text:
\section{Introduction}

Bluetooth, blogosphere, ginormous, greenwash, folksonomy.
Lexicographers have to add thousands of new words to dictionaries
every year and revise the usage of many more. Although precise data is
hard to come by, lexicographers agree that there is a period in which
novelty spreads and different words compete, followed by a rather
dramatic transition after which almost everyone uses the same word or
construction~\cite{Lass1997}. This `semiotic dynamics' has lately
become of technological interest because of the sudden popularity of
new web-tools (such as del.icio.us or www.flickr.com) which enable
human web-users to self-organize a system of tags and that way build
up and maintain social networks and share information. Tracking the
emergence of new tags shows similar phenomena of slow spreading
followed by sudden transitions in which one tag overtakes all others.
There is currently also a growing number of experiments where
artificial software agents or robots bootstrap a shared lexicon
without human intervention~\cite{Steels1997, Kirby}. These applications
may revolutionize search in peer-to-peer information
systems~\cite{Steels1998} by orchestrating emergent
semantics~\cite{Staab2002} as opposed to relying on designer-defined
ontologies such as in the semantic web~\cite{Berners-Lee:2001}. They
will be needed when we send groups of robots to deal autonomously with
unforeseeable tasks in largely unknown environments, such as in the
exploration of distant planets or deep seas, hostile environments,
etc.  By definition it will not be possible to define all the needed
communication conventions and ontologies in advance and robots will
have to build up and negotiate their own communication systems,
situated and grounded in their ongoing activities
\cite{Steels2003}. Designers of emergent communication systems want to
know what kind of mechanisms need to be implemented so that the
artificial agents effectively converge towards a shared communication
system and they want to know the scaling laws to see how far the
technology will carry.

\section{The Naming Game}

Some of the earlier work on studying the emergence of communication
conventions has adopted an evolutionary
approach~\cite{Hurford1989,Oliphant1997,NowakKrak1999,Nowak1999,
NowakNiyogiKomarova2001,KomarovaNiyogi2004,NiyogiBerwick1997,Smithetal2003}. Roughly
speaking, the degree in which an agent's vocabulary is similar to that
of others is considered to determine its reproductive fitness, new
generations inherit some features from their parents (vocabularies,
possibly with errors due to their transmission, or learning
strategies), and natural selection drives the population towards
convergence. Here we are interested however in phenomena that happen
on a much more rapid time-scale, during the life-span of agents and
without the need for successive generations. All agents will be
considered peers that have the right to invent and negotiate language
use~\cite{Hutchins95, Steels1995}.  We introduce and study a
microscopic model of communicating agents, inspired by the so-called
Naming Game~\cite{Steels1995}, in which agents have only local
peer-to-peer interactions without central control nor fitness-based
selection, but nevertheless manage to reach a global consensus. There
can be a flux in the population, but generation change is not
necessary for reaching coherence.  Peer-to-peer emergent linguistic
coherence has recently been studied also in~\cite{MatsenNowak2004}
focusing on how a population selects among a set of possible grammars
already known to each agent, whereas here we investigate how
conventions may develop from scratch as a side effect of situated and
grounded communications. The Naming Game model to be studied here uses
as little processing power as possible and thus establishes a
lower-bound on cognitive complexity and performance. In contrast with
other models of language self-organization, agents do not maintain
information about the success rate of individual words and do not use
any intelligent heuristics like choice of best word so far or
cross-situational learning.  We want to understand how the microscopic
dynamics of the agent interactions can nevertheless give rise to
global coherence without external intervention.

\begin{figure}
\vspace{0.5cm}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{fig1_jstat_arxiv.eps}
\caption{{\bf Inventory dynamics:} Examples of the dynamics of the
  inventories in a failed and a successful game, respectively. The speaker
  selects the word highlighted in yellow. If the hearer does not possess that
  word he includes it in his inventory (top). Otherwise both agents
  erase their inventories only keeping the winning word.}
\label{rules}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

The Naming Game is played by a population of $N$ agents trying to
bootstrap a common vocabulary for a certain number $M$ of individual
objects present in their environment, so that one agent can draw the
attention of another one to an object, e.g. to obtain it or converse
further about it.  The objects can be people, physical objects,
relations, web sites, pictures, music files, or any other kind of
entity for which a population aims at reaching a consensus as far
their naming is concerned. Each player is characterized by his
inventory, i.e. the word-object pairs he knows.  All the agents have
empty inventories at time $t=0$. At each time step ($t=1,2,..$) two
players are picked at random and one of them plays as speaker and the
other as hearer. Their interaction obeys the following rules (see
Fig.~\ref{rules}):

\begin{itemize}
\item The speaker selects an object from the current context;
\item The speaker retrieves a word from its inventory associated with the
     chosen object, or, if its inventory is empty, invents a new word;
\item The speaker transmits the selected word to the hearer;
\item If the hearer has the word named by the speaker in its inventory
and that word is associated to the object chosen by the speaker, the
interaction is a success and both players maintain in their
inventories only the winning word, deleting {\bf all} the others;
\item If the hearer does not have the word named by the speaker in its
inventory, the interaction is a failure and the hearer updates its
inventory by adding an association between the new word and the object.
\end{itemize}

\noindent This model makes a number of assumptions. Each player can in
principle play with all the other players, i.e. there is no specific
underlying topology for the structure of the interaction network. So
the game can be viewed as an infinite dimension (or ``mean field'')
Naming Game (an almost realistic situation thanks to the modern
communication networks). Second, we assume that the number of possible
words is so huge that the probability that two players invent the same
word at two different times for two different objects is practically
negligible (this means that homonymy is not taken into account here)
and so the choice dynamics among the possible words associated with a
specific object are completely independent. As a consequence, we can
reduce, without loss of generality, the environment as consisting of
only one single object ($M=1$). In this perspective it is interesting
noting that Komarova and Niyogi~\cite{KomarovaNiyogi2004}, have formally
proven, adopting an evolutionary game theoretic approach, that
languages with homonymy are evolutionary unstable. On the other hand,
it is commonly observed that human languages contain several homonyms,
while true synonyms are extremely rare. In~\cite{KomarovaNiyogi2004}
this apparent paradox is resolved noting that if we think of "words in
a context", homonymy does indeed disappears from human languages,
while synonymy becomes much more relevant. These observations match
perfectly also with our third assumption, according to which speaker
and hearer are able to establish whether the game was successful by
subsequent action performed in a common environment. For example, the
speaker may refer to an object in the environment he wants to obtain
and the hearer then hands the right object. If the game is a failure,
the speaker may point or get the object himself so that it is clear to
the hearer which object was intended.

\section{Phenomenology}

\begin{figure}
\vspace{0.5cm}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{fig2_jstat_arxiv.eps}
\end{center}
\caption{{\bf Temporal evolution:} we report here time evolution curves of
  a Naming Game played by $N=1000$ agents. Without loss of
  generality (see text) we consider $M=1$ objects. Bold curves are
  obtained averaging $3000$ runs, while the light ones are obtained by a
  single run. {\bf (a)} Total number of words in the system $N_w(t)$
  vs. $t$ ($t$ here denotes the number of games played) ; {\bf (b)}
  Number of different words in the system $N_d(t)$, whose average
  maximum is $N/2$; {\bf (c)} Success rate $S(t)$, calculated by
  assigning $1$ to a successful interaction and $0$ to a failure and
  averaging over many realizations. In the inset it is shown that, up to
  the disorder/order transition, the success rate is well described by
  the relation $S(t) = 3t/N^2$.}
\label{f_classic}
\end{figure}

The first property of interest is the time evolution of the total
number of words owned by the population $N_w(t)$, of the number of
different words $N_d(t)$, and of the success rate $S(t)$. In
Figure~(\ref{f_classic}) we report these curves averaged over $3000$
runs for a population of $N=1000$ agents, along with two examples of
single run curves. It is evident that single runs originate quite
irregular curves. We assume in these simulations that only two agents
interact at each time step, but the model is perfectly applicable to
the case where any number of agents interact simultaneously.

Clearly, the system undergoes spontaneously a disorder/order
transition to an asymptotic state where global coherence emerges,
i.e. every agent has the same word for the same object. It is
remarkable that this happens starting from completely empty
inventories for each agent. The asymptotic state is one where a word
invented during the time evolution took over with respect to the other
competing words and imposed itself as the leading word. In this sense
the system spontaneously selects one of the many possible coherent
asymptotic states and the transition can thus be seen as a symmetry
breaking transition.

The key question now is whether one can prove that this transition
will always take place and on what time-scale. For our model, it is
easy to prove that an absorbing state will be eventually reached with
probability $1$. Here an absorbing state is a state in which all the
agents have only one word, the same for the whole population. The
proof is straightforward. In fact from any possible state there is
always a non-zero probability to reach an absorbing state in, for
instance, $2(N-1)$ interactions.  A possible sequence is as follows. A
given agent speaks twice with all the other $N-1$ agents using always
the same word (say A). After these $2(N-1)$ interactions all the
agents have only the word A. Denoting with $p$ the probability of the
sequence of $2(N-1)$ steps, the probability that the system has not
reached an absorbing state after $2(N-1)$ iterations is smaller or
equal to $(1-p)$. Therefore, iterating this procedure, the probability
that, starting from any state, the system has not reached an absorbing
state after $2k(N-1)$ iterations, is smaller than $(1-p)^k$ which
vanishes exponentially with $k$. This very general argument, anyway,
does not give any idea about how and on which time scale the absorbing
state is reached. Alternatively one can define the overlap state
function as $\; O=\frac{2}{N(N-1)}\sum_{i>j} \frac{|a_i \cap
a_j|}{|a_i| |a_j|}$, where $a_i$ is the $i^{th}$ agent's inventory,
whose size is $|a_i|$, and $|a_i \cap a_j|$ is the number of words in
common between $a_i$ and $a_j$. The overlap function monitors the
level of lexical coherence in the system.  Averaged over several runs,
it always shows, numerically, a growth with time, i.e. $\langle O(t+1) \rangle
> \langle O(t) \rangle $. On the other hand, looking at the single
realization, this function grows almost always, i.e. $\langle O(t+1) \rangle >
O(t)$ except for a set a very rare configurations whose statistical
weight is negligible. This monotonicity combined with the fact that
the overlap function is bounded, i.e. $O(t) \leq 1$, strongly supports
that the system will indeed reach a final coherent state but a formal
proof is still lacking. This is consistent with the fact that the
coherent state is the only state stable under the dynamical rules of
the model. The more challenging question then concerns under what
scaling conditions convergence is reached.

