-minute reports from more than 6,000 field observers will enable Air Corps experts, working” at tables that resemble pieces from a giant jig-saw puzzle, to plot the progress of enemy bombers and to direct the swift climb and attack of interceptor planes. Even before the bombers reach the coast, the Army’s latest locator system will spot their position and, as soon as they wing inland, observers at five-mile intervals will flash in their reports—giving the type, number, height, and direction of the invading planes. As each flash reaches the New York nerve center, a marker, known as a “plotter’s pip,” will be placed on one of the jigsaw tables at a point that coincides with the position of the reporting observer. The table is called the “filter board” because here mistaken reports are filtered out. The men who place the markers on the board are designated “plotters.” Behind the plotters stand the “evaluators.” As soon as these trained Air Corps men decide the course the invaders are taking, they replace the pips with arrows—colored red, blue, or yellow, according to the time of the hour the reports are received. Instantly, “tellers,” sitting in a balcony overlooking the board, speak into telephones and similar arrows appear on a similar board in an adjoining room. This is the “operations board” from which final decisions are made.
There follows a swift succession of events. In a soundproof balcony overlooking the board, the controller, flanked by a pursuit officer and a radio control officer, assigns the invading “target” to one or more pursuit squadrons. In a matter of seconds, the complicated machinery of aerial defense is in full motion. Even before the interceptor planes begin skyrocketing up from the air field, pursuit officers in one of the six interceptor offices at the center are plotting the best course for engaging the enemy. These officers, in constant radio contact with the fighting planes, direct the whole attack from the ground. When plotting their navigation charts, they use colored pencils, changing every five minutes to coincide with changes in the color of the arrows on the operations board.
While this activity is going on, the civil air-raid warden is flashing out warnings to communities in the path of the attack; members of the intelligence division are noting down details of the raid for later study; officers of the First Interceptor Command, watching a third board in another room, are keeping track of developments and coordinating activity throughout an area that extends from Maine to below Cape Hatteras and from the Atlantic Coast as far west as Minnesota.
This vast area will be safeguarded by 13 information centers, each in a major city. Every center will have an auxiliary station ready to take over in less than eight minutes if the main center is destroyed or disabled. In New York, for example, is located the auxiliary filter board for Scranton, Pa. In all parts of the country, air defense nerve centers, similar to the one in New York City, are under construction. In the near future, between 30 and 40 will stand guard, fully equipped for emergencies.
Army’s Nerve System (Aug, 1941)
ERA Computation Center (Feb, 1953)
Off-Center Radar Picture Tube Gives Added Forward Vision (Dec, 1955)
Beach Guards Save Lives with Surfboards (Aug, 1939)
New York Builds Big Airport for Land and Sea Plane Service (Sep, 1938)
Rick Auricchio says: July 14, 20081:10 pm
Enemy bombers, yes.
But were they able to defend against the onslaught of Enemy Walking Sponges!
jayessell says: July 15, 20089:33 am
A good percentage of the staff appear to be women.
beagledad says: July 21, 20085:57 pm
A good percentage of the staff used in similar facilities in England (which actually were put to use, of course) during WW II were women.
My question is, from what airfield would enemy bombers attack New York in 1941? At the time, German bombers were hard-pressed to make it from France to London and back. Was someone expecting Greenland to join up with the Axis powers? Germany’s navy was negligible, so a carrier attack in the Atlantic wasn’t in the offing. Looks to me like there’s an allocation of resources issue here. Maybe they should have put more of the air-intercept assets farther west, like maybe in Hawaii . . .
Correction, the German navy was negligible except for the U-boats — but U-boats posed no threat of aerial bombardment (despite what you might read in some articles at this site).
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Remember when Taken came out back in 2009, and we were introduced to a new side of Liam Neeson? With one film he became Hollywood’s go-to badass. Since then, we’ve seen him shoot lots of baddies on land and in the air, and beat the shit out of some wolves just because he can. John Travolta must’ve seen this evolution and thought “I want some of that”.
Out now on DVD and Blu-ray comes I Am Wrath, 61-year-old Travolta’s attempt to be the action hero…and it hasn’t really worked out for him.
