text:
History of Grindle Point Lighthouse, Islesboro, Maine
© Jeremy D'Entremont. Do not reproduce any images or text from this website without permission of the author.
More information: Front page / Photos / Bibliography / Cruises / Postcards
Click here for a gallery of Grindle Point Light photos on SmugMug (prints and gift items available)
Click here for a gallery of Grindle Point Light photos on Shutterfly (prints available)
Gilkey's Harbor is one of the best on the coast of Maine. Easy of access, it is large, with plenty of water for the largest class of vessels. - John Pendleton Farrow, History of Islesborough, Maine, 1893
The first (1851) lighthouse at Grindle Point in a circa 1859 view (National Archives)
Islesboro, once known as Long Island, is a 13-mile long, narrow island in upper Penobscot Bay. Technically, the town of Islesboro encompasses North and South Islesboro, which are joined by a narrow strip of land, as well as Seven Hundred Acre Island, Job Island, Warren Island, and several others. The largest commercial shipping fleet in the bay was based at Islesboro in the nineteenth century.
More recently, the island has been known as a haunt for the rich; in the early 1900s it was frequented by the likes of J.P. Morgan. In recent years, actors John Travolta and Kirstie Alley have been among those who live part-time on Islesboro.
After a Congressional appropriation of $3500 in March 1848, a light station was established at Grindle Point on South Islesboro's west coast in 1851 to aid mariners entering Gilkey Harbor. The deep and spacious harbor is named for an early settler, John Gilkey, who came to Islesboro in 1772. Gilkey's house long served as a landmark for passing mariners.
The first lighthouse consisted of a one-and-one-half-story brick dwelling with a lantern on its roof. It was built for $3100.16 on land purchased for $105 by the government from Francis Grindle (sometimes spelled Grindel).
Early 1900s (National Archives)
Francis Grindle succeeded the first keeper, Rufus Dunning, as keeper in 1853. Grindle, who was originally from Mount Desert, went to sea at a young age and achieved the title of master mariner. Grindle died in 1857 at the age of 73.
Nelson Gilkey, who also served stints as Islesboro's postmaster and town clerk, was the keeper from 1861 to 1869. His older brother, Avery Gilkey, was in charge in 1872 when a report by the local inspector found the station poorly kept. The lamp burned dimly, according the inspector, and "had not the brilliancy of an ordinary family lamp, at four miles distance."
Gilkey showed "no interest in his duty" and spent most of his time at the grocery store and post office, wrote the inspector. Avery Gilkey was removed as keeper later that year.
The present (1874) lighthouse is a 39-foot-tall square brick tower attached by a covered walkway (part of the original dwelling) to a one-and-one-half-story keeper's house. A boathouse was built in 1886, a 16- by 24-foot barn was built in 1892, and an oil house was added in 1906. The oil house remains standing, a good distance away from the lighthouse. The station received a 1,000-pound fog bell, rung by hand, in 1897.
James E. Hall, who had been an assistant keeper and then principal keeper at Matinicus Rock, became keeper at Grindle Point in 1908. Hall was killed in a rock blasting accident at the station in 1916.
Willam C. Dodge, keeper in the 1920s and '30s, had a collie named Tray who learned to sound the fog bell by pulling a rope with his teeth whenever a vessel passed the lighthouse.
In 1934, Grindle Point Light was deactivated and replaced by a nearby light on a skeleton tower. The lighthouse and grounds became the property of the Town of Islesboro for $1,200 and the keeper's house was converted into the Sailor's Memorial Museum, which opened in 1938.
The people of Islesboro convinced the Coast Guard to relight Grindle Point Light in 1987. A solar-powered optic was installed with a flashing green light, and the skeleton tower was removed.
A 1,000-pound fog bell was put on display in front of the lighthouse. Grindle Point Light remains an active aid to navigation maintained by the Coast Guard.
The Sailor's Memorial Museum is open in summer. There is a public beach on the island and roads for driving, biking or hiking, with beautiful views of the Penobscot Bay and the Camden Hills.
Inside the Sailor's Memorial Museum
The ferry from Lincolnville Beach docks right next to the lighthouse, so there's no need to bring your car if lighthouse viewing is your main goal.
You can also see Grindle Point Light distantly from the ferry landing at Lincolnville Beach.
Keepers: (This list is a work in progress. If you have any information on the keepers of this lighthouse, I'd love to hear from you. You can email me at nelights@gmail.com. Anyone copying this list onto another web site does so at their own risk, as the list is always subject to updates and corrections.)
Rufus Dunning (1850-1853?), Francis Grindle (1853?-1856?), Mansfield Clarke (1856), Charles Nash (1856-1861), Nelson Gilkey (1861-1869), Avery Gilkey (1869-1872), Seth H. Higgins (1872-1876), Isaac Hatch (1876-1894), Ira D. Trundy (1894-1908), James E. Hall (1908-1916); Edward K. Tapley (1916-1919); William H. C. Dodge (c. 1921-1934)


text:
Józef Lewicki OSBM (zm. 15 czerwca 1730 w Poczajowie) – duchowny greckokatolicki, bazylianin. W latach 1700–1710 superior bazyliańskiego monasteru w Chełmie, archimandryta żydyczyński, unicki biskup chełmski od 1711. Zarządzał unicką diecezją  łucką (1711–1715) i włodzimierską (1730).

Był synem Bazylego herbu Rogala.

Był uczestnikiem synodu zamojskiego w 1720 roku.

Przypisy

Bibliografia

 Adam Boniecki: Herbarz polski: wiadomości historyczno-genealogiczne o rodach szlacheckich. Cz. 1. T. 14. Warszawa : Warszawskie Towarzystwo Akcyjne S. Orgelbranda S[yn]ów), 1911, s. 186.

Archimandryci klasztorów bazyliańskich I Rzeczypospolitej
Biskupi bazyliańscy
Biskupi chełmscy (Kościół greckokatolicki)
Biskupi Kościoła unickiego w I Rzeczypospolitej
Józef Lewicki (duchowny)
Ludzie związani z Poczajowem
Ludzie związani z Chełmem (I Rzeczpospolita)
Szlachta greckokatolicka w I Rzeczypospolitej
Uczestnicy synodu zamojskiego 1720
Zmarli w 1730