We can distinguish three phases in the behavior of the system,
compatible with the S-shaped curve typically observed in the spreading
of new language conventions in human
populations~\cite{Lass1997,Best,Korner}. Very early, pairs of agents
play almost uncorrelated games and the number of words hence increases
over time as $N_w(t) = 2t$, while the number of different words
increases as $N_d(t) = t$. In this phase one can look at the system as
a random graph where pairs of agents are connected if they have a word
in common. Because two players always have the same word after a
failed game, each failure at this stage corresponds to adding an edge
to the graph. This fixes a time scale of order $t \sim N$ to establish
a giant component in the network~\cite{percolation1} and for sure
after a time of the order of $t \sim N \log N$ there will be, in the
thermodynamic limit ($N \rightarrow \infty$), only the giant component
surviving~\cite{percolation2}.

Then the system enters a second stage in which it starts building
correlations (i.e. multiple links connecting agents who have more than
one word in common) and collective behavior emerges. We see in the
simulations (see inset of fig.1c) that the rate of success $S(t)$ in
this stage increases as $S(t) \simeq 3t /N^2$ and we have been able to
show analytically why this is the case
\footnote{Details will be reported elsewhere.}.

In this article, we focus on the third stage, when the disorder/order
transition takes place. It occurs close to the time when $N_w(t)$
reaches its maximum. Although one might assume intuitively that the
transition towards global coherence is gradual, we see in fact a
sudden transition towards a consensus, and, even more remarkably, the
transition gets steeper and steeper as the population size
increases. This is important because it shows that the system scales
up to large populations.

\begin{figure}
\vspace{0.5cm}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{fig3_jstat_arxiv.eps}
\end{center}
\caption{{\bf Scaling relations:} {\bf (a)} scaling of the time
  where the total number of words reaches a maximum ($t_{max}$) as well
  as of the convergence times ($t_{conv}$) with the population size
  $N$. Both curves exhibit a power law behavior with exponent
  $3/2$. Statistical error bars are not visible on the scale of the
  graph. An interesting feature emerges from the ratio between
  convergence and maximum times, which exhibits a peculiar oscillating
  trend on the logarithmic scale (mainly due to convergence times
  oscillations). {\bf (b)} scaling of the maximum number of words that
  the system stores during its evolution with the population size
  $N$. The curve exhibits a power law behavior with exponent
  $3/2$. Statistical error bars are not visible on the scale of the
  graph. It must be noted that the values represent the average peak
  height for each size $N$, and this value is larger than the peak of
  the average curve. {\bf (c)} Curves of the success rate $S(t)$ are
  reported for various systems size. The time is rescaled as $t
  \rightarrow (t/t_{S(t)=0.5})$ so that the crossing of all the lines
  at $t/t_{S(t)=0.5}=1$ is an artifact. The increase of the slope with
  system size is evident, showing that the disorder/order transition
  becomes faster and faster for large systems, when the dynamics is
  observed on the system time scale $N^{3/2}$. The form of the
  rescaling has been chosen in order to take into account the
  deviations from the pure power-law behaviour in the scaling of
  $t_{conv}$, rescaling each curve with a self consistent quantity
  ($t_{S(t)=0.5}$).  {\bf (d)} Bottom right: Success rate $S(t)$ for
  various systems size. The curves collapse well after time rescaling
  $t \rightarrow (t-t_{S(t)=0.5})/(t_{S(t)=0.5}^{2/3})^{5/4}$,
  indicating that the characteristic time of the disorder/order
  transition scales as $N^{5/4}$.}
\label{f_scaling}
\end{figure}

\bigskip
\noindent
{\it Time-scales.} In order to better see this phenomenon and then
understand why it is the case, we first look more carefully at the
time scales involved in the process, specifically how the observables
of the system scale with the size $N$ of the
population. Figure~(\ref{f_scaling}a) shows the scaling of the peak
and convergence times of the total number of words with $N$. Both
curves exhibit a power law behavior\footnote{Slight deviation from a
pure power-law behavior are observed for the scaling of the
convergence time. These deviations exhibit a log-periodic behavior and
deserve further investigations.} with an exponent $3/2$. The
distributions for peak and convergence times, for a given size $N$,
are not Gaussian but fit well with the Weibull extreme value
distribution~\cite{gumbel} (data not shown).

The scaling of the maximum number of words $N_w(t_{max})$ is clearly
governed by a power law distribution $N_w(t_{max}) \sim N^{3/2}$ as
well, as shown in Figure~(\ref{f_scaling}b). Here is how the exponent
can be understood using scaling arguments. We assume that, at the
maximum, the average number of words per agent scales as $N^{\alpha}$,
with $\alpha$ unknown. Then it holds:

\begin{equation} \frac{dN_w(t)}{dt} \propto \frac{1}{c N^{\alpha}} (1 - q) -
\frac{q}{c N^{\alpha}} 2 c N^{\alpha}, \end{equation}

\noindent where, following the model rules, $\frac{1}{c N^{\alpha}}$
is the probability for the speaker to play a specific word. $q$ is he
probability that the hearer possesses the word played by the speaker
which can be estimated as $\frac{c N^{\alpha}}{N/2}$ ($N/2$ being the
number of different words). This is a mean-field assumption since one
neglects the correlations among the inventories and one assumes that
the probability for an agent to possess a given word is
word-independent and is proportional to the number of words in the
agent's inventory. So the two terms are the gain term (in case of a
failed game) and a loss term (in case of a successful game)
respectively where $2 c N^{\alpha}$ (strictly speaking $2 (c
N^{\alpha}-1)$) words are removed from the inventories.

Imposing $\frac{dN_w(t)}{dt}=0$ one gets $\alpha=1/2$. Exploiting the
relation $S(t) \simeq 3t/N^2$ pointed out earlier and valid also at
the the peak, one can predict the scaling of peak time as $t_{max}
\sim N^{\frac{3}{2}}$.

Summarizing, we have a first time scale of the order $N$ where the
system performs uncorrelated language games and the invention process
takes place. It follows the much more interesting time scale
$N^{\frac{3}{2}}$, which is the time-scale for collective behaviors in
the system, i.e. the time scale over which the multi-agent system
collectively builds correlations and performs the spontaneous symmetry
breaking transition.

Figure~(\ref{f_scaling}c) reports success rate curves, $S(t)$, for
different population sizes, all rescaled according to a transformation
equivalent to $t \rightarrow t/N^{3/2}$ (see Figure caption for
details on the rescaling). It is immediately clear that the
qualitative behavior of these curves, when observed on the collective
time-scale $N^{3/2}$, changes with system size $N$. In particular the
transition between a regime of scarce or absent communication, $S(t)
\simeq 0$, and a situation of efficient communication, $S(t) \simeq
1$, i.e. the disorder/order transition, tends to become steeper and
steeper when the population size increases. In order to explain this
phenomenon we need to look at what happens slightly before the
transition.

\section{Network Analysis}

We first investigate the behavior of agent inventories and single
words at the microscopic level. Since each agent is characterized by
its inventory, a first interesting aspect to investigate is the time
evolution of the fraction of players having an inventory of a given
size. A nontrivial phenomena emerges in the fraction of players with
only one word (data not shown). At
the beginning, this fraction grows since each player has only one word
after his first interaction, then it decreases, because the first
interactions are usually failures and agents store the new word they
encounter, and eventually it grows again until the moment of
convergence when all the players have the same unique word.  So, the
histogram of the number of agents versus their inventory sizes $k$ is
a precious description of the system at a given time. In particular,
slightly before the convergence, the normalized distribution $p(k)$
deviates from a relatively flat structure to exhibit a power-law
behavior. We can therefore write:

\begin{equation}
p(k) \sim k^{-{\beta}} f(k/\sqrt{N})
\label{p(k)}
\end{equation}

\noindent with a cut-off function $f(x) = 1$ for $x<< 1$ and
$f(x) = 0$ for $x >> 1$. From simulations it turns out that $\beta
\simeq 7/6$.

\begin{figure}
\vspace{0.5cm}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{fig4_jstat_arxiv.eps}
\end{center}
\caption{{\bf Single words ranking:} The ranking of single words
  is presented for different times for a population size of
  $N=10^4$. The histograms are progressively well described by a power
  law function. For times close to convergence the most popular word
  (i.e. that ranked as 1st) is no more part of the power law trend and
  the whole distribution should be described with eq.~(\ref{n(R)}).}
\label{f_single}
\end{figure}

We now turn to an analysis of the single words themselves. In
Figure~(\ref{f_single}) the different words are ordered according to
their popularity so that the ranking of the most common single word is
$1$. During the first two stages, the distribution of the words can be
described with a power law. However, approaching the transition, the
first ranked single word starts to become more and more popular, while
all the other words are power-law distributed with an exponent
$\alpha$ which changes over time (reminiscent of Zipf's
law~\cite{zipf} and consistent with Polya's urn and other recent
approaches~\cite{polya}). Concretely, the global distribution for the
fraction of agents possessing the $R$-ranked word, $n(R)$, can be
described as:

\begin{equation} n(R) = n(1) \delta_{R,1} +
\frac{N_w/N-n(1)}{(1-\alpha)((N/2)^{1-\alpha}-2^{1-\alpha})}
R^{-\alpha} f(\frac{R}{N/2}),
\label{n(R)}
\end{equation}

\noindent where the normalization factors have been obtained imposing
that $\int_1^\infty n(R) dR = N_w/N$ \footnote{We substituted the
discrete sums with integrals, an approximation valid in the limit of
large systems.}. On the other hand from equation (\ref{p(k)}) one
gets, by a simple integration, $N_w/N \sim N^{1-\beta/2}$, which gives
$n(R)|_{R > 1} \sim \frac{1}{N^{\beta/2-\alpha}} R^{-\alpha}
f(\frac{R}{N/2})$. This implies that in the thermodynamic limit
$N(1)$, i.e. the number of players with the most popular word, is a
finite fraction of the whole population (a feature reminiscent of the
Bose-Einstein condensation~\cite{Bialas}).