Travolta plays unemployed engineer Stanley, who witnesses the murder of his wife Vivian (Rebecca De Mornay) at the hands of car-park thugs. When corrupt police officers fail to bring Vivian’s killers to justice, Stanley turns to his old friend Dennis (Christopher Meloni) for help with a violent revenge plot. But as this story develops, we learn Stanley and Dennis have a mysterious history that they have kept secret for years (yawn) and on top of that Stanley discovers a conspiracy that leads all the way to the top of government (double yawn). I Am Wrath is an embarrassingly predictable affair that seemingly picked up a copy of ‘Action Thrillers for Dummies’ and followed it religiously. There’s poor attempts at humour and some totally unengaging family drama in there aswell, just to fully round it out. Some thrillers are so bad and predictable that it’s kinda funny and endearing…but not here.
John Travolta is trying his best, but it’s just uncomfortable to watch. He isn’t cut out for these action revenge films. Neeson could’ve made this film watchable, or even the ‘great’ Nicolas Cage, but Travolta’s attempts to be young again are just upsetting. I’ve no beef with Travolta - I’m one of the few people who thought he was incredible in The People Vs. OJ Simpson. But other than that performance, he’s let himself down in the last few years with a number of cliché-ridden thrillers like Criminal Activities, The Forger and Killing Season. What are you doing, Travolta?! You were in Pulp Fiction! I guess it all went downhill back in 2000 when he said yes to a little film called Battlefield Earth…Yikes.
We live in a sad cinematic time. We as an audience are like children, growing out of old toys and throwing them aside for new ones. People like Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins – and now to a certain extent, John Travolta – seemingly have to do anything they’re offered these days just to try and stay relevant, while the young actors of tomorrow take all the good roles. Remember that song in Toy Story 2, ‘When She Loved Me’? That song is probably how all these actors feel. “When somebody loved me everything was beautiful, every hour we spent together lives within my heart”. That’s De Niro’s jam.
Anyway, what else can you say about a film like I Am Wrath? It succeeds, or in this case fails, on the strength of its lead – or at the very least, it succeeds on their reputation alone. For example, Liam Neeson isn’t particularly good in these films, but he’s gained our trust over the last 7 years making them and we love him for it now. We feel safe with a Liam Neeson thriller. But Travolta, you haven’t earned our love in this genre yet. It doesn’t feel right yet to say “John Travolta action thriller”, does it? You’re making us uncomfortable, Travolta. Stop it.
So what else is there to enjoy here? A tired old conspiracy plot, awful dialogue, a wooden supporting cast, some poor direction from The Scorpion King’s Chuck Russell…There’s nothing to enjoy here. I Am Wrath is just a bad film.
I Am Wrath is a depressingly bland and forgettable experience. It doesn’t do anything even remotely original or fresh, the script is terrible, the plot is one of the most predictable I’ve seen in recent memory, the whole thing is acted stiffly with one of Travolta’s most embarrassing performances yet…I could go on. But I could sum it all up by simply saying DO NOT WATCH IT.
I Am Wrath? I am disappointed. 1/5.
Sam Love
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Revision as of 03:57, 30 December 2018 by Selah (Talk | contribs)
Every million years or so a new volcano burned its way up into one of the two ice sheets of heaven and broke through. And the ice sheets were always in motion, even if only a few inches every year. For so long as the volcano was active, the moving ice gave way around it.
When the volcano grew dormant, the ice sheets whittled away at its flanks until only the stony central plug remained, and the exposed land was closed up once more. In all of heaven, only the land of Anshar remained free of ice outside of the equatorial belt.
When the volcano grew dormant, the ice sheets whittled away at its flanks until only the stony central plug remained, and the exposed land was closed up once more. In all of heaven, only the land Chokhmah called Anshar remained free of ice outside of the equatorial belt.
Anshar may have been free of ice, yet it remained bitterly cold, much more so than Lilith and Samael were prepared to endure with the raiment they presently wore. Lilith broke into a sprint toward Michael's home across the stony plain and Samael followed at the same pace.
So Lord Samael was come to the stone dwelling of Michael for the first time. There was much glass, yet natural heating from geothermal features ensured it remained comfortably warm indoors. Leliel, just four years of age, touched the back of Samael's hand to har forehead.
Leliel!" said Michael, sharply. "That is Samael. Show us how you greet a seraph.
Leliel released Samael's hand as though it had burned har own and moved back a few steps. Then sha sank to one knee and all the while kept har eyes on the floor.
Very good, Leliel.
Lilith picked Leliel up and kissed her. "Wait for me in the kitchen baby doll."
Samael watched har leave, then caught Michael's eye. "Your daughter."
"She knew who you were, just not the proper etiquette."" Then Michael and Lilith embraced for a kiss of their own.
Samael watched their display of affection with disgust until Lilith broke it off and followed Leliel toward the kitchen.
