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Mongolia to test modelling tool for sustainable development
3 July 2015 | By GCR Staff | 0 Comments
The capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, is to be a test bed for a new, data-driven modelling tool that aims to help city regions develop sustainably.
The Mongolian prime minister, Chimed Saikhanbileg, was in London today to witness the signing of the agreement between the city's governor and a UK charity that has been developing the model with help from a global team of scientists, engineers, planners, social and political experts and economists.
The tool, called resilience.io, helps cities plan and evaluate the business case for projects that bring improved human wellbeing, resource efficiency, clean energy and technologies that restore ecological systems.
Around 40% of Mongolia's population of 2.7 million lives in Ulaanbaatar, which faces serious problems with overcrowding, housing shortages, traffic and deadly pollution.
Separately, plans are afoot to create a new, more sustainable capital for Mongolia 20km away from Ulaanbaatar.
Being developed now by experts from Imperial College London and the Zurich-based Institute for Integrated Economic Research (IIER), the model is expected to be ready for testing next year.
It is the brainchild of Professor Peter Head CBE, an engineer who in 2011 took early retirement from his role as head of planning at global multidisciplinary firm, Arup, in order to pioneer new, low-carbon and circular development models.
The charity he founded, The Ecological Sequestration Trust, has been working in Ulaanbaatar since December 2013, supported by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
In a statement Head said: "When I created The Trust, four years ago, the aim was to provide all regions of the world with an open-source, free-to-use platform that would enable them to discover a more resilient, sustainable development pathway – a resilience compass. To do this we had to bring together world-leading modellers in human, ecological systems and economics.
"However it was also necessary to find regions in different parts of the world with the leadership and desire to bring about transformational change for their people and willingness to use this platform for that purpose. In particular to use the platform to help meet the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to attract investments that seek lower risk through new governance and data systems."
The memorandum of understanding Head signed today with the Governor of Ulaanbaatar, Bat-Üül Erdene, in the presence of Prime Minister Chimed Saikhanbileg, sees the trust and the city working together for the next three years.
Accra in Ghana and the UK county of Dorset are also demonstration regions. Another is planned in China, Head said.
http://ecosequestrust.org
http://resilience.io
Photograph: Cold and high pressure locks in pollution in Mongolia's high capital, Ulaanbaatar (jubatusphotos.wordpress.com)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Design and conduct courses in the areas of Management Development, and Legal Studies.
Provide advisory services on enhancing management 2. development capacities of the Government including local government.
Coordinate profession specific programmes in the areas of 3. Management Development and Legal Studies through the respective centres1 established under the Department.
Undertake research in the areas of management development 4. to facilitate development of courses and provide policy inputs for the Royal Government and private sector.
Carry out consultancy to facilitate capacity development in the 5. field of management development.
Design and conduct courses in the areas of Finance, Economics and Business.
Provide advisory services on enhancing skills and competency development in the areas of finance and business of the Government and the corporate bodies including the private sector.
Coordinate profession specific programmes in the areas of Financial and Management Development through the Centre for Private Sector Development1.
Undertake research in the areas of finance, business and economics to facilitate development of course materials and provide policy inputs to the Royal Government and private sector.
Carry out consultancy to facilitate capacity development in the fields of finance and business.
Design and conduct courses in the areas of Information and • Communications Technology.
Provide advisory services on enhancing skills and competency • development in the areas of information and communications technology to the Government and the corporate bodies including the private sector.
Undertake research in the areas of information and communication • technology to facilitate development of training materials and provide policy inputs to the Royal Government and private sector.
Carry out consultancy to facilitate capacity development in the fields • of information and communications technology.
Manage and maintain information management system • requirement of the Institute and serve as the information technology support for the Institute.
Focus on the discovery and application of knowledge, and including • dissemination, preferably through publication in referred journals, authored and edited books, chapters in edited books, published conference proceedings, conference papers, working papers and research seminars, occasional papers, etc.
Develop and maintain consultancy directory, and catalogue • consultancy activities undertaken by faculty thereby ensuring their competencies in conducting research and consultancies.
The programme department head is responsible for the overall facilitation and coordination of the department functions. The head is appointed from the faculty pool and will be rotated amongst the eligible faculty members after every three years.
a) Design and conduct courses in the areas of Finance, Economics and Business.
b) Provide advisory services on enhancing skills and competency development in the areas of finance and business of the Government and the corporate bodies including the private sector.
c) Coordinate profession specific programmes in the areas of Financial and Management Development through the Centre for Private Sector Development1.
d) Undertake research in the areas of finance, business and economics to facilitate development of course materials and provide policy inputs to the Royal Government and private sector.
e) Carry out consultancy to facilitate capacity development in the fields of finance and business.


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Final Sentence: A cookbook Nook Mystery By Daryl Wood Gerber: Review/Giveaway
Jul 6, 2013 | 2013 Articles, Cynthia Chow, Mysteryrat's Maze
by Cynthia Chow
We are excited to be reviewing the first book in Daryl Wood Gerber's (aka Avery Aames) brand new series! Details on winning of copy of Final Sentence at the end of this post. Also in this same issue, a never before published mystery short story by Daryl.
Leaving San Francisco and her successful career as an in-demand marketing expert, Jenna Hart allowed her Aunt Vera to convince her to return to her hometown of Crystal Cove, California. Aunt Vera owns the Fisherman's Village Mall and wants Jenna to reopen the cookbook store and café. The deaths of both her mother and husband two years ago devastated Jenna and created a rift between her and her father, a former FBI analyst turned consultant turned Crystal Cove hardware store owner and handyman. Although Jenna knows little about cooking she's a whiz at marketing and so she arranges to have her former college roommate and current celebrity chef Desiree Divine attend The Cookbook Nook's opening for a book signing.
Desiree herself is no slouch at self-promotion and she arrives in RVs filled with an entourage that includes a jealous sister, possessive director and lover, and a masseuse whose relationship with Desiree is questionable at best. In a town as small as Crystal Cove rumors fly and are taken as truth and a most shocking one that hints Desiree had an affair with Jenna's late husband has her racing towards a confrontation. Unfortunately, before Jenna can discover the truth she stumbles into a sand sculpture of a mermaid that is in fact the all too real body of Desiree, hooked like a fish buried in the sand.
Accusations made to Police Chief Cinnamon Pritchett that Jenna is a murderer would be less concerting were they not by beading store owner Pepper Pritchett, Cinnamon's mother who has an over-the-top and completely irrational hatred for Jenna over a believed betrayal by Jenna's parents. Jenna's father would prefer that she leave the investigation to the police chief he mentored, but even he cannot deny that suspicion continues to be falling upon her. This leaves Jenna no choice but to question the many in town who seem to have resented the ambitious chef. Jealousy over stolen recipes, a prolific love life, and an ambitious desire for a career have left a wake of contenders for those wanting Desiree dead. Luckily for Jenna she has her own gallery of allies that include her childhood friend and cooking genius chef Katie Casey, Bailey Bird, another childhood friend and former marketing co-worker, and Rhett Jackson, the attractive fishing store owner with his own past as a successful chef.
Also the author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series under the name Avery Aames, Gerber creates a small town where everyone is connected. Jenna's Cary Grant lookalike father is named Cary Hart; a possible romantic interest of course is Rhett; Lola Bird owns the Pelican Brief Diner (although it's the result of the former attorney's love for the John Grisham novel, not an avian reference); the two main threats to Jenna's freedom are Pepper and Cinnamon.
Delectable descriptions of the Crystal Cove café's menu abound with recipes included at the end of the novel for those who are as ambitious are they are food voyeurs. However, even in this very cozy and light-hearted mystery Gerber never shies away from confronting Jenna's grief over her losses even if she has progressed from anti-depressants to self-medicating with Tootsie Rolls. In fact, many of the characters have never recovered from the tragedies of their past and this has continued to cause them to stumble and fail in the present. With the police chief so hampered by her own mother's prejudices, Jenna's investigation into the murder never seems inappropriate and the skills that made her a brilliant marketing whiz help her to ferret out the truth from her targets, be they high-priced hairstylists or celebrity restaurant owners. The author has an obvious affection for her characters and an extensive knowledge of cookbooks and good food, so mystery readers will enjoy this well-plotted and craftily constructed novel. Perhaps Jenna herself would have approved of the marketing genius of the cover, as it depicts the mystery books written by the author, beautiful scenery, cookbooks, chocolate chip cookies, and an absolutely adorable rescue kitten. Who could ask for anything more?
To enter to win a copy of Final Sentence, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "Final," or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen July 13, 2013. U.S. residents only.
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.
Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).
Annette on July 6 at 9:43am
I look forward to getting this book. I know that Daryl has written another terrific story.
Carole Price on July 7 at 9:17am
I love when my interest is sparked with the find of a book by an author I've never read. Really look forward to reading this book.
bn100 on July 7 at 2:45pm
Nice that recipes are included
Carol-Lynn Rössel on July 11 at 4:24am
Sounds nifty!
Lisa Richardson on July 11 at 9:27am
I love her books and would certainly like to read this one! Reading and food, how much better can it get!
Jenne Turner on July 11 at 3:08pm
I love seeing all the new cozy series that are out there. It will be great to start in at the beginning for this one.
Connie Fischer on July 11 at 5:59pm
Absolutely love her novels and cannot wait to read this one. Don't you just love the picture of the kitty on the front? It's a huge draw for me!
Janet Kay Gallagher on July 12 at 11:01am
I would love to receive a copy of this book.
Enjoyed your short story on King's River Life.
Daryl Wood Gerber on July 13 at 2:58pm
Annette, Carole, Bn100, Carol-Lynn, Jenne, Connie, and Janet,
Thank you so much for writing. I'm thrilled that you have checked out the recipe, possibly the short story. And Connie, I agree, isn't the kitten so cute? Love what my artist was able to capture. That really is the essence of "Tigger," the rescue Jenna finds. So much fun!
Daryl aka Avery
Lorie on July 22 at 12:11pm
Lorie Ham, KRL Publisher


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Ая-какинское сражение — 24 августа 1919 года в ущелье Ая-кака возле села Аялакаб произошла битва даргинских повстанцев с отрядом Добровольческой армии Деникина во главе с полковником Лавровым.