To explain why the disorder/order transition becomes steeper and
steeper in the thermodynamic limit, we must investigate the dynamics
that leads to the state where all agents have the same unique word. In
other words, we need to understand how the network of agents, where
each word is represented by a fully connected clique~\footnote{i.e. a
subset of three or more nodes, with all possible links present.},
reaches its final state of fully connected graph with only single
links. A successful interaction determines the removal of a node from
all the cliques corresponding to the deleted words of the two agents
while a failure causes the increment of an element of the clique
corresponding to the uttered word.  Combining this view of the
population as a network with the fact that the spreading of the most
popular word exceeds that of less common ones, we see that evolution
towards convergence proceeds in a multiplicative fashion, pushing
further the popularity of the most common word while decreasing that
of the others.  An interaction in which the most common word is played
will more likely lead to success, and hence the clique corresponding
to the most common word will tend to increase, while other cliques
will lose nodes. To put this argument on a formal footing, we can
conveniently assume that just before the transition all agents already
know the most popular word. Thus, we have only to determine how the
number of the links deleted after a successful interaction, $M_d$,
scales with $N$, so that we can estimate the rate at which the smaller
cliques disappear from the network. It holds:

\begin{equation}
M_d = \frac{N_w}{N} \int_{2}^{\infty} n^2(R) N dR \sim N^{3 - \frac{3}{2}\beta}
\label{e_thirdscale}
\end{equation}

\noindent where the product between the average number of words of
each agents (i.e. the average number of cliques involved in each
reduction process), $\frac{N_w}{N}$, the probability of having a word
of rank $R$ (i.e. the probability that the corresponding clique is
involved in the reduction process), $n(R)$, and the number of agents
that have that word (i.e. the size of the clique), $n(R)N$, is
integrated starting from the first deletable word (the second most
popular). From simulations we have that $\beta\simeq 7/6$ so that $M_d
\sim N^{5/4}$ and the ratio $M_d/N^{3/2} \sim N^{-\frac{3}{2}(\beta-1)}
= N^{-1/4}$ goes to zero for large systems. This explains the greater
slope, on the system timescale, of the success rate curves for large
populations (Figure~(\ref{f_scaling}c)). In Figure~(\ref{f_scaling}d)
the time is rescaled as $t \rightarrow (t - \textrm{const.}
N^{3/2})/N^{5/4}$ (see Figure caption for more details on the precise
scaling), and the different $S(t)$ curves collapse indeed well.

\section{Discussion and conclusions}

In this article we have introduced and studied a model of
communication which does not rely on generational transmission
(genetic or cultural) for reaching linguistic coherence but on
self-organization. The model defines the microscopic behavior of the
agents and is therefore directly implementable and thus applicable for
building emergent communication systems in artificial multi-agent
systems. We showed that the model exhibits the same phenomena as
observed in human semiotic dynamics, namely a period of preparation
followed by a rather sharp disorder/order transition. We have
identified the different time-scales involved in the process, both for
individual and collective behaviors. We have explained this dynamics
by observing a build up of non trivial dynamical correlations in the
agents' inventories, which display a Zipf-like distribution for
competing synonyms, until a specific word breaks the symmetry and
imposes itself very rapidly in the whole system.

The Naming Game model studied here is as simple as possible. One can
imagine more intelligent and hence more realistic strategies and the
invention and learning may involve much more complex forms of
language, but that would make the present theoretical analysis less
clear. By focusing on few and simple rules, we have been able to
identify the main ingredients to describe how the population develops
a shared and efficient communication system. The good news, from the
viewpoint of applications, like emergent communication systems in
populations of software agents, is that a well-chosen microscopic
behavior allows a scale-up to very large populations.

{\bf Acknowledgments}~~We thank A. Barrat, L. Dall'Asta, C. Cattuto,
R. Ferrer i Cancho, A. Vulpiani for interesting discussions and a
critical reading of the manuscript. This research has been partly
supported by the ECAgents project funded by the Future and Emerging
Technologies program (IST-FET) of the European Commission under the EU
RD contract IST-1940. The information provided is the sole
responsibility of the authors and does not reflect the Commission's
opinion. The Commission is not responsible for any use that may be
made of data appearing in this publication.

\section{Bibliography}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
When Tomorrow Comes is een Amerikaanse dramafilm uit 1939 onder regie van John M. Stahl. Destijds werd de film in Nederland uitgebracht onder de titel De dag van morgen.</small>

Verhaal

De concertpianist Philip Chagal maakt kennis met de serveerster Helen Lawrence. Hij is getrouwd, maar hij wordt toch verliefd op Helen en neemt haar mee op zijn zeilboot. Wanneer ze in een verlaten kerk moeten schuilen tijdens een storm, komt ze erachter dat Philip al getrouwd is.

Rolverdeling

|-
|||Helen Lawrence
|-
|||Philip Chagal
|-
|||Madeleine Chagal
|-
|||Jim Holden
|-
|||Lulu
|-
|||Betty Dumont
|-
|||Nicholas
|}