"Don't you want to tell Michael what we managed to shake out?"" hy called after har.
Lilith glanced back. ""Michael is always in contact with me."
Lilith resumed walking away and Samael caught Michael's eye. "Very well, then tell me what you think Lilith and I conceded to one another so there's no mistake."
Sha cut a line on the Bellon frontier," Michael said. "Your forces must never ride nor march west of it. At the same time Lilith and har Fallen Angels, as well as King Metatron and hyz army, undertake never to pass east of the same line. In practical terms, this means that although Lilith is now a cherub and the queen of Salem, sha can never return to that city and rule.
"And what of your avatar?"" prodded Samael.
"Ah yes. My avatar is now reduced to the role of simple transportation, for as long as your dragon Demonstroke, which you and I both know is really a mechanism, is also confined to that role. You chose to make that conditional. But please, Samael, be seated wherever you wish. We have further things to discuss as Lilith prepares what might be the last decent meal you and I will both eat for many days."
What do you mean last decent meal?
I see you have given little thought to this mating. As an eloah I am female and therefore I have not yet experienced intercourse, but I do have access to testimony by way of Ein Sof, and no doubt you can confirm, that the experience captures the psyche like no other. Do you see how that will be a big problem in our case?
Samael shook hyz head.
Please, I insist," said Michael. "Let us take a seat, and I will explain.
Samael did so, and as hy did, hy took his first real good look at the home. "You have done well for yourself, yet this is still my world. I never conceded this land."
You have an interesting way of courting a lady, Samael, threaten to take away her house in the opening gambit.
Listening to Michael refer to hymself (even obliquely) as a lady struck home the ridiculous nature of the whole situation. Samael could not help but laugh.
Michael guessed why Samuel found it funny and nodded. "Alone among the elohim you and I and Daat are in union with world-dweller flesh. So what do you think will happen to our angelic bodies, left unattended, while we are fully occupied with our lovemaking as stars?"
That wiped the smile off Samael's face. Hy said, "I imagine we would starve."
We'd perish for lack of water long before that," Michael replied. "Do you tire of that yang's body, Samael? Do you wish to shed your container? I assure you I am not finished with my own.
I see you have given this more thought," Samael admitted. "I trust you have arranged things so we do not lose our living avatars.
Yes, and isn't it a good thing you have ended the war in heaven to the satisfiction of Lilith? Your life will literally be in har hands.
And what of you, Michael? What remains to be stipulated before we proceed?
You have no need of an avatar to move about heaven since you and Daat can open a fold-door when you have accumulated sufficient dark light to do so. Soon I will have the power to do this also.
In that you are very much mistaken, Michael. Daat can open a fold-door in heaven because we are a relatively close binary system. But when your daughter comes into existence she will be more distant from heaven in real space than you are. How could you not know that?
And yet," said Michael, "you allow me to pass a second bridge between myself and my avatar through the bridge that came into existence when you fathered me, which bypasses real space. In this way I am able to power my avatar with star-stuff when otherwise I could not.
I see. And so you wish me to permit your soon-to-be daughter to have an avatar in heaven as well, living or otherwise, such that you both might open fold-doors here and connect them with a tube segment, even as I recently did with Daat to come to this place with Lilith.
Yes, that is the bride price demanded of you, with the additional stipulation that my own presence here in heaven with avatars is made permanent in a formal way. Until now it has only been a side effect of what you dubiously claim to be research into the world-dwellers.
And what is to prevent you from using your fold-door to send assassins or thieves to my palace in Adan?
"The word of an eloah prevents it,"" Michael said with arched eyebrows, mildly astonished that Samael had made it necessary to say it.
"Yet you insist on formality. "
Michael briefly allowed an expression of boredom to touch hyz face. Hy said, "You cannot give something with one hand without taking something with the other. I saw that in your dealings with Lilith. So state your limitations on my fold-doors and we will move forward."
Samael said, "You and our future daughter, our very near-future daughter, are hereafter authorized to maintain avatars in heaven. However neither you nor she may open a fold-door east of the Wall of God nor west of the bog that marks the frontier between Rimmon and Adan."
I presume those lines extend north and south to the poles.
Samael nodded, and hy said with a smirk, "Yes, but before you ask, I will say this little land is not out of bounds. You can still reach your house. I would not want to my put my lady out of the mood for love."
Michael rolled hyz eyes, then said, "So let me hear it. You have given with one hand. Now what, as is your custom, shall you take with the other?"
Samael laid all mirth aside. Hy said, "I know your long game is to have these creatures reach the stars since you must not."
