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NEP UK unveils its first SMPTE ST 2110-compliant IP-based OBs
Bracknell, UK
This article was written by SVG Europe. Read the original here.
Venus and Ceres, NEP UK's latest outside broadcast vehicles and its first to be SMPTE ST 2110-compliant, are claimed to form the core of what will be the world's biggest IP-based broadcast system for an upcoming sports event. The vehicles will be used at major events, sports fixtures and other large scale productions, and their abilities can be expanded considerably by the addition of a huge, modular flypack.
"Basically, everything is available everywhere when we connect them together. We trunk it together with a bunch of fibres," which is how it will be used for "a major sporting event in the summer" (June/July) "where we end up with a total of about 21 galleries hanging off of the one IP core, which makes it the biggest IP system ever made," claims Rob Newton, engineering and technical director, NEP UK. The galleries will be within about 300m of each other, but "we could, of course, extend it to be further than that.
"This is the first time we've been able to effectively make our trucks larger – the only limit is the number of ports available on the switch," adds Newton. "We can put the truck in any location and connect multiple IP systems, be they our flypacks, our trucks or our media hubs, creating a fully scalable and large broadcast system – the kind that you would only previously find in a fixed studio set up."
The summer event will involve the two trucks and the new flypack system, and will give the installation a totally redundant core, "which nobody has done before." Indeed, he says that is one of the key differentiators between Venus and Ceres and similar IP trucks, in that "they have a level of redundancy in the IP core, not just relying on the switch's redundancy. We effectively have complete redundancy on some of the signal flows."
While the bragging rights as to who exactly has the first SMPTE 2110 OB have to be shared – as Newton acknowledges, the upgraded versions of Timeline's UHD trucks are also now ST 2110 compliant – and as to whether Venus and Ceres are the very first OB vehicles to be built fully ST 2110 compliant from the start, that might have to be shared with NEP in the US, which has built its new EN3 for ESPN around a SMPTE ST 2110 IP routing core, although much of EN3's equipment is different from Venus and Ceres and there was no co-ordination between the two arms of NEP.
Newton believes that in the design of its new IP OBs, NEP UK has created a "new industry benchmark for OB platform topology", as its Arista switches provide enough data throughput and data linking capacity to realise NEP's 'single virtual truck concept', and this is where the real power lies. In this respect, "our flypack system is probably more important than our trucks, as far as we're concerned."
Unlike some UHD IP-based trucks, which use TICO compression, NEP UK's new systems are totally uncompressed. The two vehicles replace its old HD1 and HD4 trucks, which were used for general purpose work, and allowed them to introduce "our first future-resistant IP capable trucks".
Central to this are Arista's 7504 virtualized network datacentre IP switches. These have "three line cards, so it's basically designed in such a way that we can connect it to other external switches," he explained. "Mainly in our flypack or between the trucks, which enables us to go up to effectively something like 8,000 squared," in the single virtual truck.
Within the flypack it has a pair of 7508 switches, for redundancy, and "every signal hits both switches, every destination is fed from both switches, so if one complete side of it fails, it carries on."
Gateway plugged
Grass Valley, Axon and EVS are among the key suppliers for the the latest NEP UK vehicles.
The ST 2110 system infrastructure is identical in both vehicles. Each system is built around Grass Valley (formerly SAM) IQ UCP 25GbE Gateway cards, which provide two-way links between the new IP-based equipment and any existing baseband technology using SDI feeds.
"The reason we picked that particular gateway card is, unlike the ones that our competitors have used, which is the IQ Mix cards, ours are repurposable. We can use them as a gateway card now, but when more and more IP kit comes on line, we can repurpose them into multiviewers or NATs [Network Address Translators] or any other use they can load the software for," explains Newton.
It has bought 350 of the gateway cards, all with 16 ports. All of its 34 multiviewers (each with 48 inputs) and eight vision mixer frames are IP-fed as well.
The cards are 25Gbps, and with UHD and HDR in mind, this means that smaller switches are required, "even though they are massive switches, they would need to be even bigger if we did everything in 10gig." They can get up to ten 3G signals from a 25Gbps port, or two uncompressed UHD signals. "We didn't want to go down the compressed route because, why? If we don't have to there's no point," he adds.
The trucks can also simultaneously offer dual level UHD and HDI-SDI, or SDR UHD and HDR UHD.
"We have a level of HDR monitoring, but not everywhere. Certain waveform monitoring is HDR, and the SAM mixers can cope with HDR. We can fit two mixer frames into each truck, so we can do dual level switching. In fact, on a job we are just about to do we have three mixer frames in one truck." This is primarily for their own ease of use, as the truck is coming off one job where the production team used a Kayenne, whereas the next job needed two Kahunas: "The third one is not being used, but there is no reason it couldn't be."
"Because we've built it in such a way that it's scalable, we can just connect more remote boxes, and there is enough capacity within the switch to let us scale it up."
The two trucks have slightly different layouts (one has a larger production area and one has a separate edit area) for different applications. Both can be fitted with temporary walls to further customise them for specific customers.
The Kahuna is preferred by most European customers, while US-based productions typically ask for the Kayenne.
Other equipment installed includes Calrec sound desks, Phabrix HDR and IP-enabled test and measurement, Telex talkback, and Axon Cerebrum control systems.
The Telex talkback is mainly IP, but with analogue integration, and was chosen to retain compatibility with the rest of its OB fleet. "Connectivity is easy between our trucks with it. Even our older trucks would be able to interconnect to it."
There are three Phabrix Qx 12G signal generation, analysis and monitoring systems in each truck, to cope with SDI and IP feeds. NEP also invested in four Rx2000 units, with each Rx providing up to four channels of 2K/3G/HD/SD-SDI video/audio analysis and monitoring (dual inputs per analyser). It chose Phabrix because, "we looked at their competitors, and they seemed to have the best road map of what they were doing, especially within the time frame."
The Axon Cerebrum is something they haven't had to deal with before. "In the past we've never really gone down the route of a separate control system, but these systems, particularly when it is all put together, are so big and unwieldy that there is no other way of dealing with it." It looked at rival systems to Cerebrum, but "on ease of learning there is no comparison, we think. The Cerebrum is much easier to get your head round."
All the new equipment requires greater cooling; the truck has to provide increased air conditioning and, indeed, all equipment can be cooled separately in the various operational areas.
Cabling reduction
Rob Newton, engineering and technical director, NEP UK
Another major differentiator for these systems is the significant reduction in cabling, as it requires far less fibre optic cable compared to all the coaxial cable previously required. This is quicker to integrate and much lighter.
"We did a job recently, where we outboarded all of our EVSs [16] from the truck to part of a building and, basically, we ran in two cables 200m from the truck and it just all worked. We just outboarded a couple of our flypack frames."
Using the 100Gbps connections, which can each carry some 80 1080i signals, allows it reduce its cabling needs significantly. "In the past that would have been 160 video cables, and also where you would be limited to maybe 30m, or 100m maximum if you have decent cable, now we can go kilometres away if we need to, using single-mode SFPs."
Part of the reason for using the flypacks is to distribute feeds to multiple broadcasters, with remote boxes spread over a wide area. "Where, in the past, this would have involved a whole lot of cable, we are just running a few fibres," he says.
Each truck is wired for 28 cameras (taken from NEP UK's existing Sony stock), but with the flypack system it has bespoke bays that have enough interface cards to take 14 base stations, and can just add a couple of these bays if needed to double its camera inputs.
It has one large flypack, which will break down into four systems (there are four control systems, vision mixer frames, etc). Everything is modular, and it has built (and is still building) a large number of bays, for example some with five EVS systems. "You just take whatever bays you need, connect them together, and it should work." As they aren't all finished yet, he hasn't seen them all working together, but he is sure they will work well, connecting together using MTP multi-mode cable or MTP breakouts, depending on how many connections they require.
The system could easily be double the size it is as the frames are only half full, which would support 30 galleries or more, and 100 cameras, without any issue – although, he says, "I can't imagine anyone using that much in one place." It does, however, make it very easy to scale from HD to UHD.
Venus completed its first job on a week-long event in April without any issues, and Newton has seen no problems at all with the system. Although the trucks can output IP for contribution, its usage so far has required it to revert to baseband when it leaves the truck, and he thinks it will take some time before customers will want to have IP leaving the truck. "We will provide whatever is wanted," he notes.
SMPTE ST 2110
The ST 2110 standards suite specifies the carriage, synchronisation and description of streams over IP for real-time production, playout, and other professional media applications, and has largely been ratified, with just a few features to complete.
"We've managed to implement it quite simply, without any issues. There are some holes in it still, like Dolby, as in the metadata type, but that will be sorted. It is not completely ratified yet and that will help. They are minor issues and as soon as they are all officially ratified it will all work. It has been a lot easier than I thought it would be," he says. However, it helps greatly that most of its equipment has been from one manufacturer.
This article was originally published by SVG Europe on 10 May 2018.
For media inquiries, contact Kayte Burns:
kburns@NEPGROUP.COM
About NEP UK
NEP UK is the leading provider of outside broadcasting, fixed rig, remote production, studio production, audio visual solutions, RF and wireless video/audio, host broadcast services and media management solutions.
NEP UK has delivered the highest quality content at some of the world's most prestigious events. We specialise in the latest technological solutions making sure the most esteemed broadcast events worldwide are delivered at the highest standard, from concept to creation.
NEP UK is a part of NEP Group, the leading outsourced technical production partner supporting premier content producers for live sports and entertainment. NEP's 4,000+ employees are driven by a passion for superior service and a focus on technical innovation. Together, we have supported productions in 87 countries on all seven continents.
EXTREME E AND NEP: A CREATIVE, ENVIRONMENTALLY FOCUSSED BROADCAST COLLABORATION
Extreme E, the new electric off-road racing series, has enlisted a host of broadcast partners including NEP Group, a leading technical production partner for producers of live sports and entertainment, which will provide the technology, expertise and global network to deliver the most innovative and sustainable broadcast production.
NEP's Sean Mehmet Wins Broadcast Tech Innovation Award
NEP is proud to announce that Sean Mehmet, Solutions Architect for NEP UK, has won a Broadcast Tech Innovation Award for Young Talent of the Year, Broadcasting.
NEP Team on Short List for Two 2020 Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards
NEP staffer Sean Mehmet is nominated for Best Young Talent and the NEP/DAZN team is nominated for Technical Innovation in a Sports Broadcast for the creation of DAZN's virtual production platform.
NEP Group Names New CEO
Brian Sullivan Joins The Broadcast and Live Events Leader as Chief Executive Officer
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In the time when Pula became part of the Austrian part of Monarchy, Francis Joseph I. ordered the construction of the main naval port of Austrian navy, which marked the beginning of the golden era of Pula, in which there are funding of the construction of the infrastructure, houses, apartments, buildings, shipyards, aqueducts and sewer, etc. In this period, between 19th and 20th century, population is rapidly growing, so Pula has almost 60000 residents in 1910.
Since the conventional transportation didn't fulfill the city needs, Austrian government decided to implement tram ail by the decision on Austrian Ministry of Foreign policy in 1897, along with other necessary infrastructure. The supervisor of the works was Rudolf Urbanitzky. The construction of the rail and other infrastructure started in 102, and after two years, and several test drives, on the 24th March 1904, first electric tram drove through the streets. The success of the tram was huge, because over 120000 people used it in the first 120 days, gaining revenue of 50000 krone, and surpassing 126000 kilometers. The tram of Pula was the symbol of the modern era and the pride of Pula.
World War I had a negative effect on the development of Pula. Austrian influence was diminished, and Pula lost its economic significance. Because of the new circumstances, the tram stopped its service after 30 years on 16th April 1931.
The remains of the tram are still visible today. Original tram glass is displayed in the House of the Croatian war veterans (Marine Casino at the time), and the rail and columns are also visible. Recently, interest is shown in reviving the tram for touristic purposes.