Prijzen en nominaties

Externe link

Film uit 1939
Amerikaanse film
Dramafilm
Film van John M. Stahl

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The Baron Watches "The Super Robot Red Baron" (SPOILERS)
Posted by The Baron on May 7, 2013 at 11:15am in Movies and TV
This is another tokosatsu of which I had never heard, but a collection of which I was sent, and so you all get to enjoy (?) my reactions to it.
We start with:
Episode 01: "Conspiracy of the Robot Empire"
We meet our hero, Secret Scientific Investigation (hereafter "S.S.I") agent Ken Kurenai (in "real life", he's a car dealer) and his older brother Kenichiro, a roboticist. Their life has bene marked by tragedy - their parents and their kid brother Kenzo (Yes, Ma and Pa Kurenai named their sons "Kenichiro", "Ken" and "Kenzo".) We meet Ken's colleagues on the S.S.I. team, who are guarding an expo of all the world's giant robots. They are:
Minoru Daigo, Captain of the team, and sometime owner of an auto repair factory.
Sakai Tetsuya, in civilian life he's a car salesman.
Daisku Hori, also a newspaper copyboy
Mari Matsubara, a news photographer, and the team's sole female.
We also meet Inspector Kumano, a bike cop who wields an unbrella gun, sort of like the Penguin used to. He appears to be the comedy relief character, of the sort so beloved by the makers of these shows and which I have always found profoundly unfunny. However, as with Maxwell Smart, bumbler though he is, he does well in a fight, which i just as well, as it at least gives some clue as to why theothers put up with him.
Anyhow, the Robot Expo is raided by the somewhat awkwardly named Invasion Robot Troy Horse (a somewhat unimpressive robot design) under the direction of Professor Deviler of the Robot Empire of the Iron Alliance. While the S.S.I. battles the Alliance's foot soliders, who seem to exist to get beat up, the heels kidnap Kenichi and steal all the robots.
Kenichi is brought before the Professor, who implants him with a control collar, and sends him home, where he meets Ken, who singularly does not ask him what happened to him or how he escaped. Kenuchi presents Ken with the robot Red Baron, which he has been building in secret. I have to say that the Red Baron is not my favorite robot design, but it's OK. Kenichi gives his brother the guided tour of the robot and has him touch the controls, which imprints them on Ken, so that only he can use them. Troy Horse shows up, and Ken pilots Red Baron in battle against it. Red Baron exhibits several attacks, such as the Elec-Trigger, a sort of energy attack, and BARON PUNCH! and BARON BARRIER!, which I foresee will furnish me with endless amusement. Once Ken has won, the Professor reveals that he sent Troy to attack in order to put RB through its paces, then orders Kenichi to hand it over to him. Um, if he rwanted RB for himself, shouldn't he have ordered Kenichi to hand it over before the latter let Ken imprint himself on the thing? Sloppy planning there, Prof!
Thwarted, the Professor sends the robot Big Bison to stand there looking large but otherwise unthreatening, and threatens Kenichi with punishment for his disobedience.
Cliffhanger: Kenichi's control collar is killing him!
Overall: This comes across as quite fun show, I am hopeful of getting quite a bit of entertainment out of this.
Permalink Reply by The Baron on May 21, 2013 at 9:36am
Episode 15: "The Foretold Trap"
Ken dreams of Daigo shooting him. Professor Deviler tells him it's not a dream, but a prophecy. So, Deviler can project his tohughts into Ken's mind? Elsewhere, the IA is firing up Proto-Andes, a robot from the former Incan Empire (another pretty good design), as the Professor works to make Ken's dream come true.
(A side note, here. Ken has the morning "sitting-up" exercises on the radio. Apparently, this is a long-standing tradition in Japan, though nowadays it's thought of as something old men do.)
We then have a very trippy scene where Ken kills a milkman and a cop, believing them to be disguised Mecha-Robos. Thsi bit is well-done, and you're actually left in a little doubt as to whether he's going nuts or not. The Inspector arirves, and Ken rabbits. We see that one cop is an IA agent. The Inspector catches Ken, but Daigo asks for a minute alone with him. Daigo believes Ken, and has a plan. We next see Ken on the run, as the Inspector reports that the "bodies" have vanished. After a chase, Ken summons RB, but Daigo talks him down. Ken bolts again, but Daigo shoots him down. The Inspector arrests Daigo as M-R's watch surreptitiously. Deviler gloats, and sends P-A to attack an oil refiniery. We see the (fairly predictable) reveal that it was all a trick, and Ken summons RB. RB fights P-A, who sticks a drill in RB's chest. The SSI usues a super magnet to pull it out, and RB uses JET FIRE! from its feet, and P-A blows up.
Ending Scene: Our heroes flee from an actual milkman!
Overall: I liked this. It was almost like a Mission: Impossible plot in a way.
Permalink Reply by Jeff of Earth-J on May 21, 2013 at 11:12am
I have been off the board for a couple of days, and now I've got some catching up to do! First of all, under the heading of "Old Business," I would like to point out that the reason Tracy so dislikes the Astro Boy theme song is because it was stuck in her head for 72 hours straight a couple of weeks ago. Now I need to work on getting her to say "Elect-Trigger" instead of "electric trigger."
Episode 12: "Bet your Life on One Shot"
We had the same feeling about early "product placement" regarding Mobil (and, in this episode, McDonalds). The "Answer me! Answer me! sequence reminded us quite a bit of "We want information! Information! Information!" from The Prisoner. The Electri-Amazon's "attachments" reminded me of an evil version of MST3K's Gypsy. The Jinnai robot looked to me like a cross between a frog and an Imperial Storm Trooper. Regarding the random foot chase after which Tetsuya finds his jeep waiting, we speculated that she must've returned to SSI HQ.
I agree that they shouldn't have aired two "team member is used against the team" plots in a row, but I'll tell you something else: the SSI members give up and resign much too easily. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but in both cases, the agents in questions were obviously victims of mind control and not responsible for their actions.
I've identified another motif: uproarious laughter at things that aren't all that funny in the first place.
Episode 13: "10 Minutes until Five Cites are Obliterated"
Akira's story reminded me a lot of young Bruce Wayne's: "The Robot Alliance are a superstitious and cowardly lot. That's it! I shall become… a robo-hunter!"
I was surprised when the toy plane in the episode actually turned out to be a toy plane!
Quote of the episode: "You will die grinding your teeth in regret and frustration!"
Episode 14: "Enigma of the Invulnerable Robot"
Daisaku reminds me of one of the less popular members of the Osmonds, but wearing Billy Batson's haircut from the live action Shazam/Isis Hour.
Each episode seems to have at least one gaping plot hole you could drive a giant robot through. In this case, it's the duplicate "Roboter." This was a toy Daisaku made for his little brother's birthday. How could the Robot Alliance have been ready with a duplicate to switch it out?
"Protector of the former Incan Empire"? The Incan Empire had a giant robot protector? All right. Whatever.
The plot hole this time regards not staying with the bodies. They were obviously robots. If he hadn't've foolishly run, there wouldn't've been a problem.
Permalink Reply by The Baron on May 21, 2013 at 11:34am
The resigning is definitely a cultural thing. You're expected to "fall on your sword" even for things that aren't strictly your fault.
Interestingly, "laughing uproariously for no obvious reason" is a common Japanese stereotype of Americans.
Episode 16: "Iron Alliance Fugitive E-16"
We open with robot Iron Cross G attacking and RB responding. ICG soon withdraws. We learn that the IA is planning a nerve gas attack on Tokyo. I wonder if the Aum Shinrikyo guys saw this episode? Prisoner E-16 - who is wearing an odd mask - escapes and is taken to a hospital. The SSI arrive and Daigo persuades the Inspector to turn E-16 over to them. E-16 escapes during an IA drive-by. He steals a doll and tries to give it to a little girl. She recognizes him - he's her long-lost father. For some reason I'm not clear about, the Inspector thinks E-16 did a murder. The daughter hides her father as both the cops and the IA search for him. They go out in a boat. some Mecha-Robos find them, but Ken comes to the rescue. The daughter's tears loosen her father's mask (Melodrama!) and E-16 tells the SSI Deviler's plan.Ken summons RB, and after a brief battle, ICG spins itself to death.
Ending Scene: Our heroes wave as E-16 resumes his life as a fisherman.
Overall: An OK epsiode, though I found some of the plot twists hard to follow.
Permalink Reply by Jeff of Earth-J on May 22, 2013 at 12:43pm
Sometimes Red Baron's "eyes" are shown with pupils, sometimes not. When they are, he reminds me of Bucky Katt from Get Fuzzy.
The SSI needs a battle cry, such as "WAKKA DING HOY!"
Regarding this episode specifically…
Did you notice Disney's Snow White in the toy shop when E-16 steals the doll? (Judging by the previews, tonight's episode will feature a Snoopy doll.)
There were several "arty" shots this episode. First, in the toy store, a close-up on a toy police car siren dissolves to the siren on the Inspector's bicycle. That "flashback" scene of the little girl and her father in happier days was a bit arty, too. In general, they've toned down the silliness level, especially in regard to the Inspector.
E-16's mask is shaped a little like an America parking meter, and the general look of it reminds me of an Art Dekko Jason Voorhees. An alternate explanation for the mask's removal (that the "timing mechanism" expired) was also given; neither one of them made much sense (nor, for that matter, was it explained how the man survived being shot in the chest with a machine gun). A little fanciful, but acceptable within the premise of the show.
They eat onigiri (which are a kind of rice balls) at the end.
Episode 17: "A Story Penned By The Devil"
We the Inspector on vacation, calling Ken to taunt him good-naturedly about how much fun he's having. Ken asks Daigo for a vacation and is refused. The weather goes bad and the Inspector takes refuge in a cave, wherein in he is trapped. He calls the SSI for help, but Daigo thinks it's a dodge to get Ken out of work, which leads to him saying the best line I have ever heard on telelvision: "Did the Thunder God steal his belly button or something?" A little girl called Azusa gets him out. He has a fine time playing with her, and she ask him to do her a favor: She wants to fly. The Inspector calls Ken, who receives permission to use RB. All of this is observed by an old woman, who gloats. Ken and IB take Azusa for a ride in RB using BARON FLIGHT!, and it's all very trippy, with rainbows and aliteral castle in the clouds. However, the Robot Gran Matador from Spain arrives and snatches Azusa. The Professor threatens to hurt the girl, and RB runs rather than take a chance.Back at the garage, the SSI considers the possibility that Azusa was a lure. This upsets IB, who storms off to find her on his own. The SSI follows, but they are spotted, and GM is sent out. The Inspector is attacked by Mecha-Robos, but he takes them all out by stealth. RB arrives, but has to back off again. IB and the SSI each detect a signal. The Inspector confronts the Old Woman, who is an Iron Alliance agent. The fight, and the Inspector impales her, and she blows up. He then finds the littlest M-R, and realizes that it's Azusa. He shoots her, and the SSI alerts Ken that it's OK to go on the offensive. RB blows up GM using BARON BEAM!
Ending Scene: The tearful Inspector walks off with Azusa in his arms.
Overall: Wow, what an episode! You really feel bad for the Inspector at the end. Makes you want to see those Iron Alliance bums get what's coming to them!
Permalink Reply by Jeff of Earth-J on May 23, 2013 at 4:04pm
Sometimes I wonder how closely the translations are to the original language. In this episode, for example, I think I could have figured out "Hey!" and "Yeehaw!" all by myself, but I wonder how close of a translation "This sucks!" is. (Of course, you already addressed the elephant in the room, "Did the Thunder God steal his belly button?" Sounds like something Jack Kirby might have written.) The BI is becoming a more serious character (and I'll bet riding that bicycle around kept him in shape), and in this episode in particular he accuses the SSI members of losing their childlike sense of wonder (which supports the assessment of the character I held all along).
Azusa was really working that outfit. How would you describe it? A sort of plaid, one-piece pancho with bell bottoms?
This was kind of a "music video" episode. The sky castle and rainbows (and bubbles!) came as something of a surprise, but I did like the "Google-Earth" POV of Red Baron Flying.
I've got a theory about the Baron Punch. I think when the robot slams its fists together, it opens a dimensional doorway in which the "fist mechanism" is stored. That may be a kind of wild explanation, but is it really any more unreasonable than the sight of floating sky castles?
Apparently the title "Boss" is a "secret identity" specific too SSI, because he doesn't like to be called that when working in the garage.
Tracy wants to know why we haven't discussed the implausibility of Ken's "leaps" to RB's shoulders.
This show is to Ultraman the way Space Ghost is to Jonny Quest. It's by the same folks who did the earlier one (respectively), I discovered it later, and although I want it to be as good as its predecessor, it just isn't. Both Space Ghost and Super Robot Red Baron are quirky and enjoyable in their own right, but neither quite achieves the success of their respective counterparts.
Permalink Reply by The Baron on May 23, 2013 at 4:33pm
She's right, that is somewhat implausible.
Episode 18: "Behold! The End of Red Baron"
The Inspector encounters Mari and Daisaku up in the mountains in their guide as journalists, hunting a rumored giant snake. I note that Mari really pushes Daisaku around, here. They encounter the fakest-looking giant snake since the Mara, Daisaku does some Shaggy-level comedy cowardice and runs away. The rest of the SSI and RB arrive. Ken gets out (not sure why) and rocks fall on his leg. RB is immobilized. Mecha-Robos shoot at Ken. A mystery woman comes to help him as the SSI and the Inspector find Mari. The Professor taunts the SSI as they see robot Rajasthan slice up RB. Daigo slaps Mari as she gets hysterical! The mystery woman finds the SSI - it turns out she works for the Inspector - and reports that the RB they saw destroyed was a fake. The SSI plans - the women are sent to find Ken, the Inspector and Daisaku decoy the M-R's, and Daigo and Tetsuya set off to blow up the cliff - good thing they just happened to bring some dynamite with them! The women find Ken , who is attempting to climb the cliiff. The SSI frees RB, and haivng a bad ankle doesn't stop Ken from doing his "super-leap". (In fact, Ken seems to forget that he has a bad ankle for the rest of the episode!) Ken tries several attacks on Rajasthan, including BARON BREAK!, and it seems to take him somewhat overlong to figure out that it's a holo-projection. Eventually, he finds the real Raj and battles it. Raj has the unusual ability to split it itself in two, and it runs rings around RB before Ken manages to shake it off and it is destroyed. The mystery woman introduces herself as HIkaru Mizuki, just back from France.
Ending Scene: Our heroes have a good laugh at how generally subpar Daisaku is.
Overall: Not bad. It was a little obvious that it wasn't the real RB that was destroyed, but still a fun outing,
Permalink Reply by Jeff of Earth-J on May 24, 2013 at 8:55am
When I first heard (in the previous episode's promo the night before) that Mari was to be eaten by a giant snake I expected something more suggestive (such as when Robin was in danger of being devoured by a giant clam), but it didn't play out that way at all. As a matter of fact, it's a wonder how Daisuku jumped to that conclusion in the first place when Mari did, in fact, simply wander off into the fog. It's a good thing there was a fog, though; it help obscure the crappy-looking snake.
I'm not entirely sure where that duplicate RB came from (?), but before it was revealed to be a decoy, RB lost its right arm for the third time this season! Speaking of them taking "somewhat overlong" to figure out the opponent robot was a holo-projection, Ken's first thought was that it was a "ghost robot." That's not too bad of an idea, come to think of it, given the premise of the show. Somewhat fantastic, sure, but Speed Racer once pulled off something similar.
I wonder if Hikaru Mizuki, is going to become a regular or semi-regular character? (She just got back from France. "That must be why she's such a fox!") I think they missed an good (if obvious) bet by not having Mari become jealous of Hikaru. She treats Daisaku like a puppy, but, well… Hikaru is a fox!
All season long, the AI could hit the broad side of a barn from the inside. Now all of a sudden, when Daisaku and the Bicycle Inspector are throwing tin cans in the air from behind cover they become crack shots?
The robot bears mentioning. It flies, but when it does so it leaves its legs behind, taking off from them as if they were its base, the rockets mounted in its waist. There were also some good scenes of aerial combat as the robots flew rings around each other.
ARTY SHOT: The camera pans down Ken's torso as he stands to go into action, then quick-cuts to the shot of RB taking off.
ACCURATE TRANSLATION?: "Ken is really getting his ass handed to him."
NOTEABLE QUOTE: "This whole giant snake business was such a bummer!"
I suspect the translation is more "thought for thought" than "word for word". Colloquialisms often don't translate well. I remember a story I heard oence of an American who was late for a meeting in Japan - a "no-no" most places but an especially big one there. He gave the excuse that it was "raining cats and dogs". Everyone just gve him the fish-eye and carried on. Afterwards, one of them came up to him and said "I hope your pets are alright."
"My hovercraft is full of eels."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Dozier School for Boys: What's Next For Panhandle Property With Troubled Past?
A group of researchers recently won state approval to exhume bodies buried on the grounds of the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna. But, some wonder what happens next?
John Gaddy is a much older man today, but as a boy he was sent to the North Florida reform school known as the Dozier School for Boys.
"When he pulled up at the reformatory, it looked so beautiful, but it was later when he put me on the black side, I began my hell," said Gaddy.
Governor Rick Scott and rest of the Florida Cabinet have given a group of researchers' permission to dig up the bodies buried on the grounds of the infamous Dozier School for Boys in Marianna. Supporters, who say that will unearth the truth about the school, are hailing the decision as a historic one.
"Alright, is there a motion to approve," asked Scott. [So moved. ] Is there a second? [yes] Any comments or objections? Seeing none, the motion carries," stated the Governor.
Renewed Interest Into Dozier Graves Sparks The Question: Should There Be Another Investigation?
Recent findings by the University of South Florida show there is nearly double the amount of graves found in the now-closed Dozier School for Boys than previously reported by the state years ago. Alleged victims of abuse at the Marianna reform school say an outside source, like the U.S. Justice Department, would be better suited to uncover the truth than state investigators.
For years, there have been stories of abuse and deaths surrounding the Dozier School for Boys, a reform school in the Panhandle that closed down last year amid questions about abuse and deaths at the school.
Several University of South Florida researchers discovered what could be as many as 49 graves belonging to boys connected to the infamous Dozier School for Boys. The graves are of those believed to be killed at the school, from abuse gone too far. And, the discovery was made at an old small cemetery in the north Florida town of Marianna.