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
National Security Science »
Summer 2020 »
Behind the bamboo curtain
Latest Issue:Winter 2020
All Issues »
Only two U.S. nuclear weapons experts have officially seen the Chinese nuclear test site at Lop Nur. They were from Los Alamos.
During a 2007 exhibition at a military museum in Beijing, a security guard stands beside a screen showing a video about China's nuclear weapons research. Between 1964 and 1996, the Chinese tested 45 nuclear devices at their test site at Lop Nur.CREDIT: China Photos/Getty Images
Whitney Spivey
"More Americans have walked on the moon than have visited Lop Nur!"- John Hopkins
By Clay Dillingham
Located in hot and arid northwest China, Lop Nur was once the country's largest inland lake. As the water dried up over the first half of the 20th century, it left behind a salt-covered, windswept, largely uninhabitable landscape. In other words, a landscape ideal for testing nuclear weapons.
China established the Lop Nur Nuclear Test Base on October 16, 1959. The first Chinese nuclear bomb was detonated there exactly five years later, on October 16, 1964, making China the world's fifth nuclear power. Between 1964 and 1996, 45 nuclear tests (atmospheric and underground) were conducted at Lop Nur, including China's first hydrogen bomb test in June 1967. China issued a formal moratorium on nuclear testing in 1996, but low-level testing may still be conducted there today.
A recent satellite image shows activity at Lop Nur. Photo: Satellite image ©2020 Maxar Technologies.
Only two U.S. nuclear weapons experts have ever officially visited Lop Nur. They were both from Los Alamos National Laboratory. The first was former Lab director Harold Agnew, who visited in 1982 when he was working as the chief executive officer of General Atomics. Then, in June 1990, weapons physicist John Hopkins traveled to China. He was joined by his wife, Adele (a plutonium chemist), Terry Hawkins (then a Laboratory intelligence analyst), Danny Stillman (then the head of Laboratory intelligence), and Bob Daniels (then head of intelligence at the Department of Energy [DOE]).
"When we went into the town near the test site, the children wanted to touch my face, feel my skin, look into my round eyes," Hawkins remembers. "They'd never seen a person who looked like me."
Hopkins agrees. "More Americans have walked on the moon than have visited Lop Nur!"
In this interview, Hopkins and Hawkins—both now in their 80s (and the only two of the six Americans who officially visited Lop Nur who are still living)—share their memories of what it was like peering behind the bamboo curtain and seeing the secret China protected the most—its nuclear weapons program.
American visitors have accessed the Lop Nur test site by flying into Ürümqi, China. Ürümqi (population 3.5 million) claims to be the most remote big city from any sea in the world.
China has always been secretive about its nuclear weapons programs. Why were you invited to Lop Nur?
Hopkins: In 1989, Yang Fuchai, who was the head of physics at Fudon University in Shanghai, met with Jay Keyworth at the Lab. Jay was the head of the Lab's Physics Division. [Keyworth later became President Reagan's scientific advisor.] The physics program at Fudon University was a major source of physicists for the Chinese nuclear weapons program. Yang was very closely associated with China's nuclear weapons program. I met Yang when he met with Jay, and Yang invited me to visit Fudon, but the trip didn't happen due to the Tiananmen Square massacre [when the Chinese government forcibly shut down a series of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in Beijing].
So, the next year, Yang invited me again. Sig Hecker was the Laboratory director at that point. I talked to Sig about this invitation, and I said that I thought someone from the Lab's intelligence group ought to go. That's how Danny Stillman made the list, and he brought Terry along. I also thought getting permission to go from the DOE would be easier if someone from DOE intelligence could go with us, and that's how Bob Daniels joined us.
When it came to working out the trip's itinerary, the Chinese said they were going to take us out to their nuclear test site at Lop Nur. They told me to "tell your wife she won't want to come because it's very primitive out there." But she said, "Absolutely no! I want to go, and I'm going." So, that was that. Adele was the first, maybe the last, non-Chinese woman to visit the Lop Nur test site.
The Chinese must have been aware of your positions in the national security world. What do you think they knew about you?
Hawkins: As an analyst, I had been studying the Chinese nuclear test program before I came to Los Alamos. I knew what they were doing, and I knew that the Chinese knew me.
Hopkins: Yes, the Chinese knew an enormous amount about us. Our Chinese hosts liked to tease poor Bob Daniels. When they were having dinner with us, our Chinese hosts would sometimes ask, "Oh, Mr. Daniels, we don't understand what you do. Could you please tell us what you do?" Well, they knew he was head of DOE intelligence. They didn't tease us this way, but they did tease Daniels. These guys knew everything about what we did—probably what dry cleaners we used.
Hawkins: Daniels thought he knew how to impress people. He presented the Chinese with little gifts: pens with Department of Energy logos. He gave five or six to some very senior Chinese people. But the next day, they came in, and they had big blue spots on their shirts. These pens that he'd given them had leaked like sieves!
Hopkins: One evening at dinner they asked my wife about a paper she had written 20 years before. I'd forgotten that she'd even written it. They were just telling us that they knew all about us. The Chinese knew everything there was to know about us from the open literature. They'd done their homework.
But why would they want you to know they'd done the homework?
Hopkins: I think they wanted to show us how good they were, how smart they were. Our trip was made during the summer, in June. It was very hot, dry, and dusty at the Chinese site. The first day, when we got back to the hotel, my wife said, "I wish I could have a glass of ice water." Well, two minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and a guy with a tray said, "We thought you might like a glass of ice water." Well, that immediately tipped us off that our room was bugged.
Not long after that, one afternoon after we got back to the hotel, I made use of our discovery. I said to my wife, "Gosh, I wish we could eat a dinner at a Chinese restaurant." You see, each night for dinner, the Chinese had been feeding our little group of five at a table right in the middle of a big, empty ballroom. Well, no surprise, about an hour or so later, when we went downstairs for dinner, the host said, "We thought maybe tonight you'd like to eat at a Chinese restaurant!"
But we managed to surprise them, too. They'd asked me to give a talk about Los Alamos testing while we were out at their test site, and I did. At the end of my talk one of the Chinese guys asked a question, in English, but I didn't understand exactly what he was getting at. So, they began animatedly chatting amongst themselves, in Chinese, how to better explain the question to this American. But then Adele, who apparently was much more perceptive than I was, said, "I think what they're interested in is blah, blah, blah."
Suddenly, they all stopped talking. You could hear a pin drop. They were absolutely thunderstruck. The Chinese looked at each other, then they looked at her, and one of them said, "Oh, you understand Chinese."
Well, she didn't. But it was clear they were convinced she'd been listening to their conversation and understood everything they said. They were shocked that she knew Chinese, and, in addition, were embarrassed they hadn't found this incredibly important fact about her during their research.
As we were leaving, I said to her, "Don't admit a thing." And she didn't. For years afterwards, we got Christmas cards from them. And, each one had a little paragraph in Chinese, just for her. It might say, "We hope your family is well…" or something similar.
Talk about your journey to the test site.
Hawkins: We flew into Ürümqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region and the city that is farthest away from any sea in the world. It's a huge city. It's also in the news frequently because it's in the center of the disputes between the ethnic Han Chinese and Muslim Uyghurs. Currently, the ruling Chinese Communist Party is putting tens of thousands of the Uyghurs into huge detention and concentration camps.
Hopkins: One of the more surreal images I recall was at one of their truck stops along the major highway (really just a dirt road) to the test site. It was late at night when we pulled in, and very hot. We drove up to a simple, small, cinderblock building painted blue. I could see inside. There was a single, naked light bulb hanging down, revealing these Chinese truck drivers sitting around a color TV … and they were intently watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie that was dubbed into Chinese. I couldn't imagine how Communist Chinese TV got a hold of it or what was going through the minds of those tough-looking truck drivers as they watched a show about life in 1870s Minnesota.
What is the Lop Nur test site like?
Hopkins: The morning we arrived, the buildings smelled like fresh paint. They'd been busy into the night painting the walls and installing new carpeting.
Hawkins: It's an enormous area—nearly 39,000 square miles [for comparison, America's Nevada National Security Site, formerly the Nevada Test Site, is 1,351 square miles]. They showed us a series of vertical shafts for testing nuclear devices, similar to the ones we used in Nevada.
Hopkins: I asked their designers if they needed to test nuclear weapons. And they told me, "As long as we need nuclear weapons, we need to test them."
I counted the diagnostic cables coming out of one or two of their shafts. Their cabling was about the same number as ours. And they appeared to be high-quality fiber optic cables.
They had much harder rock than we have in Nevada. Everything for them seemed to be harder. It took them about a year to drill a shaft. It took us a month or so, maybe a few months, depending on the depth of it. They just had less equipment. If the scientists out at the Nevada Test Site wanted three bulldozers at ground zero tomorrow at 8 o'clock, three bulldozers would be there at 8 o'clock. I didn't think the Chinese could do that.
In Nevada, we were shooting in rock that was like Styrofoam. They had granite. Also, their water table was about 12 or 15 feet down. So, they had to either pump out the hole or make waterproof canisters to contain their nuclear explosions. Mostly, they did the latter. We were always fortunate in that, in Nevada, we had a deep water table.
Hawkins: They were very concerned about their tests breaching. Before they moved into testing in granite, they had one shot in dolomite, which is a carbonaceous material. It generated so much carbon dioxide when the test went off that the detonation blew the shaft apart, spreading contamination all over. That was a major surprise for them and a big disaster.
The Lop Nur test site is the equivalent of the Nevada National Security Site (formerly the Nevada Test Site) north of Las Vegas, Nevada. Between 1951 and 1992, the U.S. tested 928 nuclear devices at Nevada using more advanced and efficient techniques and equipment (shown here) than the Chinese.
So, they were concerned about the environment?
Hawkins: No, I think it was a programmatic concern. When you blow out a shaft like that, it contaminates your whole testing area, which ruins it. The mistake is costly and puts your testing program behind.
Did you see the inside of their testing tunnels? [Testing in horizontal tunnels is often done to investigate weapons effects on items placed inside the tunnel.]
Hawkins: Yes. And although I tried to be careful, the general who was escorting me noticed I was pacing off the distance from the entrance. He smiled and said, "You don't have to do that. I'll tell you how many meters it is."
Hopkins: It turns out, without coordinating, both Danny and I were also pacing it. It is interesting to finally see the things that you've been studying the satellite photographs of for years.
Hawkins: It's really incredible that they actually let us go inside and told us the length. We went all the way up to the shot point, the detonation point. That was significant. The distance from there to the tunnel entrance relates to a weapon's yield. So they were, in effect, letting us know about their yields.
It also gave us an idea of their mining prowess, and, along with other insights, it told us how they went about engineering their tunnels for nuclear tests.
Hopkins: They mined their tunnels with a sort of 1920s technology. When we drilled a tunnel in Nevada, we had a huge powered cylindrical drill bit, 15 feet across, that drilled into the tunnel.
Hawkins: Our tunnels looked like beautifully engineered, large, smooth highway road tunnels. Their tunnels looked more like railroad tunnels, as if a group of Chinese miners with picks and shovels dug them out, leaving rough unfinished walls.
Hopkins: Anything that required specialized equipment, like our drills, well, they were never as far along as we were.
Hawkins: And their process for loading vertical shafts? They always used the Livermore way of doing things, not the Los Alamos way.
Hopkins: Yes, I asked one of them, "How do you put your bombs down the hole?"
"We put them down with a drill pipe like Livermore does, not on a cable harness like you do." Again, just to show us that they were paying attention. How they knew the details of how the different labs tested underground is anybody's guess. But they knew it.
Besides being remote, what were advantages to Lop Nur's location?
Hawkins: The Chinese were really frightened by the Soviets possibly taking out their facilities. So, to avoid a total wipeout from a single attack, they dispersed their facilities across very great distances. It would be like having a computer division here and a physics division miles away over there, not buildings next door to one another the way they are at Los Alamos.
Hopkins: So many of their experimental areas were spread to the four winds that it took a long time to get from one place to another. This meant they couldn't easily meet up with their colleagues to share information or ask questions. They stationed facilities of 60 to 100 people all over the place. We also learned about some facilities that our intelligence folks were totally unaware of. For example, they took us to a small hydrodynamic testing facility, like the Lab's, only in miniature. They wanted us to know they were pursuing everything we would pursue in weapons science, but they didn't have the huge facilities or equipment we had.
Hawkins: They were also trying to emulate what Livermore was doing at its National Ignition Facility, researching the use of laser beams to ignite fusion. But theirs was basically half the size of Livermore's design. I asked the head of their program, "Why are you so small in comparison to Livermore in fusion research?" He replied, "We don't have the money. But we'll do all the same research. And in the end, we'll not have achieved ignition—and neither will Livermore. Yet, we will have done it for half the price." I thought that was very insightful, powerful.
Hopkins: The Chinese can afford to do anything. But they can't afford to do everything. So, they had to pick and choose across the engineering and scientific horizon whether they wanted to support this or that. Higher-priority things were in defense: rocket research, ballistic missiles, etc. These had much higher priority, for example, than an apartment building for workers. The accommodations for their workers were really primitive by our standards.
We saw a lot of their equipment, and it looked sort of like miniatures of ours. That is, where we would have a box of electronics the size of a big table, they would have one about one-quarter the size. Generally, their hardware looked much more primitive than ours. It looked like it was made by a college student.
Hawkins: That extreme separation of staff and facilities was one of the major impediments to the advancement of the Chinese weapons program. They told me they understood that was the problem. Sure enough, after the fall of the Soviet Union, they began to consolidate their facilities.
At a military museum in Beijing, visitors walk past China's Dongfeng 1 nuclear missile. Limited numbers of the DF-1 were produced in the 1960s and have since been retired. Photo: TEH ENG KOON/AFP via Getty Images
What was your impression of the people you met at the test site?
Hawkins: During the trip we took to some of their more remote places, one of the things they said was, "We have to apologize for some of the people you meet." They said, "They are some of the most brilliant people in China when it comes to physics and chemistry. They are the smartest people you will possibly meet in the world. But because of the way they're dressed, their language, their awareness of international affairs, you will go away with the idea that these are peasants." And I thought, You should see and meet some of our folks who work at Los Alamos!
Hopkins: The Chinese had lots and lots and lots of very smart people. Their theoretical design capability was larger than Livermore's plus Los Alamos'—about 600 people. One of their guys told me, "Well, you know why we're so much better than you are is that we don't have the big computers; we really have to do this on the back of an envelope. We try harder." And I was, indeed, very impressed with the quality of their scientists and engineers.
They wanted to show us what they were doing. In fact, if we didn't ask the right questions, they'd give us hints about what we should ask. That's a key part of deterrence: letting the other person know what you've got and just how dangerous you are.
Hawkins: That's the message they wanted us to bring back.
China's Dongfeng-2 (DF-2) nuclear missile was first tested at Lop Nur in the 1960s and was an active part of the Chinese stockpile until the 1980s. Pictured in 2007, this one is on display at a military museum in Beijing. Photo: TEH ENG KOON/AFP via Getty Images
Was the whole point of your visit to intimidate you?
Hawkins: They were looking for opportunities to collaborate with us. We were so far ahead of them, back then, that any kind of collaboration would have been much more to their benefit than to ours.
Hopkins: We weren't interested in any collaboration with the Chinese. But they would have welcomed it. For instance, among the things they told us is that they had done some experiments on the electromagnetic pulse from nuclear explosions. And, if we were interested in that, maybe together we could pursue researching it. We weren't, so we didn't. But it was clear to me that collaboration was something they really wanted us to do.
What were some of the key takeaways from your trip, the points the Chinese wanted to make sure you took back home?
Hawkins: This was their visit. They were going to exploit it to the fullest to serve their purposes, not ours. One of their purposes was to convince us how well they knew nuclear weapons technology.
Hopkins: And they surprised us every once in a while; some details of their nuclear weapons program really astounded us. I think they pretty well gave us an idea of everything they were working on.
Hawkins: I think so, too.
Hopkins: It was essentially everything that we were working on. It was clear that their physics of nuclear weapons was not all that far behind us. Their engineering was not so far along. In trying to make the nuclear weapons in the smallest size with the largest yield, using the smallest amount of materials—these were very difficult things that often took the best numerically controlled machines. The Chinese, in the 1990s, couldn't do it. Today they can.
Hawkins: When they stopped atmospheric tests in 1980, where we could see what they were doing, and went underground, it became necessary to invite us to see what they were doing underground.
Hopkins: Certainly, that was their agenda, to let us report back that we were looking at a competent adversary who was developing weapons very similar to what we were doing. That was their agenda. They accomplished it.
Hawkins: Since our visit, one of the things that they've done—that we haven't done—is build modern production facilities. We know from things like satellite imagery that their plutonium pit production facilities are incredibly modern. They still want us to know, at least generally, how far along they are.
So, they were happy to let you go home?
Hawkins: When we were at the airport getting ready to leave, gathering our belongings to board the plane, we suddenly noticed our plane, a big commercial jet, had moved out onto the runway and was taxiing away. This was not good. The person at the desk said that, unfortunately, we'd have to wait, maybe three or four days, because they didn't have another plane.
General Chen—he was a major general who ran the nuclear weapons program for China—he saw the plane leaving, too. General Chen pulled a little red card from his jacket, held it up, and barked some order in Chinese. I don't know what he said, but the result was like a break in billiards: uniformed Chinese sprinted off in all directions. Suddenly, we saw the plane stop on the runway. It stopped so fast that it rocked. Then, a half a dozen Chinese suddenly got off the plane … and the half a dozen of us got on.
Before we climbed aboard, General Chen asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
I said, "Yes sir!"
"Can you get me one of those little red cards you showed these guys?"
His eyes twinkled, and he said, "I won't be able to do that."
From left: John Hopkins, the director of the Lop Nur test site, and Adele Hopkins in 1990. Photo: courtesy Terry Hawkins
About John Hopkins
John Hopkins was the Laboratory's nuclear test division leader and later the Laboratory's associate director for the Nuclear Weapons Program. He participated in five atmospheric nuclear tests in the Pacific and some 170 tests at the Nevada Test Site. He has worked with the nuclear weapons programs of Britain, France, China, and Russia.
From left: Danny Stillman, the director of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, and Terry Hawkins in 1990. Photo: courtesy Terry Hawkins
About Terry Hawkins
Houston T. "Terry" Hawkins is a retired Air Force colonel and a Los Alamos National Laboratory Senior Fellow currently assigned to the Associate Laboratory Directorate for Global Security. He is an internationally recognized intelligence expert on Chinese and Russian nuclear programs.
The history issue
Presidential visits
The man who was nearly Oppenheimer
Switchable explosives
The space-clutter dilemma
Raiders of the lost archive
The Trinity test
The mission that changed the world
Generations of tradition
Why wasn't Little Boy tested?
Cold War watchmen
The mystery flash that changed astrophysics
Doomed to cooperate
Being Essential