text:
S1W in subject [X]
Naval Reactors in subject [X]
• A1W (1)
• Expended Core Facility (1)
• Naval Reactors [X]
• Rickover, Hyman G. (3)
• S1G (1)
• S1W [X]
• USS Nautilus (SSN-571) (1)
• USS Seawolf (SSN-575) (1)
• 1952? (1)
• Text (3)
1 Title: S1W propulsion plant - view from the floor Add
Summary: View of the S1W prototype plant, looking aft to forward. The water tank on the right surrounded the reactor compartment. This design enabled Naval Reactors to assess the reflection of radiation from the core and primary system back into the hull. The cylindrical hull contained the engine rooms and a maneuvering room (the control room for the reactor and propulsion systems). The S1W plant achieved initial criticality on 30 March 1953. In June, the S1W plant successfully completed a 100 hour continuous run, illustrating that nuclear-powered submarines would revolutionize naval operations.
Source: http://www.subguru.com/nautilus571.htm
Reference: Hewlett, Richard G., and Francis Duncan. Nuclear Navy, 1946-1962. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1974, pages 182-186.
Subject(s): S1W | Naval Reactors
Format: JPEG
Chapter title: "Science: Shield of the free world?"
Summary: This chapter describes some early Naval Reactors-led development efforts in the context of other activities of the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1952, three development efforts were underway: S1W and S2W (Mark I and Mark II) design and construction; S1G (Mark A) design and construction; and, design work for a carrier reactor - an effort that evolved into the civilian reactor plant for the Shippingport Atomic Power Station. The carrier project in 1950-1952 was based on a breeder reactor design that would enable the AEC to meet three goals: Moving forward with large ship propulsion; increasing plutonium production; and, increasing electric power production.
3 Title: The S1W prototype, the world's first naval nuclear reactor plant Add
Summary: The S1W plant, prototype for the USS Nautilus. Under the leadership of Hyman Rickover, Naval Reactors followed a concurrent design approach, with the design and construction of the S1W (then named Mark I) plant slightly leading the design and construction of the Nautilus. The S1W plant achieved initial criticality on 30 March 1953. Historians Richard Hewlett and Francis Duncan noted that the S1W "was the world's first fully-engineered nuclear reactor capable of producing practical amounts of energy on a sustained and reliable basis" (186). The S1W was used to support plant testing and operator training for decades and was decommissioned in 1989.
Source: http://www.inl.gov/proving-the-principle/chapter_06.pdf
Reference: Hewlett, Richard G., and Francis Duncan. Nuclear Navy, 1946-1962. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1974, pages 164-165, 182-186.
4 Title: S1W prototype plant - port side, stern view of plant Add
Summary: The S1W (Nautilus) prototype plant, with the water brake for the shaft barely visible on the lower right. Under Hyman Rickover's leadership, the S1W (or Mark I) plant was built as both an engineering and a shipboard prototype, with the plant being assembled inside of a cylindrical hull. While this approach had disadvantages (for example, making it difficult to observe equipment operations in the hull's cramped spaces), it significantly reduced the time required to build the follow-up Mark II plant, on board the USS Nautilus.
Reference: Polmar, Norman, and Thomas B. Allen. Rickover: Controversy and Genius, a Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984, pages 149-153.
5 Title: Monitoring equipment outside S1W hull Add
Summary: Navy and civilian operators with monitoring equipment at the aft end of the S1W propulsion plant. The S1W's water brake, which absorbed the shaft power, can be seen directly behind the monitoring panel. The aft end of the hull is visible at left.
6 Title: Aerial view of the S1W prototype building Add
Summary: An aerial view of the S1W prototype building, located at the Idaho National Laboratory. The S1W (or Mark I) plant was the world's first power reactor; it used pressurized water as both coolant and moderator. S1W served as the prototype plant for the USS Nautilus, and as a testing and training plant for the Naval Reactors program until 1989.
Reference: Rockwell, Theodore. The Rickover Effect: How One Man Made a Difference. Lincoln, NE: IUniverse, 2002, pages 117-145.
7 Title: A worker inside the S1W hull during the plant's construction Add
Summary: A contractor inside the cylindrical hull of the S1W plant, during its construction. The propulsion plant was built inside of a submarine hull less than 30 feet in diameter, enabling the lessons learned during its construction to guide the design and construction of the S2W plant, installed in the Nautilus.
Reference: Polmar, Norman. Atomic Submarines. London: Van Nostrand, 1963, pages 71-74.
9 Title: Admiral Rickover just outside of the S1W hull entrance Add
Summary: Admiral Hyman Rickover (at center of group) at a hull entrance for the Mark I, or S1W, reactor plant. The S1W (the Nautilus prototype) achieved initial criticality on 30 March 1953; two months later, reactor power was used to drive the prototype's shaft. Rickover then ordered a continuous 100 hour run of the S1W propulsion plant that demonstrated beyond question the revolutionary impact that nuclear propulsion would have upon submarines.
Reference: Rockwell, Theodore. The Rickover Effect: How One Man Made a Difference. Lincoln, NE: IUniverse, 2002, pages 133-137 and 140-143.
10 Title: Nuclear navy, 1946-1962 Add
Summary: The foundational history of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, covering the period of the program's creation, under the leadership of Hyman G. Rickover, to 1962, by which time the United States Navy's fleet included nuclear-powered attack submarines, ballistic missile submarines, and surface ships. The program's leadership in support of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station is also chronicled.
Source: http://energy.gov/management/downloads/hewlett-and-duncan-nuclear-navy-1946-1962
Subject(s): Naval Reactors | Rickover, Hyman G. | S1W | USS Nautilus (SSN-571) | S1G | USS Seawolf (SSN-575)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Triple-A Omaha won in OKC, 4-0, beating LA Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw in a rehab assignment.
Blue Rocks reliever Jake Kalish on June 12, 2016 (Jen Nevius).
The Storm Chasers took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning against Kershaw on a Jorge Soler home run (his 20th with Omaha). The other hit off Kershaw was a one out Paulo Orlando single in the fourth, but he was picked off. Terrance Gore picked up two hits off the OKC bullpen.
Starter Jake Kalish won his first Triple-A game, going seven scoreless innings. He allowed five hits and walked two while striking out a career-high tying eight. Seth Maness finished off OKC with two perfect innings.
*In roster news, pitcher Onelki Garcia, who was scheduled to start one of the game's of Sunday's doubleheader, was called up to the big leagues to take the place of KC Royals starter Danny Duffy, who was placed on the DL.
Double-A NW Arkansas lost their series opener to Arkansas, 13-3. The Travelers scored six runs in the top of the ninth. It got so bad that backup catcher Allan de San Miguel came on with a runner on base in the ninth (2/3IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 0K).
The Naturals relievers had problems with stranding inherited runners. Starter Foster Griffin took the loss, as he allowed six runs on seven hits and four walks over 3.2 innings. He left with the bases loaded in favor of lefty Tim Hill, who allowed two of those runs to score.
Hill was pulled in the seventh with a runner on base in favor of Yunior Marte, who stranded that runner. When Marte was pulled in the ninth with two runners on base in favor of Jason Adam, both scored (2IP, 2H, 3R, 4BB, 2K). Adam allowed four runs on one hit and three walks while recording just one out.
Catcher Nick Dini went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Infielder Carlos Diaz went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in his first game off the DL (fellow infielder Jack Lopez went on the paternity list).
*Ashton Goudeau made his second rehab appearance Saturday night for the AZL Royals. In the start, he pitched two scoreless innings. Goudeau walked one and struck out three.
High-A Wilmington lost in Salem, 3-0. The Blue Rocks are once again 4.5 games back of the Red Sox for the Wild Card spot.
The Blue Rocks collected just four hits (all singles) and two walks. Their first base runner came to lead off the fifth (a Chris DeVito single), but he was erased on an inning ending double play. They had two base runners in the eighth with one out to chase Red Sox starter Daniel Gonzalez, but could not cash in.
Starter Colin Rodgers took the loss, as he allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out six. Jacob Bodner allowed a hit over two scoreless innings before Luis Rico walked one in his one inning of work, but got an inning ending double play.
Low-A Lexington lost in Asheville, 8-5. The Legends scored in the last two innings.
Travis Eckert took the loss, as he allowed eight runs on nine hits and a walk over just 3.1 innings. He left with two runners on base in favor of Michael Silva, who allowed both to score. However, Silva pitched 2.2 scoreless innings (H, 2BB, 3K). Tyler Fallwell allowed just one hit over hit two scoreless innings of relief (two strikeouts).
The Legends collected nine hits, but went just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Gabriel Cancel went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
This entry was posted in MiLB and tagged KC Royals, Lexington Legends, NW Arkansas Naturals, Omaha Storm Chasers, Wilmington Blue Rocks. Bookmark the permalink.
Nice article. It's to bad about the Blue Rocks this year. I enjoy going to their games when I visit my friend in PA. She's about 20 minutes from Wilmington.
As bad as the Blue Rocks have been playing over the last 3 weeks, Salem has allowed everyone back into the playoff race. It's a tough hill to climb, but they're just 3.5 games back of a playoff spot (though with only 7 left).


text:
5 children found in car pulled from Minnesota pond
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (AP) - November 21, 2013
The children's conditions weren't immediately known, although St. Louis Park city spokeswoman Jamie Zwilling said they were unresponsive when they were pulled from the car. The driver of the car, a 23-year-old woman, made it out on her own as the car sank. She was in stable condition.
Lt. Eric Roeske, a spokesman for the Minnesota State Patrol, told reporters the children - ages 1, 5, 5, 6 and 7 - were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. He said he did not have their conditions, and hospital spokeswoman Christine Hill said their conditions were not available.
Roeske later issued a short update saying the first victim was pulled from the water about 25 minutes after the crash was reported about 6:10 a.m., but the last wasn't removed until her or she had been in the water 45 minutes.
The woman's relationship to the children wasn't immediately known, Roeske said at a news conference, and names won't be released until families are notified.
The crash happened in St. Louis Park, a western Minneapolis suburb. Roeske said the car veered left off the ramp from Highway 7 to Highway 100 and plunged down a slope into the pond about 40 to 50 yards from the roadway. He said there was no guardrail separating the pond from the ramp.
Passersby who saw the car attempted to rescue the children, but it was submerged in 8 to 9 feet of cold water. Roeske said he was told one good Samaritan stood on the roof of the four-door sedan, and the "incredibly cold, nearly freezing-temperature water" was up to his neck, which would have made it difficult for anyone to reach the children.
The city fire department and the Hennepin County sheriff's dive team responded and used tow trucks to pull the sedan out of the water.
"Once the vehicle was removed from the water, we found that there were five other occupants, all children," he said.
Zwilling said firefighters didn't wait for the tow truck to get the car all the way to shore. He said they started breaking windows and pulling out the children as soon as the water was shallow enough.
Roeske also said it wasn't clear whether speed was a factor in the crash. The road was wet from light mist, but not icy, he said. He said there was no indication that the woman intentionally drove into the water.