This is one of the activities we did at home. Most of the activities are perfect for homeschool, kindergarten and grades 1-3.The crafts can be used for creation in Bible class. Although, I had a 2 year old, kindergartener, first grader and a third grader and they all enjoyed it.
I put together folders for them to store their solar system papers and projects. They loved this! It was fun for them to peek inside and see the songs and stickers and worksheets. They used these solar .system stickers to decorate the outside. Then, they added a lot of star stickers. We worked on solar system for two days and I actually enjoyed it because I had all the supplies left over from something else. Probably a creation lesson.
I designed the maze to get to the planets in order from the sun. They loved it!
They also made the mobile. Directions are included in the pack. They cut the pieces out, attached a piece of yarn to the sun, then attached the planets in order from the sun. No, I did not include Pluto because it is not considered a planet at this time. Although we did discuss Pluto in case it changes yet again.
Once everything is connected, hold the sun in one hand, then the end of the string in the other hand. They can move the planets around the sun. Or, just let them hold it in their hand like she is doing.
Click here to download the maze and mobile.
Well, there are a couple more... I just can't find where I found them!
Search for songs and there are a lot of free ones.
I printed the order of the planets from this freebie here.
I had a request for a creation number mobile.
We used this also... because God made the solar system and because I needed to make sure everything looked good once it was put together.☺ After printing on cardstock and cutting it out, I used a hole punch in the top center of the cloud for a loop to carry and hang it. Then I cut different lengths of yarn to hang the days. I left a space on the top of each to add a hole for the yarn with a hole punch. I also added 7 random holes along the bottom of the cloud. Click here to download the mobile.
These are the books I had for the solar system.
See more ideas on my Pinterest board.


text:
Consultation for Sun Wharf on Creekside
Proposals for the redevelopment of Sun Wharf on Creekside are going on show next week at the Creekside Centre and the Laban Centre.
As Crosswhatfields reports, this is much earlier than was predicted, with the main occupier of the site, Jones Hire holding a lease until 2022. Maybe they were given an offer they could not refuse, to vacate the site early and make way for the redevelopment.
The site also encompasses the Deptford home of Cockpit Arts, which according to the flyer, will be relocated into a 'purpose-built facility. Given the density of development that's shown on the flyer, it could be difficult to replicate the conditions they currently enjoy, in particular in terms of natural light.
And Crosswhatfields also asks what is going to happen to the Love Over Gold mural which decorates the wall that faces onto Creekside?
All good questions which you can put to the developers at the Creekside Centre on Wed 24th Feb from 3.30pm to 7.30pm and at the Laban Centre on Sat 27th Feb from 11.30am to 3pm.
Smashfest UK is back!
After its successful debut last year, Smashfest UK is back in Deptford from 18-20 February. A free festival for all ages, it features comedy shows, music, film, experiments and theatre, it is intended to encourage exploration of science, technology, engineering and maths through art and design.
The festival is created around a compelling story; a massive solar storm is forecast which wipes out electrical and electronic infrastructure, throwing the world back to the mechanical age: how will we cope without our phones, tablets and social media? How will we survive as our networks, power, transport, medical and supply chains collapse?
Last year's event involved a biohazard spillage
Taking over the entire Albany theatre, including the performance spaces, cafe and garden, the programme includes a human power station, a geodesic dome full of giant 'Maths', comedians, poets and astronomers, human-sized mutant fruit flies, a premier of a new play written for the festival, the interactive Solar Storm Survival Unit, a variety show, electric paint, an Aardman animator, survival village building & survival skills, a pilot virtual reality experience and a Mutant Generation Unit.
There will also be events running all week at the Deptford Lounge library, including the Smashfest UK planetarium, the Mechanical Mobile Phone Exoskeleton, a code-club, a solar exhibition, an artist's residency and a film programme, all themed around the imminent solar storm.
Over the next decade, the UK is heading for a shortfall of more than 50,000 workers for the science, technology, engineering and maths sector, but only 15% of students aspire to science careers. In boroughs like Lewisham, the school population comprises almost 75% black and minority ethnic students, yet black students identify even less strongly with science as a career aspiration because of its overwhelmingly white, male, middle class image of science, and the multiple inequalities they face growing up, according to recent studies.
Recent research carried out by the National Science Foundation in their Art of Science Learning project demonstrates that art-based learning of STEM works, and works beyond expectation. Harvey Seifter, head of the NSF funded project and founder of the Art of Science Learning firm says "We found a strong causal relationship between arts-based learning and improved creativity skills and innovation outcomes in adolescents, and between arts-based learning and increased collaborative behavior in adults".
Dr Lindsay Keith, festival director & CEO of Refinery TV said: "Science festivals in the UK tend to cater to people who are already engaged with science, and an audience that tends to be 'non-diverse'. So we thought – 'why not bring a festival to the young people of Lewisham?' "You won't find lectures or debates at Smashfest UK – we're about mass entertainment, bums on seats and science by stealth! If it's not fun, it's not in the schedule – simple as that."
Find out more at http://smashfestuk.com
Labels: education, events
Folkestone Gardens and Quietway work
I regularly go through Folkestone Gardens and am often saddened by the neglect and abuse this little park suffers.
With gates wide enough to admit cars at two sides of the park, it often fell victim to fly-tipping and I once witnessed a motorist trying to drive a car through the park on the footpath and flying into a rage when a dog-walker challenged him. Eventually the park managers clocked that it might be a good idea to restrict access at these gates, and the problems stopped for a while.
Where once was shrubbery...
Meanwhile the vicious 'pruning' exercised by Glendale last year saw the bushes and trees decimated to a shadow of their former selves, and problems with rough sleepers using wood from the remaining trees to create campfires does not help.
..now is a campsite
As part of the implementation of TFL's new Quietway cycle routes, the council has been able to leverage some funds to make improvements to Folkestone Gardens, and both of these projects are under construction concurrently, albeit at a snail's pace.
A new skateboard park is being built at the east end of the gardens, as part of a scheme that was intended to make much better use of space in what was originally a somewhat sprawling play area. This came out of an initiative by a youth group who successfully applied for a grant of £50k towards improvements to the piss poor skate ramps that were already in the park. The council weighed in with a further £225k from section 106 funds and carried out a consultation exercise about what it proposed for the new 'skate and play' park.
The consultation document had some plans of how the skate and play park would look.
Unsurprisingly, given the name, and the published plans, local people were expecting that there would be some new 'play' as well as some new 'skate'. Now that the work is almost finished, however, it has become clear that the new 'play' is just the old 'play' in a smaller area.
Promises of new equipment have not materialised, and it seems that the contractors have just lifted the old play equipment and moved it to the other side of the play area.
One beacon of hope is that the disused toilet block next to the road has been given planning permission to be refurbished and opened as a cafe. I suspect a new roof may be necessary, but it will be good to have this rotting shell brought back to life.
As far as the 'Quietway' goes, the paths through the park have been made bigger, presumably to accommodate cyclists as well as pedestrians. But they seem oversized to me, especially the huge junction by the old toilet block - I've been using the park for years and the only conflict I've ever witnessed on the footpaths was the aforementioned car driver and dog walker. I think the park would have been better with a bit more grass left intact.
It will be a great improvement to have better surfacing in the tunnel between the park and Gosterwood Street, which has always been a bit of a gloomy route at night and prone to fly-tipping. Let's hope that there will be lighting too, which might deter some of this abuse.
I was disappointed to read in Lewisham Cyclists response to the plans for the quiet way that in Folkestone Gardens they made a plea for 'significant vegetation clearance around the route to make it more visible, particularly on corners'. Well they certainly got that.
I found this comment particularly unnecessary because there are two routes through the park; the one with the vegetation, blind corners and absolutely no lighting, and another one with very little in the way of blind corners, and which is lit by the street lights at night. In the summer I tend to take the former, in the winter I take the latter. They both lead to the same place. There is also a perfectly reasonable, direct alternative on the road for anyone who feels uncomfortable using the park when it's dark.
It does beg the question of whether it's a park or a cycle route with some greenery. I would like to see them co-existing happily, but the recent changes seem to be putting more emphasis on cycle access than on the green environment, wildlife and somewhere that can be quietly enjoyed by all.
As an aside, and with reference to my post about the high street rat-running problems, the initial plans for the quietway included a road closure at the junction of Childers St and Rolt St, but this was vetoed by local people who didn't want to have their driving routes impacted. I thought it was a great idea and suspect if it had gone ahead we wouldn't now be faced with the continued problem of rat-running on the high street!
at 11:13 17 comments
Labels: cycling, environment, green spaces, leisure, public realm, wildlife