Предыстория
После июльского восстания в Дагестане, которое было подавленно, деникинцы начали совершать грабежи местного населения. Добровольческая армия требовала, чтобы люди сложили всё оружие, но народ сдавал старое и непригодное оружие, также люди пользовались сроком сдачи оружия, чтобы спрятать его. Деникинцы, поняв это, начали обыск, не дождавшись окончания срока. Но этот преждевременный обыск не дал результатов. У людей забирали драгоценности, серебряные монеты и изделия из серебра. Это все подталкивало горцев к вооруженному сопротивлению.

Белые казаки облагали общество всяческими налогами, и давали срок на это 2-3 часа. Если староста не успевал, его наказывали. Деникинская армия останавливалась в селе Мекеги, солдаты требовали продукты питания для отряда, пьянствовали, резали скот в общественных местах. Недовольство мекегинцев росло с каждым днём. Оно усилилось, когда деникинский ставленник Халилов, потребовал солдат для их армии. Требовали 30 человек с села Мекеги. Добровольцев не было. Решили бросить жребий, но те, кому выпадал жребий, всё также отказывались и уходили в горы жить партизанской жизнью. Деникинцы начали отправлять письма с угрозами, всё также требуя солдат. Эти угрозы никак не подействовали на горцев, те отказывались предоставлять людей для армии. После этого белогвардейцы решили отправить карательный отряд.

Сражение
23 августа группа всадников, высланная в разведку в сторону Дешлагара, доложила о том, что по направлению к селу Мекеги движется отряд белогвардейцев во главе с полковником Лавровым. Мекегинцы начали активно готовится к сопротивлению. В первый день сражения на помощь к мекегинцам, джанга-махинцам и лабкинцам которые располагали шестью сотнями боеспособных мужчин, вышел дегвинский отряд, пришли отряды Верхнего и Нижнего Мулебки, соединились с дегвинцами и мекегинцами. Также подошел отряд ходжал-махинцев, со стороны Шамха-Дубура и спустились в тыл противника. Также пришли и акушинцы с пулеметчиком Басарла Абдуллой, который сильно насолил в первый же день деникинцам.

24 августа 1919 года, на подступах к Мекеги, в ущелье «Ая-кака» началось сражение. Мекегинцы с дегвинцами первыми встретили отряды и остановили их, пока не подошла помощь из близлежащих аулов. Повстанцы из сёл Урахи и Ванашимахи заняли высоту в тылу отряда полковника Лаврова, открыли огонь по его обозам. Сражение шло два дня, с 24 августа по 25-ое. В первый день сражения было убито 200-300 человек со стороны белогвардейцев. Во второй день сражения, на помощь к восставшим, пришли ополченцы из Цудахар, Муги, Акуша, Убеки, Куппа, Кунки, Леваши, Кутиша, Чуни, и мюриды Али-Хаджи Акушинского. Деникинский отряд оказался в окружении, и все попытки окруженных продвинуться назад не увенчались успехом. В этом сражении был уничтожен почти весь отряд деникинской добровольческой армии. Сражение стало переломным моментом в ходе Гражданской войны в Дагестане.

Деникинская газета «Свободная речь» писала об Ая-Какинском сражении: «Произошла паника, артиллерия была поставлена в беспомощное положение. Солдаты, подрезая постромки и бросив орудия, ускакали верхом спасаясь. Пехота, неся большие потери, кинулась бежать, в панике кидая винтовки, патроны, сумки».
Начальник Горской отдельной пластунской бригады писал в рапорте: «Отряд стал нести большие потери в людях и лошадях. Обозы и артиллерия, теряя убитыми лошадей, стали загромождать дорогу. Противник с фронта перешел к дерзким атакам, доходившим до схватки в кинжалы. Во время одной из схваток кто-то крикнул: «Полковник Лавров убит!», и отряд в полном беспорядке, неся большие потери, бросил всю артиллерию, обоз и пулеметы и стал быстро отступать в Дешлагар».
Не многим казакам удалось спастись бегством, даргинские ополченцы догоняли их на лошадях и рубили саблями, они гнались за казаками до самого Дешлагара, из всего белогвардейского отряда спаслось лишь около 50 человек. В этой битве был убит и главнокомандующий деникинской армии, полковник Лавров.

Последствия
Сражение в «Ая-Кака» окончилось победой повстанцев. Повстанцы, вступившие в борьбу почти без оружия, вышли из сражения вооружившись винтовками, пулемётами и даже пушками, брошенными противником. Преследуя остатки отряда, даргинское ополчение освободило Дешлагар.

Ая-Какинская битва является одним из самых крупных сражений в истории партизанского движения в годы Гражданской войны на юге России. Эта победа сыграла важную роль в мобилизации всех повстанческих сил и наложила отпечаток на весь ход последующих боев в тылу деникинской армии.

Память
В ущелье Ая-кака с. Аялакаб установлен памятник мемориал в память погибшим горцам в сражении.

В культуре
Будучи в Левашах и узнав о битве, поэт Сукур Кубран спел:Честное дело —
Петь песню славы храбрецу,
Тому, кто не поколеблется
Отдать жизнь за свободу.
У кого львиное сердце
И взор как орла,
О тебе сегодня идет
Молва народная.
Позор трусу.
Кто спину покажет врагу.
Если и погибнет трус,
Погибнет бесславной смертью.

Примечания

Литература
Арсланбеков. Б.М "И вся долина превратилась в обнаженный кинжал" Махачкала, 2000.г.

Гражданская война на Северном Кавказе
Сражения в Дагестане

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Every woman I meet has a story to tell and somewhere in that story the seeds of her new business have already been sown; but how to do you get your unique brilliance out of your head and into a business of your own? Its not easy but its doable. Full of mess ups and course correcting this book recounts the story of how I uncovered my own diamond after years of trial and error and how you can too.
By using the analogy of a diamond to describe the value of a woman, it can be said that every woman is in fact a true diamond, the toughest substance in existence regardless of her behaviour or outward appearance. Given that the majority of our time is preoccupied with work, eating, sleeping, paying bills and bringing up a family it's no wonder we don't often see the diamonds buried deep inside us.
As someone who chose a mid-life career change I get that no matter where you are in your business journey something is happening within the context of your life, the two are inextricably linked. In sharing my journey you will discover there are aspects of my earlier life that have impacted my current business journey in a way that wouldn't become clear until much later. Like you I couldn't have known that what happened then would be relevant now.
Steve Jobs put it beautifully when he said you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. On that basis; this book covers how the practical and experiential elements of life and business are interconnected and better understood by referencing them together.
As a former hairdresser and beauty therapist I learned everything I know about women within the four walls of my own salon where I admit to getting more satisfaction helping clients with their personal struggles than I did doing their hair and makeup and believe me I loved doing hair and make-up but after years of doing this it was no longer enough for me. I wanted to find a way of combining my business acumen with my intuitive skills and package these into an online business.
Fed up of being time poor my new business had to be lifestyle friendly too. Self-employed since I was 18 years old, I eventually left my vocational path, swapped my scissors for a lap top and entered the world of academia, believing this was what I needed to do to support my career change.
In the year I turned 50 I gained a Master's degree, a teaching certificate, became a Grandma and after a two year battle lost my mother to cancer, a loss that almost destroyed me.
Academia didn't help my entrepreneurial journey but it did make me understand: A formal education will make you a living but it's self-education that makes you a life! And for that reason I went off on my own to learn all I could about the world of online business. Unwittingly I took the long road and later discovered I only needed 20 perecent of all I'd learned to get my business out the gate.
On the upside I did gain an in depth knowledge of the online world especially the start-up and pre start up process; pre start up being the most important component for a beginner regardless of your age. Had I found someone to show me what to do from the get go in a way that was specific to me; my journey would have been so much shorter, a lot easier and far less expensive. Knowing what I know now I want to share that with you.
Polish The Diamond In Your Heart is due for release soon and availabe on Kindle and in paperback through Amazon. Get on the wait list at www.deecoxon.com to receive an email alert on the release date.
Thank you for taking the time today!


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text:
Inspiring the personal best.
Our mission drives everything we do. From organizing events for our youngest campers in the Washington, D.C. metro area to hosting ensembles across the globe, we are committed to creating opportunites for young people to achieve their personal best.
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When we say we inspire every individual's personal best, we're not playing around. Well, actually we are. We believe the power of play is one of the most effective ways to bring out each and every personal best. Every camper is unique and every "best" is, too. For us, summer is a time for exploration. Our experience shows that guided exploration leads to the realization of untapped passion and talent.
And when that happens during the most memorable time in a person's life? Well, we believe the possibilities for the future are limitless. For over 20 years, we've been creating programs that inspire children, young people and adults to courageously engage with the world, celebrate the challenges that come with trying hard things, and meet every opportunity and every setback with persistence, patience and a positive attitude.
We do this work because we believe in the profound value of social and emotional learning to equip our participants with the power to spark inspiration and unlock potential. We have developed a set of tools that we call the Headfirst Super Six to teach these valuable lessons. They aren't just any tools; they're character building social skills that are highly correlated to success and leadership. The Headfirst Super Six are Resiliency, Hope & Goal Setting, Optimism, Emotional Mastery, Grit & Determination and Self-Efficacy.
Whether it's a STEM lesson in Summer Camp, performing at the Vatican or objective measurements in Honor Roll Camps, we build these tools into each and every curriculum. And, we hope that in partnership with families, we are playing a small, but valuable role in helping our members achieve success so they can be the absolute best version of their future selves.
The Headfirst Companies is committed to cultivating a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion that transforms our workplaces and experiences into environments where everyone can discover their personal best. We believe embracing individual uniqueness is an essential element of our mission and that maintaining a diversity of cultures, backgrounds and life experiences among our staff, clients and customers is a core measure of our success.
To guide our efforts, we focus on a series of commitments that act as the pillars of our DEI initiative:
• Equitable Hiring and Retention Processes
• Policies, Processes and Goals that Embrace Individual Uniqueness
• Experiences and Marketing Practices that Value Inclusivity
• The Accessibility of Our Programs
• Continued Professional Development around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
These pillars are embedded into our everyday work across the companies. Whether it be in the creation of camp curricula, training of our full-time and seasonal team members or how we market our programs, the commitments are prioritized and lead us to furthering our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture.
The Headfirst SLIDE Initiative
Since 1996, Headfirst has had the privilege of witnessing the impact our mission has had, and continues to have, on inspiring the personal best in people of different ages, backgrounds, and experiences.
Our Community Impact Initiative – Headfirst SLIDE (Support, Lead, Invest, Donate, Empower) – widens our impact by dedicating time and resources in our day-to-day work to positively influence others.
Headfirst SLIDE benefits underrepresented youth by providing in-person support, finances, and avenues of accessibility to our experiences.
S – Support Our Community
Headfirst is and has been a proud sponsor of the Defeat DIPG Superhero 6k for the last 5 years! There's nothing quite like having people in your corner, and our team looks forward to providing in-person support to local, non-profit events year after year.
L – Lead Authentically within Our Community
Headfirst strives to bring about the best in our youth, families, and each other. Every day, we challenge ourselves to be leaders within the community regardless of the circumstance. Whether it's offering free college recruiting webinars throughout the year to share guidance and insight with student-athletes looking to fulfill their dreams of playing at the next level, or assisting families through the COVID-19 pandemic by providing helpful webinars and Headfirst AT HOME activities for kids, we take pride in stepping up to the plate when our community needs us most.
I – Invest in Accessibility
Each year, Headfirst Summer Camps provides 100+ free weeks of camp and offers over $50,000 in financial aid to families. We proudly partner with The Bishop Walker School – to ensure students the opportunity to spend their summers with Headfirst. Headfirst Professional Sports Camps works alongside club partners to build accessible programming – finding 100+ deserving campers to join us each summer.
D – Donate Equipment and Resources
Our camp divisions set aside equipment and gear to be donated to Leveling the Playing Field every year – with the hopes of impacting young people through a baseball bat or a "Bounce Don't Break" wristband. We also participate in an office-wide toy drive each holiday season for Toys for Tots. For every Headfirst employee who donates to the cause, Headfirst matches the donation with an additional toy for a child in need.
E – Empower our Campers, their Families and Each Other to Inspire the Personal Best in Everyone.
We are committed to our team members and their passion for supporting our community. At Headfirst, our team members are offered company time to support the causes they're passionate about.
info@headfirstcamps.com