The Rising Sun is a true village local in the heart of unspoilt South Downs National Park countryside renowned for its outstanding atmosphere, great food, well kept ales, long and varied wine list and charming staff. Stylishly refurbished, spacious and light and with vast gardens and terraces adorned with teak tables and parasols, this is a pub for all seasons and all occasions. The Rising Sun's locally unrivalled reputation for simple, rustic pub food has its roots in the quality and freshness of the produce. The theory being that great food is easy if you select the finest ingredients and create simple quick to prepare dishes. The menus change on a regular basis reflecting the changing seasons, availability and value. The balanced main bar menu constantly maintains some favourite pub classics. Virtually everything is made on the premises, sourcing ingredients from an ever-evolving list of local independent producers and suppliers. Fresh fish and seafood is delivered from the South coast every day, incredible British beef has been sourced from the same farms for decades, most of the game comes from Milland valley and the fruit and vegetables are either grown in the village or come from the Sussex countryside, with a constant search for new niche producers of cheese, cured meats and condiments. The blackboard menu reflects finer cuts of meat, game and fresh fish with European and pan-Asian flavours blending seamlessly with contemporary British cuisine. Sunday lunch is a British institution and by far the busiest time of the week for a country pub and The Rising Sun offers wonderful roast dinners using great British meat, fresh vegetables, crispy roast potatoes and home-made Yorkshire puddings and gravy always featuring rare roast Scotch beef and, through all but the hottest months of the year, at least one other, rotating free range pork and chicken and lean and tender leg of lamb. The menu is structured with shared starters that are great for family grazing and a mixed mains selection with roasts, pub classics, fresh fish, vegetarian dishes, salads, and sandwiches. Kids have their own menu and puddings are all home-made.
Be the first to write a review and share your experience at The Rising Sun (Milland) with other diners.


He was born in 1977 in Łódź. He studied at Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź at the Faculty of Visual Education. In 2006 he graduated with honors degree in painting and drawing. During his studies he received a scholarship of the Danish Government. In 1997-2001 he also studied Philosophy and Cultural Studies at the University of Łódź.
He is listed twice in the Compass of Modern Polish Art – the prestigious ranking of Rzeczpospolita. His paintings are characterized by formulation of expression and can be assigned to the trend of young figurative. He has shown his works in both public and private galleries throughout the country for ten years. He has more than 20 solo exhibitions and in 2014 he presented his art at a group exhibition in Amsterdam. In addition, he constantly collaborates with major commercial galleries in Poland, and his works are in private collections in Poland, England and Switzerland.
The artist has successfully taken care of artistic education of youth and adults for many years, guiding his art studio. He is involved in the works of many local educational and cultural institutions.


I like many comedies, but i guess i favor Grandma's boy.
All The Best is my favorite comedy movie, i like to watch comedy movies. We can enjoyed that time, seeing comedy movies is really great for us.
the whole nine yards, is good, and i seen a new one about a alien its called PAUL, that was pretty funny.
I like Adam Sandler movies. I grew up on them and found them to be the funniest things so I still find them funny out of nostalgia.
I wouldn't say 3 Idiots is a comedy. It's like a life story!
Airplane is my favorite comedy movie of all time. Minded fun of this movie, this movie is one of those some movies where you are glad that your DVD player has the efficacy to pause the film.
Bad Santa, 2003, is hilarious. If you're having a Christmas gathering for adults, this is an essential. The unrated version is best.
Our Idiot Brother and The Sitter are my favorite comedy movies all the time.
Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein is still the best, but here's another good one for Halloween: The Haunted World of el Superbeasto (2009, animated) by director Rob Zombie, and featuring the voice talent of Paul Giamatti as Dr. Satan.


text:
2012 Carrier President's Award
July 6, 2012 By Wally Leave a Comment
The Woodlands Heating & Air Conditioning wins the 2012 Carrier President's Award
The Woodlands, TX, July 6, 2012 – The Woodlands Heating & Air Conditioning is proud to announce the dealership received a 2012 Carrier Corp. President's Award, one of the manufacturer's highest honors for its local dealers.
Bob McDonough, President of Carrier Residential & Light Commercial Systems recently recognized The Woodlands Heating & Air Conditioning, as a Carrier President's Award Winner. This is the second consecutive year that The Woodlands Heating & Air Conditioning has earned this distinguished award. The award was presented at the Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer Meeting in Orlando, FL in March 2012.
President's Awards are presented annually to an elite group of Carrier dealers who exemplify the company's model for operational excellence, business effectiveness and delivering the best in cutting-edge technology to consumers. Carrier also rewards dealers who are committed to providing excellent customer service and who are dedicated to the Carrier brand. Winners go above and beyond the call of duty in the industry with a dependable, consumer-focused work ethic.
"This is our second consecutive year receiving this award and I think it recognizes our dedication to offering the best HVAC technology with the best customer service," said Phil Musial, operations manager, The Woodlands Heating & Air Conditioning. "It's hot in Houston and we all take great professional pride in keeping our customers stay cool and safe in the summer. It might seem like a simple idea, but it keeps us motivated and focused on our neighbors in The Woodlands."
With over 65 years of experience, The Woodlands Heating & Air Conditioning focuses on delivering superior customer service and the best air conditioning, heating, & indoor air quality products in The Woodlands at the best price. The dealership became a Carrier Factory Authorized Dealer because of their commitment to excellence.
For three years in a row, 2010-2012, The Woodlands Heating & Air Conditioning was voted "Best of The Woodlands" by the community in the category, Air Conditioning & Heating Contractor in The Woodlands.
Filed Under: Our Awards Tagged With: 2012, Awards, Carrier President's


text:
Tags Philadelphia Phillies
Tag: Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox regressing in MLB
Shane Lambert - May 30, 2016
We're practically through two months of Major League Baseball as the start of June looms. Teams are over 50 games into their schedules and that's enough for some up-and-down roller-coaster action to have taken place.
Philadelphia Phillies Playing .600 Baseball Through 25 Games
Shane Lambert - May 2, 2016
The Philadelphia Phillies are an early surprise in Major League Baseball. Projected for a last placed finish in the NL East during the pre-season, Philadelphia has been the strongest team of late in the majors.
Philadelphia Phillies Vince Velasquez pitching like an ace
Shane Lambert - April 15, 2016
The Philadelphia Phillies may have only been 5-5 heading into play on Friday. However, thus far they have received some fantastic pitching from a 23 year old that has very little Major League Baseball experience.


We pride ourselves on our outstanding extra curricula provision. This includes over 80 after school clubs, more than 300 school trips (day and residential) in a year as well as many links with experts in a wide range of fields.
Our mentoring programme open to all students from Year 10 upwards now boasts more than 100 mentors, we hold an annual Careers Fair for year 9 upwards, as well as a host of visits to different work places. Our Ambition to Reality programme which starts in Year 10 brings interview, CV writing and presentation skills to our young people to better prepare them for the world beyond the classroom.
Finished at The Charter School? Please let us know what you are doing now, click on the box below to sign up to FutureFirst, keep in touch with the school and other leavers.


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New addition to gallery roster of artists
Sarah Wiseman Gallery is delighted to welcome the award-winning author Mark Haddon to its roster, representing his work as a visual artist. He has made a new selection of works which will go on display at Sarah Wiseman Gallery this week. These include abstract works that explore form and shape using mixed media and bold pattern and colour, with geometric forms colliding and contrasting.
Best known for his novel 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time ', Mark Haddon has continued to paint, developing an exciting practice as part of his creative output. He spent twenty years as a children's writer and illustrator, publishing numerous picture books for children.