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Planning to visit Korea in the near future? Want your trip to be well-planned, hassle-free, and more seamless? Plan your upcoming Korean trip with Korea Private Tour operators of I Am Your Guide.Net and explore Korea like never before! Enjoy the private, hassle-free, and more comfortable journey and experience the real and authentic Korean civilization and cultural richness with the private tour guides. To book one; browse http://www.iamyourguide.net/ now!


text:
Campbell shines, Walls homers in 6-2 win over Miracle
Walls drives in three in return from injured list
Paul Campbell struck out a season-high seven batters Thursday.
By John Vittas
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (May 6, 2019) - Paul Campbell turned in a gem and Taylor Walls drove in three in his return from the injured list Monday, as the Charlotte Stone Crabs beat the Fort Myers Miracle 6-1 at Charlotte Sports Park. Campbell (3-3) went 6.2 innings for the second
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (May 6, 2019) - Paul Campbell turned in a gem and Taylor Walls drove in three in his return from the injured list Monday, as the Charlotte Stone Crabs beat the Fort Myers Miracle 6-1 at Charlotte Sports Park.
Campbell (3-3) went 6.2 innings for the second straight time against the Miracle (20-11), allowing one run on four hits. He struck out six and walked one.
The Stone Crabs (15-16) wasted no time jumping on Miracle starter Edwar Colina. Jim Haley and Walls started the bottom of the first with singles to right. After a Thomas Milone walk loaded the bases, Tanner Dodson pulled a two-run single to right to give Charlotte a 2-0 lead.
After the Miracle got a run back in the top of the second, Joey Roach walked before Seaver Whalen was hit by a pitch to put two on with one out. The runners then moved to second and third on a Haley groundout. The next batter was Walls, who lifted a sacrifice fly to left, which scored Roach to make it 3-1.
Leading by that margin in the bottom of the fourth, Roach led off the frame with a line drive double to the left field corner. Two batters later, Haley yanked a double to left to score Roach and make it 4-1. The next batter was Walls, who clocked a two-run homer to right to make it 6-1.
Simon Rosenblum-Larson allowed one run on three hits over 1.2 frames before Mikey York got the final two outs to seal the victory.
The Stone Crabs will go for the series win on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Brian Shaffer (0-0, 1.82) makes the start for Charlotte, against Bryan Sammons (3-0, 0.40) of the Miracle. Coverage begins at 6:15 p.m. on the Stone Crabs Baseball Network.
Charlotte Stone Crabs
Taylor Walls
Joey Roach