text:
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VIKINGS Season 4 Gets Full Order from History
by Chris Cabin March 26, 2015
Fans of utterly ridiculous beards and large sharp things rejoice! History Channel announced today that they will be renewing Vikings, their quietly very popular scripted series, for a fourth season. Production on the next season is scheduled to start in the coming months in Ireland, with creator Michael Hirst (The Tudors) supervising production. Considering the fact that season 2 of Vikings has five episodes left, it would seem the cast and crew will be heading over to Ireland for the next season before this season is even done.
Dirk Hoogstra, executive vice president and general manager of History, made the announcement about Vikings Season 4, saying:
"Vikings has raided the hearts of both audiences and critics, establishing itself as one of the most compelling, visually stunning dramas on television…we are so proud of our immensely talented cast and crew led by Michael Hirst, whose intriguing storylines and pivotal arcs have the perfect balance of scope, smarts and bloodshed to keep our loyal fans watching and wanting more."
Image via History
The next season of the series will likely continue to follow Travis Fimmel's Ragnar Lothbrok—still one of the best names to enter the modern television lexicon—alongside Rollo (Clive Standen), his brother, and Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), his ex-wife. That being said, there's no guaranteeing anything, as the third season hasn't finished and this isn't exactly a series where characters don't die. In fact, considering the diseases that were roaming around in the time of King Ragnar, it's pretty surprising that any of the characters are still breathing at this point in Vikings.
GET HARD Review
Behind the Stunts of GAME OF THRONES Season 5
• Clive Standen • Gustaf Skarsgård • History • Kathryn Winnick • Ragnar Lothbrok • Season 4 • Travis Fimmel • Vikings