text:
Bottles & Barrels
New Leader for Santa Barbara Wines
Nonprofit Veteran Alison Laslett Named CEO of Wine Country Association
By Matt Kettmann
Fri Dec 01, 2017 | 12:41pm
Alison Laslett, new CEO of Santa Barbara Vintners
Paul Wellman
Here's a curiosity to quaff: The new leader of Santa Barbara County's primary winery and vineyard association admittedly knows next to nothing about the wine industry.
"I like wine," says Alison Laslett, who was named CEO of the Santa Barbara Vintners last week after an exhaustive five-month search. "That's the extent of my wine background."
What she is an expert at, however, is leading nonprofit organizations. For the past three years, the Marina del Rey resident, who grew up in North Carolina and Maine, ran her own leadership consultancy, and that followed about two decades of work with a variety of nonprofits, including Parent Revolution, where she used a $5 million budget to advocate for education reform.
"That's been my interest since I was quite young: How can you work with people so that they can be as effective as they can be in their industry?" she explained. "I came out of education activism — you can't find a more contentious industry. That gave me real skills for leading people who are trying to effect change. I'm a team builder, and my interest is speaking to disparate parties and helping them find common ground."
Laslett succeeds Morgen McLaughlin, who was hired in April 2013 and left this past July for a job in Oregon running the Willamette Valley Wineries Association. Though she preferred working on marketing campaigns for the region, McLaughlin found herself drowning in county politics. Prior to her appointment, the county's planning department responded to the concerns of some Santa Ynez Valley residents over wine industry growth by trying to update the winery ordinance. After five years of meetings and rule making, McLaughlin was able to successfully rally the wine community in front of the Board of Supervisors in November 2016 to defeat the update, which most in the industry felt was even more restrictive than the current rules.
That anti-industry sentiment and a rigorous planning process — which have led to a concentration of tasting rooms in developed areas such as Los Olivos — are just a couple of challenges inherited by Laslett, a Sarah Lawrence College graduate. Another is that Santa Barbara winery owners can be a finicky bunch, wanting more from their association membership yet not wanting to pay as much in dues as other regions such as Paso Robles.
The county is also home to six very distinct wine-growing appellations, with at least one more already proposed. Many of these have their own associations, and they tend to specialize in different grape varieties, from cabernet sauvignon in warm Happy Canyon to pinot noir in the cool Sta. Rita Hills. As such, conveying a simple and succinct story about Santa Barbara wine to an international audience is almost impossible. Some are leaning toward "conjunctive" labeling, in which "Santa Barbara" would be mandated to be somewhere on wine bottles, as that's a move that other regions, such as Lodi, Napa, and Monterey, have employed without too much controversy. Expect that discussion to begin in earnest soon.
Laslett, who is in process of moving to Santa Barbara County after 17 years of living in Los Angeles, spoke to me last Thursday, the day after she was hired. What follows is an edited version of our conversation.
What is your wine background? This is my favorite question everyone asks me. I like wine. That's the extent of my wine background. What drew me up here was the gorgeous landscape and environment, but for this position, it was really the people. With everyone I spoke with, I found myself more and more engaged.
I wasn't looking for a job in wine, but I was looking for a community that I could immerse myself in and really work with so they could achieve what they want to do. I found that in this wine community. I can see that it's very strong and alive.
What do you see as your primary challenges? The only thing wrong with this region is that people don't know about it. It's two hours from L.A. and five hours from San Francisco. It has everything that it needs. It's low-key. It's authentic. It's got great food, and the wine is even better. From what I can tell, it's just that the vintners haven't found a way to share this area's wine as broadly as they could. That's what everyone wants. I view my job as coming in to unify the vintners and bring them together to find their collective voice so they can share their wine. Wine is inherently communal.
What are your thoughts on telling the diverse story of Santa Barbara wine, which many say is a tough task? Every time this issue comes up, it just doesn't make sense to me. Why do you have to produce only one kind of wine? Why can't you just produce spectacular wines? I don't know why you have to put yourself in a box like that, because Santa Barbara County can do it all. If you set the bar that Santa Barbara County wine is great wine, then you don't have to just be great at pinot or great at chardonnay.
What are your thoughts on the wine country politics? When you deal with any kind of conflict, one of the biggest problems is that people aren't listening to each other. People tend to shout when they feel they're not being heard. The most effective thing is to give everyone a voice, so everyone gets their airtime to express themselves. People stand up when they feel threatened. What you have to figure out is why the growth of the wine industry is genuinely threatening people. What is that fear? When you dismantle a conflict and get to the core of it, you usually find that the fear is unfounded. People will always overreact to change. Human beings don't like it.
Are you intimidated taking a job in an industry you don't know much about? I am not. Maybe I should be. I'm confident in my skills to run an organization, and that's my job. I'm thrilled I was hired without knowledge of the wine industry. My focus is to build this region into the best wine business that it can be. That's what I know how to do. I can learn about wine along the way. ■
https://www.independent.com/2017/12/01/new-leader-santa-barbara-wines/
Matt Kettmann
Introducing Santa Barbara's Zero Beer Guy
Historic Santa Barbara County Wine Properties Change Hands
Two Decades of Margerum Wine's M5


Contains numerous photos from various city, state, and national championships; and newspaper articles about Millie Wyman's bowling accomplishments.
Wyman, Mildred. Newspaper Article. 1986.
"Wyman rolls a 600 series" written by Skip Newell. Mildred Wyman bowled her first 600 series.


Driving Directions to Radiance Dental, located in Reading, Massachusetts.
Hours are subject to change without prior notice, therefore it is advised that you make an appointment before visiting the office. If you have a dental emergency after business hours, please call the office at (781) 439-6267. The mobile phone number of the covering dentist will be provided in our voice mail greeting.
Take I-93 North, Exit 37 to I-95 North, Exit 38B. Go straight after coming off the ramp, you are on Route 28 North, or Main Street in Reading. Go about 3/4 mile and you will pass a train track, and find a McDonald's Restaurant on your right hand side. We are on your left hand side across from McDonald's, located in a red brick professional building. Turn left here to enter the parking lot.
Take I-95 South, Exit 38 B to Route 28 North, or Main Street in Reading. Go about 3/4 mile and you will pass a train track, and find a McDonald's Restaurant on your right hand side. We are on your left hand side across from McDonald's, located in a red brick professional building. Turn left here to enter the parking lot.


How to use netfilter and iptables to stop a DDoS Attack?
This how to article will go over stopping a DDoS attack when all you have access to is the targeted Linux host using netfilter and iptables. The two methods are either to simply drop packets from the offending IP/range or to only allow the offending IP/range X number of requests per second, if the range exceeds the requests per second rate traffic is dropped from the range.
*NOTE This method is for small attacks on services you are running on your Linux host. For large attacks using your gateway's (firewall, load balancer, switch, or router) anti DDoS features maybe necessary or even having your ISP mitigating maybe the only option. I do often see attacks on HTTP from a hundred hosts or so and this article works on that scale.
who's IP, our server IP or attacker IP?
In the first example it is to drop packets to and from the range 206.250.230.0/24. In the second example it is to drop packets that exceed 30 requests per sec from or to 206.250.230.0/24. Hope that helps.


text:
Aitor Karanka admits he had to convince foreign players to sign for Nottingham Forest
The Reds chief has explained how he tempted some of his summer arrivals to come to England
Barry CooperHull City correspondent
Gil Dias is one of the new arrivals at the City Ground. (Image: John Sumpter @ JMS Photography)
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Aitor Karanka admits he's had to convince players from abroad to join his revolution at Nottingham Forest, such is the competitiveness and difficulty in England's second tier.
The Reds chief signed 13 players during the summer in a bid to shake up Forest's underperforming squad, with five of those arriving from foreign shores.
Joao Carvalho and Diogo Goncalves arrived from Benfica, while Hillal Soudani, Gil Dias and Tobias Figueriedo came from Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco and Sporting respectively.
And because of the demanding nature in the Championship, Karanka says it took some convincing in getting them to come to Nottingham, even to a club steeped in such tradition and history.
Gil Dias, Diogo Goncalves and Joao Carvalho (Image: Dan Westwell)
"Because competing in Championship is not easy," said the former Real Madrid assitant.
"It's a very complicated league, impossible to explain, here you can be playing great and be tied at minute 87," he explained in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, reflecting on the 1-1 draw with West Brom earlier this month.
"Or the other way around, when I came I could not imagine what I found. I have to convince foreign players to come, but then they see it, they enjoy it for a while and it's worth it. "
"Last winter we dropped eight or ten players, we started to bring people who really felt that something nice could be done.
"In the field, the more good players, the better you can play."
Nottingham Forest's supporters are 'different class' says Danny Fox
Karanka, who led Middlesbrough to the Premier League in his previous post, admits that he prefers to encourage his players on the pitch instead of changing too much and over complicating things.
"It is in the locker room, only there, where the orders are given and praise and fights arrive," he said.
Hillal Soudani celebrates his goal at Wigan on Saturday (Image: Dan Westwell)
"If you put a lot of pressure on them during the game, sometimes it's up to the player, instead of encouraging them, you get them to come down."
Expectation has risen at the City Ground after a summer of impressive investment, leading to hopes that a 20-year wait for Premier League football could come to an end.
Aitor Karanka's 'relentless' hunger for success will inspire Nottingham Forest's players
The Spaniard, however, is under no illusions about the size of that task and the need for an element of patience, given the fact there's been such a turnover of playing staff.
"There are always two or three years of transition, the rush is not good, but we will try to do it as soon as possible," Karanka added.
"We have been training together for a month and a half, it is still early and we are not at our best level, but we have played five games and we have not lost, although we have only won one."
City Ground
Nottingham Forest FCBreaking: Nottingham Forest make midfielder their first January signingFilip Krovinovic has joined Chris Hughton's Reds from Benfica after his loan at West Bromwich Albion was cut short
'Strong bearing' - Nottingham Forest boss explains decision to sign midfielder
Nottingham Forest FCFilip Krovinovic has joined the Reds on loan from Benfica after his spell at West Bromwich Albion was cut short
Breaking: Forgotten Nottingham Forest attacker joins Wigan Athletic in January move
Ryan Yates injury update 'emerges' ahead of imminent Nottingham Forest transfer
Nottingham Forest FCRyan Yates limped off in the closing stages of the 2-1 defeat against Middlesbrough while Nottingham Forest's injury concerns in midfield are set to be eased with the arrival of Filip Krovinovic
Swansea v Nottingham Forest: How to watch and live stream FA Cup tie
Nottingham Forest FCHere are all the details you'll need to see the game live from the Liberty Stadium


Releases the exterior, adjusts the Ying and Wei, warms the channels and collaterals to relieve pain, disperses Cold, unblocks Yang, transforms Qi and releases the muscle layer.
Astringes the Yin and adjusts the Ying and Wei.
Helps release the exterior, treats nausea and vomiting. strengthens the spreading and mobilizing actions of the other herbs and adjusts the Ying and Wei.
With Zhi Gan Cao, harmonizes and regulates the Spleen and Stomach. With Da Zao, regulates disharmony between the Ying and Wei. and benefits the Middle Qi.
Helps Bai Shao regulate the Ying and Wei.
With Gan Cao, tonifies and harmonizes the Middle Jiao.
Resolves Phlegm, stops cough, clears Heat and moderates and harmonizes the harsh properties of the other herbs.
Contraindicated for those with Exterior Cold with Interior Heat.
Contraindicated for those with Tai Yang Shang Han.
Contraindicated for those who drink alcohol frequently.
Use caution during the summer or spells of hot weather.


text:
<?php

namespace Nette\Forms\Controls;

use Nette,
	Nette\Forms\Form,
	Nette\Utils\Strings,
	Nette\Utils\Validators;

/**
 * Implements the basic functionality common to text input controls.
 *
 * @author     David Grudl
 *
 * @property   string $emptyValue
 */
abstract class TextBase extends BaseControl
{
	/** @var string */
	protected $emptyValue = '';

	/** @var array */
	protected $filters = array();

	/**
	 * @param  string  label
	 */
	public function __construct($label = NULL)
	{
		parent::__construct($label);
		$this->addFilter($this->sanitize);
	}

	/**
	 * Sets control's value.
	 * @param  string
	 * @return self
	 */
	public function setValue($value)
	{
		$this->value = is_array($value) ? '' : str_replace("\r\n", "\n", $value);
		return $this;
	}