text:
Contact SLJ
SLJ Content
Technology Posts
Print Issue Archive
SLJ Newsletters
SLJ Teen
Be Tween
SLJ Resources
The Digital Shift
JobZone
Adult Books 4 Teens
Connect the Pop
Some Day My Printz Will Come
Fusenews
Librarian Previews
Top 100 Children's Novels Poll
Top 100 Picture Books Poll
Fuse 8 n' Kate
Press Release Fun
Review of the Day: Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Other Poems by Jack Prelutsky
February 1, 2013 by Elizabeth Bird
Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Other Poems
By Jack Prelutsky
Illustrated by Carin Berger
Greenwillow Books (an imprint of Harper Collins)
On shelves February 26th.
To non-children's librarians the statistics are baffling. Your average poetry book isn't exactly a circ buster. It sits on the shelf for months at a time, gathering dust, biding its time. When kids come to the reference desk to ask for titles, they don't tend to ask for poetry unless they've some sort of assignment they need to fulfill. Yet for all that poetry books for kids are shelf sitters, it's hard to find a single one that hasn't gone out in the last two or three months. How to account for it? Well, there's Poetry Month (April) to begin with. That always leads to a run on the 811 portion of the library shelves. But beyond that kids read poetry in dribs and drabs over the course of the year. Maybe as Summer Reading books. Maybe as class assignments. Whatever the reason, poetry has a longevity, if not a popularity, that's enviable. Now Jack Prelutsky, our first Children's Poet Laureate and creator of Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant is following up his work with yet another delve into (in the words of Kirkus) "iambic 'pun'tameter". And while Prelutsky gives us a second round, illustrator Carin Berger steps up her game to give these hybrid birds and beasts a kick in the old artistic derriere.
Forget everything you ever knew about animals. Not since On Beyond Zebra has the world seen a menagerie quite as wild as the one on display here. Step right up, folks, and take a gander at the rare and remarkable Fountain Lion. "The only lions no one dreads, / They all have fountains on their heads." Delicious crustaceans more your speed? Then come and observe the rare Slobsters. "Their sense of decorum / Is woefully small. / Slobsters don't have / Many manners at all." Or for the kiddies, how about an adorable Planda? "They plan to learn to roller-skate, / To juggle, and to fence. / They plan to go to clown school / And cavort in circus tents." With his customary clever verse, Jack Prelutsky invents sixteen imaginary animals of varying degrees of odd. Accompanying his rhymes is his old partner-in-crime Carin Berger, who has moved beyond mere collage and has gone so far to construct elaborate shadow boxes of each and every poem. The end result is impressive, hilarious, and one of the most original little poetry collections you'll see in many a year.
The shadow box, that staple of undergraduate art projects everywhere, is a relative newcomer to the world of children's literature. A shadow box, once you've designed it and filled it with cool images, needs to be photographed perfectly if it's going to work on a flat page. That means you need an illustrator confident in their abilities to produce art that will look as good in two dimensions as three. Berger is clearly up to the challenge. A master of collage, in this book she bends over backwards to make her images the best they can be. She's very good at conveying distance. She also conveys perspective quite well. A cut image of a bicycle makes it appear to be three-dimensional because it is photographed from above. I know the image itself is just a flat piece of paper, but the illusion is complete. Everything, in fact, appears to have been planned with a meticulous eye.
Even within the boxes themselves Berger's job is not easy. Consider an early poem called "Bluffaloes" which combines the word "Buffaloes" with the word "Bluff". It's about buffalo types who are scaredy cats should you call their bluff. Fair enough. Now how the heck do you illustrate that? In Berger's case it looks like she may have considered an alternative definition of the word "bluff" as in "a cliff, headland, or hill with a broad, steep face" since her bluffaloes look like nothing so much as little pieces of a cliff running hither and thither on newly sprouted legs. Artistic creativity is much called for when wordplay is open ended.
Of course, as an adult I'm going to be naturally inclined towards artsy fartsy styles. But this all begs the obvious question: Will kids dig it? Well, let's stop and consider for a moment. What precisely has Berger done? She has made little boxes and put action-packed scenes within them. Who else does that kind of thing? If you said, "Kids who make dioramas for school" you have earned yourself a cookie. Yes, it appears to me that Berger has taken one of the oldest homework assignments of our age and has turned it into a book. An enterprising teacher would find a goldmine of assignment material here. What if they had their kids write their own poems in Prelutsky's style? What if they made pairs of kids come up with the idea for the poem and then one kid could write it while the other made a diorama to go with it? Can you now say, "instantaneous original poetry project for Poetry Month"? I knew you could.
Then there's Prelutsky. He always scans. He always rhymes. And he throws in big words that will give some children a good dictionary workout. For example, in the Sobcat poem he writes, "The SOBCAT is sad / As a feline can be / And spends its time crying / Continuously. / It has no real reason / To be so morose. / It's simply its nature / To act lachrymose." Nice. Of course the unspoken secret to many of these poems isn't that they simply make clever pairings of words and phrases with animals but that they say something about certain types of people. The Planda makes eternal plans and never carries them out. The Sobcat "delights / In its own misery". You can find many a friend and a relation found in the animals of these pages.
The pairings of the poems is sometimes key. It works particularly well when you place the "Jollyfish" poem next to the "Sobcat", for example. There are other moments when you suspect that the layout and order of the poems was a carefully thought out process. The book begins, for example, with the titular poem "Stardines" which comments that "In silence, these nocturnal fish / Are set to grant the slightest wish." That's a good note to begin on. The book then alternates between animals with physical attributes that are their primary lure and animals with one-of-a-kind personality quirks. It's interesting to see how all this ends with, of all the animals, the Bardvark. "BARDVARKS think they're poets / And persist in writing rhyme. / Their words are uninspired / And a total waste of time." So it is that book of poetry for kids ends by highlighting an animal that's an atrocious poet. The final lines, "Undeterred, they keep on writing / And reciting every day. / That's why BARDVARKS are a problem – / You can't make them go away." One can't help but think Prelutsky is taking a little jab at himself here. Not a significant jab, but small enough to allow him to laugh at himself a little. Not a bad way to finish, really.
Perhaps a key at the back of the book explaining which animals and concepts were combined would not have been out of place. I found myself baffled by the "swapitis" (pronounced swap-uh-teez) and found myself wishing I knew what animal it hailed from. It looks somewhat deer-like. After a bit of internet searching I discovered an animal called a wapitis, which is a kind of North American deer. Good to know, though I suspect it won't immediately pop to many folks' minds unless prompted and prodded a bit. Of course having kids find the animals referenced could be a fun homework assignment in and of itself. There are possibilities there. Just no answers.
Jack Prelutsky is a staple. Folks my age still associate him with The New Kid On the Block. Kids these days have a lot more Prelutskyian choices to pick from. Berger, in contrast, is new and fresh and bright and shiny. Combine the old school rhymes and chimes of a Prelutsky with the crackling energy and visual wit of Berger and you've got yourself a heckuva team. Stardines may tread familiar ground once trod before, but its method of presentation is anything but overdone. Hand this one to the kid who moans to you that they "have" to read a book of poetry for school. Who knows? It may hook 'em before they realize what's what. One of a kind.
Source: Galley sent from publisher for review.
Like This? Then Try:
Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Carin Berger
But Who Will Bell the Cats? by Cynthia von Buhler
Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein, illustrated by Ed Young
Steady Hands: Poems About Work by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Other Blog Reviews: Book Aunt
Professional Reviews:
A star from PW
Read this great little short interview with Ms. Berger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast as she discusses how, "This seemed a perfect opportunity to reference my passion for wunderkammers and early science — and crusty old museums."
And here's one shadow box that didn't make the cut.
It's Poetry Friday! Head on over to Teaching Authors to see the round-up of other great poetry books of the day!
Take a studio tour into the world of Carin Berger to see some of the fantastic art from this book.
Filed Under: Best Books, Best Books of 2013, Reviews, Reviews 2013 Tagged With: 2013 funny books, 2013 poetry, 2014 Caldecott Contender, Carin Berger, funny picture books, funny poetry, Greenwillow, Harper Collins, Jack Prelutsky, picture book poetry, poetry
About Elizabeth Bird
Elizabeth Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.
Ed Spicer says:
Okay! Here is a book with my name all over it! S(t)ardines are fish! And I love Carin Berger's artwork (even have prints by her framed in my house). And Jack Prelutsky's work has been in my classroom from day one (and are perennial favorites year after year). Long before I thought I would be working with children's literature (back in the day that I worked for Scripps Institution of Oceanography) we went to a book signing by Prelutsky to purchase Ride a Purple Pelican (and I can STILL recite many of the poems from this book by heart–I read them that many times). So, Greenwillow and Ms. Berger I want this book NOW! I'll enjoy the other critters too, I promise, but I do love that cover illustration and think it would make a nice shirt for me to wear.
Karen Gray Ruelle says:
I like to hear that about poetry and how often poetry books circulate–or just that they DO. And this book looks terrific.
jone says:
I can't wait to get this book. February 17 is Sardine Day. Prelutsky is one of my favorite authors. I remember his Nightmares poetry book when I was in college. The best.
Fats from Gathering Books says:
Brilliant work of art. I think I'll put this in my shopping cart next!! Thanks for sharing!! =)
Sam Juliano says:
Magnificent book – a sure Caldecott contender – and I have you to thank for turning me on to it Elizabeth. Thank you my friend.
Top 100 Polls
Top 100 Children's Novels Poll
The Black Mermaid Booklist
Fuse 8 n' Kate: Stevie by John Steptoe
The Complete Listing of All Public Children's Literature Statues in the United States (2019 Edition)
Fuse 8 n' Kate: Shrek! by William Steig with Special Guest Lucy Knisley
Review of the Day: A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
Children's Literature Statues of the U.S.: A Call for Entries
Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books: Some of the Best of 2019
Fran Manushkin on Fuse 8 n' Kate: Stevie by John Steptoe
Elizabeth Bird on Review of the Day: Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
Jean on Review of the Day: Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
Elizabeth Bird on The Complete Listing of All Public Children's Literature Statues in the United States (2019 Edition)
Laura Martineau on The Complete Listing of All Public Children's Literature Statues in the United States (2019 Edition)
Archives Select Month July 2019 (10) June 2019 (18) May 2019 (18) April 2019 (18) March 2019 (18) February 2019 (18) January 2019 (20) December 2018 (35) November 2018 (20) October 2018 (20) September 2018 (20) August 2018 (19) July 2018 (21) June 2018 (18) May 2018 (17) April 2018 (19) March 2018 (20) February 2018 (18) January 2018 (20) December 2017 (37) November 2017 (18) October 2017 (20) September 2017 (19) August 2017 (19) July 2017 (18) June 2017 (16) May 2017 (17) April 2017 (15) March 2017 (20) February 2017 (15) January 2017 (15) December 2016 (33) November 2016 (21) October 2016 (20) September 2016 (17) August 2016 (19) July 2016 (17) June 2016 (17) May 2016 (16) April 2016 (15) March 2016 (18) February 2016 (17) January 2016 (19) December 2015 (18) November 2015 (18) October 2015 (19) September 2015 (17) August 2015 (15) July 2015 (17) June 2015 (18) May 2015 (17) April 2015 (20) March 2015 (20) February 2015 (18) January 2015 (21) December 2014 (18) November 2014 (16) October 2014 (25) September 2014 (18) August 2014 (20) July 2014 (23) June 2014 (21) May 2014 (21) April 2014 (24) March 2014 (20) February 2014 (20) January 2014 (25) December 2013 (19) November 2013 (19) October 2013 (20) September 2013 (19) August 2013 (20) July 2013 (22) June 2013 (20) May 2013 (23) April 2013 (20) March 2013 (15) February 2013 (17) January 2013 (20) December 2012 (18) November 2012 (17) October 2012 (16) September 2012 (19) August 2012 (20) July 2012 (24) June 2012 (77) May 2012 (146) April 2012 (23) March 2012 (24) February 2012 (26) January 2012 (32) December 2011 (26) November 2011 (28) October 2011 (28) September 2011 (31) August 2011 (31) July 2011 (29) June 2011 (25) May 2011 (34) April 2011 (31) March 2011 (33) February 2011 (28) January 2011 (35) December 2010 (34) November 2010 (33) October 2010 (30) September 2010 (34) August 2010 (34) July 2010 (34) June 2010 (34) May 2010 (37) April 2010 (47) March 2010 (50) February 2010 (36) January 2010 (47) December 2009 (41) November 2009 (43) October 2009 (37) September 2009 (49) August 2009 (39) July 2009 (53) June 2009 (43) May 2009 (62) April 2009 (63) March 2009 (51) February 2009 (42) January 2009 (57) December 2008 (47) November 2008 (51) October 2008 (48) September 2008 (56) August 2008 (62) July 2008 (50) June 2008 (52) May 2008 (59) April 2008 (60) March 2008 (59) February 2008 (54) January 2008 (51) December 2007 (60) November 2007 (88) October 2007 (92) September 2007 (61) August 2007 (71) July 2007 (64) June 2007 (92)
My Reviews Collected
A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
About A Fuse #8 Production
Features everything from librarian previews of upcoming children's books to news, reviews, and videos. If it has something to do with children's literature, it will rate a mention here.
Betsy Bird is the Youth Materials Specialist of New York Public Library. She's reviewed for The New York Times and Kirkus, writes articles for Horn Book and SLJ, and wrote the picture book Giant Dance Party. You can contact her at Fusenumber8@gmail.com or follow her on . . .
LEARN MORE ABOUT A FUSE #8 PRODUCTION »
Follow @FuseEight
Tweets by @fuseeight


Virtualization is the act of creating a virtual version of a computer-related object, including computer hardware, storage devices, networks, and applications. This process is the best way to increase efficiency and reduce IT expenses for businesses.
Entrust Technologies, an IT firm based in San Antonio, offers virtualization services to local businesses via a cloud server. With encrypted cloud-based server space, clients can easily upload, view, and edit proprietary files. Clients can also use cloud applications for their data entry, payroll, and other computerized tasks. The benefit of using virtual storage is that businesses don't have to invest in large servers to run their businesses anymore. For a monthly fee, businesses can store and use vast amounts of files and programs via the IT provider's cloud.
Additionally, this company provides all IT services and manages the networks of its clients. The support professionals at Entrust Technologies are available 24 hours a day to help the clients with any IT issue. The company offers safe and secure data backups so that businesses will never lose their important data, and internet security to protect them from hackers and viruses. With Entrust Technologies, businesses in San Antonio can be more productive, efficient and safe.