text:
The Unending Passion of Persecuted Catholics in Muslim Lands
For persecuted Catholics living (and suffering) in Muslim-majority nations, their entire lives often seem like one unending Passion Week.
Casey Chalk
For Catholics around the world, this week is Holy Week: that time where we commemorate Jesus' final days in Jerusalem, marked by betrayal, false accusations, ignominious suffering, and ultimately death. It is a time for prayer, personal reflection, and penance, that we might spiritually commune with our Lord Jesus Christ in His Passion.
For those of us in the West, pampered by comfort and entertainment, that can be a bit challenging. Yet for other Catholics, their entire lives often seem like one unending Passion Week. I speak in particular of persecuted Catholics living (and suffering) in Muslim-majority nations.
I know something about their plight. For about seven years I have advocated on behalf of the persecuted church, especially those with whom I developed a personal relationship while living abroad. The stories of these courageous Christians, who have endured harassment, threats, kidnapping, exile, and violence at the hands of Muslim extremists, is cataloged in my recent book, The Persecuted: True Stories of Courageous Christians Living Their Faith in Muslim Lands. Alexandre Goodarzy, author of Kidnapped in Iraq: A Christian Humanitarian Tells His Story, which will be available next month, knows of these things as well.
Goodarzy, a French Catholic relief worker who traveled extensively throughout the Middle East, was kidnapped by Muslim extremists shortly after he arrived in Iraq in January 2020. The abductors threatened him and his companions, stole their possessions (including his wedding ring), and verbally and physically abused them. Having already spent extensive time in Syria during its years-long civil war, Goodarzy feared that torture, and potentially death, might soon follow. "In a place where decades of war and horror have hardened people to brutality and normalized every kind of violence, lives can be thrown away without a second thought," he writes.
The kidnapping was not his first encounter with Muslim extremism. He knew of stories from his time in Syria. He describes how al-Qaida, in 2012 in Syria, dragged women naked through the snow and beheaded them. Islamist forces kidnapped thirteen nuns and killed priests. They placed a bomb under a bishop's pulpit in a Greek Melkite Church, killing several people. The Islamic State systematically murdered thousands of Christians across Syria and Iraq and displaced many tens of thousands more, disrupting, if not destroying, ancient communities. Christian women (and those of other religious minorities) were forced into sex slavery by Muslim militants.
At one point prior to his kidnapping, Goodarzy also traveled to Pakistan to witness (and combat) modern-day slavery there. He visited the village of Pansara, near the city of Faisalabad, where Christian slaves worked in a brick-making factory. A local Pakistani priest told him that what he saw there was replicated in thousands of brick factories across the country, amounting to about two million Christian and non-Christian slaves across the country.
Thankfully, after about ten weeks in captivity as a hostage, Goodarzy was released and allowed to return to France, in large part because of extremists' concerns regarding the then-just-beginning global pandemic. "It was like a purgatory on earth," he writes of his time in confinement, where he regularly endured mistreatment by Muslim militants, whom he feared might at any moment kill him. In other words, he experienced much of what Christians in places like Iraq and Pakistan endure every day.
From North Africa, across the Middle East and South Asia and into Southeast Asia in places like Malaysia and Indonesia, Christians suffer, often silently. They face poverty, restrictions on the practice of their faith, and constant pressures to convert. In other places, such as Pakistan, where Taliban- and al-Qaida-influenced brands of Islam are common, the risks are much higher. One of my friends was shot at and almost killed. Another friend was beaten several times, almost to death. Female relatives were publicly assaulted and set on fire. Christian family members were abducted and married off to Muslim men, never to be heard from again.
One of those families is headed by my dear friend Michael D'Souza. His suffering at the hands of Muslim extremists in Pakistan and immigration authorities in Thailand, where he sought asylum, has gone on for more than fifteen years. Just a few weeks ago, he and his family procured visas to Sri Lanka. They traveled there hoping to once again attempt a new life. Sri Lankan immigration authorities, wise to such common tactics by human traffickers and those they exploit, turned them back. Now Michael and his wife and three children are trying to flee to Azerbaijan, which, though Muslim, is less hostile to Christians than Michael's native Pakistan.
Yet the story of the D'Souza's is just one of millions of similar ones that persecuted Christians across the Muslim world have experienced. Quite literally hundreds of millions of Christians the world over, mostly in Muslim countries, are dealing with various levels of severe persecution and discrimination. It's difficult to fathom the enormity and ubiquity of this problem, though Westerners, particularly in places like Goodarzy's native France, where Muslim extremists have killed Catholic parishioners and even priests, are getting a foretaste.
Why am I sharing these terrible stories during this holiest of weeks in the Church calendar? For one, because part of what it means to enter into Christ's Passion is considering those whose lives are testimonies to the love and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. In their suffering, we are catechized in how to unite our sufferings to that of Christ. Secondly, we need to be reminded that it is not only Christ and long-dead martyrs who endure great evil for the sake of love and truth—we ourselves are called to witness and even suffer on His behalf. The Gospel reading on Monday, which described the Jewish religious leadership plotting to kill Lazarus simply because of his miraculous connection to Jesus, is a good example of this (John 12:1-11).
Third, and finally, we need to wake up to the threat of Islamic extremism. For such evil ideologies arise when men and women no longer find meaning in their own society. Writing of his native France, Goodarzy observers:
We no longer believed in anything, especially not in ourselves. There was not a day without repentance: public and widespread apologies for being who and what we were, and for the so-called crimes of the generations of our people who had come before us.
When we are ashamed of our faith, our nation, and our glorious patrimony, ideologies like Islamic extremism can gain a foothold among the young and impressionable. As we prepare for the Triduum, let it never be said of us that we were ashamed of Christ or His Church.
[Photo: A restored image of the Virgin Mary destroyed by ISIS is returned to its original parish in Iraq. (Credit: Fr. Thabet Habeb/CNA)]
Casey Chalk is the author of The Persecuted: True Stories of Courageous Christians Living Their Faith in Muslim Lands (Sophia Institute Press) and a senior contributor at The Federalist. He holds a Masters in Theology from Christendom College.
tagged as: Featured Politics Weekly Headlines