	/**
	 * Returns control's value.
	 * @return string
	 */
	public function getValue()
	{
		$value = $this->value;
		foreach ($this->filters as $filter) {
			$value = (string) $filter($value);
		}
		return $value === $this->translate($this->emptyValue) ? '' : $value;
	}

	/**
	 * Sets the special value which is treated as empty string.
	 * @param  string
	 * @return self
	 */
	public function setEmptyValue($value)
	{
		$this->emptyValue = (string) $value;
		return $this;
	}

	/**
	 * Returns the special value which is treated as empty string.
	 * @return string
	 */
	final public function getEmptyValue()
	{
		return $this->emptyValue;
	}

	/**
	 * Appends input string filter callback.
	 * @param  callable
	 * @return self
	 */
	public function addFilter($filter)
	{
		$this->filters[] = new Nette\Callback($filter);
		return $this;
	}

	/**
	 * Filter: removes unnecessary whitespace and shortens value to control's max length.
	 * @return string
	 */
	public function sanitize($value)
	{
		if ($this->control->maxlength) {
			$value = Nette\Utils\Strings::substring($value, 0, $this->control->maxlength);
		}
		if (strcasecmp($this->control->getName(), 'input') === 0) {
			$value = Nette\Utils\Strings::trim(strtr($value, "\r\n", '  '));
		}
		return $value;
	}

	public function getControl()
	{
		$control = parent::getControl();
		foreach ($this->getRules() as $rule) {
			if ($rule->type === Nette\Forms\Rule::VALIDATOR && !$rule->isNegative
				&& ($rule->operation === Form::LENGTH || $rule->operation === Form::MAX_LENGTH)
			) {
				$control->maxlength = is_array($rule->arg) ? $rule->arg[1] : $rule->arg;
			}
		}
		if ($this->emptyValue !== '') {
			$control->data('nette-empty-value', $this->translate($this->emptyValue));
		}
		return $control;
	}

	public function addRule($operation, $message = NULL, $arg = NULL)
	{
		if ($operation === Form::FLOAT) {
			$this->addFilter(array(__CLASS__, 'filterFloat'));

		} elseif ($operation === Form::LENGTH || $operation === Form::MAX_LENGTH) {
			$tmp = is_array($arg) ? $arg[1] : $arg;
			$this->control->maxlength = is_scalar($tmp) ? $tmp : NULL;
		}
		return parent::addRule($operation, $message, $arg);
	}

	/**
	 * Min-length validator: has control's value minimal length?
	 * @param  TextBase
	 * @param  int  length
	 * @return bool
	 */
	public static function validateMinLength(TextBase $control, $length)
	{
		return Strings::length($control->getValue()) >= $length;
	}

	/**
	 * Max-length validator: is control's value length in limit?
	 * @param  TextBase
	 * @param  int  length
	 * @return bool
	 */
	public static function validateMaxLength(TextBase $control, $length)
	{
		return Strings::length($control->getValue()) <= $length;
	}

	/**
	 * Length validator: is control's value length in range?
	 * @param  TextBase
	 * @param  array  min and max length pair
	 * @return bool
	 */
	public static function validateLength(TextBase $control, $range)
	{
		if (!is_array($range)) {
			$range = array($range, $range);
		}
		return Validators::isInRange(Strings::length($control->getValue()), $range);
	}

	/**
	 * Email validator: is control's value valid email address?
	 * @param  TextBase
	 * @return bool
	 */
	public static function validateEmail(TextBase $control)
	{
		return Validators::isEmail($control->getValue());
	}

	/**
	 * URL validator: is control's value valid URL?
	 * @param  TextBase
	 * @return bool
	 */
	public static function validateUrl(TextBase $control)
	{
		return Validators::isUrl($control->getValue()) || Validators::isUrl('http://' . $control->getValue());
	}

	/** @deprecated */
	public static function validateRegexp(TextBase $control, $regexp)
	{
		return (bool) Strings::match($control->getValue(), $regexp);
	}

	/**
	 * Regular expression validator: matches control's value regular expression?
	 * @param  TextBase
	 * @param  string
	 * @return bool
	 */
	public static function validatePattern(TextBase $control, $pattern)
	{
		return (bool) Strings::match($control->getValue(), "\x01^($pattern)\\z\x01u");
	}

	/**
	 * Integer validator: is a control's value decimal number?
	 * @param  TextBase
	 * @return bool
	 */
	public static function validateInteger(TextBase $control)
	{
		return Validators::isNumericInt($control->getValue());
	}

	/**
	 * Float validator: is a control's value float number?
	 * @param  TextBase
	 * @return bool
	 */
	public static function validateFloat(TextBase $control)
	{
		return Validators::isNumeric(static::filterFloat($control->getValue()));
	}

	/**
	 * Rangle validator: is a control's value number in specified range?
	 * @param  TextBase
	 * @param  array  min and max value pair
	 * @return bool
	 */
	public static function validateRange(TextBase $control, $range)
	{
		return Validators::isInRange($control->getValue(), $range);
	}

	/**
	 * Float string cleanup.
	 * @param  string
	 * @return string
	 */
	public static function filterFloat($s)
	{
		return str_replace(array(' ', ','), array('', '.'), $s);
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Obbligazioni: Brest regional executive committee, FRN 01dec2020, BYR (12)
100.000.000.000 BYR
Brest Regional Executive Committee is the highest executive authority of Brest region. The chairman of the executive committee is the highest official and head of executive power in the region. The executive committee is accountable to ...
Brest Regional Executive Committee is the highest executive authority of Brest region. The chairman of the executive committee is the highest official and head of executive power in the region. The executive committee is accountable to and controlled by the President and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.
Brest regional executive committee


text:
Chachalacor (Ortalis) är ett släkte inom familjen trädhöns. Fåglarna inom detta släkte lever i Syd- och Centralamerika. Släktet omfattar numera vanligen 16 arter:
 Nordlig chachalaca (Ortalis vetula)
 Gråhuvad chachalaca (Ortalis cinereiceps)
 Brunvingad chachalaca (Ortalis garrula)
 Rostgumpad chachalaca (Ortalis ruficauda)
 Rosthuvad chachalaca (Ortalis erythroptera)
 Rostbukig chachalaca (Ortalis wagleri)
 Västmexikansk chachalaca (Ortalis poliocephala)
 Gråhalsad chachalaca (Ortalis canicollis)
 Vitbukig chachalaca (Ortalis leucogastra)
 Colombiachachalaca (Ortalis columbiana)
 Spräcklig chachalaca (Ortalis guttata)
 Bahiachachalaca (Ortalis araucuan)
 Fjällig chachalaca (Ortalis squamata)
 Motmotchachalaca (Ortalis motmot)
 Brunhuvad chachalaca (O ruficeps)
 Beigebrynad chachalaca (Ortalis superciliaris)

Referenser

Trädhöns

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Are you looking for a unique way to celebrate Halloween with your family? From October 16th until November 1st 4-9 pm, FlyOver Canada is offering a unique twist on their popular virtual flight at Canada Place.
The boys LOVED the ride when we went on it in March; they were able to experience a breathtaking aerial "flight"over Canada while experiencing the sights, scents and sounds! I loved the feeling of my feet dangling as we flew 10 to 25 feet above the ground!
For this Halloween experience, riders will have a pre-show with Broomelda (Witch Academy headmistress), walk through the Haunted Hallway, and then experience FlyOver Canada. Upon exiting they will receive their Official Witch Academy Diploma!
This ride is recommended for children 4+ and they must be at least 40" to ride. General admission is $16.95 for adults and $9.95 for children. You can find more information here.
Would you like a chance to win a pair of tickets to this event? Please enter the Rafflecopter below.
No, but have been waiting to experience it! Loved Soarin' over California, so I know this will be just as amazing.
Love Fly Over Canada. Would love to go again!!
We haven't been but we'd love to take Alivia !
Haven't been but looks like fun!
I haven't. Would love taking my boys.
I have been to Flyover a bunch of times - it's great! I would love to experience the Halloween one!


My friend Neil is doing a comedy show on October 9th. If you have a chance, you should check it out.
Hi there! I'm excited to announce The Attack of the 1-4-5 Show, which invades Center City Philadelphia Friday, October 9. The show's new venue is the Tuscany Café at 222 West Rittenhouse Square, at the intersection of Locust Street across from the Free Library. The ticket includes newcomer Mike Casey, 1-4-5 favorites Mike Eiswerth and Carolyn Busa, the amazing Joey Callahan, and of course, me.
Doors open at 8pm and admission is $10. Seating is limited so arrive early and, uh, often.
If it's anything like his last show, it promises to be hilarious.


text:
Bule Hora University Historical Background
Bule Hora University Historical Background – Check Below:
Higher education and training institutions are expected to be at the forefront of the development and transformation efforts of a nation. They have the responsibility to make multidimensional contributions to the achievements of a nation in terms of boosting the economy, democratic system and good governance. However, Ethiopian higher education has made limited contribution in the realization of such objectives in its history. This may be attributed to several factors; one of the most important is being low coverage. 'In the past, higher education was not given due attention; its curriculum was not relevant to the country's problems and its capacity was not commensurate with the country's trained man power needs both in quantity and quality' (MoE, 2010). Recognizing these deficiencies, the Ethiopian government has been making efforts to expand higher education so as to contribute more directly to the national strategies of economic growth and transformation.
Bule Hora University (BHU) was, therefore, established to play its part in the national efforts of bringing quality and excellence in teaching-learning, research, community services, administrative functions/good governance, connecting the development of cultural and natural resources with technology and its applications. The foundation stone was laid by H.E Dr. Adehanom Haile (Deputy Minister, Higher Education Affair), the then representative of State Minister, Ministry of Education and H.E Mr. Abadula Gamada, the then President of Oromia Regional State, on 28 November 2008 G.C. The university was officially established by proclamation No213/2011 (2003E.C.) as one of the Ethiopian government higher education institutions (HEIs).
Bule Hora University is located 470 km south of Addis Ababa in Bule Hora town, West Guji Zone, Oromia Regional State. The zone is divided into two agro-ecological zones namely, semi-arid lowlands to the south and the more humid lands at higher altitudes to the north (Tache and Irwine, 2003). /The mean annual rainfall across the zone varies between 500mm and 700 mm with an overall average of 648 mm. The area's mean temperatures range from 25°C to 29°C during hotter season and 14°C to 18°C during colder season of the year (Luseno, et al., 1998).
The area is inhibited mainly by Guji Oromo and there are also other nations and nationalities living in the zone. They preserve and do share many indigenous values. The Oromo indigenous democratic Gada System, known as "Sirna Gadaa" is preserved and practiced mainly in Guji and Borena Zones. Notwithstanding these indigenous values that Guji, Borana, and others cherish in common, the spirit of inter-ethnic group competition, and sometimes conflicts over grazing areas and water resources, remain deep-rooted in these pastoralist communities. The establishment of BHU, in the vicinity, would open an excellent opportunity to study and to solve their problems so as to enhance good governance, spirit of peaceful co-existence, positive attitudes towards diversity and tolerance. These could be achieved through scientific research, community service and partnership that are based on impartial appreciation of all local communities, and their respective contributions to the strategic initiatives BHU would undertake in this regard.
Moreover, the area is known for mining activities (Gold, Silver, Tantalum, Ceramic and others), forest, cash crops and animal resources. Therefore, besides producing competent graduates, establishment of BHU in the area would create a unique opportunity to produce research-based data and information for decision makers, customers, and stakeholders to exploit these indigenous resources as well as to develop and sustain this peculiar ecosystem.
Since the construction of BHU delayed beyond expected completion time, the university started functioning in the campus of Bule Hora College of Teachers Education with a total of 243 regular and 116 weekend degree students in 4 faculties in 2011/12(2004E.C) academic year; and transferred to its own campus in September 2012(2005E.C).
Currently, Bule Hora University comprises Seven Colleges and One School, namely College of Engineering and Technology, College of Informatics, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, College of Health Sciences, College of Agricultural Sciences, College of Business and Economics, College of Social Sciences and Humanities and School of Law.
The University has laid down structure for relevance and quality of education, research, community service and good governance. Bule Hora University Historical Background
← Bahir Dar University Admission 2022 – 2023 Bule Hora University Contact Address →