I warned you of that seven thousand years ago," Michael said. "You might have have forgotten. But it's not a game, long, short, or otherwise. I could do nothing, and the world-dwellers would, all on their own, reach a nearby star and make themselves known to Ein Sof.
Yes," hy replied. "And as surety against that outcome, whether it is aided by yourself or no, I insist on bringing in my own watchers.
I can't believe you are demanding that, Samael. No! I will not have your Eyes of Keter wandering Earth and sabotaging human history.
Then another place in your system," suggested Samael. "Not Earth.
There is no place in my system outside of Earth where angels would not die moments after you left them there.
For now, perhaps. Your humans are also far from ready to cross to the stars. I can wait.
I'll tell you where you can wait," said Michael. "When you desire a transfer, I will open a fold-door anywhere in my system outside of a sphere that is larger than the orbit of Earth by a factor of four.
That is not acceptable. Some bodies may briefly pass nearer.
Then I will give you access to any body in my system orbiting on an ellipse at least four times longer on the major axis than does the Earth on it's own ellipse. But when your angels are swarming all over my system they must never draw nearer to Earth than the moon.
Is that everything?" Samael asked. "Are we finished?
Just one more thing," Michael went on. "We both know you can summon a fold-door every five days because you are a bigger star, while I can do it every six days, and little Daat can only do it every seven days.
In theory I could open a fold-door for you sixty times in a year. In practice, I refuse to let you monopolize my production of dark light in that manner. So when you send someone through, the next opportunity you will have to do it again is twelve days later, not six.
Samael agreed to this, annoyed he could do nothing to put a similar restriction on Michael. They went on to the next step, which was to stuff themselves with a meal prepared by Lilith, since for the next month both seraphim would be hydrated and nourished intravenously.
When living stars mate the male literally extends some of his living substance across the shortcut in space-time that bypasses the parsecs of real space that separates him from the female. The sensation is ecstatic beyond all reason but is only available to him by mating.
For female elohim pleasure comes from her living substance being compressed to accommodate the male, which culminates when their living star-stuff merges to form a third individual. But mating is not the sole means of obtaining this compression. She can indulge herself.
In other words female elohim could masturbate, while males could not. It was an evolutionary adaption. The female could postpone intercourse until she found the most suitable mate. Males, in a perpetual state of blue balls, were motivated to make themselves suitable.
For thousands of years Chokhmah had resorted to this expedient, although never while in union with the seraph Michael, since the activity captured her full attention to the exclusion of attending to the basic needs of living as an angel. But now it was safe to do so.
Chohmah did the thing once more and felt the organized living nuclear matter that was herself pile up in density, leaving a large area empty in the thin layer of the core where she existed. At the same time Keter pushed into her as well, unaware of the ongoing sabotage.
This is what was supposed to happen
Eight to ten cycles of Keter pushing his substance into Chokhmah over several months, with each cycle culminating in a spherical wave that rang out from the star Sol at the speed of light, seeking a wild F, G, or K sun to germinate.
This is what happened instead
One cycle of Keter pushing his substance into Chokhmah over just three weeks, culminating in the instant germination of his (and Chokhmah's) daughter in the habitable layer of Sol that had been vacated by Chokhmah pleasuring herself first.
The deed was done and Michael, who went into it prepared, was the first to come back to himself in Anshar. Far away his half of the stellar body which he now shared with a daughter was beginning to transform permanently into male and that signaled the end of the mating.
Lilith helped Michael remove all the catheters, tubes, and needles, get dressed, then gave him the first hot, solid food hy had taken in three weeks. Hy was pleased to find hy suffered no bedsores. Lilith and Leliel had done well in repositioning hyz body during the coma.
Michael still had his commitment to bring Samael through the coma as well, but only to the point where hy could recover on hyz own. Keter was beginning to realize what had happened and grew more wroth by the moment. The anger would carry through to Samael when he awoke.
When Samael did hy would find his garments cleaned and folded neatly by hyz bed, lukewarm chicken, rice, and greens, plus hot ground outside where Michael, Lilith, and Leliel had moments just before made their exit to the land of Rimmon by means of the avatar of Chokhmah.
During the following year Chokhmah's child (whom he named Binah in sounds intelligible to Lilith and Leliel) grew in awareness as a newborn eloah. Mother and daughter shared a single body and Chokhmah had never heard of a similar situation in all of the lore of Ein Sof.
Chokhmah learned she could communicate with Binah through direct physical contact in a way that was fundamentally different from the way Keter must do so through the fold-line. Binah could never sever the fold-line to her father, but she did block it so nothing passed.