text:
More wintry precipitation in forecast for week ahead
Emboldened athletes push back on old-school coaching methods
Janie McCauley
AP Sports Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Some of Geoff Bond's rowers loved and appreciated his demanding style. They thrived on how the coach at the University of California-San Diego pushed them to the limit while preparing them to take on the real world.
But for others, Bond was a nightmare, with over-the-top intensity, an unpredictable temper and rage they abhorred. They say he regularly threatened to harm or kill team members. One heartbroken couple insists Bond's behavior was to blame for their son's suicide.
Bond left his post earlier this year without any explanation from the school, and his employment status is unclear. In his wake, a debate now rages in college sports and athletics at every level: What constitutes bullying, and what is merely good, hard-nosed coaching that aims to get the most out of young adult athletes?
York-Adams League fall standouts earn all-state recognition
Determined Central York girls' basketball team off to roaring start
Dallastown wrestling enters new era with first-year coach, young team
"There absolutely is a fine line between those two things, and it actually allows for somebody to behave in a more bullying manner under the guise of 'I'm pushing you to be the best that you can be.' And then the victim is kind of forced to accept that," said Deidre Abrons, a licensed marriage and family psychotherapist in Oakland, California, with extensive trauma and PTSD experience.
Sports programs across the country are weighing whether such tough coaching styles have a place in a world where student-athletes demand more sensitive treatment and more individualized training. Athletes of this younger generation also wield greater personal power over their career paths, which can force coaches to accommodate them or risk losing top talent.
There is evidence that coaching has become less autocratic, less brutal — that Bond was just a throwback from the days when legends such as Bear Bryant pushed football players to the brink and Bobby Knight erupted in volcanic outbursts at his basketball teams.
These days, athletes are speaking up about their experiences on and off the playing field, regardless of whether they are on high-profile teams or in smaller, non-revenue sports. As transfer rules have eased, students have also acquired more freedom to change schools, along with the ability to capitalize financially on their fame.
Many coaches have changed too, tailoring their dealings with each athlete based on that person's individual needs, rather than applying the one-size-fits-all approach of the past.
Still, Bond is far from the only coach whose practices have come under attack. The complaints extend beyond colleges and into Olympic events.
Abrons said it's often hard for athletes "to recognize the abuse and call it abuse."
"That's really hard to come to terms with, especially when it's somebody in your life who is such a mentor, who's guiding you, who's supposed to be on your side. And so they often blame themselves, like: 'Oh, this is me. This person has it all together. I'm the problem.'"
Bond's career in San Diego ended Jan. 13, when the school announced that he would no longer be coach, but it offered no details. Bond, who previously coached at the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania, has challenged his dismissal in court, and the legal battle is ongoing.
Some rowers said his rage regularly went beyond intense coaching.
"He would make up the worst kinds of insults to people," said Dameon Engblom, a former assistant coach under Bond at Penn and in San Diego who also rowed for him as a high school athlete in the Bay Area.
"He never pushed or shoved anybody or made any physical contact, but he would get up in people's faces. He'd threaten to kill people," one ex-Penn rower said on condition of anonymity because he feared retribution in the tight-knit rowing community.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, a group of nine rowers from the 2016 Penn team wrote to more than 60 parents of fellow student-athletes expressing fears that the program was "unsafe" under Bond. The rowers were unsatisfied with what one called the university's "neutral response" to concerns shared during exit interviews.
Bond "has shown a disregard for responsible oversight of the mental health of our team in a way that is counterproductive to Penn Rowing's performance," the athletes wrote.
The rowers said Bond had "created an abusive environment by the repeated use of belittling nicknames and hostile language like, 'Talk to me again, I swear I will f------ cap you. I will f------ kill you,' and 'I will break through you.'"
They also alleged that he "stigmatized the use of appropriate resources for managing stress by publicly shaming teammates" who utilized Penn's psychological services.
When reached for comment about Bond's tenure, Penn said only that he stepped down at the end of his contract in 2019. A second request for details received no response.
Some rowers who competed for him at UC San Diego have shared similar experiences, describing a culture in which Bond used crass and offensive language among other put-downs regularly uttered in front of athletes.
Through an attorney, several of Bond's former collegiate rowers from Cal, Penn and UCSD reached out to the AP in support of the coach.
Former Cal rower Vaclav Vochoska of the Czech Republic crossed an ocean for college and experienced severe isolation and depression from language and cultural barriers. He recalled how Bond checked on him one Thanksgiving when Vochoska was alone in the dorms. He calls his experience in Berkeley only "positive."
"My time with Geoff Bond was nothing but special," Vochoska said by phone from Europe. "The challenge never came in a hurtful way ... It doesn't sound right he would be threatening anybody at practice."
Gary Champagne, who rowed for Bond at Cal as a freshman in 2002-03, said via email: "I absolutely loved his style of coaching and feel it is a great fit for young college kids."
"I give him tons of credit for turning many of us coddled young boys like myself into great, young, independent men with qualities and attributes that helped us so much in business and life. I always felt comfortable with Geoff as a coach and loved the man he was."
But the parents of Brian Lilly Jr. are adamant that their son was verbally abused by Bond, leading to his suicide in January 2021. Brenda and Brian Lilly Sr. filed a wrongful-death suit against Bond, alleging that the coach mistreated their son largely because he challenged Bond's decision to allow a rower to remain on the team despite allegations of sexual assault against the athlete.
Bond's defense said the coach hadn't seen Lilly in person for the nine months prior to his suicide and that the coach reached out during the pandemic lockdown period to inquire whether Lilly would return to school in San Diego from the East Coast where he had been living.
A spokesman for UCSD, which is named in the suit, declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
Olympic coaches have come under fire, too.
Longtime U.S. national team swimming coach Teri McKeever faces allegations from former athletes at the University of California-Berkeley who described a culture of abuse.
Former U.S. Olympic rowing coach Mike Teti resigned last fall after the Tokyo Games amid accusations of abusive behavior that spanned decades, including allegations that he physically threatened athletes or verbally attacked them if challenged. Most of the U.S. national team members who made the accusations spoke anonymously because they still fear the coach.
That the athletes spoke out at all represents a sea change in the balance of power between athletes and the coaches who once held almost unquestioned authority over their teams.
Now college athletes can use the NCAA transfer portal to change schools and teams if they are unhappy with their playing time or treatment. They can also make money in ways that were unimaginable until recently with new rules allowing compensation through endorsements and sponsorships. And with the rise of social media, student-athletes can share their opinions and experiences directly with the wider world.
Some coaches are struggling to adjust with athletes who are newly emboldened.
"It is making it a little more challenging," said Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State men's basketball coach, referencing the flexibility that students have "to leave if things get tough or if you get pushed too hard, or if somebody's telling you they can give you more."
But Tinkle said any pressure on coaches to be educators, not autocrats, is a good thing: "We've got to look ourselves in the mirror and show these young men that the biggest part of our job is taking them from late adolescence into early adulthood."
Tinkle will be rooting for Gianni Hunt, a junior guard at Sacramento State who left Oregon State's program earlier this year. Hunt sought a fresh start after his playing time failed to develop as he had hoped. He took a leave of absence from the Beavers last season when his "love for the game had deteriorated," he said.
The change worked out for Hunt, who is thrilled to get a new chance under first-year Sacramento State coach David Patrick, an Australian who previously served as coach at the University of California-Riverside and was a longtime assistant for several Division I programs.
Patrick believes coaching now demands more personal relationships with players.
"Some of the coaches I've played for didn't know if I had a mother, father, brother, sister, what my upbringing was," Patrick said. Now it's more important "to a have a relational piece there before you can dive into coaching them hard and coaching them in life ... because they do know their rights, unlike we did when I was coming out."
Kerry Keating, the former head men's basketball coach at Santa Clara who also worked as an assistant at UCLA and Tennessee, hopes more coaches focus on each individual's needs — a drastic change from coaching an entire team as one.
Looking back on it, Keating said, he "wasn't raised that way" and "didn't do a great job" of coaching players individually. "It's one self-criticism I have."
Hall of Fame Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer tries to consider the needs of each woman on her roster, and she has demonstrated over decades how to be successful without extreme tactics. She agrees that practices that were more prevalent in the past are no longer acceptable.
"In some ways, some people you can maybe be harder on and others not," said VanDerveer, the all-time winningest women's basketball coach. "Now there is a lot of talk among coaches of almost like, 'Don't even try to coach,' because a lot of players — they don't really want to be coached."
Sometimes, VanDerveer said, coaches will say or do something 10 times without drawing any complaints, but the 11th occasion might be considered by someone to be "over the line."
"I think it's always been challenging," she said, "but maybe now with social media, the portal, I think things are even more challenging for coaches."


text:
The 2012 Eurocup Mégane Trophy season was the eighth season of the Renault–supported touring car category, a one-make racing series that is part of the World Series by Renault.

Driver lineup

Driver changes
Changed teams
Fabien Thuner switched from Boutsen Energy Racing to Oregon Team.
David Dermont moved to Team Lompech Sport.
Bas Schothorst and Jeroen Schothorst both moved to TDS Racing.

Entering Eurocup Mégane Trophy
Eurocup Clio champion Nicolas Milan, Formula Renault Alps driver Kevin Gilardoni and Formula Renault 3.5 Series driver Albert Costa debuted with Oregon Team.
FIA Formula Two Championship driver Kelvin Snoeks entered the championship for TDS Racing.

Team changes
Boutsen Energy Racing, Equipe Verschuur, Brixia Horse Power and Blue Jumeirah Team have all left the Eurocup Mégane Trophy.

Mid-season changes
 Rembert Berg debuted in the series, joining Michael Munemann in the Algarve Pro Racing Team.
 Tom Coronel made his debut in the series, replacing Wim Beelen from the Nürburgring round onwards.
 David Dermont was replaced by Thibault Bossy at Nürburgring. Defending series champion Stefano Comini replaced Bossy for the Moscow round.
 Bruce Lorgère-Roux replaced Toni Forne after the opening round at Alcañiz.
 Roberto Moreno made his debut in the series, replacing Nicolas Milan at the Moscow event.

Race calendar and results
The calendar for the 2012 season was announced on 10 October 2011, the day after the end of the 2011 season. Silverstone Circuit was dropped from the calendar in favour of a round at the new Moscow Raceway in Russia. All seven rounds will form meetings of the 2012 World Series by Renault season.

Championship standings
 Points for both championships were awarded as follows:

Drivers' Championship

References

External links
 Renault-Sport official website

Eurocup Megane Trophy
Eurocup Megane Trophy
Eurocup Mégane Trophy seasons


When we were planning our 2017 "Ramble" dates, we purposefully wanted to be in the Roaring Fork valley for the 4th of July. We'd heard of incredible fishing in both the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan rivers, as well as incredible fireworks in towns all along the valley.
We arrived in the valley on July 3rd and setup the SaraLinda at the Gateway RV Park in Carbondale (CO). The RV park is set right on the Roaring Fork and the Rio Grande "hike and bike" trail that connects Glenwood Springs with Aspen. We learned that there was a "fire ban" in effect for the area and all fireworks displays were cancelled except for Glenwood Springs.
About a month before arriving in the valley, we'd contacted Frying Pan Anglers (FPA), a fly shop in Basalt (CO), and asked about booking a guide trip on the Roaring Fork for July 4th. I'd asked, "do you have guides who go out on the 4th", to which the shop guy said "the fish don't care it's the 4th of July". DUH! We laughed and booked the trip.
At 8am on the 4th of July, we met our guide, Ed Deison, at the shop and headed off to fish the Roaring Fork. When we got to the boat ramp, it was clear this was going to be a VERY busy day on the river. There were already 3 drift boats in the water at the dock waiting to start their trip and another 4 rafts ready to enjoy a pleasure float down the river. In the parking lot, the boats and rafts just kept coming, lining up, awaiting their turn to put in. It was going to be a bit crowded on the river it seemed.
Undaunted, Ed pushed us off and floated down a bit to rig up our rods, away from the craziness of the boat ramp at Carbondale. We met another FPA guide, Dillon, who turned out to be from Austin (TX) and had gone to Lake Travis HS and Texas A&M on a baseball scholarship. Small world!
After we'd rigged up, we started down the river and began what would become an "epic" day of hooking and landing really big, beautiful brown and rainbow trout. We started by throwing dry flies toward the banks, bringing these hungry trout to the surface to hit our flies. When that slowed a bit, we went to nymphing for them and things heated up even more.
We always like to take at least one picture of a fish we've caught on a particular river, so when we caught a nice brownie early on, Ed wanted to make sure we got that one pic, so he pulled the boat over for the photo op. While we don't count the number of fish we catch on days like this, it was a lot. When we'd catch an even bigger fish, Ed would pull over and get another pic for us. While we were landing what was our biggest fish of the day, Ed took a pic with his phone for the shop blog. When Dillon pulled up, his client had landed an even bigger brown trout. It was that kind of day. Lots and lots of big fish.
When we finally arrived at our take out spot in Glenwood Springs, it was insanity. The boat ramp was so busy with everyone either taking out, or putting in, or getting ready for the fireworks that were happening that night at the park. For us, our fireworks had already happened on an "epic" fishing day on the Roaring Fork.