Singer, Songwriter, Producer Rick Elias passed away on April 2, 2019. He had been battling cancer for some time. I had the privilege of spending a little time with Rick and this is a personal Tribute.
It made the late Rich Mullins weep the first time he heard Man Of No Reputation. It had been written by his friend and fellow Ragamuffin Rick Elias.
Elias released a number of records in the Contemporary Christian Music market in the 90s but was not confined to that niche bubble. He was one of the main writers for the Tom Hanks movie That Thing You Do.
When Rich Mullins drew together his Ragamuffin Band for his album A Legacy, A Liturgy & a Ragamuffin Band, Rick was an obvious candidate. Rich's Ragamuffin's were the black sheep of CCM. They had edgy faith but they played great!
A couple of albums later and Rich, perhaps even inspired by Man Of No Reputation, decided to record a whole album around the person of Jesus. He recorded an albums worth on a boom box before sadly being killed in a car wreck. Rick, along with fellow Ragamuffins Jimmy Abegg and Mark Robertson decided to finish what would become The Jesus Record.
I had booked Rick for Greenbelt in 1997 or 98 but I don't think it was at Greenbelt that we actually met. The Ragamuffin Band had come to London to record the strings for The Jesus Record in Abbey Road. While they were there Jimmy and Ben Pearson would film interviews with Sammy Horner and myself for a Tribute documentary about Rich Mullins called Homeless Man. What a thrill to be in Abbey Road! I remember walking down the steps with Rick into that huge studio that The Beatles used.
Rick proved himself very much the city man with his lack of interest in the Giants Causeway and by getting up at 6.30am not for a beautiful walk on the beach, across the road from his hotel, but to walk up the main street to look in the windows of closed shops.
God grant me tears I pray.
As I pray for friends who will be grieving deeply Rick's loss today I am still drawn to A Man Of No Reputation. For Rich to give the centre piece of his record to another water isn't a surprise to me. He was a humble guy. He also had little choice. The song is as good a song about Jesus as anyone has ever written. It's dark, brooding and radical. Theologically it touches on incarnation, grace and hope. It poetically works in the most poignant of ways. Ways that brought Rich Mullins to tears.
Thank you Rick Elias for all the music but particularly this song.
"I had a somewhat religious upbringing," he says. "Not strict, but it was there and I'm kind of thankful for that. If you grow up just watching MTV, that's its own form of religion and it's not even based on happiness or communal responsibility. I mean, try to construct a worldview out of that."
It sounds, I say, both from his conversation and his recent songs, like he still misses that faith-based sense of community. "Yes. I guess I do," he says, after some thought. "I'm not practising, I don't go to church, but what I got from it was a sense of belonging to something bigger. What I really miss is being forced to be in a community with people that aren't the same as you. Then, you really have to work through the ways that you're different. I think that's important and it's missing in youth culture. I guess some of the songs are a reaction against the tyranny of youth culture, where you only hang around with people who dress like you, think like you and listen to the same music as you. Even though we are seen as the quintessential indie band, I feel very far from that culture a lot of the time."
The above quotes are a fascinating article about Arcade Fire, in The Observer newspaper by Sean O'Hagan. What is it about the Mormonism that has brought faith back onto the artistic palette of good recent rock records; I am thinking of The Killers as well as Arcade Fire? Whatever, you don't expect journalists to have a conversation with a British band and have them speak about Church communities!
Win Butler's comments about the benefits of Church community comes in the light of the fact that the band's album Suburbs is a critique of youth culture. As so many people, even believers, suggest that growing up in Church has been detrimental to their lives, Butler suggests the opposite. His phrase, "What I really miss is being forced to be in a community with people that aren't the same as you", is most prophetic. Perhaps the MTV world that has created the homogeneous and spoiled generation he critiques so strongly are so pampered that the give and take of real community is too much for them.
Even Churches have become little communities, with great vocal emphasis on community, that are just a group of refugees who couldn't take the friction and self sacrifice of building real community so they withdrew into an easier option. It is easy to create community with those who all agree with your style of worship, theological opinion and song playlists. Easy and pretty much useless to any sense of spiritual growth.
The community that Jesus birthed and that we read about at the end of Acts 2 was a menagerie of quirks and freaks and ages and backgrounds. It was a sign of his transformational power that they could be held together. It was a part of their lifetime discipleship course that they should be forced to shape and hone each other in their differences and disagreements.
It is why I love being minister of Fitzroy. Our community is differences right across the pews. Different ages, different backgrounds, different spirituality journeys, different theologies and different opinions about everything. The rubbing together of ages, denominational backgrounds and theological opinions develops both belief and behaviour. If done in a grace centred respect it also prevents mono-theological arrogance and judgementalism. Holding tether such varied and vibrant community tests my own discipleship too!
Church communities where God's grace are is not needed seem pointless and indeed perhaps Godless. They are certainly no advert for God, just another club that could be about golf or yachts! Oh for many communities like the one Butler misses...and oh for mine to be like that one.
On days like these I often turn to this poem by El Gruer from her book The Paper Sky.
El wrote it for Japan. Tonight it is for Indonesia. We can become desensitised by the constant news stories. Let us remember those who are going through the toughest challenges a life can be thrown.
In our world, it was one of those days.
and it was buy one get one free at the picture sale.
It was there that I heard, Japan, you hit 9 on the Richter scale.
So I stopped. I thought.
and the news was on.
I watched the day in your world.
I stopped. I really thought.
me to move things in the spiritual world.
to pray for you today.
Northern Ireland photographer David Cavan is not new to bringing his camera to some of the world's neediest situations. Working for TEARFUND he was been using his deepest gladness to photograph the world's deepest needs for some years.
Bidi Bidi, in northern Uganda, has been on our news for a few years now. The biggest refugee camp in the world it has taken in over 1million people escaping over the border from the bloody conflict in South Sudan.
In March, David was in Bidi Bidi with Alain Emerson and Fields of Life. The photograph at the top of this blog is one of there photographs David took. At this event I will chat with David about photography, how you take photographs in such a sensitive place, how much power a photograph has in changing the world and how it impacts the guy looking through the lens.
David will be showing his photographs too.
The Gospel According To... Series came about, as many good ideas, by accident. During my days as a University Chaplain we raised thousands of pounds to take students to South Africa to volunteer with Habitat For Humanity. At the launch of my book Walk On we had gotten local artists to cover U2 songs and so we went for it again as a fund raiser.
Then we did Johnny Cash. Then Van Morrison. As part of these tribute nights I started to "Preach Jockey" them; that is to link the songs with commentary of a spiritual nature. I had been creating sermons through songs and chat on my BBC Radio Ulster show Rhythm and Soul for ten years.
When I arrived in Fitzroy in 2008 it was a natural thing to repeat the idea and then develop it. The great advantage at Fitzroy was having an amazing array of talent, not only able to perform the songs but absolutely passionate about doing so.
The creativity and ability of my congregation has widened the scope of The Gospel According To... Series. We now have not only done the rock music of Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, The Waterboys, Bob Dylan, Christy Moore and Bruce Springsteen but we have now stretched the canvas to include Harry Potter, The Lion King, Narnia, Les Miserables, West End Shows and Van Gogh. When Jonathan Abernathy-Barkley was our assistant we had other colours in our palette. Dave and Lorraine Thompson have brought the Disney and Pixar movies into play too.
With my penchant for all things U2 we have done a variety of events around their work. As well as The Gospel According To… U2 we have had an evenings on Songs Of Innocence and Joshua Tree. Songs of Experience is being prepared for the autumn, around time the SOE Tour arrives in Ireland.
Not everyone understands the concept. Some say that it is baptising secular music. For me it is not anymore baptising the artist in performing a song than it is to quote a novelist or poet in a sermon. Some seem to struggle with the idea of the Gospel of Bruce Springsteen. Of course it is not called that. It is The Gospel According To… It is seeking out what Springsteen or whoever says about Jesus and faith.
Since I started trying to share my Christian faith in the early eighties I have constantly attempted to cross the gap from Scriptures into the culture by using the arts as a bridge. The use of quotations from all kind of sources has been rife in preaching for centuries. I just felt I could reach a younger, perhaps more secular audience by using quotations they would relate to and maybe be surprised I would use. This has all a Biblical model that from Acts chapter 17 where Paul does what I am doing; he takes the art and poets of the city, quotes them and then uses them to draw people to the truth of Jesus. This is an effective way to communicate in a cultural context.
It was Marshall McLuhan who said, anyone who thinks there is a difference between entertainment and education doesn't know the first thing about either. The ability for people to engage and listen to the entertainment that surrounds and near saturates them is for me a vital part of discipleship. If we think entertainment is just noise I believe we are wrong! The discernment of Christians to understand what they are listening to, reading or watching is a vital part of the job of a pastor. I believe that if Jesus is Lord he should be Lord of our aesthetics. I believe in iPodic obedience! There is art that can give us a healthy soul in a positive way. I wrote my MTh dissertation on this idea.
My hope is that The Gospel According To... Series awakens people to think about their art. I also hope that it will exercise the muscles of our imaginations as we connect art and faith. The most positive outcome of this series for me is that my very own children will often say to me that they have heard a song, read a story or watched a movie that we could do a Gospel According To... on. They have learned to look for the spiritual in their entertainment. Success!
In his book The Contemporary Christian, John Stott speaks of not being so caught up in the Word of God that we miss the contest of the world that it needs to apply into. He suggests it is necessary to listen and have a grasp of both. One of the ways to get a handle on the issues of the day is by engaging with the art of the day. It is a window into the soul of the society. The Gospel According To... Series gives us an opportunity to listen.
In the introduction to my book The Rock Cries Out I suggested something more than Stott's Double Listening. I was aware in my own spiritual formation that rock music had played a major part in God's speaking to me, leading me back to the Bible to wrestle with social and personal issues. God was speaking in unexpected places. Of course this wasn't an original idea. From Clement of Alexandria in the Second Century to John Stott again, this time in his book The Incomparable Christ, "there seems to be truth among all men." Again we might here God if we were able to listen and this Series is aimed at helping guide us in this listening.
What the Series has done is draw many people into or back to Church. For whatever reason many people have problems in coming to Church. They have stereotypes or have been damaged by Church experiences. What we have found is that The Gospel According To... Series has done is to encourage such folk into the Church again and reassess their relationship with it.I often describe it as a Burning Bush, an intrigue that catches people's attention draws them closer to sacred ground.
This was a bi-product that I hadn't gone looking for. After we had done a few events in the series I realised how fulfilling it was for those who sang or played. Church is often not a place where arts are encouraged and many musicians, singers and performers feel that they cannot easily bring the life of art and faith together. To be allowed to use their gifts for God in these musical ways has not only been a an opportunity to develop and hone their gifts but also to grow in spiritual confidence as they find a role within the Body of Christ.
Fitzroy will be doing In The Time Of My Confession; Dylan's Gospel Years on April 8th at 7pm.
Don't let the Ba-bylonians grind you down!
Seek the welfare of the city. For in it you will find your own. AMEN.
I was ten years old. I was staying over at my cousin Sharon's. She was a couple of years older and all over her bedroom wall were posters of Donny Osmond and David Cassidy. I always go back to that moment as the life changer when I fell in love with music. Today it is hard to imagine who I would have been without those posters intriguing me into investigating pop music.
And I am now old enough to be able to admit that Osmond and Cassidy were my first pop idols. Donny actually more than David. Yet, this morning as I heard of David Cassidy's death, and I had been following his illness for a couple of days, I was thankful for him and sad at his passing. I picked up a compilation CD, that I bought as a guilty pleasure, to listen to on the school run.
That school run became a like a machine gun, shooting out memory after memory of my adolescence. I always fell in love, even up to Janice, with I Think I Love You pumping through my head. I first went introspective and found catharsis in the melancholy with I Am A Clown, long before I had heard of Leonard Cohen.
My first yearning to travel in America was listening to Some Kind Of A Summer where he name checked, South Dakota, Montana, Memphis among other places, a few years before I discovered Bruce Springsteen. The first political and social comment I was aware of was his cover of For What It's Worth on his Cassidy Live record which also introduced me to The Beatles with Please Please Me.
Then, like me David Cassidy wanted to grow up. It was easier for me as I journeyed through my teens discovering The Beatles and Bob Dylan, leaving Osmond and Cassidy far behind. Cassidy tried too. Rock Me Baby was a grown up rock work out and then came The Higher They Climb, The Harder They Fall record with Beach Boys' covers Darlin' and I Write The Songs as well as Ned Doheny's Get It Up For Love and a co write with Buffalo Springfield's Richie Furay, Love In Bloom. On the follow up record Home Is Where The Heart Is he did a great version of Paul McCartney's Tomorrow.
It was yesterday that always haunted Cassidy. It was difficult for a Jackie magazine pin up and star of the bubblegum soap opera The Partridge Family to graduate to adult credibility. Yes, there were musical comebacks and a lifetime career in acting but you always felt that David Cassidy was ever frustrated by not over coming the poster boy image of himself.
There is a spoken word piece of The Higher They Climb… that had a pop star down and out on a park bench, talking heart break, bankruptcy and alcohol problems. It was sadly too prophetic and Cassidy suffered them all.
Today, though I am listening to songs that I am near embarrassed that I know all of the words to, even the ones far too saccharine pop for my ears. I am remembering the good Cassidy stuff and remembering that without David Cassidy on my cousin's wall, my life would be without a musical sound track and my sermons and blogs bereft of the art he introduced me to.
It was on Twitter. David Bazan Tweeted, "Bless Tom Petty." I wondered had Petty made a pastorally helpful contribution to the aftermath of the horrific shooting in Las Vegas. Googling for information I discover he has been found at home unconscious, in cardiac arrest. After some confusion on social media and perhaps hope against hope… I brought this tribute down off my blog. The first words on the news this morning, however, confirmed that Tom Petty had indeed passed away. He had only come off a tour a week ago.
When I first heard the news of Petty's cardiac arrest, the visceral reaction deep inside me and the shouts of "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" told me all I needed to know about how much I loved Tom Petty. We have lost a lot of major rock stars in recent years including Bowie, Prince and Leonard Cohen but none since George Harrison has hit me as hard as hearing of the loss of Tom Petty.
It was in 1979 that a school friend, Gregory Clements, handed me Damn The Torpedoes and started raving about Petty. I had bought the American Girl single when it came out but Gregory was making a claim on Petty as being more than couple of singles. I loved Damn The Torpedoes immediately and my fandom grew after Hard Promises, Long After Dark and Southern Accents. He and his Heartbreakers then became Bob Dylan's backing band for goodness sake! My wife gifted me Tom Petty's Playback box set on our wedding night!
There was a decade or two though when I have to admit I did not give Petty the place in rock history that he deserved. I even foolishly questioned his credentials to be alongside Harrison, Dylan and Orbison in The Travelling Wilburys.
It was the incredible 4 hour documentary film Running Down A Dream that made me re-assess. That re-assessment was not just the music but the role that Petty played in the industry and his authenticity as a human being that played itself out when he reformed his pre Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch to give the guys who missed out their moments under the big venue spotlights.
In recent years his whopping 5CD Live Anthology, the bluesy Mojo and the brilliant Hypnotic Eye reminded us both who he was and what he had left to play and say. I am particularly thankful tonight that I got to see him in Dublin's O2 in June 2012.
As always when someone passes my pastoral thoughts are with his loved ones, Petty's wife and children and his band of 40 years. As I remember him over the next few weeks I will bask in those songs I have long loved dearly and probably find new ones I have missed across his vast catalogue.
Petty had lived in California for some 40 years and that idea of the San Andreas Fault lying beneath you all the time could be a frightening thought if you allowed it to linger. Over 200 people have lost their lives in earthquakes in that State since I was born in 1961.
Petty's song though is not about tectonic geographical shifts. He is using the image to dig deep in his own life. Another song on the same Hypnotic Eye album goes, "Meet me tonight at the Red River/And look down into your soul…" There is a lot of soul searching going on here and so I looked deep down into mine. I have pondered and prayed about my own fault lines regularly since I heard that song. I have preached and blogged about this helpful spiritual insight.
As I type I am listening… and remembering… and giving thanks for music in general that has been my constant companion for 45 years, helping me make sense of the world and God and my place in God's world. And particular thanks for Tom Petty… who has kept me very good company for so long. As my friend Chris Taylor Facebooked last night, "Tom Petty was my friend. He didn't know it but we spent so much time together." It is a strange relationship between the rock star and the fan but the grief going on inside me this morning tells me that I held Tom Petty very dearly.