Fun and outgoing person but yet reserved. Eassy to get along and love my space. Love to meet people and finds companionship a pleasure.
Fun loving outgoing person. Someone who is not shy and always stands up for themselves. Should at least know any of the South African languages.
Stingroro hasn't asked any friends to write a recommendation yet.
Stingroro has not yet answered any of the optional questions that would tell you more about him.


Travel with Kevin and Ruth!: I think we're really going to like Spain!
Right across the street from where we're staying is the beach. So that's where we started!
What a great climbing structure for the kids!
Looking north from the pier, with our shadows from the late afternoon sun.
Looks like our days are a little longer here than they were in Romania. Sunrise is currently 8:18am, and sunset at 5:33pm, so we've got over 9 hours of daylight.
From the end of the pier we could see downtown Barcelona in the distance. I zoomed in on the famous Sagrada Familia Basilica. We're still tossing around the idea of visiting the interior. It's very expensive, with a basic ticket costing 15 euros ($22 CAD, 16 USD). There are also other ticket options with audio guides and tower visits running up to 29 euros ($41 CAD, $31 USD).
We will probably bite the bullet and pay. Plus, both our daughter and my mother gave us some spending money to do things that we wouldn't normally do, and we're thinking this is a good use of some of that money.
Zoomed in on Sagrada Familia from the pier at Badalona.
The area where we are staying at Badalona.
We stopped at the Vodaphone store to get a SIM card for the iPhone. I've read that they have a prepaid tourist special on right now that gives you 3GB of data plus 60 minutes talk time anywhere in Spain for 15 euros ($22 CAD, $16 USD). But while we were waiting in line, I remembered that we didn't have our passports with us, and they require that for registration. So we'll go back there this morning.
We stopped back at the grocery store and did some shopping. Just enough for dinner last night and breakfast this morning. And of course a 1.75 euro ($2.50 CAD, $1.85 USD) bottle of red wine!
We're not going into the city today. We've decided to stay in this area and explore. Our host Leticia has given us some ideas to do a hike into the hills overlooking the area, so we'll go out and get some exercise.
First impressions? We really like this area so far. Obviously haven't been to downtown yet, but based on first impressions, I think we're really going to like Spain!
Enjoy your time there exploring so we can enjoy more pictures.
Definitely worthwhile to visit the Sagrada Familia Basilica as well as Park Guell. Both by Gaudi. Both worth every penny. Enjoy!
We will decide when we get there as to how we feel about spending that kind of money!
Can't wait for pix of the Sagrada Familia. Reminds me of Bishop Castle in Colorado.
We were a little underwhelmed at Sagrada Familia, more on that later.
I look forward to your posts as we are thinking of going to Spain next winter.
Mmmm Spain could be a possibility in the future.
Definitely think it should be on your radar!
Looks amazing so far! Enjoy your hike!
Unfortunately we didn't make the hike but we still had a good day.
I wonder if most tourist attractions will be more expensive!
Some of the very popular ones will certainly be more expensive, I guess we will see as we check things out.
I have read online that visiting the Basilica is not worth the price. Decisions, decisions.
That is very possible, I guess it depends on who you ask! It seems that some people are totally amazed by it and others not so much. Considering the churches, cathedrals and basilicas that we have seen over the years, some of them really, really good, I think it will be hard to compare especially when you consider the dollar amount involved.
Looks beautiful already...not dreary like Romania although it had its points i.e. the castles and wine cellars. The food in Romania did look interesting.
We tend to agree with you Rita and I think most of that has to do with the communist style apartment buildings which we basically nondescript, whereas here there is a lot of colour involved and that really makes a difference. However this is just the city, I think the countryside is something totally different because I think the Romania countryside is absolutely beautiful.
We try to do one special thing in the places we visit, for instance in Venice we did the doge's palace the second trip and on the first we did a gondola ride. In Barcelona we went to Park Guell and the apartment with all the chimmey stacks with the beautiful wrought iron railings designed by Gaudi. Oh the wine is heavenly and cheap.just walked around the Sagrada Familia.
We like to try and do something special to but it depends on how much time we have and how much the cost of the activity is and if we think that the cost is worth it. We read your blog post again from when you were in Barcelona and we are trying to see a few of the things you did but we more or less just wandered around a lot and just looked at all kinds of sights. We really enjoyed our first full day in downtown Barcelona and look forward to seeing even more tomorrow.
We are so excited to see it all. Glad the weather is nice. That will make getting out and around more appealing.
The weather is perfect for us, not too hot and not too cold! We are doing lots, and I mean lots of walking and gawking!
We visited La Sagrada Familia in October. It is a must see! Well worth the money for a guide who will explain what you are looking at. Enjoy Barcelona! Looking forward to revisiting the city through your eyes!
We will tell more about our day and the La Sagrada Familia church in tomorrow's post but we have to admit we found the price just a bit too steep.
We are really enjoying Barcelona though, and we have seen a ton already and we have walked miles through the downtown core, yet we still feel like we haven't made a dent.
I believe I mentioned this before. Our daughter, Carrie, has been to many countries. Italy is her all-time favorite, but Spain is a very close second. She loves Barcelona.
What a beautiful beach!! So glad to be following along on your explorations...take lots of pictures!!
It is a nice beach but it isn't a sandy beach, it's more of a pebbly beach and we expect that it must get real busy during the summer months.


This holiday season, Yelp is challenging communities across the land to keep their their hard-earned dough close to home by taking the Yelp Shops Local Pledge! What does this mean? Pledging proudly to make a hearty effort to support the great local business community whenever possible, and encouraging others to do the same.
To celebrate the holidays and support this pledge, Yelp will be hosting Yelp's Totally Bazaar, a holiday gift market featuring top-rated retailers, local artisans, crafty chics and style mavens.


text:
View residential restrictions, dog licensing details, and how to report a vicious dog.
Find details on necessary forms, applications, required licenses, and permits.
City of Plainview Alert System
Learn about the emergency communications network and available services.
City Staff Directory
View contact information for all city staff and departments.
Find information about the city's employment opportunities and hiring process.
Look for upcoming city meetings and events.
Discover the services provided by the Fire / EMS Department such as fire suppression, fire prevention, and emergency medical services.
Learn about the city's health initiatives, area health services, and available programs.
Find out about the Unger Memorial Library, the information center of Plainview and of the surrounding Hale County.
Access contact information for area meeting facilities that can accommodate anywhere from 20 to 1,000 people.
Learn about the Plainview Municipal Court and its role as the judicial branch of city government.
Access online bill pay for utility billing and court fees.
Locate details on local sports and activities available from the City of Plainview.
View information on the Plainview Police Department and its mission to serve and protect.
Access contact information for area utility providers.
Improve your community. Report an issue and watch it get fixed.
Street & Traffic Safety
Learn about the city's mosquito control efforts, street maintenance and services, and traffic services.


text:
'People aren't dying when they take the vaccine' – Trump shuts down Candace Owens
Opinions & Features Success Story March 13, 2020 at 01:30 pm
These are the black female bosses leading airline companies
Theodora Aidoo | Staff Writer
Theodora Aidoo March 13, 2020 at 01:30 pm
March 13, 2020 at 01:30 pm | Opinions & Features, Success Story
Theodora Aidoo is a young woman who is passionate about women-related issues. Her Love: To bring to fore the activities of women making a global impact. This stems from her journalism background from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism and Ghana Institute of Journalism.
This pregnancy app by a Nigerian is the first of its kind for African moms to be
60 years ago, Charlie Sifford broke the color barrier in golf
Judith Batty named Girl Scouts' first Black CEO in its 108-year history
Trump impersonator, Sarah Cooper, gets her own Netflix comedy special
Sherrexcia 'Rexy' Rolle — Facebook
Sherrexcia 'Rexy' Rolle
Sherrexcia 'Rexy' Rolle is running the largest black-owned airline in the Bahamas. She is one of the youngest women to take up this role.
She is the Vice President of Operations and General Counsel for Western Air, a Bahamas-based black-owned aviation business.
Antoinette Sayeh: the woman who rescued Liberia from a sea of debt
Theodora Aidoo
Senegal partners with UK to produce coronavirus 10-minute test kits
Thomas Mensah: the pioneer of fiber optics and nanotechnology
Did you know a black man invented the ice cream scoop?
The company was founded by her parents – Rex and Shandrice Rolle in 2001. Rexy has been holding the fort for the business with a net worth of over $90 million. West Air is one of the largest privately-owned airline companies in the Bahamas.
PREVIOUSIntro1234NEXT
Inside the Kenyan community where people don't sweat at all
How to say Merry Christmas in 25 African languages
6 African foods believed to increase chances of having twins


Majestic Mountain Pine Commercial Christmas trees available from 12' to 50'. Quality construction, high strength engineering and attention to aesthetic details comes together to create a spectacular Christmas centerpiece.
Advanced next generation RGB animated LED technology combined with our world renowned Majestic Mountain Pine Commercial Christmas Tower Tree. Available pre-programmed for easy installation or add your own custom animated program.
For exterior and interior commercial and high-end residential, the Majestic slim base Christmas tower tree is a great choice when a more refined, elegant tree is desired. Designed for outdoor applications, but equally suited for demanding interior applications.
The original commercial Christmas tower tree remains a popular tree throughout the world. Classic design combined with quality LED lights creates a tree that stands the test of time. Available from 12' to 100' in height.
Commercial Christmas tree of lights offer easy installation, compact storage and years of trouble free Christmas decorating. Use alone or as an element in a larger holiday decorating program. Available in a variety of lighting and color options.
Top off your commercial Christmas tree with a 2 or 3 dimensional tree topper. Illuminated with advanced SMD LED technology and quality design elements. Make your Christmas centerpiece the beacon of Christmas spirit with a stunning LED topper.
Christmas fencing around the base of a commercial Christmas tree adds a unique design element to your Christmas centerpiece. Also serves as a functional barrier to help keep overenthusiastic kiddos away from the tree.
Grand Illuminated Sculpture Trees, also known as Sphere Trees offer a contemporary design twist on the classic commercial Christmas tree. Stunning LED illumination and sophisticated elements come together in a beautifully unique Christmas tree.
LED Ice Trees are available as downswept or upswept trees in sizes ranging from 8' to 16' and a variety of vivid LED colors. Ideal for a wide variety of commercial and residential decorating applications.
Classic design, Christmas Spiral Trees offer a nostalgic twist on Commercial Christmas decorating. First gaining popularity 6 decades ago, these timeless trees and displays are ideal for cities, shopping centers, communities and businesses.