Everyone has a personhood; an identity they see themselves and the world around them. Identity motivates, creates, reveals who we are, and equally importantly, infuses with those that we influence; those we love and lead.
Surrender – this might sound strange to you but hear me out. Most of us try to find identity through success, status, and/or stash, but once you surrender those futile ways, you are free and able to find identity… You are able not to be burdened by those things. I think those things are byproducts of truly finding ourselves.
The Corinth community was going through an identity crisis as much as you and I are experiencing today. They determined identity by success, status, and stashes rather than surrendering to an identity that lasts forever. Paul, in encouragement stated to the Corinth people: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" – 2 Corinthians 5:17.
In the same way, I hope that this is an encouragement to you today.


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Countdown #32 - gut feeling
Broadcast August-25-2012 - podcast available here. All comments are from Philip Random's notes (with some editorial diligence). Links are not necessarily to the exact same recordings we played on-air (but we tried). Nor is every record represented here. To hear them all, you've got to actually listen to the podcast. The full countdown list (so far).
Devo - gut feeling
Devo were impossible to ignore when the various singles first started hitting in about 1978. Because there had NEVER been anything like them, even remotely. Even I got that. But being the genius I was in my late teens, I found them pretty easy to dismiss. Fun, but just a gimmick. I mean, they weren't actually a good band or anything. Then one day I was hitchhiking, caught a ride with a punk sort of guy who had the first album on, playing loud. Gut Feeling came on as we were crossing the Second Narrows Bridge, and let's just say, I realized I was wrong, yet again.
Simple Minds - I Travel
Back in the very early 1980s, before they became huge, absurd and even stupider than their name implied, Simple Minds were pretty cool. Big, tough beats that weren't afraid to be danceable. Lots of pumped up sonics, mostly dark, but hinting at an inner light. And they were kickass live. I'm guessing I Travel was about being on the road, not that I ever bothered to study it. Just did what it was telling me, which was hit the dance floor, shake off the ghosts, be glad I was alive.
Tom Jones - 16 tons
Album title (Wereldsuccessen) says it all, a Dutch compilation that I grabbed one day at a yard sale. Because Mr. Tom Jones was an international monster at his peak, a force of passion, good humour, not to be taken remotely seriously. Except maybe when he took on 16 Tons, an old mining song, his Welsh blood rising, giving voice to who knows what ghosts may have been lingering.
Clash - guns of Brixton
Yet another monster from London Calling. More than any other song, I'm thinking this is what hooked me to the Clash. Because much as I'd dug their punk and powerful raving and drooling, this was obviously something else. Reggae, I guess, but not really. Because there was way more going on here than just aping that popular Jamaican sound. Nah, Guns of Brixton was intense, rife with scattershot noise, full-on revolutionary. What do you do when the cops bust in? Face them down like the enemy they are with any means necessary.
Taj Mahal - done changed my way of living
It says 1968 on the record jacket but this is pure 1990s for me, serving as a personal anthem for a while, as I scaled back certain extremes of lifestyle, making that decision that most of us make as we see our forties looming – to not just burn out, but to age, to CHANGE. Because change is good, certainly the kind you choose to make. Like maybe opening your mind, starting to actually like the blues and hot just the heavy howling LOUD Led Zep style stuff.
Genesis - dancing with the moonlit knight
How different were things in 1973? In 1973 (with Peter Gabriel still the front man) Genesis were the definition of sophisticated, underground cool. Way too cool for local radio which barely played them. But you heard about them anyway from various cool older brothers and sisters, saw the occasional photo in Cream magazine. But it was always about the live show, like Alice Cooper apparently, except way more mature. So when I finally heard them, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. How could it be? It was unlike anything I'd ever heard before. So delicate and then not. So powerful and mysterious. The album was Selling England by the Pound. The first song was Dancing with the Moonlit Knight. Like slipping into a dense and beautiful dream that you weren't ready for, but here it was happening anyway.
Badfinger - carry on till tomorrow
I've mentioned the tragedy that is Badfinger already. Two suicides, the two guys that wrote this song as a matter of fact. But let's not hang on that. Let's hang on how beautiful it is, how accomplished. And how glad I am they gave it to the culture, the world, me ultimately. Because I always seem keep carrying on. Doesn't seem to be any other option.
Byrds - everybody's been burned
Because it's true. If it hasn't happened to you already, it will. Love will find you, fill you with heavenly light and eventually burn you, maybe tear you apart.
Aztec Camera - jump
It's difficult to put into words how much I hated Van Halen when they were at their peak. So maybe just let this cover speak for me, the way it takes the piss out of the monster hit that was Jump, and yet improves on it by serving it up as soft rock, and then it all explodes anyway. Beautiful.
Deep Purple - lazy [randoEDIT]
Memories of John Masterson, friend of my older brother, definitely a wild one. He had a souped up Datsun 510 that he loved to bomb around in, so he'd give me rides places just to have an excuse to open it up, burn rubber, go fast. And I swear he always had the same 8-Track playing, Deep Purple Made In Japan, and it was always the same song. Not the obvious one, Highway Star. Nah, John Masterson was hooked on Lazy.
The Edge + Sinead O'Connor - heroine
Interesting that this gem came out in 1987, before Joshua Tree. Inspires thoughts of an alternate pop-history of the last fifteen or so years. The Edge falls for Sinead, splits U2. And the two of them go on to overthrow the Pope, take over the Vatican, end up ruling the world. Bono meanwhile has nothing to better to do so he joins Van Halen after David Lee Roth bails. Satan retires, moves to Calgary. A thousand years of peace ensue.
Wall of Voodoo - lost weekend
As I remember it, Wall of Voodoo started out wanting to make movie soundtrack music, but somewhere along the line, they just started making their own movies, in the form of songs. I mean, Lost Weekend may be only four of so minutes long on record, but it's feature length where it matters, in my soul. Smoke a little dope, pour yourself some Scotch and you can see the whole thing play out.
Wings - let me roll it
Apparently this one was written at John Lennon, part of an ongoing feud that had been going on since before the Beatles split. Lennon's attack songs tended to be full-on nasty, like bitchy little swipes at a former lover. But Paul was nice. He never really sank to that level. Instead, he tended to just do a "John", spit out some generic bile in a John sort of way. Which in the case of Let Me Roll It gave us one of the truly great post-Beatles Beatles songs.
Van Morrison - snow in San Anselmo
The experts seem to have pegged this album as a disappointment. Not me. I remember it as Side B of the Van Morrison cassette I found in the closet of my new place, 1983, standing on its end on the windowsill, like the previous tenant was offering it as a gift. And it probably was. Side A had Moondance on it, which I already knew (sort of), various selections in fairly steady rotation on radio through the 70s. But not Hard Nose. Hard Nose was all new to me when I finally got around to playing it, totally on a whim, coming down off some okay acid, early morning hours, too exhausted to do anything, too wired to sleep. And there it was (on a different shelf now), cued to Snow in San Anselmo. Like an offering from God, or just some friend I never met.
Alice Cooper - hard hearted Alice
It occurs to me that there are three selections from Muscle of Love on this list, not that I'm apologizing. They're all damned good with Hard Hearted Alice ranking the highest, so it must be the best: moody, cool, yet not afraid to show a few fangs. But I guess the audience was growing up at this point (I know I was), getting less fascinated with all things gory, gothic, gruesome (other things that start with G), maturing into the likes of Elton John, Electric Light Orchestra, The Eagles (other things that start with E). Because Muscle of Love was definitely the end of something. Yeah, there would still be Alice Cooper albums for some time, but the group was finished. That is, Mike Bruce, Glen Buxton, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith and a guy named Alice (who sang lead, sometimes wore dresses, and was known to smash baby dolls to pieces) would no longer make beautiful-ugly music together. Now it would be just Alice (and various industry pros) and not much to get excited about.
Orb - earth [gaia]
You've probably noticed there's not much stuff on this list from the 1990s even though the cut-off date is 2000. That's because I generally didn't buy new vinyl past about 1989. Is this fair to the 1990s? No. And I'm sorry about that. Sorry, decade. This list is not fair. This list does not do you justice. This list is not definitive. Yet it does have some Orb on it, from 1991's The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld, because I had to have that on vinyl, all four sides of it, something I could look at BIG, while it played BIG, not unlike the known (and unknown) universe.
Posted by Randophonic at 1:30 PM
oops! some Randophonic podcasts M.I.A.
Countdown #31 - hanging around
Countdown #30 - the way of the world