In a scam that has being doing the rounds for some years, a Mexican expat returning home for the holidays from the United States was drugged and robbed aboard a bus en route from the Guadalajara Airport to the Central Camionera Vieja (old bus station) in the city center.
Mitchell Ventura, 56, a naturalized Mexican citizen born in England, was shot to death by a car thief in the parking lot of Sam's Club in the city of Colima on the evening of January 7.
Financially troubled photography giant Kodak announced a new restructuring program this week, safeguarding the jobs of some 1,000 employees at its Guadalajara plant, at least for the time being.
Although the unpopular car tax (tenencia) has been scrapped in Jalisco, owners of Mexican-plated vehicles registered in the state will still have to pay the annual registration renewal fee (refrendo).
The long-awaited grand opening of the Centro Interpretativo Guachimontones took place January 3 at the popular archaeological site located 43 kilometers west of Guadalajara.
The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) has named the 35-year-old mayor of Guadalajara as its candidate for the governor of Jalisco in the July 1 election.


"Last week at the Salzburg Festival, Gustavo Dudamel met with friends and colleagues, enjoyed performances, and conducted the Vienna Philharmonic, which he leads on tour to Europe and Asia next month.
Congratulating mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli after her performance of La Cenerentola.
With tenor Juan Diego Florez and his wife Julia Florez.
Rehearsal with the Vienna Philharmonic.
Gustavo and tenor Rolando Villazón.
With broadcast engineer Friedemann Engelbrecht.
With tenor Javier Camarena after La Cenerentola.
Backstage with conductor Jean-Christophe Spinosi & Enrique Subiela.


As we share the same barn and ride the same horses, the Cochrane Golf Club and Killarney's Family Pub are a team providing our guests with a unique and spontaneous environment. Although not sitting in the clubhouse of the Ballybunion or the Mount Juliet Golf Club , a distinctive Irish flair is sensed in Killarney's which provides a wonderful ambience, loads of food and drink options either before or after your round of golf.
Even if you're not golfing, everyone is welcome to drop in and say hello. Sit and enjoy the sunshine on their 98 seat patio over looking the first fairway. You just might see a golf shot or two that makes you feel not so bad about your own swing, or some strikes of brilliance that inspire you to learn to love the game.
A "Grab-and-Go" snack bar is available if you're wanting a quick bite or need to quench your thirst before golfing or while enjoying the Mini Golf.


text:
\section{Introduction}

Recently there has been much interest in solid-state approaches to the
study of quantum information, light-matter interactions and
cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED)~\cite{Miller,Walther}.
There are many potential advantages to implementing quantum protocols
on a semiconductor chip.  The dipole coupling of matter to the field
can be fixed
because of the monolithic nature of the design.  Moreover,
an integrated design can be naturally coupled to other on-chip devices,
both photonic and electronic, and is inherently scalable.
Strong coupling experiments in solid-state cavity
QED have evolved from the 1D geometry of quantum wells in a Fabry Perot
microcavity~\cite{Weisbuch92} to full three-dimensionally confining
micropillar and photonic crystal microcavities coupled to epitaxial
quantum dots~\cite{Yoshie04, Reithmaier}.  More recently, there have been
a number of significant advances~\cite{Hennessy07, Srinivasan07, Englund07} in
both photonic crystal cavities and microdisks.

Single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect centers in diamond
have recently emerged as promising candidates
for quantum optics and quantum information~\cite{Childress_Science06}.
They act as
stable sources of single photons~\cite{Kurtsiefer}, and at room temperature,
they have electron spin coherence times of 350 $\mu$s~\cite{Gaebel06}
and nuclear spin coherence times of 0.5 ms.
These spin states can be manipulated to form a quantum
register~\cite{Dutt},
and coupled with reasonable strength to optical
transitions such as the zero-phonon line (ZPL), allowing the read-out
of the state~\cite{Santori,Hanson}.  NV centers occur naturally in bulk
diamond, but their spin states can dephase in the presence of
proximate nitrogen spins.  Recently, techniques have been developed to
artificially implant NV centers in high-purity single crystal diamond,
which limits the density of substitutional nitrogen atoms and the
associated sources of decoherence~\cite{Gaebel06, Meijer}.
Although much of this research relates to bulk diamond,
NV centers embedded in 20 nm sized diamond
nanocrystals (NCs) have also been shown to have spin
coherence times on the order of microseconds~\cite{Jelezko04}.
Embedding these diamond NCs in an optical
microcavity could allow realization of the coherent light-matter
interactions crucial for certain quantum protocols.  With an
appropriately designed cavity, for example, this coherence could be
controlled and entangled with photon states for transfer of the quantum
information~\cite{Greentree_PRA06, Cirac, vanEnk}.
In fact, diamond NCs of about 75 nm in size have been strongly
coupled to the whispering gallery modes of silica microspheres~\cite{Park06}.

Our goal is to design a wavelength-scale microcavity for coupling to diamond
NCs on a planar
platform, which would facilitate integration with other optical devices.
A major challenge in realizing strongly-coupled diamond NV centers in this
system is the fact that the ZPL optical transition is in the visible (637 nm for
the negatively charged NV$^-$ center).  A monolithic nanocavity must therefore
be designed in a visibly transparent material.  One option is diamond, which
has a reasonably high refractive index $n=2.43$, and optical resonators
have been designed for thin slabs of diamond~\cite{Tomljenovic,Kreuzer} with
$Q > 10^6$~\cite{Bayn}.  Experimentally this is very challenging, as the
growth of single crystal diamond slabs has yet to be realized, and the
polycrystalline films which are readily available suffer from
large scattering losses which has limited the measured $Q$ factors to less
than 1000~\cite{WangAPL07}.  In bulk single crystal diamond, moreover,
it is difficult to realize these structures due to the considerable
challenge of creating three-dimensionally confining defect cavities.

For material systems operating in the visible,
an alternative to diamond is a wide bandgap
semiconductor, such as silicon nitride, hafnium oxide, gallium nitride, or
gallium phosphide~\cite{Rivoire}.  Silicon nitride and hafnium oxide
are particularly
promising candidates because of their compatibility with advanced silicon
nanofabrication processes.  Indeed, SiN$_x$ microdisks have been
fabricated with $Q$ = 3.6 $\times 10^6$ and mode volumes $V = 15
$($\lambda/n$)$^3$~\cite{Barclay06, Eichenfeld}.
The moderately low refractive index of $\sim$ 2.0 of SiN$_x$ has
often been considered an impediment
to ultra-high-$Q$ photonic crystal nanocavity designs, which thusfar
have only been demonstrated in high index semiconductors such as
silicon~\cite{Noda05,Kuramochi06}.  To wit, the highest reported
photonic crystal cavity design in SiN$_x$ has yielded a $Q$ factor
of 12,900 with a mode volume of 1.62 ($\lambda/n$)$^3$~\cite{Barth08}.

In this paper, we demonstrate that silicon nitride photonic
crystal nanocavities can have $Q$ factors of 230,000 with mode volumes of
$\sim$ 0.55($\lambda/n$)$^3$. Considering the relative ease of
fabrication and the natural integration of our design as part of an on-chip ridge
waveguide, this remarkably high $Q/V$ ratio renders this device as a highly
promising platform on which to pursue visible solid-state cavity QED.
Although we focus on silicon nitride, these results are applicable for any
low-loss material with n $\sim$ 2.0.

We first discuss our systematic approach to engineer the nanocavity,
which is based on a series of publications by Lalanne et
al.~\cite{Lalanne_JQE, Lalanne_04, Sauvan}.
We then consider the effect on the mode $Q$ factor of a diamond NC
embedded in the center of the cavity or
positioned on top of the cavity surface, and demonstrate that a $Q$
factor greater than 95\% of the bare cavity $Q$ is obtainable
for a realistic NC size of 20 nm.  For the case of the NC on top
of the cavity, we explore the effect
of spatial location of the NC with respect to the mode center, and
evaluate the effect on the mode $Q$. We then
evaluate the cavity QED figures of merit and show that when the NC is
embedded in the center of the cavity, the system
is capable of realizing the strong coupling limit.

\section{Cavity design}

Because of the relatively low index of refraction ($n$ = 2.0) of
SiN$_x$, the two-dimensional photonic bandgap of SiN$_x$ planar photonic
crystal slabs is small, particularly when measured against
a high index semiconductor like silicon.  This makes the design of
nanocavities in 2D photonic lattices challenging~\cite{Barth07, Barth08}.
To circumvent this difficulty, we consider a nanocavity for which the
photonic lattice provides only one dimensional (1D) confinement, and
total internal reflection provides the confinement mechanism in the
other two dimensions (2D).  In these ``1D + 2'' structures, the effective
1D bandgap, or stopband, is considerably larger than the corresponding
2D gap in a planar structure.  For example,
for the PhC considered in this paper, the stop-band of the
``1D + 2'' structure spans 13\% of the center frequency, whereas the
``2D + 1'' hexagonal planar photonic crystal with the same pitch
and hole radius yields a 2D bandgap spanning just 7\% of the
center frequency.  The wider 1D stopband
allows a greater isolation of our defect mode from the band edges
and therefore higher $Q$ factors in engineered defect cavities. Recently,
a similar 1D design approach yielded a $Q$ factor of $2\times 10^8$ in a
high-index material ($n=3.46$)~\cite{Notomi_1D}.  A
sketch of the 1D nanocavity is shown in Figure~\ref{fig:3dview}, which
also shows a 60 nm diamond nanocrystal positioned on top of the cavity.

\begin{figure}[tb]
\centering
\vspace{10pt}
\includegraphics[width=10cm]{sin_3dviewfb.eps}
\caption{Sketch of the 1D photonic crystal waveguide nanocavity, showing
a 60 nm diamond nanocrystal located on top of a cavity of length $s$.
The taper and photonic crystal mirror sections are symmetric about the
cavity center.
}
\label{fig:3dview}
\end{figure}

The design process consists of engineering three elements:
(a) the photonic crystal mirror, (b) the taper, and (c)
the cavity length. We begin by considering a free-standing SiN$_x$ ridge
waveguide of thickness 200 nm and width 300 nm which supports
a single TE mode.  These parameters are chosen as representative of
our experimental wafer, and have not been
optimized in any fashion.  The photonic crystal parameters, namely
the hole spacing $a$ and radius $r$, are chosen to center the resulting
stop-band around the wavelength of interest ($\sim$ 637 nm).  Setting $a=250$
nm and $r/a = 0.28$ gives a stopband over the wavelength band 593-679 nm,
with a mid-gap wavelength of 636 nm, as required.  We can characterize
the reflectivity of the mirror using the 3D finite-difference time-domain
(FDTD) method by launching a
waveguide mode pulse and monitoring the reflection spectrum.
The reflected light is spatially integrated over
a plane perpendicular to the waveguide placed 300 nm in front of
the mirror, and the loss spectrum, defined as L = 1 - R, is calculated.
This spectrum quantifies the amount of light which is not reflected by the
mirror and is lost due to transmission and scattering losses.