Dr. Roland Bird Daniel, served 28 years as Superintendent of the Columbus Public Schools, and is buried in Riverdale Cemetery with his two wives and two of his four children. An illustrious educator known for his progressive ideas, Dr. Daniel was educated at Emory University and the University of Chicago. He served as superintendent of school s in Coleman, Blakely, Montezuma and Valdosta prior to coming to Columbus in 1909 at an annual salary of $2,250. He taught during summers at the University of Georgia, the University of Tennessee and Emory University. The latter awarded him an honorary Phi Beta Kappa membership.
When Dr. Daniel came to Columbus, there were fewer than a dozen buildings in the system. Many were churches or public buildings converted for use as classrooms. During his administration 10 schools were built, many of them showing his delight in the Spanish architecture, which he observed during a national superintendents meeting in Southern California.
Long recognized as a pioneer in vocational education, a paper on industrial education in Columbus, written by Dr. Daniel, was published by the U.S. Government as an official bulletin. Perhaps the crowning achievement of his administration was the dedication in 1937 of a state-of-the-art industrial school, Jordan Vocational High School.
Dr. Daniel was born in Liberty County, Georgia, in 1866, a descendent of Puritan stock in St. John's Parish. His first wife, the mother of his children, was Eva Turk, and several years after her death in 1930 he married Epsie Campbell, head of the Home Economics Department of the University of Georgia. In 1954 members of the Sophomore Hi-Y at Columbus High School named their chapter for Dr. Daniel and met once a year for two years at his home on Hilton Avenue. The Board of Education voted in 1957, after his death at age 88, to rename 45th Street School in his honor. Though the school has changed roles during the years, it still bears the name Daniel.
Dr. Daniel was a consummate educator, a dedicated steward and trustee of St. Paul Methodist Church, a community leader and a giant in his profession. This tall, white haired aristocratic gentleman's influence on education in Columbus is felt even today.


I searched high and low for the perfect polish for the Fourth of July and could not find exactly what I was looking for, anywhere. I could buy the materials to make it myself, but its risky and costly when ordering from different suppliers.
It crossed my mind to ask a polish maker for a custom and so I contacted Darling Diva Polish mid-June to see if she would be able to make a custom polish for me and have it in my hands for the Fourth of July holiday.
I had something very specific in mind, red and white bars mixed with white stars in a clear base. I planned on putting it over a navy blue creme polish so it would symbolize the American Flag.
As we spoke, we shared stories of our family members in the military and how they have touched our lives. We laughed and we cried and in the end, she said she would be happy to make my polish, however; she was already working on a very special patriotic polish and wanted to show me her creation. She also told me that 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this polish are being given to the Disabled American Veterans.
At that point, I knew I had contacted the right gal and that I absolutely had to have the polish she had created. The photo she sent to me was even more confirmation that it was "the one."
Not only does Home of the Brave have stars and bars, but it contains hearts to signify the love for our military, past and present; and the love they have for our country to have given up their lives to fight for our independence.
Home of the Brave arrived on Saturday and I immediately put it on and plan to wear it all week this week in celebration of all the brave men and women who have made our freedom a reality.
Many thanks to Carrie for creating with her heart, it really shows!
One coat of Home of the Brave over two coats of In the Mood by Pure Ice. Topped with Gelous and Seche Vite - smooth as glass!
What ann awesome cause to create a polish. This is so touching. I also have a lot of family members in the military. My brother recently came back from Iraq, and this polish would be special to a lot of people. Plus this is just an awesome polish! I just did my nails for the 4th, but I wish I had this! I love the hearts and the reason behind it. That's just so awesome of her...and you! Thanks for sharing:) And I would love to buy this polish if it comes up for sale!
I just bought a bottle! Thank you for sharing your story and I can't wait to own this polish because if it's significance:) This is why I love indie polishes!
How awesome! :D I would love to see it on you when it arrives to you!
Thank you for stopping by! I hope you were able to purchase this polish, its definitely a worthy cause!


text:
North Queensland irrigation plan could 'destroy' prawn fisheries in Gulf of Carpentaria, producers warn
By Rachel Carbonell
Posted Thu 27 Mar 2014 at 9:25am Thursday 27 Mar 2014 at 9:25am Thu 27 Mar 2014 at 9:25am , updated Thu 27 Mar 2014 at 10:17am Thursday 27 Mar 2014 at 10:17am Thu 27 Mar 2014 at 10:17am
Australian banana prawns at a fish market in Auckland, New Zealand in May 2009. (Flickr: Sandy Austin)
abc.net.au/news/fears-irrigation-plan-could-hurt-banana-prawn-industry/5350360
The Australian prawn fishing industry says the proposed development of the country's biggest irrigation project in North Queensland not only threatens its future in the Gulf of Carpentaria but has the capacity to "destroy" the area's banana prawn fishery.
Integrated Food and Energy Developments (IFED) has put forward a $2 billion proposal to build two dams and siphon 555,000 megalitres of water per year from Queensland's Gilbert River catchment to irrigate a huge sugar cane plantation.
The Federal Government is supportive of the project, saying it will be an important step towards turning northern Australia into a new food bowl.
The prospective developers say they are confident there is enough water to go around.
However, the prawn fishing industry is concerned by the large amount of water the company wants to take out of the Gilbert River system upstream.
The industry is the biggest of several fisheries that could be affected, alongside barramundi and Spanish mackerel.
Austral Fisheries Prawn Division general manger Andy Prendergast says the extraction of water upstream has the potential to completely wipe out the banana prawn stocks in the Gulf of Carpentaria, as has happened in other parts of the country where river flows have been significantly altered by development.
Potentially it could destroy the banana prawn industry if they take away or start releasing water at the wrong time or releasing the wrong type of water into the river systems.
"There's been no consultation and no consideration of the fishing industry, and the reproductive cycle of the banana prawn is highly dependent on the rainfall and how it comes down the rivers," he said.
Prawn producers sound warning on irrigation plan. (Rachel Carbonell)
"It is of some genuine concern to us that people are going to be playing with the water.
"We realise we don't have exclusivity to it, but there's also evidence of the Ord River system completely removing the common banana out of the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf.
"My worst fear is that through the development... this is going to be pushed through for a political agenda that doesn't take into consideration an existing industry that has been functioning with world's best practice for the last 40 years.
"Potentially it could destroy the banana prawn industry if they take away or start releasing water at the wrong time or releasing the wrong type of water into the river systems."
He wants all fisheries to be consulted ahead of any development.
"We know a lot about our fisheries, and we can guide them on what will and won't impact on us," he said.
Queensland campaigner with the Wilderness Society, Karen Touchie, says the development proposal wants to take too much water from the system.
"What IFED is after is two or three times the amount of land that the CSIRO says is available, and what IFED is after is two or three times the amount of water that CSIRO says is available?" she said.
10pc of total flow 'absolutely sustainable'
But IFED chairman Keith De Lacy says the amount of water that the IFED development needs is sustainable.
"We've got to go through a comprehensive environmental impact process, a public process," he said.
"Science will come into play; that will demonstrate that. But we are very confident that the 10 per cent of the total flow that we're asking for is absolutely sustainable and I am absolutely certain that science will bear that out."
He is confident there will be enough for all water users, including the fishing industry downstream.
"We've a hungry world and where Australia is at present... so much water is running into the Gulf of Carpentaria - more than is needed for ecological sustainability," he said.
"We recognise everybody else's needs: the fishermen, other users, everybody in the system.
"But we believe the way we're doing it, there's enough there for everyone."
Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce says he is supportive of the project.
The Queensland Government says the proposal is subject to an environmental impact statement and the potential environmental social and economic impacts of the proposal will be rigorously examined.
Sorry, this video is not yet available or has expired
Peter Lewis reports on big hopes for irrigation schemes in the north (Peter Lewis)
Posted 27 Mar 2014 27 Mar 2014 Thu 27 Mar 2014 at 9:25am , updated 27 Mar 2014 27 Mar 2014 Thu 27 Mar 2014 at 10:17am
$2b private proposal to build one of Australia's biggest irrigation schemes
Fishermen fear effects of irrigation in North Qld
Exmouth fishery begins season with sustainability bid
Agricultural Crops
Fishing, Aquaculture


Website design is both an art and a trade. If you are looking for the right web designer to set up your site, one that is experienced in the music industry, there are special traits that you will want to look for. A great designer will be able to work a good balance between passion for the arts and a good understanding of his business.
The reason why web design is thriving in Brisbane and there are especially impressive providers that clients can lean on. Website design in Brisbane is a growing field because the experts in that region that manifest very special traits that reflect in their work.
They understand that the value of SEO websites are set up first and foremost, to reach a particular demographic. Whether the purpose is to grow a business, to gain popularity, to launch careers, to change mindsets, to influence or help through information or even to entertain people, a good web designer should know how to reach the right audience with the use of search engine optimization techniques.
They know the value of relevant content Nothing is haphazard in the work of a great web designer. He sees to it that his work output always looks professional and credible.
They do not stop learning. Web design techniques heavily rely on computer technology. And we all know how fast it changes and advances. It is important that a web designer keeps abreast with the latest updates in technology and platforms, especially those directly related to his profession.
They are intrinsically solution driven. Issues are inevitable. Demands from clients may seemingly be impossible sometimes. A great designer will be able to troubleshoot, innovate or at the very least be able to find attractive alternatives to satisfy customer needs.
They communicate openly and regularly. They are available for inquiries and support should clients need them. In fact, they can even be a step ahead and are able to anticipate client needs. They can be reached by their clients when they are needed. They also possess excellent skills in communication.
They understand their market and their client's market. They understand what it takes to attract the interest of the target demographic. They ensure the marketability of their project website.
They possess integrity. Hiring a Brisbane website designer means disclosing very important information in order to have a good website set up. They should know how to maintain confidentiality. Hiring means that you are going into a business relationship. Trustworthiness is crucial in order to maintain a good business relationship.
They understand the need to make a responsive web design. In order to create a successful website, a great web designer should be able to create a site and pages that call visitors to the desired action.
These above are very important traits that make experts of web design in Brisbane a cut above the rest. If you intend to hire a good one, make sure that you look into the key characteristics detailed above and be assured that you are making a wise decision with your choice of web designer.