If we are talking about scrapping phones to see what is inside, then the undisputed kings with iFixit. Its spare parts let us see the hardware but there are those who go beyond and instead of being interested in the guts or if it is easy to fix, or don't, want to see What is the price of the components and each terminal Assembly.
This is the case of IHS has taken a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and He went piece by piece to calculate much you Koreans components of each unit produced. The results are very interesting, although we must catch them with forceps since there are other factors not foreseen in the process.
Each Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a manufacturing cost (remember: Assembly and material) of $290. 35 more than the Samsung Galaxy S5. The amount increases slightly dissects the model with 64 GB of internal storage. What is the most expensive item? Clear the screen,.
Each panel costs 85 dollars, Exynos 7 processor is worth around 29,50 dollars. Remember that it is the first mobile that incorporates a 14 nm chip. The 3GB of RAM DDR4 are worth $27 and the 64GB memory amounts to 25. Component by component, all sum to arrive at the figure that we mentioned a few more lines above. Then you have an image of the disassembled terminal.
In this study we can draw several conclusions. On the one hand the unit cost of each terminal, the real figure is probably not exactly which says IHS but there must be close. However, must not forget that apart from those 290 dollars There are other costs that are unseen and more expensive the final price from any phone: labor, storage, logistics, research and development, marketing… Everything adds up.


April 9, 2017 Wentworth at Western New Eng.
Christian Ferri hit by pitch.
Jordan Burst singled up the middle; Christian Ferri advanced to second.
Jimmy Temte singled through the left side, RBI; Tyler Weninger advanced to third; Christian Ferri scored.
Owen Swanson singled to left field, RBI; Jimmy Temte advanced to second; Tyler Weninger scored.
Kevin Johnson singled to left center.
Kevin Johnson advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Erik Lacaire singled to left field, RBI; Ben LaCroix advanced to second; Kevin Johnson scored.
Aaron Rios walked; Erik Lacaire advanced to second; Ben LaCroix advanced to third.
Jordan Burst singled to right field.
Daniel Morin singled up the middle; Kevin Johnson advanced to second.
Tim Elrick reached first on an error by ss.
Ben LaCroix reached first on an error by 1b.
Erik Lacaire singled down the lf line; Ben LaCroix advanced to second.
Aaron Rios reached on a fielder's choice; Erik Lacaire advanced to second; Ben LaCroix out at third p to 3b.
Jared Rosenblatt doubled to left center, RBI; Aaron Rios advanced to third; Erik Lacaire scored.
Joe Cassella reached first on an error by ss, RBI; Jared Rosenblatt advanced to third; Aaron Rios scored.
Daniel Morin singled through the left side.
Daniel Morin advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Will Krasovec to p for Matt Thomas.
Aaron Rios singled to pitcher.
Andrew Mulvey to p for Will Krasovec.
Tim Elrick singled through the left side.
Jake Smith singled up the middle, RBI; Tim Elrick scored.
Matt Smith singled to left field; Jake Smith advanced to second.
Dan Mitchell pinch ran for Jake Smith.
Christian Ferri doubled down the lf line, RBI; Matt Smith advanced to third; Dan Mitchell scored.
Jordan Burst out at first p to 2b, SAC, bunt, RBI; Christian Ferri advanced to third; Matt Smith scored.
Dan Cole to 1b for Dan Mitchell.
Liam Davey to p for Andrew Mulvey.
John Sirois pinch hit for Joe Cassella.
John Sirois walked; Jared Rosenblatt advanced to second.


text:
. To accompany LaCroix' intimate B&W photos, Ted wrote the book's forward and bios of 100 great jazz musicians in Toronto.
As a dedicated jazz fan himself, Ted has attended conferences, jazz festivals, and "jazz parties" around the world. He has listened to jazz all over Canada and the US; in Paris and Lyon; in Berlin, Cologne, Munich and Hamburg; in Zurich, Montreux, Geneva, Baden and Lugano; in Milano, Florence and Rome; in Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Sydney, and Singapore. He is pleased to say he has found jazz everywhere.
Ted currently resides in downtown Toronto and still can be seen most nights doing what he loves best-—listening to live jazz.
toronto jazz treasures
The History of Jazz in Toronto
9" x 12" hardcover book with 100 portraits of Toronto's great jazz musicians.
"THIS BOOK COMES AS JAZZ IS ENTERING ITS SECOND CENTURY, and for the last five-plus decades I've been paying close attention to the Toronto scene, first as a fan and later as a radio broadcaster.
I think the history of jazz in Toronto is in most ways a history of jazz in Canada. It's a fact the city's music has risen from the combination of the local artists with those who have come from across the country and around the world. I guess a 'Toronto Jazz Treasure' is one who has made wonderful music while in the city. As simple as that..."
Photographs by Pat LaCroix
Text by Ted O'Reilly
Copyright © 2021 Ted O'Reilly - All Rights Reserved.


• Provide telephone support to financial advisors, sales assistants, branch managers and other branch professionals as it relates to submitting annuity business via the firm's electronic order entry system.
• Act as a liaison between compliance personnel and financial advisors, sales assistants, branch managers and other branch professionals regarding outstanding compliance issues with pending annuity business.
• Identify issues that prevent business from being submitted electronically or lead to a less than ideal user experience, perform root cause analysis of those issues, report issues to the appropriate party and follow through until resolution.
• Keep abreast of annuity product changes, rate changes, system changes and process changes (both internally and externally) and how those affect the submission of annuity business.
• Advise management on suggestions that would improve the financial advisor's user experience and streamline the submission of annuity business.
• Perform operational testing of system enhancements and new software applications for accuracy and usability.
• Maintain a general knowledge of all areas within the business unit and how they impact the flow of annuity business.
• Monitor and work team electronic mailbox.
• May assist with training new associates.
• Prepare written recaps, reports and spreadsheets for special projects and submits to management for review.
• Basic insurance concepts, practices and procedures used in the securities industry, principles of securities industry operations and/or financial markets and products, as required by assigned functional area.
• Problem resolution and effective communication, both verbally and written.
• Supporting the testing of new systems, applications, and system enhancements.
• Identifying and resolving systemic and operational issues.
• Performing operational testing on new systems or system enhancements for accuracy and usability factors.
• Evaluating processes and systems and identifying potential user experience improvements.
• Handle a high volume of phone calls.
• Diffuse a potentially heated situation in a calm manner.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
• Demonstrate strong analytical skills and use critical thinking when solving problems.
• Organize and prioritize multiple tasks with changing priorities to meet critical deadlines in a fast paced environment.
• High School diploma or equivalent with a minimum of two (2) years' experience.
• Associate's degree (A.A.) or equivalent from a two-year college or technical school and one (1) year related experience.
• Any equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience.


I have always had a strong interest in architectural photography. I love peeling thru design magazines and books, gasping in awe of some of the coolest spatial compositions. Months ago, I came across Jane Beiles photography. I really loved her work so I put her name in my BlackBerry, to call her one day to shoot one of my spaces. And then a bizarre thing happened! She was sitting right next to me at a friend's wedding. How funny is that, we were meant to meet!
I was able to interview Jane, so read on, and learn more about her intriuging photographic style, and what fuels her creative process!
Based in New Canaan, Connecticut, Jane Beiles architectural photography (exteriors and interior) is known for her artful compositions and deliberate use of light. Her images of space are so interesting because she produces an idealized version of reality. Every detail is "staged" and intentional with precise lighting. To achieve perfection, she digitally edits, using Photoshop to generate a natural, painterly quality. She has been published in Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, athome, East Coast Home + Design, Best of Burlington, Hersam-Acorn HOME and New Canaan, Darien & Rowayton magazine.
It is inspiring to change careers after having a family and being a Mom of three children. I asked Jane, was it difficult to change careers and what motivated you? Jane responded, "My fashion career from 1991-2002 varied. I started as a design assistant at Liz Claiborne in the early 90s and "retired" as an account executive at Esprit in 2002, when I was handling all aspects of sales and account management for Federated Department stores. I had children in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and took time off to be home with them until they were all in school full time. For a second act, I knew I wanted to go back to a creative field, but decided this time to persue my passion for photography and launched my own business in April 2011. In additon to loads of self-motivated practice, reading and research into the field, I also worked hard to develop a strong portfolio of architectural and interiors images. I studied at the Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan, CT and at ICP (International Center of Photography) in New York City with Bruce Katz, a well-known architectural photographer who had shot for Architectural Digest for over twenty years."
The client, Benchmark Builders http://www.remodelct.com/ wanted to document his work on a private residence in New Canaan. One of the unique rooms was a library, completely fit out with exquisitely-designed and custom-crafted bookcases. In the "real world" with three dimensions, the densely-populated book shelves chock-full of books are simply heavenly to view, but when you lose that third dimension flattened out in a photograph, one needs to break up the density to give the viewer space to appreciate the fine craftsmanship of the shelves. The builder, a styling associate and I ended up completely emptying the shelves and re-worked each section to allow the workmanship to be on full display. We used a lot of post-it notes and an alphabetical grid to break down, re-style and then ultimately put back together these shelves to get the shot. Doing commercial photography is ultimately about satisfying the client's objectives. Working side by side with my clients at the shoot and viewing images in process on a large-screen laptop (my camera is tethered to the computer), is essential to a successful collaboration.
This image won the popular vote in a contest I ran for my Facebook followers (facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/JaneBeilesPhotography ) called "Best of 2011". In addition to taking photographs, I also provide styling services for clients to bring their images up to glossy-page-editorial standards. This was a springtime shoot of a lovely white laundry room and I brought in the bountiful spring blooms which you see here laid out for arrangement here beside the laundry sink. In addition to being a lovely detail shot of the beautiful work by the builders, it had practical purposes as well as it was the time when I prepped all the flowers for the shoot!
There are two fun facts "behind the scenes" of this shoot of an exquisite pool house designed by architect Louise Brooks. The first is that it was a twilight shoot which requires extremely careful timing to capture the ethereal glow of the jewel-box effect of a building's light as the sun sets. That required all the styling of the "set" to be finished during daylight hours, a break for dinner and a return back at sundown. In order to capture the building's lovely symmetry, I had to perch on the edge of a diving rock positioned on the opposite side of the pool. I was happy that the owners had chosen a stationary item as opposed to a bouncy board as their launch pad, and, more importantly, that neither I nor my equipment fell in!
This was not a commercial shoot - I was with my family driving down to the Outer Banks in North Carolina and we had stopped for the night in the Shockoe Slip historic district in Richmond. We had wandered into this beautiful, light-filled space and I just had to return the next morning with my tripod to shoot the space. The staff was lovely and let me set up and I am so happy I took the time to do so. Of all the shots in my book, this is the location about which I get the most inquiries. It is such a unique space and a good reminder that even if one's not "on the job", it's always so nice to capture a space to document life, light and beauty therein.
Lastly, I asked Jane what her plans are for the future and beyond?
Jane said, " As a natural extension to my work in interiors, I have added food and dining to my portfolio this year. For specialized training in this genre, I also went to masters in the field, this time famed food photog Susie Cushner and food stylist Carrie Ann Purcell. Food photography is a fascinating art and has changed to a much more organic approach than in decades past. It's been very exciting to shoot restarurants which often not only have beautiful architecture and interiors, but each plate affords a new still life to capture. And, it's really fun to get to eat your props when the shoot ends! People are always surprised to hear that the days of wax cheese and non-edible food are over and that what we are photographing now is definitely edible...and I do indeed eat after capturing the image! "
Autumn Farmer's Market, New Canaan CT.
The Tuscan restuarant, New Canaan CT.
Thank you Jane for a wonderful interview! Love your work!!
GREAT post - Love Jane's work. I have produced many Brooks & Falitico stories for Better Homes & Gardens and Traditional Home and her photography certainly does them justice! Fantastic!