As shown by Sauvan et al.~\cite{Sauvan}, the scattering losses arise
in part from the mode mismatch between the waveguide and Bloch mirror
modes.  By tapering the mirror, the discontinuity at the interface
between the cavity and mirror can be smoothed, allowing for an adiabatic
transition between the modes in the two regions.  The mismatch can be
quantified by comparing the effective index of the Bloch mode,
$\lambda/2a = n_{\rm Bl} = 1.274$, to the effective index of the
waveguide mode, $n_{\rm wg} = 1.480$ (determined using our
3D-FDTD mode solver~\cite{Lumerical}).
To gradually taper into the waveguide mode, the final
segment of the mirror should support a Bloch mode such that
$n_{\rm Bl} = n_{\rm eff} = 1.480$, which determines
$a_1 = 214$ nm.  For this to work, the $r/a$ ratio should be
maintained close to that of the uniform mirror, which implies $r_1 \sim 60$ nm.
Thus, we wish to smoothly taper the photonic crystal parameters ($a, r$) in the
mirror from ($250, 70$) down to the values ($214, 60$) next to the cavity.
In fact, we found an improvement by tapering
the radius to a smaller value than this rule would suggest, from 70 nm
to 55 nm.

\begin{figure}[htb]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=10cm]{refloss_insetb.eps}
\caption{Loss parameter for 4 different designs of photonic crystal
mirrors.  The $Q$ factors for the best nanocavities designed for
each taper are (13,000; 22,900; 230,000) for the (2; 3; 4)-section
tapers, respectively.  The inset defines the hole pitch ($a$) and
radii ($r$).  The 4-hole taper parameters (in nm) are
($r_1, r_2, r_3, r_4$) = (55, 58, 62, 66) and ($a_1, a_2, a_3,
a_4$) = (214, 226, 238, 250).
}
\label{fig:refloss}
\end{figure}

We gauge the efficacy of 2, 3, and 4 hole linear tapers according to the
magnitude of $L$, as plotted in Figure~\ref{fig:refloss}.  The photonic
crystal mirror is 17 periods in length, which was found to saturate the
in-waveguide $Q$ factor of the nanocavities based on these designs, as
discussed below. Each
increase in the taper length has the effect of further reducing the
mismatch between mirror and waveguide.  The 4-hole taper
yields a significantly improved reflectivity and hence lower loss,
giving a minimum mirror loss $L < 0.003$.

The nanocavity is defined by the gap $s$ between two taper/mirror
sections, as shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:3dview}.
In the 3D-FDTD simulation, the cavity is
excited with several randomly phased and positioned dipole sources,
and the $Q$ factor is
determined from the exponential decay of the electric
field ringdown in the cavity.  We also verified the $Q$ factors
by monitoring the power absorbed by the simulation
boundaries, as discussed below, and these agree well with the ringdown
values.  To accurately model in a 3D-FDTD simulation the exact taper
and cavity length dimensions to the scale of nanometers
while maintaining tractable simulation times, we use a graded mesh
approach.  The mesh grid size is 5 nm in the central 0.4 $\times$
0.4 $\times$ 0.4 $\mu$m simulation volume.  Outside this
region, the mesh grid spacing is 10 nm for the dielectric waveguide
 (corresponding to 25
points per photonic lattice spacing), and is nonlinearly graded with
distance in free-space away from the dielectric material.  We verified
the convergence of the graded mesh simulation with a 5 nm grid uniformly
meshed simulation.

We consider
cavities formed by the 4-segment tapered mirrors, which gave the
highest reflectivity in the above analysis.  The dependence
of the $Q$ factor on the nanocavity length $s$ is illustrated
in Figure~\ref{fig:QV}.   The maximum $Q$ obtained
is 230,000 for $s = 95$ nm.
This is nearly 20 times better than the highest value
reported in the literature to date~\cite{Barth08}.  In these simulations,
we have not considered material absorption, which was shown by Barclay
et al.~\cite{Barclay06,Borselli05} to be a limiting factor in SiN$_x$
only for $Q$
factors in the range of a few million, or scattering due to fabrication
imperfections.  Further optimization may be possible by optimizing
the waveguide width and thickness, as well as using different (e.g.
longer) taper forms.

\begin{figure}[htb]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=10cm]{QV_SiNf.eps}
\includegraphics[width=10cm]{cavity_fieldsb.eps}
\caption{Quality factor and effective mode volume as a function of
cavity length for a free-standing PhC ridge waveguide in SiN$_x$ with
a 4-hole taper and 17 period mirror.
The cavity mode electric field $E_y$ distribution is shown. }
\label{fig:QV}
\end{figure}

The mode volume is plotted as the green trace in Figure~\ref{fig:QV}.
The cavity with the maximum $Q$ has a mode volume $\sim 0.55 (\lambda/n)^3$.
Despite the relatively low refractive index of SiN$_x$, this is half the
effective mode volume of the recent ultra-high-$Q$ photonic crystal
cavities designed in high index semiconductors
~\cite{Noda05, Kuramochi06, Notomi_1D},
demonstrating the highly attractive ultra-small size of these 1D
nanocavities.

The mechanism which yields the
high $Q$ factor in the 4-hole tapered nanocavities is more subtle
than a simple reduction of mirror loss compared to the shorter tapers.
As shown in Figure~\ref{fig:refloss},
the loss of the 2-hole taper is improved by a factor of $\sim$ 3
in the 4-hole taper, but the $Q$ factor of the optimal cavity based
on each design is increased by a factor of almost 20.  In a
Fabry-Perot cavity, one would expect the
$Q$ factor to be proportional to the inverse loss.  The difference
here is that the cavity mode is derived from the
propagating Bloch modes of the photonic crystal mirror, and the
local structural perturbation which forms the cavity
introduces a mode gap~\cite{Notomi_1D,Noda05} capable of supporting
very high $Q$ modes.  Recently, we used a similar approach to design
cavities based on semiconductor nanowires with $Q \sim 10^6$~\cite{Zhang}.
The tapered transition
from the mirror to the nanocavity not only reduces mirror loss in the
simple Fabry-Perot picture, but reduces radiative loss arising from
delocalization of the mode profile in $k$-space~\cite{Srinivasan_OE}.
There may also be a role played by radiation
modes in recycling the mirror losses and increasing the $Q$ factor, as
elaborated by Lalanne et al. in Ref.~\cite{Lalanne_04}.

For a given structure,
the $Q$ factor can be separated into in-waveguide, $Q_{\rm wg}$, and
perpendicular, $Q_{\perp}$ components using the relation
$1/Q_T = 1/Q_{\rm wg} + 1/Q_{\perp}$ (in analogy to the
$Q_{\parallel}$, $Q_{\perp}$ division common in
the analysis of 2D PhC microcavities~\cite{Painter99}).  $Q_{\rm wg}$ is
calculated by measuring the power absorbed at the boundary of the
simulation within one half-wavelength of the surface of the waveguide,
$P_{\rm wg}$, and then using the definition of the Quality factor,
$Q_{\rm wg} = \omega W/P_{\rm wg}$, where $W$ is the electromagnetic energy
in the resonant mode. $Q_{\perp}$ is then determined from $Q_{\rm wg}$ and
the total $Q_T$.  For a 17 period mirror, $Q_T=Q_\perp$, indicating that the
waveguide losses have saturated and the total losses are completely
determined by out-of-waveguide loss.  With a shorter photonic crystal
mirror, the total $Q$ drops as it is limited by in-waveguide losses.
With 11 periods in the mirror, $Q_T$ is reduced to about half the
maximum value.  This provides a guide for the design of an
integrated in-waveguide emitter, in which light trapped or emitted into
the nanocavity would couple predominantly into the waveguide mode rather
than scattering off the ridge.  This was the approach
of Zain et al.~\cite{Zain}, who designed a $\sim 6$ period PhC mirror in
a silicon-on-insulator ridge waveguide and
experimentally demonstrated a $Q$ factor of 18,500 with a transmission
of 85\%.

\section{Incorporation of a diamond nanocrystal}

Now that we have optimized our photonic crystal nanocavity design,
we consider exploiting this nanocavity to enhance the zero-phonon line
(ZPL) emission from a NV center in a diamond nanocrystal.  Coupling
the emission
to the nanocavity mode will lead to a Purcell enhancement of the
spontaneous emission rate, and as we show below, the potential to
realize quantum dynamics in the strong coupling regime.

The ideal placement of the diamond NC is in the middle of the nanocavity, where
the NV center can interact with the maximal electric field of the cavity
mode.  It is important to quantify the effect of the NC on the cavity $Q$
factor.  As in the bare (unperturbed) cavity 3D-FDTD simulations,
a 5 nm mesh is used in the central volume of the
simulation in order to accurately model the effects of the small volume
of diamond.  We consider 20 nm and 40 nm sized
cubic diamond NCs.
Interestingly, the results reveal that the $Q$ factor is
not uniformly affected for all cavities.  For cavities longer than
95 nm incorporating a 20 nm NC,
the $Q$ decreases by 10-12\%, but for cavities shorter than this,
the $Q$ factor is actually {\em increased}.  In the best
cavity ($s$ = 95 nm), the bare $Q$ factor of 230,000 increases to 240,000
with the 20 nm NC.  These results perhaps reflect a trade-off
between the beneficial impact of the increased refractive index in the
cavity center, which would be expected to raise the $Q$ factor, and the
deleterious effect of changing the impedance matching condition used to
design the mirror tapers.  As expected with the higher index cavity core,
there is a reduction of about 10\% in the mode volume for all cavity
lengths. We conducted a similar
investigation for a 40 nm cubic diamond NC located at the cavity center,
and found that the $Q$ vs. $s$ curve shifts to shorter
cavities compared to Fig.~\ref{fig:QV}, yielding a peak $Q = 260,000$
at $s=90$ nm, with a mode volume of 0.50 ($\lambda/n$)$^3$.
The main conclusion that can be drawn from this analysis
is that the cavity $Q$ factors
are not changed by more than about 10\% from the bare cavity values.  The
highest $Q$ factor can still be achieved, and even slightly improved,
and the mode volumes are slightly reduced.