text:
Incidence and disease prevalence for hematologic neoplasms in Poland (2009–2015) as determined on the analysis of the National Health Fund data used in the project 'Maps of healthcare needs — database of systemic and implementation analyses'
Bożena Katarzyna Budziszewska12, Barbara Więckowska34, Ewa Lech-Marańda12, Tomasz Mikołajczyk3, Janusz Dagiel3, Wiesław Wiktor Jędrzejczak5
Hematologia 2017;8(2):89-104.
Klinika Hematologii, Instytut Hematologii i Transfuzjologii, Warszawa, Poland
Departament Analiz i Strategii, Ministerstwo Zdrowia, Warszawa, Poland
Katedra Ubezpieczenia Społecznego, Szkoła Główna Handlowa, Warszawa, Poland
Katedra i Klinika Hematologii, Onkologii i Chorób Wewnętrznych, Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny, Warszawa, Poland
In Poland, there is a shortage of statistical data regarding neoplasia of hematopoietic system. There is an unmet demand for epidemiological data concerning such cancers stemming from both scientific and health care management reasons. As all medical services for patients with these disorders are reported to the National Health Fund (NFZ) the aim of this study was to use NFZ data for determining incidence and prevalence of neoplasia of myelopoietic part of hematopoietic system in Poland, as well as defining the overall survival (OS) in affected patients. This work was performed under the project 'Map of healthcare needs — database of systemic and implementation analyses' co-funded by the European Union Social Fund from the Operational Programme for the Development of Knowledge and Education. The incidence rate in 2014 for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) was 4.1/100,000 whilst the registered disease prevalence rate was 10.9/100,000. The median OS during 2009–2015 for AML — reported patients was 6 months and the 3- and 5-year OS was estimated as respectively being 26.5% and 23.4%. For chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) the incidence and disease prevalence rates were 1.0/100,000 and 7.2/100,000 respectively, and those for Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN Ph–) were 8.9/100,000 and 55.9/100,000 respectively, whilst those for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) were 3.8/100,000 and 11.5/100,000 respectively. In patients reported as having CML, the 3- and 5-year OS was 76.2% and 68.1% respectively. In patients reported as having MPN Ph(–), the 3- and 5-year OS was 86.6% and 78.6% respectively. The median OS for patients reported as having MDS was 30 months and the probability of patients achieving 3- and 5-year OS was 45.8% and 36.1% respectively. Data reported to the NFZ for reimbursement of medical services provided seem to be the most reliable concerning such large patient population. Yet, there are still prone to errors arising from the mis-coding of cancers and to limited compatibility of the ICD-10th Revision (International Classification of Diseases) to current World Health Organization classification, Nevertheless, our data are similar to the European and USA registers regarding AML and MDS. However, in the case of MPNs (CML excluding) they require further verification.
registered incidence, registered disease prevalence, probability of overall survival, acute myeloid leukemia, myeloproliferative neoplasms, myelodysplastic syndrome
registered incidence
registered disease prevalence
probability of overall survival
myeloproliferative neoplasms
Bożena Katarzyna Budziszewska
Barbara Więckowska
Tomasz Mikołajczyk
Janusz Dagiel
Wiesław Wiktor Jędrzejczak
Więckowska B, Koń B, Dagiel J. et al. Choroby onkologiczne w Polsce — wyniki modelu prognostycznego na lata 2015–2025. In: Więckowska B. ed. Onkologia. Vol. 1. Proces leczenia w Polsce — analizy i modele. Ministerstwo Zdrowia, Warszawa 2015: 292.
http://www.mapypotrzebzdrowotnych.mz.gov.pl/mapy-dla-30-grup-chorob/ (30.06.2017).
R Core Team. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, 2016. https://www.R-project.org/ (30.06.2017).
RStudio Team. RStudio: integrated development for R. RStudio Inc., Boston. http://www.rstudio.com/ (30.06.2017).
Dowle M, Srinivasan A. data.table: Extension of 'data.frame'. R package version 1.10.4. https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=data.table (30.06.2017).
Wickham H. ggplot2: elegant graphics for data analysis. Springer-Verlag, New York 2016. http://ggplot2.org (30.06.2017).
Therneau T. A package for survival analysis in S. version 2.38. 2015. http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=survival (30.06.2017).
Therneau T, Grambsch PM. Modeling survival data: extending the Cox model. Springer, New York 2000.
https://seer.cancer.gov/ (30.06.2017).
Sant M, Allemani C, Tereanu C, et al. HAEMACARE Working Group. Incidence of hematologic malignancies in Europe by morphologic subtype: results of the HAEMACARE project. Blood. 2010; 116(19): 3724–3734.
Seferyńska I, Warzocha K. Raport z rejestru zachorowań na ostre białaczki u osób dorosłych w Polsce w latach 2004–2010 prowadzonego przez Instytut Hematologii i Transfuzjologii w imieniu Polskiej Grupy ds. Leczenia Białaczek u Dorosłych (PALG). Hematologia. 2014; 5: 162–172.
Juliusson G, Lazarevic V, Hörstedt AS, et al. Swedish Acute Leukemia Registry Group. Acute myeloid leukemia in the real world: why population-based registries are needed. Blood. 2012; 119(17): 3890–3899.
Gangatharan SA, Grove CS, P'ng S, et al. Acute myeloid leukaemia in Western Australia 1991–2005: a retrospective population-based study of 898 patients regarding epidemiology, cytogenetics, treatment and outcome. Intern Med J. 2013; 43(8): 903–911.
Bhayat F, Das-Gupta E, Smith C, et al. The incidence of and mortality from leukaemias in the UK: a general population-based study. BMC Cancer. 2009; 9: 252.
Maynadié M, De Angelis R, Marcos-Gragera R, et al. HAEMACARE Working Group. Survival of European patients diagnosed with myeloid malignancies: a HAEMACARE study. Haematologica. 2013; 98(2): 230–238.
Thein MS, Ershler W, Jemal A, et al. Outcome of older patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Cancer. 2013; 119(15): 2720–2727.
Medeiros BC, Satram-Hoang S, Hurst D, et al. Big data analysis of treatment patterns and outcomes among elderly acute myeloid leukemia patients in the United States. Ann Hematol. 2015; 94(7): 1127–1138.
Srour SA, Devesa SS, Morton LM, et al. Incidence and patient survival of myeloproliferative neoplasms and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms in the United States, 2001–12. Br J Haematol. 2016; 174(3): 382–396.
Rollison DE, Howlader N, Smith MT, et al. Epidemiology of myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic myeloproliferative disorders in the United States, 2001–2004, using data from the NAACCR and SEER programs. Blood. 2008; 112(1): 45–52.
Titmarsh GJ, Duncombe AS, McMullin MF, et al. How common are myeloproliferative neoplasms? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Hematol. 2014; 89(6): 581–587.
Mehta J, Wang H, Iqbal SU, et al. Epidemiology of myeloproliferative neoplasms in the United States. Leuk Lymphoma. 2014; 55(3): 595–600.
Roman E, Smith A, Appleton S, et al. Myeloid malignancies in the real-world: occurrence, progression and survival in the UK's population-based Haematological Malignancy Research Network 2004–15. Cancer Epidemiol. 2016; 42: 186–198.
Cartwright R, Ricketts T. Leukaemias and lymphoma: an atlas of distribution within areas of England and Wales 1984–88. Leukaemia Research Fundation, London 1990.
Aul C, Gattermann N, Schneider W, et al. [Myelodysplastic syndromes. The epidemiological and etiological aspects]. Dtsch Med Wochenschr. 1992; 117(33): 1223–1231.
Rådlund A, Thiede T, Hansen S, et al. Incidence of myelodysplastic syndromes in a Swedish population. Eur J Haematol. 1995; 54(3): 153–156.
Maynadié M, Verret C, Moskovtchenko P, et al. Epidemiological characteristics of myelodysplastic syndrome in a well-defined French population. Br J Cancer. 1996; 74(2): 288–290.
Drozd-Sokołowska JE, Mądry K, Waszczuk-Gajda A, et al. Are myelodysplastic syndromes underdiagnosed in Poland? A report by the Polish Adult Leukaemia Group. Eur J Haematol. 2017; 98(2): 154–159.