text:
Pelicans, Jazz kneel during national anthem
NBA debuts court painted with 'Black Lives Matter' (Source: @NBA - Instagram)
July 30, 2020 at 7:01 PM CDT - Updated July 30 at 9:14 PM
NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - Before their first game, players from the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz kneeled during the National Anthem in solidarity.
Coaches and referees also joined the players at their first game to resume the season in Orlando. Each player sported a Black Lives Matter shirt as a Jon Batiste's rendition of the national anthem played.
The NBA tweeted out the video capturing the moment here:
The @utahjazz and @PelicansNBA kneel in solidarity as @JonBatiste performs the National Anthem prior to the NBA Restart. pic.twitter.com/dQeHSbUx87
— NBA (@NBA) July 30, 2020
The New Orleans Pelicans released the following statement about the kneel:
"The New Orleans Pelicans stand by the ideals of freedom of speech and the right to peacefully protest. Collectively with the Utah Jazz, our organization joins the NBA in supporting our players and coaches. To promote meaningful change relative to social justice and racial equality, the New Orleans Pelicans have partnered with our players, staff and coaches to create a Social Justice Leadership Alliance committed to furthering the discussion, listening and learning and taking action to make positive change in our community and our country."
West Baton Rouge officials discuss new solar panels
If you've driven past the vast empty fields in Port Allen located on Rosedale Road, you've most likely come across quite a few solar panels as well.
Chris Rosato
Sito Narcisse selected as new EBR Schools superintendent
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board selected Sito Narcisse as the new leader for the school system in a meeting Thursday night.
Lester Duhé
Mayor Broome says EBR Parish will stay in modified Phase 2 for now, but COVID-19 situation must improve
Livingston Parish deputies asking for help locating fugitive


text:
<?php namespace FHIR\Resources\Search\SearchResult;

use FHIR\Common\AbstractFHIRObject;
use FHIR\Common\Collection\ResourceComponentCollection;
use FHIR\Elements\Primitive\FHIRDateTime;
use FHIR\Elements\Primitive\FHIRString;
use FHIR\Elements\Primitive\FHIRUri;
use FHIR\Resources\FHIRResource;

/**
 * Class FHIRSearchResultEntry
 * @package FHIR\Resources\Search\SearchResult
 */
class FHIRSearchResultEntry extends AbstractFHIRObject
{
    /** @var FHIRString */
    protected $title = null;

    /** @var FHIRUri */
    protected $id = null;

    /** @var FHIRSearchResultLink[]|ResourceComponentCollection */
    protected $link;

    /** @var FHIRDateTime */
    protected $updated = null;

    /** @var FHIRSearchResultEntryAuthor[]|ResourceComponentCollection */
    protected $author;

    /** @var FHIRDateTime */
    protected $published = null;

    /** @var FHIRResource */
    protected $content = null;

    /** @var FHIRString */
    protected $summary = null;

    /**
     * Constructor
     */
    public function __construct()
    {
        $this->link = new ResourceComponentCollection();
        $this->author = new ResourceComponentCollection();
    }

    /**
     * @return FHIRString
     */
    public function getTitle()
    {
        return $this->title;
    }

    /**
     * @param FHIRString $title
     */
    public function setTitle(FHIRString $title)
    {
        $this->title = $title;
    }

    /**
     * @return FHIRUri
     */
    public function getId()
    {
        return $this->id;
    }

    /**
     * @param FHIRUri $id
     */
    public function setId(FHIRUri $id)
    {
        $this->id = $id;
    }

    /**
     * @return ResourceComponentCollection|FHIRSearchResultLink[]
     */
    public function getLink()
    {
        return $this->link;
    }

    /**
     * @param FHIRSearchResultLink $link
     */
    public function addLink(FHIRSearchResultLink $link)
    {
        $this->link->append($link);
    }

    /**
     * @return FHIRDateTime
     */
    public function getUpdated()
    {
        return $this->updated;
    }

    /**
     * @param FHIRDateTime $updated
     */
    public function setUpdated(FHIRDateTime $updated)
    {
        $this->updated = $updated;
    }

    /**
     * @return ResourceComponentCollection|FHIRSearchResultEntryAuthor[]
     */
    public function getAuthor()
    {
        return $this->author;
    }

    /**
     * @param FHIRSearchResultEntryAuthor $author
     */
    public function addAuthor(FHIRSearchResultEntryAuthor $author)
    {
        $this->author->append($author);
    }

    /**
     * @return FHIRDateTime
     */
    public function getPublished()
    {
        return $this->published;
    }

    /**
     * @param FHIRDateTime $published
     */
    public function setPublished(FHIRDateTime $published)
    {
        $this->published = $published;
    }

    /**
     * @return FHIRResource
     */
    public function getContent()
    {
        return $this->content;
    }

    /**
     * @param FHIRResource $content
     */
    public function setContent(FHIRResource $content)
    {
        $this->content = $content;
    }

    /**
     * @return FHIRString
     */
    public function getSummary()
    {
        return $this->summary;
    }

    /**
     * @param FHIRString $summary
     */
    public function setSummary(FHIRString $summary)
    {
        $this->summary = $summary;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Most folks know the position of their star sign because the Sun determines our zodiac sign but besides it astrology uses the other planets and the Moon to describe a person's complete character.
Every one of these celestial bodies, which astrology calls "planets", provides knowledge about a specific aspect or attitudes in our life. To interpret your natal chart to the fullest, you have to see in which sign and in which house each of the planets falls under.
See below and find the meaning of the planets that will give you the clearest explanation for the current period you find yourself in.
It shows us how we are going to express ourselves, which traits of our character we're proud of and which we're going to demonstrate to others. The position of the Sun reveals what gives us energy and charges our creative potential. In astrology, this planet also shows our active youth, the period during which we're filled with hopes and dreams about the future and are no longer under the guardianship of our parents.
The position of the Moon shows our emotional world, our initial reaction when we encounter life's events. The Moon reveals how sensitive we are and the instincts we wish to hide from others. It also describes the environment we grew up in, as well as our mother figure, which influenced our character. It shows us what our childhood was like.
This planet shows us how we communicate with the surrounding environment, describing the life period from 12 to 18 years of age. Its position provides us information regarding the essence of thought and how to express it through speech. From here we see how much we are willing to share with others, how we seek information, logic and how concentrated we are.
This is the planet of love and partner relationships. In the man's natal chart it shows the partner of their dreams, while in the woman's natal chart it provides information about how she views love relationships and her behavior when she's in love. The planet encompasses the life period between 18-25 years of age. It also indicates what we'll see as beautiful and where we'll feel comfortable.
The position of the Red Planet demonstrates what activates us and gives us ambition, where we direct our efforts but also how we react in a given conflict and what our aggressive side can bring out to the fore. The sign and house this planet finds itself in indicates what would give us confidence, courage and in what environment we would feel like leaders. In a woman's natal chart it can also determine what kind of man they'll be attracted to. It encompasses the period between 40-50 years of age.
The planet describes our investigative side, how we build our moral and spiritual principles, how we'll be expanding our horizons. Its position will enable us to judge how much we'll travel outside the country and how we're going to get educated. It will show what the process of attaining wisdom will be like and what fields will bring us the most luck and financial gains. It encompasses the period between 50-60 years of age.
The position of the planet shows our karma, limitations and the difficulties we're going to face in life. It also reveals what will make us disciplined and responsible, in order to deal with the problems one by one, so as to be truly proud of ourselves. It symbolizes the father figure. It can reveal our great fears, which we need to overcome. It encompasses the end of one's life.
It illustrates in which aspects we're going to seek complete change and where we're going to be rebels, ready to break down old standards. Based on the sign and house it falls into, we can determine how and where we're going to express our unruly side. It indicates where new things will take us and how egocentric and original we're going to be.
Neptune's position reveals what inspires our imagination and makes us dream when we're escaping from reality. The planet shows our ability to fantasize and create new worlds through the various forms of art. It also shows what we can become addicted to to lose touch with reality and what can make us feel like victims.
The planet exhibits our most vulnerable sides and the fears which we try to hide from others at all costs. It is also the planet of death, revealing how we're going to leave this world. The position of Pluto provides information about our darkest passions and desires, where we wish we could have complete control and authority. This is the planet of transformation, that makes a person translate their dark secrets into something constructive.


Serious games are digital games whose primary objective is not entertainment; they are designed for objectives related to training, education, health, public policy, and strategic communication. Despite their increasing popularity, the design, engineering, and production of serious games still lead to many questions and uncertainties, for instance about their effectiveness.
In this seminar we provide an introduction to the research domain of serious games, explore their application domains, and examine the key activities that concern the creation of a serious game following principled design and evaluation.


My First Diapers creates sample packs of diapers. Sample packs contains 5 diapers of that brand for parents to test the fit, leak protection, and sensitivity.
My First Diapers creates sample packs diapers. Sample packs contains 5 diapers of a brand for parents to test the fit, leak protection, and sensitivity.
Children's books for infants up to teenagers!


Start of Week 4 With So Much Appreciation In Our Hearts! 5/6/2013 | Travis the Warrior --- Kickin' Cancer!
After such a busy and fun weekend, we realized that we forgot to thank some of our friends for their kind gestures. Thanks to the Price family and Trina for the great care packages! Thanks to the Kohn and O'Leary families for your generous gifts! Travis loved everything! And, thanks to the Yousko family for a great pre-Cinco de Mayo dinner for Tyler and Grandma!
Here we go with our 4th week of full cranial/spinal treatment. We had an appointment with the doctor prior to the proton treatment so we had to get an earlier start. Travis wore his JJ Watt hat today and everyone was commenting on it and what a nice guy he is. Travis just smiled from ear to ear for which we can't thank Lisa, Kevin and JJ enough. Then as we started the treatment, Tony had to leave for the airport to head back home to Carlsbad. After the treatment, Travis spine was a little sore. They are reducing his steroid every few days and he may be experiencing some inflammation due to the radiation.
When we returned home, we had another great care package from Aunt Judy and Uncle Doug. Thanks Danny for the great idea of the Messi jersey. Travis loves it! We also had some beautiful flowers and a very nice note from Kimberly here in Houston. Thank you so much for brightening our day.
Tony made it back to Carlsbad where Tyler and Grandma picked him up at the Coaster station in Encinitas. They had a great meal provided by the Splavec family. Thanks Kelson for all of your support!
Sorry if we missed anyone but we truly appreciate the overwhelming support we are receiving from everyone. Amazing!


Pacific Golden-Plovers have dark brown upperparts, spangled with gold to pale yellow or white. A white stripe extends from the forehead, over the eyes, to the wings. Breeding males are solid black from chin to under-tail coverts. Females are duller in color. They are similar in appearance to American Golden-Plovers, but have shorter wings, brighter yellow markings on their upperparts, and mostly white under-tail coverts and sides. Non-breeding adults have yellow-edged upperparts and yellowish heads and necks. Juveniles have a golden cast to head and neck and spotted upperparts. Distinction between these two species is not easy. Be sure to consult a good field guide.
Migrating Pacific Golden-Plovers are typically found in coastal habitats such as mudflats, estuaries, and open ocean beaches. They nest on Arctic and subarctic Alaskan tundra, and may winter on islands in the Pacific Ocean as far south as Australia. Others go no farther for the winter than California beaches.
Pacific Golden-Plovers are territorial on breeding grounds, and some individuals defend feeding territories on wintering grounds. They are swift in flight, but are more commonly seen roosting or foraging on the ground. Pacific Golden-Plovers spread out while foraging. They are visual foragers and feed by running and seizing prey.
Pacific Golden-Plovers feed on a variety of invertebrates such as mollusks, crustaceans, and insects. They also eat berries, leaves, seeds, and occasionally small vertebrates.
Males may begin territorial display flights the day of arrival on tundra nesting grounds. Pairs form within a few days. The male builds a shallow scrape nest lined with lichen in sites with more vegetation than those chosen by American Golden-Plovers. The female lays four eggs, and both parents incubate. The male usually incubates during the day, the female at night. Chicks are precocial and can feed themselves within a few hours of hatching. Both parents tend the young. Pacific Golden-Plovers have one brood per season.
Pacific Golden-Plovers may cover 2,000 miles in a single nonstop flight from Alaska to the Pacific Islands, or they may stop along the way. Pacific Golden-Plovers and American Golden-Plovers overlap in time and location during migration, but Pacifics tend to migrate later. Spring migration takes place mainly in April and May, and fall migration lasts from August through October. A few individuals may not migrate.
Pacific Golden-Plovers were hunted in Hawaii until 1941, but with subsequent protection, populations have recovered. Pacific Golden-Plovers do not appear to be threatened at this time, although commercialized exploitation and habitat loss still occur in parts of their winter range.
These plovers are found mostly on the outer coast. A few may be found on the outer coast in the spring. During the fall, flocks are seen regularly along the coast near Grays Harbor and Leadbetter Point. Pacific Golden-Plovers may be more common than American Golden-Plovers on the Washington coast.


text:
Cookies on GOV.UK
We'd like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.
Births, death, marriages and care
Business and self-employed
Childcare and parenting
Citizenship and living in the UK
Crime, justice and the law
Disabled people
Driving and transport
Employing people
Environment and countryside
Housing and local services
Money and tax
Passports, travel and living abroad
Working, jobs and pensions
Government activity
Departments, agencies and public bodies
News stories, speeches, letters and notices
Guidance and regulation
Detailed guidance, regulations and rules
Reports, analysis and official statistics
Policy papers and consultations
Consultations and strategy
Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports
Search GOV.UK ×
Search GOV.UK
Popular on GOV.UK
Check benefits and financial support you can get
Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme
Universal Credit account: sign in
UK and French troops train together
To increase interoperability between French and UK troops, reciprocal training has begun between the two nations.
This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government
To increase interoperability, British soldiers train with their French counterparts [Picture: Staff Sergeant Ian Houlding RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
Nestled in the northern French countryside is CENZUB, one of the French Army's training camps which specialises in fighting in a built-up area (FIBUA) and comes complete with tailor-made mock-residential areas to provide as realistic an experience as possible.
The camp, on the outskirts of Sissonne, played host to 106 soldiers from No 1 Company of the Coldstream Guards in March 2011, as the British troops made history by becoming the first to train with the French Army since the defence co-operation treaty between the two nations was announced in November 2010.
Exercise Gaulish saw the Coldstream Guards undertake two weeks of intensive training which encompassed counter-IED skills as well as offensive and defensive missions, and took place in the camp's two purpose-built training residential areas.
Beausejour, the smaller of the residential areas, comprises three roads and several small houses, whereas the larger - Jeoffrecourt - has been developed to imitate a much bigger city and features a river as well as different districts.
As well as the life-like towns, CENZUB boasts Municourt - an area used specifically for counter-IED training. In addition, there is another area for crowd control training and an urban firing range which is currently undergoing an experimental phase before being used as a full training area.
During the First World War, the camp housed 50,000 French military personnel and morphed into a training facility in 2004 to encourage visits from foreign troops, with the aim of sharing experiences.
Since the defence co-operation announcement last year, the Guardsmen are the first UK troops to capitalise on the partnership by sharing knowledge in a bid to increase interoperability, and, according to CENZUB's Colonel Legrand, the Coldstream Guards are extremely welcome:
I am very pleased to welcome the British troops here," he said. "What is very interesting is that we can share interoperability, although between the two cultures there are often limitations so it's interesting to discover what those limits are.
I told the French and British company commanders when they arrived that they should share what they can. The French unit here should be committed to Afghanistan within the next year, and so they are very interested in the experience of the British unit in Afghanistan.
The first part of the two-week training programme saw the British troops undergoing lessons with French Army instructors who outlined their approach to FIBUA. To overcome language differences, an English-speaking French instructor interpreted during the lessons.
During the second week of the training, the soldiers took to Jeoffrecourt to carry out a full field training exercise and implement the French instructions they had learned during the previous days.
The language barrier wasn't the only obstacle the troops had to negotiate, with differing Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) also proving challenging.
Colonel Legrand said:
Around 75 per cent of our TTPs are the same, which is quite logical. 25 per cent are different and that is the most interesting thing for us, being able to share experiences to develop more interoperability; it means that we will be ready to work together and be ready to use British support for French units or French support for British units.
We're impressed with the aggressiveness of the British troops. One of our goals is to develop aggressiveness with our French soldiers, so it is good to see the British doing it.
French Army instructors conducting lessons with British soldiers [Picture: Staff Sergeant Ian Houlding RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]
But, what was the experience really like for the soldiers taking part?
Lance Corporal Andrew Ryder, No 1 Company, Coldstream Guards, said:
It's been quite hard learning their skills, because although they're similar to ours, they are different in some ways. We're just trying to put their skills into practice and not do the ones that have been drilled into us.
Guardsman Nathan Idonga, Coldstream Guards, said:
There are slight differences. Us soldiers, we always believe in what we do and we always believe that what we're doing is right. The French Army has their methods of doing things but the objective is the same, so if it works for them that's good. Fair play to them.
I actually expected more of a difference between the two ways of working than I've found.
The focus on improving interoperability between the two nations seemed to reign supreme in the list of priorities for both countries.
Major Oliver Biggs, Commander of No 1 Company, Coldstream Guards, said:
We're in France, we're using French weapons, we're being taught by French instructors and working alongside French troops gives us an international aspect.
We've got the opportunity to practise in a new training environment, so there's the novelty factor and there's nothing quite like this in the UK.
It also offers something that we're keen to develop, which is a step away from Afghan specific training; we're not in mission specific training for Afghanistan, so it gives us a chance to broaden our perspective on the character of conflict, particularly in an urban environment.
As part of the co-operation agreement last year, this relationship between the French and British Armies is a reciprocal one, so we should very soon be welcoming troops from France into one of our own training establishments. Let's hope we can impress them as much as it seems they've impressed us.
Sharing will open the page in a new tab
Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)
Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)
Explore the topic
Defence and armed forces
Yes this page is useful
No this page is not useful
Don't include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.
This field is for robots only. Please leave blank
To help us improve GOV.UK, we'd like to know more about your visit today. We'll send you a link to a feedback form. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Don't worry we won't send you spam or share your email address with anyone.
Send me the survey
Government Digital Service