Experimentally, an embedded NC might be realized by depositing
a 100 nm layer of SiN$_x$ on a sacrificial layer of SiO$_2$,
placing a single diamond NC in a known position, and then
depositing another 100 nm layer of SiN$_x$
to cap the structure and embed the NC in
the middle.  The NC position could be registered with respect to
external alignment markers~\cite{Hennessy04}, or the position might be revealed
after the SiN$_x$ regrowth by a bump on the top surface~\cite{Badolato05}.
The PhC nanocavity would then be patterned around the NC, followed by removal
of the SiO$_2$.  We simulated
the scenario of a small 20 nm bump of SiN$_x$ on top of the cavity with
an embedded 20 nm NC, and found a reduction of only about 2\% in the $Q$
factor of the best cavity.

An alternate approach to embedding a diamond NC would be to position the
NC on top of the cavity.  In~\cite{Koenderink},
Koenderink et al. consider
the emission enhancement of a dipole right at the semiconductor/air
interface of a uniform slab 2D photonic crystal, and show that the
rate can be enhanced by 5 - 10 times near the band edges.  Here we
model a similar scenario, except the emitter is situated on the
top surface of our SiN$_x$ nanocavity.  The high $Q/V$ ratio of our
nanocavity presents the possibility to yield much higher emission
enhancements, as elaborated below, with a maximum Purcell factor
of 1,800 for the NC on top, and 27,000 for the cavity with an embedded
NC.

We consider diamond NC cubes with 3 different edge lengths:  20 nm,
40 nm, and 60 nm, and consider the effect of such a NC placed
exactly above the central anti-node of the nanocavity mode.  We
explore the effect on the mode $Q$ factor of this
small dielectric perturbation (n = 2.43), and analyze the sensitivity
of the $Q$ to the precise positioning of the NC.  The cavity design
for these simulations had a maximum $Q$ of 115,000 ($s = 100$ nm),
which was not the optimal design ($s = 95$ nm).

The simulations are repeated for a range of NC positions to
model the effect of imperfect NC placement, and the results are
summarized in Figure~\ref{fig:nvpos}.  The NC position is varied
over a displacement of 40 nm in the x-direction and 60 nm in the
y-direction with respect to the center of the cavity, as shown
by the white box in Fig.~\ref{fig:nvpos}(a).
\begin{figure}[htbp]
\begin{center}
$\begin{array}{c@{\hspace{-.5cm}}c}
\includegraphics[width=5cm]{cavity_closeupb.eps} &
\includegraphics[width=6cm]{Q60_bar_shade.eps} \\
(a) & (b) \\
\includegraphics[width=6cm]{Q40_bar_shade.eps} &
\includegraphics[width=6cm]{Q20_bar_shadef.eps} \\
(c) & (d) \\
\end{array}$
\end{center}
\caption{\label{fig:nvpos}Effect on the mode $Q$ factor
of a single diamond nanocrystal cube ($n$ = 2.43) of varying size
and displacement placed on top of the $s = 100$ nm nanocavity, which has
a maximum unperturbed $Q$ of this cavity is 115,000 (see
Fig.~\ref{fig:QV}). The white box in (a) shows the range over which the
nanocrystal is positioned, and the bar images show the $Q$ factor as
a function of position for NCs of size (b) 60 nm (c) 40 nm and (d) 20 nm.
($x,y$) = (0,0) denotes the nanocavity center (top surface).}
\end{figure}

The results show that while the relatively large 60 nm diamond NCs
have a significant impact on the mode $Q$, the situation is very
promising for 40 nm and 20 nm sized NCs.  The on-center $Q$ factor
is 47,100 for a 40 nm NC, and as the position is moved away in either
the $x$ or $y$ directions from the mode center, the $Q$ factor increases
to a maximum of almost 74,000 at ($x,y$)= (40,60) nm.  Of course,
for positions away from the central anti-node of the mode, the
electric field strength is lower, reducing the coupling of the NC
to the cavity.  There will thus be a trade-off between $Q$ and field
strength.

For a 20 nm
diamond NC, the $Q$ factor is close to $10^5$, or about 90\% of the
maximum unperturbed $Q$ of the cavity, regardless of NC position.
We note that Jelezko et al.~\cite{Jelezko04} observed 1.5 to 2
$\mu$s spin coherence times in 20 nm sized nanocrystallites of
diamond.  Our results show that an NC of this size has little
effect on our cavity mode $Q$ factor whether it is embedded in
the middle or positioned on top, and therefore is a very promising
candidate for cavity QED experiments.

\section{Cavity QED analysis}

To achieve strong coupling between a diamond NV center and a
cavity, the coherent interaction rate, or vacuum Rabi frequency
$g$, must exceed the decoherence rates due to the
cavity loss, $\kappa$, and the spontaneous emission rate, $\gamma$;
i.e., $g > \kappa, \gamma$.  The Rabi frequency is defined as
$g = \vec{\mu} \cdot \vec{E}_{\rm 1 ph}/\hbar$, where $E_{\rm 1 ph}$
is the single photon electric field strength.  At the electric field
maximum of the cavity mode,
\begin{equation}
E_{\rm 1 ph} = \sqrt{\frac{\hbar \omega}{2\epsilon_0 n^2 V}},
\label{eq:E1ph}
\end{equation}
where $\omega$ is the mode frequency, $V$ is the mode volume, and
$n=n_c$ is the cavity refractive index.

The dipole moment of the NV center can be deduced from its spontaneous
emission lifetime, $\tau \sim 20$ ns~\cite{Beveratos}, by using
Fermi's golden rule for an electric dipole
transition~\cite{Gerard,Barclay_thesis}:
\begin{equation}
\frac{1}{\tau} = \frac{2\pi}{\hbar^2} \rho(\omega)
\langle |\langle \vec{\mu}\cdot \vec{E}_e\rangle|^2\rangle.
\end{equation}
The squared matrix element is averaged over the available emission modes.
Here, $\vec{E}_e$ is the single photon electron field at the emitter, and
$\rho(\omega)$ is the density of states in a homogeneous medium
with refractive index $n_e$:
\begin{equation}
\rho(\omega)=\frac{\omega^2 n_e^3 V}{\pi^2 c^3}.
\end{equation}
In our context, $n_e = 2.43$ is the refractive index of the diamond nanocrystal.

Solving for $\mu$ with the help of eq.~(\ref{eq:E1ph}) for $E_e$
(with $n = n_e$) gives
\begin{equation}
\mu= \sqrt{\frac{3\pi\epsilon_0 c^3 \hbar}{\tau n_e \omega^3}}.
\label{eq:mu}
\end{equation}
The extra factor of 3 arises from the 1/3 averaging of the
squared dipolar matrix element over the random polarization of free-space
modes.  Note that this dipole moment is integrated over the entire spectrum
of the NV emission, a point we shall return to below.

The Rabi frequency can now be evaluated from equations~\ref{eq:mu}
and~\ref{eq:E1ph} to give
\begin{equation}
g_0 = \sqrt{\frac{3\pi c^3}{2\tau\omega^2 n_e n_c^2 V}}.
\label{eq:g}
\end{equation}
The label $g_0$ indicates that this is the maximum coherent interaction
rate, which holds if the NV center is positioned at the mode maximum and
aligned with its dipole moment parallel to the field vector.

When the emitter is not located at the mode maximum - e.g. if it is
positioned on top of the cavity, as sketched in Fig.~\ref{fig:3dview}
-  $g_0$ must be scaled by $\eta = E_{\rm NV}/E_m$,
the relative strength of the electric field
at the NV location ($E_{\rm NV}$) compared to at the mode maximum ($E_m$).
This factor
can be obtained from our FDTD simulations, and for a 20 nm NC on top of the
$s=95$ nm cavity, it is given by $\eta = 0.24$.

If the NV center is embedded at the center of the cavity where the
mode peaks, there is still a reduced field strength inside the NC
due to the larger dielectric
constant of the diamond compared to the surrounding cavity material.
Maxwell's equations dictate that
the normal component of the electric field at the interface between
two materials (labeled 1 and 2) satisfies the boundary condition
$\epsilon_1 E_1 = \epsilon_2 E_2$.
For the small perturbation posed by a sub-wavelength sized diamond
nanocrystal, this picture will be more complicated than for a single
interface between two bulk dielectrics (in which case the field
would be scaled down by a factor ($2/2.43$)$^2 = 0.68$ in the higher
index diamond NC).  We can again determine $\eta$ precisely from
FDTD simulations, and for a 20 nm diamond NC at the middle of the cavity,
$\eta = 0.85$.

For each cavity (see e.g. Fig.~\ref{fig:QV},
we are now in a position to calculate the relevant cavity QED figures of merit,
given by the three angular frequencies:
\begin{eqnarray}
g & = & \eta g_0, \\
\kappa & = & \frac{\omega}{2Q}, \\
\gamma & = & 2\pi/20 {\rm ns}.
\end{eqnarray}

In a diamond NV center, the zero-phonon line only contributes about 5\% of
the total emission, the rest being emitted into the phonon
sideband~\cite{Kurtsiefer}.  Therefore,
only $\approx$ 5\% of the total emission is coupled to the cavity mode,
and $g$ must be scaled by $1/\sqrt{20}$.

\begin{figure}[tb]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=10cm]{strcouple_Sept24.eps}
\caption{Relevant cavity QED rates as a function of cavity length.
$\gamma/2\pi$
is the spontaneous emission rate of the NV center, $\kappa/2\pi$ is the
cavity decoherence rate, and $g_e/2\pi$ ($g_t/2\pi$)
is the Rabi frequency of the
diamond NC embedded in the center (placed on top) of the cavity.}
\label{fig:strcouple}
\end{figure}

These parameters are plotted in Figure~\ref{fig:strcouple}.  The spontaneous
emission rate $\gamma$ is independent of cavity length.  The Rabi frequency
has a weak dependence on cavity length through $\omega_0$ and
$V$, both of which change slowly with length.
The cavity field decay rate, $\kappa$, obviously depends strongly
on cavity length, as it is proportional to $1/Q$.  When
the NC is placed on top of the cavity (black dashed line),
the condition $g > \kappa,\gamma$
is not quite satisfied for the highest $Q$ cavity.  When the NC is embedded
in the cavity (green line), however,
the strong coupling condition is satisfied for
cavities with lengths $s = 90-100$ nm.  At 95 nm, the single-atom cooperativity
for an embedded NC is $C_e = g_e^2/\kappa\gamma = 90$, which is a promising
figure-of-merit describing the strength of the matter-field interaction. For
the NC on top of the cavity, $C_t = 6$.