text:
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The Goddess of Nothing At All by Cat Rector
October 4, 2021 October 14, 2021 / Sue's Musings
Today I am excited to be part of the blog tour for The Goddess of Nothing At All, a Norse fantasy by Cat Rector, organised by Storytellers on Tour. Thank you so much Justine and Timy for having me along on the tour. Don't miss the international giveaway and please check out the other bloggers taking part in this tour:
Series: Unwritten Runes (#1)
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Norse Myth Retelling
Content Warnings: Vulgar language, Gratuitous violence and torture, Mental, emotional, and verbal abuse, Unhappy situations for LGBTQA+ characters, Mentions of sexual coercion and rape, Death and violence involving animals, Discrimination and fantasy slurs, Death. For more, see the author's website.
Perhaps you know the myths.
Furious, benevolent Gods.
A tree that binds nine realms.
A hammer stronger than any weapon.
And someday, the end of everything.
But few have heard of me.
Looking back, it's easy to know what choices I might have made differently. At least it feels that way. I might have given up on my title. Told my father he was useless, king of gods or no, and left Asgard. Made a life somewhere else.
Maybe I would never have let Loki cross my path. Never have fallen in love.
But there's no going back.
We were happy once.
And the price for that happiness was the end of everything.
I read this book on my kindle, thank you very much to Justine, Timy and Cat Rector for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Tread carefully – this book WILL destroy you emotionally! However, I mean that in a really good way – sometimes we humans need to be forced to feel emotions just to jolt us out of our complacency and make us think – and this book certainly made me think. It left me with a book hangover for days after I finished it, and no amount of Bloody Marys or Hair of the Dog can cure a book hangover.
The Goddess of Nothing At All is a Norse dark fantasy told entirely in first person, from the perspective of a little known goddess named Sigyn. Sigyn is Odin the Alfather's daughter, yet he fails to acknowledge her status as a goddess and grant her a title. She longs for his recognition and goes to Loki, the God of Lies and Chaos for help on the advice of their mutual friend, the goddess Idunn. Poor Idunn is such an innocent, loving friend to them both and really has no idea what she is setting in motion by suggesting these two characters get to know one another!
Loki saves Sigyn's life and shows her his kind and generous side but he is still a trickster, someone to be cautious of, the kind of person you should really run a mile from before you start to care for them… They discover they have much in common as both have been treated unfairly by Odin and soon Loki and Sigyn are falling head over heels in love, despite warnings from pretty much everyone else in Asgard and unfortunately her fate and heartbreakingly, that of her children, is sealed.
Sigyn slowly comes to realize that however hard she studies or trains as a fighter, capricious Odin will never give her the title she so desperately craves:
Odin leaned forward in the chair, glaring down with that one eye, a scowl under his grey-streaked beard. His pet ravens rustled and squawked from the back of the throne. "I'm waiting for you to show me something worth rewarding, and I haven't seen it yet, not in the least. Give up on this maddening chase; I'll tell you when you're ready."
A great number of the well-known Norse myths are intertwined with the main story of this book, such as Loki cutting off Sif's hair; how Thor got his hammer; the theft of Thor's hammer; Loki using Freya's falcon cloak; Thor as a bride; Loki having his lips sewn shut by dwarves; Loki and the goat (!), Sleipnir's origin story and many more. I enjoyed coming upon each of these and recognising them, and was impressed by how the author was able to fit them into her story so seamlessly. You do not need prior knowledge of these myths in order to enjoy the book, but if you do know them it is fun to find them interspersed through the main story of Sigyn and Loki's tumultuous lives.
It's hard to believe this is Cat Rector's debut novel – it's so well written. An impressive amount of research has clearly gone into it and the characterisation is very deeply portrayed and utterly believable.
We see Loki the Trickster as a victim, since he tells Sigyn things about his life that he would never tell anyone else. He is a devastatingly tragic character who sees rebellion and chaos as his only defences – and they lead to more pain and destruction for both his enemies and loved ones than he can possibly imagine.
I knew the story of Sleipnir, the eight legged horse's conception – but the way it is retold here and it's timing in terms of Sigyn's pregnancy with their firstborn son is heartbreaking and almost brings an end to their relationship. Their love is strong, however and Sigyn forgives him. She is happy for her shapeshifting beloved to be male or female – whatever Loki desires as long as he/she is able to stick around the next time they have a baby.
Sigyn has been written as an amazingly loyal, brave and feisty woman – she has a fantastic depth and strength of character and seems to always know exactly the right words to say to Loki and her sons in the many emotionally charged situations they share. She swallows her pride/horror and buckles down to whatever is needed to protect and preserve her little family, whether that means standing up to her father, the fearsome Odin, or nursing and healing Loki when the dwarves have been allowed to sew his mouth shut. Loki puts her through so much turmoil and still she keeps going for the sake of the children. She is an absolute Mama Bear who will do whatever it takes to protect her children and help them survive without question.
Loki's wit and emotional range are on full display as well. We see him tormented, elated, frustrated and worshipful of his beloved Sigyn. He bounces back from every horror thrown his way, yet remembers them, storing them up and holding them against the other gods. Who can blame him when he occasionally tries to get his own back a little. More often than not his vengeance attempts are foiled and he finds himself punished even more by these cruel, unyielding gods.
Loki is put in a position where he makes a terrible choice and Idunn pays the price. This has unbearable consequences which are finally too much for Sigyn to put up with:
"How the fuck could I? I'm here, day in and day out, sticking up for you. Protecting you. And you're keeping secrets I can't pry out of you. How could I ever understand? You won't let me. I'm just your moronic wife, too simple to understand complicated, tortured Loki."
They are tethered to one another but Sigyn is unable to forgive Loki and life turns nightmarish for her. Deep down she still loves him but thinks she can never forgive him for what happened to her best friend Idunn.
To the Norse gods manliness and strength as a warrior are everything and they do not tolerate effeminate men. This kind of intolerance is clearly an unacceptable way of thinking to both the author and her main characters. When her son, Vali admits to Sigyn he is gay she is immediately accepting, opening her house to his boyfriend, but is equally sympathetic to his concerns about coming out in such a toxic environment:
"You and I both know what people in this city think. The worst thing you can be is a man who doesn't act like one. The things they say about Loki! That he's argr, that he sleeps with beasts and lets men use him. They used to tell me that every single day, made sure I knew it, until I beat one of them so badly, he didn't wake up until resurrections the next day."
One of the author's strengths is dialogue. The conversations between Loki and Sigyn are so well-written and believable. You can imagine how frustrating and devastating it must be being married to the God of Lies, second guessing everything he has to say. The author also gives Sigyn a wonderful, poetic turn of phrase:
There's a silent knowing to mourning. A sadness that falls into place like a mist, and it's so thick that the only way to see through it is to sit close and stay together.
There were quotations at the beginning of each chapter, setting the scene for what was to come, which I really liked, and a glossary of Norse terms at the back of the book. I think the glossary of Norse terms could have been better placed at the beginning of the book, as I was unaware of its existence until about halfway through reading the book.
In conclusion, this story is both devastating and unputdownable, at times heart-warming and at others it will make you want to scream. An emotional ride to say the least! I really can't wait to read the sequel – but not before I have had some recovery time, please!!
***International Giveaway !***
Prize: A hardcover copy of The Goddess of Nothing At All by Cat Rector
Starts: September 29th, 2021 at 12:00am EST
Ends: October 6th, 2021 at 11:59pm EST
Click here or on the banner below to enter.
Cat Rector grew up in a small Nova Scotian town and could often be found simultaneously reading a book and fighting off muskrats while walking home from school. She devours story in all its forms, loves messy, morally grey characters, and writes about the horrors that we inflict on each other. Currently, she lives in Belgium with her spouse. When she's not writing, you can find her playing video games, spending time with loved ones, or staring at her To Be Read pile like it's going to read itself.
The Goddess of Nothing At All is her debut novel.
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Neth, Norichika and myself met in Beijing and interacted with other Asian NGO and CSO colleauges on the issues related to Rio 2012. UNEP colleague from Bangkok shared with us the schedules of the sub-regional Rio 2012 meetings. We discussed issues related to some options of IEG strengthening including UNEP upgrading, expansion of UNEP national and regional programme portofolio, global convention on access to env. info/decision making/justice, and the UN sustainable development council. The report will be shared with you shortly.
My office, IGES plans to hold an Interational Forum for Asia and Pacific in Yokohama, Japan from 26 - 27 July 2011. I have been struggling to secure funds to sponsor the participants, but so far not successful. However, Atiq Rahman, Norichika and myself plan to meet there with some other IGES colleagues to discuss the issues. If any of other members can join us, we will certainly welcome you.
We will post the details of the Conference shortly. In the meantime, if you have any comment/suggestion, please let me know.
p.s. I thank you for those who sent me kind words wishing me safety and recovery in connection with the disaster that hits Japan last March. I apologize if my response didn't reach you in a timely manner due to the technical problems. We need to keep close eyes on nuclear issues while advancing reconstruction. My office has launched a research programme on this topic as well, and hope to support disaster mitigation/reconstruction processes and provide lessons useful for the international community.
Thank you, Masanori, for stimulating Asian regional activities. Based on the recent traumatic events in Japan, do you have any concrete suggestions for strengthening contingency planning and emergency response in IEG?


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Stephanitis is a genus of lace bugs in the family Tingidae. There are at least 90 described species in Stephanitis.

Species
These 90 species belong to the genus Stephanitis:

 Stephanitis agaica Drake, 1960
 Stephanitis ambigua Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis amboinae Drake & Poor, 1941
 Stephanitis anapetes Drake & Ruhoff, 1965
 Stephanitis aperta Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis assamana Drake & Maa, 1954
 Stephanitis astralis Drake & Poor, 1941
 Stephanitis aucta Drake, 1942
 Stephanitis bankana Drake
 Stephanitis bhutanensis Péricart, 1985
 Stephanitis blatchleyi Drake, 1925
 Stephanitis caucasica Kiritshenko, 1939
 Stephanitis charieis Drake & Mohanasundarum, 1961
 Stephanitis chinensis Drake, 1948
 Stephanitis chlorophana (Fieber, 1861)
 Stephanitis cinnamomae Livingstone & Jeyanthibai, 1994
 Stephanitis colocasiae Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis decasperni Guilbert, 2006-30
 Stephanitis depressa Blöte, 1945
 Stephanitis desecta Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis drakei Takeya, 1963
 Stephanitis esakii Takeya, 1931
 Stephanitis exigua Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis farameae Drake & Hambleton, 1935
 Stephanitis fasciicarina Takeya, 1931
 Stephanitis formosa Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis gallarum Horváth, 1906
 Stephanitis gracilenta Péricart, 1986
 Stephanitis gressitti Drake, 1948
 Stephanitis hakkodasana Takeya, 1963
 Stephanitis hikosana Drake, 1948
 Stephanitis hiurai Takeya, 1963
 Stephanitis hoberlandti B.Lis, 2002-30
 Stephanitis hydrangeae Drake & Maa, 1955
 Stephanitis illicii Jing, 1989
 Stephanitis indiana Drake
 Stephanitis kardia Drake & Ruhoff, 1960
 Stephanitis kyushuana Drake
 Stephanitis laratana Drake, 1948
 Stephanitis laudata Drake & Poor, 1953
 Stephanitis lauri Rietschel, 2014-01
 Stephanitis ligrya Drake, 1960
 Stephanitis ligyra Drake, 1960
 Stephanitis luzonana Drake, 1948
 Stephanitis macaona Drake, 1948
 Stephanitis macranthai Livingstone & Jeyanthibai, 1994
 Stephanitis matsumurae Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis mendica Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis mitrata (Stal, 1858)
 Stephanitis miyamotoi Takeya, 1963
 Stephanitis morimotoi Takeya, 1963
 Stephanitis nashi Esaki & Takeya, 1931
 Stephanitis nitor Drake & Poor, 1937
 Stephanitis nitoris Drake & Poor, 1937
 Stephanitis oberti (Kolenati, 1856)
 Stephanitis olyrae Drake & Hambleton, 1935
 Stephanitis oschanini Vasiliev, 1935
 Stephanitis othnius Drake & Ruhoff, 1965
 Stephanitis outouana Drake & Maa, 1953
 Stephanitis pagana Drake & Maa, 1953
 Stephanitis parana Drake & Hambleton, 1944
 Stephanitis princeps (Distant, 1910)
 Stephanitis propinqua Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis pyri (Fabricius, 1775)
 Stephanitis pyrioides (Scott, 1874) (azalea lace bug)
 Stephanitis queenslandensis Hacker, 1927
 Stephanitis querca Bergroth, 1924
 Stephanitis rhododendri Horvath, 1905 (rhododendron lace bug)
 Stephanitis rhododrendri Horváth, 1905
 Stephanitis rozanovi Golub & Popov, 2003
 Stephanitis scotti Takeya, 1963
 Stephanitis shintenana Drake
 Stephanitis shirakii Miyamoto, 1964
 Stephanitis sondaica Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis sordida Distant, 1909
 Stephanitis sparsa Péricart, 1984
 Stephanitis steeleae Drake & Maa, 1954
 Stephanitis subfaciata Horváth, 1912
 Stephanitis subfasciata Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis suffusa (Distant, 1903)
 Stephanitis svensoni Drake, 1948
 Stephanitis tabidula Horvath, 1912
 Stephanitis takeyai Drake & Maa, 1955 (Andromeda lace bug)
 Stephanitis typica (Distant, 1903)
 Stephanitis veridica Drake, 1948
 Stephanitis vietnamensis Guilbert, 2015-12
 Stephanitis watanabei Takeya, 1963
 Stephanitis wittmeri Péricart, 1985
 Stephanitis yasumatsui Takeya, 1951
 Stephanitis yunnana Drake & Maa, 1955

References

Further reading

External links

Tingidae
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