It was Chokhmah's first victory. The harem scheme of Keter and Daat had come to an abrupt end, at least on the branch that ran through Chokhmah. Binah had been conceived with Daat already designated as her future mate, but after Chokhmah's sabotage that was never to be.
The second victory was entirely unlooked-for, but it turned out to be far greater than the first. When Chokhmah was teaching his daughter how to correctly position her first fold-door Binah insisted there was success, yet no fold-door appeared before the eyes of Michael.
Chokhmah was not willing to believe his daughter was deceiving him. It took much time to determine what was going wrong, and when Chokhmah unraveled the mystery it was astonishing. Binah was correctly locating her fold-door in space, but was entirely hit-or-miss in time.
Binah had been born with a sense of time that Chokhmah could scarcely imagine, and could only guess was the result of the unique circumstances of her birth. While her consciousness remained in the present with Chokhmah, Binah could "see" the past trailing out behind her.
The necessity to produce sufficient dark light to summon the fold-doors fell away. Binah could reach back in time and mine unused dark light at will. But since she never did that on the original timeline, it created a second, parallel sun which could be mined in turn.
In fine, Chokhmah and Binah had access to an unlimited supply of dark light on demand. This, and the ability to remake history were the greatest weapons in their arsenal, but basic operational security dictated that Keter and Daat should never learn their order of battle.
Hezekiah refused to pay tribute to Sennacherib, the son of the Assyrian king who destroyed Samaria. Sennacherib therefore laid siege to Jerusalem and forced Hezekiah to pay a tribute of thirty talents of gold, eight hundred talents of silver, antimony, and many jewels.
Also sent to King Sennacherib in Ninevah was carnelian, couches and chairs inlaid with ivory, elephant hides and tusks, ebony, boxwood, and other rich treasures, along with all of King Hezekiah's daughters, his wives, his musicians, and many servants, both men and women.
A chastened King Hezekiah constructed a underground aqueduct to bring fresh water to the Pool of Siloam inside the city as preparation against a future seige. Chokhmah chose the pool to be the normal point of entry when he or Binah sent individuals on errands to Earth.
During renovations of the temple a priest "found" an early version of the book of Deuteronomy under a couch cushion and brought it to King Josiah. The people of Judah learned of a prophet named Moses and the Exodus as though hearing it for the first time, which they were.
When the Egyptian Pharaoh Neco led his army toward the River Euphrates to link up with the Assyrian Empire, King Josiah went out to confront him, but he was slain on the plains of Megiddo. Josiah's son Jehoahaz succeeded him, but he reigned only three months in Jerusalem.
The Pharaoh took him captive at Riblah in the land of Hamath and demanded from Judah a tribute of much silver and gold. King Jehoahaz died in captivity in Egypt, the first king of Judah to die in exile. Neco then appointed Eliakim, another son of Josiah, as king of Judah.
Eliakim changed his name to Jehoiakim. After his defeat at the hands of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II and serving as his vassal for three years, King Jehoiakim revolted against Babylon. But he died before the armies of his Levantine allies could reach Jerusalem.
At this time Chokhmah withdrew the Ark of the Covenant from the temple in Jerusalem lest it fell into the hands of the Babylonians. A fellow named Jeremiah made a name for himself stating the obvious thing Chohkhmah had seen, that Jerusalem was about to come under attack.
During the reign of Jeconiah, Nebuchadnezzar II personally laid siege to Jerusalem. King Jeconiah was frog-marched to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar looted all the treasures of the temple of Yahweh and deported the army, the craftsmen, and all the leading citizens of Jerusalem.
The poor were allowed to stay behind and work the land. Nebuchadnezzar appointed the uncle of Jeconiah as king and changed his name to Zedekiah. But later Zedekiah also rebelled against Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar and his whole army marched to Jerusalem and lay siege.
King Zedekiah attempted to escape the city but he was captured and brought before Nebuchadnezzar. The sons of Zedekiah were slain before his eyes, and after that Zedekiah was made blind, bound in chains, and frog-marched to Babylon. The temple was razed to the ground.
Every house in Jerusalem was destroyed, beginning with the palace of the king. The walls of the city were also torn down and every surviving inhabitant was exiled to Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar had answered Zedekiah's defiance by wiping Judah from the face of the Earth.
Nebuchadnezzar deported fifty thousand Jews to Babylon. Only a very few of the poorest people and a handful of renegade army officers remained behind, hidden in the Judean hills, but these soon fled to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians, leaving the land entirely vacant.
After a time the Babylonian forces withdrew and hill brigands multiplied in their wake. But among the Jewish diaspora in Egypt there appeared a priest Lael of the tribe of Levi who came bearing the Golden Gift and a commission to preserve a remnant from downfallen Judah.
Lael came with his wife Sariah. Elam his eldest son came also with him, and he with his wife Serach. But Lael's second son Jemuel found he a wife named Iscah from among the Judahite refugees, and his third son Rosh married a young woman Sela from the tribe of Benjamin.
Of the tribe of Judah scattered in Egypt did Lael gather to himself Abner and his wife Tabitha, as well as Abner's son Asa and Asa's wife Jemima. Also of the tribe of Judah did Josiah and his wife Keturah join Lael, together with Josiah's son Tobiah and his wife Susanna.
Of the remnants of Benjamin scattered to Egypt in exile there also joined Lael and his group one Zethan with his wife Atara, Jabez and his wife Keziah, as well as Rimon the elder son of Jabez with his wife Dinah, and also Asher the younger son of Jabez with his wife Leah.
And it came to pass that Lael and his followers left Egypt and reached the downfallen southern kingdom in somewhat better time than Moses and his forty years of wandering. Every dwelling had been looted by the Babylonians and later completely cleaned out by thieves from the neighboring kingdoms.
Lael led the way through the charred debris and stone littering Jerusalem until he stood in the place built by Hezekiah that was called the Pool of Siloam. Then Lael descended the underwater stairs until he was completely immersed, and he came not again out of the water.
One by one, Lael's followers overcame their fear and entered the water. When they emerged from the pool again, things had changed. They were surrounded by trees rather than stone. Strangers attended to them with dry linen and new clothing to replace their soaked rags.
When the strangers revealed their Issacharite origin Lael's travelers rejoiced, for they knew them to be fellow children of Israel who had been missing for more than a century. And it was said Yahweh himself had ordained a reflowering of the House of Israel in this place.
On the second day a delegation from the tribe of Asher joined them after a sojourn down the vale of the river Nanki from their city of Alnitar. The Asherites provided shields for the men among the new colonists crafted from the otherworldly trees that grew in the south.
The shields of the Asherites were hard enough to withstand the strokes of any axe or blade and to turn away all arrows, for the trees that had been used to make them could be cut only by fire. Yet the gifts were lighter than ones of comparable size made of bronze or iron.
On the third day men and women of the lost tribe of Zebulun arrived, having paddled downriver from their homes in the city of Eltan. Their boat carried much food, wine, and many small tools and sundry goods as gifts, that Lael's group might begin their colony in Haaretz.
On the morning of the fourth day Lael and his growing group of travelers went east until they reached the river Sabik and made camp. There Hadraniel, king of Hamar, arrived from the city of Menkant to speak with Lael and the king was accompanied by members of his court.
Then Lael's group carefully made a ford of the perilous river Sabik to join Hadraniel. The king commanded his small flock of livestock slaughtered for a feast as the heavenly southern kingdom of Israelites joyfully welcomed the remnant of the earthly southern kingdom.
In the morning King Hadraniel led the group overland and ever higher to a shoulder of Mount Menkant. Here they were met by Naphtalis out of the city of Wazol bearing precious stones for the women and girls traveling with Lael to wear and for the men to later obtain goods.
At dawn on the sixth day King Hadraniel and his entourage took their leave. Lael took his people further east until the Wall of God began to loom over them. They crossed the upper reaches of the river Arhena and entered the land of the tribe of Dan in the kingdom of Nath.
In Fatho the Danites made a gift of much silver and gold, and pack animals to carry them. After giving many thanks Lael turned north and west over the saddle between Mt. Fatho and the Wall of God. His folk were drenched in mist as they passed the famed Hundred Cataracts.
By the evening of the seventh day Lael's travelers reached the city of Kabark, home of the tribe of Gad. The city folk brought forth the bounty of the rich farms of their land which was watered by canals leading from man-made Lake Enkaa like the threads of a spider's web.
At noon on the next day day Lael and the colonists arrived at Enkaa Dam. A delegation of Israelites from the tribe of Reuben met them bearing baskets of delicious fresh fruit of a kind none of the travelers from Judah had ever tasted before, as they were native to heaven.
On the ninth day when Lael reached Adjara Lael's own nephews, cousins to his sons Elam and Jemuel and Rosh, provided more pack animals for their goods, and two of the asses bore sufficient arms for twelve men, lest Lael run afoul of men or nephilim of the House of Bellon.
The Levites of Adjara offered thanksgiving to Yahweh that the children of Israel had been reunited in heaven, yet their joy was tempered by news that Lael had found no living remnant of the tribe of Simeon among the people of the southern kingdom who took refuge in Egypt.
Within the walls of Adjara was the heavenly temple of Yahweh which men of the whole House of Israel had been building for a century. They of Lael's party who had never seen it wept tears of joy at the sight of the new temple mixed tears of lament at the memory of the old.
King Thausael of Hadal arrived with his entourage from among the tribe of Manesseh, and they bore the Ark of the Covenant. The relic had been withdrawn when Chokhmah feared the House of Judah was too weak to protect it from the maruading armies of the Babylonian empire.
And Chokhmah had given commandment that the Ark should pass into the safekeeping of Lael and his sons until the temple was sanctified, that they may both preserve the stone tablet of the Abrahamic covenant and secure the White Scroll of Leliel contained within the chest.
King Thausael laid upon Lael and his three sons a charge to bear the Ark on two gold-plated staves through rings in the side of the artifact. And when they were not actively carrying the Ark they were to set the ends of the staves through four stones pierced with holes.
Every time Lael paused, said King Thausael, the four stones were to be set on pillars of greater stones gathered from the ground around the encampment. The king said the Ark must never touch the ground, and save for the lid the Ark must never be touched by man nor beast.
Then Lael was bid to pass through Eliath Wood to a choice land prepared for him. But Lael would never be abandoned or forgotten, assured King Thausael, for the oracles of Yahweh came only through the Ark, and ever men of the House of Israel would come seeking for them.
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About CleanPosts
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Snoqualmie Arts Commission
The Snoqualmie Arts Commission helps develop and support public programs for the arts, advises the City on permanent public art installations, and helps develop designs for City streetlight pole banners. Commission programs include classes at reduced cost, art shows in the City Hall Lobby, and developing popular events like the Plein Air Paint Out, and the Finally Friday Art and Wine Walks!
Meets on the second Monday of each month.
Snoqualmie City Hall
2nd Floor Conference Room
38624 SE River Street
Term Exp.
Sally Rackets, Chair 02/27/2012 01/11/2020
David Levesque 02/25/2019 01/31/2020
Sally Mayo 01/10/2017 01/31/2021
Brian Hurley 05/13/2019 01/31/2022
Sam Insalaco 02/25/2019 01/31/2022
Patricia Tamburini 03/27/2017 01/31/2021
Gloria McNeely 01/28/2013 Lifetime
City Council Liaison:
Council Member Peggy Shepard
Staff Liaison:
Nicole Sanders
The Snoqualmie Arts Commission consists of seven members, who reside within the city. They are appointed by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the city council. Arts commission members serve four-year terms.
The Snoqualmie Arts Commission has the following duties and powers:
To hold regular public meetings.
To initiate, sponsor, conduct alone or in cooperation with other public or private agencies, public programs to further the development and public awareness of and interest in the fine and performing arts, and preservation of the cultural heritage of the city. Any agreements with another entity must have prior approval by the city council.
To encourage donations and grants to the city of Snoqualmie for civic arts purposes, and to advise the city regarding the receipt of such donations and grants. All funds shall be submitted to the city treasurer.
To advise the city concerning the receipt of or purchase of works of art to be placed on municipal property. If requested, the arts commission may advise on exterior and interior building structures.
To advise and assist the city in connection with such other artistic and heritage activities as mayor or council may request.
Art, Live Music, Theatre
Plein Air Paint Out
Burhans Banners
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37600 SE Snoqualmie Parkway
425-888-1551 / Email Us
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Christian Fankhauser received his PhD from the University of Lausanne in 1994, after carrying out his thesis at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC) in the laboratory of Dr. Viesturs Simanis. He performed postdoctoral studies with Dr. Marty Yanofsky at UCSD and thereafter with Dr. Joanne Chory at The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego. He became a Swiss National Science Foundation Assistant Professor at the Department of Molecular Biology of the University of Geneva in 2000. He joined the Center for Integrative Genomics in January 2005, where he was appointed Associate Professor. In 2011 he was promoted to Professor.
CHRISTIAN FANKHAUSER – RESEARCH REPORT
Light regulation of plant growth and development
Almost all our food, feed, fuel and fiber ultimately derive from plants. Plant growth depends on photosynthesis, the process in which light energy is harnessed for the synthesis of high-energy carbon compounds. In order to capture light, plants have evolved unique ways of building cells, tissues and organs, a highly diverse metabolism, and a life-long continuation of versatile growth and development. Plants possess numerous photoreceptors enabling them to sense changes in the amount, spectral composition (color), photoperiod and direction of light. The central goal of our research is to understand how plants manage to gain access to direct sunlight when this resource becomes limiting. This occurs at high plant density leading to specific growth and developmental strategies such as the Shade Avoidance Syndrome (SAS) and Phototropism. We use the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana to study the molecular events leading from light perception to the physiological responses elicited by unfavorable light signals.
Leaves strongly absorb red and blue light while far-red (700-800 nm) is transmitted or reflected. In sunlight the red to far-red ratio (R/FR) is slightly above 1, this ratio drops in the proximity of plants due to FR reflection and further decreases under foliar shade. In response to such a decrease in the R/FR ratio plants elicit a number of growth and developmental adaptations. Such responses are triggered by neighbor proximity in anticipation of potential shading and enhanced in true shade. Collectively this is known as the Shade Avoidance Syndrome, which includes elongations of stems, upwards movements of leaves, changes in branching architecture and acceleration of reproduction. Changes in R/FR are sensed by the phytochrome (phy) family of photosensory receptors with phyB playing a prominent role in Arabidopsis. Sunlight activates phyB leading to a conformational change that enables binding to and inhibition of transcription factors from the Phytochrome Interacting Factor (PIF) family. This inhibition is released in the shade as phyB returns to its inactive state enabling PIFs to promote several facets of the SAS. An important mechanism by which the PIFs promote stem elongation in the shade is the induction of several YUC genes, which code for enzymes catalyzing a rate-limiting step in auxin biosynthesis (reviewed in de Wit et al., 2016). While phyB plays a major role in controlling the extent of organ elongation, the blue light sensing phototropins (phot1 and phot2 in Arabidopsis) control growth direction enabling plants to orient their organs towards favorable light conditions. Over the past couple of years we pursued our investigations of phyB and phot-mediated signaling, we studied the crosstalk between both pathways as in natural environments signals from both photoreceptors have to be integrated and we started to look into organ-specific light responses.
In response to shade, stems and petioles elongate while expansion of the leaf and cotyledon blade is limited. Using a combination of genome-wide expression analysis and molecular genetics we investigated the organ-specific shade response in seedlings (Kohnen et al., 2016) and in leaves (blade vs. petiole) later in the plant life cycle (de Wit et al., 2015). Both studies showed that the early shade response triggers an induction of auxin levels and a strong auxin response in all parts of the plant analysed. However, later the response becomes organ specific and the selective elongation of specific organs appears to depend on additional organ-specific hormonal responses and differences in auxin signalling (de Wit et al., 2015; Kohnen et al., 2016).
Our work on phototropin signalling showed that phot1 signals from the plasma membrane and that photoreceptor internalisation is not required to trigger phototropin-mediated responses (Preuten et al., 2015). Phototropism is typically studied in etiolated seedlings as they first see the light. This model has been used for more than a century and enabled the identification of key signalling events (reviewed in Fankhauser and Christie, 2015). However, phototropism also occurs in green photoautotrophic plants but little is known about signalling at this developmental stage and its integration with other photoreceptor-mediated responses. We showed that in green seedlings in high R/FR conditions typical of sunlight phototropism is inhibited by phyB. In contrast when the R/FR ratio declines phototropism is gradually enhanced in a process requiring the PIF-YUC regulon (Goyal et al., 2016). Moreover, our work identifies phototropism signalling elements that are selectively required for phototropism in green but not etiolated seedlings, demonstrating developmental regulation of phototropin signalling (Goyal et al., 2016). Moreover, in collaboration with the Pierik lab, we identify a mechanism underlying enhanced SAS in true shade compared to neighbour detection that sheds further light on photoreceptor crosstalk (de Wit et al., 2016).
christian.fankhauser@unil.ch
Markus Kohnen
Alessandra Boccaccini
Mieke de Wit
Anne-Sophie Fiorucci
Vinicius Costa Galvao
Anupama Goyal
Emanuel Schmid
Fabien Sénéchal
Yetkin Ince
Olivier Michaud
Paolo Schumacher
Olivier Gustarini
Martine Trevisan
Laure Allenbach Petrolati
Technicians Assistants
Nicolo Tartini
Perrine Steffe
Cécile Escher
Hajar Myriam Outdili
Administrative assistant Nathalie Clerc
nathalie.clerc@unil.ch
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