In the weak coupling, or ``bad cavity'' regime, in which the rate of
cavity decoherence $\kappa$ exceeds the coupling rate $g_0$,
the spontaneous emission rate will
be strongly enhanced by the Purcell effect.  At a temperature
of 1.8 K, the emission linewidth of the ZPL corresponds to a $Q$ factor of a
few $10^7$~\cite{Tamarat}, which is much narrower than the cavity line,
signifying that the full ZPL can be strongly enhanced
given optimal coupling with the cavity mode.
For the 95 nm cavity with an embedded diamond NC, the Purcell factor
$F_p = 3 Q \eta^2 (\lambda/n)^3/4\pi^2 V = 27000$, assuming the full
spectral and polarization alignment of the NV transition dipole
moment with the anti-node of the cavity mode.  The relative field
strength $\eta$ at the NC position enters as a squared
factor~\cite{Gerard}. If the NC is positioned on top of the
95 nm cavity, the maximum attainable Purcell factor is about 1,800.
The cavity is thus a
highly promising device to enhance the photon production rate from an NV
center.

\section{Conclusions}

In this paper, we have engineered a high-$Q/V$ SiN$_x$ photonic crystal
nanocavity with $n=2.0$ for the purpose of strongly coupling the
cavity mode
with a single NV center in a 20 nm diamond nanocrystal.
The structure should be relatively straightforward to fabricate, as
the process is based on well-known
nanofabrication techniques, and it
naturally integrates the cavity with an on-chip ridge waveguide,
allowing a well-defined output channel to be engineered for photons
confined in the cavity mode~\cite{Banaee07}.
This could be achieved either by
shortening the photonic mirror to decrease the in-waveguide $Q$
factor, or by applying a $Q$-spoiling pulse to inject free carriers
into the cavity, as has been demonstrated in recent work on dynamic
perturbations in photonic nanocavities~\cite{Tanabe07, McCutcheon_OE}.
We have demonstrated a cavity $Q$ factor of 230,000 with an effective
mode volume of 0.55 ($\lambda/n$)$^3$,
and shown that a 20 nm diamond nanocrystal located
on the cavity surface reduces the $Q$ by only $\sim 10\%$.  The same
NC embedded in the middle of the cavity increases the $Q$ factor
while reducing the mode volume.  By calculating
the Rabi frequency
and comparing this to the decoherence rates of the system, we have
shown that the cavity with an embedded NC
can operate in the strong coupling regime for
realistic parameters.  We anticipate these results will open new
avenues for photonic crystal-based visible photonics in both classical
and quantum domains.

\section*{Acknowledgements}

The authors would like to thank Darrick E. Chang for his insightful comments.
Murray McCutcheon would like to thank the Natural Science and Engineering
Research Council of Canada for their generous support.
This work is supported in part by Harvard's National Science and Engineering
Center (http://www.nsec.harvard.edu) and NSF NIRT grant ECCS- 0708905.
\end{document}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


This paint set, included in the new product line Figure Series, is specially formulated by our artistic department, to integrate camouflaged patterns in figures, as well to give it chromatic variation in figures with monochromatic uniforms (greenish, greys, reddish, blueish), recreate beard effects, dirt, fury highlight volumes in miniatures. Extremely matt paints, formulated with the right dilution for these kind of details, to use them directly from the jar, with no need of diluting. They can be applied with brush or airbrush.


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Home > How you can help > Other ways to give > Christmas Grand Draw
How you are helping
Christmas Grand Draw is now closed.
Our Christmas Grand Draw is now closed, we will be drawing the winners on 15 January 2021 and will be announced on our Grand Draw website on 22 January 2021. If you missed your chance to enter this time our next Grand Draw opens on 17 March 2021.
Just £1 a ticket for your chance to win
For just £1 a ticket you could help fund research into safer, more effective treatments that will support more children like Gaspard. Gaspard was just three years old when he was diagnosed with Stage 3 rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare childhood cancer. By the time he was diagnosed, his tumour had grown to over 10cm. That Christmas, Gaspard began a tough treatment journey. After almost 19 months of intensive treatment, Gaspard was able to ring the end of treatment bell in July this year. Gaspard's family is looking forward to celebrating a cancer-free Christmas this year, but it's always in the back of their minds that Gaspard has a high risk of relapse due to his tumour type.
Enter our Christmas Grand Draw today for your chance to be one of our lucky winners.
Enter now for £1 and you could win...
£25,000 cash
£4,000 cash
100 Runner-up cash prizes
£10 cash
Enter online, by post or over the phone
You can enter our Christmas Grand Draw online, by post or over the phone! If you'd like to enter online, please follow the link below.
If you'd prefer to receive tickets in the post, or would like to enter over the phone, please call our Grand Draw Hotline on 01628 201286.
The all important dates
Early Bird closing
Main closing date
Draw date
Winners published
Every £5 donated or 5 Grand Draw tickets bought...
…could fund basic laboratory equipment that is essential for ongoing research into paediatric cancer treatment.
Read Gaspard's story
Every £12 donated or 12 Grand Draw tickets bought...
…could give more children like Gaspard hope for a healthy future by funding research into safer treatments that are less debilitating to children's long-term health.
…could support the cost for the equipment and chemicals needed to extract DNA from blood and tissue samples, essential for understanding the genetic makeup of patients and their cancers.
Who you're helping
For just £1 a ticket you can help bring hope to children like Gaspard this Christmas.
In November 2018, Gaspard, was diagnosed with Stage 3 rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). He was just three years old. We were due to go on holiday for Christmas but I knew something wasn't right with Gaspard. We took him to get a scan which revealed a very large, 10cm tumour in Gaspard's pelvis area. Christmas that year wasn't what we expected it to be.
Gaspard's condition deteriorated very quickly. We felt completely powerless. His treatment was tough and it was hard watching him go through so many cycles of toxic chemotherapy. We even had to move to Florida for nine weeks to receive proton beam therapy because that treatment was not available in the UK then. Finally, after almost 19 months of intensive treatment, my little boy was able to ring the end of treatment bell in July this year. Gaspard is currently going through intense physiotherapy as his legs and bones have been affected by the cancer itself and the various treatments.
We feel blessed and lucky that Gaspard is here with us and doing well and we are looking forward to celebrating a cancer-free Christmas this year, but it's always in the back of our minds that Gaspard has a high risk of relapse due to his tumour type. By entering Children with Cancer UK's Christmas Grand Draw, you could help fund visionary research into rare childhood cancers like RMS and support children like my Gaspard. Thank you for your support and best of luck in the draw!
Caroline, Gaspard's mum
Read Gaspard's story
Congratulations to our Summer Grand Draw Winners!
1st £25,000 Mr Rendell
2nd £4,000 Mr Sopp
3rd £2,000 Mr Evans
To see all the winners, please visit our raffle website
For a list of all the winners please call 01628 201 268 or email info@childrenwithcancer.org.uk
Christmas Grand Draw Terms & Conditions
Read the Grand Draw T&C
Are you gambling more than you really want to? If you are worried about your gambling or that of someone close to you, Gamble Aware can provide support and information. You can contact the national helpline by calling 0808 8020 133. Lines open 8am to midnight. Licensed by the Gambling Commission under the Gambling Act 2005 www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk
We appreciate your support during this time
Our Grand Draws are planned months in advance and so a lot of planning and money has already been invested in setting up the Christmas Grand Draw. We have decided to continue to run the Christmas Grand Draw as our raffle appeals are a vital part of our fundraising and your support will enable us to continue funding visionary research projects to help young cancer patients.
Your safety and wellbeing
We are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all of our supporters and we are closely monitoring and supporting the Government's guidance regarding essential travel and social distancing. If you are unable to send in your entries via post you can still take part – call us on 01628 201 286 or enter online here. We are very grateful for your support during this period.
Currently we do not anticipate any changes to the close date or draw dates of the Grand Draw. However, if postal entries and deliveries are affected by the Coronavirus pandemic and are delayed or suspended, we have contingency plans in place to postpone the closing date so that all entries can be received and fairly included in the Grand Draw. We will update our website with any information on changes to the dates of the Grand Draw, so you can visit this page to stay updated. Or if you have any further questions please do contact us on 020 7404 0808 and we will be happy to help.
To be updated about our latest news, projects and events...
Patient Story – Krystal
Krystal was diagnosed at the age of 11 months with a rare childhood cancer called alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Her mum, Rebecca, tells their story.
Entering online by Direct Debit is easy and you'll be helping to save young lives Also, by playing every week, you'll
Our impact and success (Archive page)
Since 1988, Children with Cancer UK has raised over £250 million to support research into the causes and treatment of


Samegame Hexagonized is a cool adaptation of the old classic Samegame. Blocks are now hexagons but the gameplay is the "same". Yes, it's the 'samegame' but has more fun!
Use your mouse only, left click to remove an area of hexagons. Area has to consist of 2 or more hexagons. The larger the area the more points you get. You have some bonus items to help you clearing the level (see bonus items panel). Level is completed when all blocks are removed. Game is over when there are no more moves and no more bonus items.
GAME PATH: Gamers2Play.com - Matching - Play Samegame Hexagonized game!


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.. _operations_stats:

Statistics overview
===================

Envoy outputs numerous statistics which depend on how the server is configured. They can be seen
locally via the :http:get:`/stats` command and are typically sent to a :ref:`statsd cluster
<arch_overview_statistics>`. The statistics that are output are documented in the relevant
sections of the :ref:`configuration guide <config>`. Some of the more important statistics that will
almost always be used can be found in the following sections:

* :ref:`HTTP connection manager <config_http_conn_man_stats>`
* :ref:`Upstream cluster <config_cluster_manager_cluster_stats>